Charlene McKenna has experienced a very bittersweet year, having received one of the greatest additions to her life, and losing another, all in the space of two weeks. The actress felt great joy when she finally got to welcome her first child, a baby girl called Martha, in April, alongside her husband Adam Rothenberg The […]
The post Charlene McKenna shares bittersweet reality after welcoming a baby and losing her dad within two weeks appeared first on RollerCoaster.
A ‘SUPERVAN’ is set to be unveiled and it’s expected to rival Ford and Vauxhall with the price tag.
Chinese brand Geely is gearing up to release a pure-electric van that can go for 250 miles on a single charge.
The Farizon SV has been “designed specifically to meet the needs of European fleets”.
It will offer a payload capacity of 1,800kg and will come with a choice of three battery sizes, weights and heights.
The vans are expected to go on sale in the UK in early 2025 and will be marketed by Geely’s official distributor Jameel Motors.
The price of the Farizon SV is yet to be revealed but Auto Express has estimated the starting price will be around £30,000.
Ford E-Transit and Vauxhall Vivaro Electric vans both range from £50,000 in price.
Farizon says the SV has undergone “a rigorous one-million-mile testing and development programme” and claims it will meet every European standard, “including in durability, safety and sustainability”.
Breaking the mould, the SV has dual-redundancy drive-by-wire for braking and steering.
This important safety feature means that if either fail, there will be a back-up in place.
Three sizes will be offered to UK buyers, the smallest being 4,990mm long and 1,980 high.
The mid-size will be 5,490mm long and 2,180 tall and the largest will be 5,995mm long and 2,500mm tall.
All three sizes will be 1,9800mm wide.
A CAR expert has picked out five hot hatchbacks that mix good performance with practicality – all for less than £5,000.
YouTuber Jonny Brighton of Cars With JB recently uploaded a video highlighting his top picks for drivers looking for something compact and sporty.
Jonny claims that petrolheads don’t need to spend a fortune to own something rare and cool.
That much is plain with the Suzuki Ignis Sport, which he says comes with rally-style aesthetics, including Recaro grey seats with yellow mesh.
Under the bonnet, the Ignis Sport has a surprisingly large 1.5-litre inline 4 engine that’s capable of 107 bhp.
With that, it can go from 0-60 mph in 8.9 seconds.
While prices range from £2,000 to £5,000, Jonny added that fewer than 500 are left in the UK.
More common is the VW Lupo GTI, which is slightly beefier with a 1.6-litre motor that makes 123 bhp and hits 60 mph in eight seconds.
Priced from £4,000 to £5,000, the early 2000s model comes with a cult following, with wider wheel arches and aggressive looks.
With the Golf models getting larger and larger with every generation, for many, the Lupo GTI is considered the spiritual successor to the Mk1 Golf GTI.
Much rarer is Jonny’s third pick, the Abarth Punto Evo.
Featuring a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine with 162 bhp, it does 0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds.
Finding one under £5,000 might be tricky, seeing as they’re considered collectibles, with Jonny stating a good price for one would be between £4,500 and £5,000.
Designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, the brains behind the likes of the original VW Golf through to the Maserati Ghibli and the DMC DeLorean, the small tourer is worth snapping up – if you know where to find one.
Another great Italian hot hatch is the Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio, which boasts the classic Alfa design on the outside with carbon-backed bucket seats and DNA driving modes inside.
Powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged inline 4 engine, it can hit 60 mph in around 7.3 seconds – all for a price between £3,000 and £5,000.
His final pick is the Mazda 3 MPS, with a much heavier 2.3-litre turbocharged engine capable of a frightening 256 bhp.
Known as the Mazdaspeed 3 in the US and Mazdaspeed Axela in Japan, the Mazda 3 MPS can be yours for around £3,000, through to £5,000.
TESCO shoppers have been raving about a mould spray that helps remove the substance in minutes.
It is more common for households to face issues with mould over the winter, as increased humidity and colder temperatures can lead to growth.
However, savvy shoppers have praised a spray found in Tesco that you can pick up for £5.25 or £4 if you have a Tesco Clubcard.
Hg Mould Spray 500Ml has received glowing reviews from customers, and claims to destroy “all moulds immediately and easily”.
One buyer said it was “absolutely amazing” and got rid of the mould in her bathroom in just 20 minutes.
While another said: “Used it on horribly mouldy window sealant. Left it for 30 minutes.
“Wiped it off. All mould gone and the sealant was back to gleaming white again.”
A third said the product works in “no time” and a fourth said it helped get rid of mould in “no time”.
The product can also be bought at supermarkets like Asda for £5.25 and from B&Q for £6.25.
It appears to be the cheapest from Tesco because Clubcard holders can get it £4.
Always remember to compare prices when shopping online between different stores.
This is a brush-on gel which should be left on trouble areas for up to 30 minutes before rinsing and then wiping with a cloth.
Shoppers have also raved about the Kilrock brush on mould gel, sold for just £3.99 in Dunelm.
