LondonNewsDowntown shooting sends one to hospitalBy Fiona RobertsonPublished: May 04, 2025 at 10:06AM EDT Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved Royal Family attends VE Day 80th anniversary parade in LondonKing Charles and other senior royals joined veterans and crowds to watch a grand military parade and flypast at the start of four days of commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.Updated: May 05, 2025 at 12:00AM EDT Queen Camilla and Prince and Princess of Wales watch commemorations in London with events also scheduled across the UK a line of police officers walked hundreds of spectators forward along the Mall past the Queen Victoria Memorial while children are being carried on shoulders to ensure they can catch a glimpse of Buckingham Palace there is a jovial atmosphere with members of the public taking photos and videos as they move towards the palace Senior royals joined thousands of people in London to observe a military procession and RAF flypast that began a series of commemorations marking the end of the second world war in Europe King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined in the royal box by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to watch the procession a tea party for 30 second world war veterans aged from 98 to 104 and about 20 evacuees and others who lived through the war was hosted by the king and queen at the palace Nato allies joined 1,300 members of the UK armed forces for the parade, with the words of Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech spoken by actor Timothy Spall kicking off events for the 80th anniversary of VE Day the Cenotaph was draped in a large union flag with the south and north face of the landmark covered It was the first time the war memorial had been draped in union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago Crowds started to gather on the Mall on Monday morning with some arriving the day before to secure a viewing spot The commemorations featured displays by the Red Arrows and street parties took place across the UK said the week’s events were a reminder that victory was “not just for Britain” as personnel from the US France and Germany joined the military procession he said: “VE Day is a chance to acknowledge that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid.” Starmer was greeted with applause from guests as he joined the VE Day street party in Downing Street after the parade walked out of No 10 holding a plate of cakes which he then handed out to some of the guests Starmer then picked up a commemorative teapot and walked around the tables to serve tea before taking his seat began the military procession which set off down Whitehall through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace The procession officially began shortly after midday when Kennett received the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch For Peace by air cadet Warrant Officer Emmy Jones Thirty further veterans attended official events on Monday including 26 who watched the procession in London selected from the UK armed forces’ training programme for Ukrainian recruits also took part in Monday’s military procession receiving cheers and applause from the crowds gathered marched in the procession wearing the uniforms of their nations under the Nato flag The royal family are scheduled to take part in engagements over the next four days King Charles and Camilla are “looking forward” to the week’s events Buckingham Palace hopes “nothing will detract or distract from celebrating with full cheer and proud hearts that precious victory and those brave souls on this most special and poignant of anniversaries” Margaret Wood was evacuated from Chingford in east London to the Midlands at the start of the war Wood said the Kate had asked for the book during their conversation at the Buckingham Palace tea party I have written a book about my time as an evacuated and it was published Buckingham Palace may have served as the centrepiece of Monday’s spectacle before Thursday’s anniversary of Victory in Europe Day those remaining few who bore actual witness then and who today serve to remind Back in 1945, Britain allowed itself a brief period of rejoicing on VE Day with overwhelming relief and optimism at Germany’s surrender after long wartime years of deprivation and huge loss of life on all sides tribute was paid with a 1,300-strong military procession The Massed Pipes and Drums march past the Palace of Westminster during a military procession to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Photograph: Ben Montgomery/Getty ImagesThe procession set off from beneath the bronze gaze of Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square and ended outside the palace. Elsewhere, street parties were held across the UK. Thousands crowded on to the Mall, many waving red, white and blue flags. Watching from a dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial were the king, queen, senior royals and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, sitting alongside those who had served in the war and who were wrapped up both in their memories and against the spring chill. As Big Ben fell silent, the actor Timothy Spall boomed aloud words from Churchill’s victory speech beginning: “My dear friends, this is your hour.” Charles wore the naval No 1 dress uniform to see Monday’s military procession and flypast in central London reflecting the same choice made by King George VI when he stepped on to the Buckingham Palace balcony on 8 May 1945 On Monday, the Princess of Wales also wore a brooch fit for the occasion – an RAF wings pin. Kate’s grandfather served in the RAF as a fighter pilot during the second world war. The Prince of Wales was dressed in the RAF No 1 uniform. The Princess Royal wore the uniform of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps), emulating what the late Queen Elizabeth II wore when she was a princess appearing on the palace balcony on VE Day in 1945. Members of the royal family watched the parade on Monday from a specially built platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial before making their way to Buckingham Palace’s balcony to watch the flypast overhead. Updated at 17.18 CEST13h ago16.36 CESTThis year’s VE Day commemorations will take on extra poignancy given the fading of the “greatest generation”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). It will be the last major commemoration for which “anyone will still be alive who actually served in the second world war,” monarchy specialist Robert Hazell of University College London told AFP. “It’s important to remember some of the poor devils who didn’t make it like I did,” 99-year-old Royal Air Force veteran Dennis Bishop told AFP. The first part of the 80th anniversary commemorations on a chilly Monday morning in London was the draping of two huge union flags on the Cenotaph war memorial. Hundreds of people set up camp outside Buckingham Palace with chairs and rugs. “It’s so emotional to be here today. Eighty years of peace and peace of mind. Where would we be without them?” asked Patrick Beacon, 76, who arrived with his wife at about 7am BST (6am GMT) to get the “best view”. Tourists included 52-year-old Ludivine Batthelot from southern France. “We came out of curiosity because it’s the kind of celebration that the English do so well,” she told AFP. “It’s folklore, we wanted to be in the mood and live the experience.” 13h ago16.22 CESTAt Buckingham Palace, the Prince of Wales told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield his son Prince George was “interested” in learning about veterans, Littlefield’s granddaughter says. Samantha Davidson, from Denmead in Hampshire, said: The Prince said George is very interested in finding out about the veterans. George even asked my grandfather how old he was during his service. She said that Littlefield was very happy that George has taken an interest in the past. Littlefield himself said: “I’m very proud.” Updated at 16.34 CEST13h ago16.14 CESTGuests have begun to arrive for a VE Day street party hosted by the prime minister at Downing Street. Two long tables lined with red and gold chairs on the street were decorated with flowers, miniature union flags and table mats. Each seat was given a commemorative plate and mug with the words ‘VE Day 80’ written on them, while food served on the tables included Victoria sponge cake, scotch eggs and pork pies. Among the guests were second world war veterans Ruth Brook Klauber and Colin Deverell; both aged 101. Bunting was hanging over the tables and draped over the ground floor windows of No 10. Musicians from the Grenadier guards military band played songs to the guests as they received drinks on arrival. Updated at 16.36 CEST13h ago15.56 CESTA new display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London is part of commemorations marking the end of the second world war in Europe The poppies have been set to resemble a wound to reflect the long-lasting sacrifices made during the war The poppies are on loan from the Imperial War Museum and were originally displayed as part of artist Paul Cummins '‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ installation at the Tower in 2014 commemorating the centenary of the first world war is on view from 6 May until Armistice Day on 11 November Local authorities have offered support for communities and organisations wishing to hold a VE Day street party with some councils such as Portsmouth waiving fees to close roads for the celebrations is in central London and watched the RAF flypast from Waterloo Bridge He has shared a photograph for the live blog and this note: A sizeable crowd had gathered on Waterloo Bridge Buses stopped to let passengers see the planes go overhead and several taxis tooted their horns to salute the flypast According to the PA news agency, veterans will enjoy sandwiches, scotch eggs and scones at the tea party. Also on the menu are potted shrimps with brown bread and butter, egg and bacon quiche, vegetable pasties and sausage rolls. There will also be lemon and carrot cake, chocolate cake, treacle tarts and strawberries and cream. They will dine on large tables in the Marble Hall which has been decorated in bunting made from fabrics recycled from the Royal estate. 14h ago15.04 CESTRAF flypast in picturesHere are some images from the flypast for the 80th anniversary of VE Day: King Charles and Queen Camilla as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children were on the balcony reached the palace at 1.45pm BST with more planes following behind The military flypast passes over the Mall and Buckingham Palace. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/ReutersVeterans watching in Buckingham Palace smiled and looked up as the flypast went over, reports the PA news agency. Army veteran Joe Mines, 100, waved as the planes went over, while others applauded. Politicians including prime minister Keir Starmer, London mayor Sadiq Khan, foreign secretary David Lammy and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch joined veterans and actor Timothy Spall on the Buckingham Palace garden steps to watch the flyover. They were serenaded by a brass band as they waited for the aircraft. Some of the group applauded, waved and pointed as the first planes flew over the palace. 14h ago14.47 CESTRAF flypast begins as royals watch from Buckingham Palace balconyCrowds have gathered in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace as the RAF flypast begins Military bands played medleys of second world war-era music as they marched is shown on April 30.Nicole Osborne/The Canadian Press The woman who alleges that five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team sexually assaulted her in a downtown hotel in London said she felt afraid of what would happen if she didn’t perform sexual acts on the men told the court at the players’ trial on Monday that after a night of drinking and dancing at a London bar in June she left with one of the accused players — Michael McLeod — and had consensual sex with him in his hotel room When they told her to lie down on the hotel room floor After she expressed concern about the floor being dirty they instructed her to perform sexual acts on them I was already naked and drunk and feeling really vulnerable at that point I didn’t understand why the one man I left with had kind of disappeared and left me in that situation,” she said E.M.’s testimony on Monday was the first time the now 27-year-old has publicly spoken about the alleged assaults that occurred in the early morning hours of June 19 recounted details from the night of the alleged group sexual assault and the days after demanding that she make a police investigation “go away.” Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are each accused of sexually assaulting E.M McLeod faces a second charge of being a party to sexual assault Each has pleaded not guilty Under questioning from Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham told the court that when she was lying on the hotel floor she noticed a set of golf clubs in the room “I remember them making comments about putting golf balls in me She said her automatic reaction was to laugh at this suggestion and “brush it off” so that the players would move on that she felt like her mind and body separated She said started to feel “as if my mind kind of floated to the top corner of the ceiling” and that she watched herself over the ensuing hours told the court that at the time she was 20 years old and a people pleaser standing about 5-foot-4 and weighing around 120 pounds She alleged that the players instructed her to touch herself and moan for them The players then began asking for oral sex “They just started putting penises in my face,” she said The players were primarily talking to each other “encouraging each other,” E.M They were spitting on me at points,” she said She said she “didn’t know that was going to happen.” and that it “felt degrading.” (The Crown previously told the court that this player was Mr the players wanted her to have sex with one of the men in the bathroom “I got up and he followed me to the bathroom,” she said told the court that she was sometimes crying and attempted to leave the hotel room someone would “put their arm around me and guide me back to the bed sheet.” about two short videos that were shot in the hotel room in which she says “it was all consensual” and that she “enjoyed it.” told the court that she doesn’t remember either video being shot but that she would have just been saying what she felt they were coaxing her to say The words she can be heard saying in the video are not “a reflection” of how she felt in the moment exited the hotel room and called an Uber to head home she told the court she was crying in the lobby and phoned a friend for support “I think I was just putting a lot of blame on myself for having even gone to the hotel in the first place I just felt like I wish I could have reacted in a different way I don’t know why I responded the way I did,” she said was asked about a text message exchange she had with Mr McLeod found her on Instagram and told her to call him Screenshots of messages exchanged between Michael McLeod and the woman known publicly as E.M the day after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Mr McLeod and four other members of Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team The messages were presented on Monday at the players' criminal trial in London where the alleged offence occurred following a night of drinking and dancing after a Hockey Canada gala celebrating the championship team.Ontario Superior Court of Justice “Did you go to the police after Sunday?” he texted according to the messages that were presented in court replied that she believed her mom had gone to the police told the court on Monday that she is a conflict-averse person and just wanted Mr McLeod told her “I understand that you are embarrassed about what happened But you need to talk to your mother right now and straighten things out with the police before this goes to [sic] far This is a serious matter that she is misrepresenting and could have significant implications for a lot of people including you.” began the defence’s cross-examination Monday afternoon had a boyfriend at the time of the alleged assaults He asked her if part of the reason that she was upset was that she had cheated on her boyfriend replied that she did feel guilty — she cared about him — but that the relationship was new and she was “honest” with him about what had happened executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre outside London's Ontario Superior Court where five members of the winning 2018 world junior hockey team are on trial for sexual assault.Robyn Doolittle/The Globe and Mail about 20 women gathered outside the courthouse holding signs that showed support for E.M the executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre knows that we are here and that we are supporting her,” she said we want survivors everywhere to know that they are not alone.” Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following which exposed the ways that Canadian police services mishandle sexual assault cases training and practices around sexual violence Doolittle’s other notable projects include the “Power Gap”, an investigation of gender inequities in the workforce, and “Secret Canada,” which examines Canada’s broken freedom of information system She is the author of two books, “Had It Coming – What’s Fair In The Age of #MeToo?,” which was shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize for non-fiction, and “Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story,” both of which were national bestsellers Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. 