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The Biggest Fish Caught in Greece in Recent MemoryA gigantic tuna fish weighing more than 400 kilos (880 pounds) was caught by a fisherman in Greece on Monday in what has been described as “the catch of the decade.â€The three-meter (10 foot) long fish was caught off the town of Kyllini.
Deputy mayor of Sparta arrested in animal cruelty probePolice in the eastern Peloponnesian city of Sparta have arrested a deputy mayor as part of an investigation into allegations of animal cruelty and neglect at two municipal kennels in the city.Police also arrested two other people in addition to the deputy mayor, who is a former police officer.
Revealed: ITV News obtains partygate questionnaire as Boris Johnson awaits possible finePolice make clear to recipients that people are filling out the questionnaire under caution and Boris Johnson is understood to be the first prime minister subject to that level of police questioning.The document states at the outset that those accused have an opportunity to provide “a written statement under cautionâ€. Criminal law barrister Andrew Keogh told ITV News the questionnaire "suggests that this is not a thorough investigation".He said the questions posed are "as basic as you can possibly imagine them to be"."It just suggests that there's no effort going into any real investigation of ascertaining who did what when and where and why.""This is anything but a rigorous investigation, it's the direct opposite," he said, "there's just no effort gone into this at all".Former Met Police Chief Superintendent Dal Babu told ITV News the questions were "pretty bland" and that a "lawyer would perhaps give you a 'get out of jail card' in response to all of those questions"."That's why it doesn't seem to be a particularly effective way of investigating the parties that have happened at Downing Street.""What you would expect is somebody to sit down with the individual, go through the questions," he added.
EU advises further relaxing Covid travel rules for foreignersEuropean Union member countries agreed Tuesday that they should further facilitate tourist travel into the 27-nation bloc for people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus or have recovered from Covid-19.The European Council is recommending that EU nations next month lift all testing and quarantine requirements for people who received vaccines authorized in the EU or approved by the World Health Organization.Travelers who received vaccines that were approved by WHO but are not authorized for use in the EU may still be asked to present a negative PCR test or to quarantine, the European Council said.So far, the EU has authorized the Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax.
Petrol prices hit new high amid Ukraine tensionsAverage UK petrol and diesel prices have hit new highs as the Ukraine crisis continues to affect oil prices, the RAC has said.On Wednesday, petrol prices rose slightly to 149.30p per litre amid warnings it could soon pass £1.50.Russia is the second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and the world's top producer of natural gas.
Huge Roman mosaic unearthed in London in ‘once-in-a-lifetime find’The discovery is evidence of wealthy Romans ‘living the good life,’ say archaeologists Archaeologists have uncovered the largest area of Roman mosaic found in London in more than half a century.The precious tile-work from “the heyday of Roman London†was discovered at a building site near the Shard in Southwark.It once decorated the floor of a Roman dining room, experts believe.Flowers and geometric patters adorn the two embellished panels, which are thought to be almost 2,000 years old.
UK lost up to £16bn due to fraud and error in Covid loans schemesParliament spending watchdog demands Treasury come up with estimates and how much it intends to recoverFraud and error are likely to have cost the UK government as much as £16bn across the Covid-19 emergency loan schemes, according to parliament’s spending watchdog, which described the losses as “unacceptableâ€.A report from the public accounts committee published on Wednesday said the Treasury should by the end of the year come up with estimates of fraud and error losses across the individual schemes and how much it intends to recover.The government guaranteed or gave out loans worth £129bn to people and companies during the coronavirus pandemic to support them financially through lockdown restrictions. However, ministers were warned from the start that the speed of the schemes would open them up to fraud.Since then government agencies have found large-scale frauds across several parts of the system, ranging from the coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) for furloughed workers, the bounce back loan scheme (BBLS) for small companies, and the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS) for mid-sized businesses. Reports from crime and bankruptcy agencies have shown some loans were used to fund gambling, luxuries and home improvements.Theodore Agnew dramatically quit his role as a Treasury minister in a speech in the House of Lords last month after criticising the lack of action to recover stolen money.
Anna Karen death: On the Buses and EastEnders star dies in house fire, aged 85
‘Profound’ quantum breakthrough could reveal hidden world beneath our feetScientists have found an object hidden under the ground using quantum technology, in a major breakthrough.Researchers say the milestone could represent a “profound†change in the way we work and understand the ground beneath us.Even though it is just a few feet away, the world beneath our feet remains largely mysterious and difficult to explore."we know more about Antarctica than what lies a few feet below our streets.â€
UK firms hit by record £4.5bn in customs duties after Brexit checks imposedUK businesses have paid out a record £4.5bn in customs duties over the past year, as the extra bureaucracy imposed by Brexit “begins to biteâ€.The costly new duties slapped on British firms increased 64 per cent in the year leading up to January 2022, new research has found.The huge hike follows new customs controls on exports, which came into force at the start of last year following the UK’s exit from the EU single market and customs union.