Prince Harry To Fly Back To UK To Be With King Charles After Father’s Cancer Diagnosis

Posted on 05/02/2024 by Boris Clair

Prince Harry is to fly to London to be with his father after the King’s shock cancer diagnosis.

The Duke of Sussex has spoken with King Charles about his condition and will travel to the UK to see him in the coming days, a source close to Prince Harry has said.

Harry and the Duchess of Sussex quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to the US after their suggested “half in-half out” approach to royal life was rejected.

In Harry and Meghan’s primetime Oprah interview in 2021, Harry said Charles stopped taking his calls when he was trying to discuss stepping down as a working royal.

“My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that,” Harry told Winfrey.

Harry has a long-running rift with his brother, the Prince of Wales. Charles pleaded with his sons to reconcile at their grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021. “Please, boys, don’t make my final years a misery,” Charles allegedly said.

A previously unseen portrait of King Charles taken during a state visit to France last year.

The palace did not go into detail about the kind of cancer the King has, or its severity, but said he has begun treatment.

“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted,” the palace said in a statement shared with HuffPost.

“Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.”

The palace made sure to note that the monarch “will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual”.

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure,” the palace said, adding that Charles “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”

King Charles Diagnosed With Cancer, Buckingham Palace Says

Posted on 05/02/2024 by Boris Clair

King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday.

The palace did not go into detail about the kind of cancer the monarch has, or its severity, but said he has begun treatment.

“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted,” the palace said in a statement shared with HuffPost.

The palace made sure to note that the monarch “will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual”.

Charles underwent surgery last week, after the palace announced in January that he was seeking “treatment for an enlarged prostate”. At the time, the palace described the king’s condition as “benign”.

The king’s diagnosis comes as his daughter-in-law Kate, Princess of Wales, recovers from abdominal surgery that saw her hospitalised for about two weeks. She is “making good progress,” according to a statement from the palace, and returned home to Windsor last week.

Prince Harry, who quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, is expected to fly to the UK in the coming days to see his father.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “Wishing His Majesty a full and speedy recovery. I have no doubt he’ll be back to full strength in no time and I know the whole country will be wishing him well.”

Charles departed from royal tradition with his openness about his prostate condition. For centuries Britain’s royal family remained tight-lipped about health matters.

The British public wasn’t told that Charles’ grandfather, King George VI, had lung cancer before his death in February 1952 at the age of 56.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Internet Mocks Trump After $80 Million Defamation Suit Loss

Posted on 27/01/2024 by Boris Clair

First, the former president was ordered by a jury to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million for damages from defamation, and then he had to suffer the slings and arrows of snarky social media users.

Carroll, a longtime advice columnist, has alleged that she was raped by Trump in 1996 in a dressing room at Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store.

After she wrote about the experience in 2019, Trump called her a “whack job” and a “fraud,” inspiring her to sue for defamation. That resulted in Trump being found liable for defaming and for sexually abusing Carroll (though not raping her). He was also ordered to pay her $5 million in damages.

Still, that first penalty did not stop Trump from defaming Carroll, which led her to sue him again and Friday’s massive judgment.

Many people on X, formerly Twitter, used the verdict as an excuse for a popular social media activity: busting Trump’s chops.

Why Are Meteorologists Saying Storm Isha Is ‘Unusual’ And ‘Rare’?

Posted on 21/01/2024 by Boris Clair

Storm Isha is on its way – but, as the ninth named storm the UK has faced since summer ended, why are meteorologists calling it “unusual”?

Why is Isha a ‘rare’ storm?

The UK has seen plenty of storms recently, particularly named ones – after all, Storm Henk was only earlier this month.

If a storm has been named, it means they pose a threat to life.

The Met Office names them in alphabetically order. Isha is the ninth storm of the winter season (which technically begins in September) so it is named after the ninth letter.

