A woman has been taken to hospital after being attacked with a knife and having what was feared to be a corrosive liquid thrown at her face in Westminster earlier today (Thursday, April 11). The incident allegedly involved Nigerian dancer and singer Korra Obidi, according to an emotional statement from her sister, a food blogger and influencer, on Instagram.
Nancy Umeh revealed the shocking event on her Instagram story saying: "Someone has threatened my sister's life in the UK, they poured acid on my sister's face. They threatened to stab her all over her body and they have stabbed her on her hands, just outside her Airbnb in Westminster."
Police were called just after 1:40pm to reports of an assault on Maiden Lane. They haven't confirmed the identity of the victim but a spokesperson for the force stated: "Officers attended and found a woman in her 30s with a cut to her hand and reporting a liquid had been thrown at her face.
"She was taken to hospital for treatment. Another woman left the scene prior to police arrival."
Nancy Umeh mentioned in her video that her sister had been attacked with acid. However, it has since been confirmed that the liquid was not a noxious substance but some sort of cosmetic liquid.
An investigation is under way. Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 and give reference 3721/11APR.
EastEnders icon Kellie Bright has sparked a frenzy among fans after her 'unrecognisable' appearance on Wednesday's episode of The One Show (April 10). The 47-year-old actress, who plays troubled Linda Carter on the BBC soap, has admitted that finding out she was EastEnders’ Christmas killer was as big a shock to her as it was to viewers.
As soap fans will know, Linda has been caught up in a huge murder plot after stabbing Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) in The Queen Vic on Christmas Day. The pub landlady then buried Keanu's corpse with the help of Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth).
The fallout from Keanu's death has driven Linda back to alcoholism as she struggles to cope. During a conversation with hosts Lauren Laverne and Jermaine Jenas on The One Show, Kellie said she never expected that her alter ago would be the killer.
"It was news to me as well!" Kellie said. "I was really surprised. I did not see it coming at all. I thought I would be the last person that would do it.
"When it was explained to me how it was going to happen I kind of went, ‘Oh ok, I can sort of see…'. She doesn’t intend to kill him, she’s stopping him from killing her best friend. It’s a moment of desperation, madness, chaos.
"A lot happens that day. It’s EastEnders, it’s Christmas Day, of course a lot happens! It kind of all built to this moment."
During Kellie's interview on The One Show, EastEnders fans wasted no time complimenting the star of her latest look. Viewers are used to seeing the actress wearing pink or bold patterns. These days, she also sports a glum and downtrodden expression as she struggles through life.
But during her appearance on The One Show, Kellie stunned in a gold shimmering blouse decorated with black spots. She teamed her glam top with flared black trousers, ankle boots and a black headband to complete her look. Kellie also looked very fresh-faced and donned a flawless makeup look.
Taking to X, one person wrote: "Kellie Bright looks absolutely stunning #TheOneShow". A second stated: "Kellie Bright #TheOneShow talking about #EastEnders", followed by a love-struck emoji.
A third stated: "She’s literally one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Oh I do love you Kellie Bright #TheOneShow". While another added: "Only watching #ONEshow #TheOneShow to see Kellie bright who plays Linda in #EastEnders."
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Tube strikes are going ahead after talks failed to resolve a dispute over pay, rail union TSSA confirmed. Members of the association will walk out tomorrow (Wednesday, April 10) and on Thursday, April 11.
Customer service managers will walk out from 12.01am to 11.59pm on both days. They are responsible for running stations. TSSA said that its members are concerned about potential changes to their terms and conditions, job roles and locations.
It is not known which stations will be closed yet.
Customer service managers will walk out from 12.01am to 11.59pm on both days (Image: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
TSSA's general secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, said: "Our Customer Service Manager members are united and determined to take strike action this week in defence of their terms and conditions
"This strike could have been avoided if London Underground had negotiated with us in good faith. Instead, we have been left in a position where London Underground is still unable to explain the impact of its ‘Stations Changes’ proposals.
"We cannot allow the continued threats to our members' roles, locations, terms and conditions to stand unchallenged, that is why our members are taking strike action this week. We’ll see how quickly London Underground get back round the negotiating table when they see the strength and determination of our members."
This comes after train driver's union Aslef announced it would call of London Underground strikes on today (April 8) and Saturday, May 4. Transport for London has not yet confirmed how the two-day strike will impact services, but has warned that some stations may need to close at short notice on those days.
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A 15-year-old girl is missing from North London. Tia Williams has not been seen for 21 days. She was last seen leaving a family member's home in Camden on Thursday, March 18. She was reported missing at 4pm that day.
Met Police say that since then, they have been following a number of enquiries and are now turning to the public for help.
Tia is described as white, with dark brown shoulder length hair. She is between 5 foot and 5 foot 2 inches tall, and average build.
Tia has links to London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Police say she may have travelled on train.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ridley from Camden's Public Protection Team said: “We are very concerned for the welfare of Tia and it is extremely important that we locate her.
"Tia has previously travelled to Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire however due to the amount of time missing could have travelled further in the country. If you have any information about Tia’s whereabouts, or have seen anyone matching Tia’s description then please contact police by dialling 999 or 101 quoting reference 'Op. Dinar'".
An investigation has been launched after a man died in South London. Police rushed to Fernwood Avenue in Streatham, at around 2.25pm on Friday (April 5), to reports of an altercation at a home.
Upon arrival police found a man in his 50s unresponsive. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died on Saturday.
A 38-year-old man was arrested at the scene. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.
Police believe they know the victim's identity but enquiries are ongoing to identify and locate next of kin.
An urgent police investigation is underway. A crime scene remains in place.
Anyone with information who has yet to speak with police is asked to call 101 and quote reference 3838/05apr. DCI Laura Nelson, from Specialist Crime, said: “I know that local people will be shocked and upset by this incident.
“I share their concerns and assure them that my colleagues and I are doing all we can to establish what led to this tragic death. At this early stage, I must retain an open mind.
“A post-mortem examination will be held in due course, and this, along with other lines of enquiry will help to establish exactly what happened.”
Elsewhere in the capital a man has been killed in North London. Police raced to Northumberland Park in Tottenham, at about 5.50am this morning (April 7) to reports of the stabbing.
There they found the victim - a man - who was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made.
Got a story? Please get in touch at rafi.benady@reachplc.com
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Pubs are the lifeblood of the UK with many of the drinking holes being older than entire nation states. You now have several chances to become part of the huge pub culture in London.
That is because there are a load of boozers up for sale in the capital and we've picked out some of the best. Each place is unique and brings its own charm to the streets of the Big Smoke. Because they are so different there is also a huge difference in asking price for the places.
The cheapest one is selling for just £100,000 while the most expensive is selling for £4.75 million. That's over 47 times more than the cheapest, though you'll understand why when you see the place and where it's located.
There are over 3,500 pubs in London, meaning it would take almost an entire decade for you to visit them all if you went to one every single day of the year without fail. Let's take a look at a few that make up that incredible boozy community.
A mum who's baby boy had to undergo immediate surgery to stop his heart potentially failing has flagged the concerning symptoms she spotted. Katie George is the full-time carer for her two children, six-year-old Jordan and two-year-old Cole, who both have complex medical needs.
The Canning Town single mum helps Jordan with “all his self-care needs”, including toileting and feeding, after he was born with the umbilical cord around his neck, depriving him of oxygen and resulting in developmental delays, and he now needs help with “all his self-care needs”, including toileting and feeding.
When Cole was born Katie, 26, thought it had been a "textbook" birth but she soon noticed he had several concerning symptoms, including a rash, cough, and “blue tinge to his lips”. Given Katie’s father had several heart conditions – ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, and cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart – and he died aged 64, when she was just 14, these symptoms raised alarm bells for her.
Katie says she wishes she could have 'switched places' with Cole when he underwent balloon angioplasty surgery (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
After pushing for a diagnosis, Katie was told by a GP that Cole had a heart murmur at four months old – and he was then diagnosed with pulmonary valve stenosis, a type of congenital heart disease, at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). “I just felt so deceived, I hadn’t even known that my child had this,” Katie told PA Real Life.
“Can you imagine that doctor hadn’t found Cole’s heart murmur? He could be dead. No other doctor picked up on it, and she said that murmur would have been there from birth.”
Katie was then told Cole would need immediate surgery, otherwise he could go into heart failure, and two options were given – either open heart surgery to have a valve replacement or a balloon angioplasty. Cole had a balloon angioplasty in July 2023, which stretches open a narrowed or blocked artery, and Katie later discovered this safer and less invasive form of surgery was pioneered by a British Heart Foundation (BHF) researcher.
While Cole will need “life-long cardiac care”, his surgery was a success – and Katie has now challenged herself to run the 2024 TCS London Marathon in memory of her dad and to raise money for the BHF. “I thought I went home with a healthy baby and he had a heart condition. Can you imagine that wasn’t detected and he actually died?” Katie said.
