News Blog

After a hard day's flying, you might think a blue tit would get more than enough exercise to stay in shape.But this body-conscious bird appears to have found time to practice some chin-ups.
Or maybe it has simply lost confidence in its flying abilities and is hanging to the twig on a wing and a prayer.Spotted on forestry commission land near Farnborough, Hampshire, this bird displays a stunning agility with its claws wrapped tightly around the wood.And the strange looking position is in fact a regular part of the blue tits feeding strategy. Grahame Madge of the RSPB explained: "Blue tits are extremely agile and light weight birds and are very acrobatic feeders."They often hang upside down on branches to catch insects, and this is a very comfortable position for them to be in."He added: "Around bird feeders, birds will wait for their turn to eat. There is a definite pecking order."

It is one of the greatest examples of human devotion on earth - a sea of white robes as hundreds of thousands of Muslims poured onto the plain of Arafat east of Mecca today as the sun rose over the rocky hills for the day marking the climax of the annual haj pilgrimage.They came on foot, by bus and in pick-up trucks from Mina and other sites in the direction of Mecca, adding to a throng which will reach more than two million in the afternoon.Saudi authorities say more than 1.6 million people have entered Saudi Arabia for the event, the largest religious gathering in the world, which poses a huge logistical and security challenge for the Saudi authorities.Pilgrims make the journey to Mecca in the second week of Dhu al-Hijjah - the twelfth month in the Islamic calendar - and perform prayers and rituals in the days before the haj begins.
The haj has been marred in previous years by fires, hotel collapses, police clashes with protestors trying to politicise the haj and deadly stampedes caused by overcrowding.
In January 2006, 346 muslims were crushed and a further 200 were injured on an overcrowded bridge.This year, more than 35,000 security staff are on hand to ensure that this show of unity is a peaceful one.The government is also wary of any militant actions. Al Qaeda-linked militants launched a campaign to destabilise the U.S.-allied monarchy in 2003, and Saudi radicals opposed to the royal family seized control of Mecca's Grand Mosque in 1979.

A representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei managed to give a speech to a group of Iranian pilgrims at Arafat today denouncing "enemies of the Muslim nation". Shown on Iranian TV, pilgrims waved signs saying "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and chanted slogans.President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is performing haj this year at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally.Some of the most enthusiastic pilgrims spent the night on Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or the Mountain of Mercy, nestling in cracks between the boulders. The night air was pleasantly cool, with a breeze from the desert.
Pilgrims perched on the hillside said they had prayed for the welfare and success of Muslims across the world.Zaki Ali Ibrahim, an Egyptian driver working in Saudi Arabia, said he spent the whole night in prayer with friends."I prayed that all Muslims may prosper, and that I may prosper with them," he said. "I felt that my prayers for Muslims were reaching God with strength."

Shazli Atallah Mohamed, a plumber from the southern Egyptian province of Qena, said that on the hilltop he felt he was closer to God than anywhere else on earth. "I prayed that God might accept us all into paradise," he said.A large group chanted prayers in unison, asking God to help fellow Muslims in areas of conflict including the Palestinian territories, Chechnya, Kashmir and Sudan.As day spread across the plain, the size of the pilgrimage came to light.A sea of people wrapped in white cloth streamed along six-lane roads to fill the plain, carrying mats, food, screens against the sun, Korans and prayer books.It is the duty of every able-bodied Muslim to make the haj at least once in their lifetime.In a display of solidarity and faith, the pilgrims walk seven times around the Kaaba, touching the sacred black stone at its corner.They wear sacred robes called ihram and are forbidden to use cosmetics, shave or cut their nails while dressed in these.They are also not allowed to swear, argue, kill a living creature or have sex.Over the five days of haj, more than two million Muslims, 25,000 of whom are British, will pass through the Grand Mosque.
Fruit sellers set up stalls and tea stands suddenly appeared. African trader women spread their wares on the ground, offering prayer beads, incense and prayer mats.One man offered rides in the howdahs of camels, richly decorated with brocade and coloured pompoms.The afternoon at Arafat, known in Arabic as the wuqouf or "standing", is an essential part of the pilgrimage but the requirements are not strict.The noon prayer and sermon at the Namera Mosque is a major event, evoking the sermon which the Prophet Mohammad made from the hill in the year of his death in 632.

