Summary

  • Updates from London on Wednesday 11 November 2015

  • News, sport, travel and weather updates resume at 08:00 on Thursday

  1. Our coverage across the daypublished at 18:00

    Updates for London have ended for the day but we'll be back tomorrow with all the latest news, sport, travel and weather. 

    Join us from 08:00.

  2. Evening weather: Cloud clearing overnightpublished at 17:54

    BBC Weather

    Cloud and any rain through this evening will clear south-east overnight allowing mostly clear skies to develop. A colder night than of late and remaining quite breezy. 

    Minimum temperature: 7C (45F)

  3. Coming up on BBC London News at 18:30published at 17:44

    Alice Bhandhukravi

    Join us on BBC One when we'll speak to our political editor Tim Donovan about whether the mayor will be hurt by his undiplomatic comments on his trip to Israel.

    And we'll have a report from Woolwich, where the family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby laid wreaths at a new memorial for him to mark Armistice Day. 

  4. The stigma of flat-sharing in your 40spublished at 17:40

    The comedy Peep Show - set around two flatmates in Croydon - is ending as its lead actors approach middle age. 

    David Mitchell and Robert WebbImage source, PA

    Our colleagues at BBC Magazine have been asking: why are fortysomethings in shared accommodation still seen as unusual?

    Their numbers are rising dramatically, particularly in London, where the average rental value stood at, external £1,560 per month in October 2015 - a rise of 7.5% over the previous year.

  5. Lung cancer software unveiled at St Bart'spublished at 17:36

    Press Association

    Cutting edge technology that could "dramatically" reduce lung cancer deaths has been unveiled at a London hospital. 

    St Bartholomew's Hospital is the first in Europe to use the new 3D lung navigation bronchoscopy software, which doctors say is a "big step forward".

  6. Fourth teenager arrested after school stabbingpublished at 17:26

    The Met says a fourth teenager, a 16-year-old boy, has been arrested following the stabbing of a boy at Southfields Academy.

    Southfields AcademyImage source, Google

    A spokesman for the school in south-west London says the victim was one of its students but the group of teenagers who attacked him "do not have any connection with our school".

    The spokesman adds: “This was obviously a very serious incident and we are working very closely with the police to ensure the continued safety of our pupils at all times."

  7. Security-evading cat spotted on shelves of Brockley Sainsbury'spublished at 17:16

    News Shopper

    Despite attempts by security to remove it, a mischievous cat has been photographed, external "chilling" on the shelves of Sainsbury's in Brockley.

  8. Fourth arrest over Alfie Stone murderpublished at 17:09

    A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of 18-year-old Alfie Stone in west London on Monday. 

    It's the third arrest today - two women, aged 29 and 32, are being held on suspicion of the same offence.

    Another man was arrested on Monday and released on bail.

  9. Film released based on concert pianist Anne Naysmith's lifepublished at 16:58

    Today Programme
    BBC Radio 4

    Writer Alan Bennett has been speaking about his real-life encounter with the woman who was the inspiration behind The Lady in the Van, which has now become a film starring Dame Maggie Smith. 

    Anne Naysmith

    Former concert pianist Anne Naysmith performed in some of London's most prestigious classical music venues, but also spent half of her life living in a dilapidated 1950s Ford Consul and sleeping rough. 

  10. Haile Langa murder accused appear in courtpublished at 16:45

    A 14-year-old boy and two men have appeared in court today charged with the murder of Haile Langa in north-west London last week.

    Watling Gardens, KilburnImage source, Google

    The 21-year-old victim was stabbed to death in Kilburn on 5 November.

    The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, appeared alongside Ahmed El-Sayed, 20, from Kilburn, and Imaan Farjani, 18, from Willesden.

  11. Mayor defends Israel boycott commentspublished at 16:29

    London mayor Boris Johnson has defended comments he made opposing calls for a boycott of Israel.

    Boris JohnsonImage source, AP

    He says he was "disappointed" his words had been "taken out of context on social media", and stressed: "It is vital Israel and the Palestinians engage in a meaningful dialogue."

    The furore over his description of the boycott's advocates as "a bunch of corduroy-jacketed lefty academics" led to the cancellation of his planned visit to the West Bank amid security fears.

  12. London 2012 sport director insists she is 'confident' in athletes' test resultspublished at 16:17

    Today Programme
    BBC Radio 4

    Interviewed this morning, the director of sport for the London Olympic Games Organising Committee Debbie Jevans said they carried out 5,000 tests using the latest equipment and she was "confident" in the results.

    She also stressed the "need to see independence throughout the whole of testing", following doping allegations published in the World Anti-Doping Association's (Wada) report.

  13. Firefighters bring Fleet Street blaze under controlpublished at 16:04

    The London Fire Brigade (LFB) says a fire which broke out in a flat above a pub on Fleet Street is now under control.

    This was the scene earlier in EC4: 

    Fleet Street fireImage source, Stacey Collins

    LFB sent six fire engines and 30 firefighters to tackle the blaze.

  14. Charity shop burglar who stole more than £600 of donated clothes from Cancer Research shop escapes with community service sentencepublished at 15:50

    Croydon Guardian

    A burglar who stole more than £600 worth of donated clothes from a Cancer Research charity shop has been told he must carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, external in the next 12 months.

  15. Fire on Fleet Street closes roadpublished at 15:19

    The London Fire Brigade is warning of disruption as firefighters attend an incident on Fleet Street.

  16. Tube ticket office closures causing long queues, union warnspublished at 15:10

    Press Association

    London Underground is being urged to halt its closure of Tube ticket offices after being warned that huge queues are posing a safety risk to passengers and staff. 

    The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, external says the programme of closures is causing "travel chaos", with reports of people having to queue for half an hour to use a ticket machine.

    Steve Griffiths, LU's chief operating officer, says "the vast majority" of journeys no longer involve the need to buy a ticket but there were a "record number of staff trained to help with purchases and advice".

  17. Haggerston's hidden chapelpublished at 14:55

    Loving Dalston
    Local blog

    Every Sunday morning hundreds of Londoners going to and from Columbia Road flower market pass a nondescript 1970s building without giving it a second glance. 

    Unknown to them, St Saviour’s Priory at the southern end of Queensbridge Road in Haggerston contains within its walls a hidden chapel, external as beautiful as any flower.

  18. Thousands to resit construction safety examspublished at 14:39

    Guy Lynn
    BBC London investigations reporter

    At least 6,000 people will have to retake the CITB, external’s Health, Safety and Environment test after suspicious patterns at the test centres where they had taken the test were identified in an investigation by BBC London and Newsnight.

    The HS&E tests are a mandatory part of the process for gaining various Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards.