London Travel News 01/03/2011

…aaaannnndd here it goes again.

The Queen's granddaughter is newly engaged to a rugby player she has been dating since 2004.

The Oscar-nominated British actor has died after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Hundreds of thousands see in 2011 at open-air parties as London ambulance service receives record number of 999 calls.

The 2.5% VAT rise coming into effect tomorrow will cost families almost £400 a year and put 250,000 jobs at risk, Labour leader Ed Miliband warned today.

Many centuries before animals were kept at London Zoo in Regent's Park, they were kept in the Tower of London. In April, a new exhibition there will tell their tale.

London's daily congestion charge rises from £8 to £10 from Tuesday. The zone's western extension was removed by Mayor Boris Johnson on 24 December after a public consultation. 

Annie Lennox, music producer Trevor Horn, the founders of Lush Cosmetics and a Scottish postman top the list of UK subjects deemed Members of the Order of the British Empire. Most honorees are local heroes rather than celebrities.

Buckingham Palace announced that the wife of the Queen's grandson Peter Phillips gave birth to a daughter yesterday.The Queen is reportedly "delighted."

The New Year's Day Parade – London, marks a major milestone on January 1st – its silver (25th) anniversary.

Sahara India, which acquired the Mayfair hotel for £470m, plans to add restaurants and a nightclub.

For the first time in 24 years, England's cricket team has beaten Australia on their own home turf in the biggest competition in the game.