British woman faces Dubai jail over Facebook 'horse' insult - BBC News

A British woman is facing two years in jail in Dubai for calling her ex-husband's new wife a "horse" on Facebook, campaigners have said.

Laleh Shahravesh, 55, was arrested at a Dubai airport after flying there to attend her former husband's funeral.

She faces prosecution over two Facebook comments she posted on pictures of her husband remarrying in 2016.

Ms Shahravesh's 14-year-old daughter, Paris, has written to Dubai's ruler asking for her mother's release.

The Foreign Office said it was supporting the mother-of-one.

• UAE spy-accused recovery will 'take years'

Ms Shahravesh was married to her ex-husband for 18 years, during which time she lived in the United Arab Emirates for eight months, according to the campaign group Detained in Dubai.

While she returned to the UK with her daughter, her husband stayed in the United Arab Emirates, and the couple got divorced.

Ms Shahravesh discovered her ex-husband was remarrying when she saw photos of the new couple on Facebook.

She posted two comments in Farsi, including one that said: "I hope you go under the ground you idiot. Damn you. You left me for this horse."

Under the UAE's cyber-crime laws, a person can be jailed or fined for making defamatory statements on social media.

Detained in Dubai said Ms Shahravesh could be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined £50,000, despite the fact the 55-year-old wrote the Facebook posts while in the UK.

The organisation said Ms Shahravesh's ex-husband's new wife, who lives in Dubai, had reported the comments.

It said Ms Shahravesh and her daughter flew to the UAE on 10 March to attend the funeral of their husband and father, who had died of a heart attack.

At the time of her arrest, Ms Shahravesh was with her daughter Paris, who later had to fly home on her own, it added.

In a letter to to the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Paris said her mother had been forced to sign a statement by police that was "written in Arabic, which she did not understand".

She added: "I cannot emphasise enough how scared I felt, especially after losing my father just a week before, as I was having to worry about losing my mother as well."

Closing the letter, she wrote: "I ask kindly: please, please return my mother's passport, and let her come home."

'Quite vindictive'

The chief executive of Detained in Dubai, Radha Stirling, told BBC News that both her organisation and the Foreign Office (FCO) had asked the complainant to withdraw the allegation, but she had refused.

The decision "seems quite vindictive really", she added.

Ms Stirling said her client had been bailed, but her passport had been confiscated and she was currently living in a hotel.

She said Ms Shahravesh was "absolutely distraught" and it was going to take her a long time to recover from her ordeal.

Her daughter was "very upset" and had "been through really what you would call hell", she said.

"All she wants is to be reunited with her mother," Ms Stirling added.

• UAE 'fines' suspicious phone-check wife

The 14-year-old was putting together an appeal in her mother's case, Ms Stirling said.

She added that "no-one would really be aware" of the severity of cyber-crime laws in the UAE, and the FCO had failed to adequately warn tourists about them.

The FCO said in a statement: "Our staff are supporting a British woman and her family following her detention in the UAE.

"We are in contact with the UAE authorities regarding her case."

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2019-04-09 02:11:29Z
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Italy stops UK tourist with Pompeii mosaic tiles - BBC News

Italian police have detained a British woman suspected of removing some small Roman tiles from a mosaic at Pompeii.

Italian media say she was spotted cutting tiles - called tesserae - from a floor mosaic in the world-famous site's House of the Anchor. She was with her father and sister at the time.

The damage was estimated at €3,000 (£2,600) by the site's manager.

Nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, killing many Pompeii residents and entombing a thriving city.

The 20-year-old woman had crossed a guard rail around the mosaic, police said.

Last year police arrested two French tourists found stealing pieces of marble and earthenware at Pompeii, Italy's Il Giornale daily reports.

And in 2016 an American took a piece of marble off the floor of the House of the Small Fountain, the paper said.

Read more about Pompeii:

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2019-04-08 12:25:21Z
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Brexit: 'Ball in government’s court' on talks, says Sir Keir Starmer - BBC News

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"The ball is in the government's court" when it comes to a way forward with Brexit, Labour's Sir Keir Starmer says.

