a 15—year—old stabbed in a park in croydon, south london, and in hillingdon, west london, a 16—year—oldb wound in this green space. two new murder investigations — and a record high for the number of teenage murders in one year. children are carrying knives because they feel like they need to protect themselves. and i'm putting the message out there to every child, please, you need to understand the pain of parents and siblings that have lost somebody to murder. violent crime is falling, but not when it comes to young people murdered in london. more teenage victims than the previous high in 2008 can't be ignored. for some time, and today, police have blamed... the glorification of knives on social media, credibility and people cussing each other on social media. we're seeing it again and again and again. at the same time, we've got changing drug markets and the emergence of county lines in the last few years that we're really focusing on. that's a type of drug dealing which drags vulnerable children into being involved. in hillingdon, people were worried about dealers using the parkland

a 15—year—old stabbed in a park in croydon, south london, and in hillingdon, west london, a 16—year—oldations — and a record high for the number of teenage murders in one year. children are carrying knives because they feel like they need to protect themselves. and i'm putting the message out there to every child, please, you need to understand the pain of parents and siblings that have lost somebody to murder. violent crime is falling, but not when it comes to young people murdered in london. more teenage victims than the previous high in 2008 can't be ignored. for some time, and today, police have blamed... the glorification of knives on social media, credibility and people cussing each other on social media. we're seeing it again and again and again. at the same time, we've got changing drug markets and the emergence of county lines in the last few years that we're really focusing on. that's a type of drug dealing which drags vulnerable children into being involved. in hillingdon, people were worried about dealers using the parkland where the murder happened. this man didn't want to

joining me now from south london is natalie perera, ceo at the education policy institute, a think tankery much for your time this evening. how do you feel about the fact that england is just introducing or reintroducing this measure now, when northern ireland, scotland and wales have already been requiring secondary school pupils to wear masks in classrooms?— school pupils to wear masks in classrooms? ~ ~ �* , classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government _ classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government is _ classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government is now - classrooms? well, i think it's right that the government is now taking | that the government is now taking this step to prioritise keeping schools open, and it is important that as far as possible we can do everything to keep schools open for three reasons. firstly because we know that over the course of the pandemic there has been considerable learning loss amongst pupils, particularly those in secondary, and particularly those in secondary, and particularly those in secondary, and particularly

a 15—year—old stabbed in a park in croydon, south london, and in hillingdon, west london, a 16—year—oldb wound in this green space. two new murder investigations — and a record high for the number of teenage murders in one year. children are carrying knives because they feel like they need to protect themselves. and i'm putting the message out there to every child, please, you need to understand the pain of parents and siblings that have lost somebody to murder. violent crime is falling, but not when it comes to young people murdered in london. more teenage victims than the previous high in 2008 can't be ignored. for some time, and today, police have blamed... the glorification of knives on social media, credibility and people cussing each other on social media. we're seeing it again and again and again. at the same time, we've got changing drug markets and the emergence of county lines in the last few years that we're really focusing on. that's a type of drug dealing which drags vulnerable children into being involved. in hillingdon, people were worried about dealers using the parkland

there was some relief here in south london.ace cladding costs, but he's still worried about unaffordable bills. it seems like a step in the right direction, but at the same time, the cladding section on our bill is only a third of the bill, so there's still two thirds of other things that may need paying for. so it may be helpful, this, but it may actually not help us all that much. we might go from having a six—figure bill to having a five—figure bill, but that's still, you know, tens of thousands of pounds, it's still going to bankrupt people on our block. it's a serious injustice. there will be no new money from the treasury, and developers often argue they met building regulations at the time, so they shouldn't have to pay to cover these costs. it's also unclear how the government plans to force the industry to pay to fix these faults. and the largest home—builders say they've already allocated money for high—rise blocks. whatever proposals come forward have to be fair, have to be proportionate, and that means looking not j

joining me now from south london is sir dan moynihan, he's the chief executive of the harris federationth 5,000 staff and 38,000 students. thank you for your time this evening. given where we are with this virus. as the introduction of masks and classrooms the right move in your opinion? in masks and classrooms the right move in your opinion?— masks and classrooms the right move in your opinion?— in your opinion? in my view it is definitely _ in your opinion? in my view it is definitely the _ in your opinion? in my view it is definitely the right _ in your opinion? in my view it is definitely the right move. - in your opinion? in my view it is definitely the right move. we i in your opinion? in my view it is i definitely the right move. we had in your opinion? in my view it is - definitely the right move. we had a rising number of cases, in the term we had 3500 cases which is 35,000 school days lost, and 500 cases in the last week alone. the students and secondary have mock exams which they need the grades for any event they need the grades for any event the actual exams are cancelled i

