Police probe after man knifed by gang of thugs at bus stop

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A man was stabbed after being set upon by a gang of thugs at a bus stop at Heathrow Airport.

Police and paramedics were scrambled just before midnight on Friday after incident, which happened outside bus stop K on the Northern Perimeter Road at the west London airport.

The victim, a 20-year-old man, is believed to have been attacked by a group of up to eight people, both male and female, Scotland Yard said.

He was rushed to a west London hospital for treatment.

His condition is not life-threatening, according to the Met.

A spokesman added that no arrests had been made and enquiries are ongoing.

58 people now presumed dead in Grenfell Tower horror as 16 bodies recovered

Pic:Top pic Greenfell Tower After Burn.Down pic-Members of the emergency services in the middle floors/AFP
Staff reporter(wp/es):
At least 58 people are now presumed dead following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, police said as the search to recover bodies continues.
In the latest update on Saturday, Commander Stuart Cundy said officers have now established there were 58 people known to have been in the tower at the time of the disaster and who are still missing.

Police have so far recovered 16 bodies and the first victim has been formally identified as 23-year-old Mohammed Alhajali.

All 24 floors of the high rise building has now been searched. The recovery operation was paused on Friday over fears for the safety of emergency workers in the building but is now set to resume.

Mr Cundy said: "Sadly, at this time there are 58 people who we have been told were in the Grenfell Tower on the night that are missing, and therefore sadly, I have to assume that they are dead.

"That number 58 may change. I really hope it won't, but it may increase.

"Our focus has been on those that we know were in Grenfell Tower. However, there may be other people who were in there on the night that others were not aware were there.

"That is also an absolute priority for the investigation - to establish who they may be," he added.

Of the 58, he said 30 were confirmed dead.

Mr Cundy appealed to anyone who may have escaped from the building, but has not yet come forward, to make themselves known.

More than 6,000 calls were made to the police casualty bureau as well as to forces across the country in the wake of the disaster.

Speaking about the criminal probe which has been launched, Mr Cundy pledged anyone who has committed an offence would be brought to justice.

He said the police investigation into the blaze would look at the building and its refurbishment in 2016 and vowed to prosecute people "if there is evidence".

He said: "The investigation is a police investigation. We investigate criminal matters. The investigation will identify any criminal offence that has been committed. It will be wide ranging.

"It will go to establish the answers of what happened in the fire and how it spread, it will look at the building itself, it will look at the refurbishment as well.

"Our criminal investigation will identify any criminal offences that have been committed. Wherever we can, we will bring people to justice if there is evidence. It is completely and wholly inappropriate for me to talk about details of the investigation which may subsequently jeopardise any criminal proceedings."

The fire ripped through the tower block, on the Lancaster West Estate in north Kensington, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Witnesses reported seeing people screaming and jumping from the building in the terror.

Fury over the Grenfell Tower blaze came to a head on Friday with two separate protests erupting across the capital.

A crowd of furious protesters stormed Kensington town hall demanding answers from the local authority before marching to the base of the tower.

In a separate rally at Whitehall, more than a thousand people marched to Downing Street in anger at the Government’s response to the disaster.

Theresa May met with survivors of the tragedy in hospital and on Saturday welcomed residents to Downing Street.

Family liaison officers are working with 52 families, and as soon as victims are identified, their loved ones will be told, Mr Cundy added in the update on Saturday.

The police commander said at the scene: "At this point in time we have 16 people who have been recovered to the mortuary.

"I absolutely understand the frustration of why figures haven't been released earlier. The reason for that - at one point, in terms of our casualty bureau, there were 400 people who were reported missing from Grenfell Tower.

"Grenfell Tower itself is 120 flats. We have worked tirelessly over the last four days to truly understand those that we know were there on the night."

He added: "I understand - I really do understand - the frustration of so many about not knowing the scale of the tragedy that is unfolding behind us.

