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‘West Can’t DefeatIslamic State’ British IS Fighter

EXCLUSIVE

Abu Rahin Aziz from Luton is the latest recruit to the Islamic State.

Aziz who goes by the name Abu Abdullah al-Britani skipped bail and evaded the security services and now

he is fighting in Syria, his journey led him from UK via Amsterdam before travelling on to Turkey, where he crossed the Syrian border. The security services estimate that between 600-2000 British

nationals have joined the Islamic State in recent years.

In an in depth Interview with PI he speaks about his life in the Islamic State.

Continued on page 2 & 3

2 I NEWS www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015

Write to: Editor, PI Media, PO Box 159, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 1ADor email: [email protected] - www.pi-media.co.uk - mob: 07506 466 385

Why did you go out to Syria?“The reason I decided to go out to Syria was due to the ongoing oppression committed by Bashar Al-Asad upon the Sunni population while the international community watched.

Almighty blessed me with the opportunity to answer the call of jihad which is in fact an obligation upon those who are able and have capability to defend the weak, the needy and the oppressed and ultimately to make the word of

Almighty the highest.”

What would you like to achieve in Syria/Iraq?“The oppression unleashed by Bashar was barbaric and couldn’t go unanswered so no doubt we wanted to repel the aggressors.”

“The root of all of this oppression the Muslims have been facing was due to absence of the Khilafah. So ultimately, we wanted to see the tyrants removed, see stability, peace and security and the only way we can

achieve this is via the khilafah.”“Since my time fighting here in

Syria I have been able to witness restoration of peace and security under the Islamic State and I was present when what the Muslim Ummah has been waiting for almost a century, the establishment of the Islamic State and the implementation of the Shariah of Almighty.”

“So part of what I wanted to achieve has already been accomplished by the will of Almighty, which is the establishment of the

‘ West Can’t DefeatIslamic State ’ British IS Fighter

EXCLUSIVE

Abu Abduallah Al Britani in battle

www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015 NEWS I 3

khilafah and all that is left for me now, is to see the justice of Islam spread across the whole world, just as we have seen it spread across Iraq and Syria in accordance to the prophecy of prophet Muhammed (pbuh) being that he saw the authority of the Muslim ummah across the east and west. And lastly to achieve something I have longed for, being martyred for the sake of Almighty.”

What is daily life like living in Islamic State?“As a citizen living under the Islamic State is pretty normal, people going about their normally daily business, children going to school except when the kuffar (non believers) are bombing them, businesses are running like usual, women going shopping etc.”

“There are lots of facilities also available by the state for its citizens such as free medical treatment, free medication, subsidised gas, free monthly food packs for the needy, free electric, free housing (especially for the immigrants; IS unlike the UK welcomes migrants and opens its borders for foreigners; as Khalifah

Ibrahim said “Sham is not just for the Iraqis or the Syrians”).”

“You could say life here is good, you still get you little luxuries from western branded chocolates like your Snickers and Twix to Pringles, your fizzy, even have chicken and chips (although I’ll admit it don’t beat the chicken and chip shops from back home) but yeah life here is pretty good no doubt the Islamic state is not perfect and there is still room for improvement but considering its only been established for 6 months, the Islamic state has been able to meet the basic needs of its people and put in place a solid infrastructure which will only strengthen with time, which I can’t see any other nations being able to boast about.”

Have you been involved in combat/ have you killed anyone?“Alhamdulllah I have participated in many battles, battles in which we liberated towns and villages. I have even been in battles where we were attacked and we managed to repel the enemies so Alhamdulillah I have been in a fair few battles.”

“As for whether I have killed, I sure hope so, however the battles

are not always face to face so it’s hard to know whether a bullet you fired penetrated and killed an enemy.”

What is your message to the UK“My message to the UK is simple, if you want to live in peace and security then stay out of Muslim affairs, they have managed to stick their nose in our country many times and have actively attacked us, currently they have decided to go to war with the Islamic State so remember you have gone to war with us and in a war you cannot expect to attack without getting attacked back, If you play with fire then expect to get burnt.”

Do you expect to come back to UK“Not all, no plans to return at all unless it is part of the foreign policy of the Islamic State.”

Can west defeat IS?“West can’t defeat Islamic State, Its taking the worlds army coming together to fight Islamic State and they still can’t do it, how can they defeat an army that loves death the way these kuffar (non believers) love life.”

4 I LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015

The Counter Terrorism and Security Bill has just passed its second reading in the House of Lords and now is in the final committee stages.

This is yet another piece of terrorism/extremism legislation since the year 2000, which is going to have a major impact on Muslim communities in Britain and elsewhere, as well as wider society.

This legislation will affect public servants in particular as they will be required to implement many of its proposals.

We have been asked by many of our community leaders to help them understand the proposals and potential impact of this bill so they can understand how it will affect them and their work. We have produced this simply website to explain how this proposed bill will change the lives of thousands in the UK.

The new bill makes the following proposals:Seizure of passports from persons suspected of involvement in terrorism – The Bill proposes granting powers to police and border officials to seize a person’s passport for up to 14 days (This can be extended upon application to a judge). The

seizure applies to those coming into the UK as well as those leaving and affects UK citizens as well as non-UK nationals and is based on ‘suspicion’; the officer need not have any grounds or evidence for his suspicion.

Temporary exclusion orders – The Bill will empower the Home Secretary to issue a Temporary Exclusion Order, which will ban a UK citizen who is abroad from returning for up to 2 years, where she/he believes there is a “reasonable suspicion of involvement in terrorist activity abroad”. The Home Secretary may issue a permit for the individual to return, but the permit will impose conditions including where the person lives and what flight they take to return to the UK.

Introduction of new, tougher measures within Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures – TPIMs replaced Control Orders, which were used to restrict the activity of suspected terrorists who had not been convicted. When TPIMs were introduced in 2011 they decided they would scrap the powers to move people across the country. The Home Secretary now proposes bringing back the power to send suspects to new towns (up to 200

Website launched to stop CTS billmiles from their normal residence), introducing internal exile.

Creating an obligation to monitor and report extremism – Colleges, schools, prisons, GPs and councils will now have a legal duty to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. Schools, nurseries even GPs will be required to monitor those they provide services to and report anyone they believe is at risk of, or has in fact been drawn in to terrorism. Universities will have to draw up policies on extremist campus speakers, and prisons will be required to have policies for dealing with radicals. The Home Office will be able to get court orders obliging bodies to comply with their obligations.

