18th Nordic Conference on Forensic Medicine, Aarhus, Denmark, 13-16 June 2012

It is a great pleasure for The Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, Aarhus University and the Danish Society of Forensic Medicine to invite you to participate in the 18th Nordic Conference on Forensic Medicine, which will take place in Aarhus, Denmark, on 13-16 June, 2012.

The theme of the Conference is “New Techniques and Progress in Forensic Medicine”. It will cover a variety of different topics in Forensic Medicine with internationally renowned experts within the field giving lectures.

Furthermore, we intend to offer preconference workshops on topics such as Education, Disaster Victim Identification, Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Epidemiology.

The organizing committee invites everybody with an interest in forensic medicine, but also welcomes participants from other professions including social and health workers, police officers, judges, prosecutors, lawyers etc.

http://nordic-conference-2012.au.dk/

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6th European Academy of Forensic Science Conference, The Hague, 20-24 August 2012

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) takes pride in announcing that the 6th European Academy of Forensic Science Conference will be held in The Hague, the International City of Peace and Justice, from 20 to 24 August 2012. The title of the conference reflects the momentum of forensic sciences: Towards Forensic Science 2.0. This clearly indicates that the conference will take us to new heights in forensic science.

The program of EAFS2012 will consist of a scientific program of the highest standard, an attractive social program and an interesting partner program. In addition, there will be a well designed Trade Exhibition.

http://www.eafs2012.eu/

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First Saudi International Conference of Forensic Medical Sciences, Riyadh, 12-14 March 2012

The first Saudi International Conference of Forensic Medical Sciences will be held in the capital Riyadh, from 12th to 14th March 2012, under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin Abdullaziz Al-Saud, The Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior. It will be organised by the Saudi Society of Forensic Medicine in collaboration with the Director General of King Fahad Security College. Over three days the Conference will comprise oral and poster presentations plus workshops, and aims to attract participants from around the world.

http://www.scfms.org/

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Niger buries 18 unclaimed corpses of Madalla bombings in mass grave

Eighteen unclaimed corpses from the Christmas Day bombing in Madalla, Niger State, have been buried in a mass grave. The director general of the state's emergency management agency, Mohammed Shaba, said the bodies were beginning to rot after no relatives came forward to claim them.

He said the state government had made frantic search for relations of the victims, so it could pay out the one million Naira it had set aside for each of the victims of the carnage as a token relief.

“We have paid N27 million out to the families of the victims, whose relations had been verified, after thorough investigation by the church and the state government, to avoid fraudsters cashing in on the situation for their personal gains.

“However, we are yet to verify any relations of these categories of the deceased persons, who were not members of the church but passersby killed by the bomb blast,” he said.

Mr. Shaba appealed to the relations of the victims to come forward for screening by the relevant committee before the money is released to them.

He said the state government had expended over N10 million on the treatment of the 84 victims currently receiving treatment in various hospitals in the state and the Federal Capital Territory.


Pray for corruption too

During the mass burial of the bomb victims at the St Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, the former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), John Onaiyekon, urged Nigerians not only to pray against terrorism but also against corruption which has destroyed every facet of our society.

“We shall not only pray against terrorism but pray against the corruption that has almost destroyed our country”

He praised the unprecedented crowd that had gathered in the church for sparing the time to honor those that met their untimely death in a bomb blast that claimed over 40 lives.

“We have come together today to bury those whose mortal bodies were identified and the deceased are supposed to be listed as martyrs”.


In his speech, the Reverend Father of the Church, Issac Achi, thanked government, groups and individuals that stood by them at the trying moment.

In response, Mr. Shaba said the state government would continue to pay for their treatment and also provide N250, 000 each to the 84 injured persons to serve as succour to them.

“The money we are giving out is not compensation but a token relief for them.

Mr. Shaba said the state government had donated N5 million to the churches whose property was affected by the blast and appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency to fulfill its pledge to repair the damaged structures.

