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Watchkeeper programme is beset by technical problems, say activists as unmanned craft is used to monitor migrants in ChannelA UK military drone, of the type now being used to monitor the Channel for migrant crossings, crashed during a practice in Cyprus in October, the Observer has learned.The £1bn Watchkeeper drone programme has been plagued with problems during its development. Between 2014 and 2018 there...

Nineteen-year-old woman convicted of lying will not go to prison after suspended sentenceA British teenager who was convicted of lying about being gang-raped has been sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for three years. She was also fined €140 (£119) but is free to return home.The 19-year-old student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ruled to have “wilfully indulged in public...

Activists shout ‘we believe her’ in solidarity with woman convicted of lying about rapeProtesters gathered outside the Cypriot high commission before marching through London chanting “we believe her”, on the eve of the sentencing of a 19-year-old woman convicted of lying about being gang-raped in Ayia Napa.A judge last week ruled the teenager from Derbyshire wilfully indulged in public mischief in claiming she was...

Woman convicted of lying about being gang-raped is due to be sentenced on TuesdayThe foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has urged Cyprus to “do the right thing” in the case of a British teenager convicted of lying about being gang-raped in Ayia Napa but cautioned against aggravating the situation before her sentencing this week.Last week, a judge ruled the 19-year-old wilfully indulged in public mischief...

Foreign Office under pressure to get Cypriot authorities to move case to front of queueThe British teenager allegedly gang-raped in Cyprus could face a three-year wait to exhaust the legal process relating to her conviction for lying. The long delay increases pressure on the Foreign Office to lobby Cyprus to expedite the appeal process.The student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ruled...

British girl convicted of lying about Cyprus gang-rape pleads with PM for action, not wordsA British teenager found guilty of lying about being gang-raped in Cyprus has pleaded with Boris Johnson to “bring me home”.The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was raped by up to 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room in the town of Ayia Napa on...

Mother of British teenager found guilty of lying about rape is among those who have publicly rejected the verdictPressure is mounting on the Cypriot authorities to reassess the case of a British teenager found guilty of lying about being gang-raped as anger rises over the verdict.Calls for a tourism boycott of the country were backed by the woman’s mother, who said Ayia Napa, the...

Defence lawyers say Cypriot police coerced 19-year-old woman into signing confessionA British woman has been found guilty of falsely accusing 12 Israeli men of gang-raping her while she was on holiday in Cyprus.The 19-year-old has been held on the island since July, first in a prison in Nicosia then in safe houses. She was forced to surrender her passport after she withdrew an accusation...

Former president says ancient pottery should have remained in Downing Street collectionWhen Cyprus’s former president George Vassiliou made the official gift of an ancient vase to Margaret Thatcher in 1988, he assumed it would remain at 10 Downing Street.Instead, more than three decades later, the sale at auction of the 2,700-year-old pottery has provoked diplomatic discomfort in London and disquiet in Nicosia. Continue reading...

Briton, 19, claims she withdrew allegation of rape against Israeli youths under duressA 19-year-old British woman who accused a group of Israeli youths of gang raping her in Cyprus has pleaded not guilty to charges of making up the accusation.A judge set the start date of the trial for 2 October and released the woman on bail, finding it “proper and fair” to free...

Andreas Pittadjis can no longer continue defending 19-year-old in Cyprus citing ‘serious disagreement’The lawyer for a British teenager facing trial in Cyprus on charges of falsely claiming she was gang-raped in a holiday hotel has withdrawn from her case.Andreas Pittadjis, the Greek Cypriot attorney defending the 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, requested he be relieved of his duties citing “serious disagreement”...