"Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum"

Kenya: Raila case cited to block Ndeti

A judge on Monday cited a ruling by the Supreme Court on the March 4 presidential petition to block a petitioner’s bid to introduce new evidence.

High court judge David Majanja, sitting in Machakos, thwarted a move by former assistant minister for Youth and Sports Wavinya Ndeti to introduce new affidavits and witnesses in a case in which she is challenging the election of Dr Alfred Mutua as Machakos governor.

Cord leader Raila Odinga had in March challenged the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

In the Machakos case, Ms Ndeti, who unsuccessfully contested the Machakos governor’s seat in the March 4 General Election, wants the court to nullify the results and order fresh election.

Lawyer Mutula Kilonzo Jnr for the governor, had objected to the introduction of fresh evidence in the trial, saying the petitioner had squandered the opportunity to do so during the initial stages of the case.

Mr Kilonzo argued that allowing the petitioner to introduce new evidence would be a set-back.

Justice Majanja agreed with the lawyer and in his ruling yesterday, cited the Supreme Court refusal to allow new evidence brought by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in his bid to convince the Supreme Court to nullify the election of President Kenyatta.

Ms Ndeti, who is represented by Mr Harrison Kinyanjui, is challenging the Independent Election and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declaration of Dr Mutua as winner. The former Government spokesman garnered 262,264 votes against Ms Ndeti’s 93,942.

The county has 445,672 registered voters.

Ms Ndeti argues that the defendant posted his campaign posters on paths and roads leading to polling stations on the election day in breach of the Elections Act and Code of Conduct.

She wants the court to nullify the results and the gazette notice making Dr Mutua governor revoked and a repeat of the county governor polls.

“The votes purportedly cast ... are far in excess of the registered voters,” Ms Ndeti argues in the petition, citing in particular Masinga constituency.

Source: http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/Raila-case-cited-to-block-Ndeti/-/1064/1878258/-/15nmowlz/-/index.html

Kuwaiti woman jailed for 'insulting' emir tweets

A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a woman to 11 years in jail for insulting the emir and calling for regime change on social networking site Twitter.

Huda al-Ajmi, a 37-year-old teacher, has been also convicted of misusing her mobile phone.

She can appeal against the sentence.

Kuwait has punished several Twitter users in recent months for insulting its ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, who is described as "immune and inviolable" in the constitution.

In May, an appeals court overturned a five-year sentence for prominent opposition figure Mussallam al-Barrak who was convicted of "undermining" the ruling emir, says his defence lawyer.

The former MP was arrested over remarks he made at a rally in October, urging the emir to avoid "autocratic" rule in Kuwait. Mr Barrak was handed the sentence in April, but later freed on bail.

His trial prompted angry protests and clashes between activists and police.

There has been a recent clampdown in Kuwait, with activists and MPs being charged with insulting the emir through comments posted on social networking sites such as Twitter.

While Kuwait has not seen the same scale of pro-democracy uprisings as in other Arab states, there has been growing tension between former MPs and the government, which is dominated by the Sabah family.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22841172

Dar es Salaam: AG asks court to throw out Nsanzugwanko’s poll appeal

THE Attorney General has asked the Court of Appeal to dismiss with costs an appeal lodged by a former deputy minister, Daniel Nsanzugwanko, challenging the election of Zaituni Agripina Buyogera of NCCR-Mageuzi, as Member of Parliament for Kasulu Rural Constituency.

“We do not see why this court should nullify the election results and order for a by-election. This appeal is devoid of merits and should be dismissed with costs,” Principal State Attorney Obadia Kameya, for the AG, told a panel of judges comprising Justices Nathalia Kimaro, Salum Massati and William Mandia, last week.

Nsanzukwako, who was deputy minister for Information, Culture and Youth Developments, had contested for the parliamentary seat in the 2010 general elections on a Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) ticket.

However, he only polled 18, 482 votes, losing to the opposition candidate, Ms Buyogera, who garnered 26,130 votes. He is now challenging a decision by Judge Haruna Songoro, who dismissed his election petition on May 30, last year, at the High Court’s Tabora Registry.

During hearing of the appeal in question, Nsanzugwanko’s advocate, Mr Constantine Ntalemwa, requested the justices of the appeal court to nullify the election results and order a by-election, alleging that the High Court judge misdirected himself on a number of issuing when determining his client’s case.

“The trial judge misdirected himself in law and fact by not properly analyzing and evaluating the evidence of the appellant before reaching his findings,” the counsel submitted.

He told the justices further that in reaching his conclusion, the trial judge failed to provide reasons why he disbelieved and rejected the evidence produced by his client, in particular on allegations given by Ms Buyogela during campaigns that he was a witch.

During campaigns, according to the advocate, the opposition MP reportedly told the electorate that his client had been involved in the killing of the former legislator for the constituency, Teddy Magayane, and that he had misused funds allocated for the development of the constituency.

However, in his response to the submissions, Mr Kameya told the justices that the trial judge properly assessed the evidence produced before him by both the parties and reached the conclusion of disbelieving the testimony of the appellant and his other witnesses.

“The trial judge started by assessing the testimony of the appellant first and expressed his doubts on whether the allegations presented were true. The judge had asked why the appellant never complained to the Ethics Committee if at all the said allegations were uttered during the campaigns,” he submitted.

Senior Advocate Majura Magafu, who appeared for the incumbent MP, concurred with the submissions by the Attorney General’s counsel, adding that the claims that his client had spoken words mudslinging the appellant during the election campaigns were hearsay and had never been proved.

“In election petitions, it is the requirement of the law that proof is beyond reasonable doubt. The High Court judge analyzed the evidence properly, not only on one side, but both the parties, and the conclusion reached was properly reached,” he told the court.

After hearing the parties in the matter, the justices said they would deliver their ruling on a day to be announced later.

Source: http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/18461-ag-asks-court-to-throw-out-nsanzugwanko-s-poll-appeal

Dar es Salaam: Chadema’s Lwakatare case set for mention

The case of conspiracy facing Chadema Defence and Security director Wilfred Lwakatare and Ludovick Rwezahura will be mentioned today at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court.

The two are charged with conspiring to administer poison to Mr Dennis Msacky, the managing editor of Mwananchi newspaper.

According to the prosecution, the accused conspired to maliciously administer poison with intent to harm Mr Msacky on December 28, last year, at King’ong’o, Kimara Stop Over in Kinondoni Municipality in the city.

They are still in remand prison since they were arraigned on March 8, this year, facing four counts, three of them falling under the terrorism Act, an offence which is not bailable.

Source: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Chadema-s-Lwakatare-case-set-for-mention/-/1840392/1877428/-/pe462a/-/index.html

Mtwara MP arrested over gas fray

Mtwara/Dar. The situation in Mtwara is tense again following the arrest on Saturday of Hasnain Murji, the area’s Member of Parliament.

Mr Murji is expected to appear in court today, but, as it happened during the tabling of the budget for the Energy and Minerals ministry, people have vowed to close their businesses and activities to follow up court proceedings.

Mtwara regional police commander, Mr Linus Sinzumwa, said that the MP would be arraigned today for incitement that caused riots when people protested against the construction of the natural gas pipeline from Mtwara to Dar es Salaam.

The MP, who was arrested on Saturday evening at his residence in Shangani area, is set to appear in court today together with four other leaders of different opposition parties who were arrested early last week.

The four leaders are Mr Katani Ahmed Katani, 33, and Mr Saidi Kulaga, 45 from Civic United Front (CUF), Mr Hassan Uledi, 35, from NCCR-MAgeuzi and Mr Hamza Licheta, 51, from Tanzania Labour Party (TLP). The four first appeared in court last Tuesday.

As tension simmers in Mtwara over the arrest of local politicians, some residents have started relocating their families for fear of chaos.

The Citizen observed some of the residents moving their families outside the town.

“We are seeking refuge outside this town until peace is restored. The tension is still too much to bear,” said Ms Mwajuma Salehe, who was found at the central bus station waiting for transport to take her and the family outside the town.

Commander Sinzumwa urged the public to stay calm as his force is prepared to handle the situation. “I urge people to go on with their activities and leave everything to the police,” said Mr Sinzumwa.

Source: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Mtwara-MP-arrested-over-gas-fray/-/1840392/1877414/-/k5e5o8/-/index.html

Switzerland votes to tighten asylum law

Switzerland has voted overwhelmingly in favor of tightening the country's asylum law. The controversial decision comes with refugee applications having risen to their highest level in more than a decade.

The asylum law revisions passed with 79 percent support from voters on Sunday, according to the final results of a national referendum published by public broadcaster SSR.

Celine Amandruz of Switzerland's largest party, the Swiss People's Party (SVP), welcomed the changes to the law. She insisted that nine out of 10 people who seek asylum in the country did so "for economic reasons."

"There is clearly a need to change this system," she said.

Parliamentarian Anne Seydoux-Christie, however, condemned the changes. Speaking against the official line of her Christian Democratic Party, Seydoux-Christie said the vote "marks a weakening of our humanitarian tradition, and certainly a lack of solidarity towards what is happening in countries in serious crisis."

Conscription revision

Among the most controversial revisions was eliminating military desertion as valid grounds to seek asylum.
For Eritreans, who accounted for the most asylum applications last year in Switzerland, military desertion was the most-cited reason. The African country imposes unlimited and low-paid military service on all able-bodied men.

Another change was the removal of the possibility of people applying for asylum from Swiss embassies. Opponents called the move "inhumane" because it meant people would have to make the often dangerous journey from their home country to Switzerland without government help.

The revisions allow for a "special center" to be built for "recalcitrant" refugees who are considered troublemakers.

High refugee numbers

Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said the changes were for the good of the asylum seekers and highlighted efforts to speed up the process.

"Leaving people and their families for so long wallowing in uncertainty is unacceptable," she said.

The Swiss government says there are some 48,000 people in the process of seeking asylum, including 26,631 in 2012. For every 332 inhabitants, one is an asylum seeker, Switzerland says. That rate is well above the European average of one for every 625 inhabitants, and trails only Malta and Luxembourg.

The country has experienced a recent rise in asylum seekers - largely due to the Arab Spring uprisings - not seen since the height of the Balkans wars. In 1999 almost 48,000 sought asylum in Switzerland.

Other issues voted on in Switzerland Sunday included an initiative for people to directly elect their government rather than have it chosen through parliament. The move was rejected by 76 percent of voters, an SSR forecast said.

A vote in Zurich imposed stricter measures against football hooligans, while another rejected imposing higher taxes on the "super rich."

dr/rc (AFP, dpa)

Source: http://www.dw.de/switzerland-votes-to-tighten-asylum-law/a-16869512

Sex-for-fixing football referees jailed in Singapore

AFP - Three Lebanese football referees pleaded guilty Monday to accepting free sex from a gambling-linked global syndicate in return for rigging a match in Singapore, with two jailed and sentencing deferred for the third.

A district court judge jailed assistant referees Ali Eid, 33, and Abdallah Taleb, 37, for three months, but deferred sentencing till Tuesday for referee Ali Sabbagh, whom state prosecutors said was the most culpable.

The assistant referees broke down into sobs and repeatedly looked up as if to thank God after Judge Low Wee Ping said they could be freed by later Monday or Tuesday, after remission for good behaviour and due to time already served awaiting sentence.

Turning to Ali Sabbagh, 34, the judge said: "I need time to consider your sentence. I don't, for the moment, accept that you should be sentenced to six months."

Deputy public prosecutor Asoka Markandu described Ali Sabbagh as "the most culpable" among the three as he was the one approached by the syndicate and the one who persuaded the two linesmen to accept the sexual bribe.

The three men were arrested for accepting sexual favours in exchange for agreeing to fix an Asian Football Confederation Cup match on April 3 between Singapore-based club Tampines Rovers and India's East Bengal.

They were abruptly pulled out before the match began.

The three were denied bail and have been detained at Singapore's Changi prison since April 4.

Eric Ding Si Yang, 31, a Singaporean businessman who allegedly supplied the prostitutes, has also been charged with corruption and granted bail.

The judge lashed out at the FIFA-accredited referees for bringing disrepute to the sport, saying they were probably the first international football match officials to be charged with corruption in Singapore.

"That alone, the fact that you are international officials, in my view, is already an aggravating factor," he said.

"The Singapore public has an interest in preserving football as a professional sport in Singapore. This is because it has social, recreational and economic value," he added.

State prosecutors have said Ali Sabbagh was approached by Ding in "mid-2012" in Beirut, indicating a "clear international dimension" to the offences.

Ding, described in Singaporean media as a nightclub owner who drives an Aston Martin sports car, is facing three counts of corruption charges but was freed after posting bail of Sg$150,000 ($121,000).

Singapore has a long history of match-fixing, and syndicates from the wealthy Southeast Asian island have been blamed by European police for orchestrating a network responsible for rigging hundreds of games worldwide.

Source: http://www.france24.com/en/20130610-sex-fixing-football-referees-jailed-singapore

Tanzania: Tertiary education tuition fee guidelines coming

The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) is formulating guidelines on tuition fees for higher learning institutions after agreeing with the ministry and National Council for Technical Education (NACTE) on the need for a ‘student unit cost’ structure.

The proposal to have a ‘students unit cost’ structure was reached at by TCU following the rise in controversies between students, parents and guardians over variations of charges from between one institution of higher learning and another.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Guardian recently, TCU Executive Secretary Prof Sifuni Mchome revealed said to begin with the system would be applied in some university programmes (without mentioning them) in order to examine its effectiveness.

Prof Mchome said that the proposal of the plan was approved by the government, TCU board and the National Council for Technical Education (NACTE) in April this year.

