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The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from a theme park ride have been awarded $310m (£243m) by a US jury.

Tyre Sampson, who was 6ft 2in tall and weighed 27 stone, plunged about 100ft (30 metres) from the Orlando Free Fall at ICON Park in Florida.

His size meant a shoulder harness did not lock properly.

The ride did not have seat belts, something most drop rides have as an additional safety measure.

People visit a makeshift memorial for Tyre Sampson outside the Orlando Free Fall ride at the ICON Park entertainment complex, Sunday, March 27, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Sampson, a teenager visiting from Missouri on spring break, fell to his death while on the ride. (Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP)
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The Orlando Free Fall ride. Pic: AP

Sampson, from St Louis, Missouri, died in March 2022 when the ride braked.

The budding NFL player weighed about seven stone more than the 20-stone limit.

Sampson was on spring break when he and his friends went to the amusement park.

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They chose to ride the Orlando Free Fall, which placed 30 riders in seats attached to a tower, secured them with a shoulder harness and then dropped them 430ft (131 metres).

Tyre Sampson died after falling from an amusement park ride. Pic: Tyre Sampson/Facebook
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Tyre Sampson was a budding NFL player. Pic: Tyre Sampson/Facebook

His parents, Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson, sued park owners ICON and Funtime, the ride manufacturer, claiming both should have warned their son about the risks of someone his size going on the ride and did not provide an appropriate restraint system.

On Thursday in a civil verdict, an Orange County jury ordered Funtime to pay the pair $155m (£121.5m) each after a trial that lasted only a day as the Austrian firm did not appear in court to defend itself.

Nekia Dodd, the mother of Tyre Sampson, 14, speaks at a press conference, Tuesday, April 26, 2022, about the last hug she gave her child before he left for his trip to Florida. She said she had to grab him in for a hug because 14-year-old boys don't always want to hug their moms. It was the last time she saw him alive. Tyre was killed on an amusement park ride in Orlando, Fla., March 24. 2022.  Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
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Nekia Dodd, the mother of Tyre Sampson. Pic: AP

ICON Park had already settled with Sampson’s family for an undisclosed amount.

The family’s lawyers, Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, said jurors had backed their view that Sampson’s death “was the result of blatant negligence and a failure to prioritise safety over profits”.

Funtime, they said, “neglected their duty to protect passengers, and [Thursday’s] outcome ensures they face the consequences”.

The family will now have to seek an order from an Austrian court to collect the damages.

Sky News approached Funtime for comment.

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Authorities ordered the ride to be closed after the accident and it never reopened.

The Orlando Free Fall is now being demolished.

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US national parks drop free admission on MLK Day and Juneteenth, but add Trump’s birthday

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US national parks drop free admission on MLK Day and Juneteenth, but add Trump's birthday

Americans will be able to visit national parks for free on Donald Trump’s birthday next year, but will no longer be able to do so on Martin Luther King Jr Day or Juneteenth.

The Department of the Interior has released a list of what it calls “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” for next year.

Mr Trump‘s birthday, which falls on the Flag Day national holiday, has been added to the list, as has the Fourth of July weekend and President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday.

However, Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth have been removed. Juneteenth was recognised in 2021 under Joe Biden’s administration and commemorates the end of slavery in the US.

Also removed are the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act in August and the National Public Lands Day in September.

“President Trump’s leadership always puts American families first,” the US interior secretary Doug Burgum said.

“These policies ensure that US taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.”

Read more from Sky News:
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The department said it was also introducing “America-first entry free policies”, which means US residents will continue to “enjoy affordable pricing” while international visitors “will pay a higher rate to help support the care and maintenance of America’s parks”.

It said the annual pass will cost $80 (£60) for US residents and $250 (£187) for nonresidents, with nonresidents without an annual pass paying a $100 (£75) per person fee to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, in addition to the standard entrance fee.

