London // Current

London Tube and bus fares & C-Charge going up

Mayor Boris Johnson said that Tube fares will rise by 3.9% and London bus fares by... more

pcs007
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We Made L.A. Our London For The Day, But Couldn’t Escape Reality

It Begins: "I used to dread the rain when I lived in London. But in a town like... more

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Mobile Entertainment Forum Awards

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) unveiled the winners of this year’s coveted... more

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Edgy Theatre Edged Out By Audiences

"Art for art's sake, goes the saying. But the UK's radical theatres are increasingly... more

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Lloyd Webber launches Phantom 2

"World-famous composer Lord Lloyd-Webber has launched his latest musical, Love Never... more

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PROTESTA DI GREENPEACE A LONDRA, ANCORA 31 ATTIVISTI SUL TETTO DEL PARLAMENTO

LONDRA, 12 ottobre 2009 - Dopo diciotto ore, trentuno attivisti di Greenpeace sono... more

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Topless wild ACDC fans

O2 Arena, naked (possibly geordies) fans getting into the acca dacca

1978jamesb
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A real story of Pakistani Canadian prisoner Khalid Awan ,who is facing fabricated ,false casein US.

The U.S. terror war as seen through the eyes of a prisoner When we first began... more

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Fashion Fridays! (Conjuring Sienna and Kate!)

This is a fab attempt recreating the old boho Sienna & the Kate Moss styles. I think... more

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I’m A Writer, Not A Star-Fucker

L.A. is one tough town. This is about our blogger being stabbed in the back on the... more

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Gandhi Tour celebrating the 140 Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi

The Gandhi Tour and the World March for Peace and Nonviolence are celebrating the 140... more

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Van Gogh's secret letters laid bare

An exhibition of Vincent van Gogh's personal letters and drawings demolishes long-held... more

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College issues dress guidelines -- for teachers

It is normally students who are sent home for inappropriate attire, but one English... more

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Vinny Piana - Beg Me To Forgive

Currently an indie pop artist, Vinny Piana divides his time in London by writing,... more

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London Lethal Food Bug

A food poisoning bug that kills an estimated 80 people a year in Britain is found in... more

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Classical music night club

Do you like classical music but also enjoy going to gigs? Limelight is the only... more

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London's new drinking fountains a challenge to bottled water industry

London may soon follow in the footsteps of Bundanoon, the Australian town that last week banned bottled water and set up drinking fountains for thirsty locals.

The capital's first water stations will be set up this month in a move that could have serious repercussions for the £1.5bn-a-year bottled water industry, with companies finding it increasingly difficult to justify their carbon footprint as the quality of tap water improves.

Thames Water, Britain's largest privatised water company, with 13.6 million customers, has had talks with the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to install water machines in the capital. In the first trial, Hydrachills will be installed at Hammersmith bus station and at the Tower Bridge museum. The machines can fill bottles of up to 500ml with chilled water for a 20p charge. All proceeds will be donated to Waste Watch, a charity working to change the way people use natural resources.

Should London's water stations prove a hit with the 400,000 visitors who annually pass through the two sites, the scheme will be extended to underground, bus and railway stations across London and the south-east before the 2012 Olympics.

The move follows the installation last week of Hyde Park's first drinking fountain in 30 years. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, was criticised for reneging on promises to install water fountains in the capital's parks, with Hyde Park his solitary success.

In his draft water strategy for London, Johnson says British tap water is "among the best in the world", but that misconceptions over its perceived healthiness encouraged people to buy bottled water. Tap water is a thousand times cheaper than bottled, which is more expensive per litre than petrol, he says. But Thames Water has been left to take up the mayor's pledge of more drinking stations, in a move that has upset bottled-water firms, which are fast losing the PR battle.

Activists say bottling water causes unnecessary use of plastics and fuel for transport and requires 2,000 times the energy required to produce tap water.

Hildon, regarded by many as the most exclusive bottled water, last week launched its second aggressive advertising campaign. In magazine adverts, fitness instructor Jonathan Goodair claimed tap water was only good enough to shower in and for "washing my kit". He claimed it left an "unpleasant taste".

In the summer, the company took out a 20-page trade magazine advertisement attacking tap water. Under the headline "Is it safe?" it said: "Cancer drugs found in tap water", adding : "Is there anything else they are not telling us?"

Water companies ignored the attacks, preferring to concentrate on promoting their own benefits. The Drinking Water Inspectorate's latest water quality report said Thames Water's tap water was 99.99% compliant with national and European standards – its best-ever performance. Average compliance across the industry remained at 99.96%.London may soon follow in the footsteps of Bundanoon, the Australian town that last... more