In the UK during the 40th day of street protests, twenty-nine police officers have been injured in rioting in Belfast following a loyalist protest over the union flag and it appears that David Cameron will face a party battle over Europe with around 20 Tory MPs signing a letter warning of the “massive damage” if the UK leaves the European Union. Elsewhere French military forces intervened in two African countries simultaneously over the weekend as Downing Street confirmed it will provide transport planes to assist the French military operation in Mali. Police in India have arrested six men after they allegedly gang-raped a woman on a bus, just weeks after a similar attack shocked the nation and a court in Egypt has ordered a retrial for ex-President Hosni Mubarak after accepting an appeal against his life sentence over the deaths of protesters.
Referendum on EU membership would be a “punt”
With just over a week until the Prime Minister’s key speech on Britain’s relationship with the EU, Tory Europhiles have launched a fight-back against demands for an in-out referendum. Cabinet minister Ken Clarke will share a platform with Labour peer Lord Mandelson later this month to stress the benefits of remaining in the union.
Lord Heseltine, David Cameron’s adviser on growth has criticised the prime minister’s European strategy, saying an “ill-advised” referendum would jeopardise the UK’s business prospects, and that offering a referendum on EU membership would be a “punt”. Around 20 Tory MPs have also apparently signed a letter, due to be published this week, warning of “massive damage” if the UK leaves the EU. Labour leader Ed Miliband said the prime minister should take Mr Heseltine’s comments “very seriously”. “If you’re an investor thinking about putting your money into Britain, you’re not going to be doing that if you think Britain’s about to leave the European Union.”
In recent days senior politicians in the US including senior US diplomat Philip Gordon as well as in Germany have warned against Britain leaving the EU, while the leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament, Richard Ashworth, warned that the UK appeared to be “snarling like a sort of pitbull across the English Channel”.
Union flag protests
Bricks, stones and missiles have been thrown at police over the weekend, when loyalists and nationalists clashed at a sectarian interface at Short Strand, east of the city. Four officers were taken to hospital with injuries. The protests began on December 3rd, when Belfast city council voted to limit the number of days the union flag is flown over the city hall to about 20 a year. In Northern Ireland the flag has a political meaning. It is not just a reminder that the province is part of the United Kingdom but a visual statement that it must remain so. Loyalist protestors, have taken to the streets night after night. The majority of the street demonstrations have passed without incident, but some have resulted in serious rioting. Around 100 protestors have been arrested since early December and more than 60 officers have been injured
SDLP MLA Conall McDevitt said: “This is a craven attempt at the most vicious, barbaric mob rule undertaken by those with no motivation except the destruction of any progress towards a truly shared society.”Unionist politicians, have a condemned the violence while defending the flying of the union flag. Unionist leaders have set up a forum to talk about the flags and others loyalist complaints, but the protesters are not co-operating. Northern Ireland’s fragile peace has held only because fierce political enemies have been able to control their constituencies and deliver functional government. If they lose the ability to control the streets, their authority could follow.
Britain sends planes to help the French in Mali
A helicopter raid by special forces over the weekend failed to free a French intelligence agent held in Somalia since 2009. The agent is believed to have been killed by his captors. At least one French soldier died and another is missing. A simultaneous French intervention to check an advance by Islamist rebels in Mali also took place.
Although Paris officially denied any link between the two actions 5,000 miles apart, the Somalia raid is believed to have been prompted by fears that the Malian intervention could endanger the lives of nine French hostages held across northern and eastern Africa.
Francois Hollande has raised his country’s terror threat level amid fears of retaliatory attacks in France. He said France “has to take all necessary precautions” in the face of a terrorist threat, including “surveillance of our public buildings and our transport network”.
David Cameron spoke with Mr Hollande on Saturday, confirming that Britain will provide transport planes to assist the French military operation in Mali. A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has agreed that the UK will provide logistical military assistance to help transport foreign troops and equipment quickly to Mali. We will not be deploying any British personnel in a combat role.”
Arrested In New Rape Of A Bus Passenger In India
Police said they have arrested six men in another gang rape of a bus passenger in India, four weeks after a attack on a student on a moving bus in the capital outraged Indians and led to calls for tougher rape laws. The latest assault is said to have taken place in the northern state of Punjab. The police are searching for a seventh suspected attacker.
Police officials said a 29-year-old woman was the only passenger on a bus as she was travelling to her village. The driver did not stop at her village and drove her to a desolate location. The driver and the conductor were joined by five others and took turns raping her throughout the night. The victim was then dropped off near her village.
The brutal rape of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus in December set off a fervent debate about India’s preventative measures for such tragedies. Protesters and politicians have called for tougher rape laws, police reforms and a transformation in the way the country treats women. Seema Mustafa, who heads the Center for Policy Analysis think tank said “It’s a very deep malaise. This aspect of gender justice hasn’t been dealt with in our nation-building task.”
Egyptian court orders Hosni Mubarak retrial
An Egyptian court has accepted Hosni Mubarak’s appeal against his life sentence, ordering a retrial of the former president. Mubarak was convicted and sentenced to life in June for failing to prevent the killing of around 900 protesters during the 2011 uprising that ended his 29-year rule.
The verdict on Sunday, read out by Judge Ahmed Ali Abdel-Rahman during a brief hearing, also granted the right of appeal to Mubarak’s security chief, Habib el-Adly, who is also serving a life sentence after his conviction on the same charges. Adly, too, will be retried.
Families of victims were disappointed that Mubarak had not been convicted of ordering the killings, the BBC’s Aleem Maqbool reports from Cairo. There was also dismay among some that he had not been tried for abuses allegedly committed earlier in his rule.
Image Credits: guardian.co.uk