Ex-cabinet secretary attacks tactics of leading Brexiters who have accused Whitehall of sabotaging UK’s exit from EU The former cabinet secretary Andrew Turnbull, who is one of a number of senior figures worried about attacks on the civil service, which he headed. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images Leading Brexiters who accuse civil servants of sabotaging Britain’s…
Day: February 20, 2019
Jane Standley: BBC pay gap forced me to quit
Experience of former Africa correspondent mirrored that of ex-China editor Carrie Gracie, who gave evidence to culture select committee Jane Standley receives the 1997 Sony Radio Reporter of the Year award, presented to her by Michael Buerk, for her work in east Africa. Photograph: Handout Former BBC foreign correspondent Jane Standley, inspired by the stand…
Plan to save Europe’s synagogues receives high-profile backing
Simon Schama, Howard Jacobson and Natasha Kaplinsky among supporters of campaign to protect Jewish heritage Slonim synagogue in Belarus, where relatives of newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky worshipped before the Holocaust. Photograph: Handout Its gothic twin turrets and stained-glass window featuring a six-pointed star look out from a hillside over a town in south Wales. A Welsh…
Border treaty blamed for Calais migrant surge that has led to violence
A deal to speed refugee processing has resulted in a 25% rise in arrivals at the port, stoking national tensions Migrants carry sticks during clashes near the ferry port in Calais on Thursday after at least five migrants were shot while queuing for food. Photograph: Johan Ben Azzouz/EPA A sudden surge of refugees arriving in…
MoD ‘in chaos’ over drone use outside of war zones
Defence secretary’s recent comments add credence to human rights groups’ claims Britain is in grey area on targeting terrorists David Cameron said two years ago that Reyaad Khan (left) and Ruhul Amin, two British citizens fighting for Islamic State, were killed in an RAF drone attack in Syria. Photograph: YouTube/PA Campaigners have demanded that the…
Uma Thurman breaks silence on Harvey Weinstein
The Kill Bill actor told the New York Times of encounter in London: ‘He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself’ Uma Thurman and Harvey Weinstein attend a promotional brunch for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight in New York City in January 2016. Photograph: Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Uma…
Warplane shot down in north-west Syria, opposition activists say
Russia says pilot died after Su-25 jet brought down near rebel-held town of Saraqeb in Idlib province Rebel fighters shot down a Russian plane over Syria’s north-west Idlib province and killed its pilot. Photograph: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images Syrian rebels have shot down a Russian warplane and killed its pilot in the north-west of the…
Trump claims Nunes memo ‘totally’ vindicates him as FBI says ‘talk is cheap’
Donald Trump waves from Air Force One before departure from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday as he travels to Mar a Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the weekend. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Amid swirling partisan rancor in Washington, mere days after Donald Trump appealed for unity in his State of the…
Dozens of academy schools need bailouts from taxpayers
Flagship schools under pressure as beleaguered trusts face mounting deficits The funding sums don’t add up for many academy schools. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo Operators of dozens of academy schools are having to rely on emergency handouts from the taxpayer as a result of mounting deficits that threaten to put some out of business. In…
Driver opens fire on African migrants in Italian city of Macerata
Far-right election candidate arrested in city of Macerata after shooting spree targeting Africans A failed election candidate for Italy’s far-right Northern League has been arrested after a gunman targeted African migrants in a two-hour drive-by shooting spree in the Italian city of Macerata. Luca Traini, 28, was arrested after six people were shot in the…