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  • 15
    Oct
    2012
    2:33pm, EDT

    Girl shot by Taliban arrives in England for medical care

    Andrew Yates / AFP - Getty Images

    The plane carrying 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani girl shot in the head by Taliban gunmen for campaigning for the right to an education, sits on the tarmac after landing at Birmingham Airport in Birmingham, central England on Oct. 15. Yousufzai will be cared for at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, a highly specialized facility where British soldiers seriously wounded in Afghanistan are treated, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron said.

    By NBC News and wire reports

    The 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot and critically wounded by the Taliban for promoting education for girls and criticizing the militant group traveled to Britain on Monday for further medical treatment, officials said.

    British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Malala Yousufzai would receive specialized care in a hospital in the country’s National Health Service system.

    "Last week's barbaric attack on Malala Yousufzai and her school friends shocked Pakistan and the world.  Malala's bravery in standing up for the right of all young girls in Pakistan to an education is an example to us all,” Hague said in a statement. Continue reading.

    Pakistanis light candles in front of a banner showing a picture of 15-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot last Tuesday by the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for women, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 15. The banner reads,

    Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters

    Candles are lit in front of a portrait of Pakistani school girl Malala Yousufzai during a candlelight vigil organized by Nepalese Youth in Kathmandu on Oct. 15.

    Slideshow: Schoolgirl attacked by Taliban in Pakistan

    Shakil Adil / AP

    Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai was shot by the Taliban on Tuesday for speaking out against the militants and promoting education for girls. Doctors reported Saturday Yousufzai moved her hands and feet.

    Launch slideshow

    Related content:

    • 'I am Malala' declare protesters as vigils continue for 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban
    • Standing up for Pakistani school girl shot by Taliban
    • Thousands rally in Karachi for Malala, 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot by Taliban

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

    2 comments

    Attacked, brutally shot, nearly killed by you muslim bastards! When will the world awake to the hate and killing of islam?

    Show more
    Explore related topics: pakistan, violence, taliban, england, uk, malala-yousufzai
  • 3
    Oct
    2012
    11:25am, EDT

    Thousands pay their respects at funeral for murdered Manchester police officer

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    The coffin of police Constable Nicola Hughes is carried into Manchester Cathedral after processing along the city's Deansgate lined with police officers and members of the public on Oct. 3 in Manchester, England. Police Constables Nicola Hughes, 23, and her police colleague Fiona Bone, 32, were killed as they responded to what they thought was a routine burglary call in Mottram, Greater Manchester and were murdered in a gun and grenade attack. The funeral of Fiona Bone also takes place at the cathedral tomorrow. A local man, Dale Cregan, 29, appeared before Manchester Magistrates last week accused of four murders, including those of PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone on Sept. 18.

    Martin Rickett / AFP - Getty Images

    A picture of PC Nicola Hughes stands beside her coffin at Manchester Cathedral during her funeral service on Oct. 3. Thousands of police officers from across Britain gathered in a silent tribute to a policewoman killed in a gun and grenade attack.

    Nigel Roddis / Reuters

    A police officer cries as the coffin of Police Constable Nicola Hughes is carried into Manchester Cathedral for her funeral service in Oct. 3.

    Thousands of people paid their respects to Police Constable Nicola Hughes at her funeral in Manchester, England, on Wednesday, according to the BBC. Hughes and another constable Fiona Bone were murdered in a gun and grenade attack when responding to what they thought was a burglary on Sept. 18. Bone's funeral will take place on Thursday, according to Getty Images.

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    A police woman holds flowers as she lines the route for the funeral cortege of police Constable Nicola Hughes at Manchester Cathedral on Oct. 3.

    Andrew Winning / Reuters

    Crowds line the streets to watch the coffin of Nicola Hughes as it is driven to Manchester Cathedral for her funeral service on Oct. 3

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    The hat and gloves of police Constable Nicola Hughes lay on top of her coffin as it is carried out of Manchester Cathedral after her funeral service on Oct. 3.

