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MARCH 2003 - PART ONE

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Mother accused of killing her three children

Mrs Patel is charged with murdering three of her own babies

An examination of Mia's body was carried out at Great Ormond Street

A mother squeezed her babies' chests and blocked their noses until they died, a court was told.  Qualified pharmacist Trupti Patel, 35, appeared before Reading Crown Court accused of murdering her daughter Mia, aged 22 days, and her sons Jamie, aged 15 days, and Amar, aged three months. The alleged murders took place between December 1997 and June 2001. Mrs Patel, who at the time of the deaths was living in Maidenhead, Berkshire, denies all the charges. Opening the case against Mrs Patel, prosecuting counsel Paul Dunkels QC said: "For a mother to kill her own children in this way is against nature and instinct as we would normally understand it. "But the prosecution say that the evidence will demonstrate that Trupti Patel must have done this to her three babies."

Defendant 'hysterical'

Mr Dunkels told the jury of 11 men and one woman that Amar had been born on 5 September, 1997, by elective Caesarean section. Just 13 and a half weeks later, Amar was pronounced dead at High Wycombe General Hospital after being found by paramedics lying on his back at the family home. Mrs Patel had called the ambulance and had attempted resuscitation but was "hysterical", the court heard. A post-mortem examination concluded the death was a typical case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or cot death as it is more commonly known.

Deaths investigated

Mr Dunkels said Mrs Patel and her husband Jayant, also 35, later said that Amar had had "the sniffles" for three to four days before his death. Jamie Patel was born on 21 June, 1999, also by elective Caesarean section. He died just 15 days later on 6 July. Mrs Patel's daughter Mia was born on 14 May, 2001, again by elective Caesarean section, but she died 22 days later on 5 June.  Mr Dunkels said that after her death her body was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London so she could be fully examined. The court was told pathologists found she had a number of fractures to her ribs which were consistent with being squeezed by an adult. The two pathologists who carried out a post-mortem examination on Mia found evidence consistent with a prolonged episode of interrupted breathing causing a reduction in the supply of oxygen to the body. Mr Dunkels said that no natural cause had been identified to explain the deaths of Amar, Jamie and Mia but that there were features in all three cases which indicated that someone had obstructed the breathing of each baby.

"Intention to kill"

He said the presence of Mrs Patel was the "compelling factor" in each of the three deaths. He added: "This mother for some reason felt compelled to attack her babies. "We cannot say why she went against all the natural instincts of a mother but we suggest that the evidence will show that each time she must have in some way obstructed the breathing of her babies, whether by squeezing the baby's chest or placing something over the baby's nose and mouth or both, taking each of them to the very edge that divides life and death. "Her intention must have been to kill or cause really serious bodily harm to her babies." The case was adjourned until Wednesday when the first prosecution witnesses will be called.

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Going naked in the name of art

Baring move ... 500 people stripped in Selfridges

Body shop ... naked volunteers lying on floor of cosmetics department

In their hundreds, they line up to take off their clothes - all in the name of art.  In the latest of a series of what one might call "strip-art" ventures, about 500 volunteers undressed on a cold and wet Sunday for an installation by New York-born artist Spencer Tunick.  A mostly young crowd posed on escalators at London's Selfridges department store as well as in various parts of the store before the shop opened to the public. Earlier this month, 160 volunteers took part in a "nude happening" run by the same artist to launch London's Saatchi Gallery. Tunick has held similar naked installations at outdoor venues in Montreal, Canada, and Sao Paolo, Brazil - attracting thousands of participants. And the clearly willing participation of several hundred Britons in his UK installations is just one example of a trend that is putting paid to the image of the famous British, erm, stiff upper lip - despite the country's off-putting weather. Of course, the idea of stripping naked for art is hardly new, as many an art class life model can testify. But mass nudity has become quite the fashion. In February, 240 volunteers aged five to 95 agreed to be wrapped in cling film to allow plaster casts to be made of their bodies for an exhibition by sculptor Antony Gormley. Their figures will form Gormley's latest exhibition, Domain Field, which opens at the Baltic Arts Centre in Gateshead in May.

One of the volunteers, Paul O'Neill, said he was surprised at how normal the experience felt. He said: "I had my doubts about whether I could go through with it but there was a definite moment of no return. "Once I had passed it I had a wonderful - if slightly surreal - afternoon." Fellow volunteer Davie Hay said: "I found the experience very interesting, humorous, humbling, calming and something that I'm proud to have taken part in." Peter Wilson said he wanted the opportunity to take part in a large art project. "I was hooked to the idea straight away and applied instantly," he said. "The casting itself was unusual, but a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable experience." Tunick is becoming famous around the world for his series of installations photographing nude crowds in urban landscapes. Bodies are composed into sculptural shapes and bizarre formations to feature on buildings, streets and cityscapes. Mike Grenville, 53, who took part in the Saatchi event, said it had been a relaxed and positive experience.

