Uruguay cannabis growers' clubs: Registration begins

 

 

Juan Manuel, owner of the first shop dedicated to cannabis merchandising in Montevideo, rolls a joint

Uruguay has started registering cannabis growers' clubs as part of the government's plan to legalise the drug.

Licensed clubs of up to 45 members will be allowed to grow a maximum of 99 plants each year.
In August, growing up to six plants of cannabis at home became legal.
Uruguay legalised the production and sale of cannabis last December and the government hopes to sell it from pharmacies in the new year.

 

 

A man waits to register at the post office. The new law allowed citizens and legal residents of Uruguay to register to legally grow marijuana at home, with a limit of six plants per home and 480 grams per year.

Under the legislation, each club member can produce no more than 480g of cannabis home each year and the club's growing fields cannot be within 150m of a school, college or a drug rehabilitation centre.
Legalising cannabis has been a sensitive issue in Uruguay, where voters will be going to the polls in a second round of presidential elections on 30 November.
Both presidential candidates have said they will tinker with the new laws if elected.
The legislation has been the brainchild of the outgoing and outspoken President Jose Mujica, who has argued that if the state controls the growth and sale of cannabis production, it can weaken and disarm an illegal drug trade which damages lives across Latin America.
The government estimates there are 150,000 frequent users of cannabis in Uruguay.

Boko Haram denies ceasefire claim by Nigeria's government

 

 

 The video released on Friday was Boko Haram's first statement after the government announced a ceasefire

Boko Haram has denied claims by Nigeria's government that it has agreed to a ceasefire and will release more than 200 abducted schoolgirls.

The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls had converted to Islam and been married off since being taken.
Nigeria's army announced a ceasefire with the militants on 17 October, saying the girls would soon be freed.
But violence has continued since news of the alleged truce, including a fatal bomb blast on Friday.
Boko Haram has been fighting an insurgency since 2009, with some 2,000 civilians reportedly killed this year.
'We will not negotiate'
In a video released on Friday, Abubakar Shekau said: "We have not made ceasefire with anyone. We did not negotiate with anyone. It's a lie.
"We will not negotiate. What is our business with negotiation? Allah said we should not."
Shekau also claimed that the militants were holding a German national, thought to be a teacher, who was kidnapped by gunmen in July.
There was no indication of when or where the group's latest video was shot.
The BBC's Tomi Oladipo in Lagos says the video will come as a huge embarrassment for the Nigerian government after it said it had secured a ceasefire with Boko Haram.

 

News of the government supposedly sealing a truce with Boko Haram made the front pages

The Islamist militants sparked global outrage in April by abducting 219 schoolgirls from the remote north-eastern town of Chibok, in Borno state.
Their continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government's efforts to secure their release.
Hopes were raised earlier this month when Nigeria's chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh, announced a truce with the group.
"They've assured us they have the girls and they will release them," he said. "I am cautiously optimistic."
But the Boko Haram leader said the girls were "in their marital homes" after being married off by the group.
Last week, Human Rights Watch said in a report that Boko Haram was holding more than 500 women and young girls captive and that forced marriage was common in the group's camps.

Senzo Meyiwa: Crowds gather for S African footballer's funeral

Tom Burridge is at Moses Mabhida Stadium where thousands have gathered

Tens of thousands of people are attending the funeral of South African football captain Senzo Meyiwa in Durban.Meyiwa, 27, was shot on Sunday, apparently after burglars entered his girlfriend's house near Johannesburg.

A suspect appeared in court on Friday and was charged with the murder of the popular goalkeeper.
Meyiwa's death shocked South Africa and has highlighted the high rates of violent crime in the country.
The funeral is taking place at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Meyiwa's hometown of Durban.

Senzo Meyiwa was seen as an inspiration to many South Africans

Many of the mourners are wearing T-shirts with a picture of Meyiwa, who was widely seen as an inspiring figure.
The funeral of another South African sporting hero, former 800m world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, will also take place on Saturday.
Mulaudzi was killed in a car accident the day before Meyiwa's death.
Flags at half-mast
President Zuma ordered the national flag to be flown at half-mast on Saturday to honour the goalkeeper.
South Africa's domestic football league postponed a match between Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs after the death of Meyiwa.

Senzo Meyiwa was South Africa's captain and goalkeeper

Authorities also announced that the South African national team would play their next Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan in Durban.
Police said on Friday that a suspect had been identified in Meyiwa's killing after an identity parade.
The man, named as Zanokuhle Mbatha, 25, faced charges of murder and armed robbery at a court hearing and is due to appear again on 11 November. Police had offered a reward for information on the attack.
"There are still other suspects outstanding and we appeal to the public to continue providing information in support of the investigation," a police statement said.

 

President Jacob Zuma (L), pictured here with Meyiwa in 2013, said words could not express the nation's shock

Satellites The Latest Weapon Against Ebola

Technology built in the UK is being used to map the spread of the disease and help aid workers plan the location of key resources.

With the deadly Ebola virus spreading fast on the ground in West Africa, the fight to tackle the outbreak has taken to the skies.

For the first time UK satellites are now being used to help respond to the disease after they were activated by the International Charter for Space and Major Disaster.
Business Secretary Vince Cable visited Surrey Satellites Technology, near Guildford, which has been building satellites for more than 30 years and is heavily involved with this new mission.
He said: "This is a massively impressive, sophisticated facility that puts Britain very much at the head of work on animal diseases and animal viruses in particular.
"This is a centre that goes back a hundred years, it has proven itself in the past."

