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Former Michigan State starting WR transferring to SEC schoolShare Tweet Share Share Email Most people have a basic idea of how bail bonds function. However, Minnesota’s bail system has distinct regulations and procedures that may surprise defendants and their families. Understanding these lesser-known features of Minnesota’s bail process can be quite beneficial when dealing with legal issues. This post answers how bail bonds help families in Minnesota during legal troubles. Bail Bonds Family Help If you or someone you know is facing criminal charges in Minnesota, you may be wondering how the state handles bail. Bail is a payment provided to the court to ensure that a defendant appears at their scheduled court date. Let’s explore more about bail bonds in Minnesota . Bail Bonds in Minnesota Bail is a monetary amount determined by the court to ensure that a defendant appears for their scheduled court date. If the defendant appears for all court dates as scheduled, the bail is restored at the conclusion of the case. However, if the defendant fails to appear in court, the bail is forfeited, and the defendant may face arrest. In Minnesota, a judge sets bail during a bail hearing. When determining bail, the judge will examine various variables, including the gravity of the charge, the defendant’s criminal history, and the risk that the defendant will flee if freed. If the defendant is unable to pay the full bail amount, they may be allowed to post a bond. A bail bond is a guarantee to pay the full bail amount if the offender does not appear in court. A bail bondsman normally issues the bail bond and charges a fee for their services. How Bail Bonds in MN Works To get a bail bond, the defendant or their family is often required to pay a portion of the bail amount to the bail bond agent. In Minnesota, the cost is usually 10% of the bail amount. For example, if the bail is $10,000, the defendant or their family must pay $1,000 to the bail bondsman. Once the fee is received, the bail bondsman will submit the total bail amount to the court. The defendant will then be released from custody, pending their court appearance. If the defendant fails to appear in court, the bail bondsman is responsible for paying the whole bail amount. The bail bond agent may hire a bounty hunter to find the defendant and return them to court. If the defendant cannot be located, the bail bond agent may employ a lawyer to negotiate with the court and attempt to decrease or eliminate the bail sum. In Minnesota, a court can impose bail as either conditional or unconditional. Conditional bail typically carries conditions such as keeping touch with pretrial services, no contact with specific individuals, or abstaining from alcohol or drug usage. Because these factors lessen the perceived flight risk, bail amounts are frequently reduced. Unconditional bail, on the other hand, carries no additional limitations but is typically set at a much greater amount. Bail Is Not Always Available for Serious Crimes Minnesota law gives courts the ability to refuse bail, especially for serious crimes such as violent felonies or if the prisoner poses a considerable flight risk. For example, if a person is charged with a grave offense such as homicide or sexual assault, or if they have a history of missing court dates, a judge may deny bail entirely. Bail bonds are regulated in Minnesota. Unlike some states, where rates can vary greatly, Minnesota law limits the amount a bail bondsman can charge. Typically, bail bondsmen in the state charge 10% to 15% of the total bail amount. This amount is non-refundable, even if the defendant completes all court requirements, ensuring that the cost of bail is consistent across the state. Bail can be revoked for violating certain conditions. If a defendant breaches any of the conditions of their release, such as failing to appear in court or violating the terms of their conditional bail, the court or a bail bondsman may revoke bail. This means that the defendant will be re-arrested, and the bail or bond will be forfeit. Understanding and adhering to bail conditions is crucial to avoiding rearrest. Challenges in Bail Bond If you believe the bail amount established by the judge is excessive or unreasonable, you may be able to challenge it in court. This procedure is referred to as a bail hearing or bail review. You or your attorney must submit a motion with the court requesting a bail hearing. The motion should explain why you believe the bail amount is excessive or unreasonable and include facts to back up your claim. The court will then set up a hearing to evaluate your application. At the hearing, the judge will examine the same reasons that were used to first establish bail, as well as any new information or evidence offered by you or your attorney. The judge may then decide to lower the bond amount, set new conditions on your release, or refuse the request entirely. It’s crucial to understand that challenging bail can be a complicated and arduous process. Working with an experienced criminal law defense attorney who can guide you through the system and advocate for your rights is critical. Benefits of Bail Bonds for Family Bail bonds have several advantages, making them a more practical and supporting option for family help in MN: Affordable and accessible Families pay a little premium for bail, freeing up financial resources for other needs. Guidance and support Bail bond agents offer guidance and support, including reminders for court dates and resolving missed appearances or technological challenges. Midwest Bail Bonding is committed to assisting clients with the pretrial process, assuring compliance, and eliminating stress. Experienced agents use their understanding of court procedures to accelerate the release process. Accountability with Cosigners A cosigner guarantees the bond’s financial commitment. If the defendant fails to attend, the cosigner must pay the bail bond company’s charges. Bail bonds protect defendant rights by preventing courts from applying monies to fines or fees ahead of time. This allows defendants to contest penalties as needed. Wrapping Up! Minnesota’s bail system is intended to be fair and flexible, yet many parts are misinterpreted or neglected. Understanding these lesser-known facts, such as the option to post bail directly with the court and the distinction between conditional and unconditional bail, can assist defendants and their family navigate the legal system more confidently. 