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Mayor Sadiq Khan thinks his new line names for the capital’s ever-expanding rail network bring clarity, but not everyone agreesThe ancient Egyptians saw names as magical. It was said that Isis tricked Ra, the sun god, into telling her his true name, to give her power over him and put her son Horus on the throne.Londoners have a different take. The Northern line was...

Venue says Paul Currie will not be invited back after allegations he verbally abused man who objected to Palestinian flagThe Soho theatre has banned a comedian after Jewish audience members were “subjected to verbal abuse” after a performance last weekend.The central London comedy venue investigated allegations that Paul Currie verbally abused a spectator. Continue reading...

On average about 30 bodies are retrieved from its waters in London each year. Only a few ever make the headlinesHistoric placenames along the River Thames in London once summed up its macabre past. There was Dead Man’s Dock at Deptford, Dead Man’s Steps at Wapping, and Dead Man’s Hole, which still exists, at Tower Bridge. They evoked stories of people who were executed,...

Takeaway delivery riders say employment status has left many struggling to earn national living wageDelivery drivers for food-ordering platforms including Deliveroo and Uber Eats are staging a Valentine’s Day strike to demand better pay and conditions.The stoppage on Wednesday is being organised by a grassroots group, Delivery Job UK, many of whose members are Brazilian. It claims to have more than 3,000 supporters in...

The literary department at the London theatre is renowned for taking risks with untried playwrights, but is now under threatThe Royal Court is known for putting the names of emerging playwrights up in lights for the first time, but is the voltage now dimming for Britain’s best known path into theatre writing? The Royal Court’s literary department is struggling to survive as the venue...

West End even more packed than usual with big-name talent, but insiders say star casting is not only route to successful productionsThere is dream theatre casting – and then there is persuading Spider-Man to play Romeo. The news this week that Tom Holland, the megastar 27-year-old (Instagram followers: 66 million) at the heart of Marvel’s web-slinging franchise will be appearing in a “pulsating” new...

Other failures listed in damning official report include blaming children for ‘making poor choices’Metropolitan police officers tried to put off children from making complaints about alleged sexual abuse and privately blamed young people for crimes suffered, a damning official report has revealed.Most investigations into child exploitation were rated as inadequate by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). Of the 244 cases it examined, 43...

Social housing resident Filippe Scalora alleges a stranger moved into his flat while he could not get home in pandemicA social housing tenant is suing his landlord for £1m in damages, alleging that a housing officer illegally sublet his home when he was stranded abroad at the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020.Filippe Scalora’s case against Clarion will allege that when he returned...

Fear of crime in UK capital is one of biggest concerns of rich Indians, says entrepreneurIndian business people are avoiding being out and about in Mayfair over fears they could be mugged for their expensive watches after a 27% rise in “theft from a person” in London, an entrepreneur has said.Devin Narang, an entrepreneur, told a meeting attended by David Lammy, the shadow foreign...

Searches carried out at Abdul Ezedi’s Newcastle home and in London as his female victim remains ‘critical but stable’With the hunt for Abdul Ezedi entering its fourth day, police have appealed for the public to come forward with information about the suspected chemical attacker.Investigators released two images of white plastic bottles with warnings about corrosive substances, which may be linked to the attack on...

Met police ban face coverings in Westminster as organisers accuse force of bowing to political pressureMiddle East crisis – live updatesHundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators are expected to march through central London on Saturday in the UK’s first national demonstration since the UN’s international court of justice ordered Israel to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide in Gaza.Organisers have said...

Court rules not enough evidence provided to prove defendants failed to comply with section 14 order at anti-fossil fuel rallyGreta Thunberg and four others charged with public order offences over a protest in London have been cleared after a judge ruled that they had no case to answer.Thunberg was charged alongside Christofer Kebbon, Joshua James Unwin, Jeff Rice and Peter Barker with “failing to...

Police share new photo of Abdul Ezedi as CPS confirms he pleaded guilty to sexual assault and exposure charges in 2018Here is the last update on social media that the Metropolitan police in London gave, after a confirmed sighting of suspect Abdul Ezedi in a Tesco in north London’s Caledonian Road at 8.48pm Wednesday night.The police have warned the police not to approach him,...

Father of Dareen Nuru says they have been told to move out of south London flat but have nowhere else to goThe family of a one-year-old girl sent to hospital six times because of damp and mould in their south London flat say they are scared about her health and have pleaded for help from their local council.The parents say their daughter’s plight has...

Woman and two young daughters taken to hospital along with five others after incident in ClaphamWitnesses have described a “horrific” scene after a woman and her two young daughters were attacked with a corrosive substance in south London.Emergency services were called to Lessar Avenue in Clapham at about 7.25pm. The victims were taken to hospital along with three responding police officers and two others...

Capital’s councils say they are struggling to keep schools open as pupil funding dries upLondon’s councils are preparing to mothball schools to avoid a boom and bust cycle of closures, as the falling birthrate, high housing costs and the aftermath of Brexit and the Covid pandemic drive down the number of children living in the capital.With some areas of London projected to see the...

Driver was unaware he had to register French hire car with TfL’s collection agent even though it was emissions compliantThousands of EU citizens ‘wrongly fined for driving in London Ulez’How Belgian MP turned sleuth to solve Ulez fine mysteryChristian Ducarre received three fines totalling nearly £11,000 after driving his French hire car to London to attend his son’s wedding. The car, which was fully...

Exclusive: EU states accuse TfL of huge data breach over clean air zone penalties, with many given to compliant vehiclesEU motorist’s £11,000 run-in with London Ulez rulesHow Belgian MP turned sleuth to solve Ulez fine mysteryHundreds of thousands of EU citizens were wrongly fined for driving in London’s Ulez clean air zone, according to European governments, in what has been described as “possibly one...

Capital accounts for almost half of sector’s exports and action needed elsewhere, says Resolution FoundationLondon is capturing an ever-bigger share of the UK’s record service sector exports and government action is needed to ensure other big cities keep pace with the capital, a report says.The Resolution Foundation said London accounted for almost half of the UK’s service sector exports, with its share of the...

Survivors say in wake of Post Office scandal: ‘Those in power have lost their moral compass’Grenfell Tower survivors will this week confront executives from companies blamed for the disaster, after they said that in the wake of the Post Office scandal it was increasingly clear that “those in power have lost their moral compass”.Over four days in central London, dozens of the bereaved and...

Vigil is one of a series of events due to be held in the next few days in solidarity with people affected by events in Middle EastA multi-faith peace march is due to be held in London on Sunday, aimed at easing the bitterness and tension over the Israel-Gaza war.The midday march from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square and back is one of a...

Exclusive: London mayoral elections in May will be ‘toughest fight yet’, Khan will tell Fabian’s Society conferenceSadiq Khan will urge voters not to “let the Tories do to London what they’ve done to our country”, as he hits out at the “hollow, desperate and divisive narrative” put forward by the party.Launching the Fabian’s Society conference on Saturday with a keynote speech, the London mayor...

Theatreland is taking a gamble on a wave of quirky little shows to challenge the big but tired box office beasts A fresh kind of musical theatre show, set apart by having started life on the fringe or in a small-scale provincial production, is challenging the established order in London’s West End this season.A wave of new, quirky productions will be taking their places...

About 1,700 officers on duty in UK capital to police demonstration on day for action involving 30 countriesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThousands of people marched through central London on Saturday to show solidarity with Palestine and to reiterate calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.Demonstrators met on Queen Victoria Street before making their way along Fleet Street towards Parliament Square. The protest, part of...