Today marks 35 years since the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 – and a series of events will take place in memory of those who died.
When the Boeing 747 exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, it killed all 259 passengers and crew on board and 11 people on the ground.
The bombing – which took place on 21 December 1988 as the plane made its way from London to New York – remains the UK’s worst terrorist attack.
Image: A policeman standing guard over houses damaged in the bombing
The Dumfries and Galloway town will mark the 35th anniversary of the tragedy on Thursday with a series of events.
Lockerbie Academy will host its annual remembrance assembly.
A small number of pupils will then take part in a rose-laying ceremony at Dryfesdale Cemetery at 11.30am. They will be accompanied by a remembrance scholar from Syracuse University who will be representing the 35 students from Syracuse who were killed in the disaster.
Image: Wreaths and floral tributes at Dryfesdale Cemetery on the tragedy’s 30th anniversary in 2018
A number of public events have also been organised and all those wishing to take part are warmly invited to attend.
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• 10am: Communal wreath-laying and remembrance service at Tundergarth Church. • 11.45am: Communal wreath-laying at Dryfesdale Cemetery. • 12.15pm: Communal wreath-laying at Sherwood Crescent. • 12.45pm: Communal wreath-laying at Rosebank Crescent. • 7pm: Mass at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. A service will also take place at Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University and can be watched online.
Lockerbie Town Hall will be open between 10am and 8pm, where light refreshments will be available. Soup will also be served between 1pm and 2.30pm.
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The Remembrance Room at Tundergarth Church and Dryfesdale Lodge Visitor Centre will remain open throughout the day, and both offer a wealth of information surrounding the disaster.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has marked the anniversary by paying tribute to all those who lost their life in the disaster.
He added: “My thoughts are also with the emergency workers who responded in the immediate aftermath of the atrocity.
“Their rapid response along with the people of Lockerbie while facing extraordinary circumstances demonstrated extreme kindness and humanity in the face of such horrific events.
“While those lost on that night can never be replaced, and the events have had a lasting impact on the town, I know links were forged following the disaster between Lockerbie and other communities that continue to this day, including the Syracuse University scholarship programme with Lockerbie Academy.
“The strength and compassion that both the victims’ families and the community of Lockerbie have shown has created a legacy of friendship and ensured that the memory of those who died lives on.”
Image: The Stone of Remembrance within the Memorial Garden at Dryfesdale Cemetery
Key dates in the three decades since the Lockerbie bombing:
21 December 1988: Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie in Scotland, killing 270 people – 259 on board and 11 on the ground.
Image: Abdelbaset al Megrahi
January 2001: Following a trial at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands, Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al Megrahi is found guilty of mass murder and jailed for life. Co-accused Lamin Khalifah Fhimah is found not guilty.
Image: A newsagent displaying the outcome of the Lockerbie trial
August 2003: Libya accepts blame for the bombing and agrees to compensate victims’ families.
March 2004: Then prime minister Tony Blair offers Colonel Muammar Gaddafi “the hand of friendship” following talks with the Libyan leader in a tent outside Tripoli. The UK and Libya go on to sign a memorandum of understanding, with a commitment to negotiate a prisoner transfer agreement (PTA).
Image: Tony Blair and Muammar Gaddafi in 2004
May 2007: Oil giant BP and the Libyan government sign an exploration and production sharing agreement.
June 2007: The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) recommends Megrahi is granted a second appeal against his conviction after the first, in 2002, was refused.
December 2007: It is revealed the UK government has decided not to exclude Megrahi from the PTA.
September 2008: Megrahi is diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
Image: Megrahi’s wife and son during a candle-lit vigil outside Holyrood in 2008
May 2009: The Libyan government submits an application to the Scottish government for Megrahi’s transfer under the PTA, followed by an application for release on compassionate grounds.
August 2009: Then Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill announces Megrahi is to be freed from Greenock Prison and returned to his home country on compassionate grounds. The UK and the US condemn the “hero’s welcome” given to Megrahi as he arrives in Tripoli to cheering crowds.
