Detectives hope to identify man, whose body was found on a Tui flight from the Gambia on 7 December
Police have released a digitised image of a man who was found dead in the undercarriage of a plane, as they work to identify him.
The man’s body was found on a Tui flight from the Gambia to the UK. His body was discovered at Gatwick airport at about 4am on 7 December, Sussex police said at the time.
Continue reading...PC Owen Davies also posted offensive comments about the photos on WhatsApp, according to IOPC
A police officer has been sacked for sharing images of people in custody on WhatsApp, along with inappropriate and derogatory comments.
PC Owen Davies of South Yorkshire police has been dismissed without notice, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which conducted an investigation into operational images being shared without any policing purpose.
Continue reading...Former PM says he will provide unredacted messages directly to the inquiry in letter to Lady Hallett
Earlier we reported on Boris Johnson’s willingness to provide unredacted WhatsApps to the Covid 19 inquiry directly.
In a letter to the chair on Friday, Johnson said: “I am not willing to let my material become a test case for others when I am perfectly content for the inquiry to see it.”
Continue reading...Rises of up to 0.75 percentage points follow increases at First Direct
Customers of HSBC will receive a boost to their savings after the bank announced an increase to interest rates, as Britons enjoy some of the highest rates in more than a decade.
The lender is increasing rates on some of its savings accounts, with increases of up to 0.75 percentage points.
Continue reading...Colonel clarifies comments about ‘rogue AI drone’ that supposedly killed its operator
A US air force colonel “misspoke” when he said at a Royal Aeronautical Society conference last month that a drone killed its operator in a simulated test because the pilot was attempting to override its mission, according to the society.
The confusion had started with the circulation of a blogpost from the society, in which it described a presentation by Col Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton, the chief of AI test and operations with the US air force and an experimental fighter test pilot, at the Future Combat Air and Space Capabilities Summit in London in May.
Continue reading...Former PM bypasses government’s attempts to keep unredacted communications secret
Boris Johnson has bypassed the government’s attempt to keep his unredacted WhatsApp messages secret by handing them over directly to the Covid inquiry.
In a move that will further frustrate Downing Street, the former prime minister circumvented the Cabinet Office, which is seeking to hold up the process by launching legal action.
Continue reading...Youssef Mikhaiel is at risk of forced removal to Egypt before he marries Sarah Bradley
A couple planning to marry soon could be forcibly separated by the Home Office because they are not cohabiting before their wedding.
Sarah Bradley, 29, a British digital marketing teacher, and Youssef Mikhaiel, 28, an Egyptian man who graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in aeronautical engineering, met in February 2022 through a Christian dating app.
Continue reading...Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle criticise authorities for delays in transferring Adonis to an ICU
The parents of a 10-month-old baby who died on holiday in Portugal have said their lives have been destroyed.
Deza Powell and Paul Larochelle said they wanted answers from the Portuguese authorities after their son, Adonis, died of sepsis on 19 May, 48 hours after he was first treated in hospital.
Continue reading...From Sweden to the US, the handling of the pandemic has been questioned. In some cases criminal proceedings are under way
Britain’s public Covid-19 inquiry, led by the retired judge Heather Hallett, is far from the first independent commission in the world to begin examining a country’s experience confronting the pandemic.
Their formats, mandates – and their progress – vary widely according to systems and traditions, but their task is essentially the same: to assess preparedness, make a record of decision-making, review government responses and learn lessons for the future.
Continue reading...Death of teenager at Carr Mill Dam prompts repeated warnings from rescuers about water safety
A 15-year-old girl has drowned in a reservoir in Merseyside, as rescuers highlighted the need to educate young people about the dangers of water.
The girl’s body was recovered from the water at Carr Mill Dam in St Helens on Thursday afternoon, just days after a 15-year-old boy drowned in the River Eden in Carlisle.
Continue reading...The 12-week-old foal is back with its mother at Miller’s Ark Animals while police continue their investigation
A countryside abduction has come to a tail-wagging end after a baby donkey that was stolen from a farm has been reunited with her mother and her “ecstatic” owners after a police investigation.
On 15 May, the 12-week-old donkey, named Moon, was taken from Miller’s Ark Animals in Hook, Hampshire some time before 5pm. Missing for more than two weeks, Moon was recovered and returned to the farm on Wednesday evening.