"I have said it before, you have my absolute assurance that as soon as I can possibly tell you something that I know to be accurate, I will tell you."

Mr Cundy said: "The investigation will be exhaustive. My intention is that it will help provide answers.

"If, as we investigate, we identify issues that are a risk to public safety, we will not be waiting until the end of the investigation before we provide that information to the appropriate authorities.

"If there are any safety issues that we and experts that we will be using identify, we will share that immediately."

Grenfell fundraisers across London: Where to show your support

Staff reporter(wp/es):
London's theatres, bars and restaurants are raising money for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. Here’s where you can show your support.

Battersea Arts Centre

When a fire ravaged this arts centre in 2015, the community rallied round. It is now giving back with a two-hour show featuring some of the UK’s best comedians, including Heydon Prowse, Josie Long and Imran Yusuf, hosted by Daniel Kitson. 

Info: Monday, £25, Lavender Hill, SW11, bac.org.uk

Ravenscourt Park

Bring the family along for a child-friendly fitness session in the park and donate what you can.

Info: Monday, Bianca Sainty Personal Training, W6, sainty.net

Dalston Roof Park

Head to Dalston Roof Park for an evening of brilliant acts and DJs. Enter the raffle for £5 to win festival tickets, clothes and vinyl. 

Info: Thursday, from £10, 18 Ashwin Street, E8, bootstrapcompany.co.uk

Bush Hall

Stop wallowing in self-pity because you didn’t get Glastonbury tickets. Get along to this sunny Shepherd’s Bush terrace for all the golden moments on a big screen, with live music, DJs, a raffle and an auction thrown in. 

Info: Friday, from £3, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12, residentadvisor.net 

Yoga on Clapham Common

Bring a mat and come along for a one-hour Karma Yoga class on the north-west side of Clapham Common, followed by a trip to the pub. 

Info: Jun 25, £10, SW4, beckyfarbsteinyoga.com

The Test Kitchen

Top chef Adam Simmonds will be cooking for Grenfell tomorrow at his pop-up Soho restaurant. They're operating a pay-what-you-like policy, with every penny raised being donated to help. Be generous. 

Info: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, @The_TestKitchen

Fuci na

Similarly, this upmarket Italian in Paddington is donating all of its profits to victims of the tragedy on Monday, with 25% off food to encourage more people to come in and eat their way to a donation. 

Info: Monday 19, 26 Paddington St, W1 5QY, fucina.co.uk

'Monumental U-turn' on cancer drug

Health reporter(wp):

A pioneering and life-extending drug repeatedly deemed too expensive will now be offered on the NHS in England.

It is the result of a confidential deal between the health service and the drug company Roche.

Kadcyla, the undiscounted cost of which had been £90,000 per patient, adds an average of six months of life to women with a form of terminal breast cancer.

Campaigners have praised the "monumental" U-turn, which will benefit about 1,200 women a year.

"Tough negotiation and flexibility between the NHS and Roche means both patients and taxpayers are getting a good deal," said NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens.

Cost-effectiveness test

Kadcyla, a combination of two drugs, is used to treat people with HER2-positive tumours that have spread to other parts of the body and cannot be surgically removed.

Scotland decided in April to pay for the drug, but it had been deemed too expensive by the rest of the UK.

In order for a drug to be approved by the regulatory body, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), it has to pass a cost-effectiveness test.

The full price drug worked out at £166,000 for every "quality adjusted life year" of good health.

It is not clear how much of a discount has been offered, but it is understood the cost per quality adjusted life year is down to about £50,000.

That is in line with other drugs that extend the life of terminally ill patients.

Delighted

Richard Erwin, general manager at Roche, said: "Close collaboration between Roche, NHS England and NICE has resulted in NICE recommending Kadcyla as a cost-effective treatment.

"This is a positive example of how solutions can be reached when all parties show flexibility."

