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Victims of Aberfan disaster remembered 50 years on
The last child to be pulled alive out of the rubble of the Aberfan disaster has said the tragedy robbed young survivors of their childhood and forced them to grow up “very quickly”. On 21 October 1966, the mining village in south Wales was hit by an avalanche of coal waste which claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults.
Jeff Edwards, who was eight-years-old at the time, had just picked a new library book and walked back to his desk for a maths lesson at Pantglas junior school when the class heard a rumble. Without warning, 1.5 million cubic feet of liquefied slurry from Merthyr Vale Colliery crashed down a hillside, burrying the school and those inside. As memorials begin to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy today, Mr Edwards remembers: “A whole generation was wiped out. There was very few of us that survived and we had to grow up really quickly really. One minute we were innocent going to school looking forward to the half-term holidays and then the next minute we were faced with death on our shoulder. We lost a lot of our
childhood simply because we had no one to play with, most of the children had died.”
A former leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council, Mr Edwards said the anniversary should also be used to remember and thank those who came to the rescue. “Whether it be the emergency services, the miners, everybody and anyone who came along - all the agencies - they actually witnessed some terrible things themselves. We were not the only victims of this disaster. The rescuers were victims as well.”
‘Suspicious item’ found at Underground station blown up by anti-terror police
Counter-terrorism detectives have launched an investigation after a suspicious item was found on a Tube train at North Greenwich Underground station. A controlled detonation was carried out after the alert yesterday morning. The station, which is close to the O2 venue in south-east London, was evacuated, but reopened in the evening, British Transport Police confirmed.
Officers from BTP were called to the station shortly after 11am after staff reported a suspicious item on a train travelling eastbound on the Jubilee Line. A Scotland Yard statement said: “Specialist officers from the Met and BTP are in attendance and a controlled detonation has since taken place to ensure the item is safe. While we are keeping an open mind, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation because it has the expertise to deal with incidents of this kind.” No details of the item were released by the force.
The Met added: “If anyone saw anything suspicious on this particular train or anywhere else we would urge them to call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321, in an emergency always call 999. We are asking travellers to check with Transport for London before starting their journey. We continue to encourage the public to remain vigilant and alert at all times and report anything suspicious to police.” The current threat level for international terrorism in the UK is severe - meaning an attack is “highly likely”.
Fears grow for schoolgirl missing in Lancaster
Police are becoming increasingly concerned about a 15-year-old girl who disappeared after leaving school in Lancaster. Elin Bland has not been seen or heard from since Wednesday afternoon, which detectives say is “extremely out of character”. The teenager was last seen at around midday leaving Chadwick High School, Mainway, in the Skerton area of the city. She was reported missing a short time later after the taxi driver waiting to take her home informed the school she had not turned up.
Elin, of Bay Horse, Lancaster, has not made contact with friends or family since. A spokesman for Lancaster Police said: “Elin left school at her usual time but did not make it to the taxi which was waiting directly outside. She has not been seen or heard from since, which is extremely out of character for her. If you believe you have seen Elin or know where she may be, please get in touch with us as soon as possible. We would urge also Elin, if she sees this appeal, to make contact with either her family or us.”
Elin is described as white, of slim build, with brown eyes and very long, dark brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black jumper, black trousers, a grey hoodie and black shoes. Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting log number 558 of October 19.
New nuclear-powered submarine to be named HMS Dreadnought
Britain’s new nuclear-powered submarine is to be named HMS Dreadnought, it was announced today to coincide with the anniversary of the Royal Navy’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon revealed that the Queen has given her approval for the lead boat to become the latest in a
long line of vessels bearing the name.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), nine Navy vessels have been named Dreadnought previously, including one that sailed with Sir Francis Drake to battle the Spanish Armada in 1588. Another was present with Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and Britain’s first nuclearpowered submarine, launched 56 years ago, also bore the name. Construction began last month on the successor programme, which aims to deliver the largest and the quietest submarine conceived by the Royal Navy, an MoD spokesman said.
Mr Fallon’s announcement coincides with Trafalgar Day, which this year marks the 211th anniversary of Admiral Nelson’s victory against the French and Spanish fleets. He said: “Every day our ballistic missile submarines are used to deter the most extreme threats to Britain’s security. We cannot know what dangers we might face in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s, so we are building the new Dreadnought class. Along with increasing the defence budget to buy new ships, more planes and armoured vehicles, this commitment shows we will never gamble with our security.”
‘New continent’ of molecules could improve understanding of immune system
Thousands of “overlooked” immune system molecules may have potential in immunotherapy and vaccine development, scientists have said. The UK researchers believe the discovery is akin to finding a “new continent”.
The molecules are small fragments of proteins from foreign bodies and malfunctioning or infected cells that are displayed like flags on cell surfaces. If these “epitopes” are recognised as foreign or “wrong” by the immune system, the cells or bacteria bearing them are attacked and destroyed. Scientists conducting the new study identified thousands of previously unknown epitopes of a type once thought to be rare. The findings, published in the journal Science, could improve understanding of the immune system and provide new targets for immunotherapy or vaccine drugs.
Professor Michael Stump, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, said: “It’s as if a geographer would tell you they had discovered a new continent, or an astronomer would say they had found a new planet in the solar system. And just as with those discoveries, we have a lot of exploring to do. This could lead to not only a deeper understanding of how the immune system operates, but also suggests new avenues for therapies and drug and vaccine development.”