More than two million Muslims began their annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca today amid tight security.The pilgrims, including Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, started the week-long religious event at the Saudi Arabian city with a three mile walk to the holy site of Mina.The faithful, wearing white robes, make the symbolic trip tracing the journey made by the Prophet Mohammed more than 1,400 years ago.Sleeping at night in tents before heading further south to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet is believed to have received the last passage of Islam's holy book, the Koran.
The Haj climaxes on Tuesday, when the faithful will spend the day praying and asking God's forgiveness at the summit.
During the pilgrimage Muslims numbering nearly 2.5 million will walk anti-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure in Mecca toward which all followers of Islam pray.Also among the pilgrims were 1,000 residents of the Gaza strip who were allowed by Israel to leave the territory as a gesture of goodwill.Yesterday 491 Palestians were taken by bus through the Erez checkpoint, which is controlled by Israeli troops and normally closed to civilians.
Another 500 pilgrims are expected to be allowed through today, befor heading to Jordan and flying on to Saudi Arabia.
The move came as 10,700 Chinese Muslims, an isolated minority in the communist state, were given permission to travel - and fulfil their faithful duty of making the pilgrimage if they can.They will join president Ahmadinejad, the first Iranian leader to take part in the event since the 1979 Islamic revolution, who was invited by Saudi King Abdullah.Before leaving, he said: “If I made a mistake or in one of my speeches or said something that was not in line with the interest of the nation and has hurt the nation or I was not able to defend its rights, then I ask people to forgive me."His invitation is a highly symbolic move as the pilgrimage has in the past caused major diplomatic strains between the two regional heavyweights.Relations reached an all-time low in July 1987 when 402 people, mostly Iranians, were killed in clashes between Iranians and Saudi security forces during the Haj.Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini subsequently accused the kingdom of being a lackey of the United States that was unable to look after holy sites.But the two countries have tried to give an impression of unity in recent years, vowing to work together to end the political crisis in Lebanon and bring stability to Iraq.

Scientists think they have discovered the energy source of auroras borealis, the spectacular color displays seen in the upper latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.New data from NASA's Themis mission, a quintet of satellites launched this winter, found the energy comes from a stream of charged particles from the sun flowing like a current through twisted bundles of magnetic fields connecting Earth's upper atmosphere to the sun. The energy is then abruptly released in the form of a shimmering display of lights, said principal investigator Vassilis Angelopoulos of the University of California at Los Angeles. Results were presented Tuesday at the American Geophysical Union meeting. In March, the satellites detected a burst of Northern Lights over Alaska and Canada. During the two-hour light show, the satellites measured particle flow and magnetic fields from space. To scientists' surprise, the geomagnetic storm powering the auroras raced 400 miles in a minute across the sky. Angelopoulos estimated the storm's power was equal to the energy released by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake."Nature was very kind to us," Angelopoulos said. Although researchers have suspected the existence of wound-up bundles of magnetic fields that provide energy for the auroras, the phenomenon was not confirmed until May, when the satellites became the first to map their structure some 40,000 miles above the Earth's surface. Scientists hope the satellites will record a geomagnetic storm next year and end the debate about when the storms are triggered.

Amy Winehouse’s estranged mother, Janis Winehouse, penned an open letter to her daughter, 24, urging her to come home and seek help. She writes:“We want to help you, but we know that unless you want to be helped, unless you come to us — anything we tried would be in vain. So this letter is my way of making sure you know … that all you have to do is come home to us, Amy, and we’ll do everything in our power to get you well again. After all, you are still my baby and you always will be. So just pick up that phone and tell me what’s troubling you… Wherever you are, whatever you need, we’re here for you day and night.”The full version of Amy’s mother’s letter was published in the UK’s News of the World. It’s very nice, heartfelt and, of course, likely to fall upon deaf ears.
Amy Winehouse looking pretty coherent… relatively speaking of course.The singer has faced some hard times lately. She nixed her tour to support her incarcerated husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, who is being held without bail after allegedly trying to buy off a witness in a pending assault case against him.Winehouse was recently spotted wandering the streets of London in the middle of the night in just a bra and jeans, looking for her dealer having been asleep.In a recent statement, Amy Winehouse — who nabbed six Grammy nominations in spite of her personal woes — apologized to fans for the recent troubles.“Thank you for all your kind letters and emails,” she said. “I am grateful for all your support.”