When asked on the higher learning institutions’ readiness to formulate the student unit cost structure, he said, last year all institutions in the country were fully involved in discussing the scheme, and they all agreed on its formation as it could be used as guidance on how they could work out their charges.

However, Prof Mchome said that TCU officials were currently working on reviewing the higher learning institutions’ budget programmes and regulations so as to come up with fair cost to both students and the institutions.

In February this year TCU revealed to this paper that it formulate a student’s unit cost as it had realised the need to find out fees that were being charged by different universities in the country, in accordance with the courses offered.

During the revelation, Prof Mchome confessed that it was difficult for the Commission to control the fees because there was no basis for comparing those charged by the high learning institutions. 

He said that it had prepared and submitted the ‘student unit cost’ to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training for scrutiny for approval.

In the previous interview, he reveled that fees proposed by any university shall be compared to the ‘student unit cost’ of the same course in other varsities and if there are differences, TCU would not allow the university to operate on such high fees.

The number of higher learning institutions in the country including the public and private ones has increased to at least 48 universities, comprising various constituent colleges. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN: http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=55726

US secret surveillance program whistleblower identified

An ex-CIA employee has identified himself as the source of leaks about secret US surveillance programs. Britain's Guardian newspaper revealed that the US National Security Agency had monitored phone and internet records.

Edward Snowden, 29, admitted Sunday he was the source behind the Guardian's disclosures.

Snowden, who works as a contract employee at the National Security Agency (NSA), revealed his identity in a video posted on the newspaper's website. The Guardian said it had published the video at his own request.

"I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," Snowden said.
"My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them," he added.

He said he was willing to lose everything "because I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building."

Snowden, a former technical assistant for the CIA, had been working for the NSA as an employee for various outside contractors including Booz Allen Hamilton. In a statement Booz Allen confirmed the 29-year-old had been an employee at the firm "for less than three months."

According to the Guardian newspaper, Snowden was working in an NSA office in Hawaii when he copied the last of the documents he planned to disclose. He is currently holed up in a hotel room in Hong Kong having fled the United States on May 20.

Snowden is quoted as saying he chose that city because "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent."

Read More: http://www.dw.de/us-secret-surveillance-program-whistleblower-identified/a-16869737

Disclosures on NSA spying alarm US lawmakers, tech companies

(Reuters) - Recent revelations about the National Security Agency's expansive data-collection efforts have underscored the power of electronic surveillance in the Internet era and renewed an historic debate over how far the government should go in spying on its own people.

A disillusioned former CIA computer technician named Edward Snowden, who had worked as a contractor at the NSA, identified himself on Sunday as the source of multiple disclosures on the government's surveillance that were published by the Guardian and the Washington Post last week.

The information included a secret court order directing Verizon Communications Inc to turn over all its calling records for a three-month period, and details about an NSA program code-named PRISM, which collected emails, chat logs and other types of data from Internet companies. These included Google Inc, Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp, Yahoo Inc, AOL Inc and Apple Inc.

Snowden cast himself as a whistleblower alarmed about overreaching by the U.S. intelligence establishment, which was given broad powers after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and can take now take advantage of the huge growth in digital data.

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have vigorously defended the NSA's efforts as both legal and necessary. U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper took the rare step of responding in detail to stories about PRISM.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department has launched a new round of investigations into media leaks, the very issue that consumed his department for the last month and led to renewed calls for Holder's resignation.

Intelligence officials and the technology companies say PRISM is much less invasive than initially suggested by stories in the Guardian and the Post. Several people familiar with negotiations between the Silicon Valley giants and intelligence officials said the NSA could not rummage at will through company servers and that requests for data had to be about specific accounts believed to be overseas.

Still, the revelations alarmed civil liberties advocates and some lawmakers who had supported the Patriot Act, which gave intelligence agencies new powers after 9/11, and another law granting telecommunication carriers immunity for eavesdropping at the request of the government.

"This is the law, but the way the law is being interpreted has really concerned me," Democratic Senator Mark Udall said on ABC on Sunday. "It's just to me a violation of our privacy, particularly if it's done in ways that we don't know about."

Read More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/10/us-usa-security-summary-idUSBRE95902X20130610

Two guards are killed and nine inmates escape in Mexico jailbreak

At least two guards have been killed and nine prisoners have escaped during a jailbreak in southern Mexico, officials say.

A prison warden and a prisoner were also injured when a group of men stormed the prison and opened fire.

The attack happened in the early hours of Sunday in the town of La Union, in the south-western state of Guerrero.

Correspondents say jailbreaks are common in Mexico's overcrowded prisons, which house inmates from rival gangs.

Guerrero's Public Security Secretariat said a "group of men armed with rifles and guns" stormed the building at 05:00 local time (10:00 GMT), killing the guards and freeing the inmates.

In a statement, it said that federal and state police were using helicopters to find the escaped prisoners.

It added that the whereabouts of the prison's director, Manuel Chavarria, was unknown; local media say he fled the attack.

Guerrero is one of the states most affected by fighting between organised criminal groups and by a military offensive against drug cartels that has left an estimated 70,000 people dead nationwide in the past six years.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22836787

India: Cops probing six-page letter written by Jiah Khan

MUMBAI: A six-page letter allegedly left behind by actor Jiah Khan disclosed what she went through days before her suicide. A copy of the letter, which is also in TOI's possession, is currently being scrutinized by the Juhu police.

Jiah's family has provided her handwriting samples to investigators and are trying to locate her personal diary. The note states: "No other woman will give you as much as I did or love you as much as I did. I can write that in my blood. Things were looking up for me here. But is it worth when you constantly feel the pain of heartbreak when the person you love wants to abuse you or threatens to hit you... or cheats on you by telling other girls they are beautiful ... or throws you out of their house when you have nowhere to go. You have come to them out of love or when they lie to your face or they make you chase after them in their car or disrespects their family.

You never even met my sister. I bought your sister presents. You tore my soul. I have no reason to breathe anymore," the letter says, without naming any person in particular.

It added: "You chose to be away from me on Valentine's Day. You promised me ... once we made it to one year, we would get engaged. All I wanted was you and happiness. You took both away from me. I have nothing left in this world to live for after this. I wish you had loved me like I loved you. I dreamt of our future and success. I leave this place with nothing but broken dreams and empty promises. All I want now is to go to sleep and never wake up again. I am nothing. I had everything. I felt so alone even while with you.

You made me feel alone and vulnerable. I am so much more than this." the letter said.

It goes on to state: "I didn't see any love or commitment from you. I just became increasingly scared that you would hurt me mentally or physically. If I stay here, I will crave you and miss you. So I am kissing my ten-year career and dreams goodbye." the letter said.

Jiah's sister, Kavita, had found the letter three days after the actor's death in her wallet. Kavita had been searching for some poems written by Jiah to be read out at her prayer meeting when she stumbled onto the letter.

The family now wants to make its contents public as they believe that her "career was not the reason for Jiah ending her life".

