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Aug 25 2023

British Museum director resigns following alleged thefts of artefacts | UK News

The director of the British Museum, Hartwig Fischer, has announced he is stepping down with immediate effect following alleged thefts of artefacts from the central London institution.

Mr Fischer said the situation is “of the utmost seriousness” and he has “sadly come to the conclusion” that his presence is “proving a distraction”.

The museum earlier sacked a senior curator after close to 2,000 artefacts, worth millions of pounds, were believed to have been stolen.

Mr Fischer said it was “evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have” in response to “warnings in 2021” about a problem that has now “fully emerged”.

“The responsibility for that failure must ultimately rest with the director,” he said.

Mr Fischer also said he had “misjudged” some comments he made about antiques dealer Ittai Gradel.

He added: “I wish to express my sincere regret and withdraw those remarks.”

Dr Gradel has said his concerns about misplaced items were ignored.

He said: “I told them about the few items where I had absolute proof that they came from the British Museum. I said, ‘I have all the information you would require me, all the assistance, I’m entirely at your disposal’. They never contacted and now they’re trying to shoot the messenger,” he said.

Mr Fishcer previously said that an “individual who raised concerns” had “many more items in his possession”.

He added: “It’s frustrating that that was not revealed to us as it would have aided our investigations.”

Former chancellor George Osborne, who chairs the museums trustees, said “no one has ever doubted Hartwig’s integrity, his dedication to his job, or his love for the museum”.

He added: “I am clear about this: we are going to fix what has gone wrong. The museum has a mission that lasts across generations. We will learn, restore confidence and deserve to be admired once again.”

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Aug 15 2023

Former British Cycling doctor Richard Freeman banned for four years for breaking anti-doping rules | UK News

Former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman has been banned from all sport for four years for violating anti-doping rules.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said he had 30 sachets of a testosterone gel delivered to the National Cycling Centre in Manchester in May 2011 and lied about it.

The watchdog said the National Anti-Doping Panel decision to ban him was made in July.

Freeman was in his role at British Cycling and what was Team Sky when Bradley Wiggins became Britain’s first Tour de France champion in 2012, a time when British cycling soared to the top of the cycling world.

The Testogel Freeman ordered is prescription-only medication and banned under anti-doping rules as it contains testosterone.

Freeman told UKAD he ordered the gel for a “non-rider” member of British Cycling staff, but refused to name them due to patient confidentiality.

He said he had asked them several times to waive their confidentiality but they refused. However, UKAD said this was false, as was his claim the gel had been returned to the supplier.

In 2021, Freeman was also struck off the medical register after a tribunal ruled he knew or believed the gel was intended for a rider to improve their performance.

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Jul 31 2023

British expat David Hunter who killed terminally ill wife in Cyprus handed two-year sentence for manslaughter | UK News

David Hunter, the British pensioner who killed his terminally ill wife in Cyprus, has been sentenced to two years after he was found guilty of manslaughter.

But Hunter was released on Monday after Cypriot prison authorities officially calculated his release date, his legal team have said.

The 76-year-old has already spent 19 months in custody so has already served the majority of his sentence, according to Michael Polak, the director of Justice Abroad.

Mr Polak, whose organisation is representing Hunter, said that in Cyprus a defendant will spend 10 months in custody for every year they are jailed.

Janice Hunter, 74, died of asphyxiation at the couple’s retirement home near Paphos in December 2021.

Hunter, a former coal miner from Northumberland, admitted killing his wife but denied murder.

He told a Cyprus court she had blood cancer and “begged him” to take her life because she was in so much pain.

Hunter was cleared of murdering his wife but was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter earlier this month.

Mr Polak said Hunter’s legal team were “very pleased” with the sentence.

“The sentencing exercise was not a simple one given that a case like this has never come before the courts of Cyprus before,” Mr Polak said.

“We submitted extensive sentencing case law from across the common law world, from Australia to Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to assist the court in coming to a decision which was fair.

“The result of today’s hearing, and the court’s previous decision finding Hunter not guilty of murder, is what we have been fighting for in this case and David is very pleased with the outcome today.

“David would like to thank his legal team for their work, the experts who supported his case, and everyone from Cyprus, the United Kingdom, and around the world who has supported him,” Mr Polak added.

“This has been a tragic case and difficult for all of those involved with it, but today’s decision was the right one and allows David and his family to grieve together.”

Hunter told his trial, which lasted more than a year, that his wife “cried and begged” him to end her life.

He broke down in tears as he said he would “never in a million years” have taken Mrs Hunter’s life unless she had asked him to.

He showed the court how he held his hands over his wife’s mouth and nose and said he eventually decided to grant her wish after she became “hysterical”.

The court heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose, but medics arrived in time to save him.

His legal team had argued Hunter should be given a suspended sentence, in a case which is a legal first in the country.

In mitigation last week, his defence lawyer, Ritsa Pekri, said his motive was to “liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions”.

The court heard it was Mrs Hunter’s “wish” to die and that her husband “had only feelings of love for her”.

The couple’s daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, told Sky News after the conviction was handed down: “I’m incredibly relieved that it’s manslaughter rather than murder.

“It’s the best we could have hoped for in the circumstances.”

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Jun 30 2023

Fears for British car production unless deal struck with EU despite best May in four years | Business News

Promising growth in British car production could be cut short unless a deal is reached with the European Union (EU) in the coming months, an industry body has warned.

Britain recorded the best May for car production in four years, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

But this figure was largely driven by exports to the EU.

The vast majority (79.5%) of the nearly 80,000 (79,406) cars produced in the UK in May 2023 were for export.

Domestic demand accounted for just 16,188 vehicles despite growing by 45%. That growth in demand in the UK was nearly double the 23% rise in exports.

However, of the exports, more than half (56%) of the cars were made for Europe, with less than a third (28%) of exports going to the next largest markets: the United States, China, Japan and Australia.

The dominance of export in British car-making has led the SMMT to call for continued tariff-free trade between the European Union and the UK, particularly for electric vehicles (EVs).

The organisation says EVs will face tougher rules of origin requirements – regulations that limit the value of material from a different country – from January unless the UK and EU can agree to have them postponed.

While production was up 27% from May 2022, an increase of 16,762 vehicles, it’s still 32% below the output of May 2019.

The car manufacturing sector has grappled with tough economic conditions in the form of slow economic growth, high inflation and rising rates.

There was an especially large growth in hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid and EV volumes – up 95% in May to 27,636 units, equivalent to 35% of all cars made in the month.

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The sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles is banned from 2030 in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions.

This transition has been cast into doubt by Logistics UK, which has freight companies and suppliers as members. It said efforts to decarbonise were being hampered by high costs, a lack of Treasury support and an inadequate public charging network, meaning the transition to EVs can’t continue without state aid.

There are currently no battery factories in the UK, though Tata, the owner of the UK’s largest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, was reported to be building a gigafactory in Somerset.

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Jun 9 2023

Annecy attack: ‘Backpack hero’ chased ‘possessed’ knifeman after British girl and five others stabbed in French park | World News

A 24-year-old has been hailed the “backpack hero” for confronting the suspect after the stabbing of a British girl and five others in a French park – while using his bag as a shield.

Henri, who was on a nine-month Catholic pilgrimage around France‘s cathedrals, said that after realising the extent of the attack he “followed [his] instincts and tried to protect [the] children”.

Four children, aged between 22 months and three years old, were left with “life-threatening injuries” after the suspect, a Syrian refugee named by French media as Abdalmasih H, rampaged through the lakeside park in the town of Annecy.

The most critically injured children were two cousins.

Two adult men were also hurt during the incident – one of whom was injured with the knife and by a shot fired by police as they were arresting the suspect.

Using his bag to swipe at the attacker, and at one point throwing one of the backpacks to fend off his blade, Henri told broadcaster BFMTV that he acted off his instincts and immediately ran after the suspect, trying to scare him off and distance him from the injured.

“I didn’t even think, I must admit the brain really unplugged,” he said.

“For me, it was just impossible to let those who can’t defend themselves get attacked by someone who seemed like a crazy person.

“I had my big 20kg backpack on my back, I tried to run with the big one at first in the park behind him before realising he was much faster than me so I got rid of my big backpack after and followed him with my little bag.”

Henri added: “He tried to attack me at some point, our eyes have met.

“I understood that it wasn’t a guy in a normal state, something really bad was inside of him and it had to absolutely be stopped.

“I am far from alone in having reacted.

“Many other people around started, like me, to run after him to try to scare him, push him away.

“And other people immediately went over to the children to take care of the injured.”

Read more:
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What do we know about the Annecy knife attacker?

President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that the victims would “continue to improve”.

The two cousins have been stabilised and the three-year-old British national is “awake and watching television” after being treated at a hospital in Grenoble, Mr Macron said.

A wounded Dutch girl has also improved and a critically injured adult is regaining consciousness.

He said that the children were saved by the “swiftness” of those who intervened after the incident, including Henri.

Henri asked the French president if he could be invited to the inauguration of Notre-Dame Cathedral – which was partially destroyed in a fire in 2019 – when it re-opens.

Mr Macron said he will personally make sure he is invited.

“Thank you immeasurably for your courage,” Mr Macron said to those who intervened. “You experienced very hard moments, traumatising. I am very proud of you.”