You can do this by surfing different store websites and selling “cheapest items first” when browsing products.
Or you could compare supermarket prices by looking on the comparison site Trolley.
Experts say that if you see any sign of damp or mould in your home, you should address it before it becomes a bigger problem.
The issue is usually caused by cooking, showering and drying clothes indoors without adequate ventilation – and it can be made worse by a poorly maintained, cold house.
You should keep your windows slightly cracked open, and open them more when showering.
If condensation forms on windows, wipe them down to stop mould from forming and spreading.
Make sure you run any extractor fans if you are showering or cooking in a windowless room.
Not heating your home enough can also cause problems.
If you can, you should keep your house heated to between 18C and 20C.
Mould is more likely to grow during the winter months.
Olivia Young, Product Development Scientist at Astonish revealed exactly why this is.
“Unfortunately, mould is a common problem many people face during winter. It thrives in conditions that are warm and damp, so your bathrooms are likely to be the most affected place.
“That said, during the colder months most rooms in your home could be vulnerable to mould growing.
“This occurs primarily from condensation that builds up on your windows when you’ve got your radiators on.
“If you think about it, when windows and doors are closed, there’s not much chance for the air to circulate and the moisture to make a swift exit.
“This build up is what can cause dreaded mould to make an appearance, especially in bathrooms, as it creates that warm and wet environment that is a breeding ground for mould.
“If left untreated, not only is it unsightly but it can also pose a serious risk to your health, so it’s really important you treat it.
“The key to tackle mould is to act fast.
“Try to come into as little contact with it as you can. So, grab your gloves, tie up your hair and get to work to remove any signs of mould as soon as you notice them.
“To keep mould at bay, there are some simple solutions you can introduce throughout home.
“The first is keep it ventilated. Yes, even in the cold winter months try to leave your bathroom window open for at least 10/15 minutes post shower or bath. This will get rid of any excess moisture quickly preventing mould gathering.
“If you’re having a repeat problem with mould in one particular area, it might be because the humidity levels are too high. You can get a dehumidifier that will help keep the levels low and reduce the risk of mould returning.
“The golden rule to remember when dealing with mould is the quicker you can treat it, the better. If you leave it, it will only get worse so never ignore it!
“To successfully get rid of mould every time, I recommend opting for the UK’s No 1 Mould & Mildew Remover, that effectively removes mould and mildew stains almost instantly, with no scrubbing necessary.”
BBC sitcom Outnumbered, which followed the daily chaos of the Brockman’s and their three precocious children, became one of Britain’s best-loved comedies.
Now the popular show is back for a Christmas special, with actor’s Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner returning as Sue and Pete Brockman and the children.
But as the new trailer drops this weekend, it seems that there is one catch: the children- Ben, (Daniel Roche) Karen, (Ramona Marquez) and Jake, (Tyger Drew Honey) are now adults.
Written and directed by the show’s creators Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, the special which airs on Boxing Day, follows the Brockman’s managing the demands of their grown up children, under the roof of their downsized home.
The harassed duo find that they still need as much parenting as when they were kids, as they gather their offspring, including one grandchild to celebrate a traditional family Christmas.
But it seems there’s some unwelcome tidings on the way, as they struggle with how to break to the news to their children.
The hit series first aired in 2007 and ran until 2014.
A one-off Christmas reunion special was broadcast on 26th December in 2016, so this year will be the first on screen get together in eight years.
Initially the show garnered critical acclaim for being partly improvised by comedy stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner, who also worked from scripts, where the children were given last minute instructions.
The series was praised for its realistic portrayal of children and family life and has won several awards including The Royal Television Society, the British Comedy Awards and the Broadcasting press guild awards.
Ahead of the special, the core cast members reflected on behind-the-scenes memories from their time filming.
Hugh Dennis – who played dad Pete – told why they didn’t take any mememtos from the set.
He shared: “We couldn’t really take anything from the set as it was filmed in an actual house, it was someone else’s house so we couldn’t really steal some of their things.”
Meanwhile, the conversation turned to their characters’ clothing throughout the show.
As actress Claire Skinner revealed that most of the clothes worn by her character Sue had been her own.
Having played a married couple onscreen for seven years, actors Hugh Dennis and Clare Skinner were confirmed to be in a real life relationship following the show’s ending in 2014.
In an interview Dennis said: “I am very very happy, we are so very happy.” While Skinner described their romance as “a lovely little life surprise.”
GAGGED, handcuffed and her legs bound with rope, tears sprang to 15-year-old Kara Robinson’s eyes as she desperately scoured her captor’s flat trying to figure out an escape plan.
The school girl had endured unimaginable suffering – forced into a car at gunpoint, then sexually assaulted and tortured for 18 hours by evil rapist and kidnapper Richard Evonitz, 38.
If that wasn’t bad enough, she would have been even more petrified if she’d known Evonitz was already a serial killer – responsible for the rape and murder of at least three other young innocent girls previously.
The odds were undoubtedly stacked against her.
However abducting brave Kara, now 38, would prove to be Evonitz’s downfall, as she would miraculously escape and consequently bring an end to the monster’s reign of terror.
