Virtual tour of Buckingham Palace launched by Google

Buckingham Palace has teamed up with Google to produce a 3D tour of parts of the Queen's home in London.

Using a smartphone and a cardboard viewer, schoolchildren will be able to go on what Google is calling a "virtual field trip" around Buckingham Palace. (BBC News)

London bus stops embrace e-paper

Transport for London is trialling e-paper bus stops that can display real-time travel information.

Fitted with solar-powered panels, they show how long passengers have to wait for the next buses, as well as route maps and timetables.

Four bus stops have been fitted with the tech so far. Chris Foxx quizzed TfL's head of technology Simon Reed about the innovation.

From BBC News.Technology

Living in Versace: if you loved the outfit, you can buy the flat (?)

It's the kind of place that when you press the doorbell, you may hear a distinct "bling, bling" coming from the inside.

Designer views; what residents may see from their Versace apartments in London

Welcome to the UK's first block of flats where the style and interiors have all been designed by the global fashion-house, Versace.

As a result, fashionistas who choose to live their lives smothered in Versace, will soon be able to live under its roof as well.

Every morning they'll be able to wake up in Versace sheets, drink tea from a Versace cup, wallow in a Versace bath and walk on Versace-patterned carpets - even before accessing their Versace wardrobe.

From now on, let no one else tell you that they live in a designer flat.

The top of the so-called Jenga tower

In fact no one will be moving in for another five years or so, but such is the hype surrounding this week's launch, that dozens of the apartments have already been sold.

That will leave many people wondering which is the more frightening trend: the fact that developers may be able to charge an even higher premium for their bricks and mortar or that the boundaries of taste may be shifting ever further from the simple and the understated.

'Feature wall'

The quickly-nicknamed Jenga tower - after the game with wooden blocks - is due to open in the Nine Elms area of London in 2020.

All the residents will have access to a Versace-designed communal lounge, a "sky garden" on the 24th floor, a 900 sq ft pool on the 23rd floor and a Versace-designed children's' play area.

All kitchens will be fitted with Versace breakfast bars

All bathrooms will have Versace tubs, taps, tiling and a floor made from a single sheet of marble, while all kitchens will contain a Versace breakfast bar.

The reception rooms will be carpeted with a classic "Greek key" designs, and the bedrooms will have a "feature wall".

The word from Milan is that aficionados have not lived, or loved, till now.

"Versace is synonymous with fashion and luxury, and its participation in the real estate business provides the opportunity to fully experience the Versace lifestyle," says Gian Giacomo Ferraris, the company's chief executive.

Versace house style - understated it's not

'Flamboyant look'

Prices start at £1m for a two bedroom apartment, and £3m for a three-bedroom.

And those spending that amount will be able to immerse themselves even more fully in the world of the Italian fashion house.

They will be flown free of charge to its Milan headquarters, where they will be able to discuss their interior design needs in greater detail with a Versace consultant.

"Each one will be overseen by Donatella Versace, as she does all her designs," says Krete Luca, sales manager with Hamptons International, which is handling enquiries for the development.

Even your wine glasses can be Versace - if you want

At that point, a whole new world of "Versace-ness" opens up.

The owners will then be able to buy branded cutlery, glasses and tablecloths with the word Versace embossed in the corner and pictures, sofas, table lamps and cushions bearing the signature Medusa head.

"Versace is a very specialised taste," says Daniel Hopwood, presenter of BBC Two's The Great Interior Design Challenge and a designer himself.

"It was big in the 1980s. It's quite excessive and quite baroque in design - shiny surfaces and a lot of gold. But it's bling in a nice way."

However most of the design and the colours in London will be muted, says Mr Luca.

"The bathroom's a light grey marble, with a subtle finish. However, if you want a more flamboyant look, you can have that," he says.

'Scary future'

In the future, more and more interiors may come from fashion designers. After all, they are already established brands. Few other interior designers - apart from perhaps Kelly Hoppen - are household names.

The developers of the Nine Elms project, Damac, have already used Versace to design apartment blocks in Saudi Arabia and Beirut.

And its Italian rival Armani is currently building a block of apartments in Florida, with prices of up to $6m for ocean-front units.

"We are going to see more of this," says Daniel Hopwood.

"It's a scary future, but it will happen, especially with internationalism."

Fashion designers are also moving into hotels

Fashion brands are moving into the hotel market too, providing further impetus for their interior design products. An Armani hotel already occupies 11 floors of the Burj Khalifa hotel in Dubai. There is also a branch in Milan.

The Bulgari hotel in London's Knightsbridge provides other clues as to what the future may look like.

The website explains that the hotel "offers subtle quotations from Bulgari's beginnings as a Roman silversmith".

In other words, there's a lot of shininess here too.

'Socks and underpants'

Branded interior design doesn't have to be posh, of course.