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Cops-probing-six-page-letter-written-by-Jiah-Khan/articleshow/20512919.cms

Dar es Salaam: 2 Dubai businessmen accused of extortion

THREE companies dealing with mining, oil and gas exploration in Tanzania have accused two businessmen from Dubai, Mr Ali Saeed Albwardy and Mr Hasmuth Bhagwanji Masrani, of extorting money and conspiring to injure their businesses and financial positions.

Mr Albwardy, who has several investments in Tanzania and Mr Masrani, also having commercial and business interests in the country and elsewhere in the world, are alleged to have committed the conspiracy through unlawful acts and extorting monies by frivolous means from the companies.

The allegations are contained in a plaint of a commercial dispute signed by one Rajen Kilachand as chairman of the companies that has been filed at the High Court’s Commercial Division in Dar es Salaam, with Mr Masrani being joined as the defendant.

He has denied the claims in his written statement of defence (WSD). The three companies, Dodsal Hydrocarbons and Power (Tanzania) PVT Limited, Dodsal Resources and Mining Itilima Busilili (Tanzania) PVT Limited and Dodsal Resources and Mining Itingi (Tanzania) PVT Limited are the plaintiffs in the commercial dispute.

They are asking the court to give an order, among others, that the defendant should stop committing acts of extortion against the plaintiffs whether directly or indirectly. They further seek for a declaration that the defendant should be restrained from presenting himself as a director of the companies.

“The defendant in conspiracy with a few individuals including one Ali Saeed Albwardy, with ulterior motives to injure the plaintiffs businesses and financial positions by unlawful means, conspired and combined to extort moneys from the plaintiffs by frivolous means,” part of the plaint reads.

It is alleged in the plaint of the suit that pursuant to and in furtherance of the conspiracy to extortion, the two businessmen carried out some unlawful acts and means by which the three companies have allegedly suffered and been injured.

On October 31, 2011, it is alleged, Mr Albwardy, while in Dubai spread unfounded rumours and made derogatory and unqualified remarks against the three companies and the Chairman of the Dorsal Group of Companies which had the effect of tarnishing their image and all of their associate companies.

It claimed in the plaint further that on the same day in Dubai, Mr Albwardy, through one Mr Satish Seemar is reported to have made a proposal to purchase the companies dealing in mining, oils and gas business.

“The plaintiffs assert that the claims for claims of joint and equal interest in the companies was aimed at diminishing the value of the companies so that the intending purchasers could purchase the companies at diminishing in spite of substantial work in exploration and prospecting had been done,” it is stated.

According to the plaint, on November 23, 2011, the defendant through Mr Albwardy, proposed to the plaintiffs through Mr Kilachand that the defendant be paid a finder’s fees for his assistance in obtaining concession in Tanzania.

“The plaintiffs submit that a claim for equal interests in the plaintiffs on one hand and a suggestion on payment to the defendant of finder’s fees on the other is an indication of the defendant’s efforts at making extortionate claims against the plaintiffs,” the plaint of the suit further states.

Advocates Masumbuko Lamwai and Amour Hamis are appearing for the plaintiffs, while Counsel Dilip Kesaria is representing the defendant. The case which is being presided over by Judge Robert Makaramba, comes on June 13, this year, for necessary orders.

In his WSD, Mr Masrani denies each and every allegation in the plaint, including claims of conspiracy and extortion and requests the court to dismiss the case. He claims that he has no reasons to cause injury to the companies in which he is entitled to 50 per cent shares in net profits.

Mr Masrani alleges that through his own hard and initiatives, he procured several lucrative exploration and mining rights for the production and development of petroleum hydrocarbons, minerals and metal explorations and mining.

He states in his defence document that the signatory to the plaint of the suit, Mr Kilachand has been known to him for several years and had expressed his interest in the exploration and mining business in Tanzania and Uganda.

“Mr Kilachand offered to the defendant the Dodsal Group’s expertise and financial strengths for the exploration, development and production of petroleum hydrocarbons, minerals and metals in Tanzania in exchange for an equal 50 per cent share in the net profits after all expenses,” part of WSD reads.

Source: http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/18399-2-dubai-businessmen-accused-of-extortion

INDIA: Muslim marriage is a civil contract, rules high court

KOCHI: Uncoupling the institution of marriage from sacred or religious connotations conveniently used to deny women their due, the Kerala high court has ruled that Muslim marriage is primarily a civil contract to legalize sexual intercourse. In the same vein, the court held that denying a woman her conjugal rights for an extended period amounts to "cruelty''.

The ruling by a division bench comprising justices Pius C Kuriakose and PD Rajan was in response to an appeal by Sanjan S of Alappuzha against a family court's decision to grant divorce to his wife on the ground that she was denied sex by him for over three years. The profound implications of the March 21st ruling are only beginning to sink into public consciousness.

The judgment authored by Justice Rajan says, "The concept of 'marriage' among Muslims from the very beginning itself (is) regarded as a contract. Muslim marriage has been defined as a civil contract for the purpose of legalizing sexual intercourse and procreation of children. It is not a sacrament but a contract, though solemnized generally with the recitation of certain verses from the Quran. Muslim law does not prescribe any religious service essential for solemnization. Justice Krishna Iyer in 'Islamic Law in Modern India' considered the concept of Muslim marriage and stated that "in its legal connotation, Muslim marriage is essentially a contract, though marriage as a social institution is regarded solemn all over the civilized world, including the Muslims."

Sanjan got married on May 16, 1999 according to Muslim religious rites and his wife delivered a child in August 2004. After February 2004, he avoided sexual contact with his wife, despite her insistence, for more than three years. In 2006 his wife left Sanjan's home and filed for divorce in 2007 in the family court.

Upholding the family court's decision granting divorce, the high court held, "We are of the opinion that if husband refuses to (have) sex with his wife, when she demands for the same, (it) is a ground for "cruelty". As a wife, she is expecting a healthy sexual relationship with her husband for the persistence of happy and harmonious married life."

Sanjan's counsel at the high court, K Ramakumar, contended that the alleged cruelty of denying conjugal relations is not pleaded and proved in this case. There is no allegation that the matrimonial relationship was broken irretrievably, he argued. Advocate PK Ibrahim, who appeared for the wife, opposed this, arguing that the totality of the pleading and evidence show that the marriage was irretrievably broken and that the emotional bond between the couple is extinct.

While deciding the case, the high court cited section 2 of Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939, which states various grounds for divorce. According to section 2, divorce can be granted if "the husband has failed to perform, without reasonable cause, his marital obligations for a period of three years."

China Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo's brother-in-law jailed

A court in China has sentenced the brother-in-law of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in jail on fraud charges.

The lawyer defending Liu Hui said the jail term was out of all proportion to the alleged offence.

He said it should have been treated as a civil dispute, not a criminal matter.

Liu Xiaobo was already in jail when he won the Nobel prize in 2010 for campaigning for peaceful democratic change in China.

Since then his wife, Liu Xia - sister of Liu Hui - has been held under strict house arrest in what she says is an official vendetta against his family.