Image: Megrahi arriving at Glasgow Airport in 2009 after being released from Greenock Prison on compassionate grounds
Image: Megrahi leaving Glasgow for Tripoli
September 2009: Then UK justice secretary Jack Straw acknowledges the prospect of trade and oil deals with Libya was “a very big part” of his decision to include Megrahi in the PTA.
July 2011: Megrahi appears in a televised pro-government rally in Libya and says his conviction was the result of a “conspiracy”.
October 2011: Gaddafi, the deposed leader of Libya following an uprising, is killed by rebels.
May 2012: Megrahi dies at home in Tripoli aged 60.
December 2013: The UK, US and Libyan governments vow to cooperate to reveal “the full facts” of the bombing.
Image: An aerial view of some of the plane wreckage recovered, which was kept in a Lincolnshire salvage yard
June 2014: Six members of Megrahi’s family join forces with 24 British relatives of those who died in the atrocity to seek another appeal against his conviction in the Scottish courts.
December 2014: Scotland’s then top prosecutor, lord advocate Frank Mulholland, reaffirms Megrahi’s guilt and pledges to track down his accomplices.
July 2015: Scottish judges rule relatives of the victims of the bombing should not be allowed to pursue an appeal on Megrahi’s behalf.
October 2015: Scottish prosecutors announce they want two Libyans they have identified as suspects to be interviewed by police.
July 2017: Megrahi’s family lodges a new bid to appeal against his conviction, five years after his death.
May 2018: The SCCRC says a full review of Megrahi’s case will be carried out to decide whether a fresh appeal against conviction can be made.
November 2018: A police investigation finds no evidence of criminality in relation to the handling of the Lockerbie investigation and prosecution.
March 2020: The SCCRC rules a fresh appeal is to be allowed, and refers the case to the High Court of Justiciary.
June 2020: The appeal against the conviction of Megrahi is formally lodged at the High Court.
November 2020: A crowdfunder is launched to help pay for the appeal. It then begins at the High Court in Edinburgh, sitting as the Court of Appeal, and lasts three days.
December 2020: The US charges a “third conspirator” in connection with the Lockerbie bombing, on the 32nd anniversary of the atrocity.
December 2022: Third suspect – Libyan Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir al Marimi – is taken into US custody and appears at Washington DC federal courthouse accused of being the bombmaker.
Image: Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir al Marimi. Pic: Alexandria Sheriff’s Office.
December 2023: Marimi remains in US custody awaiting trial.
A new Sky documentary tells the story of Britain’s deadliest terrorist atrocity.
Lockerbie is available to watch on Sky Documentaries and Now.
An MP has told Sky News she was attacked online by the Tate brothers after she participated in a debate in the House of Commons about violence against women.
The controversial duo, Andrew and Tristan Tate, are facing charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK – all of which they deny.
But they are still very active online, and according to Sorcha Eastwood, the MP for Lagan Valley, are targeting her.
In a document seen by Sky News, Tristan Tate has highlighted one of the MP’s tweets and writes in private correspondence: “MP, nice target, can we sue her?”
Sorcha Eastwood says at first she thought the replies were from parody accounts and not the Tate brothers.
Her original tweet was about Elon Musk, not the Tate brothers. The MP said Musk’s tweets should be looked at through a counter-extremism lens.
“I was really concerned, I was concerned because to me that is a direct attack for want of a better phrase on me serving my constituents.
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“I couldn’t believe that they decided to pick this random Northern Irish MP. The fact that it wasn’t even about them. This is something I didn’t go looking for.
“I think from my perspective, it’s a very, very sinister attempt to shut down important voices in public life, political discourse.”
It was only when she started noticing an uptick in abuse from other accounts she realised she had encountered some of the brothers’ followers.
“I had rape threats. I had death threats. I had people saying I should be hung from a lamppost. I had people saying I should be chopped into liver. I also had people then who were like we’ll waste 15 minutes raping Sorcha Eastwood.”
Image: A representative for the Tate brothers told Sky News that there was no targeted campaign against Sorcha Eastwood
A representative for the Tate brothers told Sky News that there was no targeted campaign against her.