London: A family branded “worse than the neighbours from hell” have been banned from going out together.Forty-eight-year-old Leslie Brien, and sons Dean, 26, Darren, 23, and Jimmy, 18, cannot even step out of their front door with each other without police permission.
It follows 69 complaints about them including threats to kill, battery, street fighting, slashing tyres, domestic abuse, fraud, drink driving, disorderly behaviour and drug possession with intent to supply.They are also banned from pubs, being drunk, fighting, and even parking badly outside their home in Buckfastleigh, Devon.Neighbours have branded them “the Buckfastleigh Mafia” and Gipsy Lane where they live “Beirut”, a court was told.Totnes magistrates heard that Jimmy Brien and some friends invaded the home of a disabled neighbour for up to six months - smashing down the door if it was locked.They would smoke cannabis and steal his possessions. Finally, he and three terrified families moved away.The Briens - who did not attend the hearing - have been banned from every pub in the area since 2004.Police said an eviction notice had been served on them by Teign Housing and they were investigated by environmental health and social services. Prosecuter Alison Hooper said they were “worse than the neighbours from hell”.She added: “They are intimidating and abusive. They regularly threaten the public and police. Unless people live in Gipsy Lane they will not go down it unless they have to.
“Within a 20 mile radius, people fear for the safety of themselves and their families at the hands of the Briens. They’re absolutely petrified of them.”Police lawyer Peter Quinn said: “This is by far the worst order I have come across. People are emotionally and mentally terrified by them.”Teignbridge councillor Anne Fry said: “I am glad we have been able to take this necessary step to help protect our community from the damaging actions of the Brien family.”

The teenager who killed eight shoppers yesterday after opening fire on a crowded mall left a suicide note predicting: “Now I'll be famous.”Robert Hawkins, 19, who had a history of depression and had broken up with his girlfriend two weeks ago, also wrote that he was “sorry for everything”.The high school dropout yesterday left the note at the home of the Maruca-Kovac family who had taken him in after he was thrown out by his parents.He had just been fired from his McDonald's job for allegedly stealing $17 before driving to the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, and beginning his bloodbath.President George W Bush had come within two miles of the centre during a morning visit to the Midwest city."He wanted to go out like a star," said Andrew Bigler, who described himself as a friend of bespectacled Hawkins."He had a rough life. He was a good guy. I loved him."Wearing a camouflage vest, Hawkins headed to the third floor of the Von Mauer department store, pulled out an SKS assault rifle and opened fire.He gunned down shoppers in the store's customer service department before spraying bullets at others on a floor below as they looked up an escalator towards the screams and pandemonium.In total, he hit 13 people in the crowded complex, killing eight and injuring five before turning the gun on himself. Last night, Debora Maruca-Kovac, who invited Hawkins to live with her after her 17- and 19-year-old sons befriended the killer, said: “I had a feeling it was him.”

The surgical nurse, who described the youth as “very troubled” had witnessed victims of the mall shooting being brought in to the hospital where she works."He was depressed, and he had always been depressed," she said. "But he looked like he was getting better."Hawkins, who earned a high school equivalency degree after dropping out of Papillion-La Vista High School, earned his driving licence after moving in with the Maruca-Kovacs.And five months ago he started working at a McDonald's restaurant near their home in the middle-class suburb of Bellevue.The teenager was not on any medication for mental illness, but he had been treated in the past for depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Mrs Maruca-Kovac revaled. Though he had his troubles, Hawkins was gentle and loved animals, Maruca-Kovac said.But he also had a drinking problem and would occasionally smoke marijuana in his bedroom, she said.The youth had been due to attend court for allegedly being caught in possession of alcohol.The minimum drinking age in all U.S. states is 21.

Maruca-Kovac continued: “He didn't cause a lot of trouble. He tried to help out all the time. He was very thankful for everything. He wasn't a violent person at all."Hawkins had lived with several friends for a couple days at a time before landing at Maruca-Kovac's house last year, she said."He was like a lost pound puppy that nobody wanted," she explained. "I felt sorry for him. I let him stay, and we tried to get him on his feet."