The BBC's John Sudworth, in Shanghai, says this latest sentencing of a close family member is being seen as further political persecution.

It comes at the same time as China's President Xi Jinping is in America for talks with President Obama, a summit at which the US side says the issue of human rights is being raised.

'Simply persecution'
The court in Huairou, north-east of Beijing, convicted Liu Hui, a manager in a property company, of defrauding a man of 3m yuan ($490,000; £315,000) along with a colleague.

"As Liu Hui's defence attorney I definitely do not approve of this verdict, because we see this fundamentally as a civil issue, and it fundamentally does not constitute criminal fraud," lawyer Mo Shaoping told reporters.

He said Liu Hui maintained his innocence.

A tearful Liu Xia accused the authorities of persecuting her family.

"I absolutely cannot accept this. This is simply persecution," she said before being driven away from the court.

"This is completely an illegal verdict."

She said she had "completely lost hope" in the government, adding: "I can't even leave my house."

Police pulled journalists away from the car as Liu Xia was driven off.

Liu Xiaobo, who won the prize despite fierce Chinese opposition, was jailed in 2009 for helping to draft a manifesto - Charter 08 - calling for political change.

He is currently serving 11 years in jail for inciting the subversion of state power.

Liu Xia, also a known activist, has been living in her Beijing apartment with no internet or phone access and limited weekly visits with family.

She had been allowed to leave her apartment to attend the court hearing.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22831369

Tanzania: Augustino Ramadhani, Ex-CJ: My hands were tied

Dar es Salaam. Former Chief Justice Augustino Ramadhani, who in 2010 led a panel of seven judges to disallow private candidates to contest elections, now says he is in full support of the arrangement.

The former CJ then had to contend with a wave of criticism from lawyers over the decision, which they widely believe was politically motivated.

The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), for which the former CJ is vice-chairman, has released the first draft Constitution proposing, among other things, allowing independent candidates to contest grassroots and presidential elections.

Former CJ Ramadhani told The Citizen on Sunday that the decision he made along with colleagues in 2010 was not based on a personal opinion, but completely legal and technical.

“I was not against the idea of independent candidates then and even now. In fact, I support the system completely. Our hands in that court were tied to decide as per Constitution and arguments that arose from the parties,” said the former CJ.

Justice Ramadhani said that the main argument for siding with the Attorney General, who was representing the government, to oppose the proposed new system, was that the Court of Appeal does not have the jurisdiction to amend provisions of the Constitution which barred independent candidacy.

The only body with powers to amend the Constitution is the Parliament, he said.

“The panel that I headed in 2010 put things very clearly, the court did not have legal powers to say independent candidates are allowed. We said the issue had to be settled by the Parliament, which has legal powers to amend the Constitution,” he explained.

Source: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/-/1840392/1876752/-/evp8wwz/-/index.html

Dar es Salaam: ICC verdict greeted with jubilation

THE government has termed as “justice done on Tanzania” the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to turn down a petition by Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) that wanted the court to investigate the country for alleged extra judicial killings and violation of citizen rights.

The government Sunday’s position comes two days after the ICC rejected the appeal by LHRC filed in September last year, asking The Hague-based institution to consider opening investigation into crimes against humanity and other human rights violations perpetuated by security forces.

The Minister of State in the President’s Office (Social Relations and Co-ordination) Mr Stephen Wassira said in an interview yesterday that he couln’t blame them for petitioning their country at ICC because it is their right to do so but it would be prudent they respect that decision by ICC because just as it was their right to win the day, so it is to lose the petition.

“ICC had done its job as an independent organ that stands for justice. Genocide is a very serious matter and I don’t believe Tanzania has reached such levels,” he added. According to him, countries with such acts are known in Africa, because genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, caste, religious, or national group.

Mr Wassira said LHRC was unnecessarily ashaming and demonizing Tanzania before international community. “I am not saying we have no problem, there are criminal acts. Until now, as a country, we, as a country, have never repealed a law that calls for hanging for those convicted of taking away someone’s life,” he added.

The Minister said there are killings which are associated with beliefs in witchcraft like the albino killings, which are bad and the government has been working to contain them including trying the suspects. He added that aside from albino killings, there have also been cases of violence where people lose their lives and the elderly being killed in rural areas, but the government has been taking stern measures against culprits.

In the letter written to ICC, the LHRC petition had accused the government of complicity and condoning killings by security forces, claiming that at least 237 innocent people have been killed since 2003. But on Wednesday, the Head of Information and Evidence Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor at ICC, Mr M.P. Dillon, wrote to LHRC announcing the decision not to open the case.

According to Mr Dillon, the matters raised by the LHRC and evidence available did not meet the threshold for launching local investigations. The claims against Tanzania, he added, did not fall within the court’s jurisdiction as they do not meet the definition of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes as defined in Articles 6 to 8 of the Rome Statute.

In a letter to Dr Helen Kijo- Bisimba who is LHRC Executive Director, Mr Dillon said the prosecutor has determined that there is no basis at this time to proceed with the accusation. “However, the information you have submitted will be maintained in our archives, and the decision not to proceed may be reconsidered in the light of new facts or information,” said Mr Dillon.

The ICC official advised the petitioner to pursue justice with national authorities within Tanzania or raise the same concerns with other appropriate international authorities.

Source: http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/18418-icc-verdict-greeted-with-jubilation

Trayvon Martin murder case goes to trial in Florida

(Reuters) - Jury selection begins on Monday in the murder trial of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 and then famously walked free for 44 days, triggering nationwide protests and calls for his arrest.

Lawyers estimate the long-awaited trial will last four to eight weeks. Much of that time is expected to be spent picking a six-person jury that can be open-minded despite extensive publicity about some of the explosive issues, including racial profiling and self-defense, surrounding the case.

"They're going to have a tough time picking a jury. At this point who doesn't know who Trayvon Martin is and who George Zimmerman is," said David Weinstein, a former state prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer.

Zimmerman, a 29-year-old former neighborhood watch volunteer, faces up to life in prison if convicted as charged of second-degree murder.

More than 200 journalists have signed up to cover the trial and a tight blanket of security will be enforced by federal, state and local police in and around the courthouse in this town near Orlando in central Florida.

Even spectators in barricaded "public assembly zones" on the courthouse lawn will be subject to search. Four seats inside the courtroom will be rotated among local pastors who will monitor the trial and be ready to help calm any racial tensions.

The trial is being heralded as either a defining moment in the annals of civil rights, or an anti-climactic resolution of another senseless killing in gun-happy Florida.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/09/us-usa-florida-shooting-idUSBRE95804Z20130609

UK court restores George Cross to widow of Indian soldier

LONDON: A British court has clinched a settlement for an 81-year-old Indian widow in a long-running dispute over the ownership of a precious gallantry medal awarded to her late husband, a World War II soldier in the British Indian Army. 

The high court of London, in an order on June 5, approved a pre-trial settlement that the George Cross posthumously awarded to Naik Kirpa Ram is the property of his wife Brahmi Devi. 

