The World News Headlines (31st January 2013)

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31 January 2013

The World News Headlines This Week Mali promised financial aid

African leaders and international officials have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars at a donor conference in Ethiopia to support military operations against rebels in Mali.

Dioncounda Traore, Mali’s president, thanked the “entire international community” as nations offered cash or support at the meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on Tuesday. About $600m has been pledged so far, including more than $120m from Japan and $96m from the US.

Police released this picture of a man who is alleged to have been attacked by vigilante patrols outside the East London Mosque on Whitechapel Road

Council of Mosques issues statement against attacks

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ideos showing verbal abuse, harassment and insults hurled at members of the public in Tower Hamlets surfaced online last week.

The Council of Mosque (CoM) condemn this kind of behaviour towards any members of the public.

In a statement, CoM said: “We hope this is an isolated incident; the hatred from these individuals has no place in our community. We have worked with our partners from the local authority, relevant law enforcement agencies and community organisations to address the issues and tensions raised by this type of behaviour.

“This is a testament to the positive working relationships that have been built over many

years, here in Tower Hamlets.

“The CoM is aware that some individuals linked to these videos have been arrested and the investigation

is pending further enquiries.”

Chairman of CoM, Hafiz Moulana Shamsul Hoque, speaking on behalf of CoM and the community said:

“We commend the Police for their swift response in identifying the perpetrators and making the arrests.”

CoM Secretary General,

Rushanara Ali MP condemns homophobic vigilante attacks

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ushanara Ali MP has condemned a serious homophobic incident which took place in Whitechapel. Responding to a video of the incident, filmed in her constituency, Rushanara said: “This kind of intolerance and intimidation has absolutely no place in modern Britain, and absolutely no place in our capital city.”

Two men have since been been bailed until February and March in connection with the

YouTube footage of homophobic harassment.

Rushanara said: “That such abuse is being organised by people claiming to act in the name of local communities is particularly unacceptable, especially as the East London Mosque has already publicly condemned such “patrols”. Speaking out against the homophobic incident, the East London Mosque said: “These actions are utterly unacceptable and clearly designed to stoke tensions and sow discord.

We wholly condemn them.”

Rushanara concluded: “ I call on the government and Mayor of London Boris Johnson to reconsider dangerous police cuts in my constituency, so that police, already under real pressure, have the resources they need to deal with hate crimes.”

Tower Hamlets has lost 17% of its police and community support officers since 2010, since the Government came to power, and has also seen crime rise by over 9% in the same period.

Hira Islam mentions: “The communities of Tower Hamlets are resilient and will not be undermined by the action of a minority. We stand united with the community in rooting out harassment, xenophobia, intimidation.”

CoM urges other Mosques and Imams in the borough to ensure that this Friday, the Khutbah (sermon) should focus informing members of the community of these developments and that it is completely unacceptable for any individual to act like this towards another.

These actions certainly go against Islamic principles and values. There may be others in the community who have been affected by these individuals and we request you to come forward to speak to the Police.

Rushanara Ali MP calls for ‘urgent action’ on long-term unemployment

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P Rushanara Ali is calling on the Conservative-led Government to take urgent action to create jobs in the East End, following the news that both long-term unemployment and long-term youth unemployment increased in Bethnal Green and Bow over the course of 2012.

The latest ONS Labour Market Statistics show that the number of young people

claiming Jobseekers Allowance for more than 12 months in Bethnal Green and Bow went up by more than a third in 2012, and long term unemployment increased by more than 20% in the constituency over the same period.

Rushanara said: “The headline fall in unemployment is welcome news. But these figures also show that there are more longterm unemployed peo-

ple across the UK than at any time since 1997.

“We simply cannot afford to let this crisis to continue.

That is why we in the Labour Party have been consistently calling on the Government to introduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses to fund a Real Jobs Guarantee for every young person who has been out of work for a year.”

The figures also demonstrated that wages are grow-

ing at 1.3%, less than half the inflation rate of 2.7%.

Rushanara added: “The new figures also lay bare the fact that prices are still rising much, much faster than wages. That’s a real worry when the government’s Welfare Uprating Bill is punishing working families by cutting their tax credits while millionaires are being handed an £107,000 tax cut that simply cannot be justified.”

