A bear which 'fought' alongside Polish soldiers during the Second World War is to be honoured with a £200,000 statue in Edinburgh.
'Private Wojtek' was a 6ft-tall 35 stone Syrian brown bear which was adopted by a Polish regiment stationed in the Middle East .
When Allied commanders issued an order that troops advancing on Rome were not to be accompanied by animals, the bear was promptly enlisted in the 22nd Transport Division (Artillery Supply) of the Polish 2nd Army Corps.
Wojtek, which means - 'he who enjoys war' or 'smiling warrior' - became a popular figure, enjoying treats of beers and cigarettes given to him by soldiers.
Gentle giant: The 6ft-tall bear weighed 35 stone and 'fought' his way across Europe with Polish troops
Friendship: Private Wojtek and handler Peter Prendys will be memorialised in a statue to be put up in Edinburgh. The bear accompanied Polish soldiers during their march across the Middle East and Europe during the Second World War
Under the fire of Nazi guns and wading through a sea turning crimson with the blood of fallen colleagues, Bill Millin struggled towards the Normandy sands.
Waist deep in water, he led the commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade on to the beach as they fought to their deaths on the most famous day of World War II.
Amid the clatter of battle and dreadful cries of the injured, Millin only just caught the five words that turned him into a hero. 'Give us "Highland Laddie" man!' shouted Lord Lovat, the charismatic Chief of Clan Fraser and Brigadier of the 2,500 commandos, who was determined to put some backbone into his invading forces.
Piper Bill Millin played again on the Normandy beaches to celebrate the the 35th anniversary of the D-Day Landings
Miraculously, no one else was hurt as the plane blazed in busy downtown Anchorate
Heroes: Police said the lives of four people on board - including a two-year-old child - were saved by the Good Samaritans
Rescue attempt: Bystanders try to lift the burning wreckage of a Cessna 206 plane as they search for survivors shortly after it crashed in a busy business district near downtown Anchorage on Tuesday
This is the moment that horrified Good Samaritans risked their lives in a desperate attempt to rescue a family trapped on board a burning plane.
The small Cessna 206 crashed in a busy business district near downtown Anchorage, Alaska, during rush hour on Tuesday evening.
A four-year-old boy was killed - but miraculously, four others were pulled from the plane alive.
Brave bystanders raced to help those onboard after the plane clipped the roof of a motel and crashed in front of an unoccupied former car lot office.
A real-life Good Samaritan risked his life to push a stalled van off a railway level crossing a split second before a train passed over.
The quick-thinking man was the passenger on a motorcycle behind the white van, which stalled as it crossed the tracks.
After the van driver failed to get the vehicle moving, the man jumps off the bike and pushed it to safety - narrowly avoiding the train as he jumps back off the tracks.
Security cameras captured the dramatic scenes in Tigre, north Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.
The hero appears to be stunned in the immediate aftermath but then punches the air when he realises he's saved the day and embraces his companion.
The video received almost 70,000 views in just one day on YouTube, with viewers commenting on the man's amazing bravery.
One wrote: 'We need more guys like him in this world. Genuine Hero!', while another commented: 'I think that was COOL!!!!! we need more people like him in this world.'
Stalled: The van comes to the stop as the two men on the motorcycle look on
Stranded: After moving the van off the tracks, the man finds himself in the train's path.Bravery: Ignoring the train bearing down on him, the man pushes the van clear
Safe: The man darts clear, just inches away from death
Close call: The train pulls to a stop as the man runs clear
Security alert: A man with suspected links to Al Qaeda allegedly tried to blow up a plane as it prepared to land in Detroit. Police are searching addresses in central London after it emerged the man was a student at University College London
Warm welcome: Zan Jafry (left) helps his father Syed Jafry, who was aboard the affected flight, with his coat
Relief: Jeannia Samimi ( left), pictured with her daughters Emily and Amber, waits for her daughter Jasmin to disembark the Northwest flight
Security alert: Police patrol the airport following the attempted attack
Personnel swarm around Northwest Airlines Flight 253 after a Nigerian suspect allegedly tried to detonate a powdery substance
Onward bound: Shocked passengers from the flight leave the Detroit terminal
Searches are being carried out in central London after a man with suspected links to Al Qaeda allegedly tried to blow up a transatlantic plane, Scotland Yard said today.
