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Drunk riding is a big problem with shared electric scooters. It’s just as illegal (and dumb) as drunk driving, but that hasn’t stopped scores of riders from engaging in the dangerous practice. And so now Bird is rolling out a new update that the company hopes will stump would-be inebriated scooter riders before they can rent an electric scooter and hit the road.

Bird is one of the largest electric scooter sharing companies in the world and is often at the forefront of advances in the shared mobility industry.

Bird’s latest advancement is called “Safe Start” and will become active between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM.

As the company explained, between those hours, “riders attempting to unlock a Bird will now be asked to verify that they can safely handle the vehicle by correctly entering a keyword into the app. Those who may be under the influence are encouraged to choose an alternative method of transportation such as a taxi or ride-hailing service.”

You can see an example of how this would work in the graphics below, where a rider is requested to type the word “SAFE” into the app.

As you can tell, this isn’t exactly a Mensa-level puzzle, nor is it meant to be.

The goal is apparently to give people a moment to pause and reflect on whether they are actually under the influence while attempting to rent an electric scooter.

As Det. Lt. Mark Marquis of the Tiffin, Ohio Police Department explained further:

“Sometimes all you need is that one reminder, that critical moment of deterrence, to change someone’s mind and prevent a potentially unsafe situation from taking place. Safe Start from Bird helps afford that moment by asking scooter riders to slow down, step back and think, ‘Do I really want to be taking a risk right now by operating a vehicle under the influence?’ Ultimately this is a step in the right direction towards keeping our streets safe and secure for everyone.” 

Electrek’s Take

It may be a step in the right direction, but frankly I would have liked to see the step go a bit further.

This won’t stop drunks from riding scooters, it will just stop reasonable drunk people from riding scooters. And those aren’t the people we’re mostly worried about.

As anyone who has ever sent or received a drunk text before surely knows, this isn’t much of a real barrier. It’s only going to stop anyone who is so intoxicated that they’ve lost use of their thumbs.

But it will at least serve as a brief reminder about the danger of drunk operation, and perhaps that reminder will be enough to actually take a number of dangerous riders off the road.

Hopefully, at least.

via: Bird


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Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks ‘were lessons learned’?

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Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks 'were lessons learned'?

A woman who saw a man falling from an upper tier at Wembley Stadium says a similar incident at an Oasis concert over the weekend in which a fan died makes her wonder whether lessons have been learned.

Stephanie Good, 39, said a man fell during a Euro 2020 match between England and Croatia at Wembley in June 2021.

He landed “right next to where we were” on the “stairwell between rows of seats”, she said.

Named as Jon, he reportedly survived but suffered two broken ankles, a fractured femur and fractured pelvis just before kick-off.

Ms Good said she tried to give feedback but was unable to and felt the “emergency response was really lacking”.

Oasis, meanwhile, said they were “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley concert on Saturday.

The man reportedly fell from the stadium’s upper tier.

In his 40s, he was found with “injuries consistent with a fall” and pronounced dead at the scene, the Met Police said.

Ms Good, an NHS manager from east London, said what happened at the Oasis gig was “so similar” to what she witnessed that it made her wonder “were lessons learned”?

Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans
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Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans

During that incident, among stadium staff “nobody seemed to know what to do”, she told the Press Association.

She thinks the man may have been trying to attach a flag to the front of a stand and “somehow managed to fall straight over”.

She said: “They (staff) didn’t seem well-trained in terms of how to respond to a really big emergency.

“Their stewards were kind of paralysed a little bit by fear, or they just weren’t well trained and didn’t know how to call for paramedics.

“It was us who were sort of shouting at them that they needed to get some paramedics.

“The first person on the scene wasn’t a stadium paramedic or St John Ambulance. It was an off-duty firefighter who had seen the guy fall and ran down to just try and offer some help.”

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Regarding the follow-up, Ms Good said staff moved spectators to other seats but did not ask for witness statements.

She added: “They didn’t seek any input from people who’d seen the incident or the aftermath of it. They didn’t seem interested in speaking to anybody about it.

“I was a bit concerned, because I felt that the emergency response was really lacking.”

She then tried to get in touch to give feedback, but was unable to do so and did not receive a response to a message on social media, she said.

A Wembley spokesperson said: “Wembley Stadium operates to a very high health and safety standard, fully meeting legal requirements for the safety of spectators and staff, and is certified to and compliant with the ISO 45001 standard.

“We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders – including event owners, local authorities, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the police – to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue.”

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TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

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TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

TV presenter Jay Blades has been charged with two counts of rape, police have confirmed.

West Mercia Police said the 55-year-old is due to appear in court next week.

The force said: “Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.

“He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 13 August 2025.”

Blades found fame on the furniture restoration programme The Repair Shop after he started presenting in 2017.

A furniture restorer, he was the face of the popular BBC show that featured people having their treasured objects repaired and rejuvenated.

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Blades was also the presenter of the BBC’s Money For Nothing until 2020 and took part in Celebrity Masterchef, Celebrity Bake Off, and Comic Relief.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail ahead of his sentencing on prostitution-related charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian said the hip-hop mogul had failed to show sufficient evidence he is not a flight risk and also cited admissions of previous violence made during his trial.

Combs, 55, has been in prison since his arrest in September last year.

During a two-month trial, jurors heard allegations that he had coerced former girlfriends, including singer and model Cassie Ventura, into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers, while he watched and filmed them.

Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after verdicts are read of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New
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Diddy fell to his knees after the verdict was delivered last month. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg

In July, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution – but cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, which carried potential life sentences.

The rapper’s legal team hailed this a “victory” and immediately applied for bail ahead of sentencing, citing his acquittal on the top charges.

After this was denied, they submitted another application last week. Judge Subramanian has now rejected the request again.

In denying the motion for bail, the judge found Combs had failed to show sufficient evidence to counter arguments he is a flight risk, writing in a court filing: “Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears.”

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U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian gives legal instructions to the jury, during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City
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Judge Arun Subramanian heard Diddy’s trial and will also sentence the rapper

He also found that an argument by the music star’s legal team that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he is being held, did not warrant release.

“The public outcry concerning these conditions has come from all corners,” the judge wrote. “But as Combs acknowledges, MDC staff has been able to keep him safe and attend to his needs, even during an incident of threatened violence from an inmate.”

As well as Combs’s bail application, his legal team has also filed a motion calling for him to be acquitted or given a new trial on the prostitution-related charges only.

The judge has not yet responded to this application.

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How the Diddy trial unfolded

How long could Diddy be jailed for?

Combs is due to be sentenced on 3 October and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Discussions on sentencing guidelines which followed the jury’s verdict suggest it is unlikely he will be jailed for this long, with an estimate of around two to five years, taking into account time already served.

However, it is ultimately up to Judge Arun Subramanian to decide the rapper’s punishment.

On Friday, Donald Trump was asked during an interview about a potential pardon for Combs following speculation about the issue.

The president said it was unlikely, adding that the rapper was “very hostile” during his presidential campaign.

Combs, who co-founded Bad Boy Records and launched the career of the late Notorious BIG, was for decades a huge figure in pop culture – a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and business entrepreneur, who presided over an empire ranging from fashion to reality TV.

As well as the criminal conviction, he is also facing several civil lawsuits.

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