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Retrieving Body of Missionary Killed on Remote Indian Island Is a Fight

© Reuters A Sentinel tribesman aimed along with his bow and arrow at an Indian Coast Shield helicopter as it flew over the island in 2004. North Sentinel Island is home to one of the final undiluted hunter-gatherer societies, a rugged, New York-measurement island the place a few dozen people reside trapped in time and in general isolation. © Social Media/Reuters John Allen Chau, an American missionary, used to be killed last week as he attempted to spread Christianity to North Sentinel, a forbidden island within the Andaman Sea with a protracted historical past of repelling outsiders.

When Indian law enforcement officials in a small boat pulled nearby of the remote island, they saw something unusual. a group of islanders were huddled at the seaside. Carrying bows, arrows and spears, they looked as if it would be guarding something.

Police officials stated it would have been the body of John Allen Chau. The 26-year-vintage American missionary was once killed closing week as he tried to spread Christianity to North Sentinel, a forbidden island in the Andaman Sea with an extended history of repelling outsiders.

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The staff grew to become off the boat ’s motor. They peered on the islanders through binoculars, making sure to stick a few hundred yards off shore, out of bow-and-arrow range.

“The Sentinelese had been watchful,” Dependra Pathak, the world ’s police leader, stated on Saturday. “They have been patrolling the seaside, on the related spot John was once killed, with weapons.”

“Had we approached,” he said, “they would have attacked.”

So in preference to retrieving Mr. Chau ’s body or determining where it is, the police officers, after sketching out the crime scene, motored away.

“this situation is the strangest and toughest in my life,” Mr. Pathak stated. “we’re seeking to input into some other civilization ’s international.”

North Sentinel Island is home to 1 of the final undiluted hunter-and-gatherer societies, a rugged, Long Island-sized island the place a couple of dozen other people are living trapped in time and in general isolation. for many years, India has saved North Sentinel in a museum case. Mr. Chau ’s death has shattered the glass.

Efforts to retrieve Mr. Chau ’s frame — the first step in such a lot murder investigations — are proving difficult and some anthropologists say it’ll be inconceivable. the quest symbolizes the bigger dilemma India confronts in looking to implement a society ’s rules in a spot that has been deliberately set clear of the remaining of that society.

Indian regulation says North Sentinel ’s culture is so treasured and unique that its other people need to be left completely alone and no outsiders are allowed there. It additionally says that murderers should be punished. that may be the bind police officers are facing.

Last week, a bunch of fishermen pronounced seeing Mr. Chau ’s body buried at the seashore, it sounds as if after the islanders shot him with bows and arrows. However police officers have yet to locate a corpse.

Just approximately any person who has stepped ashore in this island has been attacked with bows and arrows and anthropologists are warning the government to move gingerly.

“you’ll be able to ’t take the Sentinelese for granted,” mentioned T.N. Pandit, an anthropologist who visited the island years in the past. “you’ll ’t bring the military and put off the frame. It ’s not like that. they want to look at utmost caution.”

Though the Andaman and Nicobar Island chain is India ’s farthest flung outpost, it is not so out of achieve. The Indian executive lately driven to open more islands to tourism. the most important town, Port Blair, has new inns, new roads, new apparel stores, an important naval base, just right cellphone carrier and an an increasing number of busy airport.

North Sentinel lies less than 35 miles away. The Indian Army patrols the waters across the island, trying to be certain no outsiders ever reach it. However as Mr. Chau confirmed, that ring of safety could simply be breached.

at the evening of Nov. 14, Mr. Chau, who lived in Washington state, result in underneath the quilt of darkness with a bunch of fishermen he paid to take him to the island. A graduate of Oral Roberts College and a passionate Christian, Mr. Chau instructed friends he used to be prepared to possibility his existence to carry Christianity to North Sentinel, a place so shrouded in mystery that the Indian executive says no outsiders recognize the language or the customs of the people there.

