London Latest News - April 2008

Venables predicts end of Anglican Communion

Bishop Donald Harvey, moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada, and Archbishop Gregory Venables, primate of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 Bishop Donald Harvey, moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada, and Archbishop Gregory Venables, primate of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.The South American primate who has welcomed dissenting Canadian Anglican parishes into his province says he sees the beginning of the end of the world-wide Anglican Communion. “I believe we’re in the early stages of divorce,” Archbishop Gregory Venables, presiding (national) bishop of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, told a news conference during a meeting of the Anglican Network in Canada from April 25 to 26. “I think there comes a point when a marriage is no longer a marriage and you have to recognize it,” he said. But Archbishop Venables suggested that Anglican churches could still stay together in some form. “Maybe we can have an Anglican federation,” he said. In an interview with the Anglican Journal, Archbishop Venables noted that air travel and the Internet have radically re-structured international networks. “We’re no longer living in a world where everything is done locally,” Archbishop Venables said. “The church is a little late in coming to that.” Instead of insisting on geographical church provinces, “hopefully, this will be resolved so we can realign or restructure so everyone can follow their concerns.” Meanwhile, a former Canadian Anglican bishop who is now licensed by the Southern Cone said that the network contacted other foreign primates as possible leaders but aligned itself with the British-born Archbishop Venables because of his background. “We did talk to a couple of primates of different colours,” said Bishop Donald Harvey, formerly of the diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, in an interview. But Archbishop Venables was willing to take on the job, is well respected by other primates, and brings few cultural barriers and no language limitations, he said. (Some Episcopal church parishes in the U.S. have aligned themselves with churches in Africa.) The South American primate who has welcomed dissenting Canadian Anglican parishes into his province says he sees the beginning of the end of the world-wide Anglican Communion. “I believe we’re in the early stages of divorce,” Archbishop Gregory Venables, presiding (national) bishop of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, told a news conference during a meeting of the Anglican Network in Canada from April 25 to 26. “I think there comes a point when a marriage is no longer a marriage and you have to recognize it,” he said. But Archbishop Venables suggested that Anglican churches could still stay together in some form. “Maybe we can have an Anglican federation,” he said. In an interview with the Anglican Journal, Archbishop Venables noted that air travel and the Internet have radically re-structured international networks. “We’re no longer living in a world where everything is done locally,” Archbishop Venables said. “The church is a little late in coming to that.” Instead of insisting on geographical church provinces, “hopefully, this will be resolved so we can realign or restructure so everyone can follow their concerns.” Meanwhile, a former Canadian Anglican bishop who is now licensed by the Southern Cone said that the network contacted other foreign primates as possible leaders but aligned itself with the British-born Archbishop Venables because of his background. “We did talk to a couple of primates of different colours,” said Bishop Donald Harvey, formerly of the diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, in an interview. But Archbishop Venables was willing to take on the job, is well respected by other primates, and brings few cultural barriers and no language limitations, he said. (Some Episcopal church parishes in the U.S. have aligned themselves with churches in Africa.) Bishop Harvey, who is moderator of the network, told the conference that Archbishop Venables’ offer of primatial oversight meant the network would be “part of the world-wide Anglican Communion,” and, “without being under his wing, we would simply be a breakaway group,” he said. “Thank you, God,” Bishop Harvey added, to loud applause. “You have freed us from the bondage that has been holding us back …We are free at last.” The conference was attended by about 340 delegates. Network membership includes 15 churches, 10 of which have left the Anglican Church of Canada over theological issues, including the blessing of same-sex unions. The delegates also heard from theologian Rev. James Packer, who focused on the need for deeper Bible understanding; Bishop Albert Vun of Malaysia; youth minister Ken Moser of St. John’s Shaughnessy church in Vancouver and Bishop Bill Atwood of Kenya. Mr. Packer called Archbishop Venables’ presence a “watershed,” telling delegates the “principle of geographical exclusiveness has been breached and I think it has been breached in such a way that it cannot be restored.” Addressing the question of whether the network should encourage more breakaway parishes, Bishop Harvey said, “that is categorically wrong.” He added that the network “has always gone in response to an invitation.” At a two-hour service on April 26, Archbishop Venables commissioned Bishop Harvey and another former Canadian prelate, Malcolm Harding. The three bishops gave Anglican Network in Canada licenses to 29 clergy and four deacons, according to the network Web site. Archbishop Venables told the Journal he felt an April 21 letter from Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the Canadian primate, asking him not to come to Canada was little more than a gesture. “I didn’t get the letter until one of the (Canadian) reporters read it over the phone,” he said. “It came through on my fax the next morning and that shocked me.” Archbishop Hiltz could simply have picked up the telephone, Archbishop Venables said. “I would have talked about it.” However, he added, the matter “has nothing to do with the Anglican Church of Canada. These people (the members of the network) didn’t approach me until after they had left.” Archbishop Hiltz was out of the country and could not be reached for comment. Archdeacon Paul Feheley, the primate’s principal secretary, said efforts were made by fax and e-mail to deliver the letter to Archbishop Venables first. “As for picking up the telephone, it seems to me that if you are a foreign primate visiting another country, the onus is on you to pick up the phone and call the primate of that country,” said Archdeacon Feheley, adding that no one from the network informed Archbishop Hiltz’ office that the South American primate was coming. Archbishop Venables said he has talked to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, about his actions. “I’m not seeking endorsement but we have open dialogue.” But he stopped short of divulging details. “It was a private conversation.” Archbishop Venables, who is 58, was headmaster of an Anglican college in Paraguay before his ordination in 1984. As bishop of Argentina based in Buenos Aires and primate since 2001, he oversees seven bishops and about 30,000 parishioners in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. The ANiC congregations constitute less than one per cent of the 2,800 parishes in the Canadian church. But Archbishop Venables is confident the network won’t wither away. “It’s got a future because this small group here is in common with the vast majority of the Anglican church,” including Africa and the global South, “… who don’t have a western cultural mindset,” he said.