Motives for the attack remain unknown, but there was “no apparent terrorist motive”, according to local prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the 31-year-old suspect recently had an asylum request rejected because he has held refugee status in Sweden for the past 10 years.

French authorities rejected the request on 26 April but the suspect only learned of the decision on 4 June, French broadcaster BFMTV said.

Henri’s father, Francois, said his son “told me that the Syrian was incoherent, saying lots of strange things in different languages, invoking his father, his mother, all the Gods”.

“In short, he was possessed by who knows what, but possessed by folly, that’s certain,” he said.

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Apr 24 2023

British troops fly into Sudan as UK works on evacuation plan for Britons | Breaking News News

A team of British troops have flown into a port in eastern Sudan on a reconnaissance mission as the UK works out options to help evacuate British nationals stranded in the crisis-hit country, Sky News understands.

The soldiers landed at Port Sudan, on the Red Sea on Monday.

A flight tracking website showed a C-17 transport aircraft heading in the direction of Sudan.

It does not mean any rescue is imminent, however, as the government is working out what are the best options to present to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to help thousands of British nationals, under fire in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

A British warship – HMS Lancaster – is also in the region and could be used to help with any rescue, according to Whitehall sources.

The more than 500-mile route to Port Sudan from the capital Khartoum is long and difficult.

Royal Air Force flights from a British airbase in Cyprus to a Sudanese military airfield outside the capital – a route used over the weekend to rescue British diplomats and their families – could be a more viable option.

However, any decision to order new evacuations will depend on the level of risk that the government is willing to take.

Read more:
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The UK could ask allies to help its citizens.

James Heappey, the Armed Forces Minister, said the military was working up a range of options to present to the prime minister as pressure mounts on the government to help thousands of British nationals trapped in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

British forces extracted all British diplomats and their families from the city during a daring weekend raid.

“But of course the job isn’t done,” Mr Heappey said.

“Work is under way in this building and has been all weekend and all of the back end of last week to give the prime minister and Cobra [the emergency committee meeting of top ministers and officials] options for what else could be done to support the wider community of British nationals in Sudan.

“Those options are being developed at pace.

“The prime minister will be given the option to take any of the options that we present him with as and when they arise and that’s been the rhythm of things all weekend long.”

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Apr 11 2023

Freddie Scappaticci: Man accused of being British Army’s top IRA informer ‘Stakeknife’ dies | UK News

The man accused of being ‘Stakeknife’ – the British Army’s top spy in the IRA – has died.

Freddie Scappaticci always denied being the mole – who’s said to have worked as a double agent, torturing and murdering other suspected informants for the IRA’s “nutting squad”.

It’s been claimed he was allowed to commit the violence to gain the trust of the organisation’s leadership and maintain his cover.

Joe Biden visit latest: ‘Sinister development’ as president sets off for Northern Ireland

Retired police chief Jon Boutcher has been investigating dozens of murders linked to Stakeknife and the role played by his handlers and the security services, including MI5.

The Operation Kenova report was due to be published early this year but has been delayed.

Mr Boutcher said he was made aware of Scappaticci’s death last week and his team were looking at the implications.

“We remain committed to providing families with the truth of what happened to their loved ones and continue to actively pursue criminal charges against several individuals,” he said.

“We will publish an interim report on Kenova’s findings this year.”

He urged anyone who might now want to talk to investigators following Scappaticci’s death to “contact us in confidence”.

Scappaticci, from West Belfast, was in his late 70s and is understood to have already been buried.

He left Northern Ireland in 2003 after being widely named as Stakeknife.

In 2018, Scappaticci appeared at a London court and admitted possessing extreme pornography.

His death comes as suspected pipe bombs were found in a cemetery in Northern Ireland, hours ahead of Joe Biden’s visit to the country.

The US president is due to arrive in the country between 9pm and 10pm in a much-anticipated trip watched over by a huge security operation.

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Apr 9 2023

Benidorm: British woman in critical condition after falling from sixth-floor hotel balcony | World News

A British woman is in a critical condition in hospital after falling from a sixth-floor hotel balcony in Benidorm.

Her 40-year-old British husband, who was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning on suspicion of attempted homicide by Spanish police, has been released from custody by a judge.

The tourists were staying at the four-star Rio Park, part of the Medplaya hotel chain. The alarm was raised just after midnight.

The woman, 36, remains in hospital in the nearby Villajoyosa and her condition was described as “critical” when she was first taken for treatment.

Sources close to the investigation were not able to say on Sunday whether the incident at the hotel was now being treated as an accident or attempted suicide or could be crime-related.

The same sources said the unnamed British man had been released after appearing before a judge in a closed court hearing in Benidorm.

He was freed without any protective measures such as the obligation to sign on at court or a ban on leaving the country, suggesting he was not being treated as a suspect.

