[UK News] from [The Guardian]
MI5 faces fresh torture allegations
Ex-civil servant to sue home secretary over alleged complicity in beatings
Ian Cobain
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 26 May 2009 21.36 BST
Article history
The home secretary Jacqui Smith faces legal action over allegations that MI5 agents colluded in the torture of a British former civil servant by Bangladeshi intelligence officers.
Lawyers for the British man, Jamil Rahman, are to file a damages claim alleging that Smith was complicit in assault, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and breaches of human rights legislation over his alleged ill-treatment while detained in Bangladesh.
The claims bring to three the number of countries in which British intelligence agents have been accused of colluding in the torture of UK nationals. Rahman says that he was the victim of repeated beatings over a period of more than two years at the hands of Bangladeshi intelligence officers, and he claims that a pair of MI5 officers were blatantly involved in his ordeal.
The two men would leave the room where he was being interrogated whenever he refused to answer their questions, he says, and he would be severely beaten. They would then return to the room to resume the interrogation.
On occasion, he adds, his wife would be held in a nearby cell, and his torturers would threaten to rape her if he did not cooperate. Rahman's lawyers say that there is a wealth of evidence to support his allegations, including eyewitness testimony and medical evidence. Rahman was also able to provide his lawyers with the number of a mobile telephone that he says was used by one of the MI5 officers and a number for MI5 in London.
Rahman remains deeply traumatised, and is receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. His lawyer, Imran Khan, wrote to Smith last week putting her on notice of the intention to start proceedings. Smith and MI5 declined to comment; the Home Office said it would respond to Khan in due course.
Rahman's allegations follow recent claims of British collusion in the torture of a British citizen in Egypt, and growing evidence that MI5 officers have aided and abetted in the torture of several people in Pakistan.
Two high court judges say they have seen what they describe as "powerful evidence" of the torture by Pakistani agents of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident who was questioned by MI5 after being beaten and deprived of sleep, and was later "rendered" to Morocco for even more brutal torture.
In another case, MI5 and Greater Manchester Police drew up a list of questions for officers of a notorious intelligence agency to put to Rangzieb Ahmed while he was illegally detained in Pakistan.
Several other men have come forward to say they have been questioned by British intelligence officers after being tortured by Pakistani agents. Not all have gone on to be charged or convicted of terrorism: some have been innocent people who were released without charge.
The alleged complicity of the MI5 officers who failed to report or do anything to prevent torture appears to be in line with a secret government-approved interrogation policy at the time. Gordon Brown has ordered a review of the policy, but there have been numerous calls for an independent inquiry into the affair.
Among those demanding an inquiry are opposition leaders David Cameron and Nick Clegg; Ken Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions; Lord Carlile of Berriew, the government's independent reviewer of counter-terrorism legislation; Lord Howe, foreign secretary in the Thatcher government, and Lord Guthrie, former chief of defence staff.
Rahman, 31, settled in Bangladesh in 2005 after marrying a woman he met while travelling in the country.
He returned to the UK last year and embarked upon legal action once his wife and child were able to join him earlier this month.
Rahman has not been questioned by police since his return, no attempt has been made to arrest him and he has not been subjected to a control order.
[World News] from [The Guardian]
Swine flu outbreak at Birmingham school infects 44
Welford school, hit by biggest outbreak in UK, will undergo 'deep clean' during half-term holiday
Polly Curtis and Helen Pidd
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 26 May 2009 17.49 BST
Article history
An outbreak of swine flu at a Birmingham primary school led to 44 new cases of the virus being confirmed yesterday, the largest number in a single day since the spread began.
Pupils at Welford primary in Handsworth, Birmingham, began feeling ill last week when three cases were initially diagnosed. Yesterday, lab results confirmed a further 44 infections at the school. They included 41 children and three adults. Three more people from the east of England and London were also diagnosed, taking the total in the UK so far to 184, the Department of Health said.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) insisted that high rates of infection were to be expected in school environments where children come into close contact with one another. The school is closed this week for half term and expected to open for all pupils who are feeling well next week.
