Day: May 10, 2024

Litigation funders didn’t ‘exploit’ subpostmasters, they helped us. Those who attack them have corporate interests at heart

• Alan Bates is founder of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance

You are probably familiar with the case Alan Bates and Others v Post Office Ltd. The high court found that I and 554 other former subpostmasters were right about the Post Office’s faulty Horizon IT system. What you might not know, however, is that this case would not have been possible without something called litigation funding.

This is when a third party provides the money for a legal battle in return for a share of the damages or settlement in the case of a victory. The arrangement worked very well for us. In fact, there would have been no justice for subpostmasters without it, given the exorbitant costs of the legal system in England and Wales. But there is now a concerted effort by big business to constrain access to litigation funding.

Alan Bates is a former subpostmaster and the founder of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance

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Slovakia’s border guard service said 338 Ukrainians were detained and released in the first four months of the year – compared to 166 over the same period in 2023.

NEW DELHI — India said Thursday that Canada has shared no evidence to back its allegation that the Indian government was involved in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada last year, despite the recent arrests of three Indian men in the crime.

India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also reiterated India’s longstanding allegation that Canada harbors Indian extremists.

Three Indian nationals who had been living in Canada temporarily were arrested on Tuesday in the slaying last June of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had set off a diplomatic spat with India last September when he cited “credible allegations” of India’s involvement in the slaying of the Sikh separatist. India rejected the accusations.

Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Mandeep Mooker said after the men’s arrests that the investigation into whether they had ties to India’s government was ongoing.

Jaiswal said the two governments are discussing the case but that Canada has forwarded no specific evidence of the Indian government’s involvement.

Meanwhile, Jaiswal said New Delhi has complained to Canadian authorities that separatists, extremists and those advocating violence against India have been allowed entry and residency in Canada. “Many of our extradition requests are pending,” he said.

“Our diplomats have been threatened with impunity and obstructed in their performance of duties,” Jaiswal added. “We are having discussions at the diplomatic level on all these matters,” he said.

The three Indian men arrested in Canada haven’t yet sought any access to the Indian diplomats there, Jaiswal said.

The three — Kamalpreet Singh, 22, Karan Brar, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28 — appeared in court Tuesday via a video link and agreed to a trial in English. They were ordered to appear in British Columbia Provincial Court again on May 21.

They were arrested last week in Edmonton, Alberta. They have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Pope Francis presides over the Vespers prayer service on the day of the Ascension of Jesus Christ on Thursday  Islander News.com

Pope Francis to the General States of Birth: “Effective choices are needed in favor of the family”  Agenzia Nova

Pope Francis tells world’s parish priests: The Church could not go on without you  Malaysian Christian News

Алексей Дюмин поздравил митрополита Тульского и Ефремовского Алексия с днем рождения  Моя Слобода

Алексей Дюмин поздравил митрополита Тульского и Ефремовского с днем рождения  Первый Тульский