Latest news with #Withington
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Father's fury after man who rained down blows on him as he cradled his three-month-old daughter is simply told to apologise by police
The man behind an 'unprovoked' assault on a father holding his a three-month-old baby girl has been told by police all he has to do is write a letter of apology. Zaid Smith, 22, and his family have been left furious over the lack of police action after the baby girl was admitted to hospital after the attack. CCTV footage shows the shocking moment Zaid was repeatedly punched in the head on the street unable to defend himself while holding his child in his arms. Greater Manchester Police confirmed the family had been told the offender had been given a conditional caution, which included writing letters of apology - as he had no previous convictions. However, the force added that the incident was being 'reviewed' by a senior officer. The attack happened as Zaid had arrived at a house in Withington at around 11am to take out his daughter, Ariella, for a walk on May 31. The youngster's mother, Morgan Milward, 22, told Manchester Evening News: 'This young man has come on to the street, approached him, and totally unprovoked - they had no connection to each other - has started assaulting him in the head. 'He could not protect himself, as you can see in the video, because he is trying to protect the baby. 'He was taking blows to the head. He did have a lump on his head. He had marks on the back of his neck. 'The baby was admitted to hospital as she has been unwell since the incident. She has been irritable and crying a lot. We are awaiting results of tests. She was shaken quite a bit by what happened. She went to hospital yesterday.' The attack ended when an male relative of Ariella came out of the house to intervene, she added. She said: 'The police were called, the neighbours came out, everyone was completely shocked. 'The lad who made the assault was held by a neighbour until police arrived. The police arrested him, but we are not happy with the outcome. 'They told us it was his first offence he was not charged but got a bit of a slap on the wrist. 'All he has to do is write a letter of apology to the baby's father and to me - and he has been released.' But Morgan, a third year student at the University of Law in Manchester, said she disagrees with the 'punishment' as she said it 'could have ended far worse for the baby'. She continued: 'All the family is quite upset by that. 'Whether he is a first time offender or not the baby is just centimetres away from the punches. If he had hit her God knows what could have happened. 'Watching the video really upset me. As a first time mother it was very distressing. I think there needs to be some debate about this policy for first offenders. 'I think it is wrong, especially in a case like this. It needs to be discussed.' Zaid's sister, Zarah, said: 'My brother was preparing to take my three-month-old niece for their daily walk when a man appeared from behind a car and approached him. 'He instructed my brother to place the baby down. My brother clarified that he was not putting the baby down but rather taking her inside to her mother. 'He began to punch my brother's head repeatedly while he held his baby, just a few centimetres away from her head. This could have resulted in serious injury. 'Fortunately, someone was in the house to intervene, allowing my brother to safely take his niece inside. 'The police were promptly called, and the man was taken into custody within 24 hours. However, he was later released and required to send a letter of apology to my brother and his partner. This was due to him being a first-time offender.' She added that the the 'lack of appropriate action' has left her niece 'traumatised' and that she has been 'crying non-stop' following the incident. 'Her mother is shaken, and her father has sustained physical assault, including lumps and bruises on his head,' she said Initially, GMP said the the matter had been resolved with the attacker being ordered to write letters of apology as part of a conditional caution. However, a force spokesperson said: 'A resolution for this case has not been finalised and investigations are still ongoing. 'A full review of the evidence will take place by a supervisor and a criminal justice outcome will then be decided. 'This decision will be made with the views of the victim fully understood, with an officer reaching out to speak with them today to ensure this position is clear. 'The suspect is currently on police bail and is to return to us in July.'