Continue reading...Cabinet Office serves notice on inquiry chair at 4pm, the deadline she had set for it to hand over files
Ministers have launched an unprecedented high court attempt to avoid handing over Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages and diaries to the government-commissioned public inquiry into the handling of Covid.
In a move immediately condemned by bereaved families and opposition MPs, the Cabinet Office told the inquiry, headed by the retired judge Heather Hallett, that there were “important issues of principle” over passing on information that might not be relevant.
Continue reading...Officials acknowledge ‘genuine concerns’ in wake of MPs’ suspension over allegations of harassment
Female Labour staff are said to be fearful of using the party’s official complaints process, prompting concern among senior officials as a long-serving MP is suspended over allegations of sexual harassment.
Labour figures have acknowledged the “genuine concerns” of female colleagues, and have issued a “cast-iron commitment” to take any action necessary that will restore faith in the party’s processes.
Continue reading...Shadow ministers say green prosperity plan should pay for capital spending such as housing or transport infrastructure
Senior Labour figures are urging Keir Starmer to give the go-ahead to a series of infrastructure projects as part of the party’s £28bn green prosperity plan, even if they are not strictly environmental in nature.
Shadow cabinet ministers have asked the Labour leader and the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to expand the fund’s green mission and use it to pay for a series of capital spending projects, such as housing or transport infrastructure.
Continue reading...Early indications suggest no contact between vessels and boy, 17, and girl, 12, who died after getting in to difficulties
A pleasure boat allegedly sailing near Bournemouth beach on Wednesday has reportedly been impounded by police after the deaths of two young people who got into difficulties in the sea.
The Dorset Belle, a cruise boat that operates from Bournemouth pier, was under guard in Poole harbour, the Times reported, quoting a police source as saying: “This vessel is under a police cordon. No one is permitted onboard or to touch the vessel.”
Continue reading...The Russian businessman is the father of Evgeny Lebedev, who was given a peerage by Boris Johnson
Ukraine has imposed sanctions on Alexander Lebedev – the former KGB intelligence officer whose son Evgeny sits in the House of Lords – in connection with Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The national security and defence council in Kyiv imposed sanctions on Lebedev Sr last October. The decision – first reported by Tortoise media – emerged on Thursday and follows a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Continue reading...Reduction follows CMA plans to grill executives about ‘sustained higher margins’ but RAC says retailers should go further
Supermarkets have cut more than 7p a litre from the price of diesel since the UK’s competition watchdog warned it would question retail bosses about unnecessarily high forecourt prices, according to the RAC.
The motoring group found that the average price of diesel fell by 7.44p a litre, from 151.02p two weeks ago to 143.58p this week, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concerns that retailers were making “sustained higher margins” from sales of diesel.
Continue reading...Amazon UK Services received tax credit of £7.7m for investment in infrastructure under Rishi Sunak’s super-deduction scheme
Amazon’s main UK division has paid no corporation tax for the second year in a row after benefiting from tax credits on a chunk of its £1.6bn of investment in infrastructure, including robotic equipment at its warehouses.
Amazon UK Services, which employs more than half of the group’s UK workers, received a tax credit of £7.7m in the year to the end of December, according to accounts filed at Companies House, advance details of which were shared by Amazon with the Guardian.
Continue reading...The blaze, which began near Inverness in Scotland, is still not out after four days and its cause is unknown
Firefighters have spent four days battling a wildfire in the Scottish Highlands that officials believe is on its way to becoming the largest by area on record in the UK and which has been photographed from space.
The fire broke out at Cannich near Inverness on Sunday and has grown to an area measuring roughly 8km by 8km (24 square miles). Two firefighters were injured on Tuesday after being in an accident in their all-terrain vehicle while tackling the blaze. They have since been discharged from the hospital, the community safety minister, Siobhian Brown, said in the Scottish parliament on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter with eight survivors also recovered from water
A 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl have died and a man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after an incident on Bournemouth beach, Dorset police have said.
Police responded to the beach near Bournemouth pier after receiving a call for assistance at 4:32pm. Emergency responders recovered 10 people from the water, including the man in his 40s who investigators later arrested in connection with the incident.
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