The hijab, or “Muslim headscarf”, is an item of clothing which is regarded by some Muslims as “compulsory” for women to wear. But for the first time in Britain, a Muslim school has declared that all girl students, including non-Muslims, will be required to wear the hijab.
Ten-percent of places at the Madani High School, a new school, will be allocated to students who are not of the Islamic faith, meaning that there will be 60 places for non-Muslim girls, who will all be expected to wear the headscarf.
The school asserts that it may require the headscarf as part of the uniform. The Commission for Racial Equality responded that the school should consider all pupils when putting together a uniform policy.
Earlier this month Jack Straw called upon Muslim women not to wear the veil (know as a Burqa or Niqab) when meeting with MPs, saying its makes relations between different communities more difficult.
Six people have died after a shooting incident Thursday in a Deeper Life church located in Gombe, in the north east of Nigeria. Gombe state police spokesman Ahmed Muhammad reported that eight other individuals had also been wounded during the shootings.
The wife of the pastor of the church was amongst those killed in the attack, which happened as a prayer service was in progress. Theresa Munyok, self-identified as daughter and brother of two of those shot dead, spoke of the events which occurred. “The only thing I heard was my mommy shouting,” Munyok explained. “She told me that it was gunshots and that my dad is not even breathing. She called and called and he did not wake up,” she said.
No groups were reported to have claimed responsibility for the incident. It is reportedly suspected that Boko Haram, a Muslim sect, carried out the attack. On Sunday, an individual presumed to be a representative of Boko Haram gave a warning to the Christian citizens of the north of Nigeria, which is mainly Muslim, ordering them to depart from the region within three days. Boko Haram translates from Hausa to English as ‘Western education is sacrilege’. The group was reportedly responsible in 2011 for over five hundred killings. The group accepted responsibility for the attack of a Catholic church near the Nigerian capital Abuja on Christmas Day, in which at least 37 people died, as well as a suicide bombing at a United Nations building in the same city, where 25 people were killed as a result.
Goodluck Jonathan, the president of Nigeria, placed various areas of the country in a state of emergency on December 31, 2011, including areas in Yobe, Plateau, Borno and Niger state. Gombe was not included amongst these states. Authorities in these areas can now arrest individuals without requiring evidence to do so. Similarly, searches can be made by authorities without requiring warrants to do so.
Looking at the fire 1 mile away facing the west, northwest. Image: Jason Safoutin.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Buffalo, New York —A massive warehouse complex of at least 5 buildings caught on fire in Buffalo, New York on 111 Tonawanda Street, sending a plume of thick, jet black colored smoke into the air that could be seen as far away as 40 miles.
As of 6:40 a.m., the fire was under control, and firefighters were attempting to stop it from spreading, but could not get to the center of the fire because of severe amounts of debris. Later in the morning, the fire was extinguished.
“The fire is mostly under debris at this point. It’s under control, but it’s under some debris. We really can’t get to it. We’re just going to have to keep on pouring water on it so it doesn’t spread,” said Thomas Ashe, the fire chief for the North Buffalo based fire division who also added that at one point, at least 125 firefighters were on the scene battling the blaze. One suffered minor injures and was able to take himself to the hospital to seek medical attention.
Shortly after 8:00 p.m. as many as 3 explosions rocked the warehouse sending large mushroom clouds of thick black smoke into the air. After the third explosion, heat could be felt more than 100 feet away. The fire started in the front, one story building then quickly spread to three others, but fire fighters managed to stop the flames from spreading onto the 3 story building all the way at the back.
According to a Buffalo Police officer, who wished not to be named, the fire began at about 7:00 p.m. [Eastern time], starting as a one alarm fire. By 8:00 p.m., three fire companies were on the scene battling the blaze. Police also say that a smaller fire was reported in the same building on Saturday night, which caused little damage.
At the start of the fire, traffic was backed up nearly 4 miles on the 198 expressway going west toward the 190 Interstate and police had to shut down the Tonawanda street exit because the road is too close to the fire.
At one point, traffic on the 198 was moving so slow, at least a dozen people were seen getting out of their cars and walking down the expressway to watch the fire. That prompted as many as 10 police cars to be dispatched to the scene to force individuals back into their cars and close off one of the 2 lanes on the westbound side.
One woman, who wished not to be named as she is close to the owner of the warehouse, said the building is filled with “classic cars, forklifts, and money” and that owner “does not have insurance” coverage on the property. The building is not considered abandoned, but firefighters said that it is vacant.
