Archive for October 2014
A 14yr OLD GIRL ACCUSED OF MURDERING HER 35yr OLD HUSBAND BY RAT POISON
The trial of Wasila Tasi'u, from a poor northern Nigeria family, has sparked a heated debate on the role of underage marriage in the conservative Muslim region, especially whether an adolescent girl can consent to be a bride.
Prosecutors at the High Court in Gezawa, outside Nigeria's second city of Kano, filed an amended complaint that charged Tasi'u with one count of murder over the killing of Umar Sani two weeks after their April wedding in the village of Unguwar Yansoro.
Lead prosecutor Lamido Abba Soron-Dinki said that if convicted, the charge is "punishable with death" and indicated the state would seek the maximum penalty.
Nigeria is not known to have executed a juvenile offender since 1997, when the country was ruled by military dictator Sani Abacha, according to Human Rights Watch.
Tasi'u entered the court wearing a cream-coloured hijab and was escorted by two policemen.
Her parents, who have condemned their daughter's alleged act, were in the public gallery -- the first time the three were in the same room since Tasi'u's arrest in April, her legal representatives said.
The English-language charge sheet was translated into Hausa for the accused by the court clerk.
Tasi'u refused to answer when asked if she understood the charges.
The case was adjourned for 30 minutes so the charges could be better explained to the defendant, but when the alleged offences were read again Tasi'u stayed silent, turned her head to the wall and broke down in tears.
"The court records (that) she pleads not guilty," Judge Mohammed Yahaya said, apparently regarding her silence as equal to a denial of the charges and adjourned the case until November 26.
Activists, including in Nigeria's mainly Christian south, have called for Tasi'u's immediate release, saying she should be rehabilitated as a victim and noting the prospect that she was raped by the man she married.
But in the north, Islamic law operates alongside the secular criminal code, a hybrid system that has complicated the question of marital consent.
The affected families have denied that Tasi'u was forced into marriage, arguing that girls across the impoverished region marry at 14 and that Tasi'u and Sani followed the traditional system of courtship.
According to Nigeria's marriage act, anyone under 21 can marry provided they have parental consent and so evidence of an agreement between Tasi'u and her father Tasiu Mohammed could undermine claims of a forced union.
But defence lawyer Hussaina Aliyu has insisted the case is not a debate about the role of youth marriage in a Muslim society.
Instead, she has argued that under criminal law a 14-year-old cannot be charged with murder in a high court and has demanded that the case be moved to the juvenile system.
Nigeria defines the age of adulthood as 17 but the situation is less clear in the 12 northern states under Islamic law, where courts theoretically have the right to consider people under 17 as legally responsible.
Guidelines for how courts should blend Islamic and secular legal codes have not been well defined.
yahoo.com
INSIDE THE PORSCHE 918 SPIDER FACTORY, WHERE EVEN THE SCREWDRIVERS ARE SMART
As
we moved past the insertion station for the acid green-callipered
carbon-ceramic brakes at the Porsche 918 assembly plant in Stuttgart,
the strains of The Human League’s 1981 hit “Don’t You Want Me” played
tinnily from the in-car stereo of one of the partially assembled
hyper-cars. This was fitting — not just because of the of the
numerological confluence of the date of the tune’s release (all 9s, 1s,
and 8s), or because of the fact that we were in a car factory so quiet
that the synthetic strains of new wave could be heard readily from a
vehicle on the assembly line — but because the answer to the song’s
titular question was a resounding Yes!
If
the 918 is one of the world’s most desirable cars, it should come as no
surprise that the plant in which it is produced is one of the world’s
most desirable factories — a perfectly lit, technologically advanced,
human intensive temple to Teutonic efficiency and monomania. We were
among a select quartet of American journalists to be invited here this
week, the first to visit since production began earlier this year.
Likewise, every one of the 110 men and women working on the line was
hand-selected by the plant’s affable but exacting Director of
Production, Logistics, and Quality (and our tour guide) Michael
Drolshagen. As was each of the movements they make every 111 minutes,
the duration for which each $850,000 hybrid remains at their respective
workstations.
While
the 911 facility downstairs produces 200 finished cars every day, the
918 line — hidden in a former paint shop on the second floor of the
Zuffenhausen complex —produces only four. The meticulous attention to
detail is one of the reasons. When a single dollop of synthetic
lubricant dripped on the floor, we saw two workers immediately spend at
least 45 seconds spraying it with solvent, wiping it with a pristine
white rag, and examining the area for shmears; likewise for an inspector
going over every millimeter of the car’s cosmetically-woven
carbon-fiber monocoque with a spotlight and a jeweler’s loup.
The dearness of the parts from which the 918 is built is
another factor. Everything has been optimized for light weight, tensile
strength, and ultimate performance so great care must be taken not to
cause damage — nothing scratched will readily buff out. The basic
materials costs for a 918 are higher than the retail price of a 911
Turbo. The hand-cut stainless steel exhaust surround on the car’s deck
is more expensive than the entire painted body of a Panamera. 