Egypt ‘could collapse’

The Egyptian defence minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, has given warning that the unrest sweeping the country could lead to the collapse of the state. Failure to resolve the situation “could lead to grave repercussions if the political forces do not act” to tackle it, Sissi said on Tuesday, in comments posted on his Facebook page. “The continuing conflict between political forces and their differences concerning the management of the country could lead to a collapse of the state and threaten future generations,” he said.

Syrians found executed

The bodies of at least 65 young men and boys, all executed with a single gunshot to the head or neck, have been found in a river in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a watchdog and rebels said. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 65 bodies were found in the Quweiq River, which separates the Bustan alQasr district from Ansari in the southwest of the city, but that the toll could rise significantly.

A Free Syrian Army fighter at the scene said the death toll is higher, pointing out that many more bodies were still being dragged from the water, in a rebel-held area.

Kazakh plane crash kills 22

Ali: concerns over unemployment

At least 22 people on board a domestic flight on Kazakhstan’s SCAT airline died when their plane crashed on approach to Almaty airport.

Tuesday’s crash came as the Bombardier aircraft was approaching the airport in Almaty, the nation’s largest city and former capital, in bad weather conditions. It was traveling from Kokshetau in the north.

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31 January 2013

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News Boko Haram ceasefire

A purported commander of Boko Haram, the armed Nigerian group, has declared a unilateral ceasefire with the government. Sheik Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulazeez, a man local security sources say is a Boko Haram member, sent a statement to journalists in the city of Maiduguri on Monday, saying the truce was made “following a series of meetings with government officials”. It said he had “the consent and approval of our leader Abubakar Shekau and I call on all members to stop hostilities”.

Murdoch cartoon apology

Rupert Murdoch has apologized for a “grotesque, offensive” cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published in Britain’s Sunday Times. The cartoon by Gerald Scarfe depicts Netanyahu atop an incomplete brick wall with screaming Palestinians and body parts in the mortar.

Netanyahu is holding what appears to be a bloody builder’s trowel and the wall’s mortar is colored red. The wording beneath reads: “Israeli Elections, Will Cementing Peace Continue?”

Apple adds new iPad

Apple added a new member to its iPad line on Tuesday, offering a 9.7-inch Retina iPad with 128 gigabytes of storage – doubling the tablet’s previous max capacity. Everything else about Apple’s tablet is the same, including the dual-core A6X processor, 2 gigabtyes of RAM, and 10 hours of battery life. To account for the added storage space, the 128 GB WiFi model will now cost $799, while the LTE model will cost $929.

Arrests after Brazil fire

Brazilian police have arrested four people in connection with a fire at a nightclub that killed 231 people in the southern city of Santa Maria on Sunday. A co-owner of the Kiss nightclub handed himself in to police on Monday afternoon for questioning. Earlier, police held another owner of the club, a member of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, and its security chief.

Iranian students targeted

Iranian students in the US and Canada say banks are closing their accounts, as part of international sanctions against Iran.

‘I urge all the residents … who don’t want to see their police stations axed to send a message that a Tory Mayor and councillors who cut emergency services will not be tolerated’

South Asian Concern appoints new boss

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Local Labour councillors are criticising their Conservative counterparts for not voting against cuts to services

Labour slams Tories for not opposing Boris cuts

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ower Hamlets Labour party activists are angrily pointing out that Conservative Councillors have refused to condemn London Mayor Boris Johnson’s fire and police cuts.

Labour says Tory councillors “bucked public opinion” last week and failed to support Labour’s council motion opposing Boris Johnson’s plan to close half of the police stations in the borough alongside scrapping Bow fire station.

Labour councillors outlined their severe concern about the closure plans as well as on the impact of the cuts to the highly successful Safer Neighbourhoods Teams which Labour introduced. Under the Mayor’s plans these teams would be cut from six officers to only two.

The councillors argued that against a backdrop of increasing crime and the highest fire call outs in London, the cuts would represent a “reckless and a dereliction of the Mayor’s duty to protect residents.”

The motion which was agreed deemed Boris Johnson’s 7p a week Council tax but a ‘political gimmick’ which will result in massive cuts to the vital services they rely on. The motion gained cross party support from all on the Council expect the Conservatives who refused to condemn the closures.

The Conservative Groups decision came even though the wards they represent will be severely affected as two of their closest police stations, the Isle of Dogs and Poplar, are earmarked for closure.

