Airlander 10: World's longest aircraft grounded

Pic:::Airlander took its first flight in 2017 from Cardington Airfield/wp/bbc
Travel&Tourism  reporter:::

Stephen McGlennan, chief executive officer of HAV, said: "Our focus is now entirely on bringing the first batch of production standard, type certified Airlander 10 aircraft into service with customers.

"The prototype served its purpose as the world's first full-sized hybrid aircraft, providing us with the data we needed to move forward from prototype to production standard.

"As a result, we do not plan to fly the prototype aircraft again."

• Airlander to offer 'luxury expeditions'
• World's longest aircraft collapses
• Airlander insurance claim 'up to £32m'

HAV submitted a £32m insurance claim after Airlander 10 collapsed, which it told shareholders was the "maximum insured value".

The company said it had already had the design of the next airship approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

It said this now puts them in a "strong position to launch production".

The company carried out its first test flight of Airlander 10 from its former home at Cardington Airfield in August 2016 but left the site in June last year.

In July, HAV revealed that it is to offer "luxury expeditions" when the airship tests were completed.

Man held after boy, 11, dies in Manchester hit-and-run

Crime watch(wp/bbc):::

Police are questioning a 31-year-old man after a boy was killed in a hit-and-run collision.

The 11-year-old died in hospital after he was treated at the scene of the crash in Beswick, Manchester.

A grey Volkswagen Golf was believed to have been involved in the collision on Albert Street shortly after 18:10 on Saturday evening.

Greater Manchester Police said the car was found abandoned near the scene. Officers are appealing for witnesses.

The force said the man later attended a police station and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He remains in custody for questioning.

Albert Street is closed between Charlestown Street and Darley Street. Doric Close is also closed while investigative work is carried out.

PC Karl Horner, of GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "This was a tragic incident in which a young boy lost his life, and my thoughts are with his family at this unimaginably difficult time.

"We have a man in custody, but our enquiries continue as we work to establish the full circumstances which led to this collision.

"If you think you saw the driver of the grey VW Golf around the time of the collision, or if you witnessed what happened, then please get in touch with us as soon as possible.

"We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have dashcam footage of the incident or the events leading up to it."

May warns of catastrophe if lawmakers don't back Brexit deal

Pic:::British prime Minister Theresa May(wp/AFP)

Political reporter(wp/reuters):::

British Prime Minister Theresa May has warned lawmakers that failure to back her plan to leave the European Union would be catastrophic for Britain, in a plea for support two days ahead of a vote in parliament that she is expected to lose.

Lawmakers are set to vote on May’s Brexit deal on Tuesday, after she shelved plans for a vote in December when it became clear that not enough lawmakers from her own party or others would back the deal she agreed with Brussels.

May looks little closer to securing the support she needs, but writing in the Sunday Express she said lawmakers must not let down the people who voted for Brexit.

“Doing so would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy,” May said.

“So my message to Parliament this weekend is simple: it is time to forget the games and do what is right for our country.”

On Friday, her foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said Brexit might not happen at all if May’s deal was defeated.

Britain, the world’s fifth largest economy, is scheduled to quit the European Union on March 29.

The Sunday Times reported that rebel lawmakers were planning to wrest control of the legislative agenda away from May next week with a view to suspending or delaying Brexit, citing a senior government source.

London air pollution has triggered 'public health emergency', Sadiq Khan warns

Pic-The mayor declared the problem a 'public health emergency' (PA)
Staff reporter(wp/es):::

London's "filthy, toxic air" has become a "public health emergency" that is killing thousands of people prematurely every year, Sadiq Khan has warned.

Harmful polluted air is even causing the underdevelopment of children's lungs, a situation the capital’s mayor called "shameful".

Mr Khan used a speech at a London government dinner at Mansion House, central London, on Thursday evening, to say he was "pushing ahead with the most ambitious plans to tackle air pollution of any big city in the world".

He highlighted the introduction of an ultra-low emission zone in central London, which is due to take effect in April and replace the current T-charge.

It means most vehicles need to meet tighter exhaust emission standards or pay a daily charge, and the zone will expand to include inner London from October 2021, according to the Mayor's Office.

Addressing an audience including government figures and business representatives at the black-tie event, he said: "The evidence is now incontrovertible: the harmful quality of London's air has become a public health emergency.

"There's no other way of framing it.

"Thousands of Londoners are dying prematurely in our city every single year as a direct consequence of our filthy, toxic air.

"Right now some children living and studying in pollution hotspots, which are often located in the poorest parts of our city, are growing up with underdeveloped and stunted lungs.

"This isn't just unacceptable, it's shameful.

"Unlike the smoky pollution of the past today's pollution is invisible and it's a hidden killer."

Air pollution is linked to the early deaths of about 40,000 people a year in the UK and causes problems such as heart and lung disease and asthma.

Around 9,000 Londoners die prematurely because of polluted air, according to the Mayor's Office.

Other measures introduced by Mr Khan include spending more than £300 million to retro-fit thousands of buses with technology to reduce harmful emissions.

Murder probe launched after woman in 30s dies from head injuries in east London

Crime reporter,London(wp/es):::

A murder probe has been launched after a woman in her 30s died from head injuries in east London.

Police and paramedics were called to a residential address in City Island Way at about 4pm on Friday.

The woman was found with a critical head injury and pronounced dead at the scene at 4.17pm, Scotland Yard said.

Images posted on social media show an air ambulance landing nearby as scores of emergency services vehicles descended on the scene.

A Met Police spokesman said officers were in the process of informing next of kin.

He added: “A post-mortem examination will be held in due course. Formal identification awaits.

