North London Chinese Association 北倫敦華人協會

Strikes that had been planned for London’s underground system this week have been suspended.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members had been due to walk out at noon on Tuesday, and again on Thursday.

But on Monday it said there had been a change in stance from employers, Transport for London (TfL).

A union spokesperson said: “At the 11th hour the employer has shifted its position allowing us to further explore our members concerns around the imposition of new rosters, fatigue and safety issues.

“The dispute is not over and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress.”

Strikes scheduled for 16 and 18 June have also been called off.

However, the union instead announced new 24-hour strike dates of 2 and 4 June if the dispute remains unresolved.

It says its members oppose a new four-day working week arrangement on the underground.

Nick Dent, director of customer operations for London Underground, said: “We are pleased that RMT has withdrawn its planned industrial action this week. This is good news for London.

“Our proposal for a voluntary four-day week is designed to improve both work-life balance for drivers and the reliability of service for customers.

“We look forward to further discussions on the implementation of these proposals with all of our trade unions.”

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A number of Americans have reportedly been exposed to the Ebola virus. It comes after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was declared an emergency of “international concern” by the WHO. Follow the latest on the Ebola outbreak here.ganda cancels Christian celebration and tells pilgrims ‘to go home’

Uganda has asked pilgrims travelling to the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo for Martyrs’ Day to “return home”.

The annual Christian celebrations mark the executions of dozens of Catholic and Anglican converts in the 1880s.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that after talks with his country’s epidemic task force, the event was postponed.

He went on:

“This decision was made because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims annually from Eastern Congo, which is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak. To safeguard everyone’s lives, it is essential that this important event be postponed. I encourage those who have begun their journey to return home.”

However, according to Vatican News, “a sizeable number” of pilgrims have already travelled into the country.

It said they crossed into Uganda on 15 May and are being hosted at a church in the Kasese District.

It added:

“Several additional groups are reported to be en route.”

For context: So far, Uganda has two lab-confirmed cases, which include one death.

The heart of the outbreak is in the Ituri Province, in the DRC, which borders Uganda.

The way learner drivers can book a test in the UK changes from today.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) started the overhaul, which sees only learners able to book, change or swap a car driving test, in March, with more changes to come.

The government says the changes are to tackle a backlog of more than 600,000 waiting for a test to be carried out. It comes months after it set out its new road safety programme.

But what else is changing? And why is this happening?

From Tuesday, the DVSA said only learner drivers will be able to book and manage a car driving test for themselves.

It is now against the law for instructors to manage bookings for their pupils. Those learning will have to make or manage bookings on the government website.

There will also be a new set of terms and conditions for learners to agree to when booking their tests.

The DVSA adds that learners will still be able to get help from someone they know – including a friend, family member, or a supporter at work – to book and manage their driving test, but the person helping must be with them at the time.

New regulations have already been brought in. A change in March means that learners are only permitted to make two changes to their test bookings before having to cancel the booking outright.

These include changing the date or time of a test, changing the test centre, and swapping your appointment with another learner driver who already has a test booked.

And last year, military driving examiners were mobilised to test civilians.

More rule revisions are to come: From 9 June, learners are only able to move their test locations to their nearest three centres.

The changes only apply to car driving tests – they do not apply to other types of tests, like motorcycles – and are not in effect in Northern Ireland.

Why is this happening?

The DVSA says the reforms were “in order to make the process fairer”, to tackle the driving test backlog, and to cut waiting times.

At the end of October, the government said there were 642,000 learner drivers in Britain with a future test booking.

The DVSA attributed that to an increase in demand and people booking tests much earlier than before.

Other government bodies have flagged an issue with tests. In a report from September last year, the National Audit Office (NAO) said the wait from booking to a test was 22 weeks across the UK.

It also found that the length of time spent waiting meant around 31% of DVSA survey respondents had paid a third-party reseller of test slots or a test slot cancellation checker service to secure a session.

In some cases, people paid up to £500 to third parties, which the NAO notes is “a significantly higher price than DVSA’s standard weekday test fee of £62”.