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For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions harrowing account of what happened in Room 209 at the Delta Armouries on June 19 You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account Editor’s note: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing Article contentThe best way she said she could describe what happened in a hotel room when she was naked with a group of loud obnoxious hockey players was to compare it to an out-of-body experience “I felt just a weird feeling of just my mind separating itself from my body I just remember the way I picture that night and it felt as if my mind floated to the top corner of the ceiling and I just started watching everything happen,” said the 27-year-old complainant at the sexual assault trial of five 2018 Team Canada world junior champs Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience “The fear and confusion of that feeling and the situation I was in when the world champions were in London for a Hockey Canada gala and golf tournament to celebrate their win But the jury also got the first hints about the aftermath – the closed police investigation a civil suit and a media storm – that eventually led to the charges before the court that the woman had a steady boyfriend at the time of the incident all have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault McLeod pleaded not guilty to a second sexual assault count for being a party to the offence The complainant whose identity is protected by court order was 20 when she met McLeod and some of the team at Jack’s Bar on Richmond Row and went back to the Delta Armouries to have consensual sex with him The first part of Monday was spent with Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham asking the woman to describe everything that happened after she and McLeod had sex The woman said she went into the bathroom to clean up They laid a bed sheet on the floor and encouraged her to lie on it “They had wanted me to lie down and touch myself And they also had golf clubs in the room that were on the floor as well I remember them making comments about putting golf balls in me.” She described three men dropping their pants and waving their penises in her face before she performed oral sex on them They were spitting on me at points and slapping me fascinating real estate market is brought into focus and into context with this newsletter you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Homes in London will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. She said she tried not to think about what was happening “It seemed like the only safe thing to do was to just give them what they were wanting.” She said she performed oral sex on McLeod in front of the others then went into the bathroom with the woman had sex again and the two of them showered She was shown two videos in which she appears she consented to the activity She had no recollection of the first one and said she still looked “really drunk“ in the second one made with McLeod’s phone “He knew what I needed to say to just get out of there I think he knew it wasn’t consensual,” she said McLeod and his roommate – whom the jury has heard was Formenton – told her they had to get up for a golf tournament “They seemed really annoyed that I was asking for that and they just kind of opened the door and let me in and went back to bed.” After a short sparking a series of messages from McLeod to the woman asking her to stop the police investigation “You said you were having fun,” McLeod wrote She wrote back that she was drunk and “I was OK with going home with you It was everyone else afterwards that I wasn’t expecting I just felt like I was being made fun of and taken advantage of.” McLeod wrote that her mother was “misrepresenting” what happened and the complainant need to stop the investigation “What can you do to make it go away?” he wrote she told McLeod she told the police “it was a mistake Sorry again for the misunderstanding,” she wrote The initial cross-examination began to weave an alternative narrative in the phone call to her friend as she was leaving the hotel that she had sex with the man she met at the bar – who was “a jerk” – and didn’t mention having sexual relations with anyone else Humphrey also asked the woman about “a serious boyfriend” she had in June 2018 and she felt guilty for cheating on him “I did explain I was drunk …I did know I was being as honest as I could with him.” She said she told her mother she had gone to a hotel with “a guy named Mikey” and more people had come into the room Her mother pieced together they were a Hockey Canada team “went into Mama Bear mode” and called the police Her mother’s boyfriend called Hockey Canada The police said the woman would have to make the complaint She and her mother went to London police headquarters on June 22 She gave a statement and she said she just wanted the men to “be spoken to.” She later reconsidered and wanted him to go ahead with a charge Based on his review of the Delta security videos “he told you he did not see you in those videos as being overly inebriated when arriving or leaving the hotel,” Humphrey said but he was supportive of any decision she made “I do recall him saying that,” the woman said the police had the two “consent” videos from inside Room 209 after reviewing the video evidence and interviewing some of the players Newton told her he didn’t have grounds to believe she was too intoxicated to consent and he was closing the investigation a civil statement of claim was filed against Hockey Canada the Canadian Hockey League and eight John Does for $3.55-million The woman agreed she had an understanding the claim would be served on Hockey Canada She said she stood by the statement of claim that said the actions of these men “caused terror and fear in her mind” and “ongoing apprehension of imminent physical harm of a sexual nature.” Hockey Canada quickly settled the lawsuit on the basis that it all be confidential She agreed her statement to Hockey Canada investigators in July 2022 was drafted by her lawyers I didn’t know there’d be still more that would be asked of me,” she said She wrote her own statement in March 2025 when she met with the Crown and was allowed to review the video footage at Jack’s Humphrey noted she pointed out five things where she was showing intoxication She admitted she and her friends went to Jack’s regularly and often had six to eight drinks and would often throw up at the end of the night jsims@postmedia.com See coverage below of the woman’s testimony Monday from LFP reporter Jonathan Juha transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account Content advisory: This article includes graphic details of alleged sexual assault London Ont. – E.M., the woman who has alleged she was sexually assaulted by five former members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team, told a jury Monday that after she had consensual sex with Michael McLeod early in the morning of June 19, 2018, she was sexually assaulted and felt she had to go along with what McLeod and some of his teammates wanted her to do in order to get out of the crowded hotel room safely. E.M., whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified that after she and McLeod initially had consensual sex in his room following a night of dancing and drinking at a downtown bar in London, Ont., the mood of the room shifted after McLeod began texting people and then a number of men began appearing in the room. She testified players repeatedly stopped her from leaving the room. “I was feeling scared,” E.M. told the court. “I didn’t know where things were going. I didn’t know how to handle that kind of situation. “I was scared and confused, I guess… They were laughing at me; they were spitting on me at points. It just seemed like a joke to them. But I was feeling just intimidated and not sure how to react.” McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote are charged with sexual assault. McLeod faces a second charge of party to the offence. If they are convicted, the players face up to 10 years in prison. They have all pleaded not guilty. E.M. testified that after she had consensual sex with McLeod and went to the bathroom, she returned to the bedroom, lay down naked on a bed, and saw McLeod fully dressed and texting someone. McLeod then left for a brief period of time and two other men entered the room. E.M. told the court that she went to the bathroom again and after she returned to the hotel room, there were a number of other men present. She testified that the men directed her to lay on the floor and when she refused, someone put down a bedsheet. E.M. testified that she had a “weird feeling of my mind separating itself from my body. I just remember the way I picture that night. My mind kind of floated to the top corner of the ceiling. I just started watching everything happen...It didn’t feel like I had any control, it didn’t feel like I had a choice.” She testified that there were golf clubs in the room and the players “talked about putting golf balls in my vagina” and talked about whether E.M. could “take the whole golf club in me.” E.M. testified that she was directed by the players to touch herself sexually and moan and then three of the men pulled down their pants and wanted her to perform oral sex on them while some of the men in the room said “suck on it” and “spit on it.” She said someone spit on her back and someone slapped her buttocks as she performed the sex acts. After that finished, E.M. testified that a man did the splits overtop of her, putting his penis on her face, adding that she did not see the man’s face. “I shut down and let my body do what it needed to do to keep me safe,” E.M. told the court. “It felt like the safe thing to do was give them what they were wanting.” E.M. said she then went into the bathroom and was followed in by one of the men, who bent her over the sink and had sex with her, using a condom. E.M. testified she also performed oral sex on the man after he removed the condom. E.M. was shown an annotated photo of the 2018 Canadian world junior team at a ring ceremony in June 2018. A note written by a police investigator said “bathroom” and pointed to Formenton. E.M. said she also later identified him by the acne on his face. E.M. said she repeatedly tried to get dressed and leave the room but when she did, one of the men would put their arm around her and tell her to remain, moving her away from the door. She said she felt ill but couldn’t throw up. “I felt like I had no option,” E.M. testified. “They kept bringing me back.” At one point one of the men noticed she was crying, and she heard him say, “Oh, she’s crying, don’t let her go,” E.M. testified. Towards the end of the evening, E.M. testified that McLeod wanted her to perform oral sex on him as he was laying on his bed. She said as she did so, a number of men began slapping her buttocks “as hard as they could” and she told them to stop because of how much it hurt. Following a morning break, Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham played two short videos that were filmed during the incident. In one video, a man off camera said, “You’re okay with this, right? You’re okay with this?” In a second video, E.M.’s torso was covered by a towel. She said, “This was all consensual. Are you recording me? Okay good. You are so paranoid. Holy. I enjoyed it. It was fine. I’m so sober. That’s why I can’t do this right now.” E.M. told the court she doesn’t remember either of the videos being recorded and told the court she thought she was laying on the bedsheet on the ground in the first video and that the second video was filmed after McLeod had told all of the other players to leave the room. Cunningham asked E.M. her frame of mind when the videos were filmed. “It’s at a point where my mind is disconnected from my body and what I’m actually doing,” she testified. “I’m saying what they’re wanting me to say and wanting to hear from me. I don’t think it really reflected how I was feeling.” E.M. testified that the second video was filmed after McLeod had had sex with her for a second time and then told her to get into the shower with him. “I see myself really drunk,” E.M. told the court. “I’m speaking really fast. My eyes look like crazy eyes. This doesn’t really look like me…  Watching it back and hearing him tell me to say it, he was trying to get me to say it [was consensual] on camera.” She said McLeod had “been hounding” her several times through the evening to say on camera that the events were consensual. “I was trying to leave at points,” E.M. testified. “I was crying at points. I think he knew it wasn’t consensual.” The jury was shown Delta Armouries surveillance video of E.M. getting into an Uber outside the hotel entrance at 4:49 a.m. and arriving at her home at 5:08 a.m. Cunningham later took E.M. through a series of June 20, 2018, text messages between McLeod and E.M. after E.M.’s mother contacted police. “You were having fun,” McLeod texted E.M. at one point. “I was really drunk, didn’t feel good about it at all after. But I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble, I know I was in the wrong too,” E.M. responded at the time to McLeod’s text. Cunningham asked E.M. to explain the message. “I was very much thinking it was my fault and take some responsibility,” E.M. told the court. “That’s just who I am. I am not sure what I was expecting him to say. I thought maybe there would be some kind of responsibility he would take on his end. I was trying to keep it non-confrontational.” “Told them I’m not going to pursue it any further and that it was a mistake,” E.M. texted back. “You should be good now so hopefully nothing more comes of it. Sorry again for the misunderstanding.” E.M. testified that she was “telling him what he wants to hear so he can leave me alone. I’m still apologizing, blaming myself, feeling like it was my fault too… I didn’t want to be contacted by him anymore.” Following a lunch break, McLeod’s lawyer, David Humphrey, began cross-examination. Humphrey suggested that E.M. had made up a “drama” about being assaulted because she felt ashamed that she had cheated on her boyfriend at the time and didn’t want the incident to cause them to break up. Humphrey asked E.M. about the morning of June 19, 2018, when her mother found her crying in the shower after she returned from the Delta Armouries hotel. “I suggest one of the reasons you’re crying is that you’re feeling guilty about cheating on [your boyfriend],” Humphrey said. “I suggest one way you might avoid breaking up with [your boyfriend] was to tell this story.” “I just blamed myself for getting really drunk and not thinking straight before leaving with McLeod,” E.M. answered, adding that she felt guilty for cheating on her boyfriend of about three months. E.M. testified that she told her boyfriend some of what had happened at the Delta. “I didn’t get into great details,” she said. “Told him I left the bar and had sex and there were other men around and it wasn’t a good situation. I told him I’d understand if he no longer wanted to be with me.” Humphrey suggested to E.M. that when her mother found her in the shower, E.M. had said, “It’s all my fault. I have to break up with [her boyfriend].” “I was feeling that was my only option,” E.M. answered. “I felt that would be the right thing to do… My mind was all over the place. I was still coming to terms with what had happened.” E.M. testified that while she went to the hospital on three days after the incident, she did not decide to submit to a “head to toe” rape kit because she said she did not have physical injuries. She also testified that when she spoke to a police investigator after her mother initially contacted an officer, E.M wanted police to merely document what had happened at the hotel, speak with the hockey players involved, and warn them about their allegedly bad behaviour. But when E.M. learned the players could have refused to speak with police, she said she told an officer she wanted to proceed with a full investigation that could lead to criminal charges. Humphrey also challenged E.M. over her willingness to message with McLeod over Instagram after the alleged sexual assault. “You could have ignored him,” Humphrey said. “You could have blocked Michael McLeod. I suggest you were quite happy to have a conversation with Mike McLeod and you chose not to block him.” “I try to keep people happy,” E.M. answered. “Even if I’m angry or hurt, that’s not how I respond. I had questions, too. I didn’t know why he was contacting me. I wanted to know why.” Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account Specially designed to stand out and accommodate more people bold and at times appear to be sparsely used and for it to stand out from any standard bus stop “Our goal with the design for these was to be both functional and esthetic and really create an identity that is clear and seen across the corridors consistently,” she said “They’re all fully accessible and equipped with some amenities like seating we’re going to have pedestrian-scale lighting Each station also is designed to have public art installed on top of the shelters to create a better connection to the neighbourhood The size of each shelter varies depending on ridership including what’s projected when the BRT networks become fully operational as well as if they’re in the centre-running lanes or not the 14 shelters that have been or are being installed are focused on the early phases of the eventual rapid transit network on King Street from Wellington Street to Ontario Street Dann explains the cost of a three-bay shelter and the cost for a five-bay shelter is $800,000 The total set aside for all 40 eventual shelters on the completed networks is $39 million While the dedicated lanes and signals have been in use for several months and buses have begun driving against vehicle traffic on King Street the BRT east link – essentially connecting downtown with Fanshawe College – won’t be fully operational until 2027 and the Wellington gateway – running between downtown and White Oaks Mall – until 2028 shelters are being built early because downtown transit users have been without shelters for years “Before we started our (rapid transit) construction so folks in the core have had no shelters for a while,” she said “While BRT might not be operating for another two years we wanted to make sure that we got these shelters in and they’re already being used and benefiting existing transit users.” Londoners may see the sizeable shelters and wonder why they barely see any activity That’s because routes haven’t really changed to accommodate them Transit ridership downtown has not significantly changed with the introduction of the shelters since the routes serving them haven’t changed at all London Transit said they’ve tracked an average of 52 boardings a day The route runs Monday to Friday and every 20 minutes during peak times it takes time for passengers to adjust to ridership patterns and we will continue to monitor boardings at the stations,” officials with the transit authority said in an emailed statement Existing routes won’t be tweaked much until the rapid transit system which expects to operate buses every five minutes When the city and London Transit understand the impact of that new service that’s when changes will be made to other local routes that will feed into the network “We want to start optimizing the heavy lifting and the spine of rapid transit and then how those local routes tie into it,” she said we won’t be making those shifts until we have that extra enhanced service to kind of change how the whole system works together.” as more parts of the network are completed give you a good time and make you feel carefree and cosseted retro ride’ – restaurant reviewThey will feed you ‘Zingy delightful’: One Club Row’s tuna crudo with smoked aubergine and Amalfi lemon.In that same spirit the Knave of Clubs downstairs calls itself “a proper pub” where dogs are welcome and you can “have a pint and a packet of crisps” that opens to a wooden staircase – think 1990s squat party – that leads up to a long room where of course – this is not a bun fight – with rather sexily dim lighting and a long bar where you can eat a plate of pickled jalapeño gougeres while sipping one of their four house martinis (club his menu is much more hearty than fussy or finickety There are croquettes filled with lobster and ham roast scallops in confit garlic butter and thick French onion soup topped with comté and gruyere We began with a round of those gougeres laced with cheese and sweet, spicy chilli, plus one of the chunky, crisp lobster croquettes, which dance a dainty line between an Antonin Carême classic and a Findus crispy pancake A classic steak tartare with beef-dripping bread arranged artistically with teeny slices of pickled celery and draped over a rather funky blend of smoked aubergine ‘Now that’s what I call a yorkshire pudding’: One Club Row’s Dutch baby with blueberries chantilly cream and maple syrup (and also available with bacon) Photograph: Phoebe Pearson/The GuardianMains are marginally even less cheffy and they won’t even resent you for ordering it may not quite be the best fancy burger in London but it’s certainly nothing to complain about rather than truffled or faffed with in any way – come separately A whopping pork schnitzel in a sauce moutarde with added gorgonzola was a feisty combination and For dessert we shared a Dutch baby with chantilly it’s what those of us in this parish call a yorkshire pudding One Club Row isn’t fine dining by any means and some things still need a little fine-tuning And if that all sounds a bit old-fashioned then the future suddenly feels a whole lot brighter One Club Row 1 Club Row The London Standard’s new video series called Street Food Stories celebrates the capital’s diverse food scene one stall at a time Going Out | Food + Drink Sign up for our expert view on everything that’s worth eating I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice Nestled at the top of Petticoat Lane Food Market is Eye Falafel a traditional Jordanian food stand where hundreds of people queue every day to get their hands on a fresh falafel wrap Shaker Al-Bdour has been running the food stall in the heart of the City of London for 15 years Considered one of the oldest and most popular stalls on Petticoat Lane Market and chilli sauce have become a lunchtime staple among nine-to-five city workers vegan falafel can be attributed in part to his late mother I trusted my mum with the recipe when she was alive back home in Jordan… We don't use any powder in our falafel This is what makes us unique because we use only fresh herbs.” Eye Falafel is one of the food stands featured in the Standard’s new video series Street Food Stories It looks at the lives and businesses of immigrants who have moved to London and diversified the capital’s food scene Shaker grew up in Jordan but moved to London to go to university He earned his degree but quickly realised corporate life wasn’t for him Eye Falafel has become a firm local favourite Through his genuine and engaging customer service Shaker’s built a loyal community of customers that keep returning for more And we have a bond with our customers…This is the main thing Regulars in the winding queue said Eye Falafel have “the best customer service” and that Shaker and his team are “so lovely” They dish out free falafel to those waiting and if you’re lucky Shaker might even throw some halloumi in your wrap on the house So head down to Petticoat Lane Market on your next lunch break and join the hundreds of other Londoners getting their fix of some of the city’s freshest falafel – just don't be surprised if you have to wait Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer UK tourists face major travel shake-up as Dubai airport set to close Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in blow for Putin David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints The outing came days after Cruise and de Armas were seen taking a walk in London and getting out of a helicopter together one day earlier Mike Coppola/WireImage; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Im just back from Free Comic Book Day 2025 in Central London and it was as busy as ever.. and I'm back from Central London with plenty of free comic book swag – and a fair few purchases along the way And here's the swag I ended up bringing home… Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by comic book publishers comic shops and librarians to attract new readers to read comic books on the first Saturday in May Originally proposed by Joe Field of Californian store Flying Color Comics it began in 2002 with a handful of comics but now numbers around fifty giveaways each year some have become valuable in and of themselves Coordinated by the industry's largest distributor FCBD has become an official Children's Book Week event and has inspired similar events for German- and Dutch-language comics industries What happens next year as Diamond Comics has been split up courtesy of Chapter 11 bankruptcy Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Send tips here | Subscribe for free | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser EVERYWHERE: Westminster is using this May Day bank holiday to take one last deep breath to come to terms with Thursday’s electoral earthquake — but that hasn’t stopped the battle to quell those tremors taking place on the pages of Britain’s newspapers As Nigel Farage’s new legion of foot soldiers gears up to actually start running swathes of England both Labour and the Tories are puzzling about their survival it’s the left carrying out this post-mortem in public Haigh joined the many voices calling on the prime minister to tear up the government’s “self-imposed tax rules” to start a “serious program of investment and reindustrialization.” **A message from Google: How can the UK workforce increase AI usage to boost productivity and growth? Google's AI Works initiative partnered with schools, trade union members and SMBs, to explore AI skills training and adoption. Training boosted daily AI use across all sectors. Download the AI Works report: goo.gle/aiworks** Look left: Then, in an interview with Aletha Adu that splashes the Guardian Haigh warned Starmer against taking a “simplistic and naive” response by lurching to the right to fend off Farage Just how Labour can stop losing votes to Reform while shoring up progressive support is a quandary that seems to have no easy answer and will surely play out for many months to come.  Also worth noting: While Haigh declined to discuss her departure, she did put on record concerns about some male advisers in government having a problem with women around the Cabinet table. Her concerns about negative briefing seem particularly relevant considering Lisa Nandy and Bridget Phillipson were the subject of sacking speculation over the weekend Toodle PIP: The FT’s Jim Pickard is picking up on fresh pressure from Labour MPs to reverse the winter fuel allowance and welfare cuts that have been partly attributed to Thursday’s setbacks one party figure reckoned there could be a U-turn before Christmas “Nobody in Downing Street now thinks this was a good idea But but but: Playbook’s been picking up on expectations in the DWP that the Treasury will come back for another chunk of the benefits budget in the desperate search for dough An official predicted the rebellion won’t be too bad when the reforms are voted on in a month or so but added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Treasury comes back for more later this year.”  This could really hurt: The “obvious” move would be reviving dropped plans to freeze Personal Independence Payments but coming back a second time could further inflame the party when it would’ve been easier (politically speaking) to “rip the plaster off” in one go 20/20 Hinder-sight: Jonathan Hinder, a former copper who’s been one of the more vocal members of the new intake, uses an article in the Telegraph to hit out at Labour for morphing into a “hyper-liberal party” that’s forgotten its socialist credentials And he issued a call for a one-in-one-out immigration system by the end of the parliament to leave Farage with “nothing left to say” — which is a little hard to imagine Brussels gives Farage a hand: The Times’ team hears that the EU dealt British negotiators a blow last week by ruling out access to crime and illegal migration databases Brussels said there’d be no access to the Schengen Information System that gives EU member countries alerts on criminal suspects nor access to the Eurodac fingerprint system that would’ve helped chip away at the asylum backlog Net gains: The debate that Tony Blair sparked in the Labour movement around how Britain can reach net zero by 2050 without impinging on workers is gaining traction. Grandee David Blunkett has warned in an article for the Telegraph that getting energy prices down ASAP is imperative if the necessary changes aren’t to become “electorally toxic.”  Unlikely alliances: Gary Smith, the GMB union chief, writes in the Times that the “promised nirvana” of well-paid green jobs remains a distant prospect and calls for better measures than those “offered by the false prophets of climate fundamentalism.” Smith may have his own interests in sticking up for the North Sea oil workers facing threats to their livelihoods but Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband will be feeling the heat all the same Cut and Runcorn: Playbook’s had a sneak peek at some new More in Common polling that’ll be unveiled at its election debrief on Tuesday — and it offers a bit of insight into why Starmer may not have turned up in Runcorn to campaign to defend the seat Some 47 percent of Britons reckon the PM holds his party back compared to 31 percent who reckon he helps Labour out was said by 44 percent to be helpful to Reform to just 29 percent who felt otherwise.  Providing the answers: The May Day recess means there’s no Lobby briefing in store so it falls to Veterans Minister Alistair Carns to answer all the questions being directed at the government as he takes on the morning broadcast round (timings rivals will begin watching their every move for evidence that Reform can’t handle high office Farage’s team is well aware of the need to perform — but winning so many councils creates more opportunities for cock-ups Officials reckon they could even add “one or two” more councils to the tally of 10 under their control as rivals consider jumping ship the Tories are already saying they want to defect,” one Reform official told Playbook but Leicestershire and Worcestershire would be ones to watch.  SEEING GREEN: Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay may be fairly happy with adding 41 councilors to the Green party’s record haul of four MPs last year — but the Guardian’s Peter Walker hears they’re facing a challenge to their co-leadership Deputy Zack Polanski has launched a surprise campaign to oust the duo as he calls on the party to transform itself into a radical Look into my eyes: The London assembly member reckons the party is focusing too much on being “sensible and professional” rather than taking the “bold” approach needed to succeed. The former hypnotherapist should also be expecting to face heightened scrutiny during his challenge this summer, not least over his curious past practices TERROR ARRESTS: The big story occupying most of the front pages is the foiling of an alleged terror plot after four Iranian nationals (and one other) were arrested in a major counter-terrorism investigation — with the Telegraph reporting an attack was hours from being launched Another three Iranian nationals were arrested in London on suspicion of a national security offense as part of an unrelated investigation REPORTS OUT TODAY: The Health and Social Care Committee warns recommendations into the Casey Commission into social care will be “doomed to failure” unless the true cost of inaction in the sector is detailed … Renters in England worked for 125 days for their landlords this year the Adam Smith Institute reports on the “cost of rent day.” Veterans Minister Alistair Carns broadcast round: Times Radio (7.05 a.m.) … Sky News (7.15 a.m.) … GMB (7.35 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … GB News (8.05 a.m.) … ITN (8.45 a.m.) Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Former Metropolitan Police Chief Constable Bernard Hogan Howe (7.35 a.m.) … Lib Dem MP and Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee Layla Moran (7.45 a.m.) … former Tory donor turned Labour voter John Caudwell (8.35 a.m.) POLITICO UK: It’s crunch time for the Brexit reset Daily Express: Please don’t give up your Ukraine support now Daily Mail: ‘Major terror plot by Iran’ is foiled Daily Mirror: Salute for my friends Daily Star: Trump dumps E.T Financial Times: Chinese exporters plot paths through third countries to dodge Trump tariffs i: Labour hopes immigration crackdown can halt Reform UK The Daily Telegraph: Imminent suspected Iran ‘terror raid’ foiled The Guardian: Starmer urged to avoid ‘simplistic’ lurch to right after Reform success The Times: EU blocks efforts to curb flows of migrants WESTMINSTER WEATHER: The odd shower and a little cooler NOW READ: The Guardian’s John Harris has a dispatch on the political rage gripping the nation WRITING PLAYBOOK TUESDAY MORNING: Stefan Boscia HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Luke Myer … Wellingborough MP Gen Kitchen … former Motherwell and Wishaw MP Marion Fellows … Labour peers Jean Corston and John Maxton … the Spectator’s Isabel Hardman … former No 10 comms chief Katie Perrior … Robin AI’s Ryan Heath … former Scottish Labour MSP David Stewart … author and former Sky News editor Rob Burley PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editors Zoya Sheftalovich and Alex Spence The Oshawa Generals and London Knights meet again in the OHL Final starting Thursday The league announced the schedule for the 113th J It starts Thursday in London then shifts to Oshawa for Game 3 and Game 4 Monday It’s a rematch of the 2024 final in which the Knights won in four games For ticket information in Oshawa, click here notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter ON L1J 8P5 | 905-571-1019 | newsroom@kx96.fm Ruth Skinner has received funding from The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the London Arts Council (LAC) Western University provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR Western University provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA View all partners Facing American tariffs and taunts of becoming the 51st state On social media, many arts figures or associations have shared versions of Canadian artist Greg Curnoe’s (1936-92) Map of North America As seen on accounts that include the Arts Canada Institute, the Banff Centre’s Derek Beaulieu, filmmaker Stephen Broomer, the Embassy Cultural House, the Curnoe estate and others the map erases the United States from the continent It re-imagines the longest border to lie between Canada and Mexico Curnoe’s Map of North America, first created in 1972, is inseparable from his hometown of London, Ont. The work, artist and city offer valuable insights for navigating this new relationship with our nearest neighbour. My recent doctoral dissertation explores the cosmopolitan outlook of London’s artists and arts publishers This includes their incisive commentary on Canada-U.S London is a leading test market for Canadian and American retailers. This is thanks to its moderate size, demographic composition and proximity to major cities Test marketing involves localized experience with a concept or product before incurring large-scale expense. A landmark example for London was the development of Wellington Square North America’s first enclosed shopping centre A 1967 cover of the London arts publication 20 Cents Magazine satirically celebrated this “test market” status It also chided the reader: “Are you getting your share of the business for fair?” Artists of London have long played with the local flavour of their city Curator and author Barry Lord profiled the city in a 1969 Art in America feature entitled “What London Ontario Has That Everywhere Else Needs.” Lord positioned London as “younger than Montréal vying with Vancouver in variety and sheer quantity of output [and] in many ways the most important of the four.” This scene included