Shaima Jastaina was sentenced to be lashed 10 times after being found guilty of driving a car without permission A Saudi woman sentenced to be lashed 10 times for defying the country’s ban on female drivers has had her punishment overturned by the king. The woman, named as Shaima Jastaina and believed to be in her 30s, was found guilty of driving without permission in Jeddah in July. Her case was the first in which a legal punishment was handed down for a violation of the ban in the ultraconservative Muslim nation. Although there has been no official confirmation of the ruling, Princess Amira al-Taweel, wife of the Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, tweeted: “Thank God, the lashing of [Shaima] is cancelled. Thanks to our beloved king. I am sure all Saudi women will be so happy, I know I am.” She later added that she and her husband had spoken to Shaima, who told them: “The king’s orders washed the fears I lived with after this unjust sentence.” Jastaina was sentenced on Monday — a day after King Abdullah promised to protect women’s rights and said women would be allowed to participate in municipal elections in 2015 . He also promised to appoint women to the all-male Shura council advisory body. The moves underline the challenge facing Abdullah , known as a reformer, as he pushes gently for change while trying not to antagonise the powerful clergy and a conservative segment of the population. Although there are no written laws that restrict women from driving, the prohibition is rooted in conservative traditions and religious views that hold that giving freedom of movement to women would make them vulnerable to sins. Police usually stop female drivers, question them and let them go after they sign a pledge not to drive again. But dozens of women have continued to take to the roads since June in a campaign to break the taboo. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300-$400 (£190-£255) a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them. Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Middle East Women Sam Jones guardian.co.uk
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Crucial test for Angela Merkel as the Bundestag decides whether to approve extending the powers of the European Financial Stability Facility 8.09am: As forecast, shares have fallen back in early trading. The FTSE 100 dropped 40 points, or 0.7%, at the open – with all the major European indexes falling by a similar amount. So, traders will probably be marking time while they await events in the Bundestag. 8.00am: The German debate is just about to start. The Bundestag looks certain to approve enhanced powers for the eurozone’s bailout fund on Thursday, but Angela Merkel’s credibility is at stake. Will she get a convincing majority within her own coalition of Christian Democrats and Liberals – or will she scrape through with the votes of the main opposition parties, the Social Democrats and Greens? While most of Merkel’s own CDU party are toeing the party line, Horst Seehofer, the leader of its sister faction, the Bavarian CSU, is making life difficult for her. He recently disagreed with her contention that Europe would fail if the euro failed. “I don’t see the connection,” he stated bluntly. As far as the CDU goes, its chief whip, Peter Altmeier, is confident. “As a chief whip, I have to be optimistic, but so far we have managed to win every single struggle in parliament, every single vote and that is going to happen again this Thursday,” he told the BBC on Wednesday. You can watch the German debate live here 7.49am: City traders believe the stock markets will lose ground again this morning, at least until the German vote on the EFSF has been concluded. Last night the Dow Jones index fell 1.6%, after the FTSE 100 has shed 76 points. Chris Weston of IG Markets warned that: In what is becoming an increasingly common theme, investor sentiment faltered once again yesterday over the outlook for successfully navigating the eurozone debt crisis. 7.38am: Here’s a breakdown of some of the key timings today: • The Bundestag will start debating the EFSF expansion at 9am CET (8am BST) • Voting is expected to begin at 11am CET (10am BST) • The EU summit in Warsaw is taking place all day • Eurozone consumer confidence data is released at 11am CET (10am BST) • Revised US second-quarter GDP is released at 8.30am EST (1.30BST) 7.31am: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the European debt crisis. Later this morning, the German Bundestag will vote on the proposal to enlarge and extend the eurozone rescue packaga. Angela Merkel is likely to win the vote, but may lose the support of some members of her own coalition. Elsewhere, Nick Clegg will address the EU summit in Warsaw. The deputy prime minister is expected to warn that the European Union could fragment if its members fail to work together to resolve the situation. More strikes are expected in Greece, where international inspectors will begin to assess whether George Papandreou’s administration has done enough to earn the next €8bn portion of its bailout fund. European debt crisis Euro Germany Financial crisis Currencies Economics Graeme Wearden Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
