Saturday, February 15

Day: January 9, 2017

UK’s former ambassador to EU held secret talks with Cameron before Christmas on Brexit
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

UK’s former ambassador to EU held secret talks with Cameron before Christmas on Brexit

    Sir Ivan Rogers, the former UK ambassador to the EU, held secret talks with ex-prime minister David Cameron before Christmas over Brexit. The meeting has raised concerns that senior government officials were privately in touch with leading Remain supporters, The Times reports. In the meeting held towards the end of 2016, Sir Ivan is said to have told Cameron that May was not doing enough to prepare for the risk of the UK making a disorderly departure from the EU. Sir Ivan resigned last week, just months before May is expected to trigger Article 50 to start Brexit talks. The Times quoted a source familiar with what was discussed between the two as saying: "Rogers spoke to Cameron. His biggest fear was that the biggest issue is not hard or soft Brexit, but whether we have an...
A British man reveiled his pregnancy
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

A British man reveiled his pregnancy

    A young man has become the first in Britain to reveal he is pregnant. Hayden Cross, who was born as a girl, will give birth to his first child this year after tracking down a sperm donor via Facebook. Now four months pregnant, the 20-year-old had reportedly already started transitioning into a man when he chose to have a baby. After giving birth, he plans to complete his gender transition including surgery to remove his ovaries, The Sun on Sunday reports. He also plans to stay single for a while - for his child's sake. Speaking to the newspaper, Hayden, a former Asda employee, said he was concerned about how people will react to his pregnancy. But he added that he was glad he is expecting a baby something that he hopes will inspire other people to be happy in themselves. H...
Briton jailed for adultery in Bahrain released from prison
Arab world, ENGLISH

Briton jailed for adultery in Bahrain released from prison

    A British woman jailed in Bahrain after being accused of adultery has been released amid a fundraising appeal by her mother to bring her home. Hannah James, said to originally be from Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, moved to the country with husband Jassim Alhaddar and their young son, but her mother, Shelley James, claims she was a victim of domestic abuse and wanted to leave Bahrain. Mrs James claimed her daughter's passport was burnt and that her husband accused her of having an affair. Writing on a JustGiving page set up to raise funds to bring her daughter home, Mrs James said: Things became very difficult for her as she was suffering from domestic violence. She added: "This became worse day by day . "Hannah James finally made the decision to leave him and Bahrain with he...
Expelled North Korean diplomat’s luxurious car seized at Kamlapur
Bangladesh, ENGLISH

Expelled North Korean diplomat’s luxurious car seized at Kamlapur

    Customs intelligence on Monday seized an expensive private car of Rolls Royce Ghost model of an expelled North Korean diplomat from Kamlapur in Dhaka. ‘We seized the silver colour car of 6600cc worth about Taka 30crore from Kamlapur ICT depot today (Monday),’ said director general (DG) of customs intelligence Dr. Mainul Khan. The car was imported in the name of Han Son Ik, ex-first secretary of the North Korean embassy in Dhaka, with a false declaration that it’s a BMW model car and the tax of the car is Taka 22 crore, he also said. Earlier on August last the diplomat was expelled after accusing him of smuggling banned cigarettes. Bangladesh earlier expelled a previous North Korean first secretary in March last year after he was caught for smuggling 27 kg (60 lb) of gold—w...
One of the world’s most wanted terrorists married a British woman
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

One of the world’s most wanted terrorists married a British woman

    One of Isis’s most senior recruiters lived in Britain and married his British wife in a Greater Manchester town hall. John Georgelas, an American, wed Joya Choudhury, a young Briton of Bengali descent, in Rochdale in 2004 when they were both 19. They had met online after Georgelas converted to Islam. The American, who uses the Arabic name Yahya Abu Hassan, is now believed to be the most senior westerner in Isis. He is the son of a former US Air Force doctor and the grandson of an American Second World War veteran but was revealed last month to have become a senior Isis figure who has urged followers to carry out terrorist attacks in the west and lured scores of young Britons to join the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. Georgelas spent some of his childhood in Britain, li...