Court workers could not be reached to provide an official statement.

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A spokesman for Spain’s National Police had earlier said after the incident: “Officers have arrested a British man on suspicion of attempted homicide after his wife, who is also British, plunged from the sixth-floor balcony of their hotel in Benidorm.

“The arrest is a preventative measure and it will be up to a judge to decide what happens next after the man appears before him in the next day or so.

“The couple were sharing the same room and we are talking about a foreigner who has no ties to Spain so we are under an obligation to make the arrest as we try to determine what happened.”

Local reports said witnesses had told police the man was in their hotel room and the woman on the balcony when she went over the edge.

The hotel where the incident happened is set in a quiet area of Benidorm just a five-minute walk from the Costa Blanca resort’s famous Levante Beach.

Scots holidaymaker Kirsty Maxwell died in a hotel plunge in Benidorm in April 2017.

Five British men were cleared of any involvement in her death after a long-running probe, with a regional court rejecting an appeal by her parents in July 2020 to persuade judges it was not an accident and overturn an earlier court decision to shelve the investigation.

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Apr 2 2023

British men held by Taliban ‘in contact’ with relatives, family spokesman says | World News

British men being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been in contact with their relatives, a family spokesman has said.

Charity medic Kevin Cornwell, 53, and an unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul are believed to have been detained by secret police since January.

A third Briton – so-called “danger tourist” Miles Routledge, 23 – is also being held in Taliban custody after he returned to the country this year.

Scott Richards from the Presidium Network non-profit organisation, which is assisting Mr Cornwell and the unnamed Briton, told Sky News: “We’re very pleased to announce that there has been contact between families and the detainees.

“They were able to spend about 10 minutes this morning in an unscripted conversation, which is very important. This is a landmark move and for any negotiation with the Taliban, because we haven’t seen any of this privilege before.

“They’ve certainly taking this as a goodwill gesture and an incredibly important step.”

Mr Cornwell was arrested at his hotel by officers from the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence on 11 January.

He is accused of having an illegal firearm in the safe in his room, but his family say he had been granted a licence for the firearm.

Mr Richards said this was down to a “misunderstanding” and the licence may have become separated from the firearm during the search.

Mr Routledge, 23, has gained fame – and attracted controversy – by travelling to dangerous countries and posting about it online.

In August 2021, he was on a “holiday” in Afghanistan when he was caught up in the chaos in the capital as the Taliban took control of the country.

He chose the war-torn country having looked up a list of the most dangerous places to visit in the world, despite the Taliban taking control of more and more of the country at the time.

Mr Routledge thanked the British Army after he was among those to leave during the Kabul airlift.

He appears to have returned to the country since then.

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Apr 1 2023

Afghanistan: Three British men being held in Taliban custody – including ‘danger tourist’ who returned after army evacuation | World News

Three British men are being held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan – including so-called “danger tourist” Miles Routledge who returned to the country after being evacuated by British armed forces less than two years ago.

The other two men are charity medic Kevin Cornwell and another unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul. They are believed to have been held by Taliban secret police since January in a separate incident.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “We are working hard to secure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting families.”

Scott Richards from the Presidium Network non-profit which is assisting Mr Cornwell and the unnamed Briton, told Sky News that he believes the pair are in good health and being well treated.

But he added: “There has been no meaningful contact [with the men], there has been no access by international monitoring agencies… and there’s been no other form of access to the individuals to date.”

“We’re very hopeful that contact will be made,” he added. His organisation hopes that a positive development in the situation could coincide with the end of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid.

Mr Routledge, 23, has gained fame – and attracted controversy – by travelling to dangerous countries and posting about it online.

In August 2021 he was on a “holiday” in Afghanistan when he was caught up in the chaos in the capital as the Taliban took control of the country.

He chose the war-torn country having looked up a list of the most dangerous places to visit in the world, despite the Taliban taking control of more and more of the country at the time.

Mr Routledge thanked the British Army after he was among those evacuated during the Kabul airlift.

He appears to have returned to the country since then.

Read more:
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Taliban leader tells officials to sack their sons

Mr Cornwell, 53, was arrested at his hotel by officers from the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) on 11 January.

He is accused of having an illegal firearm in the safe in his room, but his family say he had been granted a licence for the firearm.

Mr Richards said this was down to a “misunderstanding” and the licence may have become separated from the firearm during the search.

The FCDO continues to advise UK citizens against all travel to Afghanistan based on the security risks involved, including the possibility of detention by the Taliban authorities.

“At this point in time it would be unwise for anyone to enter into Afghanistan that doesn’t understand the culture, that doesn’t understand these things, because it can change on you very, very quickly,” Mr Richards warned.

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