Security has been stepped up at UK airports for passengers flying to the US, the Department for Transport said.
The Nigerian suspect allegedly tried to detonate a powdery substance on a flight from Amsterdam as it prepared to land at Detroit with 278 people on board. US law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab.
The 23-year-old is reportedly an engineering student at University College London.
A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said: 'We are in liaison with the US authorities.
'Searches are being carried out at addresses in central London.'
She refused to give further details.
It is understood from security sources that police and MI5 will want to see 'as a matter of priority' the significance of any time that he spent in the UK.
It is also understood that extra staff and resources have been assigned to the investigation.
One of the key priorities will be to check whether he has cropped up in the course of any other investigations. A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: 'In response to events in Detroit the US authorities have requested additional measures for US-bound flights.
'We are monitoring the situation and will make any assessments as necessary as this develops.'
Although general airport security remains the same, with no change to luggage and liquid restrictions, passengers travelling to the US can expect increased searches at the gate before boarding.
Airport operator BAA said in a statement: 'Passengers travelling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding.
'To support this important process, which will take time, we would advise passengers to leave more time to check in and limit the amount of baggage being taken on board the aircraft.
'If in any doubt, please contact the relevant airline for further information.' Passengers scrambled to subdue the man after the attempted attack on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 yesterday.
Dutch passenger Peter Smith said: 'It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase.
'First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke.'
He said one passenger appeared to have been burned after climbing across other passengers to try to restrain the alleged attacker.
Shortly afterwards, the suspect was apparently taken to a front row seat with his trousers cut off and his legs badly burned.
The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism.
The US government has tightened airport screening measures as a result of the incident, which is reminiscent of a terror attempt by 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid.
The Briton tried to destroy a transatlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes. He was subdued by other passengers and is serving a life sentence in the US.
A US law enforcement source said Mutallab's name surfaced on at least one US intelligence database but not to the extent that he was placed on a watch list or a no-fly list. US sources also claimed the man claimed to have been instructed by Al Qaeda to detonate the plane over US soil.
But other law enforcement officials said this could not be immediately verified and the man may have been acting independently.
The man was being treated in an Ann Arbor, Michigan, hospital.
The White House said President Barack Obama discussed the incident with security officials and was monitoring the situation from his holiday spot in Hawaii.
The Homeland Security Department encouraged travellers to be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behaviour.
Terrorism expert Dr Sally Leivesley told BBC News: 'This looks as though it is a first attempt of a new way to use the body to conceal explosives.
'In the past it was a can of liquid explosive.
'Now they may be concealing the explosives on the human body, but on the inside upper leg, and we only know this by seeing a very badly burnt leg on the suspected perpetrator.'
She said the suspect may have used a syringe to conceal a chemical used for detonation.
Aviation expert Chris Yates told BBC News: 'Security is not 100 per cent at airports anywhere in the world, that's been shown time and time again. The security processes are relatively robust but we can't head off every single threat.
'Why did this individual not get a second screening having come off a flight from Nigeria apparently?
'He should have, if he had been monitored by the intelligence services, he should have been identified as a person who they have an interest in.'
A teacher being hailed as a hero said Tuesday he had no time to think when he encountered a 17-year-old boy who detonated two pipe bombs at a Northern California high school while armed with a chain saw, sword and explosives.
Teacher Kennet Santana, 35, is one of a number of Hillsdale High School staffers credited with subduing the bombing suspect. He told The Associated Press he was walking cautiously toward the disruption on Monday when he found himself face to face with the boy.
"He had a black tactical vest on with lots of pockets," Santana said by phone Tuesday. "We were maybe six feet away from each other at this point, we're talking seconds, there was not time for a lot of thinking."
The explosions caused neither serious damage nor injury, but the 1,270-student school was evacuated, and Santana and the other staff members were credited with stopping a situation that could have played out much more tragically.
Evidence collected so far suggests the boy had planned the attack for months, and that he had a number of specific targets on the school faculty whom he believed had wronged him, San Mateo police Chief Susan Manheimer said.
"He had planned in brutal and chilling detail this action over months," she said. "He clearly was out to demonstrate he could get back at the school administration."
The unidentified boy, a San Mateo resident who had not attended the school for more than a year, was arrested just after the second blast about 8 a.m. at the school at 3115 Del Monte St.
The remaining eight bombs were strapped to his chest in a military-style vest, San Mateo police Chief Susan Manheimer said during a news conference.
The teen detonated the bombs in the north west hallway of the academic wing near the library, police said.
Evidence collected so far suggests the boy had planned the attack for months, and that he had a number of specific targets on the school faculty whom he believed had wronged him, San Mateo police Chief Susan Manheimer said.
"He had planned in brutal and chilling detail this action over months," she said. "He clearly was out to demonstrate he could get back at the school administration."
Santana said the boy, whom police have not identified because he is a minor, could have run toward the street to escape, but instead chose to follow the fleeing students.
"He was trying to go toward the kids, he could have exited to the street," Santana said. "He was trying to go toward the drama."
"I decided to close distance and bear-hugged him and restrained his arms. We were face-to-face, chest-to-chest," he said.
Police quickly arrived and arrested the teen on suspicion of six felony counts of attempted murder, igniting a destructive device with intent to murder, possession of destructive devices, possession of destructive devices on school grounds, possession of destructive devices with intent to injure or destroy property and assault with a deadly weapon.
The boy is being held in San Mateo County's juvenile hall while the district attorney reviews the evidence and decides whether he should be tried as an adult.
Law enforcement officials said the result could have been much worse. They lauded the work of Santana and other staff members who helped subdue the boy.
"The teachers acted heroically and risked their own lives," said police Lt. Mike Brunicardi. "(They) were not taking into consideration their personal safety, they were taking the greater good into mind to save 1,270 students and about 100 school staff members.
Back on campus Tuesday, Santana and other teachers discussed the incident. Students were scheduled to return on Wednesday, and teachers, students and others will gather to discuss the incident in the morning then restart classes in the afternoon.
Santana said the boy did not struggle, only saying "let me go" after he'd been held.
"He was not struggling, it was almost like he was defeated," Santana said.
After stopping the boy with a bear hug, Santana threw him to the floor and was joined by Principal Jeff Gilbert and school counselor Ed Canda. The three held the boy down until police arrived.
"We had more people running to the explosion than we had running away from the explosion," Gilbert said. "So I think that speaks to the staff and just what they feel about the students."
-Police near the school-
Scott Laurence, Superintendent of San Mateo Union High School District, left, watches as workers work near a spot where damage was found after a two pipe bombs were detonated on Monday at Hillsdale High School on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in San Mateo, Calif. A day after a 17-year-old boy armed with a chain saw, sword and explosives detonated two pipe bombs at a Northern California high school before being restrained, teachers and staff were back at work trying to make sense of it all.
Teacher Kennet Santana, 35, center, with counselor Ed Canda, left, prepares to speak at a news conference at Hillsdale High School on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in San Mateo, Calif. At right is Scott Laurence, Superintendent of San Mateo Union High School District. A day after a 17-year-old boy armed with a chain saw, sword and explosives, detonated two pipe bombs at a Northern California high school before being restrained, teachers and staff were back at work trying to make sense of it all. Santana is credited with subduing the bombing suspect
Teacher Kennet Santana, 35, left, with counselor Ed Canda, right, speaks at a news conference at Hillsdale High School on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in San Mateo, Calif. A day after a 17-year-old boy armed with a chain saw, sword and explosives detonated two pipe bombs at a Northern California high school before being restrained, teachers and staff were back at work trying to make sense of it all. Santana is one of the staffers credited with subduing the bombing suspect.
-Alex Youshock has been identified by sources as the suspect in a bombing incident at Hillsdale High School that took place Monday morning. -
-Police arrest the 17-year-old suspect-
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SAN MATEO, CA Hundreds of worried parents in San Mateo rushed to pick up their children Monday morning after an explosion rocked Hillsdale High School. -----------------------
