Some 20,000 people were evacuated from the central English city of Birmingham overnight Saturday in response to a "credible threat" which no longer exists, police said.
The evacuation came amid heightened tensions in Britain since the Thursday morning rush hour bombings on London's transport system in which at least 50 people were killed and some 700 injured.
Police early yesterday lifted a cordon around the city center, including the nightlife hub, after bomb disposal squad officers carried out four controlled explosions on a bus before ruling a second suspect package harmless.
PHOTO: EPA
Paul Scott-Lee, chief constable for the West Midlands Police, told reporters yesterday that police had acted on a "credible threat" received by intelligence services that "was specific about the time and also the locations."
But Scott-Lee would not elaborate on the nature of the threat.
He put the threat in the context of the broader global climate on terrorism, saying it was unrelated to the suspicious packages which were found and turned out to be harmless.
"It was not a false threat. It was a serious threat. The intelligence indicated that the people of Birmingham were in danger last night. And we responded to make sure that the people were taken out of the danger area," he said.
He added that the suspect packages, including one with wires coming out, were not deposited as a hoax.
Asked if there was still a credible threat, he replied: "As we've carried out our operation, I can say that that particular threat has gone away."
"But I come back to what I said right at the beginning, given the world state and terrorism as it is, threats will remain but that one has been dealt with," he said.
The second package, a box with wires coming out and a switch on top, was found in a hotel in the Broad Street entertainment quarter.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique