Feral German child who was kept as a pet in George I’s court had Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, research into portrait suggests The condition that affected Peter the Wild Boy, a feral child found abandoned in a German forest and kept as a pet at the courts of George I and II, has been identified more than 200 years after his death. Peter’s charming smile, seen in his portrait painted in the 1720s by William Kent on the king’s grand staircase at Kensington Palace, was the vital clue. Lucy Worsley, the historian at Historic Royal Palaces who has been researching Peter’s strange life, suspected from contemporary accounts that he was autistic. She showed the portrait and gave the description of his physical characteristics and odd habits to Phil Beale, professor of genetics at the Institute of Child Health. Beale ran the symptoms through his database of chromosomal disorders, and came up with a diagnosis of Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, which was identified in 1978, centuries after Peter’s death. Its most distinctive effect is clearly shown in Peter’s portrait, his curvy Cupid’s bow lips. Other Pitt-Hopkins symptoms shared by Peter included short stature, coarse hair – the portrait shows him with a thick, curly mop – drooping eyelids and thick lips. He was also said to have two fingers fused together, which may have been clubbed fingers, also sometimes a symptom. His mental development would also have been affected. Together his symptoms explain to Worsley – who will discuss the discovery on the BBC Radio 4 Making History programme on Tuesday – how he ended up alone and naked in a forest. “Certainly this was enough to explain why he was abandoned by his family, and once captured in the forest like a wild animal, why he was thrown into the local house of correction with the vagrants and thieves,” said Worsley. “He was actually quite lucky that King George I heard about him, and summoned him to court, even though there he was treated like a performing dog rather than a damaged little boy.” Worsley uncovered Peter’s history while researching the courtiers and royal servants who appear in Kent’s wall painting at Kensington Palace for her book Courtiers, published last year. The last piece of the puzzle has been solved now. Worsley says she has been fascinated by Peter, who capered like Shakespeare’s Puck in the solemn and etiquette stifled court. The servants had difficulty persuading him to walk instead of scuttling about on hands and knees, to sleep in a bed and to wear his green suit and red socks – he was terrified when he first saw a man taking off stockings, believing he was peeling off his skin. George I gave Peter to his daughter-in-law Caroline, who was interested in science and philosophy, at a time when debate was raging about nature versus nurture, rational intelligence and the soul. He lived on at court when she became Queen. Although he was treated kindly by his guardian, the Scottish doctor John Arbuthnot – by his side in the painting – he never learned to speak more than his name, and he wore a brass collar like a slave or a dog so he could be restored to his “owners” if he wandered off. When he first came to England he was a media sensation in Georgian London, the subject of newspaper articles, poems and ballads – often satirising the extravagance and tortuous etiquette of the court. One mockingly described him as “The Most Wonderful Wonder that ever appeared to the Wonder of the British Nation”. When Jonathan Swift – suspected as co-author of the wonder pamphlet – was called to meet Caroline, he commented that since she was interested in a wild German boy, she also wanted to meet a wild Irish cleric. Peter long outlived his royal patrons, and after Caroline’s death in 1737 was sent to live on a farm in Hertfordshire owned by a retired courtier, where he lived into his 70s on a pension of £35 a year. He was buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s at Northchurch near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. His simple gravestone reads: “Peter the Wild Boy 1785″. Worsley said: “He was a famous figure in Georgian times and he hasn’t been forgotten today, people still lay flowers on his grave. “It’s hugely satisfying to winkle another secret out of the painting, which I’ve been obsessed with for some years now.” Painting Monarchy Germany Radio 4 Genetics Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
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Hip-hop star sustained wound to his hand while campaigning for one of the contenders in Sunday’s presidential vote Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean has received a gunshot wound to the hand while campaigning for a fellow performer who is running for president in Haiti . The shooting happened in the Delmas area near the capital of Port-au-Prince on Saturday night, said Joe Mignon, senior programme director for Jean’s Yele Foundation. Jean was treated at a hospital and later released, Mignon said. Jean, a native of Haiti who rocketed to fame as a member of the hip-hop trio the Fugees, is in his home country to support fellow musician and friend Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly, who is contesting a run-off vote taking place on Sunday against former first lady Mirlande Manigat. Last week, Jean participated in a Martelly campaign concert in Port-au-Prince. “We are happy that Wyclef is okay but we continue to pray for him and for a peaceful and fair election today in Haiti,” said the Rev Al Sharpton, who has worked with Jean on educational issues and bringing aid to Haiti after the devastating January 2010 earthquake. Rosemond said: “It is clear that enemies of progressive change in Haiti are behind the shooting of Wyclef – those that don’t want to accept that a monumental change is inevitable for the betterment of the Haitian people. This incident will not deter those of us that see the election as crucial to the country’s future.” Haiti Wyclef Jean guardian.co.uk