“De-Radicalisation” Panels – The Bill creates a legal duty that will require local authorities to establish a panel to refer people identified as being at risk of ‘being drawn into terrorism’. The composition of that panel is set out in the Bill, and its purpose is to draw up a “de-radicalisation” plan for the person identified as being at risk. The Bill makes no provision for the person identified to have legal or other representation, or in the case of a child, to have a parent present.

Obligations on airlines – Airlines will now be required to disclose personal information about their passengers in advance. Airlines that refuse or fail to provide advance passenger lists will be banned from landing in Britain and may face a penalty.

The above is a summary of the main points contained within the proposed Counter Terrorism & Security Bill, the website can be accessed at www.stopthebill.co.uk

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www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015 LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS I 7

In Case YouMissed It

Previously-secret guidance, which MI6 has been forced to publish following legal action by charity Reprieve, acknowledges that the agency may have intercepted communications relating to criminal investigations and legal cases brought against it.

The revelation comes as MI6, together with other parts of the British Government, faces an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation and a civil case over its part in the kidnapping and rendition of two families – including a pregnant women and four young children – to Gaddafi’s prisons in 2004.

The guidance, published in response to a case brought in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) by Reprieve for the Belhaj and al-Saadi families , admits that:

In the course of conducting interception in pursuit of its functions it is possible that SIS [MI6] will

intercept LPP communications in connection with litigation, other legal proceedings (such as inquiries or inquests) or criminal investigations in which SIS or HMG is a party to or has an interest in (all such material will be referred to as ‘other party LPP material’).

Reprieve says that it is concerned that the guidance dates only to December 2014, and thus presumably was developed in response to Reprieve’s litigation. As a result, MI6 may already have been given an unfair advantage in the legal cases and police investigations concerning its activities.

It appears the fresh guidance is intended to improve on the previous policies, which Reprieve had said were woefully inadequate and created a real risk of prejudice to ongoing torture proceedings.

Cori Crider, a director at Reprieve and lawyer for the Belhaj family,

commented: “MI6’s brand-new eavesdropping policy still has serious problems – it still envisages that MI6 will snoop on private legal calls even in cases where it is being sued for torture. But these issues are nothing compared to the double-decker sized loopholes that were in place when Mr Belhaj and his wife were preparing their legal claims.

“This last-minute effort by MI6 to clean up their act shows Reprieve was right to fear that our private calls with torture victims, and possibly with the police in Operation Lydd, were compromised. There can be no justification for spying on our privileged calls in this family’s torture claim.

“If spying took place, and information leaked, the government must come clean about it immediately so we can begin to set our torture trial back on a fair footing.”

New documents indicate further MI6spying on lawyers’ communications

The publication of a long-awaited inquiry into the UK’s participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath has once again been postponed until after the country’s general elections later this year.

British media cited government sources as saying that the inquiry chairman, John Chilcot, in a exchange of letters with Prime Minister David Cameron explained the reasons for the new postponement.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg reacted angrily to the news, saying the further delay is “incomprehensible.”

Clegg’s Liberal Democrats also suggested that the inquiry report is being “watered down” after those criticized in the report, such as then Prime Minister Tony Blair, were given the opportunity to respond to the findings.

The judge-led inquiry into how Blair led Britain into war in Iraq was

UK’s Iraq warreport delayed again

ordered by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009 and was expected to publish its findings within 18 months.

The Chilcot report had previously been delayed by rows over its criticism of leading figures in the Blair government. The report had also been delayed due to diplomatic negotiations between the US and the UK about what can be revealed from correspondence between Blair and former US President George W. Bush.

The report is believed to be highly critical of Blair, who is accused of misleading the British public about the reasons for joining the 2003 US-led Iraq war.

The US and Britain invaded Iraq in blatant violation of international law in 2003 over the allegation that the regime of then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD). No WMDs, however, were ever found in Iraq.



Britain’s GCHQ eavesdropping agency stored emails from journalists working for several large media organisations, according to documents released by former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, the Guardian newspaper reported.

The emails from the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Sun, Le Monde, NBC,

the BBC and Reuters were among 70,000 harvested as part of a 10-minute bulk surveillance exercise on one day in November 2008, the newspaper said.

The communications, which ranged from press releases to discussions between reporters and editors about stories, were accessed by a tap on fibre-optic cables, saved by GCHQ and then shared on its

UK spies stored journalists’ emails -report

A cyber cell of British and American intelligence and security agents is being created to defeat online attacks in an “unprecedented” deal to be struck by David Cameron and Barack Obama in talks at the White House today.

A rolling programme of war games will be staged across the Atlantic starting with attacks on the City and Wall Street to test their resilience.

It comes as a report by government listening post GCHQ warns the computer networks of British companies are under attack on a daily basis by hackers, criminal gangs, commercial rivals and foreign intelligence services.

intranet as part of a test exercise.The Guardian said new evidence

from British intelligence documents revealed by Snowden also showed that a GCHQ information security assessment had listed investigative journalists as a threat along with terrorists and hackers.

Asked about the report, GCHQ said it did not comment on intelligence matters.

“All of GCHQ’s work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate, and that there is rigorous oversight,” the agency said in a statement.

Snowden caused an international uproar in 2013 when he disclosed details of the extent of surveillance and electronic monitoring by the U.S. National Security Agency and its British equivalent, the General Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ.

Facing charges in the United States, he fled to Russia where he still lives.

Cyber cell to fight online attacks

Some Call it Biased News - We Call it Real News



A letter sent to over 1000 Islamic leaders in Britain by the communities secretary Eric Pickles that they must do more to counteract religious extremism reinforces Islamophobic tropes.

The letter, which is signed by Tory peer, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, urges the leaders to use the recent attacks in Paris demonstrate more vigorously how faith in Islam can be part of a British identity and to face the challenges of integration and radicalisation.

“There is a need to lay out more clearly than ever before what being a British Muslim means today: proud of your faith and proud of your country. We know that acts of extremism

are not representative of Islam; but we need to show what is”, says the letter.

The very fact that the government has singled out Muslim leaders as the recipient of these letters suggests to us that the government believes that Muslims are at best not committed to the fight against so-called religious extremism and at worst aiding and abetting the perpetrators.

In asking the leaders to help their charges define what it means to be both British and Muslim the letter panders to the Islamophobic stereotype that Muslims are inherently disloyal or less British than an assumed norm. In fact studies

show that a greater proportion of Muslims identify themselves as British than other minorities.

