Big tech companies are reportedly developing their own isolated, off-grid data centers where they can consume resources to provide the storage and compute needed for AI development and other digital services, according to a new report.
The GW Ranch project will see 8,000 acres of land in West Texas turned into an entirely off-grid data center facility that will consume more energy than the entire city of Chicago, according toThe Washington Post.
The new project will generate all of its own electricity through natural gas and solar panels and—crucially for tech companies—won’t have to wait around for utilities to solve power availability issues.
The GW Ranch project is just one of several off-grid data center undertakings planned at sites in Wyoming, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah, Ohio, and Tennessee, according to regulatory filings, permits, and other documents reviewed by the Post.
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Several of the projects are already under construction. The builds are being pushed by big-name players in the world of tech: Meta, OpenAI, Oracle, and Chevron, to name a few.
Meta’s Stanton Springs Data Center in Georgia. Meta is building off-grid data centers in El Paso and New Albany, Ohio. It’s just one of several big tech companies building supposedly power self-sufficient data center facilities across the countryer (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Some states have already passed legislation making it easier for data center projects to set up shop.
In West Virginia, a new off-grid data center is being planned near the city of Davis. The project will include a gas plant large enough to produce enough power to fuel every home in the state.
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“They removed local control completely for this speculative gold rush,” Amy Margolies, a resident fighting against the development, told the paper. “Everything is shrouded in secrecy, and the public is removed from the process.”
Some 5,246 data centers are operating in the U.S., according to the most recent information from the Data Center Map project, collectively consuming at least 17 gigawatts of power. A large nuclear power generator produces 1 gigawatt of energy, which can power between 300,000 and 750,000 homes.
In the race for AI dominance, countries are rolling out data centers at breakneck speed to cope with the immense amounts of compute needed.
Though the off-grid centers will incorporate solar power, most will rely on natural gas because more sustainable fuels provide less consistent output. Without an electric grid to act as a backup, natural gas will be the primary power source for the facilities. That will no doubt mean an increase in emissions at a time when human-driven climate change is already causing more frequent severe weather across the country.
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A resident carries a data center protest sign into an East Vincent Township, Pennsylvania supervisors meeting on December 17, 2025, where an agenda item involved a data center proposal at the former Pennhurst state hospital grounds is being discussed. (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“It is catastrophic for climate goals,” Michael Thomas, founder of Cleanview, an energy industry research group, told the Post. Cleanview has identified 47 off-grid data center projects across the country.
Even though the data centers will be off-grid, that doesn’t mean that typical ratepayers are isolated from the consequences of these developments.
Jigar Shah, an energy entrepreneur who helped manage federal energy investments under the Joe Biden administration, told the Post that tech companies, with their virtually limitless resources, will now be competing for maintenance and equipment against public utilities.
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If it takes longer—or becomes prohibitively expensive—for utility companies or public utility agencies to access equipment, they will have to pour more money into trying to maintain older infrastructure. The cost of those rising maintenance expenses will almost certainly be passed on to ratepayers. In other words, their bills will go up.
“This whole thing feels like a fairy tale concocted on the back of a napkin,” Shah said.
Tech companies trying to build data centers on regional power grids have, in some cases, been throttled by how much energy grid operators can provide to their projects while still serving regular ratepayers.
That’s one of the reasons Elon Musk opted last year to build an entirely off-grid data center in Memphis. Bypassing the local grid allowed him to get the data center—used by his xAI company—running in a matter of months rather than years. His project is powered by dozens of portable gas generators: efficient, but not without environmental costs.
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The Environmental Protection Agency ruled last month that Musk’s setup illegally breached emissions rules and told xAI to obtain permits for its generators.
Elon Musk’s xAI Data Center in Memphis, Tennessee, is fully reliant on dozens of gas power generators (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
When data centers do try to set up shop in populated areas, they’ve faced opposition from locals who do not want the noise and emissions pollution in their neighborhoods or who balk at the massive water and energy use—and the inflated energy bills that come along with the projects.
A large data center can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day—the equivalent of a town of 10,000–50,000 people—according to the Environment and Energy Institute.
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A group of concerned citizens in Tucson, Arizona, managed to defeat a proposal for a large data center in the city called “Project Blue,” citing water usage in the already parched desert and the potential for increased energy bills.
Data center operators no doubt hope to mitigate some of the public’s concerns by building off-grid.
“As designed, it is intended to operate independently and does not rely on ratepayer-funded infrastructure or impact existing residential customers,” Fundamental Data, the company building the Davis, West Virginia, data center, told the Post.
Though many of the tech companies backing the off-grid data centers have kept their names off the projects until they’ve gone through the permitting and clearance process, Meta has been upfront about its upcoming builds.
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The parent company of Facebook has one project underway called Socrates in New Albany, Ohio, that will use a pair of off-grid gas power plants to provide its energy needs. That site is scheduled to go live later this year.
Meta is also building data centers in El Paso, where it’s working with a local utility provider to build a gas-generating facility through the linking of 813 smaller generators. Local and city officials protested the project, claiming Meta only received approval to build by stating the site would use clean energy.
El Paso Electric, Meta’s local energy partner, wrote in regulatory filings that to power the site using solar panels and battery storage, it “would require thousands of acres adjacent to the Data Center site which are not available,” according to aTexas Tribune report.
Meta said in a statement to the Post that it plans to fulfill its clean energy obligation by buying clean energy and adding it to the grid.
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“As with all of our data centers, including dozens of renewable projects throughout Texas, we work to add energy to the grid and match our data center’s electricity use with 100% clean and renewable energy,” the statement said.
Shah is skeptical about the projects, noting that even with tech companies’ deep pockets, they can’t ensure uninterrupted reliability without the security of a major grid.
“I get that cost is no object for these companies and they just want to get online,” Shah told the Post. “But they have not figured out even with unlimited funds how to make these plants run with 24/7 reliability.”
Employment and Support Allowance payments will stop from March 2026 as the DWP completes its migration to Universal Credit, affecting over one million claimants
A DWP benefit will cease to be paid beyond March due to significant welfare changes.
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Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is the last ‘legacy’ benefit being phased out as part of the lengthy process to transition to Universal Credit (UC).
ESA claimants should have received migration notices in the post instructing them to apply for UC instead, reports Birmingham Live.
Those who have successfully applied will be transferred to the new benefit, as ESA, both individually and in conjunction with Housing Benefit, will no longer be paid.
From Sunday, March 1 onwards, the DWP will begin to wind down ESA payments. However, some claimants risk losing their benefits if they have not applied in time. The transition to UC is not automatic.
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Migration notices would have informed households that they had three months to apply for UC. This will conclude the process of phasing out a number of legacy benefits, which began years ago under the Conservatives.
They have all been consolidated into a single UC payment. ESA is claimed by over one million Brits with disabilities or health conditions affecting how much they can work.
Ross-on-Wye retains a great deal of old-world charm, with stunning black-and-white timber-framed buildings and cute little independent shops. Elizabeth Mackley made a visit
Elizabeth Mackley Live Reporter
02:40, 20 Feb 2026
It’s a modest market town, tucked away in the nook where Herefordshire meets Gloucestershire on the Welsh border.
I’d never have surmised that Ross-On-Wye is the cradle of British tourism, and THE holiday hotspot of the late 18th and early 19th century. However, given there’s some indication we are witnessing a resurgence of romanticism (think Wuthering Heights and Bridgerton rather than the latest rom-com), it wouldn’t astonish me if there’s a wave of soul-seekers retracing the paths of their ancestors across the UK’s most cherished natural landscapes.
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And what superior way to discover Ross-on-Wye for myself than from the Hope and Anchor. Situated right on the brink of the River Wye, it was just outside this inn that the boats would embark on their tour. So it appeared like the ideal place for my toddler and I to pause for the night as part of a trip organised by Visit Herefordshire.
Before we checked in for the night, we set off to explore a town peculiarly located on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean, less than 10 miles from the Welsh border, and six miles from Gloucestershire, reports the Mirror.
Stepping onto the streets of Ross-on-Wye, it doesn’t require much imagination to be transported through time and see what inspired the Reverend William Gilpin to pen Britain’s first ever travel guide. Published in 1782, Observations on the River Wye centres on a boat tour he undertook down the River Wye from Ross-on-Wye to Chepstow.
The words of the pioneer of the “picturesque” adventure proved so captivating that replicating his journey soon became the fashionable thing to do – particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, when participating in the Grand Tour across continental Europe became impossible.
As market towns go, Ross-on-Wye is a reasonably well-sized one, with a population of approximately 11,000 according to the 2021 census. However, 250 years after it was first made famous, it still retains an old-world charm, dotted with stunning black-and-white timber-framed buildings and charming little independent shops where you can while away the afternoon browsing.
