Multiple people killed in ‘catastrophic’ UPS plane crash near US airport

Emergency crews on Wednesday were searching for the 16 people still missing after a UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded into a huge fireball while taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing at least nine people and injuring 11, officials said.

Rescue efforts remained underway, with Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg warning authorities expect it to “take a while” as the site spans a “very large area.” Over 200 first responders were on scene Tuesday night.

The airport reopened Wednesday morning, Greenberg confirmed.

A shelter-in-place order for a quarter-mile radius surrounding the crash site remained in effect Wednesday, causing Jefferson County Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, to shut down for the day, officials said.

“Kentucky, more heartbreaking news out of Louisville. The number of those lost has now risen to at least 9, with the possibility of more. Right now, these families need prayers, love and support. Let’s wrap our arms around them during this unimaginable time,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote on X.

Beshear noted Wednesday morning that 16 families who gathered at a reunification center “have reported loved ones unaccounted for.”

All three crew members aboard the freight plane are believed to have died, while at least four other fatalities were not on the plane, officials said. Eleven people were injured, including two who had “very significant injuries,” Beshear said.

On Tuesday, Beshear described the crash as “catastrophic.”

“Anybody who has seen the images and the video knows how violent this crash is,” Beshear added.

Footage showed flames erupting from the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. Other clips captured the plane crashing and exploding into a massive fireball.

All flights departing from the airport on Tuesday night were cancelled, according to Louisville police. Operations are set to resume Wednesday, per the mayor’s office.

Emergency responders from multiple agencies responded to the crash, and federal officials are slated to investigate the cause of the incident fully.

The Honolulu-bound UPS MD-11 aircraft crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time shortly after the plane departed the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

UPS’s largest package handling facility is in Louisville and the company said Tuesday night that it had stopped package sorting at the center. The company did not say when it would resume.

“We all know somebody who works at UPS,” Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe said. “And they’re all texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everyone is safe. Sadly, some of those texts are probably going to go unanswered.”

Aerial video of the crash site shared by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy showed a fire and an industrial-looking building with damage to its roof.

The plane was carrying about 38,000 pounds of fuel at the time of the crash, according to state officials.

The cargo jet did not have any specifically hazardous materials onboard.

The fire that resulted from the crash has caused a notable odor in the air. Still, particulate monitors are not turning up any “adverse readings,” Jody Meiman, executive director at Louisville Emergency Management, said Tuesday night at a press conference.

The jet reached an altitude of about 175 feet and then began to fall sharply, according to flight data tracker Flightradar24.

The crash damaged at least two businesses, including Kentucky Petroleum Recycling, which Beshear said was hit “directly,” and Grade A Auto Parts.

Employees of both businesses have been accounted for, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Tuesday.

A nearby Ford plant was not impacted, Beshear said, calling the news a “blessing,” given the number of employees inside at the time.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are expected to arrive in full force on Wednesday, with a 28-person contingent. Boeing has offered to work with NTSB on its investigation into the crash.

“Our concern is for the safety and well-being of all those affected. We stand ready to support our customer and have offered technical assistance to the NTSB,” Boeing said.

Those searching for missing loved ones are urged to avoid looking at area hospitals. Instead, a family reunification center has been established at the Louisville Metro Police Department Training Academy on 2911 Taylor Blvd. It was not immediately clear how many people were missing after the crash, which officials said impacted a “large scale area.”

Louisville Fire Department Chief Brian O’Neill said the crash site fire was the size of a city block.

The public is urged to stay away from the crash zone, and a shelter-in-place order remains in effect for those within a quarter mile of the wreck.

Members of the public should report any debris they find from the crash to officials and avoid touching it, first responders said.

Duffy called the crash “heartbreaking” in a post on social media.

“Please join me in prayer for the Louisville community and flight crew impacted by this horrific crash,” he wrote on X.

The crash comes at a time of intense strain on the U.S. air transit system during the ongoing government shutdown.

Air traffic controllers have been forced to work without pay, and staffing shortages have caused delays at airports around the country.

Virginia Giuffre said she was ‘a toy to be passed around’ in previously unseen interview

Unseen footage of a BBC interview with the late Virginia Giuffre has aired, in which she reflected on her introduction to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

“I was a toy. I was there to be passed around,” she said. “But I was still a human being with feelings and emotion and sadness. And to know that this man had daughters, that he was still capable of abusing me. It’s… it just doesn’t make sense.”

In the interview, which featured on BBC Panorama on Tuesday night, the late Ms Giuffre told the story of how she met Andrew in London in 2001 when she was 17 years old.

The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Ms Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein. Ms Giuffre told the BBC: “He knows what happened, I know what happened. And there’s only one of us telling the truth.”

