Wednesday, February 12

Day: May 7, 2016

Sadiq Khan’s manifesto: what the new London Mayor has promised for his city
ENGLISH, London

Sadiq Khan’s manifesto: what the new London Mayor has promised for his city

    Tackle the housing crisis Sadiq Khan’s key policy is an ambitious target to make 50 per cent of all new homes affordable. He says he will use land owned by the Mayor and Transport for London to increase the supply of housing and tie house building to new transport infrastructure projects, including proposals such as Docklands Light Railway extensions, the Bakerloo Line extension, and Crossrail 2. He will also support councils to enforce new rules to maximise the affordable housing in new developments, with greater transparency around viability assessments, and the option to set local affordable housing targets. Freeze transport fares Khan says he will freeze London transport fares for four years and introduce a one-hour bus ‘Hopper’ ticket, paid for by making TfL more effi...
Sour green mango delights to beat summer blues
ENGLISH, Life Style

Sour green mango delights to beat summer blues

Abida Rahman Chowdhury, Asmaul Housna: As the sky gets darker and darker, the clouds brew with the promise of a nor’wester, the trees sway in the gust of cold wind that threatens to envelop everything in its path. The wind picks up pace and the green mangoes fall ‘thud-thud’ on the now wet earth and everyone rushes to pick up the sour dark-green treasures to be quickly devoured. The tangy scent or even the sound of the delightfully sour mangoes ‘kacha aam’ is all it takes to make the mouth water. This is one heavenly fruit, you would want to eat to the point of stomach ache. To us Bengalis, Kacha aam is the gift-of-gods! Kacha Aam with dal: Which Bangali can say they enjoy their meal without Dal? Add to that sour mangoes and you have a sweet-sour concoction perfect for those hot summer day...
When a penny is worth £72,000
ENGLISH, United Kingdom

When a penny is worth £72,000

    A 1933 penny. the rarest British coin of the 20th century - has just sold at auction for £72,000. Only a handful of pennies, bearing the head of King George V, were made in 1933. Because the banks had so many pennies in stock already, there was no need to make any more. But 'six or seven', says the Royal Mint Museum, were made for ceremonial purposes. Three were placed by the King under the foundation stones of important buildings, with two going to the British Museum and two others ending up in private hands. Even rarer than these, though, are the four prototypes for the design - the so-called 'pattern pennies'. One is in the Royal Mint Museum, with the other three in private hands. And it's one of these that has just sold for £72,000 through auctioneers Baldwin's - almos...
Number of homeless people increases in Los Angeles
America, ENGLISH

Number of homeless people increases in Los Angeles

    The number of homeless people in Los Angeles County jumped by nearly six percent over the past year to 46,874, in part due to a “historic” housing shortage, authorities said on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) said in its report that the increase came about despite a reduction in the number of homeless veterans and homeless families. Homelessness among veterans dropped by 30 percent across the county, while the number of homeless families fell by 18 percent, largely thanks to an increase in funding by the federal government. “Homelessness responds to resources,” said LAHSA executive director Peter Lynn. “When we have systematically applied city, county and federal resources, we see results.” According to the report, the number of homeless peop...
Even Jemima Khan criticises her brother Zac’s failed campaign for London Mayor
ENGLISH, London

Even Jemima Khan criticises her brother Zac’s failed campaign for London Mayor

    Zac Goldsmith's sister Jemima has criticised how his campaign for London mayor was run, while former Tory Cabinet minister Baroness Warsi called it an "appalling dog whistle campaign". Tactics used in the fight for the post were branded a mistake by a senior Tory, while others have questioned the impact on the party. Ms Goldsmith tweeted: Sad that Zac's campaign did not reflect who I know him to be an eco friendly, independent-minded politician with integrity. She also congratulated Sadiq Khan, who is set to become London's first Muslim mayor, calling him a "great example to young Muslims". Their brother Ben Goldsmith later took to Twitter to defend him, claiming: "Labour planned to paint Zac as a racist from the start. The questions asked of Sadiq were legitimate." Barone...