Officials in Fort Erie, Ontario were also swamped with calls to fire departments when the wind blew the smoke over the Niagra River and into Canada.
It is not known what caused the fire, but a car is suspected to have caught on fire and there are reports from police and hazmat crews, that there were also large barrels of diesel fuel being stored in one building. Firefighters say the cause of the blaze is being treated as “suspicious.” The ATF is investigating the fire and will bring dogs in to search the debris.
After two weekends of box office domination, Universal Pictures’ Meet the Fockers will be challenged for the top spot by horror film White Noise, also from Universal, which opens in wide release Friday.
To be considered in wide release, a film must open or play in at least 1,000 theatres throughout the U.S. and Canada. With Noise being the only new wide release movie for the weekend, it looks to take advantage of movie goers looking from a change from holiday themed film fare.
Noise is a come-back attempt for Michael Keaton, who hasn’t had a hit movie since 1992’s Batman Returns. But according to one critic, this film may not be a comeback hit for Keaton.
“White Noise never gives skeptics a chance to enjoy the film. I also suspect even believers will be bored,” Jack Garner, film critic for Gannet News Service said. Garner’s not alone in panning the film. According to web site RottenTomatoes.com, 87 percent of film critics in its survey have given the film a bad review.
“The nominal thriller White Noise is worthy neither of Michael Keaton’s talents nor even a desperate horror fan’s attention,” Manohla Dargis, film critic for the New York Times, said.
But not all reviews were bad. Hollywood Reporter critic, Kirk Honeycutt said, “Even though logic takes a holiday in White Noise, Geoffrey Sax, a British television director making his theatrical debut, lavishes enough craft on the paranormal thriller to send more than a few chills down the spine.”
The movie faces stiff competition as five other films have a wider release, playing in more theatres and reaching a larger potential audience. Universal’s Meet the Fockers, the sequel to 2000’s Meet the Parents is playing in about 1,000 more theatres than Noise and could dominate the box office for a third weekend.
‘Fockers’, starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, has made $186.5 million since its release Dec. 22, according to Box Office Mojo.
Radiation at Japan’s damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant yesterday spiked to lethal levels around a leaking tank. Today the national Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said contaminated water may be pumped into the sea.
Tanks holding contaminated water at the site continue to leak; operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says up to 300 metric tons may have leaked from one tank alone. Radiation at that tank soared to 1,800 millisieverts per hour yesterday, a rate lethal to an exposed human in about four hours. Japanese law says nuclear workers cannot be exposed to more than 50 millisieverts in a year.
A diagram marking the various points of the power plant where accidents occurred in the wake of the 2011 tsunami.Image: Sodacan.
TEPCO says other locations at the plant have readings of 70–230 millisieverts per hour. Waste water totalling more than 300,000 tons has already been collected at the site; more is being stored at a rate of 400 tons per day. An unknown quantity of radioactive groundwater is flowing into the sea.
NRA boss Shinichi Tanaka told a press conference today that stored water may be pumped into the Pacific after treatment to reduce contamination to within legal limits. “I’m afraid that it is unavoidable to dump or release the water into the sea,” he said, adding “careless management” was being applied to the water by TEPCO.
The situation at Fukushima is changing everyday… The accident has yet to be settled down.
TEPCO first noticed a leak at the now-deadly tank in July but said it was minor and the NRA gave it a level one “anomaly” rating on the seven-part international scale. Last week that was raised to “serious incident”, level three, after TEPCO said up to 300 tons of water had leaked. The exact amount is unknown as there is no gauge to measure levels inside the tank and TEPCO staff had said water levels in the tank had remained constant.
Last week levels under the tank, where lost water is thought to have seeped into the ground, stood at 100 millisieverts per hour, and another at the facility had a level of 70 millisieverts per hour. TEPCO found another leak yesterday in a pipe between coolant tanks. Highly radioactive material was dripping out, but TEPCO says the leak is now fixed. Monitoring at the site has been increased since the original leak’s discovery two weeks ago.
Around 1,000 tanks are used to store water from the power plant’s coolant system, which was contaminated when three reactors melted down after a tsunami in March 2011. Around 160,000 people were evacuated in the worst nuclear disaster since 1986. Tanaka said “The situation at Fukushima is changing everyday… The accident has yet to be settled down.”
The new radiation involves beta rays, TEPCO said, which can be stopped with a sheet of metal. Water treatment has extracted caesium from the tanks but other radioactive elements remain. TEPCO’s equipment to remove other contamination is out of action due to filter corrosion after a few months of operating, but the government has demanded it be returned to service this month.
