TRAFALGAR SQUARE Top Stories

Oprah is right to have dodged marriage. There's just no need to do it2020-01-17
The Independent: On the morning of my wedding, my dad came down the stairs in a bespoke canary yellow suit. I went blood-red bonkers. “The PHOTOS!” I wailed, “IT CLASHES”. My poor, baffled father, who has never been a conventional man, or a suit man, looked dejected. He’d...
Staffing shortages in NHS stroke units putting lives at risk2020-01-17
The Independent: Stroke wards in hospitals across the country are severely short-staffed new data has revealed, with experts warning services could be forced to close and lives put at risk. The crisis in stroke care has worsened in recent years with the situation described as...
Only four investigators for almost 800 cases of cheating in Sats exams2020-01-17
The Independent: The government has been criticised for taking a “half-hearted approach” to cheating in primary schools after it emerged that only four people are employed to investigate nearly 800 cases of cheating during Sats exams each year. Data obtained...
UK weather forecast: Bright but cold weekend ahead as downpours and wind clear2020-01-17
The Independent: The UK is expected to have a mild weekend as a tumultuous week of rain and wind draws to a close. The MetOffice has said most of the country can expect dry weather with sunny spells on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will remain cold, with frost...
Escaped horse put on bus after blocking traffic2020-01-17
The Independent: A lost horse boarded a bus but managed to avoid ponying up for the fare after being rescued from a busy road in Cardiff. The steed was seen by motorists on the A48, in the middle of busy traffic on Thursday evening. South Wales Police said the animal “wanted...
Suffolk murder: Man arrested after woman stabbed to death in Newmarket2020-01-17
The Independent: A man has been arrested after a woman was stabbed to death at a property in Suffolk. Police were called to reports someone had been injured in a stabbing in Newmarket, a market town near Cambridge, on Thursday night. The victim died at...
Saint Greta and the Dragon2020-01-17
CounterPunch: Seated before a corner lamppost, at the foot of the J.P. MorganChase Tower, was a blind man with a Starbuck’s venti cup and a hand-lettered cardboard sign. Resting against his knees on the pavement, it read: “Please help the homeless.” Clothed in a gray...
Tax social media giants to fund research into suicide, psychiatrists urge2020-01-17
The Independent: Social media giants should be forced to hand over data and pay towards research into their potential harms, a new report backed by the father of MollyRussell argues. Concerns about the impact of social media on vulnerable people come amid suicides such as...
Carillion: New hospitals delayed for years by collapse of outsourcing giant, official report says2020-01-17
The Independent: Two hospitals being built by engineering giant Carillion when it collapsed are being delayed for several years, according to an official report. The 646-bed Royal Liverpool, due to open in 2017, is now forecast to be completed more than five years late,...
Nations of Iran crash victims seek compensation for families2020-01-17
The Spokesman-Review: LONDON – The governments of countries that lost citizens when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner demanded Thursday that Tehran accept “full responsibility” and pay compensation to the victims’ families. The foreign ministers of Canada, the U.K., Afghanistan,...
Wrong man called Robert Shapiro thrown into on-air BBC debate2020-01-16
The Independent: BBC radio host Evan Davis has said he was left “mortified” after bringing the wrong guest on air to discuss the introduction of cameras to court proceedings in the UK. Davis, who has previously hosted BBC Two’s Newsnight, began to introduce his guest on Radio...
Sepsis killing almost twice as many people worldwide than previously thought, new study warns2020-01-16
The Independent: Nearly twice as many people around the world are dying of sepsis than was previously thought, according to a new global study. Researchers found that the condition, in which the body suffers an out-of-control response to infection, caused 11 million...
London state school praised by Stormzy secures 51 offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge2020-01-16
The Independent: A record-breaking 51 pupils from a state school in one of London's poorest boroughs have been offered places at Oxbridge. Brampton ManorAcademy in Newham, which was praised by grime artist Stormzy for its A-level results, has seen a ten-fold increase in...
Zero-interest credit card offers disappear as banks tighten lending criteria2020-01-16
The Independent: Banks have slashed the number of zero-interest credit cards available and tightened lending criteria, limiting the options for borrowers who are juggling their debts between cards. The length of balance transfer deals has reduced markedly and the availability...