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Today — 2 April 2026News

Funeral director admits preventing 30 burials and theft

2 April 2026 at 20:08
BBC Breaking NewsBBC

A funeral director has admitted preventing the burials of 30 bodies and stealing donations made to charities by mourners.

Robert Bush, 48, was arrested after police investigated Hull-based Legacy Independent Funeral Directors following a report of "concern for care of the deceased" in March 2024.

Bush, formerly of East Yorkshire and now living in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and one of theft relating to charitable donations.

He previously admitted presenting families with the ashes of strangers and fraudulently selling funeral plans. He will be sentenced at a later date.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Storm Dave set to batter UK with gales and blizzards over Easter weekend

2 April 2026 at 18:57

Storm Dave set to batter UK with gales and blizzards over Easter weekend

A man clutches his hat while walking along a windy seafront with rough waves in the backgroundImage source, Adam Vaughan/Shutterstock
ByBen Rich
Lead Weather Presenter
  • Published

Storm Dave has been named by the Met Office and threatens to bring severe gales and blizzards in the north of the UK over the Easter weekend.

Yellow warnings for wind and snow have been issued for Saturday night and Sunday with a deep area of low pressure expected to pass across the north-west of the country.

Damage, power cuts and travel disruption are likely.

It is just one part of a very mixed Easter forecast which will bring heavy downpours alongside spells of warm sunshine.

A storm spun up by a powerful jet stream

Huge temperature contrasts across the USA and Canada have helped to supercharge the jet stream - the flow of strong winds high in the atmosphere that spins up weather systems and guides them around the globe.

And confidence is growing that this will propel a deep area of low pressure towards the UK on Saturday.

A pressure chart showing a deep low and a set of weather fronts passing across the UK
Image caption,

The centre of Storm Dave is expected to pass across the north of Scotland

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for wind covering all of Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as large swathes of northern England and north Wales.

The warnings are valid at various times on Saturday afternoon, overnight and into Sunday.

Widespread gusts of 50-60mph (80-97km/h) are expected with the chance of 70mph (113km/h) gusts in exposed areas, especially around coasts.

Central and northern parts of Scotland could see winds peaking at 80-90mph (129-144km/h) with large waves bringing dangerous conditions along the coasts.

Winds as strong as these bring the threat of damage, power cuts and significant travel disruption.

Some roads and bridges could close, which could have major impacts on what is predicted to be the busiest Easter in four years for drivers.

Disruption to train and ferry services is also possible.

A weather map showing yellow warnings across the north of the UK
Image caption,

Numerous yellow warnings have been issued by the Met Office for Saturday and Sunday

A Met Office warning for snow has also been issued for parts of north-west Scotland during Saturday evening and overnight.

5-10cm (2-4in) of snow may accumulate, mainly over high ground above 200m (650ft) elevation, with a small chance of 20cm (8in) in a few locations.

Coupled with the strong winds this could give blizzards, drifting and blowing snow, and very poor visibility on the roads.

A mixed bag of Easter weather

Storm Dave is just one part of a weather story that will bring a real variety of conditions across the UK over the long weekend.

Good Friday will start mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain.

Many parts of England and Wales will hold on to grey and damp weather for much of the day but in Northern Ireland and Scotland some sunny spells should develop - albeit with a scattering of showers.

It will be fairly windy with a wide range of temperatures - from 7C (45F) in northern Scotland to 15C (59F) in eastern England.

A band of cloud and rain will move northwards across the country on Saturday - turning to snow over Scottish mountains - with a few sunny spells either side of this zone of wet weather.

Winds will strengthen through the day ahead of Storm Dave's arrival.

Sun and snow on Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday will be a day of big weather contrasts as the storm begins to loosen its grip.

Strong winds will continue to blow across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, bringing a chilly feel and frequent showers.

Some of these will be wintry over hills and mountains but snow is even possible at low levels in the north of Scotland for a time.

Further south it will be breezy with a few showers, but for large swathes of Wales and southern England it should be predominantly dry with sunny spells.

Three lambs in a field of green grass, bathed in sunshineImage source, BBC Weather Watchers / Peter and Leah
Image caption,

Temperatures on Easter Sunday will range from 7C (45F) in northern Scotland to 13C (55F) in southern England

As winds ease on Sunday night things will get cold with a touch of frost developing in many areas.

However after a cold start to Monday temperatures will climb through the day thanks to southerly winds, reaching 11-17C (52-63F) by the afternoon.

Most areas will be dry with patchy cloud and sunny spells, which is expected to bring high or very high pollen levels.

UV levels expected to peak at moderate in the sunniest spots.

Beyond the Easter weekend the forecast looks rather changeable with warmth likely to give way to April showers and perhaps more strong winds - although computer weather models disagree on the details.

You can always keep up-to-date with the longer range prospects with our monthly outlook.

King and Queen give away money in ancient Easter tradition

2 April 2026 at 19:52
PA Media King Charles III and Queen Camilla arriving at St Asaph Cathedral, DenbighshirePA Media
It is the second time the service has been held in Wales in its 800-year history

King Charles III and Queen Camilla have been taking part in the annual Maundy service in north Wales, only the second time the service has been held in Wales in its 800-year history.

The King and Queen attended the service at St Asaph Cathedral, Denbighshire, in a ceremony featuring music by Welsh composers and musicians.

The event takes place annually on the final Thursday before Easter Sunday and commemorates the Last Supper and the importance of humility and service to others.

The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, Nigel Williams, said they were "deeply honoured" to host the service, hoping it would be a "memorable experience" for those who attended.

Reuters King Charles and Queen Camilla posing for a group photo outside St. Asaph Cathedral. Four children can be seen stood infront of the royals, each holding flowers.Reuters
King Charles and Queen Camilla posed for a group photo after attending the service

The first recorded Royal Maundy service was held in 1210 by King John and commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, with the distribution of alms becoming a tradition.

Charles will present gifts to 77 men and 77 women from Wales and other dioceses across the UK in recognition of outstanding Christian service and for helping people in their communities.

Recipients will be given two purses – a white purse including a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins totalling 77 pennies, to match the King's age, and a red pursue containing a £5 coin marking 100 years since the late Queen's birth, as well as a 50p coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust charity.

The last time the Maundy Service was held in Wales was in 1982 in St Davids, Pembrokeshire.

Gregory Cameron bishop of St Asaph stood outside St Asaph Cathedral
The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron admitted he was "nervous" about leading the "ancient" service on Maundy Thursday

Grahame Davies, director of mission for Church in Wales, said it was "hugely significant" for the service to be held in north Wales for the first time.

The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, said the Royal Maundy was a "deeply meaningful occasion which we are pleased to welcome to St Asaph".

He admitted he was "nervous" about leading the "ancient" service on Maundy Thursday which marks the day of the last supper when Jesus washed his disciples' feet.

The Cross of Wales, a gift from the King to the Christians of Wales, will be used in the service. The Cross headed the King's 2023 coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Diocese of Bangor Susan and Roger stood outside standing next to each other. Susan has long grey hair and glasses on top of her head. She is wearing a black polo shirt and navy blue jacket. Roger has short grey hair. He is wearing glasses, a dark grey blazer, green vest, striped shirt and tie with blue, green and purple fish on it.Diocese of Bangor
Husband and wife Susan and Roger Whitehouse from Tywyn are among those who the King will present Royal Maundy gifts to

Among those who will receive gifts from the King are Susan and Roger Whitehouse from Tywyn, Gwynedd.

The couple said they were "very surprised" to be recognised together, having never sought recognition for their service.

"We've simply tried to serve where needed," they said.

"Our faith informs what we do and why we do it, and it has drawn us deeper into the life of the church while also helping us look outward to the wider community."

Reuters A police officer pulls a tarp over the words "Not Our King" painted on a wall outside St. Asaph Cathedral.Reuters

Crowds lined the high street in St Asaph ahead of the royal couple's arrival, while graffiti saying "Not our King" was also covered up at the cathedral before the visit.

Workers in hi-vis jackets were seen attempting to remove the message which was sprayed using red paint on a wall in the grounds of the cathedral.

A small group of republican protesters with flags and banners calling for the end of the monarchy also gathered across the road from the cathedral as the King and Queen arrived.

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Everything you need to know about Nasa's Artemis II mission

2 April 2026 at 18:08
NASA The image shows four astronauts in bright orange space suits posing for a formal group portrait against a dark background. The suits are bulky with blue joints, straps and pockets, emphasising their technical design. Three astronauts stand behind one who is seated, all facing the camera. They all have fairly neutral expressions, keeping the focus on the uniforms. Mission-style patches and flags, including US and Canadian flags, are visible on their arms and chests. Soft, focused lighting makes the vivid orange suits stand out dramatically.NASA
Artemis II Crew: left Christina Koch, back Victor Glover (pilot), front Reid Wiseman (commander), right Jeremy Hansen

Nasa's target of a March launch for the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years has been delayed after a fault was detected.

Nasa had set a target of 6 March, but 24 hours later said the newly discovered fault made a March launch "out of consideration".

The Artemis II mission, which will last about 10 days, could take its astronauts further into space than anyone has been before.

It aims to set the stage for an eventual human landing on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.

When will Artemis II launch?

With a March launch no longer being considered, the next possible dates are April 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

A potential February launch was ruled out after a pre‑flight test - known as a wet dress rehearsal - was cut short when hydrogen rocket fuel leaked from an umbilical connection linking the launch tower to the rocket.

Beyond resolving the technical issues, mission planners also have to wait until the Moon is in the right part of its orbit, so launch windows are timed accordingly.

In practice, this creates a pattern of roughly one week at the start of each month when the rocket can be pointed in the right direction, followed by about three weeks with no launch opportunities.

Watch: Timelapse shows Nasa rocket's 12-hour journey to launch pad

Who are the Artemis II crew?

Artemis II's crew of four is made up of Nasa commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch. A second mission specialist, Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, will also be on board.

Wiseman is a US Navy veteran of 27 years. A pilot and engineer, he lives in Baltimore, Maryland. He was selected as an astronaut by Nasa in 2009 and served as Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 41 in 2014.

Glover was selected as a Nasa astronaut in 2013. He previously served as the pilot of SpaceX Crew-1 and holds three master's degrees. He was born in California and is married with four children.

Koch grew up in Michigan and became an astronaut in 2013. She worked on the International Space Station in 2019, setting a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Hansen joined the Canadian Space Agency in 2009 after a career as a fighter pilot. He became the first Canadian to lead astronaut training at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre and will be the first Canadian to go to the Moon.

What will the Artemis crew do during the Moon mission?

The mission involves the first crewed flight of Nasa's gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion space capsule.

Once they are safely in orbit, the astronauts will test how the Orion handles. This will involve manually flying the capsule in Earth orbit to practise steering and lining up the spacecraft for future Moon landings.

They will then head out to a point thousands of kilometres beyond the Moon to check Orion's life‑support, propulsion, power and navigation systems.