After working up an appetite, taking in the street scenes surrounding the prominent Market House building in the town centre, we headed towards the High Street looking for Truffles Deli, which Visit Herefordshire had suggested we grab a quick bite from. Unfortunately, the highly-rated eatery promising delicious sandwiches, soups and cakes is closed on Sundays.
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Instead we followed directions on a chalkboard pointing us towards Maggie’s Place a few doors down. Warm and welcoming, incense drifted through the space as we entered, appreciating the exposed beams and brickwork.
The café – which also welcomes four-legged friends – has only been open for several months, and the proprietors have recently started introducing a more extensive menu, including sandwiches and cakes.
“We’re trying to be completely locally sourced”, the owner tells me, explaining the ham in the delicious sandwich I bite into is from the delicatessen around the corner. He mentions they are working on bringing in crisps made nearby, and the bread has been locally produced, too.
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And if the flavour is anything to go by, lunch is remarkably under-priced. I cannot get enough of the garlic spread in my ham sandwich, offering a silky and creamy edge. I’m secretly grateful that my toddler is only interested in the packet of crisps I bought to share.
But the thing that impressed me most about Maggie’s is the coffee. I’m not exactly a coffee connoisseur – my mornings start with instant – but if I’m purchasing a coffee, I do have certain standards.
The owner serves me a Café Au Lait – his version of a flat white – and it’s the first coffee I have bought out in at least two years that I haven’t had to add sugar to. Rich, velvety, and bitter without the burn, I’ve finished it all too quickly.
Following lunch, we take a stroll up the hill towards The Royal Hotel. Some 200 years ago, this is where we would have been lodging before setting off on our boat journey as outlined in Gilpin’s guidebook.
And it’s simple to understand why – the enormous historic inn stands majestically above the town, offering spectacular views of the River Wye guaranteed to take your breath away.
Constructed on the foundations of a 13th-century Bishop’s Palace, the Greene King hotel features 42 bedrooms and can accommodate weddings. But for the moment, we simply appreciate the views before heading around the corner to The Prospect.
Tucked away in the pleasure garden at the rear of the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, the Prospect was established around 1700 by John Kyrle – also known as the ‘Man of Ross’. From this vantage point, you can observe the famous horseshoe bend in the Wye and as far west as the Black Mountains.
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Settling in for the night
If you glance directly down from The Prospect, you can spot the Hope and Anchor, just a small car park’s width from the water’s edge. Recent rainfall has caused the River Wye to swell, pressing against its banks and saturating the paths and borders.
We check into our room for the evening, a beautiful ensuite with an impressive chandelier-type lighting, which captivates my little girl even more than the cartoons on the television. A small love seat adds a romantic element to the room, which has lovely views of the river.
I’d love to return in the warmer months. After settling in, we head downstairs to the dining room.
Whilst it may seem a snug, tidy, and rather unremarkable little pub, there is nothing standard about what you consume at the Hope and Anchor. Even the wine I treated myself to as a small holiday indulgence far surpassed expectations.
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I requested a medium glass of red wine – and instead savoured a burst of robust, potent flavours resonating with plum and black fruits with a woody finish (Vina Cerrada Rioja, £5.5 a small glass).
I selected from the specials menu to begin – whipped camembert brulee (£8) presented on a bed of fig chutney, toasted sourdough and topped with hazelnut and apple. If you’re a devotee of Camembert, this is not something to be overlooked.
The sharpness of the chutney balanced the creamy richness of the cheese, crowned with the gratifying crunch of the hazelnuts and apple scattered on top. The chutney contributed an earthy taste, and the whipped texture of the camembert provided a delightful variation to both its cold and melted forms.
This was succeeded by the garlic-and-thyme-roasted supreme of chicken (£19.50). From the kitchen arrived a substantial, steaming plate of a roast dinner, served with garlic and rosemary roast potatoes, braised red cabbage puree, glazed parsnips, roasted heritage carrots, herb and apricot stuffing, seasonal greens, Yorkshire pudding and red wine gravy.
I even had a generous bowl of cauliflower cheese on the side.
Now, as everyone is aware, the real test of a roast dinner lies in its potatoes. After all, nobody can ever surpass your mum’s, correct?
However, the Hope and Anchor has certainly given her a challenge.
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Instead of the rubbery roasties we often excuse pubs for, these were flawlessly crispy on the outside, and steaming and fluffy on the inside, embodying the gold standard all roast potatoes strive for.
