Tanzania Church Hit By Deadly Blast

An explosion at a crowded church in the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha has killed at least three people, a local priest has told the BBC.

More than 50 others were injured in the blast. Police say they believe it was caused by a bomb.

The explosion occurred at the official opening of the new Roman Catholic church in the suburb of Olasiti.

The Vatican's ambassador to Tanzania and the archbishop of Arusha were attending, but were not hurt.

A man has been arrested in connection with the incident, police say.

An eyewitnesses told AFP news agency: "There was a stampede, people running in all directions, walking on each other, children were screaming and women crying."

Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said in Twitter message he was "greatly shocked" by the attack.

Tanzania has seen a rise in sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims in recent times.

Last month, police in southern Tanzania used teargas to disperse about 200 Christian rioters attempting to torch a mosque over an animal slaughtering conflict.

In February, a Catholic priest was shot in the head on the largely Muslim island of Zanzibar.

Source: BBC News

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Libya Bans Gaddafi-era Officials

Libya's parliament has passed a law banning officials from the Gaddafi era from holding political office.

The vote in the General National Congress (GNC) came a week after militias backing the law began besieging the ministries of justice and foreign affairs.

They had said they would not leave until the bill was passed.

The law could affect senior members of the government, including Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.

Both Mr Zeidan and GNC speaker Mohamed Megaryef were diplomats before the revolution.

Human rights groups say the measure is too sweeping.

"This law is far too vague - potentially barring anyone who ever worked for the authorities during the four decades of Gaddafi's rule," Human Rights Watch's Sarah Leah Whitson said in a statement on Saturday.

In a vote broadcast live on state TV, 164 MPs supported the measure in the 200-member chamber and just four voted against.

It required a two-thirds plus one majority to pass.

Under the law, anyone who held a key official post between 1969 and 2011 is supposed to be excluded from government.

But it is not clear how long the exclusion will last.

While officials and the public at large generally see the law as necessary, many believe other interests are being pursued on all sides under the guise of demands for its adoption.

This includes militias afraid of losing power and political infighting within the congress itself, she adds.

A special commission will now be set up to implement the new law.

In March, protesters barricaded members of the GNC inside the building for hours to call for the new law to be adopted.

Militias blocked the foreign ministry last Sunday, moving in to surround the justice ministry on Tuesday.

But until now officials had been unable to agree the terms of the law.

Since Gaddafi's death, Tripoli and other Libyan cities have been plagued by violence and infighting.

The government has recently tried to dismantle militias that formed during and after the war that toppled the long-serving leader.

Source: BBC News

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Hungary PM Condemns Anti-Semitism

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has condemned anti-Semitism at the opening of a meeting of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) in Budapest.

He acknowledged anti-Semitism was on the rise in the country because of the economic crisis but said his government had a "zero-tolerance" towards it.

On Saturday the far-right Jobbik party held a protest against the Hungarian capital hosting the WJC meeting.

The party's leaders regularly issue anti-Semitic statements.

The WJC usually hosts its assembly in Jerusalem, but chose Hungary this year to highlight what it says is growing anti-Semitism in Europe.

Addressing the opening session, Mr Orban said: "Anti-Semitism is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated."

He added that his government had a "moral duty to declare zero tolerance on anti-Semitism".

However the WJC expressed its disappointment that Mr Orban had not specifically talked about Jobbik, the third-largest party in parliament.

"The prime minister did not confront the true nature of the problem - the threat posed by the anti-Semites in general and by the extreme-right Jobbik party in particular," it said in a statement.

The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, said Jews were again wondering if they were safe in Hungary.

Saturday's rally by Jobbik was billed as a tribute to what organisers called the victims of Bolshevism and Zionism.

"The Israeli conquerors, these investors, should look for another country in the world for themselves because Hungary is not for sale," party chairman Gabor Vona told the crowd.

Jobbik MP Marton Gyongyosi said Hungary had "become subjugated to Zionism, it has become a target of colonisation while we, the indigenous people, can play only the role of extras".

Mr Orban had ordered police to ban the march, but a Budapest court overruled the ban.

Source: BBC News

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Syria Condemns Israeli Air Strikes

Israeli strikes on Syrian army targets show co-ordination with "terrorists" including al-Qaeda linked militants, the Syrian foreign ministry has said.

