The Daily Populous

Friday August 22nd, 2025 morning edition

image for Experienced skydiver deliberately fell to her death, coroner finds

An experienced skydiver deliberately fell to her death in April after ending her relationship with her partner the night before, an inquest has heard.

Jade Damarell, 32, died of blunt trauma injuries after falling from 15,500ft (4,600 metres) into a field in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, on 27 April.

At an inquest at Crook civic centre in County Durham on Thursday, the coroner Leslie Hamilton gave a conclusion of suicide, finding that Damarell had intended to take her own life.

The inquest heard that Damarell, an experienced skydiver from Caerphilly in Wales had completed more than 500 jumps, including six on the day before her death.

On her final jump, however, the inquest was told that Damarell had deliberately not deployed her main parachute, which is usually opened at about 5,000ft.

She had also turned off a device designed to automatically deploy a parachute at a certain speed or altitude should a skydiver be unable to do so.

Hamilton concluded that Damarell, a “very experienced” skydiver, had intended to end her own life. »

FTC sues L.A. Fitness operators for "exceedingly difficult" gym cancellation policies

Authored by cbsnews.com

Fitness and other gyms for allegedly subjecting members to what it called "exceedingly difficult" cancellation policies.

Filed in California federal court, the lawsuit accused Fitness International and Fitness & Sports Clubs of intentionally using complicated cancellation procedures to prevent their customers from ending their gym memberships and other recurring charges.

Fitness, Esporta Fitness, City Sports Club and City Studio, according to the FTC, which said they collectively operate more than 600 gym locations and have upwards of 3.7 million members nationwide. »

Zelenskyy: The signals Russia is sending out are obscene; pressure must continue

Authored by pravda.com.ua
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasised that there is no alternative to putting pressure on Russia and announced that new diplomatic efforts are being made to end the war with Russia.

Quote: "Right now, the signals coming from Russia are, to be honest, simply obscene.

Of course, we are doing and will continue to do everything necessary to defend our state and defend our people. »

Majority of Iranians reject Islamic Republic, survey finds

Authored by iranintl.com
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“A majority of the population opposes the Islamic Republic and supports changing or transforming the political system,” the report’s author Ammar Maleki said.

Only around 20 percent of respondents want the Islamic Republic to remain in power, according to the survey.

While most Iranians reject religious and military rule, no single movement or figure yet represents the country’s diversity, the survey concluded. »