Saturday, 7 December 2013

Jay-Z tops 2014 Grammy nominations

Jay-Z tops 2014 Grammy nominations

on December 07, 2013

LOS ANGELES - Veteran rapper Jay-Z topped nominees for the 2014 Grammys announced Friday with nine nods, while Taylor Swift and Daft Punk were also among those in the running in major categories.

But Jay-Z other major stars including Justin Timberlake failed to score any nominations in the major categories, which saw a mixture of rap and pop in the running for the top honors at music’s equivalent of the Oscars next month.

In second place with seven nods apiece were California hip hop star Kendrick Lamar and rapper Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, as well as Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams, while rapper Drake scored five.

The nominees in key categories were announced during an hour-long concert at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, including video-link performances by Swift from Australia and Katy Perry live from Canada.

Jay-Z

In the coveted Record of the Year category songstress Swift’s “Red” will compete with French electro duo Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s “The Heist,” Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” and Sara Bareilles “The Blessed Unrest.”

Record Of The Year candidates are Daft Punk & Williams’ ubiquitous “Get Lucky,” New Zealand teenager Lorde’s “Royals,” “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, Hawaiian crooner Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out Of Heaven” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” made infamous by Miley Cyrus’ twerking at the MTV Video Music Awards show.

Shortlisted for Song of the Year — for songwriters, as opposed to performers — were “Just Give Me A Reason” sung by Pink Featuring Nate Ruess; “Locked Out Of Heaven” sung by Bruno Mars; “Roar” sung by Katy Perry; “Royals” sung by Lorde, and “Same Love” sung by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis was also nominated for Best New Artist, up against James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran.

While big-hitters Jay-Z and Timberlake scored lots of nods, they were mostly in rap and pop/R &B categories respectively. Neither the rapper’s heavily marketed “Magna Carta .. Holy Grail,” nor Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” made it onto the Best Album shortlist.

The 56th annual Grammys show — music’s version of the Oscars — will be held on January 26 at the Staples Center.

Whereas in previous years megastars like Britain’s Adele have been nominated in most of the key categories — and went on to a clean sweep of six Grammys last year — there appears little likelihood of an all-conquering act next month.

Industry journal Variety said Friday’s nominations made “for a wide-open race with no clear favorite and few megastars in the running for top honors at the music biz’s January kudofest.”

In fact Adele did secure one nomination Friday: in the Best Song for Visual Media category, for “Skyfall,” the theme tune to the last James Bond movie.

Other Britons shortlisted included veteran icon David Bowie, who won a Best Rock Album nod for “The Next Day,” his surprise first release in a decade in March, triggering ecstasy among older fans and arguably showing some younger stars how to do it.

Jay-Z tops 2014 Grammy nominations

on December 07, 2013 / in News 11:14 am / Comments

LOS ANGELES - Veteran rapper Jay-Z topped nominees for the 2014 Grammys announced Friday with nine nods, while Taylor Swift and Daft Punk were also among those in the running in major categories.
But Jay-Z other major stars including Justin Timberlake failed to score any nominations in the major categories, which saw a mixture of rap and pop in the running for the top honors at music’s equivalent of the Oscars next month.
In second place with seven nods apiece were California hip hop star Kendrick Lamar and rapper Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, as well as Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams, while rapper Drake scored five.
The nominees in key categories were announced during an hour-long concert at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, including video-link performances by Swift from Australia and Katy Perry live from Canada.

Jay-Z

“This year’s nominations reflect the talented community of music makers who represent some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry of the year in their respective fields,” said Neil Portnow head of Grammys organizers The Recording Academy.
In the coveted Record of the Year category songstress Swift’s “Red” will compete with French electro duo Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s “The Heist,” Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” and Sara Bareilles “The Blessed Unrest.”
Record Of The Year candidates are Daft Punk & Williams’ ubiquitous “Get Lucky,” New Zealand teenager Lorde’s “Royals,” “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, Hawaiian crooner Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out Of Heaven” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” made infamous by Miley Cyrus’ twerking at the MTV Video Music Awards show.
Shortlisted for Song of the Year — for songwriters, as opposed to performers — were “Just Give Me A Reason” sung by Pink Featuring Nate Ruess; “Locked Out Of Heaven” sung by Bruno Mars; “Roar” sung by Katy Perry; “Royals” sung by Lorde, and “Same Love” sung by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis was also nominated for Best New Artist, up against James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran.
While big-hitters Jay-Z and Timberlake scored lots of nods, they were mostly in rap and pop/R &B categories respectively. Neither the rapper’s heavily marketed “Magna Carta .. Holy Grail,” nor Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience” made it onto the Best Album shortlist.
The 56th annual Grammys show — music’s version of the Oscars — will be held on January 26 at the Staples Center.
Whereas in previous years megastars like Britain’s Adele have been nominated in most of the key categories — and went on to a clean sweep of six Grammys last year — there appears little likelihood of an all-conquering act next month.
Industry journal Variety said Friday’s nominations made “for a wide-open race with no clear favorite and few megastars in the running for top honors at the music biz’s January kudofest.”
In fact Adele did secure one nomination Friday: in the Best Song for Visual Media category, for “Skyfall,” the theme tune to the last James Bond movie.
Other Britons shortlisted included veteran icon David Bowie, who won a Best Rock Album nod for “The Next Day,” his surprise first release in a decade in March, triggering ecstasy among older fans and arguably showing some younger stars how to do it.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/jay-z-tops-2014-grammy-nominations/#sthash.TcenlIxc.dpuf