IHRC also believes that expecting the Muslim community alone to conform to some vague and undefined concept of Britishness is setting a standard for it that is different from everybody else.

IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh said: “Before the government starts preaching to people to subscribe to slogans about British values let us all sit down and decide what British values actually are. Without this, expecting the Muslim community to conform to an undefined notion of Britishness is fanning an Islamophobic agenda.”

Govt letter to Muslim leaders betrays Islamophobic premise

The British government’s Ministry of Justice has submitted a bid for a $9 million contract to help run prisons in Saudi Arabia.

The commercial arm of the Ministry of Justice, Just Solutions international (JSi), has lodged the bid to run the prisons, despite growing criticism from UK human rights groups about the country’s justice system.

The contract, according to The Guardian newspaper, is “to conduct a training needs analysis across all the learning and development programmes within the Saudi Arabian Prison Service”.

JSi, the commercial brand for the National Offender Management Service, which is actively seeking to ‘promote its products and services to international justice markets, has

UK gov’t in $9m bid to wincontract to help run Saudi prisons

also submitted a ‘large scale bid’ to the Royal Oman Police to help with the design of a new prison.

The ministry insisted that all JSi projects had had been signed off by both the Foreign Office and the local embassy after an evaluation that included an assessment of human rights. If JSi is successful, the ministry spokesperson said full details of the contract, including human rights safeguards, would be made public.

Saudi Arabia has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks over its justice system after Western governments widely criticised the decision to sentence a Saudi blogger to 1,000 lashes after he was found guilty of insulting Islam. Raif Badawi, a blogger and founder of the “Free Saudi Liberals” website, was also sentenced last year to 10 years in jail and handed a fine of 1 million riyals ($267,000).

Badawi was subjected to the first 50 lashes two weeks ago but a second round of flogging, scheduled to be held last Friday was postponed, ostensibly on medical grounds.

12 I WORLD NEWS www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015

The dramatic scenes played out in Paris and the ensuing carnage resulting from the savage and brutal killing of the employees in the offices of the Charlie Hebdo publishing house by French jihadists earlier this month brought with it a clear reminder that the threat of terror is very much alive in Western Europe.

We may ask ourselves the questions were the actions of the Kouachi brothers a proportionate response to the publishing of the rather distasteful cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (PBUH)? This article shall examine the notion of freedom of speech and more crucially the right to offend religions.

Since the arrival of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula in 611 AD and in the following 1400 years we have seen several attempts made by European personalities such as Dante Aligheri, Pedro Pascual and Salman Rushdie to depict the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (PBUH) in rather a distasteful fashion.

Western Europe to all intents and purposes for many centuries has had

a Christian ethos and therefore it is unsurprising to find that Christianity was very much at heart of Western civilisation. Therefore, with the advent of Islam with its missionary ethos at the heart of its ideology it was unsurprising to find that Christianity saw it as a direct threat to its own survival hence the decision to target the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in a variety of genres ranging from the arts to literature. European history for the last millennium in essence depicts a rather frosty relationship between Islam and Christianity coupled with the ideals of the European enlightenment project which has been in existence since the 1600’s.

France as nation which after the execution of Louis XVI and the ensuing French Revolution saw the birth of libertarianism and consequently became the bastion of secularism . The sacred Trinitarian principle of La Republique namely, Fraternity, Liberty and Equality is the cover that the Charlie Hebdo systematically utilised to lampoon and caricature revered personalities

of the great religions of the world. Indeed the irony of the tragic events of Paris came full circle when the founder of the publication when Henri Roussel warned the editor Stephane Charbonnier that he was taking a big risk by continually fanning the flames of provocation through the construction of these ghastly and offensive images depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in rather a crude manner.

However, Charbonnier before his untimely demise vowed to defend his right to freedom of speech granted to him by the founding principles of the staunchly avowed French republic. The Charlie Hebdo editor famously claimed that as he was not bound by the blasphemy laws of Islam on the premise that he was not a Muslim. That may be the case but the campaign launched by Charbonnier over a number of years have ultimately offended billions of Muslims, Christians and Jews through a rather crude, crass, and one might add a satirical campaign against the great religions of the world.

Charlie Hebdo: Freedom ofSpeech an Absolute Right?

www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015 WORLD NEWS I 13

This in recent weeks has created the debate centring upon whether freedom of speech is an absolute right for all or is there an urgent need to limit it. Even his holiness Pope Francis waded into the debate and made a passionate argument against the right to absolute freedom of expression by stating that he would punch anyone if they insulted his mother! The strong remarks by the Pope demonstrate the utter disgust felt by people of faith right around the world especially when blasphemous images and remarks are made and widely disseminated for public consumption.

In addition to this it is a shame that those who are staunchly opposed to Islam continue to claim that Islam as a faith is inherently linked to terrorism.

Any historian worth their salt will tell you that Islam like its contemporaries is not stuck in the quagmire of terrorism.

The passionate and intense

debate and discussion in the last month has brought one question to the fore that if freedom of speech was to be limited then who ultimately has the right to decide and it is the latter that becomes to all intents and purposes the much vaunted elephant in the room.

There is no doubt that this debate will continue for years to come and others will come to the fore who will once again attempt to defame the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and as a consequence one fears that Muslim sensitivities will be tested on a regularly basis. Muslims in Western Europe face the perfect storm in that their loyalty to their faith will come under intense scrutiny in light of the cherished right to freedom of expression in the years to come.

However, a number of Muslims in recently have argued that there is utter rank hypocrisy over the cherished right to freedom of expression.

For example, a select number of

Muslims in recent times have been hauled before the courts charged with offences relating to comments made on social media and as a result been prosecuted. But when Islam and Muslims find themselves under attack from the Neoconservative right and those engrossed in Islamophobic tendencies then the bandwagon of freedom of expression steamrolls all those who come before it.

Muslim communities around the world face testing times ahead where their devotion to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is going to be scrutinised in light of the cherished sacred rights of Western European civilisation.

Muslims it seems will remain very uneasy until the charges of double standards and rank hypocrisy are addressed by vested bodies right around the world.

By Dr Abdul B ShaikhLecturer in Arabic Studies

The passionate and intense For example, a select number of

...when Islam and Muslims find themselves under attack from the Neoconservative right and those engrossed in Islamophobic tendencies then the bandwagon of freedom of expression steamrolls all those who come before it.

