Moscow accuses other countries of ‘trying to disrupt’ peace talks with US

Russia’s top economic negotiator has claimed that some countries are trying to disrupt Moscow’s “very useful” dialogue with the United States, as senior European and US officials meet in Paris to push for peace in Ukraine.

As Donald Trump’s reported Easter deadline for a truce rapidly approaches, his secretary of state Marco Rubio and Moscow-friendly envoy Steve Witkoff are in the French capital for what Washington billed as talks with French officials over the war in Ukraine.

Ramping up pressure on Washington, a previously unannounced delegation from Kyiv said it was also travelling to Paris on Thursday to meet with officials from the US, Britain, France and Germany to discuss a ceasefire, peacekeeping force and other security measures.

With the talks under way, Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev was quoted as telling reporters: “There are a lot of people, structures, countries trying to disrupt our dialogue with the United States. There is a very active propaganda against Russia going on in the United States in various mass media.”

Hours before the delegations arrived, Ukrainian officials said a child was among three people killed and 31 injured as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a devastating drone attack on the city of Dnipro.

What it’s like to live with cancer – when it’s your wife’s diagnosis

If there’s a correct reaction to your wife telling you she has cancer, I’m still not sure what it is. Tears? Fainting? Complete denial? One evening in February this year, it was my turn to find out. “I’m so sorry,” Hannah says, as if she’s somehow “caught cancer” on purpose.

She’s still shell-shocked. I’m not sure I’ve taken a breath; I feel numb. I instinctively put my hands to my temples, applying pressure as if I’m trying to reboot my brain. She doesn’t seem ill at all. She had an appointment with the urologist after spotting a tiny bit of blood in her wee, and we thought nothing of it. But now she has bladder cancer. The kids are downstairs waiting to be fed; we don’t have much time to talk.

“So… like, you mean, definitely? They don’t need to…?” I say, trailing off. “When?” I add, for further confusion – because let’s be honest, “When?” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in this context. When what? When did this happen? “When?” as in “How long have you got?”

In the weeks following this clunky exchange of information, I’ve realised that nailing the appropriate response to someone telling you they have cancer really doesn’t come naturally to many of us.

“S***! The beans!” I say suddenly, remembering the saucepan on the hob downstairs in the kitchen. The side dish for the kids’ next culinary adventure. I’ve got to stop them coagulating into an inedible mush (the beans, not the kids). They’re 10 and seven (the kids, not the beans) and I’ve no idea what we’ll tell them. We hug each other.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” I say, even though I wouldn’t confidently swear that in a court of law. Everything might not be fine at all; everything might be awful. My wife has cancer.

We somehow navigate the evening routine of dinner/bath/bedtime as if the world hasn’t just been knocked off its axis. I talk to the kids about whatever nonsense we talk about, but it’s through a fogginess; I feel like I’ve got sudden-onset tinnitus – the shock of bad news has muffled everything around me and now there’s just a high-pitched hissing sound where rational thought should be.

My wife and I occasionally catch one another’s eye as if caught in a conspiratorial web. She has cancer, I keep reminding myself. We’re in our forties, and my wife Hannah, whom I love more than anything in the world, has cancer. This categorically wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Have you told your parents?” I ask later, once the kids have gone to sleep.

“I’ll do it tomorrow, I don’t want to upset them before bedtime,” she says, thoughtfully.

I nod in sage agreement, desperately attempting to appear stoical. Styling it out, even though I’m fully aware that I’m fraying at the seams. I then burst into tears and don’t stop crying for a good while after.

Over the next few days, the floodgates remain very much ajar. In an ideal world, I’d be supporting Hannah through the early days of her cancer ordeal like I’m channelling the titan Atlas holding up the heavens. But instead, I find myself weeping in secret between Teams meetings for work, and crying mid-run on a treadmill, thankful to be sweating enough that no one would guess.

And though I’m conscientiously attempting to mask my sorrow from the kids (whom we’ve chosen to keep in the dark), some of the noises emanating from my office must surely be a massive giveaway – honking, squealing, occasional howling.

One morning I splutter “What’s happening?” over and over again, from nowhere, as if attempting to break the fourth wall in search of divine intervention. The whole thing feels insane and my emotions are running riot.

What’s worse is that, throughout this barely concealed meltdown, I’m increasingly aware that I’m not the one who’s ill. This is her affliction, not mine. She’s the one having to go into battle against her body.

