Dar 'honey pots' on high alert after Nairobi attack

           Security at shopping centres and big hotels in Dar es Salaam has been beefed up in the wake of Kenya’s Westgate mall terrorist attack in which 69 people were killed and 175 others were injured.

Business executives in Dar es Salaam told The Citizen on Sunday that they were ensuring security at the areas.

“We discussed how to intensify security,” said Sea Cliff Hotel operations director Nadine Atallah.

She said it was necessary to remain vigilant against terror attacks although no such threats had been reported.

“We have installed more surveillance cameras at places we did not have them before and added security officers at the hotel,” she said.

At Serena Hotel, visitors have to pass through screening machines before entering the hotel.

Management at Mlimani City Shopping Centre refused to give comments on what was being done to beef up security but said high security was a top priority.

Dar es Salaam Zonal Police chief Suleiman Kova said officers had intensified surveillance in all likely targets such as tourist hotels, government buildings and shopping malls.

He said police had been in constant consultations with owners of big hotels and shopping malls on how best security for customers could be guaranteed.

“What I remind them is that Nairobi and Dar es Salaam are close and have almost similar characteristics. We need not to be much worried but we have to take precautions.”

He insisted that the public had a key role in fighting terrorism by tipping off police about suspicious activities.

TWO MORE BANKS ANNOUNCE LONGER OPENING HOURS...

National Bank of Kenya and Family Bank are the latest banks to announce extended operating hours in certain localities in Nairobi, a move that many other banks could soon emulate.

Banks are increasingly extending operating hours in what could eventually see them operate round the clock.

As the economy continues to grow and the lifestyles of more people changing and the middle class growing, the customer is the new king, pushing banks to adjust their operating hours.

DEMANDING CLIENTELE

“This is an issue of consumer demand. Customers are now becoming more and more demanding.

They want to do banking at their own convenience and banks have had to adjust,” says Kenyan Bankers Association chief executive officer Habil Olaka.

National Bank of Kenya and Family Bank are the latest to announce extended operating hours in certain localities in Nairobi, a move that many other banks could soon emulate.

“We now offer extended banking hours (8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on Saturday in Kilimani, Kenyatta Avenue and Family Bank Towers Retail,” Family Bank announced last Friday.

Many banks including Barclays, Standard Chartered, Diamond Trust, NIC, Bank of Africa, African Banking Corporation and NIC now operate from between 7am and 8pm. They also operate at extended hours during weekends and holidays.

In the 1990s, many commercial banks operated within a limited timeframe of the day, opening their doors to the banking public at 9 am and closing at 2 pm.

EXTENDED BANKING HOURS

Operating time later evolved to between 9 am to 4 pm as competition gathered steam over the last decade. Then, the lenders began operating from 8 pm to 5 pm in a bid to woo more customers into the banking halls.

The hours of operation later increased from 8 am to 6 pm, and later to 8 pm to cater to the changing banking trends in the country amid intensive competition and growing economy.

Mr Olaka noted that the level of economic activity is changing rapidly with more and more people not only working late into the night but also shopping at night, a trend that banks, pharmacies and even supermarkets are keen to follow.

Many banks including Barclays, Standard Chartered, Diamond Trust, NIC, Bank of Africa, African Banking Corporation and NIC now operate from between 7a.m and 8.pm. They also operate at extended hours during weekends and holidays in line with working, business and shopping trends of customers.

Barclays Bank’s chief executive officer Jeremy Awori argues that in extending its hours of operation, the bank is responding to the needs of its customers in a changing environment, which has seen economic trends changing and new malls coming up pushing them to operate at late into the night.

“We are realigning our operations in line with the changing business environment in particular areas, namely, the ports which operate for 24 hours and in shopping malls,” Mr. Awori said in an interview.

This is however, notwithstanding increased cases of insecurity at night and additional operating costs that banks have to navigate.

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 12 AT SUNNI FUNERAL IN BAGHDAD...

An Iraqi boy inspects a burnt out vehicle the day after a bombing attack near a funeral tent in the Sadr City district of Baghdad on September 22, 2103. Two bombings targeted mourners in a Shiite area of the Iraqi capital, killing at least 56 people and pushing the monthly death toll past 500, officials said, the latest in the worst violence to hit Iraq since 2008. 

A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni funeral in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 12 people, Iraqi officials said, a day after bombings targeting Shiite mourners killed more than 70.

Medical and security sources said the bomber, who detonated explosives at a funeral tent in the Dura area of south Baghdad, also wounded at least 30 people.

The attack came a day after bombings against mourners in Sadr City, a Shiite area of north Baghdad, killed at least 73 people and wounded more than 200.

The United Nations on Sunday warned against revenge attacks for the Sadr City blasts.

"Retaliation can only bring more violence and it is the responsibility of all leaders to take strong action not to let violence escalate further," Gyorgy Busztin, the UN secretary general's deputy special representative for Iraq, said in a statement.

"Violence in all forms must be condemned, but I am particularly appalled by the increasing number of vicious attacks against those already bereaved," he said.

The Sadr City and Sunday's bombings were not the first targeting mourners in recent months.

They came after two bombs exploded on Friday at a Sunni mosque near Samarra north of Baghdad, killing 18 people.

Iraq was ravaged by a bloody Sunni-Shiite conflict that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed thousands of people.

There are persistent fears, bolstered by sectarian attacks this year, that Iraq may return to all-out conflict between its Shiite majority and Sunni minority.

ILLEGAL immigrants to their rejection ....!!

194 illegal immigrants who returned home during the implementation of the first phase of Operation Storm that ended last weekend , have been rejected by their country and be restored in the country. Authority responsible for the operation again zimesema had received them while awaiting legal action taken.
The first phase of the operation started on September 6 and September 20 this year concluded after some illegal immigrants , defying President Jakaya Kikwete 's call to return to their homes and if they want to return, follow the procedure of law.
A statement issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Simon Sirro , stated that they were together and not have the reputation of being a citizen of Tanzania , have been reinstated in that also lack the reputation of being a citizen of a neighboring country where the government iliwapeleka after benchmarks prove they are citizens countries .
" By the end of the first phase of this operation , the operation team has recovered criminals armed robbery along with their allies to ensure the citizenship of suspected illegal immigrants , " said Sirro .
According to Sirro , among 212 arrested are suspected of armed robbery and poachers who are citizens of Tanzania 23 .
Weapons Weapons captured bombs 10 thrown by hand , arms 61 including rifles SMG ( 50, Shotgun ( 8 ) , Mark IV ( 1 ) , riffle ( 1 ) , pistol ( 1 ) , pistol and decorations ( 3 ) and muzzle-loader gun 42 along with two plants to manufacture the muzzle-loader gun type weapons .
The other is comprised of 665 shot rifles and SMG bullets SAR 561 , shotgun shooting 22, 82 and muzzle-loader gun shooting fireworks 8 , Army uniform pants and a calabash of water Defence Forces of the Tanzania People . Sirro added that 12,704 illegal immigrants have been arrested , among them 3448 Rwandans , Burundians 6125 , 2,496 Ugandans , Congolese, Somalis 589 44, one Yemeni and one citizen of India .
" Illegal migrants 2129 they agreed to leave the country willingly, 8696 were ndoshwa country by order of the Court having given a certificate of deportation and 1852 were released after the Government to prove their citizenship while others 2286 undergoing interviews to verify their citizenship , " he said.
Official said cattle operation 8226 were arrested while they were orange in forest reserves and Sh 32.5 million has been made available , including fine charges of cattle were left to the National Park .
Vilivyokamatwa other animal skins are kind of service ( 1 ) , case ( 2 ) , buffalo ( 1 ) and 10 pieces of meat vinavyodhaniwa been kidnapped government .
Vilivyokamatwa are two other pieces of elephant tusks with wooden 2105 , logging 86, 467 charcoal bags , illegal alcohol seam 375 liter mill and one bat . They have also arrested 77 kg marijuana and Kokoro used to fish illegally.
" Statistics show that Kagera Region is leading to arrest illegal immigrants 7001 , followed by the Kigoma illegal immigrants okamata 5005 at Geita region of illegal immigrants apprehended were 698 , " said Sirro .
Sirro said despite the progress made , there have been challenges , including the welfare of Tanzanians mixture 60 percent and 40 percent of immigrants in the border regions .
He mentioned other challenges that are some people with bad intentions or kulipizana allegiances , who want to use the same operation kukomoana to mention some of the people that are criminals , whom it lies .
Another is some immigrants after arrests were disqualified from citizenship of Tanzania and even so returned to the country from the zodhaniwa , lacked qualities of citizenship and create conflicts about their citizenship . He said the lack of a national ID led to difficulty in identifying illegal immigrants .
Also missing from the fence at the borders of our country , has led to illegal immigrants are sent to them , go through the mouse. Prospects Sirro said after the completion of Phase One of Operation Cyclone , expect the government will address the challenges faced , to alleviate some of the problems in Kagera, Kigoma and Geita in particular concerning the issues of crime and kiuhamiaji .
" We hope to establish a task force to each region , for the monitoring of criminals who use weapons of war and those donors , " said Sirro .
He said the promotion will be held from the level of family , neighborhood, neighborhood / village , county, divisional , district and national levels , so that communities strengthen the foundations of defense and security review committee available to provide immediate panapojitokeza any matter concerning safety and security in their areas .
He stressed that they set themselves strategically, to see how to handle some of the illegal immigrants who were disqualified from citizenship and returned to their countries , who are clinging to say they are Tanzanians.


