Babak Belurs

Rabu, 13 April 2022

Sir David Amess: Terrorist Ali Harbi Ali who murdered MP sentenced to whole-life order - Sky News

The terrorist who murdered veteran MP Sir David Amess is to die behind bars after he was sentenced to a whole-life prison term.

Islamic State fanatic Ali Harbi Ali appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday after he was convicted of murder and preparing terrorist acts.

Sir David was stabbed more than 20 times during a constituency surgery meeting in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in October last year.

Delivering Ali's sentence, Mr Justice Sweeney said the murder of the MP for Southend West "struck at the heart of our democracy".

The judge said Sir David was "a man of the greatest substance" who had "done nothing whatsoever" to justify the attack on him.

"His loss is one of national significance," the judge said.

Mr Justice Sweeney said the murder was carried out "in revenge for Islamic State's losses in Syria" and that Sir David had "fought bravely and hard" against the attack.

"The defendant has no remorse or shame for what he has done, quite the reverse," the judge said.

In a statement following the sentencing, Sir David's family said the murder was "beyond evil" and they would "forever shed tears for the man we have lost".

"Our amazing husband and father has been taken from us in an appalling and violent manner," they said.

"We shall get over this tragedy.

"It breaks our heart to know that our husband and father would have greeted the murderer with a smile of friendship and would have been anxious to help.

"How sickening to think what happened next. It is beyond evil."

Ali, wearing a black collarless robe in the dock, pursed his lips briefly as the judge handed down his sentence.

He told the trial he had no regrets about the killing, saying Sir David deserved to die because he had voted in parliament for airstrikes on Syria in 2014 and 2015.

The killer refused to stand in court "on religious grounds" when jurors delivered their verdicts on Monday after just 18 minutes deliberating.

Other high-profile killers who have received whole-life orders include the far-right extremist Thomas Mair, who murdered Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, and police officer Wayne Couzens who raped and killed Sarah Everard in south London last year.

The trial heard Sir David was killed in a "vicious and frenzied" attack that was "an assassination for terrorist purposes".

Prosecutors described Ali as a "bloodthirsty" Islamic State supporter who had spent years hatching his plot to kill an MP.

The 26-year-old had researched a number of potential high-profile political targets including Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Sir Keir Starmer, before settling on Sir David.

At Ali's sentencing hearing, victim impact statements were read from Mr Gove and fellow MP Mike Freer, who was also targeted by Ali.

Mr Gove described his experience as "incomparable" with the loss suffered by Sir David's family, saying: "Like everyone I knew at work, I have found the impact of losing Sir David has been enormous."

Mr Freer said he had introduced extra security measures since learning he was a target of Ali, and his husband was anxious about him walking alone.

Ali managed to arrange an appointment with Sir David by duping the MP's office into believing he was a healthcare worker moving to the area who wished to discuss local matters.

The university dropout travelled from his home in Kentish Town, north London, to Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, where Sir David's constituency surgery was being held, carrying a 12-inch knife.

During a meeting with the politician, Ali said "sorry" and pulled the knife from his clothing, repeatedly stabbing Sir David, causing him to scream.

The so-called "lone wolf" terrorist had sent a manifesto on WhatsApp to family and friends seeking to justify his actions around the time of the attack.

After Ali was confronted by an unarmed man who had arrived for a meeting with Sir David, the killer claimed he wanted to be shot dead by police and become a "martyr".

Dramatic bodycam footage showed two plain-clothed officers who were first to respond to the scene, armed only with batons and CS spray, tackle Ali and arrest him.

Sir David, a 69-year-old father-of-five, had been an MP from 1983 until his death.

Following the guilty verdicts in Ali's trial, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sir David was a "beloved colleague, public servant and friend" and his thoughts were with the MP's widow Julia and the Amess family.

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2022-04-13 11:23:00Z
1370090533

Selasa, 12 April 2022

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to be fined over lockdown parties - BBC

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be fined by the police for attending a birthday party thrown for him during a Covid lockdown.

No 10 confirmed he would receive the fixed penalty notice for going to the hour-long gathering in the Cabinet Room on 19 June 2020.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the PM's wife, Carrie Johnson, have also been notified they will get fines.

It comes as part of a Met investigation into illegal parties in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson's fine makes him the UK's first serving prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, and Wales' Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford are among those calling for both the PM and the chancellor to resign.

And all the main opposition parties in Westminster have demanded Parliament be recalled from its Easter break.

But Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross - who at one stage had called for the PM's resignation over the parties - said "it wouldn't be right" for Mr Johnson to go while there was war in Ukraine.

