Topic: River Thames

George Ferris: How a farmer's son invented the best ride on Earth

George Ferris, Jr., the inventor of the Ferris wheel, was born 154 years ago today. Google is celebrating his birthday – and the arrival of Valentine's Day – with a two-in-one doodle. 

Helicopter crashes into construction crane in London, killing two (+video)

A helicopter crashed into a crane in central London which was packed with thousands of commuters at the time on Wednesday, killing two people as it burst into flames and threw plumes of smoke into the foggy air above.

London welcomes Olympic flame as excitement for Games builds

After years of preparation and months of buildup, London's Olympic moment finally arrived Friday night.

Global News Blog London's Shard: architectural marvel or enormous salt shaker?

Built with Qatari funding and sniffed at by Prince Charles, the new skyscraper has 11,000 glass panels equal to eight soccer fields.

Stars dazzle at Queen's Jubilee concert, but Prince Philip absent in hospital

The Prince Consort was admitted with a bladder infection, though much of the rest of the Royal Family was present.

Warm water threatens vast Anatarctic ice shelf (+video)

A new study indicates that a large ice sheet is at risk. Warm water from below is causing it to melt.

Change Agent A growing answer to rising seas: floating homes

Homes, hospitals, even prisons and golf courses may be built over the water as architects cope with rising sea levels that will affect coastal cities around the world.

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 60 years on throne (+video)

Queen Elizabeth II: Dressed in a Tiffany-blue hat and colorful overcoat against the winter cold, she was greeted by well-wishers in the snow-covered town of King's Lynn at an event planned to mark Accession Day, the anniversary of the day she became queen in 1952.

Massive volcanic eruptions caused Little Ice Age, froze the Thames

The research, which looked at chemical clues preserved in Arctic vegetation as well as other data, also pinpointed the start of the Little Ice Age to the end of the 13th century.

Vatican bank probe revives Catholic Church's past financial scandals

Italian authorities are looking into allegations of money laundering in the Vatican's bank, adding to the Roman Catholic Church's recent woes over sex-abuse scandals.

Classic review: Blake

Peter Ackroyd's biography of William Blake is essential reading for anyone hoping to understand the last great English religious poet to date.

Gordon Brown dissolves Parliament, calls Britain general election

Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked Queen Elizabeth to dissolve parliament today, setting the stage for a general election in Britain in which the rival Tories are the front-runners.

For Olympic Games, London dreams of a Cloud castle

The Cloud, an ambitious structure planned for 2012 Olympics, has airy spheres, spiral walkways, data projection.

The Rose Whisperer: A garden fit for a queen

Thames: The Biography

The story of the 215-mile waterway that predates human civilization.

An icy plunge to save the melting Arctic

An endurance swimmer uses momentum from a world record to draw attention to disappearing polar caps.