It is uncertain what exactly came about to him. for two days, he used a kayak to paddle the half-mile among the boat and North Sentinel, where he rattled off passages from Genesis to the islanders.

Sometimes the islanders merely stared at him. Other instances they laughed.

The frustration constructed. In a THIRTEEN-web page letter Mr. Chau gave to the fishermen, wherein he specified those screw ups to win over the islanders, he pleaded with God for readability: “I don ’t wish to die. Who will take my place if I do?”

at the morning of Nov. 17, the fishermen saw a group of islanders dragging his frame at the beach, then burying it in a shallow grave within the sand. The fishermen and one other guy who the police say helped Mr. Chau achieve the island were arrested and charged with culpable homicide no longer amounting to murder and with violating laws protective aboriginal tribes. Some Other case has been filed against “unknown individuals,” the islanders, for killing Mr. Chau.

The research is now heading into uncharted territory. On Friday, government sent cops, along with a few of the arrested fishermen, on a boat to watch North Sentinel and determine where Mr. Chau was once killed. But will any of the islanders if truth be told face prosecution? And if arrested, could they die in captivity from disease, their immune programs no fit for contemporary microbes?

In 2006, two crab fishermen were killed by means of islanders after washing up on North Sentinel ’s shorelines. Police officers are now poring during the records of these killings, searching for clues approximately what happened to the fishermen ’s our bodies.

Mr. Pathak said that a couple of week after the islanders buried the fishermen in shallow graves at the seaside, they dug up the our bodies and stood them up through tying them to lengths of bamboo.

“in the event that they follow the same pattern,” Mr. Pathak stated, they may quickly take out Mr. Chau ’s frame, although he suggested that it would never be recovered. in the case of the 2 fishermen, Mr. Pathak doesn ’t assume their bodies were ever recovered and he looked as if it would indicate that was once a chance on this case besides. “If possibly, from a distance, we will see John ’s body, then at least his demise gets absolutely established,” he mentioned.

In his closing letter, Mr. Chau was once clear about what he sought after performed in case he died. “Don ’t retrieve my body,” he wrote, underlining it. “that is now not a useless factor — the eternal lives of this tribe is to hand.”

November 24, 2018
US migrant held after leaving church the place he sought sanctuary

Symbol copyright CBS Image caption Samuel Oliver-Bruno have been dwelling in CityWell United Methodist Church in Durham

An undocumented migrant has been detained after leaving a US church where he had been living in sanctuary for almost a year.

Samuel Oliver-Bruno, 47, reportedly left the North Carolina church to provide fingerprints as a part of an software to stay in the state along with his family.

But when he arrived for the assembly, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials detained him.

ICE officers usually avoid making arrests in places like churches.

Demonstrators tried to stop the officers from taking Mr Oliver-Bruno away, but were themselves detained.

Symbol Copyright @WRALSarah @WRALSarah

“Mr Oliver-Bruno is a convicted legal who has won all suitable felony process underneath federal regulation, has no exceptional appeals and has no criminal foundation to stay in the US,” an ICE remark mentioned.

But two state representatives, David Price and GK Butterfield, condemned the “abrupt arrest” in an announcement and accused ICE of working “in live performance” with immigration officers to arrest him.

“At best possible, Mr Oliver-Bruno used to be presented with a Capture-22 catch 22 situation; at worst, he used to be entrapped,” the remark read.

‘I are living in a church to stop being deported’ The Place do America’s undocumented immigrants live?

Mr Oliver-Bruno had been living in CityWell United Methodist Church in Durham, North Carolina.

In Keeping With the advocacy workforce, Alerta Migratoria NC, Mr Oliver-Bruno went to have his fingerprints taken at the us Citizenship and Immigration workplace in Morrisville, North Carolina, as part of his software to stay within the state with his spouse and son.

But on arrival, undeniable garments ICE dealers seized him and positioned him in the back of a van.