Teenage Iraqi girl who fell in love with BRITISH soldier in Basra is murdered by her own father in honour killing

Rand Abdel-Qader, 17, was killed by her father after falling in love with a British soldier

Sunday, 27th April 2008.  A teenage Iraqi girl who fell in love with a British soldier when he was in Basra was murdered by her father in an "honour killing", it was revealed today. Rand Abdel-Qader, 17, was suffocated and then hacked at with a knife after her family discovered she was friends with the 22-year-old soldier who she knew only as Paul. The pair first met when Rand was working on an aid project for displaced families but it is thought the soldier is unaware of the girl's fate. She was stamped on, suffocated and stabbed - leaving her with puncture wounds all over her body, including her face. Her own mother, Leila Hussein, has spoken out about the crime, revealing how her husband called out that he was cleansing "his honour" as he carried out the murder. She told the Observer he was arrested after the brutal murder but was released without charge two hours later because it was an "honour killing". "He was released two hours later because it was an 'honour killing'. And unfortunately that is something to be proud of for any Iraqi man," she told the paper.

Her funeral was done without any of the traditional mourning because she was deemed 'impure'. Her uncles were said to have spat on her body

Rand claimed she was in love from the first moment she met the soldier, who had been working alongside her on an aid project where she was volunteering. She immediately told her best friend she was dreaming they could have a future together. Five months on, she was brutally killed and buried without the traditional mourning ceremony in a mark of her "impurity". Her uncles are also said to have spat on her body because of the shame they felt she had brought on the family. The fact her relationship with the British soldier she knew as Paul was entirely innocent was not enough to save her.

The teenager's best friend had tried to hide the presents she was given by the soldier but a friend told her father after he saw the pair together

According to the Observer, she was seen conversing intimately with him and because he was a British "invader" and the enemy, this could not be tolerated. The pair last saw each other in January but her father, Abdel Qader Ali did not learn of their friendship until two months later on March 16. He was told by a friend that his daughter had been seen with the soldier and stormed home to confront her. Ms Hussein described to the paper how he was in a complete rage and trembled as he asked Rand if the story was true, before starting to hit her repeatedly. She said: "She started to cry, she was nervous. He got hold of her hair and started thumping her again and again. "I screamed and called out for her two brothers so they could get their father away from her. But when he told them the reason, instead of saving her they helped end her life." Qader Ali had used his own feet to press down on Rand's throat until she stopped breathing before cutting at her body with a knife, she said. Sgt Ali Jabbar of Basra police said: "Not much can be done when we have an 'honour killing'. You are in a Muslim society and women should live under religious laws." Ms Hussein has now divorced her husband and is in hiding under the care of a charity for fear of reprisals from his family for speaking out. A charity spokeswoman said: "She has been threatened by her husband's family and is very scared." The Ministry of Defence is thought to be trying to track down the soldier, who is believed to have no idea his friendship with Rand might have put her at risk. There is no official policy on advising troops how to behave with Iraqi women when they are deployed to the country. An MoD spokeswoman said: "They are not told: don't go and fall in love." The murder is believed to be the first "honour killing" in the war-torn country involving a British soldier. But there were 47 such killing of young women in Basra alone last year and just three convictions, according to the city's Security Committee. Daily Mail.