The Met Office has explained that storm was triggered by the subsiding of the cold Arctic air which had been hanging over the UK – meaning air from the Atlantic came in.

The weather has therefore become much milder in temperature, but it’s much wetter and windier, too.

And that’s why meteorologists keep saying Isha is of particular interest – the UK does not often see storms which see the whole country hit by weather warnings.

According to Sky News, Met Office forecaster Ellie Glaisyer said that the “main thing” about Isha is that it is “very widespread” – and it’s “relatively rare” to have the whole of the UK covered by a warning.

“That’s the main difference to previous storms we have seen,” she said.

Channel 4 weather presenter Liam Dutton echoed this, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Storm Isha is unusual because the disruptive winds cover a very large area.”

A summary of the latest warnings for #StormIsha.

Storm Isha is unusual because the disruptive winds cover a very large area.

Even though worst of winds will be over by 6am, the impacts are likely to persist well into Monday.

It’s going to be a noisy and dangerous night! https://t.co/ul6YnJVGmx

— Liam Dutton (@liamdutton) January 21, 2024

What weather will Isha bring?

The Met Office has already issued an amber weather warning for wind for the north and south-west of England, Wales, large parts of Northern Ireland and central and southern Scotland, from Sunday into Monday.

Another warning will be introduced for Sussex and Kent from Monday morning.

Winds of up to 80mph are expected along the UK coasts, and many places will see gusts of 50-60mph inland.

There’s a risk to life in coastal areas, and yellow flood warnings are expected for the next two days.

Ireland’s meteorological service, Met Eireann, has also introduced amber wind warnings for Sunday, which will escalate into a red storm warning for coastal areas in the north of the country on Monday.

Amber means there’s a good chance of power cuts, and other services could be impacts. Buildings may be damaged, journeys may be lengthened or cancelled altogether and some roads and bridges may close.

It also means injuries and danger to life likely from large waves and beach material thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and property.

A red weather warning means people need to seek cover and protect themselves or their properties.

A yellow wind warning will be in place covering Northern Ireland, north Wales, northern England and much of Scotland from Tuesday until midday on Wednesday.

The winds will gradually east throughout Monday, and overnight it should be a “calmer interlude” according to the Met Office – although it will be wet and windy again on Tuesday.

Judges Make Withering Ruling In Tax Row Over Walkers’ Poppadoms

Posted on 19/01/2024 by Boris Clair

Food giant Walkers must pay VAT on its mini poppadoms after judges ruled they are actually more like crisps.

The PepsiCo-owned manufacturer hoped to escape paying the tax on its Sensations Poppadoms because, it argued, they were not made from potato and the product said poppadoms on the packet – meaning they are a food and not a snack that attracts the 20% levy.

But in a win for the taxman, and one that could be costly for the company, a tribunal said they were indeed crisps in all but name since 40% of the ingredients were “potato-derived”.

The judgement, dated January 10, was withering about the name on the packs.

Tribunal judges, Anne Fairpo and Sonia Gable, said: “Nominative determinism is not a characteristic of snack foods: calling a snack food Hula Hoops does not mean that one could twirl that product around one’s midriff, nor is Monster Munch generally reserved as a food for monsters.”

The case has echoes of past battles with HM Revenue and Customs.

McVitie’s successfully argued in the 1990s that Jaffa Cakes are in fact cakes and not biscuits, therefore exempt from VAT.

In 2008, Marks & Spencer won a protracted legal battle on overpaid VAT on its chocolate teacakes, with Europe’s highest court ruling they were cakes and not a biscuit.

Epstein Accuser Backs Claims He Had ‘Sex Tapes’ Of Trump, Clinton And Prince Andrew

Posted on 10/01/2024 by Boris Clair

A Jeffrey Epstein accuser is speaking out about past claims she made that the late pedophile kept video footage of his various friends having sex at his home, saying it’s absolutely true and that she only recanted her story years ago out of fear following threats.

