Woman rushed to hospital after being hit by train

Staff reporter(wp/es):
A woman has been rushed to hospital after she was hit by a train at a station on a major line into Heathrow Airport.
Police and ambulance crews were called to West Ealing station at 11.30am after reports of the incident.
The Air Ambulance also landed nearby as paramedics raced to the station.
A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: “We treated a woman at the scene for multiple injuries and took her as a priority to a major trauma centre in west London."
British Transport Police say the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
George Eason tweeted: "West Ealing station surrounded by tens of fire, ambulance and police, anyone know what's going on?"

Heathrow Express services were unable to travel in either direction following the incident.
It also left Great Western Railway trains unable to call at Paddington for almost one hour.
Although services are on the move again, trains were still unable to call at West Ealing by 12.30pm.

London's cycle lanes and end congestion charge', say business chiefs

Business reporter(wp/es):
Business chiefs are demanding a dramatic rethink of how traffic is managed on London’s roads as the capital approaches mega-city status.
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that all options should be on the table if the capital’s clogged streets are to cope with the expanding population.
These include a rethink of permanent segregated cycle lanes and  the congestion charge, which the LCCI claimed might not be as effective as originally planned.
In its submission to the London Assembly transport committee’s congestion inquiry, the business group called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to come up with “new and innovative” ideas to keep the city moving.

Roads in the capital have been getting steadily busier and more congested over the past two years, following a long period of relative stability.
Traffic speeds are falling and journey times are getting longer, increasing pollution and bringing an economic cost to London, which is forecast to have a mega-city population of more than 10 million by 2029.
LCCI chief Colin Stanbridge said: “I recognise that some of these measures won’t be immediately palatable to some groups. But we have made too many decisions because something seems like a nice idea, the easier route, or the most environmentally friendly idea without really thinking through the consequences.

“Whilst a number of initiatives, such as retiming and consolidation, have an important role to play in reducing congestion, they can only provide part of the solution.
“We need to be radical, to look at whether outdated rules still serve a purpose and to build infrastructure that isn’t just a stop-gap solution.”
Proposals include looking again at the cycle superhighway scheme — a move that would be unpopular with cyclists —and at whether semi-segregated lanes during peak hours would work better than lanes remaining part of the permanent infrastructure.
The business group also raised the possibility that the C-charge — brought in by former mayor Ken Livingstone in 2003 — had reached the end of its effective life.
It cited David Begg, Professor of Economics at Imperial College, who claimed the charge had achieved its initial objective of cutting traffic volumes in the congestion zone by 20 per cent, but this had since been “more than cancelled out” as road space shrank in central London through road works, cycle superhighways, growth in delivery vehicles and private hire.

The submission said: “Transport for London should re-evaluate the purpose of the congestion charge — whether economic or environmental — in order to assess whether it’s achieving its aim of reducing congestion in the capital.”
Other proposals included consolidating more deliveries, maximising the use of the river to move goods and passengers, and moving as many business deliveries as possible from the 7am to 11am morning peak.

Transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon said: “It is clear that something needs to be done to tackle congestion, that’s why we’re looking at everything from deliveries to road pricing to the impact of more minicabs on our streets. The status quo is not an option if London is to keep moving and  growing.”
Transport experts believe the rise in vehicles in London without a corresponding increase in road space is at the heart of the problem.
Many streets have closed for roadworks or to make space for pedestrian areas or cycle superhighways.

I got in fights when people used the word P***:Mayor of London

 
Pic:UK rise hate crime after brexit
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Sadiq Khan has revealed he got into fist fights over the use of the “P-word” as a boy as he shared his fears over the spike in hate crime after the Brexit vote.
The Mayor said he had friends in London who suffered racial abuse in London through the use of language they had not heard since they were also children.
He urged Londoners to conduct themselves properly in public and said politicians had a role in addressing some of the fears over issues like immigration that helped the Leave camp to win.
According to the Metropolitan Police, there has been a spike in hate crime in recent months that is at least partly linked to the European Union referendum. A Home Office report released on Thursday also pointed to a rise in hate crime following the June 23 Brexit vote.

 Mr Khan told BBC’s Asian Network: “I suspect hate crime has spiked after Brexit because language that was not used in 20 or 30 years has been used more openly.

“How you conduct yourself publicly does matter. The “N” word, the “P” word, the “Y” word - it was normalised. People thought it was okay to hurl abuse.
“I’ve got friends who were racially abused in language they’ve not heard in 20 or 30 years in London, forget outside London.”
 The Mayor said it was “bad news” that not just Islamophobia was on the rise but hate crime more generally, adding that tackling it was a priority for the police.

He told how he joined a boxing club in Tooting as a child, in part so that he could defend himself from racial abuse.
“I think most people who grew up in that part of London, part of the generation that I’m in, got involved in fights. I did as well,” he said.
“There are some things that weren’t acceptable, the use of the “P” word or the “N” word – and that would lead to a fight. You can’t allow someone to get away with that.”