OUTCRY AT MUSLIM LAWYER WHO SPEAKS UP FOR THE FANATICS

VOCAL: Arani could face a Law Society probe

Saturday April 26,2008. A CONTROVERSIAL lawyer faces being struck off after it emerged yesterday she had spoken at a secret rally for Islamic extremists. Mudassar Arani, infamous for representing hook-handed preacher Abu Hamza, appeared with an aide of exiled hate cleric Omar Bakri. Last night furious politicians demanded that the legal authorities take immediate action against the self-styled champion of Islamic rights. Ms Arani could be struck off if she is found to have breached professional conduct rules. Tory MP Patrick Mercer, said: “She has compromised her position time and time again – this time in quite an outrageous fashion." I believe she should consider her position and if she doesn’t, there should be an investigation into whether her conduct is consistent with that of a practising solicitor.” Mr Mercer, a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee and a former Army officer, added: “I just can’t see how in any way, shape or form she can be regarded as objective." Labour MP Andrew Dismore said: “As a solicitor myself, I would point out that there is a clear distinction between doing the best for your client – as is your job – and acting as a mouthpiece for their political views." The Law Society ought really to be looking at her conduct in the light of its disciplinary code." At the rally, Ms Arani was filmed sharing the platform with Bakri’s British-based spokesman Anjem Choudary, who tells the gathering of 100 fanatics that an Islamic flag will one day fly over the White House and Downing Street.

Sex disease rise among elderly

SEXUALLY transmitted infections have shot among older people. Clamydia rose from 1,276 cases in 2002 to 1,933 in 2006 among those aged 45 to 64 while, for over 65s, cases went from 59 in 2002 to 81 in 2006. Syphilis rose from 172  to 411 among people aged 45 to 64 and , for over-65s, there were 37 cases, up from 12, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats showed. 'Most people think that STIs  only affect young people but  this is clearly not the case,' said Lib Dem health spokesman Sandra Gidley. Metro.

A LIFE OF LUXURY IN OUR JAILS

Convicts are treated to breakfast in bed

Friday April 25,2008. LIFE is so cushy in Britain’s jails that inmates are ignoring the chance to escape. Drugs are so cheap that prisoners are smuggling them back out to sell on the street for a profit. Convicts are treated to breakfast in bed, TV sets in their cells and even cash bonuses for good behaviour, the Prison Officers Association revealed yesterday. Assistant general secretary Glyn Travis said ladders used to smuggle drugs into Everthorpe jail in Yorkshire were left lying around but prisoners did not seize the opportunity to scale the walls because they were too comfortably off inside. Prostitutes are also being smuggled into some open prisons. The revelations last night refuelled the row over soft justice under Labour. One inmate told Justice Secretary Jack Straw last month that being in jail was like a “holiday camp”.

Prisons should be places of hard work' says Nick Herbert

The easy access to drugs means addicted criminals will not be clean when they leave and will go straight back to crime. Mr Travis said drugs are now so rife behind bars that they are cheaper inside than out. It has even got to the point where inmates are buying drugs but then smuggling them back out to sell on the street to make cash. He added: “We’re trying to manage a system that’s just snowballing out of control." The drug problem within prisons is massive. What prison officers find is only the tip of the iceberg. The quantity of drugs in our prisons today is absolutely vast.

