A skier who was involved in a fatal collision with a five-year-old British girl in the French Alps has been placed under investigation. The girl, named locally as Ophélie, was taking part in a group lesson at the weekend in Flaine in Haute-Savoie. She received immediate first aid from the man himself, who is a local volunteer fireman, but she died in the helicopter taking her to hospital. Her parents are a British couple living across the Swiss border in Geneva. The man under investigation – a local in his 40s – faces a possible charge of involuntary manslaughter. The local prosecutor also requested that the man, who she reportedly says is “in shock” after the accident, be placed under judicial supervision, which usually means restrictions on the person’s movement. The little girl was one of a group of five children receiving instruction on Saturday morning from a qualified instructor on an easy slope in the resort of Flaine near Chamonix, says the BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris. According to the local state prosecutor, the man skiing downhill collided with her at high speed.(BBC)…[+]

Britain is supplying Ukraine with short-range anti-tank missiles for self-defence after Russia amassed about 100,000 troops on its border, the defence secretary said. Ben Wallace told MPs a small team of British troops would also be sent to Ukraine to provide training. He said there was “legitimate and real cause for concern” the Russian troops could be used for an invasion. Russia denies any invasion plans and accuses the West of aggression. Dozens of British troops have been in Ukraine since 2015 to help train their armed forces, and the UK has also made a commitment to help rebuild Ukraine’s navy following Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.

But Mr Wallace said the UK would be providing extra help with security in the light of Russia’s “increasingly threatening behaviour”.(NU)…[+]

The 10 biggest US airlines have warned that the impending switch-on of 5G mobile phone services will cause “major disruption” to flights. They said the start of Verizon and AT&T 5G mobile phone services, planned for Wednesday, would cause a “completely avoidable economic calamity”. Airlines fear C-band 5G signals will disrupt planes’ navigation systems, particularly those used in bad weather. The warning was issued in a letter sent to US aviation authorities. The chief executives of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines were joined by others in saying: “Immediate intervention is needed to avoid significant operational disruption to air passengers, shippers, supply chain and delivery of needed medical supplies”, including vaccine distribution.

The BBC has seen the letter outlining their urgent concerns. It was sent to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, as well as the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the chair of the Federal Communications Commission and the director of the National Economic Council.(BBC)…[+]