Johnson throws foreign holiday plans into doubt

Latest updates and essential advice from The Independent [View in browser]( [Alternate text] Daily briefing April 06, 2021 Today’s essential news from the source you trust This morning’s headlines Boris Johnson has [thrown summer holiday plans into disarray]( by delaying for another month the decision on when international travel can restart after the coronavirus lockdown. The travel industry responded with dismay to an official review that said it was too early to say whether non-essential trips abroad can resume as planned on 17 May. One industry leader said the sector was being “crippled” by the lack of certainty from the government, while another said that tens of thousands of jobs remained at risk as long as travel was kept on ice. Mr Johnson gave the green light to the reopening of shops and beer gardens in England from next Monday, saying that progress in the battle against the coronavirus had cleared the way for a relaxation of lockdown rules on the earliest possible date of 12 April. He also said that government experts and ministers had seen “nothing in the present data that makes us think that we will have to deviate” from his roadmap out of lockdown, which envisages the final lifting of restrictions on 21 June. Police searching for missing student Richard Okorogheye said [a body has been found in a pond in Epping Forest](. The 19-year-old from Ladbroke Grove in west London disappeared two weeks ago after telling his mother he was going out to visit a friend. He was last seen in CCTV footage walking along Smarts Lane towards the forest at 12.39am on 23 March after taking a taxi to Loughton in Essex. Officers with dogs have been searching the area for the past four days and police divers were seen searching ponds on Sunday. On Monday afternoon the Metropolitan Police, which has been leading the investigation, said they had been informed by Essex Police that a body of a male had been found. “Enquiries are underway to identify the body,” the force said in a statement. In the US, the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer facing murder charges over the death of George Floyd, has heard from the official who commanded the police department’s training division, who said Mr Chauvin [wasn’t following any department guidelines]( when he kneeled on Mr Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes last May during his fatal arrest. “Per policy, a neck restraint is compression of one or both sides of the neck using an arm or a leg,” Katie Blackwell, who is now an inspector in the department, said in testimony on Monday. “What we train is using one arm or two arms to do a neck restraint. I don’t know what kind of improvised position that is. That’s not what we train.” . We need your support The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider showing your support with a contribution. [Contribute]( . Top stories [UK regulator ‘may restrict use of Oxford Covid jab in younger people’ over blood clot fears]( [Dame Cheryl Gillan MP dies after long illness]( [‘Miserly’: Government increases statutory sick pay by just 50p a week]( . Sign up to our free newsletters Subscribe to a wide range of free newsletters for exclusive news and features from our specialist reporters across the world . Stories chosen for you - [Women defend Jill Biden after conservatives attack first lady over fishnet outfit]( - [Why the Brexit-inspired violence in Northern Ireland is so difficult to resolve]( - [Letters: Keir Starmer has one quality the Tories never will – integrity]( - [Boris Johnson ready to offer vote on vaccine passports – your daily politics briefing]( - [Labour demands new restrictions on lobbyists after David Cameron Greensill revelations]( . News you can trust The Independent has a 100% NewsGuard trust rating [NewsGuard] [Find out more]( . If you can spare two minutes we’d love to hear your [feedback]( on our newsletters [Alternate text] Join the conversation or follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.