Tens of thousands of garment workers have been subdued by police in Bangladesh.

Tear gas and rubber bullets were used by authorities to disperse the crowds who had gathered to demand higher salaries at a rally just outside of Dhaka.

At the Ashulia industrial area, around 30km north of the capital, workers walked off the job and ransacked several factories in support of protesters campaigning against a three-fold wage hike. Local police Chief Sirajul Islam said police were pelted with rocks and live rounds by the protestors, who blocked the highway out of the area for two hours. Chief Islam confirmed that police used rubber bullets, tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse what were termed ‘unruly workers’, prompting a return of fire which left one officer injured.

Forty police officers were wounded in the fighting, which lasted for three hours, according to Islam. He did not make any statement on how many of the garment workers were hurt in the protest, although the left-wing Garment Workers Unity Forum claimed that more than 100 were injured.

Islam told reporters that around 50,000 garment workers were involved in the protest, which is calling for a minimum monthly wage of 5,000 taka (£48). Currently, workers are paid the minimum wage set down by the 2006 manufacturers, unions and the government agreement of 1,662 taka (£16)

The violence follows a string of labour disputes at the two main apparel hubs of Ashulia and Kanchpur, which produce garments for leading global retailers such as Tesco, H&M and Wal-Mart.

A Sicilian store has started a fashion world war after using the image of Adolf Hitler in their latest advertising campaign. New Form, which stocks well known brands such as Miss Sixty, Diesel and Calvin Clien, has adorned the Palermo with 18ft posters depicting the former Nazi leader in a striking pink uniform.

A large red heart has replaced the Fuhrer’s swastika armband and the poster’s slogan reads “Change Style – Don’t Follow Your Leader”. The campaign is aimed at the store’s teenage and twenty-something trendy shoppers.

City bigwigs have failed to find any humour in the campaign, however, claiming that it is against the country’s constitutional principles to use the image of a person responsible for the worst chapter of history in the last century. Complaints were made to Palermo’s mayor about the poster created by local ad agency Zerocento.

Zerocento, however, claims that the ad’s critics are overreacting and that in fact the poster ridicules, not celebrates, Hitler. They say the campaign invites young people to break away from their peers and find their own style.

So far, none of the brands stocked by New Form have commented on the posters. And if the current controversy isn’t enough for New Form, Zerocento is planning a new campaign in the next few weeks featuring the Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse Tung.

Sales at the popular Swedish fashion giant H&M have fallen by six per cent compared to April last year. The news comes as a surprise to industry analysts who saw the cheap and cheerful budget brand score unusually high profits in March.

Last month, Hennes & Mauritz racked up a massive nine per cent increase in same-store sales compared to March last year, thought to be due to a shopping frenzy over the Easter weekend.  But the same figures for April this year have come in way below the 4.5 per cent predicted drop.

Analysts have put the fall in sales down to the high profits last year and the bad weather experienced in the Europe this winter, much of which left shopper unable or unwilling to leave the warmth of their homes. Total sales for the fashion chain are, however, up four per cent, which is certainly something to smile about.

H&M ended a seven-month recession-fuelled losing streak in December last year and has since seen three consecutive monthly rises in same-store sales. The high street brand has also just announced plans to expand into the southern hemisphere and released their super-cool festival goers collection.

The former Labour head of communications, Alastair Campbell, has continued his public spat with Adam Boulton.

Mr Boulton, the Sky News political editor, was labelled ‘pathetic’ by Mr Campbell as their fiery live exchange on Sky News threatens to spill over. Mr Boulton was also accused of throwing a temper tantrum by Campbell.

The row between Mr Boulton and the former Labour chief was broadcast live on Sky News, where the 24-hour news station was covering the aftermath of the resignation announcement by outgoing Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The pair was also scheduled to play against each other today in a charity football game that could turn nasty.

Speaking to reporters this morning before the game, Mr Campbell claimed that he and many others had been watching the Sky News coverage live or online and that the common opinion was that Boulton had been unprofessional in his behaviour. Mr Campbell also acknowledged that he had strong views towards the media, to which he asid he is entitled.

Mr Campbell added that the media coverage of the electoral campaign was laughable, with supposedly independent intermediaries such as Boulton becoming precious when challenged. The row began after Boulton asked if Britain really needed Gordon Brown limping around for four months until his retirement. Mr Campbell hit back by saying that such comments were not impartial, and that Boulton was an advocate of David Cameron - one who saw Mr Brown as little more than dead meat.

The incumbent British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has announced that he will be resigning from his post by September at the latest.

While Mr Brown and his fellow Labour Party ministers are working around the clock to try and reach an agreement with the Liberal Democrats on forming a new government, any such eventuality will not be headed by the current Labour leader who hopes to hang on to the reigns until the next party conference.

The presence of Mr Brown at number 10 Downing Street has widely been regarded as detrimental to his party’s chances of making a new deal with Nick Clegg. The announcement has therefore not been as much of a surprise as it may have seemed, with the focus on both sides firmly on finding common ground on the issue of electoral reform.

Both the poll-leading Conservative Party and Mr Brown’s Labour Party have been trying to woo the liberal Democrats through a range of reform initiatives as the battle for Britain’s leadership enters a critical phase.

The Tories responded to Mr Brown’s resignation announcement by offering the Liberal Democrats one final chance to introduce a referendum of Britain’s voting method, with the latter favouring a move to the Alternative Vote (AV) system.  Labour has gone further, offering to make the AV system law before conducting a referendum seeking voter approval.

Tomorrow is looming as crunch time for all concerned, with a full Liberal Democrat coalition with one or other of the main parties the most likely outcome.