Jay-Z tops 2014 Grammy nominations

on December 07, 2013 / in News 11:14 am / Comments

Jay-Z

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/jay-z-tops-2014-grammy-nominations/#sthash.TcenlIxc.dpuf

Associates, Politicians Mourn Iyayi, Boo Priest Over Comment On ASUU

POLITICIANS, a cross-section of members of the academic community and members of civil society organisations yesterday honoured former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), late Prof Festus Iyayi, just as they booed one of the officiating clergymen during the lying-in-state ceremony for the late activist at the Akin Deko Main Auditorium of the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
The burial rites took a different dimension when one of the seven officiating priests at the ceremony, Fr. Andrew Obiyan, drew the ire of almost everybody in the hall when he posited that ASUU should have a rethink about its five month-old strike, saying many of the members were already tired of the “fight”.
Reading from portions of the Bible, Obiyan praised Iyayi’s tenacity of purpose, courage and sense of dedication to duty, which he said contributed to the “hero” he became in life and in death.
He went on to call on ASUU members to reconsider their position so as not to continue to be at the receiving end.
“The death of the faithful is precious in the eyes of God. So, I want to admonish the family not to think of the pain of death, but think about the bright promise of immortality,” the clergyman said.
Obiyan, however, agitated the crowd to boo him when he said: “Finally, I want to thank God because (ASUU) has become the voice of the voiceless today. May that voice never die! But I want to remind you that there is no success without sacrifice. For Jesus to gain the whole world, he had to give up his life. We give up to go up.
“My humble appeal to you, as a minister of God, is to kindly request you, in the name of God, to please surrender the tool of power. Do not give the Federal Government the privilege of satisfaction of fighting and defeating you.
“I encourage you to surrender first in this fight. You have made your point eloquently and clear enough. Sincere and intelligent Nigerians will consider what you have done and will forever appreciate you for it.
“Your surrender at this time, as a tool of power, is the sign of strength; it is not a sign of weakness.
“Our relationship with God, our father, shows that faith and trust navigate.
“We may not trust the Federal Government, owing to her antecedents. But I humbly request you to please trust her now.”
Speaking with journalists at the end of the ceremony, ASUU President, Dr. Nasri Fagge, said reaction from the crowd was enough attestation to the mood of majority of union members on the matter.
He said: “We were told here at this gathering there were some fundamental issues that bother the mind of our late comrade, as to the future of the struggle. For me, it is left for us to rally round those ideals and advance his legacies.
“You saw the reaction of the crowd to what was said about suspending the struggle, and that to me, said it all.”
Recalling some of his past encounters with the late Iyayi, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, said: “Iyayi spoke truth to power, just as much as he spoke truth with his colleagues.”

Jailed Bin Laden doctor Shakil Afridi refuses to stay silent

Shakil Afridi now faces another trial for allegedly killing a patient

The Pakistani doctor who is accused of helping the American Central Intelligence Agency track down former al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, says he is being denied his right to a fair trial.

"I am the first individual in Pakistan to have been denied permission to meet my lawyers, which is my basic legal right," he says in a hand-written letter he was able to smuggle out to his lawyers from his prison cell this week.
"What kind of a court, what kind of justice is this?"
This is his first contact with his lawyers in 15 months. It is also his first communication with the outside world since September 2012, when he spoke to Fox News from his prison cell by a smuggled phone.
His lawyers say they are living in a communication vacuum.

“Start Quote

I don't know what's happening in my case... I don't know on what grounds the commissioner suspended my sentence ”

Shakil Afridi

Closed tribal process

"We are strategising our defence by just anticipating what our client may want, we have no permission to consult him on specific issues," says Qamar Nadeem, one of Dr Afridi's two regular legal counsels.

Besides, a very small portion of the legal proceedings against him is available in writing, says Wasim Ahmad Shah, a Peshawar-based journalist who covers legal affairs for Dawn newspaper.
"Most legal proceedings in the current phase of the case are based on verbal exchanges between lawyers and court officials, and may or may not signify actual developments in the case," he says.
"This ambiguity appears deliberate."

In this photograph taken on February 26, 2012, young Pakistani children play near demolition works on the compound where Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was slain in the northwestern town of Abbottabad

Bin Laden's compound was visited as part of a CIA fake vaccination programme to determine if he was linked to the property

From the start, Dr Afridi's case has carried the undertones of realpolitik instead of a legal battle.
He was arrested in May 2011 for what many ex-military defence analysts considered to be his role in organising a hepatitis vaccination campaign that aimed at procuring DNA samples from residents of a compound where Bin Laden was subsequently found.
But a year later, Dr Afridi was given 33 years in jail for a totally different offence - that of collaborating with a banned militant group operating in his native Khyber tribal region.

“Start Quote

Dr Afridi - believed to be in his late 40s - was the top medic in the Khyber tribal region before his arrest shortly after US troops killed Bin Laden in a raid in Abbottabad on 2 May 2011”

Few believed the credibility of that verdict, because he had actually been kidnapped by the Lashkar-e-Islam group for performing "questionable" surgeries in his private clinic in Bara, a town in Khyber region.