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Marqeta, Inc. Stockholder Alert: Robbins LLP Reminds Investors of the MQ Class Action LawsuitAlbury Council needs to "go out of our way" to support Chryslers on the Murray organisers, former mayor Kylie King said as an alcohol ban to cover the next two stagings won unanimous support. or signup to continue reading The council, at its meeting on Monday, November 25, universally endorsed linked to an unofficial cruise that happens in South Albury when the car show unfolds in March. Cr King said the Albury Wodonga Chrysler Club had unfortunately suffered when "Through no fault of their own, an issue was raised, council officers and the team have come up with, I think, a great way to support them and hopefully tackle Cr King said. "We really do need to go out of our way to do what we can to support this club to make sure that this event does continue." An alcohol-free zone will be set up on streets bounded by Wodonga Place, Townsend Street and Nurigong Street from 5pm to 9am on the Fridays and Saturdays of Chryslers on the Murray for 2025 and 2026. Similarly, there will be a ban on booze in the nearby Murray River parks at the same time. The council will also have its mobile CCTV unit, which has number plate recognition, in the area during those periods. The council's business and lifestyle service leader, Ambrose Glass, said the police's approach would be to pour alcohol from vessels if found in the zones, and fines would be issued for gross misbehaviour. Councillor Phil Bullivant welcomed the outcome, which followed "I think the council staff have done a particularly good job negotiating with the stakeholders (organisers and police), so going forward I think it's a win-win for everybody, the community and the car club," Cr Bullivant said. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement
Manmohan Singh's father may have believed his bookworm son would one day lead India, but the understated technocrat with the trademark blue turban, who died Thursday at the age of 92, never dreamed it would actually happen. Singh was pitchforked into leading the world's largest democracy in 2004 by the shock decision of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to turn down the role after leading the party to an upset win over the ruling Hindu nationalists. He oversaw an economic boom in Asia's fourth-largest economy in his first term, although slowing growth in later years marred his second stint. Known as "Mr Clean", Singh nonetheless saw his image tarnished during his decade-long tenure when a series of corruption cases became public. As finance minister in the early 1990s, he was hailed at home and abroad for initiating big-bang reforms that opened India's inward-looking economy to the world. Known as a loyalist to the Gandhi political dynasty, Singh studied economics to find a way to eradicate poverty in the vast nation and never held elected office before becoming PM. But he deftly managed the rough and tumble of Indian politics -- even though many said Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of the assassinated Rajiv Gandhi, was the power behind the throne. Born in 1932 in the mud-house village of Gah in what is now Pakistan, Singh moved to the holy Sikh city of Amritsar as a teenager around the time the subcontinent was split at the end of British rule into mainly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. His father was a dry-fruit seller in Amritsar, and he had nine brothers and sisters. He was so determined to get an education he would study at night under streetlights because it was too noisy at home, his brother Surjit Singh told AFP in 2004. "Our father always used to say Manmohan will be the prime minister of India since he stuck out among the 10 children," said Singh. "He always had his nose in a book." Singh won scholarships to attend both Cambridge, where he obtained a first in economics, and Oxford, where he completed his PhD. He worked in a string of senior civil posts, served as a central bank governor and also held various jobs with global agencies such as the United Nations. Singh was tapped in 1991 by then Congress prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to reel India back from the worst financial crisis in its modern history -- currency reserves had sunk so low the country was on the brink of defaulting on foreign loans. Singh unleashed sweeping change that broke sharply with India's Soviet-style state-directed economy. In his first term he steered the economy through a period of nine-percent growth, lending the country the international clout it had long sought. He also sealed a landmark nuclear deal with the US that he said would help India meet its growing energy needs. But by 2008 there was growing disquiet among the ruling alliance's left-leaning parties about the pact, while high inflation -- notably food and fuel prices -- hit India's poor hard. Still, voters remained drawn to his calm, pragmatic persona, and in 2009 Congress steered its alliance to a second term. Singh vowed to step up financial reforms to drive economic