the burgeoning London Regionalist movement — an art movement of which Curnoe was a feature — and the birth of Canadian Artists’ Representation (now Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens) Lord lauded London artists as “indelibly Canadian and perhaps among the first global villagers.” What would Curnoe make of the present dynamic between Canada and its closest neighbour “I think he would be fired up,” says Jennie Kraehling, associate director of Michael Gibson Gallery, which represents the Curnoe estate Kraehling continues: “Greg would be making a lot of statements his interest in the local and his pro-Canadian sentiments I think that he would be trying to get a movement going.” Rather than anti-American Kraehling describes Curnoe as a nationalist with a wicked sense of humour As the late journalist Robert Fulford wrote in a 2001 column, in the early 80s Curnoe noted: “My work is about resisting as much as possible the tendency of American culture to overwhelm other cultures.” Historian Judith Rodger emphasizes Curnoe’s Map as “tongue-in-cheek” even as it levies sharp social critique and Mexico that would lead to the North American Free Trade Agreement Curnoe revisited the work through the 1980s and 1990s in lithographs and clay an absurdist political movement formed in 1963 One ad encouraged the reader to “STOP the American takeover of Canada,” and to “Stop Pollution Stop Exploitation … Get off your Butt – Do Something Rodger notes that despite its strong politics, the party had “no platform and no candidates.” The track “Destroy the Nations” opens their 1968 No Record album It begins with Exley railing: “Destroy the nations AHHHHHH!” The NSB’s performance is a howl against imperial servitude and corporate greed In a city forever mimicking the topography and titles of an older London, and so close to the U.S., Ontario’s Londoners are aware of an implied second-fiddle position. Yet Curnoe volleyed his pro-Canadian attitude at the border, just 200 kilometres south. In one of his bicycle series paintings, Mariposa 10 Speed No. 2 (1973) the words “CLOSE THE 49th PARALLEL ETC.” are emblazoned across Curnoe’s bike’s top tube Yet the situation is not entirely insular, nor is it comparable with the “Buy Canadian” encouragement seen at supermarkets liquor stores and other retail outlets today Canada’s art market is, in the words of Mackenzie Sinclair of the Art Dealers Association of Canada, “a fragile ecosystem.” Canada’s GDP (including its art) is deeply integrated with the U.S.: many Canadian artists have American dealers show in American galleries and use American-made materials enacting a version of Curnoe’s Map of North America in real time Curnoe’s nationalist perspective is an important one right now. However, nationalism can quickly devolve into dangerous and exclusivist rhetoric For Quick, this cancellation signals a transnational warning. She notes that The Museum of the Americas is an arm of the Organization of the American States, a regional organization that brings together North and South American governments including Canada far exceeds a phenomena happening only in the U.S.: “It is a reminder of what role funding has in liberation politics when it comes to the arts And as we [Canadians] like to other ourselves from the U.S it’s just as important to remember we are just as much at risk to nationalism dictating values in the arts.” This is a corrected version of a story originally published April 16 It clarifies Quick was in Gosine’s exhibition featuring collaborative works and Exley Adults could one day grow their own replacement teeth instead of having fillings – as scientists make a key discovery This research offers a potential way to repair teeth and a natural dental treatment alternative While some animals like sharks and elephants can continuously grow new teeth The ability to regenerate teeth would be a major leap forward for dentistry which are fixed and cannot adapt over time a lab-grown tooth made from a patient’s own cells could integrate seamlessly into the jaw and repair itself like a natural tooth World-leading research is taking place into this field at King’s College London where scientists have explored lab-grown teeth for more than a decade said: “Fillings aren’t the best solution for reparing teeth and can lead to further decay or sensitivity Implants require invasive surgery and good combination of implants and alveolar bone Both solutions are artificial and don’t fully restore natural tooth function potentially leading to long-term complications." Lab-grown teeth would naturally regenerate offering a more durable and biologically compatible solution than fillings or implants in collaboration with Imperial College London made a key discovery on the environment needed to grow teeth in the lab They have now successfully introduced a special type of material that enables cells to communicate between each other This means that one cell can effectively ‘tell’ another to start differentiating into a tooth cell This mimics the environment of growing teeth and allows scientists to recreate the process of tooth development in the lab Xuechen said: “We developed this material in collaboration with Imperial College to replicate the environment around the cells in the body This meant that when we introduced the cultured cells they were able to send signals to each other to start the tooth formation process This new material releases signals slowly over time Having successfully created the environment needed to grow teeth scientists are now faced with the challenge of getting them from the lab to a patients’ mouths Xuechen added: “We have different ideas to put the teeth inside the mouth We could transplant the young tooth cells at the location of the missing tooth and let them grow inside mouth we could create the whole tooth in the lab before placing it in the patient’s mouth we need to start the very early tooth development process in the lab.” The research is part of a broader effort in regenerative medicine which aims to harness biology to repair or replace damaged body parts Instead of relying on artificial materials like metal implants or dentures researchers are working to grow natural replacements using stem cells and bioengineered environments Corresponding author of the paper Dr Ana Angelova Volponi the integration of such innovative techniques holds the potential to revolutionise dental care offering sustainable and effective solutions for tooth repair and regeneration “The work being conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry Oral & Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London exemplifies the cutting-edge research driving this transformation highlighting our Faculty's commitment to advancing oral health through scientific discovery.” Read the paper, published in ACS Macro Letters: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39532305/ part of the online community Build the Earth said they have spent the past five years building detailed digital versions of landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace as well as several of London's boroughs The UK team have collectively spent up to 15,000 hours working on the project Some members have even gone as far as finding planning applications and contacting organisations directly to ensure their models were as accurate as possible said that although the original aim of recreating the entire planet had since been scaled back the community continues to encourage players to focus on building places that are meaningful to them locally Minecraft has grown in popularity and is now the biggest-selling computer game of all time The game is set in an "open world" which allows players to create almost anything imaginable out of blocks Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 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A downtown London resident says she heard multiple gunshots late Saturday before seeing a man lying on a sidewalk a short time later said she was inside her home at Wellington Street and Queens Avenue on Saturday shortly after 9 p.m watching Coronation Street when the gunfire erupted She went to her front window overlooking Wellington Street and saw a man laying on the sidewalk surrounded by a London Transit driver and other bystanders “He was screaming about being shot,” the woman said of the injured man Tactical officers soon flooded the scene and police cordoned off the parking lot behind the woman’s building adding emergency crews later cleaned blood from the sidewalk to multiple 911 calls about gunfire in the area of Dundas and Wellington streets where a man with apparent gunshot wounds was taken to hospital with serious injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening Police closed a stretch of Wellington Street while officers used flashlights to search for evidence in a parking lot on the south side of Queens Avenue The woman believes the injured man was shot in that parking lot “I think it started back there and he came through the alley” to Wellington Street Police had cleared the scene by Sunday morning except for two officers who returned to the parking lot briefly An employee at a nearby cannabis store that backs onto the parking lot said police came by and asked for the business’s surveillance footage the city’s sixth incident of gunfire this year and the second in less than a week police arrested a suspect and seized two guns near Adelaide and Piccadilly streets on April 28 after a man showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound of London is charged with discharging a firearm with intent to wound aggravated assault and other gun-related offences He remains in custody awaiting a bail hearing investigators were asking anyone who has video including surveillance footage or dash-camera video from the area to contact London police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) an explosion of art and culture is transforming a once-neglected stretch into one of the city's hottest destinations if you know anything about the UK's capital There are those who mourn its supposedly waning hip factor – regaling stories of 1980s warehouse art shows or squat parties – while deploring the rampant commercialism of its supercharged epicentre will rave about new independent galleries or small-plate restaurants in nearby Dalston the general consensus is that East London's long-buzzing arts and food scenes are continuing to move ever further out driven – as in other world cities – by the relentless search for affordability But a few miles east of these oversubscribed neighbourhoods are two boroughs that are lesser known to visitors and have been quietly emerging as London's next artsy enclave: Waltham Forest and Newham Stretching north from Stratford up to Leyton and Walthamstow this  once-unfashionable outer area hasn't always matched East London's brand of cool theatres and bars and some of the city's biggest arts openings that are putting this under-the-radar corner of London on the map The catalyst for these boroughs' rise was the 2012 London Olympics, which transformed the area's scrapyards and brownfield land into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – an oasis of rivers canals and water meadows bordered by Stratford "The Olympics brought a huge amount of investment in infrastructure, transport links and housing," said Britannia Morton, co-chief executive of Sadler's Wells, the world-famous Islington-based dance theatre founded in the 18th Century. "The Olympic Park, where our new Sadler's Wells East is based was created converting marshland into this beautiful environment."           Sadler's Wells East, which opened in February 2025, is located in East Bank, a £1.1bn new waterside cultural quarter in the Olympic Park. "[It was] formerly known as Fridge Mountain – a dumping ground for old electronic appliances," said Morton. The first landmark to open here was the University of the Arts' London College of Fashion in October 2023 which has galleries and a cafe open to the public Sadler's Wells East was built in Italian red brick and houses a 550-seat state-of-the-art auditorium and six dance studios with more than 2.8 million objects in its permanent collection "It's a new standard for access to national collections," said Reeve "We're encouraging visitors to feel empowered to make their own journeys through the V&A's global collections." Its main exhibition hall will celebrate leading artists and its galleries will narrate stories of East London's creative and manufacturing heritage Elsewhere in East Bank, BBC Music Studios which will house the BBC Symphony Orchestra and host recording sessions and live performances is slated to open in late 2025 or early 2026 A former cinema designed in 1930 by architect Cecil Masey the distinctive building was inspired by the Moorish architecture of the 13th-Century Alhambra palace in Granada Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones – before closing in 2003 • London Overground: Four stops to explore the 'real' London • Five unusual historical experiences in London • See another side to London at eight of its most unusual tourist attractions with its original Art Deco stylings revived the Soho Theatre Walthamstow will have a 960-seat Grade II-listed auditorium its current West End location has a capacity of just 240.) "This is the first time we've had a professional theatre in the area," said executive assistant Annie Jones who worked on the restoration project for more than five years "The programme will list up to nine shows a night – a mix of comedy cabaret and theatre all rooted in its community named after a mythical anarchist colony in the 17th Century For Leyton-raised Danny Saunders, owner of tropical cocktail bar Leyton Calling (which opened in summer 2024) and cosy candlelit pub Chop Shop Tavern (which opened in February 2025) "I've come full circle," he said "My latest bar is in the actual arch where I set up my first car repair business back in the day."     Leyton's rise as a whole has, however, been something of a slow-burn. Back in the mid-2010s, nearby Francis Road began to be taken over by independent creative businesses. "I opened here in 2017," said Aimée Madill, who owns Phlox "It was risky as it was still a 'less-developed' part of London but local indie bookshops are more than a business they're a sign of confidence in a community."   Pedestrianised in 2017, the tree-lined street has since blossomed with chic cafes and bars: two of the latest openings are vinyl store-cum-craft beer bar Dreamhouse Records and Loop Dining a pop-up space launched in summer 2024 to host weekly residencies from buzzy up-and-coming chefs "Leyton is characterised by small makers and creatives existing side by side with businesses who've been here decades parts of the area – which adds to the sense of community." So what's next for outer East London? "Young people and families are now priced out of Hackney," said Michaela Zelenanska, who runs natural wine bar Swirl which opened in December 2024 on Tilbury Road "Leyton and neighbouring Leytonstone seem a logical next big thing It's small businesses that make the place what it is." Will London continue to move ever further east "We're already engaging with artists audiences and community groups in Barking and Dagenham," said Morton referencing two outer London suburbs several miles from Leyton and Stratford "East London has always been a creative crucible." 