A very Good Wednesday Afternoon to you...
I'm delighted to kick off today's note with the news that a little girl born in London some years back has grown up to be... a silver medal winner at the Beijing Olympics.
Not such a glorious event to top our run-down. A 13 year old boy has become one of the youngest ever to appear in court charged with carrying a gun. Lots of questions come to mind. Shall we start with -
Who? Where? Why? What on earth is going on?
We'll also point the torch at the traffic wardens who gave a chap a parking ticket for parking outside his shop. This is not as straightforward as it sounds. The driver has Multiple Sclerosis and pays to park his car outside. So why did he get a ticket? Good question. Though not as good a question as 'Why - when the facts were pointed out to them - did the traffic wardens drive off... with the shopkeeper on their bonnet?'. We shouldn't be judgmental about these things. But guess whose side we're on tonight?
Speaking of taking sides - tube strikes are on the way. Thousands of underground staff who work for Tube Lines (the private company that maintains much of the Underground) are set to walk out for three days. Twice. It's all a bit complicated. Still, it'll give us all something to talk about when we're waiting to get on the hugely overcrowded buses next week.
Simon Harris has taken London's public transport tsar for a ride round Beijing's transport system to see how well it works - and asks whether London's will work just as well come 20-12. Can you imagine how crowded the buses will be if there's a tube strike during the London Olympics?
We've also got the latest on the ongoing saga over 'Just how old is Buster?'
That's it - or at least, most of it.
See you at SIX.
Ben & Salma
