Latest news with #Tice
Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Ex-Syrian commander questioned in Beirut over missing US journalist
by Naharnet Newsdesk 16 June 2025, 15:35 Former Syrian official and adviser to ousted President Bashar al-Assad has been interviewed in Beirut by the FBI and the CIA in April, in the presence of Lebanese officials, The Washington Post and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said Sunday. According to the reports, Bassam al-Hassan told the FBI that American journalist Austin Tice was killed in 2013 on the orders of al-Assad, after Tice briefly escaped from his prison cell. The U.S. government is investigating al-Hassan's claims, the Washington Post said, adding that Tice's family believe he is still alive, based on testimony from people who said they had seen him in prison in Syria after 2013. "Hassan gave FBI agents descriptions of the location where Tice's remains could be found. Those descriptions have shifted somewhat, but are always in the Damascus area," the American daily said. According to BBC Sources, at least one out of three meetings with Hassan was held at the U.S. embassy in Beirut. Sources close to Hassan told the BBC that while in Iran, he received a phone call and was asked to come to Lebanon to meet with U.S. officials. It is believed that he was given assurances that he would not be detained. Hassan had fled to Iran after Assad's ouster. Tice, who has had his work published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and others, disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus as the Syrian civil war intensified. A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, "Oh, Jesus." He has not been heard from since. Syria has publicly denied that it was holding him. When Syrian prisons were emptied after the fall of Assad in December 2024, there was no sign of Tice.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Britons could be stopped from entering Gibraltar by Spanish police, Lammy admits
Spanish border guards will be able to stop Britons entering Gibraltar because of the new Brexit deal for the Rock, the Government has admitted. Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, furiously denied surrendering any sovereignty to Spain or the EU after The Telegraph reported details of the deal on Wednesday. But David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, was forced to concede in the House of Commons on Thursday that Spanish guards working for the European Union would have control over who entered Gibraltar. Under questioning, Mr Lammy told MPs that a British person stopped by Spanish guards at Gibraltar airport would have a choice: they could either voluntarily go over to Spain for questioning, or be returned to the Gibraltarian authorities and return to the UK. 'It is clear from the Foreign Secretary's answer that Spanish border officials can prevent a UK citizen from entering one part of the UK from another part of the UK,' Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, said. 'This appears to be a significant sovereignty compromise,' he told The Telegraph. The deal ensures Gibraltar's border with Spain remains open after Brexit, and means the 15,000 people who cross it every day will not have to have their passports stamped. Border checks will be moved to Gibraltar's nearby airport after the Rock effectively becomes part of the EU's Schengen zone of passport-free movement. People flying into Gibraltar from the UK will face one check from Gibraltarian officials and another by the Spanish on behalf of the EU. Mr Lammy said: 'For those arriving by air into Gibraltar's airport, there will be a dual border control check, in a model similar to French police operating in London St Pancras station.' Dame Harriett Baldwin, a former Conservative minister, asked: 'Can a British citizen flying from the UK to Gibraltar now be stopped by a Spanish official as they land?' Mr Lammy replied: 'There will be a second line queue, as there is in St Pancras, and there will be Spanish border guards and police situated in that second line. 'And of course, if there was an alert, then at that point, not on their own, but at that point, there would be a hand-back facility with the Gibraltar police, so they are working alongside that Spanish team. 'And if there was an alert, then the individual would have a right to legal advice. They would either be able to return to their country of origin, let's say the UK, or they would be able to voluntarily go over to Spain to face the questions they are facing.' Mr Tice asked whether Spanish border officials 'have an effective veto on the entry of a British citizen from the United Kingdom landing on British sovereign territory in Gibraltar'. Mr Lammy said if Mr Tice flew to Gibraltar and there was an alert in the Schengen system, 'he would be handed back to the Gibraltarians, where he might feel more comfortable' before returning to the UK. 'No doubt the Spanish would seek to extradite him, and many in this House would be rather pleased,' he added. Mr Lammy said he had insisted on a 'sovereignty clause' in the treaty and added that immigration, policing and justice remained the responsibilities of Gibraltar's authorities. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britons could be stopped from entering Gibraltar by Spanish police, Lammy admits
