The National Assembly: Once Again a Myopic Rubberstamp Authority

By Nyona Matende -- Opinionated 

There is no doubt that President Uhuru Kenyatta, and his deputy William Ruto, are admired for their charismatic style and expansive worldviews, which are indeed considered to be essential for good leadership. However, such admiration is fast fading as the government they head resorts to desperate measures in a bid to deal with insecurity and other challenges. 

  For the past couple of years, the actions of the Kenyan Government, whether in bad faith or not, have been interpreted by some as a deliberate attempt to limit the hard-earned freedoms and rights of Kenyans. The government is noticeably overwhelmed by its functions (provision of basic rights to Kenyans), and has resorted to measures that are akin to limiting the very rights and freedoms it’s required to protect.

As expected, the unorthodox methods the government is advancing to solve Kenyan problems have received overwhelming support from the pro-government National Assembly.

 Quite a number of legislative pieces have been advanced by or forwarded to the National Assembly, a supposed oversight body that is quickly morphing into the Moi-era rubberstamp authority it once was.

 These unfortunate grouping of Kenyans elected to represent KENYANS is finding it more reasonable to advance their own interests and interests of their political masters due to the selfish need to safeguard their political future. Who really elected you Mr MP?

The recent fist fights that were witnessed during the passing of the controversial security laws is a testament of how impetuous the house has become. The critical functions of the National Assembly have been reduced to mere rivalry between Jubilee and Cord, and the chest thumping pro-government majority is acting like a real government marionette in its rubberstamping duties. They are hell bend on approving anything opposed by the opposition, even in the face of legitimate concerns.

The opposition is not blemish free

The opposition group in the National Assembly is not however made of saints either. Who doesn’t recall when they joined hands with their pro-government majority to pass a bill that sought to raise their own salaries, sparking the #OccupyParliament protests?  They have also provided unwavering support in the fight for power against equally or even more important institutions like County Governments, The Judiciary, Salaries and Remunerations Commission (SRC), and The Senate, picking up teenage-like squabbles at the slightest overlap of powers and functions.

There is no time in history when leaders who are honest to the needs of their people have joined hands with contrasting leaders for a one time good-for-leaders opportunity. If the opposition has divergent views on what is right for Kenyans then this should be seen in all their undertakings in the house – not only when their interests are not taken care of.

What an excuse for a National Assembly  

What were are seeing is unprecedented levels of immaturity, and sycophancy motivated by the need for political survival and material success. Unfortunately, this was long predicted because many of the people Kenyans put in the National Assembly during the last elections were first timers and now they have tested power and are not sure on how to navigate the murky waters that is Kenyan politics. So, naturally, sycophancy is the easiest way out.  I think if we were to rate parliaments since independence, this one will clearly emerge as the most rowdy, clueless, and loathsome.

In 2013, the slapdash house legislated and rubberstamped a legislation in which media houses and journalists were to pay fines as high as 20 Million Shillings (about $200,000) for “irresponsible” reporting. The bill had no clear definition of what sort of reporting is considered ‘irresponsible reporting’ and, therefore, it was more intended to limit media freedoms – freedoms gained through blood and sweat.

It’s regrettable that the pro-government legion is the one on the forefront in undermining the constitution. Isn’t it myopic to make dangerous changes to the constitution just because you are on the right side of the present day government?  Anyone with a shred of intellect will tell you that such changes will last beyond the present day regime and, therefore, there are chances that the controversial pieces of legislation may be used against the excited Mps who think that the advantages they enjoy today will last for a lifetime.

As it has become a tradition, the controversial pieces sanctioned by the National Assembly are heavily donned in legal jargon to confuse the ignorant Mwananchi. As you may or may not be aware, many of our MPs are lawyers who have perfected the art of scheming but no real experience in honest and true representation.

Unqualified for the job

While Kenyans lament the incompetence of various government agencies, I think it’s about time they drew their attention to the most incompetent institution of governance– the National Assembly.

Why are they so incompetent?

Well, parliament is supposed to only play the roles of representation, oversight, and law making. The national assembly is simply an institution of governance in which the interests of the common mwananchi are to be advanced by the people they have elected to represent them.

The constitution outlines the agreement between the government and the citizens, and it’s the role of parliament to ensure that laws provide the best conditions for citizens and not vice versa. While previous parliaments have recognized this and advanced such courses, the present day parliament is increasing being held by the balls to advance courses that are endorsed through party affiliations, whether good for mwananchi or not. 

We wish to remind you that Kenyans can live with an ineffective and weak National Assembly but will not seat back and watch the same group play a leading role in reversing gains that were only made possible through blood and sweat.