2 February 2012

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/3648-niger_buries_18_unclaimed_corpses_of_madalla_bombings.html

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About 100 feared trapped in sunken Papua New Guinea ferry

(Reuters) - About 100 people are feared trapped inside a ferry that sank in rough weather off Papua New Guinea, a rescue official said on Friday, a day after the crowded boat went down with about 350 people on board.

Rescuers plucked 238 people from the sea off PNG's northeast coast after the MV Rabaul Queen was hit by three large waves and quickly sank, Rony Naigu, a rescue official from Papua New Guinea's maritime safety authority, said on Friday.

While a definitive passenger list was not available, rescuers believed 352 people were on board the ferry when it sank and about 100 people were thought to have been trapped inside, Naigu told Reuters by telephone.

Naigu, who spent Thursday at the scene, said survivors told how the ferry rolled and sank in deep water after it was hit by the waves in stormy conditions.

Scores of passengers survived by clinging to debris before being picked up by at least six merchant vessels that diverted to the scene after being alerted by Australian maritime safety authorities.

"We found a number of (opened liferaft) capsules with no people in them," Naigu said.

As rescuers resumed their search on Friday, relatives of those missing vented their anger over a lack of information from authorities, Australian media reported.

Survivors had been taken to Lae on PNG's north coast early on Friday, said Nurur Rahman, acting chief of Papua New Guinea's maritime authority.

"As you would expect people who have been in the water for such a long time have a bit of dehydration, and they are very tired," Rahman told Reuters by telephone.

No bodies had been recovered on Thursday before nightfall halted the search, he added.

Police in West New Britain said relatives angry at the lack of information about their family members on the ship threw stones at the offices of the ferry operators, Rabaul Shipping, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio reported.

"There were a lot of people crying and then they wanted to know the fate of their loved ones, the people actually who were on board the Rabaul ship," Inspector Samson Siguyaru said.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has promised a full investigation into the tragedy.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said three merchant ships and four rescue aircraft were taking part in the search, near where the 47 meter (155 ft) ship sank about 9 nautical miles off the South Pacific nation's northeast coast.

The ship's owners said they had no information about what caused the accident.

PNG, Australia's nearest neighbor, is largely undeveloped, with poor infrastructure and limited facilities despite enormous resources wealth.

The majority of its six million people live subsistence lives in villages clinging to jungle-clad mountains or scattered around its many islands. The island nation relies heavily on sea transport

Thu Feb 2, 2012 7:25pm EST

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8 illegal immigrants drown in Malaysia boat sink

Eight illegal immigrants have drowned when their boat capsized off Malaysia's southern coast, officials said Thursday. Eighteen others have been rescued.

Marine police official N.Kalai Chelvan said the boat was heading to Indonesia's Batam island early Wednesday when it sank in choppy waters. He said the boat was carrying a group of men from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq who were likely trying to reach Australia through Indonesia.
Chelvan said 14 men were initially believed to have drowned but officials later verified that only eight bodies were recovered from the sea. They included four Pakistanis and one Afghan, while the identities of the other victims have not been established.

Another 13 Afghans and five Iraqis were rescued close to the shore and investigations are ongoing to determine how many people are missing, Chelvan said. He said the men were believed to have entered Malaysia by land from Thailand.

Malaysia is a known transit point for people from impoverished or war-torn regions trying to get to Australia.

The New Straits Times newspaper quoted a 22-year-old Afghan known only as Sayed as saying that the 36-foot (11-meter) boat was rather small to fit the group but they were assured it was safe.
"The journey was initially smooth, but about two hours later, the sea became choppy and I could see water getting into the boat," he told the newspaper. "It was at this time that the boatman turned off the engine and everyone panicked. Suddenly, the boat started to sink. We all jumped into the water."

Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Read more: http://chippewa.com/news/world/asia/illegal-immigrants-drown-in-malaysia-boat-sink/article_b927fc16-9791-5ddc-871c-891ddbd9de08.html#ixzz1lHKNpFHQ

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