Mrs Maruca-Kovac said she found the handwritten note on the floor by his bed.She then called Hawkins' mother, whom she said she knows only as "Molly." The woman went to her house, retrieved the suicide note and took it to authorities.Mrs Maruca-Kovac did not hear about the shooting - which began around 1.50 pm - until she arrived at work, where she saw patients being wheeled in.
In the note Hawkins he didn't want “to be a burden anymore" to his family.At the top of the note was his "will," which said that his green Jeep Cherokee was to go to his mother, and that "my friends can have whatever they want."He ended the note by saying that now he would be famous.Police said they had no reason to think Nebraska's biggest lunchtime bloodbath was connected to the Bush visit but FBI agents were said to be checking for a possible link.

We all want to keep our minds as sharp as possible - and here's a brilliant new challenge that'll keep your brain in tip-top shape in just 30 seconds a day.Whether you're an older reader, wanting to keep your mind alert, or a parent who wants to sharpen up your children's mental arithmetic skills, our 30 second challenge is fun for all the family.

Devised by Norman D Lock, a respected maths teacher for more than 30 years, it couldn't be easier to follow.Start on the left with the number given and follow the instructions as you go across.When you get to the right you should have an answer.Beginner players have 30 seconds to complete their challenge.Intermediates have to complete the beginners' and their own intermediate challenge in 30 seconds and the advanced have to complete the intermediate and their own advanced challenge in 30 seconds.If you're really keen, you can try to improve on your times each day.

In a bid to promote cultural understanding, they are also expected to provide patients with running water so they can wash before prayer.And then, of course, they are required to turn the beds back around to return the wards to normality. The measures are being pursued by Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust to ensure Muslim patients have a "more comfortable stay in hospital".Hundreds of staff have attended tax-payer-funded workshops with Muslim GPs and ethnic-minority support groups on how best to help patients.During these meetings, nurses have been told that if a patient asks for water to bathe in, or for their bed to be turned to face Mecca, then this should be considered.

If the measure is deemed "practically possible" and does not impinge on other patients, then it should be carried out.And if it is not practical, nurses are encouraged to find them a bed that faces Mecca permanently.But an experienced nurse at Dewsbury and District Hospital in Yorkshire where the ideas are being tested, has blasted the scheme.She said: "It would be easier to create Muslim-only wards with every bed facing Mecca than deal with this.The job of the nurse used to one of caring for the sick and needy.But not - it would seem - in today's politically-correct Britain.

Now, nurses are being encouraged to spend valuable time turning around the beds of Muslim patients up to five times a day - so they can face Mecca. "We have a huge Muslim population in Dewsbury and if we are having to turn dozens of beds to face Mecca five times a day, plus provide running water before and after prayers, it is bound to impact on the essential medical service we are supposed to be providing."Although the beds are designed to be moved, the bays are not really suitable for having loads of beds moving around to face a different direction and, despite our best efforts, it does cause disruption for non-Muslim patients."

Conservative MP David Davies also criticised the idea, saying: "Hospitals should be concentrating on stopping the spread of infections than kowtowing to the politically-correct brigade."The workshops - led by the hospital's chief matron Catherine Briggs - looked at Muslims' religious concerns over being in hospital.A key part of Islamic faith is praying five times a day to Mecca, Saudi Arabia - revered as the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed.Muslims are also meant to wash themselves in running water prior to prayer.Although staff said they would do everything possible to help patients fulfil these obligations, a request by Muslim women to be seen by female-only doctors was not guaranteed.

The scheme comes just a year after some NHS hospitals introduced Burka-style gowns for Muslim patients who did not want to show their face during operations.Yesterday, a spokeswoman for Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust confirmed that nurses were encouraged to help meet individual requests.She said: "Nurses have not been ordered to move beds or provide running water - they have just been encouraged to help meet patients' needs wherever possible."If a sick patient requests that their bed be moved to face Mecca, then it is right that the hospital looks at this request - even if it is more than once a day."If it is practically possible - and is not inappropriate or inconvenient to nurses or other patients - then it is right that nurses try and carry it out."We can also try and move the patient to a bed that faces Mecca permanently."