The strikes had led to a number of casualties and widespread damage, it reported in a letter sent to the UN.

State media said a research centre and other sites had been hit overnight. Israeli sources said weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon were the target.

The strike, the second in two days, drew condemnation from the Arab League.

Syria's government refers to rebels fighting against it as "terrorists".

On Friday, Israeli aircraft hit a shipment of missiles near the Lebanon border, according to unnamed US and Israeli officials.

The latest developments are a significant escalation in Israel's involvement in the conflict.

The Syrian foreign ministry statement said three military sites had been hit - a research centre at Jamraya, a paragliding airport in the al-Dimas area of Damascus and a site in Maysaloun.

"The flagrant Israeli attack on armed forces sites in Syria underlines the co-ordination between 'Israel', terrorist groups and... the al-Nusra Front," the statement said, referring to al-Qaeda militants fighting with the rebels.

"The Israeli attack led to the fall of a number of martyrs and wounded from the ranks of Syrian citizens, and led to widespread destruction in these sites and in the civilian districts near to them."

The statement added: "This leaves no room for doubt Israel is the beneficiary, the mover and sometime the executor of the terrorist acts which Syria is witnessing and which target it as a state and people directly or through its tools inside."

The Syrian cabinet held an emergency meeting on the attacks, after which Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi read a statement at a news conference.

He said the attack made the Middle East "more dangerous" and "opens the door wide to all possibilities".

Syria had the right and the duty "to defend its people by all available means," he added.

In the latest attack, Damascus was shaken by repeated explosions coming from the north-western suburbs.

Amateur video footage and eyewitness testimony suggested rocket attacks had hit weapons dumps, triggering dramatic orange-flamed blasts.

The area houses numerous military facilities, including the Jamraya research centre, designated by Syria as a scientific research centre "in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence".

Damascus-based journalist Alaa Ebrahim told the BBC it was "the biggest explosion" the city had seen since the conflict began two years ago.

He said residents living near Jamraya reported feeling a "mild earthquake" just before the blast, indicating that the rockets may have hit an underground facility.

Our correspondent says the Israeli attack is a high-risk strategy, and it has drawn strong reaction from the rest of the Arab world.

The Egyptian presidency said they "violated international law and principles that will further complicate the situation".

"Despite its strong opposition to bloodshed in Syria and the Syrian army's use of weapons against its people... Egypt rejects at the same time the assault on Syria's capabilities, violation of its sovereignty, and exploitation of its internal crisis under any pretext," the presidency's statement said.

And the Arab League, which has given its Syria seat to the rebels, called on the UN Security Council to "act immediately" to end the attacks.

The Jamraya facility was also apparently hit in an Israeli air strike in January.

Israeli officials confirmed the January strike, but insisted trucks carrying missiles to Hezbollah were the target.

After the latest attack, unnamed Western intelligence sources said the target was a weapons cache heading for Lebanon.

Israel has repeatedly said it would act if it felt advanced weapons were being transferred to militant groups in the region, especially Hezbollah.

Source: BBC News

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Police Break Up Dhaka Islamist Unrest

Police in Bangladesh have used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse a huge demonstration by Islamist protesters in the capital Dhaka.

Thousands fled as police took control of the central business district.

Up to half a million supporters of the group Hefazat-e Islam had gathered in the city to call for stronger Islamic policies. Rioters went on to set fire to shops and vehicles.

At least seven people were killed and 60 injured in clashes with police.

Some casualties suffered bullet wounds in the head, hospital sources say.

Thousands of Islamist activists were seen fleeing the Motijheel area as police moved in to take control of the area.

Early on Monday, a police spokesman said officers had secured the business district and were searching for protesters hiding in nearby buildings.

The area around the city centre's largest mosque had turned into a battleground as police reacted to stone-throwing rioters with tear gas, rubber bullets and truncheons.

On Sunday, crowds of protesters blocked main roads, isolating Dhaka from other parts of the country.

Dhaka's Daily Star newspaper reports that the group hired at least 3,000 vehicles, including buses, lorries and minibuses to bring demonstrators into the capital, while others travelled there by train.

Chanting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is greatest!") and "One point! One demand! Atheists must be hanged", the activists marched down at least six main roads as they headed for Motijheel, AFP news agency reported.

