We have put together a round-up of all the latest news, weather, and travel information for Friday, April 22, that will get you caught up and ready for the day as a person has been declared an official suspect by Portuguese prosecutors investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann nearly 15 years ago. They did not name the person of interest but said they were acting on the request of German authorities.
In 2020 German police said they were investigating a man, known as Christian Brueckner, 44, in connection with the case. He has not been charged and denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
Three-year-old Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday in Praia da Luz in 2007. She has never been found and investigators believe she was abducted from the holiday apartment where the family were staying in the Algarve resort.
Read more: The smiling little boy who stood no chance at the hands of his vicious killers
A statement was issued late on Thursday by the Portimao section of the Faro department of criminal investigation and prosecution which, according to a translation, says that a person was made an “arguido” – which translates as “named suspect” or “formal suspect” – a day earlier.
The statement does not name Brueckner, but says the person was made an “arguido” by German authorities at the request of Portugal’s public prosecution service. It says the investigation has been carried out with the co-operation of the English and German authorities. Read more here.
Wales news headlines
Social services contact with Logan Mwangi's family to be investigated
A social services investigation is under way following the death of five-year-old Logan Mwangi and the convictions of his mother, stepfather and a teenager for his murder. Just a month before Logan was killed in July last year social workers in Bridgend removed him from the child protection register - meaning he was believed to be no longer at risk of serious harm.
An inquiry will establish whether anything could have been done to save him and whether improvements to safeguarding practices are needed in Wales. Stepfather John Cole, 40, mother Angharad Williamson, 31, and a 14-year-old boy were all convicted at Cardiff Crown Court of Logan's murder. Logan had suffered "catastrophic" internal injuries consistent with a "brutal and sustained assault" likened to a car crash.
Jurors heard evidence from social workers and health visitors from Bridgend County Council who were heavily involved with the family for the months leading up to the boy's death. The day before police found his body in the River Ogmore, social worker Debbie Williams had spent 20 minutes outside their home speaking to the three defendants, but did not see or hear Logan.
The year before, on August 16, a safeguarding referral was made after Williamson took Logan to Prince of Wales Hospital claiming he had fallen down the stairs the day before. She made a statement to police, and experienced health visitor Melanie Smith became involved with the family.
Ms Smith said: "There were concerns because of the delay [in taking Logan to the hospital] and the fact Angharad had tried to put the shoulder back in herself." She said that months later, authorities became aware that the youth had confessed to pushing Logan down the stairs.
When Logan was on the child protection register in March 2021, due to concerns about Cole, social workers were expected to visit the family every 10 days and were able to offer additional help. Gaynor Rush, who was assigned the task until she left her post just weeks before he was murdered, said that during her unscheduled visits to the flat in Lower Llansantffraid where the family lived, the property appeared clean, the children well presented and clean and they had plenty of toys. Read more here.
Airline takes gran to the wrong country
A Welsh pensioner who thought she was on a plane headed to Slovenia for the wedding of her grandson was shocked to discover she had instead been taken 680 miles away when trying to get through passport control.
Wheelchair user Joe Winter, 89, and her daughter Hayley Vickery, 58, from Swansea, checked into Luton Airport on April 9, excited to get to Ljabljana - the capital of the central European country - for the wedding of Mrs Winter's grandson, Aaron, in Lake Bled.
They were being flown by Wizz Air, and the pair said they had a chat with a member of staff about Slovenia before showing an air steward their boarding passes. But it was only once they had touched down and made their way to passport control that a guard told them that they were actually in Poznań, Poland.
Ms Vickery said: "We showed our passports at the gate and they asked if we had been to Poland before. I said 'yes why?' It was because we were in Poznań."
The other half of their party, who were on the right plane, learned mid-flight that Joe and Hayley weren't sitting in the designated disability access zone, the Mirror reports. It led to a frantic 24 hours and hundreds of pounds spent by Ms Vickery to try and figure out how to get to Slovenia in time for her son's wedding only two days later. Read more here.
Today's forecast
Mainly fine and dry, turning cooler into the weekend. Here is the full forecast for Wales:
A dry start with some low cloud over the mountains, turning cloudier for most throughout the morning with some light showers possible in the south during the afternoon. Feeling a little cooler than recently with a fresh easterly breeze. Maximum temperature 17 °C.
Mostly dry with clear skies in the evening but turning cloudier, with mist of hills, overnight.The blanket of cloud will prevent a frost. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
Here is how the roads and rail are affected at 7am
- The A548 in Holywell, Flintshire, has been closed after a one-vehicle accident between A5026 Rue St Gregoire and Holywell Street at Bagillt.
National news headlines
Russian cyber attack warning for NHS and UK nuclear power stations
Businesses and organisations in the UK must ramp up their cyber security defences after intelligence suggested a heightened risk of Russian state-sponsored attacks online.
An alert issued by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which consists of the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US, warned that Moscow was exploring options for cyber attacks against critical organisations such as the NHS, nuclear power stations and the civil service.
According to the alert, hackers within the Russian government are seeking to engage in “malicious cyber activity” in response to the economic sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. There is also concern the hackers will target critical infrastructure in countries that have provided “material support” to Ukrainian forces.