“It’s no secret that everything was recorded,” Sarah Ransome, who settled a civil suit with Epstein and his madam Ghislaine Maxwell in 2018, told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday. “Multiple victims have come forward confirming my account, along with others. I have also seen recordings in his office.”

These recordings supposedly show former President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and British business magnate Richard Branson having sex with an unnamed woman, Ransome claimed in 2016 emails that were published on Monday as part of a defamation lawsuit brought by fellow Epstein accuser, Virginia Giuffre.

A representative for Branson’s company, the Virgin Group, said Ransome’s claims are “baseless and unfounded” while citing a past interview she gave that called the tapes’ existence a work of fiction.

“We categorically reject all allegations made by Sarah Ransome. In 2019 she admitted to The New Yorker that the ‘tapes’ had been ‘invented,’ Any suggestion that Sir Richard Branson was involved in a ‘sex tape’ is entirely false. The allegations are baseless and unfounded,” said the representative in a statement to HuffPost. “The actions of Jeffrey Epstein were abhorrent and we support the right to justice for the many victims impacted by his abuse.”

No such tapes have been made public, nor has evidence supporting their existence.

The court documents published Monday include photos of Ransome, Maxwell, Epstein and other young women on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.

A final batch of seven documents from the court case was unsealed Tuesday.

Sarah Ransome leaves a New York courthouse in 2022 following the sentencing hearing of Ghislaine Maxwell.

Ransome said she recanted the tapes’ existence years ago because Maxwell, “amongst others, regularly enforced that if I ever did come forward, myself and my family would be harmed,” she told Good Morning Britain.

Epstein died in a New York City jail in 2019 while Maxwell is currently behind bars serving out a 20-year sentence related to helping him commit his sex crimes.

An alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein has told GMB that she stands by her original claim that the billionaire paedophile kept so-called secret ‘sex tapes’ of Prince Andrew, former US President Bill Clinton and business tycoon Sir Richard Branson. All three have denied the claim. pic.twitter.com/WvYSq8EEZB

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 9, 2024

Ransome first came forward with her allegations to a New York Post reporter in 2016. She said the woman who allegedly had sex with the men had personally recalled her experiences with Ransome, particularly the woman’s one-on-one time with Trump, according to the court documents.

“She confided in me about her casual ‘friendship’ with Donald,” Ransome wrote of the woman in one email to the Post reporter. “Mr Trump definitely seemed to have a thing for her and she told me how he kept going on about how he liked her ‘pert nipples.’”

She added: “I also know she had sexual relations with Trump at Jeffery’s NY mansion on regular occasions.”

Ransome retracted these claims to the Post reporter shortly after, saying going public would bring “only bad things” and “pain for my family.” The story was not published.

Then in 2019, Ransome told The New Yorker that she entirely invented the video claims. She said she wanted to draw attention to Epstein’s crimes and make him believe that she had “evidence that would come out” if he went after her, according to her interview at the time.

Ransome told Good Morning Britain on Monday that she’d be willing to testify about their existence.

2023 And 2022 Were The UK’s Hottest Years On Record, Met Office Says

Posted on 02/01/2024 by Boris Clair

2023 was the second hottest year since records began in the UK, according to provisional data from the Met Office, with the hottest year still being 2022.

While the UK did not experience same kind of record-breaking heatwave we saw in 2022 – and just dodged the extreme temperatures which hit southern Europe – the weather experts looked at the average mean temperature and found the climate across the two years was not too different.

2023 had a provisional mean temperature of 9.97C, while 2022′s average mean was 10.03C.

The third highest temperature for the UK was not very long ago either – it was in 2014, when the average of 9.88C. In fact, all of the ten warmest years in the UK have occurred since 2003.

The last year was also the warmest year for a minimum temperature, according to the Met Office, and was ranked the second warmed for Central England Temperature – that’s the world’s longest instrumental series dating back to 1659.

When just looking at Wales and Northern Ireland, they had their hottest year ever, while Northern Ireland had its wettest year since 2002.

