Gerry Adams tells defamation trial that BBC programme was ‘hatchet job'
Former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams outside the High Court in Dublin, where he is bringing a legal action against the BBC over allegations about the murder of an MI5 spy. Claims were made in a BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight programme in 2016 over who sanctioned the killing of British spy Denis Donaldson. Mr Adams has denied the allegation that he had any involvement in ordering the murder. Picture date: Wednesday April 30, 2025.
PA Wire
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
26 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
RAF chief set to be new head of armed forces
The head of the RAF is set to be appointed as the new chief of the British armed forces, according to reports. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton is thought to be in line to be the next Chief of Defence Staff. The position is currently held by Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, who has been in the role since 2021. According to his biography on the Government website, Sir Richard joined the RAF in 1989 as a university cadet, and served as deputy chief of the defence staff from 2019 to 2022. The appointment comes as the Government has pledged to increase defence spending in the UK to 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence from April 2027, with a goal of increasing that to 3% over the next parliament, a timetable which could stretch to 2034. The Ministry of Defence said: 'This is speculation. The appointment process is ongoing and any announcement will be made in the usual way.'
South Wales Guardian
26 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Madeleine McCann: Latest search sees teams drain well and clear dense vegetation
German investigators along with Portuguese police officers and firefighters are working in a little-developed area of countryside a few miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine was last seen in 2007. Then aged three, she vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. Journalists were being kept a distance away from the search sites on Tuesday and a no-fly zone was imposed that stopped the used of drones, although some activity could be seen as teams used strimmers, pick-axes, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris surrounding an abandoned building. Personnel wore safety gear such as gloves and hard hats as they worked in the dense vegetation, and firefighters and police were seen using a yellow hose to drain a well. Around a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks. The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground. TV footage showed two Portuguese police officers guarding the end to a narrow lane that leads through an area of fields and scrubland with a few houses and a vineyard. It has been variously reported that investigators will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. Ulrich Oppold, a journalist from German broadcaster RTL, visited Brueckner in prison in Germany, who said if he gets out of jail the thing he is most looking forward to is a steak with a beer. Brueckner refused to answer any questions relating to Madeleine after discussions with his lawyers. He told the journalist that if he does get out of jail he will have to lie low as he is so well known. Brueckner described himself as 'bekannt wie ein bunter Hund' – which literally translated is 'as well-known as a colourful dog'. In October last year, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. Around 30 German police officers, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search along with Portuguese officers, with the activity due to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the operation but that British officers will not be present. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in the country in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. Last month, Madeleine's family, who are from Rothley in Leicestershire, marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, describing her as 'beautiful and unique' before her 22nd birthday, and expressing their determination to keep searching. A statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said: 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.' In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Military expert gives chilling British 'civil war' warning over 'feral cities'
British cities are at risk of becoming 'feral' and could even descend into civil war over the next few years, a military expert has warned A military expert has warned that British cities could fall into a state of 'civil war' within five years because a breakdown in law and order. David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, cautioned that the UK and France are among the nations likely to struggle to maintain peace in the years ahead due to a multitude of social and economic issues - creating the risk of so-called "feral cities". It follows the shocking riots that gripped Paris after PSG's victory in the Champions League at the weekend, which left two dead and hundreds injured. Distressing footage from the French capital showed frightened women cowering inside their cars as mobs of out-of-control football fans smashed windows and set fire to nearby vehicles. And in Britain, a report released last month cautioned that authorities must be much swifter in tackling misinformation on social media to avoid a repeat of last year's riots, which followed the murders of three young girls at a dance class in Southport. Writing in in the latest issue of Military Strategy Magazine, Professor Betz argued that governments across the Western world have been "losing the ability to peacefully manage multicultural societies", leaving them open to mass disorder and potential civil war". He added: "The initial result is an accelerating descent of multiple major cities into marginally 'feral' status". In another part of the essay, Professor Betz predicted that the "countries that are most likely to experience the outbreak of violent civil conflict are Britain and France" - but said that other parts of Europe and the United States could also be at risk "It must be assumed that if civil war breaks out in one place it is likely to spread elsewhere", he added. Hundreds arrested after deadly PSG riots Clashes between police and supporters on Saturday began long before PSG's thumping 5-0 victory over Inter Milan had even finished, with officers deploying a water cannon on the Champs-Elysees at half-time. Ugly scenes later in the night saw drivers attacked in their cars, vehicles torched and shops looted, with over 200 people injured and two killed in gatherings connected to the post-match celebrations. A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the western city of Dax during a street party after the final, the national police service said, and in Paris, a man in his 20s was killed when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations. A police officer was also hit accidentally by fireworks at a PSG fan gathering in northwest France, and placed in an artificial coma because of severe eye injuries. More than 500 people were arrested by police in connection with the disorder. Reacting to the initial reports of rioting Saturday night, France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau labelled the rioters "barbarians" and not "true PSG fans", adding: "It is unbearable that it is not possible to party without fearing the savagery of a minority of thugs who respect nothing." Smaller clashes between gangs of youths and police continued in the centre of Paris on Sunday.