Spanish border guards will be able to stop Britons entering Gibraltar because of the new Brexit deal for the Rock, the Government has admitted. Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, furiously denied surrendering any sovereignty to Spain or the EU after The Telegraph reported details of the deal on Wednesday. But David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, was forced to concede in the House of Commons on Thursday that Spanish guards working for the European Union would have control over who entered Gibraltar. Under questioning, Mr Lammy told MPs that a British person stopped by Spanish guards at Gibraltar airport would have a choice: they could either voluntarily go over to Spain for questioning, or be returned to the Gibraltarian authorities and return to the UK. 'It is clear from the Foreign Secretary's answer that Spanish border officials can prevent a UK citizen from entering one part of the UK from another part of the UK,' Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, said. 'This appears to be a significant sovereignty compromise,' he told The Telegraph. The deal ensures Gibraltar's border with Spain remains open after Brexit, and means the 15,000 people who cross it every day will not have to have their passports stamped. Border checks will be moved to Gibraltar's nearby airport after the Rock effectively becomes part of the EU's Schengen zone of passport-free movement. People flying into Gibraltar from the UK will face one check from Gibraltarian officials and another by the Spanish on behalf of the EU. Mr Lammy said: 'For those arriving by air into Gibraltar's airport, there will be a dual border control check, in a model similar to French police operating in London St Pancras station.' Dame Harriett Baldwin, a former Conservative minister, asked: 'Can a British citizen flying from the UK to Gibraltar now be stopped by a Spanish official as they land?' Mr Lammy replied: 'There will be a second line queue, as there is in St Pancras, and there will be Spanish border guards and police situated in that second line. 'And of course, if there was an alert, then at that point, not on their own, but at that point, there would be a hand-back facility with the Gibraltar police, so they are working alongside that Spanish team. 'And if there was an alert, then the individual would have a right to legal advice. They would either be able to return to their country of origin, let's say the UK, or they would be able to voluntarily go over to Spain to face the questions they are facing.' Mr Tice asked whether Spanish border officials 'have an effective veto on the entry of a British citizen from the United Kingdom landing on British sovereign territory in Gibraltar'. Mr Lammy said if Mr Tice flew to Gibraltar and there was an alert in the Schengen system, 'he would be handed back to the Gibraltarians, where he might feel more comfortable' before returning to the UK. 'No doubt the Spanish would seek to extradite him, and many in this House would be rather pleased,' he added. Mr Lammy said he had insisted on a 'sovereignty clause' in the treaty and added that immigration, policing and justice remained the responsibilities of Gibraltar's authorities.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tice denies Reform UK in chaos after Yusuf returns
Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice has insisted the party knows "exactly what it is doing" following a 48 hours in which its chairman Zia Yusuf resigned, before returning in a different role. On Thursday, Yusuf dramatically quit, saying in a social media post that trying to get the party elected was not "a good use of my time". However, two days later he said he would be coming back to lead the party's unit tasked with identifying spending cuts at councils, which is inspired by the US Department of Government Efficiency. Tice told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that chairing the party was "a tough, brutal job" and Yusuf was "essentially exhausted" after 11 months in the role. "It's a massive job, and as we were growing incredibly fast - essentially that job was too much for one person, so we're reorganising. "I'm delighted that Zia is staying with the party and he's going to be focusing on our Doge unit." Reform to begin Musk-style audits of councils Yusuf announced his initial decision to quit in a social media post but did not expand on his reasons for leaving. However, it came shortly after he criticised Sarah Pochin - Reform's newest MP - who used her question at Prime Minister's Question to ask if the government would ban the burka, a veil worn by some Muslim women that covers their face and body. Asked about Pochin's intervention on X, Yusuf - who is a Muslim - said: "Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn't policy. "Busy with other stuff. I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do." Announcing his decision to return to the party on Saturday, Yusuf said his initial resignation was "born of exhaustion" following "11 months [of] hard work and exhaustion". Party leader Nigel Farage said Yusuf had been subject to "pretty vile abuse" adding: "He overreacted to it and he admits himself it was a mistake." The Liberal Democrats said Reform UK were playing "musical chairman" while Labour characterised the events as a "humiliating hokey-cokey". Asked if it made the party look chaotic, Tice said: "No, we know exactly what we're doing." He continued: "Zia was essentially exhausted because he'd been working 24/7 for the last 10 or 11 months voluntarily. "There's high pressure, it's a big, tough, brutal job chairing a fast growing political party. But it's great news he's with us, on we go." The party is expected to appoint a new chairman and deputy chairman next week.
