Three monkeys painted swinging across bridge over Brick Lane, as fans speculate over meaning of ‘London zoo’ series
Banksy has revealed his third animal-themed artwork in London since Monday, this time showcasing a trio of monkeys swinging across the bridge of an east London train station.
On Tuesday the Bristol-based artist produced a mural of two elephant silhouettes on the side of a house in Edith Terrace in Chelsea.
Continue reading...One dolphin was discovered near Chelsea Harbour Pier, the other on the riverbank at Greenwich
Two dolphins have reportedly been found dead on the banks of the Thames in London, after one was spotted in the river last week.
The common dolphin was seen multiple times from late morning on Thursday, and was described as appearing to be “struggling with the tide”.
Continue reading...Exhibition from royal collection will include about 160 works from Titian, Michelangelo, Leonardo and others
About 160 works from more than 80 artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Leonardo da Vinci are to go on display in what has been described as the widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings ever to be staged in the UK.
Taken from the royal collection, the exhibition, which opens at the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in November, will feature more than 30 works on display for the first time, and a further 12 never previously shown in the UK.
Continue reading...Rescue body says dolphin spotted on Thursday may be further disoriented by human interference
People have been urged to stay away from a dolphin spotted in the River Thames.
The common dolphin had been seen several times near Putney Bridge, south-west London, on Thursday, and had appeared to be “struggling with the tide”, but had not been seen since.
Continue reading...Aravindan Balakrishnan, jailed in 2016 for string of sexual assaults, died of natural causes, coroner rules
A Maoist cult leader jailed for a string of sexual assaults and for keeping his daughter captive for three decades was found dead in bed in his prison cell, an inquest has heard.
Aravindan Balakrishnan, 81, who called himself Comrade Bala and brainwashed his cult into thinking he had godlike powers and could read their minds, died at HMP Dartmoor in Devon on 8 April 2022.
Continue reading...Doreen Lawrence announces son’s body has been exhumed in Jamaica, after photos of open grave posted online
Stephen Lawrence’s body will be returned to the UK from Jamaica 31 years after his racist murder, his mother, Doreen, has said.
In a statement issued through her lawyer, Lady Lawrence said images of her son’s grave had appeared on social media after his body had been exhumed, which had caused the family “distress”.
Continue reading...Alongside prosperity in Holborn and St Pancras are thousands of households for whom lifting the two-child benefit cap could mean an end to hunger
• The two-child benefit cap: what is it, does it work and how much would it cost to scrap it?
It’s been one of Cat Onyac’s better days. Her two children are concentrating on their crochet project, sitting in the sunshine at HvH Arts in north London. And they’ve eaten. “All the children get a hot meal,” she says.
The family is at a summer scheme for children in Camden on the edge of Keir Starmer’s constituency, and food is just as important as learning photography, painting or music.
Continue reading...Nakash, 13, Aayat, 11, and Muhammad Hanan, 7, ‘missed beyond measure’, say Khurram Malik and Naumana Gul Khan
The parents of three children who died in an east London house fire have paid tribute to them, saying they were “loved beyond words and missed beyond measure”.
The children who died after the blaze in East Ham on 13 July were named by police on Friday as 13-year-old Nakash Malik, 11-year-old Aayat Malik and seven-year-old Muhammad Hanan Malik.
Continue reading...Scotland Yard considers legal challenge after decision, saying commanders are expected to ‘lead by example’
The sacking of a senior police officer who failed to provide a sample for a drugs test when he was accused of smoking cannabis has been overturned.
Former Metropolitan police commander Julian Bennett, who served in the force from 1976, was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on 21 July 2020.
Continue reading...Exclusive: E Street Band and Sopranos star visits south London to see his TeachRock programme in action
Legendary guitarist and Sopranos star Stevie Van Zandt has made an impassioned plea for more arts and music in England’s schools as a way of engaging disaffected young people during a visit to south London.
It was a last day of term like no other for pupils at Beckmead College – a school for students aged 14-19 with social, emotional and mental health needs – when the E Street Band member turned up, dressed like a rock star in purple velvet, winkle picker boots and trademark bandana.