There are many countries around the globe in which sycophancy as the only true road to political success. Go there please. Kenyans just want honest leadership, whether in parliament or the church.

Here is a challenge

 If you are a true leader do what is in the best interest of the people who elected you, even if that puts your political future at risk, and leave KARMA to avenge the injustices you face for being honest to your people. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Tuesday, January 06, 2015

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3 People Confirmed Dead, 40 Rescued, one Row almost cleared in Huruma Building Collapse

A survivor being transferred to an Ambulance

As of now, up to 40 people have been rescued so far, 3 confirmed dead, including a woman and one day old infant.

According witness accounts, the building came down at 8pm, Sunday. It is said that huge cracks begun to emerge at around 7.30pm and some residents escaped when the building started shaking. Those already out screamed to other tenants still inside to leave the building, before it came tumbling down at around 8pm.

Rescue teams had trouble accessing the site due to crowds of people milling around and police were forced to apply force in dispersing them.

Rescue is still ongoing

The building had two rows, rescue teams are almost clearing one raw before moving on to the next.

Some relatives have come forward to claim that they still can’t find their family members. About 8 people are still missing according to relatives’ accounts but the numbers could be higher.

The building is said to have collapsed on an adjacent informal 

mabati settlement and there are fears that residents of the informal settlement could still be trapped under the rubble.

Rescue teams include the Kenya Red Cross, National youth service, KDF, and Police. People are receiving emergency treatment before being referred to various hospitals. About 28 people have been treated and discharged.

Acting police Inspector General, Samuel Arachi, has said that everyone involved in the construction of the building including Engineers, Developer, Contractor, and Architect should come forward with immediate effect. He has also hinted that they will be charged with murder. The same sentiments were echoed by Evans Kidero, Nairobi Governor.

By: Sheriff Mako On Monday, January 05, 2015

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2 Dead, 40 Rescued, Dozens still trapped in Huruma building Collapse.

BREAKING NEWS: News just coming in indicates that a 7 storey building has collapsed in Huruma’s Casanova area, Nairobi. The residential building was still under construction and 5 floors had already been occupied. 

The building collapsed at around 7pm, Sunday night, at time when most residents were at home. 

Many are feared dead or trapped and rescue teams are currently rushing to the scene.

Huruma is a poor neighborhood dominated by residential flats.

Update

 As of Monday morning two people were confirmed dead. A child’s body was pulled from the rubble while another person died on the way to hospital, according to accounts given by an official from Disaster Operation Centre.

Rescue teams have so far pulled more than 40 survivors out of the collapsed building but it’s not clear how many are still trapped.

Most of those rescued have been admitted to local health facilities. 
It is now emerging that the building developed cracks last year but residents continued to live in it.

Nairobi Governor, Evans Kidero, has just held a press conference  stating that the developer, contractor,and builders of the collapsed building will be arrested and charged. It is now emerging that the county government only approved a four-storey building but it was developed up to seven floors.  Read the latest updates here 3 People Confirmed Dead, 40 Rescued, One Row Almost Cleared In Huruma Building Collapse

By: Sheriff Mako On Sunday, January 04, 2015

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Rather than Affect Your Health, the Chlorovirus ATCV-1 Makes you Stupid

Green Algae. Image Credit: Financetwitter.com

Health -- Late last year, scientists discovered that a virus that all along has been known to attack green algae in rivers and lakes can also infect the human brain and make one stupid.  The Virus, Cholovirus ATCV-1 belonging to the Phycodnavirdae family was previously not known to infect humans or listed among viruses that can affect humans.

According to findings of the study published in November 2013, scientists were surprised to recover the virus from samples extracted from the human gut. The virus was accidently recovered from a throat swab during the study, which included measuring the cognitive ability of participants.

Researchers in the U.S say that the virus can impair learning and memory, cognitive activity, thereby making any infected person to be less intelligent. Robert Yolken, a virologist at the John Hopkins Medical School in Maryland, who participated in the study said that “This is a striking example showing that the ‘innocuous’ microorganisms we carry can affect behavior and cognition.” The virus is thought to inhabit the throat of infected individuals. 

Participants who were found infected with the virus scored up to 10% lower in cognitive tests compared to those not infected. The presence of the virus was also associated with lower attention and “significant decrease in visual processing and visual motor speed.” The virus is found in fresh water and can easily be taken up by swimmers.

Further tests conducted by inserting infected algae into the mouth of mice confirmed the cognitive effects of the virus. Infected mice took 10% longer time to make their way out of mazes and also took 20% longer time exploring new objects, compared to uninfected mice. 