Symbol Copyright @Damon_Elliot @Damon_Elliot

In Keeping With native paper The Scoop & Observer, the Mexican citizen moved to the us in 1994, adopted by means of his spouse years later.

it’s unclear while he again to Mexico, however he was once arrested in Might 2014 while he attempted to return to the us to be with his spouse, who used to be undergoing center surgery.

He pleaded to blame to entering the us on false files and was reportedly released from ICE custody in June 2016, sooner than moving into the church in past due 2017.

‘Are all undocumented immigrants criminals?’ My life trapped in an American city

“If deported, ICE can be turning in Samuel to risk and demise,” Alerta Migratoria reportedly said in a press release. “Furthermore, ICE is not allowing us to give Samuel his diabetic tablets or insulin medicine, which is further putting his lifestyles at risk.”

Bishop Wish Morgan Ward on the church in the meantime asked for intervention from US senators.

“The humanitarian problem in terms of immigration is neither far away nor far from our shared existence,” his statement learn.

November 24, 2018
Leicester City helicopter crash: Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – the ‘humble, generous, personal enigma’

Game Who used to be Leicester’s billionaire owner?

November 23, 2018
E. coli outbreak: Romaine lettuce probed in US and Canada

Image copyright AFP/Getty Symbol caption Other Folks in both the united states and Canada were infected

Romaine lettuce has been associated with a virus of E. coli in the us and Canada, health officers say.

no less than 32 other people had been sickened in the us, with 13 taken to medical institution, at the same time as every other 18 folks were afflicted in Canada.

US officers said shoppers, restaurants and shops will have to throw away all kinds of romaine lettuce.

The latest outbreak follows the deaths of a minimum of 5 other people in the summer season associated with romaine lettuce.

However, the newest statement from the us Facilities for Disease Keep An Eye On and Prevention (CDC) says this outbreak isn’t instantly related to the cases earlier in 2018, with a slightly other DNA fingerprint for this pressure of the sickness.

Image copyright Technology Photograph Library

Heading Off E. coli infection

Wash palms thoroughly after using the toilet, before and after managing meals, and after managing animals Remove any free soil sooner than storing greens and salads Wash all vegetables and end result with a view to be eaten raw Store and get ready raw meat and unwashed greens clear of able-to-consume foods do not prepare raw greens with utensils that have also been used for uncooked meat Cook Dinner all minced meat products, reminiscent of burgers and meatballs, thoroughly people who have been sick shouldn’t get ready meals for others for no less than 48 hours when they have recovered

Supply: Public Health England

November 23, 2018
US mid-terms: The most surprising candidates

Image copyright Getty Images

It can be tough to keep up with the deluge of information and analysis that comes with the US mid-term elections.

Despite all the noise, the key question remains whether or not Republicans will be able to keep control of both chambers of Congress.

But with so much to consider and thousands of races taking place, some interesting stories can be lost.

That’s why we’ve picked out some candidates who have had memorable journeys to the ballot box on November 6.

Plus, a politics professor explains how a compelling personal story can make a difference.

Image copyright Getty Images / Sharice Davids

Who?

Democrat Sharice Davids, a gay ex-mixed martial arts fighter, is running in Kansas’s third congressional district.

What makes her interesting?

Ms Davids could become the first Native-American woman elected to Congress.

She is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, was raised by a single mother who worked as a drill sergeant, and has a law degree from a top US university.

The 38-year-old won her first mixed martial arts fight in November 2013, but began to focus on politics after she was rejected by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

One quote: “I’ve been put down, pushed aside, knocked out. I’ve had to fight my whole life because of who I am and who I love.”

The decorated female fighter pilot

Image copyright Getty Images

Who?

Martha McSally, a two-term Republican representative from Arizona, is running for Senate in the state.

What makes her interesting?

Ms McSally is the first US female fighter pilot to fly in combat and the first to command a fighter squadron.

She was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and earned six medals during her 26-year military career.