Graphic showing the Earth and Moon, with the Artemis II's figure of 8 orbital trajectory highlighted. Specific points are labelled. These are: 1. Lift off at the Kennedy Space Centre, 2. Orbit around Earth, 3. Rocket separation, 4. Main engine fires to take spacecraft to the Moon, 5. Lunar flyby, 6. Return to Earth, 7. Crew module separates, 8. Splashdown in Pacific Ocean.

The crew will also act as medical test subjects, sending back data and imagery from deep space.

They will work in a small cabin in weightlessness. Radiation levels will be higher than on the ISS, which is in low‑Earth orbit, but still safe.

On return to Earth, the astronauts will experience a bumpy return through the atmosphere and a splashdown off the west coast of the US, in the Pacific.

Will Artemis II land on the Moon?

No. This mission is to lay the ground for a lunar landing by astronauts in the Artemis III mission.

Nasa says the launch of Artemis III will take place by 2028. But experts believe that is a very ambitious timeline.

The final choice of a spacecraft to take the crew down to the lunar surface has not yet been made. It will either be SpaceX's Starship lander or a craft designed by Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin.

New spacesuits made by US company Axiom are also not ready.

When Artemis III finally flies, the astronauts will be heading to the Moon's south pole.

After this, the aim is to have a sustained human presence on the Moon.

Artemis IV and V will begin building Gateway, a small space station circling the Moon. That will be followed by more Moon landings, extra sections being added to Gateway, and new robotic rovers operating on the surface.

More countries will be involved in keeping people living and working on and around the Moon for longer periods.

An illustration showing how the Artemis II astronauts will be arranged in the Orion crew module at launch. The four astronauts sit reclined, in two rows of two, facing up with their backs to the ground. During the mission the four crew members will spend 10 days in about nine cubic metres of living space. The image shows that the crew module makes up about half of the Orion spacecraft - with the service module being around the same size - and that, on the launchpad, Orion is only a small section of the 98m (320ft) Space Launch System rocket.

When was the last Moon mission?

The last crewed Moon mission was Apollo 17, which landed in December 1972 and returned to Earth later that month.

In all, 24 astronauts have travelled to the Moon and 12 of them have walked on its surface, all during the Apollo programme. Of the 24 to have been to the Moon, just five are still alive.

America first went in the 1960s, primarily to beat the Soviet Union to assert its geopolitical and technological dominance. Once that goal was achieved, political enthusiasm and public interest ebbed, as did the money for future Moonshots.

The Artemis programme grew out of a desire to return humans to the Moon, but this time for a longer-term presence built around new technology and commercial partnerships.

Do other countries plan to send astronauts to the Moon?

Several other countries have ambitions to put people on the Moon in the 2030s.​

European astronauts are set to join later Artemis missions and Japan has also secured seats.

China is building its own craft, targeting a first landing near the Moon's south pole by 2030.

Russia continues to talk about flying cosmonauts to the surface and building a small base sometime between about 2030 and 2035. However, sanctions, funding pressures and technical setbacks mean its timetable is highly optimistic.

India has also expressed ambitions to one day see its own astronauts walking on the Moon.

Following the success of Chandrayaan 3's landing near the lunar south pole in August 2023, India's space agency set out a goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by about 2040. This would be part of a push to move its human spaceflight programme beyond low Earth orbit.

Additional reporting by Kevin Church and Emily Selvadurai.

How memories of my grandma are tainted by funeral boss's crimes

2 April 2026 at 18:54
Tristan Essex Tristan Essex on the left next to Jessie Stockdale who is in a hospital bed wearing a pink dressing gown.Tristan Essex
Tristan Essex says his memories of his nana, Jessie Stockdale, are "tainted" after Robert Bush kept her body for five months after her funeral

Warning: This article contains details some people may find distressing.

Tristan Essex says his memories of his nana, Jessie Stockdale, are now "tainted" after funeral director Robert Bush kept her body for five months after her family were told her funeral had taken place.

Bush, who ran Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, has admitted a series of offences, including preventing the burials of 30 bodies, after police uncovered widespread wrongdoing at the business.

According to Tristan, with the benefit of hindsight, there had been warning signs.

"There was an awful smell in the funeral directors," he recalled. "My grandma was changed into different coffins every time we viewed her, and we obviously picked a specific coffin.

"She was put into larger coffins which were wider, longer, different colours, different trims. She was in at least three or four different coffins.

"We complained because the frill on the coffin was splattered with blood.

"There was black, thick mould around the inside of the coffin as well."

Victims and their families have been waiting for justice since the investigation began two years ago.

Bush, 48, specialised in low-cost funerals and claimed on his company's social media to offer "dignified personal care".

Behind the scenes, officers found a very different picture.

Humberside Police described its inquiry as "complex, protracted and highly sensitive", triggered by a report of "concern for care of the deceased" in March 2024.

Within days, 35 bodies and half a tonne of human ashes were recovered from the firm's premises on Hessle Road in Hull.

The body of Tristan's grandmother, Jessie, was among those discovered.

Tristan, 26, said his family were "knocked off our feet" when they were told Jessie was a victim.

"Thirty-five bodies were found inside Legacy and one of them had an ankle bracelet with my nana's name on," he said.

Legacy Independent Funeral Directors Robert Bush has short ginger hair. He is wearing a white shirt, a black tie and a black jumper.Legacy Independent Funeral Directors
Robert Bush, 48, abused the trust of those at their lowest ebb

Bush had been due to stand trial in October, but during a hearing at Hull Crown Court on Thursday he admitted 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial.

He also pleaded guilty to one charge of stealing money from charity collection boxes.

The admissions followed others in October last year, when Bush pleaded guilty to 35 offences of fraud by false representation, relating to the proper care of remains and the return of ashes. Four of the charges related to giving women ashes that he falsely claimed were those of their unborn babies.

He also previously admitted a charge of fraudulently running a business. This related to the sale of funeral plans. There were 172 victims relating to this count alone.

In total, there were 254 victims of Bush's crimes, police said.

Many families were distraught to learn ashes they were given did not belong to their loved ones.

Some had unwittingly worn the ashes of strangers close to their body in the form of specially made jewellery.

One told us how a friend had the ashes mixed with tattoo ink and pushed deep into their skin.

PA Media Police and forensic officers, wearing white suits, stand outside Legacy Independent Funeral Directors off Hessle Road in Hull.PA Media
The parlour in Hessle Road, Hull, has been described as "a hoarder's house"

Bush's disregard for the dead and their families did not end there.

More than 1,000 items, including love letters, baby clothes and treasured possessions belonging to the victims were found on the funeral director's premises, a crisis response team told the BBC.

"It was like a hoarder's house," said Kevin Curreri of Kenyon Emergency Services.

The team is typically brought in by governments in the wake of natural disasters, plane crashes and terrorism incidents.

This time, it was appointed by Hull City Council to recover the scene, after police had finished with it.

According to Curreri, human remains and personal possessions had been treated "so disrespectfully" that it showed "a pretty significant breach of trust".

Linsey Smith/BBC A sign and a bunch of fake flowers attached to the black railings around the former Legacy premises.Linsey Smith/BBC
Families left tributes to their loved ones at the former Legacy parlour in Hessle Road, Hull

Following the police searches, floral tributes were left outside the parlour.

Some of the notes attached to them demonstrated the unbridled rage felt towards the person responsible for causing this close-knit community so much heartache.

In stark contrast to Bush's large detached home in Kirk Ella – a desirable village in the East Riding of Yorkshire – his funeral business, which opened in 2010, stood in Hessle Road, a working-class street that was once the beating heart of Hull's fishing industry.

Bush hid behind a veneer of respectability, his neighbours painting a picture of a family man who was willing to run errands and help complete DIY tasks for them.

Professionally, too, nothing appeared to be too much trouble for Bush, with some of his customers telling the BBC how he had offered them the chance to pay him in installments when they told him they were struggling to cover a relative's funeral costs.

One woman said Bush had personally bought their funeral flowers when they ran out of money.

"I just felt so grateful," she said. "I didn't ask questions."

Emma Hardy, MP for Hull West and Haltemprice, said Bush had deliberately pushed low-cost funerals at a vulnerable community.

"He pretended he was their friend," she said.

Bush was anything but.

Kevin Newton sat on a chair looking directly into the camera. He is wearing a blue top.
Kevin Newton bought a funeral plan from Robert Bush to save his children from financial burden

Not even charities escaped his greed.

Bush stole an unknown amount of cash from charity collection boxes. The donations, in memory of loved ones, were made at funeral services Bush organised.

Families believed the money would go directly to causes close to their hearts.

But it did not.

Between September 2017 and 6 March 2024, a number of good causes, including the Salvation Army, Macmillan Cancer Support, Dove House Hospice, Help for Heroes, the RNLI and Oakwood Dog Rescue were deprived of their funds.

More than 170 people bought non-existent funeral plans through Legacy, including 70-year-old Kevin Newton.

He paid £2,239 in 2012 for his plan.

Kevin said he was "mortified" when he contacted a third-party insurer and was told there was no trace of the plan on its database.

His daughter, Kerry, 36, said: "It's absolutely shocking because it's a lot of money for my dad to fork out and it's not like he can [afford it] again.

"It's unforgivable."

Kevin was able to recover the money as he paid using a card.

The funeral business was dissolved at a court hearing in May 2024 with debts of more than £40,000.

Bush has been bailed to be sentenced on 27 July.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

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Dozens more people tell BBC of 'alarming' safety breaches at Travelodge hotels

2 April 2026 at 13:02
Wendy Griffith said her "heart aches" for the victim of a sex attack at a Travelodge in Maidenhead

A woman has told the BBC how she was "trapped" in her Travelodge hotel room for an hour last summer while a naked man banged on her door and performed "vile" sex acts in the corridor.

Wendy Griffith is among a growing number of guests who believe the chain has failed to take "alarming" experiences seriously "for years" and has been consistently "fobbing people off".

Dozens of people have shared their stories after the BBC revealed how a woman woke up to a man sexually assaulting her in her bed at the chain's Maidenhead branch in 2022 after staff gave him a key card and her room number.

A Travelodge spokesperson said it was "deeply sorry" to hear about Wendy Griffth's experience. Earlier this week, Travelodge's CEO, Jo Boydell, apologised to people that have had "frightening" experiences.

Outside of Travelodge London Straford hotel. It looks like a block of flats with branding on the first floor
Wendy Griffth was targeted by a man at Travelodge London Stratford in July 2025

The company, which is based in Thame, Oxfordshire, said it had already "strengthened" its room access policy.

Marketing consultant Wendy Griffith, from Norfolk, was staying at Travelodge London Stratford in July 2025 when she said a man started banging on her door.

She then witnessed him through the door's peephole performing sex acts.

She recalled "rising panic" over the hour as she was "essentially trapped" in the middle of the night trying and failing "multiple times" to contact hotel staff.

With no room phone and no emergency contact number in her room, she used her mobile to try and call the Travelodge website number.

She said she was "incredibly traumatised and not able to summon help", then dialled 999 in desperation.

"The police were incredible," she remembered, "given I was a female staying in a hotel room on my own, three cars pulled up within five minutes to arrest the man.

"It was a very dramatic scene, he attempted to run back in his room, barricade the door, the police had to force their way in, use pepper spray."