 Now human beings need to worry not only about physical health risks associated with viral infection, but mental effects as well. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Sunday, January 04, 2015

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Plan Crash Lands at JKIA, No one is hurt

Kenya News --- A Fokker 50, arriving at the Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was forced to crash-land after its landing gear failed to drop. The plane was arriving from Wajir, Northern Kenya, with 6 passengers. No one was injured in the late morning incident.

The runway was sprayed immediately after the plane landed to prevent any fire incidents.

Information from the Kenya Airports Authority indicate that the runway is now closed and incoming flights have been diverted to Mombasa. It’s not clear when the Airport will be reopened but this should be soon. 

Photo Credit: Jambonewspot.com 

By: Sheriff Mako On Sunday, January 04, 2015

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Raila Odinga’s Son, Fidel Odinga, has passed on

Fidel Odinga, Wife and Son. Photo: Elvis Ogina

BREAKING NEWS--- Kenya is in shock following the devastating news that Fidel Odinga has died. Fidel was the eldest son of Kenya’s former Prime Minister and leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Raila Odinga.

Fidel Odinga was found dead this morning in his Karen home. According to police sources, the cause of death is yet to be established but it is alleged that Fidel was out with friends on Saturday night and only came home Sunday morning.

The youthful Odinga was a businessman and an aspiring politician and his sudden death has stunned Kenyans. He is survived by his wife and one year-old son.

Police are now investigating what could have caused the death and their first course of action is to establish where he was last night and those who were with him.

At the time of writing, the family was preparing to transfer the body to Lee Funeral Home.

Messages of condolence are streaming in from Kenyans of all walks of life, particularly through social media platforms.

A group of Senators and members of parliament have arrived at the home of Raila Odinga to support the family during this trying moment.

More to come

By: Sheriff Mako On Sunday, January 04, 2015

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Iran's Elite Guards have foiled Mossad’s Assassination attempt against a Nuclear Scientist

An Iranian Elite Guard. Photo Credit: telegraph.co.uk

World News --- On Saturday, a senior Iranian security official reported that the Country’s Elite Revolutionary Guards Corps saved one of its nuclear scientist from a Mossad assassination attempt.

Col. Ya’qoub Baqeri, the deputy chief liaison officer of the Flight Guards Corps, told the Iranian Fars News Agency that “In the last two years, the Zionist enemy was trying hard to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist, but the timely presence of the IRGC security forces thwarted the terrorist operation,” adding they are “duty-bound to protect the lives of the country’s nuclear scientists”.

Israel has never admitted that it’s behind the killings of Iranian Nuclear Scientists, a campaign that has been going on for years. While the U.S remains a key ally of the Zionist state, the two have openly differed on a number of issues, one of them is the assassination campaigns. A report published on CBS News last year, showed that the U.S is not happy with Israel’s assassination campaign against Iranian Nuclear Scientists and was pushing it to stop.

The Mossad, Israel’s renowned spy agency, is said to conduct the assassinations in an attempt to stop Iran or slow down the development of Nuclear Weapons in Iran.  At least five nuclear scientists have been assassinated in Iran, mostly with car bombs.

According to the CBS report, the Mossad had admitted that the assassination campaign had become too dangerous for its spies. This comes as the U.S tries to reach a nuclear deal with the Iranian government. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Sunday, January 04, 2015

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Top 10 New Year Resolutions for 2015

It’s not easy to rank New Year resolutions. Why?  Because individuals are unique to their habits, experiences and desires – which are then used to inform decisions, choices and resolutions taken. Consequently, any resolution is important as it reflects an individual’s circumstances and, most importantly, the desire to change things for the better.

 Nevertheless, there are habits and conditions in life which similarly affect millions or perhaps billions of people. For instance, most people desires to have a better job or more money. As Aristotle put it, it’s the nature of desire not to be satisfied and most people just live for the gratification of it. Simply put, it’s not strange that two people, one earning $100 a month and the other earning $100,000 a month, all want a better paying job in 2015. 

Without wasting much of your time KEKneejerk will rank the top 10 resolutions based on perceived importance or impact on humanity. If any of them reflects exactly what you feel you should do for yourself then go ahead and note it down in the first pages of your 2015 diary.

1. Volunteer personal time and effort to help others
2. Quit smoking, and other drug abuse
3. Quit drinking or drink less
4. Start investing for the future
5. Spend wisely
6. Be honest and true to others
7. Play active role in controlling stress, bad feelings, and reaction to negativity
8. Lose weight
9. Start exercising regularly
10. Start eating healthy foods

By: Sheriff Mako On Friday, January 02, 2015

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Tweets that Defined the Outcome of KOT Vs. South Africa Twitter War

Kenyans on Twitter (KOT)

Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) are an emerging voice and defender of the interests of Kenya. In June 2012, CNN warned surfers to be aware of KOT, terming it “an influential and vocal group on Twitter, using common hashtag and blazing keyboards to ensure their African country is discussed fairly and with respect”.  A few months down the line, the same CNN was forced to apologize after finding itself on the wrong side of KOT.

