Two people treated for minor injuries and residents evacuated as black smoke drifts over city Fifty firefighters are tackling a spectacular fire in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne that has sent clouds of black smoke billowing over the famous Byker Wall flats. Residents have been warned to stay inside and shut all doors and windows as thick smoke poured from tyres and oil-soaked car wrecks at a scrapyard in nearby Albion Row. A small number of local people were evacuated from their homes in Northumberland Row but are expected to be allowed back within hours. Six staff working at the yard left after raising the alarm, when smouldering smoke in a six-month-old pile of scrap suddenly burst into flames. The column of smoke could be seen from miles and led to anxious calls to police from people across Northumbria and county Durham. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as crews fought to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring timber yard. The scrapyard’s managers said there was a 2,000-litre fuel store on the site, and emergency services are trying to check whether the scrap contained potentially dangerous chemicals. Two people have been treated by paramedics for minor injuries. No other buildings have been affected. Northumbria police closed local roads, including Leighton Street and Byker Bank, which runs by the 1960s Byker Wall above the Tyne. A further two roads, Ford and Lime Streets, were later closed and Albion Row was sealed off. The alarm was raised at 12.25pm. It has been too dangerous for forensic teams to start checking for possible causes of the blaze. The Byker Wall was designed as a “village in the sky” by the architect Ralph Erskine. Its 620 flats and maisonettes were built in the 1970s and have been the setting for many TV series and films. Newcastle Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Two people treated for minor injuries and residents evacuated as black smoke drifts over city Fifty firefighters are tackling a spectacular fire in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne that has sent clouds of black smoke billowing over the famous Byker Wall flats. Residents have been warned to stay inside and shut all doors and windows as thick smoke poured from tyres and oil-soaked car wrecks at a scrapyard in nearby Albion Row. A small number of local people were evacuated from their homes in Northumberland Row but are expected to be allowed back within hours. Six staff working at the yard left after raising the alarm, when smouldering smoke in a six-month-old pile of scrap suddenly burst into flames. The column of smoke could be seen from miles and led to anxious calls to police from people across Northumbria and county Durham. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as crews fought to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring timber yard. The scrapyard’s managers said there was a 2,000-litre fuel store on the site, and emergency services are trying to check whether the scrap contained potentially dangerous chemicals. Two people have been treated by paramedics for minor injuries. No other buildings have been affected. Northumbria police closed local roads, including Leighton Street and Byker Bank, which runs by the 1960s Byker Wall above the Tyne. A further two roads, Ford and Lime Streets, were later closed and Albion Row was sealed off. The alarm was raised at 12.25pm. It has been too dangerous for forensic teams to start checking for possible causes of the blaze. The Byker Wall was designed as a “village in the sky” by the architect Ralph Erskine. Its 620 flats and maisonettes were built in the 1970s and have been the setting for many TV series and films. Newcastle Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Two people treated for minor injuries and residents evacuated as black smoke drifts over city Fifty firefighters are tackling a spectacular fire in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne that has sent clouds of black smoke billowing over the famous Byker Wall flats. Residents have been warned to stay inside and shut all doors and windows as thick smoke poured from tyres and oil-soaked car wrecks at a scrapyard in nearby Albion Row. A small number of local people were evacuated from their homes in Northumberland Row but are expected to be allowed back within hours. Six staff working at the yard left after raising the alarm, when smouldering smoke in a six-month-old pile of scrap suddenly burst into flames. The column of smoke could be seen from miles and led to anxious calls to police from people across Northumbria and county Durham. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as crews fought to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring timber yard. The scrapyard’s managers said there was a 2,000-litre fuel store on the site, and emergency services are trying to check whether the scrap contained potentially dangerous chemicals. Two people have been treated by paramedics for minor injuries. No other buildings have been affected. Northumbria police closed local roads, including Leighton Street and Byker Bank, which runs by the 1960s Byker Wall above the Tyne. A further two roads, Ford and Lime Streets, were later closed and Albion Row was sealed off. The alarm was raised at 12.25pm. It has been too dangerous for forensic teams to start checking for possible causes of the blaze. The Byker Wall was designed as a “village in the sky” by the architect Ralph Erskine. Its 