Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, London Councils

Lessons aimed at tackling the Covid-19 anti-vaccine movement will be given in London schools amid concerns young people have become more sceptical about the jab.

Teachers and public health chiefs in Hackney developed the classes, aimed at pupils aged seven to 18, with students.

The learning materials are set to be rolled out across the capital today by umbrella group London Councils.

Georgia Gould, chair of London Councils, said the “initiative is a crucial part of our ongoing work to tackle misinformation and to help Londoners understand the importance of vaccination”.

It comes after research done in east London by Hackney Council found that almost a third of those aged 16 to 24 said they would not get the vaccine or were unsure about it.

Just 8% of respondents aged 75 plus were “unsure”.

The research also showed people who rely most heavily on social media for news and information, rather than traditional sources, are more likely to be sceptical about the jab.

Public Health England’s regional director for London professor Kevin Fenton said: “Making sure young people are well-informed by trusted sources is the perfect way to empower their decision-making and enable them to confidently share accurate information through their own networks.

“Young people often feel left out of important conversations, so the fact that these materials were developed with their input is brilliant.”

Image source, Wiener Holocaust Library

A database containing eyewitness accounts from the Holocaust which have been translated into English for the first time has been made available online by a London library.

Testifying to the Truth, external contains some 1,300 testimonies from men, women and children who survived the Holocaust and World War Two, which the library has built up since the 1950s.

The documents provide vivid descriptions of aspects like having to hide from the Nazis and life in concentration camps, such as the account provided by of Gertrude Deak who spoke about her imprisonment in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The database has been put online for free by the Wiener Holocaust Library, based in Russell Square, for people to use as an educational tool to learn about the atrocity.

You can find out more about the library here., external

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Sven Badzak was attacked as he went to buy a bagel in north-west London.

Ministers say dangerous materials will be removed from England's high-rises "at no cost to residents".

Housing minister Kevin Stewart says the Scottish government will ensure funding reaches 'those that need it most'.

Lavaun Witter was stabbed to death in south London on Friday night.

The website says it opposes any attempts to ‘silence consumers' freedom of speech’.

The Women's Super League derby between Birmingham and Aston Villa is postponed five minutes before kick-off because of a frozen pitch.

Police say the three people, who travelled from London to Derbyshire, were fined and had their car seized.

The inquiry is shown an email from a sales manager at Arconic warning of the risk of high-rise fires.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Owen Sheppard

A West End club which has hosted bands since the 1960s, from the Stones to Amy Winehouse, will trial technology designed to keep people Covid-secure when it is able to reopen.

Jeff Horton who runs the 100 Club said he hopes it will be a "game changer" so entertainment venues can open once London is out of lockdown. He said: “When this is over it will be like the Roaring 20s without any question.”

The ventilation system is designed to wipe out 99.9 per cent of pathogens using high intensity ultraviolet light, similar to systems used to disinfect operating theatres.

Mr Horton stressed other safety measures such as requiring a negative Covid test will also be used. He said it could be some time before the venue is back to its 350 capacity.