www.ilmnews.com Page 1 READ INSIDE CUT PIECE Page 20-21 PROPERTY CORNER PAGE 8 President Asif Ali Zardari, while addressing the UN General Assembly, expressed the strongest condemnation of the acts of incitement and hate against the faith of billions of Muslims of the world and the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He called upon the international community not to become silent observers and criminalise acts that destroy the peace of the world and endanger world security by misusing freedom of expression. He said Pakistan moved the United Nations to immediately address in earnest this alarming concern and the widening rift to enable the comity of nations to be one again. The president said globally Pakistan faced enormous challenges. "But with collective efforts and commitment we can provide a better future to our people. We must work to end poverty. We must work to protect the planet, and mitigate against climate change. We must ensure equal rights to all peoples, and protect the weak and vulnerable. We must pursue justice and fairness for all people. We must pursue the peaceful settlement of international disputes. We must save our current and future generations from the horrors of war," President Zardari said. He said Pakistan supported the rights of the Palestinian people and an independent Palestinian state. We also favor the admission of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. “There are a lot of questions that are asked of Pakistan these days,” President Zardari said. “I am not here to answer questions about Pakistan. The people of Pakistan have already answered them. The politicians of Pakistan have answered them. The soldiers of Pakistan have answered them. We have lost over 7,000 Pakistani soldiers and policemen, and over 37,000 civilians.” Cont to page 8 BANQUETING President Zardari asks UN to criminalise blasphemy 100 Most Powerful Pakistani’s The Pakistan power 100, the largest ever initiative of its kind promoting the most powerful and influential Pakistani men & women within Britain, Pakistan and internationally Pakistan Power 100 was launched at a star studded gala dinner in Central London on the 29 September at the Park Plaza Westminster bridge. This is the first time ever that such an initiative is being held in Britain and will, without doubt, catch the attention of the British and Pakistani people and the local, national and international media. Some of the well known names are, Abdul Satar Edhi, Imran Khan, Dr Liaqat Malik and James Cann. Bradford Old Odean Revival PAGE 6 P A G E 24 Radio Ramadhan
Transcript
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President Asif Ali Zardari, while addressing the UN General Assembly, expressed the strongest condemnation of the acts of incitement and hate against the faith of billions of Muslims of the world and the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
He called upon the international community not to become silent observers and criminalise acts that destroy the peace of the world and endanger world security by misusing freedom of expression.
He said Pakistan moved the United Nations to immediately address in earnest this alarming concern and the widening rift to enable the comity of nations to be one again. The president said globally Pakistan faced enormous challenges. "But with collective efforts and commitment we can provide a better future to our people. We must work to end poverty. We must work to protect the planet, and mitigate against climate change.
We must ensure equal rights to all peoples, and protect the weak and vulnerable. We must pursue justice and fairness for all people. We must pursue the peaceful settlement of international disputes. We must save our current and future generations from the horrors of war," President Zardari said.
He said Pakistan supported the rights of
the Palestinian people and an independent Palestinian state. We also favor the admission of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations.“There are a lot of questions that are asked
of Pakistan these days,” President Zardari said. “I am not here to answer questions
about Pakistan. The people of Pakistan have already answered them. The politicians of Pakistan have answered them. The soldiers of Pakistan have answered them. We have lost over 7,000
Pakistani soldiers and policemen, and over 37,000 civilians.” Cont to page 8
BANQUETING
President Zardari asks UN to criminalise blasphemy
100 Most PowerfulPakistani’s
The Pakistan power 100, the largest ever initiative of its kind promoting the most powerful and influential Pakistani men & women within Britain, Pakistan and internationally Pakistan Power 100 was launched at a star studded gala dinner in Central London on the 29 September at the Park Plaza Westminster bridge. This is the first time ever that such an initiative is being held in Britain and will, without doubt, catch the attention of the British and Pakistani people and the local, national and international media.Some of the well known names are, Abdul Satar Edhi, Imran Khan, Dr Liaqat Malik and James Cann.
Greenlands Junior and Infant school are holding an Islamic awareness week on 22 October to 25 October 2012. We would like to invite you to our celebration of Islamic artwork inspired by the artist Zahir Rafiq.
Both schools have also been involved in fundraising for St. Lukes Hospice. Fundraising has been supported by parents, chil-dren and staff, as well as local mosques and churches.
We would like to invite you to this event on Tuesday 23 October at 11.00am, where we will also be handing over monies raised to St.
Lukes Hospice. Please confirm your attendance by email [email protected] or telephone 0114 2442189.
We look forward to seeing you there.Jamil Akhtar - Community OfficerGreenlands Junior SchoolFisher LaneDarnall S9 4RP
www.ilmnews.com Page 2
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An airport in Manchester, which was the only one in Britain to be using X-ray security scanners that reveal "nude" images of pas-sengers, has been asked by the European Union (EU) to stop using them. The gizmos sparked fears that travellers might be ogled by staff after Manchester airport installed them in 2009.
A three-year trial of the devices- that use low-dose X-rays to see through clothes- ends this month. Airport officials had expected to get the nod to keep using them af-ter EU experts said the machines were safe. However, the technol-ogy was outlawed instead.The airport will now hire 55 staff to frisk passengers.
It will spend around one million pounds on new scanners that use radio waves."The overwhelming majority of our passengers prefer body scanners to frisking. It's frustrat-ing the EU has allowed this suc-cessful trial to end," an airport spokesman was quoted as saying.
EU Asks Britain to Stop Using X-Ray Scanners
The issue of Kashmir was a "symbol of the failures" of the UN, and a resolution could only be arrived in an "environment of cooperation",
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari told the UN General Assembly. Zardari affirmed Pa-kistan's resolve to support the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which has long been the subject of contention for both countries.
"Kashmir remains a symbol of the failures, rather than strengths of the UN system. We feel that resolution of these issues can
only be arrived in an environ-ment of cooperation," Zardari was quoted as saying.
The Pakistani president told the 67th General Assembly that his country had undergone "un-precedented reforms", and also through many difficulties in
achieving them.On authoritarianism and terror-ism, Zardari said his country's current troubles were "a prod-uct of dictatorships". "These dictators and their regimes are responsible for suffocating and throttling Pakistan, Pakistan's in-stitutions, and Pakistani democ-racy," he said.
He said the UN represents peo-ple's "aspirations for peace and development", but that it needs reform, and "must become more democratic and more account-able".
GREENLANDS ISLAMIC AWARENESS WEEK
News in Brief'4,600 Criminals let off in BritainAn astounding 4,600 serial criminals in Britain last year got away with just police cautions or warnings, prompting Indian-origin MP Priti Patel to call on law authorities to end the "nonsense".
According to statistics from the justice ministry, one-third of all offenders in Britain now have at least 15 previous convictions, but more of them get lenient punishments, The Sun reported.
One-third of all those who were fined - a total of 16,400 - were also hardcore offenders, compared to just one in six in 2002, the data showed.
Tory MP Patel called on Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, and said the "disturbing figures demon-strate soft justice doesn't work". "Offenders who commit crimes again and again get away with a slap on the wrist," she was quoted as saying.
A study in Britain has found more than a quarter of British homeowners keeping at least some sort of weapon for protection against intruders.
Researchers found nearly one in 10 adults not feeling safe at home while 27 percent keeping a weapon 'just in case'. Over a third of those have something close at hand, with the most popular places being either by or under the bed.
According to the poll by insurance firm Swinton, 17 percent of the people keep a weapon by the front door.
The most common of the weapons being a baseball bat, followed by a heavy-duty torch. But one in ten has a walking stick as defence against intruders. Sports equipment, such as golf clubs, were also listed.
Pakistan blocked over 700 links to an anti-Islam film on YouTube that has triggered anti-US protests across the Muslim world, including Pakistan, officials said. The decision was taken after the Supreme Court issued orders to the state-owned Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block links to the movie.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry directed the PTA to take down all sacrilegious material that disrespects Islam or Prophet Mohammad in any way. He asked the PTA chief to submit a report about the action he will take following the directives.
The PTA director general told the apex court that almost 100 new clips of the anti-Islam film proliferated on YouTube every day.
He said that the PTA had written a letter to YouTube, requesting the removal of such clips, but the video-sharing website replied that it does not have any such agreement with the government of Pakistan. Justice Chaudhry directed the Pakistan Electronic Media
Regularity Authority to set up "standards of modesty" and submit a reply in this regard within two weeks.
The government earlier had claimed that the PTA and the information technology ministry had blocked 122 anti-Islamic websites over the past few days.
The authorities had also told the public that any blasphemous material that comes to their attention must be reported immediately to the PTA through phone or email.
The government clarified that it was not blocking popular websites YouTube and Facebook, but only anti-Islamic material would be blocked. Officials say that obscene material will be blocked on case-to-case basis. Links to the anti-Islam movie were blocked amid series of protests across Pakistan over the past few days.
Pakistan Blocks Anti-Islam Youtube Links
THE TRUTH ABOUT CEREAL BARS
We eat cereal bars in the belief that they are healthier than biscuits and chocolate but they may not be so healthier after all.
Consumer experts say that researchers fo-cusing on 30 bars, including 7 specifically aimed at children – found many contained high level of fat and sugar.
One bar contained nearly 4 teaspoons of sugar (18 grams), which is more than a small 150ml can of cola (15.9 grams) and 20% of the recommended daily allowance for adult women.
One roasted nut bar was almost one-third fat, which included peanuts, Hazelnuts, vegetable fat and harmful hydrogenated fats.
A children’s bar marketed as “great for your lunchbox” contained 43.5% sugar.
A staggering 40 million of Pakistan’s 84.3 millions vot-ers are aged between 18 and 35 and have the potential to change the country’s political landscape.
Pakistan’s Election Com-missions data shows that in the upcoming elections, the votes of the young will matter and will have the potential to change the country’s political landscape.
That is of course if the youth go out and vote. The 18-25 age bracket consists of 16.2 million voters, consti-tutes the biggest chunk out of six age groupings.
Yet despite the numbers, there is little to show that politi-cal parties, at least the older, more established ones, have done much to attract young voters. It has been found that when established parties have targeted the youth, it has been
through laptop schemes and other such gimmicks. There have been no solid policy drafts concerning issues the youth face.
If political parties want to stay relevant to this huge block of voters, they will have to come to terms with the demographic reality. The main problems that face young people should be reflected in a party mani-festo, such as equitable access to education, health and job
opportunities. As well as these issues being addressed, politicians need to know that the young voters of today are well informed individuals, who will look for substantive solutions rather than the glitter of promises and charisma of leaders.
Convincing young voter’s that their voices matter and mobilising them is something the parties will have to work harder at.
Prisoners deemed "potentially dangerous" and who had been jailed indefinitely in Britain could now be set free after the European Court of Human Rights said it was a breach of their human rights.
The European court ruled that jailing dangerous prisoners indefinitely on the grounds of risk, without giving them access to rehabilitation courses was a breach of human rights.
More than 6,500 offenders are currently in British jails without any fixed date for their release due to protection of public safety. The case came to the attention of the court after three Britons -- Brett James, Nicholas Wells and Jeffrey Lee -- were sentenced in 2005.
The report said a failure to ensure the prisoners had access to courses in prison harmed their ability to show they were rehabilitated and able to be released.