growth, but he came under increasing fire from critics who said he had done nothing to stop a string of corruption scandals on his watch. Several months before the 2014 elections, Singh said he would retire after the polls, with Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul earmarked to take his place if Congress won. But Congress crashed to its worst-ever result at that time as the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Narendra Modi, won a landslide. More recently, an unflattering book by a former aide titled "The Accidental Prime Minister" portrayed him as timid and controlled by Sonia Gandhi. Singh -- who said historians would be kinder to him than contemporary detractors -- became a vocal critic of Modi's economic policies, and more recently warned about the risks that rising communal tensions posed to India's democracy.Azerbaijani and US officials believe a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the deadly crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet, media reports and a US official said Thursday, as the Kremlin cautioned against "hypotheses" over the disaster. The Azerbaijan Airlines jet crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub, on Wednesday after going off course for undetermined reasons. Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board died. The Embraer 190 aircraft was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Chechnya, southern Russia, but instead diverted far off course across the Caspian Sea. An investigation is underway, with pro-government Azerbaijani website Caliber citing unnamed officials as saying they believed a Russian missile fired from a Pantsir-S air defence system downed the plane. The claim was also reported by The New York Times, broadcaster Euronews and the Turkish news agency Anadolu. Some aviation and military experts said the plane might have been accidentally shot by Russian air defence systems because it was flying in an area where Ukrainian drone activity had been reported. A former expert at France's BEA air accident investigation agency said there appeared to be "a lot of shrapnel" damage on the wreckage. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the damage was "reminiscent" of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was downed with a surface-to-air missile by Russia-backed rebels over eastern Ukraine in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigation's conclusions." Euronews cited Azerbaijani government sources as saying that "shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as it exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight". A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said early indications suggested a Russian anti-aircraft system struck the plane. Kazakhstan news agency Kazinform cited a regional prosecutor as saying that two black-box flight recorders had been recovered. Azerbaijan Airlines initially said the plane flew through a flock of birds, before withdrawing the statement. Kazakh officials said 38 people had been killed and there were 29 survivors, including three children. Jalil Aliyev, the father of flight attendant Hokume Aliyeva, told AFP that this was supposed to have been her last flight before starting a job as a lawyer for the airline. "Why did her young life have to end so tragically?" the man said in a trembling voice before hanging up the phone. Eleven of the injured are in intensive care, the Kazakh health ministry said. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations. "I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash... and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Aliyev said in a social media post Wednesday. The Flight Radar website showed the plane deviating from its normal route, crossing the Caspian Sea and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed near Aktau, on the eastern shore of the sea. Kazakhstan said the plane was carrying 37 Azerbaijani passengers, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz and 16 Russians. A Kazakh woman told the local branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) she was near where the plane crashed and rushed to the site to help survivors. "They were covered in blood. They were crying. They were calling for help," said the woman, who gave her name as Elmira. She said they saved some teenagers. "I'll never forget their look, full of pain and despair," said Elmira. "A girl pleaded: 'Save my mother, my mother is back there'." Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Aliyev and "expressed his condolences in connection with the crash", Peskov told a news conference. bur/rlp/js
Germany's Merkel recalls Putin's 'power games' and contrasting US presidents in her memoirs - The Associated PressUS prosecutors have decided to drop two criminal cases against president-elect Donald Trump. Special prosecutor Jack Smith has told courts in Washington DC and Florida he is discontinuing the cases, which related to alleged election interference and mishandling of classified documents. In a motion filed in Washington, he cited a longstanding Department of Justice (DOJ) policy not to prosecute a sitting president. "The government's position on the merits of the defendant's prosecution has not changed," the motion says. "But the circumstances have." What was Trump charged with? Last year, Mr Smith brought two criminal cases against Trump. In one, he alleged that Trump had conspired to defraud the US through an illegal scheme to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election win, and cling on to power himself. The prosecution argued Trump used "pervasive and destabilising lies" to try to convince the public the election had been rigged. He was also accused of using fraudulent electors to manipulate the electoral college system, and to