It was one of Boris Johnson's election pledges to bring in mobile weapons scanners and knife detector arches and today saw them appearing at tube stations and on London's streets as a very public and visual response to the knife crime murders of the past week. As one astute Londonist reader has pointed out, where was the swift resort to "in your face" policing after the unfortunate teenage girl was allegedly covered in lye......

On the same day that a gunman was shot dead in the King's Road, the story of Magda Pniewska's senseless death in a skirmish between armed teenagers last October was relayed by prosecutors at the Old Bailey. Ms. Pniewska was caught in a "Wild West"-style shootout, the jury heard yesterday. Upon finishing her shift at Manley Court nursing home in New Cross, the 26 year old care worker walked home. She was mere yards......

Here’s what we’ve learned whilst you’ve been trying to dodge the Respect Bus this weekend (gotta give Galloway credit – he’s tireless on the old campaign trail): Bureaucracy threatens next year’s Chelsea Flower Show. Actually, bureaucracy is threatening civilisation as we know it, but Londonist frowns upon melodrama so forget we said that. Three public health workers have been bitten by a rabid puppy. In the weekend crime round-up, we can tell you that......

We’re pretending the snow on the weekend didn’t happen, as we choose to ignore weather that displeases us. While we’re inside hiding from Mother Nature, here are a few things we’ll be watching. Monday, 7 April EastEnders (BBC1, 20:00-20:30) They’ve kept it pretty under wraps, but we’ve heard that Patsy Palmer’s back in Albert Square. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone. Bianca makes her triumphant return tonight, and we’re sure you’re all a-flutter at the potential......

Residents vs. architects: Those who live in Robin Hood Gardens want the estate demolished, whilst architects fight to save “seminal” modernist buildings. Your daily crime round-up: “Osama bin London” jailed indefinitely; cleaner who killed 94-year-old widow jailed for life; financial trader denies involvement in murder of wealthy writer. We’re sensing a pattern here: Man scales Japanese embassy in London to protest Japanese whaling. Met to build firearms training centre near Heathrow; increased security concerns......

It's a lovely Saturday afternoon, but if you're sitting in front of your computer, wondering what to do with your day, never fear! Londonist is here, and we've found a most entertaining online game for you. Channel 4 has created Bow Street Runner, a game to accompany the City of Vice series, and it's almost as fun as the programme. As with any online game, your experience is going to be limited by the......

Where's Gil Grissom when you need him? Before London gets their own version of the hot shot crime scene investigator TV series, the police will have to do. They've got a real nut to crack with the murder of 94-year-old Thea Zaudy. CCTV footage of the suspected murderers, including Mrs Zaudy's cleaner, show them carrying a large empty suitcase from Notting Hill station and later lugging the same suitcase, now full, back to the......

As Camden is recognised as a musos’ haven, Ken pledges cash for the rebuild. Silly bitch niece is banged up for life for killing her poor 100 year old aunt. Over her inheritance. Doherty is putting it around (his guitar, of course), with gigs here and there. Kings College is developing some good news for diabetes sufferers. London Fashion Week carries on in spite of Londonist apathy: apparently Conran’s a hit. Piccie courtesy of......

Macabre London: First, man denies murdering model but admits to necrophilia; then a headless corpse turns up in northwest London. We find ourselves suspiciously eyeing other commuters on our Tube ride home this evening. Corrupt London: We know that London is ranked first on all kinds of lovely lists. But we’d prefer to forgo the dubious distinction of being first in rates of debit and credit card fraud. Tonally challenged London: Londonist thinks it’s......

Londonist asks if Croydon is turning into the new Kings Cross, as yet another brothel is raided and shut down. Ealing authorities reckon real actors from The Bill will give a new anti-kiddie-crime documentary enough clout for it to be effective. It is part of a programme to be unrolled in West London schools. Lee Jasper’s deputy is forced to resign over illicit luxury beano to Nigeria. And for being daft enough to lie......

This is what we have learned whilst you have been browsing through holiday brochures this weekend: A pub in Tottenham with a really bad record for trouble is to be shut down. Londonist can think of a few more that should be… A gang fight at a greengrocers has left one man stabbed to death. A met. policeman accused of killing his wife has been found dead. As has his former mother-in-law. People have......

The Holiday season is in full swing in NYC, with holiday lights in Brooklyn, a giant snow globe in Bryan Park and Chanukah specials for ham. One citizen decided to go vigilante on annoying car alarms, a murder suspect used a fake Asian accent on the stand and a video of a man being beaten up by teenage girls on a subway shocked the city. And we interviewed soon-to-be-leaving-Gawker editor Choire Sicha, who said,......

What we learned this weekend whilst you were enjoying all the fun of the fair: Weird statistic of the week: Emmas from Sutton and Evas from Kingston should not be allowed behind the wheel. How on earth do they get these stats? Two arrests have been made following Saturday’s night bus murder. Londonist would so like to like night buses, but it is hard. Find out what north-of-the-borderers make of us. Mummy gets a......