And how she did it was also remarkable.
Putting aside her terror and panic, Kara memorised even the tiniest details to help identify her attacker, even remembering the serial number on the inside of the plastic container he had forced her into.
For Kara it was a chance encounter on June 24 2002 that changed her life as she knew it.
She’d spent the night at her best friend Heather’s house, and they had plans to go to the lake that day after completing some chores.
Kara started to water the garden while Heather took a shower.
However when going out into the garden Heather discovered the hosepipe was still running – but there was no sign of Kara.
Speaking on Hayu documentary, Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, Kara’s mum Debra says: “I was at lunch and I got a call from Heather and she told me Kara was missing. She said she was in the front yard and [then was] gone.
“Heather was completely hysterical. She knew Kara would not just walk away.
“When I was driving to Heather’s house I just really knew something bad had happened. I could feel it in my heart.”
Recalling the events of that morning, Kara says: “I was outside watering the flowers and I noticed a car on the way out of the neighbourhood.
“It was a green trans am – such a cool car. I kept watering the flowers and I saw the car come back into the neighbourhood.
“A guy gets out of the car. He said ‘hey, how are you doing? I have these magazines’ and then he asked if my parents were home.
“I told him this was my friend’s house… and said her mum’s not home right now.
“At that point the man asked if he could give me the magazines.
“When I said yes he leaned in to give them to me and as he was leaning in I felt a red flag somewhere in my head.
“At the same time… I felt a gun press to the side of my neck.
“He said ‘if you scream I’ll shoot you. You’re going to come with me’. I think I felt a moment of terror but I knew I just needed to do what he told me to do.
“I looked in the back seat and there’s a giant plastic storage container. He said ‘get in the container’.
“At that point my brain shut off my emotions. I just went into survival mode.”
Heather called her mother, who reported Kara, who lived in Lexington County, South Carolina, missing to the local police.
Once in the car, Kara was trapped inside the storage container, unable to see where she was being taken – but she knew her life was in danger.
Kara says: “I thought he was going to assault me and that my life could possibly be at risk if I did not take action.
“I knew I had to be my own victor and that I had to save myself.
“I had to get as much information about this person and my surroundings as I can so that I can escape and so that I can identify this person when I do.
“One of the first things I locked into my brain was a serial number on the container itself.
“We drove for a little while [then] he took the lid off the container and he told me that he was going to restrain me and he put a gag in my mouth… handcuffs around my wrists and rope on my feet.”
September 9 1996: Evonitz abducted Sofia Silva, 16, from the porch of her home.
Her body was found a month later.
May 1 1997: Evonitz abducted sisters Kristin Michelle Lisk, 15, and Kathryn Nicole Lisk, 12, from their front garden.
Their bodies were found five days later.
June 24 2002: Kara is kidnapped and held captive and repeatedly assaulted for 18 hours by Evonitz, but miraculously escapes.
June 27 2002: After a high-speed chase Evonitz shoots himself, dying immediately.
August 2002: Spotsylvania County Sheriff Ronald Knight announces that Evonitz was responsible for the crimes.
Once they arrived at Evonitz’s flat, he snuck Kara in under the cover of darkness.
Kara recalls: “He opened the container and told me if I promised not to scream or yell he would take the gag out of my mouth.
“I looked around and noticed we were in a living room.
“There was a wall with some small animal cages, fish, lizards. There was a guinea pig, there was at least one bird.
‘He told me to come with him and we went through a door. Inside the bedroom there was a big blanket hanging above the bed with a wolf on it.
While I was being assaulted it felt like something that happened to someone else. I shut off my brain and left my body.
Kara Robinson
“He told me he was going to tell me what the rules were going to be while I was there.
“The first rule was that he would always have a gun nearby and I had to listen to what he said or there would be consequences.
“He also told me while I was there I was going to have to call him daddy.
“He started asking me questions… When he asked me about my boyfriend and about my family and my friends… I kinda broke down a little bit into tears.
“It was very real for me in that moment I may never get to see them again.”
Over the course of 18 hours, Kara was held captive and repeatedly sexually assaulted at the hands of her captor.
She says: “When I started crying my abductor told me to lay down in the bed and I could just feel panic in my whole body.
“I knew what was coming next. I knew what this man’s intentions were for me.
“While I was being assaulted it felt like something that happened to someone else. I shut off my brain and left my body.
“After that we went into the bathroom and he made me take a shower.
“That’s when I noticed some hairspray, I noticed feminine hygiene products. I noticed a hairbrush with long red hair in it. I just remember thinking there was a woman that lived here.”
She was right – however at that time his wife was on holiday at Disneyland with his mother – and had no idea the man she married was a monster.
Kara knew she had to play a strategic game if she was to get out of this alive, saying: “I knew that if I was easy to get along with he would be more likely to let his guard down at some point.
“When it was time for dinner… I said ‘is there anything I can do while you’re making your food?’ and I swept his kitchen.
