Tower Hamlets could be twinned with the West Bank town of Jenin - the town Israel decries as the "suicide bomber capital of the world". In a move welcomed by leading Palestinian officials in Britain, Tower Hamlets Council has asked a senior official to examine the "feasibility and protocols" of the twinning process after a council meeting. Michael Keith, Labour councillor for Shadwell, said a detailed exchange programme was not mooted and the twinning would offer the Palestinians moral not financial support.

But former Tower Hamlets Labour councillor Bernie Cameron, who is Jewish, slammed the idea as " despicable", Mr Cameron said: "I think it's very, very wrong. All it's going to cause is more anti-Semitism and racism. I don't think the borough should take sides." The idea came from individuals and anti-war activists in the borough, where at least a quarter of residents practice Islam. They wanted to discuss what practical help could be done for the people of Jenin after Israel sent troops into the town at the end of March. Martin Empson, of the Stop The War Coalition, said: "Everyone recognises that it's a controversial subject. We wanted to offer solidarity to people who have suffered.

Politics aside, this is a humanitarian project, more about raising awareness of the situation in Jenin." The proposal has been welcomed by Afif Safieh, the official Palestinian delegate to Britain, who said it was "a beautiful gesture in favour of peace and justice in the Middle East". A council spokesman said: "The council is interested in twinning with towns that have multi-ethnic populations."

Following a successful anti-drugs initiative in Tower Hamlets, five men from the borough are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday 18th July, 2002, after pleading guilty to the supply of Heroin and Crack in the borough. The intelligence-led initiative, code-named Operation Emu, resulted in the seizure of over £250,000 worth of Class A drugs and ended a drug-dealing ring known to have supplied a large proportion of east London.

Those appearing at Southwark Crown Court on 18.07.02 are: Shamshad Ahmed, 28, Abdul Alim, 20 Shueb Choudhury, 22, Khalrul Mahmun, 26, Abdul Hasnath, all residents of the borough of Tower Hamlets. Three other people, two men and one woman, who were arrested following Operation Emu, were later released with no further action taken.

Deputy Commissioner Ian Blair, said of the operation: "The officers involved have shown real dedication and commitment to rid Tower Hamlets of the menace of hard drugs and their results are well deserved." Superintendent Dominic Clout, who led the operation from Bethnal Green Police Station, said: "We are delighted with the results and hope that it will send out a strong message to the community in Tower Hamlets that the dealing of drugs will not be tolerated by the police."

A hard-hitting new message has is being sent out to all pet owners in the borough of Tower Hamlets - 'bag it and bin it - or face up to the consequences'. This is the message being promoted in a series of shocking posters around the borough. Tower Hamlets Council is working with EnCams, the environmental campaigning body that organises Keep Britain Tidy, as part of its on-going work to keep the borough clean. The EnCams posters, featuring an unpleasant pile of messy dog poo, with the captions: No ****, Bull **** and Tough **** , remind dog owners of the fines they face for not clearing up after their pet and the diseases that are carried by dog dirt.

For the duration of the two-week campaign, the borough's animal wardens have been offering free poop scoop bags to dog owners in parks and public places and showing them how to deal with the problem in a safe and hygienic manner. "Allowing pets to foul in public places is unpleasant, anti-social, and totally unhygienic. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure that they clean up after them, " says Dawn Sammons, Tower Hamlets' Senior Animal Warden. "Where possible, we try and educate people on the importance of keeping the borough free of dog mess but we come down hard on those who persistently offend." Tower Hamlets has a higher than average rate of prosecuting offending pet owners.

Last year alone, 45 people were taken to court and prosecuted and received fines of between £20 and £75, plus costs. A further 46 dog owners were officially cautioned and another 78 prosecutions remain pending. Poop scoop bags, available free of charge from the Council, can be collected at your local Housing Office, or from the Council Offices at Southern Grove, E3. If you do not have a Council-supplied bag, a polythene bag can be used as an alternative. Remember - there is no excuse for not clearing it up!

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