London | Westminster World

Dec122022 by Nneoma Ekwegh No Comments

Cold snap causes disruption across the UK

Climate, Environment, Explainers, London, Transport

A drop in the temperature on Sunday night has brought a Monday morning of fog, ice and snow which has caused major travel disruptions for commuters. Sunday 11th December, Photo Credit: Nneoma Ekwegh The Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert has said on the official Met Office website that cold weather conditions will remain during this week. He said: “In many places daytime temperatures will struggle to get above freezing, while overnight temperatures have the potential to drop below -10 C in rural parts of Scotland.” “While the freezing conditions remain drivers especially are reminded that freezing fog, snow and other wintry hazards will continue to create difficult conditions in places this week.” Transport for London informed commuters on their website that t

Dec122022 by Editor2No Comments

London car owners brace for harsh winters

Climate, London

Westminster World looks at how Londoners are dealing with keeping their cars warm and running this winter Image Credits: Titus D'souza The city of London and its neighbouring areas experienced the first fall of snow on the 11th of December 2022. The snowfall, an indication of what could potentially be a harsh winter, seemed to have caught many Londoners unaware. Car owners in the city seemed to have been affected by the spell of snow. Many woke up to find their vehicles covered in snow, with owners spending extra time getting their cars warm and ready for their commute. With many more spells of snowfall predicted in the coming weeks, Westminster World met with car owners in London to learn what they were doing to prepare themselves and their vehicles for the rough condit...

Air pollution hitting deprived and POC communities hardest

Climate, Environment, Extinction Rebellion, extinction rebellion, Health, London, London Mayor, Politics, protest, Science, Transport, UK news, urban

Air pollution burdens low income and communities of colour resulting in major health risks. Source: Unsplash The British Heart Foundation found that 15 million Brits are exposed to toxic air. The majority of which are people of colour and those within deprived communities; a report conducted by Natural England in 2019 revealed Britons who are POC were exposed to particulate matter pollution rates at 19-29% higher than White Britons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt2OIcQ-7y8 Environmental racism is a form of systematic racism where communities of colour are disproportionately burdened with health hazards through policies and practices that force them to reside near or around polluted areas. Environmental Justice is not simply highlighting the discrepancies b...

Sexual harassment reports are much higher than pre-Covid levels

Breaking News, Explainers

Reports of sexual harassment on public transport in the UK have increased significantly this year comparing to 2019. As a response to that, TFL has launched a new campaign to tackle the issue and “emphasise zero tolerance approach to all forms of unwanted sexual behaviour and sexual harassment”. The behaviours such as cat calling, exposing, cyber-flashing, staring, etc. are highlighted in the campaign as examples of sexual harassment. Between April and October 2021 British Transport Police received 421 reports of this kind of offences, while two years ago the figure was 259 over the same period. Credit: BBC News According to a YouGov survey from 2020, up to 90% of offences are still not being reported. Westminster World spoke to the Londoners to find out their opinion

Genesis: The floating church of St Columba’s community

Charity, Culture, Explainers, London

Genesis floating on the River Lee Navigation. Photo by Gilbert McCarragher. Walk down Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Here East, along the River Lee Navigation and there will be a barge named Genesis bobbing on its waters. It’s where the local community of St Columba meet and fellowship with Reverend Dave Pilkington at its helm. “We have a gathering called The Journey,” Pilkington told Westminster World and elaborated that the meetings are on Thursday evenings. “So it’s not a traditional service. We work to the themes of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous." “We do that for everybody so it’s not for people who necessarily have an addiction. We see it as a fantastic spiritual programme for growth," he said. The St Columba community have been meeting at the river for

‘All my clients wanted to carry on’ -Why this personal trainer refused to shut her business

Breaking News, Business, Covid-19, economy, Explainers, Fitness, Hunger Strike

Image by Jonathan Borba All non-essential businesses and storefronts were ordered to shut down on November 5 ahead of another month-long lockdown. While most shops obliged – (although reluctantly), a few small business owners continued to operate during restrictions. Lauren Sundre*, 27, is a personal trainer in Liverpool who continued to hold gym sessions despite the regional lockdown. “The main thing that made me continue was the fact that all my clients wanted to carry on. I felt this sense of responsibility to ensure they were able to do so. I felt very strongly of the fact that what I did posed no threat - but actually improved people’s health,” she told Westminster World. As a newly qualified personal trainer Lauren will not receive any financial support from the go

Covid-19: Students’ distress over job loss

Covid-19, Student

The mass vaccination coming up this week in the UK does not reassure everyone. Especially students that WestminsterWorld had the opportunity to meet. Credit: Simone Michelle Gray Nearly 80 per cent of students rely on part-time job to gain extra income. Due to this year’s economic crisis and social distancing regulations, workplaces have been closed and many students cannot continue their work. According to Generation COVID survey conducted by LSE, the most job loss among all age groups are student aged 16 to 25, which means one in 10 young people lost their job during covid-19 pandemic. source: Generation COVID "They had to cancel all the shows when the lockdown came up so I lost my job." We can see the depth in her eyes as much as the pain. Barbara Uzoigwe, 22 years ol

Foreign students staying in London for Christmas break express why

brexit, Christmas, Covid-19, Education, EU talents, Explainers, London, Student, virus

The end of the lockdown approaching did not convince some foreign students to travel back. Seven out of ten interviewed told Westminster:World their decision to stay. Two of them have accepted to be featured on this article. Safety as the first priority Credit:Naima Tazergha "My father is not well and it is crucial to protect him from covid-19, and there is always a risk for me to catch the virus while travelling and submitting it to him." Charlotte is from Stockholm in Sweden. She moved to London this Autumn to study her first year of Interior Design at Regent's university. As the government reached to students to encourage them going back home between the 3rd and 9th of December, some don't even consider thinking about it. She is young but knows the risk- the one of c...

Did Boris Johnson force us into a second lockdown based on fake data?

Covid-19, economy, Explainers, Law, London, News, Opinion, Politics, Student, UK news

Photo By: Andrew Pearsons Prime Minister Boris Johnson is allegedly under the impression that he was fooled into enforcing a national lockdown due to ‘dodgy’ data. According to Government scientists, Covid-19 related deaths could rise to 4,000 a week; 4 times the peak we saw in April. This figure is now being discredited, with conflicting data released last week, suggesting cases were dropping, and the second wave may have peaked before the second lockdown began on November 5. Shops and businesses forced to close during second lockdown. Photo: Amelia Hallsworth Figures released last week show 20,572 cases recorded, down from the previous week’s number of 23,254. A total of 156 deaths were recorded across with the UK, compared to 162 from the week prior.&nb

Mass testing is expected in London

Covid-19, Health, London, UK news, virus

Nineteen London boroughs plus the City of London are set to receive mass Covid-19 testing rollouts this week. A laboratory expert takes a Covid-19 swab test. Photograph by Mufid Majnun The daily number of 2,917 people tested positive for mass Covid-19 on 13th November in London. The total number of mass Covid-19 cases reported up to 13th November in London was 125,782. Daily cases from 6th to 10th November in London Data Source: PHE Covid-19 Dashboard Graphic by Peiyun He Department of Health and Social Care published a list on 10th November, which listed 66 local authorities where directors of public health in these areas would each receive 10,000 lateral flow devices. The list included 19 London boroughs, including Bexley, Bromley, Brent and Enfield....