Muslim woman told to unveil to give trial evidence

A Muslim woman can attend all the proceedings with her face fully veiled but must remove it when giving evidence, a judge has ruled.

Lawyers for the woman had argued that removing the veil would breach her human rights and fly in the face of Britain's tolerance of Islamic dress codes.

The 22-year-old from London, who said it is against her religious beliefs to show her face in public, pleaded not guilty to a charge of intimidating a witness last week while wearing a niqab after the judge backed down from a previous decision that she would have to show her face to be properly identified.

Judge Peter Murphy made the ruling at Blackfriars Crown Court in London where the woman is due to stand trial for one count of intimidating a witness.

The order means that if the woman, who started wearing the veil in May 2012, refuses to comply during her trial she could be jailed for Contempt of Court.

In a niqab the only part of the face that is visible is a narrow horizontal stripe showing the wearer's eyes.

The judge said he would offer the woman a screen to shield her from public view while giving evidence but that she had to be seen by him, the jury and lawyers.

At other times during the trial the woman will be allowed to keep her face covered while sitting in the dock.

In the ruling Judge Murphy said: "The ability of the jury to see the defendant for the purposes of evaluating her evidence is crucial."

Referring to the woman as "D", he said he had "no reason to doubt the sincerity of her belief" and his decision would have been the same if she had worn the niqab for years.

He added that "the niqab has become the elephant in the courtroom" and there was widespread anxiety among judges over how to tackle the issue.

He added he hoped "Parliament or a higher court will provide a definite answer to the issue soon."

Judge Murphy said: "If judges in different cases in different places took differing approaches [to the niqab] the result would be judicial anarchy."

The judgement comes as Liberal Democrat Home Office minister Jeremy Browne

Mr Browne said he was "uneasy" about restricting freedoms but urged a national debate on the state's role in stopping veils being imposed on girls.

Possibility of appealing

Her defence layer Susan Meek had argued the woman's human right to express her faith through her attire would be breached if she was asked to remove her veil against her wishes.

When asked if they would appeal against the decision, the woman's lawyer said they were to look at all options.

The judge’s decision has brought mixed reactions among people. Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said he believed it was "vital" defendants' faces were visible at "all times" and said he "regretted" the judge's decision.

He added: "We will be complaining to the Office of Judicial Complaints and also be asking senior legal officers to make visibility throughout court hearings mandatory, and not subject to judges' discretion."

Source: Huffington post, bbc

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At least ten shot at US Navy base in Washington

Reports reaching us from the US Navy indicate that at least one person has been shot by unidentified gunman at the Washington Navy Yard, a naval installation in the US capital.

The Navy also confirmed police had entered the building in pursuant of the gunman, after at least three shots were fired at 08:20 local time (13:20 GMT). The gunman has been described as a tall black man with a bald head dressed all black. 

There are so far no reports of deaths but at least one person has been injured, the Navy said. Among the injured are two law enforcement officers.

All personnel at the base have been ordered to "shelter in place", the Navy said. Dozens of emergency vehicles have converged on the site.

The US Navy said shots were reported to have been fired at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters at the yard in south-east Washington DC.

The Washington Navy Yard is the US Navy's oldest shore installation, first opened in the early 19th Century, according to the Navy. It is estimated that 3,000 people work at the command, which engineers, purchases, builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Navy.

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Scores die in train accident in India: The toll is staggering

A fast moving train has run over a group of hindu pilgrims, killing over 37 people in eastern Indian state of Bihar. The train is said to have been moving at 80 km/h.

Officials said those hit killed by the train were some of the passengers who got out of the train and started moving on the track before they got run over near Dhamara, a small town in Bihar state. Thirty three other people sustained serious injuries in the accident that occurred early Monday.

The train burning

Railways spokesman Anil Saxena said that the train driver was lynched by angry mobs that later got all the passengers out of the train before setting some cabins ablaze.

By press time district officials were still at the scene and rescue operations under way. The death toll is still staggers as dozens of others are reported to be in critical condition.

Bodies lay beside the track

Meanwhile several dead bodies mainly of women and children laid beside the track. 

Sources: Aljazeera TV and eye witness.

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Singing is panacea for snoring

A study carried out by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital has revealed that snoring can be reduced simply by singing.

For three months, the patients in the clinical trial have been doing singing exercises to improve the tone of their throat muscles.

Choir director Alise Ojay is the inventor of Singing for Snorers exercises.

She told Today BBC Radio presenter Evan Davis that she had found that patients who sung the sounds "ung" and "gar" found that their snoring decreased or stopped.