They said: “Ms Eastwood has a distorted view regarding social media if she believes one is required to ‘invite or ask’ people to interact.
“Tristan Tate is entitled to his view in relation to her tweet regarding Elon Musk.”
The self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have both been charged with human trafficking, face allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering in Romania.
There is also a European arrest warrant for them as they are facing separate, unrelated charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK. They deny all charges.
Ms Eastwood now worries for others who don’t have a platform like her and who may not feel like they can speak out.
“If this is what has happened to me I have absolutely no doubt that this has happened to others where they have been attempted to be silenced.”
Keir Starmer has previously commented on the Tate brothers’ case in the Commons saying it is “a live issue”, but adding that “the principle is absolutely clear” in relation to whether the brothers should face justice.
Sorcha Eastwood says she wants to see the government do much more to protect against abuse online.
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Tate brothers deny wrongdoing
“I think ultimately the government has taken the wrong course on this. They need to step up.
“This should be an issue of national security as far as the radicalisation of young people online. It should be an issue in terms of the levels of misinformation, disinformation and the lack of trust that is had in our politics right across the UK and Europe.
“I want the government to help me, help every other person to crack down on this and get serious about it. And the only way they’ll be able to do that, is by hitting these tech companies in the only language which they understand, which is money and via robust legislation.”
A government spokesperson said: “Violence against women and girls is a scourge on our society which is why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve these crimes within a decade.
“Tackling illegal abuse both online and offline is central to supporting victims and preventing harm in our communities and we will not hesitate to strengthen laws to deliver this mission.
“Last month, parts of the Online Safety Act came into force meaning companies must take action to protect users from illegal material including extreme sexual violence.
“Further protections from this summer will require platforms to protect children from harmful, misogynistic, and violent content.”
In parts of Birmingham, the stench is overwhelming – enough to make you heave.
At a block of flats in Highgate, in Birmingham city centre, we find a mountain of bin liners full of rubbish spewing out of the cavernous bin store, which is normally locked.
Mickel comes out to speak to us, while all around bin liners lie open, with the contents for all to see, including used nappies and rotting food.
Image: Mickel says they’ve had ‘foxes and rats, literally the size of cats’
Image: Outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate, bin liners lie open, spewing out rubbish
We both find it hard to keep talking amid the awful smell.
“We’ve had foxes and rats, literally the size of cats, flies, it’s just nasty, something needs to be done,” he says.
Image: Chris says the situation is ‘overwhelming’ as she’s ‘terrified of rats’
Around the corner, I meet Chris, in her dressing gown, popping the bins into her bin store beneath her flat before work.
She unlocks it, and although it isn’t bursting out on to the street yet, it is getting full.
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She says the situation is “overwhelming” as she’s “terrified of rats”. But, even so, she has sympathy for the striking bin workers.
“It’s not an easy job; they must have a heart of gold to do that job,” she says.
“Pay them whatever they need, they deserve it.”
Image: Striking bin workers at Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre
Image: There’s an awful smell coming from a mountain of bin liners outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate
At Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre, Brigette has pulled up alongside picketing workers. The back seat of her car is full of rubbish.
She apologises for the terrible waft, mixed with air freshener.
“It’s very pungent, isn’t it? Not nice,” she admits.
“It’s unfortunate, I have some sympathies for all the parties, but, equally, we have a duty of care to stay clean and tidy.”
She says she has her rubbish and that of her elderly aunt and plans to make weekly trips to the tip until a resolution in this pay dispute between the council and the Unite union is found.
The US is “our closest ally” but “nothing is off the table” in response to Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on imports from the UK, the business secretary has said.
In a statement following the US president’s nearly hour-long address to the world, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses and consumers.
“That’s why, throughout the last few weeks, the government has been fully focused on negotiating an economic deal with the United States that strengthens our existing fair and balanced trading relationship.”
Mr Reynolds reiterated the statements from the prime minister and his cabinet over the past few days, saying the US is “our closest ally”, and the government’s approach is to “remain calm and committed to doing this deal, which we hope will mitigate the impact of what has been announced today”.
