London

David Stroud grabbed a woman’s hair and asked if he could kiss her two days after legislation took effectA train passenger has become the first person to be sentenced under a new harassment law after a prosecution brought by the British Transport Police (BTP).David Stroud, 44, grabbed a woman’s hair and asked her “can I kiss you?” on a rail journey to London on 3 April, two days after the new legislation came into force banning harassment motivated by a person’s sex. Continue reading...

The theatrical prequel to the Duffer Brothers’ smash-hit Netflix series is to shut down in the West End and on Broadway this winter, after selling more than 1.5m ticketsThe London and New York productions of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the theatrical prequel to Netflix’s TV blockbuster, are to both close this winter. The stage spectacular will have run for just over three years in the West End, where it won two Olivier awards, and for just over 20 months on Broadway, where it won four Tony awards. The final performance at the Phoenix theatre in London will be on 27 December and the last show at the Marquis theatre in New York will be on 3 January.The announcement, made on Tuesday, comes as a surprise considering the TV series’ phenomenal continued success. The November launch of the fifth and final season broke viewing records for an English-language series on Netflix, with 59.6m views in the first five days, and even caused the streaming service to crash within minutes of the episodes first becoming available. In February, it was widely reported that the New York stage production was being filmed for future release, but Netflix has made no such official statement. Continue reading...

Father and mother of Annabel Rook praised her dedication to helping others and want to focus on her legacy A retired Old Bailey judge has paid tribute to his daughter after her killer was jailed for life.Today at Snaresbrook crown court, Clifton George, 45, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of the murder of Annabel Rook, 46, whom he stabbed in the living room of her own home in Stoke Newington, north London. Continue reading...

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer opened London Tech Week by announcing new government funding for specialist AI compute to broaden access to advanced AI tools. • The initiative is supported by billions in private pledges, including investments from AMD to fund compute infrastructure with the University of Cambridge and R&D with Imperial College. • This strategy aims to sharpen Britain's competitive edge in the global tech market by placing computing capacity at the center of the UK's industrial approach to AI.

• London Tech Week 2026 officially opens today, June 8, hosted at the Olympia London venue. • The event brings together global technology leaders to discuss industry trends, with a primary focus on an AI-driven agenda. • This gathering serves as a critical hub for networking and innovation, highlighting London's position as a global tech center.

• During London Tech Week, the UK Prime Minister and global tech leaders announced a multi-billion-pound boost for the country's compute infrastructure and AI skills. • AMD committed to investing £2 billion over the next five years to enhance the UK's technological capabilities. • The funding will support high-performance compute infrastructure at Cambridge University, R&D at Imperial College, and direct capital injections into UK startups.

Measures being considered to crack down on practice that has grown as a result of Britain’s housing crisisLondon councils could be banned from “dumping” homeless families hundreds of miles across England under measures being considered by ministers, the Guardian has learned.MPs said vulnerable people, including women fleeing abuse, were being “coerced” into choosing between rough sleeping or moving to cheap, sparsely furnished properties in some of the poorest parts of the country. Continue reading...

Fire in Bermondsey sends huge plumes rising high over the city and disrupts train travel in the areaFifteen fire engines and about 100 firefighters have been called to tackle a major fire at a recycling centre in south London.Fire control officers were first called just after 5.30pm on Monday to the centre on Landmann Way in Bermondsey. Continue reading...

Singer-songwriter Talay Riley worked on tracks for stars including Tinie Tempah, Britney Spears and Craig DavidStormzy and Oritsé Williams are among the artists who have paid tribute to the singer-songwriter Talay Riley, who was stabbed to death in Silvertown, east London.The 35-year-old musician, whose real name was Mark Orabiyi, was found with stab wounds by paramedics on the morning of 5 June and pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer hosts Ukrainian, French and German leaders in Downing Street amid optimism in Kyiv over state of warVolodymyr Zelenskyy met his staunchest allies at Downing Street on Sunday night, hours after a Russian drone strike damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel nine miles from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz for a meeting to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as the country seeks to capitalise on a series of strikes on key Russian positions. Continue reading...

Choice between living on the streets or moving hundreds of miles away faced by homeless people.Having fled sex trafficking gangs in Belgium and Manchester, the woman from Albania thought she was finally safe when she arrived in west London with her two young children.A single mother, she had been granted asylum in the UK and was ready to start a new life in the capital. But first they needed a home. Continue reading...

Holy Family Catholic primary school says enthusiastic response from parents has been biggest surpriseSchools banning pupils from having smartphones are commonplace. But what about a school where pupils ban teachers from using their smartphones, and then get their parents to join in?And not just phones: at Holy Family Catholic primary school in west London teachers are also barred from using laptops, monitors or tablets during the school’s screen-free Mondays, after an idea that came from the pupils themselves. Continue reading...

Fans from across UK descend on Shacklewell Arms for intimate gig that leaves them wanting one thing moreIn the Shacklewell Arms in east London, the usual crowd of hipsters and indie music fans had been replaced by a throng dressed in leopard print, double denim and cowboy hats to pay tribute to the night’s headliner: Shania Twain.“We thought we might have been scammed when we saw the ticket announcement,” said Jack, 28, who came with his sister Amy. “Why would she do a pub this small?” Continue reading...