Paired with delightfully sweet roasted vegetables, contrasted with the leafy seasonal greens, and one of the largest Yorkshire puddings I’ve ever seen on a plate, there was no chance I was going to finish the meal. The cauliflower cheese also made the perfect addition, not overly cheesy, not excessively creamy, but just perfectly balanced and toasted on top.
I couldn’t resist a second helping despite my protesting stomach.
Even the chicken nuggets and chips served with baked beans to my daughter were a masterpiece on a plate. Succulent and juicy chunks of battered chicken served with crisp, hand-cut chips, I regretted not having space to help her finish them.
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But what made the meal so genuinely special is how well we were cared for and looked after. From the understanding fellow diners who drew smiles from my little girl to the attentive staff, it was a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
I was especially impressed with the way staff overlooked the fact that my little gremlin left most of her meal and was more interested in licking tomato ketchup off a spoon. But then again, she is two, and clearly has no taste.
Gilpin’s footsteps
Following a restful night, we visited the neighbouring café for breakfast, keen to stock up for what I hoped would be another active morning. The Pavilion, which is also part of the Hope and Anchor, is a bright, inviting space with a chic, timeless interior.
It was the ideal setting to tuck into my eggs Royale for breakfast – and yes, the yolk was delightfully gooey with a delicious crunch from the toasted muffin.
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We then made our way to the river’s edge, determined to follow in Gilpin’s footsteps despite the swollen Wye and waterlogged paths. I downloaded the Museum Without Walls App – Ross-on-Wye’s virtual museum, which uses AR (augmented reality) to superimpose pictures showing what a specific location would look like in days gone by.
I point the app at the sign just outside the Hope and Anchor, and in an instant, I can see the boats from days gone by preparing to set sail down the Wye towards Chepstow. With determination, we set off, fully intending to at least reach the point where Wilton Bridge crosses the rive,r approximately half a mile away, despite my daughter’s insistence on befriending a couple of rather docile swans, and a worrying game of chase which brought her alarmingly close to the swollen banks of the fast-flowing river.
Regrettably, the path was simply too waterlogged to progress even that far. Instead, we turned back, contemplating a stop at the popular Riverside Inn on Wye Street as part of our return journey.
This proved the only disappointment of our excursion, though one which sadly could not be avoided.
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With any luck, next time, my companion will have sufficiently long legs to make the journey on her own feet, too, perhaps when the weather is somewhat less boggy.
What you need to know
The Hope & Anchor offers lunch and dinner options as well as overnight stays, while next door, The Pavilion restaurant and bar offers breakfast and cocktail masterclasses. There is also The Hut on the river’s edge, serving cakes, hot drinks and ice creams for those on the go. A one-night stay at the Hope & Anchor costs from £90 based on two sharing on a Bed and Breakfast basis. Find out more or book your visit here.
Follow Gilpin’s Wye Boat Tour by downloading the Museum Without Walls App here
Maggie’s Place at 24 High Street is open 10.30am-4.30pm Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and from 12.30pm to 4.30pm on Sundays. Find out more here.
The Royal Hotel is open all year round with breakfast served between 7am and 11am Monday to Friday and 8am to 12pm on weekends. You can also eat in the evening until 9pm. It’s also dog-friendly. Find out more here.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump’s appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood.
The seven-member panel is one of two federal agencies that must approve Trump’s plans for the ballroom. The National Capital Planning Commission, which has jurisdiction over construction and major renovation to government buildings in the region, is also reviewing the project.
Members of the fine arts commission originally had been scheduled to discuss and vote on the design concept after a follow-up presentation by the architect, and had planned to vote on final approval at next month’s meeting. But after the vote to approve the design, the panel’s chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., unexpectedly made another motion to vote on final approval.
Five of the seven commissioners — all appointed by the Republican president in January — voted once more in favor. Commissioner James McCrery did not participate in the discussion or the votes because he was the initial architect on the project before Trump replaced him. Commissioner Roger Kimball left the meeting early for another commitment, the panel’s secretary said.
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The ballroom will be built on the site of the former East Wing, which Trump had demolished in October with little public notice. That drew an outcry from some lawmakers, historians and preservationists who argued that the president should not have taken that step until the two federal agencies and Congress had reviewed and approved the project, and the public had a chance to provide comment.
The 90,000-square-foot (8,361 square meters) ballroom would be nearly twice the size of the White House, which is 55,000-square-feet (5,110 square meters), and Trump has said it would accommodate about 1,000 people. The East Room, the largest room in the White House, can fit just over 200 people at most.