At last night’s public consultation meeting on the police station closures in Tower Hamlets no Conservative councillors attended to represent their resident’s views even though the station on the Island is threatened with closure.

Labour’s spokesperson for a Safer Borough, Cllr Abdal Ullah, who proposed the motion, said: “Residents on the Isle of Dogs should be outraged that their Conservative councillors have refused to condemn the closure of their local police station.

“With two of their closest stations earmarked for closure, you would think local councillors might stand up for their constituents rather than protecting a Tory Mayor who is intent on axing frontline emergency services in order to fund

Residents happy with their homes

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ower Hamlets Homes has seen an increase in resident satisfaction from 73% in 2011 to 77% in 2012.

In an independent survey run

by Kwest, a sample of 1,345 residents were asked to rate their satisfaction with different aspects of Tower Hamlets Homes’ service, from the quality of their home to how they viewed the caretaking and anti-social behaviour services.

Satisfaction in most areas had risen from the previ-

ous year’s survey, including: Listening to tenants’ views increased by 7% points to 55%; • communal cleaning increased by 11% to 74% for internal cleaning and 8% to 73% for external cleaning; • repairs and maintenance, up 2% to 69%; • Dealing with anti-social behaviour, up 5% to 57%; • grounds maintenance increased by 6% to 79%.

Residents were also asked

their views on a number of new questions, including whether they felt their rent (68%) and service charge (62%) were value for money, if they were treated fairly (70%) and if they felt their estate had improved in the last three years (51%).

Gavin Cansfield, Chief Executive, said, “We are encouraged by these results and are glad to see that residents are noticing the effort we are putting in to improving our services.”

a worthless political gimmick.

“We will be inviting the police and fire borough commanders to the next council meeting to address residents and councillors’ concerns about the future of emergency services in Tower Hamlets as well as continuing our campaign to stop these cuts coming into force.

“I urge all the residents on the Isle of Dogs who don’t want to see their police stations axed to send a message that a Tory Mayor and councillors who cut emergency services will not be tolerated.

“Not to turn up to the Met’s public consultation meeting is a disgrace. Residents on the Isle of Dogs will be outraged that their local councillors are not standing against the police station closures.”

Poetry

This Week

outh Asian Concern has appointed a new director. Kevin Wren is joining the SAC team to take over from Robin Thomson who retires after serving the charity for 19 years.

“Kevin is joining the team at a very exciting time” said Ram Gidoomal, Chair of Trustees.

“We want to build on the work of the last 24 years. As the number of Asians in Britain reaches over 7% of the population, the opportunities for service are greater than ever.

“India and Pakistan are in the top three countries that foreignborn people in England and Wales come from. It’s a similar picture in the rest of Europe, where there have been large influxes of South Asians in Greece, Italy and several other countries recently.

“Asian Christians now number around 75,000 in the UK. Kevin’s experience will open new ways for us to equip churches to serve and reach out to Asian communities in their neighbourhoods and elsewhere.”

Kevin Wren, 47, joins the organisation from Jews for Jesus, where he was Chief Administrative Officer. He and his family lived in the Philippines for 7 years, working with OMF International. While there he learned two East Asian languages.

He continued working with OMF in the UK, mobilising and preparing people for short- term mission service. He has also worked as a consultant, head of IT Strategy and Implementation in business and as an evangelist with the Church Army.

Untitled The whisper of mu’min to his khaaliq, To bless him because he is the raaziq, And give the mu’min the strength to refrain from being a faasiq.

How many times does he smile upon us, But we’re to blind to see, Lost in the world of never ending fuss.

The blessings are never ending, The infinite mercy he is sending.

By Mohammed Imran Muhit

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31 January 2013

News Readers visit Downing Street

This Week UK troops ‘abused Iraqis’

Allegations that British troops carried out “terrifying acts of brutality” against Iraqi civilians have been made in the High Court. They were made by lawyers representing 192 Iraqis asking for a public inquiry into British detention practices between 2003 and 2008. The court will decide whether alleged mistreatment was “systemic”.

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hree lucky volunteers and staff from Tower Hamlets Council who helped run the Summer Reading Challenge were thanked for their hard work at a Downing Street reception.

The Summer Reading Challenge is the biggest national reading initiative run in libraries throughout the summer holidays.

The challenge encourages children to read six books or more over the summer break with incentives, activities and events designed to create a real buzz around reading.