Andrew was formally stripped of his remaining royal titles on Thursday. A statement from Buckingham Palace said Andrew continued to deny all allegations against him.

Village can’t have Christmas lights unless England flags removed

A village in Kent has said it has been told it must remove all flags from lampposts – including St George’s flags – if it wants to put up its Christmas lights.

Harrietsham Parish Council (HPC) said it had been given the green light for seasonal decorations to be erected along the A20, on the condition flags were removed due to a “safety risk”.

Reform-led Kent County Council (KCC), who issued the permit, said the condition had been made “to ensure the lights go up safely” and insisted HPC will not face significant extra costs. But the parish council said it could not be sure the festive decor would be able to go up, citing “financial implications” of the condition.

In a post on its website, HPC wrote: “Kent County Council has now issued the permit for the Parish Council’s Christmas lights to be installed along the A20 in the coming weeks. However, the approval comes with a condition that any flags currently on the streetlight columns must be removed before the lights can go up, as they pose a safety risk.

“This condition from Kent County Council may result in the installation of the Christmas lights being unable to proceed as planned for 2025. Despite this, the Parish Council will still be liable for the hire cost, as the arrangements were in place before the permit was issued.”

It added it was “important” to make resident aware of the “financial implications” placed upon it by the permit, adding it would be “disappointing” if the decorations could not be installed.

It is understood the majority of flags currently hung along the A20 road in the village are St George’s flags.

Residents said they hoped those who had originally put the St George’s flags up would remove them to allow the village to enjoy its Christmas lights. Speaking to the BBC, Ray Bastone said: “I don’t know why the people who put the flags up don’t take them down for Christmas so the lights can go up. They can put them up afterwards if they want.

“It’s a shame we’ll have no lights up.”

In a statement, Peter Osborne, KCC’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The claim that Harrietsham Parish Council will face significant extra costs is simply wrong. The contractor they have already hired to install the Christmas lights can remove any obstructing flags as part of the same job – no additional significant expense should be expected.

“We fully support communities coming together to celebrate Christmas with festive lights – it’s a valued tradition that brings people together. But safety must come first. Flags on streetlight columns pose a risk during installation, so they must be removed to ensure the lights go up safely and can be enjoyed by everyone.”

Harrietsham Parish Council has been contacted by The Independent for comment.

Town builds 11-metre effigy of Keir Starmer to burn for Bonfire Night

A colossal 11-metre effigy of Sir Keir Starmer, complete with a “farmer harmer” badge, has been unveiled for Edenbridge’s Bonfire Night celebrations on 8 November.

The figure, the event’s centrepiece, depicts the prime minister holding a burning torch, a digital ID card at his belt, a traditional hat, a frilly Guy Fawkes-style ruff, and flip-flops.

Edenbridge Bonfire Society has been poking fun at celebrities and politicians through their effigies since 1994, previously targeting Donald Trump, Liz Truss, Harvey Weinstein, Katie Hopkins and Sir Sadiq Khan.

Creators said the effigy has taken the tradition back to its roots after poking fun at ticket-selling platform Ticketmaster last year following public reaction to dynamic pricing over the Oasis tour.

Bill Cummings, chair of the Bonfire Society, said: “This decision is a great opportunity to remind everyone why we have Bonfire Night in the first place, a message that has perhaps been forgotten over more recent years.”

The prime minister’s effigy is holding a clipboard with “Suck up to Trump” written in big letters and policies such as the new “one in, one out” agreement with France crossed out.

Sir Keir has a local connection to the area as he was raised in nearby Oxted and is said to have played football at one of the local clubs in Edenbridge.

Andrea Deans, one of the creators of this year’s effigy, said: “We feel the public have chosen well this year when you look at how the current government is treating its citizens.

“There were so many elements we could include on the effigy, and it was interesting working out how these could be represented visually.”

Other contenders for the 2025 event included Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Andrew Tate, Baroness Michelle Mone and MP Angela Rayner.

“Many of my friends are from the farming community and I know they will be delighted with who we have chosen this year,” said Reece Hook, another effigy creator.

Edenbridge Bonfire Society has been celebrating Bonfire Night for nearly 100 years but began the tradition of burning giant effigies in the mid-1990s.

Sir Winston Churchill is one of several famous figures to have opened the Kent town’s Bonfire Night celebrations.

This year more than 500 people are expected to take part in the torchlit parade through Edenbridge High Street.

‘I hate my boss’ is not a health condition, says leader of sick pay review

Workers are not entitled to paid sick leave simply because they can’t stand their employers, according to the head of a review of ill health at work.

Former John Lewis chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield said both employers and employees had a duty to tackle the growing of people taking time off owing to ill health.