In a bid to promote cultural understanding, they are also expected to provide patients with running water so they can wash before prayer.And then, of course, they are required to turn the beds back around to return the wards to normality. The measures are being pursued by Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust to ensure Muslim patients have a "more comfortable stay in hospital".Hundreds of staff have attended tax-payer-funded workshops with Muslim GPs and ethnic-minority support groups on how best to help patients.During these meetings, nurses have been told that if a patient asks for water to bathe in, or for their bed to be turned to face Mecca, then this should be considered.

If the measure is deemed "practically possible" and does not impinge on other patients, then it should be carried out.And if it is not practical, nurses are encouraged to find them a bed that faces Mecca permanently.But an experienced nurse at Dewsbury and District Hospital in Yorkshire where the ideas are being tested, has blasted the scheme.She said: "It would be easier to create Muslim-only wards with every bed facing Mecca than deal with this.The job of the nurse used to one of caring for the sick and needy.But not - it would seem - in today's politically-correct Britain.

Now, nurses are being encouraged to spend valuable time turning around the beds of Muslim patients up to five times a day - so they can face Mecca. "We have a huge Muslim population in Dewsbury and if we are having to turn dozens of beds to face Mecca five times a day, plus provide running water before and after prayers, it is bound to impact on the essential medical service we are supposed to be providing."Although the beds are designed to be moved, the bays are not really suitable for having loads of beds moving around to face a different direction and, despite our best efforts, it does cause disruption for non-Muslim patients."

Conservative MP David Davies also criticised the idea, saying: "Hospitals should be concentrating on stopping the spread of infections than kowtowing to the politically-correct brigade."The workshops - led by the hospital's chief matron Catherine Briggs - looked at Muslims' religious concerns over being in hospital.A key part of Islamic faith is praying five times a day to Mecca, Saudi Arabia - revered as the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed.Muslims are also meant to wash themselves in running water prior to prayer.Although staff said they would do everything possible to help patients fulfil these obligations, a request by Muslim women to be seen by female-only doctors was not guaranteed.

The scheme comes just a year after some NHS hospitals introduced Burka-style gowns for Muslim patients who did not want to show their face during operations.Yesterday, a spokeswoman for Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust confirmed that nurses were encouraged to help meet individual requests.She said: "Nurses have not been ordered to move beds or provide running water - they have just been encouraged to help meet patients' needs wherever possible."If a sick patient requests that their bed be moved to face Mecca, then it is right that the hospital looks at this request - even if it is more than once a day."If it is practically possible - and is not inappropriate or inconvenient to nurses or other patients - then it is right that nurses try and carry it out."We can also try and move the patient to a bed that faces Mecca permanently."

Fresh fears have been raised over the safety of cooked foods as a wide-ranging study found for the first time that a common chemical caused by frying, roasting or grilling can double the risk of cancer in women.

• How to cut your acrylamide levels
• NHS to extend breast cancer screening
• Over half of new mothers who die 'are obese'

Five years ago, scientists sparked a worldwide alert when they disclosed that many household foods contain the substance acrylamide, which was thought to be a probable cause of the disease.
Now a study involving 120,000 people - half of whom were women - has established a direct link between consumption of the chemical and the incidence of ovarian and womb cancer.
Research has shown that acrylamide is found in cooked foods such as bread, breakfast cereals, coffee and also meat and potatoes which had been fried, baked, roasted, grilled or barbecued.
The Dutch study found that women who absorbed more acrylamide were twice as likely to develop ovarian or womb cancer as those who ingested a smaller amount.
The higher amount eaten by the women involved was the equivalent to a single packet of crisps, half a pack of biscuits, or a portion of chips a day.The EU has now advised people to avoid burnt toast or golden brown chips because they contain higher levels of the substance acrylamide.They have also recommended eating home-cooked meals which contain much lower amounts of the chemical than processed products, fast food and restaurant meals.The Food Standards Agency welcomed the report and called on consumers to heed the EU's advice. However, a spokesman said it was not possible to avoid the chemical entirely."This new study supports our current advice and policy, which already assumes that acrylamide has the potential to be a human carcinogen," a spokesman said."Since acrylamide forms naturally in a wide variety of cooked foods, it is not possible to have a healthy balanced diet that avoids it."

