Royal Navy head steps back amid reports of ‘affair with subordinate’

The head of the Royal Navy has stepped back from his duties amid an investigation which multiple reports said is related to an alleged relationship with a subordinate.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed an investigation into First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Benjamin Key, 59, was “ongoing”.

Sir Benjamin had reportedly been expected to retire this summer but it is understood he has been told to step back from his role while the investigation takes place.

The Sun and others reported the probe relates to an allegation of an inappropriate relationship with a female officer under his command, in breach of the Navy’s “service test”.

The Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell, has taken command of the Navy in his place.

The married father of three, who has served in the Navy for 40 years, has been in his post as First Sea Lord since 2021.

An MoD spokesperson said: “An investigation is ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.”

The First Sea Lord is responsible for the fighting effectiveness, efficiency and morale of the force.

Educated at Bromsgrove School, in Worcestershire, he joined the navy in 1984 as a University Cadet.

He qualified as both helicopter aircrew and as a Principal Warfare Officer, and as a junior officer saw service around the world in a variety of frigates and destroyers.

Sir Benjamin, who lives in Dorset, was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2016 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 2021.

Sir Benjamin has been approached for comment.

Temperatures soar across the UK – but prepare for thunderstorms

Temperatures across the UK are set to reach highs of 25C to 26C for much of the weekend – but a record-breaking sunny spell is then under threat from “vigorous thunderstorms” and heavy rain.

The beginning of May has been bathed in sunshine making it the driest start to spring in 69 years, according to the Environment Agency.

But flooding, lightning and even hail could bring the sunny spell, which could see highs of 26C across Sunday and Monday, to a dramatic close.

The Met Office said from Saturday night, into Sunday morning, there is an increasing chance of rain, showers and isolated thunderstorms moving northwards across the southwest of the UK.

By Monday, the storm could cover western parts of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, Dan Harris, urged Brits to stay up to date with any severe weather warnings which may be issued.

He said: “On Monday itself, we could see some particularly vigorous thunderstorms developing, most likely in Wales and parts of southern England, whilst elsewhere during this whole period, dry, fine, and increasingly warm conditions are expected.

“Should these thunderstorms develop, especially on Monday, there is potential for 25-35mm of rain to fall in an hour or so which may lead to some localised surface water flooding.

“Hail, lightning, and isolated strong wind gusts would be additional hazards.”

The rain will come as a relief to some farmers in England, as March was the driest since 1961 and April received just half its normal rainfall.

The dry spell has forced farmers to start irrigating crops earlier with reservoir levels either notably low or exceptionally low across the North East and North West of England.

Both these regions have seen their driest start to the year since 1929.

The Met Office clocked an average of 228.9 hours of sunshine across last month, meaning the UK recorded its sunniest April since the series began in 1910. This follows the sunniest March since records began for England.

May started off with the hottest day of the year so far as the Met Office recorded 29.3C in London.

The chance of showers persists into Tuesday across the far south, with higher pressure once again becoming dominant and eventually clearing the showers away.

Much of the UK will have another bright sunny day on Tuesday, with the settled conditions covering the vast majority of the UK by Wednesday and likely to remain through the week.

Duke of Edinburgh to represent King at inauguration of Pope Leo XIV

The Duke of Edinburgh will represent the King at the inauguration of the new Pope next weekend, Buckingham Palace has said.

Edward will travel to the Vatican to attend Pope Leo XIV’s formal installation as pope at a mass in St Peter’s Square on May 18.

The formal inauguration Mass – for the first U.S. pontiff in the 2,000-year history of the Roman Catholic Church – will be held in St. Peter’s Square on May 18, the Vatican announced.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: “The Duke of Edinburgh will represent His Majesty at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.”

Pope Leo XIV has only been in the job one day and already faces a packed schedule of religious services, diplomatic meetings and Holy Year events, many of which were organised for his predecessor Francis.

