London

Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras will be worn by more than 500 frontline police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Tower Hamlets to speed up the justice process for victims of crime and make policing more transparent. The initiative is will be issued to all 32 London boroughs and a number of frontline specialist roles, including firearms officers, over the coming months. The cameras are attached to police officers' uniforms and are used to provide factual evidence of the way investigations are handled. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: "I am pleased to see the police are introducing body worn cameras in our borough. The cameras will help increase transparency and confidence in the police as they have with our council Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers who already...

Emergency services alerted Tower Hamlets Council to a fire at Dickinson House,  E1 on 24 June. All 16 dwellings managed by Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) were evacuated by the London Fire Brigade. A rest centre for residents affected by the fire was quickly set up by the council. Staff from the council and THH provided food, hot drinks, a safe space and support to meet residents' needs during the evacuation. We are offering hotel accommodation to everyone who needs it. The fire brigade is still investigating the cause of the fire, but it is unrelated to the building's cladding. The roof of the building has been destroyed and the fire has burned out two flats. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation and is now recovering. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: This was a terrible incide...

Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF) consultation launched Mayor John Biggs is leading a call for Tower Hamlets residents to give their views on the infrastructure priorities and projects they would like to see funded in their local areas. The local authority is consulting on a Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF) which is funding sourced from developers to address the needs development can place on an area.  A series of drop-in sessions where residents can suggest a project to be paid for by the LIF will take place across the Borough next month. Officers will be on hand to provide advice and guidance on the LIF consultation at the drop-ins and area profiles have been devised in order to give people a clear understanding of the type of projects currently planned in their local area.  Mayor John Bigg...

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Monday, quoting the London Metropolitan Police Service, said that two people, who died in the tragic Grenfell Tower inferno, were believed to be dual British/Bangladeshi nationals. They were identified as Ms Husna BEGUM (Date of Birth 04/02/1995), 142 Grenfell Tower; and Ms Rabeya BEGUM, (Date of Birth 15/11/1952), 142 Grenfell Tower. At least 79 people were missing or killed in the fire earlier this month. - Press Release from Bangladesh High Commission London

    All 3 million EU citizens resident in Britain will have to apply for inclusion on a settled status register if they want to stay in the country after Brexit under Home Office proposals. A 15-page policy paper proposes a light touch online system to process applications that will give applicants the same indefinite leave to remain status as many non-European nationals who have also lived in Britain for five years. The EU settled status residence proposals could entail an identity card backed up by entry on a Home Office central database or register. It has yet to be decided if the residence document for settled status EU citizens will be issued as an identity card or may just exist as an entry on a Home Office database. The policy paper was published as Theresa May issu...

    Prince Harry is believed to be designing an engagement ring for Meghan Markle made from a bracelet which belonged to his late mother. The 32-year-old royal has reportedly commissioned royal jeweller Harry Collins to create the emerald sparkler. Harry has been dating Suits actress Meghan, 35, for a year and rumours have been circulating that he is preparing to propose soon. The Daily Star Sunday reports that Harry is planning to propose with an £100,000 cushion set emerald and platinum ring. The newspaper quoted a source as saying the ring is flashy but not ostentatious. Harry is reportedly keen to marry Meghan sooner rather than later to ensure his grandfather Prince Philip can be at his big day. The Duke of Edinburgh, 96, has been in ill health recently and it is though H...

    We are constantly being bombarded with royal relationship updates, but it’s rare that we hear about the ins and outs of the royal family. Especially how one certain royal feels about his new in-laws, well until now. Harry has finally opened up about his friendship with Kate Middleton in a recent heartfelt interview with Newsweek. Harry and Kate We often see the pair laughing and messing at events, giving us a little inkling on how the pair get on. Part of the feature article says; When she and William got engaged, Harry called her the big sister he never had. He often pops into their apartment at Kensington Palace, where she cooks him a meal — roast chicken is reportedly a particular favourite. How cute is that? Following the death of his mother in 1997, Harry felt he was ...

    Black smoke could be seen billowing from the block of flats Fire-fighters rushed to a council block in Hampstead on Sunday night after a fire broke out on the second floor. Video of the blaze shows fire crews running into the burning building on Mansfield road as smoke billowed from the second storey. The residential street, located next to the Royal Free Hospital, has been closed off as emergency services attend the blaze. Multiple fire engines and ambulances were lined up outside the block of flats. London Fire Brigade tweeted that they had nearly 60 fire-fighters and officers attending. A bystander tweeted a picture of the emergency services at the scene, writing: Fire in a flat at Waxham #GospelOak - massive response from all emergency services, no injuries but a few f...

    Six emails sent by and to an Arconic Inc sales manager raise questions about why the company supplied combustible cladding to a distributor for use at Grenfell Tower, despite publicly warning such panels were a fire risk for tall buildings. The emails, dating from 2014 and seen by Reuters, were between Deborah French, Arconic’s UK sales manager, and executives at the contractors involved in the bidding process for the refurbishment contract at Grenfell Tower in London, where 79 people died in a blaze last week. When asked about the emails, Arconic said in a statement that it had known the panels would be used at Grenfell Tower but that it was not its role to decide what was or was not compliant with local building regulations. The company manufactures three main types of R...

    Baron Chris Rennard tweeted: Cyber Security attack on Westminster. Parliamentary e-mails may not work properly. Text urgent messages. Parliamentary authorities confirmed that MPs and Peers have been left unable to remotely access their emails as a result of the incident. A House of Commons spokeswoman said: The Houses of Parliament have discovered unauthorised attempts to access parliamentary user accounts. We are continuing to investigate this incident and take further measures to secure the computer network, liaising with the National Cyber Security Centre. We have systems in place to protect member and staff accounts and are taking the necessary steps to protect our systems. The spokeswoman said that the lack of remote access for users was not part of the attack, but du...