The DVSA also noted in January that attempts to cheat on driving tests in Britain had soared by 47% in a year. It said there was no evidence to link that with the backlog.

Have any other changes been proposed?

In January, it was reported that learner drivers could have to complete a minimum period of driving before being allowed to take their tests.

Ministers were considering introducing the minimum learning period for new drivers in England and Wales as part of a wider road safety strategy, which was subject to consultation.

The government believes introducing either a three or six-month learning period could save lives and reduce the number of crashes. However, this has not yet been announced as policy.

Drivers under the age of 25 represent 6% of licence holders but were involved in 24% of fatal and serious crashes in 2024, according to government figures.

Victims of romance fraud had more than £102 million stolen from them last year, as criminals continue to exploit online relationships to manipulate people into transferring money, new figures have revealed.

Data shows 10,784 reports of romance fraud were made to Report Fraud last year – a 29 per cent increase compared with 2024.
Police believe this rise is partly driven by increased awareness and confidence in reporting, but it also highlights the ongoing scale and impact of a crime that often unfolds over weeks or months.
Overall losses equate to almost £280,000 every day, with individual victims having an average of £9,500 stolen from them. In some cases, reported individual losses reached as high as £1 million.
Romance fraud typically involves sustained contact, with offenders carefully building trust and emotional attachment with the victim before creating a situation where the victim feels they should send them money, often using stories linked to emergencies, investment opportunities or plans to meet in person.
The Metropolitan Police Service area recorded the highest total of losses at £12.1 million. This was followed by Hampshire (£3.45 million), Essex (£3.2 million), Thames Valley (£3.18 million) and Devon and Cornwall (£3.1 million), reflecting the nationwide nature of this offending.

“Romance fraud is particularly harmful because it targets trust and emotional connection. Offenders will often spend significant time building what appears to be a genuine relationship before attempting to exploit their victim financially.

“While the monetary losses can be substantial, the emotional impact is often just as damaging. This crime can affect anyone, and by reporting it, victims help us build intelligence, disrupt offenders and protect others from harm.”

Analysis shows people aged 55 to 74 suffered the greatest financial losses, accounting for almost half of the total amount stolen. Although men submitted a higher number of reports overall, women experienced greater financial losses, making up just over 40 per cent of the total value reported.

Romance fraud remains closely linked to online platforms, particularly social media and dating sites, where offenders can easily create convincing false profiles. Investigators are also seeing increased use of AI generated images and messages to support fraudulent identities. In many cases, romance fraud is linked with fake investment opportunities, including cryptocurrency, in hybrid frauds which further increase the financial risk to victims.

As part of its annual romance fraud campaign, police is urging the public to remain cautious when forming relationships online and to be alert to warning signs:
• Individuals who develop relationships very quickly or express strong feelings early on
• Excuses not to meet in person or to avoid live video calls
• Wanting to send money, cryptocurrency or gift cards to someone you have not met face to face
• Talk of investments, medical emergencies or travel costs
• You feel you are unable to or don’t want to talk about the relationship with friends or family
• The person you are communicating with doesn’t like it when you use ways to protect yourself from fraud
Make sure you:
• Speak to a trusted friend or family member if you want to send money
• Reverse-image search profile and other photos you are sent
• Actively let the person know you are fraud aware and will be protecting yourself (if they don’t like it, this is a key warning sign)
• If you want to move money, listen to your bank and follow their advice to stop if they tell you they are concerned.

As part of its ongoing work to tackle romance fraud, the City of London Police has collaborated with Associate Professor of Criminology and Forensic Linguist, Dr Elisabeth Carter. This collaboration has been instrumental in strengthening understanding of the language used in romance fraud and in shaping clearer, more effective advice for victims. The City of London Police looks forward to continuing this work as part of its wider efforts to prevent romance fraud and support those affected.
Anyone who believes they may have been targeted is encouraged to report it to Report Fraud at www.reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. If money has already been transferred, they should contact their bank immediately. In Scotland, victims of fraud and cybercrime should report to Police Scotland on 101. Every Report Counts.
Visit Stop! Think Fraud for more information on types of fraud and ways to protect yourself from them. visit stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk