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The Herald Scotland
27-06-2025
- The Herald Scotland
'I was hospitalised by a flying cone under Edinburgh bridge'
He tells The Herald: "I didn't have a clue what had happened, I put my hand on the back of my head and blood was going everywhere. 'My mate heard the noise and turned round and the cone was right next to me, so someone had clearly thrown it off the George IV bridge. Read More: 'There are loads of cones around there for the Pride parade, someone's just thrown one off and it's cracked me in the head. 'The security in Dropkicks put the gloves on and helped me out, got me some water, and then Street Assist and the police arrived and helped clean me up, the police took statements and then my sister came and picked me up and took me to the Royal Infirmary because the ambulance was going to be eight hours or something. 'I've got staples in my head and I'm getting scans because I can't really turn my head, my neck is completely jiggered. 'I can't work with it, which is kind of an issue. "I'm going to have a five-six centimetre gash across the top of my head, a scar. 'I don't know what my neck is going to be like long-term but I can't hold my head up so I'm sitting on the couch all day with my head resting. 'The four things I do are walk the dog, go to the gym, play golf and then go to work and at the minute I can't do any of them. It's a nightmare, but it could have been a lot worse. 'I'm 6ft 1in, I'm quite big, I think if it was anyone smaller or more frail it would have been a lot worse.' George IV bridge in Edinburgh (Image: Wikimedia) In November 2006 Australian national Andrew Smith threw a cone off the bridge which struck Irish student Kate Flannery, leaving her with a fractured skull and three broken vertebrae as well as damage to her spinal cord, which left her arms and legs paralysed for several months. Following widespread media coverage and appeals by police, he turned himself in and was ordered to carry out community service having shown "genuine remorse". In 2011 an appeal for witnesses was put out after a 10kg bag of sand was hurled from the bridge, and in the same year a student was fined £500 for throwing a cone off the bridge. Mr Ward though says he has struggled to get answers from police about their investigations, with no media appeal issued and no update given to him. He said: "I haven't heard from them. 'I've asked them twice for updates and they haven't got back in touch. I phoned them on Sunday because they wanted to know an exact time for the incident and I obviously didn't really know what was going on at the time but I went back and checked my FitBit and got the exact time of the impact from that. 'I phoned to let them know and they said the person who would be investigating it isn't on until next week. So I sent a big email in on Sunday night to ask if I could be updated by someone to know if they'd been looking at CCTV to find who did it and I've not heard anything back. "I've spoken to two people who used to run a bar on that bridge and they've told the police that something should be done, a netting or something, because it's happening quite a lot. 'There's been a few times where people have thrown stuff but it's not actually hit anyone, but a couple of times people have been hit and it's been more severe than mine, thankfully, was.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 1.40am on Saturday, 21 June, 2025, we were called to the Merchant Street area of Edinburgh following a report of a man injured from an item thrown from a bridge. 'Emergency services attended and the man was later taken to hospital. 'Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances of this incident and anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 0367 of 21 June, 2025.'
The National
20-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Experts warn Labour set to hike taxes as borrowing hits record figure
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing surged to £17.7 billion last month, the second highest figure on record for May, surpassed only at the height of Covid. May borrowing was £700 million higher than a year earlier, though it was slightly less than the £18bn most economists had been expecting. The higher borrowing came in spite of a surge in the tax take from National Insurance after Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased employer contributions in April. The decision, which was announced in last autumn's budget, has seen wage costs soar for firms across the UK as they also faced a minimum wage rise in the same month. Experts warned the higher borrowing figures raised the chances of tax hikes to come in the budget later this year, with Reeves struggling to meet her self-imposed fiscal rules alongside spending commitments. (Image: Wikimedia) Thomas Pugh, economist at audit and consulting firm RSM UK, said he is predicting tax increases of between £10bn and £20bn. He said: 'The under-performance of the economy and higher borrowing costs mean the Chancellor may already have lost the £9.9bn of fiscal headroom that she clawed back in March. 'Throw in the tough outlook for many Government departments announced in the spending review and U-turns on welfare spending and the Chancellor will probably have to announce some top-up tax increases after the summer.' Danni Hewson, AJ Bell head of financial analysis, said the borrowing figures 'will only add to speculation that the Chancellor will have to announce more spending cuts or further tax increases at the next budget if she wants to meet her fiscal rules and pay for her spending plans'. 'One big shock could wipe out any headroom Rachel Reeves might have, and there are still question marks about how much of GDP [gross domestic product] should be spent on defence and where the money is going to come from,' she added. READ MORE: Labour whip resigns over government's planned disability welfare cuts Borrowing for the first two months of the financial year to date was £37.7bn, £1.6bn more than the same two-month period in 2024, according to the ONS. The data showed so-called compulsory social contributions, largely made up of national insurance contributions (NICs), jumped by £3.9bn or 14.7% to a record £30.2bn in April and May combined. Rob Doody, deputy director for public sector finances, said: 'While receipts were up, thanks partly to higher income tax revenue and national insurance contributions, spending was up more, affected by increased running costs and inflation-linked uplifts to many benefits.' While May's borrowing out-turn was lower than economists were expecting, it was more than the £17.1bn pencilled in by the UK's independent fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), in March. The figures showed that central government tax receipts in May increased by £3.5bn to £61.7bn, while higher NICs saw social contributions rise by £1.8bn to £15.1bn last month alone. Public sector net debt, excluding public sector banks, stood at £2.87 trillion at the end of May and was estimated at 96.4% of GDP, which was 0.5 percentage points higher than a year earlier and remains at levels last seen in the early 1960s. The ONS said the sale of the final tranche of taxpayer shares in NatWest, formerly Royal Bank of Scotland, cut net debt by £800m last month, but did not have an impact on borrowing in the month. Interest payments on debt, which are linked to inflation, fell £700m to £7.6m due to previous falls in the Retail Prices Index (RPI). But recent rises in RPI are expected to see debt interest payments race higher in June. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones insisted the Government had 'stabilised the economy and the public finances'. 'Since taking office, we have taken the right decisions to protect working people, begin repairing the NHS, and fix the foundations to rebuild Britain,' he said.