14 I WORLD NEWS www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015

The Pakistani government has suspended its plans to execute a man who was convicted at the age of 14 after being tortured into a ‘confession’ and wrongly tried in an anti-terrorism court.

In a speech, Pakistan’s interior minister Chaudry Nisar told the country’s Parliament that the government had “suspended capital punishment of Shafqat Hussain after his case reached interior ministry”, after requests by “civil society”. The Government had suspended the execution and ordered a full inquiry into how a warrant for his execution

was allowed, he said.Earlier the family of Mr Hussain

had been summoned to visit him in prison for the last time, after a so-called ‘Black Warrant’ was issued slating him for execution. Justice Project Pakistan, the partner organisation of legal charity Reprieve, warned that Mr Nisar’s announcement must be followed by an official notification that Mr Hussain’s execution would not take place.

Pakistan has the largest death row in the world, with 8,261 people currently awaiting execution.

Pakistan torture victim execution suspended as gov orders inquiry

The son of a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader was arrested by police, the leader’s family has said.

The family of Mohamed al-Beltagi, who used to be the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s party’s office in Egyptian capital Cairo, said in a statement that his son, Khaled, was arrested by policemen.

It added that police had raided al-Beltagi’s house in Cairo and arrested Khaled, who is 16 years old.

“This is a vengeful act against the rest of the family,” the family said in the statement.

Al-Beltagi himself has been in jail for more than a year now, facing charges of inciting violence. His elder son Anas is also in jail.

Al-Beltagi’s daughter, Asmaa, was killed in August of 2013 when Egyptian police violently evicted an eastern Cairo protest camp in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

A judicial source, meanwhile, said that Khaled faced multiple charges, including inciting riots, theft, and joining a terrorist organization.

“He was arrested during a protest by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization,” the source told The Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

He noted that a laptop was found with Khaled at the time of his arrest along with fliers calling for staging protests during the January 25

revolution anniversary.Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected

president, was ousted by the military in July of 2013 following massive opposition protests.

While Morsi’s supporters describe his overthrow as a “military coup,” opponents term it a “military-backed revolution.”

Ever since Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities have maintained a harsh crackdown on his supporters, detaining thousands and killing hundreds.

In December of 2013, Egyptian authorities branded the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which Morsi hails, a “terrorist” group.

www.pi-media.co.uk

Egypt police arrests seniorBrotherhood leader’s son

Executions have resumed in Pakistan ending a six-year moratorium, as part of the government’s response to the mass school shooting that took place in December in Peshawar.

The government has claimed it is executing only ‘terrorists’, but Reprieve and Justice Project Pakistan have found that the majority of those sentenced to death in the ATC, like Mr Hussain, were convicted on charges unrelated to terrorism.

Commenting, Maya Foa, director of Reprieve’s death penalty team, said: “This news is hugely encouraging. Executing Shafqat, who was a child when he was tortured into a false ‘confession’ to a crime bearing no relation to terrorism, would do nothing to reduce the terror threat in the country, and would be a grave stain on Pakistan’s justice system.

The inquiry into the errors made in this case is most welcome, but there are potentially thousands more like Shafqat. In the interests of justice, these hasty and symbolic executions should be halted and the moratorium on the death penalty restored.”



Praising his courage and tolerant approach, a Muslim imam in Bern has been named Swiss of the Year by the Swiss weekly newspaper SonntagsZeitung.

“Constant reports of terrorism and extremism make it a challenge for us,” Imam Mustafa Memeti of Bern said in an interview.

“At Friday prayer services I often stress that we don’t have any choice other than to open ourselves to Swiss society. We cannot operate in closed circles, we cannot construct parallel societies.”

Over the past year, Islam and Muslims were the center of lots of debates surrounding the nature of the religion

According to the newspaper, the imam, who serves as the imam of the Muslim Association of Bern and as President of the Albanian Islamic Association of Switzerland, was an outspoken supporter of religious tolerance and of the integration of Muslims in Switzerland.

He was chosen for “his courage and his engagement in the most explosive debate of our time”.

Born in Albania, the imam of a Serbian origin has moved to Switzerland in 1991. Later on, he became a Swiss citizen in 2005.

Memeti said that many Muslims in Switzerland are afraid of losing their identity.

www.pi-media.co.uk

Muslim named Swiss of the year

At least 34 people have died in Bangladesh and scores have been injured, most of them in firebomb attacks, amid rising political unrest fuelled by a stand-off between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the main opposition leader.

The renewed political turmoil could cause a delay in shipments by the country’s $24-billion garment industry, already under pressure after a string of fatal accidents.

Begum Khaleda Zia, whose opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the election

on Jan. 5 last year, has demanded that Hasina and her government step down for a new vote under a caretaker administration.

Hasina has refused, instead tightening her grip by arresting key opposition leaders and clamping down on critical media as anti-government protests spread. The violence has worsened sharply since Jan. 5, the first anniversary of the vote.

Police said at least 25 people have died in arson attacks, including eight more were killed in clashes with

Thirty-four die inBangladesh vote protest

police, and one died following injuries from a crude bomb blast, they added.

At least 50 people were injured, some critically, after opposition activists firebombed several vehicles in the capital, Dhaka, and surrounding districts, police and witnesses said.

In Dhaka, at least 29 people suffered burns after attackers hurled petrol bombs at a bus, police said.

More than 7,000 opposition activists have been detained since the anniversary, Industry Minister Amir Hossain Amu, the head of a government law and order panel, has said.

Khaleda called the blockade after she was prevented from holding a mass rally in Dhaka on the Jan. 5 anniversary.

Legal action could be considered against Khaleda for ordering the killing of innocent people, said Health Minister Mohammed Nasim.

Hasina and Khaleda have alternated as prime minister for most of the past two decades in a fierce rivalry marked by periods of widespread political violence.

The United States, the European Union and Britain have voiced concern and urged all Bangladeshi parties to engage in dialogue.

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Bangladeshi officials have blocked Internet calling and messaging services Viber and Tango following a request by law enforcement agencies, citing security concerns.

The voice and messaging services will remain disabled in the South Asian country for a limited time, said Sarwar Alam, an official at Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission SAID.

Police officials say a number of vandals used the applications earlier this month to organize criminal activities.

The measure came after over 20 people were killed in clashes following a call by Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief, Khaleda Zia, for a nationwide transport blockade as part of efforts to topple the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and pave the way for new elections.

Bangladesh blocks Viber and Tango over security

The Australian police investigation has revealed that Katrina Dawson, one of the victims in the Sydney siege last month, may have died from bullet wounds.