sign up his vice-president, Mike Pence, to help carry out the scheme. Trump pleaded not guilty in August last year, a couple of weeks after the charges were brought. In the second case, in Florida, Mr Smith had attempted to prosecute Trump for illegally retaining classified documents after his time in the White House. Trump allegedly kept the documents, which contained sensitive national security information, at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and then obstructed government efforts to retrieve them. A Trump-appointed judge dismissed that case in July , finding that Mr Smith had been unlawfully appointed. Mr Smith had initially appealed that decision, but has now decided not to pursue that appeal. After Mr Smith's motions were filed today, Trump used social media to attack the cases as "empty and lawless" and say they "should never have been brought". "Over $100 million dollars of taxpayer dollars [sic] has been wasted in the Democrat Party's fight against their political opponent, me," he wrote. "Nothing like this has ever happened in our country before." Why have the charges been dropped? Mr Smith's motion to dismiss the election interference case said the decision did "not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government's proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the government stands fully behind". It instead points to the DOJ's long-held belief that the Constitution does not allow a president to be prosecuted: "It has long been the position of the Department of Justice that the United States Constitution forbids the federal indictment and subsequent criminal prosecution of a sitting president. "But the department and the country have never faced the circumstance here, where a federal indictment against a private citizen has been returned by a grand jury and a criminal prosecution is already underway when the defendant is elected president. "Confronted with this unprecedented situation, the Special Counsel's Office consulted with the Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), whose interpretation of constitutional questions such as those raised here is binding on department prosecutors. "After careful consideration, the department has determined that OLC's prior opinions concerning the Constitution's prohibition on federal indictment and prosecution of a sitting president apply to this situation and that as a result this prosecution must be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated." Trump will return to the White House early next year after a decisive win in the US presidential election this month. His inauguration will be on January 20. What about the other cases against Trump? As well as these federal cases, Trump was charged under state law in two separate cases last year. One of those cases, in Georgia, also related to alleged election interference. In that state, Trump and 18 of his associates were charged under anti-racketeering laws that are usually directed at outlaw gangs or mafia-style organised crime networks . That case remains alive, and four of Trump's co-defendants have already pleaded guilty. But it's been in limbo while Trump's lawyers fight to have District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the case, because she had an "inappropriate" relationship with a lawyer who was contracted to work on it with her . A hearing set for December 5 was last week cancelled until further notice. Ms Willis has indicated she intended to continue pursuing the case. The other case, in New York, related to "hush money" paid to porn star Stormy Daniels while Trump was campaigning to win the 2016 election. In May, a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records . That verdict stands, but sentencing has been delayed. Judge Juan Merchan is considering whether to postpone sentencing until after Trump serves his four-year term as president. Trump's lawyers have indicated they would fight to have the case dismissed completely. They have until December 2 to file their arguments to the New York court.
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What do Reviews of Real Mitolyn Users Say About Purple Peel Exploit for Weight Loss?TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s most populous province may bar American-made alcohol in addition to restricting electricity exports to Michigan, New York and Minnesota if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products, a senior official said Thursday. The official in Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government said that it's contemplating restricting Ontario's liquor control board from buying American-made alcohol. Ontario is also considering restricting exports of critical minerals required for electric vehicle batteries and preventing U.S.-based companies from the government's procurement process, the official said on condition on anonymity because the functionary wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the potential measures. Ford confirmed on Wednesday evening that Ontario is contemplating restricting electricity exports to Michigan, New York State and Minnesota. He reiterated that on Thursday and said it would make electricity unaffordable for Americans. “It’s a last resort,” Ford said. “I don’t think President-elect Trump wants that to happen. We're sending a message to the U.S. If you come and attack Ontario, you attack livelihoods of people in Ontario and Canadians, we are going to use every tool in our tool box to defend Ontarians and Canadians. Let's hope it never comes to that." Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the United States from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the flow of migrants and drugs . Ontario powered 1.5 million homes in the U.S. in 2023 and is a major exporter of electricity to Michigan, Minnesota and New York. "That's OK if he that does that. That's fine,” Trump told CNBC when asked about Ford's remarks on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “The United States is subsidizing Canada and we shouldn't have to do that," Trump said. "And we have a great relationship. I have so many friends in Canada, but we shouldn't have to subsidize a country. We're subsidizing more than a $100 billion a year. We shouldn't have to be doing that." The CNBC reporter said off camera that Trump told him that they hope they can work something out with Canada. The premier of the oil rich Canadian province of Alberta ruled out cutting off oil exports. “Under no circumstances will Alberta agree to cut off oil and gas exports,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said. “Instead, we’re taking a diplomatic approach and we’re meeting with our allies in the U.S. We’re making the case for Alberta oil and gas to be part of the solution to energy affordability and energy security.” Canada supplies more oil to the U.S. than any other country, nearly 4.5 million barrels a day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada and a fifth of the crude refined in the U.S. comes from Canada. “If you put a 25% tariff on oil from Alberta that increases every gallon of gasoline by one dollar,” Ford said. About 85% of U.S. electricity imports come from Canada as well. Canada also has 34 critical minerals and metals the Pentagon is eager for. Nearly 3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Canada has promised more border security spending to address Trump’s border concerns. Ford said that will include more border and police officers, as well as drones and sniffer dogs. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida, said they plan to share details of those border plans with the incoming Trump administration in the coming days. Alberta's government is creating a new sheriff patrol unit to shore up security at the border. It will be supported by about 50 sheriffs, 10 cold weather surveillance drones and four drug detection dogs. Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) deep zone along the border with Montana will be deemed critical infrastructure, so sheriffs can arrest without a warrant anyone found attempting to cross illegally or trafficking illegal drugs or weapons. At the Mar-a-Lago dinner, Kristen Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., said that Washington's trade deficit with Canada was also raised. Hillman said the U.S. had a $75 billion trade deficit with Canada last year but noted a third of what Canada sells into the U.S. is energy exports and prices have been high. Trudeau said this week that U.S.-imposed tariffs would be “absolutely devastating” for the Canadian economy , but it would also mean real hardship for Americans. Canada imposed duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canadian officials have said that it's unfair to lump Canada in with Mexico. LeBlanc said that illegal migration from Canada to the U.S. is only 0.6% of the total, and fentanyl from Canada is 0.2% of the total of U.S. seizures. Quebec Premier Françoise Legault said that Trump told him in Paris last week that he doesn't want to see anymore illegal immigration coming from Canada. Quebec is a major supplier of electricity to the U.S. Legault noted Trudeau's plan to strengthen border security. “I prefer that than starting a war and stopping sending energy to the United States,” Legault said. Newfoundland Premier Andrew Furey said he had a call with New England governors this week and said there is a significant degree of concern on both sides of the border. “We hope it is just bluster,” Furey said. “We are preparing as if it is not. There will be no winner in a trade war."Murdered Sara Sharif was less than a week old when concerns were raised about her care, newly-reportable details show, as the Prime Minister said questions must be answered about the “shocking” case. The 10-year-old girl’s battered body was discovered at her family home in Woking, Surrey in August last year, with members of her family having already fled to Pakistan with her siblings and half-siblings. Following the conviction of Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, for her murder, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, of causing or allowing her death, previously unreportable details about the family’s contact with social services and the courts have been published. They include: – Concerns were raised about Sara’s care within a week of her birth in 2013, with her parents Urfan and Olga Sharif known to social services as early as 2010. – Surrey County Council repeatedly raised “significant concerns” that Sara was likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents. – There were three sets of family court proceedings but allegations that Urfan Sharif was physically abusing Sara and her siblings were never tested in court. – Sara was repeatedly returned to her parents’ care before finally being placed with her father and stepmother at their home in Woking in 2019, four years before she was murdered there. – Sara’s siblings and half-siblings were taken to Pakistan following her murder and they remain in the city of Jhelum, Pakistan, with their paternal grandfather, with efforts to return them to the UK still ongoing. Their identities are protected by a court order. Sir Keir Starmer described the case as “awful” and stressed the importance of safeguards for children being home-schooled in particular – as Sara was in the last months of her life. The trial of Sara’s killers heard that in January 2023 she had begun wearing a hijab to cover up her bruises at school and while teachers noticed marks on her face and referred her to social services in March, the case was dropped within