Author: David Pike

Body of student, 19, pulled from river after she went missing three weeks ago A body recovered from the River Thames last month is believed to be that of missing SOAS University student Samaria Ayanle, the Metropolitan Police has said. Ayanle, 19, was last seen at her accommodation near Marble Arch in the early hours of February 22. Only hours later, officers received reports of a body on the north foreshore near Putney Pier about…

Mum choked to death while cooking dinner for family A ‘tender and loving’ mum died after choking on food while cooking her family dinner in Dover last month. Siobhan Rose Simmonds, 33, was found on the kitchen floor by her two-year-old daughter, her partner and his son on February 24. She was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford but died at around 2.50pm in intensive care a week later. Doctors told Siobhan’s loved…

Thursday’s front pages report on the ongoing row over alleged comments made by Tory donor Frank Hester about MP Diane Abbott. Hester – who donated £10m to the Conservative Party last year, reportedly said Abbott made him “want to hate all black women,” and said she “should be shot.” 

A variety of, mostly domestic, topics dominate the UK front pages. The latest from the UK political scene makes a few of the splashes, as the government admitted comments made by one of the party’s biggest donors were racist. 

Transgender girl stabbed at roller-skating party More teenagers have been charged after an 18-year-old transgender girl was stabbed while she was at a birthday party. Two 17-year-old boys are accused of grievous bodily harm with intent over the stabbing at a roller-skating party in Harrow, north west London, on February 10. They will appear at the Old Bailey on April 5. One of the boys also faces charges of disclosing sexual images and threatening the…

South London park voted best place to see cherry blossom in the capital Spring is almost upon us and one of the most jaw-dropping signs of the new season is cherry blossom. Although the stunning pale pink petals are typically associated with Japan, where a festival dedicated to them attracts millions of tourists, it’s possible to catch a glimpse of these wonderful flowers in London. So, if you’re unable to travel to Japan for sakura…

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson, said: ‘Thames Valley Police received a report of a road traffic collision at 7.50am this morning (12/3) on Thames Street, Windsor.

Kate hasn’t reacted well to drama over edited picture Kate Middleton is ‘deeply upset’ over the conspiracies triggered by the photo released on Mother’s Day, it was reported. The ‘Kategate’ picture editing row is the latest controversial move from the Royal Family. The Princess of Wales was forced to confess to ‘editing’ what was initially claimed to be an ‘official’ image showing her celebrating with her three children. But experts had a field day with…

British cop dies after neck was sliced open when he fell over at his engagement party A police officer who appeared on the BBC’s Wanted Down Under died after falling and cutting his neck at his engagement party. Liam Trimmer, 29, left the UK for Australia as a teenager before appearing on the BBC One police show, filmed just a year later. On the show he gave a Scottish teenager, aspiring to join the police,…

: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.”

Lee Anderson: Ex-Tory MP defects to Reform UK Lee Anderson, the former Tory Party deputy chairman, has defected to Reform UK.Anderson was suspended as a Conservative MP after he refused to apologise for claims that Islamists had “control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.  His defection ends weeks of speculation over his future. He said he had been given the chance to “speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the…

The edited photo of the Princess of Wales and her children continues to dominate the papers. Yesterday, Princess Kate acknowledged she had altered the Mother’s Day image after four international agencies ordered ‘kill notices’ over the picture – meaning they told media not to use the image over fears of it being doctored. 

The Princess of Wales has apologised for the confusion caused by her editing of the image. Royal experts are calling on the princess to release the original image – but the Palace has declined.

Teen pleads guilty to murdering British mum who moved to Australia for ‘better life’ A teenager has admitted murdering a British mum after a break-in at her house in Australia. The boy is one of two teens accused of killing Emma Lovell in 2022, who cannot be named because they were 17 at the time of the attack. Emma, 41, emigrated from Suffolk to Queensland in 2011 with her husband Lee, who survived the Boxing…

Kate makes shocking admission about edited Mother’s Day picture Kate Middleton has admitted she personally edited the photo of her with her kids released on Mother’s Day yesterday – and apologised for her poor skills. In a post on X the Princess of Wales said: ‘Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. ‘I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating…

Charles vows to serve ‘to the best of my ability’ in new video after cancer diagnosis King Charles has pledged to serve the Commonwealth ‘to the best of my ability’ in his first video message since his cancer diagnosis. The monarch, 75, has recorded a short message for Commonwealth Day which celebrates the Commonwealth of Nations, mainly former British territories. Since his diagnosis was revealed early last month, the king has postponed all public-facing engagements.…

Met Office gives verdict on ‘600-mile snow bomb’ predicted to hit UK The Met Office has weighed in on whether a huge amount of snow forecast for the UK later this month will actually hit or not. Forecaster WXCharts predicts we’ll see a huge dumping of snow on March 21, which will bring freezing temperatures, rain and high winds as well as plenty of the white stuff. It predicts temperatures in the south west of…

Serial catfisher admits manslaughter of girl, 12, who killed herself A man who repeatedly ‘catfished’ children online has admitted manslaughter after one of his young victims killed herself. Alexander McCartney, 25, of Newry in Northern Ireland, has pleaded guilty to 185 charges involving more than 60 victims. He used a fake identity to exploit and blackmail children online, threatening consequences if they did not provide explicit photos. The 12-year-old girl who killed herself died in…

Many of Monday’s early editions lead on the first official image of the Princess of Wales following her surgery – these versions of the front pages were published before a storm blew up over the image. 
Four international photo agencies have retracted a picture of the Princess of Wales and her children over concerns it has been “manipulated”.

Map shows where heavy snowfall is forecasted as -2C temperatures freeze UK Parts of the UK could be blanketed by up to five inches of snow when a -2C chill sets in next week. New weather charts suggest the country will be hit by another Arctic blast sending temperatures back below zero. The update comes after forecasters warned a once-in-a-250-year weather event is underway that could bring with it bitter wintry conditions. A Sudden Stratospheric…

Kate Middleton speaks out for the first time since her surgery and shares sweet Mother’s Day message Kate Middleton has shared a message with the public for the first time since taking time off for an operation almost two months ago. She thanked the public for their ‘kind wishes and continued support’ as she recovers from abdominal surgery. Alongside the message celebrating Mother’s Day was a photo taken by her husband Prince William this week.…

Car swarmed by armed police after crashing into gates of Buckingham Palace Armed police swooped after a car crashed into the main entrance of Buckingham Palace in the early hours of this morning. Police confirmed a man had been arrested for criminal damage, with dramatic footage showing officers yell ‘Keep your hands on your head!’. A witness told of a ‘loud bang’ as the vehicle rammed the gates of the famous royal residence in central…

Major rule change for National Lottery scratchcards you should know about Lottery scratchcard players have been warned of a major change in payments to winners. If your scratchcard has revealed a win in excess of £500 and up to £50,000, you are now required to follow a new process to get hold of the money. The new rules were introduced after operator Allwyn took over from Camelot. Previously, Post Office branches were able to pay…

Woman, 18, killed in horror A515 crash hours before Mother’s Day A young woman has died in a crash in Derbyshire the day before Mother’s Day. The woman, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene near Cubley. In a statement, police said: ‘Officers investigating a fatal collision on the A515 are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage. ‘The collision, involving a Peugeot 107 and a Land Rover Discovery, occurred on near Cubley at around 12.30pm…

There isn’t much unity across the Sunday front pages with most splashes leading on separate domestic topics. There’s some light coverage of the UK political scene, with several papers looking at what a Labour government will look like, providing they win the upcoming general election.