NZ Herald
29-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Rotorua teen swimmer Ariel Muchirahondo breaks Danyon Loader's 33-year record
In the 200m butterfly, he smashed Danyon Loader's 33-year-old record by over a second, with a time of 2:00.02, and in the 400m individual medley and 200m individual medley broke Luan Grobbelaar's previous records. For his 400m individual medley, Ariel was presented a joint Life Members Trophy for the most outstanding performance in the championships. As well as breaking a Bay of Plenty regional record in every one of his events, Ariel also took out the open age BOP records in 100m backstroke, 200m freestyle, and 200m individual medley, having to be helped out of the pool in that final event. He came home with six gold medals and one silver, and personal best times in every event. Head coach Aidan Withington said the teen reached a new level at the competition. 'This was an outstanding event for Ariel, really just some world-class swims. 'Everything we were targeting and had planned fell into place perfectly.' Ariel said it meant a lot that he could 'get up there and swim faster than some of the greatest swimmers in New Zealand history'. 'It definitely shows me that I do have the potential to keep on improving and getting up there with some of the top swimmers in the world … I might have to start learning some Romanian.' Withington said it was great a provincial club in a town the size of Rotorua had been able to produce a swimmer such as Ariel. 'We are very fortunate to have a great outdoor 50m pool, but it does show that it can be achieved anywhere.' Other outstanding performances by Swim Rotorua athletes included Leo English, 15, who took gold in the 1500m freestyle, the 800m freestyle, the 400m freestyle, and the 200m freestyle despite being sick. Withington said his 1500m freestyle was 'very well executed' and his 200 free was especially exciting, with Leo only taking the lead in the last 50 metres. 'His 100m Freestyle was an awesome finish and he sneaked in to get the bronze.' Leo was 'really proud of getting in there this week and giving it my best'. Withington said Leo and Ariel lifted each other's performance. For three Swim Rotorua swimmers, this was their first National level competition — Noah Lomas, 13, Anaru Ftizell,14, and Giselle Yee, 13. Giselle and Elizabeth Pool, 14, were both finalists in their respective age groups for multiple events, and all four set some strong new personal best times. Noah had some outstanding swims, for his first [national age groups], with an 'especially well-executed' 200 backstroke, taking gold. He set personal best times and qualified for finals in all eight of his events, ending the week with two silver medals in 50m and 100m backstroke as well as the gold. Leonard Rankin, 16, also set some solid new personal bests and competed in the 4x50m freestyle relay with Ariel. Leo and Kai Jung-Ishida and the team placed 5th. With only eight swimmers at the NZ Swimming National Age Group Championships, Swim Rotorua came home with 15 medals and placed 10th in the country. Withington was very happy with the team's performance overall. 'We have been working towards this event since September last year, and had over 150 national swimmers from six clubs train with us in January.' This is the first time Swim Rotorua had placed in the top 10 clubs. Withington hoped to stay in the top 10 and continue to grow the numbers and opportunities for all the members of the club.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia's glide bombs were unstoppable – but Ukraine has made them useless
In a single week in September 2024, Russia dropped more than 900 glide bombs along its 800-mile front line with Ukraine, according to Ukrainian estimates. Ukraine was almost powerless to stop the long-range weapons – and the consequences were devastating. Known as Russia's 'miracle weapon', glide bombs would routinely be used to wipe out key Ukrainian targets, from logistics bases to army headquarters. Fitted with wings and satellite-aided navigation, each weighed as much as three tons. However, 12 months later, Russia's glide bombs are effectively useless, owing to the sudden success of Ukrainian radio jammers. Fighterbomber, a Telegram channel run by an anonymous Russian pilot, said Ukrainian jammers had 'saturated the front line', blocking the glide bombs' internal navigation systems. 'All satellite-guided correction systems have left the chat,' the pilot said. Credit: Russian Ministry of Defence That does not mean Russia has stopped dropping glide bombs. But they are often turned into duds, landing in fields far from their intended targets, rather than smashing into Ukrainian reserve forces or an army division's headquarters. Jammers – which can take the form of individual decoys or form part of a jet's wider defence system, as with western-made F16s – block enemy systems by emitting interfering signals. According to Fighterbomber, it now often takes as many as 16 glide bombs to hit a single target. Just months ago, Kyiv appeared helpless to stop the bombs. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's former foreign minister, told the Financial Times at the end of 2024 that 'you cannot jam [glide bombs], you cannot hide from them'. Mr Withington told The Telegraph the Russian glide bombs 'should have been designed and outfitted with a robust global navigation system, which receives an encrypted signal and should be resistant to jamming'. 'To put it bluntly, Russian glide bombs should not be getting jammed,' Tom Withington, a weapons expert at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, explained. This means that either the Russian glide bombs were so poorly designed that they are susceptible to jamming, or Ukraine has found ways to overcome protections built into the weapons. Given that Russia had been successfully using glide bombs for several months, it is more likely to be the latter. It is a significant development, given the devastation the bombs were causing as recently as November, helping Russian troops make their fastest advance since the war began. Their new ineffectiveness may have contributed towards the fact that Russian advances slowed for the third month in a row in February. The news will challenge Donald Trump and JD Vance's belief that Kyiv has no chance of pushing Russia back or maintaining its current positions. And the impact on the front line could be significant, degrading Russia's ability to attack Ukraine at its rear, which has been a key part of the Kremlin's strategy of attrition. Before sending in hordes of soldiers, Russian forces are known for launching intense bombardments to weaken Ukrainian positions, creating confusion and inflicting initial casualties along the front line. 'Now, Ukraine is preventing Russia from being able to hit targets reliably behind the front line. [Moscow] can't affect Ukrainian command and control, or disrupt logistics, meaning their forces can't move at pace and manoeuvre in a way they desire along the battlefield,' Mr Withington explained. There is concern that Ukraine's progress with jamming, and across the battlefield, may be undermined by Mr Trump's recent decision to pause all military aid and intelligence for Kyiv. Europe has vowed to fill the void where necessary but experts have said it will be difficult for Ukraine to carry on fighting effectively beyond this summer, without US support. But a source told The Telegraph that Ukraine's European allies have already engaged with electronic warfare companies about whether they might ensure Kyiv's jamming capabilities are maintained. The pause in US aid and intelligence came amid reports that Ukraine has recently found success along the eastern front, reclaiming key positions and inflicting 'unsustainable losses' on Russia. On March 1 alone, Russia is thought to have lost 1,340 soldiers to death or injury, according to Ukrainian military estimates. Ukrainian forces have advanced against Russian troops close to the major eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Toretsk, reclaiming some crucial positions, according to war bloggers. However, the jamming of glide bombs is not a silver bullet, nor is it necessarily the primary reason for Russia's slowing advances or Ukraine's increasing success. 'Any tactical advantage is a culmination of a number of factors… All technological advances like these are usually temporary,' Mr Withington said. And it is not only Ukraine that has had success with weapons-jamming. Ruslan Leviev, a military analyst at Conflict Intelligence Team, told The Telegraph that Russian jamming had forced Ukraine to stop using a number of weapons. Mr Leviev said: 'The impact of Russian jamming systems has been noted multiple times in this war. Because of them, the supply of high-precision Excalibur artillery shells was halted.' The Excalibur is a US-supplied GPS-guided artillery shell. Ukraine's increasing success in jamming, a form of electronic warfare (EW), is not limited to glide bombs but also applies to drones. Ukraine is increasingly able to intercept Shahed drones and turn them back into Russian or Belarusian airspace. Innovations in Ukraine's EW interference mean that the majority of Russian drones are intercepted, lost, or turned astray, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank. Some 38 Russian Shahed drones entered Belarusian airspace on Nov 25, forcing Minsk to scramble several fighter jets in response. Of the 110 Shahed drones and decoys launched at Ukraine on Dec 1 and Dec 2, 50 were lost due to EW interference and 52 more were shot down, according to Petro Chernyk, a Ukrainian military expert. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Russia's glide bombs were unstoppable – but Ukraine has made them useless