Locals say he paid a hefty ransom to the group to secure his release,.
Also, instead of the country's mainstream judicial system, his case was taken to an administrative court functioning under a special law governing the tribal areas, called the Frontier Crime Regulations (FCR).
These courts are presided over by officials of the tribal administration, operate behind closed doors and do not necessarily follow standard legal procedures.
It is also not clear exactly when he was handed over to the Khyber administration by the ISI intelligence service that initially arrested him on 23 May 2011.
In his Fox News interview, Dr Afridi claimed he had been kept at an ISI lockup in Islamabad for almost a year.
Convenient scapegoat

US officials have called for Dr Afridi's release

This would mean he never attended the hearings of the court, and was simply handed the sentence, which came exactly one year after his arrest, on 23 May 2012.
A temporary reprieve of sorts came in August this year when his sentence was overturned on procedural grounds and his case sent to a more senior administration official for retrial.
But last month a woman brought a murder charge against him, saying her son died after a 2005 surgery performed on him by Dr Afridi at his Bara clinic.
This has again raised eyebrows in Pakistan because hospital casualties normally fall under clauses pertaining to negligence, not murder, and relatives of a patient routinely give their consent in writing before surgeries are performed.
So what's going on with Dr Afridi?

Map of federally administered tribal areas

Independent analysts are unanimous that he has served as a convenient scapegoat for the Pakistani military, which had come under severe domestic criticism for failing to prevent the American raid that killed Bin Laden.
But charging him for what he did - help lead the US to the most wanted man in the world - could cast aspersions on Pakistan's role as an ally in the war against militants.
And such a move could also preclude the possibility of Pakistan using Dr Afridi in a face-saving deal with the US at some point in the future.
But while the authorities continue to beat around the bush, Dr Afridi has refused to lie low.
He created ripples in September last year when he gave an interview to Fox News. The episode caused a blanket ban on his meetings with relatives and lawyers and cost some prison guards their jobs.
He has now smuggled out a letter to his lawyers.
"I don't know what's happening in my case," he writes. "I don't know on what grounds the commissioner suspended my sentence. But I'm happy with you [lawyers]. If you stay resolute, success is near, God willing."

WTO agrees global trade deal worth $1tn

By Andrew Walker BBC Economics correspondent

Ministers at a summit in Bali, Indonesia

The deal was finally agreed after marathon talks in Bali

Ministers from 159 countries have reached a deal intended to boost global trade at a meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

The World Trade Organization's first comprehensive agreement involves an effort to simplify the procedures for doing business across borders.
There will also be improved duty-free access for goods sold by the world's poorest countries.
The deal, which could add about $1tn to world trade, gives developing nations more scope to increase farm subsidies.
"For the first time in our history, the WTO has truly delivered," said WTO chief Roberto Azevedo, as the organisation reached its first comprehensive agreement since it was founded in 1995.
"This time the entire membership came together. We have put the 'world' back in World Trade Organization," he said.

WTO chief Roberto Azevedo: "For the first time in our history, the WTO has truly delivered"

Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said the deal would "benefit all WTO members".
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the "historic" agreement could be a "lifeline" for the world's poorest people, as well as benefiting British businesses to the tune of more than $1bn (£600m).
However, the package was criticised by some development campaigners who said it was not going far enough.
Rich and poor It is worth spelling out something what is not covered by this - tariffs or taxes on imported goods.

“Start Quote

The negotiations have failed to secure permanent protection for countries to safeguard the food rights of their peoples”

John Hilary War on Want

Dealing with them has been the bread butter of past trade rounds - but not for this deal.

The core of this agreement is what is called trade facilitation. This is about reducing the costs and delays involved in international trade. It is often described as "cutting red tape".
Some analysts suggest the benefits could be large. An influential Washington think tank has put the potential gains to the world economy at close to $1tn and 20m million jobs.
It also estimates the cost of administrative barrier as double the cost of tariffs.
The rich countries have agreed to help the poorer WTO members with implementing this agreement.
Another important aspect of the Bali package is about enabling poor countries to sell their goods more easily. This part is about tariffs, and also quota limits on imports.
Rich countries and the more advanced developing countries have agreed to cut tariffs on products from the poorest nations.

Traditional dancing was performed at the WTO meeting in Bali

EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht told the BBC that if the poorest nations "have more trading capacity it will also result in more investment in logistics and infrastructure".
But campaigners describe the plan as weak.
Nick Dearden of the World Development Movement said: "If the US and EU really wanted to tackle global poverty, they would have made the least-developed-countries package much stronger."
Credibility test Getting this deal has involved introducing some extra flexibility into the existing WTO rules on farm subsidies. India led the campaign, by insisting that it should be allowed to subsidise grain under its new food security law.
There is a strong possibility that India's policy would break WTO rules that limit farm subsidies.
A "peace clause" has been agreed, under which members agree not to initiate WTO disputes against those breaching the subsidy limits as part of a food-security programme. But it only lasts four years and there is criticism from campaigners.
John Hilary of War on Want, a UK-based group, said: "The negotiations have failed to secure permanent protection for countries to safeguard the food rights of their peoples, exposing hundreds of millions to the prospect of hunger and starvation simply in order to satisfy the dogma of free trade."
The Bali meeting was an important one for the WTO's credibility. The deal includes a rather small part of the negotiating programme that was launched 12 years ago, known as the Doha Round.
Repeated delays have made the WTO seem irrelevant as a forum for negotiating trade liberalisation agreements. It was a leading reason so many countries have sought to make deals bilaterally or among small groups.
The agreement will help repair the WTO's damaged image. Nonetheless, the rest of the Doha Round will be very difficult to conclude.
The deal seeks further reductions in farm subsidies, tariffs on industrial goods, barriers to international trade in services and more.
All are very difficult to conclude and are entwined with domestic political factors in many of the WTO's 159 member countries. So don't hold your breath waiting for the final deal

Friday, 6 December 2013

Marine jailed for Afghan murder

Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Wayne Blackman

Blackman was told he will serve at least 10 years in jail

Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman has been sentenced to life by a court martial for murdering an insurgent in Afghanistan.

