Babak Belurs

Jumat, 30 Desember 2022

New Year Honours 2023: Brian May and Lionesses on list - BBC

By Sarah Bell

BBC News

Queen guitarist Brian May has been knighted in a New Year Honours list that celebrates the Lionesses' victory at Euro 2022.

England captain Leah Williamson is made an OBE and teammates Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Ellen White become MBEs.

There is also a knighthood for artist Grayson Perry and a damehood for Olympic heptathlete Denise Lewis.

Lissie Harper is made an MBE following her campaign for tougher sentences for the killers of emergency workers.

Her husband, PC Andrew Harper, died on duty in Berkshire in August 2019.

Among the famous faces on the lists are comedian Frank Skinner, who is made an MBE for services to entertainment. He said he had not yet told his family because he thought it may have been "some sort of administrative error".

Merseyside-born This Is England actor Stephen Graham becomes an OBE for services to drama, while David Harewood receives an OBE for services to drama and charity.

Dame Mary Quant, 92 - the fashion designer widely credited with popularising the mini skirt in the 1960s - joins the elite Companions of Honour.

And Virginia McKenna, the 91-year-old actress and co-founder of the Born Free Foundation, is made a dame for services to wildlife conservation and to wild animal welfare.

Virginia McKenna with one of her co-stars in the film Born Free, 1966

Senior diplomats who led the UK's response to the Ukraine war are recognised, with damehoods for Melinda Simmons, ambassador in Kyiv, and Deborah Bronnert, ambassador in Moscow.

Louenna Hood, a nanny from Cambridgeshire who raised more than £190,000 and delivered essentials for people fleeing Ukraine, receives a British Empire Medal.

The 2023 New Year Honours are the first to be signed off by King Charles.

There are 1,107 recipients on the main list, announced by the Cabinet Office - 50% of whom are women.

There are another 141 recipients on the list announced by the Foreign Office recognising overseas contributions, as well as separate lists for police, fire and ambulance personnel and military service.

'Pretty amazing'

Sir Brian May - who famously played God Save The Queen on the roof of Buckingham Palace during the Golden Jubilee - gets his title just months after his band helped launch the late monarch's Platinum Jubilee concert this summer.

The musician, astrophysicist and animal welfare advocate is knighted for services to music and charity, after more than 50 years in one of Britain's most popular rock bands.

Sir Brian was previously appointed a CBE in 2005, while Queen drummer Roger Taylor was made an OBE in the 2020 New Year Honours.

On being recognised for his campaigning work, Sir Brian told BBC News: "This is a kind of licence, a kind of commission to carry on doing what I'm doing, and it gives me a bit more power to my elbow. So I'm very happy about that."

Leah Williamson and Millie Bright of England lifts the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 Trophy

The four Lionesses are recognised after the July triumph at Wembley that brought the first piece of major silverware in their history, and the first for a senior England team since the men's 1966 World Cup success.

Their Dutch head coach Sarina Wiegman was made an honorary CBE in the Foreign Office list.

England defender Lucy Bronze said her MBE was "special and pretty amazing", adding: "It's something for my family that will make them very proud".

But the decision not to recognise every member of the England women's football squad has been questioned by observers after some previous lists honoured all members of triumphant national teams.

Sir Hugh Robertson, chairman of the honours sports committee, said: "What we've tried to do is stick to the principle of the honours system which is to recognise excellence and to recognise extraordinary contributions."

He said otherwise "you get people who've done five minutes on the pitch... get an award".

Denise Lewis, 50, who won a gold medal at the Sydney Games in 2000, and is now president of Commonwealth Games England, told BBC News she was "extremely proud" of her damehood, saying it was "right up there" with her career achievements.

She said: "Sport has taught me some of the most amazing values and given me the most amazing values. And so. those are the things I try to impart when I'm representing my sport and the sporting community."

The honours system

Commonly awarded ranks:

Companion of Honour - Limited to 65 people. Recipients wear the initials CH after their name
Knight or Dame
CBE - Commander of the Order of the British Empire
OBE - Officer of the Order of the British Empire
MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire
BEM - British Empire Medal

Guide to the Honours

Three politicians have been knighted - Conservative Alok Sharma for his contribution to combatting climate change through his leadership at COP26, Tory Julian Lewis, chairman of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, and Labour's Chris Bryant, who chairs the Commons Standards Committee.

There is an OBE for former sport minister Helen Grant, the Conservative MP for Maidstone and the Weald.

Jason Knauf, a former royal aide who worked for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex before the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has been recognised for his service to the monarchy by being named a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO).

Campaigners

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has been knighted, and is among a handful of Jewish community leaders to be recognised, including the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, and several Holocaust survivors.

Countdown presenter Rachel Riley is made an MBE for her efforts to raise awareness of the Holocaust and combat antisemitism.

Noreen Riols, 96, the last surviving female member of the French section of the Special Operations Executive has dedicated her MBE to the memory of her late "comrades".

