Friday evening news briefing: Police theory about missing dog walker

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Good evening. Lancashire Police have said they believe Nicola Bulley fell into a river and that there was no criminal involvement in her disappearance. In this newsletter, we also have the latest on the spy balloon row, as the US Secretary of State postponed his trip to China.

Police give 'main working hypothesis' on Nicola Bulley

It is exactly one week since Nicola Bulley disappeared without a trace. The mother of two had just dropped off her children at school and was walking her dog, before vanishing near the River Wyre.

Now, police have said today that their "main working hypothesis" is that she fell into the river. Superintendent Sally Riley of Lancashire Police said inquiries so far had left a 10-minute window in which they cannot account for Ms Bulley's movements last Friday. They believe she did not leave the riverside area.

At a press conference today, Ms Riley said: "We remain open to any inquiries that might lead us to question that, but at this time we understand that she was by the river." She said that Ms Bulley's disappearance is not suspicious but a “tragic case of a missing person”.

Ms Riley added: "It is possible as the dog was loose and off the lead, there may have been an issue with the dog that led her to go near to the water’s edge, she puts the phone down to go and deal with the dog momentarily and Nicola may have fallen in." It comes after Ms Bulley's partner said her family is "going round" in circles thinking about what might have happened.

Man caught with crossbow at Windsor admits treason

A man who was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle carrying a crossbow on Christmas Day 2021, telling police he was planning to kill Queen Elizabeth II, has pleaded guilty to treason.

Jaswant Singh Chail, who is of Sikh heritage, claimed his actions were in revenge for the 1919 Amritsar massacre in which the British killed almost 400 Indian men, women and children.

Appearing at the Old Bailey via video link from Broadmoor secure hospital, Chail pleaded guilty to a charge of intending to injure or alarm the Queen under Section 2 of the 1842 Treason Act. Our crime editor Martin Evans has the full story – and pictures of the mask and crossbow Chail was caught with by police.

Raab accused of 'abusive and intimidating' behaviour

Anti-Brexit activist Gina Miller has accused Dominic Raab of being “abusive and intimidating” towards her following a debate.

Millionaire Ms Miller said that after the pair appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme in 2016, Mr Raab told her he “couldn’t make up his mind” as to whether she had “too much money” or was “just stupid”. Ms Miller also claimed Mr Raab “shouted” at a young runner to “go get me a “f***ing car”.

Speaking to the Independent, a source close to Mr Raab said: “These are baseless and malicious claims, timed to jump on a political bandwagon and give Gina Miller the publicity she craves.”

Evening briefing: Today's essential headlines

Paco Rabanne | The Spanish-born designer Paco Rabanne, best known for his metallic ensembles and space age designs of the 1960s, has died at the age of 88. Alongside French designers Pierre Cardin and Andre Courreges, he helped upset the status quo of Paris fashion, earning him the moniker of “enfant terrible” - read his Telegraph obituary here.

Comment and analysis

World news: Antony Blinken postpones trip to China

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his visit to China after a spy balloon was detected flying over the continental United States. Mr Blinken, who was due to head to Beijing within days, did not want the incident to dominate his meetings with the Chinese, US officials said. China claimed that a giant balloon spotted in US airspace was for weather research and had been accidentally blown off course. Beijing has denied that the device was a spy balloon sent to gain intelligence about America’s biggest nuclear missile site in Montana.

Friday interview

Alexandra Phillips: The new female face of Reform UK

The lorry driver’s step-daughter promises to hold the Conservative Party's feet to the fire so that 'its skin crackles'

Read the interview

Sport news: Pink balls could replace red in Test cricket

Pink balls could replace their red counterparts in all Test-match cricket, according to English manufacturer Dukes. The problem of light stopping play has plagued the longest format of the game, but Dukes now believes it has the product that can solve this longstanding issue. Dilip Jajodia, the managing director of Dukes, has said that the quality of the pink ball, which has been criticised for going too soft, has improved and that using the pink ball in day Tests could reduce the time lost to bad light.

Editor's choice

US | Spy balloons: How they work and why China is using one over the US

Katie Investigates | ‘I was mugged – and possibly drugged – yet Monzo won’t refund my stolen £41’

Rugby | How Steve Borthwick's mistreatment as a player shaped him as a coach

Business news: FTSE 100 breaks all-time high

The FTSE 100 has broken its all-time high as a slump in the pound gave a boost to the internationally-focused index. The group of Britain's top 100 largest listed companies has closed at a record 7,901.80 after rising by 1.04pc today, having broken its intraday all-time high to reach 7,905.52. The pound lost as much as 1.1pc today after the US dollar rallied on stronger-than-expected jobs data. Meanwhile, the chief economist of the Bank of England has cautioned that it is important the Bank does not raise borrowing costs too high.

Tonight starts now

The Whale: Brendan Fraser seals comeback in sensational film of rare compassion | The actor donned a 21-stone fat suit for the role of a morbidly obese divorcee, but Darren Aronofsky's film, in cinemas from today, is a thing of beauty and power, writes Robbie Collin.

Three things for you

And finally... for this evening's downtime

My beloved wood burner is staying put, no matter what the Government says | New stoves face tighter restrictions, but Lisa Markwell questions how her log burner – which warms her family, uses up a waste product and lowers energy bills – can be anything but good?

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