In a single week in September 2024, Russia dropped more than 900 glide bombs along its 800-mile front line with Ukraine, according to Ukrainian estimates. Ukraine was almost powerless to stop the long-range weapons – and the consequences were devastating. Known as Russia's 'miracle weapon', glide bombs would routinely be used to wipe out key Ukrainian targets, from logistics bases to army headquarters. Fitted with wings and satellite-aided navigation, each weighed as much as three tons. However, 12 months later, Russia's glide bombs are effectively useless, owing to the sudden success of Ukrainian radio jammers. Fighterbomber, a Telegram channel run by an anonymous Russian pilot, said Ukrainian jammers had 'saturated the front line', blocking the glide bombs' internal navigation systems. 'All satellite-guided correction systems have left the chat,' the pilot said. That does not mean Russia has stopped dropping glide bombs. But they are often turned into duds, landing in fields far from their intended targets, rather than smashing into Ukrainian reserve forces or an army division's headquarters. Jammers – which can take the form of individual decoys or form part of a jet's wider defence system, as with western-made F16s – block enemy systems by emitting interfering signals. According to Fighterbomber, it now often takes as many as 16 glide bombs to hit a single target. Just months ago, Kyiv appeared helpless to stop the bombs. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's former foreign minister, told the Financial Times at the end of 2024 that 'you cannot jam [glide bombs], you cannot hide from them'. Mr Withington told The Telegraph the Russian glide bombs 'should have been designed and outfitted with a robust global navigation system, which receives an encrypted signal and should be resistant to jamming'. 'To put it bluntly, Russian glide bombs should not be getting jammed,' Tom Withington, a weapons expert at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, explained. This means that either the Russian glide bombs were so poorly designed that they are susceptible to jamming, or Ukraine has found ways to overcome protections built into the weapons. Given that Russia had been successfully using glide bombs for several months, it is more likely to be the latter. It is a significant development, given the devastation the bombs were causing as recently as November, helping Russian troops make their fastest advance since the war began. Their new ineffectiveness may have contributed towards the fact that Russian advances slowed for the third month in a row in February. The news will challenge Donald Trump and JD Vance's belief that Kyiv has no chance of pushing Russia back or maintaining its current positions. And the impact on the front line could be significant, degrading Russia's ability to attack Ukraine at its rear, which has been a key part of the Kremlin's strategy of attrition. Before sending in hordes of soldiers, Russian forces are known for launching intense bombardments to weaken Ukrainian positions, creating confusion and inflicting initial casualties along the front line. 'Now, Ukraine is preventing Russia from being able to hit targets reliably behind the front line. [Moscow] can't affect Ukrainian command and control, or disrupt logistics, meaning their forces can't move at pace and manoeuvre in a way they desire along the battlefield,' Mr Withington explained. There is concern that Ukraine's progress with jamming, and across the battlefield, may be undermined by Mr Trump's recent decision to pause all military aid and intelligence for Kyiv. Europe has vowed to fill the void where necessary but experts have said it will be difficult for Ukraine to carry on fighting effectively beyond this summer, without US support. But a source told The Telegraph that Ukraine's European allies have already engaged with electronic warfare companies about whether they might ensure Kyiv's jamming capabilities are maintained. The pause in US aid and intelligence came amid reports that Ukraine has recently found success along the eastern front, reclaiming key positions and inflicting 'unsustainable losses' on Russia. On March 1 alone, Russia is thought to have lost 1,340 soldiers to death or injury, according to Ukrainian military estimates. Ukrainian forces have advanced against Russian troops close to the major eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Toretsk, reclaiming some crucial positions, according to war bloggers. However, the jamming of glide bombs is not a silver bullet, nor is it necessarily the primary reason for Russia's slowing advances or Ukraine's increasing success. 'Any tactical advantage is a culmination of a number of factors… All technological advances like these are usually temporary,' Mr Withington said. And it is not only Ukraine that has had success with weapons-jamming. Ruslan Leviev, a military analyst at Conflict Intelligence Team, told The Telegraph that Russian jamming had forced Ukraine to stop using a number of weapons. Mr Leviev said: 'The impact of Russian jamming systems has been noted multiple times in this war. Because of them, the supply of high-precision Excalibur artillery shells was halted.' The Excalibur is a US-supplied GPS-guided artillery shell. Ukraine's increasing success in jamming, a form of electronic warfare (EW), is not limited to glide bombs but also applies to drones. Ukraine is increasingly able to intercept Shahed drones and turn them back into Russian or Belarusian airspace. Innovations in Ukraine's EW interference mean that the majority of Russian drones are intercepted, lost, or turned astray, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank. Some 38 Russian Shahed drones entered Belarusian airspace on Nov 25, forcing Minsk to scramble several fighter jets in response. Of the 110 Shahed drones and decoys launched at Ukraine on Dec 1 and Dec 2, 50 were lost due to EW interference and 52 more were shot down, according to Petro Chernyk, a Ukrainian military expert.