None of the tanks have monitoring equipment and TEPCO’s initial procedure involved two employees manually checking each tank over a two-hour period. Since the tank was found to be leaking the total monitoring staff has increased from ten to 60, and patrols are carried out four times a day instead of twice a day.
Prosecutors brought criminal charges against TEPCO and government officials including then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan for their handling of the crisis formed after the tsunami. Daily newspaper Sankei Shimbun today claimed all charges, brought after local residents complained, were to be dropped. Sankei Shimbun suggests a formal announcement may come within days.
Kansai Electric Power today began shutting down one of only two reactors still generating power in Japan, reactor #3 at Oi Nuclear Power Plant, for mandatory inspection. The other, Oi’s reactor #4, is to be permanently switched off this month. When the accident began nuclear energy supplied a third of Japan’s power requirements, but in the aftermath of Fukushima the nation has switched to fossil fuels.
It is true that the Formula 1 chapter has long been closed for me … For team loyalty reasons I can’t ignore this unfortunate situation.
Massa was recently injured after a spring got loose from Rubens Barricello‘s car and hit his head in the Hungarian GP. Schumacher is expected to replace Massa for at least one Formula One event until the recovery of the Brazilian driver. Schumacher will get ready for his return using a special training program, checking his recovery after he fell off a motorcycle.
As the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge.
The last time the “Red Baron” drove the Ferrari car was more than a year ago, in April 2008. If Schumacher starts in Valencia, it would be his first GP with Kimi Räikkönen as his team mate.
The most important thing first: thank God, all news concerning Felipe is positive, and I wish him all the best again.
Massa and Schumacher were team mates during the latter’s last season and the two are said to be close friends. Massa was in a medically induced coma for several days but took his first steps today and can speak coherently; it was also confirmed today that he can still see out of both eyes. Concern does still remain about potential damage to his left eye. Massa was due to leave intensive care Wednesday and may be walking fully within ten days, although doctors remain cautious in their outlook for the Brazilian, who was runner-up in last year’s season.
There were different speculations about Massa’s replacement: most notable and curious was that the double world championship winner Fernando Alonso was to negotiate with Ferrari after the Renault team was penalized to skip the GP on Alonso’s home soil. Alonso was out of the recent Hungarian GP just after the first pit-stop cause of a loose wheel nut of the right front wheel. This incident not only stripped Renault of the possible podium finish, but also caused that penalty. To note, it was also the Hungarian GP of 2006 when Alonso was in the lead for most of the race, but ended it right after his pit-stop because off a badly attached right front wheel. That race was unexpectedly won by Jenson Button, who is now the championship leader.
In other news related to Formula One BMW Sauber announced plans to retire from the sport at the end of this season. FOTA says it will try to help the team to stay in Formula One, which could possibly mean moves similar to those when Honda was withdrawn from Formula One at the end of the previous season.
On Tuesday, the Euro fell to a new record low in relation to the Swiss Franc, and to multi-month lows against the U.S. Dollar and Japanese yen; all considered by investors to be safe currencies during times of economic turmoil.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that recent comments from the newly installed head of the International Monetary Fund, France’s Christine Lagarde, resulted in a sell-off of the Euro. At a roundtable discussion in Washington, Lagarde noted that the IMF had not yet reached discussion of terms and conditions of a second Greek bailout plan. In fact, a representative from the IMF is currently meeting with Eurozone policymakers to draft such a new proposal. The yield differential between Italian bonds and German bonds has spread to more than 300 basis points, something not seen in over a decade and evidence of investors’ concern.
Adding to the Euro’s woes is the upcoming release of the bank stress tests on Friday. The European Bankers Association said that they expect the data release to shed new light on the Eurozone’s banking situation. Representatives of several of the Eurozone’s governments, including Germany, have requested that the association consider releasing fewer specific details for fear that investor panic will ensue. The inadequacy of the capitalization rates has been an issue with the European Central Bank, whose president recently called upon Eurozone banks to make every effort to put their balance sheets in order.
For the time being at least, an unsubstantiated rumor reported by the Wall Street Journal states that the Eurozone’s central banks’ purchase of periphery debt has helped to quell the downward momentum of the Euro.
George Michael, a well-known British pop singer and songwriter, died on Christmas Day at the age of 53. Michael was found dead at his home in Oxfordshire, England, by boyfriend Fadi Fawaz.
I am in deep shock. I have lost a beloved friend — the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist.
Michael’s publicist released the following statement to People and Entertainment Weekly: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period. The family would ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult and emotional time.” He also reported that Michael had died of heart failure and “passed away peacefully”.
