An Oxford rower attributed their team's defeat in the Boat Race to an outbreak of E coli causing sickness among team members. Despite warnings of pollution in the River Thames before the race, Cambridge claimed victory in both men's and women's events. While one rower highlighted the impact of illness on their performance, a teammate refrained from blaming water conditions directly. The event was also marred by rival Gaza protests in London and incidents like a train stabbing and an attack on an Iranian journalist.
High levels of E coli bacteria have been discovered in Londons River Thames, prompting warnings for rowers in the Oxford v Cambridge boat race to avoid direct contact with the water. Water quality testing near Hammersmith Bridge revealed levels exceeding safety standards, raising concerns about sewage pollution in UK rivers. The tradition of winners jumping into the river after the historic race is now questioned due to health risks associated with E coli contamination. Oxford University's rowing coach expressed worries and called for action to address the pollution issue.
Cambridge recorded a dominant double success at the Boat Race in the womens and the mens races that contained plenty of drama but ultimately comfortable margins of victory. The buildup had focused on the scandal surrounding high levels of E coli bacteria detected in the Thames , but once the racing began, the continued dominance from the light blues became the defining feature. Cambridges women confounded pre-race expectations, as well as a commanding start by Oxford, to win their seventh straight race in controversial fashion. Oxford, the favourites, flew into half a lengths lead by the time the boats passed Craven Cottage, and it was a full length when they approached the sweeping Surrey bend on a bright, fresh spring day in south-west London. Given the superior experience of the Oxford womens crew, it looked like the game was up.
Campaign group River Action discovered alarmingly high levels of E coli bacteria along a stretch of the River Thames, with an average of 2,869 colony forming units (CFU) per 100ml of water found near Hammersmith Bridge. The source of pollution is believed to be Thames Water discharging sewage into the river, with recorded levels almost ten times higher than 'poor' bathing water standards. The contamination comes ahead of the historic Oxbridge Boat Race this weekend between the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, prompting new guidance from River Action, British Rowing, and The Rivers Trust.
A body believed to be that of Abdul Ezedi, the suspect in the Clapham chemical attack on his ex-partner and her daughters, was found in the River Thames at Tower Pier. The body was discovered by a passing boat and recovered by the Met's Marine Policing Unit, with formal identification pending through DNA testing and dental records. Ezedi was suspected of throwing a strong alkali at his ex-partner and had been missing since the incident on 31 January.
London police have confirmed that the body pulled from the River Thames is that of Abdul Ezedi, a man wanted for a chemical attack on his former partner and her two young daughters. The post-mortem revealed his cause of death as drowning. Ezedi, an Afghan refugee granted asylum in the UK, was last seen on CCTV leaning over London's Chelsea Bridge after the attack in Clapham. His car was tracked from Newcastle to south London, where the attack occurred. The mother is still in hospital in stable condition, recovering from the attack.
Abdul Ezedi, the suspect in the Clapham chemical attack, is most probably dead as police search the River Thames for a body. Ezedi has been on the run since the incident on January 31 and was believed to have gone into the water. The attack left 12 people injured, including a mother and her two daughters. The woman's injuries are considered life-changing and she remains sedated in hospital. Police speculate that the breakdown of the relationship may have been a motive for the attack.
Desperate locals in Gaza have been engaging in fatal fights to reach parachuted food and essentials from humanitarian aid airdrops, with concerns that the assistance is not effectively reaching those facing famine. A strawberry farmer abandoned attempts to reach aid drops after being shot at, highlighting the dangers. Reports include deaths by stabbing, drownings, and stampedes, with criticism of the airdrops as inefficient and costly, serving to deflect public anger amid the struggle to provide aid to Gaza.
The Boat Race 2019 took place on 7 April 2019. Held annually, The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge along a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) tidal stretch of the River Thames in south-west London. This was the 74th women's race and the 165th men's race, and, for the fourth time in the history of the event, the men's, women's and both reserves' races were all held on the Tideway on the same day.The women's race was the first event of the day, and saw Cambridge lead from the start, eventually winning by a considerable margin. It was their third consecutive victory, taking the overall record in the Women's Boat Race to 44–30 in their favour. The men's race was the final event of the day and completed a second consecutive whitewash as Cambridge won; it was their third victory in four years, taking the overall record to 84–80 in their favour. In the women's reserve race, Cambridge's Blondie defeated Oxford's Osiris, their fourth consecutive victory. The men's reserve race was won by Cambridge's Goldie, who defeated Oxford's Isis.The races were watched live by thousands of spectators lining the banks of the Thames. They were also live-streamed on YouTube and by multiple media organisations around the world, including in Germany, South Africa and China.
Sky Sports
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/robinmckie
Sky News
PANORA
PANORA
PANORA
PANORA
PANORA
PANORA
PANORA
Wikipedia