“But he’s very religious, and I’m a confirmed atheist. He’s rather more to the right politically than I am, although I’m beginning to slightly see the point of Reform, because the rest of the political parties don’t seem to be doing anything, so at least there’s some action there.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and wider threats to the UK and its allies share “a lot of similarities” with the three-year run-up to the Second World War, the armed forces minister has said.

Al Carns, a former special forces colonel in the Royal Marines, said Ukraine is on the frontline of Europe’s defences as Vladimir Putin’s full-scale onslaught enters its fifth year.

But he warned Britain is not immune, with Russia attacking the UK and its interests across four different kinds of frontline.

The minister spoke about daily threats in the North Atlantic, the Arctic and cyber attacks, as well as the danger posed by fake news and other forms of disinformation spread online – designed to sow or amplify divisions within UK society or between Britain and its friends.

‘History rhymes’

Asked whether he agreed with comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Mr Putin had already started World War Three with his invasion of Ukraine, Mr Carns signalled that he saw similarities between the challenges faced today and the global landscape in the three years running up to the Second World War.

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme,” he said.

“And if you were to go back to, you know, 1936, ’37, ’38… there’s definitely a lot of similarities.

“What I would say is that Ukraine is absolutely the front line of European defence, and they’re doing an absolutely sterling job.”

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The ‘hero city’ that beat Putin

The UK’s frontline

While Ukraine is on the frontline of Russia’s conventional military machine, the armed forces minister said the UK is also in Moscow’s sights – though the conflict is raging in a grey zone that sits under the threshold of all-out war.

“A lot of people say that the UK doesn’t have a frontline,” Mr Carns said.

“Well, the reality is we do. It sits in the North Atlantic. It sits in the High North. It sits in cyberspace. And it sits in influence – and I think that is being battled out every day.”

He described how Russia has various means to inflict harm away from bombs and bullets.

“It’s not through sharp power. It’s through influence, through cyberspace, through industrial espionage,” the minister said.

“It’s through sowing division and discord into this country, into Europe. Drive us apart from the US, apart from our European allies, to fragment and then isolate and defeat.”

World leaders have expressed grave concerns over allegations surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Leaders from Australia and New Zealand have both spoken out on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, backing calls to cut the former prince from the line of succession.

One of the trans-Tasman leaders even went so far as telling national radio his nation was “disgusted” by the former prince.

Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon confirmed on Tuesday morning local time they would both vote to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession if given the chance to do so.

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Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody by Thames Valley Police on Thursday – his 66th birthday – in a development that stunned the world. The late Queen’s ‘favourite son’ was hauled in regarding queries on the suspicion of misconduct in public office, of which is being investigated for, amid accusations he shared sensitive information with convicted paedophile and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

As pressure mounts to cut him from his succession spot – Andrew is eighth in line for the throne as of 2026 – Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese did not mince words when he spoke to national broadcaster the ABC.

The Aussie PM told ABC Radio’s Mel Clarke that Australians were “disgusted” by all the revelations contained in the Epstein files. Mr Albanese then confirmed he will legislate to ensure the ex-Prince is unceremoniously dumped from the royal line of succession.

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He confirmed he had reached out to Sir Keir to discuss the matter and had already written to the heads of Australia’s states and territories, which will also need to legislate against the disgraced royal.

Any amendment to the line of succession would have to be initiated by the United Kingdom, with the 14 realm countries in the Commonwealth – those who still had the crown as their head of state – would have to agree to remove Andrew from the royal line.

A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon added: “If the UK Government proposes to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the order of succession, New Zealand would support it.

“The UK Government has said any proposals would come after the police investigation concludes.”

It is understood the UK Government will consider introducing legislation to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line once police have finished their investigation into the King’s disgraced brother.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Liberal Democrats will seek to force the public release of files relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a trade envoy.

The Lib Dems will table a humble address in the Commons – the same arcane mechanism the Tories used to press for the release of files on Lord Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador – in a bid to compel the Government to disclose information about Andrew, who served as a trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.

The motion will call for the release of papers relating to Andrew’s appointment to the post, including any vetting and any correspondence from Lord Peter Mandelson.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The public is rightly demanding to know how Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed to represent our nation in a high-level trade role.

“The Liberal Democrats are moving a binding motion to force the Government to come clean.

“We need to see the vetting files, the due diligence reports, and the correspondence to understand how this appointment came to be, and whether glaring warning signs were missed.

“There’s also a much broader principle at stake here. No one, regardless of their title or their friends, should be beyond the scrutiny of Parliament.

“It is time to end the age of impunity, scrap rules that stifle scrutiny or debate, and ensure that everyone in public office – no matter how powerful – can be held properly to account.”

Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his links to the convicted sex offender, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.

The Mexican authorities would’ve expected a violent backlash after the killing of El Mencho, one of the country’s most powerful cartel bosses.

But it’s likely they’ll have been surprised at the scale of violence across so much of the country.

That violence appears to have calmed down for now, but there’s nothing to indicate it will simply peter out.