It is the first time UK satellites have been used to respond to a disease

Surrey Satellites Technology was involved in fighting the outbreak of bluetongue among livestock, and Mr Cable said it helped to save the UK £500m.
A total of five satellites built at Surrey are currently in orbit and being used to map areas of West Africa.
Currently humanitarian organisations have to rely on inaccurate information or maps that are out of date.
Satellite images will be able to focus on the epidemic in Sierra Leone, for example, pinpointing areas which have been infected, places where people can get help or even highlighting the best routes to evacuate people.
Matt Goodman, head of communications at the UK Space Agency, said: "We are not quite sure exactly how all this is going to work, but we're testing out as much as we can and providing data to teams who maybe are working off local maps that are decades old.
"The unique vantage point of space gives us the opportunity to provide them maps of urban sprawl, or infrastructure, and the valuable things that they will need to know to plan evacuation routes and to site recovery hospitals."
This is the first time satellites have been used to help respond to cases of disease.
Steven Young, of Surrey Satellite Technology, said: "Typically they are used for things like flooding, earthquakes forest fires and so on.
"This is the first time the charter has been activated to use satellite imagery to look at the spread and how do we cope with disease."
If this mission proves successful, experts say satellites could be used more in the future to tackle public health emergencies.
The next generation of satellites is already being built and will give higher resolution and more precise images of currently unmapped areas.

Terror Warning: Brits Not Safe Anywhere In World

Foreign Office urges Britons to be "vigilant" abroad, as they may be targeted by terrorists in revenge for airstrikes against IS.

A worldwide travel warning has been issued by the Foreign Office, amid fears that Britons flying abroad could be targeted in terrorist attacks.

The Government has updated its travel advice for 225 countries and territories to reflect a "generalised threat" that extremists will seek revenge for Britain's involvement in airstrikes against Islamic State.
On Friday night, the Foreign Office warned: "There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attacks globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. You should be vigilant at this time."
However, it stressed that the updated advice was not in response to a specific attack.
In August, Home Secretary Theresa May announced that the UK's terror threat level was to be raised to "severe", which means that acts of terrorism are "highly likely".
At present, the Foreign Office is advising against all travel to five provinces in Iraq – including Anbar and Kirkuk. It has urged Britons to travel to other regions in the country only if it is absolutely necessary.
The FCO is also compelling British nationals to avoid Syria in its entirety, while urging anyone currently there to "leave now by any practical means".
In Turkey, visitors are recommended to stay at least 10km away from its border with Syria, as IS militants and Kurdish troops continue to battle for control of Kobani.

Third Washington School Shooting Victim Dies

Flowers on a fence outside Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington

A third schoolgirl who was critically injured when a gunman opened fire inside a Washington state high school has died.

Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, died at Providence Regional Medical Centre from injuries suffered in the 24 October shooting.
The hospital said in a statement: "Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, known affectionately as Shay to her family and friends, passed away at Providence Regional Medical Centre as a result of severe injuries from last Friday's school shooting."
The schoolgirl's family say they are heartbroken by her death.
"Our hearts are broken at the passing of our beautiful daughter," they said in a statement.

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"In Shay's short life she has been a radiant light bringing us incredible joy and happiness."
Jaylen Fryberg, a popular 15-year-old football player, opened fire with a .40 calibre Beretta at the table where two of his cousins and three close friends were gathered at the school.
He died from a fatal gunshot wound.
The shooter had arranged the meeting by text message, police said.

 

 

Fellow student Gia Soriana, 14, died in hospital last Sunday from her injuries, and another girl - who has not been formally identified - died at the scene of the shooting.
Two cousins of the gunman, Nate Hatch, 14, and 15-year-old Andrew Fryberg, remain in hospital.
The gunman's motives remain unclear, but some students hinted at a recent row over a girl as a possible lead-up to the attack.

Two Soldiers Fight For Burkina Faso Presidency

A leadership crisis emerges in the African nation, as two army officials claim they are the sole successor of ousted president.

Doubt has emerged over who is leading Burkina Faso, after a second soldier announced that he was replacing Blaise Compaore, the impoverished nation's long-serving president.

Gen Honore Traore, the joint chief of staff, had declared he was taking charge at a packed press conference on Friday – sparking renewed protests and sending him into hiding.
His standing is now being threatened by Col Issaac Zida, who has confirmed that he will serve as acting leader because his rival's bid was null and void.

Col Issaac Zida has said his rival's presidential bid is 'null and void'

In a televised address, the colonel said that the nation's borders had been closed and its constitution suspended indefinitely.
Compaore had demanded presidential elections commence within 90 days, but Zida is yet to confirm when a vote will take place.
"I salute the memory of the martyrs of this uprising and bow to the sacrifices made by our people," the soldier said.
"This is not a coup d'etat but a popular uprising. The people have hopes and expectations, and we believe we have understood them."

Gen Honore Traore first declared he was leader, but hasn't re-emerged since

Compaore, who was Burkina Faso's president since 1987, had been seeking to secure a fifth term as leader. In mass protests outside parliament, dozens of demonstrators were shot and three people were killed.
Protesters cheered as they heard news of his resignation on their handheld radios.
"This is a new revolution and a chance to get it right," one shopkeeper said. "At least tomorrow, we are not going to wake up with the same face of the same president."
One law student referred to Compaore's departure as the start of a "sub-Saharan Spring", and insisted that the movement "must continue with all the presidents who are trying to hang on to power in Africa".
According to Zida, Compaore has been "in a safe place" since he left office, but his exact location remains unknown.

Blaise Compaore had been Burkina Faso's president since 1987

The uncertain situation in Burkina Faso is being monitored closely by the US and France, which have become close military allies of the nation in recent years.
Ranked 183rd out of the 186 countries on the UN human development index, poverty is endemic amongst Burkina Faso's 18 million people. Its economic prosperity fluctuates wildly, as it hinges upon gold and cotton prices.