Tributes pitchside for victims of the Hillsborough disaster
It has been quite an emotional day. April 15th - 22 years on, football fans have been remembering the 96 Liverpool fans who went to an FA Cup game at Hillsborough and never came home. As their fight for justice continues, over 12,000 came out in force and brought Anfield's infamous Kop end to life. Gone but never forgotten. RIP.
Another weekend, another big protest and more nasty scenes on the streets of London. I need not tell you the story of what happened but would draw your attention to some of the footage I captured trawling through the city. I was (if you follow me on twitter) also tweeting updates (with pictures) throughout the day.
To sum it up, it was the biggest street party of the year as they came, danced and a minority decided to smash the place up. Here's my footage (HD) - A rant, scuffles, fire and more trouble:
1) This dude having a go at the police.
2) Scuffles - there were plenty of them.
3) A fire and more screaming.
4) Protesters being a nuisance for the police (non-HD)
On the 4th Thursday of November, Americans across the world celebrate Thanksgiving day. This year, once again, the festivities have started. I went out to explore how people in London are celebrating Thanksgiving.
Featuring -
Dr. Barry Gaeddert - Senior Pastor of the International Community Church of Surrey. Briand Beausoleil - Dr. Marcia Balisciano, Director, Benjamin Franklin House. Paul Drury - Curator, Pork & Pickle Pie Comedy Club.
More and more bikes are being stolen in London. (Image: thisislondon.co.uk)
Since the launch of the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme by London Mayor Boris Johnson, only 5 bicycles have been stolen from the 6,000 available on the streets of London. However, more and more ordinary bikes are being stolen in the city on a regular basis with over 18,000 being stolen this year. So what is TFL doing to tackle bike theft and how can cyclists safeguard their bikes?
Featuring -
PC Rob Johnston - Member of TFL-funded Metropolitan Police Cycle Taskforce.
Sachin Tendulkar picked up two awards on the night.
Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, music artist AR Rahman and newscaster George Alagiah OBE were amongst the winners at the inaugural Asian Awards 2010 in London last night.
In a star-studded ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and film director Yash Chopra were also on the winners list. The awards, celebrating South Asian achievement and excellence were hosted by Lord Sebastian Coe and featured some of the biggest names from the world of showbiz, business, sports and politics. Renowned Bollywood playback singer Sonu Niigaam also gave a rare live performance.
The star of the show was Tendulkar, who won two awards, including the 'Outstanding Achievement in Sport' award, along with the 'Lebara People's Choice' award. His fellow countrymen, Rahman and Chopra were also awarded. The former picked up the 'Outstanding Achievement in Music' award, whilst the latter won the 'Outstanding Achievement in Cinema' award. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan was given the prestigious 'Lifetime Achievement' award but was unable to collect it due to family commitments. Vijay Mallya was the 'Entrepreneur of the Year,' whilst BBC's Alagiah was recognised for his 'Outstanding Achievement in Television.'
Sonu Niigaam performed live at the Asian Awards 2010.
Here are just some of the guests we spotted - Deputy PM Nick Clegg, Jermaine Jackson, Nasser Hussain OBE, William Gallas, Gurinder Chadha, Christian Louboutin, James Caan, Nina Wadia, Simon Webbe and Monty Panesar.
Caroline Jackson Levy, Managing Director of the Asian Awards said:
"We are delighted at the incredible success of the inaugural Asian Awards. Through the Asian Awards we begin to build a legacy for the South Asian community and through the achievements of our winners, to inspire the millions of us who strive to be the best we can.
We are honoured to have been joined by so many world figures – with the support of the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Nasser Hussain OBE, Christian Louboutin, Sonu Niigaam and other major personalities, the Asian Awards were a spectacular success."
You can listen to audio highlights from the evening on the umaronline Audioboo channel or click on the players below.
From the ceremony -
Interviews:
Photos -
Jermaine Jackson
Nina Wadia
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla with Dimple Kapadia
Cleo Isaacs
Gurinder Chadha
Deputy PM Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP
Caroline Jackson Levy, MD of UBM
Lord Sebastian Coe
Diana Brightmore Armour, CEO Corporate Banking, Lloyds Banking Group
George Alagiah OBE with Nina Wadia and Neeraj Arora, VP Sony Entertainment
Yash Chopra
Vijay Mallya
Sachin Tendulkar
Lebara CEO Ratheesan Yoganathan with Sachin Tendulkar
Earlier this week, I caught up with renowned food critic and The Times columnist Giles Coren, at the launch of his book 'Anger Management for Beginners.' The star of the Supersizers series is well known for his witty writing style and somewhat controversial outbursts. In an exclusive interview, he spoke about his book, his life, the past controversies (including that e-mail), the cuts, his favourite restaurant and his cooking skills. He even passed comment on cookery shows like MasterChef. This is one not to be missed.
