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‘Everyone affected’ by Wimbledon school crash, say shocked parents | UK News

Parents paying their respects at the scene of the Wimbledon crash have said “everyone is affected” by the tragedy.

The local community has been left reeling after eight-year-old Selena Lau was killed by a Land Rover that crashed into an end-of-term tea party at The Study Preparatory School on Camp Road in Wimbledon on Thursday.

Selena Lau
Image:
Selena Lau

A second eight-year-old was in a “life-threatening” condition in hospital on Friday night, while a woman in her 40s remains in a critical condition.

A total of 16 people were treated at the scene and 12 – including a seven-month-old girl – were taken to hospital and their conditions have been assessed as not life-threatening, the Metropolitan Police said.

The injured adults were parents or carers and not staff at the school, they added.

The car crashed through the fence and into a building at the school in southwest London on Thursday morning.

The driver, a 46-year-old woman from Wimbledon, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been bailed pending further inquiries to a date later this month.

She was taken to hospital and her condition was assessed as not life-threatening.

A Land Rover Defender is seen inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon
Image:
A Land Rover Defender is seen inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon

‘Everyone’s affected by it’

One parent who brought their young child to the scene on Saturday said: “Everyone’s affected by it, everyone is questioning how it could’ve happened.

“I’m just feeling really sorry for the families of those affected and the kids who survived.

“It’s a quiet road, I’m wondering how can a car build up such speed in a short space of time, it’s crazy.”

Flowers left at the scene by Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis club
Image:
Flowers left at the scene by Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis club

Tribute

Amelia, 19, a Wimbledon local, used to attend the school in 2015. She and her brother laid flowers on Saturday afternoon to pay their respects.

She said: “I think The Study is a tightly-knit community, it’s quite a small school so even after people left, we are all together. We came to pay our respects became it’s not just a school, it’s a community as well.

“I think it’s quite sad because the school is far out of the way, it’s not on a main road, it’s not in the centre of Wimbledon, so it’s shocking that this happened.

“The only reason you’re coming down these roads is to go to the school or the golf clubs.”

Tributes left at the scene
Wimbledon school crash tribute

Cards and flowers with moving tributes to the young girl were laid at the scene throughout Friday and Saturday.

Serena’s family said she was an “intelligent” and “cheeky” girl, “adored and loved by everyone”.

BT Group chief executive Jansen to step down next year | Business News

BT Group has kicked off a formal search for a successor to Philip Jansen, its chief executive, as he weighs a number of job opportunities in the US.

Sky News has learnt that BT is working with the search firm Spencer Stuart on a process to identify a successor to Mr Jansen, who took on the role in 2019.

City sources said this weekend that Mr Jansen had signalled to BT’s board that he was likely to step down at some point in 2024.

An announcement about the succession process could be made within weeks and potentially as early as next week, when BT holds its annual general meeting, they added.

Mr Jansen is understood to be undecided about whether to continue his executive career or pursue chairmanship roles.

In recent days, there has been speculation that he could return to Worldpay – the payments group he ran prior to his appointment at BT – after its $18.5bn (£14.4bn) purchase by the private equity firm GTCR.

One source said Mr Jansen had also recently turned down an offer of a CEO role at a major US technology company.

Investors’ attention will turn to the likely candidates to succeed Mr Jansen, with BT’s board said to have been engaged.

A number of external figures are already said to have been approached by Spencer Stuart, while frontrunners are expected to include Marc Allera, who runs BT’s consumer business, and Alison Kirkby, the boss of Swedish telecoms group Telia Company.

Ms Kirkby is already a non-executive director on the board of BT.

BT Group logo. Pic: BT Group
Image:
An announcement about the succession process could be made within weeks. Pic: BT Group

Mr Jansen’s departure will come roughly five tumultuous years after he took up the post, replacing Gavin Patterson.

The BT chief is said by people close to the company to be disappointed at the performance of its shares during his tenure, with the stock closing on Friday at 122.5p, giving it a market capitalisation of just over £12bn.

There has been growing speculation about a takeover bid for BT, prompting the board – led by chairman Adam Crozier – to hire defence advisers.