“I used that as an opportunity to get close to his refrigerator where there were magnets that had his dentist information.
“Gather information, wait for him to be complacent, escape. I said it over and over again.”
Later that night he took Kara into the bedroom, and made her get back into the container while he made a call.
She says: “When I got out the container he told me he was going to give me a pill for my anxiety.
“I was assaulted multiple times but there were a lot of things that happened during that time.
“He made me sit down in front of the TV and watch a tape [with explicit sexual content] and describe what was happening.
“I was 15 years old. I was seeing things I didn’t really know how to describe. There were things he asked me to do I didn’t know how to do.
“The things that were happening to me were any person’s worst nightmare.”
Early the next morning, Kara was finally gifted her chance, and was able to free herself from the restraints used to tie her to the bed.
She says: “I opened my eyes and the first thing I noticed was there was just a sliver of early morning light. I just instantly was hit with this thought – this is it, this is your time, lets go.’
“My biggest fear was I was going to wake up my captor.
“I slowly just slid out of the bed to the side. I put my shorts on, and went to the front door. My heart was beating so fast. I put my hand on the knob and I [knew] this is my moment to escape.
“I just ran. I saw a car driving across the parking lot and I just ran straight for the car. There were two men… I said I was kidnapped by the man in that apartment [and] I said take me to the police station.”
Arriving at the police station, Kara says: “I held my arm up to show him my handcuffs and I said ‘my name is Kara Robinson, I was kidnapped and I escaped my captor.”
The police took Kara back to the apartment complex, and based on all the information she had gathered, the block’s maintenance manager was able to help identify which flat she’d escaped from.
However, by the time authorities arrived, Evonitz had fled to Florida, calling his sister and confessing to killing someone and committing “more crimes than he can remember.”
I was really, really angry. I just wanted him to sit in a court room across from me and look in my eyes and know that picking me was the greatest mistake he ever made.
Kara Robinson
Inside his apartment, police found sex toys, a revolver and a locked chest containing underwear and newspaper clippings about the unsolved murders of three girls.
Sofia Silva, who disappeared from her front porch in September 1996 aged 16, and sisters Kati, 12, and Kristin Lisk, 15, who were abducted from their home.
Sofia’s remains were found a month later in a creek, while sisters Kati and Kristin’s bodies were found in a nearby river.
They’d been raped then murdered, each missing their shoes and underwear and neither case was solved – until Kara’s abduction.
Forensic evidence found at the crime scenes matched evidence found inside Evonitz’s home, and two of Kristin’s fingerprints were also discovered inside the trunk of Evonitz’s car.
Police tracked Evonitz and after a high-speed chase Evonitz then shot himself, dying immediately on June 27 2002.
Upon hearing about his death, Kara says: “I was really, really angry. I just wanted him to sit in a court room across from me and look in my eyes and know that picking me was the greatest mistake he ever made.”
Finally, in August 2002, Spotsylvania County Sheriff Ronald Knight announced that Evonitz was responsible for the other murders.
One officer recalls: “We recovered homemade tapes where he filmed himself masturbating and fantasising at the same time talking about the crimes he committed.”
For her help in solving Silva and the Lisk sisters’ murders, Kara received $150,000 in reward money, and met the families of the victims.
“It was one of the most important things that’s ever happened to me,” she previously told People magazine.
“Because it brought home the importance of what I did. Because I felt like, ‘Wow, I’m actually giving these families something that they never would’ve gotten without me.’
“Just the closure of knowing that the person responsible for their daughters’ [deaths] is no longer here.”
THIS year’s much anticipated Royal Variety Performance was attended by His Majesty The King and will air on ITV1 on Sunday.
As the world’s longest-running entertainment show we take a look back at five of its most memorable moments in anticipation for what’s to come.
Beatlemania was at its highest in 1963 when The Beatles made their debut on the show.
The Beatles performed three songs – From me to you, She Loves you and Till there was you.
When the applause died down John Lennon asked: “Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’d just rattle your jewellery.’
Then the Fab Four went on to sing their hit single called Twist and Shout.
If the Royals in attendance rattled their jewellery – we do not know but the Queen Mother has been reported as having said: “one of the best shows I’ve seen.”
Back in the nineties we were all about Girl Power and Ginger Spice, of Spice Girls fame, was famously pictured during a royal variety performance in 1997.
In a very naughty scene, Geri Halliwell appeared to be pinching the future King on the bottom.
More than 20 years later, ‘Sporty Spice’ Melanie Chisholm revealed what actually took place during an interview with Aussie radio show Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa.
“When [Prince Charles] came along … Because there are some very cheeky members of the [Spice Girls] … Geri gave him a big squeeze on the bum,” Mel C told the radio hosts.
“And she’d put so much red lippy on and she gave him this big smacker [kiss] so of course, the pictures were brilliant. It was such a smart thing to do, PR-wise, back in the day.”
Despite strict royal protocols, Mel insisted there’d been no fallout afterwards.
“I think he quite enjoyed it, so we didn’t really get in trouble,” Mel C said.