The Irish Sun
20-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Dozens of children injured after primary school hit with tear gas attack in Berlin in ‘mass casualty incident'
DOZENS of children are reported to have been injured at a Berlin primary school after it was tear-gassed. A total of 37 pupils are suffering symptoms following the incident at Miriam Makeba School. Advertisement 1 Dozens of pupils are reported to be suffering symptoms Credit: Wikimedia The school was evacuated and shut just after 9am today following the incident. Affected pupils are reportedly being treated by emergency services at the scene. Tear gas was sprayed in the hallway of the school building, local media has reported. Students affected complained of shortness of breath and eye irritation. Advertisement A fire department spokesperson told local media that 37 children were affected. "One child had to be transported to a hospital for further medical care," they added. A police spokesperson said that the building has been ventilated and there is no further danger to students and teachers. It comes following Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Breaking As many as 38 children were injured in a horror gas attack at a school. It was reported that an "irritating gas-like substance" was sprayed at the school. A spokesperson for the fire brigade said: "We have triggered a major alarm and prepared the clinics in Dresden and the surrounding area." Numerous children were complaining of breathing difficulties, irritated eyes and intense coughing. Advertisement More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos . Like us on Facebook at
Scottish Sun
20-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Dozens of children injured after primary school hit with tear gas attack in Berlin in ‘mass casualty incident'
Dozens of pupils are reported to be suffering symptoms GAS HORROR Dozens of children injured after primary school hit with tear gas attack in Berlin in 'mass casualty incident' DOZENS of children are reported to have been injured at a Berlin primary school after it was tear-gassed. A total of 37 pupils are suffering symptoms following the incident at Miriam Makeba School. 1 Dozens of pupils are reported to be suffering symptoms Credit: Wikimedia The school was evacuated and shut just after 9am today following the incident. Affected pupils are reportedly being treated by emergency services at the scene. Tear gas was sprayed in the hallway of the school building, local media has reported. Students affected complained of shortness of breath and eye irritation. A fire department spokesperson told local media that 37 children were affected. "One child had to be transported to a hospital for further medical care," they added. A police spokesperson said that the building has been ventilated and there is no further danger to students and teachers. It comes following another incident in Germany at a school in Dresden last year. As many as 38 children were injured in a horror gas attack at a school. It was reported that an "irritating gas-like substance" was sprayed at the school. A spokesperson for the fire brigade said: "We have triggered a major alarm and prepared the clinics in Dresden and the surrounding area." Numerous children were complaining of breathing difficulties, irritated eyes and intense coughing. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
NDTV
13-06-2025
- NDTV
Wikipedia's AI Experiment Fails After Editors' Backlash: "Why Did They..."
Wikipedia has decided to halt its new experiment of AI-generated article summaries after facing criticism from its community of editors, according to a report in TechCrunch. The decision comes over a month after Wikimedia, the nonprofit that runs the online encyclopedia, announced the move, stating it aimed to utilise generative AI in specific areas where it tends to excel. AI-generated summaries appeared at the top of every Wikipedia article with a yellow "unverified" label. Users had to click to expand and read them. The editors, however, almost immediately criticised the new feature, stating it could damage Wikipedia's credibility. Despite being heavily trained on copious amounts of data, AI models are prone to 'hallucinations'. The editors claimed that AI-generated summaries may contain mistakes, further damaging the brand. Previously, the likes of Apple and Bloomberg have run similar experiments but had to step back as mistakes piled up. Reacting to the rollback, social media users said Wikipedia should not have implemented the feature, while others called it out for not utilising the donated money efficiently. "Why did they think anyone would actually want or need an AI-generated summary?" said one user, while another added: "They keep asking for money to stay afloat, and this is how they've used that money? AI? Ugh." A third commented: "The all-consuming rot is finally coming for one of the very last bastions of the old internet and all its promises. I knew we'd get here eventually." Also Read | Black Hole With Powerful Jet Illuminated By Universe's 'Oldest Light' Spotted What did Wikipedia say earlier? Amid concerns that AI could replace the editors, moderators and volunteers, Wikimedia, on April 30, announced the AI integration, claiming it was meant to reduce the workload of its human workforce, who would now focus more on quality control. "We will use AI to build features that remove technical barriers to allow the humans at the core of Wikipedia to spend their valuable time on what they want to accomplish, and not on how to technically achieve it. Our investments will be focused on specific areas where generative AI excels, all in the service of creating unique opportunities that will boost Wikipedia's volunteers," read the statement by Wikimedia. It said AI will also aid editors by assisting in the onboarding process of new volunteers and automating other tedious tasks.
