Radio Orwell (2025)

15/08/2025

NEWS: A Labour councillor who called for far-right activists’ throats to be cut at an anti-racism rally in the wake of the Southport murders has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder.

Ricky Jones, 58, faced trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court accused of the offence after he described demonstrators as “disgusting N**i fascists”.

A video showing Jones addressing crowds on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, east London, on August 7 last year went viral on social media after the protest, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau.

The now-suspended councillor, wearing a black polo top and surrounded by cheering supporters, said: “They are disgusting N**i fascists. We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.” He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd.

Jurors deliberated for just over half an hour and found him not guilty on Friday. Jones, who wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and pale pink tie in the dock, was seen mouthing “thank you” at the jurors. Family and supporters hugged each other before Jones, who declined to comment on the verdict, was driven out of the court grounds in a car.

Prosecutor Ben Holt previously told the court Jones, a father of four and grandfather, used “inflammatory, rabble-rousing language in the throng of a crowd described as a tinderbox”.

He told jurors Jones’s speech was amplified through a microphone and speakers and took place “in a setting where violence could readily have been anticipated”.

Giving evidence in his trial, Jones said his comment did not refer to far-right protesters involved in the riots at the time, but to those who had reportedly left National Front stickers on a train with razor blades hidden behind them.

Radio NewsHub

15/08/2025

NEWS: A new photograph of the Princess Royal has been released to mark her 75th birthday.

Anne, who celebrates her three-quarters-of-a-century milestone on Friday, is pictured with an amused smile as she stands near a window outside her Gatcombe Park home.

The King’s sister, often hailed as the hardest-working member of the royal family, has eschewed any major public commemorations for her big day, preferring to host a special forum for her charities in June instead.

She is said to be spending the day sailing around the Western Isles of Scotland with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and marking her birthday privately.

The official portrait, taken by celebrated photographer John Swannell last month, shows Anne wearing a clean-lined colour-blocked royal blue dress with a contrasting bright white high collar, matching cuffs and white buttoned central trim.

Anne, who is known for re-wearing her outfits even decades later, was pictured in the same dress at The King’s Foundation Awards at St James’s Palace in June.

The image captures a relaxed-looking Anne, with her hair self-styled in her signature bouffant, resting her hand on a stone windowsill at Gatcombe.

It was from the princess’s Gloucestershire estate just over a year ago that Anne was taken to hospital after she was believed to have been struck by a horse.

She was treated in intensive care for concussion and minor head injuries, spending five nights at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

The princess, who was back on royal duties less than three weeks later, has said she has no memory of the incident but now views every day as a “bonus”.

Last month the Royal Mint unveiled the first official UK coin to honour Anne, created in celebration of her birthday and lifetime of service.

Radio NewsHub

15/08/2025

NEWS: A 99-year-old veteran who served in the Second World War and helped evacuate prisoners of war after VJ Day has said the horrors of war “should never be forgotten”, on the 80th anniversary of the Japanese surrender.

Albert Lamond took part in D-Day in 1944 as an 18-year-old seaman, a year after joining the Royal Navy, and also served in the Pacific in the lead up to VJ Day on August 15, 1945 when Japan announced its surrender to the Allied forces.

Mr Lamond was involved in D-Day as a signalman on HMS Rowley, part of the 3rd Es**rt Group, when it was deployed to rendezvous with battleship HMS Warspite as it travelled to Normandy to shell German troops.

HMS Rowley’s role was to act as a first line of defence by circling HMS Warspite and it was expected that the sailors would sacrifice their lives.

Mr Lamond survived and a year later, on VJ Day, his role was to evacuate Allied prisoners of war from remote islands and transport them to Australia.

Mr Lamond, who was 19 at the time, described the PoWs as “living skeletons” but said they were still able to smile when they were rescued.

He had a career on the railways after leaving the Navy, and now lives in McKellar House at Erskine Veterans Village in Renfrewshire.

Mr Lamond said: “Sometimes it feels like yesterday. I can still see it so clearly – from D-Day to the long months that followed in the Pacific in the run-up to VJ Day. Those memories never leave you.

Radio NewsHub

15/08/2025

NEWS: The Government will use social media influencers to highlight the risks of travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures such as hair transplants and dental work under new plans.

Ministers hope the new campaign with TikTok will help people make “more informed choices before they go under the knife”.

As part of the initiative, the Government will work with medical influencers, such as Midwife Marley and Doc Tally, to create videos showing the risks of cosmetic surgery abroad.

The content will urge patients to speak to a UK doctor first and avoid package holidays that include procedures.

It will also include a checklist for patients to consider before they book a procedure, which includes checking the credentials of surgeons, the clinic’s regulations, and understanding the aftercare.

The initiative is part of a wider Government drive to tackle so-called medical tourism and ensure the NHS is not left to foot the bill when complications arise.

Health minister Karin Smyth said: “Too many people are being left with life-altering injuries after going abroad for medical procedures, without access to proper advice or safeguards.

“Often drawn in by deals too good to be true and promoted by influencers – some of whom have never been to the practice in question.

