London-bound Thomas Cook flight makes emergency landing

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A London-bound flight was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with a flock of around 50 storks.

The 170-passenger Airbus A321 had just taken off from Banjul airport in Gambia when its engines and landing gear were damaged by the collision.

Thomas Cook flight attendant Kayleigh Loveridge described hearing loud bangs as the incident took place.

Writing about the November 8 incident on Facebook on Friday, she said: "We took off, and on our climb we went through a flock of approximately 50 storks, causing a bird strike to both engines.

"Both engines were damaged and not functioning in the way they should have.

"We heard big bangs, felt the entire aircraft shake, shortly followed by one of our emergency commands from the flight deck.

The plane was then forced to make an emergency landing, she claimed.

Miss Loveridge also posted a series of grim pictures of the blood-splattered plane.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook said: "The pilots and cabin crew responded extremely professionally according to their training and the aircraft returned safely to Banjul.

"The customers were accommodated overnight in Banjul and flown home on a different plane the following morning, while the damaged aircraft was repaired and arrived back in the UK last night.

"We apologise for the unavoidable delay to their return journey.”

Banks could leave City unless there's a plan

Business reporter(wp/es):

The chairman of RBS has warned that banks could pull out of the City unless Theresa May secures a post-Brexit transition plan.

Sir Howard Davies said American and Japanese banks are very concerned at the prospect of a hard Brexit and are drawing up contingency plans.

He urged the Prime Minister to offer the City some reassurance and certainty by negotiating a transitional deal which will allow firms based in Britain to continue to be able to operate in the rest of the EU.

He told ITV's Peston On Sunday show that jobs could be lost to Europe and to Ireland.

He said: "I think it is damaging if we don't get a transitional deal because I think you will then see banks and financial institutions making decisions on the basis of uncertainty.

"They will not wait because they have to make a decision which will allow them to be, to continue to function in the event of a hard Brexit if that's a possibility.

"So they will not sit back, they are currently making contingency plans and once you've got a contingency plan - hey, there is a risk you might implement it one day.

"And therefore I think that it is quite urgent."

Financial firms fear they could lose membership of the single market and their passporting rights, which allow companies in the UK to operate across the European Economic Area.

Sir Howard said the Government does not need to detail its full negotiating position, but needs to reassure the City so Britain does not encounter a "jerky and sudden" departure from the EU.

He said: "What is really important is the transitional arrangements.

"So what we are particularly focused on in the City at the moment is to try to get an understanding that actually allowing a cliff edge departure from Brexit would be damaging for everybody.

“About three quarters of all European capital transactions take place in London - often by French banks or German banks etc - but they take place in London.

"If you suddenly broke that off it would be destabilising for the whole of the European financial markets.

"So what we need is a transitional arrangement, as the Article 50 process starts, so we can say 'look, here is the way in which things are going to work in the medium term'.

"In the long term, of course, I think there will be some movement of activity."

Sir Howard said he is optimistic transitional arrangements can be drawn up as it is in the interests of the remaining EU states as well as Britain.

His warning came as Boris Johnson snubbed an emergency EU foreign ministers' meeting called to discuss Donald Trump's shock US election victory.

Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson, who branded vocal European concern about the US election result as a "whinge-o-rama", was dismissive of the need for a special EU meeting.

Teenager killed and another injured in double stabbing after fast food brawl

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A teenage boy has died and another is in hospital after a double stabbing following a brawl outside an east London takeaway.

Police had been called to reports of the fight outside a fast food shop in Church Elm Lane, Dagenham, at 6.20pm on Saturday.

When officers arrived on the scene they found a 16-year-old suffering from stab wounds.

Police performed first aid on the youngster before he was rushed by ambulance to an east London hospital.

Just seven minutes later, police were called by paramedics to nearby Whyhill Walk where a 17-year-old had been found with knife wounds.

Despite efforts to save him, the boy was pronounced dead in hospital on Sunday morning at 3.25am.

Residents said the teenager had managed to get to the Cross Keys pub before he collapsed from his injuries.

The 16-year-old boy is currently in a stable condition in hospital.

Photos from the scene showed a string of police tape cordoning off the area around Church Elm Lane.

Neighbour Sidney McCallaghan said a huge swathe of the road had been cordoned off while police investigated.

He told the Standard: "There was a scuffle between some young boys and then they just started stabbing each other.

"One went down in Church Elm Lane.

"The one who was the most severely hurt, he came down Church Street and made it to the pub where he collapsed."

He said: "We don’t know if he was followed and was attacked as he walked, but it looks like he was trying to get away quite quickly."

Detectives from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command unit are now investigating and trying to discover if both teenagers were stabbed in the same incident.

No one has been arrested over the stabbings so far, a spokesman for Scotland Yard said.

Anyone who has information is asked to contact police via 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Eleven suspects wanted over violence at illegal Halloween rave

Crime reporter(wp/es):

These are the faces of a group of revellers who are suspected of stoking violence at an illegal Halloween rave, injuring 26 officers and a police dog. 

Hundreds of ravers wearing zombie masks threw bricks, bottles and petrol bombs at police near the Albert Embankment in Lambeth on Halloween last year.

Police believe that at one stage over 1,000 rioters were fighting them.  

BBC reporter John Sweeney, 57, who lives in the area, described watching a “war zone” erupting on his doorstep. 

He told the Standard at the time: “There were ghouls and zombies throwing bricks.

“Wooden spikes were being thrown like spears at cops in riot gear. There were lines of police advancing and being beaten back.”

The riot broke out when police arrived to shut down an illegal rave, named Scumoween: A Nightmare on Scum Street, at a London Fire Brigade workshop in Whitgift Street on October 31. 

One officer was knocked unconscious and others were left with serious cuts and bruises. 

