A spat between Britain’s prime minister and the world’s richest man escalated on Monday over a decade-old child grooming scandal that threatens to derail Keir Starmer's efforts to focus his government on health reforms.
After a weekend of posts about the performance of the UK government, Elon Musk increased his attacks on Mr Starmer by describing him as being “utterly despicable” after the Labour leader accused the X owner of spreading “lies and misinformation”.
In a social media barrage, Mr Musk said the refusal to open a national inquiry into the historic sex abuse case was due to the risk of exposing Mr Starmer's failings when he was the country's top prosecutor, suggesting he was “deeply complicit” in the crimes of child sex offenders in exchange for votes, and in a separate post added: “Prison for Starmer.”
With Mr Musk a key influential figure in Donald Trump’s incoming administration and growing fears that tariffs could be imposed by the new US president, there are concerns that Mr Starmer’s stance might impact on policy after the January 20 presidential inauguration.
A speech on reform of the long waiting lists for operations in the National Health Service on Monday was meant to dominate the new year agenda but Mr Starmer was instead forced to defend his performance both as Prime Minister and in his previous role as director of public prosecutions (DPP).
The billionaire condemned Mr Starmer for failing to prosecute gangs that groomed and raped thousands of girls in a series of towns in England while he was DPP from 2008 to 2013. In fact, Mr Starmer instigated prosecutions against a predatory sex gang of largely Pakistani men who assaulted at least 1,400 children.
Clearly stung by the comments, Mr Starmer said at a press conference: “Those that are spreading lies and disinformation as far and wide as possible are not interested in victims.”
He then seemed to infer that Mr Musk took to X, the social media platform he owns, in order to generate self-publicity. “Those who are desperate for attention, they are prepared to debase themselves and their country,” he said. “What I won’t tolerate is this discussion and debate based on lies and not calling it out.”
He defended his own record on tackling grooming gangs, saying he had dealt with the problem “head-on”.
He said: “I reopened cases that had been closed and supposedly finished, I brought the first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang... there were many that then followed that format.
“We changed, or I changed, the whole prosecution approach, because I wanted to challenge and did challenge the myths and stereotypes that were stopping those victims being heard.”
Professor Alexis Jay, who chaired an Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, called for the “full implementation” of her report’s recommendations.
Distancing herself from calls in Westminster for a new independent review, she said instead that the introduction of measures which she recommended two years ago was “critical”.
Musk tweets
Mr Starmer’s counter-attack, in which he said that people demanding a review were part of the far-right, brought a renewed onslaught. It took just over an hour for Mr Musk to respond to the comments by saying that Mr Starmer had ignored demands of victims for a prosecution.
“What an insane thing to say!” Mr Musk wrote. “The real reason is that it would show how Starmer repeatedly ignored the pleas of vast numbers of little girls and their parents, in order to secure political support. Starmer is utterly despicable.”
He went on to post a poll on X with the caption: “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government.”
Europe responds
It now appears other European governments are collectively attempting to stand up against Mr Musk’s immense influence.
French President Emmanuel Macron accused Mr Musk of directly intervening in elections with his apparent support for the AfD, Germany’s far-right party that could become a substantial political force after next month’s election.
“Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany,” he said.
Officials in the German government have also accused Mr Musk of trying to influence the election, but he is still scheduled to hold a live interview on X with AfD leader Alice Weidel on Thursday.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere also said that it was “worrying” that a person of such wealth and influence “involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries”.
Crossed a line
The Tesla owner had spent the weekend posting a slew of comments about the Labour government, focused around Jess Phillips, a home office minister who had refused a full public inquiry into sex grooming allegations. The billionaire described her as a “rape genocide apologist” who should be jailed.
Responding to questions about the posts, Mr Starmer said “a line has been crossed” when politicians receive serious threats as a result of the “poison of the far-right”.
He also called out Mr Musk’s growing inclination to back far-right figures that include Tommy Robinson, who is serving a jail sentence for contempt of court in a case against a Syrian man accused of sex grooming. Mr Robinson has also been linked to the violence in Britain’s summer anti-immigration riots by sending allegedly inflammatory tweets while on holiday abroad.
“Those cheerleading Tommy Robinson are not interested in justice, they are supporting a man who went to prison for nearly collapsing a gang grooming case,” Mr Starmer said.
“These are people getting some sort of vicarious thrill from the street violence people like Tommy Robinson promote. Those that are attacking Jess Philips, who I’m proud to call colleague and a friend, are not protecting victims.”
Mr Starmer was speaking at a hospital where he launched a series of measures intended to bring down the waiting times for operations that have still not recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic.
That is part of a strategy to reset an administration that has plunged in popularity following its cut of winter fuel allowance for pensioners while raising taxes that has seen it plummet in the polls despite winning a landslide election victory in July.
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Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FOOTBALL TEST
Team X 1 Team Y 0
Scorers
Red card
Man of the Match