620 flats and maisonettes were built in the 1970s and have been the setting for many TV series and films. Newcastle Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Two people treated for minor injuries and residents evacuated as black smoke drifts over city Fifty firefighters are tackling a spectacular fire in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne that has sent clouds of black smoke billowing over the famous Byker Wall flats. Residents have been warned to stay inside and shut all doors and windows as thick smoke poured from tyres and oil-soaked car wrecks at a scrapyard in nearby Albion Row. A small number of local people were evacuated from their homes in Northumberland Row but are expected to be allowed back within hours. Six staff working at the yard left after raising the alarm, when smouldering smoke in a six-month-old pile of scrap suddenly burst into flames. The column of smoke could be seen from miles and led to anxious calls to police from people across Northumbria and county Durham. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as crews fought to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring timber yard. The scrapyard’s managers said there was a 2,000-litre fuel store on the site, and emergency services are trying to check whether the scrap contained potentially dangerous chemicals. Two people have been treated by paramedics for minor injuries. No other buildings have been affected. Northumbria police closed local roads, including Leighton Street and Byker Bank, which runs by the 1960s Byker Wall above the Tyne. A further two roads, Ford and Lime Streets, were later closed and Albion Row was sealed off. The alarm was raised at 12.25pm. It has been too dangerous for forensic teams to start checking for possible causes of the blaze. The Byker Wall was designed as a “village in the sky” by the architect Ralph Erskine. Its 620 flats and maisonettes were built in the 1970s and have been the setting for many TV series and films. Newcastle Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Two people treated for minor injuries and residents evacuated as black smoke drifts over city Fifty firefighters are tackling a spectacular fire in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne that has sent clouds of black smoke billowing over the famous Byker Wall flats. Residents have been warned to stay inside and shut all doors and windows as thick smoke poured from tyres and oil-soaked car wrecks at a scrapyard in nearby Albion Row. A small number of local people were evacuated from their homes in Northumberland Row but are expected to be allowed back within hours. Six staff working at the yard left after raising the alarm, when smouldering smoke in a six-month-old pile of scrap suddenly burst into flames. The column of smoke could be seen from miles and led to anxious calls to police from people across Northumbria and county Durham. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as crews fought to stop the fire spreading to a neighbouring timber yard. The scrapyard’s managers said there was a 2,000-litre fuel store on the site, and emergency services are trying to check whether the scrap contained potentially dangerous chemicals. Two people have been treated by paramedics for minor injuries. No other buildings have been affected. Northumbria police closed local roads, including Leighton Street and Byker Bank, which runs by the 1960s Byker Wall above the Tyne. A further two roads, Ford and Lime Streets, were later closed and Albion Row was sealed off. The alarm was raised at 12.25pm. It has been too dangerous for forensic teams to start checking for possible causes of the blaze. The Byker Wall was designed as a “village in the sky” by the architect Ralph Erskine. Its 620 flats and maisonettes were built in the 1970s and have been the setting for many TV series and films. Newcastle Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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Follow live updates as President Obama makes a key speech on the ‘Arab spring’ and the US’s role in the Middle East 4.20pm BST / 11.20am ET: PJ Crowley, the former State Department spokesman, tweets his thoughts on what Obama needs to do today: We’ll find out in about 20 minutes or so. 4.10pm BST / 11.10am ET: The New York Times puts Obama’s speech today into the context of a busy week for Middle East diplomacy: Thursday’s speech at the State Department is designed to be the first in a series of rhetorical opportunities for the president. On Friday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a conversation that will be closely watched by the Jewish community in the United States. And this weekend, Mr Obama will address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States. Together, the post-speech events will give the president a chance to assert his support for Israel early in the 2012 campaign cycle. 