A round-up of today's other world news in brief
Mercury win for Speech Debelle
LONDON – Speech Debelle, described by herself as a hip hop version of Tracy Chapman, last night won the UK’s 2009 Barclaycard Mercury Prize. The rap act beat albums by Irish singer Lisa Hannigan, La Roux, Glasvegas, Florence and the Machine, Kasabian, Friendly Fires and Bat for Lashes.
The Mercury Prize, awarded annually since 1992, has often been given to new or non-commercial acts and pits different genres against one another, ranging from folk and jazz to hard rock. The winner receives £20,000 although the boost from album sales can be worth much more. – (Bloomberg)
Sudan’s trouser woman freed
KHARTOUM – A Sudanese woman jailed for wearing trousers deemed indecent was freed yesterday after the countrys journalists’ union said it had paid a $200 fine on her behalf.
Lubna Hussein was convicted of indecency charges on Monday in a case that has attracted a worldwide outcry. She was ordered to pay a fine or face a month in jail, but was spared a possible penalty of 40 lashes. Hussein said she refused to pay the fine, preferring to go to jail instead to challenge the law’s legitimacy. – (Reuters)
Couple marry at son’s funeral
NEW YORK – A couple from Buffalo, New York got married during the funeral of their seven-year-old son, saying he had always wanted them to marry.
Amilcar Hill and Rahwa Ghirmatzio said it was a “fitting” way to celebrate Asa’s life. Their son was fatally injured when his grandfather’s car, in which he was a passenger, was involved in a six-car collision.
“Asa always wanted us to get married,” his mother said. “He’d say, ‘When are you guys going to get married? How come you’re not getting married?’ And we’d say, ‘We were waiting for you to be part of it.’
Couple on trial for poisoning children
PARIS – A French couple went on trial this week for allegedly murdering their two children with a dish of poisoned cannelloni in their Marseille apartment.
Marie-Helene Martinez and her husband Jean-Paul Steijns allegedly decided in 2005 to poison Melissa (8) and Jason (7), believing they would be better able to pull themselves out of debt without dependants. They face life in prison if convicted.
Ms Martinez denies any wrongdoing, but Mr Steijns has admitted to the murders. A verdict is expected on Friday.
Samoans pass right to lefttest
APIA – Samoans passed a major driving test when the tiny South Pacific country became the first in decades to switch its traffic from right to left – without any crashes reported.
Officials urged the public to stay vigilant, warning that the risk of accidents could increase in coming days if drivers become complacent before the new road rules become second nature.
The government made the change to bring Samoa in line with Australia and New Zealand, from where it is cheaper to import cars than from right-side driving countries in Europe, and the United States. – (Reuters)