Widow denies Russian tycoon Alexander Perepilichnyy was poisoned

The widow of a wealthy Russian whistle-blower who died while out running has denied he was secretly killed.

Speaking at an inquest into the death of Alexander Perepilichnyy, Tatiana Perepilichnaya said her businessman husband had never feared for his life.

She said suggestions the pair moved to England because he owed people a lot of money were false.

Mr Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while out jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012. He is suspected of being poisoned by sorrel soup.

His death was originally attributed to natural causes, but traces of a chemical that can be found in the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans were later found in his stomach.

Mr Perepilichnyy had been helping a specialist investment firm uncover a $230m (£150m) Russian money-laundering operation.

His name appeared on a "hit list" in Moscow and he had taken out million of pounds in life insurance policies, the court heard.

Image:The road on the estate in Weybridge where Mr Perepilichnyy collapsed

Speaking at the Old Bailey on Monday behind a screen, Ms Perepilichnaya denied her husband fell out with an "organised crime syndicate".

She said: "I know if there were any threats or problems Alexander would have told me."

She also described how she made the sorrel soup on the day her husband died. She said she cooked it with her daughter using boiled chicken, onions and carrot.

She said both her and her daughter tasted the soup while cooking it and then finished it later in the day.

She added that she was unaware of a man taking out an advert in Russia in 2011, accusing her husband of cheating him out of "a lot of money".

She denied knowing about any fraud allegations, adding: "I only have time to do house chores."

Ms Perepilichnaya said her "workaholic" husband had never discussed with her losing a large amount of money he had invested for Russians, nor any worry about being arrested in his home country.

She told the inquest that their family "liked England very much" and moved to the UK because "people are kind, polite and smile at you."

Surrey Police testified that an investigation had concluded there was no basis to conclude Mr Perepilichnaya was murdered.

Peter Skelton QC, counsel for the coroner, also told the court that requests had been made for any information held by MI5 and MI6 into the deceased.

He said the Government had taken a "generous approach" in its reply to the coroner although it had led to a public interest immunity application to keep some "sensitive" information secret.

The inquest continues.

Putin's hacking denials and conspiracies in US interview

Vladimir Putin and his inner circle govern in the knowledge that most media operations in Russia will provide a constant stream of glowing commentary.

In the last few weeks however, the Russian President has been subjecting himself to rather hostile questioning at press conferences with Western leaders - and 'sit-down' interviews with specially selected journalists.

The latest example was broadcast on Sunday night on American network NBC, with interviewer Megyn Kelly repeatedly quizzing Mr Putin on whether his government has tried to interfere in US politics.

Mr Putin looked and sounded like an increasingly irritated man.

"I haven't seen, even once, any direct proof of Russian interference in the presidential election in the United States," he said.

This, of course, is the Kremlin's standard response when challenged with the findings of 17 US intelligence agencies who collectively assert that President Putin ordered his people to intervene on the side of President Trump.

Last week, at a round table discussion at St Petersburg's International Economic Forum, the Russian leader seemed to fine-tune this denial, when he likened hackers to "artists" who could be acting on behalf of Russia if they felt its interests were being threatened.

But in the company of Kelly, he seemed to ditch this reference to "patriotic hacking".

"I hadn't said anything. It's just that French journalists asked me about those hackers. I told them the same thing I tell you. Hackers can be anywhere. They can be in Russia, in Asia - even in America - Latin America - there can even be hackers by the way in the United States who very skilfully and professionally shifted the blame on to Russia. Can you accept that?"

The Russian leader further developed the point, suggesting the Americans deliberately hacked their own election to make Russia look bad - and drew on a well-oiled conspiracy to back it up.

"There is a theory that (President) Kennedy's assassination was arranged by the United States intelligence services so if this theory is correct - and it cannot be ruled out - then what could be easier than using all the technical means of this day and age to organise the attacks and point the finger at Russia."

