Gay Wedding Leads to 5 Arrests In Kenya

in Kikambala beach resort in Kenya yesterday. Under Kenyan law homosexuality is illegal and is punishable by up to fourteen years in prison.

It is unclear if the intended couple are among those who were arrested, according AFP they escaped arrest however the BBC is reporting that two of the men had wedding rings in their possession and are believed to be the intended newlyweds.

The secret wedding was disrupted after locals found out about the plans and contacted the authorities. Three of the men were reportedly apprehended by civilians and turned over to the local police; two of the men were reportedly beaten. A crowd gathered outside of the police station where the men were being held to protest against homosexuality, local officials say that the men might have been stoned if they were not arrested. Police later thanked the public for their assistance and urged continued cooperation.

District officer George Matandura said:

"We are grateful to the public for alerting the police. They should continue cooperating with the police to arrest more, it is an offence, an unnatural offence, and also their behavior is repugnant to the morality of the people."

The wedding was criticized by Christian and Muslim clerics alike, according to AFP Sheikh Ali Hussein of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya said:

"We cannot allow these young boys to ruin their future through homosexuality, we shall use all means to curb this vice."

The five men are expected to undergo a medical exam to determine if they had “illegal carnal knowledge of each other.” Before being charged with homosexuality.

Thursday another gay wedding was disrupted before it took place after authorities became aware of the plans, the couple and their guest were forced to flee when word spread that the police and local residents were searching for them.

Myanmar: An American Citizen is Sentenced to 3 Years Hard Labor | Bukisa.com

Nyi Nyi Aung a Burmese-born American citizen was sentenced to three years hard labor in Myanmar today. Aung, who was originally charged with instigating unrest in concert with pro-democracy groups, was convicted of carrying a forged identity card and undeclared U.S. currency and for not renouncing his Burmese citizenship after becoming a U.S. citizen.

Following his September 2009 arrest Aung was reportedly held for 17 days before being allowed to speak to a U.S. government representative. During this time he was allegedly denied food, sleep and medical attention. After being allowed to talk to a representative he was transferred to solitary confinement in what is described as a dog cage.

The arrest came at a time when the United States and Myanmar were taking the initial steps toward becoming diplomatically re-engaged. Wa Wa Kyaw, Aung’s fiancé who is also an American citizen was critical of the Obama administration's silence on the matter at such a critical time saying:

"It is shocking to me that an American citizen has been treated this way and higher U.S. officials are silent on that, it will let the generals think, 'We can do whatever we want, even torture and inhumane treatment of a U.S. citizen,' because America wants to do the engagement policy."

Nyi Nyi Aung’s attorney and supporters say he was arrested before he arrived at the customs checkpoint and therefore was not allowed to declare his currency nor is there an official process to denounce citizenship.

According to the Washington Post U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Mei denounced the sentence as politically motivated saying:

"We are deeply concerned by the unjustified conviction. We believe the charges against Kyaw Zaw Lwin (his legal name on his passport) were politically motivated."

According to the Democratic Voice Of Burma, Aung arrived at the Yangoon airport on September 3 where he was arrested. He had returned to Myanmar to visit his mother who is a democracy activist currently in prison and suffering from cancer. She was arrested during the 2007 protest along with Aung’s cousin.

Aung, a well-known democracy activist, fled Myanmar after playing a key role in the 1988 pro-democracy uprising that resulted in the deaths of at least 3000 people. He moved to the United States as a political refugee in 1993 and became a citizen in 2002.

U.S. Marshals Arrest Georgia Fugitive in Chesterfield, Virginia

Richmond, United States - A nationwide search came to a quick end yesterday when the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force arrested a man accused of shooting his daughter and ex-wife in Georgia.

Roy Mandell Smith, 38, was arrested at the Regency Lake Apartments off Cosmic Road in Chesterfield and is currently being extradited back to Valdosta, Georgia. Smith is currently on parole after serving 10 years for distribution of cocaine in Georgia.

Although authorities are not sure of the motive for the shooting, Smith had recently been served with child support papers for his daughter.

Police claim 37-year-old Josephine Lonon was confronted and shot as she left the house for work. Her daughter, 16-year-old Rochelle Smith, heard the noise and walked outside to investigate the noise. As she came back into the house, she was followed and shot.

The two victims were taken to South Georgia Medical Center. Lonon suffered multiple gunshot wounds but is expected to survive, and Rochelle Smith suffered one gunshot wound and has been released from the hospital.

The Richmond and Chesterfield police were notified Smith might be in the area and was wanted in Georgia by the Valdosta police department. Local police then contacted the U.S. Marshalls Service.

