A former Anglican archbishop of Rwanda has challenged a claim by the Church of England that he endorsed the appointment of a priest in Worcestershire who is under investigation over accusations that he was complicit in the 1994 genocide. As Rwanda prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the genocide tomorrow, the church said that Bishop Jonathan Ruhumuliza is on "special leave" while it looks into "disturbing" accusations, brought to its attention by the Observer in February, that he was a propagandist for the regime responsible for the murder of 800,000 Tutsis and was implicated in killings. The Church of England has defended Ruhumuliza's appointment as a priest at St Mary and All Saints church in Hampton Lovett, Worcestershire, in 2005 by saying that it conducted "extensive checks" into his background and found no evidence of involvement in the genocide. It said the bishop was "commended" to it by the then archbishop of Rwanda, Emmanuel Kolini. Kolini has told the … [Read more...] about Church of England faces fresh claims over Midlands vicar’s role in Rwanda genocide
England 2015 world cup squad
Polish elections 2015: a guide to the parties, polls and electoral system
Poland holds elections to its lower house, the Sejm, and its senate, on Sunday. How the country votes will have repercussions well beyond Warsaw – from the role Poland will play in Europe’s refugee crisis to David Cameron’s chances of successfully renegotiating Britain’s status in the European Union before holding an in/out referendum. Poland was the only EU nation to avoid recession and it remains one of Europe’s fastest growing economies. But if the polls are right, the country could see its first change of government in eight years, with a clear lead for the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party. Here is a guide to what you need to know before Sunday’s vote. Who gets to sit in Poland’s parliament? The 460 members of the Sejm are elected through proportional representation in 41 constituencies. Political parties need to pass a 5% threshold to enter parliament, while the threshold for coalitions is 8%. There is no threshold for national … [Read more...] about Polish elections 2015: a guide to the parties, polls and electoral system
Wembley Q&A: Will England still play there, who is Shahid Khan and what does it mean for the FA Cup?
The Football Association are considering an offer from Fulham owner Shahid Khan to buy Wembley Stadium. Th extraordinary potential deal would transfer the national stadium into foreign ownership for the first time and could have wider repercussions for English football. Here is everything we know, and everything you need to know, so far. Who owns Wembley? The FA have owned Wembley since 1999 through subsidiary company Wembley National Stadium Ltd. There are a number of stakeholders involved however, including Sport England, the London Development Agency and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. They contributed £161m of public money when the stadium was rebuilt for a king's ransom of £757million in the 2000s. Why would the FA sell? The FA board are thought to be in favour of a deal, with the chance to invest in grass roots facilities described as a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'. A lack of playable pitches in winter is a … [Read more...] about Wembley Q&A: Will England still play there, who is Shahid Khan and what does it mean for the FA Cup?
Spygate 2? New England Patriots admit filming at Bengals game
The New England Patriots acknowledged on Monday night that a video crew working for the team filmed the Cincinnati Bengals sideline during Sunday’s game, a violation of league rules that echoed the team’s 2007 Spygate scandal. In a statement posted on Twitter and the team website, the Patriots said a three-person crew for a web series titled Do Your Job inappropriately filmed the field from the press box as part of a feature on the scouting department. The filming took place without specific knowledge of league rules, the statement said. The team also said that while it was granted credentials for the crew from the Browns, the home team, “our failure to inform the Bengals and the League was an unintended oversight”. When confronted, the team said the crew immediately turned over all footage to the league and cooperated fully. “The sole purpose of the filming was to provide an illustration of an advance scout at work on the road. There was no intention of … [Read more...] about Spygate 2? New England Patriots admit filming at Bengals game
Tories fail to build any of 200,000 starter homes promised in 2015, says watchdog
Successive Conservative governments have failed to deliver a single new “starter home” despite promising to build 200,000 by 2020, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found. The party’s 2015 manifesto committed to building the homes across England to be sold exclusively to first-time buyers under the age of 40, to help young people take their first step on the property ladder. The National Audit Office (NAO) said that, to date, no such homes have been built because the government has not budgeted for them or activated all of the necessary legislation. The 2015 spending review set aside £2.3bn to support the delivery of the first 60,000 properties under the scheme. But the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) no longer has a budget dedicated to the project, auditors said in a report released on Tuesday. Funding that had been earmarked for the scheme has instead been spent on acquiring and preparing brownfield sites for housing more … [Read more...] about Tories fail to build any of 200,000 starter homes promised in 2015, says watchdog