a couple have beenjailed over the death of their eight—week old baby, in south london.ones when she died in april 2019. her parents naomi johnson and benjamin 0'shea were found guilty of causing or allowing her to suffer physical harm. they'll spend seven and eight—and—a—half years in prison respectively. 0ur correspondent sonja jessup was in court today to see them sentenced. some really distressing details. the trauma that — some really distressing details. tue: trauma that they some really distressing details. tte: trauma that they being some really distressing details. t'te: trauma that they being faced in her short life is impossible to comprehend. she died injust eight weeks old in south london in april 2019, and her parents, they called 999 that morning and they said that their baby daughter wasn't breathing, so paramedics came and tried unsuccessfully to save her. it was at the time that her death was, there was nothing suspicious about it until a postmortem was carried out, which revealed these far more disturbing details. 2a fact delete my fractures to her rib

she died atjust eight weeks old in suffolk in south london in april 2019.o's 26 — they called 999 that morning and said that their baby daughter wasn't breathing. so the paramedics came, they tried unsuccessfully to save her, and it was sort of the time that her death was... there was nothing suspicious about it until a postmortem was carried out which revealed these far more disturbing details. amina—faye had four fractures to her ribs and 2a fractures to her limbs, and some of those have started to heal, which the court had suggested that there had been at least seven separate episodes of abuse. now, her parents tried to blame those injuries on the paramedics, but medical experts said that they could not have happened by accident. the couple were found guilty back in november of causing or allowing their baby to suffer physical harm, and also of cruelty to another child. after sentencing today, this is what police had to say outside the court. this is a truly heartbreaking case that has touched all of us who have worked on bringing 0'shea and johnson befo

in mid—january, i visited croydon university hospital in south london.&e — but not as you know it. all staff are in full protective equipment. they know that most patients coming in have either tested positive or have symptoms. how are you feeling now? 0h...it's the breath that's the problem, and the cough. can i have a little listen, is that all right? shubra is the consultant here. sit forward for me a little, and take a nice, deep breath. and he's assessing hanifa, who's just arrived in an ambulance. she's 42 — she tested positive a week before, and her condition steadily got worse. i felt i was dying. i've been healthy, have no illness, nothing. covid just struck me down, just like that. aftertreatment, hanifa began to recover. she was discharged from hospital soon afterwards. the sickest patients need to be in intensive care, and staff have to be on constant alert because patients can take a rapid turn for the worse. it's a very, very sudden thing, and you just have to respond and reassess. and that patient looks like whatever the problem was, we ha

there was some relief here in south london. he won't have to foot the bill on cladding in the slow riseit seems like a step in the right direction, but at the same time, the cladding section on our bill is only a third of the bill, so there's still two thirds of other things that may need paying for. there will be no new money from the treasury for this. and it is unclear how the government will pressure the industry to play. developers argue they shouldn't have to bear these costs. the largest homebuilders have allocated some funding for high—rise locks. have allocated some funding for high-rise locks.— have allocated some funding for high-rise locks. whatever comes forward has _ high-rise locks. whatever comes forward has to _ high-rise locks. whatever comes forward has to be _ high-rise locks. whatever comes forward has to be fair— high-rise locks. whatever comes forward has to be fair and - forward has to be fair and proportionate. that means not just looking at the homebuilders but beyond the homebuilders but beyond the homebuilders and other parties involved in the process and esp

a second 15—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, following a stabbing in south londonafter being stabbed in the heart at ashburton park in croydon on thursday. another 15—year—old boy who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail. meanwhile, a 16—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, following the death of a teenager in west london on thursday. the 16—year—old victim was stabbed in a park in the hillingdon area and hasn't yet been formally identified. a huge fire has ripped through the south african parliament building in cape town, causing extensive damage and destroying the national assembly. police have arrested a man who's facing charges of house—breaking, theft and arson. our southern africa correspondent nomsa maseko reports. an historic building on fire. plumes of smoke engulfing south africa's parliament. within hours, the fire tore through the complex and completely destroyed the main debating chamber. sirens. more than 60 fire fighters battling to extinguish the blaze. the damage is significant and there are fears that som

