Poll: Half Of Muslims Want Homosexuality Banned

The poll will feature in documentary 'What British Muslims Really Think

Just over half of Muslims in Britain think homosexuality should be illegal, a survey has revealed.

A poll carried out by ICM found that 52% of those quizzed disagreed that homosexuality should be legal in Britain, and 47% said it was unacceptable for a gay or lesbian person to teach in school.

Commissioned for Channel 4, the poll will feature in a documentary called What British Muslims Really Think, presented by Trevor Phillips - former Equality and Human Rights Commission chairman.

The survey of 1,000 people was carried out to try to understand what British Muslims think, and why some young Muslims are being drawn to violence.

It found only 34% would tell the police if they thought someone they knew was getting involved with supporters of terrorism in Syria and 4% said they sympathise with people who take part in suicide bombing to fight injustice.

Mr Phillips says the findings pose profound questions

More than one third - 39% - were also found to be of the view that "wives should always obey their husbands".

A large majority of UK Muslims, 86%, said they felt a strong sense of belonging to Britain, with 94% saying they felt they were able to freely practise their religion.

But 23% said they would support there being areas of Britain in which Sharia law was introduced.

Responding to the findings, Mr Phillips said they pose profound questions for society and the implications for future relations between Britain's Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

"Hearing what British Muslims themselves think, rather than listening to those purporting to speak on their behalf, is critical if we are to prevent the establishment of a nation within our nation," he said.

"Many of the results will be troubling to Muslims and non-Muslims alike - and the analysis of the age profile shows us that the social attitudes revealed are unlikely to change quickly.

"The integration of Britain's Muslims will probably be the hardest task we've ever faced. It will require the abandonment of the milk-and-water multiculturalism still so beloved of many, and the adoption of a far more muscular approach to integration."

ICM used face-to-face, in-home research to question a representative sample of the 1,000 UK Muslims.

Kerry 'Won't Apologise' In Hiroshima Visit

US Secretary of State John Kerry will not apologise for the US atomic bomb that killed 140,000 people in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.

The bomb, on 6 August, was the first of two - the second being dropped on Nagasaki three days later.

Japan surrendered six days after that and the peace park site at Hiroshima became a memorial to Japanese suffering - including displays of victims' charred clothes, a tricycle ridden by a child killed in the blast and statues of victims with flesh melting from their arms.

Many Americans view the bombings as a justified way of ending the war but most Japanese disagree.

Leaders at the peace park site in Hiroshima

A US official confirmed there would be no apology from Mr Kerry for the deaths, as he visited Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park and Museum.

"If you’re asking whether the secretary of state came to Hiroshima to apologise, the answer is no," the official told The Washington Post.

"If you’re asking whether the secretary and I think all Americans and all Japanese are filled with sorrow at the tragedies that befell so many of our countrymen, the answer is yes."

The visit was during a cultural break for foreign ministers from the G7 industrialised nations, a group that also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK.

Mr Kerry became the most senior American official to visit the site, while it was also the first visit by foreign ministers from France and Britain.

Before the visit, Mr Kerry said: "I will be pleased to visit later today the Peace Memorial Park... in a moment that I hope will underscore to the world the importance of peace and the importance of strong allies working together to make the world safer and, ultimately, we hope to be able to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.

"And while we will revisit the past and honour those who perished, this trip is not about the past. It's about the present and the future particularly, and the strength of the relationship that we have built."

The country will also host the G7 leaders next month, when it is understood Barack Obama will be the first sitting US president to visit the site. Mr Obama has previously said he would be honoured to visit both cities.

William And Kate Join Bollywood Stars In Mumbai

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Bollywood royalty on the red carpet at the end of the couple's first day of their India tour.

Prince William and wife Kate attended a charity gala held at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, which was one of the sites targeted by terrorists in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The Duke said he was "awed and amazed" by India and added the country was top of the list of places the Duchess wanted to visit after they were first married.

Prince William shakes hands with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan

He told the guests: "Catherine and I are full of admiration for this diverse and democratic society.

"No one can come here without being awed and amazed.

