EntertainmentThe IndependentIdris Elba says ‘we must not pull ourselves backwards’ as BBC diversity chief claims Luther isn’t an ‘authentic’ Black lead
Miranda Wayland said the character didn’t ‘feel authentic’ because he didn’t have Black friends or eat Caribbean food
NewsThe IndependentIvanka Trump causes MAGA meltdown after sharing photograph getting vaccine
Trump supporters called Ivanka a ‘disappointment’ for getting the jab
NewsThe IndependentJustin Trudeau claims UK is facing ‘very serious’ third Covid wave amid Canada’s slow vaccine rollout
Downing Street says UK’s case data ‘speaks for itself’ as infections continue to fall
EntertainmentThe TelegraphPrince Philip's custom-made Land Rover hearse unveiled for first time
He is said to have remarked to the Queen when discussing his desire for a frill-free funeral: "Just stick me in the back of a Land Rover and drive me to Windsor." During Saturday’s ceremony, the Duke of Edinburgh will get his wish. The custom-made Land Rover that will carry the Duke’s body to its final resting place in St George’s Chapel has been unveiled for the first time. For the past eighteen years, it can now be revealed, the Duke had been quietly modifying the Land Rover Defender TD5 130, requesting a repaint in military green and designing the open top rear and special "stops" to secure his coffin in place. He made the final adjustments in 2019, the year he turned 98. The Land Rover's original role would also have been to transport the Duke 22 miles from Wellington Arch in central London to Windsor, but the pandemic curtailed the long-held plans for military parades in honour of Prince Philip through the streets of both the capital and the Berkshire town. The Duke first began the long-lasting venture to create his own bespoke hearse in collaboration with Land Rover in 2003, the year he turned 82.
NewsThe GuardianAustralian defence chief says war between China and Taiwan would be ‘disastrous’
Australian defence chief says war between China and Taiwan would be ‘disastrous’General Angus Campbell says future of China and Taiwan must be resolved peacefully The Australian chief of defence force, Angus Campbell, told the Raisina Dialogue in India all countries must work to avoid a war involving China over the future of Taiwan. Photograph: Getty Images
- NewsPA Media: Video
Prince Philip’s personalised Land Rover hearse is unveiled
The Duke of Edinburgh’s modified Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab vehicle has been unveiled for the first time, two days before his final farewell in St George’s Chapel.
HealthThe IndependentCovid: Past infection ‘does not protect young people against reinfection,’ study warns
Professor says despite global vaccine rollouts ‘it is possible to catch virus again and transmit it to others’
BusinessThe GuardianWorkers in insecure jobs twice as likely to die of Covid, TUC research finds
Workers in insecure jobs twice as likely to die of Covid, TUC research findsThose with no sick pay and fewer rights, such as many care workers and delivery drivers, at higher riskCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Covid mortality among male workers in insecure jobs, such as many delivery drivers, was 51 per 100,000 people aged 20-64; it was 24 per 100,000 in more secure work, the research found. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/the Guardian
NewsThe TelegraphEU states believe MEPs have handed UK leverage in Brexit talks over Northern Ireland
Britain’s hand in negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol has been strengthened by the European Parliament’s refusal to set a date to ratify the Brexit trade deal, EU governments have warned. Lord Frost is in Brussels for talks over the implementation of new customs arrangements in Northern Ireland with his European Commission opposite number Maros Sefcovic. Brussels has begun legal action against the UK, which it accuses of breaking international law by unilaterally extending grace periods on some customs checks in the Withdrawal Agreement. Britain argues the measures are lawful and in good faith. MEPs refused to name the date for the plenary vote on the trade deal for a second time on Tuesday in a bid to heap pressure on Britain over the agreement that introduced a customs border in the Irish Sea to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. The threat infuriated European capitals, which are worried it could backfire and believe it weakens the EU’s negotiating position in the talks over Northern Ireland. “There is serious incredulity around the table,” an EU diplomat said, “The irresponsible actions by the UK government have been bemoaned by MEPs for months only for them to act exactly the same way.” “It will impact the EU’s negotiations over Northern Ireland and call into question certainty for citizens and companies on both sides of the Channel.“ The UK-EU trade deal, which is separate from the Withdrawal Agreement, was provisionally applied at the end of last year. If the European Parliament does not ratify the deal by the end of April the EU would have to ask the UK for an extension or face a damaging no deal because the provisional deal would fall away.