Patrick Drahi, the French-Israeli billionaire, controls roughly 25% of BT, having built the stake through his vehicle Altice UK during the last two years.

The government would carefully scrutinise any foreign bid for the company, given its critical role in Britain’s national infrastructure.

Deutsche Telekom, the German telecoms giant, also holds a 12% stake in BT, and has indicated its interest in a future deal of some kind.

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Mr Jansen has engineered a reshaping of the company, announcing that its workforce would shrink by as many as 55,000 people by the end of the decade amid a boom in artificial intelligence and as its full-fibre broadband rollout comes to an end.

He has sanctioned an acceleration of its investment in high-speed broadband, setting a target of connecting 25 million homes by the end of 2026.

He has also crunched its underperforming Global and Enterprise units together to form a single division, BT Business.

Last month, Sky News revealed that Mr Jansen’s £1.1m salary would be frozen until he retired from the company.

The decision was subsequently confirmed in its annual report.

He was paid about £3m last year.

BT has been contacted for comment.

Ruth Perry: School run by teacher who took own life after Ofsted inspection upgraded to ‘good’ | UK News

A school run by a headteacher who took her own life after it was downgraded by Ofsted has now been rated as good.

Ruth Perry died in January after Caversham Primary School in Berkshire went from outstanding – the highest rating – to inadequate due to safeguarding concerns.

Her family believes stress associated with the inspection was a major factor in her death.

The tragedy prompted many teachers to call for changes to the inspection system and the end of the one-word grading system.

The school was reinspected on 21 and 22 June and assessed as good in all categories, the second-best rating.

A copy of the report says work “to address previous weaknesses has been swift, thorough and effective”.

“Straight after the last inspection, useful advice was sought from beyond the school,” it adds.

“In particular, this helped leaders to understand fully the extent of the weaknesses in safeguarding arrangements and prioritise what needed to be done.

“Ongoing and determined work has ensured that the improvements made have gone beyond the essential changes that were needed.”

Caversham Primary School
Image:
Caversham Primary School has made swift improvements, says Ofsted

The report mentions Ms Perry – and her sister said it shows how Ruth and school staff had quickly turned things around since the November inspection.

Professor Julia Waters added schools “should be given the opportunity to correct any technical weaknesses before the final report is published”.

“An inspection should be about helping schools with independent scrutiny, not catching them out and publicly shaming them,” said Ms Perry’s sister.

“Ofsted’s use of safeguarding as a ‘limiting judgement’, overriding all other strengths and complexities of a school, puts headteachers in that position of constant jeopardy.”

Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman has said the current one-word system should stay, but MPs will look into it as part of an upcoming inquiry into the inspections system.

Ms Spielman also said staff who produced the initial Caversham report were “professional and humane” in their work.

However, it has announced changes – such as giving schools more information on when inspections will happen and a consultation on reforms to the complaints system.

Schools where safeguarding concerns prompt an overall ‘inadequate’ rating, but where other measures are rated good or better, will also now be revisited within three months.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

Tony Blair: Impact of AI on par with Industrial Revolution | Politics News

When it comes to the topic of artificial intelligence, Sir Tony Blair is clear on the technology’s potential to change the way we live.

“I think it is on a par with the 19th-century Industrial Revolution,” he says.

“I think it [technology] already was, but generative AI has given it a further push forward.”

The former prime minister’s eponymous institute is writing papers on AI, while he has given talks and penned newspaper opinion pieces on the technology.

Sir Tony wants us to understand the risk as well as the reward.

“It is a technology that is, simultaneously, very good but potentially very bad,” he tells me.

“The advantages are massive. It can transform the way we live and work, it can do enormous things in healthcare and education; in the way government configures itself.

“It is going to change business work – it should increase productivity dramatically.

“On the other hand, you can get disinformation deepfakes, people using it for example to create bio-terror weapons.

“How does government need to approach it? It needs to understand it, master it and harness it. Access the opportunities, mitigate the risks.”

The question that prompts that answer was written by the AI chatbot, ChatGPT.

FILE PHOTO: The logo of OpenAI is displayed near a response by its AI chatbot ChatGPT on its website, in this illustration picture taken February 9, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo
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ChatGPT. File pic

It asks Sir Tony for his views on the potential benefits and risks of AI, and how governments and societies should deal with such a rapidly advancing technology.