Talks between Labour and the government began last week, with Theresa May saying only a cross-party pact will see MPs agree a deal in Parliament.

But the shadow Brexit secretary said Mrs May's team had "not changed its position" on her existing plan.

The PM will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

Mrs May's spokesman said she was also making calls to other European leaders from Downing Street on Monday afternoon.

She is due at an emergency summit in Brussels on Wednesday, where EU leaders will expect to hear fresh plans ahead of the UK's scheduled exit date - Friday at 23:00 BST.

Meanwhile, peers are continuing to examine a bill brought by senior Labour MP Yvette Cooper, which aims to force the PM to request a Brexit extension rather than leave the EU without a deal.

Despite communications over the weekend, there were no further talks with Labour scheduled for Monday.

However, Sir Keir - who is part of Labour's negotiating team - added: "I have no doubt things will develop today."

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the party was now "expecting [an] updated proposal" from the government, and more formal talks could take place this afternoon.

Skip Twitter post by @bbclaurak

1. Labour expecting updated proposal from govt, hoping for more concessions on customs - more formal talks possible this afternoon
2. Mini-cabinet at 1pm
3. Tory Brexiteer MPs trying to organise 'indicative' vote of no confidence in PM

— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) April 8, 2019

End of Twitter post by @bbclaurak

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Mrs May was leaving "no stone unturned" to try and resolve Brexit, while Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that all sides needed to be "prepared to compromise" to "fulfil the primary objective" of leaving the EU.

But shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald told BBC's Radio 4's Today programme that talks between the parties had "not been entirely productive".

Several Conservatives have also strongly criticised the move, with the former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson using his column in Monday's Daily Telegraph to warn that Tory MPs would not allow Mrs May to "surrender" to Mr Corbyn.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, is in Dublin for talks with the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

The pair are expected to discuss developments in London, as well as ongoing planning for a possible no-deal scenario.

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Your guide to Brexit jargon

Use the list below or select a button

On Sunday, Mrs May tweeted a video message, explaining her decision to negotiate with Labour, saying: "People didn't vote on party lines when it came to the Brexit referendum.

"And I think members of the public want to see their politicians working together more often."

If no compromise can be reached with Labour, Mrs May has committed to putting a series of Brexit options to the Commons and being bound by the result.

'See what they come back with'

Sir Keir said the talks had been taking place "in good faith" and that "both sides... have approached this in the spirit of trying to find a way forward".

But he added: "At the moment we are waiting to see what the government is putting on the table as a proposal.

"All they have done so far is indicate various things but not to change the political declaration [the non-legally binding document setting out the UK's future relationship with the EU] so the ball is in the government's court.

"We need to see what they come back with and when we do we will take a collective position on that."

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Rebecca Long-Bailey, who is also a member of Labour's negotiating team, described the mood as "positive and hopeful" - but she told the BBC's Andrew Marr show the government's proposals "have not been compliant with the definition of a customs union", which is her party's key demand.

That would allow tariff-free trade in goods with the EU but limit the UK from striking its own deals. Leaving the arrangement was a Conservative manifesto commitment.

However, Solicitor General Robert Buckland told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour that "something approximating a customs arrangement or customs union" was the most likely outcome of the talks.

"In this particular hung Parliament none of us can get perfection, we need to compromise," he added.

Ms Long-Bailey also suggested Labour could be prepared to cancel Brexit by revoking Article 50 - the legal mechanism through which Brexit is taking place - if the UK was heading towards a no-deal scenario on Friday.

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Although 12 April remains, in law, the date the UK will leave the EU, Mrs May has already requested that be rescheduled until the end of June.

BBC political correspondent Vicki Young said if EU leaders did not think she has a credible plan to get Parliament behind a deal, they might refuse or insist on a much lengthier extension to the Brexit process.

This outcome is opposed by some Tory Brexiteers as it would mean the UK having to take part in European Parliamentary elections.

