Economy

Ports of Jersey has agreed to sell one of its workboats to a Caribbean shipping hire company.

Ports has agreed to sell the Duke of Normandy to St Lucia-based Lead Marine Contractors after an initial two-year charter to the company.

The 26m (85ft) boat, which was built in 2005, has been in service for nearly two decades, providing a "range of marine services" including towing, maintaining moorings and levelling the seabed.

Ports said the deal would generate a "short-term income" allowing for its "planned retirement" of the vessel, with money from the sale being reinvested into its fleet.

A spokesperson said: "The Duke will be delivered to the Caribbean in June and re-flagged under Panama, a widely used international ship registry."

Ports said it had acquired a new tug boat, which would be renamed Fleur de Lis, to take over the Duke of Normandy's tug boat duties.

Ports' marine services division operates a fleet of five vessels, it said.

TalkTV host David Bull has been named as Reform UK's new chairman, replacing Zia Yusuf who quit last week after clashing with colleagues over calls for a burka ban.

A long-time ally of party leader Nigel Farage, 56-year-old Bull has held several roles in Reform and its predecessor the Brexit Party, but is best known for his work as a broadcaster.

The appointment of a polished media performer contrasts with multi-millionaire businessman Yusuf, a 38-year-old political newcomer who largely worked behind the scenes as chairman to professionalise the party.

Speaking at an event in London, Farage said Bull's job was "not to get involved in the admin" but to "give leadership" to activists.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) takes a "significant" toll on daily life and relationships, a study has found.

PMDD, which is a severe cyclical, hormone-based mood disorder linked to periods, is thought to affect more than one in 20 women.

Research led by Durham University studied 400 people and found those with the disorder reported lower quality of life and relationships.

Lead author Dr Sophie Hodgetts said the study "clearly highlights the need for greater clinical recognition of the interpersonal impact of PMDD".

PMDD sufferers, which accounted for over 50% of respondents (216), expressed a lower sense of intimacy, trust and passion within their relationships.

Researchers also found partners expressed feelings of high stress, a diminished sense of personal growth and worth, difficulties or inabilities within their caregiving roles, and a general sense of feeling unsupported.

They also reported similar levels of dissatisfaction within their relationships.

However, both sufferers and partners agreed "love" and "commitment" remained unaffected, with strong and consistent responses in these areas from people living with the condition and their companions.

Dr Hodgetts added: "It is particularly striking that the patterns of difficulty reported were so similar for both PMDD sufferers and their partners," she said.

The study was conducted with the support of the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders.

Additionally, the collaboration is exploring the lived experiences of undergoing treatment for PMDD and investigating the intersection of PMDD and neurodivergence.

Two men have been jailed for breaking into a house and threatening the occupants with a knife while their baby slept upstairs.

Colin Brown, 36, from Stanway Road in Coney Hill, and Craig Wood, 33, of Portreath Way in Kingsway, were sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on 27 March.

Clad in balaclavas and armed with a crowbar and serrated knife, the pair forced their way into a property in the Mount Pleasant area of Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Wood was jailed for five years while Brown was handed an 11-year jail term due to previous convictions for burglary and a dangerous driving offence.

The court heard how the men had arrived at the address shortly before 14:50 GMT on 8 January.

Doorbell footage showed Brown and Wood attempting to force entry to the front door of the property and when confronted by a man who was inside, Wood threatened to shoot him. He was then heard telling Brown to "get the shooter".

Brown used a crowbar to smash a window before the pair gained entry to the property.

Once inside, Brown tackled the male occupant to the floor and held a knife to his neck while demanding to know "where the weed was".

Standing on top of the railway bridge near Stranraer station gives two very different views from the town.

On one side is the sweeping coastline of south west Scotland and a striking vista out across the sea.

On the other is a sprawling industrial site left behind by Stena Line's decision to move operations a few miles up the coast about 14 years ago.

A battle has been taking place over the fate of a slice of that land which is seen as central to further reviving Stranraer's fortunes.

In one corner is haulage giant Manfreight which wants to turn the site – on a temporary basis – into a lorry park.

It said it could play a "critical role" in supporting the ferry route from Belfast to nearby Cairnryan while also helping the economic revival and regeneration of Stranraer.

The company said the area was a "cornerstone" of its operations which contributed about £7m-a-year to Stena Line and underpinned local jobs and trade.

It added that it employed about 60 lorry drivers locally – generating more than £2.5m in wages and spending in the community, with hopes to double that workforce.

"Our employees live locally – they support shops, schools, trades, and services," the firm added.

"We believe in growing with the community, not just operating in it.

"This is a quieter, cleaner, and safer use of the land than its historic port operations.

"It offers a way to unlock economic value now, while preparing Stranraer for the future."

Romano Petrucci chairs the Stranraer Development Trust and fears the lorry park could undo a lot of the work his group and others have been doing.

He said it would go against an ambitious place plan drawn up to develop the area to attract visitors.

That would include an expanded marina, a water sports hub which is currently under development and improved walking and cycling links.

"For us to kick-start this regeneration and try and build it, and expect people to come into the 210 new berths in their nice yachts and look on to a lorry park, is going to be a real challenge," said Mr Petrucci.

"We're 100% behind a lorry park but it cannot go there – it's the wrong place for it."

He said the fear was that temporary approval would ultimately become permanent and effectively halt the wider plan for the waterfront.