A destroyed Russian tank is seen on a highway, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanic
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April 10 (Reuters) - British military intelligence sad on Sunday the Russian armed forces was seeking to strengthen troop numbers with personnel discharged from military service since 2012, as losses mount from its invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian forces' efforts to boost their fighting power also includes trying to recruit from the unrecognised Transnistria region of Moldova, the Ministry of Defence said in a regular bulletin on Twitter.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
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A Whitehall inquiry has been launched into the leak of Rishi Sunak's wife's tax status after a week in which the chancellor's approval ratings have taken a significant hit.
The revelation that she was "non-domiciled" in the UK for tax purposes had seen the chancellor face allegations of hypocrisy given recent tax rises imposed by the Treasury.
Labour said his family had potentially saved tens of millions of pounds as a result of Ms Murty's arrangement.
Experts have estimated that Ms Murty, who remains an Indian citizen, has saved £20m as a result of not having to pay taxes on her shares in Infosys, an Indian IT company founded by her father.
This morning, a new poll by Opinium shows his approval rating dropped by three points to 28% since late March. His disapproval rating has risen by eight points to 43% for a net approval rating of -15.
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'Chancellor is completely out of touch'
What do we know about the investigation?
The Whitehall investigation is already under way.
It will look into how the information about Ms Murty's taxes was first passed on to The Independent newspaper.
According to The Sunday Times, the chancellor's team believe a Labour supporting official dubbed "red throat" is responsible for the leak.
A source close to Mr Sunak said: "This will be a more aggressive version of leak inquiries, where it will not only investigate who were the keepers of the sensitive information and who had access to that information, but also who, if anyone, requested to see it.
"The inquiry will be carried out with a view to potential criminal prosecutions because it is against the law to leak someone's tax status."
The storm surrounding his wife's tax status has led to Tory MPs questioning whether the chancellor - long seen as a potential successor to Boris Johnson - has the political judgement needed for the top job, says The Observer.
It comes with Mr Sunak having also faced questions about him having a US green card - permitting him residence in America - until more than a year into his time at 11 Downing Street.
But sources close to Mr Sunak have played down reports that he has moved his wife and two daughters out of the chancellor's residence in Downing Street to escape the glare of the media.
The Sunday Times reported that removal vans arrived in the street on Saturday to take their belongings away.
However, a source told PA news agency they had always intended to spend more time in their west London home as their elder daughter, Krishna, entered her final term of primary school before moving on to secondary school.
Mr Sunak is expected to stay in Downing Street during the week, while joining them at weekends.
For a man who watched with incredulity and not a little disapproval when the personal and political fused into a crisis for Boris Johnson, the past week has been a difficult one for Rishi Sunak and his team.
When the news broke on Wednesday night that his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of a billionaire, was non-domiciled in Britain for tax purposes, the chancellor faced a choice: defend his family or put his political career first by getting her to pay tax in Britain on her foreign investments.
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“I want to protect my wife and I think her privacy matters,” Sunak told his team. They knew something would have to give, but as the pressure and the public criticism mounted, Sunak “dug in”, refusing to
For a man who watched with incredulity and not a little disapproval when the personal and political fused into a crisis for Boris Johnson, the past week has been a difficult one for Rishi Sunak and his team.
When the news broke on Wednesday night that his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of a billionaire, was non-domiciled in Britain for tax purposes, the chancellor faced a choice: defend his family or put his political career first by getting her to pay tax in Britain on her foreign investments.
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“I want to protect my wife and I think her privacy matters,” Sunak told his team. They knew something would have to give, but as the pressure and the public criticism mounted, Sunak “dug in”, refusing to
A British man and French woman who disappeared while diving off the coast of Malaysia have been found after drifting at sea for more than two days - but the man has told authorities his son died.
Fishermen spotted Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, and Alexia Alexandra Molina, 18, at around 1am on Friday - a considerable distance south from where they had disappeared.
Image:A police chief holds photos of Mr Chesters and Alexia Alexandra Molina after they were found drifting at sea
"Both individuals… are reported to be in stable condition," said Mersing district police chief Cyril Edward Nuing.
Mr Chesters said his 14-year-old son, Nathan Renze Chesters, had died at sea "as he was too weak and could not survive", according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
His body has not yet been recovered and Indonesian authorities have now taken over the search.
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"We believe there is a high likelihood that he is no longer in Malaysian waters based on the movement of sea currents, as well as the time and location where the other victims were found," Mr Nuing said.
Mr Chesters, his son, and Ms Molina were among four people who went missing on Wednesday on a training dive near Tokong Sanggol, a small island off the southeastern town of Mersing.
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The group's instructor, Kristine Grodem, 35, from Norway, was rescued on Thursday.
Image:Kristine Grodem, 35, has been rescued. Pic: AP
Image:Boats taking part in the search and rescue operation. Pic: AP
Ms Grodem told officials the group surfaced about an hour into their dive, but could not find their boat.
She was later separated from the others after being caught in strong currents.
Ms Grodem, who was rescued by a tugboat and airlifted to hospital, said she was training the other three, who were hoping to obtain advanced diving licences.
The boat operator who took them to the dive site was held after testing positive for drugs and has been detained for further investigation.
Welcome to our live blog for Saturday, April 9, dedicated to helping your journey run smoothly. We will mostly focus on the traffic chaos continues across Kent due to the Operation Brock contraflow on the M20, the A20, and the A2.