Yet whenever I attempt to figuratively fix my mascara and reapply my war paint, along comes another emotional trigger to knock me down. A song will come on (big shout out to “No More I Love You’s” by Annie Lennox, that absolutely floored me), or suddenly the word CANCER will appear in multiple headlines. Every time I look at the kids, I have premonitions of them being lumbered with the parental short straw for the rest of their lives. I see photos of Hannah and it feels like she’s already a memory.

The whole thing reminds me of how it was when we found out Hannah was pregnant (over 10 years ago). Suddenly, babies appeared to be everywhere. You’d not really noticed them before, but now all there was in the world was babies, babies, babies. You couldn’t move for them. And this is like that, but with morbid thoughts and intense sadness instead of glorious newborns.

Challenging scenarios play out in my head – visions of Hannah, months/years down the line, hollowed out, gasping and frail, having been blitzed by chemotherapy, or lying withered on her deathbed clutching my hand and lamenting that we never got old together.

Since her diagnosis in February she’s had an operation to remove two tumours from her bladder, and now we’re in the hinterland – waiting for information on what stage, what treatment, what’s next, and whether the various holiday destinations we’ve found over the years might now become the backdrop to unhappy future pilgrimages.

I think about the prospect of her not being at the other end of the sofa or on the other side of the bed. I think about the plans we’ve made for our home/future, or the times I’ve asked her to bear with me while I spend weeks working fruitlessly on script ideas, promising her that one of them will pay off eventually (still waiting on that) and how none of that means anything if she’s not here to enjoy the spoils. I think about how we’ve perfected the mundane ballet of parenting without ever missing a step, and how I can’t possibly do any of it without her. We’ve too many loose ends to tie up; this can’t end now.

“I promise I won’t be doing this the whole time,” I insist pre-emptively as I burst into tears for the umpteenth time. “I just need to get it out of my system.”

She laughs, and hugs me again. “You’ll be OK,” she says.

Christ, I hope so.

Freddie Flintoff’s horror Top Gear crash shown in documentary trailer

Images of Freddie Flintoff’s terrifying Top Gear accident have been released as part of the forthcoming Disney+ documentary about his horror crash.

The former cricketer, 46, was involved in a near-fatal incident that left him with significant facial injuries and broken ribs while filming the motoring show Top Gear in December 2022.

The crash led the BBC to suspend production for the “foreseeable future”, deeming it inappropriate to continue. He received £9m in compensation as a result of his injuries.

In the trailer for new documentary Flintoff, the sportsman reflected on the horrifying crash, which saw him retreat from public life for over half a year.

“I’ve lived under [the] radar for seven months,” Flintoff said in the preview. “One of the real frustrations was the speculation – that’s why I’m doing this now. What actually happened.”

Speaking about his “life-altering” injuries, the cricketer said: “I’m not saying I’m embracing them, but I’m not trying to hide my scars.”

He added: “It’s almost like a reset. I’m trying to find out what I am now. I’ve always seemed to be able to flick a switch, I’ve got to find that switch again.”

Flintoff will explore the ramifications of his accident in the new documentary, which will premiere in the UK and Ireland on 25 April.

His wife Rachael Wools, will also appear in the film. The pair married in March 2005 after they met at Edgbaston Cricket Ground three years earlier.

Also being interviewed for the documentary are the sportsman’s close friends: cricketer Michael Vaughan, presenter James Corden and comedian Jack Whitehall.

Flintoff returned to screens last year with a BBC series titled Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams on Tour, in which he opened up about that crash. He revealed that he still suffers nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety.

Speaking in Field of Dreams, he said: “I don’t want to sit and feel sorry for myself. I don’t want sympathy. I’m struggling with my anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks – it’s been so hard to cope,” he said in a trailer for the show.

“But I’m thinking if I don’t do something, I’ll never go. I’ve got to get on with it.”

Flintoff admitted that the after-effects of the crash might follow him “for the rest of my life” and said he believes he is lucky to be alive after he flipped the Morgan Super three-wheeled car while filming Top Gear.

He said after the crash: “It’s going to be a long road back and I’ve only just started and I am struggling already and I need help. I really am.”

He added: “I’m not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes. I am looking forward to seeing the lads and being around them. I really am.”

Flintoff will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland on 25 April.

Sheep rustlers turn beautiful UK national park into ‘Wild West’

A much-loved national park where herds of sheep graze has been likened to the Wild West by a farmer who says he has lost thousands of ewes to thieves over the past decade.

Colin Abel’s family has been farming sheep on Dartmoor National Park since the 1880s, but a rise in sheep rustlings across the vast moorland is now pushing his eighth-generation farm to the brink.