A campaign is now underway among the Indian community in Britain to raise 12,000 ponds as costs to be paid to the current owner, retired Indian Army officer and medal collector Ashok Nath. 

"The medal and the medal group remain in custody of the Metropolitan Police until payment to the claimant (Nath) of the said sum of 12,000 ponds," the court order reads. 

Justice Stuart-Smith endorsed the "exceptional and honourable settlement" of what has been described as a highly complex dispute. 

A deadline of December 31, 2013, has been set to pay the 12,000 ponds due to Nath, following which the medal will be returned to Brahmi Devi who intends for its subsequent placement in a public collection in India. 

The medal, one of the few Indian George Crosses, was awarded to Naik Kirpa Ram - of the 8th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles, British Indian Army- on September 12, 1945, for his act of gallantry in saving the lives of his fellow soldiers at the cost of his own. 

During a field firing exercise at a rest camp at Thondebavi, Bangalore, a rifle grenade misfired and fell yards from his section. He rushed forward, shouted at his section to take cover, and attempted to throw the grenade a safe distance away. However, it exploded in his hands and his fatal self-sacrifice meant that only two men of his section were slightly wounded. 

His widow, Brahmi Devi, then aged just 13 had been married just days before her new husband left for the battlefield. In 1946, she travelled from her small village of Bhapral in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, to Delhi to receive the medal in his honour from the then Viceroy of India, Field Marshal Lord Wavell. 

Brahmi Devi's only cherished memory of her late husband was then reported stolen from a trunk in her home in Bhapral back in 2007 and after years of knocking on doors of the Indian police and Himachal courts, it appeared on the auction circuit through auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb in London in 2009 with an anticipated market value of around 100,000 ponds. 

While Nath had acquired the medal in good faith for a reported sum of 4,000 ponds, the Indian High Commission in London intervened to stop the sale on the grounds that it had most likely either been stolen or obtained by means of trickery prior to being sold. Since then the George Cross, along with Naik Kirpa Ram's other medals, has been held by the Art and Antiquities Unit of Scotland Yard. 

"When I heard about the case and saw Brahmi Devi's photographs, I was so moved. She reminded me of my own grandmother and I immediately decided to take on the case 'pro bono'," said Vijay Sharma of London-based Arlingtons Sharmas Solicitors, the law firm behind the final outcome in favour of the long-suffering Army widow. 

"I do not want money. I am a widow and the medal is special to me because it is the last memory of my husband," she said, in one of her witness statements.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/UK-court-restores-George-Cross-to-widow-of-Indian-soldier/articleshow/20505353.cms

ICC says it won't investigate police killings in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has turned down a petition to investigate Tanzania for alleged extra-judicial killings and gross violation of citizen rights.

The court rejected the appeal filed in September last year by the Legal and Human Right Centre (LHRC) asking the Hague-based institution to consider opening an investigation into crimes against humanity and other human rights violations perpetuated by security forces.

The LHRC petition accuses the government of complicity and condoning killings by security forces. It claims at least 237 innocent people have been killed since 2003.

But on Wednesday, the Head of Information and Evidence Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor at ICC, Mr M.P. Dillon, wrote to LHRC announcing the decision not to open the case.

According to Mr Dillon, the matters raised by the LHRC and evidence available did not meet the threshold for launching local investigations.

The claims against Tanzania, he added, did not fall within the court’s jurisdiction as they do not meet the definition of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes as defined in Articles 6 to 8 of the Rome Statute.

In a letter to Dr Helen Kijo-Bisimba, the LHRC executive director, Mr Dillon writes: “The prosecutor has, therefore, determined that there is not a basis at this time to proceed further.”

“However, the information you have submitted will be maintained in our archives, and the decision not to proceed may be reconsidered in the light of new facts or information.”

The ICC official advised the petitioner to pursue justice with national authorities within Tanzania or raise the same concerns with other appropriate international authorities.

On Thursday, Dr Kijo-Bisimba told The Citizen on Saturday that the ICC stand will not deter their quest to ensure perpetrators of the crimes are brought to book.

“I am not disappointed even though it would have been better for the ICC to consider an investigation,” she said in an exclusive interview at the LHRC offices in Dar es Salaam.

“But at least our aim to highlight in the international stage human right violations in our country has been achieved.”

Source: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/No-ICC-probe-on-police-killings-in-Tanzania/-/1840392/1875694/-/s7ql5az/-/index.html

Peru denies pardon to ex-president Fujimori

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has denied a request to pardon former leader Alberto Fujimori. The ex-president, who was jailed for corruption and human rights violations, had sought a pardon on humanitarian grounds.

Peru’s Justice Minister Daniel Figallo said on Friday that Fujimori’s health problems were not serious enough to warrant a pardon.

The president had"decided not to exercise his authority to grant a humanitarian pardon," Figallo said.
"Fujimori does not have a terminal illness, neither does he have a serious, incurable degenerative illness," Figallo said. "Neither does he have serious incurable mental disorders."

The 74-year-old, who was president from 1990 to 2000, had been treated for cancerous lesions on his tongue while he was in prison. A medical panel said in March there was no evidence the cancer had returned.

Fujimori was convicted of the killings of 25 people through a government-backed death squad during Peru’s battle against the rebels from the Maoist group Shining Path.

Supporters of Fujimori still retain political influence in the country’s Congress, with long-standing rumors of a secret deal to secure his release.

Election defeat for daughter

Humala beat Fujimori’s daughter, the former lawmaker Keiko Fujimori, in a presidential election runoff in June 2011.

The Fujimori family asked Humala for the humanitarian pardon last October, citing their father's failing health. Humala had already said ahead of the decision that he would not be pressured "through the media or with diatribes" into granting the pardon.

During a corruption scandal in the final days of his presidency, Fujimori escaped Peru and fled to his parents’ native Japan. He resigned by fax from a Tokyo hotel.

He was arrested during a visit to Chile and extradited to Peru to face charges in September 2007.
The request reopened old wounds in the country, where some 70,000 people died in the guerrilla war with Shining Path during the 1980s and 1990s.

rc/dr (AFP, AP, Reuters)

Source: http://www.dw.de/peru-denies-pardon-to-ex-president-fujimori/a-16867559

Tarime settles after special police zone contained crime

Tarime, Tanzania.

IS cattle rustling still a threat to peace in the northern district of Tarime even after inception of the special police zone? Rampant cross-border cattle rustling is one of the security concerns which triggered the establishment of the special police zone in Tarime a few years ago.

Formation of the special police zone was expanded to cover the neighhouring Rorya district where armed rustlers used to grab hundreds of cows at gun point just as they did in Tarime. Formation of the special police zone has witnessed heavy presence of security personnel including anti- livestock theft unit.

The decision also aimed to end frequent clan and tribal clashes which left dozens of people including women and children dead in the two Districts of Mara Region. Cattle rustling and land conflicts have been cited as the major cause of fighting that also left many people seriously wounded and destruction of property worth millions of shillings.

