Zelensky pleads with US to send Patriot missiles in $60bn aid package

Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with the US and other allies to send Ukraine Patriot missiles after Washington approved a $95bn aid package for Kyiv to fight the Russian invasion.

The Ukraine president said at least seven Patriot systems are needed to protect Ukrainian cities.

“We urgently need Patriot systems and missiles for them,” he told the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries gathering virtually in a Pentagon-led meeting.

“This is what can and should save lives right now.”

Earlier, Ukraine withdrew its American-made Abrams battle tanks from the frontline over concerns they can be easily detected and targeted by Russian drones.

Kyiv has lost five of the 31 Abrams tanks given to it by the US to Russian attacks since October last year. Ukraine had engaged in a months-long campaign arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10m apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.

The US is expected to announce that it will provide another $6bn in long-term military aid to Ukraine, US officials said, adding that it will include much sought after munitions for Patriot air defence systems.

Teacher lured boyfriend with sex before tying him up and killing him

A primary school teacher has pleaded guilty mid-trial to murdering her boyfriend by luring him into their bedroom for sex before tying him to the bed, stabbing him in the neck, and burying him in the back garden.

Fiona Beal, 50, revealed through journal entries discovered by police that she was planning the attack on Nicholas Billingham, 42, “in cold blood” and had purchased a knife, chisel and cable ties.

Beal initially pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by reason of a loss of control, but denied murdering Nicholas Billingham, 42, whose partly mummified body was found in March 2022, four months after he was last seen.

The 50-year-old told a number of friends in the days after that she and Mr Billingham had Covid-19 and needed to isolate. She then sent messages from Mr Billingham’s phone saying they had split up because he had an affair.

However, Mr Billingham had been buried in the back garden. The court heard that after Beal promised him sex after a bath, she stabbed him in the neck when he was wearing a sleeping mask, while cable-tied on their bed.

A jury at the Old Bailey heard on Friday that she had changed her plea. Judge Mark Lucraft told Fiona Beal: “You have this morning pleaded guilty to murder, which as you have no doubt been told, carries a sentence of life imprisonment.”

Mr Billingham’s remains were discovered by Northamptonshire Police in March 2022 after Beal had been found in a distressed state at a holiday lodge cabin in Cumbria.

After a search of the holiday home officers found a handwritten journal in which Beal explained that she was “controlled and manipulated” in the relationship and that Mr Billingham had done “unpleasant things” to her.

She went on to introduce her alter ego, called Tulip22, who the court heard was “capable of wholly different and darker conduct than her public persona of committed teacher and parent”.

Jurors heard one entry said: “Still my actions haunt me. I sometimes have to catch myself and remember what I did and then remember my cover story – neither seem convincing.”

Another detailed her planning for the attack, with Beal writing: “It was harder than I thought it would be. Hiding a body was bad. Moving a body is much more difficult than it looks on TV.”

The court heard she wrapped her dead partner up and dragged him down the stairs, destroying the banister rail upstairs in the process. She buried him in the side return of her garden.

His grave comprised of concrete she had mixed and a “de facto coffin” made of breeze blocks, timber and sheets.

The court heard that Beal was a “high-functioning professional” and messaged several people on November 1, 2021 – and in the days after – that she and Mr Billingham had contracted Covid-19 and needed to isolate.

The prosecutor, Hugh Davies KC, called the narrative “sustained and dishonest” and told jurors there was no evidence that Beal took a Covid test.

The court heard similar messages were sent from Mr Billingham’s phone from 2 November. Mr Davies told jurors the messages from Mr Billingham’s phone were Beal “pretending to be him” in a move that was “as heartless as it was self-serving”.

On 8 November, jurors heard that Beal sent messages to her sisters saying she and Mr Billingham had split up, with one message saying he left because he had had an affair with another woman.

She also used her victim’s phone to send messages to Mr Bellingham’s family on December 30, 2021, in which she texted his mother that he had been to see his beloved Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Speaking after today’s hearing, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury said: “We are pleased Fiona Beal has now taken the decision to admit she did indeed murder Nick Billingham and hope that it brings the start of some closure to his family who have faced a torrid time for more than two years, including sitting through the original trial in Northampton in 2023.