If elected, she will become the first woman to represent Arizona in the Senate.

One quote: “I’m a fighter pilot and I talk like one. That’s why I told Washington Republicans to grow a pair of ovaries and get the job done.”

The ironworker with a viral ad

Image copyright Getty Images

Who?

Randy Bryce, a trade union activist and cancer survivor, is the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s first district.

What makes him interesting?

Mr Bryce – nicknamed Iron Stache – came to prominence when his biographical campaign video went viral earlier this year.

He is an ironworker and former soldier who has emphasised his working-class roots, but he has drawn some notable opposition from close to home.

His brother featured in a Republican attack ad and has said he is voting against him. Awkward.

One quote: “I spent the last 20 years of my life building the district.”

The outspoken Gays for Trump founder

Image copyright Peter Boykin / Getty Images

Who?

Peter Boykin, founder of the Gays for Trump group, is running for North Carolina’s state legislature.

What makes him interesting?

He is a major outlier, because the vast majority of LGBT candidates running this year are Democrats.

There are no gay Republican nominees for Congress or governor, according to the LGBT Victory Fund organisation.

Mr Boykin has been forthright in addressing this issue, telling the New York Times that the Republican Party had “totally embraced” him.

One quote: “The liberal gay community preaches peace, love, and tolerance but they only extend it to people who think like they do.”

A really simple guide to the US mid-terms You choose what happens in the mid-terms Should Donald Trump be worried?

The transgender former energy executive

Image copyright Getty Images

Who?

Christine Hallquist, 62, who defeated three candidates to win the Democratic nomination for governor of Vermont.

What makes her interesting?

She could become the first ever transgender governor of a US state.

Ms Hallquist transitioned in 2015 while working as the head of a state-wide energy company, a job she held for 12 years.

Her nomination comes during an election year that has seen a record number of lesbian, gay and transgender candidates run for political office.

One quote: “I just happen to be a leader who is transgender. Vermonters know that.”

The ex-CIA agent and Trump critic

Image copyright Getty Images

Who?

Will Hurd, a 40-year-old former CIA officer and Republican representative, is contesting a close race for Texas’s 23rd district.

What makes him interesting?

He managed covert operations in Afghanistan during a nine-year career with the CIA, and has become a regular on political talk shows.

His district covers an extensive part of the US-Mexico border, and he has been vocal in his opposition to President Trump’s immigration policies.

Mr Hurd is a moderate in the party and his seat is high on the list of those the Democrats are hoping to take.

One quote: “I’ve seen Russian intelligence manipulate many people over my professional career and I never would have thought that the US President would become one.”

The newsreader and one-time Miss America

Image copyright Getty Images

Who?

Democrat Mallory Hagan, 29, who has swapped beauty pageants for the ballot box in Alabama’s third district.

What makes her interesting?

She was crowned Miss America in 2013, having previously won the Miss New York and Miss Manhattan titles.

Last year, top figures in the Miss America Organization resigned after leaked emails showed they had mocked a number of contestants including Ms Hagan.

The experience prompted her to give politics a try. “It taught me a lot about the power of my voice,” she says on her website.

But she faces a tough test in trying to unseat her Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, who has held the district for more than 15 years.

One quote: “After looking at the numbers of women throwing their hats in the ring, I decided to do it.”

The Trump-supporting underwear model

Image copyright Getty Images

Who?

Antonio Sabato Jr, a TV actor and former Calvin Klein model, is the Republican candidate in California’s 26th district.

What makes him interesting?

Mr Sabato has been plastered on a 90ft [27m] billboard in Times Square and has shown off his ballroom skills on TV’s Dancing with the Stars.

But in recent years it’s his political views that have been in the spotlight.

He says he was blacklisted by Hollywood directors for his early support of Mr Trump’s presidential run.

Mr Sabato has also repeatedly claimed – without evidence – that former President Barack Obama is Muslim.