“Well, that’s a pretty obvious question,” he replies.

Nevertheless, he answers.

I ask him to describe the moment we find ourselves in.

“This is akin to the industrial revolution,” he says. “Just as that moment changed humanity, changed the state, this moment and generative AI will do that too.”

And are we ready for it? Here, he is more careful in his response.

When asked if politicians in the UK have been naïve, he says no, but says there has been ignorance of the power and use of the technology.

“Part of the problem is you’ve got the changemakers in one room and the policymakers in the other,” he says.

The US, China, and the private sector have stolen a march – and Sir Tony says countries such as Singapore are catching up with the UK too.

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Could AI replace news organisations?

“China is a leader in the AI field. The 21st century is going to be shaped by the competition between the two [China and US].”

But Sir Tony says the competing superpowers will have to find a way to work together – particularly on climate change and global health.

“Is it possible to do that in technology? I don’t know.”

And what about the UK, can it still be a leader?

“We are strong at life science, we are strong in climate, we are strong in AI itself,” he tells me.

“We need to keep our universities strong, we need to invest heavily in the infrastructure, build our computing capacity.

“There is a lot to do, and it has to be driven from the top.”

One positive, Sir Tony says, is the UK’s hosting of a major AI conference this autumn.

“One of the reasons I think it is a good idea is to explore all the different possibilities in regulation and try to get the leading countries together,” he says.

“At the very least, Europe and America should be trying to work together on this.”

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Could AI have done Sir Tony Blair’s job?

As a final question, I asked if AI could have done his job as prime minister.

“No. It couldn’t have,” he says with a smile.

But there are parts of his job where AI would have been an aide, he says.

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“It could make decision-making much more efficient. It could replace some of the processes in government.

“Already around the world, for example, you have people using AI to do planning, you have one country in Europe now using it to do small claims, rather than going through an expensive court process.

“In the end, it is maybe best to look at it as an aide to the people making a decision.

“But in the end you have to keep the decision-making capability for the human, but it will be much better informed by the technology.”

As he leaves, Sir Tony tells me about how his kids have asked AI to make a rap song using the text of one of his speeches.

Was it any good? He doesn’t say…

Tiree Music Festival cancelled and fans stranded in ferry terminal during ‘extreme weather’ | Ents & Arts News

More than 100 people had to shelter overnight in a ferry terminal after a music festival was cancelled during severe weather.

The MV Clansman ferry was around 30 minutes away from the island of Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides, on Thursday evening when the Tiree Music Festival was axed due to strong winds and rain.

Bands including Wet Wet Wet, Tidelines and Skerryvore were set to play at the event, due to run from Friday until Sunday.

The CalMac vessel was unable to berth on the island due to the severe weather and instead returned to Oban on the mainland, arriving at around 10.30pm.

More than 100 of the 455 passengers on board were left stranded, with no onward public transport options available.

They were offered shelter in the CalMac ferry terminal while port staff arranged for the Royal Hotel Oban to bring duvets and pillows.

Robert Morrison, operations director of CalMac, said: “As soon as we were aware of the situation, the CalMac port team in Oban opened up the terminal building and staffed it throughout the night to ensure all those who were in need of shelter were provided with a safe, warm and dry place to spend the night, as no public transport options were available at that time of night.”

Mr Morrison estimated between 110 and 120 people needed to stay at the Oban terminal building overnight.

Bottled water was provided by CalMac throughout the night and refreshments and snacks were supplied from a local store.

CalMac said police were also on hand to provide support.

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Tiree Music Festival organisers said it was “hugely disappointing” to have to cancel the event, adding they did not take the decision lightly.

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In a statement on Thursday evening it said “the safety of everyone on site is our number one priority” and the decision was made based on advice following the “extreme weather conditions we are facing”.

“We are working extremely hard to make sure this process is safe and all-encompassing and to ensure every single person on site is relocated to safety and escorted to begin a safe journey home,” it added.

Air traffic control strikes could put up to a third of summer flights in Europe at risk | UK News

Hundreds of thousands of flights across Europe this summer are in jeopardy after air traffic controllers vowed to take strike action.