• Binge-drink study 'slows' ex-Olympic athlete
• Babies 'get taste for vegetables in womb'
• Sex and chocolate 'boost brain power'

The findings from the University of Maastricht, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, came only a month after the public was warned about the increased risk of cancer from eating bacon and ham.It also came as the Government launches a five-year strategy to combat the disease.The Dutch report relied on the Netherlands Cohort Study, which involved 120,000 people aged between 55 and 70, about 62,000 of them women.At the start of the study, participants completed a questionnaire that was used to estimate their acrylamide intake.The participants were followed up through the Dutch cancer registries and after 11 years, 327 had developed endometrial (womb) cancer, 300 were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 1,835 suffered breast cancer.

The study found that women who had eaten 40 micrograms (μg) of acrylamide a day (found, for example in a 32g pack of crisps) had double the risk of endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer than women in the lowest category.There was no link found to breast cancer.Janneke Hogervorst, at the Department of Epidemiology at Maastricht University, said that "this is the first observation of an association between dietary acrylamide intake and cancer in humans".But she warned: "It is important that these results are corroborated and confirmed by other studies before far-reaching conclusions can be drawn."

About 6,400 women are diagnosed with womb cancer in Britain each year and 7,000 with ovarian cancer, one of the highest rates in Europe.The FSA said people should try to have less fried and overcooked food in their diet."People should eat a balanced healthy diet which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, bread, other cereals and potatoes," a spokesman said."They should also limit the amount of sugary and fatty foods they eat, including fried food such as chips and crisps."The EU called on people not to overcook their food."General advice, resulting from this project, is to avoid overcooking when baking, frying or toasting carbohydrate-rich foods," it recommended.

"French fries and roast potatoes should be cooked to a golden yellow rather than golden brown colour and bread should be toasted to the lightest colour acceptable."Dr Lesley Walker, of Cancer Research UK, tried to calm fears over the link, suggesting that other factors could have a greater impact on the chances of cancer."Women shouldn't be unduly worried by this news," she said. "It's not easy to separate out one component of the diet from all the others when studying the complex diets of ordinary people."And as acrylamide levels are highest in carbohydrate containing foods - such as chips and crisps - other factors need to be firmly ruled out, especially being overweight or obese, which we know is strongly linked to womb cancer and probably linked to ovarian cancer."A Food and Drink Federation spokesman said: "The food manufacturing industry has made huge efforts to reduce the formation of acrylamide in manufactured foods using a variety of techniques.

"Considerable progress has already been made in reducing levels - for example potato crisps 30-40 per cent, potato fries 15 per cent, crispbread 75 per cent - but more work is needed on coffee."When the alarm was raised in 2002, the FSA tested a number of products, including Walkers Crisps, Ryvita crackers, Kellogg's Rice Crispies and Pringles crisps.They found higher levels of the chemical occurring naturally in the food than international safety limits permitted in the packaging of the product.Although people fry less food at home, the popularity of fast food means increasing levels are being consumed.In 2000, charred meat and blackened toast were condemned because other chemicals formed on the burnt food were found to contribute to the risk of cancer.

When a teenage girl was gang raped in Saudi Arabia,a court sentenced HER to 90 lashes. After she complained,it was increased to 200. Now, the victim speaks for the first time...
She was only 19 and a new bride when it happened.Seven men held her at knifepoint and, for a number of hours, she was subjected to a horrific gang rape.But when she later went to the authorities, they sentenced her to 90 lashes.She complained in the media, so the punishment was increased to 200 lashes and imprisonment.Her lawyer has been suspended for speaking out against it.
Life in the kingdom is still dominated by religious police who enforce a strict Islamic lifestyle (Posed by model)
Too outlandish to be true? Well, these are the bare facts of the so- called "Qatif girl" case, which has become a cause celebre among Western liberals and in Saudi Arabia, the West's most important Middle Eastern ally.Earlier this week, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, declared that what had happened was, indeed, an "outrage".But he did not mean that the rape victim had suffered a gross injustice.No, only that criticism of his country was a foreign conspiracy.The plight of the anonymous victim has served to cast an embarrassing light on one of the world's most authoritarian and oppressive regimes.Specifically, it has exposed the power of a judicial system based on the Sharia law of the extreme Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam and its appalling treatment of women and persecution of religious minorities.International pressure to clear the young woman is growing.Now, as one Saudi judge who might well hear her latest appeal declares that she should have been sentenced to death, the victim's voice has been heard in public for the first time.The pressure group Human Rights Watch has just released a transcript of an interview which the Qatif girl gave to one of its workers.Her account reveals the horrific details of the original ordeal and how, having gone to the police, she was abused and demonised by the Saudi judicial system.