According to Australian media reports, pieces of a bullet shot by the police ricocheted and struck the 38-year-old in the heart and shoulder.

Dawson was one of two people killed when officers stormed a cafe in the city of Sydney where a hostage-taker identified as Man Haron Monis was holding 17 hostages.

Sources close to the probe were quoted by media reports as saying that Ms Dawson, a barrister and mother of three, was hit when police entered the Lindt cafe to end the 16-hour siege.

The New South Wales Coroner will establish her cause of death once the probe into the deadly incident is completed.

A spokesman for Police Minister Stuart Ayres, meanwhile, said, “The minister will be making no comment whilst there is a critical incident investigation taking place.”

The siege ended after the hostage-taker was killed during the shoot-out with police.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said in December 2014 that a separate probe was launched into the actions of police officers at the siege, adding that he believed officers made “absolutely the right call” in storming the cafe.

Sydney siege victim hit bypolice bullet: Police probe

The Turkish parliament voted not to send to trial four former ministers accused of wrongdoing in a corruption investigation, in a boost to President Tayyip Erdogan who cast the graft scandal as a plot to undermine his rule.

The outcome was expected as the ruling AK Party (AKP) has a large majority in parliament and it closes one of the last avenues in the investigation after earlier court cases had already been dropped.

The four separate votes on the

Turkish parliament votes againstcorruption trial for ex-ministers

ex-ministers indicated some 40 AKP deputies voted to commit them to trial, in a blow to party unity on the issue. The opposition fell several dozen short of the 276 votes needed for the motions to be carried.

The investigation became public in December 2013 and posed one of the biggest challenges to Erdogan and his decade-long rule. He cast the probe as a coup attempt orchestrated by his former ally, U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

The affair led to the resignation of the economy, interior and urbanisation ministers and European Union Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis lost his post in a subsequent reshuffle. All four denied wrongdoing.

Erdogan fought back by purging the state apparatus, reassigning thousands of police and hundreds of judges and prosecutors deemed loyal to Gulen, in what was seen as a cleansing of the cleric’s influence in the state.

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Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham warns Palestinians that they could lose US’ annual aid should they lodge a lawsuit against Israel at the International Criminal Court.

Graham, who was visiting Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as part of a seven-member senate delegation, said that existing US legislation “would cut off aid to the Palestinians if they filed a complaint.”

He described the prospect of a lawsuit against Israel as a “bastardizing of the role of the ICC”, saying it is “incredibly offensive” and a “provocative step”.

The US supplies more than $400 million dollars worth of aid to the Palestinian Authority annually.

Last month, Israel halted the

transfer of more than $120 million in taxes belonging to the Palestinians after the Palestinian Authority applied to join the ICC.

After foreign aid is deducted, tax revenues account for around two-thirds of the Palestinian Authority’s yearly budget.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed that Palestinians will formally become a member of the ICC on April 1, after applying earlier this month.

The US condemned the ICC decision to launch a preliminary investigation into Israel’s crimes calling it a “tragic irony”.

In addition, Israel started lobbying member states of the ICC to cut their funding to the body in retaliation for

Senater threatens PalestinianAuthority with annual aid cut

The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a Muslim prison inmate in Arkansas who sued for the right to grow a short beard for religious reasons.

The nine justices, on a 9-0 vote, said the prison policy that prevented Gregory Holt from growing a beard violated his religious rights.

Holt wants to grow a half-inch (1.3cm) beard in accordance with his Muslim beliefs.

The court rejected the state’s reasoning that the policy was needed for security reasons.

Justice Samuel Alito, writing on behalf of the court, said the state already searches clothing and hair and had not given a valid reason why it could not also search beards.

Holt’s lawyers noted that more than 40 states and the federal government allow prison inmates to have similar beards.

Holt is serving a life sentence for a brutal assault on his girlfriend and is being held at a maximum security prison 80 miles southeast of Little Rock.

His case first came to the court’s attention when he filed a handwritten plea to the court asking it to block enforcement of Arkansas’ no-beard rule.

A Danish student charged with insulting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and disseminating Nazi propaganda has been sentenced to two years in prison in Austria.

The 32-year-old university student, who has not been named and had been living in Vienna since 2010 while studying chemistry, was said to have insulted the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), refuted Jewish genocide and praised Nazi ideas on Facebook, a regional court in Vienna heard.

The case came after an anti-fascist group countering extremists online discovered the Dane expressing racist and anti-Islam statements and filed a case against

him.Judge George Olschak said

that insulting a religion was an extremely aggressive attitude and the man deserved the sentence for committing the crime of religious incitement.

The Dane had argued his rights had been breached and claimed the court process was invalid, as his remarks were the business of historians, not of the courts, calling the trial “nonsense”.

Officials said he would also face charges related to allegations of writing extreme-right slogans and comments denying the Holocaust on prison walls while he was detained, causing damage to state property.

Danish student jailed for Insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (pbuh)

Supreme Court rules for bearded Muslim Inmate

its bid to launch a probe into Israeli war crimes.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has announced that her office intends to conduct an “analysis in full independence and impartiality” into suspected war crimes carried out by Israeli military forces.

During its Gaza offensive last summer, Israel killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians, including 577 children, injured over 11,100.

Pakistan bans Haqqaninetwork after talks with Kerry18 I WORLD NEWS www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015


Pakistan has outlawed the Taliban-linked Haqqani network, officials said, days after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government to fight groups that threaten Afghan, Indian and U.S. interests.

American officials blame high-profile attacks in Afghanistan on the powerful Haqqani network, which mainly operates out of Pakistan’s border areas, and say it has ties to the Pakistani state.

Senior Pakistani government officials told Reuters a formal announcement of the ban would be made “within weeks”.

“We have decided to ban the Haqqani network as a step in implementing the National ActionPlan

devised after the (Peshawar) school attack,” said a cabinet member, referring to a massacre of 134 children by Taliban gunmen last month.

“The military and the government are on the same page on how to tackle militancy. There is no more ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Taliban.

“Kerry specifically pressed for action against the Haqqanis, including banning the group,” the official added.

A second official, a minister who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the decision to outlaw the Haqqani group.

The United States accuses the Pakistani intelligence agency of supporting the Haqqani militants and

A group of 20 Muslims -- including a groom and bride-to-be heading to their wedding have been sentenced to long prison terms in Myanmar for alleged terrorism activities, despite a lawyer saying no evidence was submitted in court.