There are also risks posed by a number of cybercrime groups that pledge their support to Russia, including Killnet, a group that claimed credit for a DDoS attack against a US airport that it believed was supporting Ukraine. In response to the increased risk, the Five Eyes alert outlines action people can take to “prepare for and mitigate potential cyber threats”. Read more here.
PM's India trip overshadowed by third 'partygate' probe
The Prime Minister is braced for further questions about what he knew about alleged lockdown parties in No 10 after MPs ordered a third investigation into the partygate affair.
Boris Johnson will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday as his tour of India continues. Read more about those talks here.
Following the bilateral, he will face a press conference during which he is likely to be asked for his response to the Commons agreeing to instigate a probe into whether he lied to Parliament.
MPs nodded through an opposition motion which stated that the Prime Minister had issued statements that "appear to amount to misleading the House" when giving past assurances that Downing Street had complied with coronavirus laws amid reports of lockdown parties.
Since making the statements, Mr Johnson has since been fined by the Metropolitan Police as part of their probe into possible Covid breaches at the top of Government in 2020 and 2021, and could face further fixed-penalty notices.
According to The Times, No 10 ditched the idea of pushing for a vote on its amendment to the motion, which was designed to delay a decision on holding a parliamentary inquiry, after six junior ministers threatened to resign.
The Prime Minister personally intervened from India, The Daily Telegraph said, when he called aides in London at 9am to instruct them to pull the amendment following a widespread revolt in the Conservative ranks.
The decision was not enough to prevent further Tories from coming forward to demand Mr Johnson resign, with influential former minister Steve Baker telling MPs the British leader should realise the "gig's up".
Tory select committee chairs William Wragg and Tobias Ellwood were also publicly critical, with Mr Wragg using a scathing speech in the Commons to confirm he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson's leadership.
The passing of the motion without a vote means MPs on the Privileges Committee will investigate, once the Metropolitan Police inquiry has finished, whether Mr Johnson is in contempt of Parliament for intentionally misleading the Commons - a breach of the ministerial code that has traditionally been considered a resignation issue.
The committee can use powers to summon documents and photos related to the partygate claims and can recommend sanctions, including suspending the Prime Minister from Parliament.
If the suspension is for longer than 10 days, then Mr Johnson could face a recall petition and could be ousted by his constituents.
It is possible the group, made up of seven MPs - four Conservative, two Labour and one SNP - could demand to see the unpublished report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into alleged lockdown parties in Government, along with the hundreds of photos that have reportedly been handed to Scotland Yard's inquiry.
Welsh Labour MP Chris Bryant, the chair of the Privileges Committee, described the Prime Minister as "toast".
He has recused himself "from any consideration" of the Prime Minister's behaviour, having been vocally critical of Mr Johnson's in the media, with a new chair to be elected for the investigation.
Speaking after the motion passed, Mr Bryant told Channel 4 News: "The big point is, he is toast. He knows he is toast because there aren't enough Conservative MPs who are prepared to come in here today to vote to protect him."
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has not called for a general election following the ordering of a parliamentary investigation but urged Tory MPs to depose Mr Johnson.
The Prime Minister, speaking in India before the motion passed but after the No 10 amendment U-turn, said there needed to be a way of "drawing a line" under the partygate saga as he looked to turn attention onto other matters.
"What I don't want is for this thing to just go on and on and on," he told Channel 4 News. "We've had one enquiry, we've had a police enquiry, I think there's got to be a way of drawing a line under it.
"But if colleagues want to have more scrutiny of this, if that's what the Opposition want, then that's fine, let's do that."
Mr Johnson said he would be able to give a "fuller account" of his actions once the police investigation is over and the Gray report is published.
Sport headlines
Most expensive Six Nation tickets in history
Wales rugby fans wanting to watch Wayne Pivac's men in action at the 2023 Six Nations face forking out up to £130 each, marking the most expensive Wales tickets in history.
Fixtures and ticket details for next year's tournament have been announced, with Pivac's men hosting Ireland on February 4 and England on February 25 in Cardiff and playing all their matches in Saturday afternoon slots. The controversial Friday night slot has been ditched for 2023.
The Welsh Rugby Union has decreased prices for the Principality Stadium's alcohol-free zone (£80 for Ireland and £90 for England) while entry-level tickets remain frozen at £40, but prices have risen in some categories and go as high as £130 for the top-priced tickets to watch Wales v England.
The full range of prices for the first round meeting with Ireland is £40, £80, £105, £110 and £120, and for the third-round meeting with England, prices start at £40 and move through to £90, £115, £120 and £130. Read how the prices compare here.
Wales make seven changes to face France
Wales have made seven changes to face France on tonight in their penultimate Women's Six Nations clash at Cardiff Arms Park (8pm kick-off). You can follow all the latest news from the team here.
Head coach Ioan Cunningham has made five personnel changes and two positional switches for the round-four meeting with semi-professional outfit France, who are second in the table and level on points with reigning champions England.
Tighthead prop Cerys Hale and lock Natalia John return to the starting line-up and Beth Lewis is handed her first start of the campaign at openside flanker, seeing Alisha Butchers return to the blindside.
Captain Siwan Lillicrap completes the back-row at No. 8, with Sioned Harries settling for a place on the bench after starting at the back of the scrum against England last time out. Gwen Crabb partners John in the second row and prop Gwenllian Pyrs and hooker Carys Phillips complete the front row. More details of the team here.
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