Hefazat-e Islam wants greater segregation of men and women, as well as the imposition of stricter Islamic education.

The movement draws its strength from the country's madrassahs, or religious schools.

Its opposition to a national development policy for women has angered women's groups.

The government, which describes Bangladesh as a secular democracy, has rejected Hefazat-e Islam's demand for a new law on blasphemy.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said current legislation was adequate.

Muslims make up nearly 90% of the country's population, with the rest mostly Hindus.

Source: BBC News

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Chris Kelly of Rap Duo Kris Kross Dead at 34

Chris Kelly, one half of the '90s rap duo Kris Kross, has died of a possible drug overdose, Georgia authorities said.

Kelly, 34, was pronounced dead Wednesday night at the Atlanta Medical Center, Clint Harbin, an investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, said.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death and an autopsy is expected to be performed later today.

"It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose," said Cpl. Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police, according to The Associated Press.

Kelly (known as "Mac Daddy"), along with Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, the backward-pants-wearing mini-rappers, rose to fame with their song "Jump" from their 1992 album, "Totally Krossed Out."
"Jump" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for eight weeks.

Kelly and Smith were discovered by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri in an Atlanta mall. Kelly was 13 when "Totally Krossed Out" was released. The album went on to multiplatinum status thanks to "Jump," which remained a popular song throughout 1992.

They toured with Michael Jackson later that year during his "Dangerous World Tour."

Their gimmick of wearing clothes backward won over legions of fans and allowed the duo to cross over into mainstream success. They even went on to release their own video game titled "Kris Kross: Make My Video" for the Sega CD console.

They released "Da Bomb" in 1993, which failed to match the success of their prior album. One of the singles off the album, also titled "Da Bomb," featured female rapper Da Brat.

The group's last album, "Young, Rich & Dangerous," was released in 1996 and reached gold status.
Earlier this year, the group performed together in Atlanta to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dupri's label, So So Def.

"He actually was still working on music and recording," said Yahoo music writer Billy Johnson Jr., who interviewed Kelly in February.

"He said he had several hundred songs that he had recorded and he had mentioned that during his time away from releasing music that he had actually gone back to school to learn how to be a studio engineer," Johnson said.

Johnson also discussed questions about Kelly's health after pictures surfaced online with patches of his hair missing.

"I asked him about that and he said he had skin disease called alopecia and he said that those rumors had been very hurtful because people thought he had cancer and it wasn't true," Johnson said.

Rapper LL Cool J tweeted a link to his new song, "Jump on It," and dedicated it to Kelly.

"R.I.P Chris Kelly. This song is now officially dedicated to you. May GOD embrace your soul & lift up your family," he tweeted."

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Da Brat also both tweeted condolences overnight.

Source: ABC News

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5-year-old Boy Accidentally Shoots, Kills 2-year-old Sister In Cumberland County

5-year-old boy who was playing with a .22-caliber rifle accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister in Cumberland County on Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release from the state police.

The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. at a home on Lawson's Bottom Road.

The 2-year-old was taken to Cumberland County Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Cumberland County Coroner Gary White identified the girl as Caroline Sparks.

He said the children's mother was at home when the shooting occurred, and the gun was a gift the boy received last year.

"It's a Crickett," he said. "It's a little rifle for a kid. ...The little boy's used to shooting the little gun."

White said the gun was kept in a corner, and the family did not realize a shell had been left in it.

He said the shooting will be ruled accidental.
 "Just one of those crazy accidents," White said.  Source: kentucky.com

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/30/2621458/5-year-old-boy-accidentally-shoots.html#storylink=cpy

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Jamestown Settlers Ate 14-year-old Girl, Researchers Say

The early American settlers called it "the starving time," and accounts of the winter of 1609-1610 were so ghastly, and so morbid, that scholars weren't sure if the stories were true.

George Percy, then president of the English settlement of Jamestown in Virginia, wrote that settlers ate horses, then cats and dogs, then boots and bits of leather, and, finally, one another.

"One of our colony murdered his wife, ripped the child out of her womb and threw it into the river, and after chopped the mother in pieces and salted her for his food," wrote Percy, who then ordered the man executed.