President Jakaya Kikwete had promised to make Tarime a safe place to live when he made his first working tour in the area after he came to power in 2005. Formation of the special police zone has greatly helped to boost security and clan or tribal clashes are almost becoming history.

The prevailing clan and peace has enabled area residents to participate on development activities as compared to the past. “This is a new Tarime. Imagine people are trading until midnight. In the past, people closed shops before sunset simply because there was no security," several Tarime town business people told the 'Daily News' early this week.

Tourism industry is also seen gaining momentum in the district with hundreds of tourists entering the country via the Tanzanian/ Kenyan Sirari border making frequent stops in Tarime town before heading to Western Serengeti via short cut of Tarime- Mugumu road. But cross – border cattle rustling is still seen as major insecurity concern that is yet to be tackled by the Tarime/ Rorya Regional Special Police Zone.

In April this year armed rustlers stormed Kimusi and Borega village on different days and made away with a number of cows after killing. Police confirmed that a civilian was shot dead at Kimusi by the rustlers. Kimusi is just an example of several villages still prone to cross- border cattle rustling in Tarime.

Regional Police Commander (RPC) for Tarime/ Rorya Regional police zone Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP) Justus Kamugisha told Tarime councillors recently that efforts are underway to make cattle rustling a thing of the past in the area. The RPC hinted that they have started meeting with their Kenyan counterparts to put in place effective strategies meant to combat cross- border crimes with cattle rustling being the top agenda.

“We are conducting joint security meetings with our Kenyan colleagues from Kurya West, Kurya East and Nyatike and aim is to end cross border cattle rustling and other crimes," ACP Kamugisha said during a full council meeting. The RPC was given an opportunity to give a security briefing during the packed meeting chaired by Tarime District Council Chairman Mr Amos Sagara.

Some councillors accused the special police zone for allegedly failing to stop cattle rustling in some parts of the district especially those villages bordering Kenya. “Sometimes we are failing to understand why our police officers meet armed rustlers with stolen cows and fail to recover the cows on grounds that the rustlers have AK47. Are these guns strong than the guns you have?” Asked a councillor from the affected villages.

ACP Kamugisha said they are well prepared to deal with the rustlers to make Tarime free from crimes without fearing armed bandits. “We don’t fear their guns. An AK47 is a normal gun, just like a sub machine gun (SMG) and we have strong guns”, the regional top police cop reacted.

“We are well prepared, it is possible to have zero crime in Tarime”, he added. A few weeks ago security personnel shot dead five rustlers, said to be from neighbouring Kenya, after they raided Borega village in Tarime district and grabbed several cows at gun point. The Kenyan police also took part in the shooting of the rustlers in an incident witnessed by ACP Kamugisha.

Source: http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/features/popular-features/18336-tarime-settles-after-special-police-zone-contained-crime

Uganda: 20 foreigners held for lack of work permits

Some 23 Asian immigrants have been arrested in an operation by the Directorate of Immigrations for lack of working permits. The immigrants, including Chinese, Indians and Pakistan nationals were picked up in a two-hour operation in Kampala Central Business District on Thursday.

The victims were found working in different places without official documents. The operation comes a few months after members of Kampala City Traders Association petitioned the Ministry of Internal Affairs to act on foreign nationals involved in petty trade. Mr Jacob Siminyu, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Immigration and Citizenship Control, said the suspects were being held at the Directorate’s headquarters on Jinja road.

Deceitful tactics

He added that some of the immigrants were found working even when their status read something else, while others were found in places where they were not supposed to be working. Mr Siminyu said the operation that started from Kampala, Bushenyi and Ibanda, and would extend to other up-country stations. “We are not going to release anybody who does not have the right facility. We either take them to court or those who deserve to be deported immediately will be deported immediately,” he said.

Mr Siminyu advises Ugandan nationals to desist from obstructing Immigration staff while arresting illegal immigrants, saying they risk arrest.

Last year the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control carried out sensitisation workshops with various group of foreign nationals to convince them to regularise their stay.

Source: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/20-foreigners-held-for-lack-of-work-permits/-/688334/1875830/-/mpv0dg/-/index.html

US Government likely to open criminal probe into NSA leaks: officials

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration is likely to open a criminal investigation into the leaking of highly classified documents that revealed the secret surveillance of Americans' telephone and email traffic, U.S. officials said on Friday.

The law enforcement and security officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said the agencies that normally conduct such investigations, including the FBI and Justice Department, were expecting a probe into the leaks to a British and an American newspaper.

Such investigations typically begin after an agency that believes its secrets have been leaked without authorization files a complaint with the Justice Department.

It was unclear on Friday whether a complaint had been submitted by the publicity-shy National Security Agency, which was most directly involved in the collection of trillions of telephone and email communications.

However, one U.S. official with knowledge of the situation said that given the extent and sensitivity of the recent leaks, federal law may compel officials to open an investigation.

A criminal probe would represent another turn in the Obama administration's battle against national security leaks. This effort has been under scrutiny lately because of a Justice Department investigation that has involved searches of the phone records of Associated Press journalists and a Fox News reporter.

Leaks to media outlets this week have revealed a government campaign of domestic surveillance going far beyond anything that had been acknowledged previously.

Late on Wednesday, Britain's Guardian newspaper published what U.S. officials later acknowledged was an order, approved by the secretive U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, requiring a subsidiary of Verizon Communications to give the NSA raw data showing phone calls made from numbers within the United States and from U.S. numbers to those overseas.

The data did not include the identities of people who made the calls or the contents of the calls.

On Thursday, the Guardian and the Washington Post published slides from a secret NSA powerpoint presentation that described how the agency gathered masses of email data from prominent Internet firms, including Google, Facebook and Apple under a Top-Secret program called PRISM.

Some of the companies denied that the NSA and FBI had "direct access" to their central servers, as the Post reported.

On Friday, for example, Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said his company "is not and has never been part of any program to give the U.S. or any other government direct access to our servers."

"We have never received a blanket request or court order from any government agency asking for information or metadata in bulk, like the one Verizon reportedly received," Zuckerberg said. "And if we did, we would fight it aggressively. We hadn't even heard of PRISM" before Thursday, he said.

James Clapper, the director of U.S. national intelligence, condemned the leaks and asserted that the news articles about PRISM contained "numerous inaccuracies."

Read More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/08/us-usa-security-leaks-idUSBRE95700K20130608

India: Rape victim’s pregnancy terminated at Safdarjung Hospital

GURGAON: The 13-year-old rape victim, whose plight TOI had highlighted earlier this week, successfully underwent abortion at Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday amid claims by her family that they haven't received any help from the district administration. 

"We plan to move court to get her what she deserves, now that our priority in getting an abortion is taken care of," said advocate Kulbhushan Bharadwaj of NGO Farishte Group. 

On Friday, a private hospital in Gurgaon came forward to "adopt" her for lifelong medical treatment. The hospital is putting together a team of doctors to attend to the girl as soon as she arrives from Delhi. 