The National
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Richard Tice in row with Laura Kuenssberg over Anas Sarwar comments
The deputy leader of Reform UK doubled down on his party's recent attack advert against Scottish Labour, which has been widely condemned as "racist", during the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. The political advert, which was seen by more than one million people on Facebook, falsely claimed that Sarwar would 'prioritise the Pakistani community'. READ MORE: Scottish Government urges Chancellor to drop 'damaging' cuts ahead of spending review The ad includes selected clips from a video spread by far and alt-right agitators on social media in a bid to claim that Europe was under threat from 'multiculturalism' and mass immigration, specifically of Muslims. While it has been branded "racist" by both the SNP and Scottish Labour, Farage doubled down and went on to tell a press conference in London that Sarwar had "introduced sectarianism into Scottish politics". During the programme on Sunday, Kuenssberg asked Tice about his party leader's comments, saying: "Your leader Nigel Farage claimed that the Muslim Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar had said that he would prioritise the Pakistani community. "He did not use those words. Was Nigel Farage's claim false?" Tice refused to be drawn on whether the claim was false, as he said: "No, look, what we would talk about was that actually, the Labour leader in Scotland was essentially sort of developing sectarian politics, and we called that out. "We had the Scottish by-election and we came within 750 people of winning it. "So the ridiculous claims made by the other main politicians in Scotland about us, frankly, the voters have just ignored, and we came within a whisker of an absolute shock, a seismic shock. Richard Tice "We got 26%, it was a three-way marginal, and I think Scottish politics is changing." Reform UK came third in Thursday's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, with their candidate Ross Lambie winning 7088 votes. The party won 26.2% of the vote share but were 1471 votes away from beating Scottish Labour's Davy Russell, not 750 votes as Tice – who was at the count – claimed on Sunday. Tice went on: "We had a very simple slogan that seemed to work. 'Drill, Scotland, drill'. The oil and gas industry generates huge prosperity for Scotland, for the United Kingdom, and we should be embracing it and enhancing it, not shutting it down, which the Labour Government has essentially followed what the Tories did before with the ridiculous windfall tax." Kuenssberg returned to Farage's claims about the Scottish Labour leader, as she asked: "Do you not think it's important to say things that are true in politics? "Mr Farage claimed that Anas Sarwar had used words that he simply did not. He made a false claim on a sensitive issue. Was he wrong to do that?" Tice then doubled down on his party's claims about Sarwar bringing in sectarianism into Scottish politics. "No, look, it is sensitive, you're right," he said. "But was it right for Mr Sarwar to claim that Pakistanis and the South Asian community should, for example, dominate and dictate the Scottish educational agenda?" READ MORE: The Supreme Court's sex ruling faces legal challenges – will they succeed? Kuenssberg interrupted: "My question to you is whether or not it was right for Mr Farage to make a false claim about words Anas Sarwar did not use?" Tice said: "Well, you can interpret. I think in the overall context it was not a false claim. "It was what Mr Sarwar was doing, which was bringing sectarian politics into Scottish politics. And that is wrong, that's not how we do things." First Minister John Swinney said at the time that Farage had "brought racism and hatred" into the by-election campaign, as the SNP submitted a formal complaint to Meta, Facebook's parent company. Meanwhile, Sarwar branded Farage a "poisonous man who doesn't understand Scotland". Scottish Labour have been contacted for comment.
