North West Londoner • 2 February 2024

Smoking-related hospital admissions increased in England in 2022/23

Smoking-related hospital admissions increased in England in 2022/23 compared to the previous year, recently-published NHS England data shows.

NHS England recorded 408,700 hospital admissions due to smoking in 2022/23 compared to 389,800 in 2021/22, although this should be put in perspective with higher numbers of NHS hospital admissions broadly speaking.

This came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in November that anyone 14 or younger would be banned from ever legally buying cigarette

South West Londoner • 1 February 2024

Third of trans Londoners feared losing accommodation in 2023

Nearly a third of trans Londoners feared losing their housing or accommodation in 2023, recently-released data show.

The Trans Learning Partnership, a coalition of charities that works towards improving the lives of trans people and their families, found that 31% of trans people were worried about losing their housing or accommodation last year.

These figures came as part of a survey conducted in 2023 with 479 London-based trans and non-binary participants.

Lily, 26, who is trans, said: “I ha

North West Londoner • 31 January 2024

More Holocaust education 'crucial' to tackle anti-semitism rise across UK

During Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations, members of London Jewish community said historical education is key to tackle the ongoing rise of antisemitism in the UK.

Hosts, guest speakers and those who attended the event in Barnet on 28 January said more education on the horrors of the Holocaust must be provided to children and adults to address the current increase of anti-semitic threats across the country.

This came as the number of Holocaust-related anti-semitic incidents recorded by the

North West Londoner • 29 January 2024

Baby bank network calls for volunteers to keep supporting families in cost-of-living crisis

A London-based baby bank network is calling on volunteers to join its Brent hub to keep on supporting families in need amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Little Village’s baby bank in Brent is calling on community members to join its volunteer team as the demand for support keeps on increasing due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

The bank provides pre-loved clothes, prams, toys and other equipment to families living in poverty across north west London.

Little Village’s Brent hub was the fir

South West Londoner • 26 January 2024

Autism and ADHD patients struggle as NHS diagnosis waiting lists keep getting longer

NHS waiting lists to get an autism assessment and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis continue to extend, causing increasingly serious difficulties for those waiting.

NHS data published last month shows there were 11,425 patients with an open referral for suspected autism in September in London, and that 6,800 (60%) of them had had a referral open at least 13 weeks without being offered a first appointment.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance

South West Londoner • 11 January 2024

Increasing numbers of UK children pushed into poverty by the 'ridiculous' two-child limit

The number of children impacted by the two-child limit to benefit payments across the UK has significantly increased in the past few years, leading to higher child poverty rates, new data shows.

Figures published by the End Child Poverty Coalition show that in April 2023 there were 1.5 million children affected by the two-child limit across the UK – compared to between 1.1 and 1.2 million in April 2021 – including more than 230,000 in London.

The two-child limit to benefit payments was impleme

South West Londoner • 5 January 2024

Over 3,000 free meals for Kensington and Chelsea children this winter

More than 3,000 free healthy meals are being distributed to Kensington and Chelsea children during the winter break to support families in the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and funded by the Department for Education (DfE), the £450,000+ pot of Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme is offering free meals and activities to 1,000 children during the winter break.

The scheme is primarily aimed at supporting children on free school meals:

My London • 24 December 2023

Full list of the London boroughs with the highest and lowest knife crime rates

The London borough with the most knife crime has been named. Westminster is the area in which the highest number of knife crime offences, including stabbing and personal robberies, was recorded this past year.

The Metropolitan Police recorded 1,007 knife crime offences in Westminster over the past 12 months, compared to 802 in Croydon and 743 in Newham. Offences involving a sharp instrument have increased by almost 30 per cent this year in Westminster, and by 14.9 per cent just in a month betwe

My London • 24 December 2023

21 surnames that could be entitled to a fortune in Bromley

The Government updated the list of unclaimed estates, including some in Bromley, that can still be claimed by long-lost relatives. These are estates where someone died without a will or obvious next of kin.

The Bona Vacantia division (BVD) of the Government Legal Department is the body in charge of administering these estates and updating the list. On the list currently, are 21 people who have died in Bromley and whose estates have not been claimed.

READ MORE: 'I'm suicidal' - Inside the shamb

19 December 2023

Aid Non-Profit Organisation Annual Report

... thousands of people in England will be able to get the contraceptive pill free-of-charge from their local pharmacy without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.

Although the mini-pill (progestogen-only) was already available over the counter without a prescription, people will now also be able to get the combined oestrogen and progestogen pill in pharmacies, providing that they undergo a check-up on blood pressure and weight.

The move comes under the ‘Primary Care Recovery Plan’,

My London • 17 December 2023

'Restaurant' that uses up supermarket food waste where you 'pay as you feel'

With the cost of living crisis making it harder to make ends meet, many people find themselves struggling to make sure they're eating healthy, filling and budget meals every day. But one cosy little hub in West London is supporting the community while bringing people together with its sustainable meals.

Nourish Hub, in Shepherd's Bush, looks like a restaurant but rather than being run for profit, visitors can 'pay as they feel', keeping it affordable for everyone. The hub offers a community mea

South West Londoner • 8 December 2023

WATCH: UK’s largest ‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude’ retrospective at the Saatchi Gallery

The largest retrospective of the artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude to ever take place in the UK is currently on display at the Saatchi Gallery, in Chelsea.

The exhibition aims at making London audiences more familiar with the artist duo’s work, especially their earliest creations, and with the ways in which their art was connected to other prominent contemporary artistic movements and figures.

The retrospective comes as the couple’s latest project – the construction of the Mastaba, the l

South West Londoner • 23 November 2023

WATCH: National Covid Memorial Wall: legacy amid the UK Covid-19 Inquiry

The National Covid Memorial Wall is a project which emerged in early 2021 and which has since become a symbol of the UK government’s mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Located on Southbank of the River Thames, this visual mural memorial sprung from a collaboration between the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice and the political accountability project Led By Donkeys.