Eight of the last 12 months were warmer than average for the UK, particularly June – the hottest for the UK on record – and September, when temperatures peaked at 33.5C on September 10.

As the Met Office pointed out, human-induced climate change is behind this.

2023′s temperature would have been around a 1-in-500 year event in a climate unaffected by humans – that’s a 0.2% chance of reaching the same temperature each year.

But, due to human’s carbon emissions, there’s now a 33% chance of reaching that mean temperature each year.

By the end of this century, that likelihood could increase to 79%.

And we already know the damage it is doing to the UK environment and biodiversity – the iconic oak tree is also under threat due to the changing temperatures.

The UK was not alone in seeing temperatures rise last year – 2023 is expected to be the hottest year globally.

Meanwhile, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are also at their highest for at least two million years, according to the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change.

Met Office senior scientist Mike Kendon said: “The observations of the UK climate are clear.

“Climate change is influencing UK temperature records over the long term, with 2023 going down as another very warm year and the second warmest on record.

“Had the 2023 value occurred during the 20th Century, it would have been, by far, the warmest year on record.”

Of course, the climate crisis isn’t just about rising temperatures.

As Kendon said: “A warmer atmosphere has a greater capacity to hold moisture, so as our climate warms, we expect it to become wetter too and, while there is a large amount of annual variability, that trend is also apparent in the observations.”

We saw 11% more rain than average in 2023, with the UK’s sixth wettest March, July and joint-sixth wettest October, especially after storms like Babet and Ciaran.

December was also a particularly gloomy month – some counties in the UK only enjoyed around one hour per day of sunshine in December, according to the Met Office.

In fact the UK had just 27.9 hours of sunshine across the whole month.

Why This Iconic English Tree Is Facing Particular Pressure From Climate Change

Posted on 28/12/2023 by Boris Clair

The National Trust has warned that an iconic English tree is already struggling due to climate change.

Yes, the English oak, which pops up repeatedly throughout our national history, is said to support more life than any other native tree species in the UK and creates one of the hardest timbers on the planet, is under strain due to our shifting climate.

In fact, climate change is exacerbating a phenomenon already known as acute oat decline, caused by a non-native pest.

The oak processionary moth damages the tree’s foliage and increases its susceptibility to other diseases – and climate change means the pest is sticking around for much longer these days, due to shorter winters.

John Deakin, head of trees and woodland at the National Trust “cold snaps [are] just not long enough to kill off diseases such as oak processionary moth, whose caterpillars infest oak trees, leaving them vulnerable to other threats.”

And the moth’s spread northwards through Europe away from their traditional home in the Mediterranean “is a tangible consequence of our warming climate,” Deakin added.

Deakin explained that growing any new trees – not just oak – is especially difficult in periods of drought, too, with up to 80% of saplings dying in some areas of the country.

While experts have devised techniques using wood mulching and sheep fleeces to help keep moisture in the soil and prevent grass growth, they are now looking at how trees will need different environments in the next 50 years.

For instance, beech trees and woodlands – typically found in the south – may soon only suit the north of England.

Deakin explained: “Our traditional thinking of where certain species like English oak and Sessile oak may thrive geographically is also likely to change as we are already seeing the huge impact of Acute Oak Decline on English oak in the south east and midlands, previously their stronghold, now being compromised.”

Ben McCarthy, head of the Trust’s nature and restoration ecology, also noted that shifting weather patterns in the UK mean many trees were constantly under stress.

Sometimes they can end up producing too much berries and nuts, without the chance to “rest”.

And while these are “incremental shifts”, these changes build up over a decade to cause serious changes in our wildlife.

McCarthy said: “It’s these baseline changes that we’re seeing that are really worrying and what we should be taking more notice of, particularly when combined with extreme weather events, which makes things even more challenging.”

Meanwhile, the national climate change consultant at the Trust, Keith Jones, said the UK must not be “lulled into any sense of false security” when it comes to our weather.