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Private Daniel Steven Prior has died at same age as his Falklands soldier uncle A new father wounded in Afghanistan has died at the same age as the uncle he was named in memory of, who was killed in the Falklands war. Private Daniel Steven Prior, of 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, was born the year after the death of Steve Prior, who lost his life trying to save the life of a colleague. The 27-year-old had only returned to Afghanistan a fortnight ago, having flown home to the UK to be with his wife Emily as she gave birth to their son Logan. Prior was fatally wounded by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province last week and was treated at a military hospital in Camp Bastion before being flown back to Britain. He died at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham on Friday with his family by his side. His parents Ian and Gillian made a joint statement with his wife and newborn son, saying: “Dan was a lively young man with an amazing sense of humour. “He was a wonderful son, husband and father. We are all tremendously proud of him and he will be sorely missed by his family and friends.” Prior, who was from Peacehaven, east Sussex, lived in Colchester, Essex, with his wife. He was described by colleagues as the best soldier in his company. Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Harrison said: “Private Dan Prior died surrounded by his family in England. Two days before, he had been mortally wounded, 4,000 miles away, whist patrolling to bring lasting peace to the village of Char Coucha in Helmand Province. “The village has recently made headlines for its remarkable return from Taliban devastation. Private Prior was one of those incredibly brave young soldiers who made that happen. “This bright, inspiring and able paratrooper knew the risks of war more than almost anyone; his uncle died the year before Dan was born fighting for this great battalion at the battle of Goose Green in the Falklands conflict. Dan had accompanied his family to receive the Elizabeth Cross in his memory only last year.” He said Logan would be proud to learn his father was a “bright star” loved by friends and colleagues alike. Lance Corporal Chris Wilmott, of 10 Platoon, D Company, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, served alongside Prior and his uncle. He said: “It was a great honour for me to serve with Dan Prior especially after serving with his uncle Steve Prior who was my section commander in the late 70s. Dan was, without doubt, focussed, conscientious and destined for great things. For me he will never be forgotten, nor will his uncle Steve.” Prior’s death brings the total number of UK military personnel to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 to 360. Afghanistan Military guardian.co.uk
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Entertainer Michel Martelly and ex-first lady Mirlande Manigat vie for post as UN says voting has improved since first-round chaos Voting in Haiti’s presidential run-off started slowly in some places, with foreign donors hoping the poll would produce the stability needed to rebuild the earthquake-crippled nation. In the wrecked capital Port-au-Prince, several polling stations were unable to open on time because materials such as ink to mark voters’ fingers and labels to mark the urns had not arrived, witnesses said. Arguments also broke out over which officials and party representatives should be there. As groups of Haitians waited to vote, polling officials scrambled to get the stations ready. Blue-helmeted Brazilian UN troops guarded voting centres with Haitian police, and white UN armoured vehicles rumbled through the streets, many still strewn with debris left from last year’s earthquake. The election presents Haiti’s 4.7 million voters with a choice between a political newcomer, energetic entertainer and singer Michel Martelly, 50, and former first lady Mirlande Manigat, 70, a law professor and opposition matriarch. The run-off followed a chaotic first round vote on 28 November that dissolved quickly into fraud allegations and unrest. The United Nations, which is supporting the election, says voting improvements should better ensure a clear, credible outcome for the run-off in one of the world’s poorest and most disaster-prone states. “I need a president to change the situation of the country,” said Adeline Hyppolite, 50, a small trader, who cast her ballot in the Petionville district of the capital. “We are hoping for a better life … but only God knows. We hope we’ll find the change we’re looking for,” she added, saying her husband had been disabled in the earthquake. The Caribbean state desperately needs a capable leadership and government to steer a post-quake reconstruction that requires billions of dollars of foreign assistance. “This is the first time in Haitian history that they will have a run-off election, a second round, so I think the product of this election will be a legitimate one that will have the support of the majority of the Haitian people and that alone is already an asset for the next government,” Edmond Mulet, the UN’s top official in Haiti, told Reuters. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and other international leaders appealed for a calm, transparent vote. Weighing on many Haitians’ minds as they cast their ballots will be the reappearance of a political heavyweight, former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who arrived back from exile on Friday . The return of the charismatic leftwing populist and former Catholic priest who still commands a big following in Haiti was opposed by the United States and United Nations as potentially disruptive to the polls. But Aristide is not a candidate and aides have said he will stay out of politics. Although Aristide, who was driven into exile by a 2004 rebellion, has not clearly endorsed any candidate, many voters have been trying to interpret who he favours in what is expected to be a close-fought run-off. Nevertheless, recent opinion polls have shown Martelly slightly ahead of Manigat. With banners welcoming Aristide, the slogans of the rival candidates were plastered on walls. Martelly’s ” tet kale ” slogan, a Creole play on words that refers to his shaven head and also means “all the way” to convey his promise of forceful change, contrasts with Manigat’s more homely ” banm manman’m ” (give me Mummy) slogan that seeks to bolster her image of experience and responsibility. Reflecting ex-president Aristide’s enduring image as a champion of the poor, many Haitians said that if he were on the ballot they would vote for him. Under Haiti’s election law, the Provisional Electoral Council is due to announce preliminary results from the run-off on 31 March, with final results being confirmed on 16 April. Mulet acknowledged this long wait for results ran the risk of rival camps stirring up supporters with noisy claims of victory or fraud – such claims in the first round triggered street protests. But he was confident UN forces supporting Haiti’s police could control the situation. Haiti United Nations Ban Ki-moon guardian.co.uk
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Entertainer Michel Martelly and ex-first lady Mirlande Manigat vie for post as UN says voting has improved since first-round chaos Voting in Haiti’s presidential run-off started slowly in some places, with foreign donors hoping the poll would produce the stability needed to rebuild the earthquake-crippled nation. In the wrecked capital Port-au-Prince, several polling stations were unable to open on time because materials such as ink to mark voters’ fingers and labels to mark the urns had not arrived, witnesses said. Arguments also broke out over which officials and party representatives should be there. As groups of Haitians waited to vote, polling officials scrambled to get the stations ready. Blue-helmeted Brazilian UN troops guarded voting centres with Haitian police, and white UN armoured vehicles rumbled through the streets, many still strewn with debris left from last year’s earthquake. The election presents Haiti’s 4.7 million voters with a choice between a political newcomer, energetic entertainer and singer Michel Martelly, 50, and former first lady Mirlande Manigat, 70, a law professor and opposition matriarch. The run-off followed a chaotic first round vote on 28 November that dissolved quickly into fraud allegations and unrest. The United Nations, which is supporting the election, says voting improvements should better ensure a clear, credible outcome for the run-off in one of the world’s poorest and most disaster-prone states. “I need a president to change the situation of the country,” said Adeline Hyppolite, 50, a small trader, who cast her ballot in the Petionville district of the capital. “We are hoping for a better life … but only God knows. We hope we’ll find the change we’re looking for,” she added, saying her husband had been disabled in the earthquake. The Caribbean state desperately needs a capable leadership and government to steer a post-quake reconstruction that requires billions of dollars of foreign assistance. “This is the first time in Haitian history that they will have a run-off election, a second round, so I think the product of this election will be a legitimate one that will have the support of the majority of the Haitian people and that alone is already an asset for the next government,” Edmond Mulet, the UN’s top official in Haiti, told Reuters. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and other international leaders appealed for a calm, transparent vote. Weighing on many Haitians’ minds as they cast their ballots will be the reappearance of a political heavyweight, former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who arrived back from exile on Friday . The return of the charismatic leftwing populist and former Catholic priest who still commands a big following in Haiti was opposed by the United States and United Nations as potentially disruptive to the polls. But Aristide is not a candidate and aides have said he will stay out of politics. Although Aristide, who was driven into exile by a 2004 rebellion, has not clearly endorsed any candidate, many voters have been trying to interpret who he favours in what is expected to be a close-fought run-off. Nevertheless, recent opinion polls have shown Martelly slightly ahead of Manigat. With banners welcoming Aristide, the slogans of the rival candidates were plastered on walls. Martelly’s ” tet kale ” slogan, a Creole play on words that