Local reports say man’s parachute failed to open in time after jump from cliff during holiday with friends
A British Base jumper has died after his parachute failed to open in time during a cliff jump while on holiday with friends in the south of France.
The 34-year-old man succumbed to his injuries at Grenoble university hospital after Tuesday’s accident, according to the Dauphiné Libéré newspaper.
Continue reading...Patrols suggested as residents say foragers collecting large bags of wild garlic are ruining annual supply
Usually in the springtime, Millham Lane in the Cornish town of Lostwithiel is flanked by thick, unbroken banks of strongly scented wild garlic.
But this year ugly gaps have appeared in the bright green swathe after they were stripped by foragers – apparently professionals – intent on sourcing a fresh, free ingredient for fashionable dishes such as wild garlic pesto.
Continue reading...Action comes as Lloyd’s of London returns to profit but warns Ukraine war will present ‘major claim’
• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates
Lloyd’s of London has said it is working with the UK government to implement sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine as fast as possible, including cancelling Russian firms’ insurance cover.
Announcing a swing back to an annual profit as it recovers from the pandemic, the world’s biggest insurance market warned that the war will present a “major claim” for the insurance market this year, but said it was “manageable”.
Continue reading...Sheikh Mohammed’s ex-wife Princess Haya granted responsibility for decisions on their children’s medical care and schooling
The ruler of Dubai will have no face-to-face contact with his two children from his marriage to Princess Haya nor any substantive say in their upbringing, after a long-running court battle between the former couple and a series of damning judgments about his “abusive behaviour”.
Concluding more than two and a half years of legal proceedings, which began when Haya fled to the UK with the children in April 2019, the president of the family division of the high court in England and Wales said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum had “consistently displayed coercive and controlling behaviour with respect to those members of his family who he regards as behaving contrary to his will”.
Sheikh Mohammed orchestrated the abductions and confinement of two of his other children, Princess Latifa and Princess Shamsa – in the latter case from the streets of Cambridge – and subjected Haya to a campaign of “harassment and intimidation”.
He hacked the phones of Haya and five of her associates, including two of her lawyers, using NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware while the couple were locked in court proceedings.
His agents attempted to buy a £30m estate next door to Haya’s Berkshire home in a “very significant threat to her security”, while publicly denying they were doing so.
Continue reading...US congressman Richard Neal says peace deal must not be held ‘hostage over domestic politics’
A bilateral trade deal between the US and the UK is “desirable” but will not progress while the Northern Ireland peace deal is being used for domestic political purposes, one of the most powerful American congressmen has warned.
Richard Neal, the chairman of the ways and means committee, has told the Guardian: “We will not entertain a trade agreement if there is any jeopardy to the Good Friday agreement.
Continue reading...Police commander also admits Met has problem with officers treating inner London children as ‘adults’
Two of the five officers who were involved in the traumatic strip search of a 15-year-old black girl in her school in Hackney, London, have been removed from frontline duties, the Metropolitan police has confirmed.
The admission came at a community meeting on Wednesday evening as anger over the treatment of the girl, known as Child Q, continues. The meeting was originally supposed to take place in person but had to be moved online after the police force could not find a venue. More than 250 people attended, with more wanting to but unable to join because of the meeting’s limit.
Continue reading...Chancellor faces warnings that he has not done enough to address biggest fall in living standards on record
Rishi Sunak has been tackled by a single mother who cannot afford to heat her home and has had to take on two extra jobs, as the chancellor faced warnings that he has not done enough to address the biggest fall in living standards on record.
He was challenged on LBC Radio by Hezel, a single mother, who said she had a good salary “on paper” but rising costs had put “an intense strain” on her ability to provide for her children.
Continue reading...Hospitality, manufacturing and haulage sectors say spring statement falls far short of the help needed
The spring statement did not deliver much to help Lesters, a small but growing packaging company struggling with rising costs.
The Staffordshire-based firm’s energy bills will rise from £7,000 a month to £18,000 when the current contract runs out. Speaking after Rishi Sunak’s spring statement, Lesters’ managing director, Billy Hutchinson, said the chancellor had offered nothing to help on this key issue.
Continue reading...Royal couple’s visit met with growing republican sentiment and pressure for reparations over slavery
Jamaica’s prime minister has told the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that his country is “moving on” and intends to become a republic.
The royals’ arrival in Jamaica on Tuesday coincided with a much-publicised demonstration urging the monarchy to pay reparations for slavery, and calls from politicians for the country to become a republic.
Continue reading...PM criticised for chuckling and pulling a face while chancellor paid tribute to Ukrainian people
Boris Johnson was accused of “buffoonish” behaviour for chuckling and pulling a face while the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, spoke in the Commons of the terrifying ordeal faced by millions of Ukrainians.
As Sunak began his spring statement, Johnson appeared to relax having just faced half an hour of prime minister’s questions.