----- NEWS TODAY

WOMAN CAUGHT WITH 7 kg of cannabis at the KIA airport, ON HER way TO TURKEY ... !!!

WOMAN resident in Arusha, Farida Ismail (29) has been arrested in the International Airport of Kilimanjaro (KIA) ​​with 7 kilograms of marijuana. Suspect allegedly had hidden the marijuana in his bag for sewing bag inside.
He was arrested yesterday at 10:20 morning after undergoing his burden searches by airport officials.
He wanted to travel by flight TK673 type of Boeing 738 was headed for Istanbul, Turkey. Police Commander Kilimanjaro, Robert Boas admitted the existence of the event.
"It is truly an event exists and occurs the same time that said the morning, but now I am home but tomorrow (today) will provide full information,'' said the commander.
According to reports from the scene together, officials KADCO inspections were popekua, initially did not notice if there is a bag of marijuana in her until they pojiridhisha for the second time when it was discovered that the bag imeshonewa.
"Tulimkamata summer at 10:20 AM today (yesterday) and seven kilograms of marijuana and was concealed with great skill in his bag but we found out,'' said one of the field workers.

SNAKE FOUND ON QANTAS PLANE AT SYDNEY AIRPORT, FORCING DELAY...

Staff found the 20-centimeter (8-inch) Mandarin Rat Snake in the passenger cabin near the door late Sunday before passengers were due to board the flight bound for Tokyo from Sydney International Airport, Qantas said in a statement.

Australia’s flagship airline said passengers were given hotel rooms overnight and left Sydney on a replacement plane Monday morning. Qantas said the original jet would be fumigated before returning to service in case there were other snakes on board.

The snake was taken by quarantine officials for analysis.

The Agriculture Department said the snake, a species that grows to an average 1.2 meters (4 feet), had been euthanized, “as exotic reptiles of this kind can harbor pests and diseases not present in Australia.”

The department said the snake had arrived aboard the jet in a flight a day earlier from Singapore.

“The Department of Agriculture is looking into how the snake came to be on the plane, but isn’t able to speculate at this time,” it said in a statement.

The mildly venomous Asian snake was about the width of a pencil and did not pose a threat to humans, but it had the potential to cause ecological havoc in the Australian environment if it had escaped the plane with a mate, Canberra Reptile Zoo herpetologist Peter Child said.

While snakes rarely pose aviation hazards, a 3-meter (10-foot) python in January clung to the wing of a Qantas flight from the northeast coast city of Cairns to Papua New Guinea. The python died during the flight but was still attached to the wing when the two-hour flight ended in the national capital Port Moresby.

Agencies

Minister visits DRI machination ALIYEMWAGIWA acidic ALIYEHAMISHIWA Muhimbili hospital ...!!

Minister of Internal Affairs of State , Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi ( left) was greeted by Father Joseph Onesimus scales of the Church Catholic Parish leopard , arrived in Hospitals of Muhimbili in Dar es Salaam to give pole , having poured acid by unidentified people in Local of Mlandege Urban West Region in Zanzibar last week. Dr Nchimbi priest gave him his fear muahakikishia have been doing this event would be arrested , and the government will now play perfectly on any person or group kitakachojihusisha a crime to use acidic chemicals .



Minister of Internal Affairs of State , Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi (left ) listening to Father Joseph Onesimus scales , the Church Catholic Parish leopard , casting details how he came to the tragedy of roasting acids and unidentified persons , Urban Unguja, Zanzibar arrived in Hospitals of Allied give the pole, which was lying on the kuapatiwa treatment. Dr Nchimbi priest gave him his fear muahakikishia have been doing this event would be arrested , and the government will now play perfectly on any person or group kitakachojihusisha a crime to use acidic chemicals .



Interior Minister of State , Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi ( left) scales Onesimus assured Father Joseph Catholic Church Parish leopard , Zanzibar itakavyopambana how his department to arrest all those who engage in criminal acts of the fulfilled acidic chemicals . Dr Nchimbi he arrived in hospital. Dr Nchimbi he arrives at Muhimbili Hospital in Dar es Salaam pole to give the priest , who is expected to be taken in India for further treatment . However, Dr Nchimbi gave fear a priest that he muahakikishia have been doing this event will be arrested , and the government will now play perfectly and anyone or any group kitakachojihusisha a crime of using a tindikaliPicha and Felix Nagara , Ministry of Internal Affairs of the State.

THREE PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY FAMILY ONE IN BUHONGWA executed and slaughtered in Mwanza ...!!

Speaking to the Guardian, the head of the investigation of criminal RCO Joseph shoots has said that the father of the family was known by the name of Jonas Lulinga is ekadiriwa that at the age of 44 had been killed for slaughter with a knife while his wife and their young children were killed by hanging on wires electric ...
The incident allegedly implemented at eight summer night a man who had invited her to stay with him for four days ....

One daughter, who survived the incident narrated in detail in the video embedded below.

SUICIDE ATTACK ON PAKISTANI CHURCH LEAVES DOZENS DEAD...

A man cries at the death of his brother in the suicide attack on the church in Peshawar, Pakistan. 

A suicide bomb attack on a historic church in north-western Pakistan has killed at least 52 people and wounded more than 100, officials say, in one of the worst assaults on the country's Christian minority in years.

The bombing underlines the threat posed by Islamic extremists as the government seeks a peace deal with domestic Taliban militants.

It occurred as worshippers were coming out of the church in Peshawar city following services to get a free meal of rice offered on the front lawn, said a top government administrator, Sahibzada Anees.

It was not immediately clear whether one or two suicide bombers carried out the attack.

Witnesses said they heard two blasts, the second more powerful than the first. One police officer, Zahir Shah, said he believed both blasts were caused by suicide bombers.

The dead included several women and children, said Sher Ali Khan, a doctor at a hospital in Peshawar where the victims were being treated.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on one of the country's many Islamic militant groups. Islamic militants have been blamed for previous attacks on the Muslim country's Christian minority, as well as Muslim groups they consider heretics.

Islamic militants have carried out dozens of attacks across the country since Nawaz Sharif became prime minister in June, even though he has made clear that he believes a peace deal with the largest group, the Taliban, is the best way to tamp down violence in the country.

Pakistan's major political parties endorsed Sharif's call for negotiations earlier this month. But the Taliban have said the government must release militant prisoners and begin pulling troops out of the north-west tribal region that serves as their sanctuary before they will begin talks.

NOW POLICE MONITORING movements of AGNESS MASOGANGE AND Melisa ...!!

Division of Anti- Drug Abuse In , kimewataja Agnes Gerald , famous Masogange , and Melissa Edward their movements to be monitored carefully .
The move announced by the Commissioner General of the unit , Geofrey Nzowa , came one day after the Tanzanians , and Melissa Masogange acquittal by the Court of Kempton Park South Africa.
Nzowa spoke yesterday with the author of this information by phone , that they will be viewed seriously when they travel abroad.
Also , he said they will strengthen inspections for other Tanzanians , with a history of drug loaded to traveling abroad.
" Masogange and Melissa will look more seriously for the eye of the people, but not them alone until other Tanzanians because umdhaniaye is not yet , " said Nzowa .
Nzowa said Tanzanians who are caught with drugs in or out and will be punished according to the law as Masogange was punished .
However, recently demonstrated Nzowa surprised and judgments were given Masogange and Melissa saying that is small compared to the large amounts of chemicals were zobeba .
Here in Johannesburg , yesterday Masogange and Melissa were seen visiting various parts of the city including shopping and doing shopping in the beauty salon.
Someone close to them said, Tanzanians are not afraid to do anything because the court finds that they are not guilty.
" Be afraid to walk the streets because they did when they released ? Court has done it and they have a right , " said the man , who did not want his name made ​​in writing newspaper .
July 5 this year, Masogange and Melissa were arrested at the Stadium of Oliver Tambo International South Africa carrying 150 kilograms of drugs kind of crystal methamphetamine ( Tik ) .
However, after spending mahubusu for approximately three months , the court dealing with criminal Kempton , noted that Tanzanians were not carrying drugs but chemicals used to manufacture drugs kind of ephedrine .

COST OF MEDICAL Allied AT MUHIMBILI HOSPITAL INCREASE double ..... TO see a doctor NOW IS TSH 30,000 / =

Care costs to pay for treatment in Muhimbili National Hospital have risen manifold.
The move is performed without involving stakeholders and service providers began in September this year on Saturday and condemned by patients and staff.

According to the announcement of the Director of MNH , lililobandikwa on the bulletin board mateniti building the IPPM service pay , shows that the cost rose from September 2 , when the notice signed by the Director was released on September 4 .

Patients who pay for private treatment Allied had told this newspaper that customers who use ' ast truck ' and maternity services offered by the unit are mateniti - IPPM which increased .
 
From the moment the surgery is paid Sh parents . 500,000 instead of the 350,000 initially. Family size is Sh . 250,000 instead of Sh . 150,000 were zikitozwa beginning.

They said bed costs N Sh . 20,000 instead of 15,000 when the doctor charges for the first time is Sh . 30,000 instead of Sh . 20,000 initially.

See a doctor for follow-up care and treatment have risen to Sh . 20000 from Sh . 10,000.

Other services as pharmaceutical and diagnostic laboratory
His prices have gone up but had not been published on the bulletin board .