Key dates in the week ahead

• Monday: Possible resumption of talks between the government and Labour; House of Lords to examine bill proposed by Labour's Yvette Cooper aimed at extending Article 50 Brexit process
• Wednesday: Emergency summit of EU leaders to consider UK request for further extension until 30 June, with the option of an earlier Brexit day if a deal can be agreed
• Friday: Brexit day, if UK is not granted a further delay

Are you putting any important plans or decisions on hold due to Brexit negotiations? Share your stories. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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2019-04-08 10:51:54Z
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What is a no-deal Brexit and how would it affect the UK? - Aljazeera.com

London, United Kingdom - Fears that the UK will leave the European Union without a Brexit deal are back at the top of the agenda as the clocks tick towards a new deadline on April 12 - just days from now.

Despite the potential for considerable disruption, British people are being told by their government to keep calm and carry on - because contingency plans are well advanced. 

Alongside the stockpiling of food and medicines, use of motorways as truck parks, and emergency planning by local councils, military chiefs have also been ordered to keep 3,500 troops on standby.

There are even undisclosed plans to declare martial law.

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In the world's oldest democracy, Brexiters present this as an effort to wrest democratic control from Europe.

Cynics are not convinced, pointing to secret cabinet documents about no-deal planning - codenamed Operation Yellowhammer - that were uncovered by journalists and paint a more chaotic picture.

These warn of a "critical three-month phase" after leaving the EU and "unforeseen issues and impacts" during which even the best-made plans could be overwhelmed.

In a divided Britain, the prospect of "no deal" evokes both fear and enthusiasm - but how would it affect the country?

Politics

Brexit has already put the UK's political system under strain, opening deep divisions in the two main parties, Conservative and Labour, which a no-deal scenario could bring to a head.

Experts say Brexit has also damaged perceptions of politicians, routinely ridiculed in the popular press for their failure to agree to a reasonable solution.

Observers believe Brexit has empowered the far right, with long-term implications for Britain's democracy, while also intensifying calls for political reform - especially modernisation of the old-fashioned voting system.

A no-deal Brexit could also have damaging implications for Europe itself, further straining relations with the UK's neighbours, harming key economic partners, and potentially exacerbating populist pressures.

Economy

A no-deal Brexit would mean that there would be no "transition period" to ease the UK out of the bloc and all EU regulations would instantly cease to apply - causing disruption that some economists say could shave at least 2 percent off the gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of 2020. 

The UK government would not have to pay an annual 13 billion pounds ($17bn) to the EU budget, but would also lose key subsidies such as the 3 billion pounds ($3.9bn) for farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy.

Overnight, Britain would lose the benefits of the EU's 70 international trade deals, reverting instead to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules governing how it deals with imports and exports.

EU tariffs, VAT and a ban on food of animal origin would confront British exporters with the same obstacles to trade as those facing other non-EU countries.

The prices of some imports, especially fresh vegetables and fruits, could soar by up to 10 percent in British shops and a likely fall in the value of the pound would trigger inflation.

New import controls at borders could disrupt freight traffic as trucks going to and from the EU complete customs declarations, causing bottlenecks on motorways in southern England.

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Higher import prices, freight delays on both sides of the Channel - and inevitable panic buying - could exacerbate shortages.

In theory, a no-deal Brexit frees up the UK to agree trade deals with other countries - something it cannot do as an EU member - but the benefits are limited, because these take years to complete. 

When it comes to financial services, EU leaders know which side their bread is buttered on - and a raft of "mini-deals" to soothe capital markets have already been agreed.

In the longer term, however, there are fears a no-deal Brexit will chill investment in the UK, hitting jobs, and that manufacturers will abandon Britain for the continent.

Some sectors could be hit hard. House prices could plummet, mobile phone roaming charges could rise, and British people will lose consumer protection for products bought in Europe.

Northern Ireland is even at risk of blackouts, because no deal would undermine the legal basis of the all-island electricity market it shares with the Irish Republic.