Blackman, 39, from Taunton, Somerset, has been told he will spend at least 10 years in prison.
It comes after one of the UK's highest-ranking Royal Marines pledged his "full support" for Blackman, saying he had been "tainted" by the "impact of war".
The Ministry of Defence said it respected the court's decision.

Analysis

Jonathan Beale Defence correspondent, BBC News

In the words of his commanding officer, Sgt Al Blackman, the man until recently known just as Marine A, had a proud career and promising future.
That was until a momentary and fatal lapse of judgement that not only prematurely ended the life of the injured Afghan fighter he shot, but also altered his own forever.
His commanding officer said that Blackman was not a bad man, but a "normal citizen" tainted by the impact of war.
But while the Judge Advocate General said there were mitigating circumstances to this unusual case, Blackman had treated the injured Afghan with contempt and murdered him in cold blood.
He said his reaction to the murder caught on tape was chilling.
The sentence passed was always going to be controversial - this was a murder carried out by a man who was serving his country in a war with a ruthless enemy.
But those who criticise must also reflect that the sentence was approved by a group of Blackman's peers - those in uniform who've also experienced combat.
In the words of Judge Blackett, it's their reputation too that's been tarnished. While there will be sympathy, there's also anger.

On Thursday, three judges at the High Court lifted an anonymity order allowing Blackman to be named.

Lt Col Simon Chapman, in a letter read to the judge and board at the court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, described how Blackman's promising career had been shattered in a "momentary" lapse of judgement.
The Ministry of Defence, in a statement, said: "Throughout this case the Ministry of Defence has followed the independent legal process and a sentence has now been delivered.
"We respect the authority and decision of the court and it would be inappropriate of us to comment on the sentence."
The trial - during which Blackman was referred to as Marine A - was the first time a member of the British armed forces had faced a murder charge in relation to the conflict in Afghanistan, which began in 2001.
Two other marines were cleared.
'Lives at risk' The murder took place after a patrol base in Helmand came under attack from small-arms fire from two insurgents.
One of them was seriously injured by gunfire from an Apache helicopter sent to provide air support, and the marines found him in a field.

“Start Quote

He had so much to behold - a proud career and a promising future. Sadly, this is no longer the case”

Officer's letter defends marine

The incident was inadvertently filmed by one of the cleared marines - known as Marine B - on his helmet-mounted camera. That footage, taken on 15 September 2011, was shown to the court during the two-week trial.

It showed Blackman shooting the Afghan prisoner with a 9mm pistol.
Sentencing Blackman, Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett told him he had disgraced the name of the British armed services and had put troops' lives at risk by his actions.
"This was not an action taken in the heat of battle or immediately after you had been engaged in a firefight," he said.
"Nor were you under any immediate threat - the video footage shows that you were in complete control of yourself, standing around for several minutes and not apparently worried that you might be at risk of attack by other insurgents."
Blackman was told that when he is released from prison by the Parole Board he could be recalled if he breached the terms of that licence.
In fixing the minimum term of imprisonment, the judge said the court took into account the effect of the arduous six-month tour upon Blackman.

Extract from helmet camera audio recording of incident in Helmand

"This was your sixth operational tour and your second to Afghanistan in under 14 years of service," the judge said.
"We accept that you were affected by the constant pressure, ever present danger and fear of death or serious injury.
"This was enhanced by the reduction of available men in your command post so that you had to undertake more patrols yourself and place yourself and your men in danger more often.
"We also accept the psychiatric evidence presented today that when you killed the insurgent it was likely that you were suffering to some degree from combat stress disorder.
"While we acknowledge your personal circumstances and the immense pressure you were under, we note that thousands of other service personnel have experienced the same or similar stresses.
"They exercised self-discipline and acted properly and humanely; you did not."

GROUP DRAW FOR 2014 WORLD CUP IS OUT

Play media

Iker Casillas lifts the World Cup for Spain

2014 Fifa World Cup final draw: Spain face Dutch in final repeat

Spain will open their defence of the World Cup next year with a repeat of the 2010 final with Netherlands.

Vicente del Bosque's side will also face South American opponents Chile and Australia, who progressed from the Asia qualification competition, in Group B.
Asked if Spain were in the toughest group, Del Bosque said: "No, I don't think so, the group with Uruguay, Italy and England is also tough."
Three-time winners Germany are in Group G with Portugal, Ghana and USA.

World Cup stat attack

Spain met Netherlands and Chile at the 2010 World Cup but have never played a match against Australia
The first meeting between Brazil and Mexico was a World Cup match in 1950 which won Brazil 4-0
Italy and England have met seven times in competitive games - the Azzurri lead by five wins to one, with one draw

United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player in 1990 with West Germany, said: "I kind of had in my stomach that we were going to get Germany.