For patients who do not pay for normal delivery cost will be charged a price that has zikafafanuliwa although the government seeks treated free .

" Example pregnant experiencing pain came suddenly and without appeal shall be required Muhimbili cost kalipia " said pregnant we have a name .

Aligaesha Aminieli MNH spokesman , acknowledged the increased costs climbed , adding that the increase is because of higher operating costs .

However, he declined to give more details go to our reporter in his office for more information.

Muhimbili Hospital provides services in order to contribute to two types of treatment used by the patient and the government appealed .

Another way is to sick pay all costs of treatment as they do in private hospitals .

However, the cost of medical treatment for those who contribute and those appeals have not increased .

THIS IS VIDEO OF AL-Shabaab ATTACK, 39 SHOOTING AND KILLING PEOPLE IN NAIROBI ...!!

SEE VIDEO BELOW ...

Nairobi attack: 'Hostages remain inside shopping centre'...

Eyewitnesses saw armed men in black, their heads covered in scarves, entering the Westgate shopping centre on Saturday afternoon

Continue reading the main story

An unknown number of hostages are still inside a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi after a deadly assault by al-Shabab militants, say officials.

At least 39 people died when members of the Somali Islamist group stormed the Westgate centre on Saturday.

Officials say the gunmen have been cornered but that people are trapped in a number of locations.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta earlier vowed to "hunt down the perpetrators wherever they run to".

Al-Shabab told the BBC it carried out the attack on the upmarket shopping centre in response to Kenyan military operations in Somalia.

There are about 4,000 Kenyan troops in the south of Somalia, where they have been fighting the militants since 2011.

On its Twitter feed, al-Shabab - which has links to al-Qaeda - said it was behind what it called the "Westgate spectacle".

'Watching and monitoring'

Kenyan officials said "major operations" were under way with police and soldiers preparing an apparent bid to bring an end to the stand-off.

They said the security forces had finally "pinned down" the surviving gunmen.

"The work is continuing, but you cannot rush these things," an army officer posted on the perimeter cordon set up around the mall told the AFP news agency.

"Our teams are there, we are watching and monitoring, we will finish this as soon as we can."

The authorities have asked journalists to exercise caution when reporting military developments because the gunmen might be monitoring the media.

"Hostiles suspected to have access to the internet," the Disaster Operation Centre in Nairobi posted on Twitter.

"Reports on personnel movement and progress will not be posted for fear of compromising strategy."

The officials said the number of hostages was "still unknown, but they are in several locations".

"The gunmen have been contained in one location, but there are hostages elsewhere in the vicinity who cannot access the exit".

Upper levels of the mall had been secured, it said.

The attack began at about 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT), when around the attackers entered the Westgate centre throwing grenades and firing automatic weapons. A children's day event was being held at the time - children are among those reported killed.

Some witnesses said the militants told Muslims to leave and said non-Muslims would be targeted.

"They came and said: 'If you are Muslim, stand up. We've come to rescue you'," said Elijah Lamau.

He said the Muslims left with their hands up, and then the gunmen shot two people.

Scores of people fled or were evacuated while police and armed security guards fought running gun battles with the militants throughout the mall for hours.

As night fell in Nairobi, two contingents of army special forces troops were reported to have moved inside the mall.

The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner says a security source told him that at least one of the attackers was a woman who appeared to have some kind of leadership role.

Footage from inside the mall shows the aftermath of the shoot-out

One gunman was arrested and died of his wounds, Kenyan officials told the BBC. Four other gunmen were arrested.

In a televised address on Saturday evening, Mr Kenyatta said security forces were "in the process of neutralising the attackers and securing the mall".

He went on: "We shall hunt down the perpetrators wherever they run to. We shall get to them and we shall punish them for this heinous crime."

He said he had "personally lost family members in the Westgate attack".

Security experts are reported to have long warned that the complex, which is part Israeli-owned, was in danger of being subjected to a terror attack.

The BBC's Mark Doyle, who is embedded with the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia, says the AU troops attack al-Shabab where they can.

Al-Shabab says the AU forces are invaders stopping their legitimate vision of creating an Islamic state and respond by mounting hit-and-run attacks, our correspondent says.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there would "undoubtedly" be British nationals caught up in Saturday's events, while the US State Department said it had reports that American citizens were injured in what it called "a senseless act of violence".

Two French citizens and two Canadians, including a diplomat, are also among the dead.

Nairobi's mortuary superintendent, Sammy Nyongesa Jacob, told Reuters that Africans, Asians and Caucasians were among the bodies brought to the mortuary.

This is one of the worst incidents in Kenya since the attack on the US embassy in August 1998.

At night descended outside the shopping complex, the siege continued

Many of those who were inside the Westgate centre when the gun battle began managed to flee, but some were trapped.