The judges said it was clear that "the delays were the result of a lack of resources".The British government was ordered by the court to pay 14,000 pounds in damages and almost 30,000 pounds in costs and expenses to the three inmates. James was jailed for two years for unlawful wounding with intent. Wells and Lee were jailed for serious violent offences.
UK told to free Prisoners over human
right violations
Pakistan Youth can change Political LandscapeIran has decided not to send any film for the Oscars this year as
a mark of protest against the recent anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" which has sparked violence throughout the Middle East. The country initially decided to send Reza Mirkarimi's "A Cube of Sugar" as their entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film category at the Oscars this year but then decided to boycott the award ceremony.
The country, till now, has been nominated twice in the category, that started 65 years back, including last year's winner - "A Separation". With the official deadline for foreign-language submissions Oct 1, more than 50 countries have announced their selections for this year's Oscars.
Iran to boycott oscars this year
News in Brief
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Apna Mirpur Jeweller open expanded into a double shop on Owler Lane, Sheffield. Lord Ahmed was the chief who of-ficially cut the ribbon and was also the first customer to purchase gold. He wished Tahir Khawaja and Waseem Khawaja best of luck.
Apna Mirpur Jewellers Expands
From the 1st of October the rules have changed for anyone wish-ing to apply for renewed leave to stay in the country. The United Kingdom Border Agency has an-nounced the changes for all appli-cants renewing when their leave has expired. Under the new rules applications for further leave will be refused if the application is made 28 days or
more after the previous leave has expired. This rule already applies to those who apply under the fam-ily migration route. All applicants under;The points based system, all working and student routes, Discharged HM forces and UK ancestry routesIf the 28-day period has expired you cannot apply from within the
UK, but you must leave the UK and reapply from overseas.Rules regarding switching from a Tier 4 study visa to Tier 2 skilled worker visa remain unchanged.
If you intend to apply for a Tier 2 visa, you must have a valid Tier 4 visa when you make your applica-tion. If you do not, you must leave the country to apply.
Anyone Tier 4 student visa holder now wishing to extend his/her leave to remain in the UK by starting another course must en-sure that their new study course of study begins no more than 28 days after the end of their leave to remain in the UK. Further guidance and guidelines can be found on the UKBA web-site.
Mohammed NazirHead of Property & ImmigrationWosskow Brown Solicitors LLP
Legal CornerQ&A PROPERTY
A major mark of distinction of humans over other living things is the ability to speak. Speech is, after all, the most precious gift that God has given to our species.In Islamic logic, humans are described as "the speaking ani-mal" and creatures in general as "the silent animal." Through speech, we can communicate with one another and articulate our ideas and feelings. Writing and drawing are dimensions of human ability to express his or her ideas and thoughts.Is freedom of expression ab-solute and unlimited? Can a person write, say, draw or paint whatever he or she likes? Or are there some limitations on that freedom?While speech is the most pre-cious gift given to us, it also has the potential of hurting others. The key to success in charac-ter-building is achieving that proper medium in various vir-tues. When it comes to the vir-tue of speech, you have to train yourself "to think before you speak" and not "to speak before you think." This becomes even more important when you write or speak as a public figure.No right exists in vacuum; it is always coupled with an equal level of responsibility. In the words of Imam Ali, "A right is very vast in description. ... It does not accrue to any person unless it accrues against him also, and right does not accrue against a person unless it also accrues in his favour." In many civilized societies, saying or writing something that incites violence against an identifiable group, especially a minority, is illegal. Similarly, to defame a person's reputation is also il-legal. Britain, for example, re-stricts the right of free speech on grounds of national security and prevention of disorder.Restrictions and limits are put on statements that hurt the sensibilities of certain groups in the West. Britain also has a blasphemy law which bans defamation of the Christian God but not of other faiths. Nonetheless, many European countries as well as Canada for-
bid questioning or denying the holocaust.In this backdrop, it is indeed very sad to see that the Euro-peans have no respect or any regard for Muslim sensibilities. Muslims' religion, culture, and their Prophet may be defamed in any way they like--all in the name of freedom of expres-sion or free speech. They seem to ignore the present reality that France and Germany have millions of Muslims, and that Bosnia, a Muslim country, is as European as Spain or Croatia.Lack of respect for Muslim sensibilities was first visibly felt by the French ban on hijãb in public institutions and then the Danish cartoons, and today we see the widespread offence spread by a US made film.Let it be stated clearly that Muslims do not question the right of any writer or speaker, who adapts academic methods, to criticize Islam and Muslims. Articles, books, and speeches critical of Islam and Muslims are published at all the times. Caricaturing Muslims, even clerics and political leaders, is also common. But you never hear the Muslims protesting against them.However, the film and cartoons in question, were not of an academic nature and the fact that they were insulting is also beyond any doubt, especially those portraying the Prophet of Islam as a terrorist. They strengthened the subliminal stereotype in Europeans' minds that Islam is a religion of vio-lence and that Muslims are ter-rorists.In the post-9/11 environment, it was surprising to see a rela-tively balanced reaction shown by the western political leaders at the time of this occurrence.Muslims have been truly hurt by the portrayal of their Proph-et Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) as a man who promotes violence. The Prophet is the example par ex-cellence of a perfect human be-ing. Every aspect of his life is a role-model for Muslims.The Prophet Muhammad is the spiritual father of the Muslim
community and, naturally, no faithful child will tolerate the defamation of his or her father. So the reaction of the Muslims in the form of peaceful protest marches is very natural. And there is no law which disallows this kind of protestation, more so when we find out that such defamations were not done by mistake.To judge the Muslims' reaction by the current Christian attitude of not reacting against carica-turizing Jesus is nothing short of cultural imperialism.Of course, use of violence, burning buildings and vehicles as seen in some of the protest rallies that took place is not ac-ceptable and has been rightly condemned by all senior reli-gious and political leaders.The point to ponder in this en-tire sad episode is that no sense of remorse or apology was forthcoming from any govern-ment nor was any condemna-tion issued by the western po-litical leaders until after mass protests started in the Muslim countries. The balancing act of defending the "absolute freedom of expression" and of the "responsible freedom of expression" only came about after Muslims started protest-ing. However, Danish Muslims' protest in Denmark had no im-pact whatsoever on the newspa-per which printed the article.It is important to understand that the Muslims are not a bunch of lunatics who started expressing their anger right away. Initially, the Muslims in Denmark con-fronted this problem locally in a peaceful manner. Only when the newspaper as well as the government ignored their complaint, did they go outside Denmark to seek support from fellow Muslims. This clearly shows that Muslims are not just a bunch of over-sensitive peo-ple who go around protesting at everything. Only when they re-alized that their sensibilities are not respected in the same way as the sensibilities of others, did they feel oppressed by the dou-ble standard of Western democ-racies--and the oppressed have the right to complain.
Free Speech and Double Standards
Questions and Answers – Legal Corner ILM Property Section
1. I am purchasing a Leasehold flat, what are the legal implica-tions of this?
Always make sure that the term of the Lease is adequate for the mortgage lender and ensure that it is according to the lenders re-quirements.Most lenders prefer for the Lease to have 100 years or more re-maining. Also, make sure you are aware ground rent charge, any service charges and any other charges in-cluding Insurance rent.
2. I am purchasing a property at auction, what implications should I consider before sign-ing the Contract?
Make sure your solicitors have checked the legal pack and there are no restrictive covenants and no problems with the property being on a short Lease or struc-
tural defect.Also, make sure your solicitor has checked the searches and preferably conduct a full survey of the property.Once you sign the Contract, you will not be able to change your mind even if there are problems with the property or title.
3. I am purchasing a property and would like quick comple-tion. My solicitor has advised that the results of the searches are holding things up. Can I complete before getting the re-sults of the searches.
Yes you can complete the matter without the results of the searches and an indemnity policy can be put in place on your behalf. How-ever, if there is a lender involved then they will need to accept a no search indemnity policy.This insurance will then cover you for any losses in case of any adverse entries.
4. I am purchasing a property
and the mortgage lender has conducted a survey, is this sur-vey sufficient for my needs?
Your mortgage lenders survey is only for valuation purposes and cannot be relied upon for buy-ing purposes. You cannot sue the lenders surveyor based on the lender survey as he only has a duty of care to the lender.Always have your own survey which will be according to your requirements.
5. Please advise what the dif-ference is between the searches and the survey.
Searches consist of various en-quiries with various departments such as the coal mining authority, local council, water & drainage department etc.The survey is a detailed report prepared and conducted by a pro-fessional Surveyor about the con-dition of the property and about the structure of the property.
The world's tallest Ferris wheel is to be created in New York - twice the height of the Statue of Liberty.Unveiled by the city's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, the attrac-tion is planned for Staten Island. It will cost £142m ($230m) and measure 625ft (190m).Offering views of the downtown Manhattan skyline, the New York Wheel will be significantly big-ger than the 443ft (135m) London Eye and the 541ft (165m) Singa-
pore Flyer.It is designed to carry 1,440 pas-sengers at a time and is expected to attract 4.5 million people a year to what has been described as New York's "forgotten borough".Mr Bloomberg said: "It will be an attraction unlike any other in New York City. In fact, it will be, we think, unlike any other on the planet."While the privately-financed project faces various reviews,
officials hope to have the wheel turning by the end of 2015.Senator Charles Schumer said: "It's going to be a real icon. The Ferris wheel will be Staten Is-land's Eiffel Tower."The overall project will also fea-ture the creation of a huge shop-ping centre and a 200-room hotel and is expected to bring in £308m ($500m) of private investment and 1,100 permanent jobs to the borough.
New York To Get World’s Tallest Ferris Wheel
Mr Nicholson said Bradford deserved a "jewel in the city centre"Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesDerelict cinema scheme scrappedHockney backs cinema rescue bidPlans to create John Peel CentreNew ideas to regenerate Bradford's former Odeon cinema are being called for by the city's leaders after plans to demolish the building were scrapped.David Green, leader of Bradford Council, said there was "a blank sheet of paper" for any new plans.Langtree Artisan wanted to develop the site to create offices and apartments.
On Thursday the Homes and Communities Agency, which owns the building, said the developers had failed to comply with the terms of the development.Mr Green also paid tribute to the campaign-ers who he said had kept the Odeon "stand-ing for many years".'Reprieve' for buildingHe added the council wanted to work with the building's owners, and individuals or groups that had a "viable" use for the building.Mr Green said he would like to see "as much" as possible "if not all" of the building protected.Mark Nicholson, of the Bradford Odeon
Rescue Group, welcomed the "reprieve" for the building and said the recently abandoned scheme had received "very little public sup-port".Bradford deserved a "jewel in the city cen-tre" for the building he added.Mr Nicholson said he would like to see it re-stored to its original use, as a concert venue.The building was opened in 1930 as the New Victoria, a cinema and theatre, and closed in 2000. Its landmark facade has been left virtu-ally untouched.
Bradford Odeon plans are sought to save city landmark
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“ The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Stephen Hawking. I can testify to the veracity of this state-ment, having lived for a long time under the illusion that I knew India and its people. As the bubble of illu-sion gradually sank beneath my feet I began to see the world from my own eyes. Today, I tell you my story, with the hope that more of my compatriots join me and step forward for a better, peaceful world.