Up to 12,600 flights every day – around a third of the journeys made across the continent during the peak summer holiday period – could be delayed or cancelled as a result of the industrial action.

Workers at Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace, have said they will walk out in a dispute over pay, working hours and staffing issues, according to The Times.

An industry source told the newspaper: “In a full-blown strike, 20 to 30% of flights would be at least delayed.”

The source added: “They are big numbers”.

The first round of strikes is expected to be announced as soon as Monday unless last-minute crisis talks can reach an agreement.

Passengers face long queues at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands File pic: AP
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Passengers face long queues at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. File pic: AP

But officials at the European air traffic management body are said to have described the walkouts as “inevitable”, with no contingency plan believed to be in place.

It is more bad news for holidaymakers who were warned earlier this week to brace themselves for a “challenging” summer of travel involving delays and longer flight times, in particular to and from London, Barcelona, Brussels, Athens, Marseille and Budapest.

Eurocontrol is expecting around 33,000 flights for the next eight weeks – with the number set to rise to 34,000 on Fridays in July and August.

Impact ‘massive and extremely disruptive’

The impact of the strikes is predicted to be “massive and extremely disruptive”, a senior airline source claimed.

In a letter to managers, the transport workers union Union Syndicale Bruxelles (USB), called for more controllers to be hired immediately.

Eurocontrol – which handles tens of thousands of messages from pilots and staff every day – is believed to be operating with a 25% shortfall, equating to 40 workers.

The Times reports the letter says: “As difficult as industrial action is on everyone, we see no other path forward than to inform you of our decision to progress [with strikes].”

The union said its demands are “lawful, strong and fair” and “in the interest of the agency, the network manager, our stakeholders (operational and member states), the flying public at large and ourselves as loyal employees of the agency”.

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Summer of strike action looms

Eurocontrol director-general, Raul Medina, earlier said the war in Ukraine meant there was less airspace available for travel.

“To be successful over the summer, we need everyone to play their part,” he said.

“Airports need to be well-staffed, it is vital (air traffic services) provide enough capacity and airlines stick to their schedules.”

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A summer of disruption looms

A Eurocontrol spokesperson told Sky News that a trade union “announced a period of six months during which industrial action could take place” in its network manager operations centre.

“No specific dates for industrial action have been announced; this was a pre-warning,” they said.

The company is “actively engaging with all social partners” and is “committed to finding solutions through social dialogue”, the spokesperson added.

“Eurocontrol is making every effort to keep negotiations open and to find a constructive way forward.”

The threat of action comes as budget airline Ryanair this week announced more than 900 journeys were cancelled in June as a result of air traffic control strikes across France – with around 160,000 people affected by the grounded flights.

French air traffic controllers took part in a series of strikes last month – marking their 60th day of action this year – with a 34-hour walk-out, which ended on 30 June.

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TUC criticises the government’s new Strikes Bill

Strikes are continuing in other industries, too.

In the UK, schools in England are facing further disruption as teachers stage their second strike this week on Friday.

Junior doctors in England will strike for five consecutive days this month – from 7am on 13 July until 7am on 18 July – in what will be the longest NHS walkout in history.

Disruption to rail journeys is also set to intensify as an overtime ban was extended, as ASLEF general secretary Mick Wheelan vowed to take action for 20 years until an agreement was reached.

The union boss told Sky News: “It is still our intention to find the resolution… we’re going to keep taking action until someone listens to us.”

John Caldwell: Three charged with terror offence over attempted murder of senior Northern Ireland police detective | UK News

Detectives investigating the shooting of a senior police detective in Northern Ireland have charged three men with possessing articles for use in terrorism.

Police said it was “in connection with the claim of responsibility made following the attack” on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, who was shot several times in Omagh, Co Tyrone on 22 February.

The men, aged 23, 25 and 36, are due to appear in court on Friday.

It comes after seven men were charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting.

DCI Caldwell, who suffered “life-changing” injuries in the attack, was released from hospital in April.

He was shot while putting balls in a car, after coaching a youth football team, in front of his young son and other children.

The senior officer made his first public appearance since the attack in May when he attended a garden party in Co Down with the King and Queen.

