SIx In The Morning

15 July 2013 Last updated at 08:07 GMT

Bangladesh Islamist Ghulam Azam found guilty of war crimes

A war crimes court has found Islamist Ghulam Azam guilty of five charges relating to Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence with Pakistan.

Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90 years in jail for his involvement in mass killings and rape during the war.

Supporters of Bangladesh's main Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, which he led from 1969 until 2000, clashed with police ahead of the verdict.

It is the fifth sentence passed against current and former party leaders.

The court found Mr Azam, 90, guilty of five charges including conspiracy, incitement, planning, abetting and failing to prevent murder.

He faced more than 60 counts of crimes against humanity for his role in setting up militia groups which carried out atrocities during the war.

Dutch government caps performance-related bonuses

Move follows outrage over €33 million bonuses for Rabobank subsidiary executives

Peter Cluskey

 The Dutch government is to introduce tough legislation which will cap performance-related bonuses in the financial services sector at 20 per cent, despite opposition from powerful industry leaders.

Finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem – also chairman of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers – revealed at the weekend that the cap would be included in draft legislation on remuneration policy, which he will present to parliament after the summer recess.

Transactions tax
New laws to rein in the wider banking industry were promised when prime minister Mark Rutte’s liberal VVD party formed a new coalition with the Labour Party last October. It’s now believed these laws could include a controversial tax on all financial transactions as well as the bonus cap.

Monsters of the Deep: Jellyfish Threaten the World's Seas

By Samiha Shafy

Jellyfish infestations along beaches worldwide are troubling tourists and scientists alike. It is a creature that thrives on over-fishing and pollution. But how dangerous is it for the ecosystem?

When oceanographer Josep Maria Gili steps onto the terrace from his office, he sees the crowds of people on the beaches of Barcelona at his feet. To the left lies the Port Olímpic, together with a sculpture that Frank Gehry had built there for the 1992 Summer Olympics: a giant fish made of steel, shimmering in the sunshine and gazing majestically out into the Mediterranean.

Unfortunately, it seems evident today that the renowned architect picked the wrong animal. The fish, with its gills and fins, is no longer suited as a trademark of Barcelona. Nowadays fewer and fewer fish swim beneath the glittering blue surface off the coast of Catalonia; instead, these waters are now more frequently filled with massive quantities of jellyfish.

Iran's tourist push

July 15, 2013 - 12:19PM

Kish, Iran: Iran's president-elect, the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani, has promised to support the country's largely untapped tourism sector, but the arrests of European tourists this spring have cast a shadow over that effort.

Dr Rouhani has been adamant about the importance of tourism to Iran's economic growth, and since being elected, he has set a goal of more than doubling, to 10 million, the number of foreigners who visit Iran each year. Such an increase, over the current level of 4 million tourists, would "create jobs for 4 million people, solving the problem of 3.5 million unemployed people in this country," Dr Rouhani has said.

Ethiopia's opposition holds rare protests

14 JUL 2013 19:15AFP

Ethiopian opposition activists have demanded the release of reporters and political prisoners jailed under anti-terror legislation in demonstrations.

In rare public outpours of anger, people on Sunday marched peacefully in the towns of Gondar and Dessie, chanting "freedom" and carrying pictures of jailed politicians and journalists.

Government officials said there were around 1 500 protesters in total in both towns, while the activists themselves claimed the number to be as high as 20 000.

"The protests were peaceful and successful," said Senegas Gidada, protest organiser and chairman of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ) party. "We are unhappy about the lack of human rights and democratic freedom in Ethiopia," he added.

The demonstrations follow a rally last month in the capital Addis Ababa when several thousand activists demanded the government adhere to basic human rights.

1,200 miles by bus through Mexico? Bring your laptop.

North of the border Mexico's infrastructure has a reputation as dilapidated and dangerous. But the country's efficient and comfortable bus system tells a different story, as Lourdes Medrano explains.

By Lourdes Medrano, Correspondent 

The image of old,  rickety Mexican buses chugging two-lane roads in Hollywood films might have rung true in another era. But in modern Mexico, the bus system is an efficient, comfortable and inexpensive way of getting around  the country.

I first traveled long distance on Mexican buses more than 10 years ago, when my husband and I flew from Phoenix to Mexico City and, after spending some time in the capital, hopped on a bus to Querétaro andGuanajuato in the central region. On each leg of our trip, we encountered a luxurious bus with comfortable reclining seats, air conditioning, several screens to watch movies and ample overhead space. We gave kudos to our travel agent.