The LGBT+ flag has been flown from Parliament for the first time ever ahead of this weekend's London Pride festival.

The rainbow flag has been granted special permission to fly from Portcullis House until Sunday.

Image source, UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

David Geary, head of political engagement for Pride in London said: "It was in the Houses of Parliament that homosexuality was decriminalised, equal consent laws were introduced, the bigoted Section 28 was repealed, where civil partnership and ultimately equal marriage were adopted. 

Image source, Marcel Pico

"This powerful institution, right at the heart of British democracy has become a powerful tool for equality in recent times. 

"The rainbow flag flying above serves as a testament to this legacy and a reflection of how far we have come as a community." 

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey and his Wales team-mates say they are not worried about who they might face in the last 16 at Euro 2016.

Image source, Getty Images

Wales have qualified as Group B winners thanks to their 3-0 win over Russiawhich is being described as arguably their greatest ever performance.

They will play either Northern Ireland or Turkey in Paris on Saturday.

"Now that we've qualified we want to see where we can go, and anything can happen now in these games. We are trying to get through," Ramsey said.

A 29-year-old man who was just about to fly to Saudi Arabia from Heathrow Airport has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism.

Officers arrested him on suspicion of possessing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

He is in custody at a London police station.

A property in west London is being searched and officers have seized electronic devices for analysis.

A man who climbed on the curved metal frame of Tower Bridge earlier this morning has climbed down after talking with a police negotiator.

Emergency teams were called after the man, aged in his 40s, was spotted climbing the structure in the early hours.

Image source, @mpsonthewater

City of London Police said: "On Wednesday June 22 at 1.51am, City of London Police officers and the Metropolitan Police Service Marine Policing Unit were called to Tower Bridge after a man in his 40s was seen to climb the structure of the bridge. 

"A police negotiator attended the scene. At 4.33am the man came down. He was taken to an East London hospital for medical assessment and has been detained under the Mental Health Act." 

BBC Weather

It will be dry and warm day for most, with sunny spells developing. 

But the increasing humidity could lead to some heavy showers or thunderstorms later this afternoon.  

BBC London News

On BBC London News at 13:30, we will have the latest on why Mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of misleading Londoners over his manifesto pledge to freeze fares.

Also, new figures show there has been a rise in the amount of time we are spending time waiting outside Tube stations because of overcrowding - with more than a fifth of cases occurring outside Oxford Circus.

And Warton Hall studios in Isleworth is again a thriving creative hub after a revamp.

A film based on the true story of a Botswana king who married a London office worker will open the BFI London Film Festival.

A United Kingdom stars Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo.  

Image source, Getty Images

Six fire engines and 35 firefighters were called, external to a fire in a block of flats on Godley Road in Earlsfield yesterday evening.

A four roomed flat on the first floor of the two storey block was gutted by the blaze and part of the building’s roof was damaged.

Image source, London Fire Brigade

One woman escaped the flat before crews arrived and another woman and a child were treated for smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service.

Watch Manager Mick Gomm from Battersea fire station who was at the scene said: "Our crews worked really hard  to stop the fire from spreading to the roofs either side of the mid terraced maisonette where the fire had started."

Rail passengers are still facing disruption on some Southern services following a 24-hour strike which saw nearly 900 trains cancelled.

The company said train crew shortages and trains out of normal positions were causing delays and cancellations.

RMT union members walked out over the introduction of driver-only trains and a change in the role of conductors.

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition, external calling for Southern's owner Govia to be stripped of the contract.

Events are taking place around the world to mark the birthday of killed MP Jo Cox.

The Labour MP and mother of two was shot and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on Thursday.

Image source, Brendan Cox

Organisers said the events, on what would have been her 42nd birthday, would "show the world we have more in common than that which divides us".

Tributes are planned in New York, Paris, London and in Mrs Cox's Batley and Spen constituency.

Hundreds are also expected to attend events in Washington DC, Auckland and Dublin.

BBC Sport

Andy Murray has been seeded second in the men's singles at Wimbledon and fellow Briton Johanna Konta has been seeded 17th in the women's competition.  

Murdered Ellie Butler's grandfather Neal Gray has said he has disowned his daughter Jennie Gray. 

“You don’t think one of your own offspring could possibly be involved in a terrible, tragic crime. Unfortunately she was,” he said.

“I understand he was violent and controlling but I think she’s also capable of being the same with him.”

Mr Gray and his wife Linda cared for Ellie for five years.

He told Victoria Derbyshire: “Stories from her and Butler saying she was rude and lazy are complete and utter false lies. She was a gorgeous little girl and it was a great privilege to be her grandparent.”

“Jennie was aggressive and threatening. I had a premonition that Ellie wouldn’t be safe.

“I think she [Jennie] knew what had happened because she knew what he was capable of.

Image source, Met Police

“I believe the social services laws have got to be brought into the 21st Century and the family courts system has to be changed radically.

“Somebody has got to stand up and make sure no other child gets hurt like my granddaughter got hurt. I will make it my goal for the rest of my life to fight for any child to be saved.”

A minute-long silence has been held at the City Hall at the start of the Mayor's Question Time in memory of MP Jo Cox who would have been 42 today.

The Labour MP for Batley and Spen was shot and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on Thursday.

Image source, GLA

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he remembered Mrs Cox from the time she was a "fearless campaigner" for some of the world's poorest and marginalised people and she brought her passion to Parliament.

"In the one year she was the MP for Batley and Spen, she made more of an impact than many people make in their whole Parliamentary career," Mr Khan said.

It's Sadiq Khan' second Mayor's Question Time. 

You can watch a live stream here., external

A murder investigation has been launched, external following the death of an 18-year-old man in Battersea.

Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 16:15 yesterday to an address in Wayford Street to reports that a man had been stabbed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Image source, Google

A man, 18, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody at a south London police station.

Officers from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are investigating.

Murdered six-year-old Ellie Butler was "very bubbly, a beautiful little girl, always on the go all the time, lots of energy like little children have, very brainy, nobody's fool," said her grandfather Neal Gray.

"It was the best years of our life," he said about the two-and-a-half years Ellie lived with her grandparents..

During the time Ellie was in their custody her father Ben Butler met her "twice" while Ellie's mother Jennie Gray saw the child "four times".

Mr Gray said: "She was absolutely petrified of social workers, she told them she didn't want to go back, and she started to have night dreams where she was scared they were going to come and take her away in the night."

Ellie would hide behind the curtains or duvet when social workers came to her grandparents house. Mr Gray said: "[Ellie] she didn't know them as parents, but her mother turned around and said to her 'If you don't come back and live with mummy and daddy, we won't love you anymore'." 

Murdered six-year-old Ellie Butler's grandfather Neal Gray has told Radio 4 he and his wife "fought tooth and nail to keep Ellie" and were even given the go-ahead to start adoption proceedings, but then Ellie was handed over to her parents.

"We tried to fight it tooth and nail but every time we protested we were told we were troublemakers and we were elderly people and we weren't worthy of looking after children."

Image source, Met Police

After her parents Ben Butler and Jennie Gray won the custody battle, Mr Gray said he had warned about the decision: "I said I hope you all have conscience because one day you might have blood on your hands with regards to my granddaughter Ellie."

Recalling the last time he and his wife saw the child - the day before she died, he said: "She wasn't the Ellie we knew. 

"She had bruises on her forehead and scratches, her hair was all bedraggled, she had odd shoes, socks and clothes and looked as though she had been dragged through the back of her hedgerow.

"You could see that she was scared of whatever she was going to say, the mother would condone it."