Gina Carano fired from Lucasfilm
'The Mandalorian' actress Gina Carano has be dropped by Lucasfilm,not only for the show, but also the Star Wars galaxy and by her agency UTA.
‘No interest in answers, only bringing down a political opponent,’ wrote Compston
UK to extend grace periods for supermarkets without EU approval
Viktor Orbàn, Hungary’s prime minister, has pulled his party out of the largest political group in the European Parliament before they could be expelled over EU concerns over Budapest’s respect for democracy and the rule of law. Fidesz's 12 MEPs were withdrawn from the centre-Right European People’s Party (EPP) coalition before it voted on changes to rules on the expulsion of members. Mr Orbàn has long been at loggerheads with Brussels over his crackdown on media and other freedoms. EPP members have backed EU institutions in their criticism of Fidesz, which they accuse of trampling on “European values”. But he stopped short of leaving the EPP’s pan-EU political party, which has members including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. Fidesz will now have less speaking time and access to less EU funding after leaving the biggest single voting bloc in the Brussels and Strasbourg parliament. It was suspended from the pan-EU party alliance in March 2019 but until now remained part of the European Parliament group. The EPP’s 180 members voted by 148 to 28 in favour of the new rules, with four abstentions, in the culmination of years of strained relations after Fidesz resigned. Mr Orbàn accused the EPP of curtailing the democratic rights of Fidesz MEPs in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in a letter to group leader Manfred Weber. He branded the vote on rule changes “anti-democratic, unjust and unacceptable” and a “hostile move”. “The message is clear and duly noted. If Fidesz is not welcome, we do not feel compelled to stay,” he wrote. The pressure on the close political relationship between the most influential pan-EU party had increased after Mr Orbàn launched a string of attacks against Brussels, including a poster campaign against then European Commission president, and EPP member, Jean-Claude Juncker. Mr Orbàn is expected to try and join other political groups in the European Parliament such as the Eurosceptic European Conservatives & Reformists or the hard right Identity & Democracy group. A spokesman for the EPP Group said it would not comment on Mr Orbàn’s “personal decision”. David Cameron pulled the Conservatives out of the EPP in 2009, which some in Brussels see as a key moment that eventually contributed to Brexit.
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
Germany made the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine available to over-65s on Thursday, in a reversal of its previous policy. The move came after Angela Merkel called on the country’s independent vaccine committee to change course in the light of new data from a Scottish government study. The jab was previously only authorised for under-65s in Germany because of concerns over a lack of reliable data on its effectiveness in older people. But in a joint statement with regional leaders Mrs Merkel said the results of the Scottish study meant that policy should be overturned. “The study results from the UK show the AstraZeneca vaccine is generally highly effective including in elderly people,” they said in a statement on Wednesday night. “The federal and state governments expect a new decision from the Stiko to recommend the vaccine for over-65s in the short-term, so vaccine appointments can be adjusted and the vaccine can be delivered swiftly.”
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.
PM’s response ‘extremely unedifying’ given Britain’s role in long-running war, says Amnesty
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.
NAACP accuses Trump of disenfranchising Black voters and trying to ‘destroy democracy’
Ian Brown pulls out of music festival over Covid vaccination row. Brown, a noted Covid sceptic, has withdrawn from the Neighbourhood Weekender festival in Warrington in September
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?’"
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.
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.”
Mount Etna continued to erupt on March 4, sending a large plume of smoke and ash into the sky, as this timelapse video shows.Local resident Meagan Huddleston captured this footage on Thursday morning. “I never thought I would be so at peace watching a volcano erupt,” she said on Instagram.The volcano, Europe’s most active, has been intermittently erupting since February 16. INGV, Italy’s national volcanology institute, reported Strombolian activity and a lava overflow at Etna from the early hours of March 4. Credit: Meagan Huddleston via Storyful
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.
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.
World Health Organisation warns report is a ‘wake-up’ call to governments
‘It’s the British government essentially breaking the protocol – breaking their own commitments again’
Actor is set to star alongside Sebastian Stan in the forthcoming MCU series
Members of Spain’s government have criticised the Spanish royal family after it emerged that King Felipe’s two sisters received Covid vaccinations during a visit to UAE instead of waiting their turn in Spain. “Their privileges come before the people they claim to represent,” the Left-wing Podemos party, the junior member of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s coalition government, said in a tweet. Pablo Iglesias, Podemos’s leader and deputy prime minister, said society “won’t accept that royal family members have vaccinations in Abu Dhabi when the rest of the Spanish people are queueing up with discipline for their turn”. The online newspaper El Confidencial revealed on Tuesday evening that princesses Elena and Cristina, both in their fifties, had been vaccinated when visiting exiled father Juan Carlos in Abu Dhabi a month ago. They would still have to wait months for jabs in Spain due to their age. According to Spain’s vaccination programme, the elderly in care homes and many key workers have been vaccinated, with the over-80s the current focus of the campaign. The Royal Household said that King Felipe “is not responsible for his sisters’ behaviour”. Felipe stripped his sister Cristina of her title of Duchess of Palma of Mallorca after she and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, were put on trial on charges of fraud and corruption in 2016. Cristina was acquitted but Urdangarin is serving a six-year jail sentence. Princess Elena, who like her sister no longer receives state funding, admitted that she and Cristina had been vaccinated while visiting former king Juan Carlos in UAE, “with the idea of having a healthcare passport that would allow us to do so more regularly”. Juan Carlos has lived in Abu Dhabi since last August, when he left Spain after the country’s Supreme Court opened an investigation into alleged financial impropriety. Last week the former king, who abdicated in 2014 after a series of scandals, made a payment of 4.4 million euros to Spain’s tax agency in a bid to ward off a possible accusation of tax fraud. The 83-year-old is also reported to have had the Sinopharm vaccine in UAE.