The man, Trevor Reece, 40, pleaded guilty to outraging public decency in September 2025.

He was sentenced by magistrates to four months of alcohol dependency treatment and ordered to pay £185 court costs and £50 compensation to his victim, which she says has yet to be paid.

In a previous interview with the BBC, Travelodge chief executive Jo Boydell said the company had made changes to its policies

"The impact that has resulted in terms of the psychological impact, the flashbacks, the impact to my business, my livelihood, all of it, and my situation was not as extreme as the lady in the Travelodge Maidenhead hotel," Wendy Griffth told the BBC.

"When I saw the story break recently, I broke down in tears because it was validation - that other people were experiencing these issues with Travelodge - and just complete and utter devastation that that had happened to that woman.

"That could have potentially happened to me and that's what keeps me awake at night."

She subsequently discovered, during a lull in the hour she was targeted, her tormentor - who was also a hotel guest - had gone to reception and asked for a replacement room key but gave her room number instead of his own.

"That moment when the desk clerk said 'he asked for a key to your room' the blood drained from my body," she recalled.

She said he was only refused as the clerk told her he knew the man was a long staying guest and the number he gave was not his own room.

She insisted Travelodge's responses to her subsequent complaints, which the BBC has seen, have been "categorically not good enough" and she feels "dismissed" and "palmed off".

She said no-one from Travelodge "proactively" offered her a refund, she had to chase them and her case was "pushed out" to the firm's insurers which denied liability.

She also believes CEO Jo Boydell's response to the 2022 Maidenhead attack has been "poor" and was shocked to hear her admit to not being aware of it until the attacker's trial at the end of 2025.

"To take so long to respond," she said, "and now only under media scrutiny and pressure and the fact that their business looks bad," she said.

"If there is ever a situation in your hotel where the police have become involved, that should be an automatic escalation to the CEO for a formal investigation."

A Travelodge spokesperson said: "We were deeply sorry to hear about the distressing experience Ms Griffith had at our London Stratford hotel and our handling of her case.

"We have since rolled out training to all of our hotels to ensure that the hotel phone number is on every key card wallet given to a customer so they can reach our team at any time, day or night."

Charlotte Bingley A woman looks straight at the camera. She has curly brown hair and is wearing a pink topCharlotte Bingley
Charlotte Bingley, from Birmingham, is among many people who have contacted the BBC about their Travelodge experiences

A growing number of MPs have also demanded better hotel safety procedures and the privately-owned hotel chain's crisis over guest safety continues to escalate.

The BBC has been contacted by people who have been "terrified" by "strangers" coming into their rooms and many have provided evidence of their subsequent complaints to Travelodge and direct emails to its CEO.

Others have reported accidentally walking into occupied rooms after being given the wrong room key.

The guests said Travelodge's responses had been "lacking", "dismissive", "totally uninterested" and "appalling".

One described three room key mistakes in one night.

Charlotte Bingley, from Birmingham, checked into a Travelodge in the south west of England in February and within an hour an "intimidating" staff member entered her room without knocking.

"I've never been so scared in my life," she said, "I really thought he was going to really hurt me and I was [shouting] 'just get out of the room'."

She said it took "ages for him to leave" and as there was no inside lock on her door, she was "petrified" he would "come back in the middle of the night", so she left.

She described the company's response to her repeated complaints - which the BBC has seen - as "despicable".

A Travelodge spokesperson said: "Our response to Ms Bingley was wholly inappropriate and we are very sorry.

"The team member has since been dismissed and no longer works for the business

"Any case of unauthorised access to a guest's room is a significant cause for concern and what happened to Ms Bingley was very upsetting and shouldn't have happened."

Gordon Hollingsworth A woman and a man appear together in the photo. The man has short grey hair and he is wearing shaded glasses. The woman has blonde hair and is smilingGordon Hollingsworth
Sian and Gordon Hollingsworth said their complaints about a "total failure" of security procedures were "glossed over"

Gordon Hollingsworth, from Essex, said a stranger walked into his and his "horrified" wife's room at midnight at Travelodge Leatherhead in January.

He recalled the unknown man being "as stunned as I was", having been given the key to the couple's room by staff.

He said he rarely writes complaints, but was so shocked by the "lack of organisational care and procedure", he contacted Travelodge because he "could see the very obvious threat".

He "took exception" to how they responded and said: "They just glossed over it. With no mitigations in place to prevent reoccurrence... that will repeat itself."

A Travelodge spokesperson said: "Any case of an unauthorised person entering a guest's room is a significant cause for concern and what happened to Mr Hollingsworth and his family was very upsetting and shouldn't have happened and we have apologised for this."

Sophia Farley, from Bournemouth, was also dissatisfied by Travelodge's reaction to her complaints about "dark figures" appearing in her room at night at the London Belvedere in June 2025.

She emailed CEO Jo Boydell spelling out that she was "shaken and frightened" and stressed her customer service team's initial reply "minimises what was a significant safeguarding failure" and was "wholly insufficient".

She told the BBC when she heard about the Maidenhead attack: "My first thought was, if that happened years ago, why did that then happen to me?

"Nowhere near as bad for me as it was for that poor young woman, but it could have been."

A Travelodge spokesperson said: "Our initial response to Ms Farley was inappropriate.

"In a subsequent response, our Customer Services team apologised profusely to Ms Farley for what happened during her stay, acknowledged her experience and confirmed we had retrained the hotel team. We subsequently processed a full refund of her stay at her request."

Wendy Griffth A Travelodge key card holder which is showing a phone number for staffWendy Griffth
Travelodge London Stratford has since put its direct-to-staff phone number on the front of its key card holders

In response to growing numbers of people reporting safety issues at the hotel chain, Wendy Griffiths said she felt a "responsibility" to speak up.

"If this many incidences are occurring of reported cases, what is not being reported because women are too afraid to come forward?" she said.

"I want compensation for not just myself, but for [other] victims and I want to make sure that this doesn't happen to other women."

She did receive a "profound and sincere apology" from Travelodge London Stratford's manager and her calls for improvements prompted the hotel to print a staff contact number on its key card holders.

A Travelodge spokesperson said: "We have recently commissioned an independent review which will look at every aspect of our room security procedures and in the meantime we have also strengthened our room access policy and brought in additional training for colleagues.

"Our focus remains on ensuring that everyone feels safe when staying in our hotels."

If you have been affected by issues in this story, BBC Action Line has details of available support.

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.

报人刘亚东A|为什么中国人比俄国人更怀念苏联?

2 April 2026 at 19:50

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作者:刘亚东

前几日在北京和几个朋友聚餐时,有位211大学的党委书记给老刘提出一个挺有意思的问题:为什么中国人似乎比俄罗斯人更怀念苏联?借着酒兴,老刘谈了三点看法,在座的人多表认同。事后细想,这确实是一个值得深入琢磨的现象。现把那天所谈整理成文,与大家分享。

上世纪九十年代初的苏联解体,无疑是二十世纪最具震撼性的地缘政治事件之一。三十多年过去,一个耐人寻味的对比愈发清晰:在今日俄罗斯,除俄共等特定群体外,社会整体对苏联解体多持平静和释然的态度,甚至觉得是“翻了篇”的事;而在中国,仍有不少人对苏联的崩塌深感痛惜,视之为巨大的历史遗憾。这种情感的“错位”,并非简单的好恶之别,而是根植于两国不同的历史沿革、身份认同与现实处境。

CDT 档案卡
标题:为什么中国人比俄国人更怀念苏联?
作者:报人刘亚东
发表日期:2026.4.2
来源:微信公众号-报人刘亚东A
主题归类:苏联
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

01

记忆的分野:

作为镜鉴的史诗与作为重负的往事

对许多中国人而言,苏联是一段镌刻在集体记忆中的“悲剧史诗”。其鼎盛时期的辉煌与骤然解体的惨烈,构成强烈反差,成为时常回望与深思的历史镜鉴。

苏联的高光时刻,至今仍被许多人铭记。它率先叩开太空时代的大门,把人类第一颗卫星送入苍穹,让第一位航天员翱翔太空;在反法西斯战争中,以数千万人的牺牲铸就了抗击纳粹的中流砥柱;在文学、音乐、科技领域,诞生了影响世界的巨匠与丰碑;更在短短几十年间,建立起完整的重工业体系。这些标志性成就,构成了许多中国人对苏联的核心印象。尤其对经历过国家筚路蓝缕发展历程的一代人而言,苏联的故事承载着对一个强大社会主义国家的复杂想象。

而它崩塌的方式,又为其增添了浓厚的悲剧色彩。一个曾与美国分庭抗礼的超级大国,竟在短时间内分崩离析,国际地位一落千丈,发展道路坎坷曲折。这种“由盛转衰”的宏大叙事,极易引发中国人对自身国家命运的关注与忧思。

反观俄罗斯,苏联对多数民众而言,更多是需要直面和反思的沉重过往,而非值得沉溺的黄金时代。对亲历了苏联后期停滞与解体后震荡的俄罗斯人来说,苏联时代不仅关联着超级大国的荣光,更与计划经济的物资短缺、官僚体系的僵化低效、社会活力的压抑等记忆紧密相连。苏联解体固然带来了转型阵痛,但也常被视为摆脱旧体制束缚、开启新可能的转折。因此,除了特定政治力量,俄罗斯社会整体并未普遍沉浸在对苏联的怀念中,更多人关注的是如何解决现实问题、重振国家实力。

02

身份的差异:

作为参照的他者与作为本体的自我

中国与苏联、俄罗斯与苏联,是两种截然不同的历史关系,这从根本上决定了两国对苏联解体认知视角的本质不同。

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对中国而言,苏联始终是一个重要的“外部参照系”。两国关系经历了从“以苏为师”到论战对峙,再到关系正常化的复杂历程。在这一过程中,中国既借鉴过苏联的经验,也汲取了其教训。苏联解体后,中国社会对其进行了持续而深入的反思,这种反思的核心在于将其视为一部蕴含着丰富历史教训的“教科书”,思考如何避免类似陷阱,走稳自己的道路。

对俄罗斯而言,苏联是其直接的“历史前身”,解体的过程是国家本体一次深刻而痛苦的重构。俄罗斯民众亲身经历了联盟瓦解带来的地缘政治收缩、经济衰退、身份认同危机等切肤之痛。苏联的解体是“自家的事”,是必须消化和处理的内部遗产。这种“身在其中”的沉浸式体验,使得俄罗斯人更倾向于从内部根源理性剖析苏联解体的原因,而非从外部赋予其浪漫化的怀想。

03

认知的距离:

作为象征的符号与作为经验的亲历

认知的距离感,也塑造了不同的情感投射。

许多中国人对苏联的认知,主要通过历史记载、经典文艺作品、科技成就等媒介完成,这容易形成一种聚焦于其高光时刻的、带有一定距离感和理想化色彩的印象。苏联因而成为一种象征强大、秩序与理想的抽象符号。当面临外部压力或内部转型的挑战时,这种符号化的苏联形象,有时会成为一种情感寄托,象征着对某种确定性、秩序感和宏大叙事的向往。

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而俄罗斯人的认知,则始终与鲜活、复杂的直接经验与集体记忆交织在一起。他们既承载着超级大国的历史遗产,也背负着旧体制的沉重包袱;既经历了解体初期的混乱与失落,也面对着重建国家认同与尊严的现实任务。这种植根于生活实践的全方位体验,使得他们的态度更为复杂、务实,也更少浪漫滤镜。

总而言之,老刘的结论是:俄罗斯人对苏联解体的相对平静,源于他们作为继承主体,亲身经历并消化了这场变革,将其视为一个必须翻过的历史篇章;中国人对苏联解体的痛惜与深思,则源于我们作为重要的观察者和参照者,始终将其视为一部关乎大国兴衰、治国理政的深刻教科书。苏联的历史已然终结,但它留下的关于改革、发展、稳定与民生的宏大命题,至今仍在叩问着每一个追求长治久安的国家。

风声OPINION|重庆“没给一个子儿”,为何诞生了创业天才张雪?