ENJOY THE SUN TODAY – IT WON’T LAST LONG

WARNING: Temperatures set to change

Saturday April 26,2008. BRITAIN will enjoy its hottest day of the year today as parts of the country bake under unbroken sunshine, sending temperatures soaring to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21C).Forecasters say a warm front drifting up from Spain will help temperatures climb into the seventies in East Anglia, the Midlands and on the south coast, making it feel more like June than April.For many it will be the hottest day of the year – the previous high of 67F (19.5C) was briefly notched up in London on Tuesday.But as thousands head to the coast in the South, much of the North will remain grey and dull. And weathermen warned that even those heading to the southern seaside should enjoy the heat while it lasts – but make sure they pack a brolly.A deep depression edging in from the North-west will bring rain to the entire country tomorrow. Temperatures will also plummet as we move into next week and a cold front takes hold. A Met Office spokesman explained: “You could say it is a hint of summer certainly, but unfortunately it is not set to last. And Sunday will be a very different picture as the front affecting the North re-energises, bringing wet weather to pretty much everywhere.”Today’s brief sunny interlude is certainly not before time and follows one of the wettest months of March in recent times.”The spokesman added: “Provisionally, we have had the the wettest March over England since 1981, the wettest over Scotland and the whole of the UK since 1994 and the fourth wettest back to 1914 for Northern Ireland.”

£5 mobile hits the shelves

The Sagem My212x phone is one of four available

Friday, April 25, 2008. The price of mobile phones has hit a new low today after Asda launched its range of £5 pay-as-you-go handsets. Asda says the phones are the cheapest ever seen in the country and predicts that the 50,000 handsets will sell out quickly after their 9am launch. For basic models are included in the deal – the Nokia 1112, Sagem My212x, Sagem My220x and Sim cards are included with the phones and customers are able to take tariffs with Virgin, T-Mobile and Orange. Peter Pritchard, Asda Trading Director, said: "We think this latest offer is likely to get the best reception yet. "Shoppers are increasingly turning to Pay As you Go as a way of controlling their spending on mobile phones and this offer is exactly what is needed to help them do this." The price-drop marks a new landmark for mobile phones, which used to cost hundreds of pounds and be restricted only to those who could afford the huge call charges. From humble beginnings when a Motorola researcher made the first modern mobile call in 1973 using a cumbersome device, technology has progressed at such a pace that few households no longer have access to a handset. Latest research suggests there are 50 million mobile phone users in Britain, many of whom use their handsets to access the internet, take videos and listen to music.

Christians battle 'Allah' ban

God: what's in a name?

Friday, April 25, 2008. A Catholic newspaper has gone to court to challenge a ban on using the word "Allah" as a translation for God. Authorities in Muslim-majority Malaysia ordered The Herald weekly paper to stop using "Allah" in its Malay-language section. The paper - the main organ of the Catholic church in Malaysia - was warned it could lose its publishing licence if it defied the order. Lawyers representing The Herald told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today they want to go to trial to reverse the government's order. Lawyer Porres Royan told reporters: "We are saying that the decision should be squashed and there should also be a declaration that The Herald is entitled to use the word 'Allah' in its publication." The government told The Herald to drop the word "Allah" because it refers to the Muslim God. But the newspaper insists "Allah" has been used for centuries to mean "God" in Malay. Herald editor Reverend Lawrence Andrew said: "It is basically a birth right to use the word 'Allah' because it is the only word for God in the Malay language." The court is expected to hear further arguments next week. Dozens of Christians packed today's hearing, including Malaysia's Roman Catholic archbishop. The Herald - which publishes reports in English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil - is still using the word "Allah," but some fear it could lose its publishing licence when it comes up for annual review in October. The case illustrates growing complaints by religious minorities that their rights have been undermined by government efforts to bolster the status of Islam, Malaysia's official religion. -Ethnic Malays - who are legally required to be Muslim - comprise nearly 60 per cent of Malaysia's 27million people, while ethnic Chinese and Indians - mostly Buddhists, Christians and Hindus - are the main minorities. Dissatisfaction with court rulings over the right to leave Islam contributed to the ruling government's poor performance in last month's elections, when it lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament. In a separate case, the Sabah Evangelical Church of Borneo has also filed a lawsuit to be allowed to use "Allah" after officials last year banned the import of books containing the word.

Cigarette packs patch up hole in chest

Rao Jiacang, the man with cigarettes on his chest

Never mind nicotine patches - a DIY patient is using cigarette packets to cover up a gaping hole in his chest. Rao Jiacang plastered the packets over himself after running out of money for crucial heart surgery. Somehow he has survived for ten years, despite his beating heart being gruesomely visible through the paper folds.