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Royal family and war veterans watch 1,300-strong military procession in London while street parties held around UK As Big Ben chimed at noon and with the Cenotaph, the symbol of sacrifice, draped in the union flag for the first time since its unveiling in 1920, the UK marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with military pomp before large crowds who had gathered in central London Britain allowed itself a brief period of rejoicing on VE Day with overwhelming relief and optimism at Germany’s surrender after long wartime years of deprivation and huge loss of life on all sides The procession set off from beneath the bronze gaze of Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square and ended outside the palace Watching from a dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial were the king sitting alongside those who had served in the war and who were wrapped up both in their memories and against the spring chill King Charles Keir Starmer and war veteran Joy Trew take in the military procession Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesAs Big Ben fell silent the actor Timothy Spall boomed aloud words from Churchill’s victory speech beginning: “My dear friends then started the parade as he was handed the Commonwealth War Graves torch for peace “The whole place erupted and of course it became one great party,” he recalled UK armed forces personnel were joined by representatives from Commonwealth and Nato allies offered a reminder that while VE Day marked peace war continued today in many corners of the world Veterans Olga Hopkins and John Mortimer (known as Jack Mortimer) take their places on the West Terrace in the gardens of Buckingham Palace Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/AFP/Getty ImagesA Buckingham Palace tea party for 30 second world war veterans aged from 98 to 104 Those invited included a 98-year-old former prisoner of war a 99-year-old who served in the Desert Rats and took part in the D-day landings and a 100-year-old woman who worked in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) a 101-year-old Royal Engineers D-day veteran of the importance of preserving veterans’ stories William smiled as he shook hands with veterans and said it was very important for George and the next generation to hear stories from those who fought in the war Starmer hosted a tea party in Downing Street with guests served a menu including Victoria sponge cake A flypast of 23 historical and current aircraft including a Lancaster Bomber and the famous Red Arrows streaming red flew over the crowd in the Mall and the royals watching from the palace balcony to conclude Monday’s official commemorations The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children George Louis and Charlotte watch the flypast from the Buckingham Palace balcony Photograph: Aaron Chown/APAnother of those invited to the palace tea party was Joyce Wilding who enlisted at 18 into the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and worked in the SOE she said: “We went to Piccadilly where there was a stream of people singing and dancing We joined a crocodile and did the palais glide down Piccadilly a 101-year-old RAF D-day veteran who worked as a codebreaker received a secret telegraph message two days before VE Day that read: “German war now over surrender effective sometime tomorrow.” When it was officially confirmed on 8 May he and his comrades lit a huge bonfire and celebrated until late into the night He said: “It’s so important that we make the most of these opportunities to remember what happened not just to celebrate the achievement but also to ensure that such horrors never happen again.” A picture caption on this article was amended on 5 May 2025 The original misidentified Olga Hopkins as Betty Hollingberry a collection of 97 paintings of ‘emotional resonance’ by the singer-songwriter After the success of this year’s biopic A Complete Unknown, a whole new generation has learned about the lyricism, nasal vocal style and often-frustrating nature of Bob Dylan And this month they will get the chance to discover he is also a painter as the songwriter exhibits a series of original artworks – created with “emotional resonance” – in London will unveil 97 recent works featuring characters objects and various scenes at the Halcyon Gallery And it seems that he is not only still touring in his 80s is based on original sketches created by Dylan between 2021 and 2022 sportspeople – along with rooms and places where Dylan spent time The drawings were painted over with vivid colours to create “living breathing entities that have emotional resonance “The idea was not only to observe the human condition but to throw myself into it with great urgency,” he added The studies include a mirror reflecting a set of lips a saxophonist and a cowboy with a pistol hanging on his belt in front of a rising sun Some of the drawings are tangled up as blue reminiscent of Pablo Picasso’s early blue period One of the works from the Point Blank exhibition Photograph: HalcyonThe Point Blank series began as a book and includes accompanying prose said: “These works on paper feel like memories intangible windows into the life and imagination of one of the greatest storytellers who ever lived “People who attend the exhibition will discover that they provoke stories from our imagination We consider the circumstances of the protagonists and ponder our movement through the spaces that the artist depicts.” The Halcyon Gallery previously exhibited Dylan’s series Drawn Blank which featured graphite drawings made when travelling between Europe Asia and the US from 1989 to 1992 – and later reworked with paint Dylan describes the process of making his work as a way to “relax and refocus a restless mind” during busy tours Paul Green, the president and founder of Halcyon, said: “It is nearly 18 years since Halcyon first started working with Bob Dylan and it has been an extraordinary experience to watch this cultural icon develop into such a critically revered and important visual artist so closely. “This latest body of paintings feels like a more intimate connection to the artist than in any of his previous work and it is a great privilege to share them with the public for the first time.” The exhibition is free of charge and will open on 9 May. A London home at the centre of a shooting investigation has been targeted by bylaw enforcement in the past A heavy police presence descended on a house on Adelaide Street after a shooting victim showed up in hospital two hours earlier Investigator determined the man had been shot at a home following an interaction with several unknown males A video posted on social media showed tactical officers and a police armoured vehicle outside a home at 726 Adelaide St. a property neighbours alleged has long been used as an unsanctioned scrap metal operation A man was arrested nearby and officers seized a loaded handgun and another firearm who lives across the street from the home at the centre of the shooting probe said she constantly sees people going to the property with bikes who shot the video of police descending on the property said she has contacted the city’s bylaw office multiple times to complain said welding can be heard from the property late into the night The city’s manager of community compliance said they are aware of the property but there are no active complaints on file “We are aware of the property and have previously responded to complaints related to debris and noise we completed a cleanup of the site with our city contractor,” Wade Jeffery said in a statement The single-storey Adelaide Street home is set back roughly 10 metres further from the road than neighbouring houses and the large front yard was littered with bike frames Police investigators could be seen taking photographs inside a plywood shed in the front yard He appeared in court Wednesday and was remanded into custody until his next appearance the city’s fifth incident of gunfire this year comes just weeks after a fatal fire at an east London property that had been the source of controversy among neighbours and landed on the radar of bylaw officials whose longtime partner Teresa Cartwright died it the blaze said the couple allowed homeless people to camp in the backyard of their home at 1448 Avalon St. were sent to the Avalon Street home on multiple occasions in response to complaints about garbage accumulating on the property The cause of the fire remains under investigation The celebrations reportedly lasted well into the early hours of the morning prompting complaints from disgruntled neighbours Showbiz Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions David Beckham’s star-studded 50th birthday party in London was reportedly shut down after a visit by the council over noise complaints The football legend threw a lavish dinner and drinks at the three Michelin-star restaurant Core in Kensington on Saturday night, attended by the likes of Tom Cruise The celebrations reportedly lasted well into the early hours of the morning, prompting complaints from disgruntled neighbours, according to The Sun Two Kensington and Chelsea council officers arrived at the restaurant at 3.35am and “gave advice to minimise disruption” An onlooker said: “David’s party really went off and the longer time went on The insider added: “Some neighbours weren’t very happy when it was still so loud at 2am and leaned out windows to see where the racket was from “Whatever the council said worked because the music stopped immediately.” The Standard has contacted representatives of the Beckhams A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council said: “We have a very responsive and professional team who investigate noise complaints and take action where necessary that means issuing some advice at a location so disruption is kept to a minimum for residents living nearby." The famous clan were treated to a custom menu from chef Clare Smyth and guests could enjoy vegan Bavarian lager Noem Beer Cruz sang Dolly Parton’s hit Islands in the Stream and Romeo gave a heartfelt speech to his father A source said David and Victoria were “upset” that Brooklyn wasn’t with them but everyone “had an amazing time” David Beckham ‘feeling very lucky’ following 50th birthday celebrations Victoria Beckham ‘snubs’ son Brooklyn in post from David’s 50th birthday party Actress Rose Ayling-Ellis tells younger self being deaf is ‘your advantage’ Enter the AXA Startup Angel competition to win £25,000 Brooklyn missed the lavish celebrations despite spending the week in London flying back to the US late on Saturday evening Tensions reportedly escalated after Brooklyn and Romeo following Romeo's relationship with Kim Turnbull - who previously dated Brooklyn's friend Rocco Ritchie Brooklyn is said to be suspicious of Kim’s reasons for dating Romeo marking the beginning of the fallout that led to Brooklyn and Nicola skipping his father's milestone celebrations Celebrity news website TMZ reports that Romeo and Nicola now refuse to attend any family event where Kim is present It comes after Brooklyn’s absence from Victoria’s birthday last month, when he and wife Nicola were seen partying at the Coachella music festival Similarly, neither David nor Victoria posted congratulations online as Brooklyn and Nicola marked their third wedding anniversary the source said there has been “some contact” and both Brooklyn and Nicola were invited to David’s London birthday party — although they did not respond David and Victoria reportedly hired a £40 million Brigadier Global 6000 private jet for his birthday celebrations on Friday spending the afternoon wine tasting at a vineyard in Bordeaux before dining at his favourite restaurant in Paris The family later returned to London for a lavish birthday party yesterday the 50th birthday is just the latest of at least 11 family occasions Brooklyn is said to have missed A woman told the sexual assault trial of five hockey players Monday that she felt "numb and on autopilot" going through sexual acts with a group of men she didn't know in a hotel room seven years ago whose identity is protected by a publication ban drunk and scared when men started coming into the hotel room where she had just had sex with Michael McLeod Some of them seemed like those she saw at the bar where she met McLeod earlier that night but she didn't know their names or keep track of who stayed and left as the night went on The men wanted her to lie down on a bedsheet on the floor of the room and seemed to be laughing at her as they discussed sexual acts they wanted her to perform including some involving golf balls and golf clubs She described feeling as though she was watching everything happen from outside her own body "I felt like I didn't really have any other option," she said explaining she didn't know how they would react if she tried to say no or leave "It seemed like the only safe thing to do was to give them what they were wanting." Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault All five were members of Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team Court has heard many of the team's members were in London the night of the encounter for a gala celebrating their gold-medal win at that year's championship CAUTION: The following paragraphs contain graphic content some readers may find disturbing The woman said men towered over her as she lay on the sheet and three pulled down their pants "They just started putting penises in my face," she testified Some shouted commands as she performed oral sex and a fourth man did the splits right over her head The woman said she heard some of the men encouraging each other saying one of them should have sex with her It felt like she didn't have control over the situation She said she cried and tried to leave at various points She didn't see McLeod much after their initial one-on-one encounter adding he briefly left and came back with food the woman testified that she had oral sex with McLeod again and multiple people slapped her while that was happening It seemed like they were trying to hit as hard as they could The woman was shown two cellphone videos taken about an hour apart in the early morning of June 19 Prosecutors have said both were taken by McLeod someone asks the woman twice if she's "OK with this," and she agrees both times She testified Monday that her words in the video did not reflect her feelings at the time that she was "going along" with what she was being told the woman smiles as she holds a towel against her body and says it was "all consensual." The woman told the court Monday that McLeod had been "hounding" her to say it before the recording was made and it "definitely wasn't" how she truly felt She testified that she believed she was holding a towel because she had gotten in the shower with McLeod at his request They'd had vaginal and oral sex again in the bathroom one last thing she felt she needed to do before she could leave her mind seemed to re-enter her body and the emotions she'd been blocking came flooding back "crying uncontrollably," feeling ashamed and wishing she had responded differently in the moment She took an Uber home and showered when she arrived McLeod later reached out to her on Instagram McLeod expressed concern that the woman had spoken to police and asked her what she could do to "make this go away." The woman replied that she was "not trying to push this any farther" and apologized for "any trouble it might have already caused." McLeod checked in a few more times to see if she had spoken to police again He thanked the woman when she confirmed she told police it was "a mistake."  The woman testified Monday she felt nervous and scared when McLeod reached out to her and was telling him what he wanted to hear so he would leave her alone One of McLeod's lawyers suggested during cross-examination that the woman was happy to hear from his client adding she could have blocked him or not answered if that wasn't the case David Humphrey also suggested the woman was upset when she left the room because she had cheated on her boyfriend and felt guilty The woman maintained that she felt worried after McLeod contacted her She agreed that she felt guilty for cheating on her boyfriend but said she told him what happened in the days that followed Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia told jurors Monday that they could only make limited use of evidence related to the woman's initial encounter with McLeod She told them they must not infer that if the woman willingly left the bar with McLeod and had consensual sex with him it is more likely that she consented to other sexual activity or she is less worthy of belief Hart and Dube are accused of obtaining oral sex from the woman without her consent and Dube is also accused of slapping her buttocks while she was engaged in a sexual act with someone else Formenton is alleged to have had vaginal sex with the complainant without her consent inside the bathroom Foote is alleged to have done the splits over her face and grazed his genitals on it without her consent The Crown alleges McLeod also vaginally penetrated her without her consent at the end of the night This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5 says she wouldn't rule out a career in the forces in the futureHaving parade aboard a warship which played an important role in the war might be something most sea cadets can only dream of but for the City of London Sea Cadets it happens twice a week As the UK's largest maritime youth charity they meet on HMS Belfast on Tuesdays and Fridays for activities They will also be on board for what will be an especially poignant commemoration - the 80th anniversary of VE Day said: "The allied forces had been going through such stress for six years you don't know if they are dead or alive In 1943 Belfast saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union and also played an important role in the Battle of North Cape, assisting in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst. In June 1944, the ship took part in Operation Overlord, to support the Normandy landings and evacuation, known as D-Day. "There's so much history to this ship and it's really cool for us to be here," added Emily, who hasn't ruled out joining the armed forces in the future, once she has been to university. HMS Belfast is permanently moored on the River Thames and is run as a museum ship by the Imperial War Museum. The cadets are divided into different detachments and Emily is part of the Royal Marine corps. "I tried Scouts and it didn't really click, and some people from my school were in the Army Cadets and I tried that and I liked it but I wanted to see what else there was. "I found the Royal Marine Cadets and I thought it was just better." For 15-year-old Luis, who has been a cadet for four years, it gives them an edge. "It's something to brag about with other units. "If any of them start an argument with us we just say 'we're on a boat, you're not'," he smiles. Alex, 11, has only recently joined the team, but is already making friends and learning new skills, like racing the model boats his group is making. "You get to do things like boating, community funding, and you get to learn orders," he said. Sub Lieutenant Ben Macdonald is the Commanding Officer for the City of London Sea Cadets. "It's really nice to be aboard HMS Belfast, it makes teaching nautical subjects so much easier," he said. "Being a warship that served so proudly in World War II with the Royal Navy is really important too." Clare Luther's grandfather Dennis Roach was in the Navy during the war, and took part in the allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. She brought some of his photos to show the cadets ahead of VE Day. He rarely spoke of his time in the war and Clare only found the album after he had died. "It's about making them understand what VE day is, what it stands for. "When you give it a personal spin they understand it a lot more, you know, how would they feel if that was their grandparent or dad. "It is a very valid and important history lesson." For 15-year-old Sam, VE Day is about justice prevailing. "I think it is one of the prominent examples of standing up to bullies really," he explained. "I think it is proof that when a bully comes, you have to stand up to them." People across north-east England and Cumbria join in national commemorations of VE Day 80 years on. A guide to the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of VE day. VE Day 80 sees big crowds supporting surviving veterans of World War Two, our correspondent writes. Celebrations mark 80 years since the end of war in Europe on 8 May 1945. Experience the VE Day flypast from inside a Red Arrows