2018 National & International News Stories.

[boatbuilder]

Latest post of the previous page:

Teenager jailed for London moped acid attacks

A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for 10 and a half years for attacking six moped riders with acid while trying to steal their bikes.
Derryck John, from Croydon, previously admitted carrying out the attacks in the north and east of London on 13 July last year.
He sprayed the riders in the face with a noxious liquid and stole two mopeds before trying to take another four.
One of the victims was left with "life-changing injuries", police said.
Judge Noel Lucas QC described John's "grave crimes" against members of the public as "despicable and cowardly".
John appeared via video-link at Wood Green Crown Court where he previously pleaded guilty to 12 offences.
These included six counts of throwing a corrosive liquid with intent to disable, burn, maim, disfigure or cause grievous bodily harm, two counts of robbery and four counts of attempted robbery.
The substance used in the attacks was thought to have had a pH of one or two, an acidity level similar to battery acid.
At the time Judge Lucas lifted restrictions identifying the teenager, saying there was an "overwhelming, huge public interest" in doing so.
Jabed Hussain, who suffered facial burns and breathing problems after he was attacked by John, had called for the 17-year-old to be given a life sentence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43373719

[Trigger]

Very sad to hear of Ken Dodd's passing. RIP Ken, or maybe under the circumstances he would prefer 'Rest In Happiness'.

I interviewed Ken when he appeared at the Sparrows Nest. When the interview was over he said to me: “OK John, it’s my turn to interview you now!” I wondered what it was going to be!”
“Tell me – why did the fishing industry decline?” he asked. And I did my best to answer on a subject I know little about! I guess we discussed it for about 10 minutes – so I saw the more serious side of Ken – as we did stray off topic!

[boatbuilder]

Very interesting, Trigger. How long ago was that?

Ken was a close friend of a cousin of mine way back in the 60's - the cousin that was the subject of an Alan Titchmarsh program 'Love Your Garden' about a year or so ago that I mentioned on here.

[Trigger]

Very interesting, Trigger. How long ago was that?

Now you're asking! Think it was early/mid 1980s. Ken was late for the show! Not his fault, of course - he'd been booked in at one of the 'big' hotels - left in time to get to the theatre. But - was halted by the bridge - it was one of those long waits: big, slow vessel or, perhaps, a few small yachts returning to O.B. When he was sorting things out backstage - he saw me and said "You must be John." I couldn't deny that, and I suggested we cancel the interview as he had the show to do. "No way," came the reply, "I open the show and after that, the support acts take over - and then we'll do the interview."

[Trigger]

Future of 1p and 2p coins questioned by Treasury

The Treasury could be paving the way for the end of 1p and 2p coins as it seeks views on the future of cash.
It is inviting comments on the mix of coins in circulation as consumers move to non-cash payments such as contactless and digital spending.
Ministers say there are no current plans to scrap them.
But the consultation hints at the growing cost of handling these coins. It also questions the validity of the £50 note.
Many countries - including Canada, the home of the current Bank of England governor Mark Carney - have ditched their low denomination coins. Australia, Brazil, and Sweden are among many others to do so.
The document points to surveys that suggest six in 10 of UK 1p and 2p coins are only used once before being saved in a jar or discarded.
In one in 12 of these cases, the coins are thrown in the bin.
"From an economic perspective, having large numbers of denominations that are not in demand, saved by the public, or in long-term storage at cash processors rather than used in circulation does not contribute to an efficient or cost effective cash cycle," the Treasury consultation document says.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43388662

Let’s hope they include the ‘tiddler’ (5p) as well!

[boatbuilder]

Future of 1p and 2p coins questioned by Treasury

Let’s hope they include the ‘tiddler’ (5p) as well!

By doing that, you're giving the Royal Mail an open invitaion to increase the basic 1st Class and 2nd Class stamps by 10p (minimum) - or its multiples - every time they put the price up.

[boatbuilder]

Florida university bridge collapses leaving 'several fatalities'

A newly installed pedestrian bridge has collapsed at Florida International University and police say there are several fatalities.
Images of the buckled structure at the college in Miami were shared across social media on Thursday afternoon.
The 950-ton span only went up on Saturday, CBS Miami reports.
Local media report that an unknown number of people were trapped underneath the bridge, which was built over a motorway.
Florida Highway Patrol Lt Alejandro Camacho told CBS News there were several fatalities and five to six vehicles crushed.
Aerial footage shows first responders trying to get under the bridge to trapped cars.
The university issued a statement saying rescue efforts were still underway.
"We are shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding at the FIU-Sweetwater pedestrian bridge," said a university spokesperson.
"At this time we are still involved in rescue efforts and gathering information."
Miami-Dade County Emergency Management urged commuters to avoid the area.
A witness told ABC News that the screams coming from the cars were "terrifying".
"As soon as I looked outside, I saw dust flying everywhere," Tiona Page said. "I knew the bridge had collapsed."

Full Report with Videos

[Trigger]

UK teacher wins global best teacher prize

A teacher from north London has been announced as winner of a competition to find the world's best teacher.
Andria Zafirakou, who teaches art and textiles in a Brent secondary school, has won a prize worth $1m (£720,000).
She has spoken of the hardship and overcrowded housing conditions facing many of her pupils.
But in accepting the prize, she called for more support for the "power of the arts" in school, particularly for the "poorest communities".
Mrs Zafirakou becomes the first UK winner of the Global Teacher Prize, beating teachers nominated from more than 170 countries.
The prize, launched in 2015 by an education charity, the Varkey Foundation, was created to give more status to the teaching profession, with an Oscars-style awards ceremony in Dubai.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-43422199

[boatbuilder]

Hoax bomb threats sent to hundreds of schools

More than 400 schools in England have received a hoax email threatening to detonate a bomb on school grounds if money is not handed over, police said.
A number of schools were evacuated after receiving the emails, which demanded cash from them.
Humberside Police said counter-terrorism colleagues had advised that the threats were not "credible".
Schools in London, Manchester, Northumbria and North Yorkshire were among those that received the email.
In Humberside, 19 schools reported receiving the threat.
"We have spoken to all schools who have contacted us, reassured them that there is no need to evacuate and offered them security advice," Humberside's Det Supt Tony Cockerill said.
Greater Manchester Police's Assistant Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine said: "I understand that parents and the general public will be very concerned and I want to assure you that we are working closely with all of the schools to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.
"We are carrying out extensive enquiries to understand the full circumstances and although there is not currently believed to be any direct threat, as with any report of this nature, they are all being thoroughly investigated."
A North Yorkshire Police statement described the threat as a "hoax", adding: "Our cybercrime unit detectives, supported by local officers, have looked at these incidents and it is not believed there is any genuine threat."
Both the Home Office and the Department for Education, meanwhile, are advising any school that receives the email to contact their local police force - even though a version of the email that has been posted on Twitter warns the schools not to.
Some schools and colleges that were evacuated later said classes were continuing as normal.

BBC Report

[Trigger]

Video console death: US boy, 9, 'kills sister, 13, over controller'

A 13-year-old girl in Mississippi has died after allegedly being shot by her nine-year-old brother over a video game, police say.
They said the boy grabbed a gun on Saturday afternoon after his sister would not give up the controller.
He allegedly shot her from behind, and the bullet entered her brain.
A local sheriff announced on Sunday that the teen had died of her injuries in a Memphis hospital. It was unclear how the boy obtained the gun.
"He's just nine," Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell told the Clarion Ledger.
"I assume he's seen this on video games or TV. I don't know if he knew exactly what this would do. I can't answer that. I do know it's a tragedy."
It is also unclear what consequences the nine-year-old will face.
The children's mother was in another room, feeding other children lunch at the time of the incident.
Police are still investigating the circumstances of the shooting, including how the weapon - a .25 calibre handgun - was accessed.
"This is all new ground for us, we've never dealt with a kid shooting a kid at age nine," Sheriff Cantrell told local press.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43455550

[Trigger]

Rhino dies: Sudan was the last male northern white

The world's last surviving male northern white rhino has died after months of ill health, his carers said.
Sudan, 45, lived at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. He was put to sleep on Monday after age-related complications worsened significantly.
His death leaves only two females - his daughter and granddaughter - of the subspecies alive in the world.
Hope for preserving the northern white rhino now lies in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques.
Attempts to use Sudan to prolong the species with the two surviving female rhinos had failed, and an account was created for him on the dating app Tinder last year, not to find love, but to help fund the development of IVF for rhinos.
The move won him fans across the world - fans who will now be mourning his death and the northern white rhino's proximity to extinction.
Sudan's genetic material was collected on Monday, conservationists said, to support future attempts to reproduce northern white rhinos through advanced cellular technologies, using stored semen and eggs from the remaining females, Najin and Fatu.
The male rhino, who was the equivalent of 90 in human years, was being treated for degenerative changes in his muscles and bones, combined with extensive skin wounds.
He was unable to stand up and was suffering a great deal in his last 24 hours, Ol Pejeta Conservancy tweeted on Tuesday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-43468066