Rao Jiacang measures up

But he is now desperate for a donor to come forward to pay for proper treatment to cover over the wound measuring seven by three inches. Part of his ribs and skin were hacked away by surgeons in 1998, hoping to remove part of his infected lungs. But the 51-year-old, from Taining in China's Guangdong province, says he was unable to afford the rest of the treatment after stitches were taken out. He said: "I had the operation in 1998. I was then laid up for almost five years but gradually got used to the wound, and since 2003 I have been back on my feet."But no-one would give me a job and people were scared of me with the big hole in my chest. "Because of that, I haven't dared to go outside, in case people get frightened." He says he keeps the plaster coverings sterile, and changes the cigarette boxes several times each day. Local doctor Wan Fi said: "It's a miracle that Rao could have lived so many years with such a massive opening in his chest." His friend Xi Lin, 35, who was present when the plaster was changed, said: "I did not know what to expect but then I saw a heart through the hole in his chest, and it was actively beating." An estimated one in 8,000 people are dextrocardiac - that is, their heart is not on the left hand side of their body, but slightly to the right.

'Gay Jesus' sparks Catholic anger

Just two of the pieces by Hrdlicka that have sparked anger

A homoerotic painting of Christ's Last Supper which shows cavorting Apostles masturbating each other has sparked outrage among followers of the Catholic church. The exhibition at the museum of Vienna's Roman Catholic Cathedral features the work of Austria's cherished artist Alfred Hrdlicka, who turned 80 earlier this year. However his display has failed to bring him many happy returns with both Hrdlicka, the museum's director and Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn , the archbishop of Vienna, all coming under fierce fire from some visitors and Catholic websites. Religious bloggers denounced it with terms such as "blasphemy" and "desecration." "The exhibition should never have taken place. The Director should apologise to Catholics worldwide for this," an article on conservative Catholic website kreuz.net said. The museum's director defended both Hrdlicka's work and his decision to host the artist's controversial versions of biblical imagery in a museum tied to the Catholic Church. "We think Hrdlicka is entitled to represent people in this carnal, drastic way," Bernhard Boehler said. He said the museum never intended to offend people but that art should be allowed to provoke a debate. "I don't see any blasphemy here," he said, gesturing at a Crucifixion picture showing a soldier simultaneously beating Jesus and holding his genitals. "People can imagine what they want to." Boehler says that picture drew particular criticism from some visitors, along with a sculpture of Jesus on the cross without a face or loincloth that some Christians found offensive. But the most disputed work was 'Leonardo's Last Supper which showed Apostles masturbating each other. Hrdlicka says he represented the men in this way because there are no women in the Da Vinci painting which inspired it. In the United States, conservative columnist Rod Dreher wrote on his widely read religion blog "I wouldn't have guessed that, given his reputation, a man like (Cardinal) Schoenborn would have stood for this abomination for half a second."  The museum took down the Last Supper piece at Cardinal Schoenborn's request just over a week after the 'Religion, Flesh and Power' exhibition opened, leaving a blank black wall at the entrance to the display.

Schools could face shortage of teachers

Thursday, 17 April 2008. Hundreds of schools face a shortage of teachers under a government crackdown on the employment of foreign staff, experts warned today. Rules coming into force in September will stop state schools employing staff who lack official Qualified Teacher Status in a drive to boost standards. But academics at London's Institute of Education (IoE) believe one in six of the capital's school workforce could be affected as many staff have qualified overseas but not in the UK. This could lead to a teacher recruitment crisis in London in autumn, they warned. Professor Peter Earley and Sara Bubb, from the IoE, said a large share of London's teachers appeared not to be officially registered with the General Teaching Council. "Although there are 69,200 teachers in the capital's state schools, only 57,773 London teachers have registered and that total includes independent school teachers," they said. "That is a matter for concern because it looks as if over 11,000 teachers - a sixth of the capital's workforce - aren't registered, presumably because they aren't qualified." The researchers said London schools already had twice as many teacher vacancies as the national average. "Some schools could therefore find it desperately hard to recruit enough qualified staff for September," they said. "It is good that the employment rules are being tightened because London children need fully qualified teachers. "However, the short-term consequences are worrying, if pupils are without teachers." From September 1 this year, all newly-trained teachers will need to have been awarded qualified status before they can be employed as teachers in state schools. They must have completed their courses and passed skills tests in English, maths and information technology. On Tuesday, the Conservatives highlighted Government figures that showed the number of teachers in England's schools without qualified status had jumped five-fold since 1997 to nearly 17,000 last year. A DCSF spokesman said: "There is no crackdown, there is no crisis. "Overseas trained teachers will still have four years to qualify for English Qualified Teacher Status. "The only change is that they won't be able to artificially extend the period by drawing out the course indefinitely. "We announced this change last summer, so people were aware and have plenty of time to complete their QTS."

