Global Trade

A pub landlady in Herefordshire has said enduring six months of a local road being closed has left her out of pocket and feeling "angry".

Kaytie Pinder, who runs the New Harp Inn in Hoarwithy, said the main route between the village and Ross-on-Wye had been closed since October.

Herefordshire Council said following a rockfall, the Hoarwithy Road was shut due to the danger of further rockfall from a privately owned piece of sloped land above the road.

On Saturday, the authority arranged for a specialist contractor to remove the rocks from the road.

The council said it had been in contact with the landowner, but various deadlines and notices had not resulted in the issue being addressed.

Bosses said they intended to hire a consultant to assess the slope early this week to determine if it was stable enough to allow the road to reopen.

"Nothing has been done up until today [Saturday]," Ms Pinder said.

"We're angry that's it's taken a very long time and the rocks have been able to be moved in one morning."

She said her trade had dropped by about 20% due to the road closure.

"I think the first few months were definitely the worst – it wasn't great leading up to Christmas."

It had also coincided with other roadworks in the area, she said.

Meanwhile, the nearby Laskett Lane had become damaged due to the volume of traffic using that road as an alternative and this had to be shut for repairs to be carried out.

This left her pub so quiet that during some daytimes it had been forced to shut as it was not worth opening.

Parish councillor Peter Pember said the rocks had now been removed and that he hoped it might be possible for the road to reopen once a geotechnical consultant had assessed the area.

"They're coming back [during the week] to see if there is any more likelihood of rocks slipping," he said.

"It's certainly caused a fair bit of disruption," he added, and said the parish council had applied "quite a bit of pressure" to have the issue resolved.

Ms Pinder said her pub tended to be busier during the summer months, however, and that she was keeping her fingers crossed that it would be soon resolved.

"It's a very big walking and hiking area," she said.

She had not been able to claim on insurance for loss of business as the road immediately outside her pub is still open – despite the closure being less than half a mile away.

She added that the daily school run now takes an extra 10-15 minutes each way, and had caused a lot of disruption for people living in the area.

The council said it would seek to recover costs borne by the taxpayer, and would provide a further update once the outcome of the assessment was known.

A major exhibition of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace's creations is to be staged in London this summer.

The show will feature more than 450 original pieces, including outfits worn by Princess Diana, Kate Moss, Sir Elton John, Naomi Campbell and George Michael.

Gianni Versace Retrospective will open at Arches London Bridge on 16 July, with organisers saying it would "give visitors a kaleidoscopic view of the 90s".

Versace was one of the most influential designers of his generation until he was murdered in 1997. After his death, his sister Donatella took over as creative director of the company.

The announcement of the exhibition's London launch comes a month after Donatella announced she would be stepping down from her position.

Dario Vitale takes over her role this month, but Donatella Versace will remain an ambassador for the company.

Previous iterations of the retrospective exhibition have visited the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Sweden and Spain, but organisers said it had never been shown in the form it will take in London.

The show has been updated and expanded for the UK, showcasing 21 seasons of Versace's designs, while a new feature – Gianni Versace in London – will be added.

Curator Karl von der Ahe said the exhibition's launch in London felt "especially meaningful", describing the city as "one of the world's fashion capitals".

"Gianni Versace's bold, unapologetic vision revolutionised fashion, and this city – so rich in creativity and cultural influence – provides the perfect stage to celebrate his legacy," he said.

Organisers said the exhibition would feature the largest collection of vintage Versace designs ever to be displayed in the UK, and would also include accessories, sketches, photographs and interviews alongside the outfits.

Liz Koravos, managing director of Arches London Bridge, described Versace as a "genius of his time".

"Gianni Versace ties to so much in modern culture and his legacy is enduring, a mark of a talented designer," she said.

Who was Gianni Versace?

• Born in 1946, Gianni Versace was known for bold, flamboyant and glamorous designs, which often featured vivid colours and baroque prints

• His interest in fashion developed at a young age, with an apprenticeship at his mother's sewing business, and he started making his name as a designer in the 1970s

• Versace launched his fashion brand in 1978 and began to enjoy major success over the subsequent decade

• His brand became known for opulence and aspiration, with Versace often using luxury materials in his work, but he was also unafraid to be daring and provocative – one 1992 collection referenced bondage and fetishwear

• Sir Elton was a close friend and was known to own every silk shirt the designer had produced, while Versace's clothes were also worn by Princess Diana and seen at the time as part of her reinvention

• Versace was instrumental in the rise of the supermodel in the 1990s and worked closely with two models in particular – Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell – with whom he produced several memorable campaigns

• Versace often linked his fashion with the music world – George Michael's video for Freedom saw Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington lip-sync the song's lyrics in the music video, as well as on a Versace catwalk for one of his fashion shows in 1991

• The Italian designer was murdered at the age of 50 in Miami on 15 July 1997. He was shot in the head by serial killer Andrew Cunanan while walking back from his local newsagents. Cunanan took his own life eight days after Versace's murder

A buzz was in the air this week after it was confirmed Europe's first Universal theme park would be built in the UK. But did you know the project is not the US entertainment giant's first rodeo in this part of the world?

