Terror at luxury tower in Swansea where premiership stars live as armed police take down lone gunman who held man hostage during two-hour siege. Daily Mail

  Officers used tasers to subdue gunman holding victim hostage in penthouse

  Man entered exclusive Grape & Olive restaurant in Swansea at around 4pm

  Residents trapped inside luxury flats of 29-story tower by armed police 

  Two-hour siege ended as Villarreal arrived at the Marriot Hotel next door 

  South Wales Police say incident ended peacefully and no one was injured 

Armed police stormed the tallest building in Wales yesterday ending a two-hour siege and freeing a hostage.

Officers used tasers to subdue a lone gunman who had been holding his victim in the penthouse restaurant of The Meridian Tower in Swansea, South Wales.

The drama began shortly after 4pm when the man entered the exclusive Grape & Olive restaurant carrying a handgun.

Residents were trapped inside their luxury flats in the 29-storey tower as armed police cordoned off the building and evacuated diners from the top-floor restaurant.

Paramedics wearing protective clothing and helmets were seen entering the tower around 5pm.

Police told around 60 locals who had gathered to watch the siege to ‘move out of sight of the tower’ as the police helicopter circled the upper floors.

The siege lasted for around two hours while a police negotiator entered the tower alongside armed police and talked to the gunman.

Read more here:

Toll road hero who came to the rescue when his council closed a vital route could lose his home if his gamble goes wrong. Daily Mail

  Mike Watts, 62, built his own road which bypassed a key local road in Kelston, Bath, which was closed for maintenance 

  He borrowed an adjoining field from a farmer friend and, at a cost of £150,000 to himself and his wife Wendy, 52, made the bypass

  Mike needs 1,000 cars a day at £2 per car, per journey for 150 days to break even 

Every minute or so a car rumbles past, churning up dust and small stones. Drivers and passengers wave and shout thank-yous through their open windows.

‘It’s a pleasure,’ Mike yells back, beaming from ear to ear. ‘Enjoy the view!’

They do indeed. But even they aren’t as happy as Mike, who’s had quite a week.

For, suddenly, he’s become a national hero. People have called for him to be knighted and (though I suspect this might be slightly tongue in cheek) honoured with a statue on the green in his home village of Kelston, near Bath.

And all because, when faced with the indefinite closure of a key local road while it is mended, forcing him to take a 14-mile diversion to work as a council repair team sorts it out at the speed of a glacier, Mike took matters into his own hands.

His solution was not a civilised ‘reopen our road, please’ campaign or angry letters to the Bath Chronicle newspaper, pointing out that nothing had been done since early February when a crack appeared in the A431 and the road was closed.

Read more here:

Further Reading:

Businessman sets up private toll road just 340 yards long charging motorists £2 a time to bypass closed section of main road

Acts 29 Dismisses Mark Driscoll so 'Name of Christ Will Not Continue to Be Dishonored'

Acts 29 Dismisses Mark Driscoll so 'Name of Christ Will Not Continue to Be Dishonored'

Despite recent public apologies, the Acts 29 Network is officially disassociating itself with its co-founder Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church.

"It is with deep sorrow that the Acts 29 Network announces its decision to remove Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church from membership in the network. Mark and the Elders of Mars Hill have been informed of the decision, along with the reasons for removal," reads a statement signed by the board of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, which includes Matt Chandler, Darrin Patrick, Steve Timmis, Eric Mason, John Bryson, Bruce Wesley and Leonce Crump.

Surge in no vote after Alex Salmond TV flop: Major blow for SNP in wake of debate defeat Daily Mail

Viewers believe Alistair Darling crushed Alex Salmond in live televised debate

Poll reveals nearly quarter of viewers now more likely to reject independence

More than two-thirds of 1,010 Scots polled said First Minister needs 'plan B'

The shock Survation poll, carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, shows that opposition to separation has soared to 50 per cent for the first time since the firm began asking the question.

That is a remarkable four point increase in the space of a single week, with only 37 per cent now in favour of a Yes vote – down three points. When undecided voters are excluded, the No camp is on 57 per cent – a massive 14-point lead over Yes, compared to just a six-point lead last Sunday.

Mr Salmond's failure to answer questions about the currency of an independent Scotland is at the heart of the dramatic collapse.

More than two-thirds of the 1,010 Scots polled by Survation said the First Minister should produce a 'plan B' to his unrealistic bid to keep the pound before voters cast their ballots.

Asked to pick adjectives to describe the SNP leader's performance in the pivotal STV debate last Tuesday – which was watched by 1.7million people – the most popular choices were 'weak', 'uninformed' and 'dishonest'

.

His opponent, former Chancellor Mr Darling who is spearheading the Better Together campaign, was described as 'knowledgeable' and 'strong'.

Mr Salmond's leadership is now under unprecedented scrutiny, with senior SNP figures privately briefing against him throughout the week and some suggesting his deputy Nicola Sturgeon should replace him for a crunch TV debate on the BBC later this month. 

Read more here:

Further Reading

Beyond the Scottish Independence Question, Looking at a Greater Devolution in The United Kingdom, A Perspective