Commissioners offered mostly complimentary comments before the votes.
Cook echoed one of Trump’s main arguments for adding a larger entertaining space to the White House: It would end the long-standing practice of erecting temporary structures on the South Lawn that Trump describes as tents to host visiting dignitaries for state dinners and other functions.
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“Our sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure and, as was said, in the comments earlier, the United States just should not be entertaining the world in tents,” Cook said.
The panel received mainly negative comments from the public
Members of the public were asked to submit written comment by a Wednesday afternoon deadline. Thomas Luebke, the panel’s secretary, said “over 99%” of the more than 2,000 messages it received in the past week from around the country were in opposition to the project.
Luebke tried to summarize the comments for the commissioners.
Some comments cited concerns about Trump’s decision to unilaterally tear down the East Wing, as well as the lack of transparency about who is paying for the ballroom or how contracts were awarded, Luebke said. Comments in support referenced concerns for the U.S. image on the world stage and the need for a larger entertaining space at the White House.
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Trump has defended the ballroom in a recent series of social media posts that included drawings of the building. He said in one January post that most of the material needed to build it had been ordered “and there is no practical or reasonable way to go back. IT IS TOO LATE!”
The commission met Thursday over Zoom and heard from Shalom Baranes, the lead architect, and Rick Parisi, the landscape architect. Both described a series of images and sketches of the ballroom and the grounds as they would appear after the project is completed.
Trump has said the ballroom would cost about $400 million and be paid for with private donations. To date, the White House has only released an incomplete list of donors.
A lawsuit against the project is still pending
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction. A ruling in the case is pending.
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Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the privately funded nonprofit organization, said the group was “puzzled” by both votes because the final plans had not been presented or reviewed. But with the votes, she said the commission had “bypassed its obligation to provide serious design review and consider the views of the American people,” including all of the negative public comments.
Quillen said that while her organization has always acknowledged the usefulness of a larger White House meeting space, “we remain deeply concerned that the size, location, and massing of this proposal will overwhelm the carefully balanced classical design of the White House, a symbol of our democratic republic.”
At the commission’s January meeting, some members had questioned Baranes, Trump’s architect, about the “immense” design and scale of the project even as they broadly endorsed Trump’s vision.
On Thursday, Cook and other commissioners complimented Baranes for updating the building’s design to remove a large pediment, a triangular structure above the south portico, that they had objected to because of its size.
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“I think taking the pediment off the south side was a really good move,” said commissioner Mary Anne Carter, who also is head of the National Endowment for the Arts. “I think that really helps to restore some balance and make it look, just more aligned” with the White House.
Baranes said it was the biggest design change and that Trump had “agreed to do that.”
Trump quietly named his final two commissioners to the panel in late January. Pamela Hughes Patenaude has a background in housing policy and disaster recovery, and was as a deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Trump’s first term. Chamberlain Harris is a special assistant to the president and deputy director of Oval Office operations.
The ballroom project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by a top White House aide. This panel heard an initial presentation about the project in January.
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At that meeting, the White House defended tearing down the East Wing, saying that preserving it was not an option due to structural issues, past decay and other concerns. Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, cited an unstable colonnade, water leakage, mold contamination and other problems.
___
This story has been corrected to reflect that the ballroom was approved by five of the seven commissioners. One commissioner did not vote because he was the initial architect on the project and a second commissioner left the meeting early because of another commitment.
Then a few hours later, he posted on Truth Social that “based on the tremendous interest shown” he will seek the release of files “related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters”.
Shark’s flagship cordless vacuum cleaner comes loaded with features including auto detection, which automatically varies the suction power according to the levels of dirt, light, proximity to corners and edges and the floor type.
There are front and rear “headlights”, an anti-hair wrap feature and “reverse clean” floorhead tech which means the vacuum cleans as effectively pulled backwards as it does when pushed forward.
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In use, there’s more than enough power for cleaning short-pile carpet as well as hard flooring and it sailed through all of my torture tests. It collected hair efficiently, the auto detection capabilities proved effective, and, as advertised, it did seem equally effective forwards and backwards.
Handily, this vacuum folds over for stable storage in a cupboard, against a wall or in a corner and its accessory roster is decent too. Meanwhile, build quality is robust and the design intuitive. The battery’s charging time was a little slow at four hours, but I got around 30 minutes run time in the default PowerDetect mode, which is good.