Authorities began their search at around 11 p.m. when they first went to a family member’s home located in the 4000 block of Falconway Lane were they believed he might be staying. When they didn’t find him at that location they went to Smith’s girlfriend's house in the 6400 block of Cosmic Road.

Officers believe Smith saw them as they approached the house. At around 3:30 a.m. he exited the house and walked straight toward several officers where he was then arrested without incident.

As a condition of being allowed to move to Virginia and have his parole transferred, Smith signed an extradition waiver making it easier to return him to Georgia.

Mongolia: -50c Temperatures Kills 2 Million Head of Livestock

Mongolia is in the grip of what is known as "dzud", a natural disaster that is a combination of an unusually dry summer and fall followed by an extreme winter. The dry season left the nomadic herders with a shortage of food for their livestock for the winter months. Cattle, sheep, goats, horses and camels are dying from cold, exhaustion or starvation.

One nomadic herder, Mr. Baasanragchaa, told NTDTV:

"This autumn we counted over 400 head of livestock including sheep, goats and cattle. So far, over 200 are lost and there are only around 200 head left. But these survivors look unable to survive until the warmer season comes because they are so skinny, even though we are feeding them with hay and fodder.”

A rapid needs assessment conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has determined that Mongolia will need $6 million over the next three months to help herders make it through until spring.The herders depend on these animals for milk, cashmere, meat and other livestock products. The government estimates that if the conditions remain the same up to four million head of livestock could be lost.

One-third of the population of Mongolia are nomadic herders who depend almost entirely on their livestock to make a living, so far economic losses are believed to top $60 million.Tens of thousands of families own up to 300 head of livestock, 14 out of 21 provinces have been seriously affected, in eight provinces 21,000 families owning 100-300 head have lost over 50% of their livestock.

According to Xinhua up to 80% of Mongolia is covered in snow rangeing from 20 centimeters to 90 centimeters deep. Dundgobi Governor Sh. Turbat said:

"The current situation of continuous snow storms and extreme cold has caused a loss of thousands of livestock, leaving numerous herders without any source of livelihood, the disaster has caused an economic loss equivalent to 6.6 million U.S. dollars to the province,"

If aid does not arrive in time many will be forced into the cities in search of work, as incomes plummet and livestock feed prices rise.

Local Strip Club Owner Charged with Threatening Police

Sam Moore, Owner of Club Velvet, has been charged with threatening a police officer over the phone. The Richmond Police would not confirm or comment on the charges, Moore was arraigned and released on bail only days before a Virginia ABC hearing on unrelated charges came to a conclusion.According to the Richmond Times Moore’s attorney, Michael Morchower said:

"The police involved themselves in a matter involving Sam and a couple of employees, I don't know specifically what was said."

The new charge became public as authorities are revoking Club Velvet’s alcohol license for unrelated charges. State, federal and local officials raided Club Velvet in February, 2008 after completing a three-month undercover investigation into activities at the club.

Alcoholic Beverage Control agents testified that they observed alcohol being consumed in unlicensed areas, underage drinking and after hour consumption of alcohol. They also testified that two dancers agreed to perform sex acts on each other in exchange for $450. A confidential informant (according to testimony) purchased cocaine from a dancer for the agents as part of the investigation.

Today an administrative hearing officer concluded that there was adequate evidence for a finding of nine state ABC violations including allowing sale to and consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors and people who were already intoxicated; allowing public nudity; and creating a haven for illegal activities.

Earlier in 2008 Moore was charged with producing child pornography and unlawfully filming the acts, he was also charged with three misdemeanors, unlawfully filming sex with an 18-year-old woman and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. On June 11, 2008 Moore entered an Alford plea on 3 misdemeanor charges of having sex with a minor (17 years old) in exchange for dropping the more serious charges. The Alford plea means that he conceded that there was substantial evidence against him but he did not admit guilt, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Sam Moore also made headlines and sparked short-lived protest this summer when he placed an “Obama is a socialist” banner depicting President Obama painted like the Joker on the outside of the Club Velvet.

Richmond Officials Criticized Over Snowstorm Response

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<img src="http://digitaljournal.com/img/2/8/0/5/4/i/6/2/6/o/Image-4.jpg"" width="300" height="300"> As many of us who live in Richmond Virginia can tell you the response to the recent snow storm has seemed slow. Many neighborhoods had not yet seen a snow plow as of yesterday. Many streets remain covered in ice and snow creating dangerous driving conditions for local residents. In some cases residents have said that you can see an immediate difference in road conditions when crossing into the surrounding counties. In my own neighbor hood the snowplows made their first pass at around 10:30 pm last night. Church Hill resident Jonathan Friedman told channel 6 news:

"There's no evidence of road maintenance", a sentiment repeated by many Richmond residents.

