The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) and Rape Crisis England and Wales have teamed up to build awareness of the possibility of sexual violence at festivals, targeting more than 25 music events such as Bestival, Boomtown Fair, Parklife and Secret Garden Party.

Measures include zero tolerance towards any form of sexual harassment, confidential welfare services for victims and specialist training for staff.

According to Rape Crisis England and Wales more than half a million adults are sexually assaulted each year with 85,000 women and 12,000 men suffering rape. Only 15% of the crimes are reported to police.

On New Year’s Eve last year more than 90 women reported being attacked by up to 1,000 men “of Arab or North African appearance” around Cologne cathedral.

Passengers understandably concerned that their aircraft, and lives, could be endangered by drones being accidentally or deliberately flown too close to airports and flight paths can probably breathe a little easier since the recent Counter Terror Expo event at Olympia, London.

Here a radar-based drone detection system called Sharpeye SxV from British manufacturer Kelvin Hughes was demonstrated, showcasing its use at airports, detecting and providing early warning of the operation of drones. Some systems also locate the operator of the drone, giving security forces a chance to move in and arrest before a plane is brought down.

In the events industry the main and mostly harmless use of drones is to cheaply capture unique bird’s eye images of events, particularly sports events. However drones are also used to fly drugs and other contraband over prison walls, to drop bombs and to spy on neighbours.

A severe bout of turbulence hit an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok, 40 minutes before landing and injured 27 people, with some broken bones and three victims needing surgery.

The turbulence was the clear-air type (CAT) whereby the aircraft is caught at the junction of air masses travelling at different speeds. CAT is impossible to predict, and invisible to the naked eye or conventional radar. Continue reading →

Meanwhile an 11 year old schoolgirl on a May 9 school trip, Evha Janneth, has died at Drayton Manor theme park, Staffordshire after she stood up to change seats on one of the circular boats of the Splash Canyon water ride. As he did the boat hit a rock and she was thrown out into the fast flowing water, and dragged under by the strong current. Despite receiving life support from ambulance crews she suffered cardiac arrest and died after being airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Continue reading →

The financial controller of the four-star Danubius hotel, Nasser Ahmad (42) stole more than £110,000 over five years by letting friends and family stay there free, a court has heard.

Reportedly Ahmad found a way to hack into the computer system of the Regent’s Park, London hotel, which overlooks Lords Cricket Ground, and access an unmonitored “English Breakfast Account” to pay bills.

Ahmad, who also works for Tesco claimed to be the victim of a racist conspiracy at the hotel involving his colleagues.

This much-garlanded revival of Edward Albee’s pitch-black comedy play about the toxic lives of two American academics and their wives deserves, for our money, every supportive word, much as the 1966 film with Elizabeth Taylor as Martha, husband Richard Burton as her husband George, George Segal as the predatory Nick and Sandy Dennis as his wife fully merited all its Academy nominations and awards. Continue reading →

A film without much sex, violence or foul language might not sound like a feast of fun to some but The Olive Tree, a quirky, leisurely-paced and bitter-sweet story of a ballsy young Spanish woman who sets out to find and bring back her family’s ancient olive tree for her dying and catatonic grandad is endearing and affecting. Continue reading →