Once upon a time, I was also a vic-tim of the India-Pakistan rivalry fever. The most evident symptom of this fever is the slogan ‘yeh khel nahin yeh jang hai’, heard on both sides of border when India and Pakistan meet each other on cricket field. I grew up when the world was changing in the post-9/11 era. Muslims all over the world were to revisit their ideologies, and understand them better. As I entered adolescence and began to form views independent of the media and textbooks, my ideas of ‘India-Pa-kistan enmity’ started eroding. I un-derstood that religion and patriotism are better when utilised as breeding grounds for love, tolerance and free-dom, rather than nurseries for hatred and enmity.
These attributes of love, tolerance and freedom form the essence of Is-lam like all great religions. Unfortu-nately, venom has been fed into the minds and hearts of people over the last 60 years, which is not what our founding fathers wanted.
There is no denying that pressing issues like Kashmir and the water is-sue stand between the two states, but the solution of these issues lies in the hands of the governments on both sides. All that lies in the hands of the people is to love and to spread love. There is no lock without a key, and I believe the key to the lock between India and Pakistan is greater under-standing and trust between the people on both sides of the border.
A better world — where nobody dies in war, and where governments work to sow seeds of love, rather than to protect their egos, is what we all want. If we want to achieve such a world, we must step forward and spread love. As distant as this objective seems practically, it may be in our reach as people step forward and adopt this mantra of ‘love, tolerance and free-dom’.
I will still watch India vs Pakistan cricket with the same passion and patriotism; I will still celebrate with jubilance if Pakistan wins and I will still cry in the corner if Pakistan loses. I will, however, always remember that the true victory for both nations lies somewhere else: when we are able to defeat the hatred and distrust between each other with love and understanding. Muhammad Talha SamiUniversity student, Lahore, Pakistan”
True Victory for Both Nations Lies Somewhere Else
An innovative partnership between a Bradford-based educational organisation and a University in Pakistan has helped 40 women join their husbands across the UK. QED-UK is the first UK or-ganisation to be co-funded by the European Fund for the In-tegration of Third County Na-tionals to administer the ‘In-tegrate UK’ English language courses overseas. The aim of the free ten-week classes, hosted at Mirpur University of Science and Technology, is to aid married women seeking to join their husbands in the UK
to encourage successful inte-gration into British life.In November 2010, the British Government introduced a rule that spouses joining their part-ners in the UK have to pass an English language speaking and listening test at a basic level. QED-UK, an award winning organisation estab-lished in 1990 is supported by UKBA. Adeeba Malik, Deputy CEO of QED-UK, said: “For wom-en who are already married to British Pakistani men, we wanted to ensure they received high quality ESOL and Life in
the UK training with a focus on helping them to integrate into British society when they come to live in the UK.”The success of the Integrate UK scheme comes as im-migration minister Damian Green has urged parliament that education providers must take their immigration respon-sibilities seriously in light of the London Metropolitan Uni-versity scandal.QED-UK recently hosted a dinner with some of the wom-en who have recently entered the UK at Mumtaz restaurant in Bradford to celebrate Inte-
grate UK’s success. Just a year and a half since the scheme first launched, 350 women have successfully passed the English language classes.Educating Pakistani women in English language skills mean there’s less demand for translators when they visit the doctor, for example. It means they are more likely to gain employment and contribute to the community at large. Lan-guage is the key to dealing with problems of alienation or radicalisation and work to-wards a harmonious future.
WIVES JOIN HUSBANDS IN UK TO AID INTEGRATION
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British families, already facing difficult times due to a financial crunch, may have to further cope with much harsher times as they would have to spend more on food following a poor harvest which has pushed up prices worldwide. The cost of basic food products is rising because of a drought in the US and poor crops in Russia and eastern Europe. According to Jose Graziano Da Silva, head of the UN Food and Agri-culture Organisation, food prices could reach a crisis point next year if harvests in the southern hemisphere are poor.At a conference in Sweden on water resources, Da Silva called on G-20 nations, producing up to 95 per-cent of crops hit by price rises, to take "coordinated action". A third of all food production is lost due to poor storage in developing countries or waste in rich nations. The G20 is set to discuss food prices and a decisions is expected in September when a report on grain supply is due.
Food Prices to take Toll on Britons SULTAN vs DRACULA: New Book Re-
lease marks Bram Stoker’s Centenary One hundred years after Bram Stoker’s death, (April, 1912), a new Dracula novel has been released mixing fact with fictionBook Title: Sultan vs. DraculaPublisher: Al-Oblong BooksWebsite: www.sultanvsdracula.comAuthor: Razwan Ul-HaqAuthor’s Website: www.ulhaq.comtwitter @Islamic_ArtistAuthor contact telephone: 07773963502 (+44)
On the streets of Bradford, Muslim teenag-ers between 14-19, selected at random, were given three book choices. Two best-selling books (popular with their peers throughout Britain) and a relatively unknown third of-fering. A staggering 90 percent ditched the mainstream to go for a new Dracula story.
In an age where Count Dracula can be seen as sexy to teenagers, a Muslim fantasy au-thor presents Count Dracula as the historic Count Vlad Dracula who impaled and slew Muslim Turks.
The story, though a fictional fantasy, is writ-ten from a traditional Muslim perspective and holds back no punch with its heavily critical stance of the modern world. The au-thor insists this should not be a worry, but a celebration of creative British talent.There is no Van Helsing, but there is the Sultan, modelled on the actual Ottoman Sultan Mehmed Khan II. And with Harem women, Sufi mystics and beautiful Arabic illustrations, there is a lot to discover in one
single paperback.It’s not just a story. It has been crafted to present a worldview. A Muslim worldview in an age where there is scant literature to readers that reflects an Islamic masculine leitmotif.
Sultan vs Dracula should help to get inside the mind of a traditional Muslim. How do religious Muslims think? Are Muslims re-ally that alternative? Intelligent readers are quick to spot apologetics. Readers don’t want watered down verbiage; they want to hear what ‘the Muslim with an issue’ really believes.
The book will surprise readers no matter what they’ve seen the night before.Who on earth is the author meddling with the Bram Stoker heritage? Not surpris-ingly he’s British, but he is also tall, dark and gifted with sensuous eyes. An ex-Headteacher, currently living in Bradford, very sick and tired of the same old “Muslim interest” story, with the predictable multi-cultural characters: in other words if it’s not arranged marriages it’s deranged terrorism.
The book is a mirror to the mind of the devout Muslim, written without any edito-rial censorship, and as such, it may rank as one the more challenging popular pieces of
SULTAN vs DRACULA News in Brief
www.ilmnews.com 7
Sheffield City Council have an-nounced that they plan to cut council tax benefit for all work-ing age residents by 20%, mean-ing a family in a Band A property could pay an extra £3.76 a week. However, the Council have de-cided not to proceed with new powers to tax empty homes and second homes, which the Gov-ernment estimates would save the authority £3.3 million. In ad-dition to this, while the Council passes on a council tax bomb-
shell on to vulnerable residents, Labour councillors have agreed to spend £3.5 million this year refurbishing council offices and £400,000 on consultancy fees in one month.Despite the total cut received from the Government being 10%, under the legislation pensioners are protected which results in a 20% reduction for the remain-ing working age recipients of Council Tax Benefit. Sheffield is consulting on a scheme which
would equalise this 20% cut across all working age recipients. The Council has also confirmed that consideration is being given to provide additional support to households experiencing severe financial hardship who will be hit hardest by the Government’s cut. The Government have been criti-cised for hitting hardest councils in the most deprived areas of the country whilst authorities in the wealthiest areas of the country will receive a smaller cut.
Parkwood Academy school has been announced as the winner of June’s One Sheffield Many Cul-tures festival, which saw mul-ticultural music and dance acts from eight Sheffield schools en-tertain a lively crowd in Barkers Pool. Both the judges and the au-dience showed their appreciation to all the schoolchildren taking part, recognising the impressive array of talent on display and cel-ebrating the contribution of each community present.The One Sheffield Many Cul-tures festival was organised and backed by local people in-cluding faith leaders, Football Unites Racism Divides, Northern Refugee Centre, local branches
of UNISON & NUJ, Yorkshire & the Humber TUC, Hope not Hate, Unite Against Fascism and Love Music Hate Racism. One Sheffield, Many Cultures aims to promote the unity of the city and celebrate the contribution of
people from all communities and backgrounds. The movement is non-party political and urges people from all walks of life to speak with one voice in opposing racism, bigotry and prejudice.
One Sheffield Many Cultures Festival Council Tax Bombshell Hits Vulnerable
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has been awarded an honorary fellowship by the Royal College of Physi-cians of Edinburgh (RCPE) in recognition for his contribution to cancer services. The fellow-ship has been awarded for his contribution through the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hos-pital and Research Centre. The RCPE is a professional member-ship organisation with a mem-bership of over 10,000 “fellows” in 91 countries.Imran Khan founded Shaukat Khanum on December 29, 1994. The inspiration for the hospital and research centre came after the death of his mother, Mrs Shaukat Khanum, due to cancer.The trust uses donations to help
patients with cancer through the application of modern methods of curative and palliative therapy free of cost.
Imran Khan Awarded Honorary Fellowship by: Royal College of Physicians
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Real detox is a regular discipline with food rather than faddish pursuitsIf the latest detox diet your friend swears by is something you have been thinking of giving a try, it is time to first get your facts right.Quick-fix detox diets as recom-mended in several best-sellers and on the internet may do you more harm than good, nutritionists warn.We need to understand that detoxification is a process of eliminating toxins from the body and it is a continu-ous discipline, not a one-time wonder. A balanced meal is what would help you elimi-nate toxins from your body basis, not once a week or a month or a year.Detoxification means elimi-nating toxins – harmful chem-icals – from the body and our body does this continuously through the colon, kidney, lungs, lymph glands and even the skin.Detoxifying your body con-tinuously is part of a healthy lifestyle. This process helps the body function in a more bal-anced way. Eat a balanced meal – four-five servings of fruits and vegetables and lots of water.There are many easily available foods that you can include in your daily diet to ensure proper cleansing.Herbal concoctions like cin-namon, fennel, cumin and mint boiled in water, also aid diges-tion and clear your system.As environmental toxins and unhealthy foods like processed foods, build up excessive toxins in the body, high fibre food and water aid in a detox.Occasionally, in extreme cases – like someone with a gastro problem or a medical condition that needs assistance with de-toxifying – two or three days of a diet are recommended which cleanses the system. However, such diet is to be followed for not more than two or three days at a time and it varies according to the individual's requirement and must be done only under su-pervision.According to nutritionists, most of the 'detox' diet programmes that recommend you adopt a cer-tain dietary regimen for a couple of days to a few weeks, may not be good for your body. Even though such diets are becom-ing popular, there is not much scientific evidence to prove the health benefits of a detox diet
programme.The adverse effects, according to nutritionists could range from fluctuation in sugar levels to long-term effects that your body undergoes due to this yo-yoing.Unrealistic dietFor instance, if you decide by yourself to go on a water only or
a liquid diet, or any other crash diet, the first thing to realize is that it is unrealistic and cannot be maintained. Just as in any other crash diet, you would lose mus-cle and water and the moment you discontinue the diet, you will regain the weight that you lost rapidly during such a diet when you end it. The worst part is the deficiencies you create in the body due to these forced crash diets. In the long-run, your weight will start yo-yoing, fluctuating.Various studies have shown that yo-yoing could cause heart and blood sugar problems in the long term.If this happens for a prolonged period of, say more than a year, it may not necessarily lead to obesity but would definitely lead to an increased percentage of fat, and other effects of malnutrition, like brittle bones, bad hair and bad skin.In the long run metabolism gets affected and when one starts to consume food again, in a sudden about turn, the ex-tra calories would lead to fat and weight gain. Going for an un-supervised crash or detox diet could also cause dehydra-tion.Some of the detox diets that have hit the popularity charts include the 28-day raw detox:
It is based on a raw vegan diet and promises to kickstart your weight loss programme. Then there is the Master Cleanse or Lemonade Diet. This strict diet is based on consuming lots of water along with a combina-tion of maple syrup and lemon-ade. While promises cleansing,
the diet clearly states that half of the weight lost as a result would be regained as soon as you stop it.There is also the Raw Food diet which involves consuming only uncooked food, and the Clean, Green and Lean, a four-week
programme that promises to eliminate toxins that make you fat.
