Archive
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Hunt protest cops all cleared
All six police officers accused of attacking pro-hunt campaigners in Parliament Square have been cleared. The officers, who policed the Countryside Alliance's 20,000-strong protest against the hunting ban in 2004, faced charges ranging from common assault
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Hounslow: MPs fear no respite from flight path
Hounslow's MPs have expressed their concerns about the months of aeroplane noise residents will suffer as work is carried out on a runway at Heathrow. Last week, British Airport Authorities (BAA) announced there will be no runway alternation at Heathrow
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Bookmakers attacked by bomb thief
A man threw an improvised bomb at staff in a bookmakers in Cricklewood on Sunday morning after demanding money. The man, who was described as of Mediterranean appearance and aged between 32 and 40, walked into Paddy Power bookmakers in Cricklewood Broadway
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First state Hindu school awaits the go ahead
A sports ground in Edgware is being earmarked as a possible site for the country's first state-funded Hindu school. I-Foundation, the charity behind the plans, has dropped a possible site in Pinner due to strong opposition from Green Belt campaigners
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Still no date for bus station safety works
Despite reassurances that North Finchley Bus Station would reopen last month after a wait of more than five months, station managers London Buses have admitted they are no closer to a starting date for urgently needed safety works to begin. The station
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Closure defended
HEALTH chiefs have defended the closure of a day centre for the terminally ill despite anger and criticism from patients' relatives. The day unit in the Margaret Centre at Whipps Cross University Hospital closed its doors for a "temporary" period two
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£1bn reservoir plan to solve water crisis
A MASSIVE £1 billion reservoir in Oxfordshire has been proposed to help solve London's water crisis. Thames Water said the proposed reservoir, near Abingdon, would cover about 10km and hold 150 million cubic metres of water. It would be the largest
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The munching moths that leave conkers crippled
Conkers have long been the joy of school children and the bane of Health and Safety inspectors, but the days of the shiny horse chestnuts could be numbered. A leaf miner moth, which was first spotted in Macedonia 21 years ago, has been spreading across
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Police grow concerned for missing girl, 14
A 14-year-old girl from Chessington has been missing from home since Saturday, September 2. Police want to hear from anyone who knows or has seen Chloe Baker, after recently losing contact with the missing girl. Chloe first disappeared in the Tolworth
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Driver dies as triple lorry crash closes M25
A MAN was killed and another seriously injured after two lorries and a tanker were involved in a multiple crash on the M25 near Waltham Abbey early yesterday morning (Wednesday). The crash happened shortlly before 5am when a lorry hit a support pillar
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Bus gate in danger debate
A TfL spokesperson has declared the notorious Tolworth Rise bus gate "perfectly safe", despite being shown video footage of numerous traffic offences and near misses that have happened there. The gate was installed in February to allow buses to cut off
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Our hospitals are among the worst for cleanliness
Kingston's hospitals are languishing in the bottom fifth of hospitals for patient environment and cleanliness, with Tolworth Hospital's patient experience officially condemned as "poor". With 80 per cent of hospitals nationally achieving an "excellent
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TfL blamed for river commuting failure
THE London Assembly has called for a major boost to commuting services on the Thames. The LA's Transport Committee said in a report that the Thames could help ease congestion on the Tube, trains and buses in the capital. But "Poor public awareness"
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£600 fine for asylum seeker who peddled porn films in town centre
A Chinese asylum seeker has been fined £600 for distributing pirate and pornographic DVDs in Kingston town centre. Zhi Yong Lin appeared at Kingston Magistrates' Court on Friday where he was also ordered to pay costs of £292 and forfeit 360 of the DVDs
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Winning £50 in designer clothes vouchers
A contemporary ladieswear label, James Lakeland is made in Italy and is worn by celebrities such as Sophie Anderton, Liz Hurley and Carole Caplin. Sold in the best boutiques around the country and in Ireland it is available from sizes eight to 22. The
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Dead minke whale in Thames
EXPERTS were called to examine the body of a dead whale found floating in the Thames west of London. A female minke whale was recovered from the river near Greenhithe by the Port of London Authority (PLA) after the creature was spotted floating near
