On a quiet street lined with 18th-century Georgian houses behind Westminster Abbey, Garry Usher winds the mechanical clock on the gas street lamp and gives the glass globe a polish.

He steps down off his ladder and looks up with satisfaction as the soft, warm light lifts the dark winter evening, and moves on down the street.

Despite nationwide budget cuts that have reduced local services and seen street lights dimmed to save money, 1,500 gas lamps in London are still maintained by hand.

They are the last of tens of thousands of lamps that were first introduced in the capital 200 years ago, a marvel of modern technology that brought life to the once dark and dangerous streets.

While many London residents are oblivious to their presence, the lamps are protected by local authorities as a piece of history -- and new ones are even being installed.

"They're lovely. It's a fantastic form of lighting, not as harsh as electric," Usher told AFP as he went on his rounds.

The 50-year-old, an engineer with the British Gas energy firm, used to maintain central heating but began working on the lamps because it gave him Saturdays off to play rugby.

Now he leads a team involving four other "lamplighters" who maintain the lamps, half of which still have mechanical clocks that need re-winding every 14 days.

The others run on electrical timers which need their batteries changed every six months, while the various parts also need checking regularly.

"You're touching history everywhere you go -- it's a privileged job," Usher said.

Burning sewer smells

Gas lamps became common across Europe in the mid-19th century. Before that, walking the streets at night was a dangerous business.

In London, you could pay a "link boy" a farthing to guide your way with a candle, but there was always a risk he might rob you blind.

Initial reaction to the first demonstration of gas lights in 1807 -- the first on any street in the world -- was mixed, not least because the early gas lines could be dangerous and there was the odd explosion.

But when King George IV ordered their widespread introduction in 1814, they quickly caught on.

Some lamps had a dual purpose of lighting the streets and clearing the smells from London's underground sewers.

The Webb Sewer lamp drew up gases from the sewers down below and burnt it off. One such functioning lamp still exists, next to the Savoy Hotel near the River Thames.

Published: 06 February 2015

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Almost four years after being banished from the Paris fashion world, Dior's former star designer John Galliano is making his comeback on Monday with his first haute couture show in London.

The 54-year-old, widely regarded as one of the most brilliant fashion minds of his generation, was sacked by Dior in March 2011 after being filmed delivering a drunken anti-Semitic tirade in a Paris bar.

He has kept a low profile since then and some say they will never forgive him for his offensive remarks, but Maison Martin Margiela gave him a second chance by appointing him creative director in October.

The announcement that his first show would take place in London, the city where he trained and made his name, was seen in some circles as a snub to Paris, the home of haute couture.

The collection was subsequently dropped from the Paris couture calendar at the end of January, although it will be shown by appointment.

But there is feverish excitement to see what the designer known for his theatrical flair has come up with in his first collection with a fashion house known for its avant-garde minimalism.

"It will be interesting to see if Mr. Galliano's time away from the industry has incited a creative evolution, and whether he has tried to adapt his aesthetic to that of the brand he now represents," wrote Vanessa Friedman, fashion journalist at the New York Times, in a blog last week.

"Hopefully the answer to both questions will be yes; otherwise, he risks the whiff of irrelevance."

Maison Margiela said the choice of London, where the show takes place at 1630 GMT in a modern building in the centre of the capital, reflected both his personal links and the city's traditional tailoring history and heritage.

Galliano was born in the British territory of Gibraltar but was raised in London and studied in the capital before heading to Paris to join Givenchy and then Dior -- and the British fashion pack has already welcomed him back.

In December, Galliano appeared on stage at the British Fashion Awards to present the Outstanding Achievement Award to "my friend", US Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who wore one of his new creations for Maison Margiela.

Galliano was viewed as the driving force behind the huge success of Dior during nearly 15 years at the fashion house.

But his glittering career imploded after he was captured in a mobile phone video hurling abuse at people in a bar in Paris's historic Jewish quarter.