After presiding over a Mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, his next expected public engagement will be a meeting with cardinals on Saturday followed by midday (1000 GMT) prayers on Sunday from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Other early commitments will include taking possession of Rome’s three basilicas — St. Paul Outside the Walls on May 20, and St. John Lateran and Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), where Francis is buried, on May 25.

Before all this, the new pope will meet on May 12 with the thousands of journalists who covered the conclave, and on May 16 he will hold an audience with diplomats accredited to the Holy See, the world’s smallest independent state.

His first weekly general audience with the faithful is set for May 21.

Adding to the early workload is the continuation of the 2025 Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, which traditionally occurs every 25 years, drawing millions of pilgrims to Rome for a continuous stream of events. Leo inherits celebrations for that from Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88.

Special meetings to celebrate specific groups special to the Church, such as choirs, families and the clergy, are planned from May to the end of the year, including a major youth jubilee from July 28 to August 3.

One of the highlights of the 2025 Catholic calendar is the canonisation of the first saint of the millennial generation, Carlo Acutis. It was set for April 27, but had to be postponed because of Francis’ death. A new date has to be fixed.

I thought my son had an ear infection – but it was rare type of cancer

An 11-year-old boy was diagnosed with a rare type of childhood cancer after experiencing symptoms of an ear infection.

Ilan Choudhury, now 14, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in the summer of 2022 after going back and forth from his GP.

His father, Niaz, 51, said his son had undergone several courses of antibiotics but symptoms of an infection, including some bleeding from his ears, kept on returning.

“It was the summer of 2022, when Ilan was 11, that he started getting tummy pain, and pains everywhere,” Niaz said.

“He had bleeding from the ears, it shifted between the left and right ear. We were back and forth to A&E for around 6-8 weeks. At that point they said he had an ear infection.

“He was getting a temperature on and off and he had lost quite a bit of weight, he was unable to eat. He had always been a very good eater, but then he reduced down to just nibbling food.”

After weeks of searching for answers, a blood test revealed that he had leukaemia, and would need to begin treatment immediately.

“We had a feeling something wasn’t right but nothing prepares you for that diagnosis. Not in your wildest imagination do you expect something like that.”

After the diagnosis “life changed overnight” for Ilan and his family, who stayed in Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) as he underwent intensive chemotherapy.

Over the first six months of his son’s treatment, Niaz said he spent less that two weeks in total at their own home in North London.

Christmas was also spent at the hospital that year, though Niaz recalls the hospital ensuring children still felt the festive spirit, with visits from santas and superheroes.

By March 2023 there were no signs of the disease and Ilan rang the end of treatment bell later that year. Life began to return back to normal for Ilan, who got reconnected with his love of cycling.

However, test results in October 2024 revealed Ilan had relapsed and the leukaemia had returned. Ilan had his Hickman line put in again in October 2024 and he is currently undergoing intense chemotherapy at GOSH.

“We are back to square one but we have to soldier on. There is hope at the end of the tunnel,” Niaz said, adding that the “talent and expertise” from staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital has helped support them.

He is helping GOSH Charity raise £300m to build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at the hospital, to help thousands of children like Ilan.

The new facility will be built with new inpatient wards, a new hospital school and access to clinical trials for families with few treatment options.

Niaz said: “As a parent when Ilan got diagnosed I looked at all treatment options under the sun, as a former immunologist I knew where to look as well, and GOSH absolutely was the best option, not just in the UK but on a world-scale.”

GOSH Charity’s Build it. Beat it. appeal is raising £300m to build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH, which will give more children with cancer the best chance possible. To find out more or to donate, visit gosh.org/cancer

Man charged with murder of 87-year-old in north London

A man has been charged with murder and robbery after the death of an 87-year-old pensioner in north London.

Peter Augustine, 58, of Green Lanes, Hornsey, was charged on Friday with the murder in Manor House, the Metropolitan Police said.

He has also been charged with robbery and it is alleged he stole a black duffle bag, court staff said.

Officers attended Goodchild Road in the Manor House area with the London Ambulance Service following reports of a robbery at about 5.53pm on Tuesday.