south. temperatures on sunday, 10 degrees in london for most of us it will be around eight or so.n�*t looking too bad at all. it�*s very stable, calm weather to come in the coming days. welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i�*m karishma vaswani. the headlines. britain�*s prince andrew loses his royal and military titles — and will no longer be officially known as his royal highness. this comes a day after a judge in new york ruled that the prince must defend an accusation of sexually assaulting virginia guiffre in a civil court case. the uk�*s prime minister�*s political future in the balance as new downing street party allegations come to light. britain�*s security services issue a rare alert — warning of a chinese agent operating at the heart of westminster trying to influence mps we�*ll have the latest in the saga gripping the world of sport — the australian open starts

south. temperatures on sunday, ten degrees in london — for most of is it'll be around eight or so.ng on friday morning — could be quite nasty in places. and then after that, actually, the weather isn't looking too bad at all — it's very stable, calm weather to come in the coming days. this is bbc news — i'm victoria fritz with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. there are fresh reports of parties held by downing street staff during lockdown — this time on the eve of the duke of edinburgh's funeral. a us militia group leader is among the first to be charged with sedition — in connection to the storming of the capitol last year. britain's prince andrew loses his royal and military titles — and will no longer be officially known as his royal highness. this comes a day after a judge in new york ruled that the prince must defend an accusation of sexually assaulting virginia guiffre in a civil court case. novak djokovic's australian open prospects still hang in the balance as minsters consider their visa decision. and the intermission is over — cirque du sole

majority of black and brown communities. brick stone was a predominantly black caribbean area of south london, lighted by joblessness and chronic under investment. in 1981 crime was rising, young black men targets the police harassment suspected of criminal activity. regardless of proof with blacks and bricks did claim. they are singled out by police on the streets subjected to body searches, and often accused of having stolen anything valuable in their possession. mm. blackman's increase in a one. they decided to swap the area with the lease. they stopped and search hundreds of people over to him. it is redeem everybody's gazed up. there's some really rotten police done for x. the guy just, i just saw you up and bring it on the station and back you up for laughing. and comedians had enough. i just said no, not, we're not going to take this anymore. mm hm. the local people say it was the inevitable explosion of speed by a community which feels the police have been picking on the recently spoke of 3 days over billions, with people just wanted to take back the streets, could keep the police ah,

in south london, single mum emma has outgrown her one bed flat.g room and this doubles as your bedroom and the sofa in the evening. it's like changing rooms and in here is my bed. it was 12 months ago when we first met. back then, emma had just been told her block was so unsafe it needed round the clock fire wardens. i'm angry. i'm actually furious at it. this is ruining people's lives. it's not our fault. we didn't buy these properties thinking that there was something wrong with them. a year on and they have had a fire alarm installed, but it's still unclear what financial help leaseholders will get to remove the cladding or fix the other fire safety faults. when you moved in, this was all brand new, wasn't it? brand spanking new. i'm assuming it passed all the surveys that were done. i was walking into a perfectly brand new home. emma is out of work and on universal credit. she bought using an affordable housing scheme ten years ago. yet her share of the bill to fix the building could be up to £30,000. how has the way you feel about your home c

police have identified a 15—year—old boy who was stabbed to death in south london.ening, but was prononounced dead at the scene. another 15—year—old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder, but has since been released on bail. police say they're working around the clock to give zaian's family the answers they deserve. the latest headlines on bbc news... new year honours for leading figures in the battle against covid. professors chris whitty and jonathan van tam are knighted. drjenny harries and drjune raine are both made dames. further covid restrictions in england must be an "absolute last resort", according to health secretary, sajid javid. the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, has led tributes to archbishop desmond tutu at his state funeral in cape town — calling him a crusader for freedom and equality. sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. new year. same old story for manchester city. as they left it late to beat arsenal, and extend their lead at the top of the premier league. they hung on until the third minute of sto

a teenage boy has been charged with the murder of 15—year—old zaian aimable—lina in croydon, south londonted on suspicion of murder late on new year's day. he will appear in court on tuesday. queen elizabeth will celebrate her platinum jubilee this year, when she becomes the first british monarch to reign for 70 years. the queen is set to pass the milestone on sixth february , the anniversary of the death of her father, king george vi, in 1952. 0ur royal correspondent, daniela relph, looks at the significance ofjubilees. first came the silver. the gold coach was on its way to st paul's and a service of thanksgiving. band plays. trumpeters play. 25 years later, it was the golden. cheering. more recently, the diamond. the queen is a veteran of a jubilee. brian, christine and dave, neighbours on park street in salisbury, which looked very different ten years ago. the team photo, the residents of park street held a diamond jubilee street party in 2012. it was much more than that. the months of planning brought neighbours together. new friendships were made, community spirit was strengthened.

