Local news

  Matiar Chowdhury:   In an important development in Westminster, Labour MP John McDonnell has formally raised the situation in Balochistan in the House of Commons, focusing on the abductions of Baloch women, including Nasreena Baloch and Mahjabeen Baloch and the reported use of drones in internal security operations. McDonnell has submitted three written parliamentary questions and tabled an Early ...

  A British Bangladeshi mother, Hasina Momtaz, has been shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 at the Muslim Women Awards after transforming the grief of losing her son into a powerful message of hope, faith, and resilience for others through her faith-inspired jewellery brand. Hasina founded Soul Gems London in 2019 in memory of her son, Sami Ahmed, who was killed ...

London is weighing whether to implement a new tourist tax targeting overnight guests. Mayor Sadiq Khan is reportedly looking into charging overnight visitors a tax on stays at hotels and short-term rentals. “The mayor has been clear [about considering] a modest tourist levy, similar to other international cities,” a spokesperson for the mayor of London told the Local Democracy Reporting ...

A commemorative plaque honouring Ayub Ali Master, a pioneering figure in British Bengali history, has been unveiled on Christian Street, near the site where he and Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi ran the Indian Seamen’s Welfare League office in 1943. Ayub Ali Master played a vital role in supporting South Asian seamen and migrants in East London during the early 20th century. His work ...

Bethnal Green has welcomed a new Saturday Market this month, located outside the historic E. Pellicci Café on Bethnal Green Road. Running every Saturday until 20th December, from 10am–4pm, the market will feature six stalls showcasing local arts, crafts, and fashion, bringing vibrancy and opportunity to one of London’s most historic high streets. The market is a collaboration between the ...

    Muhammed Shahed Rahman:   Bangladeshi-American child Sarvia Hasan has achieved the Guinness World Record for being the youngest girl in the world to publish a story book. She has become a source of pride for Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi diaspora by achieving this extraordinary achievement in the “Youngest Person to Publish a Book (Female)” category. Sarvia’s story book ...

Ansar Ahmed Ullah:   Senior figures from the Conservative Friends of Bangladesh (CFoB) met Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake MP this week at CCHQ, where they discussed the party’s post-election rebuilding efforts and the group’s ongoing engagement with British Bangladeshi voters. Mr Hollinrake, who helped establish CFoB in 2006 as its first treasurer, briefed the delegation on the party’s strategic ...

The Chancellor kicked Sir Sadiq Khan out of her office in a major bust up over funding for the capital, it has been revealed. Rachel Reeves cut a scheduled meeting with the Mayor of London short after they argued about cash for the city. The Chancellor kicked Sir Sadiq Khan out of her office in a major bust up over ...

The trial in Bangladesh of the former UK City minister Tulip Siddiq has been “contrived and unfair”, leading lawyers including a former Conservative justice secretary have told Bangladesh’s ambassador before Thursday’s verdict. Siddiq, who resigned from the UK government in January, is due to receive her verdict and sentence in absentia, with the prosecution seeking a maximum life sentence term. ...

A scheme to provide free school meals to all state primary school children in London has given out 100 million lunches, City Hall says. It was introduced by Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan in 2023 to help families with rising living costs and he has since pledged to fund the scheme throughout his term in office. Each child has ...