An 87-year-old man was taken to hospital, where he died on Thursday.

He has not been named by police but his next of kin are being supported by specialist officers, Metropolitan Police said.

The victim has been named locally as John.

Augustine has been remanded in custody after appearing at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and will next appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday 13 May.

If you witnessed this incident or have any information, please contact the investigation team on 0208 345 3715 quoting Operation Cedarbirch. If you wish to remain anonymous please contact CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

Celebration villa breaks: find your perfect luxury getaway

If you’re planning a milestone birthday, a big anniversary, or a long-awaited reunion, a villa holiday is hard to beat. Imagine clinking glasses on a rooftop terrace at sunset or gathering loved ones around a candlelit garden table for a leisurely dinner under the night sky.

These special occasions deserve much more than booking out a busy hotel, and nothing beats having your own sun-drenched sanctuary where you have the space and privacy to celebrate in style. Whether you’re heading to Marrakech in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, to the rolling hills of Tuscany, or a tropical oasis further afield, Villas are the perfect home-away-from-home for celebrating something, or someone, special.

CV Villas’ luxurious ABOVE collection offers the perfect backdrop for unforgettable moments – think breathtaking settings, total privacy, and the kind of comfort and space that makes everyone feel at home. All come with stunning interiors, sweeping views as far as the eye can see, and enviable locations in some of the world’s most sought-after spots. Each villa is hand-picked by dedicated CV Villa specialists, who are experts in helping people craft their dream getaway. Many come with their own infinity pools, breathtaking views and large alfresco dining areas, perfect for spending quality time together during life’s most important moments. Villas aren’t just places to stay, they’re a big part of the celebration itself.

From the moment you book your stay to your arrival back home, the CV Villas Concierge team is there to make everything as seamless and stress-free as possible. They are dedicated to looking after you and your party before and throughout your holiday so that you can focus on the things that really matter, like spending quality time together and celebrating without having to worry about the minor details. The team tailors each trip to exactly what you’re after, whether you’re looking to book a private boat day or need to organise a surprise celebration dinner, nothing is too much trouble. Many of the five-star villas even come with their own butlers and chefs so that you can be waited on hand and foot during your special getaway.

ABOVE villas are the epitome of luxury and come with designer interiors, infinity pools boasting panoramic ocean views, and terraces made for golden hour cocktails  – properties with serious star quality. What’s more, they’re located all around the world, from the sun-soaked shores of Spain and Greece to the palm-fringed beaches of far-flung Sri Lanka and beyond.

Sampling delicious local food is a big part of a holiday, but catering for a large group can often mean juggling different requests and palates. Luckily for you, many of these luxury villas come with their very own in-villa chefs – perfect for when you’d rather toast the moment with a glass of fizz than spend time flapping around in the kitchen. Instead, let your chef whip up multi-course meals morning till night, using the freshest local produce, all based on your personal tastes and dietary requirements, before tucking into it alfresco under the undisturbed starry night sky.

The little luxuries make a big difference to a bucket-list trip: daily housekeeping to keep things spic and span, spa treatments for when you need a little R&R, wine tastings for the adults, yoga sessions with epic views, and even round-the-clock babysitting. All of this can be arranged to make your stay feel even more indulgent.

Maison Emilion, France

This rustic French villa is practically made for wine lovers, aptly located amidst the rolling vineyards of Bordeaux. This six-bedroom hilltop hangout boasts views of the working vineyards from every angle, including from the heated pool and surrounding sunbeds. Wander into the nearby village of Saint-Émilion, then enjoy the included wine-tasting experience before settling into the garden for dinner with nothing but the glow of flickering candlelight and the moonlit sky.