Drink, sex and STDs for girls aged just 12

Girls as young as 12 are being treated for sexually transmitted infections and doctors say binge drinking is to blame. They are among the 200 children diagnosed with sex diseases including gonorrhoea and syphilis every month in Britain. A total of 637 under-18s were treated last year at just one of the country's leading sexual health clinics, St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth. More than 100 of them were under 16 and, in one case, a 12-year-old girl was diagnosed with herpes – an incurable disease which can cause fatal infections in babies born to mothers who have it. Doctors says some teens are ignoring safe sex messages.

Our brains make decisions 10 seconds before we realize

London, April 14 : A study has revealed that the brain makes decisions about 10 seconds prior to a person realises it. Experts involved in the study said that looking at brain activity while making a decision, they could predict the choices the subjects would make, before they realised that they had made a decision. Lead researcher John-Dylan Haynes, a neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, said that the new findings called into question the "consciousness" of decisions that people make, and might even challenge ideas as to how "free" people are to make a choice at a particular moment. "We think our decisions are conscious, but these data show that consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg," Nature magazine quoted him as saying. Terming the results "quite dramatic", Frank Tong of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, said that 10 seconds is "a lifetime" in terms of brain activity. During the study, the brains of 14 volunteers were imaged as they performed a decision-making task. The subjects had two buttons before them, each to be operated by a different hand, which they could press when they felt the urge to. They were simultaneously shown a stream of letters, which appeared on a screen at half-second intervals. The volunteers had to remember which letter was showing when they decided to press their button. Upon analysis of the data, the researchers realised that the earliest signal they could catch started seven seconds before the volunteers reported having made their decision. Given the delay of a few seconds in the imaging, they reckoned that the brain activity could have begun about ten seconds before the conscious decision. The researchers revealed that the signals were picked up from a region called the frontopolar cortex, which is located at the front of the brain, immediately behind the forehead. While writing about the observations made during the research in his study report, Haynes said that the front polar cortex might be the brain region where decisions are initiated. He also revealed that the next step in the research would be to speed up the data analysis so as to enable his team to predict people's choices as their brains would make them.  The London News.Net

Government adopts male cut as strategy in fight against HIV

Thursday, April, 2008. It is now official. A new circumcision policy for men aimed at reducing HIV infection rates has been published by the Government. The policy, stipulating how all willing Kenyan men, irrespective of their age, will undergo circumcision, sets into motion the use of the surgical procedure as a standard HIV prevention strategy for the country. Health personnel from Government health facilities at various levels are to undergo in-service training to hone their skills on the new procedure. A Male Circumcision Task Force that will guide male circumcision in Kenya will be set up soon. Titled Policy on Male Circumcision in Kenya 2008, the document also wants circumcision to be promoted and delivered to males of all ages in a manner that is culturally sensitive to minimise the stigma that may be associated with an uncircumcised person. In the past, fears been raised over the possible conflict between this policy and the traditions of some of Kenya’s communities, which, as a custom, do not practise circumcision. While some Kenyan communities invoke religious, cultural or social reasons for circumcision, others like the Teso, Luo, Turkana, and a few groups in the Coast undertake other rites of passage, which do not include circumcision. Circumcision involves the removal of the foreskin of the male member. Studies have shown the skin’s inner mucosal surface to be the breeding ground for the virus. This is because compared to the external surface, more of its cells are vulnerable to HIV infection. Circumcisers will, therefore be required to counsel males and use techniques that reduce or eliminate the pain associated with such a surgical procedure so as to encourage more men to opt for circumcision. Says the policy: “Ensure that male circumcision is performed by well-trained practitioners in antiseptic settings under conditions of informed consent, confidentiality, risk reduction counselling and safety.” Health facilities from the dispensary to the district hospital levels are to be strengthened to ensure that they cope with the expected demand from men seeking to be circumcised. Those implementing the policy will be required to put in place appropriate laws, regulations and supervisory mechanisms that are going to ensure that circumcision services are accessible and provided safely without any discrimination. The Government’s move to adopt the policy comes at time when results from HIV vaccine trials indicate that circumcised volunteers had a lower risk of HIV infection compared to their uncircumcised counterparts. Scientists are trying to investigate this development further to see if there is any correlation between the HIV vaccine and circumcision. Likewise, the policy is also being implemented at time when there are fears that the number of males being circumcised may be reducing. According to the 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, close to 72 per cent of men aged between 15 and 19 years were circumcised compared to 84 per cent above this age. However, the survey does not analyse HIV prevalence in regions that predominantly circumcise compared to those which don’t. The new policy has generated excitement and disquiet among members of the public who talked to Nation, with some praising it and others saying it will worsen the vulnerability of women to HIV infection as men are likely to refuse to have protected sex.