If that sounds a bit like Mr Putin is travelling up 'Imagination Lane', he offered up another conspiratorial spectacular last week, when he was asked whether Russia was responsible for a chemical weapons attack in northern Syria back in April.

In response (again to Kelly), he suggested that she and other Western journalists had colluded with Western governments by refusing to travel to the area and reveal the truth.







In an echo of Mr Trump, some of Mr Putin's remarks seemed to flatly contradict the words and actions of his own officials.

Mr Putin stated that it really did not matter to him whether Donald Trump was president because, "the main political direction (of the United States) does not change".

However, his team have spoken publicly about their efforts to get as close as possible to the American President.

The Russian deputy foreign minister boasted of Russia's "extensive contacts" with Mr Trump's team while the foreign minister Sergey Lavrov recently said, "We are concentrating on the main character, in this case the President of the United States… who has expressed his desire to develop better our relations and our common interests."

Image:Sergey Lavrov with Mr Trump at the White House. Pic: Russian foreign ministry

There were plenty of other denials - for example Mr Putin said he barely spoke to former US security adviser Michael Flynn at a dinner in Moscow in 2015, saying: "I didn't really talk to him."

But he also suggested that Russia would be justified if it did decide to hack the US - because it constantly interferes with other nations.

Why then is Vladimir Putin doing interviews when he cannot control the person asking the questions?

Does he think his recent media appearances will win over sceptics in the US? Does he think the battered US President needs a bit of help - a little overseas support?

It is difficult to know when interviewers like Kelly have so much material to chuck at him.

Image:Mr Putin said he barely spoke to Michael Flynn at a 2015 dinner

Trump accuses London mayor of giving 'pathetic excuse' after terror attack

Donald Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Sadiq Khan in the wake of Saturday's terror attack in central London.

The US President accused the capital's mayor of giving a "pathetic excuse" for how he reassured Londoners after seven people were killed on London Bridge and in Borough Market.

Mr Trump had written: "Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM (mainstream media) is working hard to sell it!"

In response, a spokesman for Mr Khan said: "The mayor is focused on dealing with Saturday's horrific and cowardly attack and working with the police, the emergency services and the Government to keep London safe."

During a news conference on Monday, the mayor even said that some state visits were "welcome, some less so" - a possible reference to Mr Trump's expected trip to the UK.

After several repeated questions from journalists, Prime Minister Theresa May suggested at a campaign event that Trump had been wrong to criticise the mayor.

Mr Khan's former Labour colleague in the Commons, David Lammy, had a less subtle response to the President.

Mr Lammy wrote: "You are truly beneath contempt. You are just a troll. Show some bottle please PM. Cancel the state visit and tell Trump where to get off.

"You demean your office by misquoting and smearing the Mayor of a city that has just been attacked and is also the capital of your close ally.

"You besmirch the presidency, you taint previous Presidents with your behaviour & you bring shame on your great country and its great people."

The war of words had began after the London mayor gave an interview on Sunday morning in which he urged people not to be frightened by an increased police presence.

He had said: "My message to Londoners and visitors to our great city is to be calm and vigilant today. You will see an increased police presence today, including armed officers and uniformed officers.

"There is no reason to be alarmed by this. We are the safest global city in the world.

"You saw last night as a consequence of our planning, our preparation, the rehearsals that take place, the swift response from the emergency services tackling the terrorists and also helping the injured."

This had been followed by Mr Trump firing off an incendiary barrage of tweetsattacking Mr Khan for his plea for calm - and promoting his contentious travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries.

Mr Khan's spokesperson had described the first round of presidential tweets as "ill-informed" - and said they had deliberately taken his remarks out of context.

On Monday afternoon, the White House insisted Mr Trump was not picking a fight with the mayor - but just raising an issue of national security.

Tensions between Westminster and the White House have been fraught for several weeks after intelligence gathered by the UK security services on the Manchester Arena attack was leaked to US media.

