Covid-19: Surge testing and vaccines to be introduced in Hounslow May 19, 2021 Surge testing and additional vaccines will be rolled out in Hounslow amid concerns about the spread of Indian Covid-19 variant. Health secretary Matt Hancock today told MPs that cases of the new Covid variant now stood at almost 3,000 after increasing by almost a quarter since Monday. As a result, surge testing and extra vaccine [...]
Olympic chief Bach promises ‘safe’ Tokyo 2020 as record Covid-19 deaths in Japan fuel opposition to the Games May 19, 2021 Olympic chiefs have attempted to calm an increasingly fretful Japanese public that the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games can take place safely this summer. Covid-19 deaths and serious cases continue to reach new daily highs in Japan, the country’s health ministry said on Wednesday. Tokyo and Osaka remain in a state of emergency, while the latest [...]
World Economic Forum cancels summer Singapore summit May 17, 2021 The World Economic Forum (WEF) has today cancelled its planned summit in Singapore due to Covid-related travel uncertainty. The summit was going to happen in Singapore in August instead of at its usual location in Davos, Switzerland. In a statement today, the WEF said: “Regretfully, the tragic circumstances unfolding across geographies, an uncertain travel outlook, [...]
An unholy alliance between the Tories, Greens and Lib Dems could hold Sadiq Khan’s feet to the fire May 17, 2021 The London Assembly rarely cuts through in the news landscape. It’s committee structure does not quicken the pulse or stiffen the sinew. This is in some ways a pity, as the assembly has wide powers to scrutinise the activities of the elected mayor and can, in some circumstances, even amend his budget or reject strategic [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for Londoners to ‘support British businesses’ as restrictions eased May 17, 2021 Sadiq Khan has called on Londoners to “support British businesses” and to come back into central London as Covid restrictions are eased further in England today. Khan said people outside the capital should not despair about the limited opportunities to currently travel overseas and that “everything you need is in London”. Tens of thousands of [...]
Waterloo & City Tube line to reopen from 21 June May 15, 2021 The Waterloo & City line will reopen on 21 June, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed today, having been shut since the first coronavirus lockdown. The underground line, which connects the commuter hub at Waterloo with the Square Mile, is a vital artery for many who commute into the office. Upon reopening, the Waterloo & City [...]
London is ‘not safe for everyone all of the time’, Met’s Cressida Dick says May 14, 2021 Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has said this morning that the streets of the capital are “not safe for everyone all of the time”. Black communities and women and girls face inflated rates of violence, the commissioner said today, adding that nearly half of London’s homicide victims were Black. “If I look at victims [...]
Surrey Cricket boss to move on after transformative decade May 14, 2021 Surrey County Cricket Club Chief Exec Richard Gould is to leave the south London institution after a decade in charge. Gould will move on to the same role at Championship football club Bristol City. Surrey’s business model has been transformed under Gould’s tenure, with the year before the pandemic delivering record profits. Read more: Surrey [...]
Sadiq Khan needs to get real on housing – Londoners deserve it May 14, 2021 After a surprisingly close race, Sadiq Khan has secured another term as Mayor of London. He has promised to rebuild London, post pandemic, and announced big spending plans to bring life back to the capital. Piccadilly Circus now has its very own David Hockney design. But Khan has failed to put forward a coherent policy [...]
First test trains run on Crossrail ahead of 2022 opening May 13, 2021 Initial testing on Crossrail’s Elizabeth Line has now kicked off, with four trains an hour now running on the line. It is the first phase in a series of major trials that must be completed before the much-delayed line opens in the first half of 2022. The firm also said it had handed over the [...]