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Added on the 19/10/2015 09:32:55 - Copyright : Reuters EN
London's iconic Beg Ben giant watchtower clock chimed once again at 9:00 AM GMT on Thursday morning, after over two months of silence. The famous chime was temporarily suspended on August 21 due to repairs underway on Elizabeth Tower, which houses the beloved clock. Westminister clockmakers are testing the bell throughout the day in order to make sure it strikes at exactly 11.00 GMT for Armistice Day commemorations on November 11. However, it will then go silent again for over a month, only being called into action once more to chime for the Christmas period, ringing from December 23rd until January 1st at 1 PM, after which it is expected to fall silent until repairs are completed.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says that Russia's decision to exit the Ukraine grain deal will "strike a blow to people in need everywhere." SOUNDBITE
UK ambulance workers take to the picket line outside the London Ambulance Service headquarters, as they escalate a pay dispute with the government after walkouts by nurses and other public sector staff earlier in the week. The latest industrial action is being undertaken by paramedics and emergency call handlers, and comes amid similar pay and conditions-driven strikes by rail staff, passport control officers, postal workers and other NHS staff. IMAGES
Big Ben strikes 11 times to mark the start of the Two Minutes of Silence at 11 am on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday - joining bells across the country and worldwide to commemorate those that lost their lives in the two world wars and later conflicts. IMAGES
People queue in London near Blackfriars and Westminster bridge in order to pay their respects in front of the Queen's coffin in the centre of London. The queue was four kilometres long (2,4 miles) on Wednesday night. IMAGES