‘El Mencho’ killing – as it happened

When incidents like this happen, the cartels usually respond in three ways. The first is a show of strength, aimed at deterring the authorities from carrying out more raids – that’s what has just happened.

The second is often fighting between factions within the same cartel or turf wars with other cartels trying to muscle their way into the territory – something gang members are already talking about.

The third is to launch a war against the Mexican government and its security forces.

It wouldn’t be what we have seen over the past 24 hours; it would be something far more organised. This will no doubt be on the government’s mind.

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El Mencho was head of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the only ones I haven’t managed to access in my time covering Mexico’s drug wars.

Jalisco New Generation are notoriously violent and untrustworthy, and our go-betweens in Mexico have always warned us not to even try approach them, although we have tried, but with little success.

This cartel, along with the Sinaloa drug cartel, is the top producer of a range of illegal drugs, including the opioid fentanyl, a drug predominantly made in Mexico and exported to the United States, where it kills thousands of users every year.

Just because its leader has been killed, it doesn’t mean that Jalisco New Generation as a cartel is anywhere near finished.

US President Donald Trump’s war on drugs has mainly focused on Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Mexico – and ever since Venezuela’s Nicholas Maduro was captured in January, Mexico’s government has come under even more pressure to take the war to the cartels inside Mexico and show some results.

Read more on Sky News:
El Mencho’s death followed partner’s visit
Who is ‘El Mencho’ and why does his death matter?

El Mencho’s scalp will be much appreciated by the Trump administration and will likely take off some of the pressure on Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president.

But with the football World Cup not too far away, and Mexico, like the United States and Canada, a host nation, President Sheinbaum’s government needs to contain the fallout from this very quickly, or people may not risk going to Mexico.

Carl Temple was caught on camera footage trying homes on Woodland Road and Elms Road as well as a garage and a parked car in the early hours of the morning.

The 48-year-old drug addict has a string of 105 convictions for 197 offences on his record including eight for burglary, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Charlie Thompson, prosecuting, said: “He tried to enter a Mercedes parked on Elms Road and the walks to the front of Woodland Road where he is caught on a Ring doorbell.

“He tries another house on Woodland Road before going down the side of a property on Elms Road where he tries to enter a garage but is unsuccessful before searching through the garden looking for something to steal.”

Mr Thompson said the attempted burglaries had left the householders fearful of what could have happened if Temple had been able to gain entry to their homes.

Temple, of Chester Terrace, Peterlee, pleaded guilty to three charges of attempted dwelling house burglary, one count of attempted non-dwelling house burglary and vehicle interference on July 26 last year.

Michele Turner, mitigating, said there had been a delay in sentencing to allow time for a psychiatric report to be compiled to determine whether the drug addict was fit to plead.

She added: “He tells me that he has never felt more positive or better being drug free.”

Judge Advocate Tom Mitchell sentenced Temple to a total of 14 months in custody for all offences.

Read more:

“You are a habitual thief and to that litany you have eight dwelling house burglaries and 14 non-dwelling house convictions,” he said.

“At 5.23am, you were out and about on the streets of Darlington. It was early, you tried to get into three houses, a garage and a car.

“You did what did within a relatively short period of time and none of your attempts were successful – you didn’t cause any damage.

“I do recognise that this all took place early in the morning with people present – they would be afraid as they would wonder what could have happened if you got in.”

The Pentagon reportedly has not received any orders to send a hospital ship to Greenland, despite President Donald Trump claiming at the weekend that a vessel was “on the way.”

The military hasn’t received orders to deploy any Navy vessels, The Wall Street Journal reported, and both Navy hospital ships are reportedly docked at a shipyard in Alabama.

The Independent has contacted the Navy, Pentagon, and White House for comment.

On Saturday, President Trump claimed a mission was heading for the self-governing Danish territory, posting an image of the Navy’s USNS Mercy hospital ship.

“Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It’s on the way!!!”

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The same day as the president’s post, the Danish military conducted an emergency medical evacuation of a crew member on a U.S. submarine near Greenland, flying them via helicopter to a hospital in the island’s capital, Nuuk, for treatment.

Leaders in Greenland and Denmark dismissed the suggestion a hospital ship was needed.

“That will be a ‘no thanks’ from us,’” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on Facebook Sunday.

“President Trump’s idea to send a U.S. hospital ship here to Greenland has been duly noted,” he added. “But we have a public health system where care is free for citizens.”

“Happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote in a separate statement. “Where it’s not insurances and wealth that determine whether you get proper treatment. You have the same approach in Greenland.”

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Landry, who also serves as the special U.S. envoy to Greenland, reacted angrily to the condemnation from the officials.

“Shame on Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen!” he wrote on X on Sunday.

“After speaking to many Greenlanders about the day to day problems they face, one issue stood out—healthcare,” he added. “Many villages and small towns lack basic services that Americans often take for granted.”

The confusion over the hospital ship mission comes amid larger tensions between the U.S. and its neighbor to the north, given President Trump’s repeated overtures suggesting he wants to take over or perhaps invade Greenland despite opposition from local officials and European partners.

In January, Trump swore off using military force on Greenland and rowed back a threat to tariff U.S. allies who opposed the push.