He was found guilty in September 2011 of making anti-Semitic insults in public -- an offence under French law -- although he was spared jail and was instead fined.

He apologised and blamed his outbursts on alcohol and drugs, and underwent rehabilitation treatment.

Since then, Galliano had been almost entirely absent from fashion, apart from a three-week designer-in-residence role at Oscar de la Renta's workshop in New York in 2013.

Galliano's excommunication ended last year following a decision by Renzo Rosso, president of the OTB group that owns Maison Margiela, to bring him on board.

Published: 06 February 2015

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The widow of a casualty of the 7/7 bombings in London has been imprisoned for a long time and eight months in the wake of conceding she stole £43,000 from her child's recompense – in the wake of having burned through £250,000 she could call her own.

Louise Gray, 42, had spent the £250,000 granted to her in recompense on autos, garments and going on extravagance occasions before she turned to her child Adam's trust and stole a great many pounds from him between July 2012 and November 2013.

Her late spouse, Richard Gray, 41, a bookkeeper, was one of the 52 individuals slaughtered in the 2005 assaults, and had been going to chip away at the London Underground Circle Line prepare that had been focused by suicide plane Shehzad Tanweer. Adam was matured 11 at the time.

Published: 19 January 2015

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Pope Francis made a triumphant entrance for a mass with millions in the Philippines on Sunday aboard a "popemobile" styled after the nation's iconic, flamboyant and much-loved "jeepney" minibus.

The pontiff, standing in the elevated open body of the uniquely Filipino version of his popemobile, travelled through the streets of the capital Manila for the main event of his five-day visit.

Wearing a thick plastic yellow poncho over his vestments, the 78-year-old pontiff smiled and waved to hundreds of thousands who had lined the route to the venue for the mass.

The rectangular vehicle with a distinctive giant grille repeatedly stopped so he could reach into the cheering masses and pick up babies to kiss and bless them.

The pope rode the jeepney popemobile to Rizal Park where millions had gathered to hear him celebrate mass, in one of the world's biggest papal gatherings.

The jeepneys are regarded by many Filipinos as a symbol of national ingenuity. Locals created them from surplus US military jeeps after American forces left at the end of World War II.

The bodies of the jeeps were extended, seats were added and a fixed roof put in place. The vehicles were then painted with colourful and Catholic designs.

They proved to be strong vehicles with decades-long lifespans, and can be seen ferrying people through city streets and animals on mountain roads.

Published: 19 January 2015

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A giant prehistoric reptile that patrolled the waters off Scotland 170 million years ago has been identified by scientists, they said Monday.

The creatures, which resembled a menacing dolphin and grew up to 14 foot (four metres) long, were identified by fossils from the Isle of Skye in northwest Scotland.

A team led by Edinburgh University scientists have named the new species Dearcmhara shawcrossi in honour of Brian Shawcross, an amateur fossil collector who gathered many of the fossils in 1959.

These were later donated to a museum, allowing scientists to study them and identify the new species.

Published: 13 January 2015

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Blanket news coverage around the world of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, culminating in Sunday's huge march in Paris, is increasingly laced with debate among opinion-makers about the limits of free expression and the right to offend.

The immediate aftermath of the attack, which saw Islamist gunmen storm the offices of the satirical French weekly and leave 12 dead overall, saw countless posts on social media in which Twitter and Facebook users voiced solidarity with the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, or "I am Charlie".

Publications in Russia, China, Malaysia and elsewhere -- countries that have been criticised for suppressing free speech to varying degrees -- have said the magazine was wrong to publish cartoons lampooning Islam.

But others in the West have voiced their own unease with unequivocal support for the publication's often controversial stances.

"The message was clear... that what is at stake is not merely the right of people to draw what they wish but that, in the wake of the murders, what they drew should be celebrated and disseminated," Teju Cole wrote of the victims of last week's assault.

But, he added in the New Yorker, "just because one condemns their brutal murders doesn't mean one must condone their ideology".

