Britain set to pay millions to ex-Guantanamo detainees


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Britain has agreed to pay millions of pounds in settlements to a group of former Guantanamo Bay detainees who were suing the government for alleged complicity in their torture overseas.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said details would be disclosed today in a written statement to parliament. It follows a series of talks aimed at avoiding a lengthy and expensive series of lawsuits that would have shone an unwelcome light on the activities of British spies.

Government officials declined to discuss the settlement in advance or confirm whether the government would pay compensation, saying that a confidentiality agreement was in place.

Britain’s ITV News reported that at least seven ex-detainees would receive payments, and claimed one man would be paid more than £1 million (Dh5.9m). It did not give its sources.

Diplomats and government officials previously had confirmed negotiations were taking place with lawyers for 12 former detainees, all either British citizens or residents, who had begun legal action against the government.

High Court judge Stephen Silber said in July that mediation talks were under way, aimed at reaching a deal outside the courts.

British spies have not been accused of torturing detainees themselves, but the men alleged British officials were complicit in their mistreatment while they were held by the US, Pakistan and other countries, because they knew of abuse but did not stop it.

In the most notorious case, ex-detainee Binyam Mohamed alleged Britain was aware he was severely beaten, subjected to sleep deprivation and had his genitals sliced with a scalpel. A British court has ruled that Mr Mohamed was subjected to “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” by US authorities.

The British government has been anxious to deal with the lawsuits, estimating that court cases could last five years and cost up to £50m in legal fees. Officials said about 100 intelligence officials had already been removed from regular duties to work on preparing up to 500,000 documents to be used in court.

Mr Cameron was also concerned that the lawsuits could prompt new arguments over the handling of intelligence provided to Britain by the US and other allies. Earlier this year, a judge ordered the release of a previously secret summary of CIA documents on the treatment of Mr Mohamed. Under long-standing conventions, nations do not disclose intelligence shared by their allies, and the White House reacted angrily to the release.

A payout to former terrorism suspects is likely to strain relations further. A human rights lawyer, Philippe Sands ,said that even if Britain makes no admission of guilt, “it does send out a very strong signal and it is going to cause difficulties with other countries, particularly the United States.”

The settlement paves the way for a planned independent inquiry which is due to examine how much the government knew about the treatment of detainees by allies. It cannot begin until legal proceedings are concluded.

A retired judge, Peter Gibson, was appointed in July to lead the study and asked to begin his investigation once the lawsuits had been dealt with, and after police conclude criminal inquiries into the actions of two specific intelligence officers.

Police are investigating whether an officer with the domestic British spy agency MI5 was guilty of criminal wrongdoing over the alleged torture of an ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee. In a separate case, the actions of an officer with the UK overseas intelligence service, MI6, are also being investigated.

Britain’s government and intelligence agencies have repeatedly denied they were involved in, or condoned, the use of torture. However, the British foreign secretary,William Hague, said in August that the government will overhaul current practices based on Mr Gibson’s recommendations. “We will act on the lessons learnt, and tackle the difficult issues we currently face head on,” he said.

Mr Hague said the inquiry was necessary to “clear the stain from our reputation as a country

The five stages of early child’s play

From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:

1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.

2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.

3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.

4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.

5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

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%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20digitisation%20of%20financial%20services%20will%20continue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Managing%20and%20using%20data%20effectively%20will%20become%20a%20competitive%20advantage%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digitisation%20will%20require%20continued%20adjustment%20of%20operating%20models%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banks%20will%20expand%20their%20role%20in%20the%20customer%20life%20through%20ecosystems%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20structure%20of%20the%20sector%20will%20change%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3

VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.