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Police chief declares war on the ‘sick note culture’

Bus firm Stagecoach lead the way with new 'smartcard’

Ticketless travel arrived in Manchester as a bus firm introduced swipe cards on 700 local buses. Stagecoach has launched the city’s first pre-paid ‘smart card’ for passengers – making making it the largest outside London to have smart tickets. Hundreds of commuters have already signed up for the scheme and cards are being swiped 40,000 times a day. The StagecoachSmart scheme was officially launched by local and regional transport minister Norman Baker during a visit to a depot. Mr Baker said: “I very much welcome the introduction of this new initiative for bus passengers in Manchester. “It will make bus travel simpler and more attractive, cut carbon and encourage people out of their cars and on to buses. “Smart ticketing can lead to more efficient, seamless journeys for passengers. “I want to see this being

rolled out to all modes of public transport in England as quickly as possible and this announcement from Stagecoach is another positive step towards that.” Stagecoach is the first operator to install smartcard technology on its nationwide fleet of 7,000 buses outside London. Its London vehicles already accept the Oyster Card. It means passengers using a monthly Megarider Xtra ticket can have top-up payments automatically placed on their swipe card each month. The firm also uses the technology to record concessionary journeys made by pensioners in Manchester and Lancashire. Greater Manchester’s transport leaders want to introduce their own Londonstyle Oyster ‘smart card’ that will cover all modes of transport. They have submitted a bid for funding towards the scheme from the Department for Transport.

Study finds text Young in US, UK messages help turning to smokers quit mobile banking

Smokers are twice as likely to quit when they get text messages urging them to stick to their goal of being smoke free compared with those who receive texts with no motivational messages, a British study has found. Experts say the "txt2stop" trial, which is the first such study to verify quit rates using biochemical testing, may offer a cheap and easy way to improve levels of health by increasing the number of people who give up smoking. With rates of smoking rising in many developing countries and tobacco predicted to kill 8 million people a year by 2030, the researchers said their findings could be translated into a potentially powerful public health measure. "To scale up the txt2stop intervention for delivery at a national or international level would be technically easy," said Caroline Free of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who led the study and published it in The Lancet journal. She said the scheme may need some adaptation, translation into other languages, and local evaluation before it is used in other populations, but added that it is simple, cheap and "likely to be highly cost-effective."

Young owners of smartphones in Britain and the United States are increasingly managing their finances via their phones, checking account balances and viewing transactions, new research shows. Consumer research by mobile web and application specialists Antenna said 40 percent of those who accessed the Internet via mobile phones or tablet computers in the U.S. were using mobile banking services. That compared with 25 percent in Britain. The United States was also ahead in terms of how many users were accessing banking sites via a specific mobile application created by the bank, as opposed to reaching a mobile site via a browser on the Internet. Antenna Chief Executive Jim Hemmer told Reuters that consumers, particularly younger ones, had little loyalty for which bank they used and therefore the banks could attract more customers if they improved their offerings. "Mobile banking has now taken hold," he told Reuters. "People want to take care of their banking when it makes sense to them and not when a branch is open.

Manchester's police chief is waging war on hundreds of 'sick note' cops – and officers who can not return to work could be forced to leave. The Chief Constable is writing to 440 Greater Manchester Police officers who are on restricted duties because of ill-health, mostly with stress or bad backs. Each of the mostly deskbound officers will be invited to an interview to discuss their ailment and encourage them to return to front line duties. They could be offered a medical pension or removed under a rarely used 'capability procedure', which tests whether they remain compe-

tent for the job. Mr Fahy told the M.E.N: “We are going to look at every single case to review what's involved in the restriction and question whether it's justified.” GMP has been forced to consider its position on the huge number of cops on restricted duties because of the savage government cuts it has to make. It must axe around 3,000 posts to save £134m over the next four years. In the latest round of cuts, the force announced 270 police posts, mostly in back-up office roles, would be axed. As police cannot be made redundant, the losses will be achieved trough natural

wastage. This will mean some officers in the affected posts will be moved into 'front line' policing. Senior officers have grave concerns that these officers many of whom will be on re-

stricted duties - may simply be too over-weight and unfit enough to cope with going out on the beat or work a series of night shifts as they have been in desk jobs for years.

Kvitova beats Sharapova to win Wimbledon title

Klitschko outpoints Haye to keep all belts in the family

Vladimir Klitschko beat Britain’s David Haye on a unanimous points decision to add the WBA heavyweight title to his three other belts and complete his family’s domination of the division. The Ukrainian, whose lighter and smaller opponent took him the full 12 rounds despite fighting with a broken toe, was declared the winner 117109, 118-108 and 116-110 by the two American and one South African judges. While denied the 50th career knockout he had hoped for, Klitschko – now 56-3 – had more than enough reason to celebrate with his brother and WBC champion Vitali. They now hold the WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF and IBO belts between them and have achieved their lifelong dream of uniting the division in the family. “I would have loved to celebrate my 50th knockout,” said the youngest of the brothers, at 35, who was taunted publicly by the trashtalking English showman Haye in the build-up to the

Vladimir Klitschko celebrates with his team after defeating British WBA champion David Haye in a heavyweight title unification boxing match. fight and had promised to punish him. “I am still not okay with his behaviour before the fight,” added the giant ‘Dr Steelhammer’. “It’s definitely disgraceful to the boxing fans, to the sport of boxing, the way the man behaved himself. I think the fight talked for itself. “He connected a couple of punches, I wasn’t hurt in any

Old Trafford rebuild gets green light

Plans for the £32 million ($51 million) redevelopment of Old Trafford cricket ground were given the go-ahead by England’ Court of Appeal on Monday, paving the way for the Manchester venue to be in contention to stage an Ashes Test in 2013. A property company said a local authority was wrong to give Lancashire County Cricket Club permission to redevelop its home ground and asked the court to block the plan — which includes proposals for the creation of a giant supermarket near the ground - and asked the Court to block the scheme. But three judges disagreed and said the redevelopment should go ahead. They said they would give reasons for their decision at a later date. Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes said the decision was one of the most significant events in the

north-west club’s 154-year history and that redevelopment was essential to preserving the ground’s international status. “If we don’t redevelop then 150-odd years of history would have been in danger of disappearing,” the former Lancashire bowler and Aston Villa goalkeeper added. “With redevelopment, I am confident that Old Trafford can continue as an international cricket ground. “Today’s decision means the work can start and we can get the spades out.” Old Trafford opened in 1857 and first staged Test cricket in 1884. It was the venue where England offspinner Jim Laker took a record 19 out of a possible 20 Australian wickets in an Ashes Test in 1956. The ground is close to but separate from the home of Manchester United football club that is also named Old Trafford.

situation in the fight,” added Klitschko, who said Haye had been more cautious than any of the Ukrainian’s previous opponents that the Briton had criticised. “We have accomplished our dream and unified all of the best belts in the heavy division. I would call us now undisputed heavyweight champions,” he said.

Shoaib Malik delighted at Indo-Pak prospects Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, dubbed India’s son-in-law since marrying tennis star Sania Mirza, he was delighted the rivals might soon face each other on the cricket pitch again. The International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme has pencilled in India as hosts of Pakistan for three Tests and five one-day internationals in March-April next year. The tour remains subject to clearance from both governments, but would mark a breakthrough for relations that went into free fall after Islamist gunmen killed 166 people in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that India blamed on Pakistan. “The prospect of Pakistan touring India for a cricket series is delightful and I am hopeful it will happen,” Malik, who led Pakistan on their last tour to India in 2007, said from his home town of Sialkot.

Pakistan to host England in UAE in 2012 Pakistan will host England in three Tests, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January and February. “The matches will be played at the neutral venues of Dubai and Abu Dhabi and the itinerary will be announced soon,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman said. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the matches in its own statement and also announced the itinerary for five one-dayers and a Twenty20.

Nerveless 21-year-old Petra Kvitova delivered a remarkable performance of confidence and power to out-gun favourite Maria Sharapova and win the Wimbledon title for the first time with a convincing 6-3 6-4 victory. Kvitova, who had never won a match on grass before reaching the semi-finals last year, served consistently and maintained a barrage of powerful, attacking groundstrokes to become only the third left hander to win the women's title after Anne Jones and Martina Navratilova. Kvitova, appearing in her first grand slam final, was in control of her emotions and her game throughout and deservedly becomes the first Czech to triumph since Jana Novotna in 1998. Sharapova, who won the title as a 17-year-old in 2004, had reached the final without dropping a set but served raggedly and the Russian fifth seed had no answers. "I'm so happy," the tearful champion said in an on-court interview before blowing a kiss to Novotna and Navratilova watching from the Royal Box. "I was nervous but I had to focus on every point." The Czech looked understandably nervous as she was broken in the opening game but hit back immediately to level at 1-1.

She continued to make the running throughout the set, out-serving and out-hitting the former world number one, who delivered consecutive double faults to lose her service and slip 4-2 behind. Kvitova, throwing in the occasional sliced backhand that caused Sharapova problems, served out to love. In her semi-final against Victoria Azarenka, Kvitova played a convincing first set but allowed the Belarussian back to take the second so everyone around Centre Court waited with bated breath to see how she dealt with the pressure of leading the final.