cockpit in 360 videoExperience flying over London with a Red Arrows pilot in our special immersive video from the cockpit. Thomas police officer abused his position of authority to engage in a sexual relationship with a teen girl and wore his uniform during some of their sexual encounters who alleges she was 15 when she started a sexual relationship with then-Const has launched a $2.25-million lawsuit against the former officer and the St Many of the allegations contained in the 11-page statement of claim filed at the Hamilton courthouse were previously made public when Christiansen pleaded guilty to sexual interference in 2019 and was given a 30-month prison sentence who retired from the force shortly before his guilty plea sexual exploitation and assault involving the underage girl The other charges were withdrawn by the Crown to get a criminal record check and provided her personal information to Christiansen who texted her the next day to say the background check was ready to be picked up The two exchanged texts messages about the youth police program and they met the next day at a coffee shop and again the following day at Christiansen’s house where they kissed and he performed oral sex on her The two began to meet regularly and engaged in a one-year sexual relationship Christiansen would regularly engage in sexual intercourse while Mr Christiansen was wearing his uniform,” the statement of claim alleges Christiansen and (the complainant) was acrimonious Christiansen physically assaulted (the complainant) by choking her and pinning her up against a wall.” Statements of claim and statements filed in defence include allegations not yet tested in court Thomas police have filed statements of defence Thomas police Chief Marc Roskamp said he’s aware of the lawsuit it’s in the hands our legal representatives,” Roskamp said in a statement The woman’s lawsuit alleges Christiansen threatened to harm her if she told anyone about their relationship and used his power within the force to ensure she was selected for the youth policing program allowing him exploit his relationship with her to gain influence over her the civilian body responsible for overseeing policing failed to protect the complainant from Christiansen and provided him with the authority he used to a exploit a trusting relationship and “prey upon her vulnerability,” the lawsuit alleges Christiansen was given three years’ probation ordered to submit a DNA sample and had his name added to the National Sex Offender Registry for 20 years He was also banned from owning weapons and being in a position of authority with minors the chief of police at the time acknowledged the case damaged the public’s view of the force “We understand the negative perception this incident may have created and we want to assure the community that this is not a reflection of the men and women of the St Thomas police service who work so hard every day to uphold the law and keep our community safe,” Chief Chris Herridge said The complainant’s lawsuit alleges she has suffered lasting physical and psychological injuries difficulties maintaining relationships and suicidal thoughts “The life of (the complainant) was fundamentally and forever changed by the above-noted behaviour and her ability to carry on a normal life has been extinguished or impaired,” the lawsuit alleges hundreds of people who sort of look like the actor gather outside Prince Charles cinema There are several Con Air Cages in white vests one of whom has a toy bunny in a small cardboard box Several can genuinely claim an uncanny likeness to the actor; one or two others might uncharitably be said to be closer to Cage’s character in Face/Off who surgically swaps his own distinctive features for the face of someone else – in that case John Travolta – who looks nothing like him For a performer whose public persona is never less than eccentric, a parade of several Cages might feel entirely appropriate. The explanation for this event is more prosaic, however. The actor has a new film out: The Surfer (“gloriously demented” – the Guardian) if you’re after a burst of offbeat publicity these days there’s no surer way to do it than with a supposedly spontaneous designedly shonky celebrity lookalike contest Daniel Breuer with a cardboard cutout of Cage Breuer said ‘Nicolas Cage has been the only constant’ celebrity comparison in his life Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardiant“I’ve had a whole lifetime of ridicule and this is my moment of glory,” says Raising Arizona Cage Daniel Breuer who works in the music industry and says he is compared to someone famous almost every day of his life While Serpico-era Al Pacino and Jerry Seinfeld also feature people used to say I looked like a young Nic Cage Now it’s just: ‘You look like Nic Cage.’ I take it as a great compliment.” (“I just took people out and handed out burritos,” said the eventual winner Glen Powell personally endorsed his own lookalike contest in Austin inviting Powell clones to help him stage “a criminal Glenterprise” – “We all have the same face it’s the perfect crime” – and attending (almost) in person He also offered the most distinctive prize: a cameo appearance for the winner’s parents in his next movie By the time Drake was offering $10,000 to the winner of his own lookalike contest in Toronto in December – claimed by a 21-year-old woman who had pigtails and a drawn-on beard – you might have questioned if the trend had jumped the shark who on Friday were offering prizes for the People’s Cage (“best overall lookalike”) the Cagiest Cage (“best cosplay”) and the Ragiest Cage (hopefully self-explanatory) First prize – life membership of the Prince Charles cinema – was awarded by popular acclaim to Breuer which of course Cage did for Leaving Las Vegas” Some of the other competitors had had him “quaking in his snakeskin boots” “but I knew I had the highest kick in the game” New research has shown there was a positive impact during London 2012 but the legacy effects appear to be short-lived Does hosting an Olympics really improve our wellbeing? If so, by how much - and for how long? Are we really happier when Team GB win gold medals? And are the lofty claims of politicians that London 2012 would make us healthier borne out by the facts? While the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was banging the drum for the capital hosting the Olympics in 2040 last week, academics at the LSE, Harvard and in Germany were answering these questions – and quietly busting a few myths about the legacy of 2012. The starting point of their gold-plated research was a mammoth series of more than 26,000 interviews with residents of London, Paris and Berlin during the summers of 2011, 2012 and 2013. Not only did they know things like everyone’s education level, marital status and income but, crucially, whether they exercised and how happy they felt, and how all this changed over time. Read moreFor their latest paper, Passing on the flame: Do mega sports events promote health behaviours? they focused on whether the Olympics encouraged London residents to exercise more an increase in physical activity by six percentage points among the most inactive people in London – the 34% of residents who didn’t usually exercise at all there was also less alcohol and tobacco consumed by Londoners during the Games there was a kicker: within 100 days of the Olympic flame being put out “We always hear these grand claims from politicians about how the Olympics has a lasting impact on healthy behaviours but this does not hold up to reality,” Dr Christian Krekel of the London School of Economics said “Our research shows that London 2012 nudged some previously inactive people to engage in physical activity who also advises governments on how to use wellbeing data for policy analysis it is hard to get people to become physically active,” he said “Even when you pay people to go to the gym but then the numbers return to the baseline.” So what else have we learned from this treasure trove of data? First, that the Olympics really does improve people’s perceptions of their life satisfaction – and not just in the host city people’s wellbeing during the 2012 Games all went up in London Berlin and Paris compared to the previous year in London it climbed by an entire point on the Likert scale – which is used to measure attitudes or beliefs – from 6.3 to 7.3 after the opening ceremony While in Berlin it rose by 0.3 and Paris 0.1 points The impact of hosting the Olympic Games appears to be short-lived. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty ImagesThe increase in satisfaction was broadly similar regardless of sex or age, but tended to be higher among higher-income households. However once again the effects wore off fast. “In terms of potential ‘legacy’ effects, we find that the intangible impact of the Olympics appears to be short-lived,” the researchers noted. “While the effects are especially strong around the opening and closing ceremonies, we do not find strong evidence of lasting changes in subjective wellbeing in the host city one year after the event.” Free weekly newsletterThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s action What about the idea that winning medals can lift a nation’s mood? Alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case with researchers finding “little evidence” that people in the three European capitals were happier the day after Team GB, France and Germany achieved glory. “The ‘happiness dividend’ appears to be a function of hosting per se and not a function of sporting success measured by gold medals won,” they add. There is, of course, an entirely reasonable counter-argument. Would the government have pumped so much investment into the regeneration of East London without Britain hosting the Games? Probably not. A couple of years ago, Sir Craig Reedie, a member of the London organising committee, also told me that 135,000 new jobs had been created in the area in a decade. For those of us who love sport, the summer of 2012 was also a fantastic joyride. The fact that people’s happiness went up across London, Paris, Berlin during those Games also suggests that the Olympics is a global public good that has positive spillover effects beyond whatever country is hosting it. However, whenever politicians dangle the possibility of a fresh Olympic bid they should also be honest. The Games won’t lead to huge economic benefits. The bill for London 2012, for instance, came in at £9bn – three times more than envisaged. And, as this new research shows, the “intangible” benefits of legacy, such as making us feel better for longer, don’t really stand up to scrutiny either. Meanwhile whatever Khan says about backing a bid for London 2040, it is almost certainly not going to happen. Most insiders I spoke to last week expect India to get the 2036 Games, while Saudi Arabia are strong favourites for 2040. Quietly, they concede, 2044 or even 2048 is more realistic. Incidentally, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi is already promising that if his country wins the 2036 Games it will lead to a surge in tourism, provide long-term economic benefits, and India harnessing the power of sport to create a healthier nation. It is an alluring and familiar tune. But history tells us it might sound rather more discordant in the future. The numbers didn’t add up for Graham Henderson Toronto had four million people and a music economy of $500 million a year Henderson set out to figure out the math and make Toronto make more music money live music venues in Toronto alone generate a total economic impact of $850 million annually Now the CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce Henderson has a vision and a blueprint to make London another Austin of the north London today looks like Austin looked like in 1992 with all these parking lots sitting around problems in the core,” he says during a recent interview at the Covent Garden Market Leveraging music and culture can draw tech companies and tourists and artists and improve the quality of life for everyone As city council prepares a new downtown master plan and an election looms next year Henderson is encouraging Londoners to think about and push for a true music city The London Free Press spoke to Henderson as part of its ongoing series on what can make London thrive in a world tossed into turmoil by a U.S he represented several of the bands that made the Toronto music scene in the 1980s and 1990s – the Cowboy Junkies he could see the Toronto music scene struggled “in the depths of despair” with money lost to the digital world “I knew from having spent time in Austin just what a city can do with music,” Henderson says Henderson commissioned a study comparing the music economy in Austin and Toronto and led a trip with politicians and journalists to the Texas city in 2013 The trip took place soon after a drug scandal embroiled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and journalists on the trip were eager to see what he would do or say next a music strategy and music advisory council Not the least of which is designation as a UNESCO City of Music the only one in Canada and part of a club that includes Liverpool “It is a club that cities around the world kill to get into,” Henderson says Key to gaining membership was the commitment in London to graduating music industry supporters and its many festivals “It was a brilliant proposal that emphasized the aspirations because UNESCO doesn’t just want successes that are already baked But aspirations alone can’t keep that UNESCO membership forever and the city should do much more to truly become a music city Modelling London – a city that only recently allowed live music on patios – after Austin is ambitious The Texas city’s South by Southwest festival in the spring the Austin City Limits television show and fall festival it inspired and its commitment to yearlong music has earned Austin the title of the Live Music Capital of the World The city’s chamber of commerce president told him on the 2013 tour there isn’t a pitch the city makes to a university student or convention or business leader that doesn’t involve music When one of the city’s music ambassadors travels to a national association looking for a convention site he or she brings a music menu and determines what bands will play where to fit the members’ desires Those cities had beautiful waterfronts and other attributes but they didn’t have a place for 150,000 people to go and do something after the race Henderson and his team interviewed the heads of the tech companies in Austin ‘Why are you here?,’ every single one said that employs young people: Young people want to do something at night London needs an infusion of political will to become a music city Although culture is part of the city’s strategic plan council’s multi-year budget doesn’t support culture enough and red tape still hampers efforts to open up the city to music culture and tourism offices reporting to different city departments and corporations “They need to be in one place with a senior director who reports to the economic development department Licensing Dundas Place when it’s closed for events hiring more local musicians for city affairs updating the city’s music strategy – Henderson has plenty of ideas for local change He’s posted many on his LinkedIn page and the Chamber of Commerce will be posting a report on its website soon detailing the benefits of and measures needed to support London being a better music and culture city Henderson said he’d love to see London’s thinkers including those who have participated in The Free Press series back the push to make London a culture and music city “Other cities are taking their UNESCO designation and leaning in on it for branding and getting tens of millions of dollars in redeveloping vacant spaces,” he says “We’re part of an international network of 300 culture cities Why are we not going to the province and federal government and saying we have a prestigious designation Londoners can change the city by getting involved in the downtown master plan and pushing for more help for culture “If we get 5,000 people to sign up to the plan and comment and say three things, ‘I’m a Londoner, I pay taxes, spend money on culture,’ politicians cannot ignore that.” Henderson says. In the long term, residents need to vote in council members who will support making the city better by banking on music and culture, he says. “We need to get the citizens to speak their minds, because I know if we ask most people, they’re going to say, ‘I think being a music city is great.'” Ever since Ewald Bierbaum arrived in London from Germany in 1952, the Bierbaum family has been putting its mark on the city. The first two generations can count Cherryhill Village, Meadowbrook Business Park, the Talbot Centre and Dufferin Corporate Centre and downtown towers. The third generation has downtown towers to finish, but is also tackling the family’s biggest project. A set of Bierbaum boys, aged 28 to 32, is running Old Oak Properties and building a 7,500-home neighbourhood called Legacy Village on the grounds of the former psychiatric hospital in east London. It would be London’s biggest single development. As part of its ongoing series on how London can become a better, more thriving city, The London Free Press caught up recently with Old Oak CEO Robert Bierbaum, who is developing the east-end site and downtown sites with brothers Michael and Steven. Q: What prompted the family to take on such massive project in east London? A: “Our family is used to making big splashes in London, and so why not try again? The site itself, a lot of it is a blank canvas, and I think that was a big part of the excitement. It’s challenging to truly map out what 30 years looks like.” Q: What’s the neighbourhood reaction to your plans been? A: “Predominantly good. It’s an area where there’s a lot of value to be had. It’s one of the oldest parts of our city and investment in the last few decades hasn’t been there in the same way it has in other parts of the city.” Q: Do you and your brothers ever stop and think, what