At a meeting in Finland’s capital Helsinki’s Vapaa-ajattelijat (Free Thinkers Association) office on 30 November, a convening committee of the International Forum for Secular Bangladesh (Nirmul Committee) was formed. Leaders of several Finnish secular organisations were present at the event alongside members of Finnish Bengali diaspora. Moderated by Dr Mojibur Doftori, the event was attended by All European Forum for Secular Bangladesh’s ...

  Rayhan Ahmed Topader:   Recent violence and rising tensions in the West Bank are fuelling a climate of hatred and fear, driving both Israelis and Palestinians further away from a resolution to the conflict, the United Nations envoy for the Middle East Peace Process has said. The steady deterioration of chances that a lasting peace can be negotiated between ...

  Two air quality projects funded by Tower Hamlets Council have won awards at a ceremony organised by the charity Sustrans. The projects were financed by the council’s Air Quality Fund, worth £200,000, which supports schools and community groups to improve air quality in the borough. Dr Somen Banerjee, Director of Public Health at Tower Hamlets Council, said: “I’m delighted ...

Ansar Ahmed Ullah:   Bangladesh’s armed forces are not only working to ensure the security of the country, but also gaining reputation for the country and the nation by working in the international arena, especially in the UN peacekeeping mission commented Brigadier General AKM Aminul Haque, Defence Adviser at the Bangladesh High Commission in London. He added Bangladesh is ranked ...

  A new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that ‘no Starter Homes have been built to date’ despite a pledge made in 2015 that 200,000 such homes would be delivered by 2020. In April 2015, the Conservative Party manifesto committed to “200,000 Starter Homes, which will be sold at a 20% discount and will be built ...

  Pitha is an integral part of Bangladeshi culture and heritage. Without varieties of Pitha being there, a festival in the country cannot be think of.  This traditional Pitha program is being organized by different organizations, individuals and groups. The purpose is to provide people an opportunity to taste pitha, as well as to introduce them   not only to the ...

Emdad Rahman: A delegation from Neighbours in Poplar have returned after completing an aid trip to Calais to meet with Refugees, relief workers and volunteers. The team lead by Sister Christine Frost MBE included Lord Michael Cashman CBE amongst its members. The delegation visited the Refugee Community Kitchen which serves hot, nourishing meals to displaced people before meeting with volunteers ...

  Taslim Ahammad:   Workplace discrimination is a major concern in today’s business community. Increase in cultural and gender diversity in the workplace has obligated employees from different ethnicities and backgrounds to work together for meet the goals of the business. Usually, different people have a tendency to lead to misunderstandings, and result in conflict and discrimination. Therefore, employers have ...

  Rayhan Ahmed Topader:   Education does not exist outside of the social or technological contexts in which it is located. Thus, it is little surprise that both users and developers are proposing and exposing teachers and students to new affordances of social networking tools. In addition, researchers are beginning to understand and appreciate the learning designs and value that ...

The UK’s terrorism threat level has been downgraded from “severe” to “substantial”, the Home Office says. Home Secretary Priti Patel said the UK was still at “a high level of threat” and an attack could “occur without further warning”. The terrorism threat is now at its lowest since August 2014. Substantial is the third of five ratings at which the ...