Rainbow warriors: Dutch police blast eco-protesters with water cannons and drag them away as demonstrators shut major roadway for a seventh day

• Protests in The Hague against subsidies for fossil fuel using industries continue
• Dutch police deployed water cannons in attempt to dislodge activists 
• Environmental activists globally plan for weekend of climate protests  

By Jacob Judah

Published: 11:39 EDT, 15 September 2023 | Updated: 12:41 EDT, 15 September 2023

• Just one 350ml drink could theoretically tip kids over the safe threshold
• It can also cause shock and cause children to lose consciousness

By Chloe Louise

Published: 08:49 EDT, 11 August 2023 | Updated: 08:50 EDT, 11 August 2023

Virgin Galactic‘s first commercial space flight took off from New Mexico today and successfully carried three passengers to the edge of the cosmos.

The company’s rocket-powered space plane, VSS Unity, carried three customers – a mother and daughter from Antigua who won their seats in a fundraising drawing and an 80-year-old former British Olympian who paid $250,000 for his seat in 2005.

The historic flight took off from at Virgin Galactic’s spaceport in New Mexico at 10.30am ET, where the passengers boarded VSS Unity as it sat attached beneath the wing of a massive twin-fuselage mothership called VMS Eve.

The takeoff was like any other airplane takeoff, with the mothership speeding down a runway before ascending to more than 40,000 feet. At that point, VMS Eve released the spaceship, which fired its rocket engine and continued its ascent to more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth’s surface.

As the crew reached the edge of space, one crew member gave a cool thumbs up to the camera before everyone unbuckled their seatbelts and floated around in zero gravity.

The team then huddled around the ship’s windows in awe and took in our planet’s views for a few minutes before re-entry into the atmosphere. All in, the mission lasted an hour.

The flight was historic for several reasons. Keisha Schahaff, 46 and her daughter Anastatia Mayers, 18, were the first Antiguans to go to space.

Former canoeist Jon Goodwin is the first Olympian to become an astronaut and only the second person in history with Parkinson’s to go to space.

For Virgin Galactic, this is the first time a commercial crew of passengers who were not trained had left the Earth’s atmosphere – an ambition of the Richard Branson-founded company’s that has been decades in the making.

Schahaff and her daughter won their seats in a drawing that raised $1.7 million in grants for Space for Humanity, a nonprofit aimed at expanding access to space.

After learning Richard Branson gifted her a seat, she called Mayers on the phone: ‘Now that you’re 18, you are going to space.’

‘It is a childhood dream come true,’ Schahaff told reporters upon landind. ‘I’ve been to space and back with my daughter. And if anyone is wondering, the Earth is round.’ 

Schahaff is a health and wellness coach specializing in helping women achieve balance through healthy eating, energy work, and a variety of empowering wellness practices, according to her website. 

Mayers, the second youngest person to travel to space, is one of Schahaff’s two daughters.

She is in her second year at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, studying Philosophy and Physics to become an astrobiologist.

But Goodwin, from Newcastle in northern England, secured his seat as the company’s first paying customer 18 years ago.

Goodwin’s son David told DailyMail.com on the runway this morning that his father’s spaceflight has been a long time coming.

And when asked how his father is the first Olympian and second oldest and individual with Parkinson’s, David said: ‘My father likes to tick a lot of boxes.’ 

Goodwin is a retired slalom canoeist, has been a regular and leading competitor in the Ferrari Hillclimb Championship since 1992, winning in 2000 and 2008, and has more Class wins than any other competitor – as of the end of the 2020 season.

He is married to Pauline, who also competed in the Olympic games in 1972 and 1976. She was in New Mexico cheering her husband, son David, grandson and daughter-in-law Lily.

When Goodwin stepped out of the spaceplane and back on the ground, Pauline ran over to hug him. 

The former Olympian also spent his life as a daredevil, winning races in the Arctic Circle and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Goodwin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 and has since been dedicated to raising awareness for the disease and the importance of research into finding a cure – and hopes that taking part in this mission will help shine a spotlight on the condition.

Virgin Galactic has already booked a backlog of 800 customers vying for their chance to go to space, which was made possible by the company’s inaugural mission in June.

Tickets were sold for $250,000 but have since increased to $450,000.

The crew took off from the hangar in sleek Rang Rover vehicles and headed to the launch pad less than one mile away to where Unity and Eve, the mothership, had been waiting.

DailyMail.com witnessed Eve and Unity pilot down the runway at 10:30 am ET, taking off into the blue sky over New Mexico. 

Once the planes reached the target altitude, Unity ignited its thrusters that left trails of white smoke behind as it climbed mile-by-mile until it disappeared from view.

At the apex of the flight, the spaceplane ‘feathered’ its wings open and hovered above our planet’s atmosphere, allowing the crew to experience weightlessness and incredible views of the final frontier for a few minutes.

Unity was specifically designed to reach the boundary of space as defined by the US Air Force and NASA by going over 50 miles above sea level. 

The spaceplane features 17 windows that provide passengers with an incredible view of planet Earth as they float by for a few precious minutes.

Once VSS Unity re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, it glided back to the runway it took off from, allowing passengers to greet their families again.