"Obviously it's one of the most difficult groups in the whole draw, having Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo and then Ghana, who has a history with the United States. It couldn't get any more difficult or any bigger."
"So, we will be meeting old friends," said Germany coach Joachim Low, who was Klinsmann's assistant during the 2006 World Cup.
"Jurgen and I have had a very good and close relationship for a long time."
Hosts Brazil open the month-long showpiece on 12 June in Sao Paulo against Croatia in Group A, who qualified for the tournament after defeating Iceland in the play-offs.
The five-time winners will then play Mexico and Cameroon to decide who reaches the knockout stages.
"We've got a difficult group, but the opening match of the World Cup against Brazil will be spectacular. I can't wait," Southampton's Croat defender Dejan Lovren said on Twitter.
Lionel Messi's Argentina are in Group F along with debutants Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran and Nigeria.
Manchester City's Argentina striker Sergio Aguero said on Twitter: "There's no easy match in the World Cup, but effort and hard work always gives rewards!"
Aguero's country have twice been champions, but last won the tournament in 1986.
England are in a tough Group D. They open up against Italy, who knocked Roy Hodgson's side out of Euro 2012, 2010 semi-finalists Uruguay and Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, 1998 winners France, who defeated Ukraine in a dramatic play-off tie, will face neighbours Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras in Group E.
Belgium, fifth favourites with some bookmakers to win the World Cup, are in Group H with Russia, South Korea and Algeria.
And in Group C, Colombia, who came second in the South American qualifying group, will face Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan.
Group draw for the 2014 World Cup:
Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon.
Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia.
Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan.
Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy.
Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras.
Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria.
Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA.
Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea.

The Sierra Leonean girl who met Gaddafi 'in hell', ask to pull down the mosque he built

Muammar Gaddafi in his heyday. A Christian fundamentalist teenager from Sierra Leone says the late Libyan leader is in hell and has instructed that a mosque he helped build in Freetown be pulled down.

Sierra Leone's over 50 years of religious harmony is under threat thanks to the bizarre revelations of a young woman.

Sister Linda Ngaoja's ‘heavenly journey’ some months back has turned her into the equivalent of a movie star, but at the risk of destabilising a country renowned for its religious tolerance.

The 28-year-old (some say 26) college student claims to have "died" and gone to hell before being taken to heaven.

While in hell, former Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi told her he wanted the mosque he built in Sierra Leone destroyed and replaced with a church.

She also has a message from the late president of neighbouring Guinea,

The lorry was stolen on Monday by armed men at a petrol station

Dangerous radioactive medical material taken when a lorry was stolen in Mexico has been found, local officials say.

The material - cobalt-60 - was removed from a protective casing and then abandoned nearby.
The thieves may have been exposed to life-threatening radiation levels, but there is no health risk for local residents, the officials say.
The material and the lorry were found close to where they had been stolen near Mexico City on Monday.
'Extremely dangerous'

Analysis

Will Grant BBC News, Mexico City

It always seemed unlikely that this was anything as sinister as a plot involving Mexican drug cartels trying to lay their hands on dangerous radioactive material.
Rather it looked like a case of opportunistic theft gone wrong.
With the discovery of the lorry barely 2km from where it was stolen, it seems clear that this was a bungled robbery.
The authorities say the thieves appeared to have opened the box out of "curiosity" and in the process may well have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.
Although they managed to remove cobalt-60 from its protective container, nuclear security officials assured Mexicans that the authorities had the situation under control and that it posed no threat to the local population or the environment.

The radioactive material was discovered near the town of Hueypoxtla, officials from Mexico's National Nuclear Security Commission (NNSC) said. It was barely 2km (1.4 miles) from where the lorry had been stolen.

NNSC official Mardonio Jimenez said the radioactive source had been "removed from its container and left between 500 and 700m" from the vehicle.
But he warned that whoever had opened it could die "because the source's intensity is very high".
"They will eventually have to go to a hospital, and we'll be waiting for them," Mr Jimenez said.
He stressed that the radioactive material was now in the hands of the authorities.
The military has now sealed off the area.
The thieves struck as the driver of the Volkswagen lorry made an overnight rest stop at a petrol station in the town of Tepojaco. The driver was forced out of the vehicle at gunpoint and tied up.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) described the material as "extremely dangerous" and there was some speculation that it could have been used to build a "dirty bomb".
However, the authorities believe that this was an opportunistic theft which went badly wrong.
"The vehicles are expensive because of the mechanisms to load and unload heavy material. That type of theft is very common in that area. That's why we feel the people who did this have no idea what they stole," Mr Jimenez said.
Cobalt-60 is used in cancer treatment and was being transported from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a disposal centre near the capital

Thursday, 5 December 2013

Libya violence: US teacher shot dead in Benghazi

Students stand outside the Benghazi International School

The international school in Benghazi follows an English curriculum

An American teacher has been shot dead in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, local officials say.

Ronnie Smith, who is reported to be from Texas, taught chemistry at the international school in the city.
The 33-year-old was gunned down earlier on Thursday as he was jogging in the Fweihat district, a popular residential area in the city.
No group has said it carried out the attack. There was no formal statement from the US embassy in Libya.
However, in a tweet the US ambassador to Libya, Deborah Jones, said her heart went out "to the family of the American school teacher".
"Libya's enemies will not succeed in driving away her friends," she wrote in a second post.
The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says Mr Smith was one of the few foreign citizens living in Benghazi.
For more than a year, many foreign governments have advised against all travel to Benghazi by their nationals, our correspondent says.
The warnings followed an attack on the US consulate in September 2012 in which US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
Hardline Islamist groups have since been blamed for that attack but no one has been convicted.
'So sweet' The international school in Benghazi is a Libyan-owned institute that follows an English curriculum.

