Headlines: Bristol City exit and cat on 'pilgrimage'
Burnham-on-sea.com reports the A38 will close for three days this month through Highbridge.
The mother of Mikey Roynon, who was fatally stabbed with a zombie-style knife at a party in 2023, speaks to Somerset Live ahead of a new documentary.
And more than 50 homes are set to be built on a school's playing fields in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Live reports.
Search 'paused' for British man missing in New Zealand
Rugby player dies after collapsing at half-marathon
Doctor accused of falsifying artificial mesh records
A thank you for Robins fans from Bristol City. There is still a lot of pride in getting into the play-offs.
In Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury Borough Council says it is going to trial "No Mow May" to help give nature a "chance to thrive".
And Percy the Salisbury Cathedral cat appears to have gone on an incredible "pilgrimage", travelling to Canterbury after being reported missing on 6 May.
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UPI
3 hours ago
- UPI
Coast Guard report: OceanGate Titan implosion was 'preventable'
Rear Admiral John W. Mauger of the Coast Guard briefs the media on the search for the Titan submersible in 2023. The Coast Guard released its findings Tuesday, saying the implosion that killed five people was preventable. File photo by C.J. Gunther/EPA Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The implosion of the OceanGate submersible Titan in 2023 was "preventable," because of its inadequate design and "toxic" workplace culture, according to a report released by the U.S. Coast Guard Tuesday. The Titan imploded on June 18, 2023, killing five people. The 335-page report documented the causes of the implosion and listed 17 safety recommendations to strengthen oversight of submersible operations, improve coordination among federal agencies and close gaps in international maritime policy. All five on the submersible were killed in the implosion. They were OceanGate's founder and CEO, Stockton Rush; British billionaire Hamish Harding; French maritime expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood. "The two-year investigation has identified multiple contributing factors that led to this tragedy, providing valuable lessons learned to prevent a future occurrence," said Jason Neubauer, chair of the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation for the Titan. "There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework. I am optimistic the [Report of Investigation's] findings and recommendations will help improve awareness of the risks and the importance of proper oversight while still providing a pathway for innovation." Titan's imploded wreckage was found on the ocean floor about 1,640 feet off the bow of the Titanic. The Coast Guard conducted hearings last year to hear testimony from OceanGate employees and others involved in the dive. OceanGate operations director David Lochridge testified about the business climate at the company and about what he said was Rush's penchant for playing fast and loose with the rules. Lochridge told the panel that the company's goal was to turn a profit, that OceanGate ignored obvious safety issues, and that "very little" science was involved in carrying out the sub's dives. OceanGate's former engineering director, Tony Nissen, testified that he was fired because he refused to approve a planned expedition after the submersible was struck by lightning, which compromised its experimental carbon fiber hull. "Stockton [Rush] would fight for what he wanted and, even if it changed from day to day, he wouldn't give an inch. Most people would eventually back down to Stockton. It was death by a thousand cuts," he testified. The 21-foot Titan submersible lost contact with the crew of the Polar Prince about 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive on June 18, 2023. Responders scoured the North Atlantic Ocean, near the wreckage of the Titanic passenger liner that sank in 1912, to find the missing vessel before its oxygen ran out. The Coast Guard said in September 2024 that the Titan crew sent a message during the fateful dive that "all is well" just before the deadly implosion. It was the final communication from the Titan before the implosion. Neubauer's listed extensive causes of the disaster and recommendations for future vessels. "The board determined the primary contributing factors were OceanGate's inadequate design, certification, maintenance and inspection process for the Titan," Neubauer said in the press release announcing the report. "Other factors cited in the report include a toxic workplace culture at OceanGate, an inadequate domestic and international regulatory framework for submersible operations and vessels of novel design, and an ineffective whistleblower process under the Seaman's Protection Act. "The board also found OceanGate failed to properly investigate and address known hull anomalies following its 2022 Titanic expedition. Investigators determined the Titan's real-time monitoring system generated data that should have been analyzed and acted on during the 2022 Titanic expedition. However, OceanGate did not take any action related to the data, conduct any preventative maintenance or properly store the Titan during the extended off season before its 2023 Titanic expedition." He went on to list recommendations for further dives, including restrictions on oceanographic research vessels, expanding requirements to all submersibles and requiring Coast Guard documentation for all U.S. submersibles. Neubauer also recommended "adding Coast Guard personnel capacity at Coast Guard Headquarters to support new construction oversight and field inspections involving submersibles and vessels of novel design." Other recommendations include submitting Coast Guard search and rescue plans, safety requirements, whistleblower agreements and investigative protocols. In August 2024, Paul Henry Nargeolet's family filed suit demanding OceanGate to pay $50 million for the explorer's wrongful death. The family's lawsuit filed in a court in Seattle accuses OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and others of gross negligence and wrongful death.