The Metropolitan Police is looking into 12 alleged law-breaking gatherings across Whitehall.

So far, more than 50 fines have been handed out, with more expected.

Spokespeople for Mrs Johnson and Mr Sunak said they had not been told which event the fines were linked to.

However, they were reported to be at the same gathering for the PM's birthday - said to have been attended by 30 people.

'Truly shameless'

The Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said there was "simply no way either the prime minister or chancellor can continue" in their jobs, calling their actions "truly shameless".

Labour's Sir Keir said the fines showed the Conservatives were "totally unfit to govern", adding: "Britain deserves better."

And the SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said the PM and chancellor had "insulted the millions of people who faithfully followed the rules".

The Green Party echoed calls for the pair to resign, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "This is a government in crisis neglecting a country in crisis."

But while Mr Ross called Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak's behaviour "unacceptable", he said removing them during the war in Ukraine "would destabilise the UK government when we need to be united in the face of Russian aggression".

Some junior ministers have also tweeted their support for the PM, with Amanda Milling insisting he continued to be "the right person to lead the country".

Allegations

Reports of parties being held in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 first emerged in December last year.

Mr Johnson initially insisted that "guidelines were followed at all times".

As more gatherings were revealed, the prime minister apologised for attending a drinks party in the Downing Street garden, but told Parliament he believed he had been attending a work event.

Mr Sunak was also asked in the Commons in December 2021 if he had attended Christmas parties said to have taken place the previous year.

He replied: "No, I did not attend any parties."

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Mr Johnson ordered an inquiry into the allegations of rule-breaking, led by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

The Met initially said it would not retrospectively investigate the allegations unless "significant evidence" of a regulation breach came forward.

But after Ms Gray passed information to officers, they launched their own inquiry.

Ms Gray released an interim report, stating there had been a "failure of leadership" in Downing Street.

But her full report will not be released until the Met have concluded their investigation.

Will the PM and chancellor resign?

Analysis box by Jonathan Blake, political correspondent

Will Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak resign over breaking the law or will they be able to ride the controversy out?

If their instinct is to find a way through, they'll be helped by the fact that Parliament isn't sitting and Conservative MPs are less likely to get together and decide it's time for change at the top.

Both may choose to wait for Sue Gray to publish the findings of her report in full for the final word on the "partygate" saga.

They may also appeal against their fines or simply calculate that they can take the political hit and survive.

It's a time for cool heads and calculations in No 10 and 11 Downing Street - a day when reputations, already damaged, may be defined.

Among those already issued fines is the government's former head of ethics Helen MacNamara, who received a fixed-penalty notice for attending a leaving party in the Cabinet Office in June 2020.

Sources have told the BBC that some fines had also been given to people who attended a leaving party in Downing Street on 16 April 2021 - the eve of Prince Philip's funeral.

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Those who receive fines can either pay within 28 days or contest the police decision.

If they contest the fine, police will review the case and then either withdraw the penalty or take the matter to court.

Fixed penalty notices for breaking Covid laws do not result in a criminal record.

Sue Gray’s record of the gatherings

The government has faced intense pressure over gatherings held in and around Downing Street during Covid lockdowns. Senior civil servant Sue Gray has said that many of them “should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.” Here is what we know about them and the restrictions in place at the time:

15 May 2020

A photo from May 2020 showed the prime minister and his staff with bottles of wine and a cheeseboard in the Downing Street garden. When asked about it, Boris Johnson said “those people were at work talking about work”.

Boris Johnson was pictured with his wife Carrie as well as Downing Street staff

The rules:

Legal restrictions at the time said you could not leave your house without a reasonable excuse and government guidance was that you could meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor setting while exercising.

This event is not being investigated by the police.

20 May 2020

About 100 people were invited by email to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening”. Witnesses told the BBC the PM and his wife were among about 30 people who attended. Boris Johnson has declined to say whether he was among those there.

This event is being investigated by the police.

18 June 2020

A gathering took place in the Cabinet Office to mark the departure of a No 10 private secretary.

This event is being investigated by the police.

19 June 2020

On Boris Johnson’s birthday, up to 30 people gathered in the Cabinet Room at No 10 to present the prime minister with a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday, according to a report by ITV News.

No 10 said staff had “gathered briefly" to "wish the prime minister a happy birthday", adding that he had been there "for less than 10 minutes”.

The rules:

Restrictions at the time banned most indoor gatherings involving more than two people.

This event is being investigated by the police.