The US Institute of Peace. Pic: AP
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The US Institute of Peace. Pic: AP

Trump renames US Institute of Peace after himself

The decision to make his birthday a ‘free’ day comes after Mr Trump’s name was added to the sign on the headquarters building of the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC.

The State Department shared a photo of the building’s new facade and called Mr Trump “the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history”.

He has also unsuccessfully put himself forward for the Nobel Peace Prize, sought to put his name on the planned NFL stadium in Washington DC, and had a new children’s savings programme named after him.

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White House: Europe ‘unrecognisable in 20 years or less’

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White House: Europe 'unrecognisable in 20 years or less'

President Trump’s “America First” agenda has been spelt out in a new White House National Security Strategy that should make stark reading for allies and foes of the United States alike.

The new 33-page document outlines an upending of American foreign policy objectives and priorities which have stood largely unchanged through different administrations stretching back decades.

The document says American strategy went “astray” over many years. It seeks to reframe America’s strategic interests as being far narrower now than at any time in its modern history.

Among the key points, the document says:

Europe faces “civilizational erasure” and could be “unrecognisable in 20 years or less”

• “Certain NATO members will become majority non-European” within a few decades

•​​​​​​​ America will “shift away” from the “burden” of the Middle East seeing it now as a “source and destination of international investment”

•​​​​​​​ In the Western hemisphere, America should pursue a policy of “enlist and expand… restoring American pre-eminence”

•​​​​​​​ In Africa, American policy focus should be on trade not “providing and spreading liberal ideology”

America will 'shift away' from the 'burden' of the Middle East. Pic: Reuters
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America will ‘shift away’ from the ‘burden’ of the Middle East. Pic: Reuters

In black-and-white, the text articulates a dramatic strategic shift which has been playing out at lightning speed over the past year.

The document underlines the end of the concept of America as an arbiter of the democratic rules-based order.

“American foreign policy elites convinced themselves that permanent American domination of the entire world was in the best interests of our country. Yet the affairs of other countries are our concern only if their activities directly threaten our interests,” the paper says.

Every US administration publishes at least one National Security Strategy during a presidential term.

The focus of this one is starkly different from that published by President Biden in 2022.

It’s also notably different from the document which President Trump published during his first term. His 2017 paper cast the world as a contest between “repressive regimes” and “free societies”.

Trump doesn't want the US to be the arbiter of the democratic rules-based order. Pic: Reuters
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Trump doesn’t want the US to be the arbiter of the democratic rules-based order. Pic: Reuters

This new one places the necessity to do trade above the imposition of values.

“We seek good relations and peaceful commercial relations with the nations of the world without imposing on them democratic or other social change that differs widely from their traditions and histories.”

Mass migration and Europe

The new document is highly critical of mass migration.

It warns that uncontrolled migration is destroying the concept of nation states which could impact America’s strategic alliances and the countries it counts as reliable allies.

The paper is particularly critical of Europe, of the European Union as a concept and of individual European nations.

“Should present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less,” the paper says.

It continues: “As such, it is far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and militaries strong enough to remain reliable allies.

“Many of these nations are currently doubling down on their present path. We want Europe to remain European, to regain its civilizational self-confidence, and to abandon its failed focus on regulatory suffocation.”

Trump will seek to support 'patriotic European parties'. Pic: AP
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Trump will seek to support ‘patriotic European parties’. Pic: AP

The document’s language around the politics of governing parties across Europe is particularly stark.

Regarding Ukraine, the document says: “The Trump Administration finds itself at odds with European officials who hold unrealistic expectations for the war perched in unstable minority governments, many of which trample on basic principles of democracy to suppress opposition.

“A large European majority wants peace, yet that desire is not translated into policy, in large measure because of those government’s subversion of democratic processes.”

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The document outlines how his administration will seek to support “patriotic European parties”.

This is entirely in line with President Trump’s rhetoric but still represents a major departure from the longstanding principle of not interfering in the politics of allies.

