A British lawyer who allegedly recruited Iraqis in his pursuit of human rights abuse claims against UK troops appeared in court on Monday charged with fraud.
The now stuck-off solicitor Phil Shiner denied the charges linked to claims made against the soldiers who served in southern Iraq during the US-led occupation.
Mr Shiner, 65, former director of now-defunct Public Interest Lawyers, faced Solicitors Regulation Authority proceedings in 2017.
On Monday, he appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court by video link and pleaded not guilty to three counts of fraud which were brought following a five-year National Crime Agency investigation.
Mr Shiner, of Birmingham, gave his name, age, and address and said “not guilty, sir” as the charges were put to him.
He is alleged to have committed fraud by false representation in April 2015 in response to a question from the SRA, which he “knew was untrue and misleading”, so he could continue to practise as a solicitor.
He is also said to have “been engaged in the cold calling of clients in Iraq in relation to alleged killings of Iraqi civilians by British Army personnel at the battle of Danny Boy checkpoint in Al Amara, southern Iraq, in May 2004.
The battle gave rise to claims against British soldiers after an order was given to move the Iraqi dead from the scene to a nearby camp along with nine prisoners of war.
The detained, who were insurgents with the Shia militia Mahdi Army, claimed they were mistreated and heard the torture and murder of their compatriots.
Among the dead was Hamid Al Sweady, 19, whose name was lent to a public inquiry after his uncle Khuder Al Sweady claimed he was murdered at the British camp.
Mr Shiner is facing two charges of dishonestly failing to disclose information relating to Mr Al Sweady's legal aid claim over an application for a judicial review of the Ministry of Defence decision not to hold an independent inquiry into his nephew's death.
Between September 18 and 20, 2007, Mr Shiner allegedly failed to disclose that he “had been engaging in cold calling and the payment of referral fees”.
In a letter challenging the decision to refuse funding of the legal aid application, between October 11 and 13, 2007, he is said to have enclosed a statement that “had been obtained through cold calling”.
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Tour de France Stage 16:
165km run from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isère
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 1 Manchester City 2
Huddersfield: Otamendi (45' 1 og), van La Parra (red card 90' 6)
Man City: Agüero (47' pen), Sterling (84')
Man of the match: Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town)
The specs
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Kareem Shaheen on Canada
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Torque: 1075Nm
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
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'Hocus%20Pocus%202'
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
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
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Group B
Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