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Egypt political crisis under calamity: Anti-coup Alliance demands inquiry into deaths

A cluster of Anti-Coup Alliance calls for international analysis over the deaths of 36 protesters under police custody. This has forced cohorts of the deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to hold a formal investigation into the killing of 36 protesters in police custody while

Being transported in a police van. On addition to other horrific crimes committed by leaders of the 3rd of July coup". It’s said that the men were killed while being transferred to Abu Zaabal prison near Cairo in a convoy of about 600 detainees. The real account to the death is not yet addressed.  Since conflicting reports has it to what exactly lead to the deaths. "We approached the chief attorney and requested a commission be formed and as we speak, the chief prosecutor has not taken any steps." The group earlier alleged that their supporters were killed in cold blood, but Egyptian security forces said the protesters suffocated when tear gas was used to stop them from escaping.  The Anti-Coup Alliance leaders say that some of the bodies were seen at the morgue bore marks of violence. This statement blamed the military chief, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Mohammed Ibrahim, the interior Minister, who is in charge of the police, for Sunday's incident. "The initial reports from the Interior Ministry said that armed attackers had attempted to free the prisoners. This was then amended to the fact that prisoners being transferred from a police station to another prison had overcome one of the escorts, and they had to be attacked to free that particular escort. "Then the version emerged that prisoners who were being transported from a police station or stations to another prison tried to escape, and tear gas was used which led to loss of life." 'Evidence of assassination'  the Anti-Coup Alliance had said it had "obtained evidence of the assassination of anti-coup detainees in a truck transferring them to Abu Zaabal prison". "They were reportedly assassinated in their truck with live ammunition and tear gas fired from windows." Abu Zabaal was the scene of a mass breakout of prisoners in 2011 as police abandoned their posts during protests against former President Hosni Mubarak. On Sunday, Anti-Coup protesters broke a military curfew to march through Cairo, as the latest violence added to the rising death toll in days of unrest. On Saturday alone, clashes between Morsi supporters and police killed 79 people, according to a government tally released on Sunday and carried by MENA, raising the death toll for four days of unrest across the country to more than 800 people killed. About 70 police officers were killed in clashes with protesters or retaliatory attacks during the same period, according to the interior ministry. The military of deposed Morsi on 3 July, saying that the army could not ignore the millions of protesters who had been demanding the resignation of Egypt's first democratically elected president.

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California passes transgender bill

California has become the first US state to protect the rights of transgender people. The law will require all public schools to allow pupils from kindergarten to the 12th grade to have access to either male or female toilets depending on their liking. The law further allows transgender schoolchildren to play girl’s or boy’s sports. Legislators in support of the bill think it will minimize bullying and discrimination.

Other states like Massachusetts and Connecticut have policies giving the same protections, but California is the first to ratify and pass them into law.

After the passing of the bill, State Assembly Speaker John Perez said, they had distinguished themselves as transgender activists and that it put "California at the forefront of leadership on transgender rights".

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Spain’s most ponderous baby born without Ceasar

Maxime Marin a 40 year British woman yesterday Wednesday gave birth normally to a 6.2 kg giant baby- Maria Lorena. Doctors described the delivery as "uncomplicated" at the Marina Salud Hospital in Denia, Alicante.

Marin stays in Spain with her Colombian spouse and says although she knew the baby girl would be big, she never dreamt of that size. It is interesting that Marin did not need an epidural to assist her deliver the baby.

The hospital authorities said both the mother and the baby were doing well, although the infant remain monitored in the neonatal care unit.

Senior obstetrics and gynaecologist, Dr Javier Rius, said in his 40-year professional career he had never come across or known of any case of a birth of a baby that size born by natural childbirth.

It is not uncommon that larger babies are often delivered by Caesar.

AFP news agency reported that Marin's other three children all weighed at least 4.5kg at birth.

There are other record births known to have been recorded. The Guinness Book of World Record indicates that the world’s most cumbersome baby was born in Canada in 1879. The baby weighed 10.5 kg but died shortly after birth. Both the baby’s parents were giants. In 2005 in Brazil, a woman gave birth to a baby boy weighing 8kg by Caesar. Lastly, in March 2013, George King turned out to be UK's second biggest natural born baby weighing 7kg.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world

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Drinking cocoa daily improves blood flow

Cocoa has been linked to vascular health and researchers have always thought the flavanol are responsible for the effect. In a study to understand the effect of cocoa on dementia in elderly people, 60 aged people with no history of dementia were monitored and it was discovered that taking at least two cups of cocoa a day improved cerebral blood circulation.

60 people aged 73 on average including 17 diagnosed with impaired blood flow to the brain were asked to drink two cups of cocoa every day. The cocoa taking group was subdivided into two; one group was given high flavanol cocoa and another low flavanol type. They were to consume no other chocolate type.