The Shark feels a little heavier than others I’ve tested but the inclusion of a folding Flex wand, together with a highly manoeuvrable floor head, means it’s easy to reach under sofas and bed frames. Its 0.7 litre dust bin isn’t huge and the horizontal design makes it trickier to empty without spilling some debris, but this is a well-balanced cordless overall.
Harvey Dominy died hours after arriving at the popular Spanish resorts for his first lads’ holiday, an inquest heard.
22:48, 19 Feb 2026Updated 22:48, 19 Feb 2026
A young man died just hours after arriving at a popular Spanish resort for his first pals holiday, an inquest has heard. Harvey Dominy, from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales was found on the floor of his hotel room in Benidorm in July 2024.
An inquest at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court heard that cocaine, MDMA and alcohol were found in his system. The inquest heard that Mr Dominy had gone to the destination with three friends for a week-long lads’ holiday.
He began struggling to breathe and collapsed on the hotel room floor in front of friends Liam Mason and Levi Davies, Wales Online reports.
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The hearing was told that Mr Mason sent a video to a Snapchat group chat showing Mr Dominy seated in a chair on the balcony, his body slumped forward. Later that evening, he sent a second video showing Mr Dominy lying on the floor looking “grey”. He also sent a message saying: “He’s gone.”
The inquest heard that Mr Dominy’s best friend, Liam Llewellyn, had left the hotel earlier as he was staying in separate accommodation. He received a call to say Mr Dominy was unwell and said his friend had been talking before he left at 8.30pm, adding he had “no concerns” at the time.
Mr Dominy was staying on the 15th floor of a hotel with a broken lift when his condition worsened, the inquest heard. Mr Davies said the friends did not know the local emergency services number, so Mr Mason left the room to alert hotel staff.
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Giving evidence, Mr Davies said: “Harvey started to feel unwell. He said he he felt sick and then he was sick.” He added that he gave Mr Dominy water before he began struggling to breathe.
“A short time after Harvey then lay on the floor and started struggling to breathe. I don’t remember him collapsing. I tried to give him more water but he would spit it back out. I had never seen Harvey in that type of state before.”
The inquest heard that the friends had bought cocaine and MDMA after arriving in Benidorm and took the drugs together on July 16, 2024.
During the inquest, Mr Dominy’s family raised concerns about the timeline of events, saying they believed there had been a delay in getting medical attention for him. They described Mr Dominy as “extremely loved” and someone with “lots of friends”.
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Spanish police reports estimated that Mr Dominy died between 9pm and 10.30pm. Emergency services arrived at 10.47pm and confirmed he had “no vital signs”.
A post-mortem examination gave the medical cause of death as cardiac respiratory arrest, with the underlying cause recorded as an acute reaction to psychoactive substances. Toxicology reports showed alcohol, cocaine and MDMA in his system.
Concluding the evidence, coroner Kerrie Burge acknowledged there were “numerous inconsistencies” in the evidence given, including who sought help from reception and whether CPR was given. But she said the inconsistencies were not surprising as drugs and alcohol would have “affected their recollection”.
She confirmed the medical cause of death as acute reaction to psychoactive substances (1B) and cardiac arrest (1A), recording Mr Dominy’s death as drug-related. She expressed her condolences to the family.
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Shortly after his brother’s death, McKenzy Lee-Dominy said he was still grieving the loss of their mother. Mr Lee-Dominy, who is a published author, said: “I have a good group of friends but I had to grow up fast when mum died and then my brother dying. Now I feel allowed to cry and we learned to do that together as a family.
“Despite facing some horrible tragedies recently, I know that I need to keep writing to keep living. It’s through my writing that I’ve discovered the beautiful aspects of grief, and I hope that by sharing my experiences through stories, I can help others understand and process their own emotions.”
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Tiger Duggan, was holidaying in Thailand when he was hit by an oncoming vehicle on a motorbike, with his mother saying the family have gone through “19 days of living a nightmare” since the horrific incident
The family of Tiger Duggan, the 23-year-old who was left fighting for his life following a motorcycle crash, have shared the nightmare news that their “beautiful boy” has died.
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The Milton Keynes man had made the move from Milton Keynes to Perth two years ago and was travelling in Thailand when the tragic incident occurred, the Daily Star reports.
The young Brit’s family shared the heartbreaking news on Thursday, February 19 as they revealed his death saved lives. Mary Duggan wrote on GoFundMe: “Our son and brother lived life to the max! Our Beautiful soft skinned, beautiful long eye lashed boy with a cheeky charming infectious smile that touched everyone’s hearts left this dimension early this morning in my arms.
