World 10
Ashburton Guardian
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
www.guardianonline.co.nz
■ BRITAIN
IS claims attacks Twelve people have now been arrested as part of a widening terrorism investigation after three attackers used a van and large knives to turn a balmy London evening into a bloodbath with seven dead and scores injured. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack on London Bridge and the nearby Borough Market, marking the third terrorist attack in the UK in three months and the second in two weeks. Three Australians were caught up in the attack, including Brisbane woman Candice Hedge, 34, who is recovering in hospital after her throat was slashed. British Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain must now toughen up on stamping out Islamist extremism and has proposed regulating cyberspace, adding that Britain has been far too tolerant of extremism. “It is time to say, enough is enough,” May said. With the UK national elections due on June 8, the country’s major political parties temporarily suspended campaigning but May says the vote will take place as scheduled because “violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process”. The assault unfolded in a few terrifying minutes when a rented van veered off the road and ploughed into pedestrians on busy London Bridge. Three men then got out of the vehicle with large knives and attacked people at bars and restaurants in nearby Borough Market until they were shot dead by police. “They went ‘This is for Allah,’ and they had a woman on the floor. They were stabbing her,” one witness Gerard Vowls said. Florin Morariu, a Romanian chef who works in the Bread Ahead bakery, said he saw people running and some fainting.
Attacks ‘evil slaughter’ President Donald Trump has called the London attacks an “evil slaughter” and says the United States will do everything it can in its power to assist the United Kingdom to bring those responsible to justice. “This bloodshed must end. This bloodshed will end,” Trump said in brief remarks after a gala event yesterday at Ford’s Theater in Washington. On Sunday, attackers killed at least seven people by ramming a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbing revellers in nearby bars. Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call. Earlier, London Mayor Sadiq Khan hit back at Trump after the US president accused him of suggesting that people should not be “alarmed” by terror attacks on the capital. - PAA
Zoo farewells sloth Adelaide Zoo has said goodbye to possibly the world’s oldest sloth with the death of Miss C on Friday. The Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth was born at the zoo in 1974, making her well over 40 when vets took the tough decision to euthanise her because of mounting health issues. Most two-toed sloths in the wild only live for about 10-to-12 years. “Miss C truly was a phenomenal creature and believed to be the oldest of her kind in the world,” zoo curator Phil Ainsley said yesterday. - AAP
Police officers on duty stand next to floral tributes on Southwark Street in London. PHOTO AP Then two people approached another person and “began to stick the knife in ... and then I froze and I didn’t know what to do.” He said he managed to get near one attacker and “hit him around the head” with a bread basket. “There was a car with a loudspeaker saying ‘go, go’ and they (police) threw a grenade. ... and then I ran,” he said. London police said officers killed the attackers within eight minutes of arriving at the scene. Eight officers fired some 50 rounds, said Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the force’s head of counterterrorism. Islamic State’s statement from its Amaq
news agency claimed the group’s “fighters” were responsible, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. IS has urged supporters to weaponise vehicles in attacks against the West. The three attackers on Sunday were wearing what appeared to be suicide belts, but the belts turned out to be fake. Investigators were working to determine whether others assisted them, Rowley said. Forty-eight people, including two police officers, were treated at hospitals. Twentyone remained in critical condition on Sunday. Among the wounded were German, French and Spanish citizens, officials said. - AP
Brisbane woman survives A Brisbane woman badly wounded when one of the London terrorists slashed her throat in Sunday’s deadly attack is recovering after emergency surgery. Candice Hedge, 34, who has been living in the UK for about a year, was working as a waitress in the Borough Markets area where the attack occurred and is recovering in St Thomas’ Hospital. “Hey everyone, just so you know im doing ok. Bit of pain but I will survive. Thanks for your thoughts and well wishes. Love to all,” she said in a Facebook post. Her mother, Kim Del Toro, said her daughter had contacted her via Skype after the surgery. “It’s terrible – I didn’t really speak to her because she couldn’t say too much, but it’s just really good to know she’s going to be OK,” she said. Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath hopes to visit Ms Hedge on Friday. “It’s difficult to get through to the hospital because they are just overwhelmed by the number of victims,” she said. A witness to the Borough Markets attack said one of the terrorists cut Ms Hedge’s throat while she was trying to hide under a table. “The girl was bleeding massively, but she was conscious ... there was a lot of blood, and it was clear on the neck, which was scary,” he said. Ms Hedge was one of three Australians, including Darwin electrician Andrew Morrison, known to have been caught up in the deadly rampage that started on London Bridge.
Dan Akroyd
Akroyd speaks out During the controversy surrounding last year’s all-female Ghostbusters remake, the film had one powerful and vocal ally: Dan Aykroyd, who wrote and starred in the original 1984 film. While many fans railed against the divisive remake, Aykroyd gave it his seal of approval, even appearing in the film in a cameo role. Now, almost one year on from the movie’s release, Aykroyd is less glowing in his praise. The 64-year-old star saved his harshest criticism for director Paul Feig. “I was really happy with the movie, but it cost too much,” he revealed. “And Sony does not like to lose money. It made a lot of money around the world but just cost too much, making it economically not feasible to do another one. So that’s too bad – the director, he spent too much on it,” he said. - NZME
Grace Palmer
Palmer reveals all
Police patrol as forensic police collect evidence in the London Bridge area of London. PHOTO AP Seven people were killed and 48 wounded when three men launched the attack. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has spoken with Ms Hedge’s father, while Mr Morrison is believed to be making his way back to Australia. - AAP
Grace Palmer has opened up about her time on Shortland Street after her character’s death last week, revealing why she left. Speaking to Woman’s Day, Palmer said the reason she left the show was to find something new and exciting to sink her teeth into. “I got to the point where I’d find myself watching a series on Netflix that I’d be hugely motivated by – it would really ignite a fire in me – and I’d sit there thinking, ‘That right there, that’s what I want to do’,” she said. Palmer has already landed a new gig and has begun filming on Maori TV’s Tongue Tied, alongside Lisa Chappell. - NZME