Detox Diets May do you More Harm than GoodIslamphobia is being disguised and defended as
“Free Speech“. I wonder if the Nazis used the same excuse when they were spewing venom against the Jews. “Free Speech” is not sacrosanct in America or any-where else in the world. There are exceptions.1) In the US, one cannot shout “Fire” in a crowded theatre. It is not considered “Free Speech”.2) In the US, one could not publish the detailed plans to create a Nuclear Bomb. That was banned. 3) While the details on creating a bomb does ex-ist in the Encyclopdia Britanica, a US citizen was disallowed to put in on the web.4) In the US for decades the Native Americans, women and African Americans had no right to any speech (even though the First Amendment was in vogue).5) Anti-Semitism is not considered free speech and falls under a law unto itself.6) hate speech is not con-sidered Free Speech and is punishable under US law7) Incitement to violence or murder is not considered Free Speech and is punish-able under US Law8) While derogatory comments against Black, Women, Jews, Handicapped folks, Children may be technically allowed, but no politicians or artist can really make them and survive politically9) Paedophilia is not accepted as Free Speech and any communication encouraging it is not covered by the First Amendment10) In Europe, anyone speaking against the Holo-caust is gagged. Holocaust Denial is not covered under Free speech11) Flying the Swastika is illegal is most European countries and is not considered Free Speech
12) Almost all European and other countries have Blasphemy Laws–though they are not used to prosecute. The point remains that there are limits to Free speech
13) Bullying in schools in whatever form is not covered under the First Amendment and there are laws against it.14) Most recently the French magazine was pro-hibited from publishing nude pictures of the Royal family. So there are limits to free speechBlasphemy Laws exist in almost all Western coun-tries. In fact when British Muslims tried to invoke the UK Blaspheme Law, the courts there decided
that British Blasphemy Laws only protected Christianity and other religions remained unprotected.Here are examples of enforce-ment of Blasphemy Laws in the USADidn’t the National Portrait Gallery–heavily funded by the American taxpayer–just pull an item from a privately funded ex-hibit because it offended some Christians? In early December, an 11-second video clip of ants crawling over a crucified Jesus was removed after complaints by
the Catholic League and a comment by then soon-to-be Speaker of the House that the video was a misuse of taxpayer money. So if it works for others, all Muslims are saying is; a) “Elevate Islamphobia to the same level as Anti-Semitism and give it the same protection”b) “Consider blasphemy against Prophet Muham-mad, Moses, Jesus, David, and against Budha, Krishna and others as hate speech” and do not allow it. This is simple and should be considered as a legal basis to stop the agression against Islam.
Exceptions to Free Speech
He said Pakistan’s principled position on territorial disputes remained a bedrock of its foreign policy.
“We will continue to support the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to peacefully choose their destiny in accordance with the UN Security Coun-cil’s long-standing resolutions on this matter.
Kashmir remains a symbol of the failures, rather than strengths, of the UN system. We feel that resolution of these issues can
only be arrived in an environment of cooperation.”The president spoke against the spread and illegal trade of heroin and said despite the presence of international forces in Afghanistan, the size of the heroin trade had increased by 3000 percent in the last decade.
“Terrorist activities within our region and indeed all over the world are funded and fuelled by the unrestricted production and sale of illegal drugs,” he said.
Net borrowing by the British public sector reached 14.41 billion pounds ($23.4 billion) in August, compared with 14.36 bil-lion pounds in the same month last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
The figure, excluding financial sector interventions such as the gov-ernment's preferred measure, was the highest for any August since records began in January 1993.
The public sector current budget deficit amounted to 13.2 billion pounds last month, higher than the 12.8 billion pounds in August of last year. ONS data showed that public sector net debt was 1.03 tril-lion pounds at the end of August, equivalent to 66.1 percent of the
gross domestic product (GDP). However, widened budget deficits have raised concern that the government could miss its defi-cit target for the year.
Britain's independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has set the government's borrowing target for the 2012-13 financial year, which began in April, at 120 billion pounds. Economists said that target now looked unattainable.
British public sector consists of four sub-sectors, namely central government, local government, non-financial public corporations and financial public corporations.
British Government Borrowing Hits New High
Around three-quarters of Brit-ish mothers who took part in a survey admitted parenthood was much more challenging than they had ever imagined.
The first day at school, dealing with competitive parents and encouraging children to eat properly were some of the big-gest challenges faced by parents. Sleepless nights, toddler tan-trums and bed-wetting were also part of the list of the most-stressful situations, said the sur-vey of 2,000 mothers, commis-sioned by nappy firm DryNites.
Sleepless nights were named the biggest challenge, followed by toddler tantrums, staying pa-tient and keeping on top of the household chores. Nearly half- 48 percent- found their child's school years stressful, with 14 percent even believing they found it more of a challenge than their son or daughter did.
There are some challenges you expect, like the sleepless nights and tantrums. But many cannot be prepared for how many stressful situations they will face over the years.
Parenting a Challenging Job
Human excrement, asbestos, mould and dead flies have been found in cigarettes being smoked regularly in Britain, the Daily Mail reported.Investigators working for the tobacco industry spent weeks rummaging through litter bins for cigarette packets to assess the scale of the black market. They found that about one-third of packets contained fakes or cigarettes brought in by smugglers. The survey in Bir-mingham by MS Intelligence, a Swiss-based brand protec-tion company, found that 30.9 percent of packets were either bogus or purchased abroad.The UK Border Agency has also intercepted items contain-
ing asbestos, mould and human excrement. A haul in Derby-shire found cigarettes made from the remains of crushed flies.MS Intelligence carried out the research on behalf of a number of cigarette companies who are concerned that plans to intro-duce plain packaging will help black market tobacco barons flood the market with fakes, the daily said. Analysts collected 13,000 packets in Birmingham between April 3 and May 11. The Daily Mail said that most of the bogus brands originated predominantly from China, and some packets were almost identical to the real thing.
Human Excrement Found In Cigarettes
Dear Cllr Shaffaq Mohammad, We very much share you and your constituents concerns about the situation in Rakhine State. The British Government has been a strong supporter of those in Burma pursuing democracy and respect for human rights and continues to be active in raising the serious issues affecting Rohingya communities in Rakhine. During their respective visits earlier in the year, both the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister met representatives of ethnic communities in Burma, including the Rohingya, and heard their concerns first hand.The UK remains one of the most active and vocal members of the international community in raising these concerns with the Burmese authorities. We have repeatedly called for the government to put an end to the violence, to allow unhindered humanitarian work provided by the international community upon which many hundreds of thousands of Rohingya were dependent, to resolve the issue of nationality and to grant the full respect for human right to all the people of Burma, notably the Rohingya.In a statement on 10 June, the former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Jeremy Browne expressed our deep concern about the hostilities in Rakhine state. In addition, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in Rangoon and in London, as well as through the European Union, have raised our concerns with senior members of the Burmese government, and with our international partners. Ministers also discussed the situation with Aung San Suu Kyi during her recent visit to UK. Ministers have also discusses the issues affecting the Rohingya with the Bangladeshi Prime Minister during their meetings in late July following reports that refugees fleeing the violence were being turned away when attempting to cross the border from Burma to Bangladesh.The UK continues to raise the situation in Burma at the UN Security Council. At our request, we have had three separate briefings in the last eight months from Mr Vijay Nambiar, the UN Secretary Generals Special Adviser on Burma. We have also strongly supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Burma this year, which included an extension to the mandate of the UNs Special Rapporteur for Burma, Mr Quintana.Mr Quintana visited Burma recently, travelling to Rakhine state to see the situation for himself. In a statement released on the 13 August, following Mr Quintana’s visit, the Foreign Secretary highlighted our concerns and stated that the UK stood ready to assist the government of Burma in its efforts to develop Rakhine state as Burma continues on its path to democracy.In the wake of the Foreign Secretary’s statement, the government of Burma announced that it would establish and inde-pendent Investigative Commission to probe the violence in Rakhine. The government also released a number of UN and NGO staff detained in connection with the violence. In a statement released on 20 August, we welcomed this development, but made clear that for the Commission to be credible. It needed to involve a consultative process with all of the affected communities. This includes the Rohingya people.Our attention is now focused on the upcoming UN General Assembly session in September. We continue to stress to the Burmese Government that unless they resolve the many outstanding issues, we will press for a UN resolution which highlights the strength of our concerns.We have not forgotten the many other issues that remain unresolved in Burma. As well as the ongoing ethnic conflicts already discussed, a significant number of political detainees remain in prison and legislative reform in a number of areas is necessary and pressing. We believe that should President Thien Sein accept the Prime Minister’s invitation to visit to the UK, it will be a valuable opportunity to continue the Prime Minister’s dialogue with the President and to stress the need to resolve the many issues outstanding.Yours sincerelyJoseph HorbackiASEAN and multilateral TeamForeign and Commonwealth Office
A Letter to Foreign and Commonwealth Office from Cllr Shaffaq Mohammad
A new generation of schools will be significantly smaller than those constructed during the spending boom of the previous government, under blueprints based around a “more for less” approach.Space is being squeezed as officials look to spend on average one third less per building compared to those put up under Labour’s £55 billion Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF). They are also likely to look similar to reduce design costs.
Smaller schools to be built under 'more for less' plans
Apple introduced its new iPhone 5 – a light-er, thinner and more powerful version of its iconic mobile device, staking its claim to leadership in the red-hot smartphone mar-ket. Apple chief executive Tim Cook called the launch "the biggest thing to happen to iPhone since the iPhone."
The company called the iPhone 5 "the thin-nest smartphone in the world," with an anodised aluminum body that is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than iPhone 4S. It features "diamond cut chamfered edges and glass inlays for a truly incredible fit and finish," an Apple statement said.
At a packed launch event in San Francisco, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said of the new iPhone, "It is an absolute jewel. The software and engineering that went into this product is the most challenging our team has ever taken on."Apple started taking orders for the phone on September 14 and began shipments by September 21 in the US, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan. The phone will be available in 100 countries by the end of the year. The introduction has
been among the most keenly anticipated in the tech world, with rumours and leaks over several months about the new device from the biggest company in the sector. Schiller said the new, taller iPhone features a new design to nestle in one's palm to naturally
align with thumbs.
