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Lack of outdoor play linked to short-sighted children

published by You on 25 October, 2011 - 09:41

The time children spend outdoors could be linked to a reduced risk of being short-sighted, research suggests.

An analysis of eight previous studies by University of Cambridge researchers found that for each additional hour spent outside per week, the risk of myopia reduced by 2%.

Exposure to natural light and time spent looking at distant objects could be key factors, they said.

Read more @ BBC News

Child abuse claims at UK madrassas 'tip of iceberg'

published by You on 23 October, 2011 - 20:46

Britain's madrassas have faced more than 400 allegations of physical abuse in the past three years, a BBC investigation has discovered.

But only a tiny number have led to successful prosecutions.

The revelation has led to calls for formal regulation of the schools, attended by more than 250,000 Muslim children every day for Koran lessons.

The chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board said he would treat the issue as a matter of urgency.

Read more @ BBC News

Al Shabaab being pushed back in SOmalia as Kenya invades

published by You on 18 October, 2011 - 19:28

A push by the Kenyan military into Somalia has been slowed by heavy rain, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.

Kenya has acted – saying it has the right to defend itself – after a rash of kidnappings of Europeans by Somali militants inside Kenya.

As the Kenyan ground forces made slow progress towards a strategic Somalia town, the country's defence and foreign ministers arrived in Mogadishu for talks.

Read more @ The Guardian

Lets hope this goes well - al Shabaab need to be dealt with quite urgently, but they have been causing chaos for a long time now.

Pirates 'bring shame on Somalia'

published by You on 11 October, 2011 - 19:13

Just ran across this story: Pirates 'bring shame on Somalia'.

I think they have it wrong - it is the world's shame that brought pirates to Somalia.

The Somali pirates at one point were honest do good hard working fishermen when major ship companies decided that it was ok to dump toxic waste off the shores of Somalia - and since Somalis had no functioning government (a situation which was also facilitated by the world at large), there was no one to stop the illegal dumping of waste.

Britain to change war crimes laws to allow senior Israeli government officials into the UK

published by You on 10 October, 2011 - 23:49

Something that should have been posted about last week when it was announced.

Until now, former senior Israeli government officials have shied away from making public visits to the UK, and even last weeks visit by Tzipi Livni needed special consideration to be safely allowed into the UK without fear of arrest:

The Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni has avoided the possibility of prosecution in a British court for war crimes after the Foreign Office declared that she enjoys temporary diplomatic immunity.

Muslim woman among one of three women to recieve Nobel peace prize in 2011

published by You on 8 October, 2011 - 01:00

Three women have been jointly awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for their non-violent struggles for women's rights. Here are profiles of the three: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee - an activist from Liberia, and Tawakul Karman, a Yemeni rights activist.

Read more @ BBC News

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