During the 2005 show held in Cardiff, the monarch was cheekily asked “Are you disrespecting me?” by comedienne Catherine Tate.
While on stage, Catherine looked towards the Royal Box and asked the Queen: “Is one bothered? Is one’s face bothered?.”
Then she demanded to know: “Who’s looking after the corgis?”
The Queen smiled politely, while the Duke of Edinburgh chuckled at the joke.
The act concluded with Tate announcing: “I’ve just been made a dame.”
After Catherine went back stage she revealed the Queen said: “It was certainly a variety show wasn’t it?”
In 2013 Dame Edna Everage – aka comedian Barry Humphries playing his alter ego – crashed the royal box and sat next to a terrified looking Camilla.
The royal couple were left in hysterics by the comedian, who looked bewildered as she took up a seat beside them.
However, a member of the Royal security team came in and presented Dame Edna with a card.
Dame Edna then told Charles and Camilla: “I’m so sorry, they’ve found me a better seat.”
The pair continued to laugh and the audience burst into laughter as Dame Edna gave a little wave to the crowd before leaving the royal box.
Comedian, David Williams in 2016, dressed as a theatre usher made his way to the Royal box with a group of people following him behind.
He lead them to where the royal couple were sitting, asking to see their tickets.
He then turned to the group, saying: “There’s some riff-raff sitting in your seats.”
But then David pretended to recognise who they were, by cheekily saying: “It’s an honour to meet you, it’s Steph and Dom from Gogglebox!”
The future King and Queen found the whole situation funny as did the audience.
Hosted by Amanda Holden and Alan Carr, this year’s spectacular show sees Britain’s Got Talent winner Sydnie Christmas take up her prize and perform at the Royal Albert Hall.
The event also features a host of West End shows, including Elton John introducing a number from his brand new West End musical The Devil Wears Prada, featuring Vanessa Williams and the cast.
Other music acts performing this year include Eurovision winner Nemo, Brit Award-winner James Bay and disco diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor, performs her latest hit and Murder on The Dance Floor.
American magicians and comedy duo Penn and Teller flew in to London for the show to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Host Alan Carr said in a statement: “I am completely thrilled to be asked back to host the Royal Variety Performance so soon, what a compliment and an honour!
“To be able to host this magical evening with my best friend and tv wife Amanda Holden is the icing on the cake for me.”
The Royal Variety Performance Show airs on ITV1 on Sunday 15 December at 8pm.
The show is jam-packed with entertainment, which will include the reigning Britain’s Got Talent winner Sydnie Christmas
Other highlights include the Devil Wear Prada’s West End cast, a performance from Starlight Express and Cirque du Soleil.
The cast of the Christmas Cracker will also put on a show.
Also performances from Eurovision winner Nemo, Brit Award-winner James Bay and disco diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who will be performing her latest hit and Murder on The Dance Floor.
Superstar magicians Penn and Teller will also be putting on a showstopper.
US military chiefs were repeatedly told that Covid was a lab leak at the start of the pandemic, a former Pentagon official has revealed.
Jon Myers, who was a Marine Corps officer for 28 years and joined the Pentagon in 2018, claims he first told Joint Chiefs of Staff about a lab leak in China in October 2019.
Mr Myers said he “knows with absolute certainty” that top US military chiefs were told Covid had leaked from a lab in Wuhan.
The FBI and the US Department of Energy believe Covid most likely leaked from a lab in China.
And a new congressional report came to the same conclusion earlier this month.
But Mr Myers claims the Joint Chiefs of Staff were briefed in October 2019 – more than five years ago – about a new virus that had leaked from a lab in China.
He told The Sun: “This was briefed in October and November 2019 as a lab leak. It’s important that people realise.
“It was in the intelligence. We briefed it. It was accepted. I briefed it numerous times about a viral outbreak and that it was from a lab.
“Over the course of late November and December, it probably came up six or seven times in briefings.
“Nobody said, ‘hey I heard that was not true, it was not from a lab’. It was just stated as fact.”
Then, in April 2020, the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, said the “weight of evidence” pointed to “natural” origins.
By that point, Mr Myers was retiring after nearly three decades in service – and he said intelligence officers were no longer providing briefings that mentioned a lab leak.
Mr Myers’ believes the truth was suppressed as “it was not politically favourable at the time” – and for “self-preservation”.
He said: “It was very interesting to me how I was the one briefing all these officers on the fact it was a lab leak – and then after I left, that whole aspect of it had disappeared.
“Nobody came out and said, ‘hey, we have intelligence that it came from a lab’. It just disappeared.
“It became a political issue. That’s why it was quashed.
“If you mentioned that it came from a lab, you were some sort of conspiracy theorist. I found it very odd and intriguing that the early intelligence just vanished.
“It seems to fall out of the realm of the Department of Defence and became more health and human services.
“We were no longer talking about the military intelligence aspect of it.”
I was the one briefing all these officers on the fact it was a lab leak – and then after I left, that whole aspect of it had disappeared
Jon Myers
As director of regional intelligence at the Pentagon, Mr Myers’ sifted “all the most classified intelligence produced by every American government intelligence agency”.
