GOVERNMENT INVESTS £7M IN DNA PROFILING TOOL TO CATCH RAPISTS AND SEX OFFENDERS

Two major institutions, the University of Kent and the University of Greenwich, will unite in autumn 2026 to establish a pioneering multi-university called the London and South East University Group, preserving individual identities and campuses, led by a single vice-chancellor, in what is described as a groundbreaking model amid growing financial pressures across higher education.

The main figure behind the “Raise the Colours” flag-raising campaign in England was previously convicted in 2016 for attempting to smuggle four Vietnamese migrants into the UK, a fact confirmed by reputable reporting, adding a controversial layer to the patriotic displays across towns and cities.

Provisional statistics reveal London has recorded its lowest number of summer homicides in seven years, with no under-25s killed during the school holiday period, a reduction welcomed by officials who caution that behind the numbers lie lives lost and families devastated, while concerns about knife crime and policing resources continue to be raised across the capital.

A 19-year-old British woman, Erihanna Sackor, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after arriving at Heathrow Airport on 2 June with 14 kg of vacuum-sealed cannabis concealed in her suitcase. The court heard how she was lured to Thailand with an all-expenses paid trip and promised £20,000 to smuggle the Class B drug into the UK.

This year’s Notting Hill Carnival attracted around a million people and saw 423 arrests and two non-life-threatening stabbings, but police reported “far fewer incidents of serious violence” than in previous years. Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward credited proactive measures such as live facial recognition, knife arches, and stop-and-search for preventing crime. Despite arrests for drugs, weapons, and assaults, organisers stressed these figures represented only a tiny fraction of attendees, with the event largely celebrated as safe, vibrant, and community-driven.

Campaigners are renewing a plea for a UK-wide prohibition of smacking after new polling reveals a striking shift in public opinion, notably among younger generations. Just 24 hours ago, charity voices and health experts urged ministers to abolish the “reasonable punishment” defence. With Gen Z overwhelmingly opposed, momentum is building for legislative reform.

A woman from Texas, who was reported missing by her family, has resurfaced deep in the woods near Jedburgh, Scotland, where she lives under the name Asnat, Lady Safi. She has become the handmaiden of a self-styled “African” tribe that claims descent from Hebrew ancestors and rejects UK laws, pursuing what they call a spiritual pilgrimage.

A Sanex advert has been pulled after regulators ruled it implied white skin was superior by depicting Black skin as cracked and itchy while showing white skin as smooth.

Nigerian-born Abiola Abidoye, an eighteen-year-old student from Ipswich, has captured national attention after securing the highest A-Level score in law across the United Kingdom. The gifted scholar, a pupil at One Sixth Form College, earned A* grades in all four of his chosen subjects—mathematics, further mathematics, law, and physics—cementing his reputation as an outstanding all-rounder.