 In a period of about six years, KOT has expanded tremendously and reaffirmed its resolve to defend Kenya against whoever and whatever – be it other countries, unfair reporting, parliamentarians, incompetent cabinet secretaries – and push for courses that are seen to be important or beneficial to Kenyans. Activists are now using KOT to spread their message and gain support.

In 2013 court mercilessly crushed helpless opponents including Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria reminding them to respect KOT because it rules Africa. Call it trivial or petty, but be sure KOT will never stop until an opponent is beaten properly. However, most of the tweets are usually humorous.

There is no doubt that KOT is the most dangerous Cybergang on the continent, if not the world, having beaten two worthy opponents in 2014 and 2013 – Nigeria and South Africa.

KOT vs. South Africa

The KOT vs South Africa duel on Twitter was sparked after South Africa’s Sport and Recreation Minister, Fikile Mbalula made an off-topic comment that South Africa would not be like Kenya and send athletes to the Olympics to “drown in the pool”.  Here how KOT responded. The hashtag used here was #SomeoneTellSouthAfrica.

Don't forget to share on your favorite social media!

By: Sheriff Mako On Monday, December 29, 2014

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Colorado: The Pot Smoker’s Paradise

In November 2012, Colorado enacted the Colorado Amendment 64 which allowed adults aged 21 and above to grow , legally possess marijuana while on the move within the state, and even give some as gift to other adults aged 21 and above. The consumption is basically controlled the same way as alcohol. 

 Several bills implementing the Amendment 64 were signed into law in May, 2013, and by September the same year, the Revenue Department had adopted regulations for recreational marijuana and implemented the retail Code for pot to be used across the state.

The first Marijuana store opened in January and tourists began to flock in almost immediately, prompting the state to post more police in Denver and limit the use of the spiritual herb in ski resorts.  Anyone in Colorado and aged 21 and above (resident or not) has a constitutional right to consume cannabis, and as things stand now – it’s a booming business.

Colorado is experiencing a record number of ski visits, thanks to the marijuana incentive. According to industry insiders, the numbers shot to ski arrivals stood at 12.6 million in the 2013-2014 season, a 10% rise from the previous season.

While it’s prohibited to smoke marijuana in hotels and ski resorts, there are “420-friendly” lodgings that allow tourists to puff away their weed. Many music venues and bars also allow outdoor smoking within their compounds.  

There are tens of marijuana dispensaries catering to the needs of the booming tourism. Charter buses are arriving from neighboring states. People are arriving from as far as Japan and Saudi Arabia to experience how it feels to smoke legal weed.

Consumption and Revenues up

The consumption of marijuana is on a steady climb in Colorado and so are the tax revenues collected from sales. In August 2014, pot worth $34 million was sold, with $3.4 going straight to the taxman. It is estimated that the state will make up to $ 30 million this year alone.

Crime rate goes down

It’s not only business and tourism that have improved, what has baffled many is the fact that crime rates have gone down in Colorado since pot was legalized. Crime rates have dropped by an impressive 15% while murder has dropped by 42%. These findings are likely to spur debate and calls for marijuana legalization in other parts of the States, and the world as whole.

There seem to be a connection between the legal status of marijuana and the effect on individuals or society. Psychologists should help here.

By: Sheriff Mako On Monday, December 29, 2014

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Doping Allegations Unlikely to Dim Kenya’s Long Distance Running Prowess

Rita Jeptoo

The Kenyan populace have been subjected to an upsetting Christmas treat, thanks to the revelation that some of the country’s priced, world-beating athletes, might be involved in doping.

This bad dream is first becoming a reality, particularly after the country’s cherished, three-time Boston Marathon and two-time Chicago Marathon winner, Rita Jeptoo failed her B sample. The Kenyan empress failed her first sample sometimes in September, during an out-of-competition test by the country’s very own athletics federation.

This prompted the sending of her B sample to the World Ant-Doping Agency Lab in Lausanne, Switzerland – and the sad “failed” results for that sample were announced on Friday 26^th  by none other than Isaiah Kiplagat himself.  She tested positive for the blood booster EPO and the hearing for the case is expected to take place sometimes in January.

There are fears that many more athletes might be involved and we are keeping our fingers crossed. The situation is as bad as it should get, otherwise it will be truly a bad thing for Kenya – a globally respected leader in long distance runnig– to be implicated in doping (something we can do without and still bring gold medals).

What is particularly annoying in the whole debacle is the emerging impression that majority of the previously implicated athletes were sweet-talked into using the banned substances. 

