Man charged after 'runaway' Jaguar stopped on M62
In the aftermath of the incident Jaguar Land Rover said it had launched an investigation.
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BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
New-look Man City aim to bounce back amid uncertainty
Manchester City head into the new season with the cloud of financial charges still hovering over them, while there are questions on how quickly their new signings will integrate into the been dominant with four successive Premier League titles, Pep Guardiola's all-conquering side endured a bitterly disappointing 2024-25 finished third in the table, failed to win a major trophy and suffered a shock last-16 exit from the Fifa Club World Cup at the hands of Saudi Arabia's will be a wounded beast, but there is uncertainty as to how they will respond to last season's struggles and whether Guardiola can build another title-winning machine."We are ready," said the Spaniard. "We had a short pre-season but a really good one and we are ready to go, to enjoy the good moments and bounce back as soon as possible."I cannot assure you, but the signs are that we can be better. Maybe we can be worse! You never know. But I think it will be better." Charges verdict rumbles on Last Sunday, the giant electronic advertising board close to Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium served a reminder it has been "246 days since Man City's FFP hearing ended".That has since ticked on to 252 days and we are no closer to knowing the outcome of City's 115 charges for allegedly breaching the Premier League's financial rules, which were first published in February hearing took place in front of an independent commission between September and December of last year, but there has been no indication as to when the findings will be have strongly denied the charges but, if found guilty, the commission could sanction a massive points deduction or the unthinkable scenario of relegation.A decision was widely expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2025 and boss Guardiola provided a timeline of "in one month" back in February, but that has now dragged into another sheer scale of charges and amount of evidence has led to October now being mooted for the time of the verdict, but there has been no official confirmation of club has declined to comment, while Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said they have "no influence" on the timing and it would be "wrong" for him to the meantime, it has been business as usual for striker Erling Haaland signed a new bumper contract which expires in 2034 and the club extended their kit partnership with Puma for a record £100m per season, making it the largest such deal in the Premier January, they have spent almost £400m on new signings as Guardiola reshaped his squad in an attempt to reclaim the Premier League trophy. Are City flying under the radar? It isn't that often Guardiola gets it wrong in the transfer market but of the four January signings, only Egypt forward Omar Marmoush can be classed as a success after scoring eight goals, including a hat-trick against defender Abdukodir Khusanov barely got a look-in after March, Brazilian centre-back Vitor Reis has now been sent on loan to Girona, while there appear doubts over whether Guardiola trusts midfielder Nico summer strategy was to bolster the squad by addressing the problem areas, bringing in Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves to fill the hole at left-back, while box-to-box Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders will bring much-needed energy to the legend Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish left in the summer and it may fall to Frenchman Rayan Cherki to pick up the mantle of attacking creativity, while James Trafford will provide goalkeeping competition to Ederson as the Brazilian enters the final year of his desperately missed the presence of Rodri in the middle of the park during an injury-ravaged season for the club and the Spaniard is unlikely to be fully fit until September after a dressing room has lost serial winners in De Bruyne, Grealish and former captain Kyle Walker so, while Guardiola will be hoping the new boys quickly grasp his vision and settle in immediately, are City flying under the radar?Aside from the acquisition of Trafford from Burnley, City did the bulk of their transfer business in June before the Club World Cup, while signings such as Florian Wirtz for champions Liverpool and Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal caught the sources have pointed to new captain Bernardo Silva having the experience to galvanise a side which underperformed to their previous high standards last term, when he leads them out against Wolves on Saturday (kick-off 17:30 BST).One insider said "don't count us out" and it would be foolish to do so for a side that has been champions in six of the last eight seasons. Guardiola to relight fire - or is the end near? Last season will have been a shock to Guardiola, finishing outside of the top two for only the second time in 15 seasons as manager at City, Barcelona and Bayern a 10th season with City, the 54-year-old is currently the Premier League's longest-serving boss and has said he will take a break from management once he the great Sir Alex Ferguson did over at neighbours Manchester United, Guardiola will need to show he still has the desire to re-energise himself and his team in an attempt to overthrow Arne Slot's Liverpool and return to the summit only has the playing squad been refreshed, but the coaching staff too. Jurgen Klopp's former Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders has joined in a similar role, and set-piece coach James French has also arrived from the Reds, while Kolo Toure was promoted from the youth former City and Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has cast doubt over whether Guardiola has the ability to go again, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "When a season starts, you've got to light a fire in a team, with the fans, and make people believe. And I'm not sure he's got that fire any more."I'm not sure they're going to win another big title under Guardiola. I'd be surprised, to be honest."Spanish football expert Guillem Balague added: "The fire that we see now - what we see in his eyes, in the jokes with his players and how he returned refreshed from the summer - can that continue until the end of the season?"He has a two-year contract until 2027 and 100% by the end of the two years he will not continue with club football. But nobody can say that may not happen earlier, that this could be his last season."Is he excited because it is his last season or is it because he really feels he has a team in his hands which he can mould and create a new Manchester City, a third version?"If he sees himself having the ability to continue then we will see a second year but we will not see a third. We are seeing the end of Pep Guardiola as a manager."