2 April 2026 at 19:47

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相比神化和工具化已经“证明”自己的“英雄”,能够有足够的耐心和包容去容纳那些不循规蹈、尚未“成功”的“异类”,显然更重要。

作者丨朱昌俊

资深媒体评论员

毫无疑问,张雪是近几天全网受关注度最高的顶流“素人”。

3月28日至29日,世界超级摩托车锦标赛WSBK葡萄牙站在波尔蒂芒赛道落幕。中国张雪机车ZXMOTO厂队表现惊艳。该车队的法国车手瓦伦丁·德比斯驾驶国产摩托车53号820RR-RS赛车,连夺两回合冠军,拿下周末双冠。张雪机车也因此创下中国摩托车品牌在世界顶级摩托赛事的历史首冠。

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这一幕,被普遍认为,“不仅是车队的胜利,更标志着中国制造在国际摩托赛事技术层面的全面突破,打破了国外品牌数十年的赛场垄断”。再叠加张雪个人从湖南麻阳的摩托车修车学徒,在20年“磨一剑”中成长为新一代中国摩托车企业“掌门人”的励志故事,可以说在方方面面都衍生出了被“赋义”的空间。

CDT 档案卡
标题:风声|重庆“没给一个子儿”,为何诞生了创业天才张雪?
作者:朱昌俊
发表日期:2026.4.2
来源:微信公众号-风声OPINION
主题归类:张雪
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

也正是因为这种延展性,“夺冠”后的张雪,采访者来了,消费者来了,投资者来了,连当地政府也宣布将为其提供近200亩全新生产基地……这种连锁反应在流量时代不难预料,也可以理解。

但是,某种程度上,有人为他喝彩,有人借他发声,有人将他视为某种“证明”,也意味着张雪正在被过度符号化。

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重庆“没给一个子儿”,为何诞生了创业天才?

夺冠之后,面对记者的采访,张雪那句“重庆没给我一个子儿”的“真话”,也迅速成为舆论焦点。应该说,这句“反场面”话,击中了不少人的情绪。在很多人看来,这似乎也印证了一种熟悉的逻辑,即像张雪这样“横空出世”的“草根英雄”,从来不是被“扶持”出来的。

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同时,也有不少人从另一个角度提出,对于创业者而言,政府最应该提供的本就不是直接的补贴,一个健全、高效的产业生态才是关键所在。而重庆之所以能走出张雪这样的创业者,恰恰得益于其深厚的摩托车产业积淀,包括完整的上下游产业链、相对成熟的技术工人队伍、浓厚的产业氛围等。事实上,这一点也得到张雪本人的肯定。

当然,当地媒体也更乐于接受这种解读。在他们看来,张雪的夺冠是重庆摩托车产业不断创新的一个有力证明,是这座老牌摩托车制造基地焕发新生的缩影。

这个角度当然有其道理,但如果仅仅停留在“产业生态论”的层面,又难免失之简化。问题的复杂性体现在,不同产业、不同阶段、不同发展目标下,企业和产业发展对于政府角色的需求,其实可能是完全不同的。

比如,前几年合肥的“风投模式”备受推崇。很多人知道,合肥市政府通过敏锐的产业判断和果断的投资,曾先后引进了京东方、蔚来等一批新兴产业龙头,被舆论称为“最牛风投城市”。那种模式的核心,其实就是在新兴产业及其分布格局尚未成型的阶段,地方政府通过前瞻性的布局和真金白银的投入,降低产业和关键企业入驻的风险,从而帮助新兴产业在本地落地生根。很明显,这一模式确实不是简单一句“营造生态”就能实现的。

相比之下,作为全国重要的摩托车制造基地,重庆在摩托车产业上已深耕了几十年,从市场主体到产业链条都已经比较完备,市场竞争也相对充分。在这种情况下,抛开政府的“砸钱”动力不谈,直接出手给某一家企业“投钱”,反而可能带来对市场公平竞争的破坏。

从这个意义上说,张雪那句“没给一个子儿”的直白话,其实未必值得放大。外界最该关注的,也不是重庆方面有没有给他直接扶持,而是到底有没有给所有像他一样的创业者提供公平竞争的机会和稳定的政策预期。包括浙江资本最终投向张雪,其实也包含了这种对本地产业生态和发展环境的“投资”。如果这些做到了,那本身其实就是一种合适的“支持”。

这其实也再次呼应了那个早些年被反复提及的词——“筑巢引凤”。在人才和项目的争夺已经成为城市竞争常态的今天,随着张雪“传奇”的上演,这四个字的含金量或许还在上升。而这里的“巢”,既包括产业生态,也指营商环境。

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“草根英雄”的受捧悖论:该如何看待“天才”的逆袭?

张雪的故事之所以能够迅速“出圈”,除了夺冠本身,更因为他身上确实贴着太多这个时代容易引发共鸣的标签,比如草根、热爱、偏执、坚持、不被看好却最终逆袭等。在“躺平”“求稳”“上岸”等成为高频词的今天,张雪的出现仿佛是一记响亮的耳光,不出意外地被许多人拿来证明“理想主义依然有用”、“拼命依然值得”。

甚至,有人还拿他与张雪峰作对比。的确,这两个人,一个的形象是劝人务实、追求确定性的“规划大师”,一个是靠一腔孤勇赌上一切的“热血疯子”。这种对比固然有戏剧性,但如果因此就把张雪简单塑造成“反躺平”的代言人,恐怕同样是一种一厢情愿的误读。

必须接受的一个事实是,像张雪这样因为“热爱”而坚持数十年,甚至带着某种偏执的“理想主义者”,在任何社会、任何时代,其实都注定是极少数。说得更直白点,他不可能是一种可以量产的成功样本,个人选择也不具备太多可复制性。

这背后其实还有着一个明显的悖论,那就是当很多人一边对张雪不惜溢美之词,一边又希望他能被复制和推广时,其实也同时在消解他的价值。

道理很简单,越是希望这种成功成为普遍现象,他的独特性也就越被稀释,价值也就越低。就像尽管很多人都会去研究和学习乔布斯、马斯克,但恐怕没有多少人会天真地以为按照某种“成功公式”就能批量复制他们。对待张雪,同样需要这样的清醒。

可以说,把他捧上神坛,和把他当作某种社会情绪的宣泄出口,本质上都是一种可疑的简化思维。真正尊重他的方式,就应该承认这种不可复制性,并推动社会去真正思考,到底该如何对待那些不可复制的“天才”?

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不必过于浪漫化想象:夺冠只是企业发展的开始

在将张雪符号化的诸多声音中,还有一种倾向值得警惕,那就是将这次张雪机车夺冠等同于张雪机车这家企业成功本身。仿佛赛场上的一战成名,就意味着一家企业已经站稳了脚跟,未来已是一片坦途。这种认知,其实是对企业成长和市场竞争的浪漫化想象。

确实,从企业家的角度来看,张雪机车的夺冠,在方方面面都可以说,给张雪机车这家企业的发展提供了可遇不可求的泼天流量,可谓是打响了“第一炮”。但是,市场竞争比赛道的比拼要复杂得多。一家摩托车企业在充分竞争的市场中要想真正长远地立足,特别是要在国际市场闯出一片天,说到底还是得靠持续稳定的产品质量、可靠耐久的用户体验、完善的售后服务体系,以及在全球市场上与国际头部品牌正面竞争的综合能力。

其实,张雪本人的认知比很多围观者清醒得多。在接受采访中,他明确提出,“十年的长期目标是成为世界TOP10的摩托车品牌”。这个目标或的确让人振奋,但也必须承认,它其实才刚刚开始。要知道,世界TOP10意味着要与本田、雅马哈、杜卡迪这些动辄数十年甚至上百年历史、拥有深厚技术积累、成熟供应链体系和强大品牌认知的国际巨头同台竞技。

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切不可低估其中的不确定性,它既与技术攻关的难度、资金链的考验有关,也与企业本身的组织管理能力能否同步“进化”密切相关。而其中任何一个环节拖后腿,都可能影响到目标的实现进度。

对此,社会舆论也理当有更成熟、更理性的审视。还是要看到,一家企业从创立到真正成熟,往往得经历数次生死考验,要穿越多个周期。这个过程需要的,不仅是创业者的激情,更是持续的创新活力与稳健经营能力,甚至运气。

更进一步说,围观者也不妨扪心自问:假如未来作为企业的张雪机车褪去了光环,或未能走到张雪所期望的终点,又该如何对待?

是翻出今天的赞美当作嘲讽的素材,还是以“早就知道会这样”的姿态事后诸葛亮式地冷眼旁观?

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包容尚未成功的“异类”,才能孕育更多可能

这其实也引出了一个更为根本的问题,即我们到底需要怎样的社会氛围,才能让更多张雪式的人物有机会冒出来?

