CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR: Obamacare Extends Enrollment Deadline Again

World Class

Today, the Obama administration delayed the enrollment deadline for insurance through healthcare.gov 24 hours without any fanfare, extending the sign-up period to one minute before midnight on Christmas Eve, according to the Washington Post. 

This latest holiday surprise is unlikely to shock anyone as the entire rollout process has been peppered with false starts, fake deadlines and rule changes. One of the most significant changes happened Friday when the Department of Health and Human Services announced that consumers whose plans had been canceled as a result of the health care overhaul could purchase catastrophic health insurance plans or opt out of the process entirely. Critics say this particular policy twist could ultimately sabotage the law.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's decision last week to expand the number of people who would be released from fines for not complying with the individual mandate was a direct response to a request from Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. Warner and five other senators asked for clarification regarding the definition of "hardship exemptions" in a letter dated Dec. 18. The senators argued that individuals whose health plans were canceled because of Obamacare and whose new health plan options were unaffordable deserved "transition relief." These individuals should be granted "hardship exemptions" and the option of purchasing a lower-cost catastrophic plan, regardless of their age, wrote Warner.

Sebelius thanked the senators for their suggestions and agreed to both revisions. (See both letters here). The result is that a broader swath of the population would now be legally exempt from fines if they did not comply with the individual mandate by enrolling in and paying for new health plans.

To many critics, Friday's announcement was a direct reversal of Obama's previous stance. In an editorial, The Wall Street Journal declared Obama Repeals Obamacare:

What an incredible political turnabout. Mr. Obama and HHS used to insist that the new plans are better and less expensive after subsidies than the old "substandard" insurance. Now they're conceding that at least some people should be free to choose less costly plans if they prefer—or no plan—and Obamacare's all-you-can-eat benefits rules aren't necessary for quality health coverage after all.

The Journal noted the decision to expand the exemptions even marginally invites a "blanket hardship amnesty for everyone," an idea it urged Republicans to attempt. The editorial also forecast price spikes next summer, as insurance providers brace for more government revisions to policy.

The latest policy shifts are one of many. In July, Obama announced he would delay the mandate that employers must offer insurance to employees until 2015, according to Politico. The deadline for enrollment in individual health plans that would begin on New Year's Day was delayed from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23, but is now extended another day. The deadline for complying with the health care law without receiving a fine was also delayed as was the deadline for paying the first month's premiums to insurance providers.

In a press conference Friday afternoon, President Barack Obama addressed this latest shift in policy concerning exemptions saying it was meant to provide "an additional net in case people might have slipped through the cracks."

Juliette Forstenzer Espinoza, executive director of the Health Care Rights Initiative, ,said, "This waiver addresses a real practical concern for real individuals on the ground who were not adequately prepared for the cancellations." She believes the decision was fair and ethically motivated. Espinoza concedes however that a better idea might have been to create a specialized navigation system for this particular group of consumers so that they might also meet the policy goal of getting insurance coverage. 

"Most people who had plan cancellations in the 2013 non-group market will be able to buy relatively low cost plans in the marketplace that will provide better coverage than what they currently have, she added. "Allowing these individuals to purchase catastrophic coverage provides another choice for consumers to consider as they make this transition. The extent to which this affects insurance markets depends on how many people select this option and how their use of health services compares with others in the catastrophic pool."

Avrik Roy, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the incoming Opinion editor at Forbes, said this latest announcement has generated "utter chaos." Roy argued that the price differences between catastrophic plans and the lowest tier, so-called bronze plans available from the insurance exchanges being established under Obamacare, is insignificant enough that people who find exchange plans too costly will find catastrophic plans equally unaffordable and opt for an exemption rather than buying into any plan.

By offering more people the chance to buy catastrophic health plans or opt out entirely, President Obama has shrunk the insurance pool of those available to purchase new plans. That could upset the delicate balance of healthy versus ill patients needed to make Obamacare economically viable, said Roy.

But Katherine Hempstead, senior program officer of the research and evaluation unit at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says that allowing individuals to purchase catastrophic coverage offers another option that will allow them to ultimately transition into the marketplace. "The extent to which this affects insurance markets depends on how many people select this option and how their use of health services compares with others in the catastrophic pool," Hempstead said.