13 November 2020

Sources told the BBC that Downing Street staff members attended a gathering with Carrie Johnson in the flat where she and the prime minister live. A spokesman for Mrs Johnson denies the party took place. There was a separate gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the same day to mark the departure of a special adviser.

The rules:

Eight days earlier Boris Johnson had announced a new lockdown in England. Indoor gatherings with other households were banned, unless they were for work purposes.

These events are being investigated by the police.

27 November 2020

A leaving event was held for No 10 aide, Cleo Watson, where people were drinking, and Mr Johnson made a speech, according to sources.

This event is not being investigated by the police.

10 December 2020

The Department for Education has confirmed it had an office gathering to thank staff for their work during the pandemic. It says drinks and snacks were brought by those who attended and no outside guests or support staff were invited.

The rules:

Eight days earlier, London had been placed in restrictions which banned two or more people from different households from meeting indoors, unless “reasonably necessary” for work purposes.

This event is not being investigated by the police.

14 December 2020

The Conservative Party has admitted that an “unauthorised gathering” took place at its HQ in Westminster. It was held by the team of the party's London-mayoral candidate, Shaun Bailey, who has since stepped down as chair of the London Assembly police and crime committee. The Metropolitan Police is to speak to two people who attended the party.

The gathering at the Conservative Party headquarters was described as ‘raucous’

This event was not included in Sue Gray's report.

15 December 2020

Multiple sources have told the BBC there was a Christmas quiz for No 10 staff last year. A photo - published by the Sunday Mirror - shows Boris Johnson taking part and sitting between two colleagues in No 10. Mr Johnson has denied any wrongdoing.

Mr Johnson was pictured in the No 10 library under a portrait of Margaret Thatcher

This event is not being investigated by the police.

16 December 2020

The Department for Transport has apologised after confirming reports of a party in its offices, calling it “inappropriate" and an "error of judgment” by staff.

The rules:

London moved into the highest tier of restrictions and Matt Hancock, who was health secretary at the time, said it was important “everyone is cautious” ahead of the festive period.

This event was not included in Sue Gray's report.

17 December 2020

A leaving party was held at the Cabinet Office for the outgoing head of the civil service Covid taskforce - the team responsible for drawing up coronavirus restrictions.

Kate Josephs, now chief executive of Sheffield City Council, apologised for the event, saying she was “truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result”.

A second gathering was held in the Cabinet Office to hold an online Christmas quiz for the Cabinet Secretary’s private office.

A third gathering was held in No 10 Downing Street to mark the departure of a No 10 official

These events are being investigated by the police.

18 December 2020

Downing Street originally denied a report by the Daily Mirror that a party took place in Downing Street. However, a video obtained by ITV News showed the prime minister's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton, joking about reports of an event, saying: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”

This event is being investigated by the police.

14 January 2021

A gathering was held in No 10 Downing Street to mark the departure of two private secretaries.

This event is being investigated by the police.

16 April 2021

Two parties were held by Downing Street staff at No 10, the night before Prince Philip's funeral.

One of the events was a leaving party for the PM's then director of communications James Slack, who has apologised for the event and acknowledged it “should not have happened at the time that it did”.

Boris Johnson was not at either party.

The rules

The rules had been eased in England on 12 April, but working from home continued to be recommended and socialising indoors with people from other households was not allowed. Meeting others outdoors was limited to groups of six people or two households.

These events are being investigated by the police.

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2022-04-12 16:10:23Z
1360428059

Kemarni Watson Darby: Mother and partner found guilty over death of her three-year-old son - Sky News

A man has been found guilty of murder and his partner guilty of causing or allowing the death of her three-year-old son.

Kemarni Watson Darby died from abdominal injuries on 5 June 2018, after his rib cage was "crushed" at the couple's two-bedroom flat in West Bromwich.

The youngster was taken to hospital, but pronounced dead that evening.

Convicted drug dealer Nathaniel Pope, 32, was also found guilty of three other child cruelty charges while Alicia Watson, who was cleared of murdering her son, was also found guilty of three other child cruelty charges.

Injuries 'required force akin to a road traffic accident'

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court was told Kemarni had suffered multiple fractures, "some of which would have required force akin to a road traffic accident" or stamping on his body with a "shod foot".

Recent and non-recent injuries were found, including multiple fractures to both the left and right side of his rib cage, caused by at least four separate events.

He had also suffered extensive internal bruising and lacerations to his liver and colon.

Kemarni died of abdominal trauma, which the court heard "was most likely caused by a blow".