"Everything you do looks gorgeous on this beautiful widescreen display," he said, de-
scribing the so-called Retina high-defini-tion four-inch (10-centimeter) display used on other Apple devices.The new device features Apple's own new A6 processor, which according to Schiller doubles the speed for loading web graph-ics. Battery life, a key complaint of smart-phone users, is extended to eight hours with mobile phone and browsing and 10 hours of Wi-Fi connections are used.
Apple has also installed its own mapping software, upgraded its voice-activated as-sistant known as Siri and incorporated Facebook in the iOS software. Analysts expect Apple to sell tens of millions of the new iPhones in the coming months, luring in smartphone buyers who have been wait-ing to upgrade.
As ever, the outlook is favourable for Ap-ple, but before many even got their iphone home, Applehad to say sorry to its custom-ers for defects in its new iPhone 5 Maps app. Apple made the apology after a wave of criticism over botched searches and er-rors on the new maps tool.
Apple Unveils Thinner, More Powerful iPhone 5 New shocking figures have
revealed that the bill for Sheffield City Council’s parking fine incompetence has risen to £30,000. Figures released by op-position councillors have revealed that, in the last twelve months, 157 appeals against bus lane and park-ing fines were successful because they were “not-contested” by the Council. The penalty charge notices – worth up to £70 – could
have brought £10,990 into the Council.The revelation follows reports in June that the Council had lost £19,460 over six months because they had failed to respond to appeals within the required time limit of 56 days. At the same time the Council plan to increase their income by £20,000 by introducing car-parking charges in Hillsbor-ough Park, Graves Park and Millhouses Park.
Parking Fine Incompetence
News in Brief
Pakistani parliamentarians holding dual national-ity are disqualified by the Supreme Court The Supreme Court announced the judgment on petitions challenging dual national-ity according to which all the members of parliament holding dual nationality have been disqualified.The judges had earlier said that dual nationality hold-ers could not be given the authority to make laws. Lawmakers who have been disqualified include
Zahid Iqbal, Farahnaz Ispahani, Muhammad Ikhlaq, Ashraf Chauhan, Nadia Gabol, Amina Buttar, Zaheer Awan, Waseem Qadir, Farhat Muhammad Khan, Chaudhry Nadeem Khad-im and Ahmed Ali Shah.The court directed the government to withdraw the amount spent on sala-ries and perks from dis-qualified lawmakers and deposit it in the national treasury.
Lawmakers with Dual Nationality Disqualified
Plans to cap tax relief on charitable giving have been scrapped in yet another government turnaround. They cancelled the planned 'pasty tax' and proposed increase on VAT for static caravans earlier this week.
Plans to cap tax relief
www.ilmnews.com Page 12
PROPERTY CORNER Commercial Property & Land Development
Mohammed Mahroof BSc (Hons) MRICS ConsultantMark Jenkinson & Son
LAND IS GOLD!!
In the last few months, there has arguably been a steady increase in enquiries for land, whether this is for resi-dential, commercial or gen-erally. In this article I will talk about the economics of land.
I have mentioned on a number of occasions why owning and developing land is a good idea, one only needs to look into the economics and you too will see that in the world of sup-ply and demand there is an important ingredient which will never really change that is supply. It is a worldwide issue and not just concen-trated to Western econo-mies.
I believe the following con-siderations are a key factor in under pinning the need for and peoples appetitie for land:
Population TrendsIt has been argued by many academics and professionals in the field of world popula-tion trends that we are living longer, the population of the world is steadily increasing therefore the need for land to house people is almost certainly going to become a key issue. If you look at some of the worlds major Cities the price of land over time in real terms has not reduced, and the challenges for emerging economies is going to become ever more challenging.
EconomicsIt does not need an econo-mist to tell us that supply is finite, although some of you may argue that some coun-tries are reclaiming land from water. Clearly that is expensive and fraught with difficulty. It only strength-ens the argument that land is an important commodity when some countries are in-vesting in such projects.
AgricultureAs the population increases the demand for food is be-coming an everlasting chal-lenge, the demand for land to grow food and rear cattle etc is arguably a major issue facing us. The price of ag-ricultural land is reflected in this demand for food. I be-lieve that over time the de-mand for land for such uses will rise, and therefore the choices we face as to how we use land become more important, hence the laws of planning.
ResourcesThe need for fossil fuels is another key focus for land use throughout the world, we are much more reliant on land or the substructure of land to provide oil, coal, gold, silver, iron ore, chemi-cals and many other natural products we use in everyday life. Therefore the need to understand the economics of land become more impor-
tant and more importantly so as we go through the 21st century and beyond.
ServicesThe need to build infrastruc-ture for our needs is also land intensive, roads, rail-ways, hospitals, schools, all our basic facilities we take for granted are built on land. If one looks around our sur-roundings and reflects for a few moments our need for land is intense and rising. I was recently asked by some-one why is the price of bur-ial plots rising? The answer again is simple economics.
By no means have I touched on all the conflicting chal-lenges and needs for land, but I do hope I have given you an understanding of the value of land and why our need for land is only, in my humble opinion, go-ing to rise, yes we will see economic changes, we have and will continue to see re-cessions but ask yourself
one question, has our need for land ever really dimin-ished?, the answer is almost certainly going to be a cau-tious no.Controls on land usage through politics and the planning process therefore become terribly important.
Therefore before you em-bark on any land project it is important you are aware of a few fundamental principles of development. I would always advise that you take good professional advice, there is no substitute for this, just as the economics of supply and demand are im-portant, these are backed up by legislation and planning policy so there is not a free for all and land is used in the best possible way not only for today but for future gen-erations. Clearly this has an impact on value, therefore land value is not uniform.
As an example land for ag-ricultural use is going to be
worth less than land in the city centre for development use, every use has a value.
In conclusion one can only summarise that land is an important and valuable com-modity, and I for one believe demand over time is going to be a major challenge on supply, this is arguably go-ing to see a rise in prices, this may be hard to imagine going through these difficult times, but history is a reflec-tion of our desire for land. The ownership of land can be considered in the same context as gold, silver, dia-monds etc, history is a clear witness of this.
Therefore the forward think-ing investor/developers are showing signs of return to the market, this is cautious optimism, but a good sign.
As ever if you want to contact me please call me on 0114 2760151/0787 9015095 or through ILM.
www.ilmnews.com Page 13
Eid Mubarak to all Muslims from Ch M Zahur and StaffiPakistan:
creating a more positive image of Pakistanthrough social media
www.ipakistan.net
LAHORE AND ITS FOOD STREETS? Creation of Fort Road Food Street is a part of the Punjab government’s plan to construct around 9 food streets in Gulberg, Shalimar Town, Nishtar Town, Samnabad, Allama Iqbal Town, Wahga, Aziz Bhatti Town, Ravi Town and Data Gunj Baksh Town.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THE DECEASED GA-WALMANDI STREET: In a bid to prevent the new food street from any untoward inci-dent and political interference that caused the downfall of Ga-walmandi Food Street, once known as best tourist attraction in Pakistan, Fort Road Food Street is a private initiative worth Rs 40 million and is independent and autonomous of the Punjab government and the City Dis-trict Government Lahore. The government has also not paid a single penny for its development.
HOW IT CAME ABOUT: To de-velop the Fort Road Food Street, a society consisting of all the residents of the area chosen for the street was formed under Pun-jab Co-operative Societies Act 1961. It was named the Society for Development and Manage-ment of Fort Road Food Street which constituted a management committee which was formally
tasked to develop the Fort Road Food Street.The committee arranged for a loan from the Punjab Bank that was facilitated by the govern-ment. The CDGL has a ceremo-nial role in the management, with DCO Ahad Cheema the first chairman of the commit-tee, while a businessman, Habib Khan, who owned property on Fort Road, was made the presi-dent. According to sources in the CDGL, the food street was to be launched on November 19, how-ever, it will now be inaugurated on Muharram 10. As many as 25 buildings in a V-shaped street are being restored with the help of famous archi-tects and experts in fine arts. “This is the first time that special by-laws and Standard Operative procedures (SOPs) have been laid down to ensure the survival of the food street,” said Finance EDO Moazam Supra who regis-tered the society. The Law De-partment vetted the workability paraphernalia, he added.
NONPOLITICAL: Society for Development and Management of Fort Road Food Street Presi-dent Habib Khan characterised the new food street as non-po-litical, saying it would not be as-sociated with any political party and would be run on purely com-mercial basis. “Being located behind the Badshahi Mosque, Roshnai Gate, Sikh shrine and in
the proximity of Mughal era his-torical buildings in walled city, the street presents a marvelous outlook combining history land-scape and traditional food at one place for the visitors,” he added. “All sorts of services including water supply lines, drains, gas pipes and electrical wires had been under-grounded and up-graded and architectural features and exterior façade enriched with balconies is being rehabilitated to ensure original view of the buildings,” Habib Khan said.“We have also developed a mechanism to keep the food street self-sustaining. Numerous advertisement companies have contacted us to pay whopping amount to exhibit their prod-ucts,” he added. In the backdrop of quality monu-ments Zeeshan Gul, resident at Walled city said that a V-shaped off-shoot of the Fort Road was chosen last year to build a replica of ill-fated Gawalmandi Food Street. “The plan had kindled a hope among the residents of adjoining areas that they would soon have business and employ-ment opportunities. However, to their disappointment, a ban was imposed on converting build-ings on Fort Road into eateries on the pretext of traffic issues,” he added.According to some residents, most of the selected buildings are either owned by multination-als or people close to the ruling party bigwigs in Punjab.
Visit our Facebook page today and join in on our efforts to cre-ate and alternative narrative for Pakistan!
Computers do have their plus points, despite all the bad press -- the desk top, for instance, lowers the risk of dementia in the aged by a maximum of 40 percent, suggest latest findings.
As the world's population ages, the number of people experi-encing cognitive decline and dementia will increase to 50 million by 2025. A Professor at the University of Western Aus-tralia undertook an eight-year study of more than 5,000 men aged from 65 to 85 years.
If their findings are correct, the increase in the number of cases of dementia over the next 40 years may not be as dramatic as
is currently expected. Some of dementia's early symp-toms are forgetting names and appointments, losing things, difficulty performing familiar tasks such as driving, managing personal finances, mood swings with anger or rage, paranoia and suspiciousness.
Previous studies showed that cognitively-stimulating activities decreased the risk of dementia but there was little evidence on the likely effect of computer use over many years.Researchers found that the risk of dementia was about 30-40 percent lower among older computer users than non-users and that their findings could not
be attributed to age, education, social isolation, depression, overall health or cognitive im-pairment. They found that computer users were younger than non-users, had completed at least high school, had a more active social network and were less likely to show evidence of depression or poor physical health.
Older people should therefore be encouraged to embrace com-puter technology as long as they understand the dangers of pro-longed physical inactivity and the many advantages of a bal-anced and healthy lifestyle, the researchers suggested.
