MPs take aim at drones that cause airport chaos
THEY may be only a week old but these cheetahs already sport some wild hair-dos.
The fluffy-topped trio were snapped by nature photographer Paul Mahagi in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.
He spent six days hiding in a bush in extreme heat to get the perfect picture but said: “I’m happy with how it turned out.”
A CRACKDOWN on rogue drones is planned today to prevent a repeat of the shutdown of Gatwick airport which caused chaos for thousands of travellers.
The Unmanned Aircraft Bill will go before MPs, with the legislation allowing drones to be seized by police.
More than 100 sightings of a drone at Gatwick brought all flights to halt in December 2018.
About 1,000 were cancelled or diverted over 36 hours, causing disruption for more than 140,000 passengers in the runup to Christmas.
But police have failed to find the culprit and admitted they have no lines of inquiry.
Rules were later introduced requiring drone pilots to register and also take an online competency test.
Other airports have been forced to suspend flights for several hours due to drone activity. Prisons have also been forced to deal with drones being used to drop illegal drugs down into their grounds.
In 2018, 13 men were convicted of using an unmanned aircraft to fly more than £500,000 worth of drugs into jails in some 55 deliveries.
Police said it was the “biggest drone drug smuggling racket” in the UK.
Security
Lewis said
Minister Brandon the new Bill was a
“vital” part of the fight misuse of the aircraft.
He said: “For the UK to establish itself as a global leader in this exciting technology it is vital that police have the powers to crack down on those who intend to use drones to cause harm or disruption.”
Those flying devices too high or too close to buildings and cannot prove they have permission will also be hit with on the spot fines under the proposals. against
Ministers are reviewing how to tackle malicious use of drones, including testing technology designed to stop the aircraft.
The Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill will change existing laws to allow the police and senior prison authorities to authorise the use of counter-drone measures to stop illegal use.
It will extend restrictions on existing stop and search powers to specifically allow police to deal with rogue drone suspects.
The Bill will also give ministers new powers to force airports to modernise flight paths and help cut noise levels.
Transport Minister Baroness Vere said: “Most people using drones want to do so responsibly, and we encourage them to familiarise themselves with the law.
“We are confident these police powers will be used proportionately to both deter careless drone use and to tackle serious, malicious criminal activity.”
FOLLOWING countless tributes to Monty Python’s Terry Jones, pictured, following his death aged 77 last week, Sir Michael Palin now enjoys mischievously highlighting his friend’s love of a pint or several.
“It’s very hard to take in that I shall no longer be able to put an arm around him, or ask him which of the 27 beers he’s just sampled, I should drink,” he fondly reflects.
Palin adds: “Terry was a quiet, thoughtful man, but once he’d taken refreshment he could become dangerously relaxed. His unscheduled striptease at the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich was later described by Eric Idle, who witnessed it, as one of the most potentially suicidal performances he’d ever seen.”
HAVING, behind closed doors, guided five prime ministers, from Harold Wilson to Tony Blair – as private secretary, principal private secretary and then cabinet secretary – Lord Butler offered a frank explanation for his appearance on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday.
The 82-year-old cheerfully informed fellow guests backstage: “I like doing these things. It reminds people I’m still alive!”