police have identified a 15—year—old boy who was stabbed to death in south london.but was prononounced dead at the scene. another 15—year—old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder, but has since been released on bail. police say they're working around the clock to give zaian's family the answers they deserve. new customs rules on goods imported into the uk from the european union have come into force. there will be border checks, and importers will have to make a full customs declaration. the checks had been due to take affect six months ago but were delayed because businesses said they needed more time to prepare. a new law banning plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables comes into effect in france today. cucumbers, lemons and oranges are among the 30 varieties banned from being wrapped in plastic. larger packs as well as chopped or processed fruit will be exempt. president emmanuel macron called the ban "a real revolution" and said it showed the country's commitment to phase out single use plastics by 2040. now, park lane stables is a facility in london w

a serving police officer, wayne couzens, was able to abduct, rape and murder sarah everard in south londonit will also investigate whether any warning signs were missed. eight men who were abused by the convicted paedophile barry bennell more than 30 years ago, have lost their high court case against manchester city football club. the men, now in their 40's and 50's, said bennell was a scout for manchester city at the time. a judge ruled the club was not liable, but praised the men's bravery in coming forward. breaking news for you now. the south korean military says that north korean military says that north korea has launched an unidentified projectile off the east coast of the peninsula. the latest launch was first reported by the japanese coast guard before being confirmed by defence authorities in seoul. that's happening just the last 30 minutes or so. we will bring you more developments as we receive them. do stay tuned for updates on that story. let's turn to kazakhstan now, where the president has described the protests last week, in which dozens are reported to have died, as an at

asian guy, you know, playing cricket, listen where i grew up in else filled ok in ones of, in south london. and the cricket come to, i was affiliated with honestly about 80 percent asian guys and they play i representative age group stuff by side says you do not see that transferred when it comes to contracts. you just do not see it. you will see them be in use plain in 2nd thing gains, and they're doing well just as good as that, why counterpart. but when it comes to that contract, they're not getting it. i'm for meet us, i'm fit and you know, as, as a, as a, as a black man play and, you know, the majority of black kids would have had a conversation with it that, well, that time it's that you have to be twice as good. if you'll get a fight for england searching played for them 20 years ago, how many black cricketers to england and i think i, you know, i, you know, it well for a font, you know, chris jordan, joseph roger. tom mills. i mean, that's how many i told you notice only a faint 7 or 8 plaintiff 1st caused cricket at the moment when i, when i played in the ninety's, every county ha

second, just to say the sarah everard case concerns the horrifying murder of a young woman in south londonand it turns out she was murdered by a serving police officer. a serving police officer who used his authority by, you know, being a policeman to stop her under covid, as though she were committing some offence by being out in the evening and then used his authority and power and arresting capacity in order to rape and then kill her. and then, you know, i mean, really defile her body. so, i mean, that brought up, for women, a conversation about how policing is not trusted. the levels of, for example, serving police officers who commit offences of a minor nature and where no consequence comes of them, that particular policeman exposing himself to women and nothing being done about it. it turns out that policeman was actually known, i say jokingly, bizarrely known to colleagues as "the rapist." absolutely. but we know that high levels of domestic violence are present in our male police force. i mean, there are women in the police as well who speak about the way in which misogyny operates

a second 15—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a stabbing in south londonstabbed in the heart in ashburn park in croydon on thursday. another 15—year—old boy arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail. sudanese security forces have killed two protesters during demonstrations calling for the military to leave politics. in the military to leave politics. in the capital khartoum soldiers fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters calling for an end to military rule. mass protests have been taking place in the country since the military overthrow of the civilian prime minister in october. he was reinstated a month later but demonstrations have continued. thousands of people in amsterdam have been protesting against the dutch government's coronavirus lockdown measures. riot police were used to break up the gathering. the netherlands went into a sudden lockdown on december the 19th with the government closing all but essential shops including hairdressers and gyms. 20 conservative mps and peers have called on the prime minister to tackle th

