Latest News

OCTOBER 2002 - PART TWO

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Two headed snake

With two forked tongues and four beady eyes, this slippery character boasts a head start on its rivals in the battle for survival. The bizarre two-headed snake was captured yesterday in a hotel garden in Palma, Majorca. Scientists do not know what made the insect-eating False Smooth Snake — Latin name Macroprotodon Cucullatus — mutate. But expert Professor Gordon Burghardt, from Tennessee, said two heads were NOT always better than one. He added: “Double-headed snakes are very rare, but not unheard of. “The trouble is they have great difficulty deciding which direction to go, so cannot respond quickly to attacks.”

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Dropping a comforting word

Pastor Isaac T. Ndugire of Inter-denominational World Revival church  (right) comforting Mr&Mrs. Nam Oneko family at their residence in Bromley, South London.

Family and friends of Oneko's have been dropping flowers and cards at their residence as the candle in the middle lights continuously. Condolence book at the front.

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Trying to earn the daily bread

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Driver hit and dragged girl a mile

A drink-driver who ran over a teenage girl and dragged her for almost a mile on the car’s towing hook was jailed on Tuesday 15th October, 2002. Doreen Lloyd, 55, ignored pleas to stop her Ford Fiesta after smashing into screaming schoolgirl Lauren Warner, 15. The youngster was impaled through her right thigh by the hook and pulled under the engine. But although onlookers banged on her windows, Lloyd drove eighteenths of a mile before pulling up at traffic lights in Stockport, Greater Manchester. A doctor took 1½ hours to cut Lauren free. But she survived after 15 hours of surgery, despite horrifying injuries including fractures of the pelvis, leg and shoulder. Tests showed Lloyd, who had drunk four glasses of wine, had 97mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The limit is 80mg. She told cops she didn’t know Lauren was under her car — but admitted GBH, drink-driving and failing to stop. On Tuesday,  Lloyd, who served a drink-drive ban in 1998, wept at Manchester Crown Court as she was jailed for 18 months and banned for ten years.  The court heard Lauren is still being treated. - The Sun, London.

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Counting the days before the end of this behaviour

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 British High Commissioner in Kenya

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Sad news for the Lincolns in London

It has been a sad news for the Lincoln's patrons in London after their son fell from the second floor the club and passed away. A 13-year-old Kenyan boy fell to his death at Leytonstone, East London on Thursday 10th October, 2002. Abraham Thuku, son of Kimani Ngugi (proprietor of the Lincoln Club)  and Rose Kimani fell from the balcony of Lincoln Club, Leytonstone. The boy was rushed to Whips Cross hospital where he underwent a four-hour operation but unfortunately the boy could not make it. Lincolns is a popular Kenya joint in East London. Family and friends are meeting daily to arrange for burial at 56 Plashet Road, London E13 as from 6.00 p.m. On Monday a large number of Kenyans met at the venue where the preaching was done by Pastor Moses and the meeting was conducted by Pastor Daniel Kariuki and Jane Wangari Muita of Jubilee International Ministries, London. For your condolences please call  07931 436 354.

The parents of the boy Mr. Kimani Ngugi (right) and his wife Rose Kimani	Family and friends meeting on Monday 14th October, 2002
Pastor Moses delivered the word	Pastor Daniel Kariuki of Jubilee International Ministries, London

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Fighting for the leadership

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"Menu please! Can I have Red Wine and spider"

Wine-lover David Wignall was stunned when he found a SPIDER in his drink. Roofer David, 46, was enjoying a French red when the creepy-crawlie slipped into his mouth. He said: “At first I thought it was sediment. But when I took it out of my mouth I realised it was a big spider — it made me feel sick.” Wife Catherine, 44, said: “I know it was just a cheap bottle of plonk, but you don’t expect to find spiders. It really spoilt our evening.” The couple of South Kirkby, West Yorks, UK, took the £2.99 bottle of Louis Beaussinot back to the post office for a refund. Postmaster Andrew Dennis said: “It’s not something I’d like to find in my wine. I expect it got into the wine at the bottling plant. - The Sun, London

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Coming to the limelight

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Unknown killer kills ten in America

Eight dead, two wounded in ten days

Three victims, including motorist Dean Meyers and cabbie Prem Kumar Walekar, were blasted as they filled up at the pumps.

Lori Lewis-Rivera was shot while valeting her van at a garage and Sonny Buchanan was mowing a verge outside a car showroom.

