Local News

A man has admitted killing an 87-year-old mobility scooter rider in west London.Lee Byer stabbed Thomas O'Halloran to death in Greenford in a "motiveless attack". A post-mortem found the victim had suffered multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen in August 2022.Mr O'Halloran, a grandfather who was originally from Co Clare in Ireland, was said to be a passionate musician and was described as "very popular" in Greenford, […]

Common and easily guessed passwords like 'admin' or '12345' are being banned in the UK as part of world-first laws to protect against cyber attacks.As well as default passwords, if a user suggests a common password they will be prompted to change it on creation of a new account. It comes as a home filled with smart devices could be exposed to more than 12,000 hacking attacks from across the […]

The UK will not to take back asylum seekers who cross the border into Ireland "until the EU accepts that we can send them back to France", according to a government source.The comment comes amid an escalating row between Dublin and Westminster over the Irish government's plans for new legislation to enable asylum seekers who cross the border from Northern Ireland to be sent back to the UK. Irish justice […]

Thursday's local elections have been pencilled in as a day of peril for Rishi Sunak for so long, it's hard to remember when Tory turbulence - and maybe even a leadership challenge - was not expected after 2 May.Most council seats up for election were last contested in 2021, the high watermark of Boris Johnson's political prowess, when the Tories were benefiting from a vaccine bounce. Since then, the party […]

A second man has died after taking an "unusually strong batch" of heroin in North Devon, police have said.The first man died as a result of taking the Class A drug on Friday and a second man, who had been admitted to hospital earlier, died on Saturday night. Devon and Cornwall Police said his death is believed to be as a result of taking the same batch, which is thought […]

Over a third (38%) of people living with multiple sclerosis have avoided seeking help for symptoms like bladder and sexual problems due to embarrassment, according to new research led by MS Society.A survey of 1,400 people with the condition in the UK found that 85% of people find one or more of their symptoms embarrassing. The findings from a collaboration of multiple sclerosis (MS) charities have been released as part […]

Rishi Sunak has failed to rule out holding a general election in July, as speculation remains rife over the timing of the national vote.The prime minister has repeatedly said his "working assumption" is the election would take place in the second half of this year - with the law stating January 2025 is the latest he could call it. But while many commentators have predicted an autumn vote, Sky News' […]

Two men have been arrested at a pro-Palestinian march in London, according to the Metropolitan Police. One of the men was taken into custody for carrying a swastika emblazoned placard and another for an allegedly making racist remarks towards counter-protesters, police said. The arrests come a week after a row erupted over a video that appeared to show a police officer preventing a counter-protester crossing a road near a pro-Palestinian […]

A man has died and four people have been arrested after taking an "unusually strong batch" of heroin in North Devon.Devon police declared a major incident early Friday evening when they discovered the batch of class A drugs had been circulated. By midnight, the man had died and eight others who were also believed to have taken the drug had been treated in hospital, police said. They said the drugs […]