Security

Opponents of a no-deal Brexit fear its impact on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Such a scenario would load pressure to enforce customs controls creating a "hard border" manned by uniformed authorities - a move that would threaten to revive old tensions.

A no-deal Brexit would cut UK access to EU criminal databases, with the counterterrorism chief of London's Metropolitan Police warning this would be "very bad" for policing.

And British people had better get used to their beloved queues - the EU would reciprocate on any UK border checks, leading to long delays at passport control. 

They may even have to go through airport security twice if they transfer to a connecting flight.

Citizenship

A no-deal Brexit has significant implications for expatriates - the 1.3 million Britons in EU countries and 3.7 million Europeans in Britain.

British people in the EU have been advised to register as residents and they may lose access to free or discounted healthcare.

The UK has pledged to protect the rights of EU citizens and their families in Britain - but they will need to apply for "settled status", and the rules are stricter in a no-deal scenario.

British travellers will not need a visa to stay for 90 days in the Schengen area, but may need one if they stay longer.

And once there, they will notice important changes. It will be more expensive to use UK bank cards, they will have to pay for health insurance, and they may require an International Driving Permit.

Pet owners will no longer be able to use the existing "pet passports" that make it easy to take their animals abroad, and will have to visit a vet months in advance of travelling.

Reporting by Gavin O Toole in London

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2019-04-08 10:38:00Z
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U.K. Remains Hopeful for Brexit Compromise Before Friday's Deadline - TIME

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2019-04-07 15:20:14Z
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Compromise? Time ticking down for Britain to come to Brexit agreement - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s government held out the possibility of compromise with the opposition Labour Party on Sunday to try to win support in parliament for leaving the European Union with a deal, just days before the latest Brexit date.

Prime Minister Theresa May, weaker than ever after her Brexit deal was rejected by parliament three times, made another appeal to the public to explain why she turned to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after giving up on winning over eurosceptics in her Conservative Party, whose opposition has hardened.

With Britain’s departure now set for April 12, May’s government is running out of time to get a deal through a divided parliament, and must come up with a new plan to secure another delay from EU leaders at a summit on Wednesday.

Britain’s biggest shift in foreign and trade policy in more than 40 years is mired in uncertainty, with ministers saying Brexit may never happen, businesses worried the country could leave without a deal, and others just wanting to reverse it.

In a last-ditch bid to get her deal through parliament, May opened talks with Corbyn last week to try to strike a deal on Britain’s future ties with the EU in exchange for his support for her divorce deal, the Withdrawal Agreement.

So far those talks have failed to yield any kind of accord, with Labour policy chiefs saying the government has yet to move from its “red lines”, above all over a customs union, which sets tariffs for goods imported into the EU.

“Specifically provided we are leaving the European Union then it is important that we compromise, that’s what this is about and it is through gritted teeth,” said Andrea Leadsom, the Brexit-supporting Leader of the House of Commons, parliament’s lower house.

“But nevertheless the most important thing is to actually leave the EU,” she told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, adding that May’s proposal for a customs arrangement after Brexit was not too far from Labour’s desire for a customs union.

Germany’s finance minister, Olaf Scholz, called on the two sides to find what he called “a sensible agreement to end the paralysis in British politics and to avoid a disorderly Brexit”.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at church, as Brexit turmoil continues, near High Wycombe, Britain April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

NO REAL CHANGE

But, while describing the talks so far as positive, Labour’s business policy chief Rebecca Long-Bailey said there had as yet been no “real changes” to the deal.

“I think both sides are committed to working quite rigorously to compromise as much as possible so that we can provide that compromise Brexit deal that I think parliament desperately needs at the moment,” she told the BBC.

Shami Chakrabarti, Labour’s legal policy chief, was more blunt. “It’s hard to imagine that we are going to make real progress now without either a general election or a second referendum on any deal she can get over the line in parliament,” she told Sky News.

May has opposed remaining in the EU’s customs union saying it would mean that Britain could not secure free trade deals with other countries — a key plank to her Brexit strategy that saw her create a new government department for trade.

