News

A helicopter crashed in Vauxhall in central London at around 8am this morning. In misty conditions, the helicopter hit a crane on top of a building and fell to the ground. 

Police confirmed two people died- one of whom was in the helicopter. A further 13 people were injured- seven were treated at the scene and six were taken to hospital with varying degrees of injury. 

Eyewitness reports described how the helicopter's fuel caught fire and spread across the road, causing huge plumes of black smoke. The video below shows the intensity of the fire.

Britain has been hit by sub-zero temperatures and up to 7 inches of snow over the last few days, with northern and eastern parts of the country particularly suffering/enjoying the cold snap.

London and surrounding areas were sprinkled with snow on Sunday night and Monday morning and, as you'll know if you're near the Capital, are still facing freezing temperatures. However, there is unlikely to be much more of the white stuff falling any time soon.

This afternoon the Oscar nominations for 2013 were announced in Hollywood. The annual awards are the top prize in cinema, and hundreds of nervous film crews, actors and directors were all waiting to hear if they'd received a nod.

As the nominations were revealed by actors Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone, it soon became clear that, as is often the case, the list was dominated by a few films. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln took most nominations with 12, whilst Life Of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook also both did very well.

Whilst most of the major awards are led by Hollywood's finest, there are a few more unusual titles in the mix. Michael Haneke's Amour for example is up for Best Film, Best Actress and Best Director. 

The winners will be announced at a typically glitzy ceremony on the 24th February. In the mean time, check out the full list of nominations below and pick out who you think deserves to win.

Amidst predictions that international student applications are falling, the latest attack on the government's stance on student visas has come from Universities UK chief executive Nicola Dandridge.

The latest figures from UCAS show that non-EU undergraduate applications for this year have increased by 0.8% on last year. Whilst this may not sound like a problem, the average increase has been 7% every year since 2007, meaning that international student numbers have been hit. Similarly, figures show that the number of Indian students applying to UK universities has fallen by 9%- a figure expected to rise to 25% by the end of this year.

More worryingly, the Office for National Statistics revealed in November that the number of student visas issued in 2012 had fallen by 26% compared to previous year.

Student visas have been a hot topic in Britain for the past few years, with politicians promising to tighten regulations to ensure fake students cannot cheat the immigration system. Along the way, it has become commonplace for high profile politicians to use phrases like "bogus students" whilst promising an aggressive clamp down on visas.

It is rhetoric like this that Nicola Dandridge believes is putting off prospective international students:

Students at Central Saint Martins college as well as other Londoners were asked to enter photos of ‘their London'. Thousands of entries of everything from iconic landmarks to English fry-ups were deliberated over by photography experts at the college. Twenty winners were then chosen, each with its own little story.

The competition was run by iconic London brand Beefeater Gin and the winning entries will all appear on a limited edition bottle later this year. Have a look for yourself at some of our favourites below.

Above: SANDRA: "#MyLondon is always busy with traffic.... An iconic London bus pulls up outside the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben...."