"We understand that termination of pregnancy is not the end of everything. It will mean a new start for her and her family to return to society. We have not heard anything yet from either the NGO or the hospital and have to understand her medical history," said Dr Devlina Chakraborty, COO & medical director, Artemis Health Institute. 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Rape-victims-pregnancy-terminated-at-Safdarjung-Hospital/articleshow/20485615.cms

Five dead in Santa Monica shooting rampage

At least five people are dead and several others injured after a gun rampage in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, police say.

The attack began at a house and ended on a college campus where police say they shot the gunman in the library.

Police initially put the death toll at six, but later revised it to five people dead, including the shooter.

The gunman was in his late 20s and had been carrying an assault-style rifle, say witnesses.

President Barack Obama was at a fundraiser not far from where the shooting unfolded just before noon on Friday.

'Boom, boom, boom'

The gunman, dressed in black and wearing an ammunition belt and bullet-proof jacket, began by firing shots at the house, witnesses said.

The property was then engulfed by fire although it is not clear how the blaze started.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the first two victims were the gunman's father and brother.

Neighbour Jerry Rathner said she witnessed the shooting from her veranda, the Associated Press reported.

The gunman then walked to the street corner, pointed his gun at a driver and told her to pull over.

He signalled to another car with a female driver to slow down and fired into the car several times.

Ms Rathner said she rushed to help the victim and saw she had a shoulder injury.

"He fired three to four shots into the car, boom, boom, boom, right at her," Ms Rathner said.

Authorities say the violence then moved to a street corner near Santa Monica College where the suspect fired at passing vehicles.

The gunman then entered the campus where he is said to have shot a woman as he made his way toward the college library, where students were studying for final exams.

"We saw a woman get shot in the head," administrative assistant Trena Johnson told the Associated Press. "I haven't been able to stop shaking."

Witness Lisa Peters told the BBC she was at the campus radio station when they received a call that shots had been fired.

"We were on lockdown and we all tried to remain calm. I was there for about two and a half hours, but it seemed much longer than that," she said.

"Suddenly I heard police and swat teams yelling and saying to us that we had to evacuate.

"It was very dramatic. On leaving the campus, we walked right passed a body which we think was the gunman."

Police Chief Jaqueline Seabrooks said the gunman entered the college library and fired at people but did not hit anyone.

"The officers came in and directly engaged the suspect and he was shot and killed on the scene," she said.

Student Jimes Gillespie, 20, said he saw a car riddled with bullet holes, shattered glass and a baby seat in the back.

Authorities also took into custody a second man dressed in black with the words "life is a gamble" on the back of his shirt.

"We are not convinced 100% that the suspect who was killed operated in a solo or alone capacity," Chief Seabrooks added.

Three women were taken to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where a doctor said one patient had died, one was undergoing surgery and the third was in a serious condition.

Three more patients were taken to the UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica to be treated for minor injuries.

The shooting unfolded a few miles from where President Obama was speaking at a political fundraiser.

The Secret Service, which protects the US president, said the incident did not affect his schedule.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22823290


Barack Obama defends NSA's spying on US citizens

US President Barack Obama has defended the collection of data from phone calls and internet accounts by the National Security Agency (NSA) as “legal and necessary to combat terror.”

"Nobody is listening to your telephone calls," Obama said in San Jose, California, on Friday. 

Obama also defended a joint NSA-FBI initiative called PRISM in which agents tap into the servers of nine US internet giants, including Facebook, Google, and YouTube, saying the measure does not apply to American citizens or those living in the US. 

Internet giants like Apple and Facebook denied claims that they opened their doors for US spy agencies. 

The Washington Post reported late Thursday that the NSA had direct access to internet firm servers, saying their source, a career intelligence officer, was horrified of the capabilities of the systems used by the top US spy agency. 

The Guardian also revealed on Thursday a top secret court order in the US that allows the NSA to collect data on millions of Americans who are customers of Verizon Communications. 

According to the order Verizon should, “on a daily basis,” give the NSA data, including phone numbers of both parties, location, the time and duration of all phone calls in its systems, both in the US and between the US and other countries. 

The president admitted that the two programs made "modest encroachments" on privacy, adding that providing absolute security would certainly create some “inconvenience” when it comes to people’s privacy. 

Obama also tried to calm nerves by saying that the measures enjoy the full support of Congress and are being monitored by federal and secret intelligence courts for any abuse by the authorities. 

MA/MHB 

Dar es Salaam: Court grants bail to four accused in passport theft case

THE Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam rejected the prosecution's objection to bail four people, including Immigration Department official Shemweta Mustafa Kiluwasha and prominent musician, Chigwele Che Mundugwao, charged with forging and stealing 26 passports.

Senior Resident Magistrate Aloyce Katemana ruled that the certificate by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that had been presented in court to support the prosecution's request was not properly filed.

The magistrate, therefore, proceeded to grant bail to the accused persons on conditions of securing two reliable sureties. He also ordered the accused persons to surrender their travel documents before the court. The case comes today for verification of bail conditions.

Other accused persons in the case are Kenneth Kombo Pius, an Engineer with Fire and Rescue Department and Ally Jabir Ally, a businessman. They are all defended by youthful and soft spoken lawyer, Peter Kibatala.

Senior State Attorney Ladislaus Komanya had told the court that at unknown time and place in the city, the four people conspired to commit an offence.

He told the court that between April 16 and May 10, this year, at Immigration Department offices at Kurasini area in Temeke District, being employed in public services, Kiluwasha stole 26 passports valued at 1.3m/-, property of the government, which came into his possession by virtue of his employment.

"Between April 16 and May 10, 2013 at Kurasini area in Temeke District, Che Mundugwao, Pius and Ally stole 26 passports valued at 1.3m/-, property of United Republic of Tanzania," the prosecutor alleged.

According to him, on May 30 this year, at Yombo Makangalawe area in Temeke District, without lawful excuse, Che Mundugwao, a board member of the Tanzania Music Federation (TMF), was found in possession of 12 passports belonging to other persons.

Mr Komanya alleged further that on May 13, this year, at the same area, without lawful authority, Che Mundugwao was found in possession of two valid passports bearing his name.

Furthermore, the prosecution told the court that on April 22, this year, at unknown place in the City, Che Mundugwao and Pius forged a passport number AB 651929, purporting to show that it was genuinely issued by the Immigration Department of Tanzania.

"On April 24, 2013 at unknown place in Dar es Salaam, Ally Jabri Ally forged passport number AB 651966 purporting to show that it was genuinely issued by the Immigration Department of the United Republic of Tanzania," the trial attorney alleged.

In addition, Mr Komanya claimed that between 2007 and 2011 in Dar es Salaam, Kiluwasha forged an official document, which is a rubber stamp, purportedly showing that it was genuinely issued by the Fire and Rescue Department of Tanzania.

Source: http://dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/18327-court-grants-bail-to-four-accused-in-passport-theft-case

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