Insurers initially set prices for their plans based on expectations of how much health spending would accrue across a population. "This new "hardship exemption" will encourage healthier individuals, whose expected spending would be low, to drop out of the pool. As a result, average spending per enrollee on the exchanges is likely to be substantially higher than the insurers had planned for, forcing them to lose money on their policies," said Roy.

These last-minute changes could also confuse individuals who were having difficulty navigating the new health care system, and could prevent some individuals from realizing they are obligated to get coverage, said one Washington Post editorial. "The threat is that, in seeing to the concerns of those who might have to pay more in 2014 or in future years or some other group that feels put upon at some time, politicians will poke so many holes and add so many exceptions that the law is seriously undermined," said the Saturday editorial.

Espinoza, an advocate of Obamacare, says the greatest problem with all of these changes is that public education among the people who are most in need of accurate information has been severely lacking. "If they didn't have a clear understanding of what the problem was, how could they have an understanding of what the fix is?"

The latest moves come on the same day a poll was released showing that the public believes both that Obamacare is the president's greatest achievement -- and his greatest failure.

Astonishing moment British boy, four, confronted Kenyan mall gunman… who gave him Mars bars and begged for forgiveness

A four-year-old British boy caught up in the Kenya mall massacre showed astonishing bravery by confronting a marauding gunman who ended up begging for his forgiveness, it emerged today.

The child told one of the terrorists that he was a 'very bad man' as he protected his mother who had been shot in the leg, and six-year-old sister.

Incredibly, the attacker took pity on the family and bizarrely handed the children Mars bars before telling them: 'Please forgive me, we are not monsters.'

His story emerged as sporadic gunfire continued to ring out from inside the mall early today as Kenyan security forces battled Al Qaeda-linked terrorists into a fourth day.

Despite Kenyan police assurances that they had taken control of the building, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 hostages were still being held by a band of attackers, possibly as many as 13.

Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed said 'two or three' Americans and one British woman were among those who attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.

Amazing courage: The four-year-old boy with his sister, six, stands holding a Mars bar given to him by a terrorist outside the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi

His mother told of her family’s terrifying escape from Al Shabaab terrorists who butchered 62 people in the Nairobi shopping centre.

The film producer had been queuing to buy milk in Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Centre when the militants struck.

She hid under a cold meat counter in the Nakumatt supermarket for an hour-and-a-half with her children beneath her before terrorists finally found them and shot her in the thigh.

 

The children's uncle told The Sun: 'They had a lucky escape. The terrorists said if any of the kids were alive in the supermarket they could leave.

'Their mother made the decision to stand up and say "yes".'

'My nephew started arguing with them and called them bad men. He was very brave.'

After discovering the advertising producer was of French origin, the men began to plead with her and claimed that the Muslim faith ‘was not a bad one’.

‘He told me I had to change my religion to Islam and said “do you forgive us? Do you forgive us?’, the mother told The Independent.
‘Naturally, I was going to say whatever they wanted and they let us go’.
Bizarrely, the terrorists handed the children Mars bars before they fled with two other children, including a 12-year-old boy who had at first refused to leave his dead mother.
The fate of 20 others who had taken refuge under the meat counter is unknown.
The family’s escape is particularly astonishing in light of the indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children throughout the mall after Al Shabaab launched their assault on Saturday.

Ominous: A picture purportedly showing gunmen brandishing AK47s entering the mall

Civilians running for cover in the shopping mall after the masked attackers opened fire

Two children and a woman hide behind a bar inside the shopping mall in the hope they won't be found by the gunmen

Early today, sporadic gunfire rang out from inside the mall as Kenyan security forces battled Al Qaeda-linked terrorists into a fourth day in what they said was a final push to rescue the last few hostages in a siege that has left more than 60 people dead.
'Taken control of all the floors. We're not here to feed the attackers with pastries but to finish and punish them,' Kenyan police Inspector General David Kimaiyo said on Twitter.
Despite Kenyan government assurances of success, an explosion and gunfire could be heard coming from the mall at around 6.30am, followed by the sustained chatter of automatic weapons for about a minute almost three hours later, according to Associated Press reporters at the scene.
Security forces carried a body out of the mall, which remained on fire, with flames and smoke visible.
A Kenyan soldier wearing bomb disposal protective gear also exited the building.