Around 440 of Mr Abel’s 4,400-ewe flock were reported stolen during an annual count in November last year, up from around 200 the year before. And with each sheep valued at £120, the 56-year-old said the crime cost him more than £50,000 last year.

The seized sheep were among at least 1,101 recorded stolen last year by Devon and Cornwall Police, where officers suspect farming industry insiders are involved. The data, obtained by The Independent, showed there were 182 incidents in 2023, although this could be due to a lower level of reporting.

“It’s a bit of a Wild West on Dartmoor,” said Mr Abel. “Every November we take the sheep in, we never know how many we will get back. Some years it’s terrible. It leads to frustration and anger when you know someone is out there pinching your animals, but you can’t do anything about it.”

In its latest report the National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society said the annual UK cost of livestock theft had risen to £2.7m in 2023, up 8.7 per cent from 2022. The body’s rural affairs specialist Hannah Binns told The Independent it had become “increasingly organised” in recent years.

Earlier this year, Martin Beck, the UK’s national livestock theft police officer, told the BBC stolen sheep could end up being sold on the black market, where there was a risk to the consumer because of a lack of information on the animal’s disease status.

Mr Abel said he believed some ewes were stolen for an underground trade in smokies, which are blowtorched sheep carcasses. The illicit delicacy is banned in the UK but is said to be popular in some city-based west African communities.

“We never see anyone caught so we never really know the true destination for the animals,” he said. “That’s a big part of the frustration, there is no deterrent to stop people going on the common and taking.”

Last year, Devon and Cornwall Police unveiled a drone to help tackle rural crime, while there have also been discussions among farmers over introducing tracking devices on some livestock.

But there are calls for more to be done.

This week, the Lib Dems shared data that showed just 0.4 per cent of the workforce at police forces across England and Wales was assigned to dedicated rural crime teams. The Countryside Alliance has also said some forces lack even basic kit to tackle rural crime.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said tackling the crime was a challenge, adding that the officers’ task was being made harder by the suspected involvement of people from the farming industry.

They said: “Stealing livestock is not something which can be done without knowledge and experience in agriculture and farming. This is why working with our rural communities, including abattoirs, is essential in building intelligence and employing tactical options.”

Last month, the government announced £800,000 in funding to tackle rural crime that, the Home Office said, would partly go towards using technology and data to target organised crime groups.

Environment secretary Steve Reed said: “This government will crack down on these criminals and bring them to justice with specialist rural policing units to protect farmers and our rural communities.”

Fyre Festival 2 postponed just weeks before event was due to start

Fyre Festival 2 has been postponed indefinitely by its organiser, convicted fraudster Billy McFarland, just over a month ahead of its scheduled kick-off date.

McFarland has been attempting to orchestrate a more successful version of the initial Fyre Festival, the notorious event that went viral in 2017 after guests who had paid thousands of dollars for tickets ended up stranded in the Bahamas with limited food and shelter, and none of the promised headliners.

However, the new festival, which was supposed to take place on the Isla Mujeres, Mexico, between 30 May to 2 June, has now been indefinitely postponed, with ticket-holders informed that they had been issued refunds.

“The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced,” a message sent to a ticket-holder and seen by ABC News said.

“We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works for your schedule.”

Tickets for Fyre Festival 2, which was marketed under the slogan “FYRE Festival 2 is real”, went on sale in February at a starting fee of $1,400 and up to $25,000, while premium packages were also being sold for as much as $1.1m.

At the time, McFarland said a statement, “I’m sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again. But I feel I’d be crazy not to do it again.”

“After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for FYRE 2,” he added.

As with the doomed original event, McFarland’s festival promised an “electrifying celebration of music, arts, cuisine, comedy, fashion, gaming, sports, and treasure hunting — all set in the stunning location of Isla Mujeres, Mexico”.

“Experience unforgettable performances, immersive experiences, and an atmosphere that redefines creativity and culture,” the festival’s website said.

Leading up to the festival, Mexico officials with the Quintana Roo Tourism Department and the Playa Del Carmen government said “no event of that name” was to be held there.

Bernardo Cueto, tourism secretary of the State of Quintana Roo, where Isla Mujeres is located, told ABC News that his agency was responsible for handing out permissions for events of this kind. However, Fyre Fest 2 was not something he was informed about, he said, nor was an event by that name happening in Playa del Carmen or Isla Mujeres.

On 4 April, McFarland shared a timeline of apparent conversations with the government of Playa Del Carmen to the festival’s Instagram account, including screenshots of purported conversations and permits.

