Recorded by Rickin Majithia for City University journalism department in October 2006.

Photo copyright, Press Association. 

Background story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5411954.stm

Does the Islamic veil have a place in British society?

The Indian general in charge of the deadly raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984 has dismissed claims that the UK colluded in the operation.

Lt Gen Kuldeep Singh Brar said there was "no question" the Thatcher administration advised Delhi, reports say.

British PM David Cameron has ordered an investigation into the claims.

It comes after MP Tom Watson told the BBC he had seen declassified documents revealing the alleged involvement.

The storming of the Golden Temple was aimed at flushing out Sikh separatists.

The controversial raid, codenamed Operation Blue Star, outraged Sikhs around the world, who accused troops of desecrating the faith's holiest shrine.

Gen Brar, himself a Sikh, has survived several assassination attempts including an attack in central London in 2012.

The Indian government says about 400 people were killed in Operation Blue Star in June 1984 - including 87 soldiers. Sikh groups dispute this figure and say thousands died, including a large number of pilgrims who were visiting the temple.

The Sikh separatists were demanding an independent homeland - called Khalistan - in Punjab.

Mr Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, said he had seen "top secret papers from Mrs Thatcher authorising Special Air Services (SAS) to work with the Indian government".

On Tuesday, the UK government said the cabinet secretary's investigation would try to establish the facts "as quickly as possible" but that he would also look at whether the papers should have been released or not.

A spokesperson for Mr Cameron had earlier said these events "led to a tragic loss of life and we understand the very legitimate concerns that these papers will raise".

The statement added that the prime minister and foreign secretary "were unaware of these papers prior to publication".

Mr Watson cited two letters that have only just been released under the 30-year rule and published on the blog Stop Deportations.

One, dated 6 February 1984 from the prime minister's office, talks about the "Indian request for advice on plans for the removal of dissident Sikhs from the Golden Temple". It states that the prime minister is "content that the foreign secretary should proceed as he proposes".

Mr Watson also said the UK government appeared to have "held back" some documents and must disclose more information.

The Indian government has not yet commented on the reports.

India's main opposition BJP has called on the government to come out with the "facts", according to local media.

Operation Blue Star led to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was killed by her Sikh bodyguards in revenge.

Did the SAS have a role in the 1984 assault on the Golden Temple?

Police in India's West Bengal state have arrested 13 men in connection with a gang rape of a woman, allegedly on orders of village elders who objected to her relationship with a man.
The 20-year-old woman has been admitted to a hospital in a critical condition.
Unofficial courts in India's villages often sanction killings of couples deemed to have violated local codes.
Scrutiny of sexual violence in India has grown since the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus.
The government tightened laws on sexual violence last year after widespread protests following the attack.
But violence and discrimination against women remain deeply entrenched in India's staunchly patriarchal society.
The suspects were produced in court and have been remanded in custody. They have not yet made any public comment.
Police said the latest incident on Monday night was prompted by the relationship between a woman belonging to the Santhal tribal group and a non-tribal man from a nearby village in Birbhum district.
Clan-based village councils made up of local elders wield great influence over life in large swathes of rural India and often mete out punishments for offences deemed to contravene local traditions and mores.
Although honour killings, sanctioned by unofficial courts that are common in parts of northern India, are unheard of in the tribal Santhal community, women are still treated as second class citizens.

