Security arrangements cause major headache
Scotland Yard officers could be forced to live in Canada, it has emerged, amid a row over whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should contribute towards an estimated £10 million (NZ$20m) annual security bill.
The pair’s protection arrangements will create a huge strain on police resources now Canada has confirmed it will stop guarding them when they step down as working royals. They face a fierce public backlash if seen to be costing the British taxpayer millions while raking in a private fortune.
A Scotland Yard source said: “This situation is completely unprecedented in the modern era and there are still many details that need to be worked out before any long-term decisions can be made. Negotiations are ongoing.”
Security experts agree the threat against Harry is credible, due to the “double whammy” of his royal lineage combined with having served in Afghanistan.
The level of protection the family is afforded will ultimately be decided by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee.
While the Met may provide close protection, the Government could also be asked to contribute towards the cost.
One police source said: “The team is likely to consist of three or four Met officers who will be based full-time wherever the Duke and Duchess are in the world.”
Dai Davies, former head of the Met’s royal protection squad, said the threat against the couple was too severe for them to hire a private security firm.
“Several individuals have threatened to kill Harry in the last few years. There is a credible threat. Access to intelligence and risk assessment are absolutely essential . . . The only way this is guaranteed is to use specially trained officers.”
Simon Morgan, another former royal protection officer, said: “If they come off the Internationally Protected Persons list, they become ultra high net worth individuals, many of whom, such as Bill Gates and Sir Richard Branson, do have round-the-clock protection,” he said.
He said Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who have their own private security teams funded by the Duke of York, proved royals could employ private companies able to liaise with the Met about potential threats.
Turkey, Russia talk Syria
The presidents of Turkey and Russia spoke by phone yesterday to try to defuse tensions that rose significantly in Syria after 33 Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike blamed on the Syrian government, and a new wave of refugees and migrants headed for the Greek land and sea border after Turkey said it would no longer hold them back. The attack on Friday marked the deadliest day for the Turkish military since Ankara first entered the Syrian conflict in 2016 and was the most serious escalation between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces, raising the prospect of an all-out war with millions of Syrian civilians trapped in the middle. It was not clear whether Syrian or Russia jets carried out the strike but Turkey blamed Syria’s government and Russia denied responsibility.
Cesars’ turmoil over Polanski France’s film industry was in turmoil yesterday after the entire cast and crew of Roman Polanski’s new film pulled out of the Cesar awards ceremony. The French equivalent of the Oscars was billed as the most explosive in its 45-year history amid accusations it had turned a blind eye to rape allegations against Polanski in awarding his film, An Officer and a Spy, more nominations than any other film. The French-Polish 87-year-old had already said he would not attend, while the Cesars board resigned last week over the furore that followed his film’s 12 nominations. Polanski is wanted in the US for allegedly raping a 13-yearold girl in 1977, and in November was accused of a rape in 1975. He denies wrongdoing.
Cyprus blames Turkey
Cyprus’ interior minister yesterday accused Turkey of deliberately channelling migrants for months to the ethnically divided island’s Greek Cypriot south to change the composition of its population. Nicos Nouris said up to two-thirds of arriving migrants reach the internationallyrecognised south through the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north that’s recognised only by Turkey. “We maintain that there is a very specific purpose and aim, which is to alter the island’s demographic character, and clearly we cannot continue to accept [migrants] in such numbers,” Nouris said.
Bangladeshi Muslims protest Several thousand Muslims marched from the main mosque in Bangladesh’s capital yesterday to denounce India’s government for allegedly inflaming tensions between Hindus and Muslims, leading to clashes that left at least 40 dead and hundreds injured. Thousands of Muslims left the Baitul Mokarram Mosque in Dhaka and joined the rally, chanting slogans against Indian PM Narendra Modi. The protesters also demanded Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina cancel a plan to invite Modi to a commemoration next month of the 100th anniversary of the birth of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Pakistan train crash
A train crashed into a bus carrying passengers at an unmanned railway crossing in southern Pakistan yesterday, killing 19 people and injuring 43 others, a railway official said. Tariq Kolachi said the accident took place near the district of Rohri, about 470km north of Karachi. He said the dead and injured were on both the bus and the train. It wasn’t immediately clear who was to blame for the mishap, Kolchi said. Kolachi said the passenger train, called the Pakistan Express, was en route to Lahore from Karachi, the capital of Sindh province.