The Catch-up: Four dead in London after weekend wave of violence
What happened?
Four people have been killed in the past four days in London in a series of suspected murders to hit the capital. Two further victims are fighting for their lives after serious attacks in the capital during the weekend of violence. The latest suspected murder victim, a man in his 40s, was stabbed to death in Whalebone Lane, Stratford, in the early hours of Monday. This followed three deaths in the space of 24 hours, including two teenagers who were killed at teatime on Friday.
Why is this happening?
London Mayor Sadiq Khan lashed out against the Government today, blaming the murders on 'massive cuts' to police funding. Mr Khan praised officers for working 'incredibly hard' in a bid to tackle violent crime, with many working 12-hour shifts over the weekend. Mr Khan refuted accusations knife crime had increased due to his own poor performance in office. He said: "Over the past five years we've seen across our country - in Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol - an increase in violent crime, and we've seen it in London as well. We've made some progress but it's no consolation if you've lost a loved one or are the victim of knife crime. We need to do far more."
Theresa May has previously insisted there is no correlation between cuts to police numbers and an increase in knife crime. Cressida Dick, Britain's most senior police officer, contradicted this, saying earlier this year there is 'some link' between rising violent crime and depleting numbers of police.
Read more:
Man in 40s latest victim after weekend of bloodshed (Evening Standard)
Gang of 100 teenagers bombard London police with bottles (Yahoo News UK)
'He's a national disgrace': Donald Trump attacks Sadiq Khan (Sky News)
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Cycle lanes a ‘waste of money’
Cycling bosses have dismissed most of Britain’s cycle lane network as nothing more than pointless white lines on the road, and demanded the government commit to long-term funding for actual bike infrastructure. In an open letter, cycling commissioners including Chris Boardman said the cycle lanes are little more than white lines painted along the side of a road, branding them a “gesture” which can actually put riders in more danger. Read the full story here (Sky News)
Magician feared dead after Houdini stunt goes wrong
An Indian magician is feared dead after diving into a river caged and shackling himself with six locks and a chain. Chanchal Lahiri, also known as “Jadugar Mandrake” (Wizard Mandrake) jumped blindfolded into a Ganges tributary in West Bengal state on Sunday with his hands and legs tied up in an attempt to recreate an escape stunt made famous by Harry Houdini. Before attempting the trick, he said: “If I can free myself it will be magic, if I cannot it will be tragic.” Read the full story here (Independent)
Donald Trump ordered a senior aide out of the Oval Office, after accusing him of interrupting a television interview by coughing. The US president told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to leave the room after his splutters distracted Trump as he answered a question about his finances. (Yahoo News Video)
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The number of times one particularly bad driver was caught speeding in the past four years. New figures showed that, over the past four years, almost 250,000 motorists have been caught speeding more than once during the period. More than 1.8m people have been caught speeding once, while 213, 654 people have been caught twice. Road safety campaigners described the figures as “shocking”. Read the full story here (PA)