Armed police combed the corridors as terrified shoppers fled.

This woman who had been held by the gunmen was carried out of the building in a state of shock by the emergency services.

Some went to extraordinary lengths to escape.

This pregnant woman was separated from her husband and two-year-old daughter during the attack. She hid with about 20 others on the roof of the building and was eventually rescued by police and reunited.

Security forces went from shop to shop to secure the building.

Two contingents of army special forces troops are reported to have moved inside the mall as dusk fell.

WE HAVE COME TO REVENGE, GUNMEN TOLD VICTIMS BEFORE THEY OPENED FIRE...

On a weekend the populous uptown shopping mall is a beehive of activities with revellers and shoppers thronging in.

The incident happened at around 11am on Saturday and witness accounts pointed to an act of terror.

They described the Saturday attack as brutal, merciless and barbaric as the gun-wielding criminals sprayed bullets on innocent Kenyans at various shopping units within the mall.

At the MP Shah hospital, located a few meters from the mall, Mr Mwema Kyalo, a taxi driver who had dropped six primary school children to attend a birthday party inside the mall, said he saw two middle-aged men alight from a Toyota saloon car at the parking yard and then ordered all who were at the area to lie down.

Kyalo said he then heard them yell: “If you are a Muslim get out first,” as the merciless gang sprayed bullets towards those they suspected were not their sympathisers.

“Those who identified themselves as Muslims were allowed to exit the mall, while the two men shot at everyone. I feigned unconscious pretending I had been shot and lay on the ground still,” said the driver whose lucky escape from the gallows of death was godsend. “One of the gunmen hit me on the neck but I did not move, and he went away after confirming I was dead,” he added.

Kyalo said he saw one of the gun-trotting criminals haul a grenade into the mall before it exploded, killing several and injuring hundreds others as another wielded a sophisticated gun and fired indiscriminately.

Medical staff at the MP Shah hospital were mobilised and volunteers were at hand to help those injured get medical attention.

“We need blood, kindly members of the public proceed down there and help us save the lives of our innocent fellow Kenyans, those with blood group O (negative) should hurry up please,” appealed one of the medical staff at the hospital.

The hospital had received a total of 120 casualties at the facility by the time of going to press. A list at the notice board was conspicuous with names of people with Indian origin, their ages indicated against their names.

Majority of those admitted were aged between 40 and 65. Areas around Westlands are mainly inhabited by Indians who mostly shop at the lavish mall. Dr Mohammed Anwar Khan said three people died at the hospital while most casualties have bullets lodged in their bodies.

Injuries

He said the hospital was doing everything to save lives after mobilising its emergency staff.

“I have travelled extensively, but have never seen a scene like this, this is horrible, I mean its threatening and terrifying,” said Khan.

He added that majority of the patients had stomach, lower abdomen and chest injuries, with others requiring urgent operations.

Mr John Kiarie, one of the survivors, said he overhead the gang say: “We have come to revenge” before he heard gunshots rent the air.

“They dressed like Muslims and wore Taqiya (cap) and said that they were out to execute a mission before they shot at everyone and injured me on the leg,” he said at the MP Shah hospital.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s advisor on Governance  Sam Ongeri said he was shocked by gunmen’s criminal act on innocent Kenyans.

Prof Ongeri, a medical surgeon, said he could not confirm the magnitude of the casualty but indicated that the government would issue a statement. He drove in amid tight security on tow before he was taken on a tour of the casualty wing.

Former presidential candidate Mohammed Abdiba Dida, who turned up at the hospital with his two wives in response to appeal for blood donation, faulted the government for “forgetting too soon”.

“The problem with Kenyans is that we forget so easily and are all the time unprepared for acts like these ones,” said Mr Dida.

At the nearby Agha Khan Hospital doctors and medical staff did everything to save lives as the management called in staff from their weekend break and leave to attend to the casualties. Security was beefed up along surrounding backside streets, as curious onlookers milled around the Westgateshopping mall.

Families and relatives of the casualties thronged the MP Shah and Aga Khan hospitals with the hope of finding their loved ones alive.

The unity and high level of coordination from Indian families was startling.

Armed with radio communication gadgets they manned the major roads leading to the hospitals to open up traffic for the ambulances ferrying those injured to hospitals. Police dispatched six  helicopters, which kept air surveillance around Westlands estate, as the military joined in the rescue mission of those held hostage in the shopping mall.

Rescued

By the time of going to Press, a combined contingent of the country’s elite squads including the GSU’s Recce squad, police and the military, were at the scene.

Meanwhile, some of the people The Standard on Sunday talked to recounted the harrowing events. Some declined to identify themselves after being advised not to talk to the press.