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Win opera and champagne
Ellen Kent and Opera International are returning to the Fairfield Halls, Croydon on October 6 with Strauss' Die Fledermaus operetta including a large cast and live 40 piece orchestra and a special mystery guest in the ball room scene. Johann Strauss'
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Win The Chain on DVD
Moving house is the central theme of the Jack Rosenthal-scripted feature film comedy The Chain. Bamber (Warren Mitchell) is a removal expert and philosopher par excellence. In a fit of optimism, he schedules his removal men to undertake seven different
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Win The Persuaders DVD box set
The new definitive version of The Persuaders on DVD is a nine-disc set containing new, exclusive interviews with both Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. Danny Wilde and Lord Brett Sinclair are two millionaire playboys - one a self-made man who battled his
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Win Gerry Anderson DVD box set
A legend in the entertainment industry, with a career spanning over six decades, Gerry Anderson has wowed children and adults with some of the most inventive and wondrous shows ever created for the small screen. Gerry Anderson: The Monochrome Years is
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Police to start recording acts of anti-Semitism
FIGURES for anti-Semitic attacks will be recorded by the police for the first time thanks to a Parliamentary report. Chingford and Woodford Green MP Iain Duncan Smith was one of the 14 MPs who launched the report calling for action to combat the rise
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Bomb cops swoop on M40
Met explosive officers swooped on the M40, north west of London, after a number of "items" were found. The unidentified items were found by members of the public on Wednesday. Police were called to the area between junction three and four of the eastbound
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Win The Medusa Touch on DVD
In fiercely intelligent supernatural thriller The Medusa Touch, Richard Burton stars as novelist John Morlar, who is savagely attacked and left for dead as the film begins. Detective Brunel heads the investigation that leads to Morlar's doctor, a woman
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Win a set of Alan Bennett audiobooks
BBC Audiobooks published three new Alan Bennett audiobooks this month: Single Spies, Untold Stories: Part 3 Written on the Body and Part 4 A Common Assault. To celebrate BBC and This is Local London have teamed up to giveaway a full set of Alan Bennett's
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Beyonce Knowles, B’Day ** Cassie, Cassie (Bad Boy Records) **
AT THIS stage in her career, Beyonc Knowles should be knocking out classics by the dozen. There is no question that she is the most gifted vocalist of her generation. But she must improve her output if she's ever going to join the list of all-
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Pub death: No charges for 21
TWO more men have been released on police bail following the death of a 30-stone Charlton fan. Duncan Frame - known locally as "Big Duncan" - was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, after being found unconscious when a charity night at his
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Fionn Regan, The End Of History ****
SINGER-songwriters come and go, sometimes making a splash, sometimes not. Fionn Regan, a poetic Irish singer, makes more of a ripple, but, gradually, gently, the ripples build into something quiet but substantial, bringing inevitable comparisons with
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Prince, The Ultimate Collection ****
THE LAST word in great 80s music? While there are better compilations out there (The Hits/The B-Sides is more comprehensive and cheaper), there can be little quibbling with the quality of the songs. From the early hits, through to masterpieces such
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The Hidden Cameras, Awoo ***; The Russian Futurists, Me, Myself And Rye, An Introduction To The Russian Futurists ***
FOR a man fascinated with the scatological, Joel Gibb writes extraordinarily beautiful, big "gay folk church music" for his experimental, theatrical Toronto collective, The Hidden Cameras. After his earlier Golden Streams and I Want Another Enema
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The Roots, Game Theory ***; Ice Cube, Laugh Now, Cry Later **
Here are two albums released on the same day, and both by artists taking shelter in the broad church of hip-hop. There the similarity ends. The seventh studio set by Philadelphia's The Roots is dark and brooding, tackling issues such as the war in
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Gig: Joe Brown (Fairfield, Croydon)
Musician, songwriter, pop star, actor, director, author and DJ, Joe Brown has been a showbusiness mainstay for 50 years. "I love doing what I want to do and I love this business, I'm a real ham," he laughs. As a player in the dawn of the rock'n'roll
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Basement Jaxx, Crazy Itch Radio ***