Seeing snowplows driving on snow covered streets with their blades up, not removing the snow, has increased many residents’ frustrations. Just one example of this was when we saw snowplows driving down Orcutt lane, several hours later we discovered that the street had not been plowed. City Chief Administrative Officer Byron Marshall responded to these complaints telling channel 12:

"If they're turning around, coming from a break or going to get sand or on somebody else's route, generally they don't have to have their blades down. I think Mike would like them to always have their blades down and we will work on that."

Mayor Dwight C. Jones responded to the criticism by announcing a new plan for future snow removal and pointing out some of the reasons for the slow response.In 2007 under then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, the city sold off some of its equipment including 36 vehicles that would have been used to help with snow removal. The vehicles sold were among the newer models owned by the city, leaving them with approximately 50 older models. The remaining vehicles routinely had mechanical failures, as many as 20 inoperative at one point during the snow removal. Street parking was also blamed for slowing the snow removal; parked vehicles along Richmond streets hampered the snow removal efforts and in some cases doubled the time it takes to complete a route. The new plan for snow removal includes starting removal operation earlier, using private contractors, buying four highway plows, 12 tailgate spreaders and four reversible plows. The city has order 23 garbage trucks; they will now revise the order to equip them with snow removal capability. The city also plans to end the practice of buying cars for city inspectors and purchase pickup trucks that can be used for snow removal when needed. They are also considering designated snow routes that would require residents to remove their vehicles during a storm to allow for faster cleanup. With more snow possible this weekend Mayor Jones says the new plans will go into effect immediately. Only hours before the mayors comments Richmond City Hall was damaged when heavy snow slid from the roof and crashed through the glass panels below.

Snow Storm Slams Central Virginia

Virginia was under a state of emergency as the second major snowstorm of the season slammed into Richmond yesterday dumping between 11 to 14 inches of snow across the area. In what is considered to be an uncommon event the entire state of Virginia was covered in snow by a single storm.

Traffic slowed to a crawl and authorities advised against any unnecessary driving during the storm. Between the hours of 6pm Friday and 5 pm Saturday Virginia state police responded to 1285 traffic accidents with 231 of those being in the Richmond area.

The Richmond International Airport was forced to cancel more than 100 flights Amtrak was brought to a stop and Greyhound buses scheduled to run through the Richmond station were suspended.

In what could be described as a cruel twist of fate Marnel Francois, a Haiti earthquake survivor, was among those stranded at the Richmond Greyhound station. Francois told the Richmond Times that he lost nine family members and two children he considered as family in the earthquake. He then made his way through the Dominican Republic to Miami where he caught the bus trying to get home to New Jersey.

Broad Street, a major route through downtown, is closed to all traffic from 14th street to 25th until further notice. The Boulevard Bridge was also closed until further notice. Driving in many Richmond neighborhoods continues to be hazardous; it could be several days before plows reach some neighborhoods.

In my experience the snow often melts before the plows get to the side streets. The snow is expected to stick around for a while, as temperatures remain low.

CDC Issues Health Warning For Relief Workers in Haiti | Bukisa.com

According to the CDC relief workers who have traveled to Haiti to assist in the aftermath of the earthquake might be exposed to a variety of health risk. They have urged anyone experiencing the following symptoms after spending time in Haiti to contact a doctor immediately:

Fever

Difficulty breathing

Persistent cough

Confusion

Severe vomiting

Severe diarrhea

Yellowish skin or eyes

Unusual bruising or bleeding

For those who are planning to go to Haiti the CDC recommends getting several vaccines including hepatitis A and B, typhoid, and for those who might be exposed to animals pre-exposure rabies vaccine. They also recommend having all of the routine vaccines including H1N1 up to date.

Malaria is also a concern when traveling to Haiti, although there is no effective vaccine for Malaria preemptive use of prescription medications combined with insect repellent and mosquito nets can greatly reduce the risk.

Dengue is also common in the Dominican Republic and Haiti; there is no vaccine or medications to prevent Dengue. The CDC offers a guide to protecting yourself from insect born disease. Anthrax, HIV, and Tuberculosis are also major concerns.

Due to the lack of infrastructure and medical facilities the CDC recommends that anyone preparing to go to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake should take a complete first aid kit for their own use.

It is also recommended that relief workers take their own food, water purification tablets, medications, and extra glasses if necessary and insect repellent. They also recommend taking your own protective equipment including respirators and rubber gloves for handling blood and body fluids.

The CDC also warns about the mental and emotional impact on the relief workers. The ongoing exposure to extensive loss of life and serious injuries as well as massive destruction makes it imperative that relief workers are aware of their emotional state at all times. One third or more of emergency responders and relief workers could experience some form of PTSD. The CDC provides stress management tips for relief workers and emergency responders.