Photo by tablixdfh

Londoners are abuzz over two departures—one political; the other final.

1. On June 27 Tony Blair will stand down as Prime Minister. While it’s not yet official that Gordon Brown will be elected by the Labour Party as the new PM, it’s widely expected that Brown will follow Blair at No. 10 Downing Street. You can access Blair’s resignation speech here and follow coverage of Brown’s campaign and Blair’s final days right here.

2. It appears that fashion icon Isabella Blow died after ingesting weedkiller at her Gloucestershire home last week. It was originally thought she had died of ovarian cancer, but reports have since revealed that she committed suicide. Read her late husband’s touching remembrance in the Sunday Times.

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Photo courtesy of tompagenet

They still have five years, but London’s bank account for the 2012 Olympic Games is soaring.

Today, in a controversial move, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell decreed the Olympic budget tripled. The budget now rings in at £9.32 billion (about US$18.3 billion) up from an earlier £2.4 billion. This money will pay for security and site construction, among other projects. The Conservative Party is opposing the increase, complaining that money used up for the games essentially defunds other smaller government programs. The Mayor of London agrees. For now, it’s up to Jowell to keep the torch alive.

If you plan to wave your country’s flag in 2012, check out the London 2012 blog for announcements or register to help out when the flame’s finally ignited.

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