Results from the journal of Neurology indicated that regardless of which type of cocoa taken, 88% of impaired blood flow cases at the start of the study had significant improvements compared to 37% of those who had normal flow at the start of the experiment. Also those participants whose blood flow had improved also had better memory tests at the end of the study.

Some critics have said that since this study lacked a control group for comparison, it is not possible to tell whether the participants had never drunk cocoa at all. The results are thus, not conclusive and more research will be needed before major inferences could be done.

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Obama to snubs Putin meeting over Snowden asylum

Information from white house has said, US President Barack Obama will not meet his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin following Russian decision to grant asylum to US former intelligence worker Edward Snowden. The statement continued to say that Mr Obama will however, still attend the G20 economic summit in St Petersburg.

The decision to snub the one-one meeting with Mr. Putin was made during Obama’s trip to Los Angeles where he said he was disappointed with Russia’s decision to grant Snowden asylum for one year.  Mr Snowden's asylum is said to have deepened the pre-existing tension between the two counties according to White House Aide.

The former CIA worker admitted revealing the surreptitious US surveillance programme in June to the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers. The documents and details released indicated that the US government through NSA programmes gathers data on telephone calls, social media and emails.

After leaking the information, Mr Snowden fled the US, to Hong Kong, and later to Russia. He was kept at Moscow Air port in a transit area as the US asked other countries to deport him. On Thursday 1/08, his lawyer said Mr Snowden had been granted asylum to stay in year for a year.

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Two year old who was best man at parents wedding dies

Logan with mother on day of wedding

Logan Stevenson was born in 2010 and shortly after diagnosed to have leukaemia. Since then he has undergone several operations till this year when doctors declared that he would only live a few days. The doctors’ bad news forced his parents, Christine Swidorsky and Sean Stevenson to move their wedding forward from next July to just last Saturday. The wedding happened when the Pennsylvanian toddler remained with 7-14 weeks to live.

Christine wrote on her Facebook page that Logan had passed away in her arms on Monday. The message said that Sean and Christine had held him all day and he looked comfortable with his medication and then at 8:18 their son took his last breath in Christine’s arms.

on the Wedding day Logan, who looked weak, wore a  suit and orange shirt as his mother carried him down the aisle. He constantly rested his head on the shoulders of his mother. He was later lifted by his grandmother along with his bear.

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Bush undergoes heart operation

George W Bush Junior, former president of the United States of America has been operated following a blockage in the artery. Mr Bush had who was operated on, Tuesday morning, was discovered to have had the blockage as he went on a regular health check-up.

The former leader said to be recovering without any difficulty will be discharged on Wednesday according to his spokesman. A statement from the 67 old said that President Bush is in high spirits, eager to return home tomorrow and resume his normal schedule on Thursday".

After his term of office, Mr Bush has kept a low profile leaving a private life with a few public appearances. He is said to be living in Dallas, Texas with his family.

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Senators McCain and Lindsay to meet military backed government and Morsi camp

Two U.S. Republicans senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham traveled to Egypt on Tuesday morning to play a mediator role between interim government and deposed president Morsi side in a bid to end the 35 days of mayhem. The duo is expected to meet with government officials today and with the Muslim Brotherhood at an unknown time and location.

Country wide protests ensued after the removal of their democratically elected leader and Islamist Mr Morsi was ousted by the country’s military. Morsi becames Egypt’s first democratically elected president in June 2012 after protests which saw the removal of Hosni Mubarak. Just a year after ascendance on the presidency, Mr. Morsi’s support started dwindling as many people accused him of trying to establish an Islamic state and trying to accumulate absolute powers. Country wide demonstrations were fomented leading to thousands of people crowding cities including Cairo. The army engaged Morsi and encouraged him to negotiate with his opponents a suggestion he rejected. After the ultimatum the army seized his palace and arrested him, declared the presidency vacant.

That's when the military intervened, imposing on them an interim president and cabinet, who are to pave way for new elections. Shortly after, morsi’s supporters took to the streets demanding his re-instating. They say the military stole their vote by removing a democratically elected president.

Clashes between the military and pro-Morsi sides began and have left more than 200 killed. Activists group and human rights groups have blame the military of using excessive force on unarmed protesters.

Why the US?

The US have great interest in Egypt given that it is among the only two countries in the middle east made peace deals with Israel. The US has never pronounced the removal of Morsi a coup as that would have implications including cutting the aid they give the country. Egypt gets aid worth $1.3 annually including military help from Washington. The US would not want Egypt to become a failed state and thus would do anything to ensure that sanity prevails.