Before the holidays began, the headteacher informed the HPA there had been an unusually high number of absences owing to illness. At least 100 children had been off sick, according to local reports. As a result of the first confirmed case, all parents and staff were told either to attend the school over the weekend to collect antiviral medication or to receive medical attention at home.
A joint statement issued by the school and the HPA, posted on the school's website, says that it is undergoing a "deep clean" of the premises during the holiday before it reopens. The headteacher, Chris Smith, was unavailable for comment yesterday.
The HPA said that all confirmed cases are being treated at home with antivirals and are responding well to treatment. HPA officers contacted every parent of children in the school as well as teachers to find out if they have symptoms.
A spokeswoman for the HPA said that they had not yet identified the source of the outbreak. "The initial case is still under investigation. The vast majority of cases have been in people recently returning from an infected country or who have been in close contact with someone who has just returned. This is one of a very small number of cases where there isn't that history," she said.
The school recently featured in a BBC2 documentary called The Primary, about building a multicultural school community with children of 17 different nationalities. The school has 420 pupils and 60 in its nursery unit.
Almost 50 countries have now confirmed cases of swine flu and about 13,000 people around the world have been diagnosed with the virus. The death toll from the virus in Mexico stands at 83, while 12 people have died in the United States and two have died in Canada.
Of four cases confirmed on Monday in the UK, one was yesterday revealed to be a two-year-old boy from Oxford.
A DoH spokesman said: "The localised cases of swine flu found in the UK have so far been mild, and we have not seen evidence of widespread community transmission. Our strategy of containing the spread with anti-virals appears to have been effective in reducing symptoms and preventing further spread of infection.
"But we must not be complacent – it is right to prepare for the possibility of a global pandemic. The UK's arrangements are continuing, to ensure that we are well-placed to deal with this new infection.
MI5 faces fresh torture allegations
Ex-civil servant to sue home secretary over alleged complicity in beatings
Ian Cobain
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 26 May 2009 21.36 BST
Article history
The home secretary Jacqui Smith faces legal action over allegations that MI5 agents colluded in the torture of a British former civil servant by Bangladeshi intelligence officers.
Lawyers for the British man, Jamil Rahman, are to file a damages claim alleging that Smith was complicit in assault, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and breaches of human rights legislation over his alleged ill-treatment while detained in Bangladesh.
The claims bring to three the number of countries in which British intelligence agents have been accused of colluding in the torture of UK nationals. Rahman says that he was the victim of repeated beatings over a period of more than two years at the hands of Bangladeshi intelligence officers, and he claims that a pair of MI5 officers were blatantly involved in his ordeal.
The two men would leave the room where he was being interrogated whenever he refused to answer their questions, he says, and he would be severely beaten. They would then return to the room to resume the interrogation.
On occasion, he adds, his wife would be held in a nearby cell, and his torturers would threaten to rape her if he did not cooperate. Rahman's lawyers say that there is a wealth of evidence to support his allegations, including eyewitness testimony and medical evidence. Rahman was also able to provide his lawyers with the number of a mobile telephone that he says was used by one of the MI5 officers and a number for MI5 in London.
Rahman remains deeply traumatised, and is receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. His lawyer, Imran Khan, wrote to Smith last week putting her on notice of the intention to start proceedings. Smith and MI5 declined to comment; the Home Office said it would respond to Khan in due course.
Rahman's allegations follow recent claims of British collusion in the torture of a British citizen in Egypt, and growing evidence that MI5 officers have aided and abetted in the torture of several people in Pakistan.
Two high court judges say they have seen what they describe as "powerful evidence" of the torture by Pakistani agents of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident who was questioned by MI5 after being beaten and deprived of sleep, and was later "rendered" to Morocco for even more brutal torture.