“Today’s news will have come as a great relief as they await her sentencing next month.”

Beal will be sentenced on 29 and 30 May. She will remain in custody.

Additional reporting by PA

RSPCA warns parents over gender reveal craze that is killing birds

The RSPCA has issued a warning about a new gender reveal craze that is harming birds.

Parents-to-be have been using pigeons dyed pink or blue to reveal the gender of their unborn child, but one animal hospital said the trend may have contributed to the death of a bird last month.

Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital shared a post on Facebook on an injured pigeon it received that had been dyed pink. A spokesperson urged people to “think before you follow these social media trends”.

“The pigeon was most likely used for a gender reveal party and is absolutely shocking,” they added. “It has become a horrendous trend and we are urging you to spread the message about the effects that this can have. Quite simply, it is an act of cruelty and is no way to celebrate the gender of your baby.”

Have you been affected by this? Email alex.ross@independent.co.uk

The spokesperson said that the dye made the birds an easier target for predators, while toxins could cause them to become unwell if swallowed or inhaled. They added that due to the birds being bred in captivity, it was likely they also had no sense of how to survive in the wild.

“This pigeon sadly didn’t make it, he was incredibly malnourished, dehydrated and had significant wounds caused by the cat,” they added.

Exmouth farmers Andrew and Kate Lamont spotted a pink pigeon on their property, and shared the picture in their local Facebook group.

Mrs Lamont told The Independent: “My initial thought was what had happened to the bird to make it go pink.

“We shared the picture and did a bit of a search and found out about these parties. It is not something we would encourage people to do, obviously. I was surprised, and haven’t seen the bird since.”

In the US last year, a dyed-pink pigeon named Flamingo died after being found wandering through Madison Square Park in Manhattan.

An RSPCA spokesperson added: “The majority of us want the best for animals, and to treat them with respect – so intentionally painting a pigeon’s feathers is unacceptable as it could cause health problems, impair their ability to fly and make them more vulnerable to predators.

“In addition, dye and paints can be toxic to birds and other animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it.

“From time to time we do hear anecdotally about incidents involving animals being affected in this way – and sadly we fear social media trends could be fuelling this.”

Trump seems to get cold feet about testifying in hush money trial

Donald Trump appears to be getting cold feet about taking the stand to testify in his criminal hush money trial, after he previously insisted that he would “absolutely” do so.

The former president called in to Newsmax on Thursday night after the conclusion of day seven of his historic trial, where he was asked by anchor Greg Kelly about his intentions to testify in his own defence based on what he had seen of the proceedings so far.

“Well I would if it’s necessary,” Mr Trump answered.

He continued: “Right now, I don’t know if you heard about today. Today was just incredible. People are saying – the experts, I’m talking about legal scholars and experts – they’re saying, ‘What kind of a case is this? There is no case.’

“Uh, you know they had David Pecker, testifying today. And he was, you know, people are saying there’s no case. There’s literally no case!”

Mr Trump went on to cite conservative lawyers Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Turley and Mark Levin to back up his baseless insistence that the legal establishment is almost entirely in agreement with him about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg having no case against him.

Mr Bragg charged the former president with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to suppress allegations of an affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Mr Trump’s comments about testifying were much more reticent than his previous statements on the matter.

Speaking at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month – just three days before jury selection got under way in the case – he told reporters: “Yeah, I would testify, absolutely. That’s not a trial. That’s a scam.”

So far in the trial, jurors have heard from testimony from David Pecker, former publisher of tabloid giant The National Enquirer, who has described a months-long scheme to “catch and kill” embarrassing stories about Mr Trump’s alleged affairs.

Mr Pecker testified that the agreement drawn up in the weeks after Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign launch was designed to boost the latter’s chances of winning the presidential election.

He testified that he vowed to be the “eyes and ears” of the Republican’s campaign, going beyond what he called “chequebook journalism” to give Mr Trump a direct line to a media apparatus to influence the outcome of the 2016 vote.