"It could be Armani, Versace, or even Ikea," says Hopwood. Indeed Ikea has been helping to build affordable homes in Sweden since 1997.

Nevertheless, for those who like to put their own stamp on their homes, the idea is unlikely to be popular universally.

"As a concept, for most people, walking into a branded house will feel very alien," says Hopwood.

"Do you have to take it right down to the socks and underpants, for goodness sake?"

From BBC News Business

Minute's silence to remember the victims of the 7/7 attacks

Many parts of the UK fell silent at 11.30am today to remember the victims of the London bomb attacks on the 7th July 2005.

52 people died and more than 770 people were injured.

It was the worst single terrorist attack on British soil.It became known as 7/7 because of the date the bombings took place.

A minute's silence was held at special remembrance and memorial services across London and in other parts of the UK to remember those who lost their lives.

It was also to pay tribute to the emergency services who gave help to many of the injured on the day.

On the morning on July 7th 2005, four men with rucksacks full of explosives attacked central London.

The target was London's transport system, at the end of the morning rush hour.

The underground station bombs went off at about 8.50am on trains near Liverpool Street and Edgware Road stations, and on another tube train travelling between King's Cross and Russell Square.

A fourth bomb went off on a bus in Tavistock Square, London, about an hour later.

This morning the Prime Minister David Cameron laid wreaths at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park in London. The Queen was also there.

In a note attached to his wreath, David Cameron wrote: "To the victims of terrorism in London 10 years ago today. We grieve your loss and will honour your memory forever."

There has also been a special remembrance service at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

During a minute's silence the congregation stood, as petals fell to the floor from the cathedral's dome.

From BBC News

The London bus: Britain’s most iconic design?

Beloved by locals and tourists alike, London’s bright red double-decker bus has endured to become synonymous with the city. Jonathan Glancey explains its appeal.

The post-box red, double-decker bus was never designed to be an icon. It was supposed to last just 17 years – so why is the Routemaster still with us, 50 years later?

It was designed by London Transport to be both ultra-modern and traditional, created by Londoners, for Londoners. The prototype was issued in 1954 and the first vehicles went into service two years later.

Created right after World War II, its body was made of lightweight aluminium – perhaps the most direct link with war-time engineering techniques.

When it was finally taken out of regular service in 2005, there was a public outcry at the loss of a London icon – the name was revived with a new Routemaster just three years later. But can the new bus live up to its iconic predecessor? Jonathan Glancey takes a look. 

From BBC News

This extraordinary bus was once the choice in Portugal., too. However, its colour was green instead of red. The company which still exists was CARRIS.

There was also a smaller version a "single decker" suitable for areas where it was diffucult for a doubledecker to go. Narrow streets of ancient parts of Lisbon or simply less populated areas.

 Of course the entrance was on the opposite side of the bus as in Portugal  the driving is by the right side of roads and streets. some of these green buses had no door at the back and many people, especially men used to jump out of the bus while it was still moving (quite a few fell off and got serious injuries). Later they were painted orange and soon after some modern buses came up and these ones completely disppeared. Some were preserved and are now in the Museum of CARRIS

Who was Winston Churchill and why was he important?

Special events are taking place on Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill's state funeral. But who was he and why was he important?

Why was Churchill so important?

Winston Churchill was British prime minister from 1940-1945 and again between 1951 and 1955.

He is best remembered for successfully leading Britain through World War Two.

He was famous for his inspiring speeches, and for his refusal to give in, even when things were going badly.

Many people consider him the greatest Briton of all time and he's almost certainly the most famous British prime minister.

Winston Churchill gives his famous V for Victory salute

Taken prisoner in Africa

Churchill was born in 1874. He became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1900.

Before that, he spent time in the army and also as a war reporter.

In 1899, he travelled to South Africa to report on the Boer War.

He was captured and made a prisoner-of-war, but he managed to escape - his adventure made him famous back home in Britain.

Winston Churchill loved to paint - he created more than 500 paintings

Fighting the Nazis

Before World War Two started in 1939, he had warned about the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany.

He became British prime minister in 1940 after then-leader Neville Chamberlain resigned.

Churchill's refusal to surrender to Nazi Germany inspired the country.

Winston Churchill's state funeral in 1965

Churchill lost power after World War Two ended in 1945.

But he became prime minister again in 1951, before resigning four years later.

Churchill died on 24 January 1965 and was given a state funeral, an honour saved only for kings and queens, and sometimes other people of the highest national importance.

Churchill's funeral was the last state funeral held in Britain.

From CBBC newsround

Cruising one of London’s most historical hand-built canals

Hidden from Central London’s busy streets is a 200-year-old canal lined with cafes and boathouses.

