We landed safely and then he announced that they had some kind of threat from someone and that’s why he landed the plane.A passenger on Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK709 • Discussing the reason the flight was diverted to an airport near London, rather than landing at its expected destination of Manchester, England. Fighter jets guided the plane to safety, and two men were arrested for endangering an aircraft Friday. Despite the nature of the incident, officials are treating the incident as criminal, not terror.
Imagine an industry where every single opponent worked in the same street, competing with each other by day—drinking, brawling, fornicating, night clubbing and cocaine-snorting with each other by night. A street full of the most ruthless and amoral people in the world existed, and it was called Fleet Street.Piers Morgan • Discussing his new Starz TV show, Fleet Street, a new dramatic series about his time working the tabloid journalism circuit in the ’70s. It’s a lot like working on ShortFormBlog now.
We have confidence in London. We put on the Olympics, so we can do this.London Marathon observer Nicola Selwood • Discussing the London Marathon, taking place less than a week after the Boston Marathon bombing incident. Despite this, the incident is going on as planned, though with higher security. As part of the event, a campaign among runners is picking up steam, recommending that, as runners cross the finish line, they put their hands over their hearts.
I would expect it will be significant, which means thousands, not hundreds, but I would not expect it to be the majority.British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond • Discussing the planned troop withdrawals out of Afghanistan next year. Roughly 500 troops will get removed by the end of 2012, leaving about 9,000 still in the country — so based on Hammond’s statement, as many as 4,500 troops will get withdrawn in 2013.
New developments have emerged regarding the possiblity of Julian Assange receiving asylum from Ecuador. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available. source
Update: ABC Australia has issued a statement to clarify their initial report, regarding Julian Assange’s asylum, to say that Ecuador wants to extend the offer but can’t because Assange can’t be guaranteed safe passage.
Sky News can reveal how rioting gang members have stored away firearms ready for further disorder following the unrest in England last month.
Waltham Abbey. BBC. Right now.
The London riots continue for a third night. BBC’s roundup is over here. Evan Fleischer is proving to be one of Tumblr’s best breaking news curators these days. Please follow him.
The British government is under pressure to take up the case of Bradley Manning, the soldier being held in a maximum security military prison in Virginia on suspicion of having passed a massive trove of US state secrets to Wikileaks, on the grounds that he is a UK citizen.
Amnesty International tonight called on the government to intervene on Manning’s behalf and demand that the conditions of his detention, which the organisation calls “harsh and punitive”, are in line with international standards. [read more]
It’s fascinating how something which many might consider a technicality makes Bradley Manning a British citizen, even though he was born in the U.S.
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