    Andrew Yates / AFP - Getty Images

    British police personnel attend the funeral of murdered police colleague Nicola Hughes at Manchester Cathedral on Oct. 3.

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    Children play as police officers line the streets ahead of the funeral of police Constable Nicola Hughes at Manchester Cathedral on Oct. 3.

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

    Related content:

    • Hundreds march in pouring rain for two policewomen killed in England
    • Mourners, colleagues pay their respects to two unarmed policewomen killed in England
    • UK police resist calls to give cops guns despite double murder
    • British fugitive shoots dead two unarmed policewomen

     

    7 comments

    Either get used to those sensless cop killings OR get them some F****** GUNS!!!!!

    Show more
    Explore related topics: shooting, police, england, world-news, uk, manchester, policewomen
  • 26
    Sep
    2012
    12:52pm, EDT

    Keep calm and drink beer? Brits carry on in rising flood waters

    Paul Ellis / AFP - Getty Images

    Men sit in flood waters outside a bar as water levels continue to rise on the River Ouse in York, northern England on Sept. 26. Britain was bracing for more torrential rain as hundreds of people spent the night away from their flooded homes following two days of heavy downpours.

    Paul Ellis / AFP - Getty Images

    Water levels rise on the swollen River Ouse that burst its banks and caused flooding after heavy rain in York, northern England on Sept. 26. Britain was bracing for more torrential rain as hundreds of people spent the night away from their flooded homes following two days of heavy downpours.

    Paul Ellis / AFP - Getty Images

    A man uses a bucket to clear flood water from a taxi office as water levels continue to rise on the River Ouse following heavy rain in York, northern England on Sept. 26.

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    Firefighters rescue residents from Minerva Court in the Yorkshire town of Boroughbridge. The complex housing senior citizens has been cut off by floods and has had no power for 24 hours on Sept. 26 in York, England. Heavy wind and rain have battered central and northern parts of the UK with more rain forecast. Swollen rivers are still threatening towns across Britain as rain water from hills makes it's way down.

    Scott Heppell / AP

    A view of the block of apartments which have there foundations washed away from the heavy flood waters in Newburn, near Newcastle, England, on Sept. 26 as communities work to rescue stranded residents from their homes, after heavy rain caused flash floods across parts of Britain. People have been evacuated from their homes and flooding has caused major disruption to transport after parts of the United Kingdom were battered with more heavy rain.

    View more photos from England on PhotoBlog.

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

    Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

    1 comment

    Am I mistaken or does that not appear to be a woman on the left seated in the first pic?

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    Explore related topics: flooding, england, world-news, uk, york, river-ouse
  • 25
    Sep
    2012
    9:43am, EDT

    Hundreds march in pouring rain for two policewomen killed in England

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    Police officers and members of the public walk to the scene where PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone were murdered one week ago, in Mottram on Sept. 25, 2012 in Manchester, England.

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    A female police officer takes part in a minute of silence, during a memorial vigil at the scene where PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone were murdered one week ago, in pouring rain on Sept. 25 in Manchester, England.

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    A police officer carries a lit candle and flowers during a memorial vigil at the scene where PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone were murdered one week ago, in Mottram on Sept. 25, 2012 in Manchester, England.

     Nearly 400 people including approximately 40 police officers walked in heavy rain from Hyde police station to the scene of the killings, for a vigil Tuesday morning in memory of two Manchester police officers murdered last week.  Dale Cregan, 29, appeared before Manchester Magistrates last week accused of four murders, including those of officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, killed on Sept. 18. Cregan is also being charged with the murders of two others. Full story on the BBC News.

    Previously on PhotoBlog:

    Mourners, colleagues pay their respects to two unarmed policewomen killed in England

    6 comments

    Our deepest condolences to their families and colleagues.

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    Explore related topics: police, england, murder, world-news, uk, manchester, policewomen
  • 19
    Sep
    2012
    10:57am, EDT

    Mourners, colleagues pay their respects to two unarmed policewomen killed in England

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    Members of the public bring floral tributes in memory of WPC's Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone in Hattersley on Sept. 19 in Manchester, England. A local man Dale Cregan, 29, has been arrested in connection with the shooting of Hughes and Bone, who were killed as they responded to a routine incident at Abbey Gardens in Hattersley.