"Now whether she was better roasted, boyled or carbonado’d [barbecued], I know not, but of such a dish as powdered wife I never heard of," added the famed settler John Smith. "This was that time, which still to this day we called the starving time; it were too vile to say, and scarce to be beleeved, what we endured."

Until now: Researchers said Wednesday that they have discovered the first forensic proof that cannibalism happened at Jamestown during one of its darkest periods.

The announcement was presented by Douglas Owsley, the division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, chief archaeologist William Kelso from the Jamestown Rediscovery Project at Preservation Virginia and historian James Horn, vice president of research and historical interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg.

But the biggest name involved with the announcement was "Jane," the nickname given to the remains of a 14-year-old girl found last year in settlement trash from the starving period.

Archaeologists did not find much of Jane -- just part of her skull and part of her leg, or 10% of her body -- but said those remains showed that someone tried to eat her, apparently after she had died of an undetermined cause.

Someone made four small chops to Jane's forehead before an ax or cleaver broke open the back of her skull, the researchers aid. There were also small knife cuts on her jaw and cheek.

“The desperation and overwhelming circumstances faced by the James Fort colonists during the winter of 1609–1610 are reflected in the postmortem treatment of this girl’s body,” Smithsonian anthropologist Owsley said in the announcement. “The recovered bone fragments have unusually patterned cuts and chops that reflect tentativeness, trial and complete lack of experience in butchering animal remains. Nevertheless, the clear intent was to dismember the body, removing the brain and flesh from the face for consumption.”

Researchers took DNA from Jane in case that her real identity could be someday discovered by matching samples with those of her family's descendants, though officials said finding relatives was unlikely.

Tests showed that Jane had a diet of wheat and meat, said officials, who believe she arrived in Jamestown in August 1609, mere months before the worst of the colonists' starvation. That winter, 80% of the settlers died -- about 200 people -- sometimes at the hands of the Native Americans living in the area.

"The 'starving time' was brought about by a trifecta of disasters: disease, a serious shortage of provisions, and a full scale siege by the Powhatans that cut off Jamestown from outside relief," Colonial Williamsburg's researcher Horn said in the announcement. "Survival cannibalism was a last resort; a desperate means of prolonging life at a time when the settlement teetered on the brink of extinction."

By May, the colony's Percy wrote, settlers called out to visitors, "We are starved, we are starved."

One man, Hugh Pryse, "being pinched with extreme famine ... did come openly into the market place blaspheming, exclaiming and crying out that there was no God, alleging that if there were a god he would not suffer his creatures whom he had made and framed to endure those miseries." Pryse was soon killed by Native Americans, Percy wrote, surely in divine punishment for his blasphemy.
Jamestown, although almost abandoned, survived after more settlers and colonists arrived.

The discovery of Jane came as part of a 20-year excavation of the colonists' original settlement. A digital reconstruction of her face will go on display Friday at the Nathalie P. and Alan M. Voorhees Archaearium at Historic Jamestowne and at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

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Boston Marathon Bombings: 3 Charged In Connection With Attack

The three young men charged with helping a suspect in last month's fatal bombing attack at the Boston Marathon cover his tracks were handed into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after their initial court appearance on Wednesday.

Kazakhstani nationals Azamat Tazhayakov, 19, and Dias Kadyrbayev, 19, were earlier charged with conspiring to obstruct justice and the third man, a U.S. citizen named Robel Phillipos, was charged with making false statements to investigators.

Two of the men were university classmates of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who last week was criminally charged with planting homemade pressure-cooker bombs at the marathon finish line on April 15 along with his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Papers filed in federal court said authorities charged tTazhayakov and Kadyrbayev with throwing away a backpack containing fireworks and a laptop computer belonging to alleged bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Tsarnaev, who attended the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, is being held at a prison hospital where he is recovering from gunshot wound sustained in a gun battle with police. His older brother died in the gunfight.

Last week law enforcement officials were seen searching dumps in southeastern Massachusetts.

Kadyrbayev's lawyer said his client was being held for violations of his student visa.

The lawyer, Robert Stahl, said his client was "not a target" of the bombing investigation, but declined to comment on any other specifics. He said his client had "cooperated fully" with investigators and "wants to go home to Kazakhstan."