"The relationship was going on for almost five years. When the man visited the woman's home on Monday with the proposal of marriage, villagers spotted him and organised a kangaroo court. During the 'proceedings', the couple were made to sit with hands tied," Birbhum police chief C Sudhakar told the BBC.
He said the headman of the woman's village fined the couple 25,000 rupees ($400; £240) for "the crime of falling in love".
The man paid up, but the woman's family were unable to pay, police said.
The headman, who is a distant relative of the woman, then allegedly ordered the rape, Mr Sudhakar said.
"Her family could not pay, so go enjoy the girl and have fun," the headman reportedly told villagers, according to a complaint filed by the woman's family.
The 13 men arrested in connection with the incident include the headman.
Although the attack took place on Monday night, the family of the woman gathered courage to go to the police on Wednesday afternoon. The woman was admitted to a hospital only on Wednesday night.
She is currently being cared for by a five-member medical team in hospital, local officials say.
The incident has led to outrage in India with some describing it as "inhuman and completely outrageous" and many calling for a quick trial and punishment for the rapists.
"In a democratic country, based upon the rule of law, no vigilantism can be permitted," India's Information Minister Manish Tewari said.
"The West Bengal police must thoroughly investigate the alleged gang rape... and bring to justice those responsible. Authorities must also ensure that the woman and her family receive immediate and adequate police protection," Amnesty International's Divya Iyer said.
Correspondents say rape is a common occurrence in India with many cases still going unreported, despite the heightened media attention in recent months.
Although India has tightened its anti-rape laws and society is more openly discussing cases of violence against women, women across India still live with the daily fear of sexual assault and victims still often have to deal with police apathy.
In 2010, village elders in Birbhum ordered at least three tribal women to strip and walk naked in front of large crowds in West Bengal, police say.
The women were being punished for "having close relations" with men from other communities.

India: Woman gang-raped on orders of 'kangaroo court'

US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has alleged the National Security Agency engaged in industrial espionage.

In an interview with Germany's ARD TV channel, the former NSA contractor said the agency would spy on big German companies that competed with US firms.

Mr Snowden, who was granted temporary asylum by Russia, also said he believed that US officials wanted to kill him.

His leaks caused outrage in Germany when it came to light Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone had been bugged.

After the row broke out last year, Mrs Merkel accused the US of an unacceptable breach of trust.

Last week President Barack Obama indicated to Germany's ZDF TV that US bugging of 

Mrs Merkel's mobile phone had been a mistake and would not happen again.

Mr Snowden's new allegation about industrial spying may make it harder to rebuild trans-Atlantic trust, the BBC's Stephen Evans reports from Berlin.

Referring to the German engineering company Siemens, Mr Snowden told ARD: "If there is information at Siemens that they [the NSA] think would be beneficial to the national interests, not the national security, of the United States, they will go after that information and they'll take it."

He also said he believed US agents want to kill him, referring to an article published by the Buzzfeed website in which intelligence operatives are quoted as saying they want to see him dead.

In August Russia granted Mr Snowden asylum for one year, after he leaked details of US electronic surveillance programmes.

The US has charged Mr Snowden with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Each of the charges carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Earlier this week he said he has "no chance" of a fair trial in the US and has no plans to return there.

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Snowden: NSA conducts industrial espionage. BBC Newshour speaks to former UK intelligence chief

Ukraine has ordered a full military mobilisation in response to Russia's build-up of its forces in Crimea.

Prime Minster Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the country was "on the brink of disaster".

US President Barack Obama has called Russian troop deployments a "violation of Ukrainian sovereignty".

Nato is conducting emergency talks on the crisis. Its secretary-general has said Russia's actions "threatened peace and security in Europe".

Several other measures were announced on Sunday by national security officials:

The armed forces would be put on "full combat readiness".

Reserves to be mobilised and trained

Ukraine's foreign minister will seek the help of US and UK leaders in guaranteeing its security

Emergency headquarters to be set up

Increased security at key sites, including nuclear plants.

Airspace closed to all non-civilian aircraft.

The BBC has seen what appear to be Russian troops digging trenches on the Crimean border.

Heavily armed groups continue to occupy key sites on the peninsula, including airports and communications hubs, although there has been no actual violence.

Tensions are high in Crimea, with several stand-offs reported around Ukrainian military bases.

One Ukrainian base was surrounded by Russian troops in Perevalnoe, south of the regional capital Simferopol, with another base in Sevastopol being blockaded by a pro-Russian "self-defence unit".

In the Crimean port city of Feodosia, a group of Ukrainian marines were also blockaded into their base.

Armed men surrounded the base demanding that the garrison pledge loyalty to the region's new pro-Russian authorities.

Around 100 marines are thought to be inside the base.

Observers have been watching a build-up of Russian military activity in Crimea - home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet - for the past few days.

Reports say two Russian anti-submarine warships have appeared off the coast of Crimea in violation of an agreement governing the presence of Russia's Fleet in the peninsula.

Russian soldiers are widely reported to be guarding a number of administrative buildings and military bases in Crimea. Parliament, airports, the state television building and telecommunications hubs have also been surrounded.