What was the plan?

On Wednesday, the government and Universal revealed they had reached a deal to build the complex on the site of a former brickworks in Bedfordshire, spanning 476 acres – equivalent to almost 270 Premier League football pitches.

Universal has had its eyes on Europe for more than 35 years, having started negotiations with the British and French governments to build a "Universal City" in the late 1980s.

Music Corporation of America (MCA) was Universal's predecessor.

It eyed up Rainham Marshes, a site straddling the border of Essex and London, and the local council was quick to provide planning permission.

Spanning an area more than three times bigger than the site near Bedford, MCA wanted to build a theme park, cinema, hotels, conference centre, business park, and railway station at the site.

The plans also included a nature reserve and ecology park, as well as working film and TV studios, which were rumoured to become the new home of the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

It would have cost $3.4bn (£25.9bn), according to the Los Angeles Times.

Was it supported?

Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government was keen to secure the investment from MCA, which was deciding between Rainham and Sénart, a new town near Paris, France.

Ministers were so keen to snatch the opportunity from their French counterparts that they considered changing blueprints for the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994, to include a junction at Stratford in east London – to provide easier access to the proposed theme park.

The government also considered rerouting and adding an extra lane to the A13 trunk road, which passes Rainham Marshes.

About 69% of residents surveyed backed the proposals by MCA, but environmental campaigners were less keen on the idea.

The Essex Naturalists Trust was concerned about the impact on species living in the marshland.

Rainham vs Paris

The site on the Essex-London border fell victim to delays while opponents pushed the government to launch a public consultation on the plans.

By 1993, MCA had set its sights firmly on France with plans to build a theme park based on its attractions in the US.

It chose a plot close to Disneyland Paris, which had opened a year earlier.

A multi-venue indie music festival is arriving in Wolverhampton this weekend.

Named Feel The Noise, the event will take place in the city centre, with musicians performing at Wulfrun Hall, Dive Bar and North Street Social on Saturday.

Acts like The Clause, Keyside and Alex Spencer are set to perform, along with headliners The K's who are currently touring the UK.

A free conference is also being held as part of the event to help people get into the music industry, as well providing network opportunities with artists and managers.

The talk will feature a Q&A and feedback sessions from industry names, like award-winning producer Gavin Monaghan who has worked with The Editors, Scott Matthews and Ocean Colour Scene.

The festival received £25,000 from the government to help stage the event, as well as support from City of Wolverhampton Council.

Councillor Chris Burden said the event would contribute to the existing "vibrant music scene that already exists in the city".

A police officer has been sacked after he made sexualised comments about a female assault victim he had photographed while she was wearing revealing underwear.

PC Robert Chambers was found to have committed gross misconduct and was dismissed following a panel by Thames Valley Police.

The officer claimed he was shocked when the victim entered the room wearing a vest top and string thong but did not make an effort to protect her dignity while investigating an assault in April 2024.

The panel heard that before taking evidence photos, Mr Chambers told the woman she was very tanned and later hinted to a colleague he wanted to have sex with her.

According to the panel, Mr Chambers was at the address of a woman known as Miss A to investigate an assault committed by her partner the previous day.

The officer said the woman took him too literally when he asked her twice to be photographed wearing her underwear as he did not mean for her to wear "only underwear".

In footage captured by body worn camera, Miss A is "very uncomfortable" and calls ahead to warn her father, who was present, that she was wearing a revealing outfit.

According to the panel, more options should have been offered to the woman, such as visiting the police station where a female officer could have taken the photos.

The panel was also critical of how PC Chambers, who had no medical training, kept "unnecessarily" touching the woman under her breast where she was injured.

Although Miss A told the panel she did not find the touching sexual, the report found these behaviours in combination amounted to misconduct.

After leaving the address, Mr Chambers made comments about the woman's appearance to another officer and intimated he wanted to have sexual intercourse with her.

He also made generalised comments about the traveller community, which Miss A was part of, and asked his fellow officer what sort of women he was into.

The panel found Miss A would have felt violated if she had heard the comments and concluded it was gross misconduct.

On another occasion, colleagues recalled how they challenged Mr Chambers after he had made comments about a missing girl aged 13 or 14.

Witnesses disagreed over if he had described her as a "pretty girl", "attractive" or "hot" but Mr Chambers could not recall the incident.

The panel concluded this was also gross misconduct.

He had also made inappropriate and sexualised comments about his armed response mentor, which was also deemed as misconduct.

The panel heard how on another occasion he had described a group of teenage girls passing the police station as "not bad looking".

In its conclusion, the panel said his overall his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and that the only reasonable disciplinary action was dismissal.

It also credited the courage of the officer who came forward with concerns about his more experienced colleague.

