19/11/2017 London News

Welcome to BBC London News,

I'm Victoria Hollins.

A woman stabbed to death in her home

during what appears to be a botched

burglary has been named locally

as Cathy Burke.

The 55-year-old lived

alone in Muswell Hill.

Neighbours have described

her as "a lovely lady",

as Marc Ashdown reports.

Described by friends as "larger

than life with a heart to match".

It's thought Cathy Burke was tied up

before being stabbed to death.

All day long, the flowers have been

mounting up in this quiet

residential corner of Muswell Hill,

now the crime scene

of a brutal murder.

Fennelle was friends

with Miss Burke for ten years.

She was fun.

She had, you know, the Irish,

quite jokey, laughy.

She liked to have a drink sometimes,

have a little dance.

She was always making me laugh.

She used to have a

little dance about.

Very friendly, very warm and giving.

Very giving lady.

So pretty sad, then.

I'm devastated.

I absolutely feel sick to my

stomach, but she's not here no more.

It was neighbours who

first raised the alarm.

A number have told me they used

to see her walking her dog up

and down here every day,

and when she didn't appear one day,

and knowing she wasn't very well,

they got concerned.

It was neighbours, in fact,

who put this ladder up

to try and investigate,

and when they couldn't find

anything, they called police.

They arrived, and found

her body inside.

Detectives are keeping an open mind,

but at this early stage,

it appears she was a victim

of a failed burglary,

although there were no

signs of a forced entry.

Such a lovely person.

A real character.

She was so funny.

And I just can't believe this

has happened to her.

For such a lovely woman.

It's a quiet area.

Looks like a nice area.

This is one of the quietest streets

you'll get in this area.

It's a lovely, quiet street,

so everybody is in total shock,

and everybody is a bit

nervous as well.

Police are expected to make a formal

identification tomorrow.

No arrests have been made.

They are still appealing for any

witnesses to come forward.

Mark Ashdown, BBC London News.

A student who was jailed

in the United Arab Emirates on drugs

charges has been freed

after a three-year

campaign for his release.

Ahmad Zeidan - who was

studying in Dubai -

was arrested along with several

other young men, when a small amount

of cocaine was found in their car.

The 22-year-old from Reading says

he was forced to sign a confession

after being tortured -

claims denied by authorities there.

His father Manal said his son was

freed after a £4,000 fine was paid.

Hundreds of Coptic Christians have

gathered in Hertfordshire

for a special event to mark

a new chapter in the

life of their church.

The religion has its roots

in Egypt, where today,

members face persecution.

But here in London,

its community is growing.

Thomas Magill reports.

Making history at the enthronement

of the first Coptic

Christian Bishop of London.

Bishop Angaelos is no stranger

to London, having led

the Copts here since 1999.

And now he says the creation

of a new diocese will help him

unite its seven parishes

and make their growing

congregation stronger.

Like many parishes anywhere

in the world, they become islands.

When they're bound together

as a diocese they have a unified

identity, and that allows them

to bring their own strengths,

but also compensate each

other's weaknesses.

St George's Cathedral in Stevenage

was full for the celebration,

with worshippers happy

about what the appointment means

for the future of their church.

He has this drive and this ambition,

knows how to draw young

people to the church.

It's something to look forward

to for the next generation.

And all this a far cry from life

for Coptic Christians

in the Middle East.

Dozens have been killed this year

after Coptic Christian churches

and homes were bombed by suspected

IS militants in Egypt.

Bishop Angaelos says there's

challenges for Christians

in the West too, and now

the celebrations are over,

he's looking forward

to getting on with the job.

And now a look at the weather,

with Sara Thornton.

Good evening.

It's been a pretty chilly

evening across London,

temperatures down close

to freezing under clear skies,

but change on the way at the moment.

We've got some cloud pushing towards

us from the west through the night,

bits and pieces of rain first thing

and temperatures rising

all the while as the

south-westerly wind sets in.

Maybe a bit of drizzle

in the afternoon, fairly cloudy,

certainly feeling very

different than today,

highs of 13 degrees.

Today, we saw just seven

and eight Celsius.

And milder still for the middle part

of the week, perhaps the mid-teens.

Often dry, often

cloudy, and windy too.

That's it.

We're back with breakfast

bulletins tomorrow morning.

From all of us here, good night.