FOLLOWING the enormous success of their The Singles collection, garage pioneers Basement Jaxx return with a concept record. This is the Brixton group's Sgt. Pepper - an album based around the musings of a working radio station, complete with adverts
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The Quiet Five
In the pop maelstrom of the mid 60s, where The Beatles ruled the Liverpool scene, the Animals held sway in Newcastle and the Stones and the Yardbirds fought over South London, a sharp-suited Croydon-based beat group was quietly making a name for itself
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Opera: Die Fledermaus (Fairfield, Croydon)
Die Fledermaus will arrive at the Fairfield Halls next month for the very first time from Ellen Kent and Opera International. This spectacular and lavish production is set in late 19th century Vienna and is based on the Herbert von Karajan's famous version
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Musical: The von Trapp Children (Fairfield, Croydon)
The Sound of Music captured the hearts of millions when the film debuted in 1965. 40 years later, the picture is still captivating our imaginations, not least with BBC1's latest reality show, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? Now, for the first
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Few reasons to refuse plans
East Herts Council's executive was due to meet last night to discuss its report responding to airport operation BAA's application. In the report the council's executive member for regions and partnerships, Mike Carver, claimed the proposed expansion
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Festival: The Lord Mayor's Show
A Brazilian tropical float in the Lord Mayor's show will be coming straight out of Clapham this year. An arts group, called Mandinga Arts, has been hand-picked by the organisers of the world-famous Lord Mayor's show to perform along the streets of London
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Witness appeal after car death
POLICE are still looking for witnesses after a grandfather was knocked down and killed just yards from his home by a hit-and-run driver. Donald Fisher, a 73-year-old father-of-two, was on his way home from meeting a friend when he was struck by a car
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Right At Your Door (15) ****
WITH the fifth anniversary of 9/11 upon us, terrorism has become something of a startling obsession and shockwaves are now starting to reverberate through Hollywood. A recent example is the brutally realistic vision created in the film United 93 and
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Air cadet critically injured on way home from parade
A TEENAGE air cadet was hit by a car as she walked home from a parade night in Hazlemere last week. The 15-year-old girl suffered serious spinal and head injuries when she was hit by a blue Audi A6 in Amersham Road on Wednesday night, at around 9.40pm
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London cab's £8000 fare to Morocco
WHEN a Clayhall black cab driver stopped to pick up two men on London's Lower Regent's Street he had no idea it was the beginning of a 2,000 mile adventure. Mark Thurbin, 38, of Malborough Drive has been a cabbie for more than 14 years and has had some
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Rabbi calls for protection from anti-Semitics
A RABBI has called for greater police protection for the Jewish community in Redbridge after a rise in anti-Semitic incidents. Rabbi Alex Chapper, of the Ilford Federation Synagogue, Coventry Road, made the comments after a report by MPs demanded action
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Epping: Councillor failed to declare interest
A SENIOR district councillor made an "error of judgement" when she failed to declare a prejudicial interest before a debate over plans for a new Ongar health centre. Di Collins, who is also chairman of Epping Forest Primary Care Trust, was reported to
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New meningitis vaccine offered across UK
THE word meningitis strikes horror into the hearts of parents but a new vaccine looks set to ease many parents' fears. From this month, all babies across the country will be offered a new vaccination in a bid to combat deadly pneumococcal meningitis,
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Speaking out against Met racism
AS the anger and frustration which spawned London's notorious race riots simmered away, David Michael made what would become a historic move. Born on the Caribbean island of Dominica, David moved to Britain with his parents in 1965 and settled in Luton
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Decode the real Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci was born the illegitimate son of a small-town lawyer, yet he went on to paint the Mona Lisa, invent the parachute and map the workings of the human heart. What made him so brilliant, so different from the rest of us? For the first time
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Six in court over 'terror recruitment cell'
Six more people, including a boy of 17, have been remanded over a suspected attempt to recruit a cell of British suicide bombers. A total of ten people are now being prosecuted following anti-terror raids that started at a Chinese restaurant in Borough