“I think, the government thinks, we absolutely must leave the European Union ... that means we need to get a deal over the line,” May said in a new video, explaining why she was now pursuing cross-party talks.

Britain voted by 52 to 48 percent in 2016 to leave the EU, and parliament, May’s cabinet and the country at large remain deeply polarised over the terms of Brexit and even whether to depart at all.

Despite the lack of convergence between the two major parties over a deal, there was one thing they did agree on — time is running out for Brexit to be secured.

May, who has been verbally mauled by members of her own party for turning to Labour, herself warned Brexit-supporting lawmakers that “the longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all”.

In an attempt to avoid falling out of the EU without a deal, she again heads to Brussels this week to ask for a further delay until June 30 — something EU leaders have said requires her setting out an alternative path to getting her deal approved.

Any extension would require unanimous approval from the other EU countries, all weary of Britain’s Brexit indecision, and could come with conditions. EU summit chair Donald Tusk plans to propose an extension of a year, which could be shortened if Britain’s parliament eventually ratifies the deal.

Slideshow (9 Images)

But even the threat of losing Brexit has so far failed to change the minds of hardline eurosceptic Conservative lawmakers, and some are now suggesting that Britain make the EU’s life a misery if Britain is forced to accept a long delay.

“If we are forced to remain in we must be the most difficult member possible,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the European Research Group, a Conservative eurosceptic group, told Sky News.

“When the multi-annual financial framework comes forward, if we’re still in, this is our one in seven year opportunity to veto the budget and to be really very difficult.”

Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Raissa Kasolowsky in London, Madeline Chambers in Berlin; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Catherine Evans

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-04-07 11:47:00Z
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Prince William goes undercover with Britain's spy agencies - NBC News

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April 7, 2019, 9:51 AM GMT

By Yuliya Talmazan

LONDON — Prince William, Britain's second in line to the throne, enjoyed a brief stint with the U.K.'s security and intelligence agencies last month.

The Duke of Cambridge spent three weeks embedded with MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, agencies responsible for domestic and foreign security, to see how they operate first-hand.

“Spending time inside our security and intelligence agencies, understanding more about the vital contribution they make to our national security, was a truly humbling experience," William said in a statement released by the royal family late Saturday.

"These agencies are full of people from everyday backgrounds doing the most extraordinary work to keep us safe. They work in secret, often not even able to tell their family and friends about the work they do or the stresses they face," the royal said.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that the father-of-three — who previously trained as a helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force — worked with analysts and investigators monitoring Islamist terror cells and is understood to have worked actively in the field as well as in the office.

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The prince's assignment began with a week at MI6, whose agents collect foreign intelligence and mount operations overseas, according to the statement. The agency was made famous by the James Bond series of novels and films.

His second week was spent at MI5, Britain's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency.

The Duke spent his last assignment at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), an agency that tackles terrorism, organized crime and cyber security.

Officials said the prince completed his final day of his work placement at GCHQ on Saturday.

We hosted the Duke of Cambridge this week at a number of our sites. The Duke learned about our vital mission to protect the UK and saw how we use cutting-edge technology, technical ingenuity and wide-ranging partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats@KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/2UkG0IfmVj

— GCHQ (@GCHQ) April 7, 2019

The current threat of terrorism in the U.K. remains 'severe' — meaning an attack is highly likely.

The Head of Counter-Terrorism Operations at GCHQ, who remained anonymous, said the prince "worked exceptionally hard to embed himself in the team and comfortably held his own among some highly skilled analysts and operators."

"His Royal Highness asked some probing questions and demonstrated a real grasp of our mission," they added.

William will visit New Zealand this month on behalf of his 92-year-old grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the country's head of state, to honor the 50 victims of the mass shooting at mosques two weeks ago.

Yuliya Talmazan

Yuliya Talmazan is a London-based journalist.

Associated Press contributed.

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2019-04-07 09:51:00Z
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