Telegraph
41 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Britain is a tinderbox. This crackdown on Union flags could make it explode
Have you ever been injured by a Union flag? Has one, for example, mugged you at knife-point for your iPhone 16? Or perhaps a gang of teenage Union flags, out of their minds on weapons-grade skunk, have ambushed you as you walk home on your own after dark? I'm relieved to say that I for one have never suffered any such misfortune. But then, I don't live in Birmingham. And it would seem that the Union flags up there are an awful lot deadlier than the ones down my way in Kent. Lately, in England's second largest city, patriotically minded residents have taken to hanging Union flags from lamp posts – in order, they say, to 'show Birmingham and the rest of the country how proud we are of our history, freedoms and achievements'. The Labour council, however, is taking the flags down – because, apparently, they're 'dangerous'. According to a spokesman, 'People who attach unauthorised items to lamp posts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk.' To me, at least, this seems a puzzling claim. Still, for the sake of argument, let us assume that these councillors mean well, and that they're motivated not by Britain-hating wokery, but by an innocent if slightly excessive desire to protect residents' safety. Even so, can they really not see how their actions could backfire? Put it like this. At the meeting where the decision was made, I'd like to think at least one councillor had the sense to say: 'Hang on a moment, comrades. Isn't there just a tiny risk that people might misinterpret this? Across the country there are protests against asylum seeker hotels, public fury about crimes committed by illegal immigrants, and a growing sense that Britain is a tinderbox that would need just the tiniest spark to go up in flames. Against that backdrop, how do we think people will react if they read that a Labour council has ordered the removal of British flags? 'Do we think they'll all nod, and say, 'Fair enough. British flags are indeed very dangerous, even when gently fluttering 25 feet above one's head'? Or will it reinforce their conviction that a) this country is run by people who despise it, and b) they now live in a two-tier society, because, in the very same week, their council has chosen to light up the Library of Birmingham first in the colours of Pakistan's flag, and then the colours of India's flag, in order to celebrate the anniversary of those two countries gaining independence from this one? 'Obviously we can't say for sure. In the current climate, though, I just think it might be wise to hold off. We may think that hanging Union flags from lamp posts is terribly dangerous. But removing them may be more dangerous still.' In defence of the graveyard 'fat tax' Then again, there are times when I feel councils should resist public pressure. Take, for example, this week's extraordinary row over a graveyard 'fat tax'. Councillors in Wolverhampton were planning to charge hundreds of pounds extra for obese people's graves – on the grounds that their burial plots have to be wider. But, after an outcry from local people, they've backed down. To me, however, the idea seemed perfectly sensible. As the Telegraph reported in November last year, Britain is running out of room for burial plots as it is. So the wider our graves become, the worse this crisis will grow. Something must be done to save space – and charging per inch would surely help. Obese people who don't wish to lumber their families with higher fees will naturally make a greater effort to lose weight. Which, in turn, will make them less likely to need a grave at all. Or at least, less likely to need one so soon. Everyone wins. Baby talk Last week the Mirror website reported that a criminal had been handed a two-year suspended sentence. The headline described the criminal as a woman. Beneath that headline, however, was a photograph, showing that the woman in question had pink hair – and a beard. These days, of course, there's nothing remotely unusual about Left-wing news outlets referring to male criminals as women, if that is how the criminals say they see themselves. The only reason I draw attention to this particular story is that the criminal, who is 46 years old, also happens to be a self-professed 'adult baby diaper-lover'. Apparently, the court was told that such people like to wear nappies not out of any medical necessity, but because they are 'regressing' to childhood, in search of a 'gentler, more carefree time'. This intrigued me. Because, if a man who chooses to dye his hair pink must be described as a woman, shouldn't a man who chooses to wear Pampers be described as a baby? For the sake of consistency, the Mirror should surely have reported that the two-year suspended sentence had been handed to a newborn baby girl. Stating that a crime committed by an adult was committed by a baby is no more absurd than stating that a crime committed by a man was committed by a woman. And anyway, it's important to be inclusive. In due course, I feel sure, our streets will be filled with placard-wielding progressives chanting that adult babies are babies, and calling for the right of every 46 year-old to enrol at his local crèche.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Things to know about the indictment against the New Orleans mayor