The sniper used .223 bullets fired from a Colt carbine or Ruger rifle

The ruthless Washington sniper taunted police on Friday 11th October, 2002  by shooting his TENTH victim as a cop stood just 50 yards away. The psycho killed a man filling his car at a petrol station while the uniformed state trooper dealt with an accident on the other side of the street. The officer heard the shot and raced to try to save the victim. Meanwhile the marksman and an accomplice sped off in a white van, ramming cars out of the way. A huge police and FBI dragnet swung into action within minutes of the shooting.
 

The gunman has killed eight of his ten victims, wounding the other two, in seemingly random attacks around Washington DC.

Petrol stations and garages have been the backdrop to five shootings.

	1 ... James Martin died in car park	2 ... Sonny Buchanan was mowing grass
3 ... Prem Kumar Walekar filling cab	4 ... Sarah Ramos shot outside PO	5 ... Lori Lewis-Rivera vacuuming

Roadblocks were set up all around the murder scene in Fredericksburg, Virginia — 40 miles south of Washington. Gun-toting cops — some wearing flak jackets and protective headgear — checked ALL vehicles on the two main roads in the area, the Interstate 95 motorway and US Route 1. Drivers were quizzed regardless of their sex or age. And every white van was pulled aside and searched. But the brazen sniper slipped through — leaving behind a chilling sight. As detectives combed the garage forecourt for clues, a petrol pump nozzle remained wedged in the tank of the victim’s silver car. President George Bush was informed of the latest murder as the terror that has gripped the region for ten days reached new heights.

Last night police chiefs and FBI agents feared the sniper is becoming more daring. They believe he has launched his killing spree with a henchman. And the two could be egging each other on in a sick game. Local sheriff Ronald Knight said: “With a uniformed trooper directly across the street, we are dealing with an individual who is extremely violent and just does not care. “The state trooper was probably about 50 yards away working a traffic accident.” The Exxon garage where the sniper struck is near a police station, further increasing fears that he gets a kick from mocking police officers. The killing, which happened at 11.30am local time, bore all the gunman’s hallmarks. The unnamed victim was picked off with a single shot from a distance. And it took place near major roads — the garage stands on a junction of the I95 and US1 — making for an easy getaway.

There is a wooded area close by, from where the gunman could have taken aim. The shot man was rushed to hospital, but was declared dead within an hour. Physical evidence was found at the garage but detectives refused to reveal what it was. Raja Abilmona, who works at another petrol station across the road, told how his staff heard the shooting and saw the white Chevrolet Astro-type van leave. He said: “The police were here in a heartbeat.” The shooting came amid hopes that the sniper was getting sloppy. Cops have been given their first description of him by witnesses who saw him gun down his ninth victim, 53-year-old Dean Meyers, on another garage forecourt. Detectives are praying CCTV cameras have caught him on film. They are also close to identifying his weapon. Markings on a shell casing found near the school where a 13-year-old boy was shot on Monday narrow it down to either a Colt AR15 carbine or a Ruger Mini 14 rifle.  Another lead emerged last night as it was disclosed that the killer’s van has Maryland number plates.

FBI profilers are working on a theory that he may have been rejected from a police or military job. That could explain why he taunted cops by leaving a tarot “calling card” at the scene of one shooting. It bore the message: “Dear Mr Policeman: I am God.” The sniper’s horrific spree began on October 2 when James Martin, 55, was killed at a shop car park in Montgomery County, Maryland. At 7.41am the next morning, James “Sonny” Buchanan, 39, was gunned down while mowing a grass verge in the area.  And 31 minutes later taxi driver Prem Kumar Walekar, 54, was killed at a petrol station in Rockville. A white van was seen leaving the scene after Sarah Ramos, 34, was shot dead outside a post office 25 minutes later.
Driver Lori Lewis-Rivera, 25, was killed as she vacuumed her van at a garage nearby. And at 9.15 that night Pascal Charlot, 72, was shot dead on a Washington street. The next day a 43-year-old mum-of-two was wounded in a craft store car park in Virginia, four miles from the scene of yesterday’s attack. On Monday, Iron Young, 13, was wounded as he arrived for school in Bowie, Maryland. Engineer Dean was killed in Manassas as he filled up with petrol at 8.15pm on Wednesday.

The killings have caused widespread panic with millions fearing they could be next. Dozens of petrol stations have shut because customers are too frightened to get out of their cars to fill up. Those that have remained open are being hit hard. One owner, Fred Freidouni, said: “It has really affected my business — people are scared. “I had a regular here this morning who told me, ‘I’m scared to come out of my car, my daughter is scared to go to school, my wife is scared to go to work’.” Scores of weekend sports events have been called off. And coffee chain Starbucks has removed all outdoor seating.
 Building worker Trey Baker, 24, summed up the situation as he told how he keeps looking over his shoulder whenever he is outside. He said: “It’s crazy. You don’t know where he is.”  - The Sun, London.