The parents of the Tsarnaev brothers have said in interviews in the North Caucasus region of Russia that they do not believe their sons were responsible for placing the bombs.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body has still not been claimed, a spokesman for the state's chief medical examiner said. His widow, Katherine Russell, on Tuesday said she wanted the medical examiner to release her husband's body to his family.

Source: Chicago Tribune

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Flash Floods in Saudi Arabia Leave 13 Dead

At least 13 people have died and four other are missing in flash floods in Saudi Arabia.

Deaths were reported in the capital Riyadh, Baha in the south, Hail in the north and in the west of the country

The Saudi Civil Defense Authority urged people to avoid valleys and plains that have been flooded by the heavy rainfall that began on Friday.

Saudi television showed footage of people clinging to trees and cars trapped by water.

The rain is said to be the heaviest experienced by the desert kingdom in more than 25 years.

On Sunday the Saudi Interior Minister Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef called on civil defence authorities to coordinate their efforts and provide assistance to people affected by rain and flooding. The minister was described by a spokesperson as "closely monitoring the situation".

Saudi authorities have been criticised in the past for lack of preparedness in coping with flooding. Flash floods in the Red Sea port of Jeddah killed 123 people in 2009 and 10 in 2011.

The inability of Jeddah's infrastructure to drain off flood waters and uncontrolled construction in and around the city were blamed for the high number of victims in 2009.

At the time King Abdullah promised action saying "we cannot overlook the errors and omissions that must be dealt with firmly".

However critics have said that despite the promises little has been done to alleviate the dangers posed by flash floods.

Source: BBC News

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Bangladesh Slave Labour Condemned By Pope

Pope Francis has denounced as "slave labour" the conditions of workers caught in a deadly building collapse in Bangladesh last week.

More than 400 people are confirmed to have died in the collapse of the Rana Plaza building near the capital, Dhaka.

It housed several clothing factories, some supplying Western retailers.

At May Day parades in Dhaka, marchers demanded the death penalty for the building's owner and better conditions for workers.

The Pope said he had been shocked by reports that some of the labourers had been paid just 38 euros ($50) a month.

"Today in the world this slavery is being committed against something beautiful that God has given us - the capacity to create, to work, to have dignity," the Pope said at a private Mass.

"Not paying a fair wage, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking to make a profit, that goes against God," he was quoted as saying by Vatican radio.
'Better safety'
At least 410 people are confirmed to have died and more than 140 are missing following the collapse of the eight-storey building a week ago, police and army officials said. Some 2,500 people were injured.

It was the country's worst industrial disaster.

More than 30 of those killed, whose bodies have not been identified, were buried in a mass funeral on Wednesday.

In Dhaka, an estimated 20,000 people took part in the main May Day march, while separate demonstrations were held in other parts of the capital and elsewhere.

"I want the death penalty for the owner of the building," said one marcher, 18-year-old garment factory worker Mongidul Islam Rana.

"We want regular salaries, raises and absolutely we want better safety in our factories."

Others in Dhaka held banners with the words: "Hang the killers, Hang the factory owners."

Speaking at a rally in the industrial township of Narayanganj, the leader of Bangladesh's main opposition party, Khaleda Zia, alleged that the government was hiding the real casualty figures from the building collapse.

She also claimed that if the army had been given control of the rescue operation earlier, more lives could have been saved.

The European Union has said it is considering "appropriate action" to encourage improvements in working conditions in Bangladeshi factories.

It said its actions might include the use of its trade preference system, which gives Bangladesh duty- and quota-free access to EU markets.

Bangladesh's garment industry makes up almost 80% of the country's annual exports and provides employment to about four million people.

However, it has faced criticism over low pay and limited rights given to workers, and for the often dangerous working conditions in factories.

Both Primark, which has a large presence in the UK, and Canadian company Loblaw had clothing made in the Rana Plaza, and have said they will offer aid to victims and their families.

Rana Plaza owner Mohammed Sohel Rana, a local leader of the youth wing of the ruling Awami League party, is in police custody.

A total of eight people, including factory owners and engineers, have been arrested for alleged negligence.

Source: BBC News

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First Curved OLED TVs To Go On Sale

LG Electronics says it will begin deliveries of curved OLED television sets next month, making it the first to offer such a product to the public.

The use of organic light-emitting diodes allows screens to be made thinner and more flexible than before.