Computers Lower Dementia Risk
Local Husband And Wife Mr Mukhtar Tufail & Mrs Iffat Yasmin were fortunate enough to be invited to a Garden Party hosted by Her Majesty The Queen's Honourable, Lord - Lieutenant, ' Jennifer, Lady Gretton, JP ' During the Party Her Majesty's Lord - Lieuten-ant, ' Jennifer, Lady Gretton, JP' presented both husband and wife with an award to endorse their personal , professional and voluntary achieve-ments. Whilst both husband and wife are law graduates
from respective legal backgrounds, they have conspicuously volunteered and devoted a bulk of their precious time to charitable and civic causes thus warranting tremendous applaud from vari-ous professional bodies. Also in attendance was the nationally acknowl-edged and respected Honourable Judge Simmon Hammond, High Sherrif :Resham Singh Sandhu MBE. Romabbhai C. Barber MBE.Jaffer Kapasi OBE.Suleman Nagdi MBE. Manzoor Moghal MBE.
Salaam to All,For your attention, a letter from the be-reavement services as many of you have re-quested information on this service. I would ask that your mosque/organisation informs everyone at Friday prayers or otherwise and that you with this matter personally, col-lects all Quran pages
etc and arrives at the said cemetery for burial.I hope this helps.Yours sincerelyIbrar Hussain JPCouncilor for Burngreave Ward
TO ALL SHEFFIELD MOSQUESBereavement Services have received a further re-quest to bury used pages of the Quran.I have therefore arranged for an area to be pre-pared to receive items at Abbey Lane Cemetery on Wednesday 10 October, 1.30 – 2.30 pm.Please ensure that the material we receive is paper only. Please do not include other items such as plastics or materials. Unfortunately, these will be refused, as only biodegradable paper items can be accepted. Any other materials brought to the cem-etery may incur charges for disposal. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. Should you need any further information regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Gary Eyre on (0114) 239 6068.Yours faithfullySue NadinBereavement Services Manager and Registrar
Burial of Quran Pages
Council leaders have stepped in to keep down the cost of school dinners to help parents while times are tight.
Taylor Shaw, which runs the school dinners programme for the majority of the city’s schools, has had to implement a small rise in cost, mainly due to higher food
and fuel costs this year - but Shef-field City Council has pledged to keep prices at last year’s level.
Both the Council and Taylor Shaw see health and well-being of pupils as paramount and main-taining the food standards and quality of food play a key part of this. As a result the council has
agreed to bridge the gap in the price increase without passing this cost onto parents and carers.
Drastic cuts by the Government are having a detrimental effect on us all, making us have to watch every penny we spend. But at the same time high quality foods and standards must be maintained.
Islam discourages following a faith blindly; in the Holy Qur'an, God encourages people to think and reflect, to investigate, and not to believe simply because someone says so. God has granted us brains to contemplate, investigate, research, and then to believe. The existence of God and His greatness can easily be perceived by a free-thinking mind contemplating upon the wonders of creation around us and the existence of the amazing soul inside us. The Prophets throughout his-tory were instructors. They called people to free their minds of cultural traditions and see the logic of God's message. Here are a few quotes from the Holy Qur'an which demonstrate how important it is to think and then believe: (3:191) Those who remember God while standing, and sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heav-ens and the earth: "Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain!"(6:50) Say: "Are the blind and the seeing one alike? Do you not then reflect?"(16:11) He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect. (16:44) With clear arguments and scriptures; and We have revealed to you the reminder that you may make clear to men what has been revealed to them, and that hopefully they may reflect.
(30:21) And one of His signs is that He cre-ated mates for you from yourselves, so that you may find tranquility in them, and He put between you love and compassion; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.(2:164) Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day, and the ships that run in the sea with that which profits men, and the water that Allah sends down from the cloud, then gives life with it to the earth after its death and spreads in it all (kinds of) animals, and the changing of the winds and the clouds made subservient between the heaven and the earth, there are signs for a people who understand.(30:22) And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diver-sity of your tongues and colors; most surely there are signs in this for the learned.(30:24) And one of His signs is that He shows you the lightning for fear and for hope, and sends down water from the clouds then gives life therewith to the earth after its death; most surely there are signs in this for a people who understand.Many verses from the Holy Qur'an encour-age people to think and ponder the creation, and they will find clear signs of God's ex-istence. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) emphasized making education and learning an obliga-tion on every Muslim, male and female
equally. The first word in the first revelation was Iqra, which means "read!"The level of investigation differs from one subject to another, and within each subject, there might be things that everyone can un-derstand and also things that require more rigorous study to understand them properly. The same is true of religion. There are basic things which everyone can understand eas-ily, as well as concepts that require prereq-uisite knowledge to raise the level of com-prehension.In Islam, there is no such thing as "you should not ask", or "you are not allowed to know", or "just follow without any ques-tions". These are wrong concepts. When it comes to religion and knowing God, every individual is responsible to do his own basic research, and in order to do know more, he must acquire more background knowledge.Finally, the more a person keeps his mind open for the logical possibilities and neces-sities, the more those possibilities might be-come realities, and the more he will become closer to knowing God. But if he blocks his mind from accepting the logical possibilities and necessities, he will stay in his blindness, surrounded by the curtains of his ego and stubbornness, and the consequences will be deprivation from knowing God.
Investigation Before Belief 10 Medical Reasons for Feeling Tired
Any serious illness, especially painful ones, can make you tired. But some quite minor illnesses can also leave you feeling washed out. Here are 10 health conditions that are known to cause fatigue. 1. Coeliac diseaseIs a type of food intolerance where your body reacts badly when you eat gluten, a substance found in bread, cakes and cere-als. There are 250,000 diagnosed cases in the UK, but research sug-gests that up to 90% of sufferers don’t know they have it. Other symptoms of coeliac disease, apart from tiredness, are diar-rhoea, anaemia and weight loss. Your GP can check if you have coeliac disease through a blood test.2. AnaemiaOne of the most common medical reasons for feeling constantly run down is iron deficiency anaemia. It affects around one in 20 men and post-menopausal women, but may be even more common in women who are still having periods. Typically, you’ll feel you can’t be bothered to do anything, your muscles will feel heavy and you’ll get tired very quickly. Women with heavy periods and pregnant women are especially prone to anaemia.3. Chronic fatigue syndromeChronic fatigue syndrome (also called myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME) is a severe and disabling tiredness that goes on for at least six months. There are usually other symptoms, such as a sore throat, muscle or joint pain and headache. 4. Sleep apnoea Sleep apnoea is a condition where your throat narrows or closes dur-ing sleep and repeatedly inter-rupts your breathing. This results in bad snoring and a drop in your blood's oxygen levels. The diffi-culty in breathing means that you wake up often in the night, and feel exhausted the next day. It’s most common in overweight, middle-aged men. Drinking alco-hol and smoking makes it worse. 5. Underactive thyroid An underactive thyroid gland means that you have too little thyroid hormone (thyroxine) in your body. This makes you feel tired. You’re also likely to put on weight and have aching muscles. It’s most com-mon in women, and it happens more often as
you get older. Your GP can diagnose underac-tive thyroid by taking a simple blood test.6. DiabetesOne of the main symptoms of diabetes, a long-term condition caused by too much sugar in the blood, is feeling very tired. The other key symptoms are feeling very thirsty, going to the toilet a lot, and weight loss. Your GP can diagnose diabetes with a blood test.7. Glandular feverGlandular fever is a common vi-ral infection that causes fatigue along with fever, sore throat and swollen glands. Most cases happen in teenagers and young adults. Usually, glandular fever symptoms clear up within four to six weeks, but the fatigue can linger for several more months.8. DepressionAs well as making you feel very sad, depression can also make you feel drained of energy. And it can stop you dropping off to sleep or cause you to wake you up early in the morning, which makes you feel more tired during the day.9. Restless legsThis is when you get uncomforta-ble sensations in your legs, which keep you awake at night. You might have an overwhelming urge to keep moving your legs, or a deep ache in your legs, or your legs might jerk spontaneously through the night. Whatever your symptoms, your sleep will be disrupted and of poor quality, so you’ll feel very tired through the day.10. AnxietyFeeling anxious is sometimes perfectly normal. However, some people have constant, uncontrol-lable feelings of anxiety, which are so strong that they affect their daily life. Doctors call this gener-alised anxiety disorder (GAD). It affects around around one in 20 people in the UK. As well as feel-ing worried and irritable, people with GAD often feel tired.
South Yorkshire’s four local authorities have now confirmed their elected member representa-tives on the new South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel. The full list is:
Cllr Harry Harpham Sheffield CC (Labour)Cllr Helen Mirfin-Boukouris Sheffield CC (Labour)Cllr Talib Hussain Sheffield CC (Labour)Cllr Sylvia Anginotti Sheffield CC (Lib Dem)Cllr Jahangir Akhtar Rotherham MBC (Labour)Cllr Terry Sharman Rotherham MBC (Labour)Cllr Ken Richardson Barnsley MBC (Labour)Cllr May Noble Barnsley MBC (Labour)Mayor Peter Davies Doncaster MBC
(English Democrat)Cllr Patricia Bartlett Doncaster MBC (Conservative) A chair will be elected at the panel’s first on October 15, where rules of procedure and panel arrangements will also be agreed, setting out how the panel will operate and how it will discharge its key statutory functions. Two independent members are also currently be-ing recruited to join the panel. It is intended that they will be in place by the end of October.Elections for the police and crime commissioner will be held on November 15. The panel will scrutinise and support the commissioner in their role of holding the chief constable to account and agree-ing the police precept and police and crime plan.
Police And Crime Panel Representatives Confirmed
Opposition Labour politicians headed to Nick Clegg’s backyard to collect students’ signatures on a petition pledging they would ‘never vote Lib Dem again’ after the Deputy Prime Minister’s apology over the broken tuition fees promise.Shabana Mahmood, shadow universities minister, and Sheffield Central Labour MP Paul Blomfield headed to the University of
Sheffield Students’ Union to gain support from undergraduates, some of whom are living in Mr Clegg’s Hallam constituency.Around 300 students signed the petition – as Ms Mahmood revealed Labour had plans to reduce the £9,000 tuition fees for many students by increasing the fees charged by higher-earning graduates and increasing cor-poration tax on banks. She also said Labour may consider a wider levy on businesses to help cover some of the cost of higher educa-tion – because they benefit through having a more highly-skilled workforce.A remix of Mr Clegg’s apology for break-ing his pledge not to increase tuition fees reached number 143 in the music charts re-cently. Ms Mahmood said: “The petition was really
popular with students and people were say-ing they were never going to vote Lib Dem again.“We have put forward alternative ideas which, if we were in Government, would reduce fees for many students to £6,000 a year, by increasing fees paid by the highest-earning graduates and increasing corpora-tion tax on banks. It is something we would want to do straightaway if we returned to government following the 2015 general election.”Ms Mahmood said Labour had been right to set a target of 50 per cent of young peo-ple going to university, which led to a mass expansion of higher education – but caused the financial problems resulting in the con-troversial increase in fees.
Labour Seeking Sheffield Student Vote In Clegg’s Backyard
In the last month alone 105 tickets were issued over a 17 working day period. So far 60% of these have been paid and any outstanding fines will lead to prosecution.
Only 78 tickets were issued during the whole of 2011/12, which is further proof that our tougher approach is working. Hot spots in the city have been identified through cross council and community assembly collaboration.