"No one can come without a sense of excitement about all that India has achieved in the past and the extraordinary promise it holds for the future."

Among Bollywood's top stars who turned out to welcome the couple were actor Shah Rukh Khan and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as well as cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Kate wore a glittering blue gown by British designer Jenny Packham.

The event was to raise awareness and support for three charities working with some of India's most deprived youngsters.

The reception was in marked contrast to the surroundings earlier in the day when the royal couple met with some of the young people who work with the charities Doorstep, Magic Bus and Childline.

Kate and William played cricket with the kids and to the delight of the crowd were joined by Tendulkar, one of the past superstars of the game.

He put the royals through their paces on Mumbai's iconic recreation ground, the Oval Maidan.

Despite her first-ball dismissal the Duchess was given another chance and hit the next two deliveries over the fielders before she was finally caught out.

Afterwards Tendulkar said he had been "bowled over by their humility," adding that it was "a special experience".

"They were a truly charming couple and it's nice to know they follow cricket and truly understand the game," he said.

On Tuesday the Duke and Duchess will meet some of Mumbai's most successful young entrepreneurs before travelling to New Delhi.

They will pay their respects at India Gate and attend a garden party in honour of the Queen's 90th birthday next week.

Two days in Kaziranga National Park will follow and then the couple fly to Bhutan to meet the King and Queen of the  tiny Himalayan nation.

The tour wraps up on Saturday back in India with a visit to the Taj Mahal.

Scottish party leaders publish tax documents

Nicola Sturgeon has joined Scotland's other party leaders in publishing her tax returns amid calls for transparency over politicians' personal finances.

Prime Minister David Cameron published a summary of his taxes after criticism in the wake of the Panama tax leak.

Scottish Labour's Kezia Dugdale released her returns on Saturday, and was followed by Tory Ruth Davidson.

SNP leader Ms Sturgeon and Willie Rennie of the Lib Dems then published their documents the following day.

Minus pension contributions, which are not taxable, each opposition leader was paid over £52,000 for their work as an MSP. Each paid just over £10,000 in tax.

For her role as First Minister, again minus pension contributions, Ms Sturgeon was paid more than £104,000, and paid over £31,000 in tax.

'Palpable anger'

Ms Dugdale was the first of the Scottish party leaders to publish her returns, saying she had "nothing to hide".

The figures showed Ms Dugdale had paid £734.40 in tax for earnings from her Daily Record newspaper column despite donating the full annual fee of £5450 to the Motor Neuron Disease Scotland charity.

Ms Dugdale said: "There is an obligation on all of us who seek to serve the public to be transparent.

"Not since the MPs expenses scandal has there been such palpable anger at the sense of unfairness at the heart of our society.

"Politicians need to not only play by the rules, they need to be seen to be playing by the rules."

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who published her returnsshortly after Ms Dugdale, also made charitable donations from her income without claiming relief.

Ms Davidson has repeatedly defended Mr Cameron over his tax affairs, saying the prime minister has been "very clear" about his finances.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Mr Rennie, who published his returns on Sunday, noted: "Compared with certain other party leaders my tax returns are rather dull, but here they are anyway."

As Ms Sturgeon published her returns, the SNP said both she and her predecessor Alex Salmond had forgone over £20,000 in pay since 2009 through a system which sees minister put money from their own pay packets towards public spending.

Ms Sturgeon said: "There should be a presumption that if you earn money in this country, you should pay tax on that in this country.

"I'm going to continue to argue very strongly for reform of tax avoidance."

Dubai to build tallest tower, beating its own record

Dubai plans to build a tower that will stand higher than its Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest skyscraper, property developer Emaar said on Sunday.

The viewing tower will cost around $1 billion and will be "a notch" taller than Burj Khalifa, Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar told reporters as he revealed details of the project.

But he said that the final height will be announced upon completion, adding that his company would like to present the tower as a "gift to the city before 2020," the year Dubai hosts the world Expo trading fair.

Designed by Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava Valls, the tower will have observation decks, in addition to 18 to 20 mixed-use floors that will host restaurants and a boutique hotel, Alabbar said.

