Day: 22 May 2013

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Woolwich killing: horror on John Wilson Street

By Sharon Black

Eyewitnesses in shock as two men hack soldier to death in full public view, then ask for passersby to take photographs of them A meat cleaver is clasped in his blood-smeared left hand; the other – also stained red with human blood – waves manically as he shouts at the camera, ranting his justification for the atrocity on the streets of south-east London. At about the same time, in the nearby Musgrave primary school, the headteacher David Dixon ordered a lockdown after seeing the body of a man – believed to be a young soldier – lying on John Wilson street. If there was any doubt why this young man, who witnesses said was aged in his early 20s and wearing a Help for Heroes T-shirt, had lost his life in such a brutal fashion, that was soon quashed

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Afghan interpreters’ resettlement scheme ‘doesn’t go far enough’

By Sharon Black

Concerns raised over proposals that allow candidates to settle in Britain only if they have 12 months’ continuous service Lawyers representing Afghan interpreters have welcomed the news that about half of them are to be given settlement rights in the UK in recognition for risking their lives for British troops but expressed concerns that the reworked package does not go far enough. Under the proposals, any interpreters who have put themselves in physical danger working outside British military bases will be offered a resettlement package if they have been working for the UK forces for more than 12 months at the point of their redundancy. It is estimated that about half the interpreters working for the UK forces – roughly 600 – will qualify.