Continue reading...PM ‘passionate’ about potential in light of fresh push for self-sufficiency after Russia invasion of Ukraine
Boris Johnson is expected to open the door to more onshore wind at next week’s energy strategy, despite some cabinet ministers lobbying against relaxing planning laws to allow more turbines.
The cabinet is split over whether to aim for more onshore wind projects, which can often get into lengthy planning battles, after officials drew up plans for a target of 30GW by 2030.
Continue reading...Pact ends months of tensions but talks on full free-trade agreement remain far off
The UK has struck a deal with the US to remove tariffs on British steel exports, although trade experts warned a broader trade deal between the two countries remains far off.
The agreement was struck after UK’s international trade minister, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, met her counterpart, the US commerce secretary, Gina Raimondo, on Tuesday evening in Washington.
Continue reading...Amanda Melling’s visit follows fears UK tax havens may offer loophole for those trying to avoid clampdown
A Foreign Office minister has flown to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to hold urgent discussions on how sanctions against Russian oligarchs with cash stored in the secretive islands can be implemented, amid fears. UK tax havens may provide a loophole for those trying to escape the international clampdown.
Amanda Milling’s visit follows news that a succession of oligarchs appeared to have hidden their assets in trusts based in the BVI in a bid to put them beyond reach of UK sanctions. British sanctions laws apply in the overseas territories, and enforcement officers are supposed to have full access to registers of beneficial ownerships.
Continue reading...William and Kate arrive in Jamaica to be met by protests calling for reparations from British monarchy
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been accused of benefiting from the “blood, tears and sweat” of slaves as they arrived in Jamaica to be met by a protest calling for reparations from the British monarchy.
William and Kate will celebrate the culture and history of the island, where there have been calls from politicians in recent years to drop the Queen as head of state and become a republic, and for a formal acknowledgment of slavery.
Continue reading...Chancellor expected to announce fuel duty cut in package of measures to tackle cost of living crisis
Rishi Sunak will promise “security” to cash-strapped families as he announces a fresh package of measures to tackle the cost of living crisis on Wednesday, but will continue to underline the importance of fixing the public finances.
The chancellor has been under intense pressure to take action to help households with the rocketing cost of fuel and other essentials. The financial expert Martin Lewis told MPs on Tuesday that many households are facing a “fiscal punch in the face” when the energy price cap rises next month.
Continue reading...Culture secretary Nadine Dorries is expected to decide who will oversee UK media regulator this week
Michael Grade has emerged as the favourite to become the next Ofcom chair, with the culture secretary expected to make a final decision this week on who will oversee the UK’s media regulator.
Appointing the veteran media executive and Tory politician as boss of the organisation would end a chaotic and embarrassing appointment process. The search has taken almost two years as a result of a series of botched attempts to hand the role to former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre.
Continue reading...Government wins string of votes to restore elements of controversial borders and nationality bill removed by Lords
The UK appears set to criminalise illicit refugee crossings and could ship asylum seekers for processing in other countries after ministers easily saw off a potential rebellion in the Commons over the controversial borders and nationality bill.
Despite a number of Conservative backbenchers expressing concerns about aspects of the bill, the government convincingly won a string of votes to restore elements changed in the House of Lords, including the idea of Australian-style third country processing.
Continue reading...Briton held captive in Iran for six years should not face online trolling, says Boris Johnson’s office
Downing Street has condemned critics of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who accused her of being “ungrateful” after she expressed frustration with the UK government for taking six years to secure her release from an Iranian jail.
Days after touching down in Britain, Zaghari-Ratcliffe faced abuse on social media for saying it should not have taken so long for ministers to ensure she returned home safely.
Continue reading...Impostors posing as Ukrainian PM post new YouTube clip with Ben Wallace’s response to claim that arms have failed
The UK is running out of anti-tank weapons to send to Ukraine, the defence secretary appeared to tell Russian impostors posing as the Ukrainian prime minister, according to the latest video released by the pair.
Downing Street has said it believes Russian state actors were responsible for the hoax, in which an impersonator was put through for a video call with Ben Wallace about the situation in Ukraine.
Continue reading...Latest updates: Jeremy Hunt uses Twitter thread to say that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was failed by government
There have been reports in recent days saying that Boris Johnson wants to visit Ukraine and last night, in an interview with Andrew Marr for his new LBC show, Oliver Dowden, the Conservative party co-chair, confirmed them, saying the PM was “desperate” to visit the war zone. Dowden said:
I think the prime minister is desperate to go to Ukraine and has throughout this conflict felt a real - as the British people have done - a real emotional connection with the suffering of the Ukrainian people and a need for the West to unite in standing up to this threat from Russia which has been exposed to Ukraine.
I think it’s both to see what’s going on the ground, because it’s very different talking to somebody on the phone versus actually seeing it in practice - and, by the way, I should say that no decisions have been taken in relation to this - but then secondly, it’s actually to experience what is happening there, to see what is happening. To the people on the ground. I think that is very different to just speaking remotely.
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