Mr Joseph Kamau was going about his duties as usual at the mall when he suddenly heard gunshots inside. “In a panic, we all ran to the filing room on the second floor at the management office, where we hid for the better part of the day. The only contact we had with the outside world was our phones where we found out what was happening through the social media,” he said.

He said they were able to reassure their loved ones of their safety as they were hiding despite the shootout between the gunmen and the police.

Ms Margaret Muthoni recalled seeing her colleague gunned down moments after the gunmen raided the shopping mall.

“I was near the entrance and all of a sudden people burst in to the shopping mall and started firing. I was so confused when I saw three people drop dead. We hid in a shop and have just been rescued by the police,” she said at around 3.30pm when she was rescued.

By JAMES MBAKA and CAROLINE RWENJI, The Standard

Three US soldiers killed by member of Afghan forces...

Smoke rises from the site of an attack in Paktia, Afghanistan, in April 2012. Three US soldiers were killed in the province on Saturday. Photograph: Reuters

An Afghan wearing a security forces uniform turned his weapon against US troops on Saturday, killing three in eastern Afghanistan, officials said, in another apparent attack by a member of the Afghan forces against their international allies.

The shooting took place in Gardez, capital of eastern Paktia province, Geneneral Mohammad Zahir Azimi, an Afghan defence ministry spokesman, said. The area, near the border with Pakistan, has been a front line in fighting with the Taliban and other militants.

The attack took place inside a base of the Afghan army in the city, according to a security official in Gardez.

A US defence department official confirmed that all three soldiers were Americans, but that no further details would be released until after their relatives had been notified. Nato said the shooting was carried out by a gunman wearing the uniform of the Afghan national security forces, but it gave no further details.

Killings by uniformed Afghans of foreign soldiers and civilians rose dramatically last year, eroding confidence between the sides at a crucial turning point in the conflict. Insider attacks killed 62 personnel in 47 incidents last year compared to 35 killed in 21 attacks a year earlier, according to Nato.

So far in 2013, 11 foreign soldiers have been killed in seven such attacks, including Saturday's, according to an Associated Press count.

In some cases, militants have donned Afghan army or police uniforms to attack foreign troops, but a number have been carried out by members of Afghan security forces against their own comrades.

The attacks come as Nato and Afghan forces are in more intimate contact, with foreign troops handing over security to the Afghans and continuing to train them prior to an almost total withdrawal by the end of 2014.

22 FEARED DEAD IN NAIROBI ‘S WESTGATE SHOPPING MALL TERROR ATTACK...

NAIROBI — Kenya's Red Cross says at least 20 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded when gunmen opened fire in a shopping mall in the capital, Nairobi. Some survivors say gunmen started shooting indiscriminately and throwing grenades as they launched their attack.

Hundreds of Kenyan security forces were battling with armed gunmen who took dozens of people hostage in an up market mall frequented by foreigners. Dozens of people remained trapped inside the mall.

In an interview with local media, Kenya’s secretary of communication and state house spokesman Manoah Esipisu called for calm as security forces attempted to rescue people inside the mall.

“There should be no panic we have people who know what to do, how to do in here. They are dealing with that situation," said Esipisu. "We want people to remain as calm as possible, not to be alarmed whatsoever and to allow the security agents and other rescue people to do their job. This is the time to be calm and to let people equipped to do this job to get the job done.”

Armed robberies are common in the capital, Nairobi, but the city has also faced a series of grenade attacks since its troops crossed into Somalia to fight the militant group al-Shabab in 2011.

The Westgate Mall has been identified as one the key places gunmen or terrorist groups could target since the mall is frequented by Westerners. People have raised concerns about the level of security provided at such locations with thousands of people coming to shop.

Esipisu says security at the mall will be reviewed after the rescue mission is complete.

“I wouldn’t want to join that group of people who speculate about everything," he said. "What I can say is that there is a situation that now we are dealing with and aftermath of this situation obviously there will be need to review security arrangements and what needs to be done to deal with this type of situation in the future.” 

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the shootings.

BABY KILLED IN ALICANTE AIRPORT ACCIDENT...

A five-month-old boy has died at a Spanish airport after becoming trapped in a luggage conveyor carousel.

The child's mother, a US national, had taken a late flight from London to Alicante, airport sources said.

She placed the child inside a baby carrier on a stationary belt for heavy baggage, which is reported to have been activated by the weight.

The Spanish police said they were investigating, looking at CCTV footage "but it seems that it was an accident".

The tragedy is believed to have occurred at the Alicante-Elche airport on the Costa Blanca.

The infant was transported to where the bags emerge, becoming tangled and trapped in the rollers, reports said.

The mother's Canadian husband was reportedly waiting for the family in the arrivals zone. It is believed they were planning a family holiday in nearby Denia.

Medical workers tried to save the baby's life but he was declared dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination is expected to take place later on Thursday or Friday.