Dominant Djokovic sets his sights even higher

Newly-crowned Wimbledon champion and world number one Novak Djokovic will take a leaf out of Rafa Nadal's book as he plans to make his domination of men's tennis a prolonged one. The 24-year-old Serb had a spring in his step as returned to a sunny All England Club on Monday to say his goodbyes before jetting home to Belgrade to bask in the glory of his 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 victory over Nadal in the previous day's final. Just one defeat in 49 matches this year, eight titles including the Australian Open and Wimbledon and then becoming the first player other than Roger Federer or Nadal to top the ATP rankings since January 2004, it is hard to imagine how things could get much better for Djokovic. The Belgrade native is already setting his sights even higher though. "I want to improve," Djokovic told a small group of reporters after being presented with a cake decorated in Serbian red, white and blue on the Wimbledon players' lawn. "The example for me is Nadal. A few years ago we all knew how dominant he was on clay but maybe not so much on the other surfaces. Nobody thought he could get any better but he did. "Me too, I still consider

myself as a player with something to prove and to improve my game." Djokovic, who effectively ended Nadal's 56-week stay as world number one on Friday when he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals, was officially unveiled as the 25th player to top the rankings when the ATP published its list on Monday. While proud of his new status, Djokovic said the tough work was about to begin. "I've never been number one in the world so I don't really know what it feels like yet," he said. "But I'm going to experience that in this next period of my career. "They say it's harder to stay number one than to get to number one. I will see if that's true or not but I will definitely try to stay there as long as I can."

Walsh appointed Windies manager

Former West Indian great Courtney Walsh has been appointed manager of the under-19 team for the tour of USA starting Friday. Walsh will manage the squad, coached by Roddy Estwick. Former West Indies opener Stuart Williams is the assistant coach. Kraigg Brathwaite will lead the fourteenman squad during the four-match tour. The West Indies team will depart for USA on July 6. They will play four 50-over games against the US under19 team at the Broward County Cricket Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.

Security tests begin on London 2012 venues

Police have begun testing Olympic venues against all potential terrorist threats, including from Irish dissidents and Islamists, the policeman in charge of 2012 security said. Next summer's London Games are predicted to be Britain's biggest peacetime security operation, and will be policed at a severe threat level, the second-highest status. The country faces several potential threats, one of the most high-profile being from al-Qaeda after Britain's support of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, while dissident Irish nationalists pose a renewed challenge. The London Games also coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Munich Olympics, when 11 Israeli team members died after being held hostage by Palestinian gunmen. "I am trying to ensure that we produce 34 venues that are secure, that people can go in and have a really good time, that people can feel safe inside and their focus can be on the sport," Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, Olympic security coordinator, said from his office at Scotland Yard.

"That is at the heart of all our planning, and we'll do everything that we need around the outside to ensure that happens." As well as the 34 venues, police will also have to make sure street parties and public events in the city's parks go ahead without disruption. At a briefing at Scotland Yard on Tuesday, Britain's top police officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson said that while he is delighted with intra-agency progress on security preparations he was not complacent. "I want to stress that the summer of 2012, for the Metropolitan Police and indeed the nation and the government, isn't just about the games ... the challenge for the Met in particular is to continue to run policing services here in London. And we are going to do that," he told reporters. Home Secretary Theresa May, who also attended the briefing, said the government had set aside a budget of 600 million pounds ($960 million) for policing the games but that it was on course to come in under budget at around 500 million.

PCB clears Afridi to participate in SLPL

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it had given clearance to the former captain Shahid Afridi to take part in the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League starting later this month. A senior PCB official confirmed that they had given permission for the Sri Lankan authorities to sign on around 10 Pakistani players for the league and that list included Afridi, claims Indian Express. “We gave these permissions and clearance for the players including Afridi sometime back. But now when he individually also applies for a no-objection certificate or the Sri Lankan organiSers reconfirm his availability we see no problem in giving him clearance,” said the official. Afridi, who is presently playing for Hampshire in the English domestic T20 event, was entangled in a feud with the PCB last month after the Board revoked his NOC to play for Hampshire. The Board issued a fresh NOC after the all-rounder appeared before a PCB disciplinary committee and accepted a fine of Rs4.5 million for breaching the code of conduct and also withdrew a petition he had filed at Sindh High Court against the Board.

Paralympics Tweet away, IOC tells London medallist dies in balcony fall athletes

Athletes at next year's London Olympics can blog and post comments on Twitter as long as it is not done for commercial purposes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said. But any found posting xrated content could be booted from the Games, it warned. In guidelines released by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), the IOC "actively encourages and supports athletes ... to take part in 'social media' and to post, blog and tweet their experiences". Bloggers and tweeters must, however, restrict themselves to "first-person, diarytype formats", must not report on events in the manner of journalists and must ensure their posts do not contain "vulgar or obscene words or images". Dozens of athletes blogged during the last Olympics in Beijing in 2008, when Twitter was still a reasonably new phenomena, but the uploading of videos was banned and pictures restricted to prevent copyright infringements.

Maxim Narozhny, who won a silver medal for Russia in athletics at the Beijing Paralympic Games, has died after falling from his apartment in a suspected suicide, investigators said. “Maxim Narozhny’s death was shocking news for all of us,” the deputy president of the Russian Paralympics Committee, Lev Seleznev said. “It’s awful. Nothing prepared us for such a nightmare.” Narozhny, 36, a single amputee and world and national shot put champion, died in the city of Voronezh in central Russia. He fell from the balcony of his apartment on the fourth floor and “died on the spot from the wounds received,” Russia’s investigative committee said. The paralympic committee posted a message on its website saying it was “deeply grieved at the untimely end” of the sportsman’s life, while the sports ministry also expressed its “sincere condolences”.

Veena's an important person in my life: Ashmit

Kate Moss marries rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince

Supermodel Kate Moss married her rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince on Friday in a small English country church, accompanied by 15 bridesmaids. Moss, 37, and Hince, 42, a guitar player with The Kills, posed for photos outside the church in the village of Southrop, after the ceremony. It was the first marriage for the model, who met Hince in 2007. Moss wore a sleeveless, full-length, white wedding dress designed by her close friend John Galliano and cov-

ered in rhinestones, according to Womens Wear Daily. Her eight year-old daughter Lila was among the 15 bridesmaids, who were all dressed in ivory, media reports said. The couple are expected to throw a three-day reception and party at the model's home nearby, according to media reports. Moss began her professional career as an ultra-slim 16 year-old and quickly became one of the best known and top-earning models in the world.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Marriage doesn't interest meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; "Bridesmaids" actress Rose Byrne, who is currently single, is not interested in getting married or having children. "Marriage doesn't interest me. I have two nephews, so I get to see how fundamentally a baby changes everything. So for now, the nephews will do, thank you," femalefirst quoted Byrne as saying. The 31-year-old also dislikes the attention which she gets from men. "I went to a concert in LA recently, to see The National. And this guy tried to hit on me, right there, as the band were playing, during a ballad. I told him firmly to take his hands off me and step away. I guess he thought I was some Australian exchange student," she said.

Lindsay Lohan ends home detention after 35 days

Actress Lindsay Lohan was released from home detention after spending 35 days at her Los Angeles apartment for stealing a gold necklace, authorities said. A private company that handles monitoring equipment for home detention inmates removed the electronic ankle bracelet from the "Mean Girls" star on Wednes-

day morning, said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department. Lohan was sentenced in May to 120 days in jail, but the 24 year-old actress qualified for a shorter period of house arrest under programs for nonviolent offenders and to reduce overcrowding in Los Angeles jails. Lohan, a former child star, pleaded no contest in May to the theft of a $2,500 (1,557 pounds) gold necklace from a Los Angeles boutique. She had walked out of the store wearing the jewellery. Her once promising Hollywood career has been derailed because of repeated run-ins with the law and trips to rehabilitation to deal with drug and alcohol problems. Nevertheless, she is due to start filming a movie about New York crime boss John Gotti later this year with costars John Travolta and Al Pacino.

Ashmit Patel's stint in Bollywood didn't do much to make him a star. However, after Bigg Boss 4, his linkup with Pakistani star Veena Malik transformed him almost overnight into a household name. Recently, when asked about Bigg Boss and the rumours, he told a leading daily, "Link ups happen e ven when films are going to be released. I didn't give it much importance. The only thing I didn't like was branding Sara Khan and me as a couple. I genuinely treat her like my sister." Ashmit Patel was linked to Pakistani actor Veena Malik on the show and their chemistry got the viewers hooked on. "I am not dating Veena. She is a very special and important person in my life. I haven't explored my chemistry with her after the show. We have met only few times after the show," added Ashmit. He also dismissed rumours of trouble between him and Ameesha Patel. "Ameesha is my sister and everything is absolutely fine between us. We don't meet often due to different work schedules but we are in constant touch."

Michelle Keegan confirms she is to marry Max George

Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan has announced that she is engaged to pop star boyfriend Max George. The 24-year-old, who plays Tina McIntyre in the ITV1 soap, confirmed recent speculation over the engagement in a message on Twitter. She wrote: "Hi guys, me and Max ARE engaged... He asked a few weeks ago and I haven't stopped smiling since. Thanks for all

your lovely messages! :)) X" Her 22-year-old fiance, a singer with the band The Wanted, is reported to have given Michelle a ÂŁ10,000 ring as an extra birthday present when she turned 24 earlier this month. Michelle took him for a tour of the Coronation Street set in Manchester earlier today, posting a picture on Twitter of him behind the bar at the Rovers Return where she is usually seen working as a barmaid on screen.

Man gets two years for Paris Hilton burglary attempt

A man who tried to break into Paris Hilton's house while wielding two large knives was sentenced to two years in prison. Nathan Lee Parada, 32, has already spent about 10 months behind bars since being arrested at the socialite's Los Angeles home last August. Hilton posted a photo on her Twitter page of police outside her house and a man in handcuffs. She wrote, "just got woken up to a guy trying to break into my house holding 2 big knifes (sic)." Parada was convicted of one count of attempted firstdegree residential burglary in April after jurors spent less than an hour deciding his fate. He faced a threeyear term.

