Crazy daredevil 'skis' down massive wave
Legendary adrenaline junkie, Chuck Patterson took on one of the finest swells of the century, not with a surfboard, but with a set of skis!
Nicola Sturgeon was fighting for her political career when she faced MSPs during a marathon eight-hour hearing on Wednesday. Her opponents believe the multiple accusations she faces over her handling of complaints against Mr Salmond may well be enough to force her from office. The Scottish Tories have already called for her resignation. However, she denies wrongdoing and the accusation that she broke the ministerial code on multiple occasions. She also faces a separate inquiry, specifically into whether she broke the ministerial code. Here are the main allegations facing the First Minister, and what she said to rebut them.
When can I go on holiday The destinations most likely to make the 'green list' this summer The countries already rolling out vaccine passports Which of our 10 favourite summer holiday destinations could reopen by June? Sign up to the Telegraph Travel newsletter Britons are racing to book holidays in Spain this summer following the announcement that a ‘green corridor’ could be set up for vaccinated travellers. The bookings boom has been sparked by comments made by the Spanish Minister for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, who confirmed earlier this week that Spain and the UK are in “discussions” over potentially lifting travel restrictions for those who have been inoculated against Covid, as long as there is no collective EU decision on vaccine passports in the next few months. With the UK government also revealing its roadmap out of lockdown last week, with international travel a possibility by May 17 at the earliest, Spanish holiday firms are now experiencing a surge in demand from UK customers keen to fly south for the summer. One Ibiza hotel, the Nobu Hotel on Talamanca Beach, has already seen a 250% week-on-week spike in bookings, while the Puente Romano Beach Resort in Marbella has already reached 50% occupancy for the whole of August. Villa holidays are in high demand too, with one rental company, The Thinking Traveller, reporting a 100% increase in enquiries compared to this time last year, and a threefold increase compared to last week. Airlines have also witnessed a boost in the last week thanks to renewed passenger confidence: EasyJet sales for June, July and August have more than quadrupled in recent days, while TUI has seen reservations in Spain, Greece and Turkey rise by 600%. Scroll down for more updates
Italian officials are thought to have introduced the one-shot policy in an attempt to not run out of jabs.
Italy and the European Commission have blocked a shipment of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine destined for Australia. The British-Swedish drug manufacturer had failed to meet its EU contract commitments so the Italian government refused its request to export 250,000 doses from its Anagni plant near Rome, according to the Reuters news agency. The request was made by Italy and signed off by the European Commission under the Export Control Mechanism which came into law on 30 January.
‘It can and likely will get very bad’
‘No interest in answers, only bringing down a political opponent,’ wrote Compston
Public Health England has designated it a "variant under investigation" after 16 cases were confirmed.
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Infection rates also continuing to fall across all regions and in every age group, Public Health England says
Nicola Sturgeon choked back tears and insisted "I would never have wanted to 'get' Alex Salmond" as she rejected as "absurd" his claims of a plot among senior SNP figures to destroy him. The First Minister told a Holyrood inquiry the "simple" truth was that several women made complaints about Mr Salmond's behaviour and "I refused to follow the usual pattern of allowing a powerful man to use his status and connections to get what he wants." In an appearance spanning more than eight hours, against the backdrop of calls for her resignation, Ms Sturgeon insisted she had seen "nothing that comes within a million miles" of backing Mr Salmond's conspiracy claims. Although she reiterated it was "beyond question" that Mr Salmond had been cleared of all criminal charges, she said his behaviour was still "deeply inappropriate" and "there was not a single word of regret" from him during his six hours of testimony last week. Ms Sturgeon appeared on the verge of tears, with her voice breaking, as she was invited to apologise to the Scottish people for arguing for years they could trust Mr Salmond to take them to independence. Murdo Fraser, a Tory MSP, pressed her when she had decided he "was no longer the Charles Stewart Parnell of Scotland, and was in fact a liar and a fantasist?’"
