Gun have been fired across the UK and at sea in honour of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who has died at the age of 99. To mark the death of the Queen’s husband, saluting batteries began firing 41 rounds at one round every minute from 12 noon on Saturday in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and...
Greek crime journalist shot dead in Athens in ‘execution-style’ murder
A prominent Greek crime journalist has been shot dead in what was described as an “execution-style” murder near his home in Athens. Giorgos Karaivaz, who sought to illuminate Greece’s seamier underside with his coverage of law and order stories on the private Star TV channel, died of gunshot wounds outside his home in the south...
Grand reopening: retailers ready for return of shoppers
At Hamleys they are unboxing the teddies, vacuuming the Frozen castle and practising dance routines. John Lewis is cleaning its fitting rooms and beauty counters, while Debenhams is preparing for its closing down sale. After at least 15 weeks of lockdown – more in many parts of the UK – high streets are preparing to reopen on Monday....
Boris Johnson announcement: PM to address nation from No10 with four major Covid changes
The Prime Minister is expected to update the British public on rules surrounding lockdown, social distancing, holidays and vaccine passports. Speaking on Monday, Mr Johnson will outline whether England can move onto the next phase of the roadmap. The UK Government has already dropped the strict “stay at home” message and allowed groups of six...
UK restaurants and pubs see surge in bookings for planned reopening
Restaurants and bars with outdoor seating say bookings are at unprecedentedly high levels before a possible reopening next Monday, with people eager not to miss their first chance to eat out since lockdown was imposed. Some venues have invested vast amounts of money to accommodate guests outside before the government’s planned reopening of outdoor hospitality...
Police arrest 26 people as London ‘Kill the Bill’ protest sees clashes with officers
Protesters and the police clashed in London over a controversial policing bill which led to 26 arrests and 10 injured police officers. Protesters in the ‘thousands’ descended on Central London to protest the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill earlier today (Saturday, April 3) which started in Hyde Park and ended in protesters being ‘kettled’ near...
A Mexican tragedy: country’s crippling Covid crisis comes into sharp focus
It took just 83 days for Adriana Mejía to lose half her family, as Covid unleashed a Mexican tragedy whose full impact is only now becoming clear. First to depart was her father, Juan, a 90-year-old carpenter who died at the family home in Mexico City last July after summoning his eight children to say goodbye. Two...
From bikes to booze, how Brexit barriers are hitting Anglo-Dutch trade hard
It is now three months since Boris Johnson declared that his Brexit deal would be unalloyed good news for UK businesses and consumers alike. But the true picture is graphically illustrated by a new survey of 125 UK and Dutch firms that do business between the two old and close trading nations. Whether it be trade in...
Former Jordanian crown prince under house arrest over ‘coup plot’
The half-brother of Jordan’s head of state King Abdullah II is believed to have been placed under house arrest amid reports of an alleged coup attempt. Authorities in the state detained several people on Saturday over what officials called a threat to the country’s “security and stability,” with Prince Hamzah bin Hussein – a former crown prince –...
More than 420,000 Irish passports issued in Britain since Brexit vote, official figures show
The number of Irish passports issued in Britain surged following the Brexit vote, official figures suggest. Data shared by Ireland’s foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney – which he said showed “the number of passports issued to applicants resident in Great Britain” – suggested that figure exceeded 422,000 between 2016 and 2020. Some 46,400 and 63,500 Irish passports were issued to...