He said: "It was just curiosity. I was interested to see how Tunick handled it and what people were there. "We're all basically the same in different shapes and sizes. Once you have taken all your clothes off, it's a very friendly and communal feeling." But Ivan Massow, the former chairman of London's Institute of Contemporary Arts, said Tunick's Selfridges installation upset him because it was "so transient, it disappears, it is pure idea". He posed for two naked portraits because he wanted "to prove that concept or conceptual thought could meet canvas, something tangible", he said. The Selfridges event was a departure for Tunick, as he swapped the open air for the interior of the store.  He told the BBC: "Usually people do it outdoors because there is an amount of tension and vulnerability in the body that comes up against the concrete world. "That tension creates a desire to be nude in a public place outside. "I'm just happy that people wanted to engage in indoor space."

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13 nailed to the cross

Ritual ... villager re-enacts crucifixion

Toe nails ... volunteer's feet

Hammer blows ... nails are driven in

Villagers are nailed to wooden crosses on a hillside Good Friday 18th April, 2003 — to re- enact Christ’s crucifixion. Thousands watched as 13 Catholic devotees, including three women, had nails driven through their hands and feet, believing it will absolve sins or save sick relatives. Church leaders in the Philippines oppose the annual Good Friday ritual, held north of Manila. US missionary Cecil Sullivan called it “sincere, but sincerely wrong”.

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Jack Patchey Award for young talents

A Kenyan girl Eunice Wangari Maina was among several young people who were awarded prestigious awards of Jack Patchey Award an award which is sponsored by a London billionaire Mr. Jack Patchey. The award was given through Sahara Community Abroad a well known community organisation in London. The billionaire supports young people between the age of 11 to 25 years of age in eastern part of London. The awards were presented by the mayor of Redbridge. Eunice is good in playing Violin.

Some of the young people who were presented with Jack Patchey certificates by the mayor of Redbridge	Eunice Wangari Maina (white) receiving her certificate from Sahara Community Abroad staff
Miss Eunice Wangari Maina playing the violin	A director of Sahara Community Abroad Mrs. Perez Ochieng (left) talking to the mayor of Redbridge

First widow to win her husband’s seat in a by-election

It was a sisters’ act as the Naivasha MP-elect Mrs Jane Kihara (in a cap) was enveloped in a congratulatory hug by her sister, Ann Nyambura, after Jane won the Naivasha by-election. She made history by becoming Kenya’s first widow to win her husband’s seat in a by-election - The Standard, Nairobi.

Mrs Jane Kihara and Mohammed Ahmed Khalif were on Thursday 17th April, 2003 declared winners of the Naivasha and Wajir West Parliamentary by-elections. Kihara emerged the winner of Wednesday's by-election to become the new Naivasha MP. Mrs Kihara made history by becoming the first widow to immediately claim a seat left vacant by the death of a spouse. She got 11,707 votes while her closest challenger, John Mututho of Kanu, got 2,718 votes. Sisi Kwa Sisi candidate Fai Amarios got 2,515 votes while Jackson Wainaina of the Social Democratic Party had 1,122 votes. National Labour Party candidate, David Mutegi had 1,143 while David Mwaniki Kinuthia got a paltry 173 votes. And 24-year-old Khalif was declared Wajir West MP after trouncing his closest rival Ibrahim Ali Hussein of Kenya Social Congress by over 6,000 votes. Khalif garnered 7,021 against Hussein's 1,053 votes. Kanu's Mohammed Adow Abikar trailed with 73 votes.

Police introduce stun guns

"These weapons should only be used where firearms are the only other option"

Police in England and Wales are to start carrying a controversial electronic stun gun that will knock out suspects. The M26 Taser "electro-muscular disruption" gun will be used alongside conventional weapons in London, Thames Valley, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and north Wales from Thursday. Its introduction follows growing pressure for a "less lethal" weapon to reduce the number of people shot dead by armed police. But Amnesty International say Tasers inflict "intolerable pain" and are easily abused. And civil rights group Liberty has concerns about the safety of the weapons. Firearms officers have been ordered to shout: "Taser! Taser! Taser!" before firing at suspects believed to be armed or dangerous. The £200 gun uses compressed air to fire, at 180 feet (54.86 metres) per second, two needle-tipped darts that trail electric cable back to the handset. A laser helps target victims up to 21 feet (6.4 metres) away. When the darts strike, a five-second 50,000-volt charge that will penetrate clothing up to two inches (five centimetres) thick is released down the cable, causing the suspect's muscles to contract uncontrollably. That causes temporary paralysis. Once the shock and pain subside, the victim has just two small marks. But manufacturers, Arizona-based Taser International, warns they can cause eye injuries when fired towards the face. The BBC's Daniel Sandford said there had been three deaths in the US linked to the use of Taser, but none were proved. Hertfordshire Chief Constable Paul Acres, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, told reporters at the launch of the weapons in Northampton there was no direct link between Tasers and death. He added: "There is a risk of using it and any weapon but it's a question of taking a responsible approach to the use of it." Amnesty International says the full effects have never been independently tested.  Tasers record every firing to prevent misuse.

