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London's first 'pocket park' set to open
The first of the Mayor Boris Johnson's 'pocket parks' is being unveiled today, as part of a £2 million scheme to transform neglected areas in the capital into green spaces.
The Edible Bus Stop on Landor Road in Stockwell is the first of 100 pocket parks being created.
Local volunteers have used a £20,000 grant from City Hall to turn the disused area behind a bus stop into a thriving garden that will grow vegetables, herbs, and seven fruit trees.
Work is already underway on 26 other parks which have received funding.
Hundreds expected to protest over NHS closures
Hundreds of protesters are expected to take to the streets of Westminster today to protest against cuts to the NHS in London.
The campaigners will gather on the South Bank before crossing Waterloo bridge to Downing Street where they will deliver a letter to Number 10.
Dr Louise Irvine, from the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign, said: "We are facing an unprecedented danger to the NHS.
"The threat to almost 50% of the capital's A&E services, to maternity units, to ICU places and to ambulance provision, as well as opening up the NHS to privatisation, presents us with a grave risk to Londoners of all ages in every community."
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Drug arrests up to 25 in major police operation
Officers have now arrested 25 suspected heroin and cocainedealers in their crackdown on drug dealing in Soho.
A further three people were arrested for breaching theterms of their ASBOs and one arrest was made in relation to an assault in Soho.
Litvinenko's widow accuses coroner of abandoning 'search for truth'
The widow of poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko tonight accused a coroner of abandoning "his search for the truth about Russian state responsibility for her husband's death".
Marina Litvinenko's criticism comes after Sir Robert Owen revealed he cannot hear in public evidence linked to the alleged involvement of the Russian government.
The ruling was published after the coroner accepted an application by the UK Foreign Office to keep certain information under wraps.
A statement from Mrs Litvinenko's solicitors described the decision as "a tragedy for British justice".
It added that it set a "frightening precedent" for all of those trying to "expose the crimes committed by conspiracy of organised criminals that operate from the Kremlin."
Family were staying at the Coral Sea Waterworld
Tour operator First Choice say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding Chloe's death.
In a statement they said:
"First Choice can sadly confirm that a child has died while staying at the Coral Sea Waterworld hotel in Egypt. The incident occurred in a pool in the hotel's waterpark.
Our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this extremely difficult time. The British Consulate were immediately informed and they are now working with our dedicated resort team in Egypt, to offer every assistance possible to the family in resort."
Six-year-old drowns in hotel waterpark in Egypt
ITV News London understands that a six-year-old girl has drowned at a hotel waterpark in Egypt, while on holiday with her family.
Chloe Johnson from Forest Hill had been staying at the Coral Sea Waterworld hotel in Sharm el Sheik.
Tour operator First Choice have said that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding Chloe's death.
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Government has prioritised political relationship with Russia over need for open inquest, says friend
Alexander Litvinenko was a Kremlin critic who left Russia in 2000. He died an excruciating death in hospital three weeks after drinking a cup of tea laced with the radioactive isotope polonium-2010 during a meeting with two men at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square in 2006.
Alex Goldfarb, a friend of the Litvinenko family and his widow Marina, said the decision this afternoon was "deeply dismaying", and that it was "upsetting" that in his view British government had prioritised its political relationship with Russia over the need to hold an open inquest.
He said:
"It appears the British government is more concerned about the use of chemical weapons in Syria than radioactive weapons being used on the streets of London."
However Mr Goldfarb added: "On the other hand, it's an admission by the British government that the Russian state is culpable because otherwise they would not have requested immunity. That in itself is a partial victory for Marina. [Litvinenko's widow]"
His family believes he was working for MI6 at the time and was killed on the orders of the Kremlin.
The coroner's ruling was published today after he accepted an application by the UK Foreign Office to keep certain information under wraps.
Evidence cannot be heard in secret as part of an inquest, but could be as part of a public inquiry.
Sir Robert said: "It is my present view that I should hear submissions as to whether I should invite the Secretary of State (the Home Secretary) on behalf of Government to consider whether the power to hold an inquiry should be exercised in this case."
He said that the issues of preventability and Russian involvement are of "central importance" to the investigation into Mr Litvinenko's death.
Addressing the first issue, he said his duty to carry out "a full, fair and fearless investigation" would be hampered if it was not included.
He also said that excluding key evidence on the issue of Russian involvement would cause him "grave concern".
The coroner went on: "Were an inquiry to be held into the circumstances of Mr Litvinenko's death, the relevant material could be taken into account."
Government could hear secret evidence behind closed doors
In the judgement this afternoon, Sir Robert Owen also agreed not to include any evidence questioning whether the UK authorities could have prevented Litvinenko's death.
The coroner admitted the exclusion of this evidence could result in the inquest becoming "incomplete, misleading and unfair" and took the unusual step of inviting the government to hear the secret evidence in a separate secret inquiry behind closed doors.
The inquest is scheduled to begin on 2nd October.
Russian state involvement will not be considered
Coroner Sir Robert Owen has upheld a request by Foreign Secretary William Hague to keep secret any evidence that Russian state agencies may have been involved in Alexander Litvinenko's death.
Raids were an extensive intelligent led operation, say police
Police have now arrested 23 suspected heroin and cocaine dealers who blight the streets of Soho in the latest phase of a major sustained crackdown on drug and associated street crime in the area.
Officers from Westminster swooped on suspects operating in the very heart of the West End last night, following an extensive intelligence led operation into the supply of class A and B in and around Soho.
The latest wave of arrests come just weeks after the final sentencing of 30 drug dealers who were jailed for a total of 100 years after they were arrested during the first stage of the crackdown in May 2012.
ASBOs have been secured against many of the 30 convicted which prevent them from re-entering the area on their release from prison.
In addition, a further 32 drug dealers and users have had ASBOs secured against them, banning them from large areas of Westminster.