Two London Bridge attackers named as Khuram Butt and Rachid Redouane

Scotland Yard has named two of the terrorists involved in the London Bridge attack as Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane.

The announcement is a sign the investigation has reached a stage where the police can be confident of revealing hitherto secret details.

In a statement, Scotland Yard confirmed Butt was known to police and MI5 - but added there was no intelligence to suggest an attack was being planned. They went on to say that Redouane was not known to those authorities.

Sky News knew the name of at least one attacker but we did not publish it at the request of the security services.

However, we have built up an extensive profile of Khuram Butt, his family life and career.

:: Second victim of London terror attack named

Image:Khuram Butt (left) and Rachid Redouane (right) have been named by the Metropolitan Police

In his neighbourhood in east London, Butt was known as Abu Zaitun - or Abu for short.

The 27-year-old came to Britain as a child when his parents sought asylum from Pakistan - and he lived in a ground-floor flat in Barking.

Neighbours tell a mixed picture of Butt.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said he stared angrily whenever he saw women cycling on the estate. She described it as "sinister" and "sexist".

Another neighbour said they enjoyed arguing about Arsenal and whether Arsene Wenger should remain manager.

:: LIVE - The latest on the London Bridge attack

Two young boys told me he had given them sweets and £2 each in a nearby park last week. He told them they must be polite to their dads and respect their elders.

But a parent also told us that she confronted him and asked him not to speak to her children any more - fearful they were being radicalised.

An online CV shows that Butt obtained an NVQ in business administration in 2009, and a diploma in teaching English to adults in August 2016.

The CV lists two jobs: one he started in May at Transport for London, and another at a company called Auriga Holdings, which we believe to be a franchise for a local KFC restaurant.

:: Anti-terror barriers installed on London bridges

Image:Khuram Butt seen in an Arsenal shirt in the aftermath of the attack. Pic: Gabriele Sciotto

Rachid Redouane was 30 years old and born in July 1986. He had said he was Moroccan and Libyan.

Scotland Yard says he also used the name Rachid Elkhdar, as well as a different date of birth which made him five years younger.

According to Sky sources, an Irish ID card was found on Redouane's body.

:: The moment police took down terrorists

Police in Ireland are investigating, with detectives trying to establish whether he travelled to Syria.

He is understood to have lived in the Rathmines area of Dublin for 18 months between 2014 and 2016. He was married to a Scottish wife.

An investigation is under way to establish the identity of the third accomplice - and Scotland Yard has asked for people with information about any of these men to come forward.

Threat to 2022 World Cup in Qatar as Arab states cut travel links

Qatar has been engulfed by a diplomatic crisis, with Saudi Arabia and four other Arab countries severing their ties with the energy-rich nation.

The tiny Gulf state is accused of supporting terror organisations that "aim to destabilise the region" - but Doha has long denied supporting militant groups.

Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, have begun to cut off land, sea and air routes to the international travel hub.

There was panic buying in supermarkets after Saudi Arabia closed off its land border with Qatar - a major source of food imports.

Extensive travel disruption is also expected, as regional airlines including EgyptAir, Etihad and Emirates have suspended flights to and from Doha.

:: Oil prices wobble amid diplomatic rift

Image:A man stands outside a closed Qatar Airways branch in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh

Qataris living in the four countries have been given 14 days to return home, with Qatar's diplomats also set to be ejected.

The crisis could also have consequences for football's World Cup, which is due to be hosted in Qatar in 2022.

Experts say Qatar's insistence that it is one of the most stable countries in the Middle East was a key reason why it was controversially chosen.

Officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, maintain that Qatar has "embraced" groups including al Qaeda, Islamic State, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

However, Qatar insists that the crisis has been fuelled by "absolute fabrications" - with the foreign affairs ministry saying there is "no legitimate justification" for the decision.