In another case, MI5 and Greater Manchester Police drew up a list of questions for officers of a notorious intelligence agency to put to Rangzieb Ahmed while he was illegally detained in Pakistan.
Several other men have come forward to say they have been questioned by British intelligence officers after being tortured by Pakistani agents. Not all have gone on to be charged or convicted of terrorism: some have been innocent people who were released without charge.
The alleged complicity of the MI5 officers who failed to report or do anything to prevent torture appears to be in line with a secret government-approved interrogation policy at the time. Gordon Brown has ordered a review of the policy, but there have been numerous calls for an independent inquiry into the affair.
Among those demanding an inquiry are opposition leaders David Cameron and Nick Clegg; Ken Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions; Lord Carlile of Berriew, the government's independent reviewer of counter-terrorism legislation; Lord Howe, foreign secretary in the Thatcher government, and Lord Guthrie, former chief of defence staff.
Rahman, 31, settled in Bangladesh in 2005 after marrying a woman he met while travelling in the country.
He returned to the UK last year and embarked upon legal action once his wife and child were able to join him earlier this month.
Rahman has not been questioned by police since his return, no attempt has been made to arrest him and he has not been subjected to a control order.
[World News] from [The Guardian]
Swine flu outbreak at Birmingham school infects 44
Welford school, hit by biggest outbreak in UK, will undergo 'deep clean' during half-term holiday
Polly Curtis and Helen Pidd
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 26 May 2009 17.49 BST
Article history
An outbreak of swine flu at a Birmingham primary school led to 44 new cases of the virus being confirmed yesterday, the largest number in a single day since the spread began.
Pupils at Welford primary in Handsworth, Birmingham, began feeling ill last week when three cases were initially diagnosed. Yesterday, lab results confirmed a further 44 infections at the school. They included 41 children and three adults. Three more people from the east of England and London were also diagnosed, taking the total in the UK so far to 184, the Department of Health said.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) insisted that high rates of infection were to be expected in school environments where children come into close contact with one another. The school is closed this week for half term and expected to open for all pupils who are feeling well next week.
Before the holidays began, the headteacher informed the HPA there had been an unusually high number of absences owing to illness. At least 100 children had been off sick, according to local reports. As a result of the first confirmed case, all parents and staff were told either to attend the school over the weekend to collect antiviral medication or to receive medical attention at home.
A joint statement issued by the school and the HPA, posted on the school's website, says that it is undergoing a "deep clean" of the premises during the holiday before it reopens. The headteacher, Chris Smith, was unavailable for comment yesterday.
The HPA said that all confirmed cases are being treated at home with antivirals and are responding well to treatment. HPA officers contacted every parent of children in the school as well as teachers to find out if they have symptoms.
A spokeswoman for the HPA said that they had not yet identified the source of the outbreak. "The initial case is still under investigation. The vast majority of cases have been in people recently returning from an infected country or who have been in close contact with someone who has just returned. This is one of a very small number of cases where there isn't that history," she said.
The school recently featured in a BBC2 documentary called The Primary, about building a multicultural school community with children of 17 different nationalities. The school has 420 pupils and 60 in its nursery unit.
Almost 50 countries have now confirmed cases of swine flu and about 13,000 people around the world have been diagnosed with the virus. The death toll from the virus in Mexico stands at 83, while 12 people have died in the United States and two have died in Canada.
Of four cases confirmed on Monday in the UK, one was yesterday revealed to be a two-year-old boy from Oxford.
A DoH spokesman said: "The localised cases of swine flu found in the UK have so far been mild, and we have not seen evidence of widespread community transmission. Our strategy of containing the spread with anti-virals appears to have been effective in reducing symptoms and preventing further spread of infection.
"But we must not be complacent – it is right to prepare for the possibility of a global pandemic. The UK's arrangements are continuing, to ensure that we are well-placed to deal with this new infection.
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