Unprotected sex

“Circumcising every male is good because it will reduce chances of HIV infection,” says 25-year-old Brian Okila from Westlands in Nairobi. But Ruth Njeri, an anti HIV/Aids campaigner, fears that the idea behind the new policy may make circumcised men engage in unprotected sex thinking they are safe. “Men who have been using condoms or those who have been faithful to their spouses will now opt for unprotected sex,” Ms Njeri says. In Kisumu, for instance, there have been reports of circumcised males engaging in unprotected sex and then ending up with HIV infection. Such tendencies are bothering the Ministry of Health as well. In the proposed policy, the Government says those promoting circumcision should ensure it does not replace the known effective HIV prevention methods and that it should always be considered as part of a comprehensive prevention package. The policy further states: “Community and individual education programmes provide sufficient and correct information on the partial protection provided by male circumcision and the continuing need for other HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention measures.”

Fourth component

This means circumcision will be treated as the fourth component of the popularly known ABC – Abstinence, Being faithful to one’s partner, and Condoms — methods of prevention. As such, health providers and communicators are now going to adopt the ABCC slogan, with the last C representing Circumcision. “What we are trying to pass across is that a circumcised man who either uses a condom or is faithful to his partner has a reduced risk of HIV infection,” says Prof Alloys Orago, the director of the National Aids Control Council. The other issue the Government has to grapple with is the cost of circumcision. While it acknowledges that the intervention is expensive, it does not specify where resources for implementing it are to come from. It just calls on the Ministry of Health to “strengthen health systems to ensure that male circumcision programmes do not interrupt or divert resources from other primary healthcare services”. To achieve this, the Ministry is required to integrate the management of reproductive, sexual health and HIV prevention programmes to provide male circumcision services. Strengthening the services through monitoring and evaluation to guarantee quality control and planning purposes are other issues that are to be addressed before the programme gets fully underway. The proposed Male Circumcision Task Force is expected to help the Government confront these challenges. Some of its functions include:

• Advise the Ministry of Health on plans and development programmes for expanding safe, accessible and sustainable male circumcision services for the country.
• Guarantee professional, technical and administrative excellence as male circumcision services are expanded.
• Ensure accurate and appropriate dissemination of information to individuals, communities and the media regarding male circumcision services.
• Make certain that male circumcision is promoted within the context of the overall improvement of healthcare services.

The decision to adopt circumcision as one of the HIV prevention strategies is informed by research findings of three main studies done in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya, which showed that circumcision can reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 60 per cent. World Health Organisation and UNAIDS have already issued a strong recommendation calling for increased male circumcision rates in countries where HIV infections are high. Kim Dickson, the coordinator of the joint WHO/UNAIDS team that came up with the recommendations, is quoted in the March 2007 edition of New Scientist magazine as saying: “We reviewed all the evidence, and it is compelling.” In the South African study, circumcision was found to reduce HIV infection rates by more than 60 per cent in a group of 3,000 HIV-negative men. Of the 1,546 circumcised men, 20 became infected with HIV, while 49 of the 1,582 uncircumcised men were infected. Funded by the French Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le Sida (ANRS), the study sent a strong message in 2005 on the effectiveness of circumcision in HIV prevention.