The Welsh government expects to offer Kadcyla as soon as an equivalent deal is agreed with Roche. And the decision could allow the drug to be prescribed in Northern Ireland too.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, the chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: "This is exceptionally good news... we are absolutely delighted."

She added: "Today's landmark decision bodes well for patients looking for reassurances that modern cancer treatments can get through to NHS patients more quickly and can bring transformational improvements in patient outcomes for the future."

A petition by the charity to get Kadcyla funded had amassed more than 115,000 signatures in less than a month.

Gunes Kalkan, from Breast Cancer Care, said: "This U-turn decision is monumental.

"This proves innovative treatments can be made widely available, and it is hugely frustrating this agreement did not come sooner."

Brexit: UK and EU negotiations to start on Monday

Pic:EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (left) and UK Brexit Secretary David Davis confirmed the start of talks/REUTERS
Political reporter(wp):

Formal Brexit negotiations will begin on Monday, the UK and EU say.

The announcement by Brexit Secretary David Davis and EU negotiator Michel Barnier follows preliminary talks in Brussels between officials.

The formal negotiations were already due to start on Monday but doubt was cast by the general election result and ongoing talks between the Conservatives and the Democratic Unionists.

The UK is due to leave the EU by the end of March 2019.

Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which started the clock on Brexit, in March.

Mrs May had hoped the general election would increase her Commons majority before the start of talks - but it created a hung Parliament, and she is seeking the DUP's backing to win key votes.

Key subjects to be negotiated include the status of EU nationals and Britons living elsewhere in the EU, the size of any "divorce" bill and how the UK will trade with the EU once it leaves.

Since last week's general election, there have been calls for a new cross-party approach to talks, but Downing Street has said its strategy will not change.

EU leaders have been calling for talks to begin - on Tuesday Mr Barnier said: "I can't negotiate with myself."

London fire: Prime minister orders full public inquiry

Pic:Mohammed Alhajali was a civil engineering student at the University of West London
Staff reporter(wp):

Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry into the fire that engulfed a west London block of flats, killing at least 17 people.

That figure is expected to rise, as fire chiefs do not expect to find any more survivors in the burnt-out Grenfell Tower in north Kensington.

The PM said people "deserve answers" as to why the fire spread so rapidly.

The first victim has been named by the Syria Solidarity Campaign as Syrian refugee Mohammed Alhajali, 23.

In a statement, the organisation said the civil engineering student was in a flat on the 14th floor when the fire broke out, and spent two hours on the phone to a friend in Syria.

He was trying to get through to his family while he was waiting to be rescued.

The group said: "Mohammed bid his friend goodbye, saying that the fire had reached him. He asked his friend to pass on the message to his family...

"Mohammed undertook a dangerous journey to flee war and death in Syria, only to meet it here in the UK, in his own home.

"Mohammed came to this country for safety and the UK failed to protect him."

His older brother, Omar, lost him on the way out and survived, the organisation said.

Six victims of the Grenfell Tower blaze have been provisionally identified, Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said, but "there is a risk that sadly we may not be able to identify everybody".

Earlier, Mrs May made a private visit to the scene, where she spoke to Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton and members of the emergency services.

She said: "[The emergency services] told me that the way this fire had spread and took hold of the building was rapid, it was ferocious, it was unexpected.

"So it is right that, in addition to the immediate fire report that will be produced and any potential police investigation, that we do have a full public inquiry to get to the bottom of this."

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry donate to fund for Grenfell Tower victims

Royal correspondent(wp/es):

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry today joined an extraordinary response from Londoners to the Evening Standard’s fund for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Money has been flooding in from members of the public and London-based firms, with donations made to our website “every second”, as the capital unites to help the hundreds of residents bereaved and left homeless by the tragedy.

By this morning, the total had already soared to £700,000.

William, Kate and Harry — who were deeply moved as they watched the horror unfold barely a mile from their Kensington Palace home — were among the first to donate.