Man dies after being hit by train in south London

staff reporter(es/wp);
A man has died after he was hit by a train in Croydon this morning.
Ambulances and transport police rushed to Thornton Heath station just after 4.50am this morning but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers from British Transport Police are now trying to work out the identity of the man and inform his next of kin, a spokesman said.
They said his death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will now be put together for the coroner.
Five police cars were spotted outside Thornton Heath station, on Brigstock Road, this morning.

The Prime Minister said the country needs a period of stability after the shockwaves of the Brexit vote

political correspondent(es/wp):
Theresa May has insisted there will be no snap election before 2020 as she dashed Remain supporters’ hopes of a fresh vote before the EU withdrawal  process formally begins.
The Prime Minister said the country needs a period of stability after the shockwaves of the Brexit vote.
And in her first major interview since taking office, she said the UK should be prepared for “difficult times” ahead despite recent positive economic indicators.
She told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “I'm not going to be calling a snap election. I've been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability - to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020.”
Mrs May, who said she will not formally trigger withdrawal negotiations by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty before the end of this year, acknowledged voters wanted to see the process under way.

"I'm very clear also that the British people don't want the issue of Article 50 being triggered just being kicked into the long grass because they want to know we're getting on with the job of - of putting Brexit into place and making a success of it."
She said the Scottish people did not want another vote on independence, and again firmly ruled out a second EU referendum.
The PM also warned it would not be "plain sailing" despite some encouraging economic data.
"We have had some good figures and better figures that some had predicted would be the case. I'm not going to pretend that it's all going to be plain sailing. I think we must be prepared for the fact that there may be some difficult times ahead. But what I am is optimistic."
Mrs May insisted controls on the movement of people from the EU to Britain needed to be imposed as part of an exit deal with Brussels.
She said: "What the vote, what leaving the European Union does enable us to do is, yes, to say what I think the British people are very clear about, which is that they don't want free movement to continue in the way that it has done in the past.
"They do want to see controls of movement of people coming in from the European Union. Now, obviously we're looking at what - what those options are, what that might be.

"But people also want to see the job opportunities, to see the economic opportunities, and so getting a good deal in trading goods and services is also obviously important for us," the PM said in an interview recorded in her constituency before she headed to China for the G20 summit.
Her comments come as Brexit Secretary David Davis is due to make a statement to the Commons this week on the government’s emerging position on the terms of withdrawal from Brussels.

Theresa May tells Cabinet Brexit is a moment of opportunity

political correspondent(wp/es):
Theresa May returned to the political frontline today with an order to her Cabinet to see Brexit as “a moment of great opportunity”.
Opening a special brainstorming day at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country retreat, she told ministers that leaving the EU should be seen as a chance to be “bold” and reshape both society and Britain’s role in the world.
Mrs May’s optimistic words contrasted with private tensions between ministers and anxieties among Tory MPs who fear the Government does not yet have a vision of an exit deal. Negotiations with 27 EU leaders start next year at the same time as fraught elections in Germany and France.

Theresa May returned to the political frontline today with an order to her Cabinet to see Brexit as “a moment of great opportunity”.
Opening a special brainstorming day at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country retreat, she told ministers that leaving the EU should be seen as a chance to be “bold” and reshape both society and Britain’s role in the world.
Mrs May’s optimistic words contrasted with private tensions between ministers and anxieties among Tory MPs who fear the Government does not yet have a vision of an exit deal. Negotiations with 27 EU leaders start next year at the same time as fraught elections in Germany and France.

Today’s summit follows attempts to patch up turf wars between Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox.
Mrs May chaired a formal Cabinet meeting this morning before a wide-ranging political Cabinet this afternoon, billed as a chance for ministers to pitch in new ideas for the “opportunities” created by Brexit.
The Prime Minister said: “This is a moment of great opportunity for our country: the chance to forge a bold, new positive role for ourselves in the world, and to reshape our economy and our society here at home. ” Mrs May repeated her mantra that “Brexit means Brexit”, adding: “That means there must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum.”

With her first major world summit — the G20 in China — starting this weekend, Mrs May used phone calls with two other leaders this morning to signal her intent to be a global player and remain in Nato. She told Finnish premier Juha Sipilä and Norway’s Erna Solberg that she wanted to think creatively about Britain’s exit terms, “rather than necessarily pursuing an existing model”.
On defence and security, she pledged the UK would be “an outward-facing and globally engaged nation”.

We will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us:THERESA MAY

political correspondent(wp):
I have just been to Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a new Government. And I accepted. In David Cameron, I follow in the footsteps of a great, modern Prime Minister. Under David's leadership, the Government stabilised the economy, reduced the budget deficit, and helped more people into work than ever before. But David's true legacy is not about the economy, but about social justice.

From the introduction of same-sex marriage to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether, David Cameron has led a One Nation Government, and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead. Because not everybody knows this, but the full title of my party is the Conservative and Unionist Party. And that word unionist is very important to me. It means we believe in the Union, the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But it means something else that is just as important. It means we believe in a union, not just between the nations of the United Kingdom, but between all of our citizens. Every one of us, whoever we are, and wherever we're from. That means fighting against the burning injustice that if you're born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others.

If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white, working-class boy, you are less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university. If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you are educated privately. If you’re a woman, you will earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there's not enough help to hand. If you're young, you will find it harder than ever before to own your own home.

But the mission to make Britain a country that works for everyone means more than fighting these injustices. If you're from an ordinary, working-class family, life is much harder than many people in Westminster realise. You have a job but you don't always have job security. You have your own home, but you worry about paying the mortgage. You can just about manage, but you worry about the cost of living and getting your kids into a good school.