On patrol: Kenyan soldiers patrol near the Westgate mall, where sporadic gunfire continued to ring out early on Tuesday as the siege entered a fourth day

Under control? Despite Kenyan police assurances that they had taken control of the building, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 hostages were still being held by a band of attackers

'Like an abattoir': A Kenyan soldier prepares to enter the Westgate Mall, where miltants reportedly burnt the faces of their victims and cut off their hands to prevent them being identified

Horrific: It was reported that a woman had been sexually abused at gunpoint in front of young hostages

While the government announced Sunday that 'most' hostages had been released, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 were still being held by a band of attackers, described as 'a multinational collection from all over the world.'
A spokesman for the Foreign Office told MailOnline they had not received confirmation that the siege had ended.
Somalia's rebel group Al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the attack, posted an audio message on a pro-militant website late Monday that they were still in control of the building.
'Despite botched attempts by the Jews and Christians to recapture the mall today, the mujahideen are still in control of the Westgate,' al-Shabab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said in the message.
'The upper hand still remains theirs,' he said.

Regular updates: Tweets from an account purportedly representing the Al Shabaab terror group claimed on Tuesday that the gunmen were still holding their ground

Drama: A television reporter makes a telephone call while filming during a bout of heavy gunfire shortly after dawn on Tuesday at the Westgate centre

Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed said up to three Americans and one British woman were among the terrorists.
Britain's foreign office said it was aware of the foreign minister's remarks, but would not confirm if a British woman was involved. 
The attacker from Britain was a woman who has 'done this many times before,' Mohamed said which lends weight to speculation that the so-called 'White Widow' Samantha Lewhwaite may have taken part in the raid.
British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said there had been six British deaths and the number could rise.
An artistic director from Leicester said four of his relatives were killed as they took part in a television programme called Masterchef Junior.
Samir Bhamra told The Times: 'They were young people... unfortunately they have all passed away. It's a very difficult time.'
Meanwhile, a British woman told how she crawled to safety with her seven-month-old baby in her arms after masked gunmen stormed a cafe.
Bethan Rayner, 35, who grabbed daughter Hani during a break in the gunfire, told The Sun: 'It was terrifying. We are still in shock.'
U.S. officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the department had 'no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities' of the attackers.
The security expert, who insisted on anonymity to talk freely about the situation, said many hostages had been freed or escaped in the previous 24-36 hours, including some who were in hiding.

Scouring the area: Kenyan security personnel patrol near the Westgate mall in Nairobi

Heavy response: A Kenya Defence Forces armoured military vehicle drives to the Westgate shopping centre after an exchange of gunfire inside the mall early on Tuesday

However, there were at least 30 hostages when the assault by al-Shabab militants began Saturday, he said, and 'it's clear' that Kenyan security officials 'haven't cleared the building fully.' 
Kenyan government spokesman Manoah Esipisu said the country's president would make an address to the nation later in the day but said he could give no immediate details on the operation.
Flames and dark plumes of smoke rose Monday above the Westgate shopping complex for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the surrounding neighborhood.
The smoke was pouring through a large skylight inside the mall's main department and grocery store, where mattresses and other flammable goods appeared to have been set on fire, a person with knowledge of the rescue operation told The Associated Press. 
The explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire as police helicopters and a military jet circled overhead, giving the neighborhood the feel of a war zone. An armored personnel carrier sat in front of the building. 
By Monday evening, Kenyan security officials said they had claimed the upper hand.

People run for cover after hearing gunshots near the Westgate shopping mall, as the three-day siege drew to an end

Smoke rises from the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi following a string of explosions during the third day of a stand-off between Kenyan security forces and gunmen inside the building

Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the evacuation of hostages had gone 'very, very well' and that Kenyan officials were 'very certain' that few if any hostages were left in the building. 
But with the mall cordoned off and under heavy security it was not possible to independently verify the assertions.
Similar claims of a quick resolution were made by Kenyan officials on Sunday and the siege continued.
Authorities have also not provided any details on how many hostages were freed or how many still remain captive. 
Three attackers were killed in the fighting Monday, Kenyan authorities said, and more than 10 suspects arrested. Eleven Kenyan soldiers were wounded in the running gun battles.
An Al Shabaab spokesman, Rage, said in the audio file that the attackers had been ordered to 'take punitive action against the hostages' if force was used to try to rescue them.