In an editorial shortly after the attack, The Guardian chimed in: "The key point is this: support for a magazine's inalienable right to make its own editorial judgments does not commit you to echo or amplify those judgments."

"Put another way, defending the right of someone to say whatever they like does not oblige you to repeat their words," it said, after many Western newspapers were condemned by free-speech campaigners for refusing to reprint Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The assault, the deadliest attack on France in half a century, has sparked a massive show of support, with more than 1.5 million people mourning the victims in the Paris march, including several world leaders.

In all, nearly four million people took to the streets of France nationwide, while thousands marched in European, US and Canadian cities.

- 'Staunch defenders' -

Many were unconvinced by the world leaders' attendance in Paris, with London School of Economics student Daniel Wickham publishing a series of widely cited tweets listing the various moves against media rights made by high-profile attendees.

Published: 13 January 2015

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Points of interest in London were lit up with the colors of the Tricolore in a hitting show of solidarity with France taking after the fear emergency.

The red, white and blue of the French banner lit up the National Gallery and the wellspring in Trafalgar Square.

The colors were likewise shot onto Tower Bridge while the London Eye went dull to permit a comparable scene at County Hall.

Published: 11 January 2015

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London equities were stable at the start of trading on Wednesday, following encouraging gains in Asia and as traders nervously eyed plunging oil prices and Greek woes.

The benchmark FTSE 100 index edged up just 0.03 percent, or 1.72 points, to 6,368.23 points after more losses on Wall Street and in Europe on Tuesday.

Investors remained nervous as oil prices hit new five-and-a-half-year lows and fears of a Greek exit from the eurozone sent the euro skidding.

Sainsbury's was the biggest climber in early trade, gaining 3.70 percent to 243.50 pence, despite posting its first fall in Christmas sales for a decade and warning that its outlook remained "challenging".

Published: 07 January 2015

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A great many revelers lined the Thames for an amazing firecracker presentation to introduce 2015.

Anyway numbers were down to simply a fifth of a year ago's swarm, with 100,000 purchasing tickets for the occasion after charges were presented surprisingly.

The shocking showcase focused on the London Eye and was joined by an electronic soundtrack and emulated by Auld Lang Syne.

The presentation was tallied in by a 10-moment advanced commencement on The Shard's western veneer, took after by lighting included searchlights, strobes, and a 2015 numeric realistic.

Police said that by 6am there were 90 captures by officers chipping away at the New Year's Eve festivals. They incorporated 27 for being tanked and tumultuous, 22 for strike, seven for sexual offenses, six for medications and two for ownership of a hostile weapon.

Published: 01 January 2015

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· Customers can recycle their cards and wrapping paper until 13^th January

· Initiative has grown and is part of the retailer’s partnership with Forest Stewardship Council^®

· Recycling drive helps FSC^® protect world’s forests

· 50% of Brits recycle Christmas cards or wrapping paper after the holidays

A local supermarket is encouraging residents to recycle their old Christmas cards and wrapping paper at Sainsbury’s Nine Elms Temp Store, and make a positive impact to the environment.

Customers have until Tuesday January 13^th to bring in any of their old Christmas cards and wrapping paper to the collection box situated at the front of the store. The recycling drive is part of the retailer’s partnership with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK.

The collected cards will be recycled by Sainsbury’s and it will make a donation to FSC UK in the New Year based on the volume of cards collected in its stores.  Last year it donated over £9,000 to help the FSC with its work to promote responsible management of the world’s forests.

Collection boxes are available in now in over 880 supermarkets and convenience stores throughout the country.

Sainsbury’s Nine Elms Temp Store Manager Andy Robins said: “We had a really good response from our customers last year and with their help, we’re hoping to make an even bigger contribution this time. It’s a great way to continue that goodwill feeling and ensure your cards are put to positive use, which is all part of our No Waste to Landfill commitment”.

Published: 30 December 2014

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