[Trigger]

Red Arrow aircraft crashes at RAF Valley on Anglesey

An aircraft used by the Red Arrows display team has crashed at RAF Valley on Anglesey.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed it was a Hawk aircraft and said an air ambulance was sent to the scene at about 13:30 GMT on Tuesday.
It is understood two people were on board the aircraft and eyewitnesses said they saw them ejecting from the jet.
RAF Valley is a base used to train UK fighter pilots and aircrew.
An RAF spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident today at RAF Valley involving a Hawk aircraft.
"We are investigating the incident and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage." A Welsh Ambulance Service spokeswoman said it received a call about the crash just before 13:30 GMT and it sent an emergency ambulance and an air ambulance.
It is believed the aircraft was flying from RAF Valley, where training takes place for mountain and maritime operations, back to RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire - where they are based - when it crashed.
In total, about 1,500 service personnel, civil servants and contractors work at RAF Valley. Aircrews regularly visit the base to carry out simulation training.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-nort ... s-43476222

[Trigger]

US school shooting: Gunman dies after being shot in Maryland

A gunman who shot and injured two teenage students at a high school in the US state of Maryland was shot dead by an officer, police say.
Austin Wyatt Rollins, 17, shot a 16-year-old girl, who is in a critical condition, and a 14-year-old boy.
The attack happened on Tuesday morning before lessons at Great Mills High School in St Mary's County, 65 miles (104km) south-east of Washington DC.
Rollins had a prior relationship with the girl, Sheriff Tim Cameron said.
The school shooting comes a month after a high school shooter killed 17 in Parkland, Florida.
Blaine Gaskill, an armed campus guard, exchanged gunfire with the attacker but it is unclear if the gunman was hit by the guard's gunfire or shot himself.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43474309

[Trigger]

Stephen Hawking's ashes to be interred near Sir Isaac Newton's grave

The ashes of Professor Stephen Hawking will be interred next to the grave of Sir Isaac Newton at Westminster Abbey, it has been revealed.
The renowned theoretical physicist's final resting place will also be near that of Charles Darwin, who was buried there in 1882.
Prof Hawking, who had motor neurone disease, died on 14 March, aged 76, at his home in Cambridge.
The Dean of Westminster said the location was "entirely fitting".
A private funeral service will take place at Great St Mary's, the University Church on 31 March, Prof Hawking's family said.
The church is close to Gonville and Caius College, where Prof Hawking had been a fellow for more than 50 years.
The thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey will take place later in the year.
Announcing funeral arrangements on the college website, Prof Hawking's children Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "Our father lived and worked in Cambridge for over 50 years.
"He was an integral and highly recognisable part of the university and the city.
"For this reason, we have decided to hold his funeral in the city that he loved so much and which loved him. Our father's life and work meant many things to many people, both religious and non-religious. So, the service will be both inclusive and traditional, reflecting the breadth and diversity of his life."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-ca ... e-43472054

[Trigger]

'They can kill people' Judge hits out at cyclists who ride on pavements

Cyclists who ride on pavements are "potential killers", a senior judge has warned as he hit out at the number of people ignoring safety rules.
Judge Anthony Cross QC warned anyone riding their bikes on footpaths posed a "serious risk" to pedestrians and said they would have to face crown court and jail if they knocked someone down - and were caught.
He made the comments at Manchester Crown Court as he spared a photography student from going to prison. Jesus Medina knocked down 72-year-old Marlene Crossley on a footpath, as she emerged from a corner shop in Salford.
The pensioner suffered a fractured hip after being spun round by the force of the impact and despite surgery she has not recovered her full mobility and she struggles to sleep at night.
Medina, 24, from Fallowfield, Manchester, had been facing up two years jail after he admitted an offence under the obscure Victorian law of "causing harm by wanton and furious driving."
But he was ordered to complete 40 hours unpaid work and pay Mrs Crossley £750 compensation after the court heard how he stayed at the scene of the accident to comfort the victim and gave his details to police.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... pavements/

[boatbuilder]

Fortunately, having read the remainder of the report, he is obviously resentful having done work for her husband whilst she is in hospital.
Having said that, I'm glad the judge spoke out the way he did about the riding of bikes on footpaths. I see it all too often where I live - and I live on a quiet road - where there are no excuses such as the dangers posed by heavy traffic. It just seems to be a habit with some that they can't seem to break.