Sir Charlie said a “supportive workplace” is important – but so is “personal responsibility.”

He said: “Life is full of setbacks – it is just life and happens to us all and we have a responsibility to work through them.

“‘I hate my boss’ is not a health condition. It maybe something you feel very strongly about – you could say it is an example of victimhood in the work context.

“It may be that your boss is hateful, in which case something should be done about that. But it may also be that there is a message being sent to you which says you need to think about what you are doing and take on board the uncomfortable truth that there is something you need to improve.”

Sir Charlie, who is to take charge of a taskforce aimed at helping people return to work, says the cost of sick leave could be reduced with appropriate intervention.

His report says there are 800,000 more people out of work now than in 2019 due to health conditions, costing employers £85 billion a year.

It is putting the UK at risk of an ‘economic inactivity crisis’ that threatens the country’s prosperity, it argues.

The report, commissioned by the government, says one in five working age people are out of work, and not seeking work. Without intervention, another 600,000 people could leave work due to health reasons by the end of the decade, it states.

Publishing the document, the ex-retail boss said: “Britain is sliding into an avoidable crisis. Ill-health has become one of the biggest brakes on growth and opportunity. But this is not inevitable.

“Employers are uniquely placed to make a difference, preventing health issues where possible, supporting people when they arise, and helping them return to work. If we keep Britain working, everyone wins – people, employers, and the state.”

He has proposed a new approach where responsibility for health at work is shared between employers, employees and health services rather than being left to the worker and the NHS.

While Sir Charlie said employers must do more to help their employees, he warned that workers must play their part.

He wrote: “Work can be demanding. Setbacks are part of life. Health and work are not always easy partners, but they are mutually reinforcing.”

The so-called review was officially launched in January and was tasked with examining “spiralling levels of inactivity”, as ministers are looking at how to get people back into work.

Among its recommendations, the review called for the adoption of a workplace health provision, which it described as a non-clinical case management service supporting employees and line managers across a so-called healthy working lifecycle.

It said this approach, offering support and advice and early intervention, could be integrated with the NHS App and reduce or replace the need for the current fit note.

The government said more than 60 employers – including the British Beer and Pub Association, Burger King, John Lewis and Google UK – have expressed interest in becoming so-called vanguard employers to pioneer the overall new approach.

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said Sir Charlie’s message is “crystal clear: keeping people healthy and in work is the right thing to do and is essential for economic growth”.

He added: “Business is our partner in building a productive workforce – because when businesses retain talent and reduce workplace ill health, everyone wins.

“That’s why we’re acting now to launch employer-led vanguards as part of the plan for change, driving economic growth and opportunity across the country.”

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The ‘worst TV show of all time’ with rare 0% Rotten Tomatoes score

A new legal drama starring Kim Kardashian has been branded the “worst TV show of all time”.

Disney+ series All’s Fair, from American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken, premiered on Tuesday (4 November) to overwhelmingly terrible reviews.

The show currently has a zero per cent score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.

Kardashian stars in the show alongside Naomi Watts and Niecy Nash-Betts as a team of female divorce attorneys who leave a male-dominated firm to open their own practice.

Also starring in the show are Sarah Paulson, Glenn Close and Teyana Taylor, who is being tipped for an Oscar nomination for her role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another.

The Times gave the series zero stars out of five, writing: “It may well be the worst television drama ever made”. Ben Dowell complained that the 10-parter is not even enjoyably bad and feels like it was scripted “by a toddler who couldn’t write ‘bum’ on a wall”.

Lucy Mangan, writing for The Guardian, also gave the show zero stars, writing: “I did not know it was still possible to make television this bad.” She called All’s Fair: Fascinatingly, incomprehensibly, existentially terrible.”

The Telegraph’s Ed Power said it would be “unfair to single out Kardashian” as “her participation is just one disaster among many” – although it’s noted that Kardashian produced the show alongside her mother Kris Jenner.

Meanwhile, Angie Han from The Hollywood Reporter attributes Kardashian’s “stiff and affectless” performance to the writing, which she said is “also stiff and affectless without a single authentic note”.

Kardashian previously worked with Murphy on the 12th season of anthology series American Horror Story.

Speaking about her role in All’s Fair, Kardashian told the BBC she was honoured to work with her co-stars, whom she called “the best acting coaches in the world”.

Acknowledging her status as a reality star, Kardashian said the makers of the show “took a chance on working with” her.

“The last thing I would want to do is be unprofessional, be late or not know my lines,” she said.

Jeremy Vine: Joey Barton comments ‘made me feel physically unsafe’

Jeremy Vine felt “wickedly torn down for no reason” by Joey Barton, a court has heard.

The broadcaster recounted his feelings to a jury after the former footballer accused him of being a paedophile on social media.

