Latest news with #BombSquad
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Future of Vicky McClure's Trigger Point revealed by ITV ahead of series three launch this autumn
THE future of ITV drama Trigger Point has been revealed ahead of series three's launch this autumn. Trigger Point stars Vicky McClure as lead character Lana Washington, a bomb disposal operative. 3 3 3 ITV have now recommissioned the high-stakes show for a fourth series. Earlier this year, Vicky was spotted on set while filming series three. Polly Hill, ITV's Director of Drama, shared her excitement about the show being confirmed to return. She said: "Trigger Point is one of ITV's most-watched dramas of last year after Mr Bates vs The Post Office so I'm delighted that this thrilling series is returning for a fourth series." Polly added: "I know audiences will be once again on the edge of their seat as Lana and the team take us on another thrilling ride to keep the capital safe." While star Vicky commented: "We're all buzzing ITV have such faith in this series to commission a fourth before the third has even aired." She continued: "I love working with the team, we have a great time making the show and I cannot wait to continue Lana's journey on Trigger Point." The premise follows a bomb squad in London and the difficult situations they handle on a daily basis. Vicky's character, Lana, leads a Metropolitan Police bomb squad - but has a background as an Afghan War veteran. In particular, the show's second series was a huge hit with viewers and gained 8.1 million viewers when it aired. Future of huge ITV drama confirmed after explosive cliffhanger ending to latest series It became the second most watched drama for ITV, with Mr Bates vs The Post Office taking the spot of number one. The Sun revealed last October that Trigger Point would be receiving a third series. A source revealed: 'Someone is targeting individuals, and demanding revenge. 'Working alongside the police counterterrorism unit, the bomb disposal squad race against time to find the bomber before they claim their next victim.' Eric Shango, Nabil Elouahabi, Natalie Simpson and Maanuv Thiara were also revealed to be returning. Earlier this year, Channel 5 commissioned a real-life"Trigger Point" show following Britain's bomb disposal squads. Trigger Point airs on ITV1 and STV - and is available to stream on ITVX. Crime dramas on ITVX Crime drama buffs have a wide selection of choices on ITVX - here is a selection of some of the programmes available to binge. Professor T: Based on a Belgian TV series of the same name, former Death in Paradise lead Ben Miller plays the title character. Professor Jasper Tempest is a criminologist with OCD who helps the police solve crimes. The cast also includes Emma Naomi, Barney White and Andy Gathergood. The Beast Must Die: This series follows a mother's grief for her son, who was killed in an accident. Nicholas Blake's novel of the same name has been adapted for the programme. Stars include Cush Jumbo, Jared Harris, Billy Howle and Geraldine James. Red Eye: Starring Richard Armitage, Jing Lusi and Lesley Sharp star in this six-part thriller, which mostly takes place during an all-night flight between London and Beijing. With dead bodies piling up and a mystery to unravel, the heroes must work fast to get to the truth. The Twelve: This Australian drama originally aired as a miniseries in 2022, with the episodes dropping in the UK in February 2023. Four months later, the show was renewed for a second season. Jurassic Park star Sam Neill stars in the leading role of barrister Brett Colby. Manhunt: Martin Clunes stars in this drama based on true murder investigations. Series one focused on the death of Amélie Delagrange, which took place in 2004, while the second depicted the search for serial rapist Delroy Grant.
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
DA says Joburg mayor's 'Bomb Squad' a ploy to help ANC cadres
The DA says it will scrutinise the appointments and work of the City of Johannesburg's 'Bomb Squad' — a unit the metro says will assist in halting crime, combating lawlessness and unlocking service delivery. On Thursday, mayor Dada Morero announced the members of the squad, which will be led by ANC veteran Snuki Zikalala. The 12-member team will operate for the next two years. However, DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku questioned the constitutionality of establishing the team. She said Morero's initiative was just 'a ploy to help out ANC cadres who have fallen on hard times'. 'It is unclear what the purpose of this squad is and whether it is part of a comprehensive plan to turn service delivery around in Johannesburg,' she said. Kayser-Echeozonjoku said Morero would have to account to the council on which sections of the Municipal Structures Act made provision for what she said were 'seemingly unconstitutional deployees'.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Museum and aqua centre in Taber close early after discovery of grenade
The Taber Aquafun Centre and Taber Museum closed early Thursday when an intact grenade was discovered. Taber Museum and Aquafun Centre closed early Thursday after the discovery of an intact grenade. Thursday morning, Taber police received a call from the Taber Interpretive Centre Museum where staff had discovered an old, intact grenade. Few details are available where and how the grenade was discovered. Out of an abundance of caution, the museum and aqua centre were closed. Bomb disposal experts were on scene shortly before four to remove the explosive. The aqua centre has since reopened.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Dr Snuki Zikalala heads Johannesburg's new 'Bomb Squad' to tackle municipal challenges
Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero unveiled the 'Bomb Squad' team aimed at tackling challenges facing the city. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers The City of Johannesburg has roped in several former bosses to serve in its 'Bomb Squad', led by ANC Veterans League president Dr Snuki Zikalala, to help fix the municipality for the next two years. Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero on Thursday announced that Zikalala, a former SABC news executive, would lead the team and be its only member to be remunerated. Three former Joburg city managers Blake Mosley-Lefatola, Mavela Dlamini, and Professor Trevor Fowler, will be joined by the municipality's other erstwhile executives, Gerald Dumas (ex-chief operations officer), former community development executive director Philisiwe Twala-Tau, who is a representative of the SA Local Government Association, and former chief financial officer Reggie Boqo. Also part of the Bomb Squad are Morero's advisor Vicky Shuping, National School Government principal and member of the city's performance audit committee Busani Ngcaweni, economic and social policy researcher Dr Khwezi Mabasa, EFF senior researcher Dr Gumani Tshimomola, and Audrey Mothupi, Systemic Logic Group chief executive. Morero said the Joburg Bomb Squad will be a specialised unit assisting the city to arrest crime and grime, fight lawlessness, unlock service delivery bottlenecks, and accelerate delivery. Among its objectives are to activate rapid response teams in response to reported service delivery hotspots, be the mayor's eyes and ears, activate rapid interventions to address lawlessness, and execute a minimum programme of high-impact visibility. Their work will consist of, but not be limited to, monitoring and fast-tracking of the 10 key points as identified and announced during Morero's State of the City Address last month. These include implementation of a pothole programme, execution of grass cutting, operational traffic lights across the city, elimination of illegal refuse dumps across all communities, fixing of streetlights in townships and on the highways, addressing sewerage spillages in townships and informal settlements, and formalisation of informal settlements. 'The work of the Bomb Squad will be informed by adopting a precinct approach throughout the city. An appropriate implementation will be developed to give expression to it. It will also be necessary for the Bomb Squad to develop appropriate interaction mechanisms with the city's service delivery war room,' Morero said. He added that the work of the Bomb Squad will be led by Zikalala with support from the project management office, leveraging the existing capacity in the municipality's administration. The Bomb Squad's work became operational from this month and its administrative support will be provided through the chief operations officer. According to Morero, there is no budget allocated to the Bomb Squad as it is individuals that have responsibilities in other departments of government or in the private sector and are giving their time and expertise free of charge. However, the city will allocate a budget for Zikalala as it wants him to be on a full-time basis and will be paid a stipend. Morero said three of the Bomb Squad members have financial expertise to help turn around the city's finances, its collection rate, and other financial issues, including expenditure. He also expressed hope that in the next year or so, the city's surplus will be just around R5 billion to indicate a turnaround in its finances and an economy growing by 1% to 3% in the next three years. Zikalala said they were volunteering to ensure that they bring credibility to the city and ensure there are skills and competence. [email protected]
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
City of Joburg mayor Dada Morero insists ‘Bomb Squad' appointment is not a sign of weakness
Joburg mayor Dada Morero has denied that appointing the 'Bomb Squad' to tackle challenges across the city would show that he's failing to address those problems on his own. Image: IOL Graphic City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero has denied that appointing the 'Bomb Squad', a team comprising ANC- and EFF-linked members, former city managers, and executives, indicates weakness or a failure to address the city's ongoing challenges. Earlier, IOL News reported that the team was officially announced on Thursday during a media briefing at the Soweto Hotel in Kliptown. Morero said the team will focus on addressing 'crime and grime,' lawlessness, service delivery bottlenecks, and fast-tracking municipal turnaround efforts. He insisted the initiative does not reflect an inability on his part to govern effectively, and blamed the city's decline on previous administrations. 'It's not a thing that is acknowledged in the decline that has happened in the city since 2016, and now we want to arrest and change this,' Morero said. 'In general, the city has resources out there.' Herman Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, led the administration in 2016. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The metro faces multiple challenges, including hijacked buildings, chronic water shortages, rolling blackouts, pothole-riddled roads, broken traffic signals, rampant crime, and municipal corruption. Residents have repeatedly voiced concerns about the city's inability to resolve these issues. Morero first introduced the Bomb Squad during his State of the City Address (SOCA) in May. The team is led by ANC Veterans League president Dr. Snuki Zikalala and includes several figures, such as former city managers Blake Mosley-Lefatole, Mavela Dlamini, and Professor Trevor Fowler. Also joining are Gerald Dumas, a former chief operations officer, and Reggie Boqo, the city's former group chief financial officer. Philisiwe Twala-Tau will represent the South African Local Government Association, focusing on governance. Vicky Shuping, an advisor to the mayor, will coordinate service delivery and urban management. Meanwhile, Busani Ngwani, of the National School of Government and the Group Performance Audit Committee, will work on improving governance. The team also includes Dr. Kwezi Mabasa of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and EFF senior researcher Dr. Gumani Tshimomola, both of whom will contribute to economic development planning. Audrey Mothupi, CEO of Systemic Logic Group, will handle private sector partnerships. Morero said most of the members are volunteering their services and are already employed within Johannesburg or other municipalities. Only Zikalala will receive a salary, he said. 'You are saying we volunteer our money, our time, resources, and expertise to help you turn around,' Morero said. 'We have acknowledged that we've had a stubborn environment in changing our financial status.' He said the city needs at least three financial experts to help turn around its finances, addressing issues such as overspending and budget inefficiencies. 'That is why we believe this team will give the necessary support to the current executives who do accept that, yes, there are inefficiencies,' he told the media. 'I also had a meeting with the executives to introduce the Bomb Squad, which was widely received.' Morero said the mayoral committee supports the initiative and has even proposed additional names. 'They've made other recommendations with the collective ownership of the mayoral committee. It's not a duplication, it's a support mechanism where there are gaps and weaknesses,' he said. He added that while there is no timeline for the 'Bomb Squad,' they hope to see major progress within the next year. He said he aims to leave a financial surplus of R5 billion by June 2026. 'We want to grow the economy of the city by another 1% to 3% in the next five years,' Morero said. 'It requires that those focusing on economic growth help us implement policies to achieve that goal.' He emphasised that the team's mandate is to support, not replace existing city departments and enhance service delivery. 'These are individuals who are not employed by the city but are volunteering to give support and share their expertise,' Morero said. IOL Politics