The attack took place in February last year and had its roots in a typical Saudi teenage arrangement which in the West would seem odd, but is a way of getting round the strict Islamic sex segregation laws.Forbidden from approaching young women directly, young men make contact by publicly displaying their own mobile phone numbers on cards as they pass in the street or by dropping the cards through open car windows.Others make contact using their phone's Bluetooth technology, which allows users to send messages to nearby mobile phones without knowing the telephone number."I had a relationship with someone on the phone," recalled the Qatif girl."It started when we were both 16. I had never seen him before, I just knew his voice. Then he started to threaten me and I got afraid."He threatened to tell my family about the relationship. Because of the threats and fear, I agreed to give him a photo of myself."But when the girl wed another young man she became worried about the photo she had given to her "ex-boyfriend"."I asked him for the photo back but he refused. He said: 'I'll give you the photo on the condition that you come out with me in my car.'"I told him we could meet at a souk [market] near my neighbourhood in Qatif."

She recalled: "He started to drive me home, and when were about to turn the corner to my house, another car stopped right in front of our car."Two people got out of their car and stood on either side of our car. The man on my side had a knife."They tried to open our door. I told the individual with me not to open the door, but he did. He let them come in. I screamed."The ordeal had begun."One of the men brought a knife to my throat. They told me not to speak. They pushed both of us to the back of the car and started driving. We drove a lot, but I didn't see anything since my head was forced down."They took us to an area with lots of palm trees. No one was there. If you kill someone there, no one would know about it."First, they took the girl's male companion from the car.He was the victim of homosexual rape a number of times during the course of the evening."I was so afraid," the girl said."Then they forced me out of the car. They pushed me really hard. I yelled out: 'Where are you taking me? I'm like your sister.'"

They took her to a building. Then two men came in and stripped her."The first man with the knife raped me. I was destroyed. I tried to force them off but I couldn't. Another man came in and did the same thing to me. I didn't even feel anything after that."For two hours the girl begged the two men to take her home."I told them that it was late and that my family would be asking about me.Then I saw a third man come into the room. There was a lot of violence.After the third man came in, a fourth came. He slapped me and tried to choke me."The fifth and sixth ones were the most abusive. The fifth one took a photo of me like this. After the seventh one, I couldn't feel my body any more. I didn't know what to do. When a very fat man was on top of me I could no longer breathe."Before she was eventually taken home by the gang, she was raped again by all seven attackers.

"They took my mobile and saw my husband's picture in my wallet."When I got out of the car [at her home], I couldn't even walk. I rang the doorbell and my mother opened the door. She said: 'You look tired.'"She thought I was with my husband."I went to the hospital the next day. I didn't eat for one week after that, just drank water. I didn't tell anyone, but I would see the rapists faces in my sleep."However, the story began to leak out."The criminals started talking about it in my neighbourhood. They thought my husband would divorce me. They wanted to ruin my reputation. Slowly, my husband started to know what had happened."But he stood by her, outraged at what the men had done and the fact they were going unpunished."Two of the criminals were walking round our neighbourhood, right in front of me," her husband said.He complained to the police on four occasions before anything was done.Human rights activists are sure the authorities' reluctance to investigate and their subsequent actions have much to do with the fact that the woman was from Saudi's Shi'ite minority, while the accused are from the majority Sunni Muslims.

When her attackers were finally called to account, the girl had to go to court, where she received a hostile reception."At the first session, the judges said to me: 'What kind of relationship did you have with this individual [the man she originally agreed to meet]? Why did you leave the house? Do you know these men?'"They asked me to describe the situation. They yelled at me. They were insulting. The judge refused to allow my husband in the room with me."One judge told me I was a liar because I didn't remember the dates well. They kept saying: 'Why did you leave the house? Why didn't you tell your husband where you were going?'"The second session, in October last year, proved to be even more shocking.Four of the attackers - the three others were not found - were given sentences of between one and five years and between 80 and 1,000 lashes.They were convicted only of kidnapping because the prosecution could not prove rape even though the video images taken on the mobile phone during the attack were presented to the judges.