One quote: [On President Obama] “If he’s not a Muslim, we should call him President Barry.”

What does this all mean?

Image copyright AFP

This year’s pool of candidates is a diverse one, with more women and LGBT people running than ever before.

But will it make a difference? Yes, says Jennifer Lawless, a politics professor at the University of Virginia who specialises in campaigns and elections.

“A lot of these more diverse candidates can generate levels of enthusiasm among voters that have traditionally not been part of the electoral environment,” she says.

Prof Lawless also points out that most of the new, diverse, candidates are Democrats. Why is this?

“A lot are running based on their concerns about the Trump administration,” she says. “Many have personal experience where they feel like they have been targeted themselves.”

The women lining up to topple Trump The US state about to elect a woman

There are also a number of candidates who have compelling personal stories to tell and Prof Lawless says this can be helpful – to an extent.

“In a lot of cases these personal stories are a way for candidates to talk about themselves in a way that is genuinely authentic,” she says.

“But there’s not much evidence to suggest that voters specifically look at individual life stories,” she adds.

“The most important thing is the ability to convey that you have the background and the experience to be an effective representative of the people.”

November 6, 2018
US mid-terms latest: All you need to know Mid-terms: You choose what happens

The US mid-term elections on Tuesday will help define the rest of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Americans will vote for members of both chambers of Congress, as well as for governors in 36 out of 50 states.

This is our last daily round-up ahead of the mid-terms, so we’ve pulled together all our material that matters.

One question

Wait…what are the mid-terms? (Don’t worry, it’s OK to ask.)

It may feel like the US is always having elections, so what’s at stake on Tuesday? What are people voting for?

Donald Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot this year, but it might as well be.

One important thing to watch on Tuesday will be whether candidates who have embraced the president’s rhetoric and tactics end up doing well. This could shape the direction of the Republican party over the next two years.

Either way, we can expect these mid-terms, like all others, to be a referendum on the president.

The parties of presidents who have low approval ratings tend to do poorly in the mid-terms – and President Trump’s are very low indeed.

This is one reason Democrats, with the House of Representatives in their sights, are optimistic this year.

Here are other reasons Democrats are hopeful

One race to watch

Image copyright Reuters

There are plenty we could have picked here – any of the close Senate races in Tennessee, Missouri or Arizona for example – but if there’s one race that sums up the 2018 mid-terms, it is the close race for governor in Georgia.

Like in a number of other states this year, Georgia could see a significant first: Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams would become the first female African-American governor in the US if she won.

Her Republican opponent Brian Kemp is Georgia’s secretary of state. His office has been behind the cancellation of 1.5m voter registration applications in four years, and has been accused of voter suppression, one of the hot-button issues this year.

As with the divisive race for governor in neighbouring Florida, the Georgia contest has also been laced with racist undertones (or even overtones). Just last week, the Washington Post reported, voters in Georgia received a fake robocall purporting to be from Oprah Winfrey “asking you to make my fellow Negress Stacey Abrams the governor of Georgia”.

Our correspondent Courtney Subramanian spent time in Georgia looking at how the bitter race has played out.

You can read her piece here

One guide

The first polls will close at 23:00 GMT on Tuesday (that’s 18:00 on the east coast of the US).

We’ll be bringing you coverage live online, on TV and on radio as the results come in.

How can you find out where to read, watch and listen?

See the schedule for our mid-terms coverage here

One game

There are plenty of possible outcomes on Tuesday, and therefore plenty of possible consequences.

If you want to see what those consequences are, choose a scenario right here…

Mid-terms: You choose what happens

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November 6, 2018
Trump Supreme Court pick: Why is the US top court so important?

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The nine justices before Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement

The US is currently undergoing the process to appoint a replacement to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement earlier this year. So why is this a big deal?

Given the immense impact the US Supreme Court has on US political life, nominees always face tough questions from the Senate during any confirmation hearing.

President Donald Trump’s nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, is no exception.