The 55in (140cm) model will cost 15m won ($13,550; £8,725) and is initially limited to sales in South Korea.

One analyst said that being first to market gave LG "bragging rights", but suggested demand would be limited.

LG Electronics and its rival Samsung Electronics both showed off curved OLED TV prototypes at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, but did not announce release dates at the time.

The two businesses are part of larger conglomerates that have separate divisions manufacturing their own television display panels. Many of their competitors buy in the components from third parties, making it harder for them to claim such an exclusive.

OLED tech is based on carbon-based materials that convert electricity into light.

While LCD screens need a backlight to illuminate their crystals, OLED does not need a separate light source.

This allows the newer type of TVs to be made thinner, lighter and more energy-efficient than before, as well as offering the advantage of deeper blacks.

In addition, the OLEDs can be fabricated onto a flexible plastic substrate rather than a rigid glass layer, making it easier to manufacture them into a curved screen.

This has allowed LG to market the new EA9800 model as being only 4.3mm (0.17in) thick, weighing 17kg (37.5lb) and offering an "Imax-cinema-like" viewing experience.

"With more than five years research behind developing the optimum curvature, the entire screen surface is equidistant from the viewer's eyes, eliminating the problem of screen-edge visual distortion and loss of detail," the company said in a press release.

 

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Second Ricin Suspect Everett Dutschke Due In Court

A Mississippi martial arts instructor is due in court on charges relating to ricin-laced letters that were sent to President Obama, a senator and a judge.

James Everett Dutschke, 41, has been charged with possessing a biological agent with intent to use as a weapon.

He was detained on Sunday, days after police arrested and then released another man, Paul Kevin Curtis.

Investigators, some in hazardous materials suits, searched Mr Dutschke's home, business and vehicles.

The Tupelo man had reportedly been under surveillance.

According to an FBI news release, Mr Dutschke has been charged with "knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon, to wit: ricin".

A lawyer for Mr Dutschke said her client was co-operating with the authorities. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

The letters were sent to the president, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker and Judge Sadie Holland on 8 April.

On 17 April, authorities arrested Mr Curtis, a 45-year-old local Elvis impersonator. But Mr Curtis was released from jail and charges were dropped six days later.

No evidence of ricin was found in FBI searches of Mr Curtis' home.

The letters were signed: "I am KC and I approve this message." Mr Curtis, who said he had been framed, often ended posts on his Facebook page in a similar manner.

Mr Dutschke and Mr Curtis reportedly knew each other, and Mr Curtis said the two men had discussed publishing a book on an alleged conspiracy Mr Curtis believed he had discovered, to sell body parts on the black market.

But the pair later fell out.

Authorities began investigating Mr Dutschke after Mr Curtis' defence lawyers gave them a list of people they thought might have a reason to hurt their client.

Source: BBC News

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NBA Player Jason Collins Comes Out As Gay

US basketball player Jason Collins has come out as gay, the first active male athlete in a major American professional team sport to do so.

He declared his sexuality in an article for Sports Illustrated which began: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

Collins said he had struggled with his sexuality for years.

Former NBA player John Amaechi came out as gay in 2007, but he had already retired.

Former US President Bill Clinton was among those who sent messages of support to Collins on Monday.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement: "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue."

Sports label Nike, which has endorsed Collins, also supported his decision.

"Jason is a Nike athlete. We are a company committed to diversity and inclusion," a statement said.

In the Sports Illustrated article, Collins, who has most recently played for the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, said: "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.

"But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.'

"If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."

He added that this month's bombings at the Boston marathon reinforced the conviction that he should talk publicly about his sexuality.

"Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?" Collins wrote.

Collins, who is professionally a free agent, having played 11 seasons in the NBA with six teams, said he had tried to suppress his feelings through relationships with women.

"When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged," he said. "I thought I had to live a certain way.

"I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue."

Collins said he decided he should go public after his former roommate at California's Stanford University, Congressman Joe Kennedy, scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, marched in a Boston gay parade.

Source: BBC News

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Deadly Car Bombs Hit Shia Provinces In Iraq

At least 18 people have been killed and dozens injured by five car bombs in Shia-majority provinces of southern Iraq, officials say.

In the deadliest attack, two bombs went off in the town of Amara, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens.