     

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    A female police constable pays her respects and places floral tributes near the scene of the shooting.

    Reuters reports--One of Britain's most wanted fugitives killed two unarmed policewomen on Tuesday in a gun and grenade ambush, police said, killings which are likely to reignite a long-running debate over whether British officers should carry guns.

    Police constables Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, were gunned down in a hail of bullets after responding to a hoax call about a burglary in the northern English city of Manchester.

    Despite shock over the murders, described by Prime Minister David Cameron as "despicable", senior police officers said they were determined that the British force would remain one of few in the world which is not routinely armed. Continue reading the full story.

     

     

    Darren Staples / Reuters

    Women embrace before laying floral tributes close to where police constables Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes were killed in Hattersley near Manchester, northern England, Sept. 19. One of Britain's most wanted fugitives killed two unarmed policewomen in a gun and grenade ambush, police said. The killings are likely to reignite a long-running debate over whether British officers should carry guns.

    Andrew Yates / AFP - Getty Images

    Flowers carrying a message for Fiona Bone were left at the Greater Manchester Police headquarters in Manchester, northwest England.

    Paul Ellis / AFP - Getty Images

    Police forensic officers use a ladder to examine an area close to the scene where two female police officers were killed answering a routine call to the Hattersley estate in Mottram, Tameside, Greater Manchester, northwestern England on Sept. 19. Police combed the scene where two unarmed female police officers were killed in a rare grenade and gun attack for a second day, in an incident that has reopened the debate on arming the British police.

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

    Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

    1 comment

    The story makes it sound like a 'berserker' kind of attack - guns & grenades. Don't know if being armed would've made much difference in this case. Ugly thing to have happened.

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    Explore related topics: shooting, police, england, crime, world-news, uk, manchester
  • 9
    Aug
    2012
    3:13am, EDT

    Olympics is no celebration for one Londoner

    Gideon Mendel / Corbis for NBC News

    A patriotic canal boat resident along with his dog on his vessel covered in both union flag of Britain and the England flag close to the main site of the 2012 Olympic Games.

    Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

    /

    A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

    Launch slideshow

    By Meredith Birkett

    Photojournalist Gideon Mendel says he's London's last cynic in a city overtaken by Olympic spirit. It's not for lack of proximity to the events -- he lives in the East End, within three miles of the main venues.

    In the spring, he photographed his neighborhood for NBCNews.com before the world focused its attention on the place. He had mixed feelings about the coming event. He worried about the character of his working-class neighborhood changing, but also relished the idea of such an international event coming to his very diverse, multicultural neighborhood.

    He found artists creating works both for and against the games. Nearby canals were cleaned up and roads repaired. Businesses anticipated a potential boom, while others who had to re-locate due to the Olympic village construction faced challenges they couldn't have predicted after decades of being in business.

    Gideon Mendel / Corbis for NBC News

    A security guard mans his station on the River Lea close to the site of the 2012 Olympic Games (the stadium can be seen in the distant background). This is the point from which all navigation has been blocked on the river as security measure during the games.

    He and his family braced for the worst. The weekend the Games began, Mendel and his sons left town to attend a music festival hours away, in part to avoid the Olympics fervor. When they returned, daily routines like his wife's work commute were planned carefully around expected crowds.

    Gideon Mendel / Corbis for NBC News

    A family dressed in bizarre patriotic morph suits take part in a parade at Camp Bestival. Their costume is part of their support for the 2012 Olympic Games which they had watched on a giant screen on the previous evening.This music festival takes place at Lulworth Castle in Dorset.