The Idea Stores recruited more than 100 volunteers last summer to partner up with children to help them with their chosen books and creative writing.

The Reading Agency, who organise the Reading Challenge, were very impressed with the volunteers and asked them along as special guests to Downing Street to meet author Frances Osborne.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman said: “I would like to thank all of our volunteers for giving up their free time to be a part of this important scheme. Volunteering is very rewarding especially when you have the chance to help others reach their potential.”

Ndi Ekanem, Sofina Karim and Bilkiss Ali were thrilled to be invited to the event and were asked to take a book that they think could change the world and to talk about the impact volunteering has had on them.

The volunteers chose A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, The Lost Daughter by Diane Chamberlain and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Sofina, 15, chose The Lost Daughter. She said: “The reason I have chosen this book is because it taught me that we make choices which we later regret; therefore it is important to think twice.”

Bilkiss, 15, from Central Foundation Girls Schools said: “Being a volunteer for story lab has been an absolute pleasure and I’ve really enjoyed myself.

“The experience will help me in the future and also being a story lab assistant has boosted my confidence. The staff have been amazing and they are really fun to work with”.

Ndi Ekanem, 16, from Bishop Challoner School added: “I really enjoyed volunteering at Idea Store Canary Wharf. It has allowed me to not only grow as a person but develop my communication skills that are fundamental in my maturing life.”

Brit jailed for drug offences The Conservative Friends of Bangladesh at the fundraising dinner, which was attended by special guest Iain Duncan Smith MP

Conservatives aim to open more local offices

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he Conservative Friends of Bangladesh held a fundraising dinner on Tuesday 15th January 2013 with a turnout of nearly 100 guests, including Anne Main MP, Nick de Bois MP, Richard Fuller MP and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith MP. Mr Smith spoke about the importance of working with the British Bangladeshi community and thanked Anne Main MP for setting up CFOB. He also briefly touched on the reasons behind introducing the Universal Credit and said this is a much fairer system, a system that would recognise those who are in work and not those who choose to be on benefits.

Labour has left Britain in a financial crisis and the Conservative-led Coalition Government had to take drastic actions to reduce the country’s deficit, he said.

Anne Main MP said that CFOB is working with British Bangladeshi community to encourage and involve them in its activities.

The Bangladeshi community have natural conservative values, say the CFOB. They believe in strong family ties, being successful in life and providing a good education for their children. CFOB would not get engaged or involved with Bangladeshi politics in Bangladesh or here in UK other than help to facilitate dialogue

and discussion between the two main parties so that they can find solutions that would benefit the people of Bangladesh.

Zakir Khan (Chairman of CFOB London Regions) – spoke about the importance of CFOB working in local communities in London.

He said they are hoping to establish CFOB branches across London boroughs. It is hoped that Westminster, Tower Hamlets and Enfield North would be set up in the next few months.

The evening ended with a raffle draw. Prizes included appearing as guests on NTV (kindly sponsored by Subrina Hossain, CEO of NTV UK) and fine dining in some of the popular Bangladeshi restaurants.

Global campaign against hunger launched

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unger and malnutrition in childhood will trap almost a billion young people in poverty by 2025, according to a major new campaign, launched last week

by Britain’s leading development charities and faith groups.

‘Enough Food for Everyone IF’ is the largest coalition of its kind in the UK since Make Poverty History in 2005.

The group warns that in a world where there is enough food for everyone, the scandal of children growing up hungry also imposes a grave

economic burden on the developing world, costing £78 billion over the next 15 years.

In its first report out today the group, which numbers 100 organisations and has the backing of philanthropist Bill Gates and Desmond Tutu, warns of the human and economic cost of hunger in a world where there is enough food to feed everyone.

As well as the 937 million children and young people (aged 15-40) whose life chances will be permanently damaged by the impact of childhood hunger by 2025, the report estimates

that malnutrition will be costing developing countries an annual $125 billion (£78 billion) in lost economic output by 2030.

Great strides have been made in reducing poverty and 14,000 fewer children are dying each day than in 1990.

The campaign, was formally launched on January 23 at Somerset House, London and across all nations of the UK, calls on Prime Minister David Cameron to use the UK’s G8 presidency in 2013 to take action on the root causes of the hunger crisis in the poorest countries.

The ‘IF’ movement challenges the Prime Minister to tackle 4 big IFs to help there be enough food for everyone: IF we stop poor farmers being forced off their land, and use the available agricultural land to grow food for people, not biofuels for cars.

