Kearne Solanke and Charlie Bartolo were stabbed to death just a mile apart in south-east London Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murdering two 16-year-old boys stabbed to death just a mile apart in south-east London, police have said. Kearne Solanke was knifed in Titmuss Avenue, Thamesmead, and Charlie Bartolo was found in Sewell Road, Abbey Wood, on Saturday. Continue reading… ​Kearne Solanke and Charlie Bartolo were stabbed to death just a mile

Chinese state broadcaster transmits from Chiswick studio despite Ofcom revoking UK licence last year France’s media regulator is under pressure to withdraw a licence that allows the Chinese state broadcaster to beam its programmes across Europe from a studio in west London. Ofcom revoked the organisation’s licence to transmit in the UK last year but the China Global Television Network (CGTN) was able to continue broadcasting following authorisation from the French authority. Continue reading… ​Chinese

Role of church in parliament and schools questioned as census shows 5.5m fewer holders of faith in England and Wales Census results revealing that England is no longer a majority-Christian country have sparked calls for an end to the church’s role in parliament and schools, while Leicester and Birmingham became the first UK cities with “minority majorities”. For the first time in a census, less than half of the population of England and Wales –

Thousands of staff including 999 call handlers and paramedics to take strike action over pay and staffing levels Ambulance workers across England intend to strike before Christmas after voting in favour of industrial action over pay and staffing levels. Unison said thousands of 999 call handlers, ambulance technicians, paramedics and their colleagues working for ambulance services in the north-east, north-west, London, Yorkshire and the south-west are to take strike action. Continue reading… ​Thousands of staff

Tory-led Essex authority is on brink of bankruptcy and has appealed to government for emergency bailout A Tory-led council has admitted a series of disastrous investments in risky commercial projects caused it to run up an unprecedented deficit of nearly £500m and brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. The staggering scale of the catastrophe at Thurrock council in Essex – one of the biggest ever financial disasters in local government – is contained in

Minority ethnic people make up 59% and 51% of respective populations in UK’s first ‘super-diverse’ cities Leicester and Birmingham have become the first “super-diverse” cities in the UK, where most people are from black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, according to the 2021 census. A total of 59% of people in Leicester are from minority ethnic backgrounds, while 51% of Birmingham’s population are people of colour, as are 54% in Luton, according to the