    Instead, they found London "a dream" to get around, with less traffic than expected and better commute times than usual. His immediate neighborhood is business as usual. But as he rides his bike nearer the venues, the streets and parks just to the west of the newly constructed Olympic stadium are oddly...empty. With most Olympic tourists being directed east to the major commuter hub of Stratford station, and security measures blocking some streets, canals and bike paths to the west of the Olympic Park, there is an unexpected quietness. Cafe owners lament the lack of business; giant viewing screens in parks sometimes go unwatched.

    Gideon Mendel / Corbis for NBC News

    A relaxed scene at Haggerston Park in Hackney, East London, as a relatively small group enjoys watching the 2012 Olympic Games on a big screen. At the time they were watching the tennis mixed doubles tournament.

    What next for the East End? After a recent trip that kept him away from the neighborhood for three weeks, Mendel noticed his long-time home changed even in that short amount of time, with new stores and restaurants popping up. While the once poor neighborhood has been gentrifying for years, he senses the Olympics has accelerated the process.

    More news from the Olympics:

    Who'll win gold medal for partying? Olympians let their hair down

    Olympic hosts: Londoners open their homes to the world

    Christians, Muslims and even a 'vegan turkey' seek converts at London 2012

    Race to London's Olympic Park: Fastest way is ... ?

    Will Games curse leave 'ghost town' London out of the gold rush?

    Full coverage in London 2012: Hosting the Games

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    Comment

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  • 7
    Jul
    2012
    4:12pm, EDT

    A very wet day at the track

    Paul Hackett / Reuters

    Sauber Formula One driver Sergio Perez of Mexico drives during the qualifying session of the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone circuit, England, July 7.

    Andrew Yates / AFP - Getty Images

    Track marshalls sweep water from the track during the qualifying session at the Silverstone circuit on July 7 ahead of the British Formula One Grand Prix.

    Peter Powell / EPA

    An official walks down the main straight to decide if the qualifying session should continue at Silverstone race track in Northamptonshire, Britain, July 7.

    Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP - Getty Images

    Spectators try to stay dry during the qualifying session at the Silverstone circuit on July 7 ahead of the British Formula One Grand Prix.

    More than a month's worth of rain fell in just 24 hours in parts of England and those attending the qualifying session for the British Grand Prix had to wait through a 90 minute delay during a torrential downpour. Drivers spun out of control despite the efforts of the track sweepers who couldn't keep up with the deluge. More showers are expected for tomorrow's main event.

    2 comments

    Hey, if they don't want the rain, we'll take it here in Ohio.

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    Explore related topics: sports, weather, rain, uk, car-racing, british-grand-prix
  • 26
    Jun
    2012
    10:59am, EDT

    Queen Elizabeth II begins her 20th trip to Northern Ireland

    Cathal Mcnaughton / Reuters

    Britain's Queen Elizabeth waves to members of the public as she arrives in Enniskillen on the first day of a two day tour of Northern Ireland, June 26.

    David Moir / Reuters

    People take photographs from a rooftop as Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip arrive for a service of thanksgiving at Saint Macartin's Cathedral in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland June 26.

    David Moir / Reuters

    Britain's Queen Elizabeth accepts flowers from members of the public after she attended a Service of Thanksgiving at Saint Macartin's Cathedral in Ennniskillen, Northern Ireland June 26.

    Chris Jackson / Getty Images

    Queen Elizabeth II visits Macartin's Cathederal on June 26, in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.

    Slideshow: Life of a queen

    Carl Court / AFP - Getty Images

    After more than five decades on the throne, view images from the extraordinary life of Queen Elizabeth II.

    Launch slideshow

    AP reports: ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland - Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Northern Ireland on Tuesday to celebrate the British territory's hard-won peace in a town that suffered one of the IRA's worst massacres - and inspired its greatest moment of Christian forgiveness.

    Catholic and Protestant leaders from across Ireland united in Enniskillen at an ecumenical service in the monarch's honor as, outside in wind and rain, several thousand people waved Union Jack flags and banners honoring the queen amid an unrelenting din of pealing church bells.

    The monarch's long-awaited meeting with former Irish Republican Army commander Martin McGuinness comes Wednesday in Belfast. Full story

    See more photos from the Queen's life in our slideshow at right.