• The European Union may be entering a period of accelerated integration and policy action, mirroring previous shifts seen in the 1990s and during the pandemic. • This potential shift in EU financial market strategy poses a serious threat to the dominance of the City of London as a global financial hub. • The trend matters because increased EU cohesion in financial services could divert capital and business away from Britain.

• London Tech Week will take place this June, serving as a hub for European innovation and breakthrough technologies. • The event features over 300 exhibitors and curated programming covering diverse sectors, including enterprise SaaS, Web3, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. • Attendees aim to gain competitive intelligence and identify emerging market shifts to position their organizations for future growth.

Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made a surprise appearance at a performance of Abba VoyageAbba Voyage concerts can be deafening enough. But when the real-life Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made an appearance in the hall, which was packed with hundreds of schoolchildren, even security staff present were surprised by the din.On Tuesday, at the custom-built Abba Arena in east London, the virtual concert residency launched its expanded education programme, which aims to support young people across the area getting into creative industries. Continue reading...

New York audiences were asked to put their phones in sealed pouches for duration of performance of LiberationWhen a Pulitzer prize-winning play about a feminist activist opened in New York, audiences had to do something unusual.They were asked to put their phones away – not in their pockets, but in specially designed pouches, which they could only open at the intermission or after the show. Continue reading...

TfL says 60% of drivers worked on first day of stoppage as RMT confirms second day of action will go aheadA London Underground drivers’ strike will bring another day of transport disruption to the capital on Thursday, after the RMT union confirmed its action would go ahead.Transport for London (TfL) urged the union to call off the strike, the second 24-hour stoppage this week in a dispute over the introduction of a four-day working week. Continue reading...

• The Responsible AI Conference 2026 will take place as a one-day, practitioner-led event in London, UK, on 23 June 2026. • The event focuses on operational and compliance challenges rather than technical breakthroughs, featuring speakers from high-scrutiny organizations including HSBC, JPMorgan, BBC, and Channel 4. • This conference matters because it provides real-world insights into managing AI in sectors where regulatory failure carries significant risks.

Clifton George convicted of fatally stabbing charity worker Annabel Rook after she tried to end relationshipA man who fatally stabbed his partner and then set off a gas explosion at their north-east London home last summer has been found guilty of her murder.Clifton George, 45, had denied murdering Annabel Rook, a 46-year-old charity founder, during an argument at their home in Stoke Newington, on 17 June 2025. He admitted her manslaughter. Continue reading...

• Pop star Dua Lipa and actor Callum Turner have married in a low-key wedding ceremony in London. • The couple, who began their relationship in 2024, held the event at the historic Old Marylebone Town Hall. • The venue is a renowned site for celebrity nuptials, most notably hosting Sir Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman's wedding in 1969.

• Europe's technology spending is projected to reach $1.3 trillion as the growth of artificial intelligence accelerates across the continent. • The "Tech Nation Report 2026: The Next Wave of UK AI" will be officially launched on the Main Stage of London Tech Week on Monday, June 8. • The event will feature a dedicated founder panel focused on strategies for the UK to build, scale, and maintain a competitive edge in the AI era.

Founder of ‘anti-woke’ PR firm to pay £910 to woman whose hair she pulled at Bond Street tube station last OctoberA Maga influencer has admitted assaulting a woman at a London tube station during an altercation.Melissa Rein Lively, 40, the founder of the “anti-woke” America First Public Relations firm in the US, allegedly pulled a woman’s hair in a “forceful manner” at Bond Street station last October. Continue reading...

About half of drivers will take action on Tuesday as RMT blames TfL’s ‘refusal to engage meaningfully’ Strikes on the London Underground will go ahead on Tuesday after a day of talks failed to avert industrial action.About half of London’s tube drivers will go on strike, bringing widespread transport disruption to the capital. A second strike is planned for Thursday. Continue reading...

Met says non-fatal stabbings took place after most of the crowds had dispersed on Sunday eveningSix people were stabbed after Arsenal’s Premier League victory parade in north London on Sunday, police have said.The Metropolitan police said the stabbings took place in the evening after most of the crowds had dispersed. Twenty-four people were arrested. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Local authority asked what steps it is taking after hordes of splashing revellers seen disturbing nesting birdsMinisters have written to the City of London demanding it stop people from swimming in a protected pond on Hampstead Heath, after disturbing scenes of cygnets and eggs being disrupted went viral on social media.Swans and their 12-day-old cygnets were disturbed by hordes of splashing revellers in the north London park on Monday as temperatures reached a record 35C in the capital. In one video, a swan was seen poking an unhatched egg with its beak after it fell into the water during the chaos. Continue reading...

Two 24-hour stoppages by drivers to take place next week as part of action over proposals for four-day weekStrikes by drivers on London Underground next week will go ahead, the RMT union has announced, paving the way for more days of transport disruption.Two 24-hour stoppages are to take place, from 00.01 to 23.59 on Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June, because of differences over a planned four-day week. Continue reading...

Police say man, woman and child died at scene after fall from block of flats in Elephant and Castle on WednesdayA man, a woman and a child died after falling from a high-rise block of flats in south London on Wednesday, the Metropolitan police have said.Scotland Yard said officers were called at 7.29am to reports that people had fallen from a height in Elephant and Castle. Continue reading...