Volunteers run for cover after hearing a volley of gunshots at the scene of the siege

 

Footage shows shoppers fleeing attack inside Nairobi mall

A Western security official in Nairobi who insisted on not being named to share information about the rescue operation said the only reason the siege hadn't yet ended would be because hostages were still inside. 
Westgate mall, a vast complex with multiple banks that have secure vaults and bulletproof glass partitions, as well as a casino, is difficult to take, the official said.
'They are not made for storming,' he said of the labyrinth of shops, restaurants and offices. 'They're made to be unstormable.'
The massacre began on Saturday shortly before midday local time.
Witnesses told how terrorists with faces hidden by Islamic scarves stormed the building, tossing grenades and spraying shoppers with AK-47s.
Yesterday pictures emerged online that appeared to show the moment gunmen entered the shopping centre, pointing their weapons at terrified civilians. 
The killers, who were dressed in Western clothes, ordered all Muslims to leave, before carrying out rudimentary tests to see if hostages could recite the Koran and name the mother of the Prophet Mohammed.

Military forces take position inside a shopping mall following the attack by masked gunmen in Nairobi

Sporadic gun shots could be heard hours after the assault started as soldiers surrounded the mall and police and soldiers combed the building

People help a wounded man outside the Westgate shopping mall, as 69 people were slaughtered by the terrorists

Her son, 12, and daughter, 8, were injured as gunmen opened fire. She said adults ‘were like animals, climbing over the children to get out’.
A Twitter account representing Al Shabaab, the group claiming responsibility for the attack, said it was carried out by terrorists from seven nations, including Britain, the US and Canada.
The group has recently split into two factions following bloody infighting.
Those not involved in the Nairobi attack are said to be spreading false information, raising questions over the veracity of initial reports that Londoners Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon, 24, and Liban Adam, 23, are among the gunmen.
Kenya’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Julius Karangi, said fighters from several countries had participated in the attack, but would not specify which ones. 
‘We have an idea who they are, their nationality and even the number,’ he said, adding that the militants were ‘clearly a multinational collection from all over the world’.
‘We have also have an idea that this is not a local event,’ he said. ‘We are fighting global terrorism here and we have sufficient [intelligence] to suggest that.’ 
At least three of the terrorists were killed, he added, after Kenyan forces moved into the five-storey complex, which was filled with some 1,200 people when it was stormed by three heavily armed groups on Saturday.
Kenyans were last night bracing themselves for further terror attacks after it was claimed dozens more militants from the organisation had bribed their way into the country.
A spokesman for Al Shabaab said all Britons in Kenya are ‘legitimate’ targets because the UK has supported the African country’s military intervention in neighbouring Somalia.
Yesterday David Cameron returned early from Balmoral, where he had been staying with the Queen, to chair an emergency Cobra meeting with Cabinet colleagues including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Chancellor George Osborne and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond.

Our saviour: A soldier helps two women to safety. His identity has been protected for security reasons

Horror: Shoppers hurry down an escalator with their hands in the air as they make their way out of the shopping centre to safety

Safety: Shoppers and shop assistants raise their hands as they are escorted out by armed police

Terrified: A young girl in tears is led away form the terror by a police officer

One security officer said the mall had been turned into ‘an abattoir’ within half an hour, as gunmen went on the rampage.
Militants have reportedly burned their victims’ faces and removed their hands in an attempt to conceal their identities; the bodies were piled against the main door to slow the progress of rescue teams.
Yesterday reports emerged online that an injured woman trapped inside had been sexually abused at gunpoint in front of young hostages.
It is believed that she has been shot in the shoulder, while her child has been killed.
Details of the incident were posted hundreds of times on Facebook.
The woman is said to have been able to speak several times with her husband, who is outside the shopping centre – but last night he had heard nothing from her for several hours.
Another witness, Kamille Kaur, was with several dozen children for a cookery competition on the mall’s second floor when the attack began.