:: Investors watch Gulf spat with unease

In a statement, the Qatari government vowed to "thwart attempts to influence and harm the Qatari society and economy".

As the row deepened, Qatar's Stock Exchange fell by more than 7% - and there has also been volatility with oil prices.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has urged representatives from across the Gulf to "sit down together and address their differences".

Turkey has also called for dialogue - with the country's foreign minister saying he is "saddened by the current picture".

On state television, Saudi Arabia announced it has shut down the Riyadh bureau of Al Jazeera, an influential Qatari broadcaster.

Wallace And Gromit star Peter Sallis dies aged 96

Peter Sallis, who was the voice of Wallace in the beloved clay animation Wallace And Gromit, has died aged 96.

The actor also starred in the long-running sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine, playing Norman Clegg between 1973 and 2010.

Sallis died peacefully with his family by his side on 2 June, his agents announced.

His role as Wallace, a loveable inventor with a penchant for Wensleydale cheese and a canine companion called Gromit, made his voice famous around the world.

He first became involved with the show after its creator Nick Park wrote to Sallis when he was a student in 1983 - and asked him to voice the clay character.

Sallis agreed, on the condition that £50 was donated to his favourite charity.

Image:Wallace And Gromit received critical acclaim around the world

The cartoon went on to scoop several Academy Awards - with Sallis speaking of his delight at becoming an unlikely Hollywood star and enjoying success so late on in his career.

Sallis said: "It is pleasing knowing millions are going to see your work and enjoy it.

"To still be involved in a project like this at my age is heart-warming.

"To have a legacy like this is very comforting. I am very lucky to have been involved."

However, the actor insisted he was pleased that his voice rather than his face had become internationally recognisable, adding: "No one stops me when I speak or when they see me in the street. That's the way I like it."

Image:Peter Sallis (R) filming Last Of The Summer Wine Michael Aldridge and Bill Owen in 1987

After leaving school, Sallis had gone to follow his father into the world of banking - but when World War Two began, he signed up for the RAF and became a radio instructor.

He caught the acting bug in 1943 after being asked to star in a performance of Hay Fever, and went on to win a scholarship at RADA in 1946.

Sallis' first TV role came a year later - and during the 1950s and 1960s, he went on to gain minor roles in episodes of Doctor Who, The Avengers and Z Cars.

Trump renews feud with London mayor over terror attack

US President Donald Trump has again lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan over his assurances to Londoners following a terror attack.

Mr Khan had said people should not be alarmed by an increased police presence on the streets.

But Mr Trump on Sunday accused him of playing down the threat and on Monday said the mayor's clarification of his statement was a "pathetic excuse".

Seven people were killed and 48 injured in the attacks on Saturday night.

After the tragedy, the mayor said: "Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. No reason to be alarmed."

The US president criticised Mr Khan for this but failed to provide the context, writing: "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed!'"
Is Trump's thin skin to blame?
A skateboard, a crate: How London fought back.

 In response to Mr Trump's attack, a spokesman for the mayor said on Saturday that Mr Khan "has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump's ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context" the mayor's remarks.

Mr Trump's attacks on Mr Khan have drawn condemnation from both sides of the Atlantic.His critics have accused him of being insensitive and twisting the mayor's words. Several London Labour Party candidates and parliamentarians called for Mr Trump's state visit to the UK later this year to be cancelled.

"Try to imagine the UK prime minister attacking the Mayor of NYC the day after 9/11," said European Parliament cabinet member Simon O'Connor.

Mr Khan, a Muslim, has previously criticised the president's travel ban.

That ban is against people from six mainly-Muslim countries and is stalled in the courts.

After Mr Trump as a presidential candidate announced his plan to ban Muslim arrivals, Mr Khan told the BBC that he hoped he would "lose badly", adding that he was a "buffoon".
He also called Mr Trump's views on Islam "ignorant", leading the New York billionaire to challenge him to an IQ test.