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A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting former health secretary Matt Hancock in a Tube station, British Transport Police have said.

The force received a report of a man “being assaulted and harassed” at Westminster station at 8.47am on Tuesday.

“A 61-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of common assault and a public order offence and remains in custody,” it said.

“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.”

It is understood the MP for West Suffolk, who recently came third in the most recent series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, was unhurt in the incident.

Mr Hancock is understood to have been in the station when the incident started, before it continued on a train.

'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' TV Show, Series 22, Australia - 12 Nov 2022
Bushtucker Trial - Who Wants To Look Silly On Air: Matt Hancock

12 Nov 2022
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Mr Hancock came third on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

A spokesman for Mr Hancock said it was a “very aggressive and unpleasant encounter with a dangerous conspiracy theorist”.

More on Matt Hancock

“Both Transport for London staff and the British Transport Police were fantastic and the man has since been arrested,” he added.

“Fortunately, this sort of behaviour is a rare occurrence, but it’s instances like this that reemphasise the importance of shutting down baseless misinformation which causes so much harm.

“Matt wants to put on record his thanks to TFL and the British Transport Police for their extraordinary work.”

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Baltimore bridge collapse: Bodies of two victims recovered, after audio of first responder call emerged

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Baltimore bridge collapse: Bodies of two victims recovered, after audio of first responder call emerged

The bodies of two victims of the Baltimore bridge collapse have been recovered from a red pick-up truck that was found in about 25 feet of water, authorities have said.

The bodies have been pulled from the Patapsco River a day after the 1.6-mile long Frances Scott Key Bridge crashed into the water when it was struck by a container vessel in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The men recovered have been identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who was from Mexico and lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk, Maryland.

Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr from Maryland State Police said the truck containing the bodies was found near the mid-section of the fallen bridge at around 10am local time (2pm UK time).

He also said further efforts to recover remains were being suspended because of the increasingly treacherous conditions.

Four people are still missing and are presumed dead as officials said the recovery mission is now a salvage operation because it is no longer safe for divers to navigate or operate around the debris and concrete in the port.

Police have said sonar vehicles have led officials to believe the vehicles still trapped underwater are encased in concrete and the structures that crashed down after the collision.

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New angle shows moment bridge hit

Maryland State Police added that responding officers have “exhausted all search efforts” to recover the remaining victims and that divers stopped searching the water at around 4pm local time (8pm UK time) today.

The six men, who were from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, were part of a crew filling potholes on the bridge’s road surface at the time of the collapse.

Earlier, the first two missing construction workers to be named were Miguel Luna, a 49-year-old from El Salvador, and Maynard Sandoval, a 37-year-old father-of-two.

It came after audio emerged of a first responder call as officials halted traffic on both sides of the bridge moments before it collapsed.

The cargo ship had issued a mayday call to alert authorities it had lost power before it collided with the Baltimore bridge on Tuesday morning.

Following the call, Maryland Transportation Authority Police Dispatch and Response officials acted swiftly, shutting down the north and south sides of the bridge.

Read more:
Everything we know about the disaster
First missing worker named

In the audio, one official instructs: “Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge… There’s a ship approaching that just lost their steering so until we get that under control, we’ve got to stop all traffic.

“Make sure no one’s on the bridge right now. There’s a crew up there… You might want to notify the foreman to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily.”

Another responds saying he would “grab the workers” but it was too late.

A second later, a voice is heard saying: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever… everybody. The whole bridge just collapsed.”

In other developments, investigators at the National Safety Transportation Board have confirmed that the cargo ship’s data recorder has now been recovered – and they are examining whether contaminated fuel played a role in the crash.

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The Dali ship ploughed into one of the bridge’s supports and, in an instant, the structure had fallen into the Patapsco River, along with vehicles that were on it at the time.

All 22 crew members on board the ship, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there were no reports of injuries.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.  The container ship lost power and rammed into the major bridge causing the span to buckle into the river below. (Maxaar Technologies via AP)
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A satellite image of the incident. Pic: AP

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he spoke to the families of the victims, assuring them since the mission had transitioned from search and rescue to recovery he would “put every possible resource to bring [them] a sense of closure”.

He praised the “true heroism” of the first responders who “saved countless lives that night”.

Mr Moore also said he was “overwhelmed” by the amount of support from both the Democratic and Republican parties as he stressed the importance of getting the bridge rebuilt.