That included the purchase of a false story from a former Trump Tower doorman who alleged the candidate had fathered an illegitimate child with a maid and the acquisition of a story from former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who planned to go public with her allegations of a months-long affair.

On Thursday, Mr Pecker testified that then-president Trump had later thanked him for handling Ms McDougal’s contract and “the doorman situation” after he entered the White House.

Elsewhere in Mr Trump’s interview with Newsmax, he also retreated from his notorious “Lock her up!” catchphrase about Hillary Clinton – claiming he didn’t really want to see his 2016 presidential rival behind bars but claimed he had “opportunities” to make it happen.

He also characterised himself as a martyr to the cause of stopping “election interference” and argued New York City should be tackling violent street crime rather than prosecuting him.

Rebel Wilson’s controversial memoir is bemusing and fixated on money

Rebel Wilson landed in Hollywood with a mission: she would be the female Jonah Hill. She sensed there was a gap in the market for a girl like her, who grew up, dreaming of networking opportunities, in an Australian suburb and was taught in a university course on comedy that “people like to laugh at people that they don’t want to sleep with”. “I can create content, and that’s valuable,” she told Hill’s agents at a meeting in 2010, while hoping to get them on board with the Rebel Wilson business plan. “I see them pondering my potential and future in their minds,” she writes in her new memoir Rebel Rising. “My boob sweat starts to drip again.”

Wilson’s book may be the first celebrity memoir to forgo gossip and myth-making in favour of detailing marketing strategies and movie-star asset management. Yes, there is a gripping – and, for the book’s UK release, heavily redacted – chapter describing the actor and comedian’s run-ins with Sacha Baron Cohen, which moves with the speed of a thriller. But otherwise, Rebel Rising is a bemusing curiosity, an autobiography in which we are asked repeatedly to celebrate its author’s expensive jewellery, high salaries and multiple apartments around the globe. “I love buying property,” Wilson writes. “It reminds me of how little Rebel would strategise whilst playing Monopoly – ‘Buy, buy, buy!’ was always my motto.”

The tell-all memoir has always held a vaunted position in celebrity culture, lending even the most throwaway of stars an elegant, literary sheen. But the market is also at saturation point, flush with books by famous faces with little to say about anything, let alone themselves. Paris Hilton’s was too brand-conscious. RuPaul’s was a narcissistic slog. Jada Pinkett Smith’s felt like being held hostage by someone who’s just got back from an ayahuasca retreat and is determined to tell you absolutely everything about it. Wilson’s, frankly, is too early – written by a star who is still figuring out who they are as a woman and as a celebrity, so fills in the blanks with braggadocio and boob jokes.

Wilson has, without question, had a film career. But it’s been a very modern one, her work scattershot rather than consistent, unmemorable when it’s not completely catastrophic. No other modern funny-person is as perfect for an age of Netflix algorithms and semi-regular magazine articles asking whether the comedy movie is dead. After making a name for herself in Australian sketch shows, Wilson moved to Los Angeles in 2010, immediately signing with an influential talent agency. She was then cast in a role in Kristen Wiig’s rollicking comedy hit Bridesmaids. It remains the only truly good film she’s ever made.

The ones that followed Bridesmaids – among them star vehicles including The Hustle and Isn’t It Romantic, as well as the Pitch Perfect musical franchise – gleefully embraced Wilson’s comic persona, her staccato deadpan, and her somewhat rote, fish-out-of-water oddity. In her book, Wilson acknowledges the niche she’s always filled in the industry – “the fat funny girl, making self-deprecating jokes” – and occasionally hints at resentment over it, but never pursues the thought further. She seems curiously uncurious about her own image, or the creative legacy she’s leaving behind. There are only scant mentions of Cats, for instance, despite the 2019 Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptation being a noteworthy blight on a CV already awash with guff. “I actually quite like the film and think the artistry is incredible,” she writes, in what is potentially the book’s only laugh-out-loud line.

Instead, it is money that always seems to soothe Wilson’s wounds. When she decides to lose weight in 2020, she briefly ponders whether she’ll still be funny with a different body size, or if it’ll affect people’s responses to Senior Year, a cheerleader comedy she’s due to shoot. “89 million unique Netflix accounts watch it within the first 10 days of release. It’s a global hit! I think I’m fine,” she writes a sentence later.

