'This is not who we are as a nation'

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( March 29, 2023 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Tory MP’s impassioned plea to stop Afghan pilot being sent to Rwanda]( An Afghan war hero [threatened with deportation to Rwanda]( has exposed a “gaping hole” in our asylum system, senior figures warned today, as they called for Britain to fulfil its “duty” to those who served alongside coalition forces. The Independent revealed this week that the pilot was forced to flee Afghanistan – leaving his young family – and travel to the UK on a small boat because he could find no safe and legal route out of the country. Chair of the defence select committee Tobias Ellwood said the case shows there is “no functioning process” that allows Afghans to apply for asylum from abroad, adding: “This is clearly not who we are as a nation.” [Admiral]([Lord]( West, former head of the [Royal Navy](, added to the criticism, saying the government has a “duty” to look after those who fought alongside Britain. Last night, Rishi Sunak[promised to review]( the veteran’s plight after he was questioned about The Independent’s story during a grilling by MPs. The pilot, who flew 30 combat missions against the Taliban and was praised by his coalition forces supervisor as a “patriot to his nation”, claims he has been “forgotten” by US and British forces.   2 / [Entertainer Paul O’Grady dies aged 87]( ‘It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully,’ O’Grady’s partner Andre Portasio said 3 / [Boris Johnson allies to hold conference aiming to ‘take back control’]( Former PM will snub event – but Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries and Priti Patel set to join 4 /Prince [Harry says Palace withheld phone hacking evidence]( Duke says information withheld as a claim could ‘open a can of worms’ 5 / [Scotland smash past Spain, and remember how to dream again]( Scotland 2-0 Spain: Scott McTominay scored twice on a stunning night at Hampden Park, as Steve Clark’s side took control of their Euro qualifying group   The Big Question Could wild blueberries help burn fat during exercise? Consuming a cup of wild [blueberries]( daily for two weeks can help the body burn more [fat]( during exercise, according to a new study. The research, published recently in the [journal Nutrients](, is the first to examine the fat-burning effects of wild blueberries during exercise in non-elite [athletes](. The blueberries can help accelerate fat oxidation in the body, the process by which fatty acid molecules are broken down for energy, found scientists, including those from the California Polytechnic State University in the US. However, citing some of the limitations of the study, researchers said it included only 11 males and no women. They said further research and including more participants can help verify the results and shed more light on [the fat-burning effects of the berries](. The 11 healthy, aerobically trained males were instructed to follow a diet that included consuming 25 grams of freeze-dried wild blueberries each day for two weeks. Each participant exercised on a bike for 40 minutes at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Human Performance Lab, and their urine and blood samples were collected before and after cycling. Their blood samples were collected every 10 minutes during the workout as well. [For the full story click here >]( £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Watch/ [Hopes and fears on the island facing climate change | On The Ground](   NUMBER OF THE DAY £4.9m – [Gary Lineker]( has won his £4.9 million tax battle with [HMRC](. 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