CelebrityThe TelegraphWhy did Prince Andrew think he should go to the funeral as an Admiral?
When Prince Andrew suddenly re-appeared in public last weekend, giving an interview outside the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, the public could understand his grief at losing a father. Yet his appearance also raised an unfortunate question mark. It was 512 days after having last spoken publicly, and it seemed that on Sunday the Duke of York had returned to the frontline of the monarchy – and was speaking on its behalf. Within a day an unceremonious controversy erupted. Prince Andrew had reportedly demanded to wear the uniform of an Admiral at his father’s funeral on Saturday and had gone so far as instructing his tailor to style it with the distinctive three rows of lace and four stars, crossed baton and sword of that rank. The prince was, like his father, tested in war – no doubt a unique bond and a source of pride for the Duke of Edinburgh. As the only one of the generation of royals younger than his father to serve in battle, Prince Andrew certainly deserved to wear a uniform, as Prince Philip did his as honorary Admiral of the Fleet, the navy’s highest rank. But his current rank is Vice-Admiral, not Admiral.
NewsYahoo News UK'If surge testing doesn't work, England may see local COVID restrictions', expert warns
Professor Johns Edmunds believes the government may have to enforce tougher restrictions in south London.
HealthSky NewsCOVID-19 having 'catastrophic' impact on NHS as 4.7 million wait to start hospital treatment
Charities and health organisations have warned the COVID-19 pandemic is having a "catastrophic" impact on NHS services - as the number of people in England waiting to start hospital treatment hits a new record high. A total of 4.7 million were waiting to begin treatment at the end of February 2021 - the largest figure since records began in August 2007, according to NHS England data. The number of people admitted for routine hospital treatment was down by 47% in February compared with a year earlier - with 152,642 admitted in February 2021 and 285,918 in February 2020, which had an extra day as it was a leap year.
NewsSky NewsPrime suspect charged with murder of California student - 25 years after she disappeared
A long-time suspect in the disappearance of California student Kristin Smart almost 25 years ago has been charged with her murder, while his father is accused of helping to conceal her body. Paul Flores, 44, was the last person seen with Ms Smart when she vanished on 25 May 1996. Flores has spent years refusing to comment under his right not to incriminate himself.
NewsReutersEuropean Parliament gives initial backing to UK trade deal
The European Parliament's committees on relations with Britain on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favour of the post-Brexit trade and cooperation agreement, clearing the path to its final ratification. They had suspended voting in March in protest over British changes to trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, which Brussels says breach the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. The United Kingdom left the European Union on Jan. 31 after years of tortuous negotiations over their future relations but many details remain unclear, leading to acrimony.
CelebrityThe IndependentPrince Philip would be exasperated by this debate about the Duke of York and his admiral’s outfit
Sense, thankfully, seems to have prevailed and the royal family has decided collectively to ‘level down’ to lounge suits
EntertainmentYahoo Quizzes UKQuiz! How well do you know the UK’s longest running TV shows?
Can you answer these questions about the nation's most well-established programmes?
NewsYahoo News UKThe shocking figure that shows the severity of Europe’s third COVID wave, according to the WHO
Dr Hans Kluge, the regional director of WHO Europe, set out stark figures as he referred to the ongoing third wave of infections on the continent.
NewsThe GuardianHow Texas’s zombie oil wells are creating an environmental disaster zone
How Texas’s zombie oil wells are creating an environmental disaster zone. Thousands of abandoned oil wells dot the Permian Basin in west Texas and New Mexico, endangering humans and wildlife. With oil costs plummeting, they’re likely to proliferate. Who is going to cover the cleanup costs?
NewsThe TelegraphHong Kong students invited to handle rocket launchers during day of pro-Beijing activities
Hong Kong school-children were on Thursday invited to handle rocket launchers and sing the Chinese national anthem during a day of activities designed to boost loyalty to Beijing. In classrooms across the city, students as young as six were given lessons on the draconian security law imposed last year as part of the first ‘National Security Education Day’. Pupils were told to write messages in praise of China on billboards as they took part in flag-raising ceremonies as well as pro-Beijing puzzles and games. At an open day at Hong Kong’s Police College, students were shown how to handle mock rocket-launchers as officers rappelled down from helicopters and took down 'terrorists' in mock-drills. Police also demonstrated a new goose-stepping march that mimics the style used by Chinese troops on the mainland. On the sidelines, guests wearing “I love police” t-shirts posed for selfies with a bear mascot dressed in a tactical uniform.
