Tuesday, February 18

Day: December 27, 2016

Refugees returning to secret camps in Calais
ENGLISH, Europe

Refugees returning to secret camps in Calais

    Hundreds of refugees have returned to live in secret camps in the Calais region in the hope of travelling to the UK, The Independent can reveal, just weeks after the demolition of the Jungle shantytown. There are at least six informal settlements in rural parts of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, each housing scores of refugees and migrants, with numbers growing steadily in recent weeks. It comes two months after the closure of the Jungle, which was intended to bring an end to the refugee situation in Calais by destroying the camp and dispersing its residents to reception centres (CAOs) across France an operation the authorities hailed as a success. However, scores of refugees and migrants who were taken on buses to CAO centres have now started making the journey back to the...
Obama vs Trump: Dispute erupts over who would have won
America, ENGLISH

Obama vs Trump: Dispute erupts over who would have won

    In an alternate universe in which President Barack Obama ran for a third term against Donald Trump, who would have won? No surprise: The president and the president-elect disagree. A fresh dispute erupted Monday between Obama and his successor, spurred by Obama's hypothetical musings that had he run again, he would have been victorious. Interviewed for a podcast, Obama suggested he still holds enough sway over the coalition of voters that elected him twice to get them to vote for him once again. I am confident in this vision because I'm confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it, Obama told his former White House adviser, David Axelrod, in a podcast released Monday. Trump, naturall...
Article 50 marks sterling’s final dip: Brexit talks to rock pound
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

Article 50 marks sterling’s final dip: Brexit talks to rock pound

    Baml expects sterling to rise to $1.29 by the end of the year, while Morgan Stanley believes sterling will climb to $1.26 against the dollar by the end of next year and $1.45 by the end of 2018. The pound faces a rollercoaster ride next year as policymakers start the process of leaving the European Union, analysts have warned. The expected triggering of Article 50 in the first quarter of 2017 is predicted to push down the value of sterling against a basket of major currencies, dragging it to a 32-year low against the dollar. The start of two years of formal Brexit negotiations with Brussels is expected to push the pound down by more than 5pc against the dollar and euro from current levels of $1.2290 and €1.1764, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch (Baml), Morgan Sta...
New York to Paris flight diverts to Ireland: the reason for passengers can use the toilets
ENGLISH, Europe

New York to Paris flight diverts to Ireland: the reason for passengers can use the toilets

    A long-haul flight was forced to land at an airport in Ireland to allow passengers to use the toilets. The plane travelling from New York to Paris on the Open Skies airline, a subsidiary of British Airways, was diverted into Shannon Airport in the west of the country after complaints from passengers. The onboard crew confirmed the Boeing 767’s toilets could not be serviced properly, with 90 minutes of the journey remaining.The flight’s 172 passengers were given the chance to take a toilet break before the flight continued its journey, over two hours behind schedule. A team of engineers successfully fixed the broken facilities during the intervening period. British Airways has yet to offer comment on the incident. Over 70,000 passengers are expected to pass through Shannon ...
George Michael’s dead body found heartbreak in his bed
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

George Michael’s dead body found heartbreak in his bed

    George Michael with partner Fadi Fawaz George Michael's heartbroken boyfriend has said that he found the star dead in bed on Christmas Day. The 53-year-old pop icon died at his riverside home in the Oxfordshire village of Goring-on-Thames and his partner Fadi Fawaz has revealed on Twitter he found the body. Mr Fawaz said:"ITs a xmas i will never forget finding your partner dead peacefully in bed first thing in the morning.. I will never stop missing you xx [sic]" Mr Fawaz's has repeated "I will never stop missing you xxx" on his description on Twitter. His revelation comes as fans continue to leave flowers and tributes outside the former Wham! frontman's homes in Goring and Highgate. And there has been a surge in purchases of his music. On Sunday night there were six Georg...