Hero officer describes fight with London Bridge attackers

A hero police officer who fought all three London Bridge attackers with only his baton says there was "instant darkness" when he was stabbed in the head by one of the terrorists.

PC Wayne Marques, 38, had not long begun a night shift when he heard screams.

After spotting customers and bouncers at a nearby bar standing "like deers in the headlights", he knew something was wrong.

Initially he thought it was pub fight or a gang fight "at the most".

But he soon witnessed people being attacked in Borough High Street.

PC Marques said: "I don't remember everything that happened that night. Part of my memory is still in patches.

"I remember being on patrol. Me and my colleague were on London Bridge Street.

"I heard a female's scream. It was definitely a woman's scream. I heard one scream that sort of echoed and made its way up London Bridge Street, on my left hand side.

"So I looked down the street and I couldn't see who was screaming.

"But what did attract my attention is that there is a little restaurant that becomes a club and a restaurant at weekends, called Tito's.

"I remember the bouncers and the people in the queue, the people having a cigarette.

"Every single one of them, they were like statues."

Image:PC Marques fought all three attackers with only his baton

PC Marques continued: "I remember grabbing my baton with my right hand and I racked (extended) it.

"I took a deep breath and I just charged the first one (attacker).

"As I got near him I swung at him with everything I had as hard as I could, straight through his head, trying to go for like a knock-out blow."

He heard the attacker "yelp in pain".

PC Marques, who was stabbed numerous times, had major injuries to his head, left hand and left leg.

He has recovered his sight after being wounded just above the right eye.

Discussing that horrific injury, PC Marques said: "He'd hit me so hard that my right eye went lights out straight away. I just went blind."

He believes the fight, in which he was set upon by all three attackers, lasted for up to 90 seconds.

"The second one and the third one, I was basically fighting left to right," he said, "because I only had one eye so I'm moving left to right, left to right."

At that stage the first attacker stabbed him in the leg.

"I'm thinking, 'S***, there's a knife in my leg while I'm fighting the second one and the third one,"' he said.

After he'd been stabbed in the hand he remembered little except "swinging (my baton) all over the place".

Regarding his injuries, PC Marques said he "didn't realise how badly I was hurt".

He added: "The adrenaline, the fighting, all of that, I could feel what they were doing to me but I couldn't feel it at the same time.

"I could just feel that I'd been cut and hurt."

Donald Trump's bid to replace Obamacare dealt blow as healthcare bill vote delayed

Donald Trump has suffered an embarrassing setback on a key campaign pledge after Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell delayed a vote on his legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The draft bill was meant to mollify moderates and hardliners in the Republican Party, but opposition quickly mounted on both sides.

The news that 22 million would lose health insurance coverage, from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), dealt a major blow.

The Republican bill now will not be considered until after the Senate's week-long 4 July recess.

There are deep ideological divides in the discussion of the bill.

Image:Trump and members of Congress discuss the Affordable Care Act

For hardline Republicans, the plan did not go far enough.

They demanded states be allowed to waive a ban on insurance companies charging sick people more, and they wanted states to be given the chance to opt out more easily.

Moderate Republicans, however, felt it went too far. They wanted more investment in mental health and addiction programmes.

The draft bill struggled from the outset. Three Republican senators said they would vote against the motion to begin debate before it even hit the Senate floor. With the party requiring 50 votes to push the bill through, it could only afford to lose two. Many more members expressed reservations.

The legislation was drafted in secret and the President largely took a back seat. But minutes before news broke of an imminent delay, the White House scrambled to invite senators to discuss the issues.

A bus waited outside the capitol and at the same time Mr McConnell told reporters he would work to get more on side.

Image:Donald Trump with families whose insurance premiums reportedly rose after the Affordable Care Act

That olive branch came too late for any legislative progress. Mr Trump is learning just how difficult and complicated healthcare is.

Unlike the first House bill, the Senate did not wait for the floor to debate before pulling the plug. The stakes are high and some senators have already said they cannot see themselves being swayed.

Mr Trump will likely try to remind them of their promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, but Republicans are quickly realising that owning healthcare is not easy.

If they win, they know they will still have to spend years defending taking away health insurance from tens of millions of Americans.

But they cannot afford to walk away empty handed. If they struggle to pass this, making headway on tax reform and infrastructure will be even harder.

Cholera breaks out in IS-Philippines war zone in Marawi

The first cases of cholera have been recorded in emergency shelters for families fleeing the conflict in the southern Philippines city of Marawi.

Almost a quarter of a million people have been forced to leave their homes, as the fight against IS-linked militants enters its second month.

Tens of thousands are now living in crowded evacuation centres, where the regional health secretary told Sky News conditions are "below the threshold of any human being".

The cholera cases have been isolated, but he said there was particular concern over the potential for the spread of Malaria and Dengue Fever, which is known to be a problem in Marawi.

"We want a regular uninterrupted supply of clean water, toilets for them to use, and of course decent living conditions," Kadil Sinolinding, Secretary of Health for Mindanao, told Sky News.

More than three thousand people are living at the centre, we saw four working toilets.

"The evacuation centre is way below the threshold of any human being," Mr Sinolinding said.

"But people content themselves. We are surviving. We are all survivors here."

The small rural clinic where he spoke has become a basic hospital.

We watched as a young boy was rushed in with a head injury.

He had fallen outside in the rain. He needed stitches, but was otherwise okay.

In a quiet corner, a mother sat comforting her son on a camp-bed as he was treated for severe dehydration.

Nearby one-year-old Abdul Salam Acmad was attached to a drip, suffering from diarrhoea, which can be especially dangerous in young children.