As a member of the British espionage and sabotage organisation known as "Churchill's Secret Army," she trained agents ahead of their deployment to occupied France.

Some 60% of the recipients on the main list are people being recognised primarily for having undertaken outstanding work in their communities, either in a voluntary or charitable capacity.

The youngest is Dara McAnulty, 18, from Annalong, Co Down, who receives a BEM for his environmental work and help for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The oldest is 100-year-old Peter Offord Davies from Macclesfield, who receives a BEM for his work as a reading volunteer at Dean Valley Community Primary School.

Marie McCourt, who campaigned to make it harder for killers and paedophiles who hold back information on their victims to receive parole is made an MBE. Helen's Law was brought in following the murder of Helen McCourt in Merseyside in 1988.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, from south London, who campaigned for policy change after her daughter Ella, nine, died from an asthma attack and air pollution in 2013, has been made a CBE.

Journalist Anne Diamond, 68, who has long campaigned to stop cot death, described being made an OBE as the "crowning achievement" for all those who helped her and dedicated the achievement to her late son Sebastian.

Beano illustrator

In the business world, the first chairwoman of Rolls-Royce, Anita Frew, and the first woman to run NatWest, Alison Rose, have been given damehoods.

Ivan Menezes, boss of drinks firm Diageo has been knighted, while Johnny Boden - founder of the eponymous clothing company - has been made a CBE for services to fashion and retail.

Other musicians honoured include Janet Kay, who went to number two in the charts in 1979 with her song Silly Games. The "Queen of Lovers' Rock" becomes an MBE for services to music.

Saxophonist and CBeebies presenter YolanDa Brown has been made an OBE for services to music, music education and broadcasting.

There are also OBEs for John Suchet for services to journalism and charity, and illustrator David Sutherland, who has spent 60 years drawing for the Beano comic.

Football figures from across the UK are also on the list, including Pat Jennings, made a CBE for his football and charity service in Northern Ireland, and Scotland's football captain Andy Robertson, made an MBE for his work for charity and with young people.

And Wales captain Sophie Ingle has been recognised with an OBE for services to football.

Former Swindon Town and Brentford footballer Chris Kamara, who recently spoke out about his difficulties with the speech disorder apraxia, has been made an MBE for services to football, anti-racism and charity.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTY0MTI1NDQ50gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjQxMjU0NDkuYW1w?oc=5

2022-12-30 22:30:00Z
1721947834

Cody Fisher stabbing: Birmingham nightclub's licence suspended - BBC

The nightclub where a 23-year-old footballer died in a knife attack has had its licence suspended for 28 days.

Birmingham City Council held an urgent meeting earlier after police said there had been "serious management failings" at the Crane venue.

The West Midlands force said Cody Fisher had died during "a fight on the dance floor" and officers had then faced "a scene of chaos and drug use".

The suspension is pending a full review hearing to take place at a later date.

Managers of the Digbeth club said they were cooperating with authorities following events on Boxing Day (26 December).

One sergeant's account said the club's security guards had asked officers to help them with crowd control following the stabbing, while other "oblivious" staff members were "wandering around all over the place" and began cleaning up the crime scene.

A police van outside The Crane nightclub

"They have started to clean the dance floor further down from where the deceased was; officers shouted at them to stop," the sergeant said.

"While officers are doing CPR, you can see people are just wandering around in the scene freely. As soon as we had more officers on the scene they were removed and the whole dance floor was cordoned off and the area was made sterile.

"There were hundreds of small drugs bags and nitrous oxide canisters all over the dance floor. These include the small and the very large nitrous oxide canisters with balloons."

In a statement issued after the hearing, the nightclub said it was focused on "helping support the fullest possible investigation".

"It cannot be business as usual at the Crane and we have not opposed the temporary licence suspension requested by the police," it said.

"It is much too early to comment on details or individual anecdotal accounts surrounding this appalling event; these must be sifted and assessed with care, and we welcome that.

"We recognise that issues such as checks and security facilities employed at the venue on that evening must come under close scrutiny, and whilst our contracted security staff are qualified professionals licensed by the SIA, this will nevertheless be the subject of a careful and detailed review."

Officers said they had arrested a 22-year-old man in London at about 03:00 GMT on Thursday in connection with the stabbing.

He is the third person to be arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Fisher, a left-back for Stratford who previously played for other non-league clubs including Bromsgrove Sporting and Stourbridge. The sportsman also worked as a coach at a school in Redditch, Worcestershire.

Detectives were given more time on Friday to question the first two people after magistrates granted them an extension.

Four others were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender with two released on bail and two remaining in custody, police said.

Police recovered a knife from the scene and a post-mortem examination confirmed Mr Fisher died of a stab wound.

Meanwhile, four men have been arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of attempted robbery by police using Section 60 powers - granted following the death of Mr Fisher and another fatal stabbing in the city.

Officers stopped and searched a vehicle spotted outside a club on Trent Street and detained the men aged between 18 and 24.

Birmingham City, where Mr Fisher was part of the academy, held a minute's silence ahead of kick-off in their home match against Hull on Friday. Players, officials and staff members also wore black armbands as a mark of respect.

Players of both teams observe a minute's silence for the late Cody Fisher

A match on Monday between Bromsgrove Sporting and Stratford Town, for whom Mr Fisher played more than 50 times, has been postponed.

A statement from the Southern League on Stratford Town's website said: "The cruel and savage events of Boxing Day that resulted in the fatal stabbing of Stratford Town's Cody Fisher has brought hurt and pain to so many.

"Stratford Town [is] advising the league that players, management, staff and supporters are struggling to overcome the incident and request time to seek professional help for those that need it and as such, as a club, are in no fit state to fulfil the fixture.

"The league and its board sends its best wishes to all those affected, hoping that the pain begins to heal."

In a statement on its website, Bromsgrove Sporting said: "A request was made to the league by Stratford Town to postpone the match as their players, some of whom were with Cody on that night, will need more time and support to come to terms with what has happened.

"We at Sporting fully understand and support Stratford's players' feelings.

"Some things are more important than football."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

Kamis, 29 Desember 2022

National Archives: Tony Blair said Putin should be on 'top table' - BBC

Vladimir Putin with Tony Blair during his visit to 10 Downing Street in April 2000

By Sanchia Berg

BBC News

Tony Blair argued Vladimir Putin should be given a seat at the world's "top table" despite misgivings from officials, newly released files reveal.

Papers released by the National Archives show in early 2001, the then-prime minister believed it was important to encourage the new Russian president to adopt Western values.

But officials questioned if the ex-KGB spy could be trusted.

Files also show Mr Putin offered to build a gas pipeline to the the UK.

Swindon move for Millennium Dome proposed

In early 2001, Mr Blair explained his approach to the Russian President telling new American Vice-President Dick Cheney that it would encourage him to "reach for" Western attitudes and the West's economic model.

He said Mr Putin was a Russian patriot, sensitive to Russia's "loss of respect" in the world, and had a similar "mindset" to French President Charles de Gaulle, though the two were not directly comparable.

The Russian President was the first world leader to be given a pair of silver No 10 cufflinks, as a birthday gift in October 2001.

Behind the scenes, Downing Street officials were more sceptical. A few months earlier, a paper on "Putin's Progress" was prepared for John Sawers, then defence adviser to the prime minister and later head of MI6.

The anonymous writer pointed out that the Russian President's "constructive" comments to Mr Blair were sometimes "belied" by Russian actions.

The long list of examples included the Kursk tragedy, when 118 Russian sailors had drowned. Mr Putin had said he was grateful for the offers of British help. Yet Russian officials had obstructed assistance. They had also repeated unfounded rumours that a collision with a British submarine caused the disaster.

When it came to Nato, Mr Putin had told Mr Blair that he would not try to slow down the process of the bloc's enlargement. At the same time his Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev had told his Nato counterparts it would a be "major political error" and Russia would "take appropriate steps".

Mr Putin spoke warmly of the "closeness" between the UK and Russia. He had even offered to to build a pipeline across the Baltic Sea to supply gas to the UK.

He told Mr Blair it would "ensure stable supplies for decades to come". The proposal was raised at a meeting between the two leaders in Moscow in 2002, but that particular pipeline was never built.

Meanwhile, the Russian intelligence presence remained at Cold War levels and "they continue to try to post active and hostile officers to work against British interests worldwide".

'Clinton wanted revenge'

By 2001 the Blair administration had a new US President to deal with too.

The files show it reacted quickly once George Bush's victory was confirmed by the Supreme Court in December 2000. Mr Blair had been close to President Bill Clinton, and wanted to build links quickly with his successor.

Mr Blair was the first foreign leader to call to congratulate the president-elect, in an eight minute phone conversation. The British prime minister asked if they could be on first name terms. The president agreed, but continued to call the prime minister "sir".

Before the president's inauguration, defence adviser John Sawers and Mr Blair's chief of staff Jonathan Powell went to Washington to meet officials and likely members of President Bush's team.

Mr Powell wrote they were welcomed: "They all said they wanted to keep the relationship special. It will not however be as cosy as with the Clinton administration. Unlike Clinton they will not do political favours for us."

Meanwhile, Mr Clinton himself wanted to maintain his friendship with the prime minister, and to attack his successor.

He "wanted revenge" wrote Mr Powell at the end of March 2001.

"We don't really want to be associated with Clinton," he wrote to the prime minister. But the former president's adviser Sidney Blumenthal had "hinted" that Mr Clinton was disappointed Mr Blair had not called saying "you do not want to look like you are walking away from your former friend".

In a scrawled note Blair added: "Why don't I call him soon?"

Other files include then-cabinet minister Mo Mowlam's support for the legalisation of cannabis, and the Blair government's frustration with what one adviser called the "juvenile media".

MIND GAMES: Can 22 strangers identify 'The Traitors' to win £120,000?
'THE THIEF OF TIME': Why do we procrastinate? Can we blame it on our evolution?