Though the local athletics body has suspended more than 32 athletes for doping in the past 5 years, Rita Jeptoo is the only high profile athlete who has failed the doping test. Jeptoo was due to be crowned as the winner of the World Marathon Majors when it was revealed that she had failed the initial test in September. The announcement cost her $500,000 which she was to pocket after the crowning.

Kenya has dominated long distance running for decades, however, cases of doping started to make news 2012 when Mathew Kisorio tested positive during Olympic trials and, allegedly told a German documentary that doping was widely practiced in Kenya. He is purported to have said that “everyone told me that I wasn’t the only one”, adding that “when you run, you run so smooth”.

Since then Athletics Kenya has done all within its powers to try and arrest doping among athletes in Kenya. The Kenyan government is also said to be working on laws to punish individuals who are supplying athletes with drugs.

Will this dampen Kenya’s unparalleled grip on long distance running?

The answer is a firm NO!

Whereas the number of implicated runners is still too small for anyone to use it in spewing widespread condemnation of the Kenyan running fraternity, there are signs that it could be used to put Kenya’s dominance into question.  Nonetheless, we are certain the dust will settle as fast as it has risen.

The confidence exuded here stems from the well-known fact that Kenya doesn’t rely on blood Booster EPO or other banned substances to produce champions.

Anyone with information on how Kenya gets most of its runners knows too well that our athletes are naturally superb and will still outrun the majority, if not all athletes from other countries even after doping is completely brought under control.

 Here is a small secret I thought you should know

Up to 99% of Kenya’s long distance world beaters come from a small village called Iten. Like you my friend, Kenyans can’t stop wondering what is so special with Iten.  However, what we are sure of is that Iten will continue doing its magic in producing the huge chunk of Kenya’s world beating runners for a long time to come.

By: Sheriff Mako On Saturday, December 27, 2014

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Cyber-security Experts Humiliate the FBI for its claim that North Korea Hacked Sony Pictures

World News -- Last week, the FBI announced that it had gathered conclusive evidence to prove that the Government of North Korea had orchestrated the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures. This was followed by a verbal attack by president Obama who promised a “proportional response”.

 In an almost immediate response, North Korea issued strong statement denying the allegations that it had been involved in the Sony attack and demanded an apology from the United States. Then a few hours later, something happened -- North Korea lost its connection to the web, an incident suspected to have been orchestrated by the U.S in response to the Sony attack or a preemptive move by Pyongyang to forestall a U.S attack.

Leading experts in cybersecurity are now claiming that the FBI’s findings were unsubstantial.  The weakness in FBI’s evidence is best articulated by Marc Rogers in his article published in The Daily Beast.

The satirical movie “The Interview” was due to be released on Christmas and revolves around a plot to murder Kim Jong-Un, and thus North Korea would be interested in hacking Sony to prevent the release of the movie.

According to Marc Rogers, “the Director of security operations for DEF CON, the world’s largest hacker conference, and the principal security researcher for global CDN and DNS provider Cloudflare”, the 2014 Sony attack is likely to be work of a disgruntled employee who was due to be laid off.  In his article, Rogers tares down all the evidence provided by the FBI.

 First, he points out that the FBI’s finding that the Malware was similar to others used by North Korea is not a “remotely plausible evidence” that the attack was orchestrated by the DPRK.
By stating that, the FBI was more likely referring to Shamoon and DarkSeoul, malwares which were thought to have been launched by North Korea – findings which were also disputed by Rogers and other security experts.

He also discredited the second piece of evidence presented by the FBI and which referred to the “significant overlap between the infrastructure used in this attack and other malicious cyber activity the U.S. government has previously linked directly to North Korea.”

According to Rogers, just because an IP address has previously been used for Cybercrime activities it does not mean that the IP will always be linked to future cybercrime activities associated with it. Security experts understand that IP addresses can be permanent, however, at other times “IPs can last just a few seconds.”

 The FBI should therefore have focused on the server rather than the IP address.
The IPs found in the Malware code were all, except one, public proxies and they have all been used by “malware operators in the past”.

According to Rogers, cybercriminals routinely use proxies to conceal their identities. Therefore, the FBI can’t use that to blame North Korea for the Sony attack.
Here is a brief of the evidence produced by Rogers and other experts to prove that North Korea did NOT hack Sony.