So how might his pick change the nation’s high court?

Who are the current justices? Meet the Supremes

What does the Supreme Court do?

The highest court in the US is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.

Does the court matter globally?

US research suggests that the influence of the Supreme Court abroad has diminished over the past two decades, as court systems elsewhere in the world develop and US influence in general wanes.

Fewer courts internationally cite US Supreme Court opinions, increasingly citing the European Court of Human Rights and other national supreme courts.

In 2016 a Supreme Court decision on emissions from coal-fired power plants on US soil threatened the Paris Climate Agreement, but enough other countries ratified the treaty for it to come into force.

Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban, which affects Middle East countries designated as terror-prone, was cemented this week by the Supreme Court, with the outcome affecting millions internationally.

And back in 2000, the Supreme Court decided the outcome of the presidential election between George W Bush and Al Gore – a decision which more recent history shows still has a significant impact around the world.

The court could in theory be asked to rule on legal challenges to international trade agreements, such as the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, although TPP was revoked by Mr Trump using an executive order.

September 20, 2018
Students made to look black in French art school photo

Image copyright École Émile-Cohl Image caption The original, undoctored image as posted on the college’s website

A French private art college has apologised after one of its promotional images was doctored to include more black students.

The photo of a class trip to an art gallery was posted on a US promotional website for Lyon’s Émile-Cohl art school.

Students noticed it was altered to darken the skin of white students, with black students digitally inserted.

The school has apologised, and blamed the doctored image on a US PR company.

Social media users posted comparisons of the original image and the altered version on Twitter.

On its website, a statement by Émile-Cohl college says the school was first alerted to the image by students. They say it was “retouched to change the physical appearance” of some students.

It removed the doctored image from the website and apologised to those concerned, “because it goes without saying that we disapprove of this process”.

The photo was intended to be used as promotional material for a new college subsidiary in Los Angeles.

The college director Antoine Rivière said in an interview with French news magazine L’Express the college sent several photos to a US communications firm “to enhance the reputation of our school there”.

The image was changed without their knowledge, he says.

“This is the antithesis of what represents Émile-Cohl,” he told the magazine.

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September 13, 2018
Edward Snowden surveillance powers ruled unlawful

Image copyright European Photopress Agency

The UK’s bulk interception powers, exposed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, have been found to be illegal by the European Court of Human Rights.

In a landmark judgement, the court ruled agencies had violated rights as there were no proper safeguards.

The court crucially said bulk interception was legitimate and it had seen no evidence it had been abused.

Parliament reformed surveillance powers in 2016 and introduced a new watchdog. Critics say the system is still flawed.

What were the powers being challenged in court?

In 2013, Edward Snowden revealed that GCHQ – the UK’s eavesdropping agency – had been secretly collecting communications sent over the internet on an industrial scale.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg

The court also criticised powers to ask internet companies to hand over “communications data” – the basic technical facts of how people have exchanged information.

It said: “The content of an electronic communication might be encrypted and, even if it were decrypted, might not reveal anything of note about the sender or recipient.

“The related communications data, on the other hand, could reveal the identities and geographic location of the sender and recipient and the equipment through which the communication was transmitted.

“In bulk, the degree of intrusion is magnified, since the patterns that will emerge could be capable of painting an intimate picture of a person through the mapping of social networks, location tracking, internet browsing tracking, mapping of communication patterns, and insight into who a person interacted with.”

Is this system still in force?

In 2016, Parliament passed the Investigatory Powers Act in a massive overhaul of surveillance law.

A government spokeswoman said it would give “careful consideration” to the judgement – but added that new safeguards were already in place.

“The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 replaced large parts of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) which was the subject of this challenge,” she said.

“This includes the introduction of a ‘double lock’ which requires warrants for the use of these powers to be authorised by a secretary of state and approved by a judge.

“An Investigatory Powers Commissioner has also been created to ensure robust independent oversight of how these powers are used.”

