Mother who tortured her baby son is battered with garden hose and wooden plank by fellow women prisoners...

Claire Biggs was battered by inmates who hated her because of her crimes against her baby boy.

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A crack addict mother jailed for violently beating her baby son was battered by fellow prisoners carrying out reprisals against her.

Inmates at a women-only jail subjected 29-year-old Claire Biggs to a punishment beating after hurling missiles at her, a court heard.

Katie Burston, 26, was among the baying mob who surrounded Miss Biggs and another unpopular prisoner as the pair cowered inside a shed being pelted with missiles.

Miss Biggs had been jailed in 2009 for eight years for child cruelty after the death of her eight-week-old son who suffered broken ribs, a broken shoulder and a broken wrist.

In a case that echoed the failings of the case of Baby P, the drug addict and her violent sex offender boyfriend were allowed to look after baby Rhys Biggs, even though Biggs had had her first child taken away from her because of her drug habit.

Biggs was rushed to hospital bleeding from a head wound and bruises on her body after she was attacked with a metal bar in the garden of the HMP Send near Woking, Surrey.

Burston of Paignton, Devon, appeared for sentence after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to assault causing actual bodily harm.

Guildford Crown Court was told that Miss Biggs, now 30, from Newham, East London, was hated by other inmates because of her crimes against her eight-week-old son.

Robin Sellers, prosecuting, said: 'Miss Biggs was unpopular in prison because of the nature of her conviction.'

On the day of the attack, on July 31 last year she and another disliked inmate Dawn Gregory were put on a gardening project, to the fury of other prisoners.

Mr Sellers said that during the course of their duties, Miss Biggs and Ms Gregory had to go to a shed - but found themselves unable to get out after coming under siege from other inmates.

'The shed was subject to impacts from stones,' he said.

The last picture taken of Rhys Biggs three days before he died. His mother subjected to him to appalling injuries, including broken ribs.

Mother discovered on FACEBOOK her daughter, 30, had died - and when she rang her mobile a policeman answered...

Heartbreak: Cheryl Jones, 49, was left to discover that her daughter Karla was dead on Facebook.

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A heartbroken mother has told how she discovered that her only daughter was dead via Facebook - after police failed to tell her in time.

Cheryl Jones, 49, was horrified to see that friends of former model Karla James had put up messages on the social networking site saying: 'RIP Karla.'

Her mother immediately rang the 30-year-old on her mobile phone - and it was answered by a police officer at the scene.

Shocked Cheryl, of Tredegar, South Wales, almost collapsed when the police officer told her: “Sorry but an officer will be around to see you shortly.'

Police called an hour later to confirm the tragic news that Karla had died three hours earlier less than a mile from her mother's home.

Senior police chiefs were today investigating a formal complaint from Cheryl and her MP over the delay. Mother-of-three Cheryl said: 'My daughter was found dead and I only found out through Facebook.

'I was Karla’s mother, her next of kin, the police should have come to see me straight away.'

Message: The words: 'She's died. RIP Karla.' were written on the social networking website.

Tests are being carried out to discover what killed mother-of-one Karla, an aspiring model in her teens, who suffered from heart problems in her youth.

Karla lived in a flat in less than a mile away from her mother, who had been at home on the night of the tragedy.

Bright future: Karla was an aspiring model

Cheryl told how Karla was at home when her nephew Barry Llewellyn, 37, called to say he had read on Facebook that Karla had died.

She said: 'I kept asking my nephew what had happened but he didn’t want to tell me.

'I couldn’t understand how complete strangers could see she was dead by looking at Facebook.

'But I only lived down the road and I didn’t know my own daughter was dead.

'When I rang her mobile the police said they would be around to see me straight away.'

Karla was pronounced dead at 8.17pm on July 23 - and police finally arrived at Cheryl’s home at 11.38pm that night to confirm her death.

Cheryl said: 'I was hysterical. I had only talked to her hours before about her dog Scooby.

'She said she loved me before she put the phone down - she always did.

'She was the most beautiful girl inside and out and had a childlike innocence. She was a real chatterbox and loved people.'

Karla was pursuing a modelling career but became pregnant when she was 19.

Cheryl said: 'She was a wonderful mother to her daughter Tyla who is broken-hearted.

'She can’t believe she will never see her mum again.'

Passengers stranded as Arik suspends domestic flights

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Hundreds of local passengers were stranded at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on Thursday as the country’s largest commercial carrier, Arik Air, decided to suspend its domestic flights after aviation unions disrupted activities at the airport.

The President, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr. Benjamin Okewu, told journalists on Thursday that the unions decided to ground the operations of Arik over alleged failure to pay service charges it owed government agencies such as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency; and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

However, a statement by the airline quoted the Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue, as denying the allegations.

The statement by the airline read, “Due to persistent hostility of the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, which has culminated in the use of FAAN staff to stop Arik Air operations and lock in checked-in passengers in Lagos this morning, Arik Air has no option than to suspend all domestic operations until further notice.

“This issue bears on personal interests and not payment of bills; since FAAN has been collecting its charges in advance since 18 months now. Arik Air regrets the inconveniences this disruption by FAAN would cause our guests.

Before now, there have been several attempts and threats to disrupt our operations and sell the usual impression that Arik Air owes the agencies. After these attempts failed, today, they resorted to using some FAAN staff.

We killed two Boko Haram commanders – JTF

JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa

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The Joint Task Force on Operation Restore Order said on Thursday that it had shot dead two suspected commanders of Boko Haram in Maiduguri.

JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said in a statement in Maiduguri that the suspects were top commanders of the group in-charge of Yobe and Adamawa.

He said, “Two suspected Boko Haram top terrorists commanders were killed along Maiduguri-Kano road as they tried to escape on Wednesday.

He said, “The suspects were top commanders coordinating activities of the sect in Mubi and Yola in Adamawa and in Yobe.’’

Sagir added that the duo were trailed by a combined team of security operatives for many hours before they attempted to escape. “The suspects were on their way to Damaturu for a planned special operation to attack civilians and military locations.

“Intelligence reports also indicated that they were planning to conduct an attack on Maiduguri soon.”Sagir said a number of items including weapons and a Honda salon car were recovered from them. He said the JTF had also arrested eight suspected members of the group in an earlier operation in Maiduguri.

The JTF Spokeman said, “The JTF arrested eight suspected members of the sect in earlier operations in Garannam, GRA and Lawanti areas of Maiduguri on Wednesday.

“Those arrested were confirmed to have found their way to Maiduguri from neighbouring states.’’

He added that several items were also recovered from them including “a silver coloured Toyota Camry 1998 model with Yobe registration number’’.

Culled from The Punch Nigeria.

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Simply Cheska...

Bye bye N5000 note • Jonathan orders Sanusi to stop controversial plan

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President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday finally bowed to pressure as he directed the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, to suspend the planned introduction of N5,000 note.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati, disclosed the development to State House correspondents in Abuja.

Abati told journalists that Jonathan’s latest disposition to the issue was based on the need for more “enlightenment and consultation”.

He said, “The introduction of the new note is being suspended for now to enable the CBN do more enlightenment on the issue.Yes, President Jonathan has directed that the implementation of the new N5,000 note be suspended for now.

“This is to enable the apex bank to do more in terms of enabling Nigerians understand why it proposed it in the first place. So, for now, the full implementation is on hold.”

The CBN, in a statement on Thursday, also confirmed that it had received a presidential directive to stop action on the currency restructuring plan.

The statement by the apex bank’s spokesperson, Ugo Okoroafor, reads, “The CBN hereby informs the general public that the President, on Thursday, September 20, 2012, directed that further action on the approved restructuring exercise be stopped.

“It is important to stress that till date, no contract whatsoever has been awarded by the CBN in connection with the printing and minting of the new currency notes and coins. Consequently, no currency note or coin has been printed or minted under the proposed exercise.”

The planned introduction of the note had attracted a huge outcry in the public domain. Those against the move had hinged their position on the fact that it could worsen inflation in the country.

They also said it was contrary to the apex bank’s cash-less policy.

Rev. King Moved To Katsina Prison...

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For organising prayer sessions for devotees and causing undue tension at Kaduna Prisons, condemned founder of Christian Praying Assembly, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, popularly known as Rev. King, has been transferred to Kastina Prison.

Although prison authorities in Kaduna, Northcentral Nigeria, have not officially revealed his whereabouts, prison sources informed P.M.NEWS that he was moved to Katsina Prison because a large number of his church members including notable politicians, always visit him in Kaduna for prayers, which became a source of concern to the prison authorities.

King, who was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of   a female member of his church, has appealed against the conviction and is awaiting judgement. But while he remains in prison, his devotees and some influential members of his church have been working hard to ensure that his death sentence was reversed.

One of the sources, who did not want his name mentioned, said: “The man is just too influential among his adherents. We see different people, both high and low class, visit him for prayers.”

According to the source, when the prison authorities became uncomfortable with how his devotees visit him for prayers, causing tension in the prison, they decided to move him far north to an unknown prison where nobody can see him.

Efforts to get official information on his whereabouts at the time of filing this story were futile as all the senior personnel declined to talk on any matter regarding him, saying his case is still pending in court.

Stress less: Ginger tea is the answer to all your worries...

Ginger has a number of health benefits and even a whiff can lift your mood.

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My Thoughts: I can personally confirm the facts in this article...I totally love Ginger Tea and the effects are remarkable!

If your stomach is churning with worry, the answer could be ginger. 

Stomach acid is crucial to human digestion and when we’re stressed its production can break down. 

Dietician Alice Mackintosh says, ‘Ginger can help as it stimulates the taste buds, triggering digestive secretions.

'Hot water with a slice of lemon and chopped ginger is an excellent way to stimulate digestion.

‘Ginger contains a potent antioxidant, gingerol, which helps cleanse the harmful chemicals our bodies produce when we’re worried, so ginger can help psychological stress too.’

The drinks is also great at uplifting one's mood and can banish all negative feelings. 

Packed with antioxidants, it has a whole range of health benefits so is the perfect Winter warmer.

THE BENEFITS OF GINGER TEA

1. Impedes Motion Sickness: Have a quick cup before traveling to keep the sickness and headaches at bay

2. Combats Stomach Discomfort: Great for digestion and aiding the absorption of food

3. Reduces Inflammation: Can ease joint inflammation and helps ease the joint soreness

4. Fights Common Respiratory Problems: Perfect for fighting off coughs and colds

5. Encourages Normal Blood Circulation: Not only does the drink help blood flow, it also can stop excessive sweating and fever

6. Remedies Menstrual Discomfort: One tip to relieve menstrual pains is to place a hot towel drenched in ginger tea on your stomach

7. Strengthens Immune System: Packed with antioxidants, it is a sure start to better health

8. Relieves Stress: Even one sniff of the drink can improve your mood.

Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

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Simply Cheska...

Keri Hilson set to rock Abuja in November...

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R&B singer keri Hilson is set to perform in