NewsThe IndependentSNP offers Scots up to £50,000 to move to the islands
Nicola Sturgeon’s party plans bond scheme to stop rural depopulation
NewsPA Media: UK NewsFather stabbed to death ‘after argument about motorbike noise’
The man was named locally as Dean Allsop.
NewsThe TelegraphSNP-run council accused of ordering cleaners to tidy streets in Sturgeon’s constituency ahead of Anas Sarwar visit
Anas Sarwar has accused an SNP-run council of dispatching cleaners to tidy the streets of Nicola Sturgeon's constituency shortly before an election photocall he held on Thursday to highlight their dirty condition. The Scottish Labour leader claimed that cleansing workers in Glasgow Southside, which is the First Minister’s constituency, told him they were ordered to do a clean up operation ahead of his visit to the Govanhill area. The Daily Telegraph photographed three bin lorries and street cleaners that turned up shortly before Mr Sarwar's election stop. Local residents said it was not the normal day for the refuse collections to occur. Ms Sturgeon has faced repeated accusations throughout the Holyrood election campaign of dropping the ball in her own backyard, with cleansing, poverty and housing being huge issues in Glasgow Southside. “I met cleansing workers there who were telling me about the huge cuts they’ve seen, not just in terms of staff but also in terms of the investment they’ve had,” he said.
StyleThe Independent‘It’s impossible to get any whiter than that’: Team USA Olympic uniforms mocked online
Unveiling of outfits for Team USA and Canada attract controversy — for different reasons
- NewsNewsflare
Mother, 23, and daughter, 26, among those burned alive in Thai bus fire horror as police charge driver
Grieving relatives of a six-year-old girl and her mother burned alive in a horror bus fire in Thailand visited the scene of the tragedy this morning (April 15). The family of Prangthong Kalom, 23, and her six-year-old daughter Pawarat Kalom laid flowers and said prayers alongside a Buddhist monk at the spot where the double-decker coach erupted in flames in the early hours of the morning in Khon Kaen province. Tragically, the mother had been taking her excited only child Pawarat to visit relatives to celebrate her birthday the next day. The pair – who were sitting at the back of the bus – were among five trapped on the top floor of the vehicle when a rear wheel erupted in flames which spread to the engine and quickly engulfed the whole bus. Twelve passengers suffered severe burns but are recovering in hospital while 16 people including the driver and conductor escaped from the inferno. Pawarat’s father Thanadon Boonpramuanya said: ‘My daughter and her mother suffered terrible pain and fear when they died. I am so sorry she went through that and there was nothing I could do. ‘I have brought a picture of her with me today and her favourite milk. The monk is also here and we have all said prayers for her soul. We are praying that she is not suffering and her soul can find its way home.’ Parawat’s grandfather and the mother of Prangthong added: ‘We had already organised a birthday party for my granddaughter. We are heartbroken to lose them both.’ The coach was travelling from Udon Thani in the northeast to the capital Bangkok when a wheel exploded and burst into flames shortly after midnight. Flames spread to the engine compartment then engulfed the bus in the middle of a motorway in Khon Kaen province. Police said the driver pulled over and opened the door for passenger to flee. However, two children and three adults who were on the top floor could not escape the vehicle were incinerated following a series of explosions. Fire crews arrived and took around 30 minutes to extinguish the inferno. Police questioned the driver, Patsadee Khamon, 48 on suspicion of ‘driving until causing injury and death to others’. He was later charged with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries. Major General Putthipong Musikul, Deputy Chief of Police in Khon Kaen Province, said: ‘The driver also suffered injuries from the fire but we will pursue the legal case against him and continue to collect evidence. ‘The families of the deceased are entitled to compensation from the bus company and we will assist them. We are interviewing everybody who was on the bus and forensic engineers are examining the wreckage.’
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