UK surveillance powers explained

But Jim Killock of Open Rights Group – one of the bodies behind the challenge – said: “Viewers of the BBC drama, Bodyguard, may be shocked to know that the UK actually has the most extreme surveillance powers in a democracy.

“Since we brought this case in 2013, the UK has actually increased its powers to indiscriminately surveil our communications whether or not we are suspected of any criminal activity.

“In light of today’s judgment, it is even clearer that these powers do not meet the criteria for proportionate surveillance and that the UK government is continuing to breach our right to privacy.”

Silkie Carlo, of Big Brother Watch, added: “This landmark judgment confirming that the UK’s mass spying breached fundamental rights vindicates Mr Snowden’s courageous whistleblowing.”

Lord David Anderson QC, the former independent terror laws watchdog, said that judgement was “enormously important” because the court had backed the use of bulk interception powers that had so worried Edward Snowden.

“That should come as a relief – not only to the agencies who do this work, but the rest of us who they are trying to keep safe,” he told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One.

“I have looked pretty carefully at this over a number of years and there is no doubt in my mind that these powers are very useful – not just in counter-terrorism, but in cyber defence and at a much more everyday level they are useful for the police in fighting online sex crime, county lines and in a missing persons investigation.

“What they [the judges] are doing are holding the feet of our new super regulator to the fire, and saying if you are going to give government these powers, then you have to look really closely at how they are authorised, how they are used and what happens to the data after it’s been collected.”

September 13, 2018
Lehman gamble paid out for brave investors

Image copyright Reuters Image caption This Reuters picture of Lehman Brothers staff being told the bank would survive at a meeting on 11 September 2008 is one of the images that defines the financial crisis

Investors who took a gamble on the wreck of Lehman Brothers’ UK operations after the investment bank collapsed made up to seven times their money.

The assets of Lehman’s UK arm greatly exceeded its liabilities.

Tony Lomas, the partner at the accountancy firm PwC who was appointed lead administrator, told the BBC there was a surplus of about £8bn.

Lehman’s collapse into administration a decade ago marked the height of the financial crisis.

Creditors able to wait while the administrators unwound millions of trading positions received back more than they were originally owed, said Mr Lomas, who has recently left PwC.

Image copyright PA

Lehman UK was far from flush when he first took over. The US parent company had grabbed all the cash available – a normal practice for large multinational companies with central treasury units – and the British operation was unable to meet its bills. “There was £3bn that had to go out on the Monday morning and it didn’t have it,” Mr Lomas said.

As a result, Lehman UK was put into administration, and the search for assets began. “The first thing is you are looking for assets – and for liabilities – and first of all for liquid assets, things that you might be able to sell quickly,” Mr Lomas said.

“We had a September payroll due and the quarterly rent was due. We needed about £100m quickly. We couldn’t find liquid assets quickly enough, so we had to borrow £100m from a hedge fund.”

Lehman collapse: ‘These were very dangerous times’ How did the financial crisis affect your finances? Who’s to blame for the financial crisis?

That search for ready funds was itself fraught. “You had to be sure you were borrowing from the right legal entity – from the right bit of Lehmans that you were sure assets would fall into,” he explained. “Most of the counterparties to Lehman trades just identified them as trades with Lehman – not the actual legal entity, so you had to be sure.”

“We have been able to pay everybody everything they were owned – and we had £8bn left over, which was mainly the bank’s own capital.”

Separately, the senior Bank of England official who dealt with the fallout from the Lehman collapse has revealed the Bank arranged to bring $86bn from the US to help keep London markets running in the wake of the collapse.

Sarah Breeden, now executive director for international banks supervision at the Prudential Regulation Authority, said the Lehman administration meant London markets were running short of US dollars, leading the Bank of England to agree a “swap” deal with its US counterparts. “Eventually that totalled $86bn,” she said.

The Bank of England lost no money from its interventions after Lehman, Ms Breeden added.

September 12, 2018