Wounded: A security officer helps an injured woman away from the building

Help: A man carries a boy away from the scene of the carnage earlier today

Killings: The fate of the hostages remained unclear this morning despite earlier statements from police saying most of those held had been rescued

Victim: Rescuers attempt to evacuate a man injured in the shooting

Desperation: An injured woman, whose face and clothes are drenched in blood, lies on the ground outside the shopping mall screaming for help

FROM PERU TO INDIA, THE MALL VICTIMS CAME FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

Died together: British architect Ross Langdon, 33, and his pregnant girlfriend Elif Yavuz who were killed in the Kenyan shopping mall massacre

BRITAIN
British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said six British deaths occurred and the number could rise. 
They include architect Ross Langdon (pictured, right, with his Dutch-born pregnant girlfriend, Elif Yavuz, who was also killed) and Zahira Bawa and her eight-year-old daughter Jenah, from Leamington Spa in central England, a relative told Britain's Press Association news agency.
---
CANADA
Annemarie Desloges, a border services liaison officer in Canada's High Commission to Kenya, 'was one of our bright young lights, and hers was a career brimming with promise,' said Tim Edwards, president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers. 
She was a 29-year-old from a 'foreign service family' and had accompanied her parents on overseas postings before deciding to follow in their footsteps in 2006. 
Vancouver businessman Naguib Damji also died in the attack, a daughter and niece confirmed to various media. 
Two sisters from Toronto, 17-year-old Fardosa Abdi and 16-year-old Dheeman Abdi, were seriously injured.
Their aunt Hodan Hassan said from her home in Minnesota that Fardosa was in critical condition with severe leg injuries.
---
CHINA
A 38-year-old Chinese woman with the surname Zhou who worked in the real estate industry was killed, state media said. Her son was injured in the attack and was in stable condition in a hospital, according to the Chinese Embassy in Kenya.
---
FRANCE
Two French victims of the Nairobi terrorists were named last night as Corinne Dechauffour, 54 and her daughter Anne who was 27.
The murder of the two women who were from Nice on the French Riviera caused outrage in the southern city and in the rest of France.
The victims were gunned down in the car park of the Westgate Mall just after they had parked their car.

Distraught: Father Louis Bawa (left) is seen with his nine-year-old daughter Jennah (right). She has been confirmed as one of the British victims in the Kenya terrorist attack, in which her mother also died

GHANA
Kofi Awoonor was a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations. Ghana's ministry of information said Awoonor's son was injured and is responding to treatment. 
Awoonor's work drew its inspiration from the traditions of his native Ewe tribe. Ghana's poetry foundation said on its website that Awoonor went into exile after Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was driven out in a coup in 1966.
He studied at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his dissertation was published in 1975. He returned to Ghana and was later jailed for alleged involvement coup plot. His time in prison was recounted in The House by the Sea (1978), the foundation said.
---
INDIA
Three Indians were killed in the attack, including an 8-year-old boy, Paramshu Jain, whose father is manager of a Nairobi branch of an Indian bank. The child's mother, Mukta Jain, is among four Indians who were injured. 
The others confirmed dead by the Indian External Affairs Ministry are Sridhar Natarajan, a 40-year-old from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, and Sudharshan B. Nagaraj, of the southern city of Bangalore.
---
KENYA
Ruhila Adatia-Sood was a popular radio and TV personality in Kenya and her husband worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Nairobi. She was expecting a child. 
Mitul Shah was president of the Bidco United football team in Kenya, Football Kenya spokesman John Kaniuki said. Shah worked for the Bidco cooking oil company and was reportedly attending a promotional cooking event with children at the mall. 
President Uhuru Kenyatta's nephew and nephew's fiancee were also among the dead.
---
THE NETHERLANDS
Elif Yavuz was a senior vaccines researcher for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, according to a statement from the Clinton family. 'Elif was brilliant, dedicated, and deeply admired by her colleagues, who will miss her terribly,' the Clintons said. 
She had completed her dissertation research on malaria in eastern Africa and graduated this year from Harvard University's Department of Global Health and Population, the school said.
Yavuz, 33, was Langdon's partner and was expecting their first child in early October.
---
NEW ZEALAND
Andrew McLaren, 34, a New Zealander who managed a factory in Kenya for the avocado oil company Olivado, was wounded in the attack, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
----
PERU
Juan Ortiz-Iruri was a retired tropical disease specialist for UNICEF who had lived for 25 years in Africa, according to UNICEF and Peruvian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Neyra.
His son, Ricardo Ortiz, told Radio RPP that Ortiz-Iruri entered the mall accompanied by his daughter, a 13-year-old born in the U.S. She suffered a hand injury, but is out of danger.
---
SOUTH AFRICA
One South African citizen was killed, according to the country's International Relations Department.
---
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea's Foreign Ministry said one South Korean woman was among the dead. It provided no further details.
---
SWITZERLAND
One Swiss citizen was injured, but the embassy would not provide further the victim's name.
---
UNITED STATES
Five American citizens were injured, U.S. officials said.

