Olympic park opens to the public/must visit

Local children took part in a colourful parade to mark the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London has opened to the public for the first time since the London 2012 Games.

Alongside venues for sport and the arts, London's newest park features interactive water fountains and an adventure playground.

Visitors can go up the 375ft-high (114.5m) ArcelorMittal Orbit tower.

It is the biggest park to be opened in London for a century.

New homes

It is hoped the attraction will revitalise the neighbourhood and bring tourists to the area.

Take a tour of the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Visiting the park is free, although there will be charges for some of the attractions.

More than 10,000 new households are planned for the site by 2030.

Current attractions also include the Aquatics Centre and VeloPark, and future ventures are planned with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and University College London (UCL).

The development has been led by the London Legacy Development Corporation.

'Astonishing place'

Mark Camley, the corporation's executive director of park operations, said most of the activities taking place over the opening weekend would be free of charge.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: "We have set out to create a new heart for east London."

The newly-landscaped southern section of the east London park reopened on Saturday Children can play in interactive fountains around the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower The park has been reopened to the public 18 months after the end of the London Paralympics An acrobat hangs from the tower. Organisers say the park will create "a new heart for east London"

The opening comes after Prince Harry and London Mayor Boris Johnson paid a visit to the site on Friday.

The prince said the park was better than he expected, while Mr Johnson said: "It's far more beautiful than I possibly thought it could be.

"This is going to be a quite astonishing place to come and bring your family."

Will you be going to the Queen Elizabeth Park today? We'd like to see your pictures of the park.Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124. If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Coroner opens Hillsborough inquests/must visit

Accidental death verdicts on the 96 men, women and children who died were quashed in December 2012 Fresh inquests into the deaths of 96 football fans killed in the Hillsborough disaster will "consider the experiences of each", the coroner has told jurors.

Making an opening statement, Lord Justice Goldring said the tragedy was "the worst ever disaster at a British sports stadium".

The disaster unfolded on 15 April 1989 during Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

The hearing could last a year.

Earlier, the inquest listened for six minutes while the names of the 96 victims were read out by Christina Lambert, counsel to the inquests.

Lord Justice Goldring said: "The disaster is seared into the memories of the very many people affected by it, most notably of course the families of the 96 people who died."

He told the jury panel of seven women and four men that the findings in the original inquests were quashed in December 2012.

Angus Crawford at the "unique" court being used for the Hillsborough inquests

The verdicts of accidental death were quashed after the Hillsborough Independent Panel delivered its final report on the disaster earlier that year.

Over the course of the inquests, jurors are expected to hear evidence on themes including stadium safety, emergency planning, crowd management and the response of the emergency services.

The inquests are being held in a purpose-built courtroom, the biggest in England and Wales, in an office building in Birchwood Park, in Warrington.

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