Buoyed by results

Buoyed by these results, South African scientists supported large-scale male circumcision as a possible strategy for preventing two million HIV infections and 300,000 deaths in their country during the next 10 years. In December 2006, the Data Safety Monitoring Board that was overseeing the Kenyan and Ugandan male circumcision trials announced that the operation was a safe and effective way to reduce HIV infections among men. The two-year trials in Kisumu and Rakai, Uganda, involved adult HIV-negative heterosexual male volunteers who were randomly divided into two groups — one group was circumcised and the other wasn’t. In the Kisumu trial, circumcision reduced the chances of getting infected with HIV by 53 per cent. Similar results were registered in the Rakai trial in Uganda. When these trial results came out, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director, Anthony S Fauci, whose organisation supported and conducted the studies, said: “We now have confirmation showing definitively that medically performed circumcision can significantly lower the risk of adult males contracting HIV through heterosexual intercourse.”

'I didn't want a cabinet. I wanted a cab, innit?'

Friday, April 11, 2008 It had four wheels and cost a lot of money but, sadly for one impatient teenager, the similarity ended there. A teenager was greeted by a display cabinet instead of a taxi because her 'Ali G-style' slang confused a series of phone operators. The girl hurriedly dialled directory inq­uiries to book a taxi from her home in London to Bristol airport, using the cockney rhyming slang Joe Baxi. But the operator told her they were unable to find anyone by that name. Seething, the youngster snapped back: 'It ain't a person, it's a cab, innit.' The operator duly gave her what she asked for and put her through to the nearest supplier of cabinets, Displaysense. The teenager must have felt the world was against her when a cabinet saleswoman seemed equally confused. 'Look love, how hard is it?' she fumed. 'All I want is your cheapest cab, innit. I need it for 10am. How much is it?' The sales adviser told her £180. The tantrum-throwing teenager quickly left her address details before ringing off. The next morning, rather than being picked up by a cab, the young woman had the cabinet dropped off. The huffy teenager's use of 'Ali G-style slang' caused the mix-up, said marketing manager Steve Whittle. 'Our sales team deal with thousands of customers and a range of different accents but, on this occasion, they were really stumped,' he added. The company has since apologised, offered her a refund and suggested she should perhaps speak a bit clearer on the phone in future. Mr Whittle added: 'We don't know if she made it to the airport but she did ask our driver if he could give her a lift.'

Archbishop to become Red Devil

Thursday, April 10, 2008. The Archbishop of York is making a huge leap of faith by parachuting from a plane to raise £50,000 for the families of soldiers in Afghanistan. Dr John Sentamu will jump from 3,800m (12,500ft) with the Army's Red Devils display team to raise cash for relatives of troops killed or hurt in battle. The 58-year-old said those families did not receive enough financial support. He added: 'This will be my first parachute jump and I'm excited at the prospect. 'I hope that many people will get behind the appeal and show their appreciation for the amazing sacrifice our armed forces and their families have made.

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Archbishop of York Dr. John Sentamu

My prayers have been with the brave men and women who do this dangerous but vital work in our name but I also wanted to do something more to help their plight. I hope to raise at least £50,000.' The archbishop will jump at RAF Langer, near Nottingham, on May 27 in aid of the Afghanistan Trust. Trustee, Captain Sarah Freeman, who is serving in Afghanistan, said: 'We were over the moon to learn of the archbishop's support.'

Aids victim sent home to die

Thursday, April 10, 2008. Three judges admitted they were powerless to stop the deportation of an Aids sufferer to Zimbabwe where he faces an 'appalling and horrid' death. Although they dismissed the 36-year-old's appeal at the High Court, they made a plea to home secretary Jacqui Smith to allow him to stay in Britain. There are no Aids drugs available in the African country and other essentials such as food are in short supply. Lord Justice Ward asked Jenni Richards, who was representing the Home Office: 'Are we really going to send him back to die?' After making inquiries, Miss Richards returned to tell the judges an immediate investigation would be launched but it would take time. We cannot give a false hope to the appellant but I can say it is going to be looked at and the outcome of that process is not pre-determined,' she said. The Zimbabwean, who cannot be named, came to Britain in 1999 and has been receiving treatment for his condition. It was accepted at an immigration appeals tribunal that there was no hope of receiving any drugs if he returned to his own country. Meanwhile, Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai are to attend an emergency summit of African leaders tomorrow to discuss the country's presidential election on March 29. The results have still not been released.