the heck are we doing? A: “There are times when we do think, wow. We constantly are reminding ourselves about the scale. We don’t ever want to take that lightly, because the impact it will have is going to be substantial. We really want to make sure we do it right.” Q: Your family culture is one of ambition. Did you find the same about the culture of London, growing up here? A: “I love London, and it’s sometimes a bit of an interesting conversation speaking to my peer group. When people are younger, they look towards opportunity and I think there’s a bit of the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. I’m starting to see a lot of those same people starting to return to London, which is really exciting. I wave a bit of the ‘I told you so’ flag.” Q: Is London stuck in the past or embracing the future? A: “I think in the last few years, maybe it’s from my youth, I’ve been seeing a big opening of door, opening to new ideas, new concepts. There is tenacity and enthusiasm to continue to grow this amazing city. I think part of that is the entirety of our world has really shifted, so we have to grow.” A: “There’s a bit of a an opportunity for the city to look for different ways to engage with Londoners. The more that visions can be shared the better. I’m in a very fortunate position to be able to participate in many of conversations because of our substantial developments. Most Londoners don’t have that advantage.” A: “I’m not certain exactly what the detailed solution is. I think the best way to get there is from the public sector, encouraging dialogue on what the city needs. What is it that people are looking for investment inside of our city? What would they like to see in our city?” Q: What do you think of Chamber of Commerce CEO Graham Henderson’s idea to make London a music city like Austin, Texas? A: “I’ve had a few conversations with Graham, and I think that type of thinking is exactly what we need from all of the different sectors. It can’t just be one person leading that charge. It can’t just be the private sector leading that charge, and it can’t just be public sector. Everybody needs to come together.” There is still heavy lifting in store to get back to the Memorial Cup Article content“We haven’t accomplished everything we need to do,” London Knights GM Mark Hunter said “We have a tough series coming up with Oshawa It’s the two best teams playing to try to win something.” This is a rare situation in Ontario major junior hockey with the Knights and the Generals meeting for the J Ross Robertson Cup in back-to-back seasons You have to go back to the mid-1950s when the Toronto Marlboros beat the St Kitts got their revenge the following year (both went on to become the Memorial Cup champions in 1954 and ’55 respectively) The Knights knew a third straight long run could happen last fall when all their premium eligible talent started returning from NHL camps a first-line power-play unit arrived in place “We’ve got players back that we didn’t know were going to come back,” Mark Hunter said It was a group of guys that push hard to win and credit to them They don’t want to leave their junior days behind without a Memorial Cup title The Generals want to prove last year’s uncompetitive OHL final was an aberration we’re in the finals again and it’s a goal we wanted to happen They want to win and beat us just like we want to win and beat them “That’s part of the business and we’ll see what happens.” it’s the Knights dealing with some uncertainty in their lineup penalty killer and team captain – hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in Game 1 of the conference final April 25 against Kitchener His recovery shouldn’t take as long as initially feared but he still had a crutch when he took part in the post-series handshake line Wednesday at the Memorial Auditorium “We’ll see when he gets skating here,” Mark Hunter said “He’s had some time here now (to rest and recover).” The Knights will still lean on their depth and defensive structure to try to subdue Oshawa If Austin Elliott outplays counterpart Jacob Oster in net that would help London’s fortunes in a big way Hunter brought in Elliott early and added Cam Allen in December to help make London into the OHL’s stingiest team again The Generals should be a handful and – unlike many recent past years in the East – had to play three tough series to get here it’s the team that buckles down in the big moments that captures the big prize “I like our overall makeup,” Mark Hunter said “They all fit in well with each other and look after each other They have a common goal of winning hockey games and I’m impressed with how the group of players keeps pushing and supporting each other I think that’s what it’s all about when you have a hockey team they understand how to play in certain areas to win and it’s all good stuff.” If they work together and share that weight it’s going to take something really special from Oshawa to end their reign 64 CommentsAmong the London City Lionesses' teal shirts emblazoned with the word "winners" high heels and sunglasses particularly stood out Michele Kang has not gone about her business quietly since taking over Lionesses last summer but with promotion to the Women's Super League now secured she has done so effectively The celebrations on the pitch at St Andrew's after Lionesses held on for a dramatic 2-2 draw at Championship rivals Birmingham City to secure promotion to the WSL were somewhat unusual with club owner Kang allowed to carry the trophy on to the pitch She was then front and centre of the trophy lift and post-match interviews where she talked up the Lionesses' chances of being the first newly-promoted side in three seasons to avoid WSL relegation "We have been building a team to be at a minimum "When I first came a lot of people were very concerned for me as an independent team: 'how can you do this because you don't have a men's team from which you can draw the equity is proof that with proper investment and resources anything is possible London City Lionesses are the first team with no affiliation with a men's club to earn a place in the WSL they have been a fixture in the second tier but have been turbo charged by their wealthy American owner since her arrival in 2023 who also owns European football powerhouses Lyon and Washington Spirit in the USA is a veteran of women's sport and knows how much money talks Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah (left) has previously played in the WSL for Everton and Aston Villa Lionesses made splashy acquisitions last summer, including manager Jocelyn Precheur who coached PSG in the Champions League semi-finals last season former WSL winner Kosovare Asllani led several eye-catching arrivals along with 2011 World Cup champion Saki Kumagai ex-Barcelona midfielder Maria Perez and experienced Swedish international Sofia Jakobsson with promotion only secured on the final day with this draw at second-placed Birmingham - who came from 2-0 down and pushed hard for a winner until the very end Kang's spending has not only been bold but savvy A state-of-the-art training facility in Kent is planned She has previously called for greater investment and research into the impact of sport on women's bodies and has put her money where her mouth is She said the recruitment team will meet on Monday morning to plan how to avoid Bristol City last year and Crystal Palace this in dropping straight back out of the WSL And it is notable that the two key players at St Andrew's were not headline signings but young British talents The first goal was scored by 22-year-old Izzy Goodwin Championship top scorer this season with 16 strikes from 18 games Having scored plenty in the second tier for Sheffield United and Lionesses it will be fascinating to see how she makes the step up The second was scored by Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah She also made a crucial goalline clearance in the first half "The WSL is a totally different league but we have the experience we have the fans that hopefully keep growing We take each game as it comes and put ourselves on the map," Boye-Hlorkah said "We all love her and what she has done for this club," added Goodwin on Kang Hopefully it makes more teams do this." Isobel Goodwin's 25-yard strike set London City Lionesses on their way to promotion on Sunday That mix of investment and existing talent will be crucial for Lionesses as they aim to establish themselves in the top flight They will want to keep the spirit that saw them over the line in Birmingham and the ability that saw them end the Championship season as joint top scorers But the money will have to be spent wisely Clubs in the WSL get three times the TV money of those in the Championship from a deal which next season is worth £65m over five years across the WSL and Championship The deal is worth about £800,000 to WSL clubs and £270,000 for the Championship teams Staying up could be essential for Lionesses given they have no affiliation with a men's Premier League or Championship side They have no access to Premier League stadiums for big games and instead will play all their home matches at 5,000-capacity Hayes Lane which they share with League Two men's side Bromley The highest paid players in the WSL are on about £300,000 a year which might be more than the whole wage cost for Championship clubs Kang's chequebook has to be open and blank she and the players are up for the challenge "I have a lot of admiration for Michele Kang because I think she is empowering women throughout the game across all levels," former England international Anita Asante told BBC Sport "It's the fact she believes in the value of women's football and she's driving that investment and she wants to compete at the highest level and she wants her players to have the opportunity to keep on excelling." Lionesses' promotion might represent a seismic shift in English women's football proof that top-flight success is possible without men's club backing We wait to see what the woman in the white dress will do next Head here to get involved Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser View comments | 64Top storiesTrailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China Alexander-Arnold leaves as modern Liverpool great - but fans will feel hurt Alpine poised to replace Doohan with Colapinto The final series of Man Like Mobeen has arrived John Simm stars in the provocative 90s drama Warm-hearted comedy with Ben Miller and Sally Phillips Follow two ambitious river restoration projects Who has made Troy's Premier League team of the week Trailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights VideoZhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights 'Scheffler and DeChambeau wins further raise US PGA excitement levels' Match-fixing scandal to Crucible champion - fall and rise of Zhao 'We need to take a look at ourselves' - Arsenal stalling at wrong time Palmer's brilliance could be key moment in Chelsea's Champions League quest Europa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney VideoEuropa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney Ask Me Anything the new BBC Sport service designed to serve you Bayern's 'James Bond' - how Kane clinched his first trophy Nine bolters with a shot of making the Lions squad How 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool VideoHow 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool Still number one & 'sparring' with Draper - return of Sinner Saints 'punch' favourites Leinster in game for the ages VideoVardy the best £1m ever spent - Shearer Poppy's tears Elton John & Happy Gilmore - McIlroy on Jimmy Fallon show Two opposing views on football's transgender ban Copyright © 2025 BBC. 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LondonNewsCanadian volleyball Olympian helps welcome new indoor facility near London AirportBy Brent LalePublished: May 03, 2025 at 2:50PM EDT Content advisory: This article includes allegations of sexual assault a former member of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team testified Friday that after returning to the team hotel early on June 19 following a night of partying with his teammates Katchouk testified that he spent no more than a few minutes in McLeod’s room and declined an offer from McLeod for oral sex from the woman testified remotely from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where he played this season with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate Katchouk was the second member of Canada’s 2018 world junior team to testify in the sexual assault trial of Michael McLeod The defendants are accused of sexually assaulting a woman referred to in court documents as E.M McLeod faces a second sexual assault charge of being party to the offence Katchouk testified that he left a downtown bar where he was partying with his teammates and bought a slice of pizza before returning to the Delta Armouries hotel with Foote at 2:23 a.m As he was walking to his room on the hotel’s second floor Katchouk saw McLeod in the hallway and McLeod asked Katchouk to come into his room and saw a woman lying on a bed when he entered “What’s going through your mind at the time?” Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham asked “I was just having a normal conversation with Mikey,” Katchouk said “There was nothing going through my head.” Katchouk said that McLeod then asked if he wanted a “gummer,” which he explained was slang for oral sex who did you think would be the one giving [oral sex] when Mr “I believe I just laughed and didn’t really talk about it after that,” Katchouk answered Katchouk said when he was alone with the complainant for several minutes after McLeod left the room for a few minutes Katchouk testified he couldn’t remember his response but did not give her any pizza Katchouk testified McLeod and Taylor Raddysh then entered the room and Raddysh then suggested to Katchouk that they leave Under cross examination from David Humphrey Katchouk said he thought McLeod was joking when he offered oral sex “I did not take it seriously,” Katchouk said “I just carried on with our normal conversation.” Katchouk testified he was in McLeod’s hotel room for no more than two minutes and that E.M 's demeanour was “playful” and “flirty” when she allegedly asked him for a bite of his pizza Raddysh continued his testimony on Friday morning after beginning on Wednesday There was no court on Thursday because one of the jurors was ill The parts of the 2018 transcript read by Cunningham related to the early morning hours of June 19 Raddysh testified Wednesday that he was in the room very briefly with the woman Raddysh has testified he had difficulty remembering specific moments from that night “So you were in there for a total of two minutes reading from the 2018 interview transcript “Yeah… not a long time at all,” Raddysh said “So when you saw her did you say anything at all to her?” Cunningham continued “I don’t think I even really looked at her.” “Do you remember anything being said to her or by her?” Cunningham said I was talking to Boris and Mikey the whole time,” Raddysh said “I never heard her say anything.” Raddysh told the interviewer in 2018 that the woman he saw in McLeod’s hotel room “seemed fine” and “seemed quite normal.” He said she was lying on the bed had the sheets pulled up covering most of her body Raddysh said he could “see her traps [trapezius muscles which are muscles in the upper back and neck]” and could not tell whether she was wearing clothes under the sheets Raddysh said he fell asleep after he returned to his room after being next door in McLeod’s room Raddysh said he woke up when Brett Howden and other teammates returned to the hotel around 4 a.m who was Raddysh’s roommate and has also not been accused of wrongdoing entered and exited their room several times Raddysh said he heard “all the noise and stuff like that” coming from outside his room at the time  “Could you tell the noise was coming from Mikey’s room?” Cunningham said “Yeah for sure there was talking and chattering,” Raddysh said Raddysh testified that while he met with the Crown attorney on March 28 he had trouble recalling a number of details of that meeting asked Raddysh whether he remembered putting a sheet down on the floor of McLeod’s room for E.M then asked Raddysh about his July 2018 interview Raddysh told an investigator at the time that he was on FaceTime with one of his “buddies” when McLeod and Katchouk came and invited him to McLeod’s hotel room you were on FaceTime with your girlfriend who is now your wife “I guess you could say that,” Raddysh said “At the time when I did the interview we were freshly dating I just referred to her as my buddy… I clarified that in a future interview with the London police.” later asked Raddysh about his memories of the incident “I’m going to suggest that when you were in the room you saw [E.M.] get up off the bed and walk around the room naked “I suggest that [E.M.] told police in 2018 that when you were in the room “Sitting here today I don’t really remember that I would for sure have remembered that… that would be pretty hard to forget.” a group of protestors advocating for sexual assault survivors gathered outside the London courthouse They held up signs and stood silently as the defendants walked into the building would begin testifying later this afternoon following a lunch break © Copyright 2025 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved. London’s HMCS Prevost is preparing to unveil a new memorial that commemorates Canadians killed in the Second World War’s longest battle. The Battle of the Atlantic memorial at the fork of the Thames River is being unveiled Sunday afternoon, days before the 80th anniversary of the end of the critical battle on May 8. Our Jennifer Bieman reports.  Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous battle of the Second World War, lasting almost the entire duration of the war.   