4pm BST / 11am ET: If you want to watch Obama’s speech from the State Department from the comfort of your computer or iPad, the White House is offering a live video stream here . Good morning from Washington DC, where Barack Obama’s speech on the remarkable ‘Arab spring’ and the shape of US foreign policy in the region is eagerly awaited. Obama is scheduled to begin speaking at 11.40am eastern time, that’s 4.40pm BST and 6.40pm EEST in Damascus. Here’s how the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief Ewen Macaskill previewed the speech earlier today , saying it is Obama’s most important speech on the region since his visit to Cairo in 2009: The speech will deal mainly with the Arab spring, hailing the benefits of democracy and respect for human rights, in spite of America’s long-time support for authoritarian regimes in the region. Senior Obama administration officials, briefing on the speech, said he will take a fresh look at the Middle East after a decade of tension and division. With the winding down of the Iraq war and the death of Osama bin Laden, “we are turning a page”, one official said, adding that the democracy movements reinforced this. My colleague Matthew Weaver has done an excellent job blogging the latest Middle East unreast and anticipation of Obama’s speech today, which you can read right here . Barack Obama Arab and Middle East unrest US foreign policy Obama administration Middle East United States Egypt Syria Israel Libya Tunisia Palestinian territories Richard Adams guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Follow live updates as President Obama makes a key speech on the ‘Arab spring’ and the US’s role in the Middle East 4.20pm BST / 11.20am ET: PJ Crowley, the former State Department spokesman, tweets his thoughts on what Obama needs to do today: We’ll find out in about 20 minutes or so. 4.10pm BST / 11.10am ET: The New York Times puts Obama’s speech today into the context of a busy week for Middle East diplomacy: Thursday’s speech at the State Department is designed to be the first in a series of rhetorical opportunities for the president. On Friday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a conversation that will be closely watched by the Jewish community in the United States. And this weekend, Mr Obama will address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States. Together, the post-speech events will give the president a chance to assert his support for Israel early in the 2012 campaign cycle. 4pm BST / 11am ET: If you want to watch Obama’s speech from the State Department from the comfort of your computer or iPad, the White House is offering a live video stream here . Good morning from Washington DC, where Barack Obama’s speech on the remarkable ‘Arab spring’ and the shape of US foreign policy in the region is eagerly awaited. Obama is scheduled to begin speaking at 11.40am eastern time, that’s 4.40pm BST and 6.40pm EEST in Damascus. Here’s how the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief Ewen Macaskill previewed the speech earlier today , saying it is Obama’s most important speech on the region since his visit to Cairo in 2009: The speech will deal mainly with the Arab spring, hailing the benefits of democracy and respect for human rights, in spite of America’s long-time support for authoritarian regimes in the region. Senior Obama administration officials, briefing on the speech, said he will take a fresh look at the Middle East after a decade of tension and division. With the winding down of the Iraq war and the death of Osama bin Laden, “we are turning a page”, one official said, adding that the democracy movements reinforced this. My colleague Matthew Weaver has done an excellent job blogging the latest Middle East unreast and anticipation of Obama’s speech today, which you can read right here . Barack Obama Arab and Middle East unrest US foreign policy Obama administration Middle East United States Egypt Syria Israel Libya Tunisia Palestinian territories Richard Adams guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Follow live updates as President Obama makes a key speech on the ‘Arab spring’ and the US’s role in the Middle East 4.20pm BST / 11.20am ET: PJ Crowley, the former State Department spokesman, tweets his thoughts on what Obama needs to do today: We’ll find out in about 20 minutes or so. 4.10pm BST / 11.10am ET: The New York Times puts Obama’s speech today into the context of a busy week for Middle East diplomacy: Thursday’s speech at the State Department is designed to be the first in a series of rhetorical opportunities for the president. On Friday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a conversation that will be closely watched by the Jewish community in the United States. And this weekend, Mr Obama will address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States. Together, the post-speech events will give the president a chance to assert his support for Israel early in the 2012 campaign cycle. 4pm BST / 11am ET: If you want to watch Obama’s speech from the State Department from the comfort of your computer or iPad, the White House is offering a live video stream here . Good morning from Washington DC, where Barack Obama’s speech on the remarkable ‘Arab spring’ and the shape of US foreign policy in the region is eagerly awaited. Obama is scheduled to begin speaking at 11.40am eastern time, that’s 4.40pm BST and 6.40pm EEST in Damascus. Here’s how the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief Ewen Macaskill previewed the speech earlier today , saying it is Obama’s most important speech on the region since his visit to Cairo in 2009: The speech will deal mainly with the Arab spring, hailing the benefits of democracy and respect for human rights, in spite of America’s long-time support for authoritarian regimes in the region. Senior Obama administration officials, briefing on the speech, said he will take a fresh look at the Middle East after a decade of tension and division. With the winding down of the Iraq war and the death of Osama bin Laden, “we are