Time Magazine
3 hours ago
- Time Magazine
Why U.K. Police Plan to Arrest Anyone Showing Support for Palestine Action at Upcoming Protest
The Metropolitan Police have issued a stern warning to anyone planning on attending a Palestine Action protest in London this coming weekend, stating their intention to make mass arrests. This comes weeks after the British government proscribed the network as a terrorist group, with the decision fiercely contested by the group itself, as well as other organizations including Jewish Voice for Labour and Amnesty International. [time-brightcove not-tgx='true'] 'We are aware that the organizers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system,' the Metropolitan Police said in a statement to TIME. 'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' Here is everything you need to know about Palestine Action and the upcoming protest. What is Palestine Action? Palestine Action is a network which 'takes aim at the infrastructure that sustains the Israeli occupation,' claims co-founder Huda Ammori, who established the group in July 2020. Its activists mainly target arms manufacturers such as Elbit Systems, which earlier this year signed a contract with the Israeli government worth $275 million. 'We're very clear that our primary purpose is disruption… the point is not simply to 'raise awareness' or put pressure on politicians. We bypass politicians and go straight to the aggressors,' Ammori told The New Left Review in April. Palestine Action staged break-ins at Elbit sites across the U.K. last year in the city of Bristol, and at a factory in the county of Kent, where around £1 million ($1.33 million) worth of property was reportedly destroyed. Read More: In Europe, Free Speech Is Under Threat for Pro-Palestine Protesters What do we know about the upcoming Palestine Action protest? The protest, which urges the U.K. government to 'lift the ban' on Palestine Action, is scheduled to take place in London on August 9, organized by the group Defend Our Juries (DOJ). The group is asking for at least 500 people to commit to attending the protest, holding signs that read: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' 'We do not believe it will be practically or politically possible for the police to arrest 500 people for holding cardboard signs against the genocide,' DOJ said in its briefing document for the protest. More than 20 people were arrested on July 5 during a similar demonstration in central London, in which attendees held signs with the same statement. Ahead of the upcoming protest, DOJ wrote an open letter to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, saying: 'We would like to alert you to the fact [that] we may be committing offences under the Terrorism Act tomorrow, Saturday 5 July, in Parliament Square at about 1 p.m.' Some 300 prominent British Jewish figures have also signed a letter, calling on the British government to reverse its designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist group. 'We consider the proscription of Palestine Action as illegitimate and unethical,' the letter reads. 'The government should stop deflecting attention from genocide by linking non-violent protest to terrorism.' Israel has repeatedly denied accusations of genocide. 'Our defence forces target terrorists and never civilians. Hamas is responsible for the suffering in Gaza,' spokesperson David Mencer said, who strongly rejected the accusations of genocide made by two prominent Israeli human rights group on July 28. Israel is currently under investigation by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for charges of genocide, first brought forward by South Africa in December 2023 claiming 'acts and omissions' by Israel towards Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November. They stand accused of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, which Israel has rejected. When and why did Palestine Action become a proscribed group in the U.K.? The group was proscribed as a terrorist group under the 2000 Terrorism Act by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. The decision came into effect on July 5, after members of the group broke into a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire on June 20, spray painting two Voyager jets and damaging them with crowbars. The British Government said that the group 'has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action against businesses and institutions' and that it 'prepares for, promotes, and encourages terrorism.' 'Proscription will enable law enforcement to effectively disrupt Palestine Action,' the government order read, meaning that support for the group is now deemed a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action was proscribed alongside two groups described as 'white-supremacist' movements, the Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement. Amnesty International voiced its concern over the decision regarding Palestine Action, saying: 'The U.K. has a deeply flawed and overly broad definition of terrorism which human rights monitors including Amnesty International have been warning about for years. This latest disturbing move only serves to highlight that those warnings were justified.' United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk also issued a warning about the move, calling it 'disproportionate and unnecessary' and urging the British government to reverse its decision and review its counter-terrorism legislation. Read More: Former IDF Chiefs Call on Israel to End War in Gaza as Netanyahu Claims Starvation Is 'Hamas Libel' Are Palestine Action appealing the decision? Palestine Action filed an appeal to temporarily block the move, which was rejected by a High Court judge. The ruling was then challenged by the group at the Court of Appeals, but this was also rejected, bringing the ban into effect. On July 30, the same High Court judge who originally blocked the appeal, Justice Chamberlain, then approved Palestine Action co-founder Ammori to legally challenge the government proscription. 'I consider it reasonably arguable that the proscription order amounts to a disproportionate interference with the article 10 and article 11 (European convention of human rights) rights (freedom of expression and assembly, respectively) of the claimant and others,' Chamberlain said.
Fox News
8 hours ago
- Fox News
British man charged after attempting to drown daughter-in-law during Florida vacation: police
A British man vacationing with family in Florida was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly tried to drown his daughter-in-law during an argument about grandchildren. Mark Raymond Gibbon, 62, who is from Beaconsfield, England, was charged with attempted second-degree murder and two counts of battery, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Gibbon was arguing with his 33-year-old daughter-in-law in a swimming pool at a vacation home when he allegedly tried to drown her. The incident took place Sunday afternoon at a home inside the Solterra Resort in Davenport, Florida. Deputies arrived at the location after neighbors reported a "disturbance in a backyard swimming pool," the sheriff's office said. The woman told detectives that Gibbon pushed and held her head underwater multiple times during the argument and her 9-year-old daughter jumped into the pool to try and stop the attempted drowning. Gibbon did stop attempting to drown the woman, but allegedly only after two sisters vacationing in a home next door said they had called the sheriff's office. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said tourists are welcome in the county, but they are expected to be on their best behavior. "It's great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world, but we expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our lifelong residents to do the same," Judd said. The sheriff also said Gibbon's lack of control may lead to "a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated." Gibbon is in the South County Jail in Polk County with no bond.
