| Stewardesses dance - it's Odd Box Dancing stewardesses, a very big book and President Obama's podium malfunction. It's the week's weird and wonderful video stories in Newsbeat's Odd Box with Dominic Byrne. bbc.co.uk |
Cars that drive themselves 'on motorways in 10 years' Cars which drive themselves could be on the motorways in 10 years, scientists said. telegraph.co.uk |
7/7 inquest: Survivor breaks down as he recalls struggle to help Aldgate injured Colin Pettet tells inquest into London bombings how he tried to assist three people blown onto tracks by force of blastA survivor of the 7/7 Aldgate tube bomb broke down today as he told how injured passengers screaming in pain had begged him for help before the arrival of the emergency services.Colin Pettet described how he struggled to find help for Thelma Stober, one of three people he found on the tracks as he made his way along the tunnel."She was screaming to me that she was dying. She was in a lot of pain. Her back was killing her and she was getting cold."He asked the "hundreds of people" passing him if anyone had any medical training, but no one stopped. He then asked for a coat and placed it over Stober, who lost a leg but survived her injuries.His voice cracking, Pettet told the inquests into the 52 people who died in the 7 July attacks, being held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, how he had tried to find a pulse on one of two men he came across on the tracks. He was forced to pause for a moment before resuming his evidence. He said: "I tried to get a pulse from him and couldn't find a pulse on his neck or on his hands or on his arms." The man had been lying face down on the tracks, with his clothes blown off.A third man on the tracks, covered in soot and dirt and with all but his boxer shorts blown off by the blast, had been staring into space, he said. He tried to talk to the man but he was unresponsive and in shock, he said.As he moved between the three passengers to assess their condition, he heard someone else screaming at him, a woman inside the bombed carriage, he said."She obviously saw me walking around outside and she just kept screaming for me to come over, so I went over to her and she was just begging me to get her out of the carriage."A senior policeman also broke down as he described his attempts to save lives in the "absolute mayhem" of the 7/7 attacks. Detective Inspector Ian Baker of the British Transport Police was the first officer in charge of the emergency response to the bombing at Aldgate. He said: "It is very, very difficult to make an operational decision ... when you have got absolute mayhem in front of you and people dying."Patrick Gibbs, QC, counsel for the British Transport Police, asked Baker: "Some people like to talk about terrible things and others tend to keep it inside. What have you done?"Baker replied: "I've just kept it." At this, he bowed his head and broke down, wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief.7 July London attacksLondonUK security and terrorismKaren McVeighguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
What are you not allowed to say? Howard Flight and Lord Young have joined a long list of people who have realised there are some things you can't say. So when and why is an utterance likely to get you in trouble? bbc.co.uk |
Philip Green to be target of corporate tax avoidance protest • UK Uncut challenge billionaire Cameron efficiency adviser • 'Tax avoidance' protest focuses on Green's Arcadia's storesSir Philip Green, the retail billionaire and efficiency adviser to the government, is to become the target of a nationwide campaign by protesters opposed to government cuts and alleged tax avoidance.High street stores belonging to the businessman's group, including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge, will be among those that protesters focus on in the run-up to Christmas.Plans to disrupt Arcadia Group stores were devised by UK Uncut, a fast-expanding group of activists who have closed down more than 30 Vodafone shops in the past six weeks by mobilising through social networks.UK Uncut's Twitter hashtag, #ukuncut, has become the rallying point for opponents of the government's austerity cuts. It was used widely by protesters who this month clashed with police during two large demonstrations against the proposed increase in student tuition fees.The group started up when activists decided to target Vodafone on 27 October, claiming that the company had avoided £6bn in tax, an allegation denied by Vodafone. The protest, organised through Twitter, went viral and over some weeks more stores closed.About 20 UK Uncut activists met several times before deciding to make Green a target. They plan to call on activists to approach shops in the Arcadia Group, as well as Vodafone, from Saturday. They intend to start by congregating at Green's flagship store, Topshop, in London's Oxford Circus. In a sign of UK Uncut's expanding popularity, they have secured the backing of the Jubilee Debt Campaign, and of War on Want, two mainstream anti-poverty campaigns with almost 30,000 supporters between them.Activists hope a campaign against Green's retail empire will drive a wedge between David Cameron, who selected him to review efficiency in Whitehall, and the prime minister's Lib Dem partners, who are calling for action against tax avoiders.Green's document, published in October, reported "shocking" wastage in the government's procurement strategy. However, his suitability as a government adviser was questioned because of his alleged tax avoidance. The businessman banked the biggest pay cheque in corporate history in 2005 when his Arcadia fashion business, which owns Topshop, paid a £1.2bn dividend. The record-breaking payment went to his wife, Tina, who lives in Monaco and is the direct owner of Arcadia. Because of this arrangement no UK income tax was due on the gain.Richard Murphy, director of Tax Research UK, estimated Green saved £285m by paying the dividend to his wife.Arcadia's holding company is Taveta Investments, which paid £71m in tax in the last financial year. Beyond Taveta, based behind Oxford Street, London, the ownership trail goes offshore via a Jersey-based investment vehicle called Taveta Ltd.Arcadia has declined to comment about the planned protests or alleged tax avoidance. Green previously said the tax issue was not "relevant" to a discussion about his suitability to lead a government spending review. "I contribute tens of millions of pounds [to the exchequer]. I employ 45,000 people and pay tens and tens of millions of pounds of tax," he said.Tax avoidance has been estimated by the TUC to have lost exchequer about £25bn in revenue, including £13bn attributed to individuals."Philip Green is a tax avoider, and yet is regarded by David Cameron as an appropriate man to advise the government on austerity," said UK Uncut's spokesman, 26-year-old Daniel Garvin. "His missing millions need to be reclaimed and invested into public services not into his wife's bank account."ProtestSir Philip GreenTax avoidanceCorporate governanceCuts and closuresRetail industrySpending review 2010Tax and spendingMatthew TaylorPaul LewisAdam Gabbattguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |