London

A London bus driver is facing criminal charges over a crash at Victoria Station which left one woman dead and another seriously injured in hospital. Olusofa Popoola, 59, is accused of causing the death by dangerous driving of 32-year-old Melissa Burr in the incident on August 10 last year. He was the driver of a single decker electric bus which crashed into the back of another bus at the busy south London terminus. Popoola is also accused of seriously injuring another woman, Diana Mathuranayagam, in the same crash. He was charged after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, and is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday. Ms Burr, from Rainham in Kent, was reportedly walking between two 507 single decker buses when the crash happened, at roughly ...

Only a third of Londoners who asked TfL for help to scrap their car ahead of the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone have received a pay-out. Latest figures obtained by the Standard from TfL reveal that 16,089 applications had been received by Monday last week but only 5,348 payments made. A total of £61 million has been set aside by Mayor Sadiq Khan to help low-income and disabled Londoners, small businesses and charities scrap petrol and diesel vehicles that breach the Ulez emission rules. The zone is due to expand from central London to the inner boundaries of the North and South Circular roads on October 25. Drivers of non-compliant vehicles have to pay a £12.50-a-day levy. Grants worth £2,000 for cars and £1,000 for motorbikes or mopeds are being offered on a firs...

An incident that reportedly saw the Royal London Hospital evacuated has been resolved, according to police. A Met Police spokesperson said the incident had been resolved and the package found to be not suspicious. A witnesses posted on social media in the last hour and a half that the Whitechapel building had been evacuated amid reports of a suspicious package.  

Dramatic photographs have flooded social media as the incident was unfolding on Monday around 1.45pm. A massive plume of black smoke could be seen rising across the capital’s skyline. Ten fire engines and 100 firefighters were on scene to tackle to blaze. Five people are being treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service crew and one taken to hospital. Underneath the railway arches three commercial units, four cars and a telephone box had caught fire in the incident, London Fire Brigade confirmed. Fire could be seen exploding out of the side of the station, in a video taken by a bystander. Father of three Kiran Patel, who filmed the video, said he felt “lucky to be alive and described a “massive boom” after an explosion at a garage just metres from where he was standing. Mr Patel...

History is the story of human choices that connect the past to the present and influence the future. It goes without saying “Gallantry Award Recipient Freedom Fighters of Sylhet” speaks volumes about the embodiment of the brightest times in the history of Bangladesh. The history of the war of liberation remains deeply rooted in the brave hearts that once made their heroic effort in combating the outside force and fighting all odds to achieve independence in the year 1971. With passing time, we need to remind ourselves of their sacrifices, actions, and thoughts. Anwar Shahjahan, the Sylhet-born writer, and journalist has precisely been working towards that for the people of Bangladesh and beyond. The liberation war of Bangladesh is unarguably one of the significant revolution and armed dis...

    London City Airport has announced it is cutting up to 239 jobs as part of crucial restructuring plans. Bosses said the restructuring could affect 35% of roles across the organisation. The airport suspended commercial flights at the height of the pandemic on March 25, and passenger numbers have remained well below 2019 levels since flights resumed on June 21. Chief executive Robert Sinclair said: "It is with huge regret that we are announcing this restructuring programme today and our thoughts are with all of our highly valued staff and their families.

    Tower Bridge was stuck open for over an hour because of a mechanical fault, causing central London traffic to be gridlocked. The historic bridge’s two arms were stuck at different angles after opening to allow ships to pass underneath on the River Thames on Saturday evening, with witnesses saying they failed to come down at the same time. One Twitter user said: So have been stood under a raised tower bridge for 15 mins now, hearing rumours it’s stuck. Another Twitter user posted a video of the incident, describing the electro-hydraulic system’s failure of the combined bascule and suspension bridge as a once in a lifetime moment. Shortly after 5pm, City of London police tweeted to say the bridge was closed to pedestrians and traffic due a mechanical fault. Mechanic...

    Police were called shortly after 6pm on Friday, July 10 to reports of two men injured at Alexia Square, close to Crossharbour DLR station. Officers attended and found a man, believed aged in his late teens or early 20s, suffering stab injuries. Emergency services provided first aid but despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. A second man, believed aged in his late teens, was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service. His condition is not known at this stage. A crime scene remains in place. No arrests. Enquiries continues. At this early stage anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD6215/10July. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    One person has died and several others have been injured after a crane collapsed on houses in Bow east London. London Fire Brigade (LFB) tweeted that it was working to free people trapped inside after the 20-metre crane came down on Wednesday afternoon. It collapsed onto two terraced houses in Compton Street in Bow, and onto a block of flats under development. Our urban search and rescue crews are undertaking a complex rescue operation and using specialist equipment to search the properties, said assistant commissioner Graham Ellis. A LFB spokesman later said crews were still searching for one person, believed to be an adult. Four people were treated at the scene, said London Ambulance Service, with two taken to hospital after sustaining head injuries. It was abo...

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, today announced his new cabinet. The Mayor welcomed four new councillors to his cabinet in a shakeup of political responsibilities about who helps manage council services in a borough with over 300,000 residents. Councillor Asma Islam, Councillor Mufeedah Bustin, Councillor Eve Mc Quillan and Councillor Dan Tomlinson have been appointed to Cabinet. They were all elected in 2018 and have served as Mayoral Advisors. For the first time, the Mayor has introduced job share portfolios so cabinet positions are now in line with modern employment practices. Councillors who are unable to devote the full amount of time necessary for a full Cabinet portfolio due to their personal circumstances, are no longer unfairly prevented from joining Cabinet. This also provid...