There is, I suppose, something slightly transgressive about a famous person writing about their own life like this – that Rebel Wilson is openly and proudly a form of content, happy to be flogged to the masses. The female Jonah Hill like she promised, optimised for massive earning potential. But it makes Rebel Rising a surprisingly chilly read – celebrity tell-all by way of a Steven Bartlett podcast. Everything is slightly mechanical: the professional choices Wilson makes, the endorsement deals she takes, what she feels constitutes a win. “I filmed three movies back-to-back for a whopping $20m US dollars in acting salary total,” she boasts. “I also produced The Hustle and Isn’t It Romantic, which made me even more money.”

In its early stages, Wilson’s book feels so on-the-nose in its love of cash and trinkets that it almost comes off as a gag. “My four MTV Movie Awards sit in a trophy case I have at my second home in Los Angeles,” she declares. “Because yes, I have two.” But as Rebel Rising unfolds, it becomes clear that this is just Wilson – her natural mode of conversation, at least on paper, is consistently tone-deaf and baffling. “I really related to rap music,” she writes at one point. “Rappers wanted money and prestige – I wanted that too. Rappers normally had a hard life – even though I clearly wasn’t growing up in Compton around guns and drugs, in my own mind things were tough. I had no friends, my parents were increasingly bickering and money was again tight. Tight because of my expensive school fees, Dad said.” See what I mean?

In the Baron Cohen chapter, Wilson describes working with him on the doomed spy spoof Grimsby, and how “everything felt off”. “From how I perceived it, he wanted me to wear a sleeveless top that showed the chunkiest part of my arms and a much shorter skirt where you could see as much cellulite as possible … This felt personal – like he just wanted me to look and feel awful.” Her character Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect movies was different, she adds. “I was in control of that character. It felt to me [on Grimsby] like a bunch of men were degrading me … in my opinion, they thought it was funny to laugh at the fat girl.”

It’s the best chapter in the book, not only for the gossip but because it gets so close to actually being about something – about agency and power, and the delicate difference between using your body for a joke and having your body used for a joke. Some of the best celebrity memoirs in recent months have been by women who are aware of how their bodies have been packaged and sold in the entertainment industry, and are able to articulate the tension between exploitation and self-expression – think Pamela Anderson’s insightful Love, Pamela, Britney Spears’ haunting The Woman in Me, or Julia Fox’s harrowing Down the Drain.

Every once in a while, Wilson needles towards an insightful point like those women did in their books, but then scampers away frightened. It’s consistently disappointing. But perhaps it’s just the comedian in her. Why bare your soul when you can just slip on a banana peel?

‘Rebel Rising’, published by HarperCollins, is in shops

E2E Female 100 List for 2024 Revealed

For more information and to see the full E2E Female 100 2024 list click here.

E2E, in association with The Independent, proudly unveils the E2E Female 100 list, a definitive index recognising the exceptional achievements of the 100 fastest-growing female-led or founded businesses in the United Kingdom, based on their remarkable growth rates over the past three years.

The data underpinning this prestigious recognition is gathered by Experian and Go Live Data, ensuring a meticulous selection process that acknowledges businesses solely for their tangible contributions to the commercial landscape.

Spanning a myriad of sectors, these league tables serve as a testament to the remarkable endeavours spearheaded by women across the UK.

A celebratory gala dinner is scheduled for the autumn of 2024, hosted by Shalini Khemka CBE.

Featured in the list and demonstrating extraordinary growth are Darina Garland, co-founder and co-CEO at Ooni, who has seen an 88% increase, Alison Doherty, CEO at Sarah Raven’s Kitchen & Garden Limited who has seen an 83% increase and Fateha Begum, co-founder and executive director at Dare International Ltd who has seen an 81% increase in growth.

The E2E Female 100 constitutes a pivotal component of The E2E 100, a visionary initiative encompassing six league tables, complemented by expansive receptions and a plethora of associated content.

