Turnpike Lane Tube station: Bus driver hurt as shots fired

Staff reporter,London(wp/bbc):

A bus driver has been hurt following police reports of gunshots fired outside a London Tube station.

Armed officers and others from the Metropolitan Police were called to Turnpike Lane station in Wood Green, north London, at 00:24 GMT.

A bus driver, aged in his 50s, was found with minor forehead injuries from shattering glass, the Met said. He was taken to a north London hospital.

Police said evidence was found that a firearm had been used.

No-one has been arrested and officers remain at the scene.

Earlier road closures reported by Transport for London have since been lifted. The Piccadilly Line, which Turnpike Lane station is served by, was unaffected.

New Year Honours 2019: 'World's best teacher' appointed MBE

staff correspondent(wp/bbc):

A teacher at a north London secondary school who won a global competition to find the world's best teacher has been appointed MBE.

Andria Zafirakou, who teaches art and textiles at Alperton Community School in Brent, has been honoured for her services to education and young people.

Mrs Zafirakou said the appointment was a "wonderful surprise".

Mrs Zafirakou, 40, became the first UK winner of the Global Teacher Prize earlier this year.

She beat teachers nominated from more than 170 countries to win a prize worth $1m (£790,000).

Since Mrs Zafirakou joined Alperton in 2005, she has set up a boxing club, redesigned the curriculum to improve access for every student, and even conducted personal patrols outside the school to deter gang members from trying to recruit her pupils.

She has also visited students in their homes and learned basic phrases in languages such as Hindi, Tamil and Gujarati to engage with her pupils.

Mrs Zafirakou, who is an associate deputy at Alperton, said she felt "humbled, emotional and extremely proud" at receiving the honour.

Reflecting on her 13 years at the school, she said her most proud memories were "those wonderful individual stories of children who have succeeded against the odds because of your intervention".

However, she added: "I do not see this as an honour I have done all by myself. I see this as something I am receiving on behalf of my school community."

Mrs Zafirakou said she hoped to keep the news of her honour "low key" so it was "business as usual" for the children when they returned to school in January.

Cook, Thomas and Southgate honoured in UK New Year list

Sports  reporter(wp/reuters):
Britain has recognized its sporting stars in the Queen’s New Year’s honors list with a knighthood for cricketer Alastair Cook, and awards for Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, England soccer boss Gareth Southgate and his captain Harry Kane.
Former England captain Cook, 34, who retired from international cricket this year, was his country’s most-capped test player and record test run scorer.

Welsh cyclist Thomas, 32, has won three world championships and two Olympic gold medals along with this year’s Tour de France, while the honors for Southgate and Kane follow England’s World Cup run in Russia this Summer in which the team finished fourth, their best result since victory in 1966.

The awards also include a damehood for model Lesley Lawson, better known as Twiggy, one of the defining faces of the swinging 1960s.

Two members of the team who rescued 12 junior footballers and their coach from a flooded cave in Thailand, Richard Stanton and John Volanthen, received the George Medal for gallantry.

A knighthood goes to writer Philip Pullman, whose books include the “His Dark Materials” trilogy, while “Gruffalo” children’s author Julia Donaldson, 70, is awarded a CBE.

CBEs also go to Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, 31, and actress Sophie Okonedo, 50.

The New Year’s honors have been awarded since Queen Victoria’s reign in the 19th century and aim to recognize not just well-known figures but those who have contributed to national life through often selfless and unsung contributions over many years.

In that spirit, an OBE for fighting gun and knife crime goes to Mark Prince, 49, whose son Kiyan was fatally stabbed outside his school aged 15 in May 2006, while 28-year-old Stephen Addison who set up boxing classes to channel young people’s energy away from crime is awarded the BEM.

The biannual honors list is released on the Queen’s official birthday in June and at the end of each year. The list, along with a guide to the various awards, is published by the Cabinet Office and can be seen at www.gov.uk/honours/honours-lists.