Months before New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was set to leave office because of term limits, she has been indicted in what prosecutors allege was a yearslong scheme to conceal a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. Prosecutors say bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie was being paid as if he was working when he and Cantrell were really alone in apartments and visiting vineyards, hiding their communication by sending encrypted messages through WhatsApp and then deleting them. Although the pair have said their relationship was strictly professional, the indictment described it as 'personal and intimate.' The first female mayor in New Orleans' 300-year history has been charged with conspiracy, fraud and obstruction. Vappie was already facing charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury returned an 18-count indictment Friday that added Cantrell to the case. The City of New Orleans said in a statement that it was aware of the indictment and that the mayor's attorney was reviewing it. Cantrell hasn't sent out a message on her official social media feed on X since July 15, when she said the city was experiencing historic declines in crime. She and her remaining allies have said that she has been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials. Here are things to know about the mayor and the indictment: Vineyard trips and alone time with bodyguard The indictment paints a detailed picture of Cantrell and her bodyguard traveling to vineyards and spending time alone in apartments at the same time it says Vappie was being paid as if he was working. Vappie reminisced in a WhatsApp exchange cited in the indictment about joining Cantrell in Scotland in October 2021, saying that was 'where it all started.' Cantrell had told local reporters she needed a security detail 'due to COVID,' saying her travel accommodations were 'a matter of safety, not of luxury.' The following year, instead of Cantrell attending a conference in Miami, authorities said the pair rendezvoused on Martha's Vineyard. Vappie's travel to the island was covered by the city to attend a separate conference. 'The times when we are truly (traveling) is what spoils me the most,' the mayor wrote to him that month. That same year, they also visited several California wineries, according to the indictment. After a 'trusted staff member' posted a photo of the three of them on social media, one of Cantrell's associates asked them to remove it. They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and Cantrell arranged for him to attend 14 trips, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson said. The trips, he added, were described by her as times 'when they were truly alone.' In all, New Orleans taxpayers paid more than $70,000 for Vappie's travel, Simpson said. The pair used WhatsApp for more than 15,000 messages, including efforts to delete evidence, make false statements to FBI agents, 'and ultimately to commit perjury before a federal grand jury,' he said. A turbulent second term as mayor Cantrell, a Democrat, won a historic election in 2017 by portraying herself as a candidate for the people and not of the city's political class. Her mayoral tenure started strong with her securing tens of millions of dollars for city infrastructure improvements and taking decisive steps during the pandemic. There wasn't strong opposition to her 2021 election for a second term. But it was around that time that the wheels started to come off her administration. After Hurricane Ida pounded south Louisiana in 2021, residents were left without trash collection for weeks, while crime rates were surging. Meanwhile, Cantrell drew criticism for taking first-class trips abroad at the city's expense, violating a policy that requires city employees to use cheaper fares. She eventually agreed to repay the difference. A WVUE television investigation also found she was using a city-owned apartment as a part-time residence. Cantrell survived a recall campaign launched in 2022 by disgruntled Black Democrats and largely funded by wealthy white Republicans. She is also among more than 100 people brought up on corruption charges in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans two decades ago, said Rafael Goyeneche, a former prosecutor who is president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a watchdog group that provided photographs and information to federal authorities in the latest case. New Orleans' long history of corruption cases Although Cantrell is New Orleans' first mayor to be charged while in office, this is far from the first corruption case to impact the city. 'Public corruption has crippled us for years and years,' Simpson said. 'And this is extremely significant.' In 2014, former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to a decade in prison for bribery, money laundering, fraud and tax crimes. The charges relate to actions during his two terms as mayor from 2002 to 2010. He was released early in 2020 during the pandemic. In 2022, Rodney J. 'Jack' Strain, a former Louisiana sheriff, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a federal bribery conviction. He also received four life sentences for earlier convictions for raping boys. After serving five terms, he admitted he used his authority as sheriff to steer profits from a $1 million work-release contract to himself, his family and two deputies. G. Thomas Porteous Jr., a federal judge from New Orleans, was impeached and removed from the bench after the U.S. Senate in 2010 determined he took money from attorneys and bail bondsmen and lied in a personal bankruptcy filing, among other offenses. He never faced criminal charges as a result of the probe, which ran from 1999 to 2007. He died in 2021.