Vine said he stepped in to help football commentators Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko after Barton had posted an image of their faces superimposed on to a photograph of notorious serial killers Fred and Rose West.

Following a televised FA Cup tie between Crystal Palace and Everton in January 2024, the ex-Manchester City and Newcastle United player had earlier likened Ward and Aluko on an X post to the “Fred and Rose West of commentary”.

Vine responded on X: “What’s going on with @Joey7Barton ? I just glanced at the Rose West thing … genuinely, is it possible we are dealing with a brain injury here?”

Barton, 43, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court over allegations he sent grossly offensive social media posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, to Ward, Aluko and Vine with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Vine said: “I was quite shocked by what Mr Barton had said about two very respected commentators in Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

“I thought it was very vicious to impose them on the images of two mass murderers of children, and I was looking for an explanation.

“I said ‘are we dealing with a brain injury here’ as a way of underlining my own feelings that he had crossed the line on that tweet.”

Barton responded to Vine’s tweet with a post in which he referred to him as “you big bike nonce’, the court heard.

Barton later replied to a posting from Vine in which the broadcaster celebrated the birthdate of Elvis Presley.

The defendant, who has 2.7 million followers on X, wrote: “Elvis was a nonce as well.

“Priscilla was underage and Elvis has a history of that kind of thing.

“Have you been on Epstein Island?

“Are you going to be on these flight logs?

“Might as well own up now because I’d phone the police if I saw you near a primary school on ya bike.”

Asked by prosecutor Peter Wright KC about that post, Vine said: “I could see this was now escalating.

“I was very alarmed he was choosing this word ‘nonce’ to throw around.

“He had obviously decided to go in on accusing me.

“I was beginning to get very worried that Barton had got this obsession with me, with labelling me to his many followers, many who were like-minded.

“At this point I was really alarmed.

“I just had a sense he was not going to stop.”

Barton went on to repost an image of Vine with the caption “If you see this fella by a primary school call 999”, the court was told.

Vine told the jury: “This now gets really serious. He is accusing me of being a paedophile.

“I’m a law-abiding father-of-two, I’m a faithful husband.

“These are disgusting actions. It’s a despicable thing to say.

“It gravely upset me and I had a sleepless night that night.”

As further posts followed he told Mr Wright he “began to feel scared”.

Vine said: “I realised I had to take some action but I was not sure what to do. I realised the quickest remedy would be some sort of civil action.

“Your reputation is all you have got. To have it stripped from you by someone I have never met is completely devastating. My wife saw me in pieces.”

Civil proceedings were issued in March 2024, the court was told, and a week later a post from Barton’s Twitter account read: “If anyone has got anything on Jeremy Vine – pictures, screenshots, videos, messages, you think will help us in the case, please send them to me using the hashtag #bikenonce.”

Mr Wright asked the witness how he felt about that message.

Vine replied: “It means I want dirt on Jeremy Vine to fight back, in short.

“I thought this is incredible, I just couldn’t believe he was saying it.”

Asked by Mr Wright how Barton’s messages had affected him in his day-to-day activities, Vine said: “I genuinely believed that what Mr Barton did made me feel physically unsafe.

“If people want to find out where you live they can.

“I took some advice about my security, I varied my movements.

“I do believe these messages put me in danger, in physical danger.

“2.7 million people, one of them has a knife.”

He said he had had to explain the “cloud of filth” to his two young daughters.

Mr Wright said: “In terms of the effect this had on you looking back at this event, how do you feel about this now?”

Vine said: “I think I went into a kind of panic over this.

“I felt I was being wickedly torn down for no reason, no cause. It was like a vicious assault on me. That’s what I felt. It disrupted my life for over a year.

“I never want to be in that place again in my life. It was a terrible, terrible time.”

Jurors were told that in June 2024 Barton agreed to pay Vine £75,000 damages for defamation and harassment, together with his legal costs, as both parties settled in the civil action.

In a further settlement between both parties Barton paid Vine £35,000 damages and legal costs over similar matters.

The court heard Barton also apologised to Vine via a post on his X account in June 2024 in which he said he had made a “very serious allegation” on social media, with millions of views, in which he accused Vine of having a sexual interest in children which he said was “untrue”.

Simon Csoka KC, defending, suggested to Vine that his response to the Fred and Rose West tweet was him “just trying to be provocative on Twitter to get in on this story”.

Vine replied: “I was actually trying to help the two targets of Mr Barton’s abuse and I probably did it in a silly way.

“It certainly did not justify what followed.”

Mr Csoka said: “You meant it as an amusing jibe.”

Vine said: “I accept that.”

Barton, of Widnes, Cheshire, denies the offences said to have been committed between January and March 2024.