From September 1939 to May 1945, Canadian forces protected convoys carrying critical supplies for the allied war effort – including food, ammunition and fuel – as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Halifax to Europe. The battle pitted German U-boats, warships and planes against allied forces and merchant ships.   “Great Britain’s ability to go on and carry on fighting really depended on goods and people coming from North America,” said Lt. Cdr. Janet Lang, public affairs officer for HMCS Prevost.   “These convoys were invaluable throughout the war.” More than 70,000 allied navy members, merchant mariners and air force members died in the Battle of the Atlantic, including approximately 4,400 – 2,000 sailors, 1,600 merchant mariners and 752 air force personnel – from Canada and Newfoundland.  The national memorial at the fork of the Thames River commemorates the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and the Merchant Navy of Canada members who died in the Battle of the Atlantic. The memorial project has unfolded in phases, dating as far back as 2017, Lang said. Researchers from HMCS Prevost spent several years confirming the names of all the war dead from the Battle of the Atlantic for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the navy.   “It’s the first time anywhere in Canada we’ve had official, fully certified records, thanks to the efforts of these researchers, who are also officers in the naval reserve,” Lang said.   “There are plaques with the names of the ships that were lost, and for the sailors and for the air force members who perished.”  The project, which involves the London Branch of the Naval Association of Canada, has been funded by more than $500,000 in donations from individuals and businesses in the London area.   The donations supported the construction of the memorial, as well as its ongoing maintenance.   Site work at the memorial, which is located at 19 Becher St., began in October, with an official groundbreaking ceremony the following month. The foundation for the memorial was poured in December.   “It’s moving to come down here. It’s a beautiful monument,” Lang said. “It’s accessible and it is a place where someone can come, sit and reflect on how lucky we are to be Canadian and the people we lost.”   London City Lionesses promoted to WSL on final day London City Lionesses earned promotion to the Women's Super League for the first time despite title rivals Birmingham City coming from two goals down to force a thrilling draw on the final day of the Championship season A remarkable campaign came to an epic conclusion as the top two in the second tier met at St Andrew's where Birmingham needed to win to take the only promotion spot Championship top scorer Izzy Goodwin broke the deadlock for London City two minutes after half-time with a brilliant strike cutting in from the left wing before firing into the top corner right-footed from 25 yards The match appeared to be going only one way shortly before the hour when Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah - who had cleared a Birmingham effort off the line in the first half - headed in following a corner But Emily van Egmond bundled in from close range to pull one back for Birmingham before Cho So-hyun forced a grandstand finish with a skilfully executed volley with four minutes to go which means their stint in the second tier will continue into a fourth season 'We are only going up' - London City in WSL to stay WSL promotion shootout as London City face Birmingham Ambitious Lionesses recruit Asllani and ex-PSG boss Promotion represents vindication for wealthy Lionesses owner Michele Kang who took over in summer 2024 with the ambition of reaching the top of the women's game in England After hiring former Paris St-Germain boss Jocelyn Precheur and making several statement signings - including former WSL winner Kosovare Asllani - they have made the first step It also means Lionesses will become the first ever independent women's club Lionesses finish two points clear of Birmingham at the top of the Championship and they will replace relegated Crystal Palace in the WSL for 2025-26 "Since the beginning of the season it was tough "Maybe people think with money it wields say to build a team without financial support we could not do everything but there were a lot of things to do "Being promoted after just one season is amazing and completely outstanding It was tough and I also want to recognise the performance of Birmingham because it is a little unfair to be honest in a game like this to see we only have one team promoted because I think both teams needed to be promoted." Izzy Goodwin scored her 16th league goal of the season to put London City Lionesses ahead with two high quality teams meeting and so much on the line Birmingham kicked off as joint highest scorers in the Championship London City were unbeaten in their 10 previous games but they started slowly against a Birmingham side who had triumphed in their three previous meetings A tense first half saw both teams have efforts cleared off the line Emily van Egmond saw her header blocked in the 13th minute by Boye-Hlorkah who was brought into the starting XI by Precheur after being benched for last week's draw against Durham Then shortly before the break at the other end Boye-Hlorkah capitalised on an error by home goalkeeper Adrianna Franch only for Rebecca Holloway to make a last-ditch hooked clearance But Goodwin provided a moment of individual inspiration for her 16th goal in 20 Championship games and it set up Lionesses to complete their promotion mission Boye-Hlorkah and Van Egmond traded goals before Cho made it particularly nerve-jangling with Birmingham's equaliser But the WSL founder members and former Women's FA Cup winners must wait for their return to the top flight Birmingham defender Rebecca Holloway made a last-gasp goalline clearance in the first half It will be fascinating to see how Lionesses who have no affiliation with a men's club They will be facing 11 sides backed by associations with men's Premier League and Championship teams London City have hefty backing of their own from Kang's Kynisca Sports International group which also owns Women's Champions League semi-finalists Lyon and American heavyweights Washington Spirit this is the latest step in a remarkable journey for London City since they were born in 2019 out of a breakaway from Millwall Lionesses They have several recognisable names in their squad and are planning a world-class and female-centred training facility at Cobdown Park in Kent the promoted team have gone straight back down from the WSL - Bristol City in 2024 and Palace this year bucking that trend is their next challenge but they have made no secret about having loftier ambitions than that Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah celebrates scoring the second goal which proved crucial for Lionesses The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made substituted for Louise Quinn at 86 minutesNumber 24 substituted for Cho So-Hyun at 75 minutesNumber 10 substituted for Lucy Quinn at 56 minutesNumber 26 London City LionessesManager: Jocelyn Prêcheur Wilde Match OfficialsReferee: Stacey FullicksAssistant Referee 1: Daniel SykesAssistant Referee 2: Phoebe HornerFourth Official: Amy FearnMatch StatsKey The woman who pleaded guilty to the bizarre and tragic shooting of her boyfriend in March 2023 is being released on bail pending a sentencing hearing next month pleaded not guilty to manslaughter but guilty to the lesser offence of criminal negligence causing death for the killing of Levi Jordan Brown who was shot and killed at a Baseline Road apartment on March 19 Metatawabin has been in jail since her arrest With enhanced credit for her pre-trial custody both the Crown and defence proposed a time-served sentence with three years probation the mandatory minimum for the conviction is four years The court reconvened on Friday morning to continue the sentencing hearing but adjourned the matter until June 4 Both sides are examining options for the guilty plea that would avoid the strict mandatory minimum and leave Metatawabin with a time-served sentence An agreed statement of facts read into the record Thursday revealed the circumstances of Brown’s fatal shooting Metatawabin and a woman were inside a Baseline Road apartment belonging to Christian Williams on March 19 The woman later told investigators she was there to retrieve her belongings but Brown told her she should stay “because this concerns you When the woman asked what Brown was referring to Brown was overheard asking Metatawabin if she remembered what they had talked about in the past before he revealed a handgun from under the coffee table Decker quoted what Williams said to Metatawabin: “He told her to hold the gun up to him and shoot him ‘Now point it at me and pull the trigger.’”  who was sentenced to 2 ½ years for accessory after the act of manslaughter last year nor the woman believed Metatawabin shot Brown on purpose It wasn’t clear the gun was real and loaded Williams pushed a large recycling container that contained Brown’s body The bin remained in the creek for six days until a cyclist noticed something wrapped in red material that looked like a body The soccer icon — who turned 50 on May 2 — also marked the milestone birthday with a separate family celebration Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information King Charles III salutes next to Queen Camilla during the military procession for the 80th anniversary of VE Day Nato allies joined 1,300 members of the UK armed forces for the parade, with the words of Sir Winston Churchill's 1945 victory speech spoken by actor Timothy Spall kicking off events for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. London City Lionesses will be promoted to the WSL if they avoid defeat on Sunday Owned by a visionary businesswoman and one of the few independent women's football clubs not affiliated to a men's team London City Lionesses stand on the brink of history It will be a straight shootout for promotion to the Women's Super League between the Lionesses and Birmingham City on Sunday as the Women's Championship promotion race comes down to the final day of the season The Lionesses sit two points clear at the table summit and will be promoted to the top tier for the first time if they avoid defeat at second-placed Birmingham While it could become the biggest day in the club's short history for manager Jocelyn Precheur and owner Michele Kang "We have a long-term project here," Precheur said We have a long road but we will do it in two Maybe I look arrogant but Michele is very clear about the project We want to create a good club in England." who has played in four of Europe's 'big five' leagues and earned just shy of 200 caps for Sweden considers it one of the biggest games of her career "It feels like a final," Asllani told BBC Sport "These are the games you want to play It's a game between the two best teams in the league." Should they get over the line at the weekend the Lionesses will become the 20th different club to play in the top flight since its restructuring in 2011 How football tycoon gave Lyon a new lease of life Kang announces $50m for women's sport London City aim to reach WSL 'as fast as possible' Millwall Lionesses split from Millwall FC to become an independent and fully professional team In the following season the renamed London City Lionesses joined the Women's Championship It hasn't been smooth sailing for the Bromley-based Lionesses yo-yoing between second and eighth in the table during their first five seasons and going through five permanent managers - and three interims - prior to Precheur's arrival from Paris St-Germain in June 2024 in 2022-23 they did come within touching distance of promotion finishing in third position but only three points behind champions Bristol City Although they finished second the previous year the Lionesses reached the fifth round of the Women's FA Cup this season and last while they qualified for the Women's League Cup quarter-finals in 2023-24 Michele Kang (right) owns London City Lionesses marking the start of a new era for the club The South Korea-born American investor was inspired to invest in women's sport after meeting the World Cup-winning US women's national team in 2019 She has invested more than £40m in rugby and football the industry's first women's multi-club soccer ownership group and has built up a portfolio of women's football teams purchasing NWSL team Washington Spirit and French serial trophy winners Lyon Her objective couldn't be clearer: to make every team she owns champion of their respective league Kang's influence has been eye-catching who led PSG to the last four of the 2023-24 Women's Champions League and bringing in more than a dozen new players throughout this season The headline additions included veteran Sweden internationals Sofia Jakobsson and Asllani and five-time Women's Champions League winner Saki Kumagai Kang has relocated the club to Bromley and purchased the 28-acre Cobdown Park in Aylesford with the ambition of constructing a centre of excellence for women's and girls' football "It's great to have her [at our games] and when she's there The things she's done at this club and the other clubs is great," Goodwin said who was inspired to join the Lionesses after seeing the transformation at Washington Spirit Kang's biggest asset isn't her investment but her commitment to her vision "What she's doing is amazing and I hope it will inspire other clubs or other rich people to invest in women's football," Precheur told BBC Sport "We've heard many times in the past people who arrive [and say] we want to be promoted and play in the Champions League "You cannot realise how different it is if you haven't spoken with Michele She knows what she wants and when she says something It has to come from the top if you want to breed a winning culture." With Kang's investment and the flurry of new arrivals London City Lionesses were runaway pre-season favourites to secure promotion to the WSL Many expected them to win the Championship at a canter the promotion race has turned into a nail-biter Victory over Durham last week would have seen them crowned champions with a match to spare but they were held to a 1-1 draw – the second time this season Adam Furness' side have proved a thorn in the Lionesses' side after beating them 3-2 in November Sunderland and Charlton have also taken points off the league leaders who won last November's reverse fixture 2-1 The Lionesses have had to fight hard for their league-leading 13 wins with seven of those victories coming via a one-goal margin Sweden international Kosovare Asllani was one of more than a dozen new signings for 2024-25 Precheur believes it was disrespectful to the quality of the league to tout London City Lionesses as champions-in-waiting before a ball had been kicked "We identified four or five very good teams We identified Birmingham as a strong opponent and they confirmed the first feeling I had about them "We think with huge financial support We need to create a culture and so many things to have everything we need to perform consistently during the season but it's a lack of respect for the other teams It was a little lack of respect to think that it will be easy." 'One big push' - WSL promotion decider awaits fallen giants More on this storyGet the latest WSL news on our dedicated page An alleged Hells Angels biker who was swept up in a massive bust targeting illegal sports betting was shot dead outside a Burlington restaurant Emergency crews responded to a reported shooting Tuesday around 8:30 p.m to the Mandarin restaurant at 1881 Fairview St where paramedics took a man to hospital and he was pronounced dead Police identified the deceased as Craig McIlquham and investigators believe the shooting was a targeted incident but investigators have released a photograph of vehicle of interest – a grey newer model Honda Civic with dark-tinted windows and black alloy rims – and are asking anyone with video from area between 4 p.m was one of two alleged full-patch members of the Hells Angels swept up in 2019 as part of Operation Hobart a two-year probe of an alleged illegal gambling ring police contend was run by Hells Angels bikers and a Toronto crime family Investigators alleged McIlquham and Robert Barletta the founder of the London Hells Angels chapter were the ringleaders of the sophisticated operation that controlled at least 14 sports-betting websites and took in more than $160 million in revenue over six years Both McIlquham and Barletta were charged with bookmaking offences firearms offences and commission of an offence for a criminal organization Barletta was additionally charged with tax evasion were charged with over 200 offences in the case – the largest-ever investigation into illegal sports betting – but the case fizzled in the courts with the charges against most of the accused withdrawn or stayed It was estimated it would have taken nearly 42 months for the case to make its way through the court system significantly longer than the 30-month timeline laid out in a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2016 The $40 million in assets seized as part of Hobart – luxury homes cash and other valuables – are at the centre of an ongoing legal battle The Crown is fighting to keep the seized assets under the Civil Remedies Act Ontario’s forfeiture law that applies to criminal cases that end without a conviction Court documents filed in the case shed light on the assets seized from McIlquham’s various properties and outline how he and his wife allegedly laundered proceeds from crime and a Brazilian visa in McIlquham’s name and ID with his photo but another man’s name from McIlquham’s homes and vehicles for a total of about $5.1 million between June 2004 and December 2018 $228,000 in unidentified drafts and $190,899 in unidentified deposits McIlquham isn’t the first alleged biker linked Hobart to be targeted Alleged Hells Angels member Michael Deabauta-Schulde was gunned down outside a Mississauga gym on March 11 was under OPP surveillance as part of the Hobart investigation at the time of his death Three men were convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.