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Residents flee as fighting resumes in capital, ending three-day ceasefire called by President Saleh on his return last week Heavy clashes have rocked northern neighbourhoods of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, , breaking a truce aimed at ending the worst violence since a popular revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh began eight months ago. A Reuters reporter at the scene said three areas in the north of the city had been hit by heavy shelling and there were exchanges of gunfire between government troops and armed followers of a powerful tribal leader, Sadeq al-Ahmar, who supports the opposition. Many residents fled their homes on Thursday morning as the fighting intensified, shattering three days of calm in the capital after Saleh ordered a ceasefire upon his surprise return to Yemen last week. The truce had followed more than a week of fighting when over 100 people died, raising fears the country could be dragged closer to civil war. Saleh had been recuperating in Riyadh for three months after a bomb attack in June and had been pressured by western diplomats to stay in Saudi Arabia while they struggled to push through a long-stalled power transition plan. The president has faced the biggest challenge to his 33-year rule in mass protests across the country demanding his overthrow. Powerful figures once close to Saleh have supported the protests, particularly Ahmar and General Ali Mohsen, who defected to the opposition in March. Sana’a is now carved up into areas controlled by government troops and pro-opposition forces. Ahmar’s men battled state security forces and troops from the elite republican guard, which is led by Saleh’s son. During the lull politicians and diplomats had scrambled to revive talks over a plan brokered by Gulf Arab states under which Saleh would stand down. Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Residents flee as fighting resumes in capital, ending three-day ceasefire called by President Saleh on his return last week Heavy clashes have rocked northern neighbourhoods of Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, , breaking a truce aimed at ending the worst violence since a popular revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh began eight months ago. A Reuters reporter at the scene said three areas in the north of the city had been hit by heavy shelling and there were exchanges of gunfire between government troops and armed followers of a powerful tribal leader, Sadeq al-Ahmar, who supports the opposition. Many residents fled their homes on Thursday morning as the fighting intensified, shattering three days of calm in the capital after Saleh ordered a ceasefire upon his surprise return to Yemen last week. The truce had followed more than a week of fighting when over 100 people died, raising fears the country could be dragged closer to civil war. Saleh had been recuperating in Riyadh for three months after a bomb attack in June and had been pressured by western diplomats to stay in Saudi Arabia while they struggled to push through a long-stalled power transition plan. The president has faced the biggest challenge to his 33-year rule in mass protests across the country demanding his overthrow. Powerful figures once close to Saleh have supported the protests, particularly Ahmar and General Ali Mohsen, who defected to the opposition in March. Sana’a is now carved up into areas controlled by government troops and pro-opposition forces. Ahmar’s men battled state security forces and troops from the elite republican guard, which is led by Saleh’s son. During the lull politicians and diplomats had scrambled to revive talks over a plan brokered by Gulf Arab states under which Saleh would stand down. Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East guardian.co.uk
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Report finds that delays in finding operating theatre spaces lead to deaths while only one in three receives critical aftercare Thousands of patients needing emergency surgery are having their lives put at risk by poor NHS care and delays in accessing treatment, according to a damning report. The Royal College of Surgeons study found that some patients die or suffer major complications because of delays in finding space in operating theatres. Only a minority who need critical care following surgery receive it Junior staff are often left in charge of dealing with post-surgical complications, which can rapidly lead to death if not treated promptly, the report went on. A patient’s chance of survival also varies widely between NHS hospitals, and even within the same hospital depending on the day of the week. The report calls for the NHS to improve the way it deals with this group of “forgotten” patients, who are often elderly. Some 170,000 patients have major emergency surgery each year, mostly on the abdomen. Of these, 100,000 will develop significant complications following surgery, resulting in more than 25,000 deaths. In the UK, fewer than one in three of all these patients are admitted to critical care following their surgery. Even those who are admitted only tend to stay 24 hours before enduring a longer hospital stay on other wards. The report said: “Premature discharge from critical care has been identified as an important risk factor for post-operative death, as has delayed admission to critical care.” On managing complications, the study added: “Too often the whole process is slow or inaccurate as it is complex, requires multidisciplinary input, often occurs out of hours and is initiated by junior staff.” Surgeons leading the study also pointed to “suboptimal care on general wards” as a factor in poor outcomes following surgery. Research highlighted in the report shows that the chance of a patient dying in a UK hospital is 10% higher if they are admitted at a weekend rather than during the week. “There are no evident reasons for these differences other than that care, at times, is of variable quality: a conclusion which fits with the available evidence and professional opinion,” it added. An analysis of several patients who died showed some suffered from delays in assessment, decision making and treatment. “There were shortfalls in access to theatre, radiology and critical care; surgery was suboptimally supervised in 30% of cases and there was a failure for juniors to call for help in 21% of cases,” the study went on. “Timely surgery was not carried out in 22% of patients who died.” In general, there seems to be a lack of appreciation across the NHS of the level of risk for emergency surgical patients, the report said. Death rates of 15% to 20% are typical and rise as high as 40% in the most elderly patients. But this imminent risk of death is not being reflected in the priority given to these patients, whose chances of survival can more than double, depending on which NHS hospital they are treated in. Recommendations in the study include improving access to operating theatres to overcome the fact delays are “common”. The study says hospitals should provide fast access to operating theatres within defined time periods and prioritise emergency cases over planned surgery wherever necessary. It may be that separation of planned and unplanned operations is necessary. Another recommendation is for the highest risk patients to be treated under the direct supervision of consultant surgeons, anaesthetists and intensive care staff, while more needs to be done on access to critical care. Iain Anderson, report author and consultant general surgeon at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Complications and death rates vary significantly between hospitals and even within the same hospital depending on the time of admission. “Trusts should acknowledge that these problems exist and work to review their services using this guidance.” Norman Williams, president of the RCS, said: “The focus on reducing waiting times for elective procedures has resulted in a large group, of mostly elderly patients, becoming seriously under-prioritised to the point of neglect in the some NHS hospitals. “These changes won’t happen on their own and we are calling on all surgeons and managers to work together to deliver the high quality care that these patients need and which some hospitals are already proving can be delivered.” NHS Health guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Report finds that delays in finding operating theatre spaces lead to deaths while only one in three receives critical aftercare Thousands of patients needing emergency surgery are having their lives put at risk by poor NHS care and delays in accessing treatment, according to a damning report. The Royal College of Surgeons study found that some patients die or suffer major complications because of delays in finding space in operating theatres. Only a minority who need critical care following surgery receive it Junior staff are often left in charge of dealing with post-surgical complications, which can rapidly lead to death if not treated promptly, the report went on. A patient’s chance of survival also varies widely between NHS hospitals, and even within the same hospital depending on the day of the week. The report calls for the NHS to improve the way it deals with this group of “forgotten” patients, who are often elderly. Some 170,000 patients have major emergency surgery each year, mostly on the abdomen. Of these, 100,000 will develop significant complications following surgery, resulting in more than 25,000 deaths. In the UK, fewer than one in three of all these patients are admitted to critical care following their surgery. Even those who are admitted only tend to stay 24 hours before enduring a longer hospital stay on other wards. The report said: “Premature discharge from critical care has been identified as an important risk factor for post-operative death, as has delayed admission to critical care.” On managing complications, the study added: “Too often the whole process is slow or inaccurate as it is complex, requires multidisciplinary input, often occurs out of hours and is initiated by junior staff.” Surgeons leading the study also pointed to “suboptimal care on general wards” as a factor in poor outcomes following surgery. Research highlighted in the