London

    London could be hit by thunder storms over the coming days, with forecasters also warning gales could arrive by next week. The capital will be lashed by showers on Friday, with the unsettled autumn weather continuing over the weekend. After a bright start to Saturday, the wet weather will return, with thunder storms possible, according the Met Office. Meanwhile, by Sunday afternoon the wind will pick up, and gales could hit the capital on Monday. Forecaster Steven Keates told the Standard: We’re looking at autumnal, unsettled and changeable weather over the coming days. There will be a lot of cloud around today, with outbreaks of rain for much of the day, a bit on the breezy side. There will be some dry periods but definitely a day to keep your umbrella with you. Tempera...

    North London Kilburn and Hampshead Labour MP has revealed she was stopped by UK border control because she did not have the same surname in her passport as her daughter. Tulip Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, said 18-month-old Azalea burst into tears when they were questioned by officials and forced to wait until their husband joined them. They were returning from a family holiday in France with Ms Siddiq’s husband, Chris Percy, when they became separated. She said she was stopped just before boarding the Eurostar after being allowed to join the fast-track queue with her pushchair. The 34-year-old told the Guardian: My daughter looks quite different to me, she looks like her dad. At the UK border the man looked at my passport for a long time and my daughter’s pass...

    A man has been injured by a small power explosion on one of central London's busiest streets, police said. A section of Oxford Street was cordoned off after the "power network" blast at around 7pm, Scotland Yard said. Both police and fire crews were sent to the scene, where the man was said to have suffered minor injuries. Something’s happened on Oxford Street. People running away quickly and panicking. pic.twitter.com/NtEdhqp9rE — Michael (@londonstuff) September 7, 2017 Smoke could be seen rising from the busy thoroughfare as concerned shoppers looked on, in footage posted on social media. Other images showed the pavement apparently blackened by the explosion. A spokesman for Metropolitan Police told The Independent that the explosion did not appear to be suspicious but ...

A landlord who dangerously packed 16 people into a three-bedroom ex-Council flat, but failed to provide proper fire protection has been fined £4,750 and ordered to pay £1,429.68  after being pursued by Tower Hamlets Council environmental officers Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan was fined £4,750 and ordered to pay £1,429.68 in costs after pleading guilty to five charges under the Housing Act 2004 at Bow Magistrates' Court on 17th August 2017. Environmental Health Officers in the council's Health and Housing Team found 16 tenants (including 7 children) occupying the ex-Council flat at Sheffield Square, Bow.  This included three families of four people, one family of three and a single man.  Each family occupied one room and all shared a single bathroom, kitchen and toilet.  Two of the family rooms bar...

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are in love and really happy, she's revealed in her first interview about their relationship. The Suits actress, 36, told Vanity Fair that the couple are enjoying their time together in private and even managed to keep their romance secret for the first six months. Admitting that she refers to Harry as her boyfriend, the actress gushed over their relationship and said: We're a couple. We're in love. She went on: "I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It's part of what makes it so special, that it's just ours. But we're happy. Personally, I love a great love story. The pair have been officia...

    A woman has been charged with making fraudulent claims for support being provided to the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. Joyce Msokeri, from Sutton in south London, is charged with six counts of fraud, the Metropolitan Police said. The 46-year-old was arrested on 25 July and will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. At least 80 people died and dozens of homes were destroyed in the fire in June. Anybody with any information about fraud being committed is asked to contact the team investigating the fire on 0800 032 4539.

    Homeless families are no longer being put in Bed and Breakfast accommodation by Tower Hamlets Council longer than the six-week legal limit, latest figures show. Monika Fijak and family in B&B after made homeless by fatal stabing in their flat in Stepney in May. Picture: Mike Brooke This contrasts to 2015 when Mayor Biggs inherited what he said was “the worst performing local authority in the country” for families in B&B. We were shamefully the worst borough, he said. But we have turned round the unfairness of families being made to live in such unsuitable accommodation. The number hit 174 in 2015, but no families have been in B&B for more than six weeks so far this year, the local authority maintains. A town hall undertook to find more accommodation and to stre...

    A man has died after he was stabbed in the chest during a fight in a Hounslow residential street. Police were called shortly after 3.30pm on Monday September 4th to reports of an altercation between two groups of men in Rosebery Road. London Ambulance Service was also called but by the time officers arrived, the groups had dispersed. Police found a man, believed to be aged in his late 20s, lying injured on the street with a stab wound to the chest. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The victim was treated by paramedics and London's Air Ambulance at the scene, however they were unable to save him and life was pronounced extinct at 4.18pm. The victim's next of kin are in the process of being informed. A post-mortem will be scheduled in due course. Road closures remain in...

    Two men who died in the Grenfell Tower fire were identified by dental records and DNA from human remains found on the 23rd floor. The remains of Hesham Rahman, 57, and Ernie Vital, 50, were discovered on the second-highest floor of the high-rise, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard. Mr Rahman, who lived alone on the floor where his remains were found, was identified following dental examination, Coroner’s Officer Eric Sword said. Where the Grenfell Tower victims were found He was said to have last made contact with his family at around 3am when he told them he could smell smoke. Mr Rahman, whose post-mortem examination took place on August 9, was reported to have had diabetes, making it difficult for him to walk down stairs. Westminster Coroner Fiona Wilcox said: I understan...

Eleven Tower Hamlets trainee apprentices looking to forge a career in construction met Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs, who celebrated with them and their host company Ballymore as they completed their pre- apprenticeship work placements. They had found their placements via WorkPath – the council's revolutionary new employment service for all Tower Hamlets residents that provides employment support tailored to individual need whatever the experience level. For most it was their first work experience, and they did it in the growing construction sector – an area key to the development of the borough providing highly skilled jobs for thousands of people. Their placement was with Ballymore, who are responsible for some of the most exciting building projects in the UK - including the City Island...