Burj Khalifa is 828 metres high and it cost $1.5 billion to build. It was opened in January 2010.

Alabbar described the new structure as an "elegant monument" which would add value to property being developed by the company along the city's creek.

"Many would like to have a view" when considering buying a property, he said.

The tower will be slender, evoking the image of a minaret, and will be anchored to the ground with sturdy cables, Emaar said.

Dubai has established a reputation for building dozens of futuristic skyscrapers, which have transformed its skyline.

Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding is building a tower in Jeddah that is planned to surpass Burj Khalifa, rising more than a kilometre.

American B-52 bombers deployed to Qatar for ISIL fight

The US Air Force deployed B-52 bombers to Qatar on Saturday to join the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - the first time the aircraft have been based in the Middle East since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

Washington's decision to deploy its powerful B-52 bombers to the Al Udeid Air Base came as the American military stepped up the fight in neighbouring Iraq and Syria against ISIL, also known as ISIS.

"The B-52 demonstrates our continued resolve to apply persistent pressure on Daesh and defend the region in any future contingency," said Air Force Lieutenant General Charles Brown, commander of US Air Forces Central Command, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL.

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Karns, spokesman for the Central Command, said he could not provide the exact number of B-52 bombers to be based at Al Udeid because of "operational security reasons".

Brown said the bombers would be able to deliver precision weapons and carry out a range of missions, including strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, and maritime operations.

Karns said the bombers would enable US forces to drop one or two munitions in an area, rather than massive indiscriminate bombing.

"Accuracy is critically important in this war," he said. "Carpet-bombing would not be effective for the operation we're in because Daesh doesn't mass as large groups. Often they blend into population centres. We always look to minimise civilian casualties."

The Central Command said it last flew the long-range bombers operationally in the region in May 2006 as part of the war in Afghanistan, and during a US-led military exercise in Jordan in May 2015.

SNP: Cabinet Should Publish Tax Haven Links

Members of David Cameron's Cabinet have been urged to follow in his steps and publish any links they have with tax havens.

Angus Robertson, Westminster leader of the Scottish National Party, told Sky's Murnaghan programme: "We have heard absolutely nothing about other members of the Cabinet.

"Where is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne? Has he made a declaration that he has never ever benefited from offshore trusts?

"What about other Treasury ministers? Have they ever benefited from offshore trusts?

The tax spotlight is turned onto the PM's Cabinet, including George Osborne

"I think the publishing of the tax returns by the Prime Minister is welcome, but it doesn't answer these wider questions and it is something that this week they are not going to get away from.

"If the Prime Minister doesn't make a statement to Parliament tomorrow, the SNP is going to apply for an urgent question so he is brought before Parliament to update MPs of what he has done, what his Cabinet have done and what his government intends to do in the future."

His comments come after details of Mr Cameron's income and tax affairs were released by Downing Street.

The documents revealed he had been given a gift of £200,000 by his mother in 2011 - in addition to the £300,000 his father left him after he died in 2010.

The two payments of £100,000 each by Mary Cameron to her son in May and July 2011 were given tax-free and will only become liable to inheritance tax if she dies within seven years of the money being handed over.

Had Mr Cameron received the half a million pounds in one lump sum he would have been liable to pay the inheritance tax because it would have been over the tax threshold of £325,000.

It was also revealed the PM earned £90,000 in rental income from his family home last year.

Mr Cameron on Saturday admitted to Tory activists that he was to blame for his mishandling of the revelations about his profitable stake in his late father's offshore fund.

Ian Cameron, who ran a fund under the name Blairmore holdings, was one of thousands of individuals worldwide named in the Panama Papers data leak.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that while the manner in which Mr Cameron's inheritance had been handled was "within the rules", it "reduced the level of inheritance tax that is available to The Exchequer".

also suggested the UK needed to move towards a position where public figures revealed their financial affairs - politicians and journalists included - "so that everybody knows what influences are at play".

"Money and politics have to be treated with the greatest sense of openness possible so you know what influences are at work on any individual, on whatever political or any other decisions they make," he told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show.

Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell told Murnaghan: "I think people want openness and transparency".