When the new astronauts returned to Earth, all three raved about the incredible moment in space.

‘I have no words. The only thought I had the entire time was wow,’ Mayers told reporters. 

The mission, ‘dubbed Galactic 02,’ is another milestone for spaceflight, allowing civilians to experience what was once only a dream for them.

Three Virgin Galactic employees also took flight Thursday: Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Kelly Latimer and Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses. 

Galactic 02 follows Galactic 01, which successfully reached orbit at the end of June.

Virgin Galactic has referred to Galactic 01 as the firm’s first ‘commercial flight,’ but it was a research mission, and no paying customers were aboard.

Galactic 01 carried astronauts from the Italian Air Force, the Italian National Research Council, and the Virgin Galactic crew 52.9 miles above Earth.

Branson himself made the same trip along with five crewmates in July 2021 – which the founder called an ‘experience of a lifetime.’

The billionaire, who was 70 then, became the second oldest person to travel to space after 77-year-old John Glenn in 1998.

Virgin Galactic plans monthly flights to space after the Galactic 02 launch to ensure paying customers get their reward as soon as possible.

The firm is yet to reveal who will fly on Galactic 03 or when exactly it will happen, as a lot depends on the success of today’s launch.

Russia has bombed residential buildings and evacuation points in Kherson as people fled their flooded homes, with shelling leaving three injured and at least one person dead, according to Ukraine.

The cruel bombardment by Vladimir Putin’s forces comes as the region deals with devastating flooding after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Russian-held territory, which Kyiv labelled a ‘terrorist act’ by Moscow.

Evacuation points – including the one visited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day – were reportedly targeted by shelling, with civilians, journalists and rescuers taking shelter and operations being put on hold.

‘The shelling began precisely during the evacuation of citizens whose homes were flooded,’ Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said in a statement.

It reiterated accusations that Russia has abandoned people in the territory it has occupied in the region, adding that it ‘continues to prevent Ukraine from saving the most valuable – human lives.’

Videos show terrified residents running for their lives as their homes, surrounded by floodwater, appear to come under attack. Further footage showed smoke rising from a water-logged town near what appears to be an evacuation boat.

Burning buildings were also filmed, with reports that fire and rescue crews were unable to reach bombed sites due to the high floodwaters. 

Volunteers with boats have shared footage from inside the flooded city, showing residents looking out of their dilapidated homes as they await rescue. 

One rescuer, Andry Boxer, posted videos on Instragram documenting missions he carried out on a small motor boat, helping to save people as well as helpless pets.

Among those he helped to evacuate was an elderly man, who had suffered a severe injury and had blood streaming out of his head. The cause of his injury is unknown.

As artillery fire rang out over Kherson, rescue workers were seen taking shelter wherever they could, halting their crucial work. 

In a video shared by Sky’s Alex Crawford, who is on the ground in the city, rescuers and civilians are seen running in panic as they could hear of shelling. 

‘There are some civilians wounded and dead as a result of Russian shelling in the centre of Kherson, the number is being clarified,’ military spokesman Sergiy Sergeyev said earlier this afternoon. At least three people were wounded, police said. 

Moscow has itself blasted Kyiv for what it said were attacks on rescue workers in Russian-held territory on the east bank of the Dnieper river.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ‘The difficulty is that in a lot of places they [the rescuers] are forced to work in conditions of ongoing shelling from Ukraine, and this complicates their work.’

Kyiv also accused Moscow of hampering the evacuation effort with shelling yesterday.

‘Evacuation continues. Under fire!’ President Zelensky said. ‘Russian artillery continues to fire, no matter what. Savages.

‘Our military and special services are rescuing people as much as it is possible, despite the shelling.’

Routes out of the flooded city were bombed today shortly after Ukrainian President Zelensky was seen at an evacuation point in the city earlier today.

The devastation caused by the dam breach was reflected in the sombre expression of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as he visited the region today, where thousands continue to flee their homes.

The battle-hardened leader appeared uncharacteristically emotional as he took in the scale of the flooding – described as Europe’s worst environmental disaster since Chernobyl.

Close to 20,000 people have been rescued from the resulting deluge, Kyiv confirmed last night. Another 40,000 face evacuation as streets across dozens of settlements have turned into rivers.

As Ukrainians continue to be evacuated from affected areas, the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka said on Russian state TV that five people have died.

Moscow-backed mayor Vladimir Leontyev said those who had died were among seven local residents declared missing following the dam collapse. The two others were found, he said, and efforts were being made to evacuate them.

Chilling aerial photographs show houses submerged by the high water, with people’s homes, livelihoods, belongings and pets now abandoned.

Rescuers were using boats and amphibious vehicles to pluck people from flooded areas.

President Zelensky thanked the brave rescuers and volunteers and said ‘our task is to protect lives and help people as much as possible’. 

One woman, Tetiana Omelchenko, 65, said she had waited two days for evacuation from her block of flats and had to climb through a broken window to reach a rescue boat.

‘In my building, the water has reached the third floor and there are still people in there,’ she said.

An employee at Kherson’s meteorological agency, Lora Musiyan, waded into the water to mark the current level: 5.33 metres above the norm.

‘That’s the height of two storeys – you can only survive this on a roof,’ she said.

The Russian state-owned news agency Tass, citing emergency services in the occupied region, said that up to 14,000 homes have been flooded and nearly 4,300 people evacuated. 

Twenty-three people were seen by doctors of which 21 were hospitalised, medical services reported. 

President Zelensky also met with advisors to consider how to move forward following the widespread flooding.

He wrote on Telegram: ‘Many important issues were discussed. The operational situation in the region as a result of the disaster, evacuation of the population from potential flood zones, elimination of the emergency caused by the dam explosion, organization of life support for the flooded areas,’ he said on his Telegram channel.

‘Also, the prospects for restoring the region’s ecosystem and the operational military situation in the man-made disaster area.’

The destruction of the dam on the Dnieper River, which separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine, is set to displace tens of thousands of people.

Writing on twitter, the deputy foreign minister Andrij Melnyk compared the flood to the 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant that sent a radioactive cloud across Europe. 

‘The worst environmental disaster in Europe since the Chernobyl disaster. Only this time Moscow deliberately used this weapon of mass destruction against the Ukrainians. Who else wants to negotiate with Putin?’ he wrote. 

The cause of the blasts which destroyed the dam are not yet clear, however Ukraine warned late last year that Russian forces had mined the dam as they retreated from Kherson

Ukraine’s state hydroelectric company said the Kakhovka plant was destroyed by an explosion in the engine room – suggesting it was attacked from within rather than by external strikes. 

Ukrainian authorities said 17,000 people were being evacuated and a total of 24 villages had been flooded.

‘Over 40,000 people are in danger of being flooded,’ Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said, adding that 25,000 more people needed to be evacuated on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnieper.

‘The evacuation will continue tomorrow and in the coming days – by bus and train,’ presidential adviser Oleksiy Kuleba said late on Tuesday.

Terrifying video shows houses being swept away and entire towns submerged by the deluge. 

Village streets and fields near to the dam have been swamped by flooding as a Russia-installed local mayor warned that the water level would continue to rise for another 72 hours and claimed he expected 40ft high floods in some places. 

Last October, Zelensky accused Russia of planting mines at the dam, warning that its destruction would spur a new wave of refugees into Europe.

These days, most smartphones are kitted out with facial recognition technology, multiple cameras and wireless charging systems. 

But back in the 90s we were much more easily impressed, with handsets causing a stir if they had a camera at all. 

However, classic phones are having somewhat of a comeback with Gen Z users, who have dubbed the simple devices ‘dumbphones’. 

Amid this retro revival, Nokia has launched a new, hot pink flip phone called the Nokia 2660 Flip. 

Its launch comes exactly 25 years on from the launch of Nokia’s first ever flip phone back in 1998.

Nokia first announced the new phone last year, but has released it in two new colours today – Pop Pink and Lush Green – to celebrate the 25-year anniversary.   

‘There’s been a surge of interest in flip phones, and we believe that the interest is coming from a need to take a break from the constant flow of incoming digital notifications, social media posts and more,’ said Lars Silberbauer, Chief Marketing Officer from HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones. 

‘People want more simplicity, more face-to-face time, more time to think, and time to have an uninterrupted conversation! 

‘I’m sure we all have examples where a beautiful life moment has been spoiled by a distraction or notification. 

‘That’s why we are re-introducing the Nokia 2660 Flip, to give people these important beautiful life moments back.’

The Nokia 2660 Flip features a clamshell design and is just 4.25 inches long when folded. 

It flips open to reveal a 2.8-inch display alongside large physical buttons, without a touchscreen in sight. 

While it does feature a rear camera, this is just 0.3MP – significantly lower than the iPhone 14’s 48MP lens. 

However, Nokia hopes this will be one of the greatest selling points for the phone, claiming the low quality camera is perfect for ‘lo-fi Y2K style pictures.’ 

The phone may also appeal to festival-goers, thanks to its whopping 26-day battery life and drop-proof polycarbonate shell. 

And before you panic, thankfully Nokia has confirmed that its fan favourite feature has been included in the Nokia 2660 Flip – the classic Snake game.  

The Nokia 2660 Flip will be available to buy in Pop Pink this week and in Lush Green next week for £64.99 ($80.24).

Retro phones have been making a comeback since 2017, when Nokia released a new version of the 3310 phone, 17 years after the original version was launched.

That same year, Motorola revealed that it was bringing back its iconic RAZR phone, joining forces with British firm, Binatone, to create the Binatone Blade.

Experts claim that one of the biggest draws of these basic phones is the nostalgia associated with them, as well as the significantly lower price tag than smartphones.

People are also finding they don’t need all the functionalities offered by more expensive smartphones, and would rather have the simplicity of a paired-back device. 

Speaking to CBS Philadelphia, Darren Zygadlo, creator of onecutreviews.com, said: ‘I think there’s a lot to be said for a product that makes you nostalgic.

‘We’ve hit a point where we can pretty much do everything with these phones and I think some people are finding themselves saying, “What do I need all that for?”‘