Some 6,000 extra Russian troops and 30 additional armoured vehicles are now in Crimea, Ukrainian Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh said on Saturday.

The newly-elected pro-Moscow leader of Crimea, Sergiy Aksyonov, said he had appealed to Mr Putin for help to ensure peace on the peninsula.

The interim government in Kiev does not recognise Mr Aksyonov and his government, and signed a decree on Saturday that their election at an emergency session of the regional parliament this week was illegal.

On Saturday, Mr Obama held a 90-minute telephone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and urged him to pull forces back to bases in Crimea.

Mr Putin said Moscow reserved the right to protect its interests and those of Russian speakers in Ukraine.

President Putin submitted his request for troops to the Russian parliament on Saturday "in connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of Russian citizens", the Kremlin said.

The US, France and Canada say they are suspending preparations for a G8 summit in the Russian resort of Sochi in June as a reaction to the deployment, with Canada also recalling its ambassador from Moscow for consultations.

Mr Obama, the White House said, told Mr Putin that the appropriate way to address any concerns "is peacefully through direct engagement" with the Ukrainian government and international mediating bodies.

He told Mr Putin his actions were a "breach of international law, including Russia's obligations under the UN Charter, and of its 1997 military basing agreement with Ukraine", a statement added.

The Kremlin said that in his phone call with Mr Obama, President Putin "underlined that there are real threats to the life and health of Russian citizens and compatriots on Ukrainian territory".

 © BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26405635

Picture Credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister speaks to Newshour amid fears of war with Russia

Crimea is voting on whether to rejoin Russia or stay with Ukraine but with more autonomy.

The referendum has been condemned as "illegal" by Kiev and the West but is backed by Moscow.

Since the fall of Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian troops have in effect taken control of the majority ethnic-Russian region.

Voters are expected to support leaving Ukraine, but Crimean Tatars are boycotting the poll.

There are reports of a high turnout at polling stations visited by the BBC in the capital, Simferopol, and mainly Tartar Bakhchisaray. But all Tartars spoken to by the BBC in Bakhchisaray said they would not vote.

Election official Mykhaylo Malyshev said there had been a "record-breaking turnout" of 44.27%, after six hours of voting.

Voting across Crimea started at 08:00 local time and will close at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).



Photo credit: AFP PHOTO/SERGEI SUPINSKYSERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images


Crimea referendum: Timeline

As Malaysia's prime minister has announced his conclusion that missing flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean, Newshour spoke to the brother of Chandrika Sharma - she is also featured in this 2006 video. 

http://vimeo.com/58692024

Picture source: http://smallscales.ca/2014/03/20/chandrika-sharma/

Flight MH370 - Brother pays tribute to his sister

Abu Hamza, the radical Muslim cleric, has been found guilty of supporting terrorism by a New York court.

He was accused of conspiring to aid organisations like al-Qaeda.

Abu Hamza, who was extradited from the UK in 2012 after an eight-year legal battle, denied all the charges. He now faces a possible life sentence.

The BBC World Service spoke to former Deputy Head of the CIA's Counter Terrorism Centre, Philip Mudd.

Image: AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSENODD ANDERSEN/AFP/GettyImages 

Abu Hamza found guilty of terror charges in New York

Unedited excerpt of a 26 minute interview with Moazzam Begg with Lawrence Pollard on the World Service discussing his views on tackling ISIS. Recorded at 0830 on the 8th of October 2014. 

Moazzam Begg: I won't work with the government to tackle ISIS

Apparently, the best thing men can do to attract a partner is become a father. At least, that's the idea behind a hugely popular social media site - the DILFS of Disneyland - which has attracted nearly 200,000 followers in three months. If you've heard of a MILF, well, DILF is supposedly the male equivalent. But not everyone's sure it's a thing. Best selling author Kathy Lette joined us. 

DILFS - The new Male ideal?

The role of Muslims in the British Army

BBC Newshour: UN Cancels Gaza marathon after Hamas objections on women running with men. 

Owen Bennett Jones speaks to a Palestinian American woman who hoped to run in a mixed sex marathon, and a Hamas supporter who'd rather she didn't. 

Rick-Maj

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