1. The anti-North Korean bias of the movie was only brought up after the media highlighted that. The hackers never mentioned the film right from the start of the hacking activity. 
2. They dumped the data rather than use it, North Korea would have used it for propaganda or otherwise. This points to the fact that whoever hacked Sony was only interested in humiliating it. 
3. Blaming North Korea was an easier escape for the real people who orchestrated the hack or who provided the means through which it was facilitated. 
4. Blaming North Korea is also convenient for the U.S government. According to Rogers, “It’s the perfect excuse to push through whatever new, strong, cyber-laws they feel are appropriate, safe in the knowledge that an outraged public is fairly likely to support them.”
5. The last bit of evidence is particularly interesting. According to Marc Rogers, “The Hard-coded paths and passwords found in the malware shows that whoever wrote the code had extensive knowledge of Sony’s internal architecture and access to key passwords.”

There is information that Sony was planning massive layoffs and the hacking could be better blamed on a disgruntled employee rather than the DPRK.

Rogers ends his article by stating that: I am no fan of the North Korean regime. However I believe that calling out a foreign nation over a cybercrime of this magnitude should never have been undertaken on such weak evidence. The evidence used to attribute a nation state in such a case should be solid enough that it would be both admissible and effective in a court of law. As it stands, I do not believe we are anywhere close to meeting that standard.

Photo Credit:Stefan Krasowski

By: Sheriff Mako On Saturday, December 27, 2014

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Court Authorizes Life Support to be Taken off a Pregnant Brain Dead Irish Woman

Word News -- A young pregnant woman who has been clinically dead for three weeks now will be taken off life support after a three-judge bench found that there was no chance of giving birth to a live baby.

The brain dead woman has been deteriorating fast and, according to the court, “the prospect for the unborn is nothing but distress and death.” Conor Dignam SC and Cormac Corrigan SC, representing the interest of the unborn and the woman, respectively, told the court they will not appeal the ruling.

The woman in question is 18 weeks pregnant and was 15 weeks into gestation when doctors declared her clinically dead on 3^rd of December in Dublin Hospital.  Her condition was occasioned by a brain injury she suffered at another hospital just outside Dublin on November 29^th.  She had been admitted at the hospital after checking in for severe headaches.

Doctors at the Dublin hospital were concerned about the legal implications of her pregnancy, arising from the legal provision to maintain the right to life of the unborn and, therefore, had placed her on somatic life support treatment.

Her father, her partner and the extended family made an application to the court seeking orders to stop the somatic life support in order for them to accord her a dignified burial. Her father cited how distressed her eldest daughter had been when she visited her mother.

During the case, seven doctors provided evidence to the court and none of them expressed the need to continue treatment or if there was any chance of the baby being born alive if the treatment continued. The court was informed of how her condition was fast deteriorating--She had an open wound on the head, with infections and a rotting brain.

The court based its decision on prevailing medical evidence that shows poorer prognosis of the unborn child if the mother suffers brain death in early gestation. Thus the court was satisfied that it was in the best interest of the unborn child to authorize the withdrawal of life support in this “tragic and unfortunate” case. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Saturday, December 27, 2014

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North Korea went offline in a Suspected U.S Payback for Sony Attack

World News – According to the New York Times, North Korea lost it’s already struggling internet connection.  While this could be as a result of a normal failure – or Pyongyang’s preemptive measure to forestall an impeding attack – there are chances that this was U.S sponsored DDOS attack.

 The attack happened on Monday, hours after President Obama’s declaration that the U.S would take a “proportional response” to the “cybervandalism” orchestrated against Sony Pictures.

The internet connection in North Korea began to slow down over the weekend as its officials denied role in Sony attack and demanded to be part of the investigation on the incident – a request that was flatly rejected by the U.S.  By Monday, Internet connection had completely failed.

U.S officials who are actively pursuing ways of preventing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)  from sending malicious codes to other countries, including discussions with the China (provides telecommunications connections to North Korea), declined to talk about the monday failure.

Marie Harf, a State Department spokeswoman, said on Monday, “We aren’t going to discuss, you know, publicly operational details about the possible response options”.  “As we implement our responses, some will be seen, some may not be seen,” she added.

It is not clear whether the connection had been overloaded, cut, or attacked.  Experts caution that there could be many possibilities including an attempt by Pyongyang to prevent an attack by taking systems offline.

According to Chris Nicholson, Akamai’s spokesperson, it is particularly hard to pinpoint the problem given official internet protocol addresses in DPRK only stand at 1,024, thus only giving a trickle of information. In comparison the United States has billions of addresses.

By Tuesday morning, the few connections available to outside world, which are only accessed by the military and the elite, were still offline.  However, a few connections began to comeback, after more than 10 hours of internet blackout.

North Korea’s connections to the outside world are provided by the State run Star Joint Ventures, and almost all of them are run through China. Experts are also looking at a possibility where China simply cut off its stubborn neighbor.

Internet connection to the DPRK begun to wobble on Friday, with experts alleging a DDOS attack (distribution of denial of service, in which attackers flood a network with traffic until it collapses under load). If the attack is American in origin, then this would be a rare instance in which the U.S disables another nation’s internet connection.