refers to his shaven head and also means “all the way” to convey his promise of forceful change, contrasts with Manigat’s more homely ” banm manman’m ” (give me Mummy) slogan that seeks to bolster her image of experience and responsibility. Reflecting ex-president Aristide’s enduring image as a champion of the poor, many Haitians said that if he were on the ballot they would vote for him. Under Haiti’s election law, the Provisional Electoral Council is due to announce preliminary results from the run-off on 31 March, with final results being confirmed on 16 April. Mulet acknowledged this long wait for results ran the risk of rival camps stirring up supporters with noisy claims of victory or fraud – such claims in the first round triggered street protests. But he was confident UN forces supporting Haiti’s police could control the situation. Haiti United Nations Ban Ki-moon guardian.co.uk
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Shanna Bukhari was subjected to a tide of online hate after entering the British heats of the beauty contest. Now she fears her life could be in danger When Shanna Bukhari decided she wanted to be the first Muslim to represent Britain in a global beauty pageant, she suspected the road ahead might not be smooth, but nothing could have prepared her for the abuse she received. “I have felt in fear for my life,” said the 24-year-old Miss Universe contestant. The attacks escalated last week when Bukhari received her first death threat. The censure has come from various quarters, ranging from Muslims who claim that she is denigrating the name of Islam, to white supremacists who say that an Asian cannot represent the UK, and to women who condemn beauty pageants as an affront to feminism. Bukhari, born in Blackburn, grew up in Lancashire and is no stranger to intolerance. When she was nine, she ended up in hospital after a man screaming racist abuse had thrown a brick at her, causing so much damage to her stomach that she suffered a blood clot and had to undergo surgery. But even she has been surprised by the furore that her participation in the British heats of Miss Universe has prompted. Rather than confirming her hopes that society had progressed since her childhood, the controversy has made her question the state of multiculturalism in modern Britain. “It has highlighted the divisions that exist, a lack of social integration, a lack of adhesion between white and coloured people, and this needs to be addressed,” she said. “I thought my participation might be something that people did not agree with, but I never thought I’d get abused.” The attacks on the Manchester-based English literature graduate began after a local newspaper ran an article 10 days ago revealing her ambition to become the first Muslim to represent Great Britain at the beauty contest. Since then, she has received around 300 messages a day on her Facebook page, a handful of which are abusive. Most of the negative comments have come from a minority of Muslim men. “I get people saying, ‘you’re not a Muslim’ and ‘you’re using religion to get attention’. I said they were the ones bringing religion into it. I’m not representing Islam; I just want to represent my country, and of that I am very proud. They are trying to control me, using religion as a tool to attack.” Bukhari accuses her abusers of having the same sort of mindset as those who support “honour” killings and beat women. Many of the comments are, she says, from individuals who want sharia law instead of a liberal democracy. “We simply live in a multicultural society where there are significant numbers of Muslims. Islam is about peace; abusing me is itself wrong in Islam.” Away from the religious-themed criticism, Bukhari detects a broader anti-female resentment from men who combine sleaze with slurs. “Maybe it’s because I’m a woman saying to other women ‘stand up for yourself, don’t let anyone dictate what you can do or can’t’. Some men don’t like that,” she said. But not all the abuse is from men: Bukhari has also attracted opprobium from feminists. “I’ve had a few girls saying ‘shame on you’ or ‘rot in hell’. But I’d like to know what their real issues are, so we could have a constructive debate.” The abuse that truly shocked Bukhari arrived last Tuesday in the form of an online racist rant. Within hours she had shut down her Facebook fan page, but a friend was then sent a number of internet links to images of people murdered for standing up for their principles. “She rang up and said, ‘Shanna, you need to be very careful because he’s trying to make me aware that things will happen’. Not a direct death threat perhaps, but he was trying to say that something is going to happen to me.” Bukhari takes the threat of physical violence seriously. She makes sure she is never alone, both in her Manchester flat and on the city streets, and has contacted a private security firm for protection when attending charity events to raise money for the Joshua Foundation, a charity for terminally ill children. She fears that Britain’s Miss Universe finals in Birmingham in May will also be a target: “It worries me that haters will turn up. I know what they are capable of.” One Facebook message calls her a “dirty Muslim” and asks why she is representing Britain “when you don’t even fucking belong here”. Bukhari said: “I actually replied to him in a very calm manner because I’m not one to retaliate, my family taught me to rationalise rather than react. Then I thought ‘why can’t I represent Britain?’ I was born here and am proud to be British. My parents are from Pakistan but I am not going to represent Pakistan as this is my country.” Bukhari says the abuse has been disillusioning partly because she enjoyed a liberal upbringing; her parents sent her to a Catholic school in Blackburn where she was the only Muslim but was “completely accepted”. It was only when she moved to Manchester in 2001, she said, that she became aware of segregation as an issue. She does not agree with David Cameron’s speech last month in which he asserted that state multiculturalism in Britain had failed. She believes that more must be done to break down mistrust. Bukhari cites the thousands who have offered their backing. Support has come from Spain, the Middle East, Pakistan, India and China. Most women supporters say she represents not just a role model for Muslim women, but all those who refuse to be cowed by bullies. During last month’s semi-final for Britain’s Miss Universe candidate Bukhari received the most public votes. Britain has never won the title. It is increasingly possible that its first victor might also be its first Muslim representative. Islam Race issues Feminism Mark Townsend guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Shanna Bukhari was subjected to a tide of online hate after entering the British heats of the beauty contest. Now she fears her life could be in danger When Shanna Bukhari decided she wanted to be the first Muslim to represent Britain in a global beauty pageant, she suspected the road ahead might not be smooth, but nothing could have prepared her for the abuse she received. “I have felt in fear for my life,” said the 24-year-old Miss Universe contestant. The attacks escalated last week when Bukhari received her first death threat. The censure has come from various quarters, ranging from Muslims who claim that she is denigrating the name of Islam, to white supremacists who say that an Asian cannot represent the UK, and to women who condemn beauty pageants as an affront to feminism. Bukhari, born in Blackburn, grew up in Lancashire and is no stranger to intolerance. When she was nine, she ended up in hospital after a man screaming racist abuse had thrown a brick at her, causing so much damage to her stomach that she suffered a blood clot and had to undergo surgery. But even she has been surprised by the furore that her participation in the British heats of Miss Universe has prompted. Rather than confirming her hopes that society had progressed since her childhood, the controversy has made her question the state of multiculturalism in modern Britain. “It has highlighted the divisions that exist, a lack of social integration, a lack of adhesion between white and coloured people, and this needs to be addressed,” she said. “I thought my participation might be something that people did not agree with, but I never thought I’d get abused.” The attacks on the Manchester-based English literature graduate began after a local newspaper ran an article 10 days ago revealing her ambition to become the first Muslim to represent Great Britain at the beauty contest. Since then, she has received around 300 messages a day on her Facebook page, a handful of which are abusive. Most of the negative comments have come from a minority of Muslim men. “I get people saying, ‘you’re not a Muslim’ and ‘you’re using religion to get attention’. I said they were the ones bringing religion into it. I’m not representing Islam; I just want to represent my country, and of that I am very proud. They are trying to control me, using religion as a tool to attack.” Bukhari accuses her abusers of having the same sort of mindset as those who support “honour” killings and beat women. Many of the comments are, she says, from individuals who want sharia law instead of a liberal democracy. “We simply live in a multicultural society where there are significant numbers of Muslims. Islam is about peace; abusing me is itself wrong in Islam.” Away from the religious-themed criticism, Bukhari detects a broader anti-female resentment from men who combine sleaze with slurs. “Maybe it’s because I’m a woman saying to other women ‘stand up for yourself, don’t let anyone dictate what you can do or can’t’. Some men don’t like that,” she said. But not all the abuse is from men: Bukhari has also attracted opprobium from feminists. “I’ve had a few girls saying ‘shame on you’ or ‘rot in hell’. But I’d like to know what their real issues are, so we could have a constructive debate.” The abuse that truly shocked Bukhari arrived last Tuesday in the form of an online racist rant. Within hours she had shut down her Facebook fan page, but a friend was then sent a number of internet links to images of people murdered for standing up for their principles. “She rang up and said, ‘Shanna, you need to be very careful because he’s trying to make me aware that things will happen’. Not a direct death threat perhaps, but he was trying to say that something is going to happen to me.” Bukhari takes the threat of physical violence seriously. She makes sure she is never alone, both in her Manchester flat and on the city streets, and has contacted a private security firm for protection when attending charity events to raise money for the Joshua Foundation, a charity for terminally ill children. She fears that Britain’s Miss Universe finals in Birmingham in May will also be a target: “It worries me that haters will turn up. I know what they are capable of.” One Facebook message calls her a “dirty Muslim” and asks why she is representing Britain “when you don’t even fucking belong here”. Bukhari said: “I actually replied to him in a very calm manner because I’m not one to retaliate, my family taught me to rationalise rather than react. Then I thought ‘why can’t I represent Britain?’ I was born here and am proud to be British. My parents are from Pakistan but I am not going to represent Pakistan as this is my country.” Bukhari says the abuse has been disillusioning partly because she enjoyed a liberal upbringing; her parents sent her to a Catholic school in Blackburn where she was the only Muslim but was “completely accepted”. It was only when she moved to Manchester in 2001, she said, that she became aware of segregation as an issue. She does not agree with David Cameron’s speech last month in which he asserted that state multiculturalism in Britain had failed. She believes that more must be done to break down mistrust. Bukhari cites the thousands who have offered their backing. Support has come from Spain, the Middle East, Pakistan, India and China. Most women supporters say she represents not just a role model for Muslim women, but all those who refuse to be cowed by bullies. During last month’s semi-final for Britain’s Miss Universe candidate Bukhari received the most public votes. Britain has never won the title. It is increasingly possible that its first victor might also be its first Muslim representative. Islam Race issues Feminism Mark Townsend guardian.co.uk
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• US claims no-fly zone is now in place after strikes against Libya • State TV reports 48 dead after missiles strike military targets • Gaddafi vowes to fight the onslaught ‘inch by inch’ • Read the latest summary of events • Read the Guardian’s latest Libya news story 12.31pm: Our Middle East editor Ian Black says Libyan state television is reporting hits on targets such as radar installations and a hospital to the east of Tripoli, incidents remain unverified as media access to evidence has been limited. What’s quite striking at this stage is although there’s been some very fleeting pictures on Libyan TV of people injured, there’s been no media access of any kind to see either dead or injured who’ve supposedly been targeted and hit, so the media is waiting for direct evidence of those things. 12.19pm: A no-fly zone is now officially in place over Libya. The US chair of the Joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, told the NBC news station that Libyan government air defences had been “taken out” and there was no sign of Libyan aircraft. “Operations yesterday went very well,” Mullen said. “He [Gaddafi] hasn’t had aircraft or helicopters flying the last couple days. So effectively that no-fly zone has been put in place.” 12 noon: Good afternoon and welcome to our continuing coverage of the military intervention in Libya. You can read our earlier live blog here . • American and European military commanders are assessing the effect of the bombardment of Libyan targets. Overnight 110 cruise missiles were launched, and one large airbase alone is reported to have been hit with 40 bombs. “Effectively a no-fly zone has been put in place,” said Mike Mullen, US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. • Libyan state TV has said there are 48 dead and 150 wounded from the attacks. Speaking from his Bab al-Azizia military compound on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, which was bombed in 1986, Muammar Gaddafi vowed to fight the onslaught “inch by inch”. He spoke of the “glorious hours we are living” in a 15 minute speech. Thousands of his supporters have joined him at the barracks. • China and Russia have condemned the attacks Both had abstained from the UN security council vote approving military action against Libya. The Arab League also called for a ceasefire, and the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, led a chorus of protest by Libya’s Latin American allies. • Aircraft continue to arrive at Mediterranean bases from allied countries including Canada, Denmark and Spain. Libya Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East protests Middle East Military Jo Adetunji guardian.co.uk
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Elderly woman and teenage boy found alive among ruins of their home in Ishinomaki Nine days after they were believed killed by the tsunami, an elderly woman and a teenage boy were found alive in the rubble of their home in north-east Japan on Sunday. The 80-year-old and her grandson survived by eating yoghurt and other remains from the refrigerator after being trapped in their home in Ishinomaki, one of the worst-hit cities on the coast. They were found by police when 16-year-old Jin Abe called out for help from the roof of their residence. He had been trapped for a week and managed to pull himself from the debris and alert rescue workers. His grandmother, Sumi Abe, is disabled and could not leave the property unaided. When she was found, she had lost feeling in at least one of her legs. The national broadcaster, NHK, has run images of a helicopter winching her out of danger in a yellow harness The pair are receiving medical treatment in the city’s Red Cross hospital. The astonishing rescue has given a much-needed boost to emergency workers amid a growing death toll from Japan’s deadliest disaster since the second world war. The casualty list stands at 8,277 dead and 12,722 missing and the figure is rising daily. Ishinomaki officials believe up to 10,000 people in their jurisdiction may have been killed. Japan disaster Japan Natural disasters and extreme weather Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
