A passenger who shouted at two Muslim sisters demanding them to get off a train has been given a suspended sentence. Andrew Thompson told Kalema and Fatema Rahman ‘get the f*** off the train, I want to sit down, I’m English’ on the Tyne and Wear Metro. The 26-year-old left the sisters shaken and terrified with the racially aggravated verbals. ...

Just a month ago thousands of football fans were shocked at the performance of Bangladesh football team as they conceded 4-0 goals against Asian power Australia in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu National Stadium on 17 November, 2015 but the home team now crushed Nepal by 1-0 at the same venue in the international friendly football match ...

Cancer is overwhelmingly a result of environmental factors and not largely down to bad luck, a study suggests. Earlier this year, researchers sparked a debate after suggesting two-thirds of cancer types were down to luck rather than factors such as smoking. The new study, in the journal Nature, used four approaches to conclude only 10-30% of cancers were down to ...

The Great British Bake Off final has risen in the TV ratings to be crowned the most watched TV programme of 2015. More than 15 million people tuned in to watch Nadiya Hussain bake her own wedding cake to win the coveted title of Bake Off champion 2016. BBC One controller Charlotte Moore said: “It’s wonderful to see the fabulous ...

The government has decided to cut subsidies to householders installing rooftop solar panels by 65% just days after agreeing to move swiftly to a low-carbon energy future at the climate change conference in Paris. An impact assessment study by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) admits the move could wipe out up to 18,700 of the industry’s 32,000 ...

The European Union wants to reach a “fair deal” for the UK and other EU countries, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said. Mr Juncker was speaking as David Cameron prepares to discuss his reform plans at a summit of EU leaders. Mr Cameron will seek to convince sceptical EU leaders to accept his plans to limit benefits for migrants. ...

MPs have voted to allow fracking for shale gas 1,200m below national parks and other protected sites. The new regulations – which allow drilling from outside the protected areas – were approved by 298 to 261. Opposition parties and campaigners criticised the lack of a Commons debate – and accused ministers of a U-turn as they previously pledged an outright ...

The UK unemployment rate fell to the lowest for nearly 10 years at 5.2% in the three months to October. It was the lowest jobless rate since the three-month period to January 2006, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The number of people out of work fell by 110,000 to 1.71 million between August and October. There were ...

Green-fingered residents collected gardening gongs last week (December 8) at the Tower Hamlets in Bloom award ceremony in Mile End Park. From balconies, community gardens and allotments to patios, businesses and schools, the competition is open to anyone who makes the most of open spaces. Categories included best allotment, best community growing site, best education and best wildlife friendly garden. ...

Young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are causing a stir as free cooking sessions start in Tower Hamlets. The first session on December 9 was attended by a group of people who all worked with volunteer chef, Richard Caley to make a halal lasagne. Aklakur Rahman, 17, said: “I’m loving the project, it’s fun. I’m having a ...