A Dumped Twelve-foot python found outside a Burger King drive-thru gets adopted by local retired biology teacher

World Class

A 12-foot python was found just feet away from a busy Burger King drive-thru restaurant on Route 20 in Paterson, New Jersey on Tuesday.

The slippery customer was spotted by a construction crew fixing a sewer line in grass near the Passaic River at around 10:30 a.m. The workers called Paterson Animal Control who managed to captured the python with special tongs.
Paterson Animal Control officer Angel Rivera says the snake was probably a pet that had been dumped there a couple of days before by an owner didn't want to take care of it anymore.
Scroll down for video

Gerald Zelenka, a retired biology teacher, handles the python he has adopted after it was found in Clifton, N.J. on Tuesday

The 12-foot python was found just feet away from this busy Burger King drive-thru restaurant on Route 20 in Paterson, New Jersey

Animal control turned the snake over to retired biology teacher Gerald Zelenka, who operates ‘In Touch with Nature,’ a local company that offers live animal shows to schools, nursing homes, and charity groups.
‘It has the potential of giving a good bite. Imagine if there was a youngster,’ Zelenka told ABC7. He was bitten by the snake as he moved it to the ‘In Touch with Nature’ facility.

 

He agrees with Paterson animal control officers, saying the snake is in good health and was probably dumped here by someone who didn't want to take care of the creature anymore.
‘That's the problem, people have a pet and they don't want it and they don't realize that's the end of the snake,’ he said.
In another month, the cold weather would have killed the creature. If caught, the snakes' owner face a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail for animal cruelty. 

Large python found in Burger King parking lot

The snake was spotted by a construction crew fixing a sewer line in grass near the Passaic River at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday

Animal control turned the snake over to retired biology teacher Gerald Zelenka, who operates 'In Touch with Nature,' a local company that offers live animal shows to schools, nursing homes, and charity groups

Source: Mail Online

VIDEO: Governor Suntai Finally Speaks After Arriving Taraba Four Days Ago

World Class

Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State on Wednesday spoke for the first time since his arrival in the country four days ago, in a brief address recorded and aired on the state-owned television station in Jalingo, the state capital.

Although he



appeared feeble and could barely muster the strength to speak loud enough, Governor Suntai, however, put doubts to rest that he was brain-damaged and unable to speak as a result of severe injuries he sustained when a plane he was flying from Jalingo crashed in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

The governor, who spoke at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government, Timothy Kataps and Chief of Staff, Malam Aminu Jika, thanked people of the state for their prayers and for standing by him in his moment of trial.
“My good people of Taraba State, I remain grateful to you for your prayers and support when I needed them most. I want to urge you to continue to pray for the development and unity of our dear state and congratulate us all on our 22^nd year anniversary as a state. Thank you and God bless”, he said.
Earlier, Suntai, who was decked in a sky blue suit and a stripe shirt, enjoined the newly sworn SSG and CoS to work in the interest of the people.

Meanwhile, members of the state House of Assembly led by their Speaker, Hon. Haruna Tsokwa, on Wednesday evening met with the governor.
Although the lawmakers did not disclose details of the meeting, they promised to speak to the press on Thursday.

Watch video here courtesy Saharareporters.

A Plane crash which killed seven Britons was probably caused by an eagle flying into the propeller shortly after take-off

World Class
The plane in which seven Britons died en route to Mount Everest may have crashed because it hit a bird just after take-off, when it was already struggling due to being overloaded, a report into the crash has concluded.
The twin-engine propeller plane crashed shortly after take-off near Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, last September.
Among the seven British victims were Raymond Eagle, 58, from Macclesfield, Timothy Oakes, 57, from Warrington, and brothers Vincent and Darren Kelly, aged 50 and 45, from Lostock, near Bolton.