"He was doing his morning exercise when gunmen just shot him. I don't know why. He was so sweet with everyone," Adel al Mansouri, director at the school, told Reuters.
Benghazi has seen the rise of several extremist militia groups operating in the city since the civil war in 2011 that toppled the longstanding leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Residents blame these groups for the almost daily assassinations and frequent bombings targeting the army and police, our correspondent says.
Earlier on Thursday, three Libyan soldiers were assassinated in the city.
Last week, nine people died in clashes between the Libyan army and an Islamist militia, Ansar al-Sharia.
Militias took part in the uprising that led to the fall of Col Gaddafi but have been told by the interim government to disband or join the army by the end of the year.

South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies in Johannesburg

The announcement of Mandela's death was made by President Jacob Zuma

South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has died at the age of 95.

Mr Mandela led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after 27 years in prison for his political activities.
He had been receiving intensive medical care at home for a lung infection after spending three months in hospital.
Announcing the news on South African national TV, President Jacob Zuma said Mr Mandela was at peace.
"Our nation has lost its greatest son," Mr Zuma said.

Scenes from around the globe in the hours after Nelson Mandela's death, as world leaders, South Africans, and our own journalists react.

"Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss."
Mr Zuma said Mr Mandela - who is known affectionately by his clan name, Madiba - had died shortly before 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT). He said he would receive a full state funeral, and flags would be flown at half-mast.
Crowds have gathered outside the house where Mr Mandela died, some flying South African flags and wearing the shirts of the governing African National Congress, which Mr Mandela once led.

1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
1943 Joined African National Congress
1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped after a four-year trial
1962 Arrested, convicted of incitement and leaving country without a passport, sentenced to five years in prison
1964 Charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
1990 Freed from prison
1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
1994 Elected first black president
1999 Steps down as leader
2001 Diagnosed with prostate cancer
2004 Retires from public life
2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was one of the world's most revered statesmen after preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

He had rarely been seen in public since officially retiring in 2004. He made his last public appearance in 2010, at the football World Cup in South Africa.
His fellow campaigner against apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said he was "not only an amazing gift to humankind, he made South Africans and Africans feel good about being who we are. He made us walk tall. God be praised."
BBC correspondents say Mr Mandela's body will be moved to a mortuary in the capital, Pretoria, and the funeral is likely to take place next Saturday.
'Bid him farewell' Mr Zuma said in his statement that "what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.
"Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we will bid him farewell."

Analysis

Pumza Fihlani BBC News, Johannesburg

The greatest father there ever was: this is how South Africans will remember the man who brought an end to apartheid and delivered the nation from the brink of civil war.
Social networking sites are abuzz with messages of condolences and messages of gratitude to the late statesman. He had been in and out of hospital in recent years and had become increasingly frail but many South Africans had continued to express their unreadiness to lose him.
As he did in life, his passing has brought unity amongst South Africans as black and white speak of their love for him. Many here will be drawing on that same spirit for strength, that "Madiba magic" over the next few days and weeks as the nation left with the great burden of honouring Mr Mandela's legacy, mourns his passing but also celebrates his life.

Tributes have come in from around the world. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration".

"Many around the world were greatly influenced by his selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom. He touched our lives in deeply personal ways."
US President Barack Obama said Mr Mandela achieved more than could be expected of any man.
"He no longer belongs to us - he belongs to the ages," he said, adding that Mr Mandela "took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice".
Mr Obama, the first black president of the United States, said he was one of the millions who drew inspiration from Mr Mandela's life. He has ordered that the White House flag be flown at half-mast.
FW de Klerk, who as South Africa's last white president ordered Mr Mandela's release, called him a "unifier" and said he had "a remarkable lack of bitterness".

“Start Quote

We are relieved that his suffering is over, but our relief is drowned by our grief”

Kofi Annan Chair of The Elders

He told the BBC Mr Mandela's greatest legacy "is that we are basically at peace with each other notwithstanding our great diversity, that we will be taking hands once again now around his death and around our common sadness and mourning".

The Elders - a group of global leaders set up by Mr Mandela to pursue peace and human rights - said they "join millions of people around the world who were inspired by his courage and touched by his compassion".
The group's chair, Kofi Annan, said the world had lost "a clear moral compass".
"While I mourn the loss of one of Africa's most distinguished leaders, Madiba's legacy beckons us to follow his example to strive for human rights, reconciliation and justice for all."
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "a great light has gone out in the world".
Earlier this year, Mr Mandela spent nearly three months in hospital with a recurring lung infection.
He was moved to his home in the Houghton suburb of Johannesburg in September, where he continued to receive intensive care.
Robben Island Born in 1918, Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1943, as a law student.

Woman outside Mandela's home in Johannesburg (5 Dec 2013)

Many of those gathered outside the former leader's home were reduced to tears at the news

Lungi Morrison, granddaughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, at a memorial in London (6 Dec 2013)

In London mourners placed flowers outside the African High Commission - among them the daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lungi Morrison

The UN Security Council in New York stood for a minute of silence

He and other ANC leaders campaigned against apartheid. Initially he campaigned peacefully but in the 1960s the ANC began to advocate violence, and Mr Mandela was made the commander of its armed wing.
He was arrested for sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964, serving most of his sentence on Robben Island.