“We are likely to experience a combination of drought and high temperatures as well as high rainfall and floods – and we need to get ready for this new ‘norm’,” Jones explained.

Blink And You’ll Miss It: The Surprising Everyday Object Set To Fly Over The UK On Tuesday

Posted on 20/11/2023 by Boris Clair

A toolkit will fly above the UK on Tuesday night, after it was drifted into the ether during a mission last week.

Nasa astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Harra were fixing a solar panel on the International Space Station (ISS) when their tool bag just… slipped into space.

And because it was seen as low risk, the astronauts just left it behind.

Now, the bright, white bag is travelling 250 miles above Earth, around five minutes ahead of the ISS.

It’s surprisingly visible to people on the ground too, meaning you don’t have to be a NASA astronaut to see it – you just need binoculars or a telescope, and a spot of good weather.

Anyone in the south of the UK should be able to spot it between 6.24pm and 6.34pm on Tuesday evening, and it’s expected to return on November 24 between 5.30pm and 5.41pm.

It was first spotted by the Virtual Telescope Project last week, and it’s now being tracked by the US Space Force to make sure it doesn’t threaten the ISS or satellites.

Some estimates reported last week in the Smithsonian Magazine suspect it will re-enter the atmosphere between March and July 2024.

This is not the first time astronauts have lost something into space, though.

Nasa astronaut Ed White lost a spare glove in 1965 during a spacewalk, and in 2006, fellow Nasa astronaut Piers Seller lost a spatula as he repaired a heat shield.

And Nasa’s Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper also lost her toolbag when attempting to repair parts of the ISS back in November 2008, as she became the first woman to lead a space walk, ever, at the time.

Worries about space debris are growing.

More than 170 million pieces have been dropped into the universe since that first glove was dropped back by White almost 60 years ago.

New Shoots From Felled Sycamore Tree Offer Hope For Nature Fans

Posted on 29/09/2023 by Boris Clair

Green shoots of hope emerged this morning among nature fans, after specialists suggested the famous, felled, tree which stood at the Sycamore Gap may one day return to its former glory.

The solitary bit of foliage was known for growing at a natural trough between two small hills at the Roman-era Hadrian’s Wall, creating quite the picturesque scene.

The tree was often named after the 1991 film it starred in, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and was a real tourist attraction.

The Northumberland icon was even named Tree of the Year in 2016 by Woodland Trust.

Its exact age was unknown, but it was believed to be around 300 years old.

However, it was found cut in two in a reported act of vandalism on Thursday morning – prompting an outpouring of sadness on social media.

Aerial view of the 'Sycamore Gap' tree on Hadrian's Wall lying on the ground. — Aerial view of the ‘Sycamore Gap’ tree on Hadrian’s Wall lying on the ground.

Still, the National Trust general manager Andrew Poad told BBC Breakfast that the stump which remained was “healthy” and so could be used to grow new shoots – a technique known as coppicing.

He said: “It’s a very healthy tree, we can see that now, because of the condition of the stump, it may well regrow a coppice from the stump, and if we could nurture that then that might be one of the best outcomes, and then we keep the tree.”

However, the estate manager at the Woodland Trust, said it would take a few years to develop into “even a small tree” – and up to 200 years “before it is anywhere close to what we have lost”.

He added: “Once a tree of this age has gone, the sad truth is you can’t replace them within any visible timeframe. It takes centuries.”

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on the suspicion of criminal damage as part of a police investigation into the incident on Thursday.

Police said at the time that he was in custody and helping with the investigation.

Northumberland National Park Authority officials have also concluded that the tree was “deliberately felled”.

The high sheriff of Northumberland, Diana Barkes, said the incident was a “huge loss” to everyone, according to the BBC.

She added: “Whether we can create something out of the wood for people to come and remember the tree and remember their loved ones, I don’t know, but maybe.”

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