Thrilled to say I’ve finally arrived in Russia as the new Sky News Moscow correspondent.
Big shoes to fill (
@DiMagnaySky
) but supported by a fantastic team (
@katyamotyakina
& co)
And what a week to start - inauguration today, Victory Day Thursday. Please do tune in!
@SkyNews
"Such a wonderful human being...a kind, funny soul" - one of the tributes left to Hussain Chaudhry, a teenage law student stabbed to death outside his home in Walthamstow yesterday afternoon
RMT boss Mick Lynch has arrived at the Department for Transport ahead of crunch meeting with the Transport Sec.
"We're expecting a positive meeting. We're offering a constructive approach and we'll see what he says."
More on
@SkyNews
shortly
This is the scene in Portobello road right now. 100+ gathered for a street party. Music, booze but definitely no social distancing. More on
@SkyNews
at midnight
Meanwhile, here in Russia, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has arrived for surprise talks with Vladimir Putin
He’s the first EU leader to visit Moscow since April 2022
He calls it a peace mission but Brussels is furious, saying he has no mandate to negotiate with Kremlin on EU’s behalf
The queue already forming outside the London Aquatic Centre this morning, where
@SkyNews
will be live from 0700 to cover the latest easing of
#lockdown
in England. Indoor pools, gyms and leisure centres can now reopen
@AndrewPotterNZ
@liamyoung
That's pretty accurate actually. No driveway though and it's a wall instead of hedge. But that hasn't stopped me and others camping outside for weeks now. Unfortunately he hasn't come out so there's been nothing to film
Police are still searching Epping forest for
#RichardOkorogheye
's phone, bag and shoes. His mother said his body was found without them.
Where, When, How and Why he died are all questions that remain unanswered, with cause of death still pending
Matt Hancock has cancelled an appearance at Newmarket racecourse this morning. Surprise, surprise...
He was supposed to be attending a vaccination centre there at 10am. But racecourse organisers told me he won't be coming after cancelling "early this morning"
Sky News has spoken to supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as he's officially sworn in for a new six-year term.
Watch US actor Steven Seagal call Sky's question about Putin 'stupid' ⬇️
@IvorBennett
🔗
Several different groups on the starting line of today's protest in London:
Anti-lockdown, anti-austerity, Extinction rebellion, free Palestine, BLM, Anti-war amongst others
Coming together in opposition to the current government
Last night’s
@SkyNews
report on the historic prisoner exchange between Russia and the West.
Journalists and dissidents went one way; spies, hackers and an assassin the other
"I'll bring the lorry down here and I'll run over them"
Police actual had to hold some of the drivers back at one point, warning them they'll be arrested for assault if they touch the activists
#InsulateBritain
@SkyNews
Police on Waterloo bridge this afternoon focused their attentions on what
#ExtinctionRebellion
called their 'barnacles' - 6 protestors glued to the underside of a lorry. Officers had to use cutting equipment and debonder to remove them
Just witnessed one female victim of
#Streatham
attack being discharged from
@StGeorgesTrust
hospital in Tooting. She walked out, surrounded by loved ones, who said 'she is going to be ok'
The moment the King passes anti-monarchy protesters on his way to Parliament.
Loud boos and chants of “not my king” from around 100 demonstrators
#KingsSpeech
@SkyNews
This is the street in Loughton in Essex where Richard was last seen, in early hours of Tuesday March 23
CCTV from a pub saw him walking alone. It's a residential street that backs onto Epping forest
Police say
#RichardOkorogheye
travelled here by taxi from W2
BREAKING: police having to calm angry drivers at the Dartford crossing right now as they are try to remove
#InsulateBritain
protestors from M25 sliproad
Wowzers - when this story was broadcast on
@itvnews
Frankie had raised just shy of £1300. 5 hours later, he's over £5000. Here's the link should you wish to donate to this very worthy cause
#InspiringBritain
#KWWF
Coming up on
@itvnews
now, the next installment in our
#InspiringBritain
series. I meet Frankie Hill, the 6 yr old Santa who's raised over £1000 for presents for the homeless
#kwwf
Bailiffs are unsuccessfully trying to evict kill-the-bill protestors from a former police station in Clapham right now but attempts proving unsuccessful after the squatters, well, squatted on the crane brought in to get them down
The trial of US journalist Evan Gershkovich has begun in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
The Wall Street Journal reporter is accused of spying for the CIA - charges he, his employer and his govt deny.
Media were allowed to film before it began but trial itself is in secret
Atmosphere much more carnival than carnage. No anti-social behaviour that I saw but also no social distancing and, even if people are just having fun, large gatherings like street parties simply not allowed under current guidance
"Power to black girl Child Q"
The chants of approx 200 ppl marching through Hackney in support of the 15yr old schoolgirl strip searched by police after being falsely accused of possessing cannabis
More on
@SkyNews
shortly
Just some of the countless posters friends of
#saraheverard
have put up in the Clapham/Brixton area, appealing for help and information. She's been missing since Wednesday.
Family says it's "totally out of character for her to disappear like this"
More on
@SkyNews
soon
"Police need to work harder to find out who killed my son"
My interview with
#RichardOkorogheye
's bereaved mother, Evidence, who rejects the current
@metpoliceuk
theory of no 3rd party involvement
@SkyNews
Richard Okorogheye's mother, Evidence Joel, has told Sky News that the Met Police treated her as a 'lunatic' as she questioned the force's willingness to help find her son in the early days after he went missing.
Click here to read more:
@vkellawaywrites
Hi Victoria, I'm a reporter at Sky News. I'm covering the red list travel update. would be up for chatting to me briefly over zoom about how it affects you when we get the news? Thanks
WATCH: Sir Keir to the Kremlin? Sounds unlikely but Vladimir Putin’s spokesman didn’t rule it out today.