Directly north of Paddington is the tranquil pocket affectionately known as Little Venice. The area is a popular tourist attraction mainly due to the picturesque canals with Narrowboat cruises travelling between Little Venice and Camden Lock. Treat yourself to gloriously juicy Chinese at Pearl Liang, seafood delights at Summerhouse or a spot of light entertainment at the Canal Café. Use Time Out's guide to London's inner-city oasis to find restaurants, pubs and things to do near Little Venice.

From BBC 

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20140908-cruising-one-of-londons-most-historical-hand-built-canals

The story of the 'most complicated' watch in the world

The most complicated handmade watch, the Henry Graves Supercomplication, has been sold at auction for 20.6m Swiss francs (£13.4m), writes Luke Jones.

A "complication" is a technical term referring to any feature on a watch which is in addition to simply telling the time - and Henry Graves Jr wanted more than anyone else.

The Supercomplication, made by Patek Philippe in 1932, has 24 of them including Westminster chimes, a perpetual calendar, sunrise and sunset times, and a celestial map of New York as seen from Graves's apartment on Fifth Avenue.

But for a "very flamboyant time he was a strangely quiet man", says Stacy Perman, author of A Grand Complication. His father was a "figure of the gilded age of American finance", but Graves was more a man of leisure. He was a banker, but not "nine to five", notes Perman.

This was the tail end of the "golden age of watchmakers". "Until the advent of the automobile they were considered the most innovative makers in the world," Perman explains.

Graves was an "incredibly keen" sportsman, which may have drawn him to the increasingly competitive field of watchmaking. The Geneva Observatory Timing contest, the "watch Olympics" as Perman calls it, pitted timepieces against each other for prizes and Graves took a close interest in it.

Graves' Celestial map

• Shows the night sky as seen from Graves's flat by Central Park in New York City
• Maps the correct spacing and magnitude of the stars
• The map rotates with the sky

Source: Sotheby's

The Supercomplication was part of an "unofficial competition" with the automotive pioneer James Packard, says Daryn Schnipper, chairman of Sotheby's watch division.

A man of "self-made wealth", Packard was fascinated with complicated watches and had an edge on Graves because of his "engineering mind", says Perman.

The Packard watch, with 10 complications, had been the "piece de resistance". It featured the first sky chart ever on a watch - a celestial map of the sky above his home in Ohio made with 500 gold stars.

Graves commissioned the Supercomplication watch in order to beat Packard's.

It was commissioned in 1925 but was not delivered to him until 1933. It has 900 parts and remains the most complicated watch built without the assistance of computers, according to Sotheby's. One of its functions shows sidereal time, which is based on the amount of time it takes the Earth to make two consecutive transitions of a meridian by a fixed star. A sidereal day is approximately 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds.

At an auction in 1999 it sold for $11m (£9.6m).

It was last wound in 1969. And it's still working.

THE 24 COMPLICATIONS

Timekeeping

• The hours, minutes and seconds of sidereal time (3)
• The time of sunset and sunrise (2)
• The equation of time

Calendar

• Perpetual calendar
• The days of the month
• The days of the week
• The months
• The stars chart
• The age and phases of the moon

Chronograph (stopwatch)

• The Chronograph
• Split seconds
• The 30-minute recorder
• The 12-hour recorder

The Chime

• The "Grande sonnerie" (Westminster chimes) with carillon
• The "Petite sonnerie" with carillon
• The minute-repeater
• The alarm

Other functions

• The going train up-down indication
• The striking train up/down indication
• The twin barrel differential winding
• The three-way setting system

From BBC News- Magazine

Tower Bridge unveils glass walkway 138ft above river Thames

A new glass walkway which offers guests a bird's eye view of the River Thames below has been revealed at Tower Bridge in London.

Tourists can test their head for heights by walking across the glass strip, which is suspended 42 metres up in the air.

The walkway is 11 metres long and cost £1million to build.

It offers visitors a new look at the famous bridge beneath them, including when it raises to let boats through.

 From CBBc newsround

Engineer secretly saved London from World War Two floods

An engineer secretly saved London from drowning more than 100 times during World War Two.

Sir Thomas Pierson Frank secretly fixed flood defences along the Thames which had been damaged by intense bombing raids.

Gustav Milne, an archaeologist from the Museum of London, and Clive Cockerton from the Institution of Civil Engineers describe what he did.

Footage courtesy of Pathe and the Institution of Civil Engineers.

A disused Second World War bunker large enough to accommodate up to 8,000 people is being let by Transport for London.

The deep-level air-raid shelter lies 100 feet below ground in south London, and is one of eight built beneath the capital during the war.

Newsnight's Stephen Smith arranged a viewing.

From BBC News

The Cabmen's Shelters: Inside London's secret 'green sheds'

To the untrained eye, they are green sheds - an incongruous sight on the busy streets of urban London.