Continue reading...Jesmin Akter left aluminium phosphide around Tower Hamlets flat to deal with infestation, killing Fatiha Sabrin
A woman has been given a suspended sentence for accidentally killing her neighbour, a child on her 11th birthday, with poisonous gas she brought from Italy to exterminate bedbugs in her flat in London.
Jesmin Akter, 34, had illegally imported aluminium phosphide without a licence to deal with an infestation in her flat in Tower Hamlets, east London.
Continue reading...Revamp of 42-storey block when bank moves out in 2027 will include new terraces and leisure facilities
Canary Wharf Group has unveiled plans to remove large chunks from the HSBC tower as part of a revamp of the 42-storey office block when the bank moves out in 2027.
The property company said it would carve out sections of the tower’s facade to create terraces as part of plans to transform the office block – a skyscraper in the east London financial district – into a mixed-use building that would include leisure facilities and a public viewing gallery.
Continue reading...Saudis living in the UK claim Riyadh is targeting them for speaking out on human rights and jailing of female activists
Saudi exiles living in the UK have spoken of threats to their lives and harassment over their support for improvements in human rights in their home country.
Saudi Arabia has been attempting to present itself as a reformed state since the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi hit squad at its consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
It has spent billions on sporting deals and promoting tourism in the country and was recently named host of a UN commission on women’s rights, despite what Amnesty International called its “abysmal” record on women’s rights.
Continue reading...Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is suing three government departments over Ella’s fatal asthma attack
The mother of a nine-year-old girl who became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate has said she wants an official apology for her daughter’s suffering as her high court claim against the government heads to trial.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is suing three government departments for compensation for personal injury arising from the illness and premature death of her daughter Ella, who had a fatal asthma attack in 2013 after being exposed to excessive air pollution.
Continue reading...Exclusive: solar developer Trinzic to voluntarily shut down as holding company seeks to recoup more than £25m
A solar energy project developer linked to Thames Water is to be liquidated and its staff made redundant as the crisis engulfing the debt-laden water supplier puts strain on its complex corporate structure.
Trinzic Operations Ltd, which is ultimately owned by Thames’s parent company Kemble Water Holdings, is to be voluntarily shut down, the Guardian can reveal.
Continue reading...Two adults and two children still being treated after blaze in East Ham, with one child in critical condition
A second child has died after five people were taken to hospital following a house fire in east London.
Those involved are believed to be members of the same family who all lived at the address on Napier Road in East Ham. Six fire engines and about 40 firefighters were called to the fire just before 8.30am on Saturday, the London fire brigade (LFB) said.
Continue reading...Roadworks mean stretch between junctions 10 and 11 will be shut from 9pm on Friday to 6am on Monday
Drivers have been warned to expect delays this weekend as part of the M25 shuts down for the third time this year.
Major roads in the south-east will be “incredibly busy” this weekend as National Highways closes a section of London’s orbital motorway for roadworks in both directions between junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday to 6am on Monday, the AA said.
Continue reading...World’s oldest grand slam breaks with tradition to host ‘eChamps’ as part of efforts to attract younger audience
From Hawk-Eye to AI, Wimbledon traditionalists have spent 20 years railing against the introduction of computer technology on the hallowed turf.
But now the oldest grand slam in tennis is experimenting with hosting a whole tournament in a virtual world.
Continue reading...Neighbours of Carol Hunt and her daughters express shock as racing community sends John Hunt sympathy
Tributes have been paid to three women killed in an “utterly devastating” crossbow attack.
Carol Hunt and her two daughters, beautician Hannah Hunt, 28, and dog groomer Louise Hunt, 25, were found injured at a home in Bushey, Hertfordshire on Tuesday and died shortly after at the scene.
Continue reading...Murray is due to compete in doubles at his last Wimbledon, yet fans are also ‘pretty excited’ to see younger players
Thursday marks a changing of the guard. While for many this might mean electing a new prime minister, at Wimbledon, tens of thousands queued for a chance to bid adieu to Andy Murray and cheer on the next generation of British tennis stars.
Murray is due to compete alongside his older brother, Jamie, in the men’s doubles this week in his final Wimbledon showing. There had been hope he would play in the tournament’s singles, but he pulled out on Tuesday after being unable to sufficiently recover from the back surgery he underwent 12 days ago.
Continue reading...