“By partnering with TikTok, we’re helping people make safer, more informed choices before they go under the knife – wherever that may be.”

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said: “Our aim is to explain the risks and help British people understand the actions they can take to keep themselves safe when abroad.

“If you choose to travel abroad for medical treatment, it is vital you do your research and are fully aware of the risks involved.

“We urge anyone considering a medical procedure abroad to review our travel advice, relevant guidance from the NHS and other professional bodies, and research foreign providers thoroughly to ensure they meet the highest standard of care.

“Informed choices today can help avoid serious complications tomorrow.”

The initiative comes after ministers outlined plans to cut down on “cowboy” cosmetic procedures by introducing new restrictions.

Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Social Care unveiled proposals which include only allowing “suitably qualified” and Care Quality Commission-regulated health workers to deliver high-risk procedures such as Brazilian butt lifts.

Elsewhere, clinics offering Botox and fillers will need licences, and age restrictions will be introduced to prevent children from trying to follow “dangerous beauty trends on social media”.

Those who break the rules will face sanctions, including financial penalties, officials said.

Radio NewsHub

15/08/2025

Good Morning! It's Friday 15 August 2025, birthdays for Carry On actor Jim Dale (90), actor/TV presenter Tony Robinson (79), Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (75), actress Debra Messing (57), ex-Boyzone singer Mikey Graham (53), actor Ben Affleck (53) & actress Jennifer Lawrence (35).

Andy Lloyd's Morning Show is live every weekday from 09:00 with three hours of music, news & sport with The Retro Chart, Old Shaw's Almanac, The Bradshaws, a featured birthday artist & Nuts at Nine.

Support the programme: coff.ee/andylloyd, paypal.me/andrewlloyd or buy a cool morning show mug www.radiomugs.com

15/08/2025

NEWS: The King and Queen will honour Second World War veterans on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

Royal British Legion guests of honour at a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on Friday include 33 veterans aged from 96 to 105 who served in the Far East and Pacific.

Charles, patron of the RBL, Camilla, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will attend the event which honours British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war including Myanmar and the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories.

Ahead of the service, the King, in an pre-recorded audio address to the nation, will vow that the sacrifice of heroes who fought and died in the campaigns “shall never be forgotten”.

He will reflect on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region “whose suffering reminds us that war’s true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life”.

Charles will describe how the collaboration of countries demonstrated “in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link”.

Around 1,500 guests at the national commemoration will hear first-hand testimony from veterans who experienced conflict in the Far East before the war ended when atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender and VJ Day on August 15 1945.

The service will begin with a national two-minute silence and include flypasts by the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster – with military bagpipers playing at dawn in the Far East section of the Arboretum.

The Prime Minister held a special reception at Downing Street for veterans on Thursday, at which he described the Government as one of “service”.

Radio NewsHub

14/08/2025

NEWS: An agreement in principle has been reached for the sale of Morecambe to new owners, the club have announced.

The club are currently suspended by the National League over their financial issues and at risk of closure, but a statement was published on the club’s website on Thursday afternoon announcing a deal was now in place for the transfer of majority shareholding to Panjab Warriors from the Bond Group.

Bond Group said in a statement: “We would like to thank all of the staff at the club for their forbearance and can only apologise for the stress this has caused.”

The club said final legal documentation was now being prepared, and that “immediate steps” were being taken to inform key stakeholders, including the National League.

The club said they hoped the agreement “paves the way for continued stability and a positive future both on and off the pitch”.

Panjab Warriors have been contacted for comment.

Supporters’ group the Shrimps Trust said in a statement: “The Trust can confirm that a constructive meeting has taken place between Bond Group and Panjab Warriors.

“We understand that formal negotiations have now concluded and that sale and purchase agreements are in the process of being documented for submission to the National League.

“This represents a significant step forward in the process. While we remain cautious until the necessary approvals have been confirmed, all parties have verified this information with us, giving us some assurance that a resolution is in sight.”

Radio NewsHub

14/08/2025

NEWS: European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer could attend a second meeting with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky which could bring the war in Ukraine to an end, the US president has said.

On the eve of the summit, Mr Trump said leaders from Europe, which could include members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” that have supported Ukraine, could attend a subsequent meeting if the event in Alaska on Friday is successful.

The Prime Minister has been a key player in the group which has also included French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Mr Trump said: “We have a meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin tomorrow, I think it’s going to be a good meeting.

“But the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we’re having. We’re going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelensky, myself, and maybe we’ll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not.”

He added: “I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace. We’ll see if they can get along. And if they can it will be great.”

Mr Trump said the summit aims to bring peace to Ukraine, and “save a lot of lives”.

Earlier this week the US leader told his European counterparts that his goal for the summit was to secure a ceasefire.

Sir Keir chaired a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” on Wednesday – a European-led effort to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to monitor any deal – and said there was a “viable” chance of a truce.

It came after Sir Keir and Mr Zelensky met on Thursday at Downing Street, where they said there was “strong resolve” for peace in Ukraine.

The two leaders embraced as the red carpet was rolled out for Mr Zelensky’s arrival in Downing Street, and they later had breakfast.