An army raid on a Sunni anti-government protest camp last week has sparked a wave of violence.

On Saturday Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said "evil" sectarian conflict was returning to Iraq.

Mr Maliki said sectarianism was again plaguing Iraq "because it began in another place in this region" - an apparent reference to Syria.

The blasts in Amara struck a market and a place where labourers had gathered to look for work.

Other bombs went off at markets in Diwaniyah and Karbala, and in a Shia neighbourhood of the Sunni-dominated town of Mahmoudiya.

"I was preparing to go to work when a big explosion shook my house and broke the glass in all the windows," Woody Jasim, a resident of Diwaniyah, told Reuters news agency.

"I ran outside, the explosion was near my house and bodies were everywhere."

The past seven days have seen clashes in several towns and cities, sparked by the raid on the protest camp near the northern town of Hawija on Tuesday that left 50 people dead.

The protesters were calling for the resignation of Mr Maliki, a Shia, and denouncing the authorities for allegedly targeting the Sunni community.

More than 200 people have died in the recent violence between Sunnis and Shia, which is at its most intensive since the withdrawal of US troops at the end of 2011.

Source: BBC News

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Syrian PM Survives Car Bomb Attack

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi has survived a car bomb attack in the capital, Damascus, state media say.

The blast in the capital's western Mazzeh district targeted Mr Halqi's convoy, state TV said, causing a number of casualties.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said one of Mr Halqi's bodyguards was among several others killed.

It is unclear whether the blast was a suicide bombing or a planted device.

State television carried a brief interview with Mr Halqi, saying that it was filmed after the attack.

He appears assured but somewhat shaken in the interview, in which he talks about a meeting he has just attended on the economy.

State TV said the blast happened at a busy intersection, near a public garden and a school. The upmarket neighbourhood is home to government buildings, the residences of several political figures and a military airport vital to the regime's defences.

"I was walking in the street when suddenly there was a very powerful explosion and I saw a car burning and people running," a witness told AFP.

An unnamed Syrian official said the explosion was caused by a bomb placed underneath a parked car in the area, the Associated Press news agency reported.

An earlier report said it had been a suicide attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted medical sources as saying five civilians in the area were also killed.

The activist group quoted medical sources as saying Mr Halqi's driver and another bodyguard were seriously injured.

Footage from the scene showed the charred remains of several vehicles, and a badly damaged bus. Debris and glass were strewn around a wide area, where onlookers had gathered.

A picture that activists said was of the site just after the attack showed a large plume of black smoke rising into the air near a road and a high-rise building.

Syrian forces and rebels have been fighting around Damascus for months but with neither side gaining the upper hand.

The attack is the latest bombing inside government-controlled areas of the capital.

In December a suicide bombing struck the interior ministry. State media said top officials had escaped unhurt, but it later emerged that the interior minister himself had been badly injured.

So far there has been no claim of responsibility for Monday's attack. Similar bombings in the past have been linked to the jihadist al-Nusra Front, one of the most prominent rebel groups fighting the regime.

Mr Halqi, a senior member of the ruling Baath party, became prime minister last year after Riad Hijab defected to Jordan. He was previously health minister.

More than 70,000 people have been killed since fighting between Syrian forces and rebels erupted in March 2011.

Source: BBC News

 

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Powerful Blast Rocks Central Prague

A large explosion has damaged a building in the centre of the Czech capital Prague.

The area around the explosion in Divadelni St was sealed off by police. At least 35 people were injured by the blast, emergency services say, one of them seriously.

Prague's mayor told Czech radio three people may be trapped in the rubble.

Police say that the blast, which blew the windows out of nearby buildings, was most likely caused by a gas leak.

A strong smell of gas was reported before and after the blast by several people in the area, in Prague's Old Town.

The site of the explosion is close to the Vltava river, and near the country's National Theatre.

Neighbouring buildings were evacuated and a two-kilometre stretch of the embankment was cordoned off, Czech media say.

A police spokesman said that there had been about 15 people in the building, which included an office of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and an art gallery, Reuters news agency reports.

The building also housed a film school and the social sciences faculty of the city's Charles University.

"We heard a strong explosion and we felt the building tremble and the windows shake," eyewitness Jaroslav Faltus said.