张雪早年的一段经历,或许具备一定的参考价值。根据这次“翻红”的节目视频,当年湖南卫视的记者在拍摄他时,曾有过明显的犹豫。但最终,记者怀着恻隐之心,还是答应了拍摄。而正是这份包容,让张雪的故事得以被更多人看见,也更加具象化地增添了今天的“传奇”色彩。

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这个细节,其实颇有象征意味。现实中,像张雪这样的人,虽然“成功”后那份赤子般的“执着”“纯粹”很让人动容,但在之前其实往往都是不被理解的。因为他们太不符合社会主流价值对“正常人生”的想象。特别是在当前这样一个愈发追求确定性的社会里,他们往往更是“极少数”,是那些更不容易被规训、劝退和“矫正”的人。

但是,也恰恰是这样的“异类”,才让一些真正突破和创新变得更具可能性。“伟大不能被计划”,创新也从来不是按计划生产出来的,它们往往就诞生于那些不被看好、被误会但却不肯放弃的“边缘人”手中。

也就是说,一个社会如果只容得下“正常”,只鼓励“稳妥”,也就难免要承受创造力打折的代价。

因此,社会各方对待张雪,相比把他捧成英雄,给予他作为一个创业者和企业家应有的尊重或许就足矣。比如,他坦言目前接受过多的采访已经“没有意义”、“在浪费时间”,这样的心声就应该被正视和理解。

说到底,舆论的纷纷扰扰,主要还是由于不同的围观者在他身上投射了不同的情绪,不同的立场也试图将他纳入不同的叙事。诚然,这或是他“出圈”后不得不承受的“宿命”。

但是,相比神化和工具化已经“证明”自己的“英雄”,能够有足够的耐心和包容去容纳那些不循规蹈、尚未“成功”的“异类”,显然更重要。

本文系凤凰网评论部特约原创稿件,仅代表作者立场。

主编|萧轶‍‍‍

特朗普称在伊朗“目标即将实现” 未来两三周要把伊朗打回“石器时代” - RFI - 法国国际广播电台

2 April 2026 at 20:15
02/04/2026 - 13:53

美国总统特朗普周三晚间向全国发表讲话称:伊朗“不再构成真正”的威胁,美军即将实现其战略目标,并承诺,将在未来两到三周内“猛烈”打击伊朗,将其打回“石器时代”。

在美联社4月2日刊出的讲话全文中,特朗普说:在过去的四周里,我们的武装部队在战场上取得了迅速、果断、压倒性的胜利。伊朗的海军已不复存在,空军已成废墟,其恐怖政权的大部分领导人已丧命。他们对伊斯兰革命卫队的指挥和控制正被彻底摧毁。他们发射导弹和无人机的能力被大幅削弱。他们的武器、工厂和火箭发射器正在被炸成碎片。

特朗普还承诺,要在接下来两到三周,将对他们进行极其猛烈的打击。我们要把他们打回“石器时代”,让他们回到他们该待的地方。

他还说,与此同时,谈判仍在进行中。政权更迭并非我们的目标。我们从未说过要推翻政权,但由于他们原有领导人全部死亡,政权更迭已经发生。新政权不那么激进,也更加理性。

特朗普威胁到,然而如果在此期间未能达成协议,我们已经盯上他们的关键目标。如无法达成协议,我们将对他们的每一座发电厂进行猛烈打击,且很可能同时进行。

特朗普还为他在第一任期退出2015年伊核协议辩护称,我终止了巴拉克·侯赛因·奥巴马的伊朗核协议,那是一场灾难。奥巴马给了他们17亿美元现金。货真价实的现金——从弗吉尼亚州、华盛顿特区和马里兰州的银行里取出来,用飞机运送这些钱,试图收买他们(伊朗)的尊重和忠诚,但这并没有奏效。他们嘲笑我们的总统,继续推进他们拥有核武器的计划。他那个伊朗核协议使伊朗拥有庞大的核武器库。

Man dies in storm as Saharan dust shrouds Crete

2 April 2026 at 15:54
NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS/EPA/Shutterstock A man takes a picture while cars drive with their headlights on in red air.NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS/EPA/Shutterstock
A man takes pictures as the city of Heraklion that is covered in red dust coming from Africa

A man has died near Athens as a storm hits parts of Greece with gale-force winds and flooding, while a Saharan dust storm enveloped the island of Crete.

The man was found under a car in the Nea Makri rural area early on Thursday, according to the fire department.

Storm Erminio has flooded streets, closed some schools and moored ferries. Meanwhile, some flights were disrupted on Crete on Wednesday after dust from an African storm filled the air, turning the sky red-orange.

The weather is expected to be bad on Thursday in most areas of the country "with long-lasting and intense rains and storms and possibly with local hail", according to the national meteorological service.

Stefanos Rapanis/Anadolu via Getty Images People walk along a waterfront with boats, buildings and the sea in the background. The sky is orange.Stefanos Rapanis/Anadolu via Getty Images
Crete cloaked by a Saharan dust storm on 1 April

A red warning is in place in Crete, mainly in the west and south, from midday until late at night on Thursday.

The fire department received 674 calls for assistance from Wednesday through the early hours of Thursday. The majority were in the Attica region that encompasses Athens, with most calls for fallen trees.

High winds have kept ferries moored in ports, with Greek media reporting some departures may resume on Thursday, weather permitting.

Streets as well as the basement of the local police station in Nea Makri were flooded. A bridge was knocked down on the island of Poros and vehicles have reportedly been swept away. Some schools have also been closed.

Stefanos Rapanis/Anadolu via Getty Images Two people walk in jackets long a street beside a shop and building. The sky and everything is coloured red-orange.Stefanos Rapanis/Anadolu via Getty Images
Crete cloaked by Saharan dust storm on 1 April

Brazil grants joint custody over pets in new law for separated couples

2 April 2026 at 17:38
Getty Images A couple walking two dogs in the sunsetGetty Images

Courts in Brazil will be able to determine shared custody arrangements for the pets of separating couples, under new laws.

Lawmakers in the Brazilian Congress on Tuesday viewed the law change as a reflection on the importance people place on their pets.

The legislation means that if a couple separates without reaching an agreement regarding their pet, "a judge will determine the shared custody arrangement and the equitable distribution of the animal's maintenance expenses between the parties".

Currently, the country of 213 million people has about 160 million pets, according to the Instituto Pet Brasil.

For the law to apply to separating couples, the animal must have spent the majority of its life with the pair.

Shared custody will not be granted in cases of prior criminal records or a history or risk of domestic violence.

Members of the congress said there had been an increase in pet custody disputes in courts, while noting the law responds to "changes that have occurred in Brazilian society in recent decades," according to a statement accompanying the law.

The statement added that couples with fewer children tend to have closer relationships with their animals, "often considered true family members".

Currently in the UK, dogs are legally seen as inanimate objects akin to cars, houses or other personal items, meaning custody cases come down to determining who the sole owner is.

In 2014, France changed its law so pets were considered "living and feeling beings" rather than "moveable goods". That change meant couples would be able to fight for shared custody in divorce cases.

Australia currently has no legislation on how the courts should navigate living arrangements for pets after a breakup.

The most recent example of a pet being given joint custody was in Spain in 2021. A judge granted joint custody of a dog to a separated couple who went to court to determine who the pet should live with.

The Madrid court considered that both parties were "jointly responsible" and "co-caretakers" of Panda the dog.

Elon Musk's SpaceX set to go public in $1 trillion share listing

2 April 2026 at 15:05
Reuters Elon Musk waving to a crowd from a stage wearing a black blazer and a black t-shirt.Reuters

Elon Musk's SpaceX is poised to become one of the most valuable publicly traded companies in the world.

The company, which manufactures rockets, space exploration technology and Starlink satellites, is currently privately held. But on Wednesday it made a confidential filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering, which would allow shares to be traded in the stock market.

The value of SpaceX once it goes public is expected to surpass $1tn (£751bn). That would make its eventual stock market debut one of the most financially significant in history.

Musk's own holding in SpaceX would put the billionaire on track to become the world's first trillionaire.

The BBC has contacted SpaceX for comment.

The company is aiming to officially go public sometime in June, according to reports in Bloomberg, Reuters and the New York Times.

A confidential IPO filing with the SEC allows a company to avoid immediately revealing information to the public while it requests feedback from the regulator. The next step will be for company executives to hold "roadshows" - meetings with big investors to convince them to buy shares.

By making shares of SpaceX available for purchase by the public, the company is looking to raise $50bn or more, according to the reports.

Earlier this year, SpaceX took over xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence venture. After that all-stock merger, SpaceX is believed to have become the most valuable private company in the world, with an internal valuation of $1.25tn.

Recently, Musk's various companies have been becoming increasingly intertwined.

Last year, xAI, best known for its chatbot Grok, took over X, the social media platform previously called Twitter that Musk bought in 2022.

This degree of consolidation was a clear sign to investors that SpaceX was preparing to go public.

Emily Zheng, a senior analyst at Pitchbook, earlier told the BBC that by bringing xAI under SpaceX, Musk could show potential investors that he was consolidating costs and able to easily share resources between his companies.

With its large-scale ambitions, SpaceX is in need of a massive cash infusion that going public can provide, Zheng added. The company is racing to keep up with the "sheer cost of compute, infrastructure, and energy" needed to expand, she said.

Earlier this year, Tesla, Musk's electric vehicle company, revealed it had invested more than $2bn in xAI.

The billionaire said a significant share of Tesla's manufacturing would begin to shift toward building robots, which would make use of xAI technology like Grok.

Grok is already included in some Teslas as an AI assistant.

SpaceX would also partner with Tesla and xAI in the massive chipmaking endeavour Musk announced last month, which he is calling Terafab.

"Tesla, xAI and SpaceX have all done amazing things that people did not think could be done before," Musk said in a March presentation discussing Terafab.

Musk started SpaceX in 2002 with the aim of reducing the cost of launching crafts into space, mainly by making rockets that could be launched more than once. It first contracted with Nasa in 2006.

Today, most of SpaceX's work continues to revolve around rockets and the operation of Starlink, a fleet of satellites offering internet connectivity across the globe.

But Musk often discusses grander ambitions for the company, including putting data centers needed for AI in space and building a self-sufficient city on Mars, which many experts have said could be impossible to realise.

Palantir UK boss says it's up to militaries to decide how AI targeting is used in war

2 April 2026 at 00:03
Palantir's Louis Mosley says militaries responsible for how AI systems are used

Tech giant Palantir has pushed back against concerns that military use of its AI platforms could lead to unforeseen risks, in an exclusive interview with the BBC, insisting that the way the technology is used is the responsibility of its military customers.

It comes as experts have expressed concern over the use of Palantir's AI-powered defence platform - Maven Smart System - during wartime and its reported use in US attacks on Iran.

Analysts have warned that the military's use of the platform, which helps personnel plan attacks, leaves little time for "meaningful verification" of its output and could lead to incorrect targets being hit.

But the company's UK and Europe head, Louis Mosley, told the BBC in a wide-ranging interview that while AI platforms like Maven have been "instrumental" to the US management of the Iran war, responsibility for how their output is used must always remain "with the military organisation".

"There's always a human in the loop, so there is always a human that makes the ultimate decision. That's the current set-up."

The Maven Smart System was launched by the Pentagon in 2017 and is designed to speed up military targeting decisions by bringing together masses of data, including a range of intelligence, satellite and drone images.

The system analyses this data and can then provide recommendations for targeting. It can also suggest the level of force to use based on the availability of personnel and military hardware, such as aircraft.

But scrutiny has grown over the use of such tools in warfare. In February, the Pentagon announced that it would be phasing out Anthropic's Claude AI system - which helps to power Maven - after the company refused to allow use of its AI in autonomous weapons and surveillance. Palantir says alternatives can replace it.

Since the war with Iran began in February, the US has reportedly used Maven to plan strikes across the country.

Demonstration footage of Palantir's Maven Smart System

Pushed by the BBC on the risk that Maven might suggest incorrect targets - which could include civilians - Mosley insisted that the platform is only meant to serve as a guide to speed up the decision-making process for military personnel and that it should not be seen as an automated targeting system.

"You could think of it as a support tool," Mosley said. "It's allowing them to synthesise vast amounts of information that previously they would have had to do manually one by one."

However, Mosley deferred to individual militaries when challenged by the BBC on the risk of time-pressured commanders ordering their officers to take Maven's output as being rubber-stamped.