Their aim was to visually represent the scale of the UK’s losses to Covid-19.

In the context of the ongo

South West Londoner • 13 October 2023

Black History Month: Hammersmith and Fulham Council celebrates Black history of the borough

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has organised 15 in-person and online events to highlight and celebrate the Black history of the borough for Black History Month.

Suitable for all ages, the festivities aim to shed light on the accomplishments of Black people who shaped Hammersmith and Fulham.

Author Tony Warner, who will be giving a talk about the hidden African/Caribbean history of H&F on 30 October, said Black history is especially important in south west London and should be both recognised a

Digital Journal • 11 October 2023

UK businesses ask for help after rise in shoplifting

The British Retail Consortium is demanding that police and local mayors do more to protect retail workers - Copyright AFP/File KARIM JAAFAR

British businesses are seeking government help as shops suffer an unprecedented number of thefts and violence by criminal gangs, addicts and people struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

“We see shoplifting everyday here, sometimes multiple times a day,” laments Pravin Kharel, the 28-year-old manager of a Sainsbury’s food store in London.

The British Re

Barrons • 11 October 2023

UK Businesses Ask For Help After Rise In Shoplifting

British businesses are seeking government help as shops suffer an unprecedented number of thefts and violence by criminal gangs, addicts and people struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

"We see shoplifting everyday here, sometimes multiple times a day," laments Pravin Kharel, the 28-year-old manager of a Sainsbury's food store in London.

The British Retail Consortium says shoplifting is up 27 percent this year in ten of the country's largest cities, a phenomenon affecting also the United St

South West Londoner • 22 September 2023

Putney Common and Wimbledon Common tax hike criticised

The leader of Wandsworth Council has criticised last week’s tax hike proposal from Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators amid the cost of living crisis.

The conservators want to increase the levy paid by 28,000 Wandsworth, Merton, and Kingston households towards the maintenance of the commons by a minimum 25% starting next year.

The conservators already increased the levy by 12.6% last year, to keep up with the rise in the Retail Price Index (RPI), which Council leader Simon Hogg had stron

Internationalpublicp • 19 February 2023

Jihadist refugee camps in Syria: Between risky repatriations and breaches to human rights

On the 24th of January 2023, the confirmed the repatriation of 32 French children and 15 women who were held in jihadist refugee camps in northeast Syria. While the women have rapidly been brought before judicial bodies, the children have been placed in social services, which will handle their living conditions, health and education.

This return operation constitutes the of French citizens detained in Syrian jihadist refugee camps after from human rights organisations including the United Natio

Pi Media • 13 February 2023

Allegedly Transphobic Group Returns to UCL — Pi Media

On February 4th, UCL Women’s Liberation Special Interest Group (SIG) hosted a one-day conference, in cooperation with Woman’s Place UK (WPUK). The event was aimed at discussing education in the context of women’s liberation.


The conference, supported by FiLiA and Southall Black Sisters, claimed to enable dialogues and debates around “feminist thought and women’s activism” in relation to education. Notable speakers such as Joanna Cherry KC, Akua Reindorf, Victoria Smith, and Stella O’Malley we

Internationalpublicp • 1 February 2023

Protests in Iran: The Courageous Role of Students and Teachers

On the 16th and 17th of January 2023, the Eiffel Tower in Paris lit up and displayed the slogan “ ” (“Women, Life, Freedom”), as well as the hashtag “# ”, in support of protesting women in Iran. On the 16th of January, more than 5,000 protesters gathered and marched to the EU Parliament located in the French city of Strasbourg, to express their support for the ongoing demonstrations in Iran. The continuing Iranian revolt, which started in July 2021, has recently resurfaced due to a new wave of r

Pi Media • 26 January 2023

2023 UCL Leaders' Conference — Pi Media

The seventh edition of the UCL Leaders’ Conference took place last weekend, on the 20th and the 21st of January, at UCL. Numerous guest speakers were present, such as Simon Smith, former British Ambassador to South Korea, Piotr Wilczek, the former Polish ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Stevie Spring, Chairman of the British Council and Mind Charity.

The conference, which has been taking place every year since its foundation in 2016, aims at addressing issues faced by international leaders

Pi Media • 12 December 2022

UK Government to Cap the Number of International Students — Pi Media

The UK government’s debate on the proposal to limit the number of international students has recently resurfaced.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced back in August that, if he were to become PM, he would work at implementing a cap on the number of foreign students taking “low-quality” degrees.

This policy, aimed at reducing net migration, was also part of the 2019 Conservatives manifesto.

Discussions surrounding the potential cutback of the number of foreign university students have started

Pi Media • 27 November 2022

US Midterm Results and Their Importance for Biden’s Presidency — Pi Media

The US midterm elections, which were held on November 8th 2022, were expected to result in a “red wave” of Republican votes across the country.

Despite these predictions, the results proved tighter than polls had anticipated, comforting Democrats in their maintaining of power and strengthening President Biden’s position within the party. The elections were held at the midpoint of Biden’s mandate, and will therefore impact the rest of his presidency.

US citizens voted for all 435 seats in the H

Pi Media • 6 November 2022

TfL industrial action going ahead while National Rail strikes have been called off — Pi Media

Transport for London (TfL) and National Rail workers had recently announced an industrial action to start this Friday 4th of November.

However, National Rail strikes, which were supposed to be held on Saturday 5th, Monday 7th and Wednesday 9th of November, have been called off by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) leadership on Friday afternoon. National Rail said that there would still be severe disruption on the services, especially on Saturday.

The TfL industri