29. Phantom Assailants: Part One One hundred years previous to Jack The Ripper’s reign of ghastly terror, London was overshadowed by another spectral attacker – a phantom aggressor that, although seemingly dreadful and unique, would simply become one of many urban legends pertaining to mysterious and elusive assailants across the world, with many actually analysing the peculiar cases of ripping, and asking ‘did such psychopaths exist or were they the product of local hysteria’?......

Our weekly roundup of film reviews continues, courtesy of James Bryan… This week Brad Pitt’s latest (with a title so long it shouldn’t be allowed) The Assassination of Jesse James etc, the alternate realities of The Nines, Vince Vaughn slumming it in Fred Claus, the video game adaptation Hitman, Kenneth Branagh directs The Magic Flute and a re-release for the classic All About Eve. If you get annoyed with trailers that give the plot......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 26th November 1983: An armed robbery at the Brinks Mat warehouse near Heathrow Airport becomes the largest heist in British history, as £25 million worth of gold bullion is pinched. Tuesday – 27th November 2000: 10-year-old schoolboy Damilola Taylor is stabbed in the leg and dies in Peckham, south London. The following six years would see several trials and re-trials over the killing, finally culminating in the......

One year since Alexander Litvinenko's murder, yet our Russian friends haven't been dissuaded from moving here. Good for them! Superbug victims to get their own ward in hospital. A green London is affordable - especially if we follow Greenwich's lead. Bus careers off road. Perhaps the driver was in training for the London Grand Prix? Tube cleaners score pay rise Image courtesy of dartar via the Londonist flickr group.......

Here’s what we’ve learned while you lot have been out, up and away with the fireworks: The Polish Prime Minister is to make a personal visit to Ealing to thank his, er, voters… The police have sneaked out a discreet Sunday press release about the obscene amounts of money they have spent on PR for PCSOs. Forget gang-on-gang violence... howzabout octogenarian on octogenarian murder? The University of Surrey is to build a hip and......

Looks like HRH is having a bit of a Blair old time right now (either Blair will do). There's that pesky enquiry and now this latest plot to blackmail a minor member of the royal family over some man on man nightclub naughtiness, although thank goodness for the police who've now arrested two men. We* here at Londonist are deeply disappointed at the sad, sorry state of the proceedings. Firstly, it's a minor royal.......

Sometimes it's the little ones that grab ya. Man breaks into cemetery, steals ten grand's worth of grave digging kit, then wheelbarrows it out to his car. That's it. No more. No word on whether the police have found him yet and to be honest, we're highly unlikely to follow this one up unless there's a spate of grave robing in the Sunbury area. Still, you can now spend the weekend pondering what the......

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice......

This weekend column is brought to you by the founders of Niceties Tokens, Liz and Pete of Team Nice. 20. Kids Today I discovered this conversation on Fridaycities – the London social network site (if you want to join it you might need this code: pfpxc3ogqu5). They were discussing why people think that so many kids are stabbing each other. A few different points were made about this, one being that knife crime and......

Harrow motorist in jail after 172 mph motorway run. DNA to the rescue in decades-old murder case. London has nine spots that breech EU pollution limits. Once the Big Smoke always the Big Smoke. The Telegraph has a guide to London. They recommend you visit the New Piccadilly Café. We recommend you do not, unless you're a fan of 'Closed' signs. Image courtesy of tezzer57 via the Londonist flickr group.......

….you’re just pootling along the high street, minding your (or everybody else’s, if you’re a Londonist) business, when what do you espy? A piano. Just perched there on the pavement. You rub your eyes, and make a vow to cut back a bit on the old Lambrusco/JD/what you will. It cannot be. Ah, you think, it’s a practical joke: there’s a hidden camera somewhere…. Well, this slightly Python-esque scene is likely to be played......

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take......

The second of our interviews with the Tory candidates for London Mayor. Previously, Andrew Boff. Victoria Borwick is a born and bred London lass whose Mayoral campaign carries the tagline 'A red head not Red Ken'. She has 25 years of management experience and is currently a councillor for Kensington and Chelsea. She has four children, doesn't like tinny techno and knows a thing or two about Cleopatra's Needle. But does she have the......

The Treatment Rooms is a privately owned three-story house in the West London suburb of Chiswick, which over the past several years has had its exterior walls transformed into an ongoing self-contained conceptual piece of mosaic art. The vibrant and well executed mosaics, which cover the front wall of the house and the back garden wall are well worth paying a visit to see. Recently, Londonist took an opportunity to visit the Treatment Rooms......

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness – we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts......

11. Spring Heeled Jack: A Chronicle of Chaos “But most of all did he dwell upon some mysterious blazing entity that shook and laughed and mocked at him.” Beyond The Wall Of Sleep – H. P. Lovecraft Supernatural? Invader from space? Prankster? Hysteria? Spring Heeled Jack’s notorious crimes that littered 19th Century London remain to this day one of the capital’s most bizarre series of crimes. Here is a brief catalogue of the weird......

Report: public 'misled' over Menezes shooting. Murder, murder, murder, rape and murder. BBC London sure is a depressing place today. And their Crossrail story isn't too optimistic either. Robbers use digger to raid cash machine. They fail. Our old friend Andrew Hudson-Smith has built some neat representations of London in Second Life. See image above. Image taken from the the Digital Urban blog.......