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“We want to thank everyone that has supported us in Tiger’s journey from prayers, messages and donations. Without those donations Tiger would not have reached his final destination where following his passing this morning in a selfless act has given 3 maybe 4 other people a second chance at life by donating his organs.”
“Thank you all for being apart of Tiger’s journey, we are all #forevergiving we all together achieved #helpbringtigerhome. We have had 19 days of living a nightmare, please now respect our peace and privacy.
“God bless you all. Goodnight our beautiful boy Tiger Duggan.”
Tiger suffered near-fatal injuries after he was hit by an oncoming vehicle when riding a motorcycle.
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He travelled to Thailand on January 16, and was resuscitated at the scene and taken to a small hospital on the Koh Samui island.
Tiger was later moved to a hospital in Bangkok where he was on a life-support machine.
After flying to be by his bedside his family hoped that their son would be stable enough to be flown back to the UK, raising over £115,000 online to bring him back.
Tiger worked in Australia for gold mining company Westgold Resources. Milton Keynes Central Labour MP Emily Darlington previously said: “I am shocked and saddened to hear about the devastating accident involving Tiger, a young man from our community who is now fighting for his life in Thailand.”
The Indian AI Impact Summit was meant to demonstrate that the country is a serious player in AI and serve as its showcase.
However, it has been dogged by controversies of alleged mismanagement, inconvenience to delegates, exhibitors and the public due to security sweeps, and allegedly false claims by an Indian University.
The official claimed that a Chinese ‘robodog’ was developed by her Galgotias University – with the institution later apologising for the minsunderstanding.
But it has been the participation of the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, who was to give a key address on the inauguration day, that has been the most damaging.
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Image: Galgotias University apologised for any confusion over the ‘robodog’. Pic: AP
Mr Gates was scheduled to speak today alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, Google head Sundar Pichai, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and others.
Just hours before he was due to speak, a social media post by the Gates Foundation said: “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI summit’s key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address.
“The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals.”
There was much consternation about Mr Gates taking part in such a high-profile event when last month the US Justice Department released emails, photographs and documents of his exchange with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Gates maintains that his relationship and repeated meetings with Epstein were confined to philanthropy-related discussions and that it was a mistake for him to meet Epstein.
Until yesterday, the Gates Foundation asserted and stated, “Bill Gates is attending the AI Impact Summit. He will be delivering his keynote as scheduled.”
Hundreds of thousands of marine animals are killed every year after becoming accidentally caught in commercial fishing nets. Sharks, skates and rays are at particular risk, alongside turtles, seals, whales and dolphins, many of which are endangered.
Much of this problem comes down to the design of fishing nets and how they are used. Particularly damaging are tangle nets, which typically use large mesh sizes and large amounts of slack that can indiscriminately catch anything that crosses their path. They are also typically left in the water for long periods and only checked every one to ten days.
A new four-year study from Ireland’s national Marine Institute highlights the particular problem the nets are causing in Ireland. Legally protected seals, for instance, are regularly caught in this type of net, widely used by the Irish fishing industry including in the country’s only marine national park.
Tangle nets were first introduced to Ireland in the early 1970s. This was to help boost the competitiveness of the Irish crayfish fishing sector and provide an alternative method to the traditional pot-based method that was used up to that point.
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But tangle nets are known to potentially harm a variety of species. The estimated impact from the latest report (covering 2021-2024) about what the nets had caught was stark:
• 1,161 nationally protected grey seals
• 81 critically endangered angel sharks
• 1,712 critically endangered flapper skate
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• 532 critically endangered tope sharks
Other species caught included the endangered white skate and undulate ray, as well as rarer records of common and Risso dolphins. Catches varied throughout the study region, and included Ireland’s marine national park in County Kerry. It is unclear whether similar numbers are seen in other fishing areas throughout Ireland.
The report argues for the reduction of these accidental catches to “safe biological limits”, but acknowledges that there probably is no safe limit for several of the shark and skate species given their conservation status and their approach to reproduction.
The documented numbers of catches is particularly concerning for the species’ designated as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This classification stipulates an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future. Unlike many bony fish such as cod, tuna and salmon, sharks, skates and rays tend to mature slowly (often at more than ten years of age), have long gestation periods, and only produce a few young every year or two.
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Rays and sharks are getting entangled in fishing nets.
