Friday  March  2  -  March  22  2012 TheRiver 3NEWS

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Kingston  upon  Thames  has  been  

voted  the  happiest  place  to  live  in  

and   around   London   according  

to  a  survey  conducted  by  Estate  

Agents,  Rightmove.

The  leafy  borough  pipped  Croy-­don  and  Dartford  to  the  top  spot  in  a   survey   that   measured   happiness  by   twelve   factors   including   pride,  amenities  and  safety.

Kingston’s   claim   might   be   dis-­puted   by   the   other   boroughs   be-­cause   of   its   astronomical   house  prices,   but   with   the   Thames   run-­ning   through   the   town,  Richmond  Park  and  easy  commuter  access  to  central  London,   they  are  to  be  ex-­pected.

home   of   ‘Suburban   Snowboard-­ing’,  Kingston  is  also  home  to  the  likes  of  former  England  rugby  cap-­tain  Chris  Robshaw  and  children’s  

author  Jacqueline  Wilson.We   asked   some   of   the   student  

population   to   see   if   they   agreed  with  the  survey’s  results  and  found  some   students   expressing   their  doubts.Rory  Dixon,   23,   said:   “I   would  

disagree,  but  if  you  love  high  street  shopping   and   terrible   nightclubs  you’d  be  happy  enough.”Jakob  Cizic,  22,  said:  “Who  de-­

cided  that?  It’s  complete  rubbish.”The   results   came   after   another  

survey   saw   London   come   second  in   the  global   top  50  best  cities  for  students,  beaten  only  by  Paris.  Bos-­ton,  on  the  east  coast  of  the  United  States,  was  third.After   looking   at   the   reputation  

and  ‘quality  of  life’  of  the  universi-­ties,  London  was  eventually  beaten  on  the  issue  of  tuition  fees.The   survey,   aimed   at   foreign  

students   making   up   their   mind  on  where   to   study,   concluded   that  Paris  was  more  student  friendly,  as  

the   average   fees   for   international  student   is   only   £628   ($1,000)   a  year,  compared  with  up  to  £12,500  ($20,000)  in  London.Quacquarelli   Symonds’   (QS)  

Best   Student   Cities   2012   consid-­ered  cities  that  had  at  least  two  top  universities   and   a   population   of  more  than  250,000.Other   UK   cities   in   the   top   50  

were   Edinburgh,   coming   20th,  Manchester   35th,   Birmingham  47th  and  Glasgow  50th.

riveronline.co.uk47th  and  Glasgow  50th.

riveronline.co.uk

Kingston  voted  happiest  place  to  live  in  LondonJames  Baines  &  

Myriam  Dijck

A   former   Kingston   University  

student   has   won   a   prestigious  

Television  Journalism  award  for  

Channel   4   News   at   The   Royal  

Television  Society  Awards.

Osman  won  the  independent  award  for  his  documentary  Somali  Olym-­pic  Dreams

running  daily  through  Mogadishu‘s  “road  of  death”.“I   am   happy   for   everyone   who  

was   involved   in   the   making   of  the  story,”  said  Jamal.  “But  it  was  more  about  these  athletes  who  want  to  do  something  positive  which  you  don’t   usually   see   in   Somalia.   It’s  inspirational.”Somalia-­born  Jamal,  who  gradu-­

ated   from  Kingston   in   2009,   beat  off  other  nominees  which  included  

FIFA’s   Dirty   Se-­

crets.

The   story   revealed   a   haunting  glimpse   into   the   challenges   faced  by   Somali   athletes   to   get   to   the  Olympic   Games,   when   they   are  constantly   under   threat   of   being  shot   by   rebel   gunmen   or   nervous  

security  forces.“These   guys   were   really   deter-­

mined  to  achieve  something,”  said  Jamal.   “Even   if   they   don’t   win   a  gold  medal,   to   at   least  make   it   to  the  Olympics,  while  everyone  else  around  is  picking  up  arms  and  do-­ing  bad  things,  is  really  important.”

“remarkable   project”   which   was  “heart-­warming,   uplifting   and  heartbreaking  by  turn”.

unique   way,   the   power   of   human  

desire   to   succeed   in   any   circum-­stances.   An   admirable   venture   to  tell  a  story  about  brave  and  indomi-­table  athletes.”Somalia  has  been  without  an  ef-­

fective   central   government   since  

rival  warlords  combined  with  fam-­ine   and   disease   have   led   to   the  deaths  of  up  to  one  million  people.

times  the  gunmen  were  shooting  at  

mal.  “I  knew  it  would  be  dangerous  

but   I   thought   this  was  a  story   that  was  worth  it.”Jamal   also   visited   the   Somali  

year   of   university   and   won   the  News   Story   Prize   of   the   Year   at  the  2009  Foreign  Press  Association  Awards   for   his   exposé   of   theft   of  UN   food   aid,  which   showed   refu-­gees  being  forced  to  pay  for  aid  at  gunpoint.Later   that   year,   Jamal   managed  

to   gain   exclusive   access   to   inter-­view   hostages   Paul   and   Rachel  

Chandler,  who  had  been  kidnapped  by  Somali  pirates  whilst  sailing  off  the   coast   of   the   Seychelles   in   the  Indian  Ocean.Jamal  said  that  his  Somali  back-­

ground   and   upbringing   inspired  him  to  become  a  journalist.“As  a  Somali  human  being  I  have  always  asked  myself  what  my  role  in   this   world   is,”   he   said.   “As   a  journalist,   I   can   expose   injustices  and  corruptions.“That’s  the  reason  I  wanted  to  be-­come  a  journalist.  To  help  others,  if  you  like.”Jamal  was  unable  to  speak  Eng-­

lish  when  he  arrived   in   the  UK  in  

legally  bring  him  to  Europe.  He   was   granted   asylum   and   in  2005  decided  to  go  back  to  educa-­tion,  working  as  a  minicab  driver  at  weekends,  which  proved  a  perfect  source   of   stories   and   simultane-­ously  improved  his  English.He  was   awarded  Kingston  Uni-­

versity  News  Reporter  of   the  Year  in   2009   and   has   since   gone   on   to  produce  and  report   for  Channel  4,  The   Guardian,   The   Sunday   Times

and  Aljazeera  English.

Kelly  Alford

K0912499

     A  procession  heading  towards  the  former  military  camp  of  Malabe,  Somalia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Pic:  Rex      A  procession  heading  towards  the  former  military  camp  of  Malabe,  Somalia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Pic:  Rex      A  procession  heading  towards  the  former  military  camp  of  Malabe,  Somalia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Pic:  Rex      A  procession  heading  towards  the  former  military  camp  of  Malabe,  Somalia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Pic:  Rex

Jamal  Osman        Pic:  KU Jamal  gained  access  to  interview  hostages,  Paul  and  Rachel  Chandler                            Pic:  Rex

KU  grad’s  ‘road  of  death’  documentary  wins  award

From  a  non-­English  speaking  taxi  driver  to  an  award  winning  journalist,  Jamal  Osman  reports  back  from  his  homeland