London

16 grants of £500 Mayor's Cup grants on offer. Applications for grants close 18 January. Tower Hamlets residents and community groups have until 18 January to apply for 16 grants of up to £500 to support projects that improve involvement in sport as part of the next round of grants for the Mayor's Cup. The grants pot is raised from the previous year's popular annual football tournament hosted by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets. Applications for the Mayor's Cup grants opened this week. The council is committed to promoting sports and the Mayor's Cup encourages more people to take up football. Shortlisting will take place between 21 and 25 January 2019. The final selection will end with successful applicants being informed during the week ending 1 February 2019. Applicants should...

    Theresa May will be obliged to present MPs with a new Brexit plan within three days if her current proposal is voted down next week, after a procedural amendment to the plan’s progress through the Commons was passed amid chaotic scenes. The amendment to the business motion for the plan, drawn up by the Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve, gives May the deadline to put forward new her plans if she loses the vote, as many expect, next Tuesday. The amendment was passed by 308 votes to 297 following stormy scenes which saw a series of Conservative MPs castigate the Speaker, John Bercow, for allowing the amendment. Tory MP Ken Clarke, who backed the amendment, said those who did not like the amendment should “don a yellow jacket and go outside” to join s...

    Parliament's security spending has soared by nearly £10million a year since the Westminster terror attack, it can be revealed today. The dramatic escalation of protection for MPs and peers following the deadly attack has been underlined in figures uncovered by MailOnline - suggesting the measures now cost some £45million annually. The overhaul came amid fears about gaping loopholes, including weaknesses at the main Carriage Gates entrance, no armed officers on site on Sundays, and poor CCTV coverage. There are also mounting concerns about the security of MPs as they arrive at Westminster, after Tory former minister Anna Soubry was confronted by an angry mob who branded her a Nazi and slag. Khalid Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death in March 2017 as he forced h...

    A man has died after falling from a height inside a Canary Wharf shopping centre in the second tragedy in just two days. Emergency crews were called to the scene in east London this morning after the middle-aged man was heard plunging to the ground. Shocked workers described hearing a ping then a "distinct thud" before a body was seen lying on the floor near escalators. Paramedics raced to the scene, but the man, believed to be in his 50s, sadly could not be saved, Scotland Yard confirmed. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called at 8.39am today to Canada Square, E14 to reports of an incident. We sent an incident response officer, two single responders in cars and an ambulance crew to the scene. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. Sadl...

    Financial services companies have moved almost £800bn of assets to Europe since the EU referendum, according to a new report. The study from EY, which tracks 222 of the largest UK financial services firms regarding their efforts to reduce the effects of an uncertain Brexit on their operations, highlights the broad-ranging business ramifications of Britain’s divorce from the EU. “As things stand, and per regulatory expectations, financial services firms have no choice but to continue preparing on the basis of a ‘no deal’ scenario,” said Omar Ali, UK financial services leader at EY. The £800bn figure was determined using public announcements of asset transfers, but EY cautions that not all firms publicly declare the value of their transferred assets. “This number is...

    Drone sightings which shut down Gatwick airport for 36 hours may have been reports of  Sussex Police's aircraft, the force's Chief Constable has admitted. Police received 115 reports of sightings in the area, including 92 which have been confirmed as coming from credible people, Sussex Police's Chief Constable Giles York said. But the force launched its own drone to search for what officers believed at the time to be malicious aircraft deliberately being flown above the airfield to intentionally force the airport into lockdown. Sussex Police's most senior officer told the BBC police have searched 26 potential launch sites for drones near the airport but do not believe they have found the drone thought to have been flown near runways on December 19 and 20. I don't ...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended thanks to all political parties for their decision to take part in the upcoming polls. The Premier conveyed her felicitations while chairing a meeting of Awami League Parliamentary Nomination Board at the AL’s central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka yesterday. The Premier said, the government would remain careful so that everybody could get equal opportunity in the participatory election. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said, her government is aimed at ensuring the fairness of the upcoming elections to strengthen the democracy and intensify the development process. The Premier said this as the Bangladesh Awami Jubo League leaders and workers called on her on the occasion of the front’s 46th founding anniversary at Ganabhaban yesterday. Chief E...

Saudi King and Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has highly appreciated Bangladesh's tremendous development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and stressed the need for continuity of the Sheikh Hasina's government. The appreciation came as the Bangladesh Premier called on the Saudi King at the Royal Palace in Riyadh yesterday. The Saudi King said, if the continuity of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is maintained, the relations between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh would further be improved and development would  be achieved on all sides. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has invited Saudi entrepreneurs to come to Bangladesh with business and technology for mutual benefits. The Premier made the invitation as she was holding a meeting wit...

Tower Hamlets Council is running its fifth borough-wide Big Clean Up week, as part of its 'Love Your Neighbourhood' campaign, from 2 to 8 October. As with previous Big Clean Ups, the week sees a range of locations (from estates to large streets, parks to waterways) tackled in collaboration with many partner organisations, council staff and community volunteers. Aimed at encouraging civic pride and empowering residents and organisations to improve where they live, #TheBigCleanUp and Love Your Neighbourhood campaign, has grown during the past 12 months through the dedication of people determined to show their area a little extra TLC. This Big Clean Up week is the first time that events have been held during the weekend, and therefore offers greater chance for eager volunteers to do th...

The Executive Committee for National Economic Council (ECCNEC) has approved a project involving Taka 4,371 crore to bring navigability back in four rivers to ensure smooth and safe plying of vessels. The approval came from the ECNEC meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The ECNEC yesterday approved a total of 15 projects involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 13,218.31 crore. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has offered to give all possible support to Indonesia to deal with the damages caused by a devastating earthquake and tsunami there on last Friday. The PM proposed to extend the support while having telephonic conversations with Indonesian President Joko Widodo yesterday. The Premier conveyed her sympathy to the bereaved families and wished quick recovery of the in...