“It depends on his initiatives,” he told me after Viktor Orbán’s visit.
Russia’s leader is apparently “open to any contact” but also won’t be telephoning no.10 anytime soon.
#RichardOkorogheye
's mother has told me she was "shocked and very surprised" to learn her son was seen in Loughton because "he's never been there before".
It's around 20 miles from where they live in West London. He was seen on CCTV. Police say he travelled here by taxi
NEW: Specialist Crime Command has taken over investigation into disappearance of
#SarahEverard
due to "complex nature and concerns for Sarah's welfare"
But
@metpoliceuk
stress there's nothing to suggest "anything untoward has happened" and case is still missing persons enquiry
Are people trying to profit from
#RichardOkorogheye
's death? There are already several
@gofundme
pages claiming to raise money for his family and funeral but his mother says so far none of the below are connected to her.
Raises the question: how widespread is fake fundraising?
Police and fire services still on the scene in
#Dover
where a man threw petrol bombs at a migrant processing centre.
A witness has told me the man killed himself at a petrol station nearby, describing him as "white, in his 50s or 60s"
@metpoliceuk
officers have begun searching the ponds on Clapham Common in connection with the disappearance of Sarah Everard, a 33 year old who's been missing since Wednesday night
I went to
@NewNorthAcademy
in Islington today where 8-yr-olds are being taught meditation to deal with stress. Teachers estimate as many as 50% of pupils are/have been affected by mental health problems. Coming up on
@itvlondon
now
#mentalhealthweek
Aylesbury's Odeon cinema starting life this morning as a vaccination centre
Run by
@Pharmacy2U
who say they're aiming to jab 340 ppl a day here for next 3 months
More on
@SkyNews
every hour
#RichardOkorogheye
parents told me they weren't taken seriously by
@metpoliceuk
when they reported him missing
His mother claims a female officer said "if you can't find your son, how do you expect police officers to find your son for you?"
The start of the
#queue
is once again back in Southwark Park. People joining being told to expect a wait of 14 hours, which is promoting cheers. 10 hours shorter than what many had been bracing for
Same police, different gathering just up the road from Portobello. Much smaller but people told to go home. Seems like midnight is the informal curfew... police clearly aware of the potential for anti-social behaviour
This is the pond in Epping forest where a body was found in the search for
#RichardOkorogheye
It's about 2 miles from where he was last seen in Loughton on March 23 and a police cordon is still in place
Formal identification of the body is expected later today
Police say they are "extremely concerned" about the welfare of
#saraheverard
and that they're "keeping an open mind" in their investigation.
Disappearance is of "particular concern" because it is "so out of character"
More on
@SkyNews
at 4
Horses have just joined the search for
#RichardOkorogheye
in Epping forest. Police told me this will enable rapid visual searches of the wider area while fingertip searches continue near to where Richard was last seen
I'm back in Kent where forensics officers are still searching a property in Aylesham, close to where Julia James was murdered 12 days ago.
They've looked under paving slabs in the front garden and gone through a skip outside
Crowds picking up again outside Buckingham palace, laying flowers, taking photos etc. Most I've spoken to are aware of palace request for ppl not to come but they feel compelled to nonetheless to pay their respects
UPDATE from
@metpoliceuk
on
#RichardOkorogheye
They are "working tirelessly" to establish circumstances around his disappearance, which includes "forensic, medical and specialist enquiries" as they await formal ID of body found yesterday
This was taking place outside a pub called The Distillery but party and pub no connected. Apparently people have been gathering here for weeks. Music, dancing drinking etc. No police until tonight I understand
Coming up on
@itvlondon
- is London's
#fatberg
the start of a new geological age? It's started sweating since being on display
@MuseumofLondon
and 'coffin' flies were hatching from it for a month. They now want to make it a permanent artefact. Pity whoever has to handle it
How much are people willing to risk to get to UK? Everything.
This is baby Ayyan, barely two weeks old, rescued by the RNLI after 9 hours at sea in a dinghy
Clearly everyone loves a bargain. This was the scene on Oxford st just now when Debenhams opened their doors after announcing a closing down sale
More on
@SkyNews
later
The family of
#JuliaJames
have lit candles in Aylesham tonight in memory of the murdered PCSO. A week since she was killed, police still have no motive and are yet to make any arrests.
@SkyNews
The page organised by Rustam Wahab has raised over £10k already. He's tweeted to say he's asked
@gofundme
to add Richard's Mum as a beneficiary. But concern over fake pages certainly still stands
BREAKING: Police questioning
#ConstanceMarten
and Mark Gordon have confirmed to
@SkyNews
the baby whose remains were found in woodland was their child.
The baby may have been dead "for some time" before it was found, and they're yet to confirm the baby's gender.
Daniel Richardson and his son George, 10, have come all the way from Birmingham to lay flowers at
#BuckinghamPalace
"He had a big impact on a lot of people's lives. We just thought it was the right thing to do."
@SkyNews
@Earthbranding
We’ve just installed a reverse vending machine to help us all recycle more - takes plastics bottles and cans, and gives you credit !!
#littlexlittle
WATCH: NHS critical care nurse warns there could be strikes if staff don't get a 15% pay rise, even if there's a second wave of Covid
#NHSPay15
@SkyNews
Sky's
@IvorBennett
is in London where NHS workers are protesting for a 15% pay rise.
Critical care nurse Ameera Sheikh says "we are preparing for a strike" and adds "without doubt" the UK is heading into a second wave of
#coronavirus
.
Theresa May arrives at Lord Mayor's Banquet ahead of PM's annual speech. According to one member of
@cityoflondon
press team, their main worry is another P45-style prankster