report shows that the chance of a patient dying in a UK hospital is 10% higher if they are admitted at a weekend rather than during the week. “There are no evident reasons for these differences other than that care, at times, is of variable quality: a conclusion which fits with the available evidence and professional opinion,” it added. An analysis of several patients who died showed some suffered from delays in assessment, decision making and treatment. “There were shortfalls in access to theatre, radiology and critical care; surgery was suboptimally supervised in 30% of cases and there was a failure for juniors to call for help in 21% of cases,” the study went on. “Timely surgery was not carried out in 22% of patients who died.” In general, there seems to be a lack of appreciation across the NHS of the level of risk for emergency surgical patients, the report said. Death rates of 15% to 20% are typical and rise as high as 40% in the most elderly patients. But this imminent risk of death is not being reflected in the priority given to these patients, whose chances of survival can more than double, depending on which NHS hospital they are treated in. Recommendations in the study include improving access to operating theatres to overcome the fact delays are “common”. The study says hospitals should provide fast access to operating theatres within defined time periods and prioritise emergency cases over planned surgery wherever necessary. It may be that separation of planned and unplanned operations is necessary. Another recommendation is for the highest risk patients to be treated under the direct supervision of consultant surgeons, anaesthetists and intensive care staff, while more needs to be done on access to critical care. Iain Anderson, report author and consultant general surgeon at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Complications and death rates vary significantly between hospitals and even within the same hospital depending on the time of admission. “Trusts should acknowledge that these problems exist and work to review their services using this guidance.” Norman Williams, president of the RCS, said: “The focus on reducing waiting times for elective procedures has resulted in a large group, of mostly elderly patients, becoming seriously under-prioritised to the point of neglect in the some NHS hospitals. “These changes won’t happen on their own and we are calling on all surgeons and managers to work together to deliver the high quality care that these patients need and which some hospitals are already proving can be delivered.” NHS Health guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Saudi King Abdullah has overturned a court ruling sentencing a Saudi woman to be lashed 10 times for defying the kingdom’s ban on female drivers, a government official said today. The official declined to elaborate on the monarch’s decision. A Saudi court yesterday found Shaima Jastaina guilty of violating the…
Continue reading …There were no outbursts in Jared Lee Loughner’s first court appearance since May, but there were plenty of revelations. In a hearing centered on whether Loughner can be made competent enough to stand trial, prison psychologist Christina Pietz explained that Loughner does know he killed people in Tucson in January,…
Continue reading …A reminder to those who like to buck authority: You should at least heed warnings related to great white sharks. A 42-year-old British expat had parts of both his legs bitten off in an attack in Cape Town today, after going for a swim though shark warning flags were flying,…
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Countdown begins to lift-off of Tiangong-1, the first step towards a permanent Chinese base in orbit China has started the countdown to launch a space station module, the Tiangong-1, that is the first step in establishing a permanent manned presence in orbit above the Earth. A Long March II 2F rocket is scheduled to take off soon after 1.16pm GMT on Thursday from Jiuquan in Gansu province, carrying the laboratory to an altitude of 220 miles (350km) where it will circle the planet unmanned while its systems are tested. A crew capsule, Shenzhou 8, is to be launched unmanned in November and carry out docking tests with the Tiangong, which means “heavenly palace”. Manned missions by Chinese astronauts, known as yuhangyuans , are to begin in 2012, according to Chinese state media. A backup, Tiangong 2, has been built in case Thursday’s launch goes wrong. China’s eventual aim is to build a 60-tonne space station within 10 years – it will be about a sixth the mass of the International Space Station. The Tiangong is believed by international analysts to include docking technology based on Russian designs. Yang Liwei in 2003 became the first man put in orbit by China’s space programme, circling the Earth 14 times during 21 hours in orbit. Five others have followed him in crews of up to three at a time. The diving bell-shaped Shenzou is similar to the Russian Soyuz but as a whole the Shenzou is larger and has greater flying capabilities in orbit. China Space Warren Murray guardian.co.uk
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