Even
the screws that connect primary components are treated with deific
respect. The cordless electric screwdrivers used to insert them are
Bluetooth connected to a central network. If their torque pressure does
not register as proper for the coded part they’re attaching, the entire
line will shut down until such a time as the problem is remedied. On the
Weissach model, which costs an additional $80,000, these screws — along
with some other relevant bits — are made of titanium, which weighs 60%
less than the standard part, and is ten times as expensive.
Despite all of this exquisite material, we were allowed free
reign to wander about. The lack of a true “assembly line” made this both
safe and feasible — the cars travel about the factory on wheeled and
motorized precision lifts until such time as their battery assembly is
inserted and they are able to drive electrically through their final
stations. If nearly a million dollars seems a high price to pay for a vehicle, viewing up close what goes into the 918 quickly subverts that thinking. Suspension components, brake discs, exhaust manifolds, and dash assemblies are crafted with the care and materials befitting a Henry Moore sculpture, and stand on racks and pedestals as if awaiting adoration in a museum. Save for the fact that we were allowed to put our hands on everything, we could have been at a MOMA retrospective.
Only
918 of these rolling objet d’art will be built. Porsche is about a
third of the way through this production allotment. But while the
Vehicle Identification Numbers of the cars will be sequential, their
creation will not. Some customers have requested particular VINs to
match their concept of what is lucky (888 or 777), what is valuable (001
or 918), or what is iconic and beloved to the brand (911 or 917). These
are constructed out of turn as the orders are received.
At
the end of our visit, Herr Drolshagen tells us that the full run will
be completed by July 2015. When we ask him if there are upcoming plans
for this space — perhaps production of a rumored successor — he shrugs.
“Maybe we return it to a paint shop for the 911?” His taciturn demeanor
gives nothing away, but his sly smile says those smart screwdrivers will
find something more to do once the 918 rolls into history. Bokoharam leader Shekau says he is alive, Watch video
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau dismissed Nigerian military claims of his death in a new video obtained by AFP on Thursday and said the militants had implemented strict Islamic law in captured towns.
“Here I am, alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath,” Shekau said, adding that his group was “running our… Islamic caliphate” and administering strict sharia punishments.
Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader and Alex Badeh, Chief of Defence Staff.
Nigeria’s military said last week that Shekau was dead and that a man who had been posing as the group’s leader in the videos had been killed after fighting with troops in the far northeast.
Security analysts and the United States questioned the credibility of the military’s claim.
The new 36-minute video showed Shekau, in combat fatigues and black rubber boots, standing on the back of a pick-up truck and firing an anti-aircraft gun into the air.
Standing in front of three camouflaged vans and flanked by four heavily armed, masked fighters, he then speaks for 16 minutes in Arabic and the Hausa language widely spoken in northern Nigeria.
There was no indication of where or when the video was shot.
The heavily bearded Shekau, who appeared to be the same as those in previous clips, said the military’s claim that he was dead was propaganda.
“Nothing will kill me until my days are over… I’m still alive. Some people asked you if Shekau has two souls. No, I have one soul, by Allah,” he said, apparently reading from a script.
“It is propaganda that is prevalent. I have one soul. I’m an Islamic student.
“I’m the Islamic student whose seminary you burnt… I’m not dead,” he added, apparently referring to the destruction of the group’s mosque in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, in 2009.
There have been two previous claims by Nigeria’s security forces that Shekau was dead — once in 2009 during unrest in Maiduguri — and again in 2013.
Following each previous claim Boko Haram has issued denials in video messages.
Elsewhere in the new video, the militant leader said the group had implemented strict Islamic law in the towns that it had captured in recent weeks.
“We are running our caliphate, our Islamic caliphate. We follow the Koran… We now practise the injunctions of the Koran in the land of Allah,” he said.
The group also claimed to have shot down a Nigerian air force jet that went missing nearly three weeks ago.
An air force spokesman said the jet was missing.
“For any group to claim they shot it down is mere propaganda and rubbish,” Air Commodore Dele Alonge told AFP.
Last week, the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said during a news conference in Abuja that the corpse of the insurgents’ leader was identified by the people of Kodunga.
Olukolade illustrated the Defence authorities’ claim with pictures of the bullet-ridden corpse with Shekau’s semblance and a video of the battle in which he was killed.
He said that Shekau whose real name was Mohammed Bashir had used other names like Abacha Abdullahi Geidam and Damasack.
Nigeria’s military said last week that Shekau was dead and that a man who had been posing as the group’s leader in the videos had been killed after fighting with troops in the far northeast.
“Here I am, alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath,” Shekau said, adding that his group was “running our… Islamic caliphate” and administering strict sharia punishments.
Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader and Alex Badeh, Chief of Defence Staff.