There were additional bruises on his head, mouth, neck, arms, chest, abdomen, back and legs from "repeated and, in all probability, sustained assaults".

Kemarni's father, Darren Darby, told the trial he was aware that his son was being slapped, punched and kicked by his "strict" mother.

He also said he had warned Watson, 30, about Pope and asked her to be cautious of him.

After the verdict, the judge became emotional and further ordered the 10-member panel of five men and five women to be discharged from future jury service for life due to the "awful nature of the facts" they had had to consider.

Watson and Pope will be sentenced at a later date.

'Everybody knew she was beating Kemarni - we let him down'

Just over two weeks before Kemarni's death, his father had noticed a lump on the right side of his forehead which was sticking out and a bruise to his lip.

Watson, of Handsworth, Birmingham, told him that Kemarni had walked into something or been clumsy.

Other family members raised concerns about bruises, but were given similar explanations.

Kemarni's maternal grandmother, Paulette Ellis, told Sky News she was unaware of most of Kemarni's injuries and saw "no bruises at all except of the ones that he had on his forehead".

Asked if she questioned them, she said: "We always ask because you know what children are like but Kemarni was a little boy, he would just run and not look where he was going, he would bump into the door, bump into the table".

She says no one from the family contacted social services.

Giving evidence at the trial, Mr Darby said Watson "could not handle Kemarni".

"Everybody did know that she was beating Kemarni. We all let him down," he said.

The trial heard that Kemarni had expressed a wish not to go home to his mother's flat after visits with his father.

Medical professional noted Kemarni 'not his usual self' hours before his death

Sam Evans, the manager of Kemarni's nursery, had also spoken to his mother after noticing injuries, including split lips, on two occasions.

On the day of his death, Kemarni had been taken by his mother to a GP walk-in centre on Parsonage Street just before midday.

His notes recorded that he had been vomiting for five days and was "not his usual self".

The note also said that there was no "abdominal pain", and Kemarni was prescribed rehydration medication for what was thought to be a viral stomach bug.

He was then taken by his mother to McDonald's and then returned home.

Medical experts who have reviewed CCTV believe by that stage he had not received the injury that killed him, as the fatal blow would have left him unable to walk properly.

That afternoon, Pope and Watson were both in the flat with Kemarni. Watson left for around 40 minutes to do the school run, but then returned. Paramedics were called at 3.49pm.

Pope, of Wolverhampton, told the trial he had heard Watson slapping Kemarni while he was living in the flat, saying: "I just saw it as her way of parenting."

Both Pope and Watson admitted using cannabis at the flat.

'He was always smiling, always happy'

While giving evidence in her defence, Watson blamed Pope for Kemarni's death, saying: "I hate him. He's a cold-blooded liar."

She described Kemarni as her "beautiful boy".

"He was always smiling. Always happy. Cheeky and mischievous," she added.

She claimed that when he fell ill on the day he died, she "genuinely thought he was just sick" and was "confused at what had happened".

Her mother, Ms Ellis, said the death of her grandson has had a terrible impact.

She said: "We all miss him, and it's taken a toll on the rest of the family. I can't sleep at night. In my bedroom, I have a little shrine… I have a lot of photos of him, so I talk to him.

"He was a bubbly, friendly little one."

She recalled the day he died, saying: "My daughter called me and told me that Kemarni wasn't breathing, and they were going to the hospital. By the time I went to the hospital, they wouldn't allow us to see him. I heard everybody crying."

She attended the trial to support her daughter, and blames Pope for Kemarni's death.

"Everything was fine before he came along," she said.

"He's evil and twisted and cold. He's cold-hearted, and he's trying to deny everything, but he is the one who did it."

A spokesperson for Malling Health said: "We were very saddened to learn of the death of Kemarni Watson Darby. We offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of Kemarni during this challenging time.

"We can confirm that Kemarni attended the Parsonage St walk-in centre with his mother and this service was run by Malling Health at that time, in partnership with the NHS. The service was rated Good by the Care Quality Commission and we are committed to delivering a high standard of patient care.

"During his visit to the centre, Kemarni was seen by a very experienced Advanced Nurse Practitioner, who had worked at the service for several years. The Advanced Nurse Practitioner is a locum and is therefore independent. Kemarni received a physical examination and comprehensive notes were recorded at the time.

"A serious case review has been undertaken which we expect to be published shortly after the trial verdict. We are committed to the highest possible standards of patient safety and once the serious case review is published, as a learning organisation, we will review the content, consider the findings, and make any necessary changes to our services."

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2022-04-12 13:41:15Z
1382137639

Crispin Blunt apologises for defending sex offender MP Imran Ahmad Khan - BBC

Conservative MP Crispin Blunt has apologised for a statement defending fellow MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was convicted of sexual assault.

Wakefield MP Khan was found guilty on Monday of assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008.

Mr Blunt had called the verdict a "dreadful miscarriage of justice" in a statement on his website.

But he has deleted the message after Tory bosses said it was "wholly unacceptable" and has also apologised.

The Reigate MP said: "I am sorry that my defence of him has been a cause of significant upset and concern not least to victims of sexual offences."

He has also resigned as chair of a cross-party committee of MPs that campaigns for LGBT+ rights around the world, after several members of it quit in protest at his statement.

The official Conservative Party LGBT+ group has suspended him, pending an investigation and a membership vote.

In a statement, the group said: "We are supportive of our judiciary and trial by jury, including the right to appeal, but present circumstances are that an MP has been found guilty of a grotesquely inappropriate sexual assault on a child.

"Regardless of whether comments have now been retracted, Crispin Blunt's statement of yesterday [Monday] was inappropriate, misjudged and in the present circumstances we do not feel it is appropriate for Crispin to remain one of our patrons."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the Conservative Party of being "mealy-mouthed" in its response to Mr Blunt's "abhorrent" statement on the verdict, adding that it should have come down "much harder" on the MP.

The BBC has contacted Mr Blunt for a comment, but he is not expected to say anything further at this stage.

'Disgraceful'

Khan was thrown out of the Conservative Party after Southwark Crown Court delivered its verdict on Monday but he has said he will appeal against his conviction.

Mr Blunt, a friend of Khan who attended some of his trial, said in his now-deleted statement that he was "appalled and distraught" by the verdict, calling it "an international scandal, with dreadful wider implications for millions of LGBT+ Muslims around the world".

He claimed that the case against Khan had "relied on lazy tropes about LGBT+ people that we might have thought we had put behind us decades ago".

"I hope for the return of Imran Ahmad Khan to the public service that has exemplified his life to date," he added.

He did not explain in any detail why he believed Khan's conviction had been a miscarriage of justice.

His statement was rejected by the Conservative Party as an attack on the independence of the judiciary.

Labour called Mr Blunt's criticism of the verdict "disgraceful" and said he should be suspended from the Conservative Party.

In his apology, Mr Blunt said he did not condone any form of abuse and believed in the "independence and integrity" of the justice system.

During his trial, Khan denied groping a teenager at a party in Staffordshire in January 2008.

'Not taken seriously'

Southwark Crown Court heard he forced the boy to drink gin, dragged him upstairs, and asked him to watch pornography before assaulting him.

Khan is set to be sentenced at a later date.

Before Mr Blunt's apology, several members of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for global LGBT+ rights, which Mr Blunt chairs, had either resigned or said they would do so.

Labour's Kate Osborne, and three SNP MPs, Stewart McDonald, Joanna Cherry, and Martin Docherty-Hughes, also resigned from the group.

During the trial, the victim, who is now 29, said he was "not taken very seriously" when he made an allegation to the Conservative Party press office in December 2019, days before Khan was elected as Wakefield's MP. The victim went to the police days after the election.

Conservative sources told the BBC the party had found no record of a complaint being made about Khan in the run up to polling day.

Khan tried and failed to ban media reporting of the case, with his lawyers arguing that his life could be at risk, as the consumption of alcohol and homosexuality are strictly prohibited within his faith.

But a risk assessment by West Yorkshire police counter-terrorism security advisers concluded that there was "no objective threat to defendant's life that would arise from being named as the defendant in these allegations".

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2022-04-12 11:54:06Z
1360796469

US offers $5m reward for arrest of Kinahan gang leaders, as it ranks them with the Mafia - Sky News

The US government has announced a $5m (£3.8m) reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the leaders of the Kinahan crime cartel.

Speaking in Dublin, after the US government unveiled tough Russia-style sanctions against the gang, the US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin said the reward would be provided for "information leading to the financial disruption of the Kinahans, or the arrest or conviction" of Daniel Kinahan, his father Christopher Snr and brother Christopher Jnr.

Tackling the Kinahans "is an urgent priority for President Biden and the US government" Ms Cronin said.

The dramatic intervention of the United States is seen as a major blow to the sprawling crime gang, whose drug and firearms trafficking grew out of Dublin streets to span countries around the world.

