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The playlist: the best reggae, dancehall and soca of 2015 – with Vybz Kartel, Protoje and Justin Bieber Even if the standout dancehall track of 2015 came from a man in prison, the Caribbean was pumping out music that infiltrated the top of the global charts Protoje: 2015 saw a reggae revival, but the throwback sounds on Protoje’s Ancient Future demonstrate that reggae is always rooted in its foundations Benjai – Phenomenal Sonically interesting and fun, fun, fun, some of the best pop music in the world is coming from Trinidad. The rest of the Caribbean better watch out, because soca just might be the future. It’s difficult to pick the best from another bumper year. Machel Montano, in his final year in carnival competition, handily won the Power Soca monarch title with the horn and accordion-driven Like Ah Boss. Destra’s Lucy is an anthem for the gyal dem and Fadda Fox’s Ducking – a tune about escaping work and other awkward scenarios for fete – was a memorable Olatunji’s Ola won the G

San Bernardino shooters' neighbour Enrique Marquez indicted on terrorism charge A former neighbour of the San Bernardino shooters who is accused of supplying assault rifles to the couple has been charged in a grand jury indictment with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. The indictment issued on Wednesday accuses Enrique Marquez, 24, with conspiring with San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 to support a terrorist attack that was never carried out, as well as making false statements to federal authorities about the purchase of two assault rifles used in the deadly shooting. Marquez is also charged with entering into a sham marriage with a member of Farook’s extended family. The indictment supersedes a criminal complaint filed earlier this month . Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, launched the Islamic State-inspired rampage at a gathering of his colleagues from the local health department at the Inland Regional Center

Woman whose body turns food into alcohol beats drink-drive charge Drunken-driving charges against a woman in upstate New York have been dismissed based on an unusual defence: her body is a brewery. The woman was arrested while driving with a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit. She then discovered she has a rare condition called “auto-brewery syndrome”, in which her digestive system converts ordinary food into alcohol, her lawyer Joseph Marusak said. A town judge in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg dismissed the charges after Marusak presented research by a doctor showing the woman had the previously undiagnosed condition in which high levels of yeast in her intestines fermented high-carbohydrate foods into alcohol. The rare condition, also known as gut fermentation syndrome, was first documented in the 1970s in Japan, and both medical and legal experts in the US say it is being raised more frequently in drunken-driving cases as it is becomes more

In rural Nigeria, we're training a new generation of midwives    Too many women and babies in northern Nigeria are dying unnecessarily. Providing mothers with female health workers is starting to change that  I was the first person in my family to be schooled, and I have always wanted to use my education to help others. I grew up seeing women give birth in their homes without skilled assistance. So many lost their babies or suffered needlessly, and some died. I felt angry and powerless. These problems have not gone away. For centuries northern Nigeria has lagged behind the south economically, resulting in stark differences in health outcomes. Northern states have some of the highest rates of maternal and newborn mortality in the world. We face an acute shortage of female health workers. Up to 90% of women deliver their babies without a skilled health worker (pdf), compared with 35% in the south. Some rural communities have no health personnel at all. Cultural t

Bill Cosby: bail set at $1m during court appearance for sexual assault charges  Bill Cosby, the comedian and entertainer once known as “America’s dad”, appeared in court to face his first criminal charge for sexual misconduct on Wednesday, for an incident in which he allegedly drugged and violated a woman who considered him to be her mentor. In a hearing lasting less than 10 minutes, Judge Elizabeth McHugh read out the three second-degree felony charges of aggravated indecent assault. He did not appear visibly moved; when asked if he understood the charges, he replied simply: “Yes.” Bail was set at $1m, of which Cosby will have to pay 10% on Wednesday. Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge. Cosby, 78, arrived at the Montgomery County district courthouse wearing a black and white cardigan and walking with a cane. He declined to answer questions. From the courthouse, he was transferred to Cheltenham police station for processing. Earlier on Wednesday,

New Year’s Eve festivities & fireworks cancelled in Brussels over terror threat The authorities in Belgium’s capital have decided to cancel the city’s traditional New Year’s festivities because of the threat of terrorist attacks. The move comes after the arrest of two people suspected of planning an attack targeting the holiday. In a Wednesday meeting, Brussels’s mayor Yvan Mayeur and Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon took a joint decision to cancel Thursday evening’s festivities. "Together with the interior minister, we've decided to not have the celebrations on Thursday evening," Mayeur told the state broadcaster RTBF Wednesday night. About 100,000 people attended the festivities and fireworks last year, according to authorities. “The fireworks and all that was expected to bring together many people in the center of Brussels [Thursday] evening. Given the risk analysis, we are forced to cancel [the celebrations],“ Mayeur said in a live address on the local c