The Duchess of Sussex wore earrings given to her by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia three weeks after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, against advice from palace aides, The Telegraph understands. The Duchess, 39, had been given the Butani earrings as an official wedding present from the Saudi Royal Family. When she wore them to a formal dinner in Fiji in October 2018, during a royal tour, the media were told that they were “borrowed” but unusually, declined to offer further information or guidance. The dinner took place three weeks after Mr Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Duchess’s lawyers insisted that at the time of the dinner, she was unaware of speculation that the crown prince was involved in the murder of the journalist. However, a royal source claimed that palace staff had advised the Duchess not to wear the jewellery. “Members of Royal Household staff sometimes advise people on their options,” one said. “But what they choose to do with that advice is a very different matter.”
An extension to the stamp duty holiday announced in the Budget will spark a modest rise in house prices and stimulate additional transactions, the Treasury’s independent forecaster has said. Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that the tax relief would continue for another six months, in a boost to the housing market and a major victory for The Telegraph's Stamp out the Duty campaign. As the Chancellor read out the measure, the Prime Minister, who was sitting beside him, gave a thumbs up signal to The Telegraph’s journalist present in the Press Gallery of the Commons. The Chancellor said the current holiday, which sees the nil-band rate apply up to a threshold of £500,000, would be extended for three months until June 30.
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake has sparked a tsunami warning in New Zealand on Thursday (March 4). Footage shows the moment the quake hit shaking computer monitors in the home of resident in Napier, a coastal city on New Zealand's North Island. The filmer said on social media "Damn that was one shake, lasted little over a minute. Got the whole thing on video, here is a short clip." New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency advised residents near the coast "who felt a LONG or STRONG quake should MOVE IMMEDIATELY to the nearest high ground." Residents in Napier were told to evacuate to Napier Hill. The tsunami warning said: "Coastal inundation (flooding of land areas) is expected in the following areas: "The East Coast of the North Island from CAPE RUNAWAY to TOLAGA BAY. "Strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges near the shore are expected in the following areas. This means a threat to beach, harbour, estuary and small boat activities."
‘It’s the British government essentially breaking the protocol – breaking their own commitments again’
Teachers have had a “little bit higher risk” of infection with coronavirus during the national lockdown, new figures suggest. People who work in education and childcare appear to have had increased risk of infection compared to people who do not work in these professions, experts said. To date more than 1.4 million people have provided swabs so experts can assess infection rates across the country.
Senior Tory minister highlights Salmond-Sturgeon rift as he dismisses push for indyref2
The brotherhood of Princes William and Harry – once so powerful, appealing and close – is steadily crumbling. It’s said William now rarely talks to his younger brother and is apparently furious and shocked that Harry has snubbed the Queen, making a tell-all Oprah interview the focus when their 99-year-old grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, remains ill in hospital. William has always been protective of Harry and, until he met Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge happily joined ranks with him. He stood with them on countless engagements, which, despite stating at the time that Catherine was the sister he had always wanted, he later revealed it had made him feel like a gooseberry to the young married couple. When Meghan joined The Firm in November 2017, the young foursome were nicknamed the ‘Fab Four’ – appearing on stage together at the first (and what would turn out to be the last) annual Royal Foundation forum, at which they launched their vision for a shared working future. Harry joked that they were “stuck together for the rest of our lives.” How poignant that seems now.
The lies Trump told at CPAC about the election and his record were not new, but his request for supporters to give money to his new political committee was a first.
Star is heading to LA in April to start filming
The International Criminal Court this week announced it will begin an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by Israel and Palestinian militants since 2014, which could theoretically put senior figures on both sides in the dock at the Hague. Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, has described the process as “daunting and complex” because it will be launched during a global pandemic, signalling that the investigation and any trial which follows could drag on for many years. Israel has condemned the ICC’s decision as “pure anti-semitism,” while Palestinian leaders and human rights groups say that a war crimes probe is long overdue. Here we look at the key allegations over war crimes, the possible timeline for the ICC process and what penalties could be imposed in the event of a guilty verdict. How did we get here? The ICC has powers to prosecute those accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes in the territories of the court's members. Back in December 2019, the ICC said that after a “thorough” investigation it had sufficient grounds to investigate both Israel and Palestinian militants over allegations of war crimes. Ms Bensouda, the ICC chief prosecutor, then asked senior judges at the court to make a ruling on whether it had jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.