turning a page”, one official said, adding that the democracy movements reinforced this. My colleague Matthew Weaver has done an excellent job blogging the latest Middle East unreast and anticipation of Obama’s speech today, which you can read right here . Barack Obama Arab and Middle East unrest US foreign policy Obama administration Middle East United States Egypt Syria Israel Libya Tunisia Palestinian territories Richard Adams guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Follow live updates as President Obama makes a key speech on the ‘Arab spring’ and the US’s role in the Middle East 4.20pm BST / 11.20am ET: PJ Crowley, the former State Department spokesman, tweets his thoughts on what Obama needs to do today: We’ll find out in about 20 minutes or so. 4.10pm BST / 11.10am ET: The New York Times puts Obama’s speech today into the context of a busy week for Middle East diplomacy: Thursday’s speech at the State Department is designed to be the first in a series of rhetorical opportunities for the president. On Friday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a conversation that will be closely watched by the Jewish community in the United States. And this weekend, Mr Obama will address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States. Together, the post-speech events will give the president a chance to assert his support for Israel early in the 2012 campaign cycle. 4pm BST / 11am ET: If you want to watch Obama’s speech from the State Department from the comfort of your computer or iPad, the White House is offering a live video stream here . Good morning from Washington DC, where Barack Obama’s speech on the remarkable ‘Arab spring’ and the shape of US foreign policy in the region is eagerly awaited. Obama is scheduled to begin speaking at 11.40am eastern time, that’s 4.40pm BST and 6.40pm EEST in Damascus. Here’s how the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief Ewen Macaskill previewed the speech earlier today , saying it is Obama’s most important speech on the region since his visit to Cairo in 2009: The speech will deal mainly with the Arab spring, hailing the benefits of democracy and respect for human rights, in spite of America’s long-time support for authoritarian regimes in the region. Senior Obama administration officials, briefing on the speech, said he will take a fresh look at the Middle East after a decade of tension and division. With the winding down of the Iraq war and the death of Osama bin Laden, “we are turning a page”, one official said, adding that the democracy movements reinforced this. My colleague Matthew Weaver has done an excellent job blogging the latest Middle East unreast and anticipation of Obama’s speech today, which you can read right here . Barack Obama Arab and Middle East unrest US foreign policy Obama administration Middle East United States Egypt Syria Israel Libya Tunisia Palestinian territories Richard Adams guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Follow live updates as President Obama makes a key speech on the ‘Arab spring’ and the US’s role in the Middle East 4.20pm BST / 11.20am ET: PJ Crowley, the former State Department spokesman, tweets his thoughts on what Obama needs to do today: We’ll find out in about 20 minutes or so. 4.10pm BST / 11.10am ET: The New York Times puts Obama’s speech today into the context of a busy week for Middle East diplomacy: Thursday’s speech at the State Department is designed to be the first in a series of rhetorical opportunities for the president. On Friday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a conversation that will be closely watched by the Jewish community in the United States. And this weekend, Mr Obama will address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States. Together, the post-speech events will give the president a chance to assert his support for Israel early in the 2012 campaign cycle. 4pm BST / 11am ET: If you want to watch Obama’s speech from the State Department from the comfort of your computer or iPad, the White House is offering a live video stream here . Good morning from Washington DC, where Barack Obama’s speech on the remarkable ‘Arab spring’ and the shape of US foreign policy in the region is eagerly awaited. Obama is scheduled to begin speaking at 11.40am eastern time, that’s 4.40pm BST and 6.40pm EEST in Damascus. Here’s how the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief Ewen Macaskill previewed the speech earlier today , saying it is Obama’s most important speech on the region since his visit to Cairo in 2009: The speech will deal mainly with the Arab spring, hailing the benefits of democracy and respect for human rights, in spite of America’s long-time support for authoritarian regimes in the region. Senior Obama administration officials, briefing on the speech, said he will take a fresh look at the Middle East after a decade of tension and division. With the winding down of the Iraq war and the death of Osama bin Laden, “we are turning a page”, one official said, adding that the democracy movements reinforced this. My colleague Matthew Weaver has done an excellent job blogging the latest Middle East unreast and anticipation of Obama’s speech today, which you can read right here . Barack Obama Arab and Middle East unrest US foreign policy Obama administration Middle East United States Egypt Syria Israel Libya Tunisia Palestinian territories Richard Adams guardian.co.uk
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