“The Homicide and Major Crime Command have been informed.”

Police added that no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information concerning this incident at the address is requested to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.

David Beckham's former brother-in-law jailed for £1m fraud

Pic-1::Stephen Todd (left) and Paul Muldoon were also jailed for their part in the fraud/bbc/wp

Pic-2:::There is no suggestion the Beckhams knew anything about the fraud or about any use of their name/bbc/wp
Crime reporter(wp/bbc):::

The former brother-in-law of David Beckham has been jailed for his part in a near £1m fraud which used the family name to con victims.

Darren Flood, who was married to Victoria Beckham's sister Louise Adams, was a director in a company that cold-called elderly victims.

The firm, based in London, persuaded people to invest thousands of pounds in practically worthless materials.

Flood, 40, was one of seven people jailed for the fraud on Friday.

He was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between April 2012 and August 2014 and jailed for two and a half years.

Six others were also jailed at Kingston Crown Court for their involvement in the con, which targeted victims including widow in her 80s, a retired policeman and a multiple sclerosis sufferer.

Their firm The Commodities Link, based in Canary Wharf, made "slick marketing videos" but Surrey Police said this was a "facade".

The force said it was aware of 24 victims who invested more than £800,000 but some people took out loans to cover their investments, meaning the true total sum lost is likely to be more than £1m.

Some victims were taken for high-value dinners in London and the Beckham name was mentioned to some potential investors to give the scheme an air of legitimacy.

There is no suggestion the Beckhams knew anything about the fraud or about any use of their name.

Investors in the so-called "boiler room fraud" were persuaded to put their money in a market that effectively did not exist for members of the public.

They were lied to about the value of materials - rare earth metals and oxides - which were sold to investors for up to 200 times more than the original purchase price.

The barrister for Flood argued he had not personally sought to capitalise on the family link.

The seven who were jailed:

• Gennaro Fiorentino, 38, of Wetherell Road, Hackney, who played "the leading role" in the company, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation - Jailed for five years
• Darren Flood, of Ware Road in Hertford, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between April 2012 and August 2014 - Jailed for two and a half years
• Former finance director Mark Whitehead, 60, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation - Jailed for three and a half years
• Ex-office manager Vikki King, 39, from Basildon, Essex, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation - Jailed for two years and three months
• Main company salesman Paul Muldoon, 34, from Basildon, who had "made great play of Darren Flood being David Beckham's brother-in-law" during a pitch to a victim who lost £62,000, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation - Jailed for four years
• Stephen Todd, 37, of Blackwall Way, Tower Hamlets, who is currently in prison for fraud, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation - Had an extra year added to sentence
• Jonathan Docker 32, of High Road, Chigwell, Essex, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation - Jailed for two and a half years

Cash-strapped councils look for tourist tax powers

Staff reporter(wp/bbc):::

A tourist tax could be imposed on visitors to some of the UK's leading destinations if cash-strapped councils get their way.

Bath wants the power to impose a £1-per-night charge to allow the authority to "put the icing back on the cake" after years of financial restraints.

The Scottish Highlands and Aberdeen are among others considering a levy.

But industry figures have warned the proposals could hit the wider tourism industry hard.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has asked central government for the power to "introduce a levy on local tourism and short-term holiday lettings".

The law does not currently allow councils to impose a tax on hotels or restaurants.

Council leader Tim Warren said that while a levy wouldn't make a "big difference" to visitors' hotel bills, it would have an impact on the council's budget for services such as street improvements.

He added: "We are not asking for more money, we are asking for the opportunity to make our own money."

Aberdeen city leaders have said a levy is just one of the "levers" to boost the economy and offset funding cuts.

The city council's co-leader, Jenny Laing, said: "We have been considering the potential of a tourism levy since 2015, a demonstration of our determination to innovate in the face of the funding challenges we face, but no decision can be made unless the council has the devolved power to do so.

"Any decision would be based on consultation with key local stakeholders in the tourism sector to ensure their views continue to help shape future plans."

Voluntary tax

Liverpool city councillors could be about to push for a voluntary tourist tax.

Tourism has boomed in the decade since the city was the 2008 European Capital of Culture year and on Wednesday the city council will debate the idea of a tax for "cultural events".

Two members taking the idea to the city council said that while the industry is creating many jobs, they need to be sure everyone in the city can get the right training.

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Proposals for a £2 a night hotel tax in Edinburgh also received strong public support this week, while Highland Council is on the brink of launching its own consultation to find out if locals back plans for a tax.

Increasing numbers of visitors to places such as the Isle of Skye have placed more pressure on public services and attractions. A council report said a levy could generate £5m-£10m to invest in improvements.

The Scottish government was against allowing councils to set a tourist tax, but Nicola Sturgeon signalled a change in direction last year when she said there should be further consultation.

Elsewhere, plans were also floated for a central London levy to fund facilities such as public toilets, parks and open spaces before being put 'on hold', partly because of uncertainty over Brexit.

Negative impact

Tony Sophoclides, from trade body UK Hospitality, said he can understand why a tourism levy would be attractive to councils looking for new ways to bring in cash, but warned the result could be a falling incomes across all tourism businesses - far outweighing the income a levy might bring.

He said the model may work in European cities and other comparable tourist destinations, but the UK has higher rates of VAT on accommodation and already scores badly in terms of tourism-price competiveness.

He added: "It's not as simple as saying it works elsewhere, so why not here."

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More about this story

This story was developed alongside the work of the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS], a public service news agency.

The LDRS is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector and used by qualifying partners as part of a partnership between the BBC and the News Media Association.