Tens of thousands turn out in support of imprisoned Kremlin critic, who is currently on hunger strike
Transparency International UK said those with political access appeared to be favoured.
Johnny Mercer's extraordinary attack also extended to the 'cesspit' of Westminster, which he said is populated by 'children' who are 'frankly unemployable elsewhere'.
A former soldier with no history of mental illness killed himself after lockdown “took everything from him”, an inquest heard. Sean Bradley died by suicide on July 7 last year after becoming increasingly distressed that his business would fail because of a lack of financial support from the government, his sister told an inquest. After the hearing his sister, Angela Wray, said: "People need to realise just how many this pandemic has affected." Neighbours discovered the 53-year-old’s body with "catastrophic injuries" after hearing a loud noise at his home in Church, Accrington. Mr Bradley's medical records showed no evidence of self-harm, depression, anxiety or mental health issues, the inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard. Ms Wray, said her brother felt frustrated by the lack of Government support for businesses such as his and more understanding was needed. Mr Bradley, born in Bury, Greater Manchester, had served "with distinction" in the King's Hussars and the Royal Armoured Corps before studying with the Open University and becoming an IT consultant with blue-chip companies. Described as "a lad's lad" who also enjoyed camping and shooting, he missed his outdoor lifestyle and gave up his IT career to go travelling around the world for six years. Mr Bradley, who was not married and had no children, then studied the martial art form Krav Maga in Israel and returned to the UK to set up his own club in the north west of England. But it all went "out of the window" when the UK went into lockdown last March, the inquest heard. James Newman, area coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen said: "He can't go out, he can't do the things he loved, he can't do his job. It's all taken away from him. "It seems the effects of lockdown, certainly financially - Tony was a martial arts instructor training a lot of people, it was his life, his profession and that went out of the window in lockdown. "He had built up and started a business that had taken time to develop and grow and all of a sudden, as a new business, he didn't have any funding from the pandemic.” The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide, after Mr Bradley's "business and lifestyle was severely curtailed by the restrictions due to the Covid 19 pandemic".
We all have our favourite movie trilogies, but can you remember the individual titles of the films?
Jeanette Whittle, 44, and Rhianne Halton, 19, from Torquay, died within weeks of one another and were laid to rest at a joint funeral.
Up to 30 countries including Spain’s Canary Islands, Portugal’s Azores and Malta could make the UK’s green list for summer holidays from May 17. The destinations, which are dominated by islands, have high vaccination rates and low prevalence of Covid putting them in a strong position for inclusion on the “green list,” according to Government and industry sources. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, signalled earlier this week that the Government’s new traffic light ratings of countries will treat a nation’s islands independently of any higher Covid rate or lower vaccination rate on the mainland. This would place the Canary Islands (with 91.7 of the adult population vaccinated), Malta (44.1 per cent), Azores (36.1 per cent), Madeira (33.7 per cent) and even the Balearic islands ( 25.4 per cent) on the green list by May 17. Greece is also running a campaign to vaccinate all the population of at least 85 of its islands, which would put Zakynthos and Santinori in the frame for early Summer holidays. It follows The Telegraph’s disclosure this morning that the Government is racing to ensure Covid passports are available to prove people have been vaccinated as early as next month, in time for summer holidays. Greece has said it will be ready to welcome vaccinated British tourists immediately when its resorts open up on May 15, while Spain and Portugal say they will throw open their borders from June along with much of the EU. Responding to The Telegraph’s disclosure, Spanish Tourism Secretary, Fernando Valdés, said on Thursday he wanted UK holidaymakers to “restart holidays” in six weeks, adding: “We are desperate to welcome you this summer. We've been having constant conversations with UK authorities.” Mr Valdes said a travel corridor between the two countries, allowing quarantine-free breaks, is firmly on the table but only with Covid passports 'easing' the return of 'safe' travel.
Daughter of Trevor Phillips dies after 22-year anorexia struggleSister writes that Sushila, 36, a freelance journalist, was ‘a best friend and an inspiration’ Broadcaster and anti-racism campaigner Trevor Phillips with his daughter Sushila in 1999. Photograph: Nigel Howard/Evening Standard/Rex/Shutterstock
The undisputed world heavyweight title fight is due to take place this summer but terms are yet to be finalised
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace expressed “deep regret” that it took so long to rectify the situation on the commemoration of troops. He told MPs: “On behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Government both of the time and today, I want to apologise for the failures to live up to their founding principles all those years ago and express deep regret that it has taken so long to rectify the situation. “Whilst we can’t change the past, we can make amends and take action.”
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Nightly clashes and other violent incidents between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem during Ramadan have laid bare simmering tensions in the holy city. Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police amid a dispute over evening gatherings at Damascus Gate after iftar, the breaking of the daytime fast during the Muslim holy month. Meanwhile, a video on social media app TikTok purporting to show a Palestinian slapping an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man on Jerusalem's light rail train has drawn protests by Israelis and calls by some right-wing politicians for tougher police action.
Immigration Services Union (ISU) says it is ‘very easy’ to forge documents
Few tears likely to be shed as plan for No 10 TV press briefings droppedAnalysis: Insiders say plan had been ‘kicked down the road for so long’ it was inevitable it would be dropped Allegra Stratton has been handed a new role as spokeswoman for this autumn’s Cop26 – the global climate change conference. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
‘You gotta let the jury speak, it’s the American way’
The Russian president has called for citizens to get vaccinated so the country can hit the target.
Lateral flow tests for pregnant women and their partners are among measures ‘urgently’ recommended by NHS England.
‘This is the country we serve and defend. These are the people we fight for’
‘World’s worst outbreak’: what India’s papers say as coronavirus crisis toll mounts. Newspapers warn that the situation shows no sign of improving, and calls on warring politicians to cooperate to beat the virus
When George Floyd bought cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 note, it triggered the wretched sequence of events that led to the end of his life. The teenager who served Mr Floyd was a key prosecution witness in the trial of his killer, former police officer Derek Chauvin. Christopher Martin said he has felt too scared to work in the shop since Mr Floyd's death but that giving evidence in the trial had brought him a sense of relief.
A majority of people on both sides of the Irish border believe Northern Ireland will leave the UK within 25 years, a new poll has found. Just shy of half of respondents in the North would vote to remain in the UK if there was a poll tomorrow, with 43 per cent backing a united Ireland and eight per cent reporting that they have not yet decided. In the Republic, 51 per cent said they would vote for a united Ireland, 27 per cent would vote to keep the United Kingdom together and 22 per cent were unsure. The majority of people polled by the BBC said they believed the union would be intact in a decade, but not in 25 years. The new figures came after Boris Johnson declared himself a “proud unionist” who was trying to “sandpaper” away “ludicrous barriers” to trade in the Irish Sea. The centenary of Northern Ireland’s formation in 1921 is a moment to be celebrated, he said. Only 40 per cent of people in Northern Ireland agree with him, the poll found. Friction in the region has increased in recent weeks, with clashes taking place between protesters and police in towns and cities near the border.
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