It was in October 2019 that Mr Myers gave his first brief on a “viral outbreak in China” that had been “released from a lab”.
He said: “We briefed that to the joint staff – all the generals. I know this to be a fact.
“When we briefed that in October, November and December 2019, there was no protest.
“It was a fact and the joint staff, the generals… they accepted it. It was briefed as fact because it was in the intelligence.
“Intelligence is processed data. When it’s presented to us at that level, it’s as good as fact. This is intelligence vetted through various sources – and we don’t brief unless it’s certified.
“Nobody said, ‘hey I heard that was not true, it was not from a lab’. It was just stated as fact. It was in the intelligence. We briefed it. It was accepted.”
Because it came out of a very powerful Communist dictatorship, there seems to be a conspiracy of silence – which is a scandal
Bob Seely
More than five years after the lab leak intelligence was first briefed, Mr Myers doubts anyone will come forward with the “truth” about what happened.
He said: “Once you’re in a lie, you’re caught in a lie.”
The former intelligence officer believes it will take decades for the world to uncover the truth about the origins of the pandemic.
He said: “Until certain people who were involved in trying to manipulate the way we viewed the outbreak are no longer with us, then maybe we’ll find out some facts.
“But I think if there were people involved in trying to frame how we viewed the outbreak – for whatever reason – they’re never going to admit that they did that.”
Former MP Bob Seely described the apparent lack of attention to the intelligence as a “scandal”.
Until certain people who were involved in trying to manipulate the way we viewed the outbreak are no longer with us, then maybe we’ll find out some facts
Jon Myers
He told The Sun: “Because it came out of a very powerful Communist dictatorship, there seems to be a conspiracy of silence – which is a scandal.
“This just shows that when you have a conspiracy of silence, you have a horrible set of circumstances, which effectively led to China getting off scot-free.
“You have a global scandal, where you have the soft corruption of institutions, the soft corruption of science, and unwillingness of people to hold China to account for this.
“I think it’s got to do with people being scared to offend China. There seems to be political reactions to go slow on China.”
The Sun has contacted Joint Chiefs of Staff for comment.
Earlier this month, the US Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its final report.
THE Wuhan Institute of Virology has been at the centre of the lab leak theory ever since Covid first emerged just a stone's throw from the facility - which was known to be studying very similar bat viruses.
Declassified intelligence documents confirmed Wuhan scientists first fell sick in late 2019 with Covid-like symptoms – raising questions over whether they were accidentally infected in the lab.
Scientist Shi Zhengli – dubbed ‘Batwoman’ – had been experimenting with bat coronaviruses for years at the Wuhan lab.
The lab began hunting the origin of SARS viruses in 2003, attracted US-government funding and was shown cutting-edge virus manipulation techniques.
They were running secret dangerous secret experiments combining the most deadly coronaviruses – which it initially made public and justified by claiming it could help develop vaccines.
But many scientists and intelligence officials suspect researchers at the lab accidentally spread Covid during risky so-called “gain of function” experiments on coronaviruses.
Both China and the lab have furiously denied any allegations – but evidence of a lab leak has been piling up as scientists, researchers and governments hunt for answers and step forward with evidence.
Investigators combing for clues have uncovered documents pointing to alleged cover-ups, plans to make viruses with the exact same features as Covid, and apparent links to the Chinese military.
Other reports have named Covid ‘Patient Zero’ as a Wuhan scientist and even China’s own government scientist said a lab leak should not be ruled out.
The Sun also interviewed a Wuhan lab leak whistleblower who claimed he was trailed by the FBI to silence him.
And a bombshell study uncovered a string of biosafety hazards at “crowded and chaotic” labs in Wuhan – including filthy animal cages and crumbling sewers.
The FBI and the US Department of Energy now believe Covid most likely leaked from a lab in China.
Former intelligence chiefs and diplomats have claimed Covid was leaked from a Wuhan lab in the “cover-up of the century”.
And the World Health Organisation reportedly believes Covid did leak from the lab after a “catastrophic accident”.
Despite many theories emerging, scientists and researchers have not yet been able to determine the origins of the pandemic – with a lab leak and a natural source both being probed.
China has long been accused of attempting to cover up or distort its role in the story of Covid – something it denies.
Following a two-year investigation involving dozens of interviews and high-profile hearings, the bombshell report said: “The weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab leak hypothesis.
“By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced.”
The report noted that Wuhan Institute of Virology was China’s top coronavirus research lab and it had “a history of conducting research at inadequate biosafety levels”.
It added that researchers at the lab “were sick with a Covid-like virus in the fall of 2019, months before Covid-19 was discovered at the wet market”.
The report accused the Chinese government, agencies in the US government and even members of the scientific community of a “cover up”.
It also implicates a US organisation that worked with the Wuhan lab using taxpayer cash.
The Department of Justice launched a grand jury investigation – a probe into potential criminal conduct – into EcoHealth Alliance, the report reveals.