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‘True accountability’ for Baltimore bridge collapse

How did the Baltimore bridge collapse unfold?

Here we take a look at a timeline of the collapse on Tuesday 26 March and the events that followed in local time.

1.04am. A 289m-long container ship, named the Dali, departs from Baltimore’s port and is headed to Colombo in Sri Lanka.

1.24am. Footage shows the Dali slowly approaching the bridge.

1.24am and 33 seconds. The enormous vessel appears to suffer a total power failure as all its lights go out.

1.25am and 31 seconds. About a minute later, the ship’s lights flicker back on but black smoke starts rising from somewhere aboard the ship.

1.26am and 37 seconds. The ship’s lights go dark again.

Sometime after this point the cargo ship issued a mayday call to alert authorities it had lost power. US President Joe Biden later said this “undoubtedly saved lives” as it meant local authorities were able to close the bridge.

1.27am. Dali appears to be colliding with one of the Key Bridge’s upright supports. The U.S. Coast Guard receives first report of collision.

1.27am and 10 seconds. The ship’s lights come back on.

1.28am and 48 seconds. The road surface and steel beams of the Key Bridge begin collapsing – with footage later showing the structure crashing into the water along with vehicles that were on it.

1.29am. Most of the bridge’s span has plunged beneath the water.

1.40am. Baltimore City Fire Department dispatched rescue teams for the Patapsco River, with reports of multiple people in the water. Six missing people were later presumed dead before a recovery operation got under way.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has promised that he will visit Baltimore “as soon as possible”, adding that the federal government will cover the “full cost” of rebuilding the bridge – which experts say could be over $600m (£474m).

He told reporters: “Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. At this time we have no other indication, no other reason to believe there’s any intentional act here.

“Personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel.”

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Timeline of Baltimore bridge collapse

Mr Biden added that this meant local authorities were able to close the bridge before it was struck, which “undoubtedly saved lives”.

He continued: “Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident and all the families [affected], especially those waiting for news of their loved one right now. I know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime.”

The Key Bridge carries the Interstate 695 highway over the Patapsco River southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Its main section spans 1,200 feet and was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance.

The Dali was previously involved in a minor incident when it hit a quay at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016, where it was damaged, according to Vessel Finder and maritime accident site Shipwrecklog.

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Macron and Lula ‘bromance’ on Brazilian island sparks social media frenzy

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Macron and Lula 'bromance' on Brazilian island sparks social media frenzy

The presidents of France and Brazil – both wearing white open-necked shirts – have been pictured smiling warmly at each other and embracing, with social media users calling it a “bromance”.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva clutched Emmanuel Macron’s hand as he led him through some difficult terrain on the island of Combu in the Amazon rainforest.

The leaders stopped and smiled for the cameras, as Mr da Silva, also known as Lula, clutched his French counterpart’s wrist.

When they headed off again, Mr Macron was grinning widely.

Lula da Silva leads Emmanuel Macron along an island path. Pic: AP
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Lula da Silva leads Emmanuel Macron along an island path. Pic: AP

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Emmanuel Macron on Combu Island. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Emmanuel Macron on Combu Island in Brazil. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

The pictures have been delighting people on the internet.

A social media user on X said: “Macron and Lula look like they just got married and are having a whirlwind honeymoon”, while another wrote: “Pre-wedding shoot of the year.”

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Mr Macron has been on a three-day visit to Brazil that aims to relaunch the bilateral relationship and strategic partnership which stalled during the previous government of Jair Bolsonaro.

It is not the first time the French president has appeared to enjoy a close friendship with a fellow world leader.

He and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak seemed to get on well when they met in Paris in March 2023.

“Le bromance” was mooted. The pair had similar backgrounds, were close in age, and even had a comparable sartorial style, it was suggested.

Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris last year. Pic: Reuters
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With Rishi Sunak at the Elysee Palace in Paris last year. Pic: Reuters

Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak in Paris last year. Pic: Reuters

There were also some chuckles with former PM Boris Johnson, although, according to Reuters, the two men had some disagreements over “sausages and submarines”.

Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron in Brussels in March 2022. Pic: Reuters
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With Boris Johnson in Brussels in March 2022. Pic: Reuters

Mr Macron also appeared to enjoy Donald Trump’s company.