According to local media reports, fifteen men and four women have been sentenced to 14 years each, and a boy under the age of 15 was handed a seven-year prison term.

The court in Taunggyi, eastern Shan State, also handed one of the men an additional five years for an

immigration offense.Thein Shwe, a lawyer for three

of the convicted, told The Irrawaddy that the defendants “were given the maximum sentence even though no one could provide evidence that they have links to terrorists.”

He added, “These sentences are unfair because… the evidence presented, which was based only on a police report, is insufficient to prove them as terrorists. They are just normal people.”

The 20 Muslims have been incarcerated since August last year,

when they were arrested while traveling to a wedding ceremony in Kunhein in southern Shan.

Officers claim they found weapons in their car and Myanmar’s national police chief, Win Khaung, was quoted by Radio Free Asia as saying the group had links to an unnamed armed terrorist group and was planning to carry out an act of terrorism.

According to Thein Shwe, his clients had not been armed and showed no signs of affiliation to any militant groups.

Muslims sentenced for‘terror links’ in Myanmar

using them as a proxy in Afghanistan to gain leverage there against the growing influence of its arch-rival India. Pakistan denies this.

A formal announcement of the ban would show the government is keen to convince the United States it will no longer differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fighters.

But it remains to be seen if the ban will translate into significant action.

There has been intense debate within the government on whether to brand the group a terrorist organisation.

Some officials have argued the move would have little battlefield impact but risks setting back Afghan reconciliation efforts and unleashing more attacks against Pakistan.

In June last year the Pakistan army launched a long-expected military operation in the troubled North Waziristan region, said to be the base of the Haqqani group.

“Pakistan has done a lot already to disrupt the activities of the Haqqanis...within Pakistan,” said a Western diplomat.

“But they must also take follow up steps ... to ensure the Haqqanis and other groups are not allowed to regroup or return to sanctuaries, their assets are frozen, their funding is blocked and their networks dismantled.”


Police in India’s eastern state of Bihar have arrested eight people in connection with the deaths of three Muslims who were reportedly burnt to death, according to local media.

Violence erupted in the predominantly Muslim village of Azizpur, in the district of Muzaffarpur when angry villagers torched more than a dozen huts belonging to Muslims, reported local daily The Hindu.

The attack was reportedly sparked by the discovery of the dead body of a 19-year old Hindu youth, who had been missing for more than a week after an alleged love affair with a Muslim girl.

Most of the villagers ran away fearing backlash.

The state government has announced a compensation of $8,100 for each of the families of those killed in the violence.

Muslims burnt to death in north IndiaAccording to a report by Intercept,

the lawyer for Omar Khadr who was blinded in the left eye after an attack in Afghanistan, where he was captured, is now losing his eyesight in his remaining eye and can no longer be able to read or see clearly.

Khadr was told by a doctor that he has a cataract due to a “foreign object,” which appears to be most like a piece of shrapnel from the firefight, she said.

“Initially he was having trouble reading because there was a light flashing and he could not focus,” Zinck said, as she prepared to visit Khadr.

“Now he can’t see through that cloudiness to be able to do any more than look at small pieces of text for a short period of time.”

News of Khadr’s failing eyesight came on the decision by the Supreme Court of Canada on whether it will consider his case. The Canadian government asked the high court to review an Alberta Court of Appeals decision that condemned

Ottawa for not treating Khadr as a youth once he was transferred to Canada from Guantanamo.

Following his capture in 2002, Khadr was held for several months at Bagram Airbase before being transferred to Guantanamo.

At both sites he was subjected to torture, including sexual humiliation, shackling in stress positions, and sleep deprivation, according to his lawyer.

In one 2003 incident, he is alleged to have been dragged through a mixture of pine oil and urine by his interrogators and denied a change of clothing for two days thereafter.

In 2010, Khadr entered into a plea bargain with the Guantanamo military commission, admitting to throwing a grenade which killed a U.S.

Army combat medic during the deadly raid that led to Khadr’s capture.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison, not including time served, and was allowed to complete his sentence in a Canadian prison.

Former child Gitmodetainee going blind

Human Rights Watch accused Egyptian authorities of failing to take serious steps to improve conditions in overcrowded prisons which are causing deaths.

The government denied the accusations.

The New York-based group said it had documented nine deaths in custody since mid-2013, when the army’s ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi was followed by a crackdown on his supporters.

Human Rights Watch said

HRW says Egypt not serious about improving prison conditions

authorities “are taking no serious steps” to deal with the issue.

The group said some detainees appeared to have died after torture or physical abuse while “many appear to have died because they were held in severely overcrowded cells or did not receive adequate medical care for serious ailments”.

Citing interviews with relatives and lawyers, it called the conditions many detainees faced “life-threatening” and detailed the deaths of five men from beating and lack of medical care.

Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said “such talk has no basis in truth.”

“This is very strange talk and hasn’t been said anywhere else before,” he added. Reuters

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A British woman who sustained injuries when a wooden shelf fell on her head at the luxury Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi has been awarded $27,225 in compensation by a court.

However, the hotel, as well as a company charged with its management and a local insurance company, had the total amount they were ordered to pay cut by 50 percent at a hearing this week before the Abu Dhabi Civil Appeals Court, The National reported.

Natalie Creane, a Dubai resident originally from Essex, had originally sued the luxury hotel for AED70

million after claiming the incident, which occurred in July 2008, had left her with severe brain damage and resulted in epileptic seizures and fainting. She was also seeking damages after

It was claimed that, while she was placing her shoes in a wardrobe in her room, a wooden shelf weighing 2.2 kilogrammes fell on her head.

She subsequently did not go to work for eight months and was terminated from her employment as a result of her absence

The claimant had accused the hotel of causing the accident due to negligence in fixing the shelf.

However, an engineering committee said the shelf would not have fallen on its own, and that there must have been a cause

The appeals court ruled that she had “exaggerated” the impact of the injury, pointing out she had married and got another job since it happened.

British woman awarded $27k after injury at Emirates Palace hotel

U.S. advocacy group Human Rights Watch urged China to revise draft legislation aimed at combating terrorism, saying it was little more than “a licence to commit human rights abuses”.

The law, which was made public for consultation last November, would establish a new counter-terrorism body that would have the power to designate organisations and members as terrorists without any protections of due process.

The draft’s definition of terrorism

includes “thought, speech, or behaviour” that attempt to “subvert state power”, “incite ethnic hatred” or “split the state”. Subversion and splittism are catch-all charges that have been used against dissidents.

Human Rights Watch China director Sophie Richardson called for the draft law to be brought in line with international standards, saying that “in its present form this law is little more than a licence to commit human rights abuses”.

“The Chinese government

Human Rights Watch says China draftterror law a “licence to commit abuses”

needs to respect rights, not build a new architecture of surveillance,” Richardson said in a statement.

The law would require all telecommunication and internet service providers to help the government in preventing the spread of terrorism-related content.

Public areas would be outfitted with facial recognition equipment - a system that “could easily be abused for personal or political ends”, Human Rights Watch said.

China has stressed that it is facing a serious and complex struggle against terrorism. Hundreds of people have been killed over the past two years in the far western region of Xinjiang in unrest the government has blamed on Islamists who want to establish a separate state called East Turkestan.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed inquiry for comment.

Rights groups and exiles blame the government’s repressive policies for stoking resentment among the Muslim Uighur people who call Xinjiang home.

Last year, China said it would set up a national anti-terrorism intelligence system.

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22I WORLD NEWS www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015

U.N. peacekeepers stationed in the Golan Heights along the Syrian-Israeli border observed drones coming from the Israeli side before and after an airstrike that killed top several Hezbollah figures, the United Nations said.

The flight of the drones in the airspace over the Golan Heights was a violation of the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said on that an Israeli helicopter strike in Syria killed one of its commanders and

the son of the group’s late military leader Imad Moughniyah. It was a major blow that could lead to reprisal attacks.

Haq was asked if the U.N. observer mission deployed in the so-called area of separation in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, had seen anything. He said UNDOF had “observed two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying from the Alpha side and crossing the ceasefire line.”

The Alpha side refers to the Israeli-occupied part of the Golan.

Haq said UNDOF saw the drones moving towards U.N. position 30,

Belgium’s racist and anti-Islam party Flaman Vlaams Belang presented to the Parliament a draft law to ban the use of cars by headscarved women.

In the draft presented by Vlaams Belang’s former president Filip Dewinter and his colleagues, it has been suggested that veil reduce the driver’s ability of the sight of the and hear.

Dewinter said drivers talking on the phone, to write messages and to eat at the wheelm not permitted for

safety reasons and he was argued that the same ban should apply to the headscarf cause it restricting the viewing angle.

In 2007 the racist Dutch Party for Freedom, led by Geert Wilders, attempt to banning headscarves for drivers for similar reasons but the initiative could not get results.

According to traffic experts scarf, hat and and similar clothes does not create any risk for drivers.

www.pi-media.co.uk

Belgium’s racist party wantsto ban headscarved drivers

A Turkish court ordered a block on access to a number of Facebook pages that share materials insulting Prophet Mohammad.

The Golbasi Duty Magistrate Court gave the order on the request of Prosecutor Harun Ceylan, who was investigating the pages on social media.

The court decided that Facebook, the world’s biggest social network, would be blocked Turkey if Facebook fails to implement the order.

The court’s decision has been forwarded to the Presidency of Telecommunication and Communication and to the Access Provider Association.

Previously, a court in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir province ruled on January 14th to block access to web pages showing Charlie Hebdo’s latest cover featuring a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The cover depicts Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in a white dress and shedding a tear, holding up a sign reading, “Je suis Charlie” -- slogan popularized after Paris attacks -- below the headline “All is forgiven.”

Turkey court orders block on Facebook pages insulting ProphetMuhammad (PBUH)

UN saw Israeldrones over Syria

after which the U.N. observers lost track of them.

“This incident is a violation of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian forces.”

“We criticize all violations,” he added, noting that the U.N. called on all sides to refrain from actions that could exacerbate already existing tensions.


The Palestinian government has faced growing pressure by the United States and some European and Arab countries to back down on a statehood bill at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), says the country’s foreign minister.

Despite all pressures, Palestinian officials “are determined to approach the UN Security Council,” Riyad al-

Malki told Voice of Palestine Radio on Sunday, adding, “but we still have not set a date for this move.”

Malki added that Palestinian authorities have a plan to visit five countries that recently became members of the UNSC -- New Zealand, Venezuela, Angola, Malaysia, and Spain -- in a bid to win their support in case the draft

Palestine under pressure toback down statehood bill

A new report from Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHR-Israel) highlights the indiscriminate use of large quantities of powerful explosives by Israeli forces during last summer’s 50-day conflict, and attacks on medical rescue teams.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) , 2,131 Palestinians were killed, 70 per cent of whom were civilians. Seventy-one Israelis, including five civilians, were also killed, while 11,100 Palestinians and 724 Israelis (according to PHR-Israel) were wounded during the fighting.

The report is based on the findings of eight independent, international medical experts who

visited Gaza both during and after the conflict.

The report says two of the contributing factors that led to the high number of casualties can be ascribed to the indiscriminate use of large quantities of powerful explosives in residential areas, as well as ‘double taps’, in which, after an initial strike, came a second where relatives and rescue teams were hit.

The report goes on to say that attacks on medical teams occurred although emblems were clearly shown on ambulances and clothing worn by medical teams.

According to the World Health Organisation and the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 23 medical professionals were killed, 16

in the course of duty, while 83 were wounded. In addition, 45 ambulances, 17 hospitals and 56 other medical facilities were damaged or destroyed.

No safe place is based on the testimonies of 68 people injured in the Gaza strip, analysis of the photos of corpses, interviews with nine Palestinian medical professionals and reviews of dozens of medical files.

PHR-Israel said the team was sent in after the fighting as it was urgent to collect evidence while it was still relatively undisturbed, and events were “still fresh in the minds of the victims and survivors.” It is now calling on Israeli government to set up a national commission of enquiry.

resolution is submitted to the council.In December last year,

Palestinians presented a bid for statehood to the Security Council as Washington and Tel Aviv were formulating a joint opposition against the move.

The resolution needed to secure at least nine votes to be adopted by the 15-member council. However, it managed to garner only eight positive votes, as the US and Australia voted against the resolution and the UK, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Korea and Lithuania abstained.

The draft resolution designated occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of a future Palestinian state, addressed the issue of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and demanding the end of Israeli occupation by 2017.

In November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel and the US.

Independent medical report onGaza highlights major abuses

24I SPORT www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015

Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure becomes the first footballer in history to win the African player of the year tile for the fourth time in a row.

The 31-year old was named the best African player of 2014 in a ceremony in the Nigerian city of Lagos.

