London

    A London rickshaw driver has been caught on camera trying to charge two tourists £600 for a half-hour journey. In the video, filmed by a passer-by outside Selfridges on Oxford Street, the driver claims that a rate of £10 a minute had been agreed. He appears to point to a tariff displayed inside the vehicle, implying that the customer was agreeing to these charges by getting in, and refuses to take 'no' for an answer. "How do you charge £600 for half an hour?" asks the customer, Engin Isguzar, who finally hands over £250 - all he has in his wallet. The video has been described as 'shocking' by Westminster City Council, which has been calling for rickshaws, or pedicabs, to be licensed. Speaking to the Evening Standard, Mr Isguzar, from the Netherlands, said that no price had...

    A man has been shot dead in an "intelligence led" operation in north London, the Met Police have said. The shooting took place in Bracknell Close in Wood Green at about 9am on Friday. Scotland Yard said the operation was not related to terrorism. Police have set up a tent to cover the scene. The Met is currently cracking down on gun and knife crime in the capital. A series of raids staged this morning - codenamed Operation Kestrel - involved hundreds of specialist officers, including firearms teams. There have also been more than 350 firearms-related incidents in the capital so far this year, up 15% on the 2014 figure.

    You may not realise it but your daily commute on the Underground might be taking you past London’s long disused “ghost” tube stations or the 23 mile-long “Mail Rail” that once carried four million letters a day. If you travel the full length of the Northern Line the tube will take you past several deep-level WWII shelters that were each capable of housing up to 8,000 people. Once a hive of activity, they are now left in almost perpetual darkness while the Tube network continues around them. Elsewhere, you will pass through some of the more grizzly remnants of medieval London. Between South Kensington and Knightsbridge, the Piccadilly Line curves to avoid one of the city’s many plague pits where Londoners were buried on mass as Yersinia pestis swept the city in the 14th and...

    The Tories were accused of breathtaking arrogance by trying to ram through laws to quash opposition in the House of Lords. A review by Tory peer Lord Strathclyde could see the Upper House banned from overturning some Government legislation. The grandee was charged with looking at reforming the Lords after the government’s humiliating defeat on tax credits. The Government will seek to overturn a defeat by peers on its plans to exclude 16 and 17-year-olds from voting in the EU referendum on British membership. To ensure the Bill gets through ministers have an added an amendment saying it is now a financial issue. Peers are not allowed to vote down financial bills such as a the Budget. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said the Government was treating Parliament “like a rubber stamp....

    The terror suspect accused of slashing a man with a knife on the London Underground was reported to police by his own family three weeks before the incident, it has been reported. The behaviour of Muhaydin Mire, 29, who appeared in court charged with attempted murder, gave his family cause for concern and they asked the Met and mental health services to intervene. Scotland Yard said it had been involved with a family member before Mire allegedly shouted "this is for Syria" during the gory incident, but insisted "there was no mention of radicalisation", according to the Telegraph. A statement from the police force said: "The police were contacted by a family member approximately three weeks before the incident on Saturday. "The conversation related entirely to health relate...

    Plans to build the City’s tallest skyscraper and London's second highest building – rivalled only by the Shard – have been unveiled today. Singapore-based developers Aroland Holdings are seeking planning permission to build a 73 storey tower at One Undershaft in the City, between the Leadenhall Building and 30 St Mary’s Axe. Standing 309.6 metres tall, the scheme would dwarf its skyscraper neighbours and nearly match The Shard. The proposed office scheme, which has been designed by architect Eric Parry, will also have a viewing platform higher than that of the Shard, and “London’s highest public restaurant” as well as shops and a public square on the ground linking St Andrew Undershaft and St Helen’s Bishopsgate churches. Parry, who is also behind Generali’s 10 Fenchurch A...

    A man has been charged with attempted murder following a knife attack at a Tube station in east London, police have said. Muhaydin Mire, 29, of Sansom Road, Leytonstone, will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court this morning. He is charged with the attempted murder of a 56-year-old man at Leytonstone underground station.The alleged victim was left with "serious" stab wounds and another person was hurt during the incident at around 7.15pm on Saturday. A man who allegedly shouted "this is for Syria" was arrested after being Tasered by officers. Police have increased patrols at transport hubs to "identify and deter terrorism" after the incident. The extra officers deployed will be both uniformed and plain-clothed, said British Transport Police. Assistant Chief ...

    A male commuter launched into a "massive sexist rant" after missing a packed train on the London Underground during rush hour. The man, who was in his late 50s, was running for a train at Stockwell station, but was blocked by a young woman who was letting other people on the carriage, so that she could be first on the next train. The man subsequently missed his train and started "having a go" at the woman, who was in her 20s. Abi Brookman, a 25-year-old trainee accountant, was on the platform at the time and said: "He was being very aggressive and demanding she apologise, she refused. Another woman started defending her and telling him to chill out because another Tube would be along in one minute." This only angered the man further, who launched into an anti-women tirade,...