LONDON: The London High Court has sharply rebuked British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan and his wife Faryal Makhdoom for their “misconceived and opportunistic” attempt to strike out the defence filed by Faryaal Hussain, a female rights advocate, in the ongoing defamation claim brought by the celebrity couple.

In an order handed down by Master Davison, the court refused the Khans’ second strike-out application, marking the second time the couple has failed to remove Hussain’s defence before trial. The Khans are suing Hussain for £100,000 — alleging reputational and financial damage over statements she made on the Blue Tick Podcast and in an online petition in relation to the couple.

Master Davison criticised the Claimants’ approach in direct terms, finding that the renewed strike-out bid had “delayed the progress of the case by some 6 months” and had “run up unnecessary costs.”

He made clear that any shortcomings in the pleading could easily have been handled through correspondence or a Part 18 Request, noting that this would have been the appropriate course particularly because Mrs Hussain was acting as a litigant in person.

In the most striking passage of the ruling, the Master wrote: “I suspect that part of the Claimants’ motivation in making their strike-out application was to avoid scrutiny/further scrutiny of the truth or falsity of these matters. Self-evidently, that is not a sound basis for such an order.”

Although the Master struck out the honest opinion defence of Hussain, he held that Hussain’s remaining defences, truth and public interest, were “reasonably arguable” and must now proceed to a full trial.

The court noted that Hussain had already provided extensive material across her defence and amended defence, and that striking out her position entirely would have been a disproportionate response.

Given that the claim relates to the underlying matter of sexual misconduct, the judge has directed that the female witnesses must not be identified or their names published.

The case will now move forward publicly and is expected to draw significant media attention as the entire foundation of the defamation claim rests on two publications setting out allegations of intimidation, blackmail, and sexual misconduct — the very matters the Master indicated will inevitably require judicial scrutiny.

The proceedings are set to throw light on the private conduct, marital dynamics, and dealings with multiple women attributed to the couple squarely under the spotlight matters that the Court has now confirmed cannot be swept aside without full scrutiny.

These broadcasts by Hussain were published in July 2023 and September 2023.

The Khans are represented by lawyer Ahmed Jawad’s Central Chambers Law. Hussain is representing herself. Both Amir Khan and Faryal Hussain didn’t respond to questions. Jawad said he had no comment to make.

LONDON: Around 200,000 more children will likely die before their fifth birthday this year than in 2024 as international aid cuts undermine decades of progress, the Gates Foundation said on Thursday.

The projected increase would mark the first rise in preventable child deaths this century, Gates said, from an estimated 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million this year. Child deaths have roughly halved since 2000.

“For decades, the world has made steady progress in saving children’s lives. But now, as challenges mount, that progress is reversing,” said Bill Gates, chair of the eponymous foundation, in a foreword to its annual Goalkeepers report.

Aid cuts have spread beyond the US

The report tracks progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on reducing poverty and improving health. It usually comes out in September but was delayed this year due to the uncertainty over global health funding.

International aid cuts began with the US at the beginning of the year, but have since spread to other major donors like Britain and Germany. Overall, global development assistance for health fell by just under 27% this year compared to 2024, the report says.

The cuts are a key reason for the reversal in progress on child mortality, Gates said, although other issues, like countries facing mounting debt and fragile health systems, are also factors. Earlier this year, Gates warned that the cuts would lead to more children dying.

If the cuts are permanent, that could mean between 12 and 16 million more child deaths by 2045, the report adds, depending on funding levels. This year, the increase in deaths could see them match 2023’s number, the latest year for which the World Health Organisation has data.

The figures in the report are based on modelling from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at Washington University.

Gates urged governments and individuals to step up and focus on innovative new tools as well as proven solutions, like vaccination and investment in primary healthcare, to boost child health.

• Hegseth’s use of Signal could have endangered mission and troops.
• Hegseth under intensifying scrutiny over US strikes in Caribbean.
• Hegseth used Signal on his personal device in a policy violation.

WASHINGTON: A Pentagon investigation has faulted US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for using Signal on his personal device to transmit sensitive information about planned strikes in Yemen, saying it could have endangered US troops if intercepted, two people familiar with the document said on Wednesday.

However, the report by the Pentagon’s independent Inspector General did not weigh in on whether the information Hegseth posted was classified at the time, since it acknowledged that he, as the head of the Pentagon, can decide what information is classified and what is not, the sources said.

The report has not yet been publicly released, something US officials expect to happen this week.

In a statement, the Pentagon said the review cleared the US defence secretary, comments echoed by Hegseth himself later on social media.

“No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed,” Hegseth said on X.

Legal concerns raised

The renewed focus on Hegseth comes at a delicate time for the former Fox News host, as scrutiny intensifies of his leadership overseeing deadly US strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean that have raised legal concerns.

Prominent Democrats, including the top Democratic lawmaker on the House Armed Services Committee, said the Signal investigation showed Hegseth lacked the judgment required of the leader of the US armed forces.

“This report is a damning review of an incompetent secretary of defence who is profoundly incapable of the job and clearly has no respect for or comprehension of what is required to safeguard our service members,” said Representative Adam Smith of Washington state.

Hegseth shared the details on the imminent March 15 launch of US attacks on Houthi fighters with a group of President Donald Trump’s top national security officials, which accidentally included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg.

Goldberg later revealed the details of the chat in an article and, when Trump administration officials accused him of exaggerating their importance, he published screenshots of the back-and-forth between Hegseth and other top Trump officials.

Hegseth could be seen in the screenshots texting about specific plans to kill a Houthi leader in Yemen two hours before the secret military operation.

The Inspector General’s report said the information from the US military had been classified at the time it was transmitted to Hegseth and it could have put US service members and the mission itself at risk had the chat been intercepted, the sources said.

Hegseth, who repeatedly denied texting war plans and said no classified information was shared, declined to be interviewed by the Inspector General’s office for the investigation, the sources said, citing the report.

In a written statement to the Inspector General, Hegseth said he was allowed to declassify information; however, he determined was appropriate and only texted information he did not think posed an operational risk, one of the sources said. He also accused the investigation of being driven by political opponents, even though it was called for by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the source said.

Hegseth’s past defence of his use of Signal has bewildered Democrats and former US officials, who regard timing and targeting details as some of the most closely held material ahead of a US military campaign.

If Houthi leaders knew a strike was coming, they might have been able to flee, possibly to crowded areas where targeting is more difficult, and the number of potential civilian casualties might be deemed too high to proceed.

However, the chat did not appear to include any names or precise locations of Houthis being targeted or to disclose information that could have been used to target US troops carrying out the operation.

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, said the Inspector General’s report confirmed it was aware of several other Signal chats used for official business, “underscoring that this was not an isolated lapse.”

“It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head,” Warner said.

The Inspector General noted Hegseth only provided a small number of his Signal messages for review, leaving the investigation to rely on screenshots published by The Atlantic, the source said, citing the report.