EcoHealth Alliance has been under fire since the early days of the pandemic over its bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan lab.
The group has faced scrutiny over whether Covid may have emerged from the research at the lab that was funded by the US government.
Experts claim the Wuhan lab and EcoHealth Alliance endangered the world by carrying out so-called “gain of function” experiments to engineer chimeric viruses.
This “souping up” involves extracting viruses from animals to engineer in a lab to make them more transmissible and deadly to humans.
And the report found that the US government funded this type of research at the lab.
The details of the federal investigation remain secret – but it raises questions about whether some in the scientific community could face criminal charges over the pandemic.
But Congressman Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the subcommittee, said Dr Daszak “should never again receive US taxpayer dollars”.
Investigators blasted the US government for incorrectly calling the lab leak theory a “conspiracy” – and peddling “misinformation”.
Dozens of scientists and politicians believe Covid likely escaped from the Wuhan lab.
In September, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he believes the pandemic was caused by a lab leak – and did not originate in a Wuhan wet market.
The natural origins theory contends that Covid jumped from bats into humans through an “intermediate host”.
But an animal host has not been found after nearly five years of searching.
By Imogen Braddick, Assistant Foreign Editor
Finally, politicians have said what many scientists and journalists have been saying for years – that Covid did leak from a dodgy lab in Wuhan.
But how has it taken five years to say what many people suspected within weeks of China admitting there was a new virus on the loose?
In a bombshell move, Congress accused governments and members of the scientific community of trying to cover-up facts about the origins of the pandemic.
And the report is an acknowledgement that the lab leak theory is not a conspiracy – after years of shaming anyone who dare question the “consensus”.
It’s a step in the right direction in the fight for justice for the millions of people who lost loved ones in the pandemic.
Many will continue to question why finding the origins of the pandemic is important.
It’s important for the families of millions who died. It’s also important if we want to stop the next pandemic.
If Covid did leak from a lab, we must have more oversight over risky lab research. If it was a natural spillover event, we must take steps to try and prevent a similar disaster.
The Congress report is a welcome victory – but it’s taken far too long for a government to take the lead on the probe into the origins.
Here, the UK government is rightly examining the response to the pandemic with the Covid-19 Inquiry.
But it should also pay more attention to where the virus came from if we want to stop another pandemic killing millions more.
There’s still much more evidence to be found, clues to be uncovered and scientists to quiz/
The sick deportation of Ukrainian children started with the Kremlin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.
The programme was founded by Putin’s celeb doctor Elizaveta Glinka – known in Russia as Doctor Liza, pictured below – who was accused of abducting children by the Ukrainian government.
She was believed to be behind the first transfer of children from Donetsk to Russia in December 2014 and 500 more in the following two years.
Described by Russians as a “saint”, Glinka asked Putin to change the law to allow the relocation of Ukrainian children on “medical grounds”.
Glinka died on Christmas Day in 2016 days after receiving a “human rights” award from Putin – killed in a helicopter crash en route to Syria to deliver medical supplies.
Now, it’s thought the Kremlin’s Children’s Rights commissioner Maria Lavova-Belova – pictured below with Putin – is using a similar illegal deportation system.
When Putin launched his full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia was already “systematically” transporting children across the border just days before, according to The Yale School of Public Health.
Around 500 children were allegedly deported from Donetsk and placed in new foster families in what Russia claimed was a bid to “evacuate and rehabilitate”.
The child pictured below was taken from an institution in Donetsk in 2022 and was listed on Russia’s databases.
Other children were also taken under the guise of “summer camps” to escape the shelling – with Russia promising parents the youngsters would return home.
Tatyana Glagola was one of the parents who “thought she was doing the right thing”.
Her nine-year-old daughter Polina is still missing.
At the camps, children are forced to speak and write Russian and sing the national anthem every day.
So far Ukraine believes nearly 20,000 children have been deported – with 555 feared dead and 1,429 left injured.
Now, a new report by The Yale School of Public Health has shed more light on Russia’s sinster child adoption practices.
It followed 314 Ukrainian children who were snatched from Russia-occupied Ukraine.
It revealed the journey the children were forced to take before being fostered, adopted or placed under guardianship in Russia.
And Putin himself was highly involved in the sick scheme, evidence showed.
It also suggested the Kremlin had made attempts to cover its tracks during the adoption process – by changing the child’s identity and location and even amending its laws to change their citizenship.
The disturbing process – “internationally and directly authorised by Putin and senior officials” – began with children from four groups:
While held in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, many were subjected to starvation and torture and forced to renounce their Ukrainian heritage.
They were told their families no longer wanted them and were forced to speak Russian and sing the national anthem daily being beaten if they refused.
Harrowing survivors’ testimony reveals how Ukrainian children have been left confused and isolated:
Masha* was taken from an orphanage in Luhansk and placed with citizens of Russia in October 2022. They reported that Masha is bereft at having been separated from her friends and now prefers to be left alone
Gleb* was taken alongside 233 other children from a boarding school in Donetsk in February 2022 and placed with a citizens of Russia. According to Gleb, he was told that his placement would be temporary. Gleb said that he used to dream of returning to Ukraine.