Katie will soon be taking on the 2024 TCS London Marathon to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
“I just feel like more needs to be done in relation to how can we stop this or minimise it even from happening – of children being sent home with a heart condition that could either be fatal or become fatal. I can’t even describe the feeling of thinking you’ve got a healthy child to (being told), ‘No, they’re going to need life-long cardiac care’.”
She added: “The doctors kept saying he looks healthy and he’s a healthy boy, he’s a very good weight, but had I not kept pushing for them to listen to his chest, he would have ended up dying because I would have had no idea.”
After falling pregnant with Jordan at 19, Katie experienced nausea, “spikes” in her blood pressure, and dizziness – but she said these symptoms were dismissed as being normal for her first pregnancy. At 39 weeks, however, Katie was induced and said she had a “traumatic” birth on November 10 2017, as Jordan’s heart stopped beating after being delivered.
“When he was born, Jordan had the (umbilical) cord around his neck three times and he wasn’t breathing,” Katie said. “My mum hit the alarm, the crash team came in, and Jordan was purple and blue – he was basically stillborn. When you push a baby out, you wait to hear the cry. I was waiting to hear it and instead it was alarms and people running in.”
Katie said doctors had to resuscitate Jordan several times before they “stabilised his heartbeat” and incubated him – and just hours after his birth, she was told he might not make it. While Jordan did survive, Katie said he is now “severely disabled”, non-verbal and incontinent, and he has been diagnosed with severe autism and global development delay (GDD).
“If I was to ask him a question, he can’t speak to me, or if he’s in pain, he can’t tell me what’s wrong,” Katie said. “It’s a major guessing game with him to be honest. If something’s wrong, it’s really difficult, and you have to be relentless, especially with doctors.”
Katie is the full-time carer for her two children, Cole (left) and Jordan (right) (Image: Collect/PA Real Life))
When Katie gave birth to her second son Cole on March 13 2022, she said everything was “textbook” and she was told by doctors he was healthy. It was only when Katie took Cole home and spotted specific symptoms – a rash, a blue tinge to his lips, coughing, and Cole sweating during breastfeeding – that she knew something was wrong.
Although Katie said she was told his heart and chest were “all clear” during various check-ups pre and post birth, she continued to seek answers from healthcare professionals. When Cole was four months old, a GP informed Katie that he had a heart murmur – and after being referred to GOSH for further care and treatment, he was diagnosed with pulmonary valve stenosis.
“I just couldn’t believe it, but then on top of that, I just thought, what are the odds? I named Cole after my dad who had a heart condition and my baby has a heart condition,” Katie said. At the third hospital appointment at GOSH, Katie was told Cole would need surgery to correct his heart valve – because without immediate action, he could go into heart failure.
'Bawling eyes out throughout the surgery'
Cole, who was just one at the time, then underwent the balloon angioplasty on July 3, 2023, and Katie said she was “bawling (her) eyes out” throughout the surgery. “I just I wanted to switch places with him, but I couldn’t,” Katie said.
“I just kept thinking, ‘I don’t want him to die’. That’s all I kept thinking because in my head, I’ve only ever had my dad’s experience of a heart condition – and his was traumatising, I’ll never get over it.”
According to the BHF, a congenital heart condition is an abnormality of the heart that develops in the womb, and around 13 babies are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect each day in the UK. Thankfully, Cole’s surgery was a success – and after being told the procedure was down to the BHF, Katie said she wanted to run the 2024 TCS London Marathon and raise funds to “give back”.
Cole at four months old when the worrying symptoms were spotted (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
“I just thought, I’m going to say thank you to the hospital and I’m going to raise money for (the charity) because they saved my little boy’s life,” she said. “Growing up, I had my dad with heart issues and now I’ve got my son. My whole life has been cardiac conditions… and that’s why it felt right to want to do this.”
Katie is now juggling training while caring for her two sons, but she has managed to run 20 miles – just 6.2 miles short of the total distance she will run on April 21 2024. While she is nervous about the upcoming challenge, she hopes she can help other parents spot the signs of congenital heart defects and raise as much money as possible for the BHF as “all the work they do saves lives”.
“An innocent cough turned out to be a heart condition, and then the heart condition turned out to be pulmonary valve stenosis,” she said. “I feel like more awareness needs to be raised around congenital heart defects and how to spot them, but also, I want hospitals to do more to prevent children like my son being sent home with a cardiac condition.”
To support Katie, donate to her fundraising page here or to take on your own challenge for the BHF, visit here.