days. She was taken out of school by her family in April, with the violence against her intensifying in the weeks before she died. Sir Keir said the case was one of violence and abuse and described it as “just shocking” to read about, adding: “Obviously, there’s going to be questions that need to be answered in relation to this case”. He said these related to “making sure that (there are) protecting safeguards for children, particularly those being home-schooled”. Cabinet minister Lucy Powell indicated on Thursday that details on how these will be made stronger will be announced “imminently”. As part of previously announced reforms to children’s social care, the Government said it would be introducing a new duty on parents where, if their child is subject to a child protection inquiry or is on a child protection plan – meaning the child is suspected of being at risk of significant harm – they will need local authority consent to home educate them. The plans, under the Children’s Wellbeing Bill, also include requiring local authorities to have registers of children not in school, in a bid to avoid children slipping under the radar. The Bill has not yet begun making its way through Parliament, but it is understood it could be introduced in the Commons as early as next week. England’s Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has described it as “madness” that an at-risk child could be taken out of school, and called for a change in the law so children who are suspected victims of abuse cannot be home educated. She called on the Government to bring in its reforms “without delay”. The Department for Education has said its plans will bring in greater safeguards for children in home education “so this can never be used to conceal abuse”. Figures published on Thursday showed that local authorities in England reported 111,700 children were in elective home education this autumn term, a rise from an estimated 92,000 in the previous autumn term. The trial, which concluded on Wednesday, had heard how Sara’s father had created a “culture of violent discipline”, where assaults on her had “become completely routine, completely normalised”. The new details reported on Thursday came after a High Court ruling that information about ongoing and previous court proceedings relating to Sara and her siblings could be published, following applications from the PA news agency and several other media organisations. Separately, a report published by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel the day after the verdicts in Sara’s case showed that 485 children in England died or were seriously harmed by abuse or neglect, between April 1 2023 and March 31 2024. Panel chairwoman Annie Hudson described Sara’s case as “harrowing” as she called for a more joined-up approach to child protection, with a need for teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers, police and other professionals to share information to understand what is happening in a child’s life. Surrey County Council said an independently-led safeguarding review – known as a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR) – of all professionals who had contact with Sara’s family is under way. Such reviews are aimed at identifying learning from cases and while no timeframe has been given, it is usually expected reports are published within six months.Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Shedding light on the role of community mediation in ensuring equitable and swift dispute resolution, Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait here on Thursday said that community mediators should ensure that they remain impartial and sensitive. “Impartiality and sensitivity shall be the key for community mediators doing mediation in resolving community disputes,” he said during a Skill Enhancement Programme for Community Mediators organised by Madhya Pradesh High Court Legal Services Committee in the city. He was chief guest at the event which was aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of mediation in resolving community disputes. CJ Kait offered valuable insights into the essence of mediation. Recalling a Panchayat case from his village background, he illustrated the complexities of social dynamics and the need for mediators to consider the perspectives of all parties involved. He also narrated a 2021 mediation case from Delhi involving a motor accident settlement, showcasing the impact mediation can have on vulnerable families. His personal intervention ensured the bereaved family received their rightful compensation, exposing exploitation by intermediaries. The programme was also attended by Administrative Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla shed light on the role of community mediation in ensuring equitable and swift dispute resolution. During the welcome address, Justice Rusia reflected on the history of community mediation in Madhya Pradesh. Initial attempts in Jabalpur, Bhopal and Gwalior faced challenges. However, under his stewardship as Chairman of the Mediation Committee at the Indore Bench, the programme flourished. He attributed the success to the dedicated mediators and master trainers, including Neena Khare and Dr Mohd Shamim, who trained revenue officers to address civil disputes and facilitated police station-based mediation for criminal cases. Justice Rusia highlighted the enthusiasm of participants, many of whom extended their initial commitments to fully engage in the seven-day sessions. Representatives from diverse communities, including the Kori, Vaishya, Yadav, Bairwa, Muslim and Sindhi communities shared their experiences and views on mediation proceedings. The event district legal aid officer Manish Kaushik coordinated the function whereas community mediator Amitabh Singhal proposed the vote of thanks.