These routes have been affected at the Port of Dover due to reduced ferry movement at the Eastern Docks. This is because P&O Ferries is not operating at the moment, as its vessels are undergoing safety reviews. It is not known when its vessels will be reinstated.
All non-freight traffic is being urged to use the A20 instead of the M20. On the other hand, freight traffic which comes off at J8 of the M20 is then sent back down into the holding areas as they await clearance to head to the Channel Crossings.
We will also be adding updates on Kent and Medway's roads and rail too and the very latest updates, pictures and video. If you have any pictures or information to share with us about this or any other story, you can email breakingsoutheast@reachplc.com
The parents of Angel Lynn have revealed that she has given her mum a hug for the very first time since she was left paralysed. It comes after the family were told to expect the worst on several occasions.
Angel, who had been described as a vivacious young woman, was left unable to walk, talk or eat following the horrific injuries she suffered in September 2020 at the hands of her boyfriend, Chay Bowskill. Angel, who was 19 at the time, was kidnapped as she walked near her Loughborough home in September 2020 and forced into a van which was driven by Bowskill’s friend, Rocco Sansome, reports the Mirror.
It was on the A6 that Angel fell from the van, suffering severe brain injuries that had left her paralysed, leaving her family shaken. Now, there appears to be some hope 18 months down the line.
The extent of Angel’s injuries was so severe following the accident that she needed emergency surgery for a bleed on the brain. Ever since, she’s been left to suffer from a series of debilitating seizures.
Doctors had feared the worst from the beginning with Angel. After she contracted Covid-19, she nearly died, leaving her family with the potential heartbreak that could come.
“They let us sleep with her all week because they said she wouldn’t make it,” revealed her mum Nikki.
She pulled through though and since the horrific incident, mum Nikki has held her daughter tightly every day, squeezing every ounce of love she could into her daughter’s motionless body. For months, Angel displayed no reaction, but that changed two weeks ago.
For the first time since her kidnapping, Angel reacted to Nikki’s hug, placing her right arm around her mum in return. With a hand lightly pressed on Nikki’s back, Angel then moved to stroke her hair.
It’s a moment that Nikki thought would never happen. She, husband Paddy and the rest of Angel’s family had been told on several occasions that Angel could die, making the hug all the more special.
Angel is now able to a TV remote - a major development in her recovery (Image: Jason Senior REDPIX)
“She just put her hand straight around my back and started tapping me,” Nikki said. “She didn’t hug much before, she was a typical teenager, but she would give you a hug if you were upset. It’s very special to have that hug now.”
Bowskill was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in January after being found guilty of kidnap, controlling and coercive behaviour and perverting the course of justice, while Sansome was jailed for 21-months for his part in the kidnap. It was a decision that angered the Lynn family, with the Court of Appeal increasing Bowskill’s jail term to 12 years two weeks ago.
As coincidence would have it, it was during this stressful time for the family that Angel make her incredible breakthrough. If a hug wasn’t a big enough achievement, Angel, who is now 21 and receives round-the-clock care, has smiled and even attempted to blow a kiss.
She has also waved, held the TV remote and written words in response to questions, all using her right hand. She’s also making noises too - a sign that could eventually lead to her to revealing exactly what happened to her on that fateful day.
“A doctor once rang me and said, ‘Nikki, you will have to accept Angel isn’t going to pull through this’,” recalled Nikki, aged 54. “His exact words were ‘miracles do happen, but in Angel’s case there is not going to be a miracle’. But there has been a miracle. That hug was a miracle. She used to look straight through you, there was nothing in her eyes at all. She can now smile spontaneously.
“When she started making the sounds we gave her a pen and paper and said ‘Are you ok? Are you in pain?’ And she wrote ‘No’. She can give you a thumbs up for yes. She can now press her nurse’s button to wind them up, she gets that humour.”
“She had a cheeky sense of humour. Bit by bit I feel we are starting to get her back.”
Dad Paddy is also overwhelmed by his daughter’s progress.
“She has blown me a kiss,” he said. “She has put her hand to her mouth and holds it there for at least a minute, and then tries to blow. She does try. It means a lot.”
The avalanche of small milestones have coincided with Angel being taken off anti-spasmodic medication, Baclofen. It’s a step they hope can be replicated with her medication for seizures in a bid to get her eating again. Currently Angel is currently fed through a tube to her stomach.
Angel with her mum Nikki prior to her prom (Image: Jason Senior REDPIX)
Despite these positive signs, the Lynns know that Angel is still at grave risk of pneumonia, and cannot lie flat. To make her feel like she’s home, the family have brought bedding and towels from home to her carers to aid her recovery. They also do her nails and hair.
Ultimately, the family want her home. However, that will require the construction of an extension to their home so they can have specialist facilities installed. The Lynns would also need to hire a carer - decisions that will cost a lot of money, with the family now doing all they can to fundraise for Angel’s long-term care.
After much hardship over the last 18 months, the family now dares to dream that Angel will get even better. With all the hugs and kisses they give, their belief grows stronger.
“She is locked in, but every time I see her I tell her ‘Don’t give up, keep trying, keep telling yourself you can do it’,” said Nikki.
To donate to the Angel Lynn fundraiser, click here.
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