According to Lyubov’s* foster parent, Lyubov only learned that she had been permanently placed with a citizens of Russia after her arrival in their home. She had thought that she would be returned to Ukraine after she temporarily stayed with citizens of Russia and was shocked to find out that she would be living with them until she came of age.
Satellite images show a “camp” where children were allegedly held.
From there, they were illegally transported across the border using government assets from Russia’s Aerospace Forces and Putin’s presidential plane, according to the Yale report.
Images show Lvova-Belova accompanying 125 children on the flight from Donetsk to Moscow in September 2022.
And satellite images apparently show Putin’s presidential aircraft at Rostov-On-Don North Airbase being used to transport children in May 2022.
From there, the children are taken to “temporary accommodation centres” – midpoints in Russia where they are added to one of three child placement databases.
When added to the database, the children are listed as being from Russian territories in a bid to conceal their true identity and make it appear as if they had been born there, the Yale report claims.
Russia has refused to register the children with the Government of Ukraine or the Red Cross – which is a requirement under the Geneva Convention.
THE Geneva Convention is X
The report also suggested Russian officials concealed or changed open-source information to track the child’s whereabouts – such as social media posts and articles – and changed details in the database to make children harder to trace.
From the “temporary accommodation centres”, the children are placed with new families or placed in educational institutions where they will be naturalised as Russian citizens.
At one ceremony, Ukrainian children received Russian citizenship from Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyov – with Lvova-Belova present.
The child are given new documents, with their names tweaked or changed, making them difficult to trace.
Families can apply for adoption or guardianship if the minor is under 14 and trusteeship for those aged 14 to 18.
In a sick attempt to legitimise the adoption programme, Russia is using psychologists to match the child with prospective parents.
Youngsters underwent medical examinations at the hands of Russian professionals in preparation for being placed with their new families, the report states.
Federal guidance to the doctors even acknowledged that they should work with the children’s anxiety “in a situation of forced stay”.
They played the children’s introductory videos of their new potential families, organised online meetings and carried out testing of an “unknown nature”.
The 314 children were taken to at least 21 regions – and around 80 percent of them were taken from the Donestk region of occupied-Ukraine.
Around 67 of those children have been naturalised as Russian citizens.
But the number is thought to be much higher.
Nearly half of the children had brothers and sisters, and there was at least one case where siblings had been separated during the adoption process.
At least 208 of the 314 children have been placed with citizens of Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
Putin even amended federal law to simplify the process of changing a child’s citizenship.
He also granted powers to pro-Russian authorities in annexed territories to apply for citizenship on behalf of the child.
Lvova-Belova and Anna Kuznetsova, the former Child’s Rights commissioner, were key individuals in the programme, along with the heads of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republic, the Ministry of Education among others.
Lvova-Belova is seen pictured below with her husband Pavel and her biological children.
At least three children in the report were placed with the families of Russia’s officials or Russia’s military forces.
Lvova-Belova “adopted” a Ukrainian child from the war-ravaged city of Mariupol – thanking Putin for giving her another child to raise.
She’s seen beaming with 17-year-old Filipp Golovnya.
Experts told The Sun that they are now in a race against time to get the lost children of Ukraine home before they are lost in Putin’s evil system for good.
Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Sun:
The law in Russia once a child is either adopted or under guard allows those parents to change the name of the child, to change identifiable information about the child and fundamentally there is real concern that children that have been adopted could have entirely different identities
The onus is on Russia now to identify all the children from Ukraine that are in the database and we are dealing with a situation where every day that goes by the chance of these children will be returned gets lower and lower because Russia has more and more time to obfuscate their identities. This entire programme was fundamentally based on deception.
The Yale report has now been handed to the United Nations Security Council in the hopes that more charges could be brought against Putin and his ring of sick child-snatchers.
Oona Hathaway, a professor at Yale Law School who was involved in the study, believes the evidence will form a basis for potential crimes against humanity, war crimes and a case of genocide.
She told The Sun:
There’s an extensive set of clear violations of international criminal law that are documented here
Daria Zarivnan, an adviser to the Ukrainian government and chief operation officer at Bring Kids Back UA, said the report reveals a higher levels of crime by Putin’s cronies.
She told The Sun:
The meeting of the UNSC is an opportunity for global scrutiny and accountability for Russia’s war crimes in a way that hasn’t previously been possible
As noted, the report reveals a higher level of crime than previously understood, which could support further charges under the Rome Statue
Children have protected status in war, and this protected status is being eroded grievously through forced deportations by Russia and policy of coerced adoptions
This report provides irrefutable evidence which contradicts Russian denials and misinformation about their handling of Ukrainian children
We hope all parties in the meeting recognise the violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes taking place by Russia
Russia must immediately provide Ukraine and the international community with a complete list and detailed information about all Ukrainian children who have been subjected to unlawful deportation, followed by adoption and guardianship arrangements with Russian citizens