Police stand down suspicious package alert near London's Gherkin building

LONDON (Reuters) - British police said a reported suspicious package in the City of London near London's "Gherkin" building on Friday was a harmless discarded electrical item and lifted cordons in the area. "The cordons put up around St Mary Axe due to a suspicious package have been lifted and the area is now clear," City of London police said in a tweet. The Gherkin's address is 30 St Mary Axe. "No cause for alarm – the box turned out to be a discarded electrical item." (Reporting by Alistair Smout and Kate Holton; editing by Stephen Addison)