Overloaded?: The picture of rucksacks and personal belongings found at the wreckage site in Nepal

Victims: Stephen Holding, pictured left with his wife Maggie, and Benjamin Ogden, pictured with his girlfriend Stephanie, were both killed in the plane crash that killed 19 people

Fireball: Firefighters battle to douse the burning wreckage of a plane which crashed on the edge of the Nepalese capital, killing 19 people including seven Britons

The plane lost power and slowed down at a crucial point during take-off but investigators were unable to find why this happened.
It meant the plane was not high enough to recover when it went off course.

The report also records that while preparing for take-off, the pilot twice noticed a bird and as the plane accelerated, he said 'watch out for the bird'.

The first officer reported being clear of it as he accelerated but the crew later reported a bird strike.
However, no evidence of it was found in the engine.

Investigators said: 'It is possible that the bird momentarily disturbed the air flow into the engine before it was struck by the propeller, causing a surge and the suspected flame seen in the CCTV footage, but the engine manufacturer considered this unlikely.
'If the flame seen in the CCTV and accompanying "bang" heard on the CVR were evidence of an engine surge, then another possible cause is a fuel flow problem.'
As the plane turned, it lost power and began to descend, before suddenly hitting the ground just 420 metres from the runway.
The report says one engine failed and the other suffered a power loss.

Tragic deaths: Britons Raymond Eagle, left, and Timothy Oakes, right, were both killed in the crash

Destroyed: The fire quickly spread to the rear of the plane, but the tail was still in one piece at the scene near the Manohara River on the south-west edge of Kathmandu

The engine was also operating at low power.
It said: 'There was no evidence to suggest that the flight crew recognised that a power loss had occurred on the ground, possibly because it occurred gradually and progressively rather than instantaneously. This would account for why the takeoff was continued.'
They concluded there was no evidence of a bird in the engine, both engines were low on power and when speed fell, there was no power to accelerate.
It added: 'The investigation was unable to determine the cause of the thrust reduction.'
Five Chinese also died, as well as three passengers and four crew members from Nepal.
The tragedy had been blamed simply on the plane striking a bird of prey at a height of 50ft as it took off from Tribhuvan Airport in the Nepalese capital heading for Lukla near Everest.
But experts doubted whether that alone would have prevented the pilot from bringing the Sita Air Dornier D-228 back around for an emergency landing at the airport.
Indian government aviation minister Suresh Acharya said that the combined weight of passengers and luggage carried by the plane would play a key part in the inquiry, which British investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch assisted with.

Killed: Vincent Kelly, left, from Lostock, Bolton, and his brother Darren Kelly, right, from Isle of Whithorn

Major operation: Hundreds of rescuers and members of the public swarm around the site as investigators begin to piece together the events that led up to the tragedy

Mr Acharya said: ‘The bird strike may not be the sole reason behind the crash.’
And Kuma Sherchan, an experienced pilot with the Nepal  Airlines Corporation said: ‘A bird hitting the plane should not be considered in isolation during the investigation.

Traveller: Christopher Davey, 51, from Moulton in Northamptonshire, died in the crash

‘Several factors, such as technical maintenance, load, pressure on airline operators and many more, lead to an air crash.’
All those on board – including 12 people from Nepal and China – died in the inferno when the twin-prop aircraft ploughed into a riverbank minutes after take off.
The Britons, who were due to begin trekking in the Himalayas, were travelling with Hampshire-based company Explore Worldwide.
They were named as Raymond Eagle, 58, from Macclesfield, Cheshire; Timothy Oakes, 57, from Winwick, near Warrington, and his friend Stephen Holding, 60, from Barlaston in Stoke-on-Trent; Vincent Kelly, 50, from Lostock, Bolton, and his brother Darren, 45, from Isle of Whithorn, Galloway; Christopher Davey,  51, from Moulton in Northamptonshire; and lawyer Benjamin Ogden, 27, from London. Former headmaster Mr Oakes and retired science teacher Mr Holding had been childhood friends and were members of a climbing club.