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A shipping tycoon kills himself because of leukaemia

Took poison ... Sir Derek

A shipping tycoon sparked a chemical alert when he killed himself by eating rat poison. Multi-millionaire Sir Derek Bibby, 80, is thought to have swallowed aluminium phosphide in the sauna at his mansion. When his body reached hospital it started to give off deadly phosphine gas. Five medics were hit by breathing difficulties and the department had to be evacuated.

Poison experts were rushed in to advise. And Sir Derek’s body was placed in a tent in the middle of a nearby soccer field for several hours to let the gas dissipate. The body was then placed in a hermetically-sealed coffin and encased in industrial strength plastic. Married Sir Derek, boss of the Bibby shipping line, took his life at his home in Willaston, Cheshire, because he had leukaemia. He used pellets of a pesticide called Phostoxin, which is made by Rentokil and contains aluminium phosphide. Sir Derek mixed the chemical with water and inhaled the deadly phosphine gas given off. He is also believed to have swallowed pellets which gave off phosphine as they mixed with fluids in his body.

Colourless phosphine can be lethal within minutes if inhaled in large quantities. But the medics affected at Arrowe Park Hospital, Birkenhead, were later given the all-clear. Sir Derek was a D-Day hero who won the Military Cross. A family spokesman said: “As his health and energy deteriorated he decided to end his life.” Michael Bibby, eldest of Sir Derek’s five children, is expected to take over his business. - The Sun, London, 11th October, 2002.

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Mother and child  win University  place

Tot marks ... Rebecca with Phoebe

Brainy Rebecca Williams chalked up an Oxford first — as a student single mum with her baby in tow. Rebecca, 20, feared her dream of a top-class university education was over when she discovered she was pregnant just days after finishing her A-levels.  Baby Phoebe was born, and Rebecca took a year off from studying to look after her. Then a former tutor told her to apply to Oxford — and Rebecca was offered a place at Wadham College.  She has now become the first undergraduate mum in the college’s 392-year history to take her child with her.  Rebecca has been given a two-bedroom flat, and Phoebe — now 18 months — has joined a creche with the tutors’ kids.
 Rebecca said: “I’m delighted I’ve got my chance to do a degree. It was an opportunity I thought I had missed.”
 Her mum Jill is babysitting during Fresher’s Week so Rebecca can get to know fellow students.

But Jill, 62, has to return to Salisbury, Wilts, and Rebecca faces three years juggling her history course with sleepless nights and dirty nappies.  Rebecca — who says Phoebe’s dad is “not part of the equation” — left Salisbury’s £15,000-a-year Godolphin School with three As and one B in her A-levels.  She said: “I knew the pregnancy would change everything, but I decided I could balance being a mum and a student.  “There was never any question of me leaving her behind while I study.  “I asked a lot of colleges if they had facilities for a young child and most couldn’t help, but Wadham have been really good.”  History tutor Dr Jane Garnett said: “Rebecca has really impressed us with her academic abilities. The college is very much like a family and we are very confident she will do well here.” - The Sun, London.

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Queen rescued from river

Saved ... second boat (left) is lashed to Queen's stranded river taxi

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had to be rescued when their boat broke down in freezing temperatures on a river during their tour of Canada.  The elderly royal pair, on a Golden Jubilee visit, were crossing Winnipeg's Red River in a water taxi when its engine failed on Tuesday night 9th October, 2002. A second water taxi, travelling behind the royal boat, had to be lashed to the stricken vessel to tow it to safety. As the 76-year-old Queen finally climbed ashore with her husband, who is an admiral, she said: "That was interesting." Both Philip, 81, and the Queen appeared to be suffering from the cold, with temperatures, barely above freezing, worsened by a chill wind. Before boarding the boat at Winnipeg's The Forks - where the Red River meets the River Assiniboine - bound for Tache Quay at Saint-Boniface, the royals had sat through a 30-minute outdoor cultural display. Philip looked frozen and furious while the Queen, in a woollen grey coat, was ashen-faced.

