A former Royal Marine in Kabul says he will have to put the cats and dogs from his charity to sleep on the runway after the defence secretary said he had to "prioritise people over pets".
Paul 'Pen' Farthing, who founded Nowzad, claimed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has blocked a charter flight he crowdfunded to fly his 69 employees and 100 animals back to the UK after the Taliban seized Afghanistan.
He said Boris Johnson has approved the flight but the MoD is refusing to grant the aircraft the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) air sign so it can fly into the airport and out.
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'I have to prioritise people over pets'
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News: "He could get through the gates as a British passport holder. He was called forward on Friday and I recommend he takes that.
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"His workforce have been offered, as entitled personnel, places and they will be able to be called forward, but I can't guarantee in this window they will be processed on to aircraft, all I can say is they qualify.
"As for the animals that he was rescuing, it is just not going to be the case that I will prioritise them over the men, women and children we see in desperate need at the gate.
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"I regret that but I don't believe the Taliban's main point of target will be his workforce and animals, compared to the people at the front of the queue."
He said the charter flight would "block the airfield and sit there empty" when the British are trying to get the flow of people through barriers and on to airplanes.
"I'm not prepared to prioritise pets over people," Mr Wallace added.
Mr Farthing, reacting to Mr Wallace's words, told Sky News he has had no confirmation in writing that his staff have permission to travel to England.
He said: "If I get stopped at a Taliban checkpoint with them, they'll get turned around and Mr Wallace knows I've said I'm not leaving here without my staff.
Image:Paul 'Pen' Farthing runs an animal charity in Afghanistan. Pic: Nowzad
"So, I'm not just going to go to the airport and get on a plane so his problem goes away."
Mr Farthing, who was a Marine for 22 years, also said his "emergency line" to the MoD has been cancelled so he can no longer get updates, or provide the MoD with updates.
"He has abandoned me here in Afghanistan and wants me to go quiet, not on my watch, Mr Wallace," he added.
Image:Mr Farthing said his charter flight needed an ISAF call sign to be able to land and take off
He acknowledged the British troops cannot help him get to the airport, saying "that's my problem" but said he would get his staff and animals to the airport.
"If they won't allow me on to that aircraft then I'll have to put all my dogs and cats to sleep on the runway," he said.
"He's just told me to get to the airport and I'm taking my staff and animals with me.
"I'm not being dictated to by an MP just because he has failed to get people off the ground, we are going to end up leaving people behind, this has been a disaster."
Mr Farthing added that other charter flights are arriving at Kabul airport and said: "If America can do it, why can't Britain, I'm not taking his excuses."
And after seeing pictures of a car being placed on an evacuation flight, he said he was "not backing down".
Scottish football will remain at full capacity ahead of Rangers vs Celtic this weekend but Nicola Sturgeon has sent a firm warning amid rising covid cases.
The rumour mill was pushed into overdrive on Tuesday morning with one social media claim hinting capacity for the Ibrox showpiece would be slashed by 40 per cent.
It comes after a sharp increase in positive tests of more than 50 per cent in the past seven days but no new restrictions have been put in place despite the current "fragile" situation.
The Rangers and Celtic derby is Scottish football's marquee fixture and there were fresh fears it could be affected but that isn't the case.
The midday announcement offered a firm reminder that Scotland as a whole must play its part to get cases down.
Sturgeon said: “What happens in the next few weeks will depend to some extent – to a large extent – on all of us.
“This is another fragile and potentially very pivotal moment in our journey through this pandemic.
“Even though most restrictions have been lifted the virus is still circulating and we know the delta variant is highly transmissible.
"On the issue of capacity on stadiums, you will know we still have a capacity limit which there is an approval.
"Obviously with football matches with stadiums, it has to go through this process.
"I'm not going to pre-empt decisions about matches in the coming days.
"But I think everyone can expect them to be taken very carefully."
Scottish football was played almost exclusively behind closed doors last season as SPFL teams felt the pinch without punters in stadia.
And while Sturgeon has left decisions to return to full stadia last month in the hands of local councils, any future executive call will likely come straight from Holyrood.
Toxic fumes have left 24 people in hospital after a mix of chemicals at a hotel spa.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire Rescue Service was called to the Solent Hotel & Spa, Whiteley, to deal with the "large-scale" incident at 20:44 BST on Monday.
It said chlorine - a poisonous gas - had been created on site when two chemicals were accidentally mixed.
Some guests required ventilation after breathing in the resulting fumes.
Breathing apparatus was supplied by a Hazardous Area Response Team from South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), which was also at the scene in Rookery Avenue in Whiteley.
It said those taken to hospital included children.