Bullock wants son to be multilingual

Sandra Bullock wants her son to learn three languages. The actress is keen for 18month-old Louis to be fluent in French, English and German and is set to enroll him at Le Lycee Francais school when he is old enough. “Sandra is desperate for Louis to be multilingual,” a source said. “Sandra wants the best for Louis and she believes this will give him an

advantage later in life.” Le Lycee Francais - a Frenchspeaking school - is where

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie send their children and Sandra thinks it will be perfect for little Louis. “She thinks their curriculum is much better than at other schools. It also helps that they have schools in New York, Los Angeles and other major cities throughout the world so she can work and take him everywhere she goes,” said the source

Jennifer Lopez preparing return to big screen Following her appearance last season on Fox television’s American Idol, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez is in negotiations for two film roles, show-business newspaper Variety reported recently. Lopez is set to co-star with Jason Statham in action film Parker and will be part of an ensemble cast in the comedy ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’. Both films are scheduled to be shot during the gap between seasons of American Idol, though it remains unclear if JLo plans to return to the hit reality show. Lopez’s latest film, ‘The Back-Up Plan’, premiered in April 2010 and was a disappointment at the box office, grossing less than $40 million. Reputed to be one of Hollywood’s best-paid actresses, Lopez has yet to be in a film that has reached the $100 million benchmark in the US, Variety said.

Harry Potter to cast final spell with eighth, last film

II" down one at six.Superhero "Green Lantern" fell four to seventh spot, just above "XMen: First Class" which slipped two places to eight. Bollywood comedy "Delhi Belly" came in at nine with "Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides" falling three places to 10.

As the studio behind the Harry Potter films likes to remind us, "It all ends here." "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," the eighth and final instalment in one of cinema's most successful series, has its premiere in London in a week, and experts predict records could tumble when it hits theatres on July 15. The cast and crew have promised the most explosive Potter movie yet, even though computer-generated special effects and action scenes have been predominant throughout. "The last movie is going to be really, really fast-paced and a load of action in it and it is like a war film," Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe told Reuters in a recent interview. The final film, the first Potter instalment to be available in 3D, will reveal whether boy wizard Potter prevails over his evil nemesis Lord Voldemort in a classic good-versus-evil climax, although J.K. Rowling's novels provide the answer.

last time I did an action sequence and got hurt,” he said, remembering the near fatal intestinal injury in 1982 while shooting an action scene for ‘Coolie’. Nevertheless, Big B agreed to give action a fresh shot thanks to his daily fitness reg-

imen and improved technology. “Technology has improved immensely from the olden day action we used to do. There are many more safeguards now. So they protect the artists well. Also the way they shoot the sequence has undergone a sea change...and all of it looks very dramatic, colourful and dangerous,” he said. Talking about his daredevilry, a high point for the sexagenarian is riding a Harley Davidson for the movie, which releases July 1. “I was petrified that I will never be able to ride it. I can`t remember when I rode a bike last...may be 20-30 years back for a film. And then, to ride a Harley Davidson, which is a huge, powerful machine...just to hold the damn thing up requires a lot of physical effort.

Harry Potter film fans wait in Trafalagar Square in the hope of getting a ticket to the premiere of 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 2' in central London. Harry Potter fans have started to gather in Trafalgar Square in the hope of attending the premiere of Harry Potter, the last in the series of films.

Transformers take box office by storm

Action adventure movie "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" shot to top of the box office on its debut weekend with one of the highest opening takes of the year, pushing "Bridesmaids" down to second place. The film, which centres around a secret spacecraft on the Moon and stars Shia LaBeouf, took 10.73 million pounds over the three-day weekend, far ahead of the 2.01 million taken by Bridesmaids, according to Screen International on Tuesday. Martial arts cartoon com-

edy "Kung Fu Panda 2" was down one at No.3, while school comedy "Bad Teacher" starring Cameron Diaz was at four for a second week. New release "Larry Crowne," a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, was at five, with lads' comedy "The Hangover Part

Beyonce tops charts after Glastonbury boost

Singer Beyonce romped straight to the top of the album charts on Sunday, helped by her headlining performance at last week's Glastonbury music festival, the Official Charts Company said. Sales of the R&B star's new release "4" had received a timely boost from the exposure and acclaim she received after she brought the festival to a close last Sunday. It gives her a second solo number one album. Adele was unchanged at number two with "21" and Lady Gaga slipped to third with "Born This Way." Take That dropped a place to fourth with "Progress" with another Adele album "19" in fifth. Beyonce's Glastonbury

appearance was not enough, however, to bring success in the singles chart, with the second release from her charttopping album "Best Thing I Never Had" debuting in third.

Age is a state of mind: Amitabh Bachchan

Age and ailments notwithstanding, Amitabh Bachchan continues to spin magic by dancing, singing, performing stunts and even riding the oh-so-stylish mean machine – the Harley Davidson! Zee News reports. No wonder he doesn`t hesitate before saying, ‘bbuddah...hoga tera baap’! And he says age is ‘just a state of mind’. At 68, the megastar says he did give a second thought to indulging in daredevilry for his forthcoming home production ‘Bbuddah...Hoga Tera Baap’ but only due to physical compulsions – not because of a lack of will and zeal. “I was very apprehensive about doing a lot of action. I have had a severe medical history, so I was a little hesitant...not because I am unable to do action, but because there are certain precautions

that I have to take,” Amitabh told reporters over the phone from Mumbai. “Every time I have to do an action sequence, the family members have their antennas up and I wonder whether I should be doing it or not because they all seem like reminders of the

Actress Cameron Diaz attends the 'Bad Teacher' London photocall at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

Aussie 5 cent coin costing more than its worth

‘Scarface’ gun sells for £67,000 in London sale

A revolver belonging to notorious US gangster “Al Capone” sold at a London firearms auction for £67,250. The 1929 .38 “Police Positive” gun was used by the mobster, full name Alphonse Gabriel Capone, during his reign as king of the Chicago underworld in the prohibition era. The Christie’s Antique Arms,

Armour and Collectors Firearms sale displayed 209 lots dating from the 10th to the 20th centuries and raised a total of Â£634,825. “This sale saw strong international interest from a notable number of new clients, including the successful purchaser of Al Capone’s revolver,” Howard Dixon, Head of Sale, said.

Jackson "Thriller" jacket sells for $1.8 million

A leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson for his "Thriller" video sold for $1.8 million at an auction on Sunday to a Texas gold trader who plans to use it to raise money for children's hospitals worldwide. The black and red calf leather jacket with winged shoulders was one of two used for the shoot. The other one, in scuffed condition, is owned by the Jackson estate. The one sold by Julien's auction house in Beverly Hills is in better shape and is signed on the sleeve by Jackson. It was designed by Deb-

orah Landis, the wife of "Thriller" director John Landis. Jackson presented it to the vendors, Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, his longtime costume designers.

Rising metal prices mean Australia’s five cent coin now costs more to make than it is worth, the government admitted Sunday, but added there were no plans to scrap the little piece yet. The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, which produces the copper and nickel coins stamped with the native echidna, or spiny anteater, has reportedly complained that they are so expensive to make they

should be scrapped. “With the rising prices of metals and some of the ingredients which go into the five cent coin, they’ve certainly reported that it’s more expensive to make the five cent coin than five

Gaming a big winner in smartphone boom

More virtual livestock looks set to be traded and petulant fowl hurled at targets as social gaming takes hold in the booming mobile phone market, industry experts say. Social gaming, made popular by titles such as “Farmville” and “Angry Birds”, was one of the closely followed topics at last week’s CommunicAsia trade fair in Singapore, where telecom executives meet annually to check on new trends. Internet-enabled smartphones as well as tablets are liberating social gamers from the physical confines of home

and office, and more titles specifically designed for handheld devices are on their way. AsiaPacific smartphone sales are expected to reach 200 million a year by 2016, a third of all mobile phones sold in the region, according to telec o m consultancy Ovum. “At least 90 percent of gamers will be on mobile in the future,” said Jeffrey Jiang, a director at Singapore-based Touch Dimensions, which develops games for various platforms.

cents,” Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten said. The circular five cent coin, which is 75 percent copper and 25 p e r c e n t n i c k e l , weighs 2.83 grams and has a diameter of 19.41 millimetres. Shorten

said it was too early for the coin, worth about 5.25 US cents, to go the way of the copper-based one and two cent pieces which were withdrawn in the early 1990s after inflation reduced their buying power. He was concerned that donations to charities, which often receive loose change, would be affected and that retailers could react by rounding up prices, he added.

Cancer patients prescribed chewing gum Cancer patients are being prescribed chewing gum to help them recover from surgery. Doctors at a leading London hospital are advising bowel cancer patients to chew sugar-free gum after their operations, in order to get their digestive systems back to normal so they can get better faster. Studies have found that patients undergoing surgery likely to affect their bowel function were fit enough to go home as much as two days earlier than other patients if they chewed gum. Chewing gum has helped new mothers recovering from caesarean sections, as well as patients undergoing stomach surgery, who can suffer from painful cramps until digestion returns to normal, research has found. Now surgeons at University College London Hospital are asking patients booked

for bowel cancer surgery to bring supplies of sugar-free gum with them, to be chewed three times a day, for an hour, after their operation. Consultant colorectal surgeon Alastair Windsor said the trial is part of a programme to find new ways to help patients recover from treatment. He said many patients undergoing many types of surgery likely to affect their digestive system could benefit from bringing gum to hospital - but advised them to ask their own doctor first. Windsor said: "One of the things that delays people recovering from surgery is that they get what is called an ileas - where the bowel goes to sleep.

Pakistan hosts highest number of refugees: UN

A young Afghan refugee poses at The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees registration centre on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan prior to returning to her home country Afghanistan.