He has said the U.S. and NATO allies reached a “framework of a future deal” about the Arctic island territory.

Headteachers are being urged to group together school inset days into full weeks to reduce term-time absences and enable families to book more affordable holidays.

The proposal comes from travel company On the Beach, which claims the measure would solve a problem the government “has run out of answers to”.

Most schools in England currently have five inset days annually, with Welsh schools observing six.

These are days when teachers work but pupils do not attend.

While schools determine their own schedules, these days are rarely grouped together.

On the Beach has written to 25,000 headteachers across England and Wales, requesting they implement regionally staggered inset weeks.

The company said enabling families of schoolchildren to book week-long trips outside of term time would give them “access to holidays at a fraction of peak-season prices”.

Analysis by insurer Go.Compare published in July last year found the average price of a package holiday in Spain was 20% higher during school breaks compared with term time, which was equivalent to an extra £337 per person.

Parents can be fined if their children have unauthorised absences from school.

The daily rate is £80 if paid within three weeks, or £160 if paid within four weeks.

Recent Department for Education (DfE) figures show nearly 460,000 fines for unauthorised family holidays were issued in 2024/25.

Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach, said: “Families shouldn’t have to choose between following the rules and being able to afford time away together.

“The real frustration we hear is that parents can see cheaper off-peak holidays, but there’s no straightforward way to access them without their children missing school, and that’s exactly where inset weeks can help.

“Approximately 25,000 headteachers hold the key to getting more families on holiday for less, boosting attendance figures and solving a problem that the Department for Education has run out of answers to.

“Inset weeks are the answer.”

Andy Stirland, principal at Python Hill Academy in Nottinghamshire, which has had an inset week tagged on to the spring bank holiday every May for the past seven years, said: “Parents should not be faced with fines or enforcement for wanting to spend family time together.

“Inset week has allowed families at our school the option of cheaper holidays while maintaining our attendance figures.

“Our school attendance figures have been above the national average every year and I believe without inset week this would be a very different story.”

The DfE was approached for a comment.

On Sunday night’s ceremony, the Sinners castmates were left shocked as they presented an award.

The BAFTAs has issued a formal apology to both Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo following a racial slur being shouted at them while on stage at the film awards. The Sinners stars were left momentarily shocked after the outburst came from Scots campaigner John Davidson, who is diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome.

This apology comes as Delroy reportedly shared with Vanity Fair at a BAFTA after party while he and his co-host Michael “did what he had to do” while presenting the award for special visual effect , he wishes “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards”.

Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at 25 but first experienced symptoms at the age of 12, was the inspiration behind the film ‘I Swear’ which had been nominated for a BAFTA. Along with winning Best Casting, Robert Aramayo – who portrayed Davidson – was also awarded Best Actor and Rising Star.

Following Davidson’s involuntary tics in parts of the show, which can manifest in muscles movements or sounds, the BBC issued a statement apologising if it had “caused any offence”. This has now been followed by a statement from the BAFTAs which thanks Michael and Delroy for their “incredible dignity and professionalism”.

The statement reads: “At the Bafta Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.

“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition.

“Tourette syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the Bafta-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.”

It continues: “We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began and throughout that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.

“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”

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The statement adds during the ceremony John decided to leave the auditorium and watched the rest of the proceedings from a screen. BAFTA added: “We would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others on what should have been a night of celebration for him.

“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”

Davidson has also since released his own statement sharing he is “deeply mortified” if anyone has considered his involuntary tic as “intentional or to carry any meaning”.

Thanking the BAFTAs for inviting him to the broadcast, he shared he was blown away by the applause he received as it was announced ahead of the recording of his attendance and the symptoms of his condition.

He said: “I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”

The masked suspect in the abduction of Nancy Guthrie may have been at her front door earlier than the date of her disappearance, according to multiple reports.

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show star Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her home in the Catalina Foothills outside of Tucson, Arizona, on February 1. Police believe the elderly woman was taken as she slept.

Authorities released photos of the suspect, who has yet to be publicly identified, earlier this month. The suspect was wearing a ski mask, gloves and, in most of the photos, a backpack.

The photos were taken from a doorbell camera at Nancy’s front door the morning of her disappearance, according to the FBI.

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But ABC News reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the investigation, one of the images, which showed the suspect without a backpack, was taken on another day before the alleged abduction.

A CNN source later confirmed the suspected kidnapper was at her front door on a night other than the day Nancy disappeared.

It’s unclear which day the suspect came to the home before Nancy vanished.

The Independent has reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which referred to the FBI. The FBI has been contacted for comment.

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It’s been more than three weeks since Nancy vanished. Authorities and the Guthrie family are desperate to find her.

The reward for valuable information in connection with Nancy’s disappearance has grown to more than $200,000. Savannah and her family have even gone as far as to offer to pay for her safe return following reports of ransom notes that have yet to be verified by police.

Savannah has not posted on Instagram, where she usually posts updates about the case, in more than a week.

In her last post, the TV journalist spoke directly to her mother’s suspected kidnapper: “I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it’s never too late.”

“It is never too late to do the right thing,” she said.

This is a developing story…