Man handcuffs himself to Buckingham Palace gates and threatens self-harm | Breaking News News

A man has handcuffed himself to the gates of Buckingham Palace and threatened to harm himself.

Police said the man, believed to be in his 30s, approached the gates at around 5.23pm.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were trying to speak to him to “bring the situation to a swift conclusion to ensure his safety and welfare”.

The London Ambulance Service is also at the scene.

Video shows the man, who was wearing a cap and sunglasses, with his left hand attached to the gates as officers speak to him from a distance.

In May, a man was also arrested after approaching the gates and allegedly throwing shotgun cartridges into the grounds.

He was later detained under the Mental Health Act.

‘Absolutely shell-shocked’ parents carry limping girl away from Wimbledon school crash scene | UK News

The parents of a girl seen limping after a Land Rover crashed into a school in Wimbledon looked “absolutely shell-shocked”.

Seven children and two adults were injured in the crash – with one child seen by the Sky News team on the scene being carried away with a cut to her leg.

Wimbledon school crash – latest

Sky News’ Jacquie Beltrao said a police officer told her “an out of control vehicle” was involved in what police have described as a “serious collision” at The Study Preparatory School on Camp Road, in Wimbledon.

“We have certainly seen one child walk out of here limping, carried by both of her parents supporting her,” she said.

“They looked absolutely shell-shocked, and couldn’t speak. I just said: ‘Are you okay?’ And her dad nodded his head.

“The child couldn’t speak at all.

“They couldn’t tell us what had happened.

“He shook his head again – looked absolutely shocked.”

Read more:
Nine hurt as Land Rover crashes into Wimbledon primary school

Beltrao said the small private girls’ school is set in a “beautiful location” overlooking the Wimbledon Common and a golf course.

“It is not what you expect to happen round here,” she said.

“It’s nowhere near a main road, it’s right in the middle of Wimbledon Common, just a mile or so away from the tennis.”

She described a “massive” response with at least 20 ambulances, an air ambulance and firefighters at the scene.

More than a quarter of UK adults have never boiled an egg, Waitrose survey finds | UK News

More than a quarter of UK adults have never boiled an egg and do not know how to, according to a report by Waitrose.

The supermarket chain’s annual Cooking Report also found fewer than a fifth of people have made a salad dressing.

Some 27% of the 4,000 UK adults surveyed had never boiled an egg and less than half (45%) had baked a Victoria sponge cake.

The report also found more than a third of people (35%) rate themselves as “very good” or “excellent cooks”.

Meanwhile, nearly two-fifths (39%) wish they could spend more time in the kitchen than they actually do, while one-fifth (20%) say they are entertaining more at home due to the cost of living crisis – although 34% now think the term “dinner party” is old fashioned.

Four in 10 (40%) are happy to choose cheaper cuts of meat and more affordable ingredients to economise when entertaining and 7% will ask friends to bring a dish or course.

Despite the soaring popularity of air fryers, microwaves have topped a list of 24 kitchen gadgets that most adults said they could not live without.

Almost three times as many people said they could not live without their microwave as those who said the same about air fryers, at 32% and 12% respectively.

‘For too long we’ve been looking down on microwaves’

Waitrose said searches for “microwave meals” were up 71% on waitrose.com compared with the same time last year, while sales of microwaves were up 13% at John Lewis.

Martyn Lee, executive chef for Waitrose, said: “Food is a daily joy and the cost-of-living crisis has hastened a change in how we cook.

“For too long we’ve been looking down on microwaves. You can do so much more in them than heat a cup of coffee.

“I make a great sponge in mine. I think it’s time to remember the enjoyment we get from the anticipation of their pinging.

“When you reheat a stew, or a slice of lasagne in your microwave after the flavours have had time to develop, you enjoy what’s known as the sixth taste sensation ‘kokumi’ – which is lesser known than the other five tastes – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.”

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The survey also found 46% of people ignore the sell-by dates on packaging, 38% use the ‘five-second rule’ for picking up food that has dropped on the floor, and 16% are happy to scrape the mould off food to eat or cook with it.

One-third get their ideas on what to cook from TV programmes and 5% have turned to Chat GPT for recipe inspiration.