Nigeria’s military said last week that Shekau was dead and that a man who had been posing as the group’s leader in the videos had been killed after fighting with troops in the far northeast.
Security analysts and the United States questioned the credibility of the military’s claim.
The new 36-minute video showed Shekau, in combat fatigues and black rubber boots, standing on the back of a pick-up truck and firing an anti-aircraft gun into the air.
Standing in front of three camouflaged vans and flanked by four heavily armed, masked fighters, he then speaks for 16 minutes in Arabic and the Hausa language widely spoken in northern Nigeria.
There was no indication of where or when the video was shot.
The heavily bearded Shekau, who appeared to be the same as those in previous clips, said the military’s claim that he was dead was propaganda.
“Nothing will kill me until my days are over… I’m still alive. Some people asked you if Shekau has two souls. No, I have one soul, by Allah,” he said, apparently reading from a script.
“It is propaganda that is prevalent. I have one soul. I’m an Islamic student.
“I’m the Islamic student whose seminary you burnt… I’m not dead,” he added, apparently referring to the destruction of the group’s mosque in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, in 2009.
There have been two previous claims by Nigeria’s security forces that Shekau was dead — once in 2009 during unrest in Maiduguri — and again in 2013.
Following each previous claim Boko Haram has issued denials in video messages.
Elsewhere in the new video, the militant leader said the group had implemented strict Islamic law in the towns that it had captured in recent weeks.
“We are running our caliphate, our Islamic caliphate. We follow the Koran… We now practise the injunctions of the Koran in the land of Allah,” he said.
The group also claimed to have shot down a Nigerian air force jet that went missing nearly three weeks ago.
An air force spokesman said the jet was missing.
“For any group to claim they shot it down is mere propaganda and rubbish,” Air Commodore Dele Alonge told AFP.
Last week, the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said during a news conference in Abuja that the corpse of the insurgents’ leader was identified by the people of Kodunga.
Olukolade illustrated the Defence authorities’ claim with pictures of the bullet-ridden corpse with Shekau’s semblance and a video of the battle in which he was killed.
He said that Shekau whose real name was Mohammed Bashir had used other names like Abacha Abdullahi Geidam and Damasack.
Nigeria’s military said last week that Shekau was dead and that a man who had been posing as the group’s leader in the videos had been killed after fighting with troops in the far northeast.
Facts about the worst Ebola outbreak in history
West Africa is struggling with the worst Ebolaoutbreak since the disease was identified in 1976, and the first case has been diagnosed in the United States.
Below are some facts regarding the outbreak:- The outbreak has killed 3,338 people, or 47 percent of the 7,178 known to have been infected as of Sept. 28, predominantly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal. The disease – which emerged in a remote forest region of Guinea in March – has also turned up in Nigeria and Senegal, but officials say the disease has been contained in those two countries.
- There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever. In past outbreaks, fatality rates have reached up to 90 percent. Ebola causes fever, flu-like pains, bleeding, vomiting and diarrhoea.
- Pharmaceutical companies are working on experimental Ebola vaccines and antiviral drugs, but a significant number of doses will not be available until at least the first quarter of 2015.
- Ebola is not airborne. It is transmitted through blood, vomit, diarrhoea and other bodily fluids. Healthcare workers in West Africa have been among the hardest hit by the outbreak.
- Ebola symptoms generally appear between two and 21 days after infection, meaning there is a significant window during which an infected person can escape detection, allowing them to travel. However, they are not considered contagious until they start showing symptoms.
- Recovery from Ebola depends on the patient's immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.
- The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that the number of infections could rise to up to 1.4 million people by early next year without a massive global intervention to contain the virus.
- The United States, Britain, France, China, Cuba and international organizations are pouring funds, supplies and personnel into the affected parts of West Africa.
- Ebola's suspected origin is forest bats. The virus was first identified in 1976 in what is now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Source: World Health Organisation and U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
- There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever. In past outbreaks, fatality rates have reached up to 90 percent. Ebola causes fever, flu-like pains, bleeding, vomiting and diarrhoea.
- Pharmaceutical companies are working on experimental Ebola vaccines and antiviral drugs, but a significant number of doses will not be available until at least the first quarter of 2015.
- Ebola is not airborne. It is transmitted through blood, vomit, diarrhoea and other bodily fluids. Healthcare workers in West Africa have been among the hardest hit by the outbreak.
- Ebola symptoms generally appear between two and 21 days after infection, meaning there is a significant window during which an infected person can escape detection, allowing them to travel. However, they are not considered contagious until they start showing symptoms.
- Recovery from Ebola depends on the patient's immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.
- The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that the number of infections could rise to up to 1.4 million people by early next year without a massive global intervention to contain the virus.
- The United States, Britain, France, China, Cuba and international organizations are pouring funds, supplies and personnel into the affected parts of West Africa.
- Ebola's suspected origin is forest bats. The virus was first identified in 1976 in what is now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Source: World Health Organisation and U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