    The Queen is making a historic visit to Northern Ireland as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour. She arrived in Enniskillen, the scene of one of the worst atrocities of The Troubles, and meet the Stormont deputy first minister, former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, in a gesture which will herald another milestone in Anglo-Irish relations. ITN's Martha Fairlie reports.

    1 comment

    The majority of people born and bred in Northern Ireland want to remain part of the United Kingdom so its great to see the Queen in Northern Ireland again.

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    Explore related topics: royals, northern-ireland, queen-elizabeth-ii, world-news, uk
  • 22
    May
    2012
    6:45am, EDT

    Portraits of a queen: When the monarch becomes the subject

    National Portrait Gallery, London

    'Lightness of Being' by Chris Levine, 2004.

    By Peter Jeary, NBC News

    LONDON – She is the most photographed woman in the world and no monarch has been more depicted in portraits.

    Her image is everywhere – from our English bank bills and postage stamps to countless photographs in newspapers and magazines. While not a royalist, I never tire of looking at pictures of Queen Elizabeth II, but I cannot tell you why.

    Until now.


    National Portrait Gallery, London

    Queen Elizabeth II by Hiroshi Sugimoto, 1999.

    Paul Moorhouse, curator of 'The Queen: Art and Image', an exhibition that recently opened at London's National Portrait Gallery, told me my fascination was shared by many.

    "What we all try to do is understand the enigma," he said. "It's a paradox. We have all these images of her, but for most of us, we actually know very little about the queen."

    And it's true. By looking at a range of different images and listening to her occasional public statements, I hope to glean a little more about the woman, the great-grandmother, the human being behind the icon.

    An early visitor to the exhibition, Gareth Jones, from Camden in London, agrees.

    "You think you know things about her," he said. "But it's not until you see it laid-out like this that you start to appreciate the life she has led over sixty years. It's powerful."

    Fit for a queen: 60 years of style

    Jones, a self-described fan of the queen, found one work particularly revealing.

    Looking at Chris Levine's 2004 holographic photograph 'Lightness of Being' was like "intruding on a private moment, as the queen closes her eyes, almost in meditation," he said.

    National Portrait Gallery, London

    Queen Elizabeth II, by Pietro Annigoni, 1969.

    Yvonne Bennett, from Sevenoaks, outside of London, was captivated by the same image.

    "I could stand and look at it all day," she said.

    Among the dozens of varied pictures, photographs and mixed media in the exhibition, one portrait stands out.  Amid the Pop Art, punk art and high art depictions, Hiroshi Sugimoto's 1999 portrait feels wrong and out of place.

    One visitor wondered why it lacked the warmth of other pictures. We then discovered that the photograph is of a waxwork, and not the monarch herself.

    Queen Elizabeth II's lunch for world monarchs sparks controversy

    There was a tangible difference between that portrait and, for example, a much earlier, highly formal painting by Pietro Annigoni, dating from 1954-5, the early years of her reign.

    In the Annigoni, the young queen is noble and remote, like an empress, but also very human.

    While the exhibit tells a story of a changing monarchy, it is also obvious that the queen has carefully controlled her image over the years.

    NBC News

    Kim Dong-Yoo's mosaic 'Elizabeth vs Diana', left, is made up of hundreds of tiny images of Princess Diana. A close-up view is shown at right.

    "But when you compare portraits from one decade with another, you start to understand the preoccupations of the time, and then you appreciate that the queen has had to face some very dark times,” said Bridget Findlay of Portsmouth. 

    Video: Queen seen as inspiration at Jubilee parade

    Findlay’s favorite was a reflection of those dark times: 'Elizabeth vs Diana' is a mosaic of the queen's head created from tiny images of Princess Diana, her erstwhile daughter-in-law who died in a car crash in 1997 after an embarrassingly public split with Prince Charles.

    "It's simply startling," Findlay said.  "I never expected to see that and it took me a while to work out what it was."

    The Queen makes her first televised Christmas broadcast on Dec. 25,1957.