"That's really a question for our military customers. They're the ones that decide the policy framework that determines who gets to make what decision," he said. "That's not our role."

Since 28 February, the US has launched more than 11,000 strikes against Iran, many reportedly identified by Maven.

Adm Brad Cooper, head of the US military in the Middle East, has hailed AI systems for helping officers "sift through vast amounts of data in seconds, so our leaders can cut through the noise and make smarter decisions faster than the enemy can react".

But some worry AI's involvement in mission planning creates significant risks.

"This prioritisation of speed and scale and the use of force then leaves very little time for meaningful verification of targets to make sure that they don't include civilian targets accidentally," Prof Elke Schwarz of Queen Mary University of London said.

"If there's a risk of killing and you co-opt a lot of your critical thinking to software that will take care of these things for you, then you just become reliant on the software," she added. "It's a race to the bottom."

In recent weeks, Pentagon officials have faced questions as to whether AI tools such as Maven were used to identify targets in the deadly strike on a school in the Iranian town of Minab. Iranian officials said the strike killed 168 people, including around 110 children, on the opening day of the war.

In Congress, a number of senior Democrats have called for increased scrutiny of AI platforms like Maven. Rep Sara Jacobs - a member of the House Armed Services Committee - called for clearly enforced rules and regulations about how and when AI systems are used.

"AI tools aren't 100% reliable — they can fail in subtle ways and yet operators continue to over-trust them," she told NBC News last month.

"We have a responsibility to enforce strict guardrails on the military's use of AI and guarantee a human is in the loop in every decision to use lethal force, because the cost of getting it wrong could be devastating for civilians and the service members carrying out these missions."

But Mosley pushed back against suggestions that the speed of his company's platform is rushing decision making at the Pentagon and potentially creating dangerous situations. He instead argued that the speed at which commanders are now taking action is a "consequence of the increased efficiency" that Maven has enabled.

Citing "operational security", the Pentagon declined to comment when approached by the BBC on how AI systems like Maven will be used in future or who would be held responsible should something go wrong.

But officials in the US appear to be moving forward with plans to further integrate Maven into its systems.

Last week, the Reuters news agency reported that the Pentagon had designated Maven as "an official program of record" - establishing it as a technology to be integrated long-term across the US military.

In a letter obtained by Reuters, deputy Defence Secretary Steve Feinberg said the platform would provide commanders "with the latest tools necessary to detect, deter, and dominate our adversaries in all domains".

Additional reporting by Jemimah Herd

Over 1,800 killed since junta seized power in Burkina Faso, rights group says

2 April 2026 at 19:11
Anadolu via Getty Images Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré in a red beret and military uniformAnadolu via Getty Images
The junta is accused of committing "horrific abuses" since Ibrahim Traoré seized power

More than 1,800 civilians have been killed in Burkina Faso since Ibrahim Traoré seized power three years ago in acts amounting to "war crimes and crimes against humanity", a new report says.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says about 1,837 civilians, including dozens of children, were killed in 57 incidents between January 2023 and August 2025.

It attributes most of the killings - 1,255 - to the military and allied militias, with the rest blamed on Islamist militants.

HRW finds President Traoré and six senior military commanders "may be liable as a matter of command responsibility for grave abuses and should be investigated". It also says five jihadist leaders may be culpable.

The Burkinabé authorities have not yet commented on the report but have dismissed previous accusations that their forces have killed civilians.

One of the reasons the military gave for seizing power was to tackle the jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda who have been waging an insurgency in Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries for over a decade and control huge parts of the country.

The report is based on analysis of open-source information, including photos, videos and satellite imagery, and interviews with witnesses and survivors.

"All sides are responsible for the war crimes of willful killing, attacks on civilians and civilian objects, pillage and looting, and forced displacement," the report says.

It accuses the junta of committing "horrific abuses" and failing to hold perpetrators to account while blocking reporting to hide the suffering of civilians caught in the violence.

"The scale of atrocities taking place in Burkina Faso is mind-boggling, as is the lack of global attention to this crisis," says Philippe Bolopion, HRW's executive director.

The report cites one of the deadliest incidents in December 2023 in which it says the military and allied militias killed more than 400 civilians in the northern town of Djibo.

A 35-year-old woman told the rights group that her two daughters died on the spot and bullets injured her and her nine-month-old son.

"Make sure no-one is breathing before heading out," she recounted a militia member as saying.

Survivors described the killings as brutal and said they continue to suffer deep psychological trauma.

"Many survivors described the killings as 'butchery' and said they were left with deep psychological wounds," the report notes.

Since the military government seized power, authorities have been accused of carrying out brutal campaigns increasingly targeting civilians in response to attacks by al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM, the biggest jihadist group in the country.

Civilians described to HRW a feeling of being "caught between a rock and a hard place", threatened with death by JNIM while also being targeted by government forces.

The rights group says JNIM has used widespread threats and violence to dominate and punish communities and has targeted civilians refusing to submit to its authority, whom it accuses of supporting the government.

In August 2024, JNIM attackers "shot dead at least 133 people and injured more than 200 in fewer than two hours", it says.

HRW is now urging the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary investigation into the alleged crimes committed by all the parties since September 2022.

It has also called on Burkina Faso's partners and donors to impose sanctions and to refrain from cooperating with the country's army.

Traoré seized power in September 2022 after overthrowing Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had taken over only nine months earlier.

Despite his authoritarian reputation, 37-year-old Traoré has gained a huge following across the continent for his pan-Africanist vision and criticism of Western influence.

Burkina Faso, like its neighbours Mali and Niger which are also under military rule, has moved away from working with Western countries, especially France, in its fight against the Islamist groups. All three have instead turned towards Russia for military assistance, however the violence has continued unabated.

You may also be interested in:

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Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

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Australia to crack down on gambling ads after years of criticism

2 April 2026 at 13:43
Getty Images Anthony AlbaneseGetty Images
Australia has the highest per capita gambling losses in the world

The Australian government has announced long-awaited gambling advertising reforms, after years of public pressure.

The suite of measures will further limit when and where gambling ads can appear, as well as who can star in them - but it stops short of a full ban, which had cross-party support and the backing of a range of community groups.

Restrictions have been fiercely opposed by powerful gambling agencies, as well as media firms and sports organisations who feared a steep revenue hit.

Australians lose more money to gambling, per capita, than anywhere else in the world.

A number of countries - like Italy, Belgium and Spain - have introduced total or near-total bans on gambling advertising, and a parliamentary inquiry weighing up reform in Australia recommended similar more than 1000 days ago.

In a speech to the National Press Club on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was "getting the balance right" with this package.

"Letting adults have a punt if they want to, but making sure our children don't see betting ads everywhere they look."

Under the reforms, from January 1:

  • TV ads from betting agencies will be capped at three per hour, between 6am and 8:30pm, and banned completely from any live sports broadcasts during those hours
  • Gambling ads will be banned from radio during school pick-up and drop-off times
  • Celebrities and sports players will not be permitted to appear in gambling advertising
  • Gambling ads on online platforms will be banned, unless people have a logged in account, are over 18 and have the option to opt-out
  • Gambling ads will be outlawed in sports venues and on players' and officials' uniforms

The government will also crack down on illegal, offshore gaming sites, and ban more types of online gambling - like Keno and apps and websites modelled on poker machines.

The measures have already prompted backlash from voices in the gambling industry.

In a statement, Responsible Wagering Australia - the peak body for betting agencies - said the new measures are "draconian" and set a "dangerous precedent".

"Today it's gambling advertising, tomorrow it's alcohol, then it's sugary drinks, fast food, critical minerals and who knows what else comes next," chief executive Kai Cantwell said.

He accused the government of blindsiding a sector that supports 30,000 jobs and "provides critical funding to sport, racing and broadcast industries".

A spokesperson from Sportsbet - one of Australia's biggest agencies - said they were concerned the "overly blunt" restrictions could have "unintended consequences", like driving more Australians towards illegal offshore betting which isn't limited by the same conditions.

"Sportsbet recognises changing community sentiment on gambling advertising and has already taken proactive steps."

Many of those advocating for change were also unhappy, believing the proposed changes don't go far enough.

"Imagine three cigarette ads per hour," Reverend Tim Costello said.

"Australian children deserve to grow up in a country that puts their wellbeing before corporate profits."

His Alliance for Gambling Reform were among groups calling for a full gambling advertising ban on the web and broadcast platforms, and the establishment of a national industry regulator.

Similarly, Australian Medical Association vice-president Julian Rait in a statement declared that "partial bans do not work".

"Anything less than a comprehensive ban will continue to expose Australians - especially children - to relentless gambling promotion," he said in a statement.

Alleged Bondi gunman loses court bid to suppress names of his family

2 April 2026 at 09:08
Rocco Fazzari/Getty Images A court sketch of a man with shaved head and green t-shirt with his head bowed.Rocco Fazzari/Getty Images
A sketch shows alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram at a court hearing last month

The alleged Bondi gunman has lost his court bid to suppress the names and addresses of his mother, brother and sister due to fears over their safety.

Lawyers for Naveed Akram - who is facing 59 charges over December's attack on a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach that killed 15 people - argued that his family could be targeted by vigilantes and had already experienced abuse.

Last month, details of Akram's family were suppressed under an interim order but on Thursday, a Sydney court lifted it after several media outlets opposed the move.

The case had attracted "unprecedented" attention in Australia and globally, the judge ruled, and information about the family was already widely available online.

"This case has unprecedented public interest, outrage, anger and grief," Judge Hugh Donnelly told the court.

He said the request for a suppression order lasting 40 years did not meet the exceptional circumstances threshold and would have limited impact as it would only apply in Australia and not social media platforms or international media outlets.

The judge said the case was "exceptional by virtue of the sheer magnitude and intensity of the commentary" on overseas platforms, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Donnelly said it was "unfortunate" that Akram's driver's licence had already been posted online but that his lawyers had not properly explained how an order could be enforced.

He also said he was not critical of an interview that Akram's mother gave to a local outlet but that suppressing her identity would do little, the ABC reported.

On the names and workplaces of Akram's siblings, the court said they were unlikely to be part of any court proceedings as they had "little relevance to the case".

Akram, 24, appeared in court via video link from the high security prison where he is being held.

During a hearing last month, the court heard that people had driven past Akram's family home, shouting abuse and death threats.

Family members also reported receiving threatening texts and phone calls.

"We live in constant fear someone will harm us or set our house on fire. I fear for my life and the lives of my children," Akram's mother wrote in a statement.

Lawyers for the media organisations who opposed the suppression order argued that the details of his family were already widely known and there was no evidence of an imminent risk to them, according to the Guardian Australia.

'We go for all humanity' - emotional moment as Artemis II blasts off

2 April 2026 at 11:09
Watch the moment Artemis II blasts into space on historic mission

Nasa's Artemis II mission thundered away from Florida's coast, taking its four crew members on their historic journey to circle the Moon.

There was a deep rumbling as a sheet of brilliant white flame suddenly erupted, momentarily engulfing the whole launch pad as the mightiest rocket Nasa has ever built rose into the sky.

Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS) majestically crept upwards - slow at first, then gathering pace, riding on two blinding pillars of flame that crackled and roared with increasing volume until the rumbling was almost deafening, a sound we could feel in our bodies as we watched on in amazement, three miles (4.8km) away from the launch pad.

There were small cheers from those in the know as the rocket past the moment of maximum danger - one minute and 10 seconds into the launch. This is where the pressure hits the rocket the hardest, and when engineers know that even a small structural weakness can be disastrous.

There was no weakness, and SLS arced out over the Atlantic like a fiery white angel, leaving a white smoky trail as the sound subsided and the spacecraft disappeared from view, shrinking to a single bright star as it chased the Moon.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Artemis is taking off in the distant background, and people watch, many with tripods. The US flag flutters above them on a flag pole.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Spectators are kept at a safe distance, but the deep rumbling of the rocket launch can still be physically felt

Afterwards, there was a giddy euphoria among staff at the Kennedy Space Center.

One person told me they felt quite emotional and another said they wanted to cry – no doubt a release of tension built up over the past few months when Artemis II came close to launch, but ended up being scrubbed for various reasons.

Tonight, though, Nasa employees were laughing and clapping - this is the moment that they have spent years working towards. There is still work to do, but for now they are bathing in the moment of triumph.

In the hour before take-off there were issues which threatened the launch.

They concerned the launch abort system, which enables Nasa engineers to eject the astronauts and blow up the rocket if there is a malfunction.

The countdown clock was held at 10 minutes while engineers resolved the problem. They worked quickly, but it was an agonising wait to see if the launch could still go ahead.

Then came the staccato rhythm of the calls by each engineer responsible for the rocket's critical systems: "booster, go", "GNC, go", "range, go" – each reply, a tiny release of tension and a build-up of expectation.

"Artemis II, this is launch director," said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the first woman to hold the position at Nasa.

"You are go for launch," she told the crew. "We go for all humanity", Commander Reid Wiseman responded.

Cheesy words in normal circumstances, but that was the moment our spines began to tingle and we knew we were about to witness history.

Gerardo Mora/Getty Images A group of people watches the launch, most holding phones or cameras up to the sky.Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
Many thousands of people gathered at viewing locations around the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the launch

The Kennedy Space Center was built to send astronauts to the Moon, but that hasn't happened since 1972 when Apollo 17 blasted off. Today, the centre was back in business, doing what it was made for.

The press corps headed outside, where clouds that had threatened to cancel the launch had evaporated.

As the countdown clock restarted, the atmosphere turned to electric anticipation.

The four RS 25 engines and twin solid rocket boosters lit up, driving more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust into the Florida evening sky.

"God Speed Artemis II" Blackwell-Thompson said in another echo from the past. The same words were used in a launch from here in 1962 to send John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, on his way.

NASA Four astronauts stand side by side inside a cramped white spacecraft or support module, wearing bright orange launch and entry suits with blue trim and mission patches. Their arms are folded confidently across their chests.NASA
On their way to the Moon: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor J Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen

I have been lucky enough to see launches of the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center. Those launches are almost as impressive in flight, surging into space with an enormous bang and rising at the speed of a bullet.

But the SLS launch was not only more beautiful, it meant much more: a moment full of emotion for all those who saw it, perhaps because it reminded us of what humanity can do when it comes together, or perhaps because we may be entering a new era of space travel.

In the 1990s, I had the opportunity to speak to Neil Armstrong, who, in 1969, became the first person to ever walk on the moon.

Our discussion came at a time when the dream of human space travel seemed to be over. I asked him whatever happened to that dream? He smiled and said "the reality may have faded but the dream is still there and it will come back in time".

Today was the day the dream returned.

The delicate question of where responsibility lies for safety on UK mountains

2 April 2026 at 07:08
BBC A montage image showing a person from the Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team bringing a stretcher down and an image from Scotland, Argyll and Bute, Glencoe, Buachaille Etive Mor, frozen mountainous regionBBC

Two walkers find themselves stranded on a remote hillside as night closes in, hundreds of miles from home, after being inspired out into the wilderness by a TikTok video. It might sound like an unusual emergency - but for Mike Park, CEO of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, it's become a familiar story.

"We had two people stuck on a hill at 8pm, no torches. One was in their early 20s and the other was late 30s. It was their first time on a hill. They'd travelled a long way because they'd seen a TikTok route. They set off on their walk at 2pm - too late - wearing shorts, T‑shirts and carrying only a picnic," he recalls.

"They got off‑route, found themselves in unfamiliar ground – but they did the right thing by calling for help."

Park says this recent rescue, just a few days ago in the Lake District, is typical of the kind of callouts many colleagues now see.

Getty Images A view of the Lake District and the River Brathay 

Getty Images
Mike Park has spent the past 40 years rescuing people on the hills of the Lake District

His rescue team were able to safely find the pair and walk them off the hill – but the incident perfectly captures some changing behaviours. Their situation was self-inflicted; they weren't prepared and got into trouble, extra layers and some good torches could have seen them rescue themselves - but they were also quick to call for help when they knew something was wrong - a decision Park says saved them from far more severe consequences.

"If we hadn't reached them, they'd have been stuck all night in the dark. By morning, I'm confident they'd be suffering hypothermia - possibly unable to walk."

Over the past few years, mountain rescue teams say there's been a stark rise in the number of people needing to be rescued.

This has ignited a delicate but important debate. Who is responsible for safety on our mountains? And, are increased warning signs and even barriers the answer to saving lives in our most dangerous landscapes, or is risk the price we pay for true adventure?

The rise in callouts

Mountain rescue callouts have been steadily rising for decades. Sport England figures suggest there's been a particular boom in recent years, with the number of us regularly climbing a hill or mountain rising from 2.8m people in 2018 to 3.6m in 2024.

Living an active lifestyle is something the public body estimates could be saving the NHS billions each year, by reducing the number of people developing chronic conditions.

However, it's also contributed to sharp rises in the number of rescues required by the volunteers who make up the UK's so-called "fourth emergency service".

In England and Wales, the number of callouts rescue teams attend has doubled in the past decade, reaching well over 3,000 a year by 2024, according to Mountain Rescue England and Wales.

So what's changed?

One of the key themes rescue teams pick up on is how incidents featuring younger adventurers, aged 18 to 24, have soared in recent years. Callouts for the age group almost doubled in England and Wales between 2019 and 2024, from 166 to 314.

It now makes them the most rescued age group, overtaking walkers in their 50s who had previously needed the most help.

Mike Park has spent the past 40 years on the hills of the Lake District, rescuing those in danger. He has observed a significant shift among younger people in embracing the outdoors - but says he believes better technology and wider social changes in the past few decades have also fed into the overall rise.

"It doesn't matter what age you are - society is more adventurous, more reliant on help, less outdoor‑aware, and less prepared," he says.

"When I first started our team did 10-15 callouts a year. We average around 100 now. The rise hasn't been steady - it's steepened sharply, especially in the last 10 years and after Covid-19."

Park believes part of what makes the mountains of the UK so attractive is that most can be easily accessed for a day-trip - at worst a short weekend break. They are on our doorstep, via the same motorways and service stations we might stop at on our way to a theme park or music gig.

This can breed a sense of overfamiliarity - with some misjudging just how alien and dangerous these environments can be, he suggests.

Corbis via Getty Images Participants crossing stepping stones in YorkshireCorbis via Getty Images
Park believes part of what makes the mountains of the UK so attractive is that most can be easily accessed for a day-trip

Park says decades ago, many people who went into the UK's mountains would have it as their sole major pastime, they were "hillwalkers or mountaineers, that was it". Now, outdoor adventures are easy to pick up alongside the many other work and leisure activities people juggle.

"There's so much to do now, we don't concentrate on any one thing. People might do the outdoor environment one week, swimming the next, holiday the week after," he says.

Rescuers say it should be seen as only good news that millions of people are now inspired each year to venture into the outdoors themselves, encouraged by stories of the physical and mental health benefits - and beautiful images spread across social media.

But the reality of having so many novices is also starting to take its toll on some of the UK's busiest rescue teams, who are increasingly grappling with exhaustion and stretched staffing.

It's important to note that no rescue team we spoke to begrudge doing these kinds of rescues - they are grateful they can help those who need it and avoid the situation getting any worse. It doesn't matter how you got there, just that they can help you get down safely.

But according to Park, the fact people are seemingly more willing to take risks in the first place - and then more willing to pick up the phone when things go wrong - has fundamentally changed what kind of rescues his teams do.

"Ten years ago, 70% of callouts were because someone physically couldn't get off a hill," he says.

"Now, most people haven't physically injured themselves - it's that they're mentally unable to get down, because they weren't prepared for the environment."

In other words, people's bodies are capable of getting them off the mountains, but they lack the experience, confidence or equipment to do it safely.

Online influencers

Many mountain rescuers believe the increase in online influencers is playing a role. There are pictures and videos across sites like TikTok and Instagram encouraging people to venture out to beautiful plateaus and waterfalls.

Seeing people influenced by social media "used to be rare, but now it's constant," explains Martin McMullan, from the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team in Northern Ireland.

"People search out iconic locations made popular by influencers. Some go just to experience it - others are trying to create their own content for their platforms."

BBC/ Getty Images Martin McMullan on the left and on the right is an image of a man walking in the Mourne mountains in Northern Ireland
BBC/ Getty Images
Martin McMullan says: "People search out iconic locations made popular by influencers"

In some rare cases, McMullan says influencers may even be attempting to get rescued - to create more interesting content for their channels. He became suspicious of one case a few years ago, when his team was called to Northern Ireland's highest peak in "very serious" sub-zero winter conditions.

At the summit McMullan says they found a group of young people who they escorted part of the way down, before calling in a helicopter to evacuate them to safety. It was only days later, when a friend alerted him to it, that McMullan realised the whole thing had been filmed by the group, clutching onto their phones as they were rescued.

"They'd been livestreaming parts of it - even when things became dangerous. We were oblivious to it at the time. They probably thought it made great social media content."

McMullen says although being far from the first time he'd had a rescue filmed by members of the public keen to capture the drama of the job, it was the first time his team suspected a group had gone out with the idea of getting rescued, something they denied.

Hotspots

The vast majority of mountain rescue teams, thankfully, rarely find themselves called out to a death. But the spread is far from even and there are certainly hotspots.

The rescue team covering Yr Wydffa, Snowdon, is far and away the busiest in the UK. The team is often called to fatal incidents and has seen a rise in deaths. Across north Wales, there were 14 fatalities in the mountains back in 2015. Last year there were 23.

Getty Images Autumn landscape image of view along Nant Fracon valley in Yr Wydffa, Snowdonia National Park, with dramatic evening sky 
Getty Images
The rescue team covering Yr Wydffa, Snowdon, is the busiest in the UK

So-called body recovery callouts can have a significant impact on the rescuers, with a growing importance being placed on welfare checks and support for the teams who regularly battle the elements to retrieve bodies so they can be returned to their loved ones.

There have been suggestions that putting up physical warning signs, or even fencing, on some of the UK's most dangerous ridges and waterfalls could potentially save lives. The National Trust and conservation project, Fix the Fells, recently decided signs were needed to prevent accidents on England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike.

Over eight years, four people died and more than 40 were rescued from the treacherous ravine known as Piers Gill, before a sign and large rocks were placed on the nearby route to encourage people away from the area.

In mid-Wales, one assistant coroner has recommended multiple times that signs be put up around some of the region's impressive waterfalls. Five people have died at the beauty spots in the past few years, which has prompted the assistant coroner for south Wales central, Rachel Knight, to write three Prevention of Future Death Reports - recommending improvements.

In the most recent one, she argued clearer warning signs were needed for walkers who risked falling from the paths above the waterfalls – suggesting without them, many would fail to understand "the significant risks they face" in the area and more people were likely to die.

So could putting up signs work in other remote areas?

Andy Buchan is due to take over Mike Park's role at Mountain Rescue England and Wales in May.

In some of the most extreme areas, like Crib Goch, a notorious knife edge ridge in north Wales with annual fatalities, Buchan says some ideas should be considered.

Andy Buchan in walking gear on a mountainside
Andy Buchan, the incoming CEO of England and Wales Mountain Rescue

"I won't call it signposting in terms of actually putting signs up on the mountain, but certainly signposting towards more information could really help."

Buchan suggests that in rescue hotspots such as Crib Goch, which does already have some warnings placed on the route, more could be done to help walkers access weather forecasts and safety information before they get to an area - potentially by placing additional signs or QR codes in car parks hikers are likely to use before heading out.

However, what Buchan and others I speak to really don't want to see - despite some potential benefits - is the same widespread canvassing of signs and fencing witnessed in other countries.

Danger do not enter signal at Yosemite national park at Glacier point with its famous overhanging rock
Buchan does not want to see the same widespread canvassing of signs and fencing witnessed in other countries

"There are other parts of the world that I've travelled, like the US, where you can get to remote places and then all of a sudden, when you want to go and have a look at the view over the cliff, there's a big metal barrier around and there's concrete being put in place and it kind of destroys the remoteness of the location that you're in," Buchan explains.

'The mountain isn't going anywhere'

In preparing for the role, Buchan has had plenty of time to think about the current challenges, but is overwhelmingly positive about seeing more people out on the hills.

"We encourage people to get outside for their physical and mental wellbeing," he says. "People recognise the countryside is a cost‑effective way to have great experiences. It's great - but it does come with risk."

Universal Images Group via Getty Images View to Crib Goch and the Pyg Track with Llyn Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw from Snowdon summit, Gwynedd, Wales, United Kingdom
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Buchan suggests that in rescue hotspots more could be done to help walkers access weather forecasts and safety information

The story of Jack Carne is testament to that. Jack and his two best friends had travelled a few hours from their hometown of Barnsley to reach the mountains of Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, in north Wales. Inspired, after the Covid-19 lockdowns, by the freedom the mountains offered them, the trio in their 20s had been out hiking at every possible opportunity. They were committed, fit and experienced - but on this occasion, just "10 metres from the top" of Glyder Fawr, a peak thousands of feet up, everything went wrong.

A rock Jack had grabbed hold of broke away in his hands. His friends could do nothing as they watched him fall. In just an instant he was gone - disappearing out of sight beneath them. Three friends went up the mountain that day. Only two came back.

It was the starkest reminder possible about the unpredictability and the dangers lurking just beneath the surface of the UK's most picturesque landscapes – even for those who come prepared.

Left to right - Jack, Matty and Brandan on one of their trips
Jack Carne (left) and his two best friends Matty and Brandan

At the inquest into Jack's death, the coroner remarked how the young men were all well-equipped and experienced enough for the route they'd chosen.

"It was a scramble - nothing harder than anything we'd done before," Matty Belcher, one of those three friends, told me. "In fact it was easier than a lot of stuff we'd done," added the 27-year-old.

"Mountain Rescue said the boulder that actually took Jack was a freak accident," adds Brandan Smith, 25, the group's third member.

"That rock could have gone in a week's time, a year's time."

One week after Jack's death, Brandan and Matty were back at the same peak - this time making it the additional 10m to the summit, where they had time to reflect alongside Jack's dad, who they'd brought with them.

"Jack's dad wanted to see it - put his mind at ease, instead of guessing what happened," explains Matty.

For Brandan and Matty, it was a key moment - that inspired them to keep adventuring and not give up on the beauty of our landscape, despite the risks.

Brandan unfurls a flag to remember Jack at a summit
Brandan says Jack "was probably the best of us at climbing – he was brilliant"

"Jack was the one who absolutely loved it the most out of us," says Brandan. "He was probably the best of us at climbing - he was brilliant - he always pushed me, believed I could do it even when I didn't.

"If we'd stopped going out after he died, Jack would've kicked us for it."

The key thing, both men say, is for those looking to adventure, to always be aware of the risks.

"For us, if someone isn't feeling safe, we turn back. No question. There's always another day," says Brandan. "It's always going to be there - the mountain isn't going anywhere."

Top picture credit: Getty Images

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BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. Emma Barnett and John Simpson bring their pick of the most thought-provoking deep reads and analysis, every Saturday. Sign up for the newsletter here

《观点》专栏:中国正蓄势取代美国,抢占全球科研领导地位 - RFI - 法国国际广播电台

2 April 2026 at 19:15
02/04/2026 - 12:43

法国《观点》周刊专栏作家 Jean-François Bouvet 日前发文表示,倘若“中央帝国”北京在军事上尚未能与美国比肩,但其科研产出却正迈向全球主导地位。自第二次世界大战结束以来,美国始终是全球研究与开发(R&D)投资的最大资助方。然而,根据加州大学圣地亚哥分校“科学与创新政策前沿”项目(FSIP)为《自然指数》所做的分析,中国有望在两到三年内取而代之,夺得这一领导地位。

文章作者表示,这场变革源自于两股力量的叠加:美国公共投资的停滞不前,与中国当局研发支出的持续攀升。

中国有望成为全球科研中心

根据经合组织(OECD)数据,2023年中国公共研发支出达1330亿美元,十年间增幅高达90%。同期,美国研发支出仅增长12%,总额为1550亿美元。此外,中国计划在2030年前每年至少将整体研发支出提高7%,这意味着每年将投入数以十亿计的额外资金——涵盖公共与私人、基础与应用领域的研究。

据澳大利亚独立智库战略政策研究所(ASPI)运营的技术追踪工具显示,在近90%的关键技术领域,中国已处于领先地位,而这些技术被认为能够"显著增强或威胁一国的国家利益"。

特朗普的反复无常或令美国科学地位下滑

在基础研究领域,FSIP项目的研究人员认为,由于参议院对白宫削减预算的要求持反对态度,美国国家科学基金会(NSF)和国立卫生研究院(NIH)等联邦机构今年的整体资助规模将基本保持稳定。然而,对于未来几年国会能否持续抵制特朗普政府大幅削减预算的意图,他们则不那么乐观。

现任北京大学教授的饶毅(音译 Rao Yi ),主持着一个顶尖脑科学研究实验室。2007年回国后,他将在美国积累的经验用于推动中国生命科学的振兴。在《自然》杂志2025年6月的一篇专题报道中,这位神经科学家阐述了美国的犹豫徘徊如何可能为中国提供追赶国际先进水平的契机——甚至有望在十年内使中国在基础研究领域超越美国。当然,这恐怕并非"让美国再次伟大"选民们最关心的议题。

研发:未来实力的核心驱动力

“基础研究处于发展进程的核心,它是十年后创新与发现得以实现的根基。” 研究政策专家、FSIP项目联合负责人罗伯特·康恩如是说。

不过,尽管中国整体上正逼近并有望超越美国的研发水平,在军事领域却仍远未能与之比肩。

目前,美国引以为傲的国防技术佼佼者众多:世界最大航母福特号、B-2隐形轰炸机、F-35隐形战斗机、高能激光武器…… 美军在中东的部署生动展现了其军事力量的强大与多面性。而特朗普还不满足于此。美国国防预算已接近万亿美元——约为法国的十五倍——他还打算明年再提高50%。

在军事投入上,中国与美国仍相差悬殊:预计2026年中国军费约合2750亿美元,不及美国的四分之一。尽管如此,自2016年以来,中国国防预算每年以7%至8%的幅度递增。习近平着眼长远,但在推进重大工程时同样雷厉风行——5万公里高铁网络的破纪录建设速度,以及中国在航天领域的亮眼表现,无不印证了这一点。

文章总结指,中国同样志存高远:2049年,中华人民共和国将迎来建国100周年。尽管人口形势持续下行,这个“中央帝国”——似乎命中注定——志在届时重回世界第一强国的宝座。凭借“一带一路”、庞大的工业产能、强大的军事力量、登峰造极的研发实力…… 以及硬币的另一面:高科技全面监控体系。

Funeral director admits preventing 30 burials and stealing donations

2 April 2026 at 18:17
BBC Breaking NewsBBC

A funeral director has admitted preventing the burials of 30 bodies and stealing donations made to charities by mourners.

Robert Bush, 48, was arrested after police investigated Hull-based Legacy Independent Funeral Directors following a report of "concern for care of the deceased" in March 2024.

Bush, formerly of East Yorkshire and now living in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial, and one of theft relating to charitable donations.

He previously admitted presenting families with the ashes of strangers and fraudulently selling funeral plans. He will be sentenced at a later date.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

Every Trump Threat to Abandon NATO Hollows It Out

2 April 2026 at 17:52
Doubts that the United States would come to the aid of NATO allies increase each time, prompting Europeans to consider an alliance without Washington.

© Daniel Mihailescu/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

U.S. soldiers in a military exercise with NATO members in Romania in June. The U.S. secretary of state has warned that relations with NATO will need to be re-examined.

ActBlue May Have Misled Congress on Vetting Foreign Donations, Its Lawyers Warned

The Democratic fund-raising group is facing investigations from the Justice Department and congressional Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

© Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Regina Wallace-Jones, the chief executive of the liberal fund-raising organization ActBlue, at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. A 2023 letter from her to Congress later played a role in internal turmoil at ActBlue.

Why Everyone Loves ‘Love on the Spectrum’

2 April 2026 at 17:03
Without exploitation, “Love on the Spectrum” captures the triumphs and travails of dating. It has become one of Netflix’s most popular shows.

© Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times

Madison Marilla and Tyler White, two stars of “Love on the Spectrum.”

Nutrition Will Now Be Required in Medical Schools After RFK Jr. Pressure

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calls for medical schools to redesign curriculums, an agency that oversees dozens has deleted diversity standards and added nutrition.

© Pete Marovich for The New York Times

Mr. Kennedy announced in March that more than 50 medical schools would embrace a federal framework for nutrition education.

How A.I. Helped One Man (and His Brother) Build a $1.8 Billion Company

2 April 2026 at 17:02
Who needs more than two employees when artificial intelligence can do so many corporate tasks? It’s super efficient — and a little bit lonely.

© Maggie Shannon for The New York Times

Matthew Gallagher, 41, built his start-up, Medvi, with artificial intelligence and few humans.
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