"I thought these people shouldn't even live," said their victim."I thought they would get a minimum of 20 years."Then the senior judge turned to her and her male companion on the night of the gang rape."He said: 'You get 90 lashes. You should thank God you're not in prison.'"I asked him why and he said: "You know why. Because mingling begets evil.' "She had been convicted under the khalwa - Sharia law which forbids any woman from being alone in the company of a male to whom she is not related."Don't you have any dignity?" her husband demanded of the judges. It was no good. And worse was to follow. The girl grew suicidal. Her own brother blamed her for the attack and his family's "shame"."He hit me and tried to kill me," she said.But she was not prepared to accept her unjust punishment.

With the backing of the leading Saudi human rights lawyer, Abdul Rahman al-Laham, she made the facts public, even giving an interview to an Arab TV channel. But far from embarrassing the authorities, this merely seemed to enrage them.On November 14, the General Court of Qatif struck back, increasing her sentence to 200 lashes and six months in prison.(Flogging is usually carried out in batches by a prison official who has to hold a copy of the Koran under his whip arm, which prevents it from being raised very high).The rapists' sentences were also increased to between two and 11 years each.An official at the court said that her sentence was raised because of "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media".Judge Sa'd al-Muhanna also banned her lawyer, Abdul Rahman al-Laham, from the courtroom and from representing her in future for allegedly raising his voice in court.His licence to practise has been suspended and his passport seized.He faces a further hearing before a Ministry of Justice disciplinary committee in Riyadh next week for appearing regularly on television and talking about the case.Overnight, though, the Qatif girl's case became a matter of international interest.How on earth could the Saudi authorities justify such behaviour?

US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton became involved. But far from retreating, the Saudi authorities dug their heels in.Official statements posted on the Ministry of Justice website in the past fortnight have alleged that the girl admitted adultery and was already undressed in the car when she was attacked by the rapists.One statement went so far as to say that it was her own fault: "The main reason the crime took place was because the woman and her companion, who exposed her to this heinous crime, did not follow the law."The ministry chastised the media for providing an "unjustified defence" of the woman.A representative of the ministry also appeared on television blaming her for the attack.He strongly hinted that she had engaged in adultery.Earlier this week a Saudi newspaper published an interview with Judge Dr Ibrahim bin Salih al-Khudairi of the Riyadh Appeals Court, in which he said that he would have sentenced her to death.

The Appeals Court, and possibly Judge al-Khudairi, will consider the appeal that the Qatif girl said she intends to file.Impartial? Hardly."How is this woman going to get a fair hearing?" asks Farida Deif, of Human Rights Watch."The Ministry of Justice has been highly defamatory of her and suggestive that she committed adultery and it was, therefore, her own fault."Yes, she broke the law on mingling, but the court should have shown some discretion given that she was brutally gang-raped."But this is a country with no written penal law, in which the judges are religious scholars with very little formal legal training."Thanks to the internet and satellite television however, the Qatif girl's case has caused many Saudis to question the fairness of their own judicial system.Legal reforms have been announced recently.But life in the kingdom is still dominated by the religious police who work for the Commission For The Propagation Of Virtue And The Prevention Of Vice to enforce a strict Islamic lifestyle.
They are the untouchables.

Indeed, only on Thursday it was reported that charges against two religious policemen had been dropped. They had been investigated following the death of a man in custody.The man had been arrested for allegedly drinking alcohol and there was evidence that he had been kicked in the head - but not sufficient to pursue the case, a judge decided.It echoes a similar case in the summer in which three other members of the religious police had charges dropped after the death of another suspect in custody.The victim's alleged crime was, like that of the Qatif girl, being alone with an unrelated member of the opposite sex.The Saudi foreign minister has said that the judicial system will review the Qatif girl's case.In the meantime, as she awaits her fate, she remains under virtual house arrest, unable to communicate with the outside world; her traumatised family's phones are tapped by the religious police and they are followed when they leave the house.Meanwhile, the girl is still tormented by thoughts of suicide. But then, in the medieval world of Saudi law she has only herself to blame.