This initiative stands as a resounding testament to the exceptional calibre of UK enterprises, showcasing their unwavering commitment to excellence, consistent growth, and groundbreaking business strategies that reverberate not only within their respective sectors but resonate nationwide, and in some instances, globally.

Highlighting talent from every corner of the UK, this list underscores the rich diversity of businesses founded by women and the monumental successes they have achieved despite navigating through the challenges of an uncertain economic landscape.

Speaking about the list, Shalini Khemka CBE, founder of E2E says: “The E2E Female 100 list is a testament to the remarkable achievements of women in business. It showcases their talent, dedication, and resilience in navigating the business world. We’re still in a period of transition where women have to be recognised as much as possible to create parity in our economy, both in terms of general recognition, pay recognition, and equal opportunities, and I believe this list serves as a pivotal step towards achieving that goal. By shining a spotlight on the outstanding contributions of women entrepreneurs, the E2E Female 100 list not only celebrates successes, but also advocates for the recognition and equal treatment of women in business.”

Andy Morley, Chief Revenue Officer from The Independent, said: “It brings us great pleasure to highlight this extraordinary assembly of women, each having demonstrated remarkable strides over the past three years in their respective fields. The collaboration between E2E and The Independent for the E2E Female 100 provides a platform to spotlight the exceptional female talent across the UK whilst inspiring future generations of female entrepreneurs, and shows E2E’s commitment to championing female leadership in business.

Lord Bilimoria CBE, DL said: “As a founding Board Member of E2E, I’ve witnessed its transformation under the stewardship of Shalini Khemka CBE, evolving into a pivotal ecosystem supporting founders, business leaders, and investors. The Female 100 is a testament to E2E’s commitment to spotlighting the fastest growing female-led enterprises across the UK— a remarkable initiative that not only celebrates the achievements of these dynamic women but also serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs. E2E’s dedication to fostering diversity and empowering female leaders underscores its invaluable contribution to the entrepreneurial landscape, shaping a future where opportunity knows no bounds.”

The tracks are independently compiled by Go Live Data and Experian according to specific criteria and official data. Each track is supported by our partners Champions (UK) plc, Go Live Data, Virtuoso Legal and Experian.

To find out more about E2E, visit https://www.e2exchange.com

How did a Tory promise to end no-fault evictions become stalled?

Conservatives pledged in the 2019 manifesto to abolish Section 21 notices, which allow landlords to evict tenants without giving a reason. No-fault eviction, as it is called, has been one of the biggest complaints of tenants, and the abolition of Section 21 notices has long been a central demand of tenant and homelessness campaign groups, such as Shelter.

Now, almost five years after the first promise was given, and almost a year since the Renters (Reform) Bill was tabled, the commitment seems no closer to being honoured. The bill is now going through its report stage and third reading in the Commons before returning to the House of Lords, but the key sections are expected to be watered down or subject to delay.

Michael Gove, the housing secretary, also seems to be wavering. In a television interview in February, he insisted Section 21 orders would be abolished by the next election. On the eve of the bill’s third reading, he seemed less certain, saying to the BBC: “Everything depends on the House of Lords. My determination is to ensure that we get this bill on the statute book. But it’s up to the Lords to decide the rate of progress that we can make … It will be a judgement of the Lords as to how this bill progresses.”

Labour’s ‘radical’ plan to overhaul rail isn’t as radical as it sounds

The Labour Party has promised “the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation” by renationalising the network if it wins this year’s general election.

The policy is not quite as radical as it sounds. Wisely, a Keir Starmer government would not waste taxpayers’ money on old-style nationalisation. Instead, it would transfer the 10 remaining rail operators’ contracts still in private hands into “public control” when franchises expire by the end of a five-year parliament, avoiding the compensation needed in an immediate transition.

Under Sir Keir, Labour has rightly moved a long way from Jeremy Corbyn’s pledge at the 2019 election to put the railways, energy utilities, water industry, postal services and broadband infrastructure in public hands. It is increasingly clear that an incoming Starmer government would have a rotten economic inheritance with no money for such extravagant schemes. Although it would set up a publicly owned Great British Energy company to invest in clean energy like offshore wind, the deservedly criticised water industry would be reformed through tougher regulation rather than state ownership.