“The couple seemed happy to be together again,” wrote The New York Times in April 2018 when the French president visited the White House.

“I like him a lot,” Mr Trump told reporters.

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Earlier, in the Oval Office, the then American leader had “gently brushed what he said was dandruff off Mr Macron’s shoulder”, the paper reported.

Its correspondent added: “Moments later, as they sat side by side, Mr Macron placed his hand on Mr Trump’s knee.”

That may be a bromance that could be revived later in the year, should Mr Trump win a second term in the White House.

Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in April 2018. Pic: Reuters
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Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump at the White House in April 2018. Pic: Reuters

Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump at the White House in April 2018. Pic: Reuters

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War in Sudan: More than 100 settlements set on fire with over quarter targeted more than once

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War in Sudan: More than 100 settlements set on fire with over quarter targeted more than once

New analysis, shared exclusively with Sky News, reveals 180 separate incidents of settlements in Sudan being set on fire, with 108 villages, towns and cities affected since the start of the war.

More than a quarter (27%) of the 108 settlements where burnings have been verified by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) have been targeted more than once since April 2023.

On 15 April, 2023, violent clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Many of these fires have been attributed to the RSF and local level disputes.

The fires are another element of a war that has resulted in the forced displacement of millions of people and human rights abuses including more than 100 incidents of sexual violence observed by the UN.

Sir Nicholas Kay, a former British ambassador to Sudan, told Sky News the repeated fires may be a “deliberate attempt to… instil a great level of fear and extreme violence to subdue and remove the population”, and “a determined consistent effort to ensure people leave and don’t come back ever”.

US-Africa policy expert Cameron Hudson said the current RSF activity in Darfur is “ethnic cleansing”, including war crimes “that some people will call genocide” – reminiscent of the atrocities of 2003-05.

One Sudanese human rights worker who spoke anonymously to Sky News said he had been specifically targeted in an assassination attempt for his work doing things like providing water to people whose water sources had been burned and destroyed.

MAP

The Darfur region has experienced the most significant impact from the fires, with the majority of incidents taking place in the West Darfur state.

The highest number of fires took place in in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, along with the village of Misterei.

MAP

In one instance between 29 May and 2 June 2023, multiple fires were detected in Misterei, mainly inhabited by ethnic Masalit people, who have faced extensive violence from the RSF and allied Arab militias throughout the war.

Humans Rights Watch reported that the town came under attack on the morning of 28 May, when RSF and Arab militias allegedly launched an assault on the town.

Many were also injured with gunshot wounds and fled to Chad.

Satellite imagery of the town from 2 June shows both burn marks and active fires.

Misterei Sat Image
Image:
Pic: Planet Labs PBC and Centre for Information Resilience

In the middle of the attack on Misterei, a video was recorded in the centre of town, in which burning and burned down houses are shown. The person filming accuses the Nuba people of killing and slaughtering and goes on to say “as you condemn, you will be condemned”, which roughly translates as “what goes around comes around”.

The video was shared in a RSF WhatsApp group and was located to the period between 30 May and 1 June 2023.

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Violence takes place in Misterei, Sudan

There was further fire damage in Misterei following a pattern of what appears to be strategic burnings of residential areas, where the town was burned in intervals of multiple days, between 6 October 2023 and 1 March 2024.

Between 11 and 31 October 2023, roughly 3,750 square metres (more than 60% of the town) was burnt in this manner.

Misterei

“What the RSF is doing has felt very similar to what they did in a previous generation as the Janjaweed [a Sudanese Arab militia group that the RSF grew out of], in terms of who they’re targeting and how they are targeting them, ” explained Cameron Hudson, Senior Associate for the Africa Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“One of the things we assessed at the time was that they were doing things like burning villages, poisoning water sources or destroying livestock to prevent people from ever returning.

“So, if they are doing that again, which is what this sounds like, then that is a very similar tactic to what we have seen before.

“There’s a profit motive here because there they are looting, they are taking valuables,” added Mr Hudson, who also served as the chief of staff to successive U.S. presidential special envoys for Sudan during the period of South Sudan’s separation from Sudan (2011) and the Darfur genocide (2003-2005).

As in Misterei, many of the burnings disproportionately affect the Masalit and other minority communities.

On 9 June 2023, a video was shared on X showing an RSF soldier outside the residence of the Sultan of the Masalit in El Geneina, making statements targeting the Masalit.