The father of a woman from Jersey who had all four limbs amputated after getting sepsis said "no father is prouder than I am", after a 10km fundraising run was held for his daughter.

Medical student Lily McGarry, 23 was initially hospitalised with flu-like symptoms in January, and was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia.

The running event on Sunday was organised to raise money for advanced prosthetic limbs and ongoing medical support for her.

After the event at Jersey's St Ouen's Bay, her father Stuart McGarry thanked the hundreds of people who took part and said Ms McGarry "feels loved" by all the support.

Mr McGarry said the journey from first getting the call that his daughter was in hospital to watching people running the race had been "very emotional".

"She's been in intensive care for about 110 days now and when she sees things like this it's just wonderful for her," he said.

"She is remarkable and she was remarkable before this, no father is prouder than I am."

He praised Ms McGarry, who was very active before her diagnosis, for the strength she has shown.

"She has a sort of inner strength. She gives me advice sometimes when I'm tearful," he said.

"She says, 'dad be in the present, it's good to plan for the future and think of memories, but stay in the present'.

"I think that's where she gets a lot of strength from."

Peter Holmes who used to train with Ms McGarry in Jersey's triathlon academy said the event was "brilliant".

"Lily is just such a lovely person, such a great triathlete, a great swimmer," he said.

"To hear about what happened was so upsetting and really, really hard to hear for someone that was such an active person."

He added: "It was really nice to see everyone and it was quite sad to hear people sharing memories that we have and that Lilly was such a lovely person, an active person.

"It's really important to try and raise this money and give her the opportunity to still live that life."

Stuart McGarry said other events are being organised to help raise funds for Ms McGarry's treatment and prosthetics.

Polling cards have been delivered in Guernsey to voters who registered on the electoral roll before Thursday 27 March.

Those registered after are due to receive their cards during the week of Monday 5 May.

Residents are required to join the roll to be able to vote in the general election on Wednesday 18 June.

The cards were proof of registration and aimed to speed up the checking process to allow voters to access polling booths quicker, officials said.

According to the States of Guernsey, a majority of those already registered signed up online.

Colette Falla, registrar general of electors, said: "It's a very quick and simple process to register online, taking no more than a few minutes."

Registrations for the roll close on Wednesday 30 April.

According to Visit the Malverns, Upton prides itself on its festivals.

This year's line-up has included the Upton Folk Festival – already held in May – Upton Jazz Festival from 27 June, Upton Blues Festival from 18 July and the Sunshine Festival from 21 August – a weekend music festival with camping and glamping.

The pair moved to Upton and opened their taproom just before the Blues Festival in 2024 – and Mrs Smith said it was "amazing".

"The atmosphere in the town completely changes," she said.

"It was a baptism of fire but it was amazing – the amount of people around and the music, it's just great."

"It is genuinely like having people into your house. We haven't got a big commute to work.

"One of us is always in here. It's just good fun."

The UK government has threatened to sue former Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich to make sure the money from the club's sale goes to Ukraine.

The £2.5bn in proceeds have been frozen in a UK bank account since the sale, with Mr Abramovich sanctioned after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The UK government wants the money to be for Ukrainian humanitarian aid, but Mr Abramovich has said he wants it to go to "all victims of the war in Ukraine".

In a joint statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required."

They said they wanted "to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible".

They added: "The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion.

"We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far".

The delay in releasing the funds centres on a disagreement between the UK government and his lawyers.

Mr Abramovich – a Russian billionaire who made his fortune in oil and gas – was granted a special licence to sell Chelsea following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, providing he could prove he would not benefit from the sale.

He is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, something he has denied.

He cannot access the £2.5bn sale proceeds under UK sanctions but the money still legally belongs to him.

When he announced his decision to sell the club, he said proceeds from the sale would be donated via a foundation "for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine", which would include those in Russia.

The UK government has pushed back and argued that the funds should only be spent on humanitarian efforts inside Ukraine.

A House of Lords committee said last year said it was "incomprehensible" that Mr Abramovich's promise to use the funds to support Ukraine remained unfulfilled, and that the assets remained frozen.

"This impasse reflects badly on both Mr Abramovich and the government, which ought to have pushed for a more binding commitment," the report said.

A care home has been rated inadequate for a second time after inspectors found more problems than on an earlier visit.

Autumn House, in Sandown, Isle of Wight, had space for 42 people but was caring for 27, many of whom had dementia, when it was visited between 4 February and 7 March.

In March, the previous manager told the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that they were going to resign and the home is now under new management.

A spokesperson for the new provider, which also runs homes in Dorset, said it would "work tirelessly to bring about the required changes" needed.

The CQC said inspectors found 11 breaches of regulations on an earlier visit in April 2024, which they inspected after a whistle-blower raised concerns, and found "completely unacceptable" standards of care.

But earlier this year they found those issues had not been addressed and that there was another issue in ensuring that staff were being employed safely.