Brexit Secretary David Davis resigns
London, July 9 : David Davis, the man responsible for overseeing the UK's exit from the European Union (EU) has resigned, citing irreconcilable differences with Prime Minister Theresa May.
In a resignation letter sent to May late Sunday night, Brexit Minister Davis said it was looking "less and less likely" that the Conservative-led government would be able to deliver on its "manifesto commitment to leave the Customs Union and the Single Market", reports CNN.
Davis said he was "unpersuaded that our negotiating approach will not just lead to further demands for concessions", and said the national interest required someone in his position to be an "enthusiastic believer in your approach, and not merely a reluctant conscript".
"The general direction of policy will leave us in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one," the minister wrote in the letter.
In her response, May said she was sorry he had chosen to leave the government "when we have already made so much progress towards delivering a smooth and successful Brexit".
On Friday, "we as the Cabinet agreed a comprehensive and detailed proposal which provides a precise, responsible, and credible basis for progressing our negotiations towards a new relationship between the UK and the EU after we leave in March".
May's government on Friday agreed on a "business friendly" plan for Brexit which was announced at the end of a crucial summit. It seeks to preserve frictionless goods trade for the EU and avoid border checks and tariffs, most feared by manufacturing companies.
May in the summit, said she would soon present the proposal to the EU, CNN reported.
The June 2016 vote to leave the EU effectively ended a relationship which had endured for 44 years.
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty outlines the voluntary departure, which will take effect in March 2019.
Davis' resignation also comes as May is preparing for a key state visit by US President Donald Trump later this week and faces a potential new international crisis after a British citizen died on Sunday as a result of being exposed to Novichok, the same nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said that Davis' resignation "at such a crucial time" shows that May "has no authority left and is incapable of delivering Brexit".
"David Davis resigning at such a crucial time shows @Theresa_May has no authority left and is incapable of delivering Brexit," the Labour Party leader tweeted early Monday morning.
"With her government in chaos, if she clings on, it's clear she's more interested in hanging on for her own sake than serving the people of our country."
One of many Eurosceptics in May's Cabinet, Davis was a high profile supporter of the Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum, putting him at odds with the Prime Minister, who supported remaining within the EU.
In a September 2017 op-ed for CNN, Davis wrote: "Brexit is not about Britain stepping back from the world, but jumping into the new opportunities it presents."
"Outside of the EU, Britain will be nimbler, more open to innovation and technological change... Using our might as the world's fifth largest economy -- we can become a true champion of free trade."
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Mumbai police summon Raipur lawyer over death threat to Shah Rukh Khan
Mumbai/Raipur, Nov 7: The Mumbai police have registered an extortion case and summoned a lawyer from Chhattisgarh in connection with a death threat to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and a demand for Rs 50 lakh, officials said on Thursday.
The lawyer from Raipur has been summoned as the threat call was made from a phone number registered in his name, a senior police official from the Chhattisgarh capital said. The lawyer told the police that he lost his phone last week and had filed a police complaint, the official said.
The threat to Shah Rukh Khan follows a series of threats issued to fellow actor Salman Khan, allegedly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
“The Bandra police station received a call threatening Shah Rukh Khan and asking for Rs 50 lakh. An offence has been registered. No arrest has been made yet,” a senior Mumbai police official said.
A case has been registered by the Bandra police under sections 308(4) (extortion involving threats of death or serious injury) and 351(3)(4) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the caller who threatened Shah Rukh Khan, the official said.
Police teams have been dispatched to various places for further investigation, he said.
While there was no confirmation from Mumbai police on reports that the call was made from Chhattisgarh, a Raipur police official said their counterparts from the Maharashtra capital on Thursday served a notice to a man from the city in connection with it.
As part of their investigation into the threat to Shah Rukh Khan, Mumbai police visited Raipur and summoned a lawyer, identified as Faizan Khan, who lives within the limits of Pandri police station here, Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told PTI.
Police had earlier identified the man as Faiyaz Khan.
As per preliminary information, the threat call to the actor was made from a phone number registered in the name of Faizan, he said.
Faizan has been asked to appear for questioning at Bandra police station, Singh said.
A Mumbai police team arrived at Pandri police station in the morning and informed the officials about the case following which Faizan was called for questioning, City Superintendent of Police (CSP- Civil Lines) Ajay Kumar told PTI.
Faizan told the cops that he had lost his phone last week and lodged a complaint at Khamardih police station here, he said. Mumbai police have served a notice to Faizan and summoned him for further questioning, the official added.
Later, talking to reporters in Raipur, Faizan claimed that his phone was stolen and termed the threat call made from his number a conspiracy against him.
“My phone was stolen on November 2 and I lodged a complaint. I told Mumbai police about it. They interrogated me for about two hours,” he said.
He, however, said he had earlier complained to Mumbai police against Shah Rukh Khan over a dialogue in his movie ‘Anjaam’ (1994) referring to deer hunting.
“I hail from Rajasthan. The Bishnoi community (which is from Rajasthan) is my friend. It is in their religion to protect deer. So, if a Muslim says something like this about deer, it is condemnable. Therefore, I raised an objection,” he said.
Faizan added, “Whoever has made a call from my phone, it seems intentional. I think it is a conspiracy against me.”