The Environment Enforce-ment Team have been out on patrol engaging with dog walkers to educate them on the issues of dog fouling and the £70 fixed penalty fines that come with them to en-courage people to help keep
the city clean. Councillor Jack Scott, Cabi-net Member for the environ-ment said:
“A tougher approach defi-nitely seems to be working. Despite we are determined to keep Sheffield’s streets and parks free from litter and dog fouling. We hope that through engaging with dog walkers and issuing fines to people who break the laws it will encourage people to help keep our city clean”.
Labour gets Tough on Littering and Dog Fouling in Sheffield
Amar SaleemBusiness Development ManagerSheffield Chamber of CommerceEmail: [email protected]
Exporting Your Products and Services
Although your business may have an established UK market, there's often no reason why it couldn't successfully compete overseas too, growing your rev-enue and profit. But before you start, you need to have sound knowledge of your would-be markets. You also need to con-sider whether your products are right for each target market and whether you have the necessary resources to start exporting.
Before you commit to exporting you need to honestly assess your export potential - both in terms of the readiness of your business and of your product or service.
It's essential to carry out detailed market research to identify and evaluate the target market.
Examine:
•the industry structure•the predicted demand for your product or service•competition and how you plan to fit into that marketplace•any modifications required to make your product or service saleable The UK Trade & Investment Accessing International Mar-kets programme can provide support and help in planning your entry into new overseas
markets, including market re-search. After completing your market research, you can draw up an export plan defining how you will enter the new market.
Consider whether you have:
•a marketing strategy that in-corporates international trade development•the necessary financial resourc-es•the right people to develop the new export markets•adequate knowledge of the requirements of your chosen market - eg modifying packag-ing to meet local regulations and standards•an understanding of export payment mechanisms and ex-port finance
Then assess whether your prod-uct is suitable for export. Con-sider:
•product standards and regula-tions in the overseas market - the British Standards Institution offers help for exporters•the costs of adapting your prod-uct or service
There are a number of elements you need to consider to sell suc-cessfully overseas. How you organise your sales presence in export markets is one of the key decisions. Depending on your product, you may be able to sell directly. For example, you might
be able to sell over the internet or by exhibiting at local trade shows.
Many businesses look for a part-ner who already understands the local market.
For example:•You can sell to a distributor who then sells your products lo-cally.•You can use a sales agent who sells products on your behalf, or puts you into contact with po-tential customers on a commis-sion basis.•You can enter into a joint ven-ture with a local business. This gives you a share of the manage-ment and profits of the joint ven-ture, but is a more complicated and expensive option.•If you want complete control over sales, you can set up your own local office. This is the most expensive option. Either way whichever method you choose it is most certainly an avenue that is worth explor-ing as many companies have grown through International Trade, you may have a unique product which may have a niche in a certain country and until you try you wont know. Some of the best known brands glo-bally have become experts in selling they're products all over the world and through it become household brands, there is noth-ing stopping you doing it.
More than 265 films in her oeuvre but Sridevi, the reigning queen of the 1980s and 1990s who is back after a 15-year gap with "English Vinglish", says she is yet to deliver her best.The "Hawa Hawaii" girl, who did scores of films in the south before making her mark in Bollywood with critically acclaimed portrayals in diverse films such as "Sadma" and "Lamhe", has won four Filmfare awards - Hindi movies "Chaalbaaz" and "Lamhe", Tamil film "Meen-dum Kokila" and Telugu venture "Kshana Kshanam". But she's not completely satisfied. "There is a lot more to do," the 49-year-old actress
says. She is ready for another stint as the lead in "English Vinglish", releasing Oct 5, playing an Indian housewife in the US struggling to overcome the language barrier and identity is-sues.Acting is her forte but direction is a complete no, says the actress who is married to director-producer Boney Kapoor. The couple has two daugh-ters, one 15 and the other 12 years old.She may be returning to the ar-clights after 15 years but doesn't want to tag it a comeback movie. "I never felt I was out of this industry. I don't term it as my comeback. Even
when I used to go out, my fans used to always ask me, 'When will we see you?' I am so glad and thankful to my fans that I was always there in their hearts and they never for-got me." The actress belies her age and looks absolutely fit. The secret, she says, is just being happy."Love gives me the energy. There is no secret; whatever you are inside that will reflect on your face. Just be happy and positive. Every morning just look for the basic things. You have to be happy from within and enjoy. Exercise, yoga, and system-atic life definitely helps you, but ba-sically you have to be happy."
My Best is yet to Come: Sridevi
Senior Muslims in tradi-tional religious dress gath-ered Centenary Square, Bradford, on 28th Sep-tember, for a peaceful protest against the Amer-ican-made film about the Prophet Muhammed.
As they sat ringing the paved area, police kept a low profile as uniformed officers mixed and chatted with community leaders. Organisers, the Council for Mosques, expected thousands but half-an-hour into the rally the crowd was still only in its hundreds.
It opened with a recitation from the Holy Koran and before speeches began there was an impassioned appeal to everyone to keep calm. The speaker emphasised the protest was not about creating chaos. "It’s not about creating trouble,"
he said. "It’s about regis-tering our hurtful feelings that we all feel and that our beloved, beloved Prophet has been insulted in a dis-
graceful manner. "We are here to show that we are not the troublemakers, we are the peace makers."
Bradford Protest at Anti-Islamic Film
When I first arrived in Sheffield (in September of 1993), my life was in a state of flux. I had just suffered the loss of my 10 year-old son.
I had been to London to visit with Mary, the Circus Dancer (who I had met at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where I had been performing music and poetry in the street), and I was bewildered with grief.
I hitch-hiked out of Brent Cross in London in an attempt to return to Edinburgh, where I was homeless.
A man driving a red van picked me up there as well as 2 young persons who had been trying to get to Nottingham (where they both lived).The young man (after I had asked him for his name) told me that his name was Captain
Lumphammer and his girlfriend was happy to be known as “his incredible travelling companion’.
The kind man, who had picked us three up, apologised to me for only going as far as Sheffield (where he dropped me at 4.30pm in the afternoon at the Post Office on Attercliffe Road.
I made me way into the City Centre by using the path alongside the canal and arrived at Orchard Square fountain at 5.30pm, where a group of ‘punk – style’ late teenagers were sitting.To be continued....
J I M ’ s D i a r y - S H E F F I E L D R E V I S I T E D
The British Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has an-nounced it will launch an investigation into the prices of petrol and diesel to see whether a fall in oil prices is being transferred to customers. The OFT issued a call for information on Britain's petrol and diesel sector, saying that its review will address competition issues and worries about price coordination.The retail road fuels sec-tor in Britain is estimated to be worth around 32 billion pounds. Britain's petrol prices rose by 38 percent between June 2007 and June 2012, and
diesel prices by 43 per-cent over the same peri-od, according to the OFT. The body said that in light of continuing public con-cern about pump prices, it is asking the industry, motoring groups and consumer bodies to sub-mit pricing information. The OFT will explore a number of claims about how the road fuels sector in Britain is functioning, including whether reduc-tions in the price of crude oil are being reflected in falling pump prices. The findings are planned to be published in Janu-ary 2013.
Watchdog to Probe Petrol Prices
In recent years the growth of Muslim fashion has sparked, which is spanning the globe from Indonesia to Califor-nia. It is a marketplace that is growing so rapidly and in which countries, designers and trends are developing faster than you can say ‘hijab couture’.
The Olympics have just passed and a number of Mus-lim women, including those observing modest dress, from all over the world have taken
part, and include several med-allists. It’s no surprise then that Muslim-friendly sports-
wear continues to grow in popularity.
An American Muslim design-er aiming to bring her faith to the catwalk was showcased as part of New York Fashion Week in 2011. Earlier this year she established a Mus-lim modelling agency called Under Wraps.
Of course this created a de-bate in Muslim and wider cir-cles on a question discussed here by Fashionista.com:
“Can modesty and mod-eling mix?” But it’s a perti-nent development, particu-larly when considering the rise of the Muslim fashion. Muslim fashion blogging also continues to grow. Blogs list clothing, design-ers and fashion events and cheekily asks “what colour is your hijab?”.
The internet is a showcase for “hijabistas from around the world.”We’re still in full flow of wedding season in most parts of the world, but what should a bride do if she wants to be modestly dressed and fabulous on the big day? To answer this dilemma, bloggers and de-signers are springing up
to address the idea that The Bride Wears Hijab. Brides-to-be can gain inspiration
from Islamically-styled wedding outfits. Or even go to online retailers which specifically cater for Muslim brides.H e a d s c a r v e s come in all sorts of shapes, styles, fabrics and pric-es. However, they bring with them the need for accompany-ing accessories: undercaps as a ‘base’, pins and clip for securing, and brooches and other decorative items. But that’s not all that the pas-sionate hijabista needs.
Muslim fashion is a grass roots movement, and is taking off so vig-orously because of the growing segment of young Muslims you we have identified as the Muslim Fu-turists, who believe that faith and modernity are comple-mentary.
The products they consume must be modern and cutting edge, but must also assist
them in attaining the religious life that they aspire to. And that sentiment certainly seems to sum up the whole of Muslim women’s fashion: it is on the move, and that move is growing wider, more popu-lar and into the mainstream.
India and Pakistan recently signed an agreement that will ease the visa restrictions on people from both countries. The agreement was signed be-tween Interior Minister Reh-man Malik and Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna. "This is the sign of friendship," Malik said after the signing ceremony. Before the signing of the agreement, Krishna held talks with his Pakistani coun-terpart Hina Rabbani Khar.Thanks to the agreement, sen-ior citizens, aged 65 and above, in India and Pakistan can now walk across the border between the two countries and need not go through the hassles of get-ting a visa from embassies in New Delhi and Islamabad. Senior citizens will be granted visas on arrival at the Attari and Wagah border in India and Pakistan respectively.There was no such provision available for senior citizens of both countries. Under the new arrangement, senior citizens will be granted a visa on arrival valid for 45 days. Many sen-
ior citizens in the two countries have been witness to the 1947 partition in which millions of people were uprooted after India's independence and Paki-stan's creation.The new visa regime will see several changes aimed at eas-ing controls. There will be a single-entry visitor visa for a maximum period of six months but the stay cannot exceed
three months at a time and for five places (currently limited to three places). Group tourist visas, for groups of 10-50 people, has also been introduced for the first time. This will also be available for students provided they do not seek admission in the other country.Also, the business visa has been separated from the visi-
tor visa. The business visa will have to be issued within five weeks. People aged more than 65, children below 12 and eminent businessmen are ex-empted from police reporting.Another simplified rule will allow people to enter and exit from different check posts and change their mode of travel. This was not permitted earlier.Under a new category, a visi-tor visa for a maximum of five specified places may be issued for a longer period of up to two years with multiple entries to senior citizens (above 65); spouse of a national of one country married to person of another country and chil-dren below 12 accompanying parent(s).Also, a transit visa will now be issued within 36 hours instead of 72 hours.Under the existing visa agree-ment, the single entry visa is is-sued for three months for meet-ing relatives, friends, business or other legitimate purposes. However, the visa can be is-sued for a longer period not exceeding a year owing to the nature of work or business.
