On April 26, 2024, the UK Day will focus on:
● The suspect in the British Chinese bitcoin money laundering case appeared in court in London and denied two counts
● With a week to go before London's mayoral election, Sadiq Khan maintains his lead in the polls
● The Rwanda Security Act has officially become law, and Sunak wants the first flight of the repatriation flight to be made in July
● According to the WHO survey, the UK has the highest underage drinking rate in the world
● The UK Visa Application Centre in Guangzhou will be relocated to a new location
The suspect in the British Chinese bitcoin money laundering case appeared in court in London and denied two counts
In an article we published in February this year, we introduced a major money laundering case involving tens of billions of bitcoins involving Chinese people in the UK. The latest news from the Financial Times on April 25 pointed out that the main suspect in the case, Zhang Yadi, has made his first appearance in the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on April 24, 2024.
According to court documents, Zhang Yadi was born on Nov. 10, 1990, and used the name Qian Zhimin. She was charged with two counts of illegally possessing cryptocurrencies in the UK.
Zhang pleaded not guilty to the court through an interpreter and would not apply for bail. "There should be no rush to judgment in this case. Zhang claimed in court that she was completely innocent.
Subsequently, the judge decided to remand her case in custody and the case was sent to the Southwark Criminal Court.
With a week to go before London's mayoral election, Sadiq Khan maintains his lead in the polls
With a week to go before London's mayoral election on May 2, Savanta's latest poll results show that the lead of incumbent Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan (46 per cent) has narrowed slightly, and he is now 13 percentage points ahead of Conservative candidate Susan Hall (33 per cent), the smallest gap between the two in the polls so far.
A survey conducted by Savanta from April 8 to 17 showed that the Liberal Democratic candidate Rob Blackie had 9 percent support, the Green Party candidate Zoe Garbett had 7 percent support, and the British Reform Party candidate Howard Cox had 2 percent support.
Dr Elizabeth Simon of Queen Mary University of London pointed out that according to the survey, Sadiq Khan has an overwhelming lead in the north and east of London, 19 and 17 points ahead of Susan Hall, respectively. However, in the south and west of London, Sadiq Khan is only 8 points ahead of his main rivals.
Last week's YouGov poll showed that Khan's lead has dropped by 6 percentage points since February, but he is still 19 points ahead of Susan Hall.
The Rwanda Security Act has become law, and Sunak wants the first flight to be made in July
Yesterday (25 April), the Rwanda Security Bill (RSA) became law, declaring Rwanda a safe country to house illegal boat people who wish to seek asylum in the UK.
The Prime Minister's Office in Downing Street said the first batch of repatriation flights to Rwanda had been booked and the list of the first deportees had been confirmed.
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged that "flights to Rwanda will start in the next 10-12 weeks (around July) in any case." The Prime Minister's spokesman added: "We hope to have several repatriation flights every month starting in the summer." ”
British media sources pointed out that although the "Rwanda Security Act" was passed, the Sunak government's repatriation plan will still face obstruction from the European Court of Human Rights, and the Labor Party has also said that it will abolish the Rwanda plan within 100 days after taking office.
Meanwhile, a YouGov poll showed that only a third (36%) of Conservative voters believe the Rwandan deportation scheme will be successful in stopping illegal immigration across the Channel, compared to less than a quarter (23%) of all voters surveyed.
According to the WHO survey, the UK has the highest rate of underage alcohol consumption in the world
A new World Health Organization (WHO) survey shows that at age 11, 35 per cent of boys and 34 per cent of girls in England have drunk alcohol, more than double the global average of 15 per cent and the highest among the 44 countries surveyed.
The survey found that minors in middle-class households in the UK were more likely to drink alcohol, with 56 per cent of boys from high-income families in England having drunk alcohol at age 15, compared to 39 per cent of low-income households, and a smaller gap between girls, at 55 per cent and 50 per cent respectively.
Under UK law, it is illegal for minors under the age of 18 to purchase alcoholic beverages. However, young people as young as 16 years old can drink beer, wine or cider with meals, accompanied by an adult.
The WHO survey also found that 40% of girls and 26% of boys in the UK had vaped before the age of 15, compared to the global average of 33% and 31% respectively.
The UK Visa Application Centre in Guangzhou will be relocated to a new location
The British Embassy in Beijing has announced that VFS Global's UK Visa Application Centre in Guangzhou will be relocated to a new location effective 29 April 2024.
All applicants with appointments on or after 29 April 2024 are required to submit their applications at the new address, 8th Floor, Guangzhou Aluminum International Center, No. 78 Pazhou Avenue, Haizhu District, Guangzhou.