Documents released by Snowden shows that the U.S has placed “implants” on strategic places around the world, including network connections to specific computers.

The spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, said it was very early to know if the Sony attack originated from North Korea but reaffirmed China’s strong opposition to cyberattacks and cyberterrorism.

 Photo Credit:José Fernandes Jr

By: Sheriff Mako On Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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President Zuma ‘off the hook’ for Lavish Spending on Home Security Upgrades

President Jacob Zuma: File/photo

Africa News – South African President, Jacob Zuma, says he has been cleared from accusations blaming him for the lavish R250 million (about $22 Million) in security upgrades at his Nkandla homestead. 

The escalation of costs in Zuma’s home security upgrades have turned into a major controversy of his presidency.

In a recorded interview with SABC, Zuma specified that all the three reports that looked into the matter did not find any wrong doing on his part.

Referring to himself in third person, President Zuma said “The reality is, the president did absolutely nothing wrong”. “There is not a single one (report) that found anything wrong that the president had doene”, he continued.

According to him, even the report done by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had not found any fault in him.

The Madonsela report indicated that President Zuma and his family had unduly benefited from some of the upgrades conducted at his home, suggesting that he should personally pay back some money.

In response to that, he said “But the president did ask for any benefits from anyone”.

At the time of the interview with SABC, Zuma was still awaiting report from a committee that was set to look into Madonsela’s report before deciding on the next step.

It emerged that the security upgrades at the President’s home included a pool (referred to as the firepool), a chicken run, and an amphitheater. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Monday, December 22, 2014

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Unidentified Drone Seen Flying over Nuclear Facilities in Belgium

Doel Nuclear Plant. Photo Credit: Woodwalker Via Wikimedia

World  News --The Belga news agency reported on unexplained drone that was spotted flying over Belgium’s nuclear facility, one day after the facility was restored after being shut for four months.

The mysterious unmanned aircraft appeared on Saturday, and resembles similar sightings over nuclear facilities in France. The Belgium authorities have refused to provide further details on the occurrence.

Since October, France has recorded over 20 mysterious drones flying over its nuclear plants.

"We can confirm that the East Flanders prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into a drone flight over the Doel nuclear plant," said a spokesman for investigations on the incident.

“"We will not provide further information for the time being," the spokesman told Belga news agency.

The expansive Doel nuclear plant is located on a riverbank near the North Sea approximately 25 Kilometers north of Antwerp. The plant holds four of the seven nuclear reactors in Belgium.

One of the four reactors was halted in August following a leak that happened due to tampering, which caused 65,000 liters of lubricant to leak. 

This caused severe damage to a 1700 ton steam turbine, and this necessitated repairs. The repair work was done in Germany at a cost of $45 million.

Belgian investigators are considering the sabotage as an act of terrorism. This revelation comes hot on the heels of the Sony attack, an incident which made world news.

There seems to be a change of tactic in settling scores between unfriendly nations.

By: Sheriff Mako On Monday, December 22, 2014

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Shock as the shooting of NYPD police officers is praised on Social Media

Crime scene

World News -- Two NYPD officers dressed in civilian clothes were shot dead on Saturday afternoon as they sat in a police car along a Brooklyn street corner. Investigations allege that the shooter was avenging the shootings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The two killed officers were identified as Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, turned the gun on himself as police officers closed in on him.

 Murdered NYPD officers: Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos

According to witness accounts, Brinsley advanced towards the Police vehicle and shot the occupants in the head from the front passenger window without uttering a word. He then stood there for a moment before bolting into the subway when he heard sirens from an approaching second police car.

It is alleged that Brinsley was a fugitive who had killed his girlfriend in Baltmore on Saturday morning.

Suspected Shooter: Ismaaiyl Brinsley

Just three hours before the shooting, a person believed to be the shooter posted a message on Instagram. “I’m Putting Wings on Pigs Today. They Take 1 Of ours… Let’s Take 2 of Theirs, This May Be My Final Post”, read the message.  Three hashtags were used in the post – #ShootThePolice, with two others referring to Garner and Brown.

There are tensions within the NYPD due to fears that many people may want to copy, particularly when the social media response from the antipolice community is considered. On Friday night a #ThankYouNYPD rally was outnumbered and taunted by an opposing police group protesting police killings.

Praises on Twitter and Facebook

The antipolice hailed praises on Brinsley, some terming him a legend. Sample these tweets:

Brandon: Guess NYPD can’t breath after all

Fuck The Police: KARMA came around for the #NYPD sad but true

Britta: I truly don’t care that cops just got shot in the head in NYC. It’ll take drastic measures to change a racist nation that murders its citizens

Vintage Honey: *sips ice cold lemonade* RT“@radicalhearts: -Reads the news about the two cops in Brooklyn.- ... So... Anyone care for a glass of lemonade?”

