Longest serving cabbie in London (BBC News)

Longest serving cabbie honoured

Mr Collins took his first passenger back in 1937London's longest serving black cab driver has been honoured with an award after 70 years of service.
Alfred Collins, aged 92, was given the award from Transport for London at a specially organised ceremony at the Public Carriage Office.

Mr Collins, from Colindale in north west London, drove his first passenger in 1937 and his last a few years ago.

Some of his most famous fares have included Margaret Thatcher, Joan Collins and Bruce Forsyth.

Treasured memories

The father of two said: "Life is all about communication and I have enjoyed sharing my vast experience of life as well as learning a lot with some of my passengers.
"I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life."
He added: "It has been a great privilege to serve the people of London.
"It really does not seem that nearly 70 years has passed by. I have had the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life, politicians, celebrities and the great British public".
David Brown from TfL said: "We are proud of the invaluable contribution he has made to Londoners and visitors alike who value the black taxi as an iconic landmark."

Mr Collins said the secret to a long life was not to worry and always take a little exercise.

25 millionth ride for London Eye (BBC News)

25 millionth ride for London Eye

Abbie joined her dad for a VIP trip on the EyeThe London Eye has had its 25 millionth visitor, seven years after opening.

The milestone at the 450ft-high central London attraction was reached when tourist Steve Harland arrived.

Mr Harland, from Didcot, Oxfordshire, and his daughter Abbie, three, were given a special VIP ride and other perks including a magnum of champagne.

The Eye's managing director David Sharpe said: "Thanks to the support of Londoners and visitors, we have managed to exceed our greatest expectations."
He added: "Just before the turn of this century, we were a mere concept.
"Today we have become a global icon, a contemporary symbol for modern Britain and have changed London's skyline forever."

Tower of London Key Ceremony

I collected my ticket to London today. I am going to visit Pieter & Anca! They got tickets for the Tower of London Key Ceremony and I am really excited about it!

The ceremony takes place every night without disturbanceFor the last 700 years, the Tower of London has locked its gates at 21:53, exactly seven minutes before 10 o’clock. The Chief Warder, dressed in a Beefeater costume, marches his way to the front gate from the Byward Tower. Carrying a lantern in one hand and the Queen’s keys in the other, the Chief Warder walks to Traitor’s Gate and hands his lantern to a nearby guard. As he locks it and aims his way to the other ones, all Beefeater soldiers salute to the Queens Key’s. Never has a small piece of metal demanded so much respect.

As the soldier locks up all the gates, he makes his way towards the Bloody Archway tower, where he is stopped by a sentry. As part of its tradition, the sentry and Warder hold an exchange:

Sentry: ‘Halt, Who goes there?’
Warder: ‘The Keys!’
Sentry: ‘Whose keys?’
Warder: ‘Queen Elizabeth’s keys.’
Sentry: ‘Pass Queen Elizabeth’s keys – Alls well!’

After the traditional exchange the Chief Warder lifts his hat and proclaims ‘God preserve Queen Elizabeth.’ The clock chimes for 10 o’clock as the other Queen’s guards raise their bonnets and say ‘Amen.’ The entire process takes no more than 7 minutes, making the Ceremony of the Keys one of the shortest in London.

Despite it being a near millennia tradition, the ceremony has gone on every night without disturbance. During World War II, when German bombs rained down on London, the ceremony still took place with the exception of a direct hit. Even then, the ceremony was delayed by one-half hour.

I am going to see this :-)

BBC reports: Hybrid double-decker bus launched

Hybrid double-decker bus launched

The bus will operate on route 141London's first "green" double-decker bus has gone into service to help cut carbon emissions.

The hybrid vehicle, which runs on diesel and electricity, will produce 40% less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than regular buses.

It will operate between Palmers Green and London Bridge on route 141.
Mayor Ken Livingstone called for manufacturers to make hybrid buses more financially feasible to speed up their introduction across London.

The hybrid bus is a key part of a range of measures designed to meet targets for tackling climate change.

Mr Livingstone said: ""This is a world-first for London, marking our commitment to a cleaner, greener public transport network."

A battery pack powers the wheels of the new hybrid bus through an electric motor.
Unlike conventional buses, energy generated from braking is recycled and used to charge the batteries.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesman said: "We are hoping to add 40 double-decker hybrid buses to the fleet this year and then gradually increase that number."

By the time of the 2012 Olympics, TfL aims for every bus purchased for London - up to 500 per year - to be a hybrid bus.

Single-deck hybrid buses have been operating on London route 360 since March 2006.