'Emergency care'
A fire service spokeswoman said: "A number of hotel guests had been overcome by fumes in the spa area after two chemicals had accidentally been mixed together and created chlorine gas.
"Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service began immediate emergency care, set up a casualty handling area and requested the ambulance service to attend.
"A ventilation fan was used to clear the fumes and firefighters took the vessel containing chemicals to fresh air. Gas monitors were used to check that the scene was safe.
"In total, 24 people were taken to hospital by ambulance crews."
Station manager Dave Graham called it a "large-scale incident with multiple people requiring medical treatment for the inhalation of gas".
He said the scene "was made safe" and was now being dealt by the hotel management.
Firefighters from Hightown, Fareham, Cosham, Portchester, St Mary's and Romsey were sent to the hotel during the operation.
In a statement, SCAS said eight ambulance crews joined its hazardous response team at the scene.
It added: "Twenty-four patients, ranging from children to those in their 50s, were assessed and treated by our ambulance teams for breathing difficulties.
"Following treatment at the scene by our crews those patients were taken to University Hospital Southampton for further assessment for those non-life threatening injuries."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 6.18 am on Tuesday, August 24 to reports of a building on fire at George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
“Operations Control mobilised nine appliances and two height vehicles to the scene where firefighters are tackling a fire affecting a number of properties.
George IV Bridge fire: Emergency services attend large fire in Capital city centre . Picture credit - James Gray.
“Crews are still in attendance.”
Police Scotland wrote on social media: “Our officers are currently assisting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service dealing with a large fire at George IV Bridge.
"Please be aware that there are numerous road closures in the vicinity of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row at present and avoid the area where possible.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: ““We received a call at 0639 hours today to attend an incident at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh with our first resource arriving on scene at 0646.
Picture credit: Matt Dolan
"We dispatched two ambulances, one paramedic response unit and our special operations team to the scene.
"We transported one patient to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.”
The Central Library announced that they would be closed today due to the fire as has the National Library of Scotland.
Marco, 22, lives above Oz Bar.
Picture credit: Matt Dolan
He says that the fire alarm went off around 6 in the morning adding: “We didn’t really know what it was. We checked all the rooms. We could smell smoke but I went down onto the street and could see no one.
“Then the fire fighters came and they we like ‘are you guys alright’ and we said ‘yea’.
“They said, alright, you can go back to bed.
“Around 8 am the smoke alarm went off again and this time we could really smell the smoke.
“That’s when I said somethings wrong, so I went downstairs and saw that the fire fighters had completely broken the door.
“We went outside and the firefighters said we had to evacuate.”
Picture credit: Matt Dolan
Another resident added that they were also evacuated and told by the fire fighters that the blaze started in the Elephant House Cafe.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more comes in.
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A man who died following a fight after leaving a nightclub has been described as "irreplaceable" by his family.
Jason Bentley-Morrison, 25, was seriously injured following a fight in Oxford Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, at 02:45 BST on Sunday, West Midlands Police said.
He later died in hospital and a post-mortem examination has found he died from a stab wound to his abdomen.
The force is following a "number of lines of inquiry" to find his killer.
In a tribute, Mr Bentley-Morrison's family said: "Jason's positive and passionate outlook on life was inspiring and infectious to everyone he encountered.
"Jason had a heart as big as the ocean and always put others before himself.
"Never has a man with so little time on this Earth affected so many hearts and minds as profoundly as him.
"Irreplaceable and forever missed. Our Jason, always."
West Midlands Police said an address in Esher Road, Kingstanding, had been visited as part of its inquiries.
It said it was also keen to speak to people who had been in the area at the time of the stabbing and filming what happened on their mobile phones.
Police are also asking taxi drivers or other motorists who were in the area at the time to check dash-cam footage to see if they have recorded the confrontation, or the offender making off.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 6.18 am on Tuesday, August 24 to reports of a building on fire at George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
“Operations Control mobilised nine appliances and two height vehicles to the scene where firefighters are tackling a fire affecting a number of properties.
George IV Bridge fire: Emergency services attend large fire in Capital city centre . Picture credit - James Gray.
“Crews are still in attendance.”
Police Scotland wrote on social media: “Our officers are currently assisting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service dealing with a large fire at George IV Bridge.
"Please be aware that there are numerous road closures in the vicinity of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row at present and avoid the area where possible.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We received a call at 0639 hours today to attend an incident at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh with our first resource arriving on scene at 0646.
Picture credit: Matt Dolan
“We dispatched two ambulances, one advanced paramedic and our special operations team to the scene.”
The Central Library announced that they would be closed today due to the fire as has the National Library of Scotland.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more comes in.
A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
Picture credit: Matt Dolan
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.
