London

    The National Police Chiefs Council lead for child protection A leading child protection officer has suggested paedophiles who view indecent images should not be given criminal sanctions unless they pose a physical threat to children, according to The Times. Lower level offenders should be given counselling and rehabilitation and police should focus on the most dangerous paedophiles with access to children and those looking at the most serious images, Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for child protection, is reported to have said. Offenders who view online images should avoid jail only if they have been risk-assessed and shown to not have the potential to be in contact with children, he is reported to have told the newspaper. The Times quoted Mr Ba...

    Aircraft using Heathrow Airport saw almost twice as many incredibly dangerous laser attacks than any other UK airport last year, new figures show. Pilots taking off or landing at the west London hub suffered 151 incidents in 2016. This is up from 121 during the previous year, an increase of a quarter, according to aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The second most targeted airport was Glasgow Airport, which saw laser attacks almost double to 83 in 2016. Former RAF and British Airways pilot Steve Landells warned that shining a laser at an aircraft is "incredibly dangerous". Mr Landells, flight safety specialist at pilots' association Balpa, said: "The power of these devices is increasing and we're concerned that, if left to escalate without significant i...

The Cabinet yesterday approved a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give formal recognition to the Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state by Bangladesh. The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Bangladesh would be the 114th country to have given formal recognition to Kosovo. The Cabinet also approved the draft of the Jubo Niti (Youth Policy), 2017 and drafts of two acts, the Marine Fisheries Act, 2017 and the Sheikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute Act, 2017, and two agreements for avoiding double taxation and tax evasion. Parliament yesterday passed the child marriage prevention law with a provision allowing it in 'special circumstances'...

The Mayor of Tower Hamlets has urged local residents and businesses to add their voice to a joint Tower Hamlets Council, East End Trades Guild and Hackney Council petition urging a rethink on the government's planned hike in business rates. The local petition, with more than 2,700 signatures, highlights the impact on independent East End businesses and calls on the Government to stop the implementation of new valuations until they have committed to: ● increasing the rates relief for small businesses and introducing a new relief system for medium businesses ● devolving the operation and setting of London's business rates to London's government so they better suit the challenges of the Capital. Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs said: "Many small and medium sized businesses have expressed co...

More than 150 people discussed the future of the Isle of Dogs with Mayor John Biggs at a packed Ask the Mayor event. The session at Jack Dash House, Marsh Wall, gave people who live on the island the chance to give their views on and aspirations for the area's development. The Isle of Dogs and South Poplar are undergoing major change with the rapid construction of residential and commercial developments. More than 2095 housing units were built in the Isle of Dogs/South Poplar area between April 2014 and December 2016. The population of the Isle of Dogs is expected to be one of the fastest growing areas in the country over the next decade. The mayor made it clear that he supports the views of residents that new developments must meet the needs of the local community including affordable hou...

A housing fraudster was given a custodial sentence of 16 months after defrauding the council of more than £64,000. Mr Abdul Aziz pleaded guilty to Fraud contrary to Section 3 of the Fraud Act 2006 at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 10 February 2017. Mr Aziz claimed to be living in overcrowded conditions in 2011, despite joint owning a property in Ilford where he lived, and was awarded a one bedroom housing association property with Newlon Housing Trust. His actions prevented a legitimately homeless person from being housed while the property was illegally sublet. The court is now deciding how much of the £64,000 he must pay back. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: "I am pleased we are now able to offer this much needed property to a genuinely homeless person. "We will always take steps to...

Tower Hamlets Stand up to Racism would like to invite you to a local rally on Wednesday 1st of March 6:45pm at Bow Methodist Church Hall, Merchant St/Bow Road, E3 4LY as part of the campaign against racism and islamophobia, for the free movement of labour and the right of EU nationals to stay in Britain. The rally is supported by the East London Mosque, the local mayor, independent councillors in Tower Hamlets and the major local unions, the National Union of Teachers, UNISON, the council workers' union and the UCU, the college and lecturers' union. The BREXIT vote and the election of Donald Trump have given encouragement to racists everywhere, leading to a rise in racist attacks. These attacks come after years of mounting Islamophobia leading to the firebombing of mosques, Muslim women ...

    A lorry driver has died after crashing into a lamppost on a busy south-east London road. The vehicle was left precariously balanced after the collision on Lewisham Way in New Cross at around 2.30pm on Thursday. Emergency services propped the lorry up with two metal poles to prevent strong winds from Storm Doris blowing it over. Police said it is under investigation whether the severe winds, which ripped out trees and caused transport chaos across London, played a part in the crash. However, it is not believed that another vehicle was involved. The driver, aged in his 50s, was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene. His next of kin have been informed. Road closures were put in place on Lewisham Way while emergency services dealt with the crash scene, near the jun...

The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasiana yesterday told parliament that the government has undertaken a plan to construct two new airports apart from modernization of the existing Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The Prime Minister said, Nippon Koei Co. Ltd. is conducting the feasibility study of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib International Airport at Madaripur while land acquisition is going on for Khan Jahan Ali Airport at Bagerhat. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday told the young generation to learn the history of the Language Movement. She said this at a discussion at Krishibid Institution of Bangladesh in Dhaka. The Prime Minister recalled the contributions of the martyrs with deep respect. She called on the students to learn Bangla first then other languages for their better c...

    Three schoolboys have been arrested after an alleged acid attack at a school in east London left pupils in hospital. The boys, believed to be aged 12, 13 and 15, were arrested on suspicion of GBH following a fight involving a noxious substance at Sydney Russell School in Dagenham. Police were called to a disturbance at the mixed gender academy, rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2013, at 2pm on Wednesday afternoon. A number of people were injured in the alleged attack and three teenage students had to be taken to an east London hospital for treatment. The Met police launched an investigation on Wednesday, while the three young boys arrested remained in custody. The Sydney Russell School, on Parsloes Avenue, has almost 2,000 pupils aged 11-18. A Met Police spokesman said: Polic...