IF governments keep their promises on aid and investment, and help small farmers.

IF governments stop big companies dodging tax.

IF we force governments and investors to stop preventing poor people getting enough food.

A British man has been jailed for six years in Bali for drug offences. Julian Ponder, 43, from Brighton, was cleared of smuggling but was convicted of possessing 23g of cocaine which carried a maximum sentence of life. Ponder was one of three Britons detained after Lindsay Sandiford, 56, from Cheltenham, was arrested for smuggling cocaine into Bali last year.

Hilco takes control of HMV

Restructuring specialist Hilco has taken effective control of music and DVD retailer HMV. Hilco, which already owns HMV Canada, has bought the debt of HMV from the group’s lenders, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland. The debt deal gives Hilco effective control of HMV, which fell into administration last week.

Scholes car stolen

Manchester United footballer Paul Scholes has had his car stolen after he left its engine running while defrosting the windscreen. Police said the grey Chevrolet estate had been taken from the drive of his house in Greenfield, Oldham at around 08:00 GMT on Monday.

Brit arrested over murder

A British man has been arrested in the French town of Nimes in connection with the murder of a woman jogger. The man, who has not been named, is 32 and from Chatham in Kent, according to the AFP news agency.

HS2 details announced

Details of the next phase of the £32bn HS2 high-speed rail network have been unveiled by the government. The preferred route of phase two goes north from Birmingham along two branches, with new stations at Toton near Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Manchester Airport.

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31 January 2013

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Features GrameenPhone looks to shape digital future

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rameenphone (GP), country’s largest telecom operator, is preparing itself to spur the growth of digital future in Bangladesh, its Chairman Sigve Brekke said.

“We are preparing ourselves for the digital future. Providing voice services is now being focused. The next generation in our business is going to be digital for data. When the 3G era begins in Bangladesh, you will see an explosion of data services,” Mr Brekke said while talking to a group of selected reporters at a city hotel recently.

“Because of this, we have created a separate unit in Telenor in the digital services for only how to prepare ourselves for the digital future, which is very much attuned to the Digital Vision that Bangladesh government has,” said Mr Brekke.

GPIT company, IT group of GP, will provide (in sourcing) services not only to GP but also to other companies of Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor in Asia, he added.

Newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the operator Vivek Sood was present at that time.

Mentioning that growth of telecom companies of Telenor in Europe is over; there is no more growth except data services, Mr Brekke said. “Telenor is now more and more focusing on our investment in Asia.”

Telenor has over 20 million customers in the five countries – Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – in Asia, he continued. He said Telenor wanted to begin business in Myanmar; it formally expressed its interest in this connection.

Referring to his meeting with the Finance Minister, BTRC Chairman and Telecom Ministry Secretary, Mr Brekke said, “My main message to them was that before going to the 3G auction, we need to sort out some of the issues such the disputes on the VAT, audit and 3G guidelines that are concerning us”.

“I urged them to try to find solutions before the 3G auction, he said, adding that “Otherwise, it will be challenging for us to participate in the 3G auction, because we need to look at the way how we will invest our money and we need predictability on the future.”

Close to $1 billion worth of cattle are sent from India to Bangladesh every year, according to independent researchers, who also say that more than 2 million cows are smuggled

Bangladeshis’ taste for Indian beef Co-operation agreements between India and Bangladesh on a range of issues have not prevented violence between people from the two countries along their mutual border. But the trade in cattle – going from India to Bangladesh – is as strong as it ever was

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n Muslim majority Bangladesh beef is in high demand.

More than 90 percent of the 160 million people who live there are Muslims and for them beef is a delicacy. The country’s meat producers estimate that slaughterhouses need up to 3 million cows every year to feed Bangladeshi appetites, and to help meet demand, Bangladesh is eyeing neighboring India. Cows are everywhere in India, but the cow is considered holy in the Hindu-majority country. In fact, slaughtering cows is banned in many Indian states, and New Delhi refuses to export them.

That refusal hasn’t done much to deter the demand for beef in Bangladesh, however. In fact, say officials inDhaka, beef has become so valuable it’s spurred a dangerous cow smuggling trade across the India-Bangladesh border.

More than 2 million cows are smuggled from India to Bangladesh every year and most of the illegal trade takes

‘Bangladeshi slaughterhouses cannot source even 1 million cows from within the country. If Indian cows do not reach the Bangladeshi slaughterhouses, there will be a big crisis there’

place through the Indian border state of West Bengal, says Bimal Pramanik, an independent researcher in Calcutta, India.

“Bangladeshi slaughterhouses cannot source even 1 million cows from within the country. If Indian cows do not reach the Bangladeshi slaughterhouses, there will be a big crisis there,” says Mr Pramanik, adding that three out of every four cows slaughtered in the country are from India.

“In this thriving trade, [herds of] cows worth 50 billion rupees [$920 million] are sent across to Bangladesh every year. It’s the sheer economics of the trade that drives the smuggling,” says Pramanik.

Cattle smugglers say they routinely bribe the police, customs, Border Security Force guards, and even some politicians in India to look the other way.

However, locals call this part of the border the “Wall of Death,” for the smuggling-related tensions that sometimes turn into violence. In 2012, security forces killed 48 Bangladeshis along the border, according to the Bangladeshi human rights group Ain o Salish Kendra.

But Bangladeshis say there is a simple way to end violence along the border.

“If India begins exporting cows to Bangladesh, such untoward incidents will stop,” said the Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Golam Mohammad Quader. “We are really keen to import cows from India, and want all illegal activities involving cow trade across the border to end,” he said.

The former head of India’s Border Security Forces Utthan Kumar Bansal recently agreed: “The menace of smuggling might be best controlled if the trade across the border is made legal. The legalization of export of cows could also help curb tension on the volatile border,” Mr. Bansal said.

Although Bansal’s comment did not trigger any government reaction in India, some right wing Hindu groups said they would never let India export cows to any country.

Radhakanta Saha, who is a World Hindu Organization leader and heads a volunteer group that aims to prevent cow smuggling in West Bengal, said: “The cow is our mother. We shall begin country-wide agitation if India decides to export cows to a country where they are likely to be slaughtered for ... meat.”

Christian Science Monitor

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10 January 2013

The World News Headlines This Week Gang rape case: five in court

Walmart, the world’s largest retail company, has been found to have had ties to a garment factory in Bangladesh where 112 workers were trapped and killed in a fire in late November 2012. The company, which buys $1 billion in garments from Bangladesh each year, initially tried to deny any connection

Mayor fires off angry letter over Banglatown

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ayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman has published a letter clamming planned changes to the borough’s electoral wards following the conclusion of a public consultation.

In the strongly-worded letter, Mr Rahman called on the Local Government Boundary Commission to scrap its plans to re-name wards after the tumultuous consultation period came to an end on Monday.

Mr Rahman’s detailed his response to the plans, writing that he objected in the “strongest possible terms” to the pro-

posals to scrap ‘Banglatown’, the removal of ‘St Dunstan’s’ from the Stepney Wards, and the re-naming of East India and Lansbury as Poplar North.

Referring to the move to drop the name ‘Banglatown’ from the Spitalfields and Banglatown ward, he wrote: “I struggle to comprehend why any individual or political entity would regard dispensing with this name as desirable, aside from as a very cynical blast on the proverbial dog whistle, aimed at attracting support from people who resent the Bangladeshi com-

‘Renaming the (Banglatown) ward as merely ‘Spitalfields’ would be a hugely reactionary, retrograde and provocative step’

Mayor Lutfur Rahman munity’s presence in t he area.

“Accordingly, renaming the ward as merely ‘Spitalfields’ would be a hugely reactionary, retro-

grade and provocative step”.

The Commission is due to publish its final recommendations in Spring this year.

Its draft proposals had also attracted criticism for removing the names of former Labour Party leader George Lansbury and former Bishop of London St Dunstan from

ward names in the borough.

Mr Rahman concluded: “I hope that you will consider my submission, as well as the views of hundreds of local residents expressed in related petitions, extremely carefully when arriving at a final decision.” eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk

Five sentenced to death for murder in Dhaka of Saudi diplomat

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special tribunal sentenced to death five Bangladeshi men for killing a Saudi diplomat in an apparent street crime earlier this year.

Initial speculation about the shooting had focused on Iran, which denied the accusations.

The suspects told investigators they were trying to rob the diplomat and shot him accidentally.

Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali, a 45-year-old official in the Saudi Embassy’s consu-

lar section, was killed near his home in Dhaka in March.