He says, “Dar [the house of] Masalit, only Arab. “Allah Akbar [x4].. Sultan Dar Masalit? .. There’s no more Dar Masalit, Dar Arab only.”

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Fighter speaks against the Masalit

CIR geolocated the footage to the same day as potential related footage showing burning property and dead bodies in the streets only one block away from the Sultan’s residence.

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Violence in Sudan

Mr Hudson said: “Obviously, there has been ethnic cleansing by the RSF in Darfur going on recently, going on presently. There have been obviously war crimes committed and some people will call that genocide because it is targeting African tribal minorities in Darfur, so that is all reminiscent of an earlier period.”

Tribal conflicts

While the cases of El Geneina and Misterei show some of the violence and hatred incited by the RSF and its supporters, village fires have also been attributed to alleged local-level and inter-communal conflict.

As we saw in the violence 20 years ago, there is a lot of very local level score settling and fighting going on between nomads and pastoralists between communities that have been in tension for a very long time and so within the context of this larger conflict, there is also a very local level conflict going on.

“I think the violence in Darfur is much more about local level, political, tribal and economic dynamics,” said Mr Hudson.

CIR also collected and verified multiple videos related to alleged clashes between Bani Halba and Al Salamat tribes in August and September 2023 in the Kubum and Mukjar localities, near the border of South and Central Darfur.

Various fighters on both sides appear in RSF uniforms.

Markundi, a town about 20 kilometres south from Kubum and inhabited largely by the Bani Halba, was attacked by what appears to be Al Salamat fighters on 7 September or 8 September.

Footage recorded by the Al Salamat people shows men in RSF uniforms surrounded by burning dwellings in an area nearby the Markundi market.

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A video shows the aftermath of tribal violence in Kubum

Continuing violence and displacement in Sudan

The findings add to atrocities already observed by the UN, including more than 100 incidents of sexual violence.

“It’s a messy war because there are many, many different factors. I heard so many Sudanese complaining and lamenting the fact that mercenaries from across the Sahel were fighting on the side of the RSF and were there essentially just to loot and unfortunately rape, in Khartoum in particular but in other parts of Sudan as well,” said Sir Nicholas Kay, former UK ambassador to Sudan, now Senior Advisor at Crisis Management Initiative.

More than 8.4 million people have been forcibly displaced since the start of the conflict in April 2023, equivalent to one in six people in Sudan.

“What we’ve also seen is that it’s not just settlements being targeted, but there is also frequent fires as at IDP camps, which would result in double displacement and people having to leave again because the areas that they’ve finally found refuge also turn out to be unsafe or are left unliveable,” said Anouk Theunissen, team leader for the Sudan Witness project at CIR.

More than 6.5 million are displaced within the country, with others fleeing to neighbours like Chad, South Sudan and Egypt.

map

This includes one human rights worker, Ibrahim (not his real name), who spoke with Sky News but requested to remain anonymous. He fled to Chad in June 2023 but witnessed burnings before he left.

“I was monitoring all kinds of violations committed by all parties of the conflict. I also provided potable water to citizens after the destruction and burning most of the water sources. These things made part of the conflict group target me. I survived an assassination attempt and the office was looted and burned.

“Secondly, because of my colour or race, the El Geneina War took on an ethnic manner, as people were killed on the basis of race or colour, especially after the killing of Wali Khamis and the defeat of the Masalit groups, where the Janjaweed took over the entire city and practiced the worst types of killing and looting.

“Because of all of that, I fled to Chad with great difficulty. I lost my homeland and my home, as it was completely looted and burned. I lost my job. I lost a number of my family members who have been killed, and I lost all that I have, money, documents, and other things.”

Despite the great scale of damage and humanitarian catastrophe, Sir Nicolas holds hope that people like Ibrahim may be able to return one day.

“I believe that those communities [targeted in the Darfur Genocide] proved to be resilient and as the conflict was ending and some people were being held to account for further violence and with the presence of the UN and African Union peacekeeping mission on the ground, communities did return, re-establish and consolidate themselves.

“So it’s happened before and again, it may happen after this round of violence and bloodletting. It would require, clearly, a determination by the international community and institutions to hold people to account but it would also require a future government of Sudan to also take seriously its responsibility to protect civilians and provide an environment in which all communities can live together.”


The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

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