Pointing out that Pakistan hosts the highest number of refugees -- 1.9 million—the U.N. said in a report Monday that an estimated 80 per cent of the world’s refugees now live in developing countries and yet anti-refugee sentiment is growing in many industrialized nations. The 2010 Global Trends report of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), marking the World Refugee Day Monday, urged the richer States to address the deep imbalance. Iran and Syria follow Pakistan with 1.1 million and 1 million refugees, respectively, the report said. Pakistan also feels the biggest economic impact with 710 refugees for each dolla of its per capita gross domestic product (GDP), followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Kenya, with 475 and 247 refugees per dollar of their

Former Tory peer jailed for expenses fiddle

A former Conservative peer was jailed for nine months for fiddling his parliamentary expenses. Lord Hanningfield, 70, falsely claimed for nearly 14,000 pounds for overnight stays in London when he was not in the capital. His expenses-fiddling included one occasion in February 2008 when he was actually on board a flight to India and he was found guilty of six counts of false accounting in May, the Press Association reported. Passing sentence at Maidstone Crown Court, the judge Justice Saunders said he would now be partly remembered as a "benefits cheat". Hanningfield, a former Tory business spokesman who served as leader of Essex County Council for a decade, showed no emotion as sentence was passed. He has lodged an appeal. He joins four ex-MPs and a fellow member of the Lords convicted of dishonestly obtaining thousands of pounds from the taxpayer by making false claims for allowances.

per capita GDP respectively. The number of people forced to flee their homes to escape war or abuse has risen to its highest for 15 years, with four out of five refugees in developing countries, it said. In absolute terms and in relation to the size of their economies, poor countries shoulder a disproportionate refugee burden, the report added. “What we’re seeing is worrying unfairness in the international protection paradigm,” said Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Fears about supposed floods of refugees in industrialized countries are being vastly overblown or mistakenly conflated with issues of migration. Meanwhile its poorer countries that are left having to pick up the burden,” he said. Overall, the report portrays a drastically changed

protection environment to that of 60 years ago when the UN refugee agency was founded. At that time UNHCR’s caseload of refugees was 2.1 million Europeans uprooted by the Second World War. Today, UNHCR’s work extends to more than 120 countries and encompasses people forced to flee across borders as well as those in flight within their own countries. An estimated 43.7 million people are currently displaced worldwide roughly equalling the entire populations of Colombia or the Republic of Korea or of all Scandinavian countries and Sri Lanka combined. Of the total, 15.4 million are refugees 10.55 million under UNHCR’s care and 4.82 million registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

New Lloyds CEO cuts 15,000 jobs in revival plan Lloyds will axe 15,000 jobs and halve its international presence, a plan its new boss hopes will save 1.5 billion pounds a year by 2014 and return the part-nationalised British bank to health. Chief Executive Antonio Horta-Osorio, presenting his overhaul of the bank on Thursday after 122 days in charge, aims to cut through middle management and make the bank simpler and more agile. Shares surged as investors applauded the plan. "We have to do this. The bank has lost money and is losing money as you saw in Q1 and we have to get this bank back on its feet to support the economy and to get it profitable in order to pay taxpayers' money back," Horta-Osorio told reporters. The latest cuts for Lloyds, Europe's seventh biggest bank by market value, will add to 27,000 job losses already since the 2008 financial crisis. It employs 103,000 staff. The cost of the programme will be 2.3 billion pounds, but the savings gar-

nered will allow the bank to invest an extra 2 billion pounds in its UK retail banking. Horta-Osorio will cut Lloyds' international presence to fewer than 15 countries from 30 now in order to focus more on domestic retail banking, where it is market leader and has historically been far more significant than its presence overseas. Lloyds' business outside the UK currently includes operations in Europe, such as Holland, Germany and Spain, both north and south America and Asia. Horta-Osorio, a respected Portuguese banker whom Lloyds poached from rival Santander UK, declined to say which countries Lloyds would leave. He said he was pleased with the bank's 60 percent stake in wealth manager St. James's Place, worth 1 billion pounds, but refused to rule out if it could be sold. The Unite trade union group attacked the job cuts, but Horta-Osorio said the move was necessary.

Emergency Liberal Democrat MP’s united law planned to in support of the Syrian cause Democrat MPs John on peaceful demonstrations reverse court Liberal Leech and Mark Hunter de- and the need for reform in the livered speeches of assurance Syria. bail ruling and encouragement to the John Leech Member of

The government will introduce emergency legislation to overturn a court ruling that would force police to charge or release suspects within four days of their arrest, policing minister Nick Herbert told parliament. Setting up a clash with the judiciary, Herbert said the judgement would leave police with "one hand tied behind their backs" and affected around 80,000 suspects on police bail. The High Court ruling overturned the system whereby police free suspects on bail for extended periods while an investigation continues. The judgement means the clock will be ticking on a 96hour limit to bring charges even when a suspect is out on police bail. "In some cases it will mean that suspects who would normally be released on bail are detained for longer," Herbert said, adding that many police forces did not have enough cells to hold all the suspects.

More graduates finding jobs The number of graduates leaving university and failing to find work fell slightly to just under 20,000 last year, with unemployment levels higher among men than women, official figures showed. Nearly one in 10 graduates (9 percent) were assumed to be unemployed after graduating. That was down slightly from 10 percent in 2008/9 but higher than five years ago when it stood at six percent, according to the figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Unemployment was higher among men than women, with nine percent of all UK male students out of work after 6 months compared to six percent of women.

Syrian community of Manchester on Sunday at ‘A Day for Syria’ event at the British Muslim Heritage Centre in Whalley Range, Manchester. The event which was hosted by the Syrian community of Manchester was a special day for people to learn about Syrian history and culture in light of the recent unrest and to promote awareness of the grave situation in Syria. Mr Leech & Mr Hunter were invited to talk about the events in Syria and provide perspective on what was being done by the UK Government to pressure the Syrian authorities to restrain from the use of consistent violence against peaceful demonstrators. John Leech has already raised the issue in the House of Commons with an important Early Day Motion 1949 in support of Syrian protestors, the condemnation of Bashar Al-Assad and his regime’s violent crackdown

Parliament for Manchester Withington said, “Any action needs to have the full support of the international community, such as what we have witnessed regarding Libya. We want to see change in a peaceful manner, support peaceful demonstrations and the end of the regime” Both John Leech & Mark Hunter stressed the importance of garnering support from the international community and take measures such as economic sanctions, allowing more foreign media to enter Syria, full investigations into the murders of Syrian citizens at the hands of the Syrian secret service, and ultimately see change happen in a peaceful manner. Both Mr Leech & Mr Hunter were united in hope for the Syrian constituents in their constituencies and for the wider community in Syria and beyond in achieving a “real democracy” and “real change”.

OIC decision to set up commission on HR investigation in IOK welcomed

The UK based Tehreek-eKashmir has welcomed the decision of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) to constitute a special commission to investigate the gross violation of human rights in Indian held Kashmir. “It is an important decision taken by the 38th meeting of Foreign Minsters of the OIC members countries and it would have very positive impacts on the efforts to improve human rights situation in Kashmir”, Mohammad Ghalib president Tehreek e Kashmir said. Terming OIC move a significant step, Ghalib said OIC passed a number of resolution on Kashmir in the past but India always put them aside with disdain. “There is need to mount a considerable pressure on India to respect the senti-

ments of Muslim World by addressing the concerns with regard to Kashmir,” he added. Ghalib said members of fact finding mission, international human rights bodies and independent media should be allowed to visit Kashmir to assess and freely report the incidents of human rights violation in Kashmir. He further said during 20 years strife in Kashmir had crippled economic life of the people and there is a dire need that Islamic countries provide relief to people of the violence ridden Kashmir valley. “The Muslim countries should severe trade ties with India and ban Indian work forces into their respective countries if India fails to respect and implement OIC decision on Kashmir,” TeK leader demanded.

Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa, Secretary General PPP Jahangir Badr, PPP Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Waraich and other PPP leaders attending a seminar in Lahore organized by PPP Punjab to the mark 5th July as Black Day.

Pak nuclear assets are safe and well protected: Wajid

Debunking Western media propaganda, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK has asserted that his country’s nuclear assets are in safe hands and well protected under control and command structure. Appearing in the BBC Newsnight programme, he said “International Atomic Energy Agency, NATO, Americans, CIA and other organisations have certified that Pakistani nuclear weapons are in safe hands. They are secure and are not easily accessible.” He appeared in the programme in the wake of reports in the American and western media that US has plans to take preemptive action to stop extremists from getting hands on Pakistan nuclear assets. Responding to a question that Pakistan is reportedly adding 10 to 15 warheads to its nuclear arsenal, the top diplomat termed it as fictional script adding that he had no information on the number of nuclear weapons Pakistan has or is adding any significant weapons annually. When asked that Jihadists talk about ‘Islamic bomb’, the High Commissioner categorically stated that he would

not allude to such a suggestion. “This is a Pakistani bomb and we do not take Jihadists seriously as they say so many things.” Hasan said IAEA which is the international watch dog authority on nuclear has already certified that Pakistan is safe and one should not dispute that. Regarding attack on Mehran base last month which the questioner attributed to security inadequacies, the high commissioner responded that 9/11 attacks, 7/7 bombings in London, and similar incidents in other places around the globe would also fall in the same category. The High Commissioner also asserted that US-Pakistan relations have not worsened contrary to what is appearing in the international media. “Even when President Obama was in London recently he was told by the British Prime Minister David Cameron that ‘enemy of Pakistan is our enemy. So when President Zardari met Mr.Cameron on Friday, the British Prime Minister said Pakistan’s future is Britain’s future.”

Government and unions plan more talks on pensions

Boris Johnson attends the grand opening of Europe's first M&M'S World store offering a huge range of exclusive M&M'S chocolates and merchandise at Leicester Square.

Jane Baugh becomes new Trafford mayor

Councillor Jane Baugh was was sworn in as the new mayor of Trafford last night. Outgoing mayor Councillor Ken Weston formally passed over the chains of office at the ceremony at Trafford town hall. The council chamber was filled with Councillor Baugh's close friends and family, who watched as fellow councillors paid tribute to her life in politics and career in physiotherapy. Councillor Brenda Houraghan was sworn in as the deputy mayor with Mrs Barbara Cartledge as consort, while Dr Peter Baugh, Councillor Baugh's husband, became the mayor's consort. Following her installation, Councillor Baugh paid tribute to the Trafford borough. She said: "We are looking forward so much to meeting people from all walks of life. We also look forward to representing Trafford and extolling its virtues outside our borough. We have so much to be proud of here.