-bbc

POPE FRANCIS: CHURCH TOO FOCUSED ON GAYS AND ABORTION..

Pope Francis has said the Catholic Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception and needs to become more merciful.

He warned that the Church's moral structure could "fall like a house of cards" unless it changed.

The Pope used the first major interview of his papacy to explain comments he made in July about homosexuality.

He told a Jesuit magazine the Church must show balance and "heal wounds".

The pontiff used the 12,000-word interview with La Civilta Cattolicato to set out his priorities as Pope, acknowledge his own shortcomings and open up about his cultural interests.

'Freshness and fragrance'

His vision for relegating the Catholic Church's reliance on rules marks a contrast to the priorities of his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who saw doctrine as the paramount guide for clergy

"The church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently," Francis said.

"We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel."

Instead, he said, the Catholic Church must work to heal the wounds of its faithful and seek out those who have been excluded or have fallen away.

"It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars," he said. "You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else."

He said the Church had become tied up in "small-minded rules" and risked losing its true purpose.

"The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the Church must be ministers of mercy above all.''

His remarks are could generate dismay among clergy in the United States who have already expressed disappointment that Francis has not pressed Church teaching on abortion, contraception and homosexuality.

Last week, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, wrote in his diocesan newspaper that he was "disappointed" Francis hadn't addressed abortion since his papacy began six months ago, according to AP.

Francis said it was not necessary to speak out on such issues.

'Home of all'

"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible,'' he said.

"The teaching of the Church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the Church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.''

Francis created headlines two months ago when he spoke about gay priests during an impromptu news conference on a return flight from Brazil. He said it was not up to him to judge about the sexual orientation of clergy as long as they were searching for God and had goodwill.

In his latest interview, Francis said his remarks were in line with Catholic teaching.

"This Church with which we should be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal Church to a nest protecting our mediocrity,'' he said.

Francis also used the interview to detail his favourite composers, artists, authors and films, which include Mozart, Caravaggio, Dostoevsky and Fellini's La Strada.

GADDAFI SON APPEARS IN COURT...

A lawyer said that Seif al-Islam, charged with undermining state security, appeared in the dock in Zintan west of the capital in a trial that was then adjourned.

“Seif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared before the Zintan court that decided to adjourn the trial until December 12 to allow the attendance of other accused in the case,” the lawyer who was present in court told AFP.

Gaddafi’s son had also been due at a pre-trial hearing in Tripoli on charges related to the 2011 uprising, but there were doubts that his captors in Zintan would allow this.

Prosecutor general Abdulqader Radwan said Wednesday he had ordered Seif transferred to the Tripoli court from Zintan, 180 kilometres (110 miles) to the southwest.

Gaddafi’s former heir apparent and others including ex-intelligence supremo Abdullah al-Senussi are accused of crimes during the revolt in which he was ousted and killed.

Baghdadi al-Mahmudi, Gaddafi’s last prime minister, and Mansur Daw, who headed the People’s Guard, are also among the accused in one of the most important legal cases in Libyan history.

“We have sent a transfer order to the penal authorities concerned to send those persons implicated in Case Number 630, including Seif al-Islam,” the prosecutor general told a Tripoli news conference.

Talks were reported late on Wednesday for Seif’s transfer to Tripoli for a period of several hours, but there was no indication Thursday that this would happen.

The main charges against the suspects in Tripoli include murders committed during the regime’s battle against the revolt that erupted in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebels in his hometown of Sirte in October 2011.

Seif was captured the following month by a group of former rebels from the mountainous region of Zintan, and has been held there ever since.

The North African country’s interim authorities have tried several times to negotiate his transfer to Tripoli, but still insist that Seif is in state custody.

Deputy prosecutor general Siddiq al-Sur said Wednesday that all prisons come under the authority of the justice ministry.

“If the director of any such establishment refuses to obey orders, he will be pursued by the judiciary,” he told reporters.

Asked about the coincidental court appearances, Sur said only that “the prosecutor general’s office was not officially informed about the date of the trial” in Zintan.

Amnesty International has urged the “immediate” handover of both Seif al-Islam and Senussi to the International Criminal Court.

“The referral of these cases to the Indictment Chamber (in Tripoli) brings us one step closer to the start of national trial proceedings… in violation of Libya’s legal obligation to surrender him to the ICC,” it said.

“Libya’s justice system is in desperate need of an overhaul. There are serious concerns about the authorities’ ability to ensure fair trials compounded by the precarious security situation in the country.”

The whole trial is seen by some Western observers as an act of defiance against the international court.

A total of 40,000 documents and 4,000 pages of interrogation transcripts will be considered by the court at a secret location in Tripoli.

The defendants face a string of charges, including the “formation of armed bands to carry out crimes that undermine state security” and “incitation to rape”.

AFP