Tribunal Judge Mohammad Motahar Hossain handed down the verdict Sunday, chief prosecutor Rafiqul Islam said. One of the men was tried in his absence, Islam said. He said the men can appeal the verdict.

Iran has been accused of other international attacks or attempted attacks against diplomats, including Saudis. Days after the shooting, Saudi Arabia sent investigators to assist

Khalaf bin Mohammed Salem al-Ali was killed near his home in Dhaka Bangladeshi detectives. The defendants pleaded not guilty at the trial. After their arrest in July, the four men told investigators they tried to rob the

diplomat as he was going for a walk on the deserted street and shot him accidentally during a scuffle.

Police said the men were ar-

rested after a revolver and a car used in the killing were found in their possession.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh enjoys good relations with Saudi Arabia, which is a top destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers.

Relations between the countries were tested in October last year, when Saudi Arabia beheaded eight Bangladeshi workers who were found guilty of robbing and killing an Egyptian.

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Five men accused of raping and murdering an Indian student were read the charges in a nearempty courtroom on Monday after the judge cleared out lawyers for bickering over whether the men deserved a defence.

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died two weeks after being gang-raped and beaten on a moving bus in New Delhi, then thrown bleeding onto the street.

Protests followed, along with a fierce public debate over police failure to stem rampant violence against women. With popular anger simmering against the five men and a teenager accused in the case, most lawyers in the district where the trial will be held refuse to represent them.

British soldier shot dead

A British soldier serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has been shot dead by a man in an Afghan army uniform, according to the US-led military coalition. In a statement released on Tuesday, ISAF said that the incident, which took place in southern Afghanistan on Monday, was “under investigation”.

“The British soldier was killed when a suspected Afghan soldier opened fire first at Afghan troops and then at British soldiers,” said Major Martyn Crighton, an ISAF spokesman. “In the subsequent engagement, the attacker was killed by British troops.”

Many killed in drone attack

At least eight people have been killed in two suspected US drone attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas, security officials say.Both attacks took place in the Mir Ali area of the North Waziristan tribal district in the early hours of Tuesday. In Khiderkhel, eight missiles were fired at a compound, killing at least four people, security sources told Al Jazeera. In Essakhel, meanwhile, two missiles were fired, killing at least three people.

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Messi named world’s best

Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi has been named world footballer of the year for the fourth time in a row, marking another unprecedented achievement. He pipped Andres Iniesta and Cristiano Ronaldo to the title.

No other male footballer has been named the best on the planet in four separate years, let alone four in succession.

An Islami Chatra Shibir rally, which used to pass off peacefully in past times, but now is often stopped by police

Islamic group hits out at crackdown Jamaat-e-Islami’s most senior leader criticises the Bangladesh government’s brutal crackdown on its activists and on the Chatra Shibir, which is seen as the student wing of the Jamaat.

The government has also taken to targeting Islamic women’s groups

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fter months of intense pressure under a crackdown by the Bangladesh government on Islamists across the country, the Jamaat-e-Islami is speaking out against the ongoing arrests and intimidation of Muslim acitivists, including Muslim women’s groups.

In the latest report in Bangladeshi newspapers, forty-six leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir have been remanded for different teams over Monday’s violence in the capital.

The Shibir men were picked up on Monday for vandalising and torching vehicles and preventing police from discharging duties during the clash.

After the arrests, 34 of them were sued in two cases filed with Motijheel Police Station and the rest in another case lodged with Paltan Police Station.

Two metropolitan magistrates’ courts in Dhaka granted the remand on Tuesday.

According to the Daily Star, Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Shibir on Monday unleashed terror on police in the capital and elsewhere to mount pressure on the government to stop the war crimes trials.

The mayhem left at least 70 people, including 50 cops,

‘I express utter disgust and absolutely condemn theextensive attacks, baton charge, use of tear gas, and theuse of rubber bullets on the peaceful protesters ofBangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir’

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Features injured. A policeman and an auto-rickshaw driver in Chittagong suffered bullet wounds as Shibir activists opened fire.

They smashed around 200 vehicles across the country, added the newspaper.

Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-E-Islami Moulana Rafikul Islam Khan last week issued a statement condemning the indiscriminate and the brutal attacks by the policeon Bangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir Activists duringcountry wide peaceful processions.