The government plans further talks with trades unions on pensions reform after the two sides met on Wednesday for the first time since a walkout last week by some 300,000 teachers and civil servants. "We have had another constructive meeting today as part of the ongoing talks the government has committed to with the TUC (Trades Union Congress) on public service pensions," a Treasury spokeswoman said. "This is a genuine consultation and further meetings will take place," she added. Unions representing public sector workers have threatened further strikes later in the year over plans to make them pay more for less generous pensions and retire later. The current talks are designed to set the framework for specific negotiations for state-employed workers such as nurses and teachers who

UK Kashmiri organisation calls for early solution to Kashmir dispute A UK-based Kashmiri organisation in presenting a memorandum to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, has called for associating Commonwealth to which both Pakistan and India are members in helping to resolve the Kashmir dispute, the core irritant in good relations between the two nuclear armed rivals in the Indian sub-continent. Presenting the memorandum to the OIC Secretary General, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, at the 38th meeting of the Conference Prof. Nazir Shawl, head of the Justice Foundation Kashmir Centre, said: “The Kashmir dispute continues to be the greatest irritant between the two Commonwealth member states, India and Pakistan. In order to make the on going dialogue fruitful, a dialogue with the Commonwealth could be opened by using the immense skills and diplomacy of the OIC, and the Kashmir Centre London

should be associated with this effort.” Prof. Shawl, currently in Astana for the Conference, expressed hope that some practical and actionable initiatives are presented and submit the possibility of an conference in partnership with the members of the OIC Kashmir Contact Gro. “We also would like to submit the idea of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference having partnerships with other international forums seeking ways to address issues which surround Kashmir, one such forum being the Commonwealth.” While mentioning the last week’s Indo-Pakistan Foreign Secretary’s level meeting in Islamabad, he said alongside this development the European Parliament has adopted a resolution following the Free Trade Area Agreement with India; human rights being invoked by the Free Trade Area Agreement Class 34 within the resolution.

have their own individual industry schemes. Last week's strikes show union patience is limited. Around half of the schools in England and Wales closed when teachers protested on the streets over plans to make them pay more for their pensions and work longer. The Conservative-led coalition says that pensions need to be overhauled to ensure the system can cope as people live longer. The reforms are part of government plans to effectively erase by 2015 a budget deficit that peaked at more than 10 percent of GDP. The government condemned the strikes last week by four unions as premature while talks were still going on. Protests over austerity have been relatively muted in Britain compared with other European nations, but unions have vowed to take a stand over pension reforms.

Reuben brothers buy Piccadilly Estate for £130m

The billionaire Reuben brothers have bought heritage building Piccadilly Estate, once home to royalty and a prime minister, in London's exclusive Mayfair district for 130 million pounds, the agents for the sale said. Aldersgate Investment, David and Simon Reuben's property investment company, bought the estate from receivership, agents Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) said. It had belonged to family trusts advised by property tycoon Simon Halabi. "We got to a position (where) we had a group of serious parties, so we requested bids from them and as a result of that we chose to go with Aldersgate Investment ... and they did the deal very quickly, in five days," Corbett said. The property had been on the market since last summer, and Corbett said there had been interest from around the world, with more than 150 parties inspecting it.

Conference on Improving Safety-Reducing Crime held

As part of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch National Week, an Improving Safety and Reducing Crimes was organised at the Castlemere Community Centre, Tweedale Street, Rochdale, in which the following organisations, Services, agencies, Councillors Irene Davidson, Surinder Biant and members of the local community took part: Greater Manchester Police, Police Community Support Officers, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Rochdale Area Watch Association. Multi Faith Partnership, Castlemere Community Centre, Rochdale Community Transport, Daha Look, UK, BME Fire & Safety Edu-

cation Association, Action for Pakistan, International, Association of Serving the Humanity, International, Arabic for all Ghulam Rasul Shahzad OBE, who organised the event, welcomed and thanked everyone and provided the background of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Week and the importance of working together to improve safety and security for the people of the Borough of Rochdale. He said that if we care for our neighbours, set up Home Watch Schemes in every street and work with the Police, we can save many lives and damage to properties. Because of limited resources, Police cannot be everywhere. If residents provide them

with the relevant information about the commission of crimes or anti social behaviour, Police will gather evidence and bring those responsible to justice. We need to work together to improve the quality of lives of people in our neighbourhood. Martyn Beaver, Greater Manchester Police, provided the background to the Neighbourhood Watch and the measures GMP has been taking to improve safety and security of people of the Borough of Rochdale and particularly in the Milkstone & Deeplish Area. Mr.Sohail Ahmed JP and the Chair of the Rochdale Community Transport provided information about various routes for buses and also the availability of the

Rochdale Community Transport whenever people needed these and encouraged them to use these, Gary Thomas of the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Services provided information about the activities of the staff of the GMR&RS i.e. installation of Smoke Alarm, Home Fire Risk Assessment etc. He said he was working very closely with the BME Fire & Safety Education Association and asked the residents to make the best use of the services they are providing. He said the Fire Station from McClure Road will be moving to Hamer in January 2011, but the quality of the service will not be affected in any way.

25 Man who travelled to all 270 London tube stations in under 17 hours

Pakistani DG Rangers Punjab Maj. Gen. Mian Muhammad Hilal Husain presenting sweets to Indian BSF Sector Commander Sumeer Singh.

Parade brings a flavour of Italy to Manchester

A taste of Italy returned to Manchester as thousands turned out for the annual parade. The streets were lined three deep as close to a thousand musicians and marchers walked from Ancoats to the centre of Manchester and back for the city’s biggest ever Italian parade. A pipe band led the procession past Manchester Cathedral and the town hall and many people were decked out in traditional Italian dress. Organisers opened up this march, the 121st in the city’s history, to five new churches

which saw the numbers swell. Skyellea Kelly, eight, of Every Street, Ancoats was taking part in the march for the first time. Her grandmother Sylvia is Italian. Skyellea said: "I got involved through my school and I’ve had a really nice day." Her mum, Darrianne Flynn, 28, said: "She looks beautiful and so does everything." The parade included participants from St Patrick’s and St Malachy churches in Collyhurst, St Anne’s Church and St Michael’s Church in Ancoats and St Peter’s Church in Middleton.

Tube fan Marc Gawley has set a new world record – by visiting all 270 London Underground stations in the fastest-ever time. Marc, 33, a management consultant from Denton, covered the famous London tracks in 16 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds. The time has been confirmed by Guinness World Records as the quickest ever, shaving 15 minutes off the previous record set in 2009. The cult feat is known as the Tube Challenge and the first attempt took place in 1959. Maths whiz Marc used his detailed knowledge of Tube timetables to travel more than 200 miles in record time. He estimates that he ran the equivalent of a marathon to complete the challenge, which has strict rules. Challengers must visit all 270 stations. They do not have to get off, but the trains must stop at the station. Marc, a former pupil at Manchester’s Xaverian College who studied physics at Oxford University, said: “I pity the person who had to go through all those videos. “ It must have been some of the dullest video footage ever in adjudicating a record, but at least I’m a world record holder.

Population hits a high as thousands flock to Manchester

Manchester is Britain’s fastest growing major city, with the population growing by three per cent in just 12 months. Some 10,000 people flocked to live in the city last year, according to official government figures – more than Birmingham and Liverpool combined. The influx, combined with 8,000 births and only 3,800 deaths, pushed Manchester’s population to 498,800. Experts believe that figure may already have broken through the half-a-million barrier. Of hundreds of cities and towns across Britain, only Cambridge and Durham saw their populations rise by

more than Manchester. The influx included 1,600 people who moved from London to Manchester – reversing the traditional ‘brain drain’ south. Town hall chiefs said the statistics reflected Manchester’s growing global reputation as a world-class city. They pointed to the city’s post-IRA bomb regeneration as well as major new developments, including the BBC’s relocation to MediaCity. The rise in Manchester’s international standing was confirmed by backpackers’ bible Lonely Planet, who described it as ‘truly special’ in their 2011 guide to Britain. Sir Richard Leese, leader

of Manchester council, said: “A growing population is the sign of a thriving city so it is extremely heartening that more people are seeing the attractions of Manchester as a place to work, live and invest. “Manchester had undergone a long period of population decline but the fact that this has been reversed in the last decade is testament to the city’s renewal as a worldclass city. “We know there is still a huge amount of work to be done to ensure Manchester reaches its full potential and enlightened ex-Londoners moving here are very welcome helpers in that task.”

Islamic market neglected by global brands

A leading expert on Islamic brands is highlighting the untapped potential in Islamic markets which most companies are failing to exploit. The global Muslim market is now over 20% of the world’s population at around 1.6 billion, and is expected to increase to 2.2 billion by 2030, situated in those regions where Muslims are in the majority, but also in other countries where Muslims are a significant and growing minority, including those in the West. The value of Muslim trade is assessed as worth trillions of dollars worldwide. “The Muslim market represents a significant un-

tapped market,” says Dr.Paul Temporal, an Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School’s Executive Education Centre, University of Oxford. “These days, when companies are facing ever stronger competition in established markets and while many companies are rushing into high profile regions such as China, India and Brazil, the single biggest market in the world has been largely overlooked. Islamic markets could present a potentially greater opportunity for growth with comparatively little competition from international or local brands. While some Western brands have been active in

these markets since the 90s, there is potential for other products and services to enter these markets. With relentless competitive pressure elsewhere and many companies facing hits to their bottom line as traditional markets continue to under perform, Muslim markets could represent a valuable opportunity for many companies.” Muslim consumers have been underserved to date with few products tailored to their needs and wants. Western brands often have a cachet and are well-liked, but many of them are not compliant with Shariah law and are not considered to be Halal.