Oleander, Corfu

It doesn’t get much more luxurious than Oleander in Corfu, a five-bedroom villa overlooking Avlaki Bay and the picturesque town of Kassiopi. It’s located high above the Ionian Sea and is the ideal villa for memorable summer celebrations. Soak up the sunshine from the infinity pool while enjoying views of Albania’s craggy Ceraunian Mountains, or hang out on the wrap-around terraces and communal outside dining areas. During peak season at Oleander, chef service is also included, so you can enjoy meals with your loved ones without even having to leave the villa.

Spirit of Son Fuster, Mallorca

Spirit of Son Fuster in Mallorca is hard to beat for large groups and multigenerational stays. This five-star bolthole is set in a stunning natural landscape at the foot of the Alaro twin mountains, right near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Serra de Tramuntana, and is as secluded as it gets. This gorgeous ​​14th-century manor house sleeps twenty people across ten bedrooms and even has its own on-site spa and hammam where everyone can enjoy treatments in the dedicated treatment rooms. There’s even a private cinema room for movie nights and a well-stocked wine cellar filled with local vintage wines.

Masseria Giardini, Puglia

Masseria Giardini in Puglia is the height of luxury and the perfect home-away-from-home for families and large groups. It was built in 1750 and is surrounded by leafy olive groves and landscaped gardens curated by Chelsea Flower Show winners Urquhart & Hunt. Enjoy unparalleled views of the Canale Di Pirro Valley from this ten-bedroom farmhouse and spend days lazing around in the heated pool. This villa is an architectural masterpiece, with signature stone domed roofs and hand-carved stone baths in five of the ten bedrooms.

For more travel information and inspiration and to book your perfect villa getaway, visit CV Villas

We’ve given our spies huge power – but we’re not keeping them in check

On the London Underground at the moment there are huge eye-catching posters for a virtual private network (VPN) bearing the words: “Some might say they have nothing to hide.”

VPNs, as you may know, help you stay anonymous while using your computers or phones. They are the friend of privacy.

“Go and tell it to the whistleblowers and the dissidents, to the journalist and their sources, to the activists, lawyers, doctors,” the text on the poster continues. “Tell it to everyone who just wants to live in a free and open society without authorities and big tech companies mapping their lives.”

Privacy has now gone mainstream. We have – gradually, then suddenly – woken up to the realisation that someone, somewhere may be watching over our every thought, deed, question and movement. Vast databases are capturing whatever data they can lay their hands on.

A VPN might indeed help a little.

The plundering of our personal information by Big Tech involves a kind of bargain. We get lots of free services in return for surrendering wheelbarrow loads of our personal information: where we are, who we speak to, what we buy, what medical conditions we search for in the middle of the night, what help we seek or need.

With the state there is a similar bargain. We reluctantly accept that in order to keep us safe the police, security and intelligence agencies must have a defined and controlled right to intercept and store our communications. But we have all read our Orwell and know the Big Brother dangers that can lie in wait. So we insist on proper oversight of this extraordinary capacity of the state to pry into more or less any aspect of our lives.

So it came as something of a shock to read last week that the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) – which is there to oversee Big Brother on our behalf – is effectively hauling up the white flag and admitting they can no longer effectively monitor the work of the main agencies they oversee. They include MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

The admission came in an extraordinary press release which was, oddly enough, little noticed. The language was, for anyone who has followed the hush-hush work of the ISC over the years, remarkably blunt. “In simple terms,” it said, “there is now around £3 billions of public money being spent for which there is no oversight capability.”

Not only is there not enough money for the committee to do its work of overseeing the agencies, but there is also a fundamental question of its ability to do so independently.

The press release continued: “The committee in the last Parliament became greatly concerned that the vital scrutiny which the ISC provides was being undermined by continued interference by the Cabinet Office in the Committee’s Office … it does in fact go to the very heart of Parliament’s ability to hold the Government to account for those actions being taken in secret, behind closed doors, funded by the public purse.

“An oversight body should not sit within, and be beholden to, an organisation which it oversees.”

The ISC normally speaks in the reserved tones of a well-mannered city lawyer. This is the ISC breaking the fire alarm glass and bellowing at the top of its voice.