“I express utter disgust and absolutely condemn theextensive attacks, baton charge, use of tear gas, and theuse of rubber bullets on the peaceful protesters ofBangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir,” he said.

“Today Bangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir tried to carry out processions in Dhaka and throughout the country with the demand ofreleasing the top leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-E-Islami and Bangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir. But these peaceful demonstrations were interrupted by brutal attacks from the police.

“Over 300 Shibir activists have been injured from these attacks and over hundred and fifty Shibir members and leaders have been arrested by the police. Among the injured 77 men were shot and 10 of these men are in mortal peril. The right to assemble and demonstrate is a constitutional right and every citizen in this country should be able to exercise this right should they choose to do so.

“But the government has consistently prevented Jamaat-E-Islami and IslamiChatra Shibir from exercising this right. The government has proved that it is an oppressive regime by attacking, injuring, and arresting Shibir men from apeaceful demonstration programme, which was publicly announced beforehand.

“This government has failed miserably and now it is trying to suppress the opposition, especially Jamaat-E-Islami and Islami Chatra Shibir, by terrorizing them.The government is trying to repress public uproar bybeating them into obedience.

“The current home minister ordered (after he took office) the police, the Awami League, the Jubo League, and Chatra League hooligans to attack and terrorize the opposition. As a result of this the police are attacking and terrorizing Jamaat-E-Islami and Islami Chatra Shibir and other opposition parties in the most egregious manner. We would like to specifically mention one student protester who was beaten so severely that it is difficult to express in words. Many television channels have telecast a number of these incidents. It is unthinkable that a country that adheresto the principles of democracy can violate human rightsin such cruel manner. The arrested activists are being tortured in police custody and many end up havingbroken limbs. The government is conspiring to establish a Bakshal style one party rule by brutally oppressing the opposition.

“In the past the dictators could not hold onto power by oppressing the people and this government will meet the same fate.

I call onto my fellow country men and women to create a powerful movement against this repressive government.

“The people cannot be stopped by oppression. I ask the government to immediately release all the leaders and members arrested today and all other opposition leaders and party members.”

However, the statement may fall on deaf ears as the Bangladesh government and its supporters are finding new angles from which to attack the Islamists, accusing some Islamists of corruption. For example, The Daily Star of Bangladesh reported: Violent activities by Bangladesh Chhatra League and the graft allegation in the Padma bridge project have put the government in an embarrassing situation, Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu said yesterday.

“Activities of some unruly criminals of Chhatra League in different educational institutions have undoubtedly undermined democracy and we are embarrassed about the corruption allegations in the Padma bridge project,” he told a press conference at his ministry.

Inu claimed the government has taken action against all the misdeeds. He pointed out different successes of the government in the last four years and compared those with the works of the past BNP-Jamaat government.

On Monday’s violent acts by Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir, he said it is difficult to thwart a sudden attack, but investigation is still continuing to determine if there was any negligence by the intelligence agencies, police administration or the on-duty law enforcers.

Brick Lane booze bars may be about to close down

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clampdown on the explosion of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs in Brick Lane could be enforced by council chiefs, because residents say drunken revellers leave them “under siege in their own homes”.

Residents say they are kept awake all night and frequently find pools of urine, vomit, and even human excrement outside their houses, as well as broken glass and litter strewn across their street.

There are already more than 200 licensed premises in Brick Lane, which is one of the capital’s major nightlife hotspots.

Now Tower Hamlets Council bosses are suggesting they designate the area a “saturation zone”, which will give them greater powers to reject licensing applications and curtail the amount of venues selling alcohol.

Mum-of-two Selina Mifsud, who lives in Fournier Street off Brick Lane, welcomed the proposals and said: “Lack of toilet facilities means drunk visitors to Brick Lane regularly urinate - and even defecate in residents’ front doorways.

“I recently returned home to find someone had urinated through my front doorway, the urine trickling through my hall into my kitchen below, where it had pooled on my worktop where I prepare food.

“Residents feel increasingly helpless and frustrated - under siege in their own homes from the anarchic and threatening environment outside.”

And 55-year-old Mark Lancaster, who lives in Brick Lane, said he has often witnessed antisocial behaviour by revellers.

“They can be foulmouthed and abusive and even threaten violence if you remonstrate with them,” he said. “I am not against people having a good time. I like the nice side of the Brick Lane party atmosphere - it is only the irresponsible club, off-licence and restaurant owners that are to blame.”