Sir Elton John said via Instagram, “I am in deep shock. I have lost a beloved friend — the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist. My heart goes out to his family and all of his fans.”
George Michael in 2006Image: Insasse(CC BY-SA 2.5).
George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in London. Over his multi-decade career, he sold more than 100 million records. Along with co-singer Andrew Ridgeley he became famous as part of the duo band Wham!. Together, Michael and Ridgeley produced several hit songs, such as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom, and Last Christmas. In 1985, Wham! was the first Western band to play in China since the beginning of the country’s opening up strategy. Wham! dissolved in 1986. In 1984, Michael recorded the successful single Careless Whisper. Michael was credited as the solo artist in the United Kingdom and as “Wham! featuring George Michael” in the United States. Michael released a hit solo album Faith in 1987, containing hits like I Want Your Sex.
Michael’s life was troubled by both substance abuse and issues with his sexuality. He initially hid his identity as a gay man from his fans, coming out only after a very public arrest for public lewdness in 1998. He would later be arrested for possession of drugs and driving under the influence of drugs. He was sentenced to eight weeks in prison in 2010 for crashing a Range Rover into a storefront while under the influence of drugs and possession of cannabis.
Michael had a history of transforming his negative experiences into art. He wrote White Light about a serious case of pneumonia that led to his hospitalization in 2011, and the music video for Outside, which followed on the heels of his arrest and coming out, showed scenes of a men’s bathroom, a dance club, and men kissing while in police uniforms. He would perform White Light live at the 2012 London Olympics.
Trypticase containing Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria. Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Retail store group Walmart has removed an infant formula from over three thousand of their stores in the United States. The decision was taken in the aftermath of the death of a baby who suffered from Cronobacter sakazakii, an infection which is extremely rare but poses a significant risk to babies born recently and those born prematurely should they contract it. A second newborn baby has also contracted the infection, which is most frequently discovered in plants like rice and wheat.
Ongoing tests are now attempting to establish whether or not the powdered infant formula is connected to the bacterial infection the two babies suffered from in the US state of Missouri. A statement from Walmart says that the company is taking the product Enfamil Newborn Formula off their shelves “out of an abundance of caution”. Speaking on behalf of Walmart, Dianna Gee stated that the group express their “deepest condolences” to the family of Avery Cornett, who died after removal from life support. Gee informed Agence France-Presse that lot number ZP1K7G had been removed and “Walmart customers who may have purchased the item at our stores can return it for a full refund or exchange it for another brand of formula”.
The manufacturer of Enfamil Newborn Formula has also stated that tests made before shipment of the product came back as negative. Chris Perille, a spokesperson for Enfamil manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition, has said: “The batch of our product used by the child’s family tested negative for Cronobacter when it was produced and packaged, and that has been reconfirmed from our batch records following this news”. Mead Johnson are “highly confident in the safety and quality of our products — and the rigorous testing we put them through” and is “working with the health authorities to support their efforts to identify the source or cause of this infant’s infection,” according to Perille. The U.S. government has reportedly made no recall of the product.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has referred the infant formula to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration for examination and has advised parents that “powdered infant formulas are not commercially sterile products” and destroying bacteria amongst the production process may not be possible, while “no exclusively breastfed infants have been reported to have” contracted Cronobacter sakazakii. Pending test completion, “it cannot be determined whether the illness is linked to Enfamil Newborn Formula 12.5 oz. cans lot #ZP1K7G or an outside source”, according to a statement from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The department has also suggested that parents observe the World Health Organisation’s ‘Guidelines for the safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula’, which recommends “washing your hands with soap and water, thoroughly sterilizing all feeding equipment in hot, soapy water and preparing enough formula for only one feeding at a time”.
Joshua J. Goyette allegedly confessed to breaking into a Saxonburg, Pennsylvania retirement home and beating 86-year-old Gertrude “Trudy” Johanson in the early morning of June 25, 2005. The crime, which shocked the small community north of Pittsburgh, was not the only one which occurred recently at area retirement homes. Goyette is also suspected in a May incident where another apartment at the Commons of Saxonburg was broken into through a first floor window and the 90-year-old woman inside was groped while she slept.
Goyette, 25, has addresses listed in court documents in New Bedford, Massachusetts; and in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, his mother’s home.
The alleged confession was given last Thursday, June 30, 2005, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Pennsylvania state police investigators. Goyette is currently being held in the Butler County prison in lieu of $300,000 cash bond. He faces charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal mischief.