26 Quake-hit Christchurch asks Manchester how to rebuild a city after devastation

UK mother-in-law’s email rant is Internet hit

A British woman’s email rant at her future daughter-in-law became an Internet sensation on Thursday after she accused the bride-to-be of ‘uncouthness and lack of grace.’ In a withering message entitled ‘your lack of manners’, Carolyn Bourne took Heidi Withers to task over her failures of etiquette and recommended she attend a finishing school ‘with utmost haste.’ Ms Withers, a 29-year-old personal assistant from London who is engaged to Mrs Bourne’s step-son Freddie, also 29, was so shocked by the email that she sent it on to a few friends.

The rebirth of Manchester following the IRA bomb is being used as a blueprint by a city left devastated by an earthquake. Experts in Christchurch have asked council leader Sir Richard Leese to share his experiences following the 1996 terrorist attack. A total of 181 people died when the New Zealand city was hit by a 6.3 magnitude quake in February. Sir Richard was taking part early today in a video conference with the mayor of the city and a panel of New Zealand officials. Sir Richard was approached by New Zealand businessman and one of the country’s biggest investors, Stephen Tindall, and former Labour politician and New Zealander, Bryan Gould. Sir Richard – who was only one month into his leadership of the council when Manchester was bombed – said speed, strong leadership and a clear vision would be key. He said: "Within 24 hours, we started the process of getting the city centre functioning again. On that Sunday we had Germany playing Russia at Old Trafford and we said this game has to go ahead.

Cabbie takes judge to court in row over £1,370 of fares A judge involved in a row with a cabbie over a fares bill of £1,370 has been ordered by a court to pay him the full amount. Corin Timson became locked in a legal argument with Gary Phillips over several months of fares. Mr Phillips told a claims court he ferried Mr Timson to work across the north west on a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that he would be paid monthly. Both men were happy with the arrangement until April last year, when a dispute broke out over Mr Timson’s outstanding debts.

Gorilla lives with zoo manager A gorilla in France is living with a zoo manager and his wife in their home. Digit, a 13-year-old female, spends her days in an enclosure with other animals at a zoo near Lyon. But at night, she goes to stay with Pierre Thivillon and his wife Elianne who consider her one of the family. Digit, who weighs 120kg, even sleeps on the couple’s bed. The arrangement started

when Digit’s mother refused to breastfeed her and had stuck. Mr Thivillon says: “It’s going very well, because we have a 13-year-old relationship with Digit so obviously we have created a very strong bond with each other.” Digit lies on the bed and plays with some toys. Initially, Digit’s brother also lived with the couple but that ended when he became too aggressive.

Russian scientists expect to meet aliens by 2031

Russian scientists expect humanity to encounter alien civilizations within the next two decades, a top Russian astronomer predicted. “The genesis of life is as inevitable as the formation of atoms... Life exists on other planets and we will find it within 20 years,” Andrei Finkelstein, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Applied Astronomy Institute, was

quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying. Speaking at an international forum dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life, Finkelstein said 10 percent of the known planets circling suns in the galaxy resemble Earth. If water can be found there, then so can life, he said, adding that aliens would most likely resemble humans with two arms, two legs and

a head. “They may have different color skin, but even we have that,” he said.

Financial health of UK businesses in decline

A surge in operating costs and decline in new orders has caused the financial health of UK companies to deteriorate during the six months to April 2011. That is the conclusion of the latest smallandmedium-sized Enterprise Trends Index, which compiled the responses of over 550 business owners to determine the financial and growth prospects for UK businesses. Over 75% of respondents said that operating costs have risen over the past six

months, while only 58% countered these rising overheads by winning new contracts during the same period. Meanwhile, the overall Business Health Index fell to 0.35 – down from the 0.49 recorded last November – and it seems that bigger companies are generally in far better shape than small firms. Indeed, while companies with a turnover of more than £3m recorded an average index score of 1.67, those turning over less than £500,000 had an average of -

A third of businesses remain uncertain about new Bribery Act regulations

Shoppers pass by the Mulberry flagship retail store on New Bond Street. The luxury handbag maker has seen a jump in profits of a staggering 358 percent, and production at their Somerset factory is being stepped up a further 30 percent to match demand.

More businesses closing subsidiaries to cut costs

More companies are voluntarily closing subsidiaries in a bid to cut costs, with each closure saving up to £20,000 per subsidiary, according to a new study. Research by commercial law firm McGrigors revealed that the number of voluntary liquidations undertaken by members rose to 3,578 in 2010, up from 3,268 in 2009 – a 9.5% increase. According to McGrigors, the primary reason for this increase is that “businesses are increasingly looking to streamline their complex corporate structures”. The company added that many companies have “gradually acquired complex corporate structures over time – through takeovers and organic growth – which are now inefficient”. Paul Sutton, a corporate partner at McGrigors, said that closing a redundant cor-

porate entity can result in “immense” cost savings for companies, adding that “businesses are increasingly looking to review their corporate structures and actively reduce administrative costs so they are in better shape going forward”. He added: “Historic tax planning may have prompted some businesses to implement complicated legal structures. However, the tax benefits may no longer justify the ongoing costs of maintaining those complex structures.” The McGrigors research also revealed that the overall number of company liquidations fell by 16% in the last year. “The rise in the voluntary closure of subsidiaries may not sound like a big increase – but in the context of a large drop in overall liquidations, this is an extremely significant rise”, added Sutton

Over half of small firms are failing to make use of mobile technology

Over half of Britain’s small businesses are failing to maximise the potential of mobile working, according to a new study from Sage. The study’s authors found that, of the 1,000 small and medium-sized business owners who submitted responses, only 42% have taken significant steps towards implementing mobile technology. Furthermore, 44% of respondents admitted that they lack understanding of the specific benefits mobile technology could deliver, with size proving a major deterrent. Forty three per cent of respondents said they thought their firm was too small to benefit, while more than one in four small and mediumsized firms said that they lacked the right infrastructure to even start to utilise

mobile working. Steve Attwell, general manager for Sage’s mid-market and channel division, said that while mobile technology may not be relevant for every business, it “can provide real value” for most sizes of company. He added: “Access to customer-critical information and productivity tools anytime, anywhere, can play a fundamental role in increasing efficiency and enabling a small business to differentiate itself. “For organisations to stay ahead of the curve and capitalise on the new level of accessibility mobile technology brings, business owners must act now and seek advice from software providers who can help them understand how to best unlock the benefits of mobile.”

BoE criticises govternment’s handling of banks The government has been criticised by the Bank of England for failing to boost bank lending to small and medium-sized firms – prompting fresh fears that lending targets will be missed again. According to the Bank of England’s latest Agent’s Report, lending to UK businesses fell by £4.9bn overall last month, with lending to manufacturing and construction firms showing the greatest decline.

A third of UK companies remain unsure how the new Bribery Act, which has come into force today, will affect the way they do business. That is the conclusion of a survey by software provider Sage, which compiled responses from over 1,000 small and medium-sized firms to determine how the new legislation will affect Britain’s small business community. The survey found that 71% of respondents still don’t understand the act, and how it will change the way they do business, while 33% admitted they are uncertain of how to adapt to the new law. Furthermore, even though the act has been described as “the toughest anti-corruption legislation in the world”, half the firms surveyed said they plan to carry on as usual. The new Bribery Act makes it a criminal offence to receive bribes, fail to prevent bribery and bribe a foreign

official, and imposes tougher penalties for the bribing of other companies.The maximum penalty for committing a bribery crime is now 10 years’ imprisonment, along with an unlimited fine. Samantha Bell, a HR advisor for Sage, has advised that businesses potentially susceptible to bribery should carry out risk assessments, and put strict policies and procedures in place “to eliminate any doubt”. She added: “If it’s very unlikely that bribery could happen in your company, then drawing up and communicating one simple policy to your employees could be enough. “The key thing is to be in a position where you can show you have taken adequate steps to prevent acts of bribery from taking place. If a bribery claim is made against you, doing this can make a real difference to your defence.”

0.13. Companies in Wales (index score 1.10), eastern England (0.91) and the South East (0.64) were found to be the best performing regions by the Enterprise Trends study. Evette Orams, managing director of debt collection agency Hilton-Baird Financial Solutions, which compiled the research, said that in spite of the economic growth recorded during the first quarter of 2011, “trading conditions remain challenging”.

Businesses urged to “blow the whistle” on red tape

Business owners have been called on to “blow the whistle” on inconsistent and excessive red tape regulations by a new government initiative to support business growth. Launched last week, the initiative is part of the government’s ‘Red Tape Challenge’ to encourage employers and employees to come forward with examples where different regulators, inspections and conflicting advice is hampering the running of their business and preventing economic growth. According to the business minister, Mark Prisk the government has already taken steps to “reduce the burden that regulation places on our businesses”, but admitted further action is needed.

Clinton outlines road ahead for Arab democracy

One of the French boats of a flotilla bound for Gaza with some 40 activists on board pretends to leave the port of Pireus near Athens. Greek authorities prevented on July 1 the ships of the flotilla from sailing towards Gaza. Their naval forces blocked the path of two ships, American and Canadian, when they attempted to challenge the decision. The Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip on July 3 repeated its calls for Greece to allow the flotilla to set sail for the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory.

Post-9/11 wars cost US at least $3.7 trillion

The cost of US military action in Iraq and Afghanistan— since 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks—will run to at least $3.7 trillion, a study disclosed. The staggering figure could reach as high as $4.4 trillion, with the death of up to 258,000 people, according to research by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. In human terms, 224,000 to 258,000 people have died directly from warfare - including 125,000 civilians in Iraq. Many more have died indirectly, from the loss of clean drinking water, health care and nutrition. Another 365,000 have been wounded and 7.8 million have been displaced. In the 10 years since U.S. troops went into Afghanistan to root out the Al-Qaeda leaders behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, spending on the conflicts totalled up to

$2.7 trillion. Those numbers will continue to soar when considering often overlooked costs including obligations to wounded veterans and projected war spending from 2012 through 2020. They also do not include at least $1 trillion in interest payments and expenses. The study, ‘Costs of War’, brought together more than 20 academics to uncover the expenses of war. It underlines the extent to which war will continue to stretch the U.S. federal budget and questions what has been gained from the massive investment. Catherine Lutz, head of the anthropology department at Brown and co-director of the study, said: “We decided we needed to do this kind of rigourous assessment of what it cost to make those choices to go to war. Politicians, we assumed, were not going to do that kind of assessment.”