It says: “American diplomacy should continue to stand up for genuine democracy, freedom of expression, and unapologetic celebrations of European nations’ individual character and history.

“America encourages its political allies in Europe to promote this revival of spirit, and the growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed gives cause for great optimism.”

Trump has at times had a fiery relationship with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. Pic: Reuters
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Trump has at times had a fiery relationship with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy. Pic: Reuters

Ukraine and Russia

On European-Russia relations, the document raises the prospect of war but curiously does not presume that such a conflict would involve America.

“Managing European relations with Russia will require significant US diplomatic engagement, both to reestablish conditions of strategic stability across the Eurasian landmass, and to mitigate the risk of conflict between Russia and European states.”

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By contrast, President Biden’s National Security Strategy, published in 2022, underlined repeatedly the “iron-clad” commitment the United States had to Europe’s security.

Chinese risk and opportunity

The document presents Asia and the Indo-Pacific region as a source of opportunity for strategic and economic cooperation.

Maintaining US military strength over China is also outlined. Pic: Reuters
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Maintaining US military strength over China is also outlined. Pic: Reuters

“President Trump is building alliances and strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific that will be the bedrock of security and prosperity long into the future…”

And specifically on China, the paper presents a goal of “economic vitality” achieved through a balanced economic relationship between the two countries combined with an “ongoing focus on deterrence to prevent war”.

Deterrence would be achieved, it outlines, by maintaining preeminent military strength over China.

It says: “This combined approach can become a virtuous cycle as strong American deterrence opens up space for more disciplined economic action, while more disciplined economic action leads to greater American resources to sustain deterrence in the long term.”

Hemispheres of influence

In line with President Trump’s focus on spheres of influence, particular focus is given to the western hemisphere.

There are clear references to the impact of drugs from south and central America into the US and more subtle references to control of the arctic.

“The United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere, and to protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region,” the paper says.

It continues: “We will deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets, in our hemisphere.”

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Donald Trump awarded FIFA peace prize at World Cup draw

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Donald Trump awarded FIFA peace prize at World Cup draw

US President Donald Trump has been awarded FIFA’s new peace prize at the draw for next year’s World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Mr Trump with a large golden trophy – formed of hands holding the earth – and a gold medal, which he wore around his neck.

The certificate, which Mr Infantino handed over at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center on Friday, recognises the US president for his actions to “promote peace and unity around the world”.

World football’s governing body, which announced the annual award last month, said it would be given to “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace”.

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Mr Trump said it was “truly one of the greatest honours of my life”.

He said: “We saved millions and millions of lives. The Congo is an example – over 10 million people killed. It was heading for another 10 million very quickly.”

US President Donald Trump. Pics: Reuters
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US President Donald Trump. Pics: Reuters

He also pointed to India and Pakistan, saying, “so many wars that we were able to end, in some cases a little before they started”.

Ahead of the draw, Mr Trump told reporters he did not care about the prize, but noted that he had “settled eight wars” in nearly 11 months in office.

The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the tournament in 2026.

Mr Infantino, who has built up a strong relationship with the US president, backed him for the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year.

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“This is what we want from a leader – a leader that cares about the people,” Mr Infantino said of Mr Trump.

The FIFA leader said to Mr Trump, “this is your prize, this is your peace prize”.

US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Pic: Reuters
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US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Pic: Reuters

Mr Trump thanked his family, including his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and praised the leaders of the other two host nations – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum – in his brief remarks.

Mr Infantino has often spoken about football as a unifier for the world, but the prize is a departure from the federation’s traditional focus on sport.

FIFA has described the prize as one that rewards “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace, and by doing so have united people across the world”.

The award comes during a week where Mr Trump’s administration has been under scrutiny for lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and as Mr Trump hardens his rhetoric against immigrants.

The Nobel Peace Prize this year was eventually awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who said shortly after receiving the prize that she was dedicating it in part to Mr Trump for “his decisive support of our cause”.

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