“All media reports suggesting our team has not been working with the government of PDC are simply inaccurate and based on misinformation,” he said. “FYRE has operated as a good partner with PDC government and has followed the proper processes and procedures to lawfully host an event.”

Eagle-eyed followers then pointed out that the terms of the permits McFarland had posted limited the event to 250 attendees max, far below his proposed 1,800 guests, and also limited the event of 12 hours of music across the weekend with a noise limit of 100 decibels.

The festival had yet to announce a lineup but McFarland told the Today programme: “We’re going to have artists across electronic, hip hop, pop and rock. However, it’s not just music. We might have a professional skateboarder do a demonstration. We might have an MMA champion teach you techniques in the morning.”

Electronic producer and DJ deadmau5 has responded to the news of the event’s postponement, sharing a screenshot of the announcement on his Instagram account along with the caption: “Well that sucks”.

McFarland served four years of a six-year sentence in prison after being convicted of wire fraud in connection with the failed 2017 festival.

Britain must not trade away its values for a deal with Trump

President Trump began by waging economic war on Britain with his punitive tariffs, designed to make UK exports to the US uncompetitive. He apparently couldn’t care less if this results in our companies folding and our workers losing their jobs. His grand plan seems to be to bully the UK into submission to ensure US economic domination.

Seeing the feeble response of the British government to his tariffs, Trump has, by all accounts, been emboldened to now embark on what is tantamount to ideological war against the UK’s human rights laws.

According to people close to the vice-president, JD Vance, the Trump team is insisting that to secure a trade deal with the US, Britain will have to repeal its laws against hate speech that protect LGBT+ people – and presumably also ditch similar laws that protect other minorities and women.

Vance falsely claims these laws are an attack on free speech. He and others in the Trump administration allege that UK people are being arrested over tweets. Yes, some people were arrested for tweets that incited violence against refugees during last summer’s riots. Quite right, too. What they tweeted was not free speech, but criminal incitement.

Taking Vance’s free speech absolutism to its logical conclusion would mean making it lawful to abuse the LGBT+ community as “f******” and Black people as “n******.” No thanks!

A source close to the vice-president warned: “No free speech, no deal. It is as simple as that.” This amounts to cultural imperialism – an attempt by the White House to use a trade deal to impose its cultural values on the people of the UK.

That Britain may be asked to dilute its protections against hate speech in exchange for economic benefits is typically Trumpian – putting commerce and profits over people. But to demand that another allied sovereign country change its values and laws escalates US hegemony to a dangerous and shameful level of intimidation and bullying.

UK legislation against hate is not a mere policy choice; it reflects our values of inclusivity, dignity and respect for others. These laws have been instrumental in fostering a kinder, more tolerant and cohesive society. Rolling them back would signify a regression in our nation’s ethical and legal standards.

The Trump regime is pushing a particularly hardline interpretation of “free speech” – one that disregards the harm caused by hate speech and how it can be a gateway to subsequent harassment, discrimination and violence. There is strong evidence that homophobic hate speech can cause psychological and emotional damage to vulnerable LGBT+ people, including fear, anxiety, depression and – in extreme cases – self-harm.

While freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democratic societies, it must be balanced against the right of people to live free from hate and its devastating consequences. The UK’s approach seeks to maintain this balance, ensuring that speech does not become a weapon of oppression and harm.

Compromising on these values for the sake of a trade deal would set a dangerous precedent that reduces fundamental rights and protections to the status of negotiable commodities.

I have news for Trump and Vance: our values are not things that should be traded according to the whims of economic interests and international bargaining. To do so would undermine the UK’s standing as a nation pledged to uphold human rights. It would erode our credibility and influence on the global stage. How could we call out Putin, Xi, Orban and Erdogan over the hate they stir if we were not willing to maintain legislation against hate in our own country?

The UK government claims that scrapping hate speech laws is not part of the trade negotiations with the US. However, the fact that sources say such a demand is being made by Vance casts doubt on that claim. It necessitates a firm and unequivocal response. The UK must make it clear that its commitment to protecting vulnerable communities is non-negotiable.

In the pursuit of economic prosperity, the UK should not lose sight of the humanitarian principles that define our society. Trade deals should enhance them, not compromise them. Moreover, protecting people against hate speech is not only morally right but also essential for an optimal economy. People who feel safe, protected and valued tend to be more productive. Fairer, more equal societies tend to be happier and more successful.

This is not the time to sacrifice our principles for short-term economic gains. Trade negotiations should not become an excuse for watering down our values and laws. The strength of a nation lies not only in its economic prowess, but also in its dedication to the principles of justice, inclusivity and respect for all.