Dan Anson Handsome: BREAKING: NYPD gets what they deserve

BEEday: I read the Story. Really don’t care about those two cops dying. Moving along.

Browniee: I Couldn’t care less about those cops though.. to be completely honest. I can’t even pretend to.

HalfAve: That nigga that shot the cops is a legend

Binder fulla thots: How could you not predict cops getting shot doe. They are literally killing lack and brown folks for any and every reason EXECUTION style.

International Hoev: I really hope them cops ain’t get shot for something criminal..it would send a greater message if they got it for just being cops

#SIXBURGHSTEELERS: @_solssss: Niggas doing SHOUTOUTS on FB to the guy that shot the cops. I’m scrolling down my TL like”.

666: “@nypost: BREAKING: Two police officers shot in the head in Brooklyn, both critically injured. Story to come.” I’m glad fuck cops!

Sean Paul Gaulteir: Shouts out to whoever shot those two cops in the head in bk #RNI.

Lord Finesse: Nigga who shot them cops took one for the team. Salute

Marie: Am I the only one happy about this breaking new 2 cops getting shot

Looks like the old wise United States got a really problem at home in this developing world news.

By: Sheriff Mako On Sunday, December 21, 2014

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ISIS Executes 100 Foreign Fighters Who Tried To Quit

Foreign ISIS fighter: AP Photo

World News -- According to the British Financial Times Newspaper, ISIS executed 100 of foreign fighters who tried to leave the group’s headquarters in Raqqa, Syria.  An activist opposed to ISIS and the Assad regime confirmed the executions of foreign fighters trying to escape the group’s capital.

ISIS has created a military police wing to deal with foreign fighters who declined to report on duty.  Tens of homes have already been raided and dozens of jihadists arrested.

Many foreign jihadists who were eager to join the group are now coming to the reality of fighting for a terrorist outfit.  In October, the British press reported that 5 Britons, 3 French, 2 Belgians and 2 Germans wanted to go back home after they realized that they were fighting against other rebel groups other than Assad’s government. They were being held as prisoners at that time and it’s not clear if they were part of those executed.

The International Center for the Study of Radicalization at the London’s King’s College reports that there are between 30 and 50 Britons who want to go back home but fear being jailed. Group

The extremist group has lost considerable ground since coalition forces, led by the United States, launched airstrikes against it. The past few weeks have been particularly bad for ISIS.

On Thursday, Iraq Kurds reported to have pushed back ISIS and liberated Mount Sinjar where Yazidi fighters and civilians had been trapped by the extremists for a month.  The Kurdish forces have stepped up their operation in a bid to take back Swathes of land taken by the ISIS.

The pentagon has also reported killing several ISIS leaders in airstrikes.

 ISIS has made world news in the last few months and looked unstoppable slightly more than a month ago, but now their momentum has weakened significantly as it loses many fighters coupled with a decreasing ability to attract new ones. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Sunday, December 21, 2014

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According to UAC, Russia has surged ahead of the U.S in the production of new military planes

World News -- Reports running in the Russian media indicates that Russia might have surpassed the U.S in the production of new combat planes. During an interview with Ekho Moskvy Radio, Vladislav Goncharenko, a deputy in the department of military aviation programs at the United Aircraft-Building Corporation (UAC), stated that Russia has overtaken the United States in the number of combat planes produced.

The UAC delivered 68 planes in 2013, however, the figures have risen to 100 in 2014, 95 of which are combat planes for the Russian Air Force.

In addition to the production of new planes, UAC subsidiaries (Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Ilyushin, Tupolev, Yakovlev and Beriev) are modernizing existing aircraft and developing new weapon systems.

Though there are no corresponding numbers on the U.S side to validate the claim, the staggering number of planes added to the frontline units of the Russian Air force is a clear indication of Moscow’s resolve to maintain its global military influence.  It’s clear that U.S technology will remain ahead of Russia’s for years to come, however, military strategists know that quantity rather than quality can prove to be decisive in war.

Russia has also equipped the PAK-FA T 50 prototypes with Himalayas EW defense systems to enhance jamming resistance and gain self-protection capabilities. The first PAK-FA 5^th generation stealth aircraft should be delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2016. While reconnaissance and combat drones will be operational by 2018. UAC is also conducting major studies on 6^th generation aircraft. 
Military rivalry between the two nations have made world news for centuries.

Photo credit: Dmitry Terekhov via photopin cc

By: Sheriff Mako On Saturday, December 20, 2014

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