Image: Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says “nothing is off the table” following the tariffs announcement. Pic: PA
But he continued: “We have a range of tools at our disposal, and we will not hesitate to act. We will continue to engage with UK businesses, including on their assessment of the impact of any further steps we take.
“Nobody wants a trade war, and our intention remains to secure a deal. But nothing is off the table, and the government will do everything necessary to defend the UK’s national interest.”
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‘Get back round the negotiating table’, say Tories
The Conservative Party’s shadow business and trade secretary described the US president’s announcement as “disappointing news which will worry working families across the country”.
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Sky’s Ed Conway examines how economies across the world are impacted by tariffs
Andrew Griffith hit out at the government for having “failed to negotiate with President Trump’s team for too many months after the election, failed to keep our experienced top trade negotiator, and failed to get a deal to avoid the imposition of these tariffs by our closest trading partner”.
“The chancellor’s emergency budget of just a week ago with its inadequate headroom is now at risk, casting uncertainty about more taxes or spending cuts,” he continued. “Sadly, it is British businesses and workers who will pay the price for Labour’s failure.”
He called on ministers to “swallow their pride” and “get back round the negotiating table to agree a fair deal to protect jobs and consumers in both the UK and the US alike”.
Relief in Westminster – but concessions to Trump to come
It has been quite a rollercoaster for the government, where they went from the hope that they could avoid tariffs, that they could get that economic deal, to the realisation that was not going to happen, and then the anticipation of how hard would the UK be hit.
In Westminster tonight, there is actual relief because the UK is going to have a 10% baseline tariff – but that is the least onerous of all the tariffs we saw President Trump announce.
He held up a chart of the worst offenders, and the UK was well at the bottom of that list.
No 10 sources were telling me as President Trump was in the Rose Garden that while no tariffs are good, and it’s not what they want, the fact the UK has tariffs that are lower than others vindicates their approach.
They say it’s important because the difference between a 20% tariff and a 10% tariff is thousands of jobs.
Where to next? No 10 says it will “keep negotiating, keep cool and calm”, and reiterated Sir Keir Starmer’s desire to “negotiate a sustainable trade deal”.
“Of course want to get tariffs lowered. Tomorrow we will continue with that work,” a source added.
Another source said the 10% tariff shows that “the UK is in the friendlies club, as much as that is worth anything”.
Overnight, people will be number-crunching, trying to work out what it means for the UK. There is a 25% tariff on cars which could hit billions in UK exports, in addition to the blanket 10% tariff.
But despite this being lower than many other countries, GDP will take a hit, with forecasts being downgraded probably as we speak.
I think the government’s approach will be to not retaliate and try to speed up that economic deal in the hope that they can lower the tariffs even further.
There will be concessions. For example, the UK could lower the Digital Services Tax, which is imposed on the UK profits of tech giants. Will they loosen regulation on social media companies or agricultural products?
But for now, there is relief the UK has not been hit as hard as many others.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has reacted furiously to Mr Trump’s announcement of a “destructive trade war”, and called on the government to stand up against “Trump’s attempts to divide and rule”.
“The prime minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.”
Speaking on Wednesday evening at a White House event entitled ‘Make America Wealthy Again’, the US president unleashed sweeping tariffs across the globe.
Mr Trump held up a chart detailing the worst offenders – which also showed the new tariffs the US would be imposing.
The UK’s rate of 10% was perhaps a shot across the bow over the 20% VAT rate, though the president’s suggested a 10% tariff imbalance between the two nations. Nonetheless, tariffs of 10% could directly reduce UK GDP by between 0.01% and 0.06%, according to Capital Economics.
A 25% duty on all car imports from around the world is also being imposed from midnight in the US – 5am on Thursday, UK time.
The UK government had been hoping to negotiate an economic deal with the US in a bid to avoid the tariffs, but to no avail. The government says negotiations will continue.
The Confederation of British Industry said “negotiating stronger trading relationships with all like-minded partners will be foundational to any success”.
The business secretary is expected to make a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, and we are also expecting to hear from the prime minister.