FW de Klerk: Mandela "was a great unifier"

It was forbidden to quote him or publish his photo, but he and other ANC leaders were able to smuggle out messages of guidance to the anti-apartheid movement.
He was released in 1990 as South Africa began to move away from strict racial segregation - a process completed by the first multi-racial elections in 1994.
Mr Mandela, who had been awarded the Nobel Prize in 1993 jointly with Mr de Klerk, was elected South Africa's first black president. He served a single term, stepping down in 1999.
After leaving office, he became South Africa's highest-profile ambassador, campaigning against HIV/Aids and helping to secure his country's right to host the 2010 football World Cup.
He was also involved in peace negotiations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and other countries in Africa and elsewhere.

A look back at the life of Nelson Mandela

What is your reaction to Nelson Mandela's death?

Phil Collins says he is writing songs again

By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Phil Collins, the former Genesis drummer whose earnest ballads made him a star in the 1980s, is penning songs again. Although he dreads the idea of extended touring because it would take him away from his five children, Collins says he has missed the creativity of music since he retired in 2010.
Collins spoke in Miami Beach on Wednesday. He was in town to promote the expansion of his nonprofit Little Dreams Foundation, which he co-founded with his now ex-wife Orianne Collins to help youth realize their artistic, musical and athletic dreams.
"I've decided I kind of missed that writing creative stuff, so I'm trying to get back into writing, and that's getting into a certain headspace and personal drive," he said.
There's no magic for getting into the groove, "just banging away at it," he said. Sometimes the lyrics come first, sometimes the music.
"I've got some lyrical ideas on paper that are good. I've started to thrash around at the piano. A lot of it is hit and miss," he said. "All you need is something to hang an idea on and you're off."
Collins got his start as the drummer for Genesis in the 1970s before becoming a solo star with hits such as "In the Air Tonight" and "Against All Odds."
Collins said putting on live shows is fun, but he doesn't like missing his children's birthdays.
"I've been like that pretty much most of my life, and I don't want to do that anymore," he said.
Collins has three adult children from his first two marriages and two young sons with Orianne. They divorced in 2008.
Pressed when he might it the road again, he said it wouldn't be before the end of next year. He didn't say whether it would be a solo show or a Genesis reunion.
Collins said he gets a kick out of watching his concerts with his young sons Nicholas and Matthew.
He said they ask him tough questions, like why he makes a crazy laugh on the single "Mama" from Genesis' 1983 self-titled album. The answer: It was tribute to the granddaddy of hip hop Grandmaster Flash.
"But they don't know who Grandmaster Flash is," he said. Collins credits his boys' interest in his concerts for encouraging him to even consider getting back on the stage.
Critics also give him pause about returning.
"I can't believe that amount of hate that is out there," he said, referring to the online reaction to his declaration earlier this year that he might consider touring.
Even after all these years, the Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist still takes critics to heart. Over the years, they've often panned his pop tunes for being safe, bland and overproduced.
"Knowing that I'm just thinking of it, and someone saying, 'No, God, please don't do that!' It kind of undermines your confidence," he said. "We're all sensitive chaps, you know."
Collins said he was pleasantly surprised at how certain songs have held up over time, such as "Easy Lover" and "In the Air Tonight," which was featured in the 1980's hit TV show "Miami Vice."
"That's going to be on my headstone. He came. He wrote 'In the Air Tonight.' He ... died."
As for his charity, Collins said he often used to receive letters from kids asking how to break into the music business, so he and Orianne decided to create the nonprofit to help those without resources get coaching, training and advice. At first, they turned to their friends in the music industry to serve as mentors and later expanded to sports and visual arts.
The Miami chapter is the first in the U.S. Children are selected based on talent, motivation and enthusiasm. Once accepted, they work with mentors, who have in the past included Tina Turner, Natalie Cole and others.
Collins doesn't promise the 10 or so youth who will be selected each year a guaranteed path to fame.
"But we're giving kids with the same kinds of ambitions I had solid ways to prepare," he said.
Collins said he was a lucky man.
"All I set out to do was to earn a living playing drums, you know? And as luck would have it, I've surpassed that."

Why are we more scared of raw egg than reheated rice?

By Lucy Townsend BBC News Magazine

Twenty-five years ago minister Edwina Currie sparked a scare over salmonella in eggs and had to resign amid outrage from farmers and plummeting sales. The panic has shaped the way we think about food safety.

There are foods that people instinctively associate with the risk of poisoning - raw chicken, raw egg, shellfish.
At the time of Edwina Currie's remarks - which were perceived to have dramatically exaggerated the prevalence of the disease in eggs in the UK - there were 12,302 cases of the salmonella PT4 strand most commonly found in poultry.
It dropped by 54% in the three years following the introduction of the British Lion scheme in 1998, which saw hens vaccinated against salmonella, and last year there were just 229 reported cases.
But people are still mistrustful.

How to avoid food poisoning

Wash your hands, wash your worktops and wash your dishcloths and tea towels - and let them dry
Take care with raw meat - chop it on a separate board, keep it away from ready-to-eat food and store on bottom of fridge (to avoid dripping)
Ensure your fridge is below 5ºC; cool leftovers quickly after heating (within 90 minutes) and eat within two days
Respect use-by dates

d young children are warned against eating a runny yolk, and forums on parenting websites contain discussion threads on the perils of raw cake mix.