A little history is required to understand the gravity of these charges. You may remember the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and his warnings 12 years about the remarkable ways in which digital technologies allowed states to mount forms of mass surveillance on, effectively, entire populations. Now imagine how, in the intervening dozen years, AI tools will have enhanced those powers by an order of magnitude.

Following the Snowden revelations, the UK government moved swiftly to put all these capabilities onto a legal footing. Passed in 2016, it was colloquially known as “the Snooper’s Charter”.

The British security agencies could now legally make bulk collection and interception of our communications. The Act required Big Tech companies to retain for a year records of all the websites we visit so that authorities can access them without a warrant. You’ve secretly browsed PornHub or looked for an STD clinic? Not so secret now: it’s all there.

The act allowed the targeting and bulk hacking of electronic devices. And so on. It permitted the state unprecedented access to our lives and secrets.

Smooth words were uttered by the Charter’s supporters: “If you’ve nothing to hide, you’ve nothing to fear” – much as today’s underground posters now parody. But in America today we’re witnessing a president put his most loyal cronies in charge of the security and intelligence apparatus. There’s no secret about his wish to target enemies and seek vengeance for perceived wrongs. British spooks are already wondering how much Russian intelligence to share with the Putin-friendly new intelligence chief in the US, Tulsi Gabbard

Something similar is happening in Israel, where prime minister Netanyahu has removed the head of that country’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, at the very time when his organisation was investigating criminal allegations against him.

There is no guarantee that a populist leader in the UK wouldn’t seek similar influence over the intrusive capabilities of the modern security state.

In terms of interference in the UK there is already an unhappy precedent in the way Boris Johnson delayed the publication of the ISC report into alleged Russian influence in British police for 10 months – until after the December 2019 election. The former chair, Dominic Grieve, described the delay as “entirely untenable” noting that the usual time between approval and publication was around 10 days. Johnson also tried to impose his own chair on the committee.

The ISC, which is a statutory committee, is not the only oversight body for the spies and buggers – but it is the only way parliament itself can feel it has a direct handle on what’s going on in the shadows.

Its chair, Lord Beamish, told me that the committee’s staff, which should number 15, is down to seven. That’s just seven people overseeing the work of thousands of agents, officers and analysts working round the clock across the three main intelligence and security agencies.

The budget for the committee hasn’t increased since 2013 despite the exponential growth of the work of the agencies; despite the vastly changed geopolitical landscape; despite the greatly expanded powers of the spooks; despite the new world of AI. No prime minister has met with the ISC since 2014.

Beamish was blunt in his assessment of the future of parliamentary oversight: “If the committee does not receive an increase in resourcing then it will not be able to keep the doors open.”

At the time the controversial Snoopers’ Charter was passed Shami Chakrabarti, then director of the civil rights group, Liberty, described the ISC as “clueless and ineffective… a simple mouthpiece for the spooks”.

“No doubt it would be simpler if we went along with the spies’ motto of ‘no scrutiny for us, no privacy for you’ – but what an appalling deal for the British public.’”

Even she can’t have imagined that a government of which she was a member would take the motto literally.

It may be time to invest in that VPN.

Pope Leo warns against picking ‘technology, success’ over faith

Pope Leo XIV will make a “darn good pope,” New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan has said, as the first American-born pontiff led his first Mass as the leader of the Catholic Church.

“We have a pope, and I’m just so honored as a priest, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, as a child of God, as a faithful Catholic, I hope, as a priest, Bishop and Cardinal, to have been a big part of it. And I think you’re all excited too,” Dolan said in a video posted to social media.

In his first mass, the pontiff decried that in today’s world, people are turning away from faith and instead to “technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.”

Leo XIV, formerly Robert Prevost, was elected as the leader of the Catholic Church after more than two-thirds of the cardinals voted for him to succeed the late Pope Francis.

“I just hope you sense that,” Dolan said. “We have a pope… and take my word for it, he’s a darn good one.”

The New York Cardinal added he thinks Leo will seek to build bridges with all world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.