Water in India’s famed Goa ‘unfit for bathing’

Scientists warned that water off the famed beaches of the Indian holiday state of Goa was unfit for bathing and fishing due to high levels of bacteria from untreated sewage. The National Institute of Oceanography, which is based in the former Portuguese colony, said the level of faecal coliform bacteria off the coast of Goa and in its rivers was higher than the international benchmark. “For safe bathing and international standards it should be 100 CFU (colony forming units) per 100 millilitres but now it has touched 190” in some areas, said NIO scientist Dr N. Ramaiah. Ramaiah said coastal waters tested by the scientists were generally above the

limit, but the problem was most acute in the basins of Goa’s two main rivers, the Mandovi and Zuari. A colony forming unit is used in microbiology to measure the number of viable bacteria. Faecal coliform bacteria can be a product of human or animal waste but also storm water run-off or plant material. Tourism officials expressed alarm at the findings, given the state’s dependence on foreign visitors. Around 400,000 overseas tourists flock to Goa each year, with its long, sandy beaches a major draw. “If there is such a phenomenon then it is a matter of concern,” said state tourism director Swapnil Naik, who had yet to see the NIO report.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the rule of law, political parties and democratic institutions must emerge in the Arab world if it is to emulate Eastern Europe’s remarkable transition two decades ago from authoritarianism to truly free societies. In Lithuania for an international democracy conference, Clinton cited the real risk of Middle East and North African nations slipping back into autocratic old ways. And she lamented the latest accounts of violence in Syria, with security forces and knife-wielding, governmentorganized thugs reportedly attacking protesters in the city of Aleppo. “Today there are new democracies fighting for life, there are vicious autocrats clinging to power,” Clinton said in a speech at the “Community of Democracies”

meeting. “This is an hour of need. And every democracy should stand up and be counted.” Drawing on the experience of Lithuania and other countries that opened up when the Iron Curtain came down 22 years ago, Clinton outlined a series of fundamentals she said were necessary for nations to make the transition to democracy: institutions rooted in law; equality for all, including women; a free press; economic opportunity; legitimate leaders. The implicit warning was that it is uncertain if the Arab reform movements will translate into stable democratic societies. While Tunisia and Egypt try to find their own formulas for a new system of governance, the would-be democrats of Syria may never get their chance.

Britain to review family immigration rules

Britain is to review the application of EU human rights rules that allow immigrants to bring their families into the country, the Home Office said . The review will look at how Britain deals with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights which guarantees “the right to a family life”. Immigration is a sensitive topic in Britain, following a surge in the last decade, regularly featuring high in opinion polls of voter concerns. The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported the case of Peace Musabi who fled Burundi seeking asylum in Britain. She was given “indefinite leave to remain” after her files were lost and has now won permission to bring her three children into Britain under Article 8.

Duncan Smith wants migration curbs to cut jobless Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith called for tighter controls on immigration to help cut unemployment among young Britons, angering the business community and risking a rift in the ruling coalition. The demand came from Duncan Smith, a Conservative who has led the party's efforts to reduce the number of Britons living on benefits. "Good immigration is

managed immigration - it should not be an excuse to import labour to take up posts which could be filled by people already in Britain," Duncan Smith said. "In the short term, controlling immigration is critical or we will risk losing another generation to dependency and hopelessness," the former Conservative leader added in a speech he will deliver to a think-tank in Spain.

Queen opens nationalist-led Scottish parliament

Queen Elizabeth opened a new session of the devolved parliament in Scotland, where the independenceseeking Scottish National Party (SNP) has an overall majority, saying the institution had "truly come of age". It was the queen's first visit to the parliament since the SNP won an overall majority in elections in May, paving the way for a referendum on independence over

Munira Mirza (C), a Mayoral Advisor on Arts and Culture, poses for a photograph with musicians Zeid Hamdan (L) and Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (R) at the launch of the festival 'Shubbak : A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture' in London, England. Zeid and Tamer will perform the opening concert of the Shubbak festival entitled 'A Musical Revolution Into the Arab World'. The Shubbak Arab arts festival, organised by the Mayor of London and sponsored by HSBC, takes place in London and runs from July 4-24, 2011.

UK-Pakistan pledge to work together against militancy

President Asif Ali Zardari and the British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed at their meeting here that both countries will continue to work together for fighting militancy and for promoting peace in the region. The two leaders at their meeting at the Downing Street welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the UK and Pakistani governments to tackle violent extremism and radicalization and agreed to enhance cooperation in support of a comprehensive approach by the Government of Pakistan. The meeting was also attended by Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Prime Minister Cameron warmly received

the Pakistani leader on his arrival at the Downing Street and shook hands warmly outside the famous number 10 door. Briefing the media, Farhatullah Babar, Spokesperson to the President said that Pakistan and United Kingdom agreed to prepare a comprehensive plan of action to intensify cooperation in trade and business, defence, development, education, health, security and cultural cooperation. Both the leaders in their discussion had consensual view that terrorism was the enemy of both Pakistan and Britain and that the two countries should continue to work together to fight the menace.

Homeless man charged for charging cell phone

Police have brought charges against a homeless man in Maine who helped himself to an outdoor electrical outlet to charge a pair of cell phones. A Bangor police officer checking downtown businesses discovered 23-year-old Shaun Fawster charging his cell phones in an outlet hidden behind some flowers. Fawster was charged last weekend with theft of services, as well as carrying a concealed weapon after the officer found a folding knife tucked underneath his shirt. The Bangor Daily News says Fawster was later released from jail.

‘Little Britain’ benefit cheat sent to jail

A benefits cheat who pretended to need a wheelchair in a manner likened to a sketch from hit comedy show Little Britain has been jailed. Peter Dixon, 48, was handed a four-week custodial sentence, of which he will serve half, after he was filmed walking around despite claiming he needed to use a wheelchair. Preston Crown Court was shown footage of Dixon being wheeled out of a medical centre and carefully helped into the driver’s seat of a car.

the next five years. Responding to the queen's speech, SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond welcomed her as "the firmest of friends of this parliament, particularly in some of our early and difficult years." "Whatever constitutional path that the people of Scotland choose -- and it is their choice to make -- we will aspire to be, in your words, 'firm friends and equal partners.'"

Unemployment in Britain is 7.7 percent, but the figure stands at almost 20 percent for people aged under 24. Immigration policy is a source of friction within the coalition. The Liberal Democrats have voiced concerns that planned curbs could hamper British business. Business Secretary Vince Cable clashed with Prime Minister David Cameron in April when Cameron criti-

cised mass immigration. The debate has been fuelled by figures this week that showed the UK population grew by 470,000 in 200910, taking it to 62.26 million. Net migration accounted for almost half of the rise. The government has argued that the country cannot absorb so many newcomers because of the strain it places on schools and health services.

Labour wins Scotland by-election

The Labour Party held on to a seat in parliament after an election in one of its Scottish heartlands, seeing off a challenge from the increasingly powerful Scottish National Party. Labour's Iain McKenzie won with 15,118 votes, while the Scottish National Party's Anne McLaughlin came second with 9,280 votes. The results were broadcast live on television on Friday. The election was held in the constituency of Inver-

clyde, close to Glasgow, after the death of Labour MP David Cairns in May. Cairns had won 56 percent of the vote at the last general election in May 2010, with the SNP in a distant second place. However, the SNP triumphed in polls for Scotland's devolved parliament earlier this year and it plans to use this majority to call a referendum on breaking with the rest of Britain within the next five years.

Bid for first ever UK Muslim free school launched

A group of Muslim and non Muslim professionals thinkers, education experts and supported by communities across Britain have launched a bid to establish Britain’s first Muslim inspired Free school. Chair of Trustees Mohsin Abbas said that Muslim community in Brent, north London, with support from professionals intends to establish this free school to create a new educational vision for Muslim in-

spired community integration. He urged the British Government, Muslim community leaders to stop paying lip service to the idea of Muslim integration in Britain and to actually put their money where their mouths are and deliver real solutions. Abbas claimed that education is one of the solutions and Free schools are one of the ways forward for Muslim communities to take charge

of their future in Britain. “Rising criminalization of Muslim youth, booming prison population, chronic lack of qualifications, unemployment and social exclusion are evident statistically and on the British streets. We intend to address it by creating education models for the young that really work”, he pointed out. Abbas added that Alhambra School intends to introduce a unique and innovative

educational experience that will address the existing cultural leadership and mentoring gap in these communities. “This new school model, unlike many Islamic faith schools, will encourage the integration of Muslim and non-Muslim children, open- mindedness and a spirit of enquiry rather than a narrowed, insular, theologically-conservative outlook tending towards suspicion or indeed disapproval of British society at large.”

Lord Nazir calls on President Zardari

Prince Albert II of Monaco hold hands with Princess Charlene of Monaco in front of the altar next to best man Chris Levine (L) and maid of honour Donatella Knecht de Massy (R) during their religious wedding at the Main Courtyard of the Prince's Palace on July 2 in Monaco.

Car salesman pocketed £11k of firm’s cash

A car salesman fiddled £11,000 from his employer because he was too proud to ask his family for help with money problems. Daman Peel, 26, who worked at Stockport Audi dealership Smith, Knight and Fay, took the money over ten months. Though he earned good money, he got himself badly into debt after buying a new house. He was sacked after his bosses discovered his dishonesty, but Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court was told he then got another job with a city-based car franchise business, but had not told his new employer about his situation. He was sentenced to 12 months’ jail suspended for two years. The court heard Peel, of Ten Houses, Oldham, took the money, much of it paid by customers as deposits on new vehicles, between August 2009 and October of last year. A week later Peel told his bosses the sale had fallen through and the customer wanted his money back. In fact the customer had not changed his mind, but the amount was repaid to a Visa card which it was later discovered was owned by Peel. On another occasion a client ordered two vehicles from Smith, Knight and Fay, putting down £1,500 on each car and Peel stole one of the deposits.

