One dead and 23 hurt in minibus crash in Scottish Borders

Pic:Bus accident(wp)
Staff reporter(wp/bbc):

One man died and 23 people were injured when a minibus overturned in the Scottish Borders.

They were travelling in the private bus from Newtongrange to Kelso when the accident happened at about 10:50.

A major incident was declared after emergency services were called to the crash on the A6089 between Carfraemill and Gordon, near Lauder.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene, while 22 passengers and the driver were taken to hospital.

They were treated at Borders General Hospital in Melrose, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

The bus was carrying a group of people from Newtongrange on an outing to Kelso Races.

Ch Insp Steven Duncan said: "We're providing ongoing support to the family of the man who tragically lost his life, along with those who have been injured and their families.

"Our road policing unit, together with partners, are currently working to establish the full circumstances surrounding this.

"We'd ask anyone who may be concerned that a loved one has been affected, or anyone who could help with our investigation, to get in touch immediately via 101 and quote incident number 1369 of 29th December."

Photographs from the scene show the upturned bus in a field next to the road.

An air ambulance and four fire engines were among emergency service vehicles sent to the scene of the accident.

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "Due to the number of passengers requiring assistance, we dispatched a large number of resources to the scene including our air ambulance, trauma and Special Operations Response Teams (SORT).

"Sadly, there was one male fatality and our thoughts go out to his family for their tragic loss. Twenty three other patients were treated by our crews and transported to Borders General Hospital, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow for further treatment and care."

Police said the NHS and Scottish Borders were also providing assistance to the force and those affected by the accident.

UK mortgage approvals show first annual rise in 14 months - UK Finance

Business correspondent(wp/reuters):
A decline in the number of mortgages approved by British high-street banks flattened out last month, with the first year-on-year rise since September 2017, figures from industry group UK Finance showed on Friday.

Britain’s housing market has slowed since the country voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, and other surveys this month have shown anxiety among consumers and businesses ahead of the planned departure on March 29.

Friday’s data showed British banks approved 39,403 mortgages for house purchase in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, down from 39,640 in October but up by 0.2 percent from November 2017 — the first annual rise in 14 months.

“The housing market is struggling for momentum in the face of still relatively limited consumer purchasing power, fragile consumer confidence and, possibly, wariness over higher interest rates,” Howard Archer, chief economist at consultants EY ITEM Club, said.

Many economists expect house prices to be flat or marginally higher next year, as weakness in London and surrounding areas weighs on faster price growth in other parts of Britain, though the Bank of England has said falls of as much as a third are possible if Brexit descends into chaos.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s minority government plans to seek parliamentary approval for her Brexit deal in the week starting Jan. 14, after scrapping a vote before Christmas due to opposition from lawmakers of all parties.

Without a deal, Britain faces major economic disruption from the reintroduction of tariffs and customs checks at its borders.

UK Finance said credit card lending picked up slightly last month, though this mostly reflected a shift in preferred payment means rather than higher borrowing, with credit cards offering better consumer protection for purchases such as holiday travel.

Net lending to non-financial businesses fell by the most since May, dropping by 656 million pounds ($829 million).

“Overall lending to businesses has remained subdued in this period of economic uncertainty,” UK Finance’s managing director for commercial finance, Stephen Pegge, said.

The Bank of England will publish November mortgage and consumer credit data from a wider range of lenders on Jan. 4.

($1 = 0.7910 pounds)

Liam Fox says '50-50' chance Brexit may be stopped - paper

Political reporter(wp/reuters):

Trade minister Liam Fox said there is a “50-50” chance that Brexit may be stopped if parliament rejects the government’s divorce deal with the European Union next month.

“If we were not to vote for that, I’m not sure I would give it (Brexit) much more than 50-50,” Fox, a leading supporter of leaving the EU, told the Sunday Times newspaper.

With three months left until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on March 29, May’s Brexit deal is floundering, opening up a range of possibilities from a Brexit without a trade deal to calling Brexit off.

Earlier this month, May pulled a planned vote on her deal after admitting parliament would reject it. Lawmakers are set to vote on the deal in the week starting Jan. 14.

UK to spend over £100 million on ferries to cope with no-deal Brexit

Staff reporter(wp/reuters):
The British government will spend more than 100 million pounds chartering extra sea ferries to ease cross-Channel congestion if the United Kingdom fails to secure a trade deal before leaving the European Union next year.
Just three months before the United Kingdom is due to leave the world’s largest bloc, the risk of a no-deal Brexit is rising — the nightmare scenario for many businesses, which are now planning for an economic shock.

Extra ships will be needed to work new routes across the Channel in the event that the main French terminal of Calais and Britain’s Dover and Folkestone are clogged up by customs checks.

Currently, Britain’s membership of the EU means that trucks drive smoothly through border checks within the bloc. But in a no-deal Brexit, even a few minutes’ delay at customs for each truck would be likely to mean vehicles backing up at ports and queuing on feeder roads on both sides of the Channel.

To ease a potential backlog, the government has awarded three contracts to provide additional freight capacity on routes from English south-coast ports including Poole, Portsmouth and Plymouth.

They comprise one worth 47 million pounds with the French firm Brittany Ferries, a 47 million pound deal with the Danish shipping company DFDS and a 14 million pound contract with Seaborne Freight.

The leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat party, Vince Cable, called the move “complete madness” and said public money was being spent recklessly in a last-minute bid to prepare for a no-deal outcome.

The contracts were not put out to tender. The Department for Transport said it was responding to a “situation of extreme urgency” brought about by “unforeseeable events”.

About 16,000 trucks pass between Dover and Calais every day, transporting everything from perishable food to medicines and the industrial goods needed to keep factories running.

“This extra capacity is a small but important element of the DfT’s no-deal planning,” the Department for Transport said in a statement. “While remaining committed to working to ensure a deal is reached, the department is helping ensure the rest of government are fully prepared for a range of scenarios.”

Earlier this month, the government announced that all government departments must step up planning for a no-deal Brexit, including putting 3,500 armed forces personnel on standby to deal with any disruption.

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.