The nurses said his family had walked the three miles here from Marawi.

We were told four children died from the symptoms of diarrhoea before they could reach medical help after escaping the city.

Three were two years old or younger.

London Eye and Waterloo Pier evacuated after authorities find World War-era bomb

Cordons have been lifted after the London Eye and Waterloo Pier were evacuated following the reported discovery of a World War-era bomb.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard has reportedly confirmed authorites have found a bomb from World War I or II in the Thames near the tourist hotspot.

People on the London Eye were told to evacuate immediately.

One Twitter user posted that she had been asked to disembark the London Eye ten minutes after the discovery was found.

"So we barely made it on the #londoneye before everyone was evacuated. News, anyone?"

The official Thames Clipper service twitter account announced that the London Eye Pier had been re-opened after an hour, and apologised for the inconvenience.

It said the boat service would resume as per the timetable.

The area also features the popular London Aquarium and the sites see close to 4 million visitors every year.

148 dead as Pakistan oil tanker crashes and explodes

At least 148 people - including children - have been killed after an oil tanker carrying 40,000 litres of fuel flipped over and burst into flames on a highway in Pakistan.

Residents had flocked to the tanker with jerry cans, buckets and other containers to collect leaking fuel from it after it overturned.

It was travelling from the southern port city of Karachi to Lahore when the driver lost control and it crashed near the city of Bahawalpur at around 6.30am.

Some reports suggested the tanker had suffered a burst tyre. The driver survived and is in custody.

Image:Large plumes of black smoke could be seen from a distance

Police had tried to seal off the area but became overwhelmed by the scores of people trying to reach the vehicle.

Officials said many of the victims were beyond recognition and that DNA tests were being carried out to identify the dead, adding that the number of fatalities was likely to rise.

The fire erupted after an oil tanker turned over and "victims rushed to collect spilt fuel", senior local government official Rana Mohammad Saleem Afzal told state television.

Image:It took firefighters around two hours to put out the blaze

He said residents were told about the leaking oil tanker over a loudspeaker at a local mosque.

"After about 10 minutes the tanker exploded in a huge fireball and enveloped the people collecting petrol. It was not clear how the fire started," said regional police chief Raja Riffat.

"According to the initial reports, somebody tried to light a cigarette. The spilt fuel caught fire, leading to the tanker's explosion," Jam Sajjad Hussain, spokesman for the rescue services, added.

Officials said around 140 others were injured in the explosion and were airlifted to nearby hospitals by army helicopters, some in a critical condition having suffered more than 80% burns to their bodies.

Image:Around 140 people were injured in the blast and taken to hospital

Flames and large plumes of black smoke could be seen from a distance as firefighters battled the blaze for two hours before it was out.

Witnesses described seeing the charred ruins of up to 30 motorbikes that had carried residents to the crash site.

Almost a dozen other vehicles were also destroyed by the inferno.

The tragedy happened on the eve of Eid ul-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Pakistan.

Image:The oil tanker crashed and burst into flames near the city of Bahawalpur

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his grief and ordered provincial leaders to ensure victims received "full medical assistance".

Pakistan has a poor record of fatal traffic accidents due to bad road conditions, poorly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

In 2015, more than 60 people, including children, died when the bus they were travelling in collided with an oil tanker.

The Queen reported to West Yorkshire Police for 'not wearing seat belt'

The Queen has been reported to West Yorkshire Police for not wearing a seat belt in the official car for the State Opening of Parliament.

A 999 call was made by someone saying the monarch was not strapped in while being driven through London.

The phone call was confirmed in a tweet by the West Yorkshire force, which added the hashtags #not999 #notevenwestyorkshire.

Civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Queen in UK law.

Live updates and more stories from Yorkshire

The Queen travelled to Westminster alongside Prince Charles for the formal start of the Parliamentary year.

Her press office said it would not comment on the tweet.

Tom Donohoe, of West Yorkshire Police, said too often 999 calls were made for non emergencies.

"I cannot stress enough that the 999 number is for emergencies only," he said, adding that the force typically received more than 1,000 emergency calls a day.

It has previously published a list of inappropriate 999 calls that have taken up police time, including a fly being in a bedroom and a mouse on the loose.

As for the law regarding seat belts, the government website says: "You must wear a seat belt if one is fitted in the seat you are using."

It adds you can be fined £500 for not doing so, but there are some exceptions such as drivers reversing or a vehicle being used by police, fire or rescue services.

The Royal Family website says "the Queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law".

Insulation boards used on Grenfell Tower block withdrawn by firm

The insulating product used to clad Grenfell Tower before a disastrous fire will no longer be used on high-rise buildings, the manufacturer has said.

Celotex, which manufactures the RS5000 insulation boards used in the block's rainscreen cladding, says it is ceasing supply of the product in buildings over 18m tall immediately.

The firm had previously advertised on its website that "Celotex RS5000... is suitable for buildings above 18m".

The inferno at 24-storey Grenfell Tower in north Kensington left 79 dead or missing presumed dead.

Nine victims have so far been formally identified.

Earlier on Friday, police said tests had been carried out on both the cladding tiles and the insulation used in the refit of the tower and they "don't pass any safety tests".

Officers also revealed that the insulation was also found to be more flammable than the cladding tiles.

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said: "What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests."

Late on Friday, Celotex posted an update on its website that said: "In view of the focus on rainscreen cladding systems and the insulation forming part of them, Celotex believes that the right thing to do is to stop the supply of Celotex RS5000 for rainscreen cladding systems in buildings over 18 metres tall with immediate effect, including in
respect of ongoing projects, pending further clarity."