This makes it very difficult for them to recover if anything causes their populations to decline. The angel shark is a good example – once widespread throughout the north-east Atlantic, it has suffered drastic declines across its range, and the species is now locally extinct throughout much of Europe.
There are few remaining strongholds for the species, but County Kerry is one of the last northerly refuges for angel sharks. With so few left in the wild, numbers caught in Ireland’s tangle net fishery are a significant concern at a global level.
Fisheries at a turning point?
Irish commercial fishers are facing a challenging future, with a number of recent restrictions to activities and quotas creating severe pressure on numerous businesses and communities around Ireland , and closing the crayfish fishery would be another blow.
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But there is a suitable and straightforward low-impact alternative to the tangle net, which is to fully return to the traditional pot fishery to target crayfish.
Currently in Ireland some fishers still use these pots, and others a combination of pots and nets. Pots are typically netted, baited cages with a narrow-funneled opening designed to only catch the target species with a minimal footprint when landing on the seabed and low risk of harm to the endangered and protected species documented in the Kerry report.
The report clearly states the urgent need of phasing out tangle nets, and highlights an upcoming Marine Institute report focusing on economic considerations supporting a complete switch from nets to pots. The current report suggests this is the “optimum solution”. And it adds that trials using the pots showed equivalent catches.
Fishing is an integral part of Irish culture, and the need for a fair transition with appropriate support is repeatedly highlighted as essential for effective marine conservation.
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What happens next in Kerry is probably going to be influenced by proposed legislation relating to how Ireland’s marine landscape is managed. The potential introduction of the Marine Protected Area and Nature Restoration laws, currently being debated, are aimed at protecting and restoring marine biodiversity, and may soon change how fishing is carried out in Irish waters.
Examples from around the world show that it is possible to change the type of fishing nets used to protect marine life. Gillnets (which capture fish by entangling then around the gills) have been almost completely phased out in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef marine park due to risks to animals including dolphins and turtles. Large scale drifting gillnets were banned in the European Union more than 20 years ago due to similar concerns.
The deaths of the world’s most sensitive marine animals documented in the tangle net report highlight the urgency of how fishing needs to change globally, while also protecting the livelihoods of an industry important to coastal communities.
The latest episode of BBC series The Apprentice saw Lord Sugar fire another candidate.
Lord Sugar has dismissed another candidate following a tense boardroom scene on The Apprentice.
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Thursday’s episode (February 19) of the BBC programme saw Roxanne Hamedi become the fifth candidate to be eliminated. She departed after an underwhelming performance as sub team leader during the challenge, though she later argued she was an “easy scapegoat”, maintaining: “I don’t think I deserved it.”
The episode of the hit show challenged contestants to develop a bottled water brand, before pitching it through live social media sales and producing a TV advertisement, reports the Mirror.
Project manager Conor Galvin led the unsuccessful team, and with both the water carton branding and the TV commercial falling short of expectations, he faced Lord Sugar alongside Rajan Gill and Roxanne as the final three candidates at risk.
Conor faced criticism for delivering ambiguous direction to his team, whilst Rajan bore responsibility for several significant mistakes. Nevertheless, with pharmacist Roxanne ultimately overseeing the branding, Lord Sugar chose to fire her.
Reflecting afterwards, she confessed: “It didn’t feel good to be fired, just because I didn’t think that I deserved to be. There was a lot going on that day and I feel like other people lacked accountability. So yeah, it wasn’t a nice feeling.
“I just feel like there was definitely a lack of direction and leadership from the project manager, Conor,” she continued. “He said that he wants something bold and clean and I believe that’s what I delivered. So the instructions were very vague but I delivered what was asked for with clarity, simplicity and a creative touch.”
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Roxanne, who founded beauty brand Browtasia, believed Conor deserved to be fired, stating: “Conor should have gone because he was the PM and I feel like he did throw me under the bus because I was just an easy scapegoat.”
When questioned whether she could have approached things differently, Roxanne revealed she’d been battling a cold throughout the task, leaving her “not in the right frame of mind”. However, she conceded she “could have fought more in the boardroom”.
She reflected that the BBC programme had shown her “how to be resilient”, and that she “left with grace, dignity and my head held high, even if I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to”.
“But I do believe the universe has a bigger plan for me,” she concluded. “This isn’t the last that you’re going to see of me.”
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The Apprentice continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursdays at 9pm, with The Apprentice: Unfinished Business airing straight after on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
