Australian Candidate Who Thought Islam Was “A Country” Withdraws From Elections

An Australian election candidate who was widely mocked after she mistook Islam for a country in a TV interview has withdrawn her candidacy.
Stephanie Banister, 27, was contesting a seat in Queensland for the anti-immigration One Nation Party. She had only been in politics for 48 hours.
She announced her withdrawal from the election on Saturday.
“With the way Channel Seven edited my interview, I was left quite the fool,” Ms Banister said in a brief statement.
Ms Banister also confused the term “haram” (forbidden) with the Koran and suggested Jews worshipped Jesus Christ.
”I don’t oppose Islam as a country, umm, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,” Ms Banister had told Seven News reporter Erin Edwards.

BE INSPIRED.........IT IS WELL.

Life Still Has A Meaning

If there is a future there is time for mending-
Time to see your troubles coming to an ending.

Life is never hopeless however great your sorrow-
If you're looking forward to a new tomorrow.

If there is time for wishing then there is time for hoping-
When through doubt and darkness you are blindly groping.

Though the heart be heavy and hurt you may be feeling-
If there is time for praying there is time for healing.

So if through your window there is a new day breaking-
Thank God for the promise, though mind and soul be aching,

If with harvest over there is grain enough for gleaning-
There is a new tomorrow and life still has meaning.

International flights gradually resume after blaze at Nairobi airport

International flights gradually resumed at Kenya's main airport Thursday after a blaze sent orange flames shooting in the air and brought East Africa's largest aviation hub to a standstill.There were no reports of casualties in the Wednesday blaze at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

A day after the fire started, airport officials said they have set up tents to temporarily service the international area.Several flights, including from London, Thailand and Uganda, landed at the airport as it slowly came back to life, airport authorities said. 

Other international flights took off from the airport, including to South Sudan and South Africa, the Kenya Airports Authority tweeted. It also reported departures and arrivals of local flights.

The blaze destroyed large parts of the international terminal, leaving the arrivals section in charred ruins and strewn with debris. Chunks of corrugated metal hung from the roof after it caved in.

Tragic but over now/

Nigeria police officer sacked over YouTube video

A Nigerian policeman has been sacked after being caught on film apparently trying to extort $150 (£100) from a motorist accused of a traffic offence.The footage - secretly filmed on a Lagos highway - received thousands of hits on YouTube and has been replayed on Nigerian television channels. 

In the film, Sgt Chris Omeleze suggests he is part of a wider corrupt network.But Nigeria's central police command insists otherwise. They sacked him less than a day after the video emerged.

Correspondents say being asked for money by traffic police for real or imagined traffic offences is a common experience for many Nigerians.It is much rarer for perpetrators to be caught and penalised. 'Reasonable' sum
The film - which has received more than 123,000 hits on YouTube - shows Sgt Omeleze inside the car trying to negotiate a bribe with the driver.

It happens all over the world, Nigeria shouldn't be made an exception.

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission: 305,000 voters turned away

Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission has said that nearly 305,000 voters were turned away during last week's elections, which the opposition has said were rigged.These are the first such official figures - the number of rejected voters has been a major complaint.

It also said 207,000 voters were "assisted" to cast their ballot - another alleged source of fraud.
President Robert Mugabe gained 938,085 more votes than his main rival.Morgan Tsvangirai, who took 34% of the vote, has alleged massive fraud.

His Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party is planning to file court applications on Friday against the results of the presidential and parliamentary votes.

Mr Mugabe, 89, won with 61% of the presidential vote and his Zanu-PF gained a two-thirds majority in parliament, with 160 seats compared to 49 for the MDC.

Politics.....not for the weak hearted.

Footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips avoids prison for driving offence, claiming he didn't know he was banned..

Millionaire footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips avoided jail yesterday for driving while banned because he was 'blissfully unaware' his licence had been revoked.
The former England star told ­Uxbridge Magistrates' Court he was unaware he should not have been on the road, and claimed he had not seen the legal papers banning him from driving because they had been sent to his agent's address.

The winger, who plays for QPR, had missed a string of court summons after his £200,000 Bentley was clocked doing 79mph on a 50mph stretch at Esher in Surrey, on March 28 last year.

The 31-year-old's luxury car was registered at his agent's address in Luton, Bedfordshire, which is where the important document informing him about his disqualification, was sent.

Several reminders were issued, including one to the former Manchester City and Chelsea star's home in Surrey, but Wright-Phillips claimed in court yesterday he had not seen any of them.

He was finally banned from driving in his absence in December.
Then, on January 21 this year, Met Police officers arrested Wright-Phillips at QPR's training ground in Harlington, West London, after spotting his insurance had been invalidated during a routine check.