London

London

The stunts and racing presents a real risk of injury and death to the people standing close to the vehicle. Many of these stunts are performed by inexperienced drivers, cheered on and encouraged by the crowd to go faster and faster. The disturbance caused to the local community is huge, the noise created by these stunts will travel considerable distances, over half a mile. The sound of the exhausts is comparable to a shotgun continuously firing in a built up area.

Early in my career, I was going through a difficult chapter in work and life. Having moved down to London from Glasgow, I felt socially untethered, unsure of where I belonged. I yearned to feel part of a gang like I'd done back home, but I had no clue about how to find one. A bruising experience of redundancy hadn't helped matters.

A decision on China's proposed mega embassy in London is expected on Monday or Tuesday, with Chinese officials and British diplomats in Beijing holding their breath in anticipation of the planning application finally being approved. The saga, which has been running since 2018, is widely expected to end with the British government giving the green light for construction. If it does, one group likely to be grateful is those who work in the British embassy's dilapidated building in Beijing.

LONDON -- Ja Morant had 24 points and 13 assists in his return to the lineup to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 126-109 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday in the first NBA regular-season game in London since 2019. Jock Landale added 21 points and 8 rebounds and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 17 points as Memphis avenged its 118-111 loss to Orlando in Berlin on Thursday in the first of their European doubleheader.

A man and woman, both aged 90, have died in a house fire in north London. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to a semi-detached house on Albemarle Road, Barnet where a fire had broken out on the ground floor shortly before 02:00 GMT. Their bodies were recovered from the house by firefighters and were later found to have died at the scene.

When I was growing up in Sunderland, the big round vegetable with orange flesh was a turnip and the small round purple and cream vegetable with white flesh was a swede (Letters, 14 January). When I moved to London, the big vegetable was called a swede and the small one a turnip. After 57 years of living in London, I'm still confused. Linda Seal Hammersmith, London

To celebrate its bicentenary, London Zoo is launching a programme of monthly history tours that delve into two centuries of animals, architecture and scientific discovery. The guided walks are included as a free extra with a paid Zoo visit and run on a rotating theme throughout the year, allowing visitors to choose tours that match their particular interests in the Zoo's long and varied past.

Seventy firefighters and ten fire engines were called to the apartment building on Brooks Road in Chiswick last Friday. One woman was rescued from the flat by firefighters before being taken to hospital where she later died on January 13. Four people were also rescued from neighbouring flats and were provided with escape hoods before being taken to hospital as a precaution.

Quins now sit second in their pool and will seal a home knockout tie with a bonus-point win over La Rochelle next Sunday. Flanker Jack Kenningham, Cadan Murley and Alex Dombrandt all crossed in a dominant first quarter for the hosts. Stormers, who came into the game undefeated this season, opted against playing a large number of their star Springboks. Jason Gilmore's side ended their poor run of form by bagging five first-half tries, with Chandler Cunningham-South and David also getting over.

"In the end that falls on me, and we've got to do something about it. I don't want to tell you guys what's happened over the last 24, 36 hours, but rest assured that we've called a spade a spade and we've been honest with everybody and everyone's been honest with us. We've confronted what was wrong. There's not much to say really, so we've just got to go and do."

The Met Office has put two amber and seven yellow alerts in place for Thursday, with chief forecaster Neil Armstrong describing the system as a multi-hazard event combining heavy rain, powerful winds and snowfall. Storm Goretti, which was named by the French meteorological service, has also been labelled a weather bomb by the Met Office as it strengthens quickly over the Atlantic before tracking towards the UK and France.

A US citizen has been jailed for 12 months after a sustained bomb hoax campaign targeting venues and hospitals, including Guy's and St Thomas' in central London. David Hart, 22, made 95 bogus 999 calls from late October to mid November 2023. A court heard that Hart made multiple calls to UK telephone numbers with 66 directed to the capital. While not all connected successfully, a significant number did.

He was in Westminster on Saturday, January 4, at around 10.50pm mid-livestream when police surrounded Krimoe and a group he was with and quickly detained him. In a video posted on Instagram, police sirens can be heard as Big Ben chimes. Someone shouts, oh my f***ing Jesus and the social media influencer Krimoe puts his hands in the air. An officer puts him in handcuffs.

London ushered in 2026 with a spectacular fireworks and strobe-light display that celebrated togetherness. As Big Ben struck midnight, crowds counted down in unison before erupting into cheers to welcome the New Year. The London Eye took centre stage in the incredible display, organised by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, with towering fireworks and dramatic strobe effects. More than 12,000 fireworks and over 400 lights were used, making it the largest annual firework display in Europe.

Like a pub roast or a needless apology, a car boot sale is a quintessential British pastime; a staple weekend activity for those willing to venture into a field at 6am to flog old DVDs from the boot of their car at 50p a pop. But the Balham organisers, like others across the country, have rebranded the British car boot to represent something slightly more en vogue.

The latest fatberg shows exactly what happens when fats, oils and wipes go down our drains they don't disappear, they build up and cause serious damage, said Tim Davies, the head of waste operations for north London at Thames Water. The cost of clearing blockages and repairing sewers runs into tens of millions of pounds every year, and that money ultimately comes from our customers.

Anthony Gilheaney, 31, was drunk and when he mounted the pavement with his Mercedes and repeatedly targeted people to run over. He was convicted of the murder of Aiden Chapman, 25, who suffered catastrophic brain injuries after being struck by Gilheaney's car. A couple on their way home from midnight mass were also attacked in the early hours of Christmas Day 2024 in London's West End.

Outside the entrance to the red brick library, around 130 employees chant in unison, blow on brightly coloured plastic horns and cheer when passing drivers honk in support. Money, Money, Money by ABBA blasts out of a surprisingly powerful portable speaker. Yet beneath the jovial atmosphere is a sense of profound exasperation. I don't want to be out here dancing on a picket line. I want to be in there, doing my job, and getting a decent wage for it, says one library assistant.

While it's quieter than usual, Hampton Court Palace offers half-price tickets for a few weeks during January and February. The half-price tickets include entry to all open public areas of the palace, including the Great Hall and Henry VIII's Kitchens. The half-price offer runs from 7th January to 8th February 2026.

'For more than 150 years, Ally Pally has been the People's Palace, a place where everyone can come to experience something truly special, and we're thrilled to add Summit to that legacy. 'This new rooftop adventure, the highest roof walk in the UK, offers a completely new perspective on the Palace, with stunning panoramic views across London. Summit is an exciting and significant addition to our year-round destination, set to attract new visitors from further afield, whil

He had 272mg of alcohol in his system, more than three times the legal driving limit, jurors at East London Coroner's Court were told. The train operator of the fifth service to pass Mr Mitchell reported a blow-up doll on the track, and a member of staff, who did see the body was unable to stop the last train, as they were in shock.

Several car-sharing companies are considering launching or expanding in London, with the imminent closure of Zipcar's UK operation leaving a large gap in the market in one of Europe's biggest cities. Free2Move, owned by the carmaker Stellantis, said it was closely monitoring the London market, and actively assessing options for its services. It already operates fleets in cities including Berlin, Paris, Rome and Washington DC.

Earlier this year Marks & Spencers revealed that it would be investing a massive £90 million into its London locations, revealing that six new or improved locations would be added to its roster in the capital by Christmas. The last of those store additions has taken place this week, as M&S Chiswick has reopened.