Ani O'Brien: On the ground: has London fallen?

I’ve just spent the better part of a month in London, and many of you have asked what it’s “really like” on the ground. From a distance, the headlines are relentless: illegal immigration, spiralling crime, a migrant crisis that feels out of control. While I was here, Tommy Robinson led a massive protest march through central London and many asked me if I would attend. I would have done if it were not on the same day as my sister’s wedding. So instead I was in Kent, done up to the nines and highly intoxicated.

Dr Will Jones: London Falls Out of Top Five Wealthiest Cities as Millionaires Leave

London is no longer one of the top five wealthiest cities in the world after losing more millionaires than anywhere else, including Moscow. The Times has more.

An annual report on global wealth says the UK’s capital has lost 11,300 dollar millionaires over the past year, including 18 centimillionaires and two billionaires. A centimillionaire is someone who has at least $100 million, while a billionaire has more than $1,000 million.

Richard Eldred: Thousands Shut Down London As Protesters Chant “Free Tommy”

Tommy Robinson supporters and Stand Up To Racism activists have staged rival protests in Central London. The Mail has the details.

The Met police have confirmed that six people have been arrested as Tommy Robinson supporters invade the Stand Up To Racism counter-demo area.

Dr Will Jones: One in 12 in London is an Illegal Migrant

London is home to as many as 585,000 illegal migrants, equivalent to one in 12 of the city’s population, according to a previously confidential report. The Telegraph has the story.

There is mounting concern over the failure to control Britain’s borders and the pressure that places on public services such as schools and the NHS. The use of illegal migrants in the black economy, working in roles such as food delivery drivers, is also a concern.

Peter Williams: Reflections

Random thoughts after a week away

London in the autumn is decidedly pleasant. Despite almost annual trips to the British capital from the late nineties till the onset of Covid, I don’t think I’ve been here in September since the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

It’s warm enough to not worry about a sweater or jacket during the day yet the leaves in the abundant green spaces haven’t started to turn.

Kate Hawkesby: Getting out of NZ shows how introspective we've become

As school goes back today, for how long who knows given the looming strikes, but as we head back to the office and to school, it’s been interesting to reflect on the past two weeks.

We headed away for the first time in three years – we hadn’t left the country since Covid and closed borders, but we’d heard from everybody who had, how refreshing it is to get out of NZ. How inspiring it is to see how much the rest of the world has moved on. How blinkered and parochial we have become in our own little hermit kingdom.

Our first stop was San Francisco, a lost city full of drugs and homeless people and not much to enthuse a tourist to be honest. It felt edgy and unsafe and made me worried about our next stop – New York – and how much more dangerous and unsafe that may feel.

But how wrong I was. New York is incredible. It feels super safe due to the fact the place is flooded with cops – Police on every corner, and lots of them.