A police dog named Maverick was kicked during the disorder.

Police have now issued photographs of the 11 most wanted suspects who they still want to question about the riot. 

Detective Superintendent Andy Barnes said: “The behaviour at this illegal event was completely unacceptable and we continue with our efforts to identify and bring to justice those responsible and thank everyone who has provided footage of the incidents.”

“When someone is wanted by police they remain wanted until they are identified and are either eliminated from police enquiries or brought to justice.

"I urge anyone who is shown in the images to contact police immediately.” 

'London schools face £600m budget cuts in next four years'

Pic: A class room
Educational reporter(wp/es):

London schools face more than £600million worth of budget cuts by 2020, unions have claimed.

An average of £570 less could be spent on each pupil in the capital within four years, according to calculations by two teaching unions.

It means 16,000 teaching jobs could be lost in the capital, the unions said.

The startling statistics were calculated by the National Union of Teachers and ATL Education Union following government plans to reallocate the way grants are given to schools across the UK.

But the government disputed the unions’ estimates, claiming they were based on “speculative figures” and deemed it “irresponsible scaremongering”.

The NUT said the figures - which have been released with a map showing how London postcodes could be affected - pointed to an “uncomfortable truth” about school funding.

The unions are predicting London authorities’ school budgets will face cuts of 10 per cent by 2020 as money is redistributed elsewhere and budgets are not protected against inflation.

Among the worst hit boroughs could be Southwark, Lambeth and Hackney, which could all face cuts of more than £1,000 less per pupil in four years, the unions claim.

They added that Newham could face a budget loss of over £41 million while Southwark is expected to lose out by £38 million – putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk.

The top five highest risk boroughs are the City of London, Southwark, Hackney, Haringey and Kensington and Chelsea, it was claimed.

The shake-up is part of government plans to introduce a national funding formula, which determines how much councils receive for their schools budget.

Currently the amount of money local authorities are given by the government can vary wildly – with the best funded areas given a grant of nearly £6,300 compared to £4,200 in other areas.

The Department for Education opened a consultation on the national funding formula with hopes of rolling it out by April 2018.

The NUT said the figures said there would be a budget cut equivalent to eight per cent based on predicted inflation rates between now and 2020.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “As the NUT and ATL’s own report admits, they do not even reflect the Government's proposed fairer funding formula for schools, which is yet to be published. 

“In reality the schools budget has been protected and in 2016-17 totals over £40 billion, the highest ever on record. 

“The government's fairer funding proposals will ensure that areas with the highest need attract the most funding and end the historic unfairness in the system."

Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the NUT, said: “Far from being irresponsible the NUT and ATL are pointing to the uncomfortable truth about school funding. 

“The government is not protecting the schools budget against inflation and higher costs.  

“In its response, the government does not seek to challenge the fact that school funding per pupil will be cut in real terms by £2.5bn a year so that schools are worse off by at least 8 per cent per pupil by the end of this Parliament.” 

Huge blaze rips through 'naturist health spa' on high street

Pic:a firefighter tackles the blaze in a sauna
Crime reporter(wp/es):

A huge blaze ripped through a well-known naturist health spa in North London this afternoon.

The fire took hold in a sauna cabin at Rio's, on Kentish Town Road, where singles and couples can go to enjoy spa facilties completely naked.

Four fire engines were tackling the fire at an "outbuilding" as black smoke billowed across neighbouring rooftops.

A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman confirmed the service had been called to the fire at 1pm.

She said: "Four fire engines and 21 firefighters and officers have been called to a fire in Kentish Town Road, Kentish Town."

She added: "Part of an outbuilding within a walled area is currently alight".

The Brigade took more than 35 calls related to the fire, with crews from Kentish Town, Euston and Hornsey fire stations in attendance.

Rio's, which describes itself as "London's leading naturist health spa", has a swimming pool, saunas and steam rooms as well as tanning showers and private massage rooms.

There were unconfirmed reports of women being evacuated from the spa wearing towels.

Pictures showed a group huddled together near the entrance of Rio's while firefighters tackled the blaze behind the row of shops.

The sauna cabin is located between Raglan Street and Kentish Town High Road.

Pictures from the scene showed a tower of thick black smoke reaching high into the blue sky.

Traffic was moving very slowly on Kentish Town Road and there were warnings of delays.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, said the Brigade.

The sauna was damaged in the fire but fire crews managed to stop it spreading.

Scotland vs England match marred by shocking scenes

Pic:Fans clash at Wembley during Scotland vs England World cup qualifier 
Sports reporter(wp/es):

Shocking video footage captured the moment fights broke out among supporters at Wembley stadium as England defeated Scotland 3-0. 

The video appears to show men throwing punches in a Wembleystand as other supporters try to pull them back. 

The footage, which was sent via Snap Chat, shows the two men lashing out as one man punches the other in the head repeatedly.  

In a separate incident one fan was left bloodied and had to receive medical attention from police and stadium security. 

It came hours after Scottish supporters descended on Trafalgar Square climbing on the iconic lions, swimming in the fountains and littering the landmark with empty beer cans and rubbish.

The fans invaded the square hours after the Armistice Day parade to remember those killed in the First World War. 

Shocked Londoners took to social media to express their disgust. 

One Twitter user wrote: “To the Scotland 'fans' trashing the remembrance tribute in Trafalgar Square, and the public toilets? You're scum.” 

Another user said: “This is how Scottish football fans leave Trafalgar Square on #ArmisticeDay. Don't hold your breath for a condemnation from @NicolaSturgeon!”

One person was arrested in Trafalgar Square on suspicion of common assault, while a second was arrested at Baker Street station on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, police said.

Police were unable to confirm if anyone was arrested at the stadium.