London news stories on Newser

Spain's Queen Sofia Snubs Brit Jubilee Over Gibraltar

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:14:04 CDT

Spain's Queen Sofia is dumping her planned trip to Britain to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in a long-simmering snit over Gibraltar. It's "hardly appropriate" for Sofia, 73, to attend lunch at Windsor Castle tomorrow in light of the two nations' tensions over the territory, noted a statement from the...

Hoffman Saves Heart Attack Jogger

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:02:00 CDT

Dustin Hoffman has joined the ranks of celebs who save lives. He was walking in London's Hyde Park when he spotted a jogger first stagger, then keel over, frothing at the mouth. He immediately called the emergency Brit number—999—and stayed as paramedics performed CPR on Sam Dempster, 27....

London Cabbies Sitting Out Olympics

Matt Cantor — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:25:05 CDT

London is planning travel restrictions for some 109 miles of its streets during the Olympics; a third of that distance will be reserved for athletes, members of the press, and officials. London cabbies aren't happy about it: Some 40% of the city's 23,200 black-cab drivers plan to strike during...

Occupy Plots Global Protests Tomorrow

Matt Cantor — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:23:11 CDT

We haven't heard much from Occupy Wall Street in a while, so protesters are looking to make some noise tomorrow. Groups from Barcelona to London to Kuala Lumpur, as well as in 115 cities across the US, are getting ready for May 1, known as International Workers' Day. "We call...

London Workers Held Hostage in Bomb Threat

Matt Cantor — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:46:56 CDT

A man has been arrested in an apparent hostage situation in central London that prompted an evacuation and the closing of a major thoroughfare. Police were called to Tottenham Court Road after office equipment was hurled from the fifth floor of an office building, the BBC reports. A man carrying...

US Still Rules in Decathlon

Matt Cantor — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:12:46 CDT

In 2008, China beat out the US for most Olympic gold medals; this year, it's poised to garner the most total medals. Olympic glory has become a little less common stateside—but when it comes to the decathlon, we're set to do ourselves proud. The three favorites for medals this...

Marathon Runner Raises $400K After Death

Rob Quinn — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:29:09 CDT

A British mental health charity has received a flood of donations following the death of a runner in the final stretch of the London Marathon on Sunday. Claire Squires, a 30-year-old hairdresser, was running to raise money for the Samaritans, a group that offers emotional support to people in distress....

London Mayor Bans 'Gay Cure' Bus Ads

Rob Quinn — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:09:49 CDT

London Mayor Boris Johnson has stepped in to stop the city's buses from carrying ads suggesting that homosexuality can be "cured." The ads—mimicking a "Some people are gay. Get over it!" campaign from the Stonewall gay rights group—read: "Not gay! Post-gay, ex-gay and proud. Get over it!" The...

MI-5 to Put All 4K Agents on Olympic Watch

Mark Russell — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:35:00 CDT

The London Olympics looks to be the biggest security operation in England since World War II, with nearly all 3,800 of Britain's MI-5 agents staff mobilized in the capital against potential terrorist attacks, reports the Independent . With 540,000 people and 120 heads of state expected to attend the...