Latest news with #British
Glasgow Times
18 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Families of Chinook crash victims press on with legal action against MoD
RAF Chinook ZD576 was carrying 25 British intelligence personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George near Inverness when it crashed in foggy weather on June 2 1994 on the Mull of Kintyre. All 25 passengers – made up of personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army – were killed, along with the helicopter's four crew members. The families launched legal action in a 'letter before action' to the UK Government sent earlier this month on the 31st anniversary of the crash. They said they will now pursue a judicial review after the MoD responded and rejected their demands for a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the crash, and for access to files which have been sealed for 100 years. Nicola Rawcliffe, whose brother Major Christopher Dockerty was killed in the crash aged 33, said: 'I am furious and disgusted with the MoD's decision to summarily dismiss our claim. 'The MoD is continuing to deceive our families and disrespect our loved ones' memories by claiming that the many previous inquiries investigated all the facts, but we now know the aircraft was not airworthy. They didn't know half of what we know now. 'The Government may have sealed the files for 100 years, but we, the families of those who died, are firmly united, strong and defiant, and we will get to the truth, no matter what it takes.' Following the crash, the Chinook's pilots, Flight Lieutenants Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper, were accused of gross negligence, but this verdict was overturned by the UK government 17 years later following a campaign by the families. A subsequent review by Lord Philip set out 'numerous concerns' raised by those who worked on the Chinooks, with the MoD's testing centre at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire declaring the Chinook Mk2 helicopters 'unairworthy' prior to the crash. The MoD said the crash was a 'tragic accident' and while its sympathies remain with the families and friends of the victims, there have been several investigations and inquiries and it believes it is unlikely another would reach any new conclusions. Andy Tobias, who was eight when his father Lieutenant Colonel John Tobias, 41, was killed, said: 'My childhood was stolen from me because someone decided my dad and his colleagues should be put on a helicopter that was not fit for purpose. 'My mum, my brother, I and all the families deserve the truth and the MoD must repay the honour and integrity that those on board had shown in their years of service to their country. That's why we formed the Chinook Justice Campaign and we will not rest until we get the truth. If that takes a judge to rule in court, then so be it.' Wreckage of the aircraft after the crash as a search party examines the area (Chris Bacon/PA) The families, who have coalesced into the Chinook Justice Campaign, said failing to order a public inquiry is a breach of the UK Government's human rights obligations. Solicitor Mark Stephens, from law firm Howard Kennedy, said: 'This decision by the MoD to dismiss our claim is an unforgivable betrayal of service people who gave their lives for their country and an undisguised slap in the face for their long-suffering and bereaved families. 'So much for the Government's so-called commitment to duty of candour. 'We will now seek a judicial review into the Ministry of Defence's decision to deny the families truth, transparency and justice.' An MoD spokesperson said: 'The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. 'We understand that the lack of certainty about the cause of the crash has added to the distress of the families. 'We provided a detailed and considered response to the pre-action protocol letter stating the reasons why we cannot accept the demand for establishing a new public inquiry. 'It's unlikely that a public inquiry would identify any new evidence or reach new conclusions on the basis of existing evidence. 'The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review.' It is understood the sealed documents contain personal information relating to third party individuals and the early release of this information would breach those individuals' data protection rights.
NZ Herald
23 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Ranking the best James Bond actors to hit the big screen
Pulpy, punchy and at times problematic, Ian Fleming's British superspy James Bond has lit up screens for the better part of 60 years, with no signs of slowing down. As a new era of 007 approaches – with Oscar-winner Denis Villeneuve at the directing helm and
Scottish Sun
40 minutes ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Spy chiefs probed ‘Russian double agent' at the heart of MI6 in huge 20-year global operation – and never caught ‘mole'
A source claimed MI6 'still [potentially] has a mole to find' FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE Spy chiefs probed 'Russian double agent' at the heart of MI6 in huge 20-year global operation – and never caught 'mole' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SPY chiefs probed a suspected "Russian double agent" at the heart of MI6 in a 20-year global operation. An investigation launched into the alleged mole, dubbed Operation Wedlock, sent surveillance officers around the world. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 High-ranking member of British intelligence and double agent Kim Philby Credit: Getty 6 A KGB guide smuggled him into Russia where he lived out the remainder of his life and was treated as a 'hero' Credit: Getty - Contributor 6 The MI6 Building in Vauxhall, London Credit: Getty It included a team of over 30 MI5 officers, as reported by the Guardian, whose work spanned up to two decades. One on occasion, they were sent to the Middle East and sheltered in a CIA safe house. It is understood they were sent on the mission under terms that would have been illegal according to international law. Despite their work, MI5 were unable to conclude whether there had been a mole spying for Russia. Read More VLAD'S DINGHY PLOT Migrant crisis fuelled by Russia in secret plot to destabilise Britain A source told the Guardian: "We thought we had another Philby on our hands". Kim Philby was a prominent member of the notorious Cambridge Five, a ring of spies who passed information to the Soviet Union. With fascism plaguing Europe, Philby headed for Austria where he became active in helping the oppressed working class socialists. Alongside his wife, Jewish socialist Litzi Friedmann, the couple helped the anti-fascist cause in Vienna but later fled to London to escape the Nazis. Philby's life changed when he was introduced to a resident Soviet agent, code-named "Otto", at Regents Park. Along with four other Cambridge students, they were persuaded to start double lives as spies for the Soviets. Through the help of the KGB they worked their way into government jobs and passed on state secrets to the Russians. Philby was so good at his job he even secured a high-level job with MI6. In 1949 he was sent to Washington where be became a liaison intelligence officer 'combating Soviet subversion in Western Europe'. However, after two members of the Cambridge Five defected, suspicion grew over Philby and he resigned from the Foreign Office. Cleared of treason allegations, MI6 posted him to Beirut, where he worked as a correspondent for The Observer. In 1962, his cover was blown during a conversation with a MI5 officer at a party and he later made a 'sham' confession to be granted immunity. A year later a KGB guide smuggled him into Russia where he lived out the remainder of his life and was treated as a 'hero'. MI6 is the intelligence agency which supplies the Government with foreign intelligence (as opposed to MI5 which deals with domestic security threats). Its existence was not formally acknowledged until 1994. It is regarded as one of the best spy agencies in the world. Describing its work on its official website, the agency says: 'Our mission is to provide Her Majesty's Government with a global covert capability. 'We collect secret intelligence and mount operations overseas to prevent and detect serious crime, and promote and defend the national security and economic wellbeing of the United Kingdom.' Meanwhile, MI5 is widely understood to focus its intelligence efforts inside the UK but that isn't always the case. With threats to Britain's security often coming from abroad, the agency says it does "work outside the UK where it's necessary to protect the UK's national security or to counter security threats". It describes itself as a "publicly accountable civilian intelligence organisation", not a "secret police force", as it does not have the power to arrest people. Reporting to the Home Office, it was formed in 1909 under British army captain Vernon Kell to identify and counteract German spies in the country, according to the Britannica. The MI5 probe into an alleged mole was sparked in the 1990s and continued to at least 2015. It was launched after a tip off from the CIA in America, where they believed a British intelligence officer was working for Russia. Vladimir Putin was in charge of the FSB, Russia's secret intelligence service, at one point in the investigation. A source said: '[We were told] the target was a Russian spy. The US believed he was leaking information to the Russians. "He was suspect 1A. The job was taken more seriously than any other [MI5] was involved in. Wedlock eclipsed them all.' As reported by the Guardian, it has been revealed the UK believed they had identified the alleged spy. MI5 specialists were put in charge of tracking him down, although they did not operate from the Westminster HQ. The mission was so top secret, one insider claimed the officer in charge was briefed about the task in a church. Instead, the team were based in Wandsworth, south London, which was near an MI6 base. The officers were told the suspected mole held a senior role at MI6 and listening devices were planted inside his home, as well as secret cameras. He was tracked across the world, with officers travelling as far as Asia and the Middle East. The agents were given authentic passports, but fake names, and told they would be "on their own" if caught. A source also claimed the suspect was not thought to have been working by himself, but aided by two other people. The insider added how Wedlock was a 'highly unusual operation, the longest in recent memory and probably the most expensive'. 'MI5 never got the conclusive proof it was looking for,' they added, and MI6 "still [potentially] has a mole to find". 6 Photos, of clockwise from top left: Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess (who died in Moscow in 1963), Donald MacLean and Kim Philby, who tipped off Burgess and MacLean in 1951 forcing them to defect and then defecting himself in 1963 Credit: PA 6 Harold Philby, 43-year-old former First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington Credit: PA
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Iran: From the inside as well as outside
4 books, 4 vivid renderings of the country Shah of Shahs (1982) by Ryszard Kapuscinski is a reporter's account of the days leading up to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It paints a vivid picture of Iran's evolution from the rise of the Pahlavis – how a young Reza Khan, an officer in the Persian Cossack Brigade, went on to stage a coup with the help of the British and become the new Shah – through premier Mosaddegh's burst of nationalism and democracy that was again sabotaged by Western oil interests, to finally the backlash against the throne that coalesced around Ayatollah Khomeini. Interestingly, a 1978 article aiming to discredit Khomeini by alluding to his foreign origins – his grandfather came from India – and casting aspersions on his mental health, was the trigger for the revolution. This history weighs heavy on Iran even today, with the struggle for 'dignity' animating internal political discourse. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books (2003) by Azar Nafisi is an autobiographical account of a woman who finds herself suffocated by the arbitrary restrictions and punishments of her country. After resigning her university job, she creates, clandestinely, a classroom with more freedoms than exist outside. For two years, every Thursday, seven students gather in her home, taking off their veils, to peruse the relation between fiction and reality. They read A Thousand and One Nights and the forbidden, 'non-revolutionary' canon, Nabokov to Austen. Lolita captures, for them, the texture of living in a totalitarian society. As movie houses were set on fire Ayatollah Khomeini had declared, 'We are not against cinema…we are against prostitution.' Humbert rapes Lolita, robs her of childhood, and exonerates himself by implicating her, as vulgar vixen, vile slut, seducer. An illusory world makes saviour and executioner indistinguishable. Republics of Myth: National Narratives and the US-Iran Conflict (2022) by Hussein Banai, Malcolm Byrne, John Tirman explores how two nations in a cold war for 40 years managed to deal on a complex issue – Iran's nuclear programme – and then let it unravel. Crediting or criticising individuals – Obama-Rouhani or Trump – is incomplete reading. It's the two nations' centuries old narratives that constantly clash, and determine the relationship. Iran's narrative is of suspicion of foreign involvement, US's is of self-glorifying idealism. These narratives, sustained by history, culture, ideology, overpower 'strategic logic'. It took 18 years to reach an n-deal, driven by powerful state interests – existential for Iran's regime survival, for US, a need to contain Iran. Yet, it was the stories nations tell themselves weaving history with myth that reinforced the US-Iran conflict – a fraught relationship itself became the key narrative. Iran's Rise and Rivalry with the US in the Middle East (2025) by Mohsen M Milani: In 1971, Iran was America's top arms buyer, and 'policeman of the Persian Gulf' – a peg above Saudi – in Nixon's eyes. Oil revenues were strong, yet the revolution that deposed the Shah and ushered in a theocracy was just eight years away. How did US, seen as a friend under Truman in the 1940s, become a foe so soon? One that Khomeini described as 'the great Satan, the wounded snake'. In Milani's assessment, this rupture occurred because Iranians resent attacks on their sovereignty – which they have lost to Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, Turks and Britons over millennia. The 1953 coup – Eisenhower ganged up with Churchill to oust Mohammad Mosaddegh, patriotic Iranian PM who nationalised the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company – and continued interference since, were the deal-breakers. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Delhi govt renews push to rename Najafgarh drain as Sahibi river
Delhi's Najafgarh drain may soon be renamed the 'Sahibi river', with the city government submitting a fresh proposal to the State Names Authority (SNA) under the urban development department. The move is part of efforts to raise awareness about the historical river, which once flowed along the same path that is now occupied by the drain. The Sahibi River originates in Rajasthan, flows through Haryana, and enters Delhi before merging with the Yamuna. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo) The Sahibi River originates in Rajasthan, flows through Haryana, and enters Delhi before merging with the Yamuna. Within Delhi, its course is currently known as the Najafgarh drain. As part of a recent submission to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Delhi government attached digitised survey maps from 1975-76 showing the Sahibi river's original course through the Capital, now channelled as a stormwater drain. The government said a similar renaming proposal was submitted last year, but was returned by the SNA, which asked the city to first obtain concurrence from the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA). A revised proposal is now under review. Efforts to rejuvenate the channel are already underway, officials said, but rebranding it as a river is key to public engagement. 'To generate people's support, it necessitates avoiding use of the word 'drain/nala', due to the stigma and misconception associated with it—that it symbolises a channel carrying dirty water. Therefore, it's prudent to officially name or rename the channel as Sahibi River,' the Delhi government said in its NGT submission dated May 24 and uploaded on June 26. Manu Bhatnagar, principal director of the natural heritage division at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), said the Sahibi was originally a rain-fed river, which over the past two centuries, steadily shrunk due to encroachments and agricultural expansion. 'Earlier, the water table was high, and the river sustained itself year-round. Over time, it narrowed, and parts dried up—particularly near Dharuhera in Haryana, where much of the riverbed was absorbed by farmland,' he said. 'The river merges with outfall drain number 8 in Haryana and flows toward the Dhansa Barrage and Najafgarh lake. In that sense, Najafgarh lake forms part of the Sahibi river system, with the river feeding it upstream. Downstream of the lake, the channel was once known as the Sahibi nallah—today, it exists as the Najafgarh drain,' he said. Historical records also trace the evolution of the river's identity. An 1807 Survey of India map labels it 'Saabi nala'. By 1865, the British had excavated a channel from Najafgarh lake to Wazirabad to boost cultivation, and the channel began to be referred to as the Najafgarh drain. The 1883 Gazetteer, Bhatnagar added, described the Sahibi nallah as 'a series of water-filled ditches'. The NGT is hearing a petition filed by Prakash Yadav, a resident of Kharkhara village in Haryana, who alleged that the Sahibi river is being neglected and filled with sewage, causing overflow into nearby farmland. The tribunal has sought reports from both Delhi and Haryana on actions taken for the river's restoration and the protection of surrounding areas. The Delhi SNA, which examines all name change proposals, comprises 29 members, including four MLAs and officials from various state departments. It is typically chaired by the chief minister, with the chief secretary as vice-chair. Proposals are first vetted by a subcommittee led by the principal secretary (urban development) before being placed before the SNA for final consideration. In February last year, the NGT had asked the Delhi government to clarify whether the Najafgarh drain was ever historically known as the Sahibi river and whether renaming it could aid its revival.