the metropolitan police has released the name of the 15—year—old boy who was killed in a park in south londonydon on thursday evening. a 15—year—old boy who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail. the latest headlines on bbc news. as england reports another record number of daily coronavirus cases — health officials warn the days ahead will be crucial as hospitalisations continue to rise. new year honours for leading figures in the battle against covid. professors chris whitty and jonathan van—tam are knighted. drjenny harries and drjune raine are both made dames. the president of south africa pays tribute to desmond tutu as "the spiritual father of our new nation". and the archbishop's daughter also spoke movingly at his funeral: a deliberately modest state funeral has taken place in south africa for one of the heroes of the struggle against apartheid, archbishop desmond tutu. speaking during the ceremony in cape town, the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, described desmond tutu as the "spiritual father" of the nation. from cape town, our correspondent nomsa ma

my late daughter went through in london, maximum pollution lever set by the world health organization are exceeded almost everywhere. st. mary's school is located in south west london, on one of the cities, dirtiest streets, parents of school children there have now taken the meta into their own hands. remember taking my son to school one day and got into the playground. the noise windows from the street was just deafening in a re scars going by a $100000.00 cars every day we came across a story earlier is just horrendous and but each sort of confirmed our fears ab purifiers are now being installed in the classrooms. thanks to the parents who managed to raise almost 100000 pounds and a green space has been created. children now play outside for longer. previously they were only allowed 15 minutes due to bad air. i think he's a good thing because it might actually stop the air pollution coming into this school. they smell nice. i know that they give us. oh because our school is right now. so really busy road. so the helps us a lot. at st. mary's school. the parents are hoping these measures will save their children from the worst. but endless mother says

metropolitan police has released the name of the fifteen year old boy who was killed in a park in south londonna was stabbed in ashburton park in croydon on thursday evening. a 15—year—old boy who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail. a deliberately modest state funeral has taken place in south africa for one of the heroes of the struggle against apartheid, archbishop desmond tutu. speaking during the ceremony in cape town, the south african president — cyril ramaphosa — described desemond tutu as the "spiritual father" of the nation. from cape town our correspondent nomsa maseko reports. family friends and politicians bidding farewell to a man who became one of the most important voices of the 20 first century. this was a final sendoff for archbishop desmond tutu following a week of events to honour him. speakers shared memories of the anglican priest who did all he could to expose and to heal the wounds of south africa's brutal past. wounds of south africa's brutal ast. ~., , ., wounds of south africa's brutal ast. , ., . past. many of the message received has said,

he now won't have to foot the bill for cladding on this low—rise block in south london, but he fearss. it seems like a step in the right direction, but at the same time, the cladding section on our bill is only a third of the bill, so there's still two thirds of other things that may need paying for, but that's still, you know, tens of thousands of pounds, it's still going to bankrupt people in our block. there will be no new money from the treasury, and developers often argue they met building regulations at the time, so they shouldn't have to pay to cover these costs. the largest home—builders have already allocated some funds for high—rise blocks. whatever proposals come forward have to be fair, have to be proportionate, and that means looking notjust at the home—builders, but beyond the home—builders, other parties who have been involved in the process, in particular the supplies of the materials, which turned out not to be fit for purpose as far as we can understand. the government has given construction firms a deadline of march to come up with a plan of action. but for thousan

a couple have beenjailed over the death of their eight—week old baby in south london.n o'shea had claimed paramedics caused her injuries, but were found guilty of causing or allowing her to suffer physical harm. they'll spend seven and eight—and—a—half years in prison respectively. prince andrew has given up his honorary membership at one of the world's oldest golf clubs. it follows the loss of his military titles and royal patronages as he contests a civil sexual assault case in the united states. the royal and ancient golf club of st andrews, whose patron is the queen, said it "appreciated" the duke's decision. new post—brexit border rules between britain and the eu have been in force since the beginning of the year, and many companies say they've been struggling to deal with the added bureaucracy. more paperwork has been part of the reason for long queues of lorries outside the port of dover. our global trade correspondent chris morris has more details. driving into dover past queues of lorries stretching for miles. they're being held here to avoid congesting the to

a second 15—year—old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, following a stabbing in south londoneen released on bail. thousands of people in amsterdam have been protesting against the dutch government's coronavirus lockdown measures. riot police were used to break—up the gathering. the netherlands went into a sudden lockdown on december 19th with the government ordering the closure of all but essential shops as well as restaurants, hairdressers and gyms football supporters at this afternoon's match between chelsea and liverpool will be the first to take part in a safe standing trial. standing terraces were banned at most grounds in 1994, following the hillsborough stadium disaster. ministers say safety is paramount, some police chiefs have expressed concern about fans moving into standing areas from other parts of the stadium. i think it is a significant moment for football. i think it is a significant moment forfootball. these were i think it is a significant moment for football. these were part of the measures brought in after the hillsborough tragedy and the taylor report on t