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50 cent charged with domestic violence and vandalism in Los Angeles court

50 cent with Joy

Singer 50 Cent aka Curtis Jackson was on Monday charged with one count of domestic violence and four others on vandalism on Monday where he entered a not guilty plea to the charges in a Los Angeles County court Monday according to CNN.com.

50 cent is accused by former girlfriend and mother of his son, model actress Daphne Joy of kicking her and turning upside down the bed room during an argument at her home in the neighborhood of Los Angeles on 23, June according to prosecution.   It is also alleged that Jackson Curtis caused a $7,100 damage to property and freed the scene just before police arrived. The candy shop singer is said  to have broken into Joy’s bedroom and kicked her several times after an argument.    

 The 37-year-old artist -- whose real name is Curtis Jackson -- was ordered to return to the Van Nuys, California, courtroom on September 4 for a pretrial hearing for one count of domestic violence and four counts of vandalism, according to a court spokeswoman.

According to prosecution, broken chandeliers and furniture throughout the home were found by police scattered in Joy’s house. The bedroom closet had been ransacked, with clothes littered all over the floor. Also in the sitting room was a broken television and lamp. .

If found guilty of all five counts, the 37 old would face up to five years in jail and paying fines worth $46,000. Our efforts to reach Curtis Jackson were futile as he declined to comment of the matter.

Meanwhile Daphne Joy and Curtis Jackson have been together for a few years in an exclusive relationship according to her lawyer's statement said. "They had a child and now Daphne's No. 1 priority is to ensure both her and the baby's safety during this difficult time. We also hope everyone will respect her and the baby's privacy." The statement added.

Source: CNN.com

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Luanda Angola’s capital is world’s most expensive city

Part of Luanda city

Luanda Angola’s capital has for the second time in three years been proclaimed the most expensive city world over for expats according to Mercer a renown human resources consulting firm. Luanda takes the lead from Tokyo which topped all cities last year.

The high cost of leaving in the South African country is attributed to Hotels which are said to be the visitor's biggest expense. Despite the booming construction in the city coupled with an increasing number of hotel construction, prices have generally remained high. For instance at about $500 one can spend a night for a five-star hotel, $370 for an average four-star and $325 for a medium level guesthouse. A meal in a good restaurant may go for $100 per person.

The exorbitantly high cost of leaving is however, not commensurate with peoples’ incomes. There is a colossal disparity between income levels. For instance, were as a mid-level expat professional might earn $ between $8,000-10,000 a month, a low income earning housemaid parts home with $300-500. In fact majority of the citizens cannot afford such services and basically stay in the suburbs of Luanda.  Angola relies mainly on the oil sectors with little domestic production. The former war ravaged country, had its economy crippled by the 27 year insurgency. The population was significantly annihilated during the rebellion leading to low domestic production. As a result most of the commodities used are imported from outside and the government heavily taxes them making survival very expensive.

There are however, a few affluent isolated populations in and around Luanda who can afford Escalades and Range Rovers. However, going by the number of people who can afford such expensive services, one would wonder where the demand for such expensive services comes from.

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19 televisions and radio stations hosted on the UBC mast to be momentarily switched off

 UBC is planning to upgrade their equipment in response to the digital migration program which should be completed before December this year of 2013. According to a notice released by acting managing director, Mr. Kihika Paul on July 31 asking all managers of the affected 19 radios and television stations to switch off their equipment before work starts. He said “this will allow contractors to remove the existing antennae and replace them with new ones”.

"UBC in partnership with Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is in the final stages of implementing the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project for greater Kampala. We have reached the time of replacement of the antenna system to meet DTT requirements and this necessitates switching off all services to enable rigging work to complete the installations within the shortest possible time," Kihika added.

The list of affected tv stations includes; all UBC and its sister stations, NTV, NBS, WBS, Urban, CCTV, CRI, Citizen, East Africa TV, ITV, LTV, Miracle, Top and Record. The affected radio stations include; Sanyu FM, Super FM, BBC, Citizen Radio, East Africa Radio.

Mr. Kihika’s statement had indicated that the stations would be off from Friday August 2 up to Sunday August 4. However, reports indicate that this has been changed to Sunday for 12 hours.

He further said "We hope to complete the work on Sunday but if we don't, we shall have to extend to Monday (August 5)."  Kihika also explained that “the disruption is clear in the tenancy agreement which has a clause that allows interruption in their broadcast in need be”.

The closure on Friday to Sunday would have serious implications as many stations would have wanted to air out the celebrations to mark Kabaka Ronald Mutebi's 20th coronation anniversary. In addition several managers have indicated that they would lose a lot of revenue for in those busy weekend days.

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