Libraries in Newham (one borough of London) remove foreign language newspapers to encourage English speaking

Newham, one of the most culturally-diverse boroughs of London, has removed foreign language newspapers from its libraries. This news appeared in The Linguist (Vol/50 No/3 2011), the magazine of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, and full articles were first published on the BBC News website as well as on The Telegraph website:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13352845


and


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8505688/Council-removes-foreign-language-papers-from-libaries-to-encourage-English-speaking.html

Sir Robin Wales, elected Labour Mayor of the east London borough, said that removing the newspapers would "encourage people to speak and learn English". Some residents and observers consider this as something positive for the Newham community while others see it as a drastic measure.