"The saying was that salmonella and eggs go together like a horse and carriage," says Sarah O'Brien, professor of Infection Epidemiology and Zoonoses at the University of Liverpool. "But that's not the case. Improved testing methods and improved treatment mean foods that used to be unusual causes of outbreaks have become the usual suspects."
It's impossible to precisely tally the number of cases caused by each type of food, but from what is known there are some less-expected culprits.
Watercress, beansprouts and curry leaves are believed to have been behind some of the most high profile outbreaks of food poisoning recently. People have died after eating contaminated celery, peanut butter and cantaloupe melon.

Edwina Currie (seen here in 2004) lost her job over salmonella controversy

One of the more unusual outbreaks of food poisoning happened in 1951 in the French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit. Five people died and many suffered hallucinations after eating rye bread contaminated by ergot, a poisonous fungus. Ergot poisoning is, thankfully, easily avoided.
"Any food can be poisonous if it is not prepared or stored correctly," says Dr Haruna Musa Moda of the Food Research Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University.
"Chicken, eggs and shellfish are classed as high risk, but so are rice, pasta, couscous - starchy foods that have high moisture content. Ready meals and cooked meats are also on the high risk list, but people don't tend to think about them so much."
Many people are completely unaware of the dangers of eating reheated rice or pasta. Our perception of the risks is shaped by high-profile incidents.
Currie's remark that "most of the egg production in this country, sadly, is now affected with salmonella", caused a 60% drop in egg sales and she was forced to resign. The loss of revenue meant four million hens were slaughtered.

But while the industry recovered, the egg's reputation for potential menace was longer lasting.

Salmonella in UK eggs is now very rare, but the official line that raw egg should be avoided will remain. "It is about knowing that the risk exists, even if it is small," says Bob Martin, of the Food Standards Agency.
Despite episodes like the Sainsbury's watercress recall it is hard for people to understand that non-animal products can be a risk. Beansprouts - including aduki, alfalfa, lentils and mung beans - have been associated with a number of health scares including an outbreak of salmonella in the UK in 2010.
"Salad leaves and green leafy vegetables can become contaminated with bugs, like salmonella and E.coli O157, from the soil," adds O'Brien. "Bagged salad, in particular, can have bugs that stick to the cut edge of the leaf - that is where the nutrients are and the bugs can be quite hard to get rid of by washing."
There are around one million cases of food poisoning each year, according to the Food Standards Agency. The majority are caused by the bug Campylobacter - commonly found in uncooked poultry, it is thought to be present in the vast majority of chickens.

But rice is also a common cause. It can contain Bacillus cereus, which is resistant to heat.
"It's one that a lot of people don't know about, but you do have to be very careful with rice," says Martin. "It's not that rice itself is dangerous but after it's been cooked there are spores of bacteria that can germinate."
The advice is to cool it quickly if it is likely to be eaten later. "Take the worst of the heat out but then put it in the fridge, it doesn't need to be room temperature any more - fridges have improved," adds Martin.
He also advises spreading it in shallow dishes to speed up cooling, or more simply, just cook the amount you want to eat. It's a very bad idea to eat rice that's been sitting in a buffet at room temperature after being cooked. Any reheating at home should be thorough but is only safe

There is also official advice on the preparation on greens and salad. Wash vegetables under water rather than under a tap so germs are not sprayed around the kitchen. Vegetables should also be washed before they are peeled.

"Bear in mind that vegetables come from the soil which is a living thing. In some farms they are grown in soil with animal manure," adds Martin.
"The basic message is that all food should be treated with respect, don't abuse it, don't expect too much from it."

US courts asked to recognize chimps as people

File picture shows three female chimpanzees at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney (AFP Photo/Rob Elliott)

New York (AFP) - Walking, talking chimpanzees may be TV comedy gold but now three courts in New York are being asked to recognize four chimps as "legal persons" with fundamental rights.

The move would allow the animals to be released into sanctuaries where they could live out the reminder of their days in freedom, says the Nonhuman Rights Project behind the initiative.
On Monday it petitioned a court in Fulton County Court, New York State, in the name of Tommy, a chimpanzee held captive in a cage at a used trailer lot in nearby Gloversville.
On Tuesday it did the same for Kiko, a 26-year-old chimpanzee who is deaf and living in a private home in Niagara Falls.
The group will Thursday lodge a similar petition on behalf of Hercules and Leo, who are owned by a research center and used in locomotion experiments on Long Island.
"The lawsuits ask the judge to grant the chimpanzees the right to bodily liberty and to order that they be moved to a sanctuary," the organization said in a statement.
There the animals can live out their days in an environment as close to the wild as is possible in North America, it added.
The challenge is based on the principle of habeas corpus, which the petitioners said was used in New York and allowed slaves to challenge their status and establish their right to freedom.
"Our legal petitions and memoranda, along with affidavits from some of the world's most respected scientists, lay out a clear case as to why these cognitively complex, autonomous beings have the basic legal right to not be imprisoned," the statement added.
The courts can decide whether or not to take up the petitions but if they refuse the organization has the right of appeal.
The Nonhuman Rights Project works to change the common law status of at least some animals to "persons" who possess fundamental rights such as bodily integrity and bodily liberty.