They were not offered rugs to keep them warm as they sat on a dais on the banks of the Red River. It seems officials may have been caught out by unseasonal, plummeting temperatures. One said: "We haven't had autumn - we've gone straight from summer to winter." Winnipeg claims to be the coldest city in the world - colder than Moscow -  with temperatures falling to -40C. Later, there was more outside entertainment for the royal couple in the grounds of Winnipeg's Legislative Building. But this time the Queen wrapped up against the cold in a fur coat - the second time she had worn fur during her Canada visit. While in the Arctic at Iqaluit, she wore a cashmere coat trimmed with mink. Although the temperatures in Winnipeg were not sub-zero, it was so cold that even the ballet dancers, staging a special royal performance, wore thermal underwear. The Queen also rededicated the city's restored 17ft Golden Boy statue and threw a switch lighting up the controversial naked sculpture which stands on a dome on the provincial parliament.

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AYIEKO BACK IN UK RALLY ACTION
 

Ayieko during the filming

A man with a vision

UK based Kenyan rally driver Naftali Ayieko marks his return to the UK rallying scene with a high profile publicity campaign on UK national TV, radio and Newspaper campaign. Ayieko and his Kentish co driver Glyn Williams were forced into a sabbatical earlier in the year when they spectacularly rolled and wrote off their Peugeot 106 while pursuing the North Humberside rally honours in May as part of their BTRDA/raceandrally.com rally championship outing. They both escaped unhurt in the incident. Having missed most of the running this year, he now intends to use the rest of the 2002 season as
practice for a 2003 assault.

"Championship wise, everyone is too far down the road now to try make any impression on them, so the best I can do now is to put in some practice for next year" he said. "we are seeking to do about 4 events before the end of year, if we don't end up on our roof again!" he added. Ayieko has meanwhile finished filming a short feature produced by national UK television company ITV, in aid of a series of programmes for UK October black history month which charts various black people involved in alternate careers in the UK and their ups and downs. Ayieko who hails from Nairobi has the distinction of being the only black rally driver in Europe. Also interviewed for the feature include a black magician, pilot, and ballet dancer. The TV feature which was shot at a rally test venue in Oxfordshire together with leading ITV presenter Deborah Bain airs on 9th October between 6am and 8am. Other features coming out shortly include an article done by Ian Harden of London's leading newspaper Evening Standard, UK's motor sport weekly paper Motor sport-News, and a radio interview by Henry Bonsu of BBC-London 94.9 FM. He also plans the launch of a website dedicated to his UK rally undertakings later this month.

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Snakeaway Cottage Pie

A mum bought a Sainsbury’s cottage pie — and gasped when she saw a SNAKE’S HEAD inside it. Shocked Sam Halls, 34, came across the inch-long portion amid peas and carrots that came with the mince and mash. At first she thought it was a rotten bean but then saw a mouth and eyes. Husband Rob identified the slug-like object as the head of a grass snake.  Sam was about to serve the Blue Parrot Cafe kids’ meal to son Alex, four. She said: “God knows how the snake got in it. And I dread to think what happened to the rest.” The mum, of Christchurch, Dorset, has given the meal to health chiefs. Blue Parrot is a Sainsbury’s brand. A spokesman said: “We take this kind of complaint very seriously.” - The Sun, London.

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Looking for death

This is the horrifying moment a biker fell to his death trying to jump the Great Wall of China. Wang Jiaxiong cleared the historic landmark after gathering speed down a 100-yard runway. But the stunt went tragically wrong as he plunged over the other side of the 33ft-high wall.

Onlookers in Tianjin, in China's north-west Shaanxi province, gasped in horror as he crumpled in a heap on top of his bike.Stuntman Wang was carried away by medical staff but died from his multiple injuries shortly afterwards.It was the first time anyone has cleared the 5,000 mile-long Great Wall on a bike. Chinese emperors had the 2,000-year-old monument built with the specific intention of preventing people getting over. - The Mirror, London.

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Talk of 21st century

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Misusing the power

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Luo dance in action

It was a display of the rich African culture in UK as some Kenyans displayed a Luo dance in action. The Christian dance was apart of entertainment to the guests who joined hands together with Nick Ogendo and Helen Okwanyo for their Pre-Wedding at St. Georges Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex on Saturday 28th September, 2002.

"E polo wana miela miela....

wanamiela miela.....

sama Yesu otelo mbele to

wan duto wan bang'e

Halleluyah!"

Mrs. Sao (left) the wife of Pastor Sao was leading the steps as Paul Raore and his wife Susan Raore aims of the next move

If you cannot do it with legs your hands can do it too. Mr. Paul Raore (left) was the best dancer that evening as Evangelists Tee (approaching right with red) joined in.

MORE COMING SOON!

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This is the horrifying moment a biker fell to his death trying to jump the Great Wall of China. Wang Jiaxiong cleared the historic landmark after gathering speed down a 100-yard runway. But the stunt went tragically wrong as he plunged over the other side of the 33ft-high wall. (click here to view the photo).