Dozens of firefighters tackle blaze at recycling plant in East London

 
Pic: Huge plumes of smoke billowing from the fire at a recycling plant
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Dozens of firefighters were today tackling a huge blaze at a recycling plant which sent smoke billowing across roads in east London.
Thick, black plumes of smoke could be seen blowing across the A12 after the fire broke out in a recycling warehouse in Hackney Wick.
London Fire Bridage said crews have been battling the blaze for almost 12 hours.
Emergency services were called after the fire broke out at the recycling plant in Hepscott Road at 11.30pm on Wednesday.
More than 15,000 tonnes of mixed household waste is alight.
Four fire engines and 21 firefighters from Leyton, Stoke Newington, Homerton and Bethnal Green fire stations are at the scene.

Transport for London said: “Smoke from a fire in a recycling plant across the A12 near Hackney Wick is causing poor visibility. Approach with care.”
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

Production company of Star War film ordered to pay £1.6m after Harrison Ford had leg crushed

 
Pic: Harrison Ford
Entertainment reporter(wp/es):
The production company behind the latest Star Wars film has been fined £1.6 million for health and safety breaches after Harrison Ford's leg was crushed during filming.
The actor was injured by a hydraulic door whilst on the set of the Millennium Falcon spaceship whilst filming Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Pinewood Stuidos in 2014.
Foodles Production (UK) Ltd was handed the penalty at Aylesbury Crown Court on Wednesday after the Disney-owned company admitted two breaches of health and safety law following the incident, in which Ford was knocked to the ground and pinned down by the steel door.
The Hollywood superstar was reprising his role as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire in June 2014 when he was hit by the door, which had been designed to mimic the action of a door on the original set.
 At a previous hearing, the court was told he could have been killed in the incident.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the power of the rapidly-closing door meant Ford was hit with a force comparable to the weight of a small car.
Judge Francis Sheridan said the firm had failed to communicate its risk assessment to Ford.
He said: "The greatest failing of all on behalf of the company is a lack of communication, a lack because, if you have a risk assessment and you do not communicate it, what is the point of having one?
"That is the most serious breach here.

"If only they had included Mr Ford in all the discussions, he might have at least been alert to the dangers that he had to avoid."
In sentencing, Judge Sheridan said the remote operation of the door by someone who could not see the actor was a "crazy approach" to health and safety.

"Had the wrong button been pressed it would have continued to crush down on Mr Harrison Ford. It's just incredible that so much was left to chance."
He said it was "deplorable" that the door relied upon human intervention to stop it from closing and should have had an automatic emergency cut off installed.
Foodles pleaded guilty at a hearing in July to one count under section two of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which related to a breach of duty in relation to employees, and a second under section three, a breach over people not employed by the company.
Two further charges, under Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and one under Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 were both withdrawn as the facts were
 incorporated into the two admitted breaches.
The HSE's divisional director Tim Galloway said: "This incident was foreseeable and preventable and could have resulted in more serious injury or even death.
"The power and speed of the door was such that, had Mr Ford or anyone else had been struck on the head by the door as it closed, they might easily have been killed.
"I think everyone would accept that all the people who work in the film industry have a right to know that the risks they take to entertain us, including when making action movies, are properly managed and controlled."

man arrested after double stabbing in south London street

Crime reporter(wp/es):
A man has been arrested after he and a woman were found stabbed in a south London street.
Witnesses reported seeing police with guns and ambulances as the busy Queenstown Road in Battersea was shut after a knife attack tonight.
The Met Police said they were called at just before 6pm to the top of the street, by Battersea Park Road.
Officers said they found a woman with lacerations to her arm and a man who also had cuts to his hand.

Ambulances rushed the woman to hospital as police arrested the man. He is also being taken to hospital for treatment for his injury.
Two cars were also seen to have crashed in an accident at the junction, including a 4x4 which had its windows smashed. Eyewitnesses who were working near to the scene say the woman was stabbed after she abandoned her car, but police have not confirmed these reports.
 Witness EJ Ward told the Weastar Times he could see armed officers and six police cars at the junction. The road was cordoned off and police were also seen taping off another area inside the cordon.

Others on social media described "madness" as they saw police with guns and ambulances.
A Met spokeswoman said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and said: "We believe the two are known to one another."
Transport for London said Queenstown Road has been closed to traffic between Battersea Park Road and Silverthorne Road.

Duckett and Billings show their promise to earn series win

Sports Desk(wp/cricinfo):


England 278 for 6 (Duckett 63, Billings 62, Stokes 47*) beat Bangladesh 277 for 6 (Mushfiqur 67*, Sabbir 49, Imrul 46, Tamim 45, Rashid 4-43)

Pic: England won Series by 2-1..

   

Hold the pose and watch the ball disappear down the ground high into the crowd. Such was the perfect manner in which Chris Woakes settled a wonderful one-day series. Little speaks more highly of England than the fact they turned up in Bangladesh the first place but, having turned up, they fulfilled their aims on the field as they ended Bangladesh's run of six successive series wins in ODIs on home soil.
Bangladesh have an impressive lists of conquests to their name, but they have still not beaten England in a bilateral series, losing this one 2-1 as they went down in Chittagong by four wickets with seven balls to spare. Their 277 for 6 looked formidable on a slow pitch that turned substantially for Adil Rashid as he took ODI-best figures of 4 for 43. But the pitch quickened slightly as the dew fell, their finger spinners failed to find the same purchase and England met the run chase with imagination and maturity.

When Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales withdrew from the Bangladesh tour because of safety concerns, England made it clear that there would be no retribution, while stressing that nothing could be taken entirely for granted: life has a habit of moving on was the gist from Andrew Strauss, MD of England cricket.
Life has moved on, not enough to exclude them - Morgan will skipper on the ODI leg in India - but after this victory it will be enough for England to contemplate their deepening batting options with mounting excitement as they prepare to host the Champions Trophy and World Cup in forthcoming years.
Ben Duckett and Sam Billings, two batsmen to benefit from others' absence, were prominent figures in England's successful chase. Both lodged half-centuries that represented their best England ODI scores. Duckett's, his second of the series, again built on a county season that brought him player-of-the-year recognition, while Billings played with zest as he capitalised on Jason Roy's absence from the top of the order because of injury.

Considering the shenanigans in the second match in Mirpur, after which the match referee doled out two fines and a reprimand, it was perhaps fortunate early in England's run chase that it was Billings who collided with Mashrafe Mortaza, the bowler, who wandered into his path as he sought a second run. Some well-modulated, polite protest sorted that one out. A swept six against Mashrafe announced that he was set and the shot continued to sustain him until, on 62, it also brought his downfall when he top-edged Mosaddek Hossain to deep square.
Billings has dash; Duckett scores quickly without you entirely noticing. He is an inventive cricketer, able to expose the field with a mix of sweeps, ramps and inside-out drives; a stout batsman with a permanently puzzled expression that might have been sketched for Toy Story. In one-day cricket, perhaps in Tests too, he can become a favourite. He perished to a ramp shot against Shafiul Islam, an alert keeper's catch for Mushfiqur Rahim.
With James Vince having fallen lbw in Nasir Hossain's first over and Bairstow bowled by Shafiul, misjudging the length as he tried to pull,
 England were 99 short with 19 overs by the time Jos Buttler reached the crease. A slower ball from Mashrafe silenced him, then Moeen Ali chipped him feebly to mid-on. But Ben Stokes played with restraint and, only when Woakes was put down by Imrul Kayes at first slip off Taskin Ahmed - a head-high catch with 21 needed from 21 balls - did England feel that momentum was with them.

Perhaps influenced by the heated exchanges in Mirpur, even if only sub consciously, England had recalled Liam Plunkett, their most aggressive fast bowler, as a mid-innings enforcer. It was the wrong call. The Chittagong pitch was so slow that it was no time to be The Enforcer - even Dirty Harry would have taken the day off - but it turned from the outset. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, must have rued a missed opportunity to bowl his left-arm spinner on a surface like this.
Fortunately for England, Rashid had the sort of day when the heavens bestowed kindness upon him. Two long hops and a full toss accounted for three of his wickets and, on each occasion, his raised index finger looked like an exercise in positive thinking rather than a gesture of unadulterated triumph. But he turned the ball bigger than anybody and that contributed to his sense of threat, enough to take the Man-of-the-Match award. And he is England's leading wicket-taker in ODIs this year.

By the time that England had dispensed with the openers, Imrul and Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh would have felt quite settled at 106 for 2 in the 23rd over. Tamim became the first Bangladesh batsman to reach 5,000 ODI runs with a collector's item - swatting a bouncer from Woakes in front of square. But reputations shift and it was the wicket of Imrul that England most hankered after, illustrated by a wasted review when he was 31 as they searched unsuccessfully for a hint of glove as he reverse swept Moeen. Stokes broke the stand, Imrul clipping him to square leg.
Rashid then took four of the next five wickets to fall, repeatedly stymieing Bangladesh's ambitions. Tamim, reaching for a short ball, got it as far as Vince at cover; Mahmudullah hit another long hop in the same direction. Sabbir Rahman, at least, received the high-class kill his sprightly innings deserved as Butter held an edge off a fierce leg break. Nasir Hossain was Rashid's last victim, this time courtesy of a full toss sinking faster than the pound.

Moeen wicket also possessed fortune as he defeated the left-hander, Shakib Al Hasan, on the outside edge and was stumped by Buttler who inadvertently flapped the ball onto the stumps and was fortunate that the bails fell off before he crashed his gloves into the timber.
Bangladesh held their nerve as 10 overs elapsed without a boundary and by the end of the innings Mosaddek and Mushfiqur had been rewarded with an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 85 in 12 overs.
Mushfiqur's unbeaten 67 from 62 balls was his first half-century in 21 knocks, with England blowing two good chances to remove him. He might have been run out on 26 when Mosaddek sent him back but Bairstow missed. Then on 44 he struck Woakes down the ground but Stokes, having made good ground for the catch, had four bites before putting it down. With a bat in his hand, and a series to win, Stokes was to allow no such liberties.