1. Delay to Brexit would damage trust and be a ‘calamity’
Two Brexiteer MPs have said any delay to Brexit would do “incalculable” harm to public trust. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Tory MP Steve Baker and the DUP's Nigel Dodds said further “uncertainty” would be a “political calamity”. Meanwhile, a survey found that 44% of the public now believes the UK should leave without a deal if Brussels refuses to make further concessions - a six point rise from January.
2. Bishop says Javid a ‘moral coward’ over Begum baby
A bishop has accused Sajid Javid of being a “moral coward” and “treating the UK as a banana republic” in pursuit of his leadership ambitions following the death of Jarrah, the three-week-old son of Isis bride Shamima Begum. Meanwhile, two more women from the UK who are being held in Syrian camps with their young children have been stripped of their citizenship.
3. Qatar’s secret $880m World Cup payments to Fifa revealed
Qatar secretly offered $400m to Fifa just weeks before football’s governing body contentiously decided that the 2022 World Cup would be held in the tiny desert country. The Sunday Times says that documents show that executives from the Qatari state-run broadcaster Al Jazeera signed a television contract making the huge offer as the bidding campaigns to host the World Cup approached their climax.
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4. Stephen Hawking nurse suspended over ‘misconduct’
A nurse who worked for Stephen Hawking for 15 years has been suspended over allegations of “serious” misconduct concerning his care. The scientist’s family filed a complaint which prompted a long investigation into 61-year-old Patricia Dowdy, according to the Mail on Sunday. Details of the case have been suppressed by the body which regulates nursing. The scientist died in March last year, aged 76.
5. Family concerned over young woman missing in Guatemala
The family of a British woman missing in Guatemala say they are “desperately worried” for her safety. Catherine Shaw, 23, from Witney, Oxfordshire, had been travelling before she was reported missing on 5 March. She had been staying in the San Pedro, Lake Atitlan area of the central American country with a friend. Her parents said her disappearance was of “great concern”.
6. British teens sent to Somalia as UK knife crime grows
British teenagers are being sent by their parents to Somalia because of fears that the police cannot save them from knife crime. North London’s Somali community believes the authorities cannot protect teenagers against county lines gangs. Meanwhile, a teenager has been left fighting for his life after he was stabbed in the chest on a north London bus.
7. Donald Trump dismisses Ann Coulter as ‘wacky nut job’
Donald Trump has described the hard-right commentator Ann Coulter as a “Wacky Nut Job” for questioning his success on his border wall plan. Coulter, previously a supporter of the president, faced his wrath on Twitter as he wrote that she “still hasn’t figured out that, despite all odds and an entire Democrat Party of Far Left Radicals against me… I am winning on the Border”.
8. Tommy Robinson is the UK's best funded politician
Tommy Robinson is the best-funded politician in the UK, says The Sunday Times. The far-right activist has boasted of receiving “probably in excess of £350,000” in only two weeks. Robinson, who brands himself as the voice of the “forgotten people”, said he had made “a hell of a lot of money, [an] unbelievable amount of money” in 2018.
9. Democrat says Obama ‘got away with murder’
A Democrat representative Ilhan Omar has suggested Barack Obama is a “pretty face” who “got away with murder”. She said his immigration policies involved detaining children at the southern border and pointed to his repeated use of lethal drone strikes overseas. She also suggested the former president’s “hope and change” message was an illusion. “We can’t be only upset with Trump,” she said.
10. Blairs join the stars at Indian tycoon's glittering wedding
Tony and Cherie Blair were among the guests at an Indian tycoon’s lavish wedding. Akash Ambani married his childhood sweetheart, the diamond heiress Shloka Mehta. The wedding, held in Mumbai, had a guest list of highly influential people including Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The pre-wedding party saw Coldplay, The Chainsmokers and Maroon 5 perform at an event in Switzerland.