Export ban

But there is a government ban on the export of stun guns "because of evidence of their use in torture", according to Amnesty International UK's arms campaigner Robert Parker. John Wadham, director of Liberty, said the weapons should be medically proven to be safe before they are used on the public. "If stun guns can safely tackle people who would otherwise be shot, then that's a welcome improvement.  "But this must only be about reducing the force used by police, not about escalating armouries.  "These weapons should only be used where firearms are the only other option."

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Cooking through internet

Imagine being able to leave a meal in the fridge for the day but then send a command over the internet to cook it so that it is ready when you get home.  A US company called Tonight's Menu Intelligent Ovens (TMIO) has come up with a refrigerated microwave that can be controlled over the net or by mobile phone. The product is part of a trend towards the smart kitchen hooked up to the internet, so that you can browse the contents of the fridge or tell the oven to immediately refrigerate your chicken once it is cooked. "This provides the keystone appliance of the internet kitchen," said David Mansbery, TMIO President. "This will be the start of the future."

Smart appliance

The company has developed a prototype microwave oven to demonstrate the technology, using what is called a Peltier cooling device. "It has two plates of metal over which you pass an electrical current and it either heats or cools," explained Mr Mansbery. "It was somewhat of a dumb appliance until we put our chips in it and turned it into a smart appliance," he told the BBC programme Go Digital. The company has used embedded web technology developed by Nasa. The US space agency uses the technology to operate their experiments without the need of a built-in computer in every instrument. Using this technology cuts the cost of internet appliances, as they do not need to have a computer built inside. It also means the oven can be controlled over the internet or by mobile phone, allowing you to delay the cooking time, change the cooking temperature or cancel the cooking order altogether. TMIO has been working on their fridge-oven for about six years. Mr Mansbery came up with the idea because his family was missing out on regular meals. His son was playing evening baseball so often that the family ended up relying on fast food instead of home-cooked dinners. "The oven provides you with a method of having home-cooked meals when you want," said Mr Mansbery. "You are giving people back their life, with the option to provide healthy meals."

Net kitchens

TMIO plans to build the ovens itself and sell them over the web. It expects the appliances to be ready by the end of the year, costing around $2,000. But it could face problems in making a dent in a market dominated by established manufacturers of white goods, with vested interests in selling conventional ovens. In any case some, such as Whirlpool, are also looking to develop internet-ready appliances. Most companies have generally ignored the idea of computers in the kitchen in favour of more glamorous products such as game consoles and laptops. But many are starting to eye the market as a potential gold mine, hoping people will be willing to pay extra for products that make mundane daily tasks, like preparing dinner, easier and more efficient. It reflects how the internet is becoming part of everyday life, with more and more companies talking of a web-connected kitchen that allows people to control their appliances remotely.

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UK preacher with a British passport kicked out UK

The Preacher Abu Hamza who has been kicked out of UK

Hate preacher Abu Hamza got the boot on Friday 4th April 2003  in a letter sent to his home by despatch rider. The hook-handed cleric ranted on unaware as a Home Office bike courier delivered the document signed by Home Secretary David Blunkett. It arrived at his home in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, as he spouted outside Finsbury Park mosque over moves to deport him for stirring up civil unrest. Egyptian-born Hamza, 45 — already banned from preaching inside the mosque — stormed: “David Blunkett is acting like a Nazi minister.” He added: “If you don’t support Our Boys enough — even though they’re killing our brothers and sisters — you may have your nationality taken away from you.”

Hamza got a British passport after a bigamous marriage in 1980. On Friday 4th April 2003, likening George Bush to the blood-thirsty 14th century Mongol warrior, he raved: “Bush is the Genghis Khan of this century. Tony Blair has become his chambermaid." Hamza is getting the boot under the new Immigration and Asylum Act, which became law on Tuesday. Mr Blunkett has vowed to take action against anyone acting in a way “totally incompatible” with being a British citizen. He signed the letter, threatening to strip Hamza of his British nationality, after flying in from Washington. Hamza — at the centre of a benefits fraud probe — has ten days to appeal and will almost certainly do so. If he loses, he could fight to stay under human rights legislation. His lawyer Muddassar Arani has said he will drag the Government through the European courts. But if Hamza was then allowed to stay, the Home Secretary would be able to have him locked up indefinitely under the new regulations.

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