Source: BBC News

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Climbers And Guides Fight On Everest

Police in Nepal are investigating an alleged fight between two famous European climbers and their Nepalese mountain guides on Mount Everest.

Switzerland's Ueli Steck and Simone Moro from Italy were nearing Camp Three at 7,470m (24,500ft) when the incident occurred.

The fight allegedly broke out after the pair ignored orders to hold their climb while the Sherpas were rigging ropes.

The guides reportedly attacked the pair after they returned to their tents.

Following the incident, the climbers packed "bare essentials" and made their way back down to Mount Everest base camp, "feeling that this was the safest place to be", said Mr Moro, an experienced Everest climber.

One version of events is that the guides asked the climbers to wait while they went ahead and secured ropes, but the climbers continued and dislodged ice which fell on the guides.

Mr Moro said in a statement that "getting hit by chunks of ice is a very natural occurrence" on an ice face. "As it stands, no Sherpa has come forward to show any injury."

"The climbers believe that the lead Sherpa felt that his pride had been damaged as the climbers were moving unroped and much faster," the statement added.

When they returned to their tents, Mr Moro said a large mob of guides had grouped together to attack him, Mr Steck and a third climber in their expedition, Briton Jonathan Griffith.

"[The guides] became instantly aggressive and not only punched and kicked the climbers, but threw many rocks as well," said Mr Moro.

An unnamed eyewitness told the AFP news agency the incident had been "terrifying to watch - they nearly got killed".

More than 3,000 people have scaled Mount Everest since it was first conquered by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

Straddling Nepal and China, the world's highest mountain has an altitude of 8,848m (29,029ft).

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Botswana President Ian Khama Wounded By Cheetah

Botswana President Ian Khama has had stitches in his face after being scratched by a cheetah, officials say.

The animal was reportedly being fed in its enclosure at an army barracks when it jumped up and scratched Mr Khama, who was standing nearby.

The incident was "a freak accident, but not an attack", government spokesman Jeff Ramsay told local media.

Mr Khama's injuries were minor and there were "no real security implications", the official added.

The incident is said to have happened very fast, catching the president and his bodyguard by surprise.

"He was scratched by a cheetah but not really attacked per se," said Mr Ramsay.

Mr Khama was seen sporting a plaster at a meeting following the attack.

Cheetahs, the world's fastest land mammals, are listed as an endangered species.

Around 12,400 are thought to remain in the wild in African countries, including Botswana.

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Ghanaians Ban Spirit Child Killing

Local leaders in northern Ghana have announced the abolition of the ritual killing of babies born with physical disabilities, who were believed to have been possessed by evil spirits.

"Spirit children" were thought to have been a sign of impending misfortune and given a poisonous drink to kill them.

One campaigner told the BBC that improved healthcare and education meant such beliefs were becoming less common.

Activist Raymond Ayine welcomed the ban, which covers seven towns.

But he said he could not guarantee that the practice had been eradicated from the whole country.

The BBC's Vera Kwakofi says the Kasena-Nankana region, where the ban has been announced, is the part of Ghana where such beliefs are most widespread.

Sometimes, babies born at the same time as a family misfortune were also accused of being "spirit children" and killed.

The "concoction men" who used to give the children the poisonous drink have been given new roles; they will now work with disabled children to promote their rights.

Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that he took a plastic doll to a soothsayer, saying it was a child with eating problems and physical disabilities.

"He consulted the oracles, jumped up and down and after this said that the oracles confirmed that the child was an evil child and that the child needed to be killed immediately, and that the child had already killed two members of my family," he said.

Local chief Naba Henry Abawine Amenga-Etigo said that anyone caught trying to harm children from now on would be handed over to the police.

Mr Ayine, from the campaign group Afrikids, said he was "saddened that in today's era, a child could lose its life because of such a barbaric practice".

He noted that in rural areas where such beliefs are more common, women often give birth without ever seeing a midwife, let alone having a pre-natal scan. As a result, childbirth leads to complications more often than elsewhere, he said.

He also said that even before the official ban, there had been no recorded case of the killing of "spirit children" in the area for the past three years.

He put this down to awareness campaigns, as well as improved access to education that meant more people understood that physical disabilities had a medical explanation.

In other parts of northern Ghana, elderly women accused of being witches are sometimes forced to leave their homes and live in "witch camps".

Source: BBC News

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