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Rahim sends legal notice to media channel for spot-fixing report
Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim has served legal notice to a private TV station, on Saturday for maligning his reputation by airing a spot-fixing report against him during the ongoing Bangladesh-New Zealand Test series.
In the first innings of the Dhaka Test against New Zealand, Mushfiqur was dismissed for obstructing the field. Pushing the ball away after defending a delivery, he violated cricketing laws, as batters are not allowed to handle the ball while or after playing a delivery. This dismissal marked the first of its kind in Tests for Bangladesh.
The TV channel on December 6 aired a report suggesting that Mushfiqur’s dismissal was potentially linked to spot-fixing. Later the channel removed the news from their digital platform and also sought an apology to the batter in their digital platform.
Supreme Court lawyer Shihab Uddin Khan, representing Mushfiqur, issued the legal notice to the TV channel contending that the allegation and innuendo contained in the report as false and baseless and represented a shameful instance of yellow journalism and the publication of fake news.
The Legal Notice asks to make amends to the report mentioned above by:
a) Immediately taking steps to remove the offending report from YouTube and all other social media sites where it may have been published;
b) Broadcasting on the TV channel an unconditional apology for having broadcast the offending report, stating that it was false and unverified;
c) Issuing a public press release seeking unconditional apology for having broadcast the offending report, stating that it was false and unverified; and
d) Assure our client in writing that the reporter Saiful Rupak has been cautioned to be more careful in future.
It is contended that the said report does not show any regard or respect to the bare minimum standards of journalistic ethics without any consideration of the ramifications it has on the reputation of our client as well as his livelihood as a professional cricketer to not only his prejudice but also to the detriment of his dependent family members.
The Legal Notice was served upon the Head of News, the Sports Editor and Saiful Rupak, the concern reporter of the Television channel..
Supreme Court Lawyer Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan sent the legal notice through email on behalf of Mushfiqur Rahim.
“The news report has left Mr. Mushfiqur Rahim mentally shattered, who can hardly believe that a news channel, as reputed and esteemed like ……… TV can resort to such a vile instance of yellow journalism without considering its far-reaching purport. It is claimed that the report and its publication in the manner aforesaid, where it has been seen, accessed, and downloaded by countless millions throughout Bangladesh and the rest of the world, has lowered our client in the eyes and estimation of right-thinking people, and therefore constitutes criminal defamation punishable under Section 500 of the Penal Code, 1860 and cyber-bullying contrary to Sections 25(1)(Ka), 25(2) and 29 of the Cyber Security Act, 2023, besides entitling our client to proceed against you for exemplary damages as compensation by instituting civil legal action,” it was stated in the legal notice.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur as part of a regional push to shore up Beijing’s trade relationships.
The diplomatic stop on Wednesday marks the second leg of Xi’s three-nation tour, which also includes Vietnam and Cambodia, and comes amid sharp tariffs imposed by the United States that are reshaping the global economic landscape.
Sultan Ibrahim welcomed Xi in a colourful ceremony at the golden-domed Istana Negara palace before his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Xi touted a “new golden era” of Chinese-Malaysian relations, following the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year. The king announced new cooperation between the countries in various fields, including artificial intelligence.
“This is a hugely significant visit,” said Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Putrajaya. “It takes place during this unprecedented trade war that is developing with the United States, with both Malaysia and China finding themselves in the middle.”
Khoo Ying Hooi, an associate professor in the department of international and strategic studies at Malaya University, said the visit offered a chance to “test the waters for regional solidarity” amid the US trade disruptions.
“It’s not just about friendship, it’s about realigning the regional centre of gravity towards Beijing,” she said.
Malaysia is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, whose members are among the hardest hit by new US tariffs.
ASEAN member Vietnam, a manufacturing powerhouse, was slapped with 46 percent tariffs, and Cambodia, a significant producer of low-cost clothing for big Western brands, was hit with a 49 percent duty.
Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy, was hit with a lower tariff of 24 percent. Though the measures have been paused for 90 days, President Donald Trump has warned that no country is “off the hook”.
[Aljazeera]
Police urge motorists who intend to use the Ella – Wellawaya Road to use alternative roads as there is a severe vehicle congestion due to inclement weather condition.
The UK Supreme Court has unanimously backed the biological definition of “woman” under the 2010 Equality Act.
It marks the culmination of a long-running legal battle which could have major implications for how sex-based rights apply across Scotland, England and Wales.
Judges sided with campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought a case against the Scottish government arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to people that are born female.
Judge Lord Hodge said the ruling should not be seen as a triumph of one side over the other, and stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people.
The Scottish government argued in court that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) are entitled to the same sex-based protections as biological women.
The Supreme Court was asked to decide on the proper interpretation of the 2010 Equality Act, which applies across Britain.
Lord Hodge said the central question was how the words “woman” and “sex” are defined in the legislation.
He told the court: “The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
“But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not.”
He added that the legislation gives transgender people “protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender”.
Campaigners who brought the case against the Scottish government hugged each other and punched the air as they left the courtroom, with several of them in tears.
The Equality Act provides protection against discrimination on the basis of various characteristics, including “sex” and “gender reassignment”.
Judges at the Supreme Court in London were asked to rule on what that law means by “sex” – whether it means biological sex, or legal, “certificated” sex as defined by the 2004 Gender Recognition Act.
The Scottish government argued the 2004 legislation was clear that obtaining a GRC amounts to a change of sex “for all purposes”.
For Women Scotland argued for a “common sense” interpretation of the words man and woman, telling the court that sex is an “immutable biological state”.
Outside the Supreme Court, For Women Scotland co-founder Susan Smith said: “Today the judges have said what we always believed to be the case, that women are protected by their biological sex.
“Sex is real and women can now feel safe that services and spaces designated for women are for women and we are enormously grateful to the Supreme Court for this ruling.”
A UK government spokesman said: “This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs.
“Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the ruling as a “victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious”.
But Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, a prominent campaigner for trans-rights, said: “This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society.
“It could remove important protections and will leave many trans people and their loved ones deeply anxious and worried about how their lives will be affected and about what will come next.”
The Scottish government has not yet commented on the ruling.
[BBC]
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