Giles Coren was interviewed at an event to mark the launch of the paperback edition of his book, 'Anger Management for Beginners.' The book is available for purchase from Amazon, Waterstones and most other book retailers.
Hard line Islamic extremism is being promoted at City University London, according to a counter-terrorism think tank. According to a report published by Quilliam, City University Islamic society (Isoc) has been involved in the intimidation of staff, students and members of minority groups. The Daily Mail article can be read HERE. The full 39-page report can be downloaded HERE.
This is an interesting story and one that leads many to ask: what is the Government doing to tackle the potential homegrown terror threat? Radicalisation on University campuses across the country is potentially one the biggest threats to UK national security. So, what do we do about it? Let me know what you think. Your comments, as always are welcomed on this post or though e-mail, via the contact page.
Here is some of the latest reaction to this story from various bodies:
An exclusive interview with the author of the Quilliam report - Lucy James.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, from LGBT rights group OutRage! "This report is a wake-up call to complacent university authorities and student unions. They too often look the other way while Islamists foment hatred and intolerance among the student population. It is a strong defence of the vast majority of Muslim students who do not share an extremist mindset and who frequently face ostracism and denunciation by fundamentalists. Quilliam have produced a thorough expose of the way Islamist extremists are bullying and threatening other students. It highlights sexist, homophobic and anti-Semitic intimidation, and the victimisation of Muslims and non-believers who do not adhere to hard-line fundamentalist Islam. Radicalisation often begins with the promotion of misogynistic, queer-baiting and anti-Jewish prejudice; together with the stirring up of hostility against Muslims who believe in other strands of Islam or have abandoned their faith. Such intolerance is can be a gateway to Islamist extremism. That’s why it should never be ignored or tolerated. City University would never host white supremacists who incite racism and racial violence. Why the double standards?"
Qasim Rafiq, Head of Media at Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) said: "It is important that claims of extremism or radicalisation are investigated with maturity, responsibility and evidence, not with sensationalism and speculation. If anyone has been threatened by any individual, be they Muslim or non-Muslim, then this is a major cause for concern and is something that must be addressed through the appropriate channels, i.e. through the union, dean of students, and if serious enough, then the police. Campuses should be safe havens for all individuals and we request that any such incident be reported as a matter of urgency to the relevant authorities. In order to ensure that such claims can be fully investigated, it is vital that evidence is not simply anecdotal but is supplemented with other, more concrete forms of evidence. For example, when 3 Muslim students at City University were stabbed, reports were obtained from a number of eyewitnesses as well as CCTV footage and involved the relevant university authorities and police who immediately carried out a thorough investigation. With regards to allegations of radicalisation, again it is important to recognise the importance of freedom of expression and the role of academic institutions in preserving this important principle. We continue to maintain our stance that individuals should be free to express their views and opinions on campus as long as such views are not considered illegal. If there are concerns about some of the views expressed by members of the Islamic Society, then we have more than adequate legislation in this country to deal with such views and there is full recourse to the courts of law. Freedom of expression on university campuses, however, is under real threat and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that in the interests of academic freedom, such rights are protected. Universities are meant to be arenas for academic debate and discussion and if we begin to start clamping down on views which aren't considered illegal, then we begin the to tread the dangerous path of self-censorship."
Tehmina Kazi, Director, British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD) said: "British Muslims for Secular Democracy supports the recommendations contained within the Quilliam Foundation briefing paper. It is clear that the activities and general attitudes of the City University ISoc impinge on free speech, and in the longer term, lead to separatism and the deterioration of good relations on campus. They are quick to accuse the authorities of “religious discrimination,” when these matters are brought to their attention, but this is clearly a case of trying to deflect the spotlight away from their own failures on equality (be it gender equality, sexual orientation or the treatment of people with different religious and non-religious beliefs). Fellow students – Muslim and non-Muslim alike – have (quite rightly) raised grievances as a result of this unacceptable conduct. BMSD hopes that City University fully addresses their concerns, and protects them from any harassment or intimidation that could arise."
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Everything on this site is written by Umar Farooq in a personal capacity and should not be attributed to any organisation with which he may be associated. None of the information constitutes professional advice, and no legal responsibility is accepted to anyone who acts, or refrains from acting, as a result of reading or watching anything posted on this site.