They expressed cautious optimism about the prospect of a truce “as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious” about ending the war, a Downing Street statement said.

In a separate statement, Mr Zelensky said there had been discussions about the security guarantees required to make any deal “truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killing”.

But concerns linger over the prospect of Kyiv being excluded from negotiations over its own future, and pressured to cede territory, after Mr Trump suggested any agreement may need to involve “swapping of land”.

Ukraine has already rejected any proposal that would compromise its borders.

Radio NewsHub

14/08/2025

NEWS: The death of a teenage girl, who was left alone at a children’s mental health ward by an inexperienced agency worker using fake ID, has been ruled as an unlawful killing by an inquest jury.

Ruth Szymankiewicz was being treated for an eating disorder at Huntercombe Hospital in Berkshire and had been placed under strict one-to-one observation when on February 12 2022, she was left on her own by the member of staff responsible for watching her.

The 14-year-old was able to shut herself in her bedroom at the hospital’s psychiatric intensive care unit – also known as Thames ward – where she self-harmed.

She died two days later at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

On Thursday, an inquest jury sitting at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court in Beaconsfield returned a conclusion of unlawful killing.

“Ruth was not prevented from accessing the restricted material which could be used to self-harm,” the jury foreman told the hearing.

“Ruth was not prevented from accessing harmful material on the internet.

“Ruth’s care pathway … was insufficient to allow improvement for discharge.

“From Ruth’s admission to Thames ward, her responsible clinician deemed the ward to be neither suitable nor conducive to her recovery.

“Ruth’s parents were not given adequate information about the appeal process, and refusal rights.”

Jurors could be seen crying as they recorded their conclusion, as well as the coroner and members of the family.

The agency worker responsible for watching Ms Szymankiewicz – a man then known as Ebo Acheampong – had never worked in a psychiatric hospital environment before coming to Huntercombe on February 12 2022 for his first shift.

A police investigation later found he was hired by the Platinum agency – which supplied staff for Huntercombe Hospital – under a false name.

Radio NewsHub

14/08/2025

NEWS: Weather warnings have been issued for thunderstorms across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland as the fourth heatwave of the summer continues.

The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for large part of north-eastern Scotland, where it said up to 70mm of rain could fall in two hours.

A yellow thunderstorm warning has also been issued for the eastern part of Northern Ireland, which could see up to 50mm of rain.

Flood alerts have also been issued for Scotland.

In both areas the Met Office has warned of difficult driving conditions and possible disruption to public transport and power supplies, and of a risk of flooding to homes and businesses.

The forecaster also said fast-flowing or deep floodwater could pose a danger to life.

Both yellow thunderstorm warnings are in place until 10pm on Thursday.

It comes as heat health alerts were extended into next week for much of England.

The UK Health Security Agency said yellow warnings will now be in place for Yorkshire and Humber, the East and West Midlands, London and the South East, South West and east of England until 6pm on August 18.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said heavy thundery showers or rain may affect the region on Thursday, with a risk of significant localised flooding from surface water and smaller rivers.

Heavy rain and thunder hit London and Kent on Wednesday.

Radio NewsHub

14/08/2025

NEWS: A man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade faces an additional 24 charges, including two relating to alleged victims who were babies.

Paul Doyle, 53, was in tears as he appeared over videolink from prison for the Liverpool Crown Court hearing on Thursday.

He was originally charged with seven offences after the incident on Water Street in the city centre just after 6pm on Monday, May 26.

Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday heard six of the new charges relate to children, including two babies, one aged six months at the time and one aged seven months.

Doyle, wearing a grey T-shirt, did not enter any pleas during the hearing, which lasted about 20 minutes.

Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC adjourned the case until September 4 when Doyle is expected to enter pleas.

The new charges include 23 assault charges and one count of affray.

Merseyside Police said 134 people were injured when Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy Titanium into crowds who were leaving the waterfront after the parade.

Doyle, of Croxteth, Liverpool, was charged in May with two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of dangerous driving.

A wounding charge and an attempted grievous bodily harm charge relate to children, aged 11 and 17.

Earlier this year, a provisional trial date was fixed for November 24, and the case is expected to last three to four weeks.

Radio NewsHub

14/08/2025

NEWS: Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street as Europe braces for Donald Trump’s face-to-face discussions with Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The Ukrainian president and Prime Minister embraced and posed for the cameras in front of Number 10 with a handshake as he arrived in Westminster on Thursday morning while gathered media in Downing Street shouted questions.

A red carpet had been rolled out for his arrival.

The Prime Minister’s meeting with Mr Zelensky comes after he said Britain stands ready to “increase pressure” on Russia if necessary.

During a call with the US president and European allies on Wednesday, Sir Keir praised Mr Trump for his work to bring forward a “viable” chance of an end to the war ahead of his scheduled meeting with the Russian leader.

Concerns have been raised over Mr Zelensky’s exclusion from the discussions between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, which are set to take place in Alaska on Friday.

Speaking on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: “This meeting on Friday that President Trump is attending is hugely important.

“As I’ve said personally to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on, we haven’t got anywhere near a prospect of actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire.

“And now we do have that chance, because of the work of that the president has put in.”

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