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A cyclist who went missing in Europe after eating wild mushrooms has been found dead in Italy.

Father-of-two Steven Harper, 38, left Dundee last year to cycle to India but disappeared during his adventure.

The alarm was raised in December after the Scotsman failed to get in touch with family and friends for about a month.

His radio silence came after he foraged, boiled and ate wild mushrooms near Monaco.

In his last known message, Steven told his sister-in-law that he was sick and felt like he’d eaten something he “shouldn’t have”.

It has now emerged Steven fell from a cliff in Ventimiglia, a few miles from the French-Italian border, an hour after the message on 23 November.

Speaking to Sky News, his older brother Dale Harper said: “I am proud of him, but I am just so broken knowing he’s not there any more.”

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Dale, 40, had travelled to France last month and attempted to retrace his sibling’s last known steps towards Italy, but returned home to Dundee without any news.

Steven and Dale Harper. Pic: Dale Harper
Image:
Steven and Dale Harper. Pic: Dale Harper

Shortly after Christmas, Dale received a call that a body had been found matching Steven’s description.

Dale flew out to Italy at the beginning of January to identify his brother.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Dale said: “The search ended in heartbreak with the discovery of Steven’s body in Italy.”

Dale said Steven was seen falling from a cliff overlooking the harbour in Ventimiglia and nearby workmen rushed to his aid. A helicopter was deployed but he reportedly died as a result of internal bleeding from the fall.

Steven’s passport was said to have been stolen during a robbery earlier in November which may have led to delays in identification.

Dale said: “We are still waiting on the toxicology report, but from the evidence we have it seems most likely that Steven had felt delirious due to the toxins, lost balance and fell with his belongings.

“He just made a mistake, there was no malice in this.”

Read more from Sky News:
Fresh appeal to find missing hiker who disappeared a year ago
Police say missing mum has not been seen since October

Dale added: “I take comfort in knowing he was doing what he wanted to do, wasn’t wanting for anything, and was surrounded by people in his last moments in a place he always said he had wanted to die – somewhere beautiful and it doesn’t get much more beautiful than where he is now.”

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who died in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Watch new foreign affairs show The World with Yalda Hakim from Monday to Thursday between 9pm and 10pm on Sky News.

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.

A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.

The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.

A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.

Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.

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There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.

Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.

“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”

The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.

The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

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A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

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Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
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Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
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Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

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