London

The vital contribution carers of all ages make to community and family life in Tower Hamlets is being highlighted as part of national Carers Week from 12-18 June. Most people are likely to become a carer at some point in their life, giving unpaid support to a relative, partner or friend who cannot manage without help. There are about 19,356 people in Tower Hamlets, who provide some form of unpaid care. And 3,326 of these are young carers under the age of 25. The theme for this year's Carers Week is 'building carer friendly communities'. The council works in partnership with organisations including Carers Centre Tower Hamlets, to offer a range of support to help carers in their role. The council also worked with professionals in health and social care, voluntary and community groups, the ca...

Tower Hamlets Council is commissioning projects to help enhance the sense of belonging in communities based in Aldgate East and Mile End. The projects aim to support the diversity of people's backgrounds, build more positive relationships between different people and increase participation in neighbourhood life. People who live in or who have a work, family or educational connection to Aldgate East and Mile End are urged to complete a short survey to help the council design the right projects for the areas. Residents with no connection to Aldgate East and Mile End can also give their views on community cohesion in Tower Hamlets to inform other cohesion work in the borough. Consultation opens on Tuesday 13 June and closes on Monday 24 July, 2017 at 11:59pm. To take part in the survey go to ...

Tower Hamlets Council is asking residents to take part in "The Great Get Together" picnic in Victoria Park on Sunday 18 June in honour of Jo Cox MP who was tragically murdered last year. In celebration of Jo's belief that people have more in common than differences, people up and down the country are organising events as part of the nation-wide festivities during the 16-18 June. The initiative is being organised by the Jo Cox Foundation, set up in her memory and comes at just the right time after recent terror attacks in London and Manchester which have sought to polarise communities. Jo's death had particular resonance in Tower Hamlets as she lived in the borough with her husband and two children in a houseboat. The special free event at Victoria Park will have live music on the bandstand...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves Dhaka today for London en route to Sweden on a three-day bilateral tour to the Scandinavian country at the invitation of her Swedish counterpart Stefan Löfven. This will be the first-ever bilateral visit by any head of state or government of Bangladesh to Sweden, which is expected to expand cooperation between the two countries on a number of bilateral and regional issues. A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage will depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12 noon. The flight is expected to land at Heathrow International Airport at 6:00 pm (local time). Seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region will extend duty facilities to 6,029 more goods exported by Bangladesh in line with a revised free trad...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hoped that people will reelect Awami League in the next general election to maintain the continuity of development in the country. "In the next election, I believe the people who are now getting the benefits of development will surely vote for 'boat' and reelect Awami League to maintain the continuity of development and thus turn Bangladesh into a mid-income country by 2021 and a prosperous one by 2041," she said. The PM said this when leaders of Awami League and its associate bodies met her at Gono Bhaban yesterday, marking the ninth anniversary of her release from prison. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the ulema of Qawmi madrasas to motivate people against the spread of terrorism and to help the government's efforts to eliminate this social mena...

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved eleven development projects at a cost of Tk 37.23 billion in total. Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council endorsed eight fresh projects with three revised schemes in its meeting in Dhaka. Parliament yesterday passed the supplementary budget of Tk 183.70 billion for the outgoing fiscal (2016-17) to meet the additional expenditures under different ministries and divisions. Finance Minister AMA Muhith placed the supplementary budget in the House on June 1 along with the national budget. The government has incorporated a new provision in Customs Act 1969 to award Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status to honest and genuine exporters and import...