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Doctors arrested or prevented from working amid martial law in tiny Gulf state Bahrain’s two main hospitals remain surrounded by masked soldiers despite demands from America that the kingdom must ease its violent crackdown on demonstrators and the medical workers treating them. Soldiers also continue to patrol all main roads in the capital Manama and have cordoned off access to the former hub of the protest movement, Pearl Roundabout, which was destroyed under government orders on Friday , denying the restive demonstrators a focal point. The tiny Gulf state has the feel of a nation under siege as it approaches a second week of martial law imposed for three months by its besieged rulers. In addition to the troop presence, neighbourhoods remain largely empty; large, glitzy shopping malls have been virtually abandoned and helicopters regularly buzz over the debris-strewn scenes of recent street clashes. Hospitals, particularly the Salmaniya medical clinic near the centre of town, have received extra attention, largely because of the significance they have taken on since the protests began in January. As well as being used to treat hundreds of casualties, nearly all of them unarmed protesters, the hospitals served as rallying points for protesters, who took refuge from riot police in the relative safety of their grounds. Salmaniya was one of several hospitals attacked by security forces during the week. Their entrances clearly show scuffs from rubber bullets and teargas cannisters, as well as sound grenades were found well inside hospital grounds. Images of thousands of protesters, joined by doctors with bullhorns and outraged ambulance drivers, lionised the anti-government movement and contributed greatly to the regime’s public relations woes outside Bahrain. Several doctors have been arrested, among them leading surgeon, Ali al-Ikri, who has been accused of having contact with foreign agents. Others claim to have been intimidated by security forces and prevented from leaving their homes. “I live in a neighbourhood surrounded by colonels and senior officers,” said one doctor, who did not want to give her name. “If I go out I will be followed. There is a real risk to my safety and those of my colleagues. I have been prevented from returning to work. When I left the hospital, it was in utter chaos.” Kuwait is to send a medical team of 40 specialists to be deployed inside the hospitals as the government looks for new ways to manage the vehement anti-regime movement. “This is about us being sidelined and them getting in people who will stay on message,” said another doctor. “I know for a fact that the wards will be tidied up and some of the patients moved. The Kuwaitis will report back in good faith that all is in order and that will be the official narrative.” The US state department demanded on Friday that attacks on hospitals stop. “We call on security forces to cease violence, particularly on medical facilities and personnel,” it said. The US ecretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said the solution to the country’s crisis could only come through political dialogue. “We have made clear that security alone cannot resolve the challenges facing Bahrain,” Clinton told reporters in Paris. “Violence is not the answer; a political process is.” In the face of sustained international criticism, the strategy of the ruling dynasty has been to make Bahrain’s crisis a regional problem, by inviting Gulf forces into the kingdom. Hundreds of troops from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council alliance were dispatched to Bahrain last week. Qatar said it had deployed troops and Kuwait has sent navy ships to patrol waters near Bahrain, where a maritime curfew has been ordered from 6pm-6am. However, Saudi Arabia continues to take a regional lead in the crisis, insisting on a hard line against the predominantly Shi’ite Muslim protesters who have defied the authority of the Riyadh-backed Sunni dynasty for two deeply destabilising months. Regional repercussions continue, though, with new demonstrations in iraq on Saturday against the Saudi role and strident criticism from Shi’ite Islamic clerics, which have sharply raised the sectarian stakes in Bahrain, a majority Shia Muslim state. At least 70% of Bahrainis are Shias. The establishment, however, is almost exclusively Sunni. The Shias have long complained that the status quo discriminates against them, denying them opportunities and access to decision-making. “We are not waging war,” said Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin-Ahmed al-Khalifa. “We are restoring law and order. It is a very volatile situation and in volatile situations you expect violence to happen.” A fourth Bahraini protester died on Saturday from wounds he sustained earlier in the week. Relatives of another victim, IT technician Ahmed Farhan, said they witnessed him being executed as he lay prostrate on a street in the suburb of Sitra. “They killed him in cold blood,” said Ali Hassan Ali, a physical education teacher. “I was standing near him when he was shot. He fell, they chased us away and shot him in the head at point blank rage with a bird shot gun.” The victim’s injuries were consistent with being shot in the head from close range. Bahrain Middle East Arab and Middle East protests Kuwait Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
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