But these wooden structures have, in fact, been part of the street-scene in the capital since 1875 - a refuge for taxi drivers to eat, drink and take shelter from the weather.

These days, just 13 remain - and many now serve the general public at large. But cabbies remain their core customer base. Now, as in the 19th Century, they are looked after by the Cabmen's Shelter Fund - a charity.

A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will now ensure their place in history is recorded. The Creative Intelligence Agency, a non-profit design and arts organisation, is working with the London Transport Museum to document the shelters' past, gather oral histories from cabbies and commission art works.

Archive images courtesy of London Metropolitan Archives

Video Journalist: John Galliver

From BBC News

What happened during World War One?

On 4 August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. People in Britain opened their newspapers the next morning and found out war had begun.

It became known as 'The Great War' because it affected people all over the world and was the biggest war anyone had ever known. The war was fought between two powerful groups.

This famous poster used the face of senior British army officer, Lord Kitchener, to recruit soldiers.

The opposing sides were:

• Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy who were known as 'The Triple Alliance'.
• Great Britain, France and Russia who were known as 'The Triple Entente'.

Divided

Long before the war began, the countries in these groups had made arrangements to work together and help one another if there was a war. So when war did break out in 1914, parts of Europe was already divided into two sides.

Each of the countries involved got their troops ready to fight. Troops were groups that fought together and included both the army and the navy.

Triple Alliance and Triple Entente sides

The war saw lots of battles take place in different countries, especially France and Belgium. Later, many other countries also become involved, some on the side of the Triple Alliance and others of the side on the Triple Entente.

Causes of the war

There was no single event that caused World War One (WWI). War happened because of several different events that took place in the years building up to 1914.

Firstly, there was the role of empire. Great Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia all had empires. This meant that they ruled many countries all over the world.

The Cenotaph in London was unveiled in 1920 to commemorate the victims of WWI

Each of these countries wanted to keep their empire strong and was afraid of other countries taking over new territories. They saw this as a threat to their own empires.

So when Germany and Austria-Hungary took control of smaller countries like Bosnia and Morocco, it looked to the rest of the world like they were being aggressive.

Secondly, many countries had made alliances with one other. They agreed to protect one another. This meant that if one country was attacked, the others would get involved to defend that country.

Poppies became symbols of World War One

However, the trigger for the beginning of WWI occurred on 28 June 1914.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was shot while he was visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia. He was killed by a Serbian person, who thought that Serbia should control Bosnia instead of Austria. Because its leader had been shot, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary

As a result:

1. Russia got involved because Russia had an alliance with Serbia.
2. Germany then declared war on Russia because Germany had an alliance with Austria-Hungary.
3. Britain declared war on Germany because of its invasion of neutral Belgium - Britain had agreements to protect both Belgium and France.

Battle of the Somme

One of the most famous battles was the Battle of the Somme which started in July 1916 in France. It involved Britain, France and Germany.

This battle was an example of trench warfare, where long ditches or 'trenches' were dug in the ground.

Soldiers lived in the trenches and sometimes they climbed out of them to attack.

Two British soldiers standing in a flooded communication trench during World War One

The land between the opposing trenches which soldiers had to cross was called 'No Man's Land'.

The Battle of the Somme was a very bloody battle. In total, around one million soldiers were killed, wounded or missing: 420,000 from Britain, 200,000 from France and 500,000 from Germany.

A total of 65 million troops from around the world fought in the war. This included the British army, which was made up of around 4 million men from England, 558,000 men from Scotland, 273,000 men from Wales and 134,000 men from Ireland. Just under 1 million British troops died.

Numbers of soldiers from the British Empire who served during WWI:

• British 5,000 000
• Canada 628,964
• Australia 412,953
• NZ 128,825
• SA 136,070
• India 1,440 437
• Other colonies 134,837

Taken from 'The Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire during the Great War 1914-1920

How did the war end?

World War One ended at 11am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in 1918. Germany signed an armistice, which is an agreement for peace and no more fighting, that had been prepared by Britain and France.

People celebrating the end of war on a London bus

In 1918, Germany and her allies realised it was no longer possible to win the war. Furthermore, the United States joined the war in April 1917, which gave the Triple Entente greater power.

The leaders of the German army told the German government to end the fighting. Kaiser Wilhelm, Germany's leader, left his job on 9 November 1918.

Two days later on 11 November 1918, Germany signed the armistice and the guns fell silent.

People in Britain, France and all of the countries that supported them, celebrated the end of war - a war that had lasted four years and four months.

In London, a huge crowd gathered in Trafalgar Square.

'Peace babies'

Did you know that Jelly Babies were introduced in 1918 to celebrate the end of war? Back then, they were known as 'Peace Babies'.

Pictures: WW1 relevant sites

from CBBC newsround