    Kim Dong-Yoo's 2007 mosaic – one of several works that would be seen as irreverent if not almost disrespectful – is confirmation that this is not an official exhibition sanctioned by Buckingham Palace. Instead, curator Paul Moorhouse called it a celebration for a diamond jubilee.

    If I had to choose one image that summed up the exhibit for me, it would be a small, rather insignificant newspaper photograph of a family gathered around a TV set watching the queen's first televised Christmas message broadcast in 1957.

    She speaks while we, the observers, look and listen. Six decades on, are we any closer to knowing the most depicted woman in history?

    More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    • UN nuclear chief: Deal reached with Iran over suspected weapons program
    • Death of Lockerbie bomber al-Megrahi 'doesn't close the book'
    • 'Massacre': At least 90 killed as bomber targets military parade rehearsal in Yemen
    • Pakistan blocks Twitter -- but fails to stop tweets
    • US student dies after going swimming at Scottish beach

    Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

     

    72 comments

    I find this one of the more repugnant remnants of a bygone era. For 60 years a woman who did nothing but be born into a family has been worshiped like a god. Her every whim satisfied , protocol just to look at her and be in her presence. The billions she has and the property. And she has had it for  …

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  • 27
    Apr
    2012
    9:29am, EDT

    London street evacuated after man 'with grievance' storms office

    Ben Stansall / AFP - Getty Images

    Debris litters the pavement and road in front of police vehicles below an office building were according to reports an armed man was causing a disturbance in central London on Friday.

    By Alastair Jamieson, msnbc.com and David Wyllie, breakingnews.com

    Updated at 11:48 a.m. ET: An area of central London was evacuated by armed police Friday after a man “with a grievance” stormed a fifth floor office, leading to reports he had taken some workers inside hostage.

    Police, explosives experts and hostage negotiators were sent to the building, on the city’s Tottenham Court Road. Officers found no hostages, and the man was arrested at the scene. Nobody was injured. 


    Earlier, the suspect was seen tossing papers and electrical equipment out of the window of the office, which belongs to a truck driver training company.

    London’s Metropolitan Police Service spokesman described the suspect as a 50-year-old man “with a grievance” who was in a “very distressed state”.

    The incident began at 11:59 p.m. local time (5:59 a.m. ET). Pictures posted on Twitter showed the items being thrown from the window onto the street below.

    A large section of the street - one of the busiest in the city, leading north from Oxford Street - was sealed off, and a nearby Underground station closed to passengers, causing widespread congestion.

    Ben Stansall / AFP - Getty Images

    Debris falls from the window of an office building a man was causing a disturbance in central London on Friday.

    The building, Shropshire House, is close to the offices of news website, The Huffington Post UK. The site’s executive editor, Stephen Hull, posted on Twitter that Abby Baafi, 27, an employee of the HGV company, said the suspect had failed a training course and wanted his money back.

    Tamsin Kelly, who works in a neighboring building, told the BBC: "Two men ran into the building and said the man had a flamethrower and canisters of gas.

    "The two men told us they had been let go as they were parents and we were told to leave the building."

    Leon Farrell, 25, a product manager who works for AOL in Capper Street, just off Tottenham Court Road, told the BBC: "Someone ran in to our office white as a sheet and said there was someone who had taken a few people hostage but let them go as they had kids."

    More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    • Report: Osama bin Laden's widows, kids headed to Saudi Arabia
    • Israel grapples with insecurity as it celebrates independence
    • At least four killed as two bombs hit Nigeria newspaper offices
    • Aiding terrorists? Syrian women risk all to help dissidents
    • Murdoch: Hacking scandal cost 'hundreds of millions'
    • Analysts say North Korea's new missiles are fakes
    • Israeli military chief: I doubt Iran's 'rational' leadership will make nuclear bomb

    Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

     

    8 comments

    Reports are he had been waiting 2 weeks to get his license and still had not been called to the window. The clerk said she was still on her break.