bigger country than south africa >> doctors caution that south africa's experience is unique it's summer well and the population is younger, but in londonsouth africa's experience is having a sequel here cases spiked from omicron, but in the past few days have started to drop. hospitals have been overwhelmed, but that's more because of too few staff rather than too many covid patients doctors and nurses have had to call in sick after testing positive in fact, hospitalizations in london have increased only gradually compared to last year even as covid cases speaked and two key statistics that speak to the severity of the disease, the number of patients on ventilators and deaths have barely risen. there's no guarantee the u.s. follows the same path especially since a greater percentage of the population are vaccinated in the uk when it comes to omicron there's cause for optimism matt bradley, nbc news, london. >>> up next, covid complicating many olympic dreams the top u.s. figure skater who just tested positive for the virus. also the successful nasa mission today giving these engineers reason to celebrate. giving these engineers reason

here are the top stories in london and the south east this morning. ross for 13 years before she was asked to hide it under clothing. she resigned claiming constructive dismissal. the tribunal found the nhs trust had been both discriminatory and unfair. around £400,000 has been spent on preparations for a ferry service across the thames, which will never set sail. hammersmith bridge was closed in 2019 because of structural concerns. but even after it re—opened to pedestrians and cyclists injuly — the government continued to fund ferry plans by around £80,000 per month. it was decided in late november the service would not be necessary. and today's the traditional deadline for taking your christmas decorations down. and a farm in central london has come up with a great way of helping you get rid of your tree. they're feeding them as festive snacks to their animals including their ever hungry goats and alpacas. let's get a look at the weather now with john. good morning. it is cold out there, layers required as you step out first thing in a very widespre

he joins us live from south east london.ght not be safe because of staff shortages. safetif because of staff shortages. safety and health services _ because of staff shortages. safety and health services cannot - because of staff shortages. safety and health services cannot run - because of staff shortages. safetyl and health services cannot run with in sufficient numbers of staff and staff like registered nurses and other clinical professions and figures that hsg has published this morning since there is now 120,000 absences reported just over the last couple of days across the nhs and all types of health care providers and getting on for very close to one in ten staff of the total staff that work in the nhs and so, they're absolutely right that there is no way that it is a critical service like that they can operate with that huge level of absence. the like that they can operate with that huge level of absence.— huge level of absence. the last little while, _ huge level of absence. the last little while, we _ huge level of

a 15—year—old boy, who was stabbed to death in south london, has been named by police.ted on suspicion of murder has been released on bail. new rules on goods imported into the uk from the european union have come into effect, requiring importers to make full customs declarations. consumers have been warned to expect disruption. the checks had been due to take effect six months ago, but were delayed because businesses said they needed more time to prepare. it's been the warmest new year's day on record for the uk, with continued unseasonably high temperatures. stjames's park in central london hit 16.2 degrees celsius, beating the previous record of 15.9 degrees, set more than 100 years ago. leading figures in the battle against covid—19 are in the new year's honours list. the uk government's chief medical advisor, professor chris whitty, and his deputy, jonathan van—tam have been knighted, along with the chief medical officers for scotland and wales. in all, more than 1,200 people have been recognised, including sports stars and actors and others who've made extraordina

south london. he was tall and slim, soft spoken and a bit embarrassed about his country boy accent. he'd been raised as a quaker like his dad, and that group's interest in commerce, their concern for political and social justice and their turn the other cheek morality surely rubbed off on him. but in london he drifted away from quakerrism., dabbling in anglicanism and in -- two other types of protestant christianity, though he found no permanent religious home or community. money was tight. and after a while, paine did what a lot of other poor folk in londonen ended up doing, he signed on to become a sailor. he was about to embark on his first voyage on a ship called the terrible when his dad arrived on the docks to talk him out of what would have been a life-shortening career choice. being a sailor was dangerous work. p if aine left london soon afterwards, moving to the town of lewis on england's south coast, and there he got involved in a debating group who called themselves the headstrong club. he even scribble turned a few political, satirical and anti-monarchical pieces for the