Government told to spend more on elderly care

The cash-strapped government should spend more on caring for the elderly according to proposals that would for the first time limit the amount anyone has to pay for help in old age. The cost to the individual should be capped at around 35,000 pounds, the government-commissioned report said, in proposals that would cost the state up to 2.2 billion pounds. That will cause a headache for a Conservativeled coalition trying to cut public spending. It runs contrary to its efforts to shift the burden of paying for things like university education and public sector pensions from the state to the individuals

benefiting. Economist Andrew Dilnot, the lead author of the report, said that the cost was a fraction of total annual public spending of around 700 billion pounds. "This is a price worth paying," he said, noting that people were going into old age anxious and frightened, fearful of losing their life savings and having to sell their homes. Britain, like other European countries, has an ageing population. Many elderly people need expensive care either at home or in special accommodation at a time when state spending is shrinking and family budgets are under huge pressure.

Murder suspects marry through prison fence

Two jail inmates facing unrelated murder convictions have been allowed to get married through a mesh fence at a prison visitor center. Marissa Star Bilotti and Iftekhar Murtaza were married on June 27 at the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana, California. “It was a very happy event, everyone was very happy to realise it,” lawyer Richard Herman said. “It was the nicest wedding of two people in jail I’ve ever seen.’’ The original idea was for the ceremony to be in

the county jail’s courtroom but officials objected to the plan. It was later agreed to conduct the marriage in the jail visiting area - because it is closed to normal visitors on Mondays. “This was the first time any one of us recalled two inmates at the same time wanting to marry each other,’’ Orange County sheriff’s Capt Mike Krueger said. Mr Herman, who is representing Bilotti, was the “main co-ordinator’’ of the event, according to Capt Krueger.

Lord Nazir Ahmed, member British House of Lords called on President Asif Ali Zardari. Lord Ahmed condoled with President on the death of his father late Hakim Ali Zardari and offered fateha. They exchanged views on Pak-UK bilateral relations and the Pakistani origin community living and working in Britain. The President appreciated the efforts of Lord Nazir in highlighting Pakistan’s position on various issues at different forums.Lord Nazir Ahmed congratulated the President on victory of Pakistan People’s Party in recently held elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Karim and family under round the clock police protection

The British Muslim member of the European Parliament Sajjad Karim and his family have been placed under 24 hour police protection following a protest by the right wing English Defence League at his constituency residence in north west England. According to the MEP of Pakistani heritage, around 50 EDL extremists turned up unannounced at his UK address on Saturday at just after midday, bearing anti-Islamic placards intent on violence. “It was only through the presence of Lancashire Constabulary officers that harm was avoided,” he told media via a digital message.

He went on to say that the extremists then carried on to his original hometown of Brier field, Lancashire, where they carried out violent attacks and four arrests were made.

Association of Pakistani Lawyers (APL), a team of Pakistani origin Solicitors, Barristers, and Judges in UK has learnt with great concern the EDL procession outside the private dwelling of Member European parliament from the North West of England, Sajjad Karim and has condemned it and has demanded an action against perpetrators of this race hate campaign. APL has shown solidarity with the first Pakistani origin member of EU and con-

demned all intimidating tactics of far right extremists to discourage the tolerant politics of an Asian Parliamentarian. APL chair Barrister Amjad Malik has sent him a message that, “We are with you in this time of hardship and tribulations”. APL earlier demanded last year of Rt. Hon Theresa May the home secretary to proscribe EDL to avoid law and order situation in the streets of Northwest of England.

UK Lawyers condemned racial and religious targeting

New hacking allegation Britons inject £5.8 billion in housing equity in first quarter injected 5.832 billion months of 2010, which had the trend of home equity equity - since the financial cripounds of equity into their been the highest since records withdrawal to fund other sis was likely to reflect a fall piles pressure on Murdoch Britons homes in the first three months, began in 1970. The Q1 figure spending that had dominated in the number of housing

Prime Minister David Cameron led a chorus of condemnation on Tuesday over allegations News of the World, owned by Rupert Mudoch, hacked the voicemail of a missing schoolgirl who was later found murdered. Suggestions that in 2002 a News of the World investigator listened in to, and deleted, messages left for the cellphone of the 13-year-old, misleading police and her family, caused uproar in parliament, where the tactics and power of the tabloid press, many of them Murdoch titles, have long caused controversy. The gravest accusations yet drove the long-rumbling scandal into the heart of Murdoch's News Corp: it came as it seeks official approval to take over broadcaster BSkyB; and forced Rebekah Brooks, a Murdoch confidante who was the News of the World editor at the time, to plead ignorance and say she would not resign as head of News Corp's British newspaper arm.

the smallest injection in a year, Bank of England data showed. That compared with an equity injection of 7.136 billion pounds in the last three

Pressure is unlikely to let up, however. A least one major advertiser, carmaker Ford, said it was pulling ads from the News of the World - though not the other Murdoch papers -- until it saw how the tabloid dealt with the new allegation. And police looking into phone hacking by the newspaper later said they had been in touch with the parents involved in another notorious child murder, when two 10-year-old girls were seized and killed by school caretaker in the town of Soham in 2002.

Government to pull out 500 more troops from Afghanistan

The government will pull an extra 500 soldiers from Afghanistan next year, Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday, cutting the number of British troops there to 9,000 as NATO begins to hand responsibility for security to Afghan forces. The relatively small number of troops being withdrawn reflects the difficulty of cementing gains in a decade-long war against the Taliban that has grown increasingly unpopular with voters. Cameron, who visited Afghanistan this week, plans to end Britain’s combat role by the end of 2014, leaving some troops behind to train and mentor their Afghan counterparts. “I have already said we will withdraw 426 military personnel by February 2012 and today I can announce that the UK will be able to reduce its force levels by a further 500 from 9,500 to 9,000 by the end of 2012,” Cameron

told parliament. “The country needs to know that there is an endpoint to the level of our current commitment and to our combat operations.” Britain’s involvement in Libya’s civil war, a conflict which military leaders say could drag on for many months, has raised fears about a stretched defence budget and increased pressure on the government to pull troops out of Afghanistan. It also appears to run against promises by the government that it would take a less interventionist approach to foreign affairs than the previous Labour administration, although no ground troops have been deployed in Libya. U.S. President Barack Obama said last month that he planned to bring 10,000 troops home from Afghanistan this year and a total of 33,000 by the end of next summer, leaving about 70,000 there.

was equivalent to -2.3 percent of post-tax income. Britons have injected equity into their homes for the past three years, reversing

the previous decade. A BoE article last month said that the fall in housing equity withdrawal - and move to injections of housing

transactions, with little sign that households in aggregate were making an active effort to pay down debt more quickly than in the past.

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Security tests begin on London 2012 venues Police have begun testing Olympic venues against all potential terrorist threats, including from Irish dissidents and Islamists, the policeman in charge of 2012 security said. Page 19

Pakistan hosts highest number of refugees: UN Pointing out that Pakistan hosts the highest number of refugees -- 1.9 millionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the U.N. said in a report Monday that an estimated 80 per cent of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refugees now live in developing countries and yet anti-refugee sentiment is growing in many industrialized nations. Page 23

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Afghanistan's Taliban could have a future as part of a government, as former militants did in Northern Ireland, but warned that those who did not lay down arms risked being killed. Speaking alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Cameron said Britain would also step up aid to Afghanistan as troops were gradually withdrawn and unveiled plans for a new British Sandhurst-style academy to train Afghan army officers. "I've seen it in my own country, in Northern Ireland, where people who were involved in trying to kill, maim, and bomb civilians, police officers, army personnel, and even politicians, have actually become politicians themselves," Cameron said. "You are losing this fight," he said, referring to the militants who have been battling foreign forces and Karzai's government since they were ousted in late 2001. "You are seeing your fellow Taliban members being killed in ever larger numbers, this will only continue. So you should give that up and join a political process," Cameron said. Last month, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain was in contact with Taliban insurgents to find a political solution to the war. He did not give any details about the contacts. Hague's comments came days after Karzai confirmed for the first time the United States was in direct talks with the insurgents but he said talks were not at a stage where the Afghan government was sitting down with the militants. Britain, which has about 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, has long argued that only a political settlement can end almost a decade of fighting. While foreign politicians and military commanders have also trumpeted recent security gains, particularly in the south of the country, the

Taliban could have future in Afghan govt: Cameron

Prime Minister David Cameron joins British soldiers for breakfast during a visit to Camp Bastion, outside Lashkar Gah in Helmand, Afghanistan. insurgency has shown little sign of abating. In a sign of the fragile nature of the security gains, four foreign soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday during Cameron's visit. More than 2,500 foreign troops have died since 2001, at least 374 of them British. Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama, under pressure to start to start ending an unpopular war, announced the withdrawal of

10,000 U.S. troops this year and 23,000 by September 2012. There are about 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Cameron said 426 British troops would be withdrawn this year. He is due to give details in the British parliament on Wednesday of a "modest" withdrawal for 2012 from the core 9,500strong force. This is part of a plan to cease all combat operations and withdraw most British

troops by the end of 2014. Cameron said Britain would increase its aid to Afghanistan and warned of the dangers of neglecting the country after all foreign troops had left. "This is a great example of a country that if we walk away from and if we ignore and if we forget about, the problems will come visited back on our doorstep," he said. "How do we know this? Because we've done it before,

we walked away from Afghanistan in the past." Cameron also said he had discussed a plan with Karzai to build an Afghan military officer academy modelled on Britain's prestigious Sandhurst academy. "This will involve around 120 British troops, it will also involve other nations, and the Americans themselves will be putting $38 million (23 million pounds) into this initiative," he said.