India, Pakistan ink Visa Pact
Work is underway along key traf-fic routes in Sheffield to keep traf-fic moving through the city. A major publicity campaign has been planned to ensure that motorists, local residents and businesses are aware of the restrictions on using bus lanes and tram gates. The aim is to help people avoid being fined and to keep traffic flowing along busy routes. Information will be publicised through press, radio and poster ad-vertisements as well as leaflets and information on the Council web site over the coming months to ex-plain the details to local people.The Council want to avoid having to fine motorists if possible, so have planned a targetted publicity cam-paign to supplement the on-street signs to ensure they are aware of the restrictions. The public should carefully check the signs for the times that they are allowed to drive in bus lanes and bus gates or when
they can park and load. The City Council has been im-plementing a programme of ex-tending weekday urban clearway times around the city since 2008. These changes affect the times when parking and loading on many of the busier routes in Sheffield is allowed. It is expected to take up to two years to complete the pro-gramme of re-signing work, with changes planned on Broad Street , Chesterfield Road and Attercliffe Road in 2012/13. The expansion of camera enforce-ment of bus lanes and gates is pro-gressing at several sites, including Bolsover Street , London Road (bus gate at Asline Road) and South Lane . Camera enforcement of the tram and bus gates at Hillsborough halved the average inbound tram journey times between 8 and 9 in the mornings following their intro-duction.
Action taken to keep Sheffield moving
Fraud-Busting Exercise
With media focus predominantly be-ing on more greener ways of travel and emitting less carbon dioxide into the air, the latest news of a new more economical way of conducting business is a taxi.Rotherham has just taken delivery of its first (green) hybrid transportation vehicle for K2 TAXIS 'the Prius Hy-brid'. Mohammed Yousaf is founder of the business which has been es-tablished for over 27 years.The Prius Hybrid is a five door hatchback powered by an electric motor at low speeds which means zero fuel consumption and zero emissions making it the greenest taxi in Rotherham. We all care about our environment and as new green technology emerges it is clear that the new hybrid system is the new way to go - this is just the be-ginning of a new eco friendly era for
Rotherham!The Hybrid Prius is the greenest car on the road and customers will find the latest shape Prius Hybrid more safe, comfortable and roomy as well as cutting our any carbon footprints.Unparalleled are its environmental benefits as it replaces our fleet of diesel cars. We hope this move to the Hybrid vehicles encourages other local businesses to invest in Hybrid vehicles as this is the future of the transportation industry. The Hybrid Prius makes both an environmen-tal and economic sense. We are in-formed that our Rotherham Council is also considering introducing a convoy of Prius vehicles hopefully this will add a boost for locals to in-crease the green spirit in Rotherham.Feel free to contact Mr Yousaf by calling 07533485076or email: [email protected]
Taxi Gone Green!
Aah! The beauty of Urdu lan-guage. I think Urdu must be the richest and the most respectful of all languages. It has adab (et-iquette) and softness. I simply love Urdu and consider myself unfortunate to not have been a formal student of this language. Specially when it comes to poetry, no other medium can match up to the eloquence of Urdu. This medium is power-ful and articulate, the speaker leaves a lasting impression on the audience. Just sample this:
“Raghon mein daurhte phirne ke hum nahin qaayal,Jo aankh hi se na tapka to phir lahoo kya hai?”
(I don’t believe in blood run-ning around in veins, the blood is not blood unless it drips from your eyes!)
Simpler translation is that you have to prove your point in an intense manner.Immigrant parents often strug-gle with personal issues, from serious to frivolous ones. But one that matters a great deal is how to keep children connected with the native country's cul-ture, its people and its language.
Even if a child's conversation skills are adequate, teaching the native language to basic fluency in reading, writing and simple comprehension remains a chal-lenge for immigrant parents. Urdu is our mother tongue and a vital part of our identity. We need the language to be able to communicate within our so-
ciety and to better understand our people, culture and history. If our children learn urdu, they will be able to enjoy and ap-preciate the rich urdu literature, urdu humor and other forms of entertainment. Children who are not taught their native lan-guage can often suffer from identity loss, alienation from their parents and grandparents or others from their home coun-try. Being grounded in one's roots gives children confidence, makes them smarter and bright-er to learn everything else as well. We should enable our children to enjoy the treasures of knowledge and literature in urdu; it would be a shame to deprive our next generation of all that
URDUA TRUE TREASURE
There will be no hiding place for benefit cheats in Rotherham this month as the local authority takes part in a national data-matching ex-ercise this autumn. The 'National Fraud Initiative' is run once every two years by the Audit Commis-sion and requires local authori-ties, such as Rotherham Borough Council, police and fire authorities, to download and share different sets of information and data.Under the Audit Commission Act of 1998, Rotherham Borough Council is required to provide housing rents data along with hous-ing benefit claimants, payroll, stu-dent loans and pension payroll.This data, such as payroll and hous-ing rents, is then cross-matched to identify possible incidences of fraud or overpayment. Examples of such matches are council tenants with council properties in two dif-ferent authorities or a public sector
employee claiming housing benefit but tailing to declare an income that would preclude or reduce en-titlement to benefits. The last National Fraud Initiative in 2010/11 helped trace almost £229 million in fraud, error and overpayments in England.Coun. Jahangir Akhtar, Deputy Leader of Rotherham Borough Council, welcomed the initiative. He said: "Although we are obliged to take part in this scheme it is well worthwhile because such schemes do have a a positive effect on ben-efit fraudsters. Since the initiative began in 1996, the programme has helped identify a massive £939 million in fraud or error and as a result the initiative has attracted international recognition. More importantly it means that more money is going to the people who really need it."
Well done to The Abby's Diner - England National Champions of 2012. They go on to play the Australian National Champions at Lord's in the 2013 LMS World Champs opening match!
Abby's Diners - The Road to Lord's Abby's Diner started their LMS journey by entering the local Rotherham league. They quali-fied for Rotherham finals day and defeated Global XI in the fi-nal to secure a spot in the region-al finals. They made it through to the West & South Yorkshire re-gional final where they oversaw a young but talented Barnsley Griffins side. By winning their regional final they became one of 13 teams, from all over the country, who qualified for for national finals weekend at Neston CC! Abby's Diner arrived at the LMS national championship full of confidence but quickly realised the level of competition had gone up a few notches. Their opening match against AZ Sports was one of the outstanding games of the tournament! AZ Sports, from Guildford, batted first and posted a competitive first inning score of 140 on a wet wicket. In reply Abby's Diner run chase never really got going and they lost wickets at regular intervals.
AZ Sports dropped a few vital catches that could have closed out the game but good sides don't give up and Abby's Diner found a way back into the contest. A dramatic final over left Abby's Diner needing one run off the last ball to win the game. They scrambled through for extremely tight single. All 8 AZ players went up for the appeal. It was referred to the third umpire! The green light was shown and Ab-by's Diner had scraped through to the National 1/4 finals. In the 1/4 final they came up against the 2011 champions, Team Manchester and Mr Gha-far, won the toss again and elect-ed wisely to bowl. Team Man-chester Skipper, Mohammed Ali, was run out in the first over and Team Manchester were im-mediately on the back foot. The Abby's Diner opening bowlers consistently hit good areas and took 3 more early wickets. Team Manchester were under pres-sure for the first time since the 2012 World Champs semi final in Cape Town.Team Manches-ter's were guilty of not adjust-ing to the conditions and it was only Imran Mirza who offered any resistance. Mirza showed
his class playing a lone hand but when he was dismissed they were bowled out for under a 100.Yawar Saradar bowled a brilliant spell upfront and was quickly becoming one of the stars of the tournament. In reply the Abby's Diner run chase was well thought out. They played risk free cricket and after 10 overs they were 50 for the loss of 1 wicket. They increased the tempo in the 11th
over and won comfortably in the end, much to the delight of the Yorkshire supporters on the Neston CC balcony! Yorkshire had beaten Lancashire for the first time in LMS history. The favourites and defending cham-pions had crashed out of the tournament to the better team on the day! In the semi final Abby's Diner came up against a very strong AON All Stars side from Lon-don. The AON All Stars were still buzzing from their 1/4 win over the Speedline Super Stars. Speedline Super Stars from Mil-ton Keynes struggled to 99 all out. In reply AON were cruising but collapsed to 80 for 7. In any other format of the game Clem-ens Louw would have been left stranded and Speedline Super Stars would have been through to the semi finals. But with LMS cricket the Last Man Stands. Clemens was alone at the crease and had 23 balls to score the 20 runs required to win the game. He held his nerve and saw AON through to the semi finals with some superb hitting down the ground! The semi final between AON and Abby's Diner was another cracking game of cricket that could have gone either way. AON batted first and Khalique Ahmed came out firing, smash-
ing 3 sixes in the first over. After 5 overs AON were cruising with 50 runs on the board and all 8 wickets in hand. At the 10 over stage they were on 85 for 2 and it looked as if they were heading for a score of around 160. Abby's Diner took the pace off the ball in the second 10 overs and AON only managed to get 137.
This still looked to be a com-petitive score. In reply Abby's Diner were 14 for 2 and at this
point it looked as if it could be an All London final between Old Seagullians and AON. With knowledge that both openers were back in the hut, AON, went for the kill and it almost paid off but Johny Younis and Taz Tahir were dropped before they reached double figures. Younis and Tahir took full advantage and both went on to retire, hit-ting 50 not out off 31 balls.The retirement of Younis and Tahir resulted in the run rate dropping and AON managed to take the game to the last over. Abby's Diner knocked off the winning runs with a few balls to spare and were through to the grand final against Old Seagul-lians.
The Grand Final Abby's Diner batted first. They got off to a slow but steady start and at 50 for 1 after 8 overs it seemed like they were on target for a score of around 130. But Zaheer Suliman in particular was in destructive form at the back end of the innings. He smashed it to all parts of the ground in the last 7 overs and Abby's Diner ended up setting a target of 156. In reply the Old Seagullians skipper, Ali Baird, was removed early doors by Yawar Saradar. Ali had played superbly in the semi final against MK united
and this was a huge wicket for Abby's Diner. This brought the South African, Russel Collet, to the crease. Collet, who had smashed 52 runs off 10 balls in the 1/4 final, quickly took the game to Abby's Diner. He was particularly severe on anything short and hit four huge sixes in the first 5 overs. Sam Trail fed the strike to Collet and when Old Seagullians reached 60 in the 6th over Collet had scored 45 of the runs.
Old Seagullians looked to be cruising to victory but with the score on 65 in the 7th over Collet was caught on the long off boundary. It was a brilliant innings of 47 from 21 balls but in hindsight Collet will regret the shot he played to get out. Taking a few more balls to get to his 50 might have been the better option. Despite this Collet was the outstanding batsman of the tournament and deserved
the LMS UK batting award for 2012. He had played his team into a winning position and had done his job. Old Seagullians lost too many wickets in the middle overs and ended up being bowled out for 120 with 3.5 over still to go. Naveed Sajawal and Rhaman Attiq were the stand out bowlers for Abby's Diner in the final and deserve a lot of credit for get-ting Abby's Diner back into the game. In saying that it was a bril-liant team effort from a team in their debut season of LMS. They have lots of options in the bowling department and big hitters all the way down the order. For Mr. Ghafar and his team it was a brilliant end to an incredible journey this summer. They now go on to play against the Australian champions at the opening match of the 2013 world champs at Lord's. Star bowler Yawar Saradar was interviewed after the game and said the team is looking forward to the 2013 season. He said they will be going all out to ensure the LMS World Championship trophy is won by a team from England for the first time ever!
England National ChampionsAbby’s Diner Crowned UK Champions 2012