"Today, the Kinihans join the ranks of the Camorra [Italian mafia organisation] and Japan's yakuza", said Gregory Gatjanis from the US dept of the treasury, which had earlier announced the sanctions.

Matt Horne from Britain's NCA, which was involved in the international operation, said that today was "a huge blow to the Kinahans".

"They thought they were untouchable, but we will explore every opportunity to disrupt their criminal activities. We will not stop here."

The sanctions mean that money or assets the Kinahans have in the US, or in US banks, can be frozen, as well as any US-controlled properties, similar to the restrictions placed on Russian oligarchs in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Their credit cards can be blocked and they cannot fly on US airlines.

As well as the three senior Kinahans, who are all now based in the United Arab Emirates, the sanctions also apply to associates Sean McGovern, Ian Dixon and Bernard Clancy, who are all based in Dubai, and John Morrissey who lives in Spain.

Two UAE-based companies, Hoopoe Sports and Ducashew General Trading, are sanctioned, as is Nero Drinks, which is based in Glasgow, and produces Nero Vodka.

The US says that John Morrissey owns or controls Nero Drinks, and "has given a significant portion of the business to Daniel Kinahan to compensate for loads of drugs seized by law enforcement".

The Americans also said that Daniel Kinahan sources large quantities of cocaine in South America and attempts to import the drugs to the United Kingdom.

He fled Ireland after the infamous Regency Hotel shooting in 2016, when gunmen from the rival Hutch gang disguised as armed police attempted to murder him, killing an associate instead.

At least 18 people have been murdered in the feud between the two gangs.

Daniel Kinahan lives in Dubai, where in recent years he has attempted to reposition himself as a boxing promoter, and has worked with Tyson Fury.

There is no suggestion that Fury was involved in any criminality.

Two weeks ago, Thomas "Bomber" Kavanagh, the "top man" in the UK for the Kinahans, was jailed for 21 years at Ipswich Crown Court.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said that he masterminded a "commercial-scale" smuggling operation, and imported cocaine and cannabis worth more than £30m.

Two other men, Gary Vickery and Daniel Canning, also received lengthy prison terms.

Gardai (Irish police) are holding a news conference in Dublin later this morning, at which further details of the Irish and British involvement in the international operation against the Kinahans will be revealed.

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2022-04-12 09:56:15Z
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Senin, 11 April 2022

Fees to dispose of DIY waste could be scrapped under plans to tackle fly-tipping - Sky News

Disposing DIY waste at council recycling centres in England and Wales will no longer incur fees under new government plans.

Existing legislation means that any rubbish generated through DIY, even at home, is generated as industrial waste, meaning local councils are not responsible for providing free disposal points.

This includes rubbish such as shed or fence panels, tiles, plasterboard and paving slabs.

Consultation documents published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs propose scrapping charges for getting rid of such waste, with the hope that it could help reduce fly-tipping.

"Government believes householders should not be charged to dispose of DIY waste," it says.

"We are proposing changes to allow householders to deposit DIY waste for free.

"This will reduce the potential risk of fly-tipping, littering and backyard burning which create additional costs for local authorities and causes environmental issues."

Incidents of fly-tipping have surged in recent years, with more than one million recorded by local authorities in 2021, official figures show.

At the height of the first COVID lockdown, Sky News reported on how a smartphone app had also reported a huge increase in fly-tipping as people spent more time working on DIY projects at home.

Under the government's proposals, DIY waste would be re-classified as household waste, enabling it to be disposed without any charge like other rubbish and recycling.

Councils charge different amounts for getting rid of DIY waste, but the government believes its plans could save households as much as £10 per item.

The consultation is being held online and runs until 4 July.

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2022-04-11 03:03:45Z
1313526003

Just Stop Oil activists cause fuel shortage | News - The Times

Some petrol stations ran out of fuel at the weekend after climate change activists blockaded oil terminals.

Essex police warned that the protests by Just Stop Oil were putting lives at risk and had cost the force more than £1 million.

The protest group, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, said it had disrupted fuel supplies from oil terminals in Warwickshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. It claimed to have caused widespread shortages at petrol stations.

FairFuelUK, which campaigns for lower fuel prices, estimated from anecdotal reports from supporters that a third of petrol stations south of Birmingham had run dry for a time. It said that Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and parts of Hampshire and Kent had been affected most severely.

However, last night the campaign group rowed

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2022-04-10 23:01:00Z
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Rabu, 13 April 2022

Selasa, 12 April 2022

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Will the PM and chancellor resign?

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