The Manchester City midfielder is the first ever African player to clinch the title for the fourth time in a row. Former Chelsea and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o has also won the award four times, but not in succession.

He overcame Gabon international

Toure wins fourth AfricanPlayer of Year award

Hashim Amla became the fastest player to notch up 5000 One-day International runs as South Africa handed West Indies a 61-run defeat in a rain-affected clash at Kingsmead last month.

Amla scored 66 in South Africa’s total of 279 for eight in 48.2 overs to reach 5000 runs in 101 innings, well ahead of the previous record of 114 jointly held by West Indies great Viv Richards and Indian batsman Virat Kohli.

With their target cut to 225 in 32 overs, West Indies collapsed after the loss of blazing opener Chris Gayle to end 164 all out from 28.2 overs and slip to a 61-run defeat on the Duckworth/

Lewis method.A torrential downpour

ended the innings 10 balls shy of the allotted overs and when play resumed two hours and 43 minutes later, the tourist were handed a stiff revised target.

Gayle (41), so scintillating in the recently completed Twenty20 series, blazed away but lost his wicket when attempting an ugly baseball swipe at a Dale Steyn delivery. He was caught behind by De Villiers.

Nobody else managed a significant contribution as the Proteas bowlers squeezed the run rate higher and picked up wickets at regular intervals.

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Amla reaches fastest 5000One-day International runs

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nigeria goalkeeper and captain Vincent Enyeama to claim the prestigious award.

Toure was the most influential in Manuel Pellegrini’s winning team of the 2013-2014 English Premier League, scoring 20 goals in 35 matches.

The playmaker also featured in Ivory Coast national team in 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, but failed to ascend the group stage of the competition.

The prolific player continues to shine for his club this year despite losing his brother Ibrahim due to cancer and numerous off-the-field rows.

Toure also helped his country qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and made his way into the FIFA shortlist for the 2014 Ballon D’Or.

www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015 SPORT I 25

Liverpool have confirmed that Morocco winger Oussama Assaidi has joined Al Ahli Club in Dubai, for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old ended his loan spell at Stoke City early so he could make a permanent move to the Middle East.

Assaidi originally joined the Potters on a season-long loan deal in September 2013 and returned to the Britannia Stadium at the start of the current season.

He moved to Anfield from Dutch side Heerenveen for £2.4m in the summer of 2012 but only made 12 appearances for the Reds.

Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi joins Al Ahli Club

Aston Villa have tied Easah Suliman down to a two-year professional deal in order to ward off interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

The 16-year-old signed scholarship forms with Villa in the summer but had still been courted by a selection of Europe’s biggest clubs.

However Suliman, who has

captained England’s Under 17 side, has agreed to commit his future to the Premier League outfit.

Aston Villa academy director Sean Kimberley said: ‘We’re delighted that Easah has signed his first professional contract with the club.

‘Easah has been at the club

Birmingham Youngster signsprofessional football contractBritish born 16 year old Easah Suliman signs two-year professionaldeal at Aston Villa despite interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich

through his foundation years at junior school and he’s a Birmingham lad who’s come through the local recruitment process.

‘We’ve been able to develop young, local players over the years and it’s great that we can continue to do that with Easah.

‘He’s going away with England U17s next month and he’s continuing to make good progress both with them and here at Villa.

‘He’s at the start of his career now and everything is in front of him.

‘The key for him now is to continue to work hard, to maintain the same excellent attitude he has displayed so far and to continue to learn from his coaches.

‘Having fought off competition from home and abroad for his signature, everyone here at Villa will help him get the most out of his abilities and we’re excited to work with him in the coming years.’

Salford Red Devils bolstered their forward options for the 2015 Super League season with the addition of Cory Paterson.

The 27-year-old former Hull KR man originally left Wests Tigers at the end of the 2014 season to pursue a career in professional boxing.

Earlier in November Paterson

won his second fight with a first round TKO, but will now make an immediate return to rugby league for next season.

Paterson, who has made over 100 appearances in the NRL is the Devils second signing in the space of a few days,

following the capture of Scott Taylor from Wigan Warriors.

He will compete for back-row spots with internationals Gareth Hock, Weller Hauraki and Harrison Hansen who themselves will be pushed by the array of up and coming British.

Salford Red Devils sign upCory Paterson for 2015 season

26 I I FEATURED www.pi-media.co.uk I February 2015

We have seen a sudden influx of enquiries from parents who put children as young as 4 years old into tuition.

Improve Tuition has advised that children should not start tuition until they are six.

Instead play-based learning common in nurseries and reception classes should continue until six years old. There is strong research to say that formal learning can do some harm at early ages.

“In many cases parents are putting children into tutoring with the assumption that the younger children advance more when the reverse is actually the case and the results can be very destructive,” says Gulam Dabhad, Education Expert.

It is more necessary to start tuition at the right age.

“Starting at a very young age can have negative implications. A good age to start is six, and once a week, one hour tutoring is fine,” says Sofia from Improve Tuition.

“I moved from the UK to Sweden

with my four children. My older two have gone through the UK system and my younger two are going through the Swedish system. The wide choice of activities available here until 7 has made me very impressed and I don’t see how the later start has disadvantaged my younger two,” says Mark, Sweden to the BBC.

“Massive formal tutoring is never the answer at such a young age,” said Mr Gulam Dabhad. “There is the wrong belief among some parents that tutoring will help children and this is not always the case.

“Unfortunately, many tutors look at financial gain. We regularly recommend a balanced approach and we always advise parents and try and deter them to take tuition at 4 and 5 years old.”

“Tutoring is most successful when parents have to be involved in their children’s education

“Reading to their child or helping them with their times tables is helpful and the best results are achieved

when parents partner with the tutor along with the child above six.”

Improve’s top seven tips for parents1. Don’t put pressure. Don’t overburden your child with endless tutoring sessions at a young age.2. Do not hire a tutor for a child under six years old3. Choose a tutor who has a proven track record. 4. Tutoring should not exceed two to three times a week.5. If you do engage a tutor, ask for regular reports on a child’s progress. 6. When your child gets homework, don’t get the tutor to help. It’s a way of teachers assessing you child so let your child make the mistakes to learn from.7. Don’t’ pass on the whole responsibility of your child’s learning to a tutor; read to your child; help them learn the times tables at home – effuse them – excite them.Gulam Dabhad (Education Expert)

www.improvetuiton.org

Is it right to tutor4 year olds?

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