Mr Holding’s widow, Maggie, said: ‘Steve always loved being in the mountains. He had done a lot of work with Peak Pursuits taking youngsters on Duke of Edinburgh activities.’
Mr Oakes’s wife, Angie Gaunt, 54, said he ‘died doing something he always wanted to do.’
Mr Ogden, an Oxford-educated lawyer, lived with girlfriend Stephanie Illingworth in London and worked at international law firm Allen & Overy.
Miss Illingworth said they had planned to marry and she had lost her ‘soulmate’.
She added: ‘My whole world has been turned upside down.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2404090/Nepal-plane-crash-killed-7-Britons-probably-caused-eagle-flying-propeller.html

Source: Mail Online

PHOTOS: An Egyptian Who Is Addicted to Stealing Cuts off Both Hands by Allowing a TRAIN to Run Over His Wrists

World Class
An Egyptian man has sliced off both his hands by placing them in the path of a speeding train to overcome his stealing addiction.
Ali Afifi, 28, was apparently so appalled by his habitual crimes that he took his punishment into his own hands.
The young man, apparently guided by the rules of Sharia law, severed both his hands in his self-inflicted purgatory.

Desperate measure: Ali Afifi began stealing by taking sandwiches for friends but soon developed kleptomania - an addiction to stealing

Self-inflicted punishment: Egyptian Ali Afifi, 28, severed both his hands under a train to fight his addiction of stealing

His decision was likely to have been drawn from the Islamic teaching of Sharia law - the principles, rules and subsequent punishments that inform every element of life for those who practice Islam.
Mr Afifi said his stealing 'disease' started at a young age, first taking his friend's lunches at primary school. It then escalated to items in shops and until recently he was taking people's mobile phones and gold jewellery.
He said he used to give the money he made from the thefts to children and poor families.

 

But Mr Afifi was unable to cope with the guilt and decided to cut off his hands to put an end to his compulsive behaviour.
He said he wants to help his local town, improve the buildings and build a youth centre. He also wants to marry but doubts an Egyptian woman would take him because of his history of theft.
The Islamic legal system deals with many issues addressed in secular law as well as informing daily decisions of a personal and mundane matter, including hygiene, fasting, prayer, diet, politics, sexual intercourse and marital rules.
Interpretation of the law by Muslims varies between cultures, but it is accepted in some countries that repeated stealing is punishable by cutting off the hand.

In Islamic divine law, stealing is one of the most serious crimes and punishable by amputation

The 28-year-old, from Tanta, north east Egypt, was apparently so appalled at his own crimes he punished himself guided by Sharia law

Normally, a person caught stealing would be summoned to a Sharia court where Islamic jurists would issue guidance on an issue.
But for Mr Afifi, from the central Nile delta region of Tanta, Egypt, he decided he knew what his fate should be, according to the 'divine law'.
According to Sharia law, stealing is considered one of the most serious crimes as specified by the Quran.
A Sharia court may issue a punishment of some kind of injury to the hand to someone caught stealing for the first time, such as slowly driving a car wheel over the hand.
In countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and northern Nigeria, amputation for repeated stealing is still practiced. In Egypt, however, the courts have not permitted judicial amputation for many years.
Last year, however, under the new Muslim Brotherhood government, MP Adel Azzazy, from the Salafi-oriented Nour Party, proposed a bill to reintroduce amputations for certain crimes.
He called for the application of 'Heraba' - extreme punishments for crimes including overt robbery, murder, forcible taking of property with a weapon and vandalising public facilities.

Guilt: Ali Afifi chose to carry out his own punishment for his repeated stealing

Sharia law insists that thieves lose a hand, which prompted Afifi to take such drastic action

The penalties according to Azzazy’s bill were execution in the case of murder, or cutting one arm and one leg from opposite sides of the culprit’s body in the cases of robbery and forcible taking of property.
If the taking of possessions is accompanied by murder, the penalty would be death or crucifixion, to be determined by the judge.
The bill, according to the Egypt Independent, also stipulated imprisonment for intimidating citizens, and that the prison sentence will end when the felon repents.
The penalties would only be imposed on adult, mentally-stable wrongdoers, who either committed the crimes or assisted in carrying them out, according to the bill.

Mr Afifi, who lives in Tanta, in Egypt's northern Delta region, now has two stumps where his hands and wrists once were

Source: Mail Online