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  • 23
    Apr
    2012
    9:22am, EDT

    More names added to the National Armed Forces Memorial in England

    Paul Ellis / AFP - Getty Images

    Stonemason Nick Hindle begins to carve the names of the 59 British military personnel who were killed in action during 2011 at The National Armed Forces Memorial in Alrewas, central England on April 23. The Memorial was constructed in 2007 to provide recognition of the men and women of the Armed Services who have lost their lives in conflict or as a result of terrorist action or on training exercises since the end of the Second World War.

    Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

    Stonemason Nick Hindle begins inscripting of the 59 names of the UK servicemen and women who were killed on duty or through terrorism in 2011 at the Armed Forces Memorial on April 23 in Alrewas, Staffordshire. The additional names will take 3 weeks to engrave and will be dedicated during a service for their families later this year.

    By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News

    When the memorial was dedicated in 2007 it had 16,000 names engraved with room for 15,000 more. Last April, 112 names were added. This year's additions include 58 men and one woman, Capt. Lisa Jade Head, who died after being injured in Afghanistan while trying to defuse an IED.

    If you are planning a visit try to go in November to see the shaft of sunlight fall across the sculpted wreath on the central stone which was designed to occur at 11:00am on the 11th day of the 11th month annually.  This year, the Olympic torch will make a stop at the memorial on Armed Forces Day, June 30.

    More about the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, England.

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  • 10
    Apr
    2012
    5:51am, EDT

    When the Olympics is your neighbor

    By Marian Smith, msnbc.com

    LONDON -- When the 2012 Olympics comes to London this summer, thousands of athletes, coaches, officials and tourists from all over the world will descend upon East London, home to some of the poorest boroughs in Britain’s capital.

    The factories, warehouses and busy docks that once made it the industrial hub of the city have for decades been morphing into derelict buildings and abandoned scrap heaps as the industries dry up and move overseas – creating the perfect blank canvas for the Olympic sites, the Games’ organizers say. But a vibrant community sprung up in place of the old industrial center, and not everyone is happy about the Olympics becoming a neighbor.

    Gideon Mendel / Corbis for msnbc.com

    Construction workers take a break from their task of building the Olympic site to enjoy a substantial lunch at The Griddler, a local cafe very close to site of the games.

    Frank and Rosie Aviatti, owners of The Griddler café near the Olympic stadium in Stratford, almost sold their business a few years ago when construction workers closed off part of their road for Olympics-related building projects. “Business went down 90 percent,” Frank Aviatti told msnbc.com.


    However, other residents and businesses laud the transformative development of the area. Lance Forman, proprietor of H. Forman & Son smoked salmon purveyors, had to move his factory because it was on land that the Olympic organizers wanted for the new stadium. “We did a deal early,” he told msnbc.com, explaining that the 105-year-old company realized it would be a waste of time and money to dispute the compulsory purchase order.

    They bought land across the river from what is now the Olympic stadium, designed a factory – in just one month – and built it in under a year. To take advantage of what Forman knew was going to be an opportunity for his business, the company opened a restaurant, bar and event space in its new building. Although business suffered at first, Forman is optimistic because of the higher traffic East London is getting because of the Olympics.

    Gideon Mendel / Corbis for msnbc.com

    Salmon is sliced and processed at H. Forman and Son, a fourth-generation family business, at its new location directly across the River Lea from the Olympic Stadium.

    “People now come to the restaurant and say they didn’t know East London existed before,” he said. “And they say they didn’t realize how close it was.”

    As the Olympics fast approach, photographer Gideon Mendel has sought to capture the diversity of life within one mile of the main Olympic site.

    Himself an East London resident, Mendel says he is struck by how many different people from different parts of the world live and work in the area – and is intrigued by the idea that the international participants in this summer’s games will be greeted by such an international community. To see some striking images of the people, places and businesses that will be welcoming the world this summer, take a look at the slideshow below.

    Slideshow:

    Gideon Mendel / Corbis for msnbc.com

    When the Olympics is your neighbor

    Launch slideshow

    Related Content:

    • Olympic housing crunch: London landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
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