London

    The Dalai Lama made his first appearance at Glastonbury on Sunday, spending an hour in the rain addressing festival-goers on how the world could be a happier place. The Tibetan spiritual leader called for a more "holistic education" from kindergarten to university, which "should bring a sense of care" and help "promote human love". "Everyone has the right to achieve a happy life," he told hundreds gathered at the Greenfield site, an area of calm away from the madness of the main music stages. The elderly Buddhist monk hailed the "full joy" of the revellers present, and got into the spirit himself by wearing a Glastonbury t-shirt on his head against the rain. He was treated to a rendition of "Happy Birthday" by the crowd in honour of his 80th year, and urged them to "t...

    Heathrow has hit back against its rival Gatwick by upgrading its profit forecast and predicting that an extra 300,000 passengers will pass through its terminals this year. Both airports are hoping to get the backing of Sir Howard Davies’ Airports Commission, which is expected to publish its final report next week and recommend one of three options: build a new runway at Heathrow; expand one of the existing two there; or build a second runway at Gatwick. On Thursday the chief executive of Gatwick, Stewart Wingate, warned that approval for Heathrow would be a “retrograde step” and “politically undeliverable” because of bitter opposition from senior ministers with constituencies under the flight path. He said: “We’re expecting that Davies, rather than making the same mi...

    Anger as 26 Romanian migrants found crammed into house after noise and rubbish complaints FOUR families of Romanians have been found crammed into a three-bedroom house in London. Four families were discovered in the three-bedroom flat by the council. Council staff discovered the 26 Romanians, including a toddler, in the home near the Olympic Stadium following a raid by staff. The enforcement visited the east London property on Friday after neighbours complained of loud music, pests and garden rubbish. Officers discovered seven people sleeping in a windowless basement which had blocked up air vents, with the other 19 sleeping in three "very overcrowded" bedrooms. Those living in the basement were being charged just £20 a month while the families staying in the bedroom...

The ousting by the Government’s Department for Communities and Local Government and an independent commission of lawyers of Lutfur Rahman, who was twice Elected as Mayor of Tower Hamlets suggests that we expect different levels of behaviour from Bangadeshi politicians and those of the general white British political culture, argues Paul Thomson. Now the general election is over, it’s worthwhile trying to understand the nature of political consent in Britain by looking into recent events in Tower Hamlets. In late 2014, Eric Pickles, then communities secretary, took over administration of the borough through commissioners, pending a judicial report on electoral corruption. The majority party in the most recent mayoral election was declared dissolved and banned from standing in future electi...

The ousting of Lutfur Rahman suggests that we expect different levels of behaviour from Bangadeshi politicians and those of the general white British political culture. Now the general election is over, it’s worthwhile trying to understand the nature of political consent in Britain by looking into recent events in Tower Hamlets. In late 2014, Eric Pickles, then communities secretary, took over administration of the borough through commissioners, pending a judicial report on electoral corruption. The majority party in the most recent mayoral election was declared dissolved and banned from standing in future elections. None of the four commissioners – Sir Ken Knight, Max Caller CBE, Chris Allison or Alan Wood – is Bangladeshi, the largest ethnic group in the borough representing one third ...

    A stowaway has died after falling from a British Airways jet onto a shop in southwest London. He and another man are believed to have clung on to the passenger plane as it flew more than 8,000 miles from Johannesburg in South Africa to Heathrow. The second man, aged between 25 and 30, is in a serious condition in a west London hospital after miraculously surviving the ordeal. He was discovered alive by staff at Heathrow. The victim died as the Boeing 747 came into land over Richmond at around 9.30am on Thursday. He reportedly landed on the roof of NotOnTheHighStreet.com in Kew Road. A spokesman for the firm said: "Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found the body of male on the roof of the premises. "The death is currently being treated as unexpla...

    The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive at a memorial service for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo at St Paul's Cathedral The Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister have arrived at a memorial service for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo - a victory which finally toppled French emperor Napoleon. Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry announced the arrival of Charles with the Duchess of Cornwall for the service at St Paul's Cathedral in London. British soldiers in full military regalia, some wearing plumes in their hats, stood to attention outside the cathedral next to old military guns as the guests went in. The Earl of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Boris Johnson and descendants of those who fought in the bloody ba...

    Regulars at Sarah Kyolaba's hair salon in Tottenham, north London, were saddened to hear of her death from cancer towards the end of last week. What most of them didn't know, however, was that before Kyolaba arrived in Britain in 1982, she had been married to Idi Amin, the Ugandan dictator whose regime was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, and who once famously warned: You cannot run faster than a bullet. But what of other family members of rich and powerful despots after opponents rise and empires crumble?

    A hearty and warm reception was accorded to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she arrived at Heathrow International Airport in London yesterday afternoon on a 6-day visit to the UK. A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minis-ter and her entourage landed at the HeathrowInternationalAirport at 3:47pm (local time), PM's Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri said. At the airport, Sheikh Hasina was received by Md Abdul Hannan, Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK and other senior officials of High Commission. Leaders of Awami League and its associate bodies, UK units as well as huge number of expatriate Bangladeshis were also present at the airport to welcome Sheikh Hasina. The prime minister left Dhaka for London at 10am yesterday.