If you're one of those families, if you're just managing, I want to address you directly. I know you're working around the clock, I know you're doing your best, and I know that sometimes life can be a struggle. The Government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours. We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives. When we take the big calls, we'll think not of the powerful but you. When we pass new laws, we'll listen not to the mighty but to you. When it comes to taxes, we'll prioritise not the wealthy but you. When it comes to opportunity, we won't entrench the advantages of the fortunate few. We will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you.

We are living through an important moment in our country's history. Following the referendum, we face a time of great national change. And I know, because we're Great Britain, that we will rise to the challenge. As we leave the European Union, we will forge a bold, new, positive role for ourselves in the world. And we will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us.

That will be the mission of the Government I lead, and together we will build a better Britain.

Heathrow-bound flight plummets in heavy turbulence

staff reporter(wp/es):
At least a dozen people including two crew members were injured when the United Airlines jet from Houston, Texas, dropped suddenly and spent at least two seconds in free fall.
The turbulence scare happened in the early hours, with many passengers asleep and their seatbelts unbuckled, according to a woman on board.
It "sent passengers flying" through the cabin and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing three hours later at Ireland’s Shannon airport.
Nikki Hartin Boriack, 38, said children were among those thrown six feet when the plane plummeted. Another passenger said he thought the plane fell 4,000 feet.
Ms Boriack, a dance and cheerleading coach from Texas, was flying to Cork via Heathrow to meet friends.


She said: “We were at least three hours into the flight, everybody had eaten and was asleep.
“It was very quiet. There seemed to be lots of children on the flight.
“Then out of the blue the plane just dropped and everybody who was unbuckled went flying.”
She said people flew headlong into the ceiling of the plane, suffering cuts to their heads. A few passengers had broken bones, she claimed.

Ms Boriack said: “Everybody hit their heads on the roof, the girl next to me was thrown from her seat.
“The flight attendant across from me, she slammed her head. She’ll need stitches.”
The plane plummeted twice, Ms Boriack said, and during the second fall many of the flight’s 207 passengers were screaming.
“Each drop lasted a couple of seconds. There was a loud bang. We assumed it was something in the galley.

“That was when everybody got really scared.
“The worst part was during the second drop – people were screaming. I had to keep my cool.
“It felt like a rollercoaster. The drops were that long.
“I was very scared, but other people were screaming.”
Ms Boriack, who was sat near the back of the plane and escaped with light bruising, said she later learnt the plane's altitude went down by around 200ft.
She added it was another three hours before the flight arrived in Shannon.
There was no warning and the pilot did not address passengers until about five minutes after the turbulence, she said.
“He just said it was very unexpected turbulence. He said normally they see the warning signs and go around it,” she said.

Another passenger, Nottingham student Leslie Chi posted on Facebook that she "really thought I might die" as the plane was rocked 30,000ft above the Atlantic.
On Twitter, another wrote: "My United Airlines flight from Houston to Heathrow has just plunged 4,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean"
A spokesman for United Airlines said: "United Airlines is providing care and support to customers and crew of flight UA880 which experienced severe and unexpected turbulence during a flight from Houston to London Heathrow today.
"The aircraft diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland where it was met by medical personnel.
"10 customers and two flight attendants were taken to a local hospital and all have since been discharged, except for one of our flight attendants."
A spokeman for University Hospital Limerick, where passengers were treated, said it was notified at about 5.30am about a possible 23 casualties. He said: "When the aircraft landed, initial assessment was carried out by the National Ambulance Service and airport first responders. A total of 12 people were transported to hospital, nine adults and three children.
"Two of the 12 were crew members."

swimmer dies after collapsing just a mile away from France

staff reporter(wp/es):
A man attempting to cross the English Channel has died just a mile short of reaching France, organisers have said.
The cross-channel swimmer, named in reports as Nick Thomas, 45, from Ellesmere in Shropshire, was pulled unconscious from the water as he neared the end of the 21-mile endurance feat.
A spokesman for the governing body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, confirmed a man had died.
He said: "A swimmer was taken from the water less than a mile from the finish in France.
"There was an extremely experienced support team on board the support vessel. He was given CPR and taken to Calais where he was sadly pronounced dead.
"It is an extreme sport, we know the risks. He was doing what he loved doing. Our thoughts are with his family."

M20 bridge collapse: motorway fully reopens to traffic after debris from footbridge is cleared

staff reporter(es/wp/es): 

The M20 has completely reopened to traffic more than 24 hours after a footbridge collapsed onto the carriageway.
The incident sparked hours of traffic chaos on one of the busiest weekends of the year, with queues impacting on London traffic.
Traffic can now use both carriageways of the M20 in Kent, Highways England said, after a stretch between junctions one and four was cleared following yesterday's accident, which saw the structure stuck by a digger being transported on the back of a lorry.
A precautionary 50mph limit is in place in both directions past the bridge.
The motorway reopened several hours later than planned.
 A motorcyclist in his 50s was taken to hospital in Tunbridge Wells with suspected broken ribs following the incident, while the driver of the lorry was treated for shock at the scene.

Catherine Brookes, of Highways England, said: "Safety is our top priority. While we concentrated on reopening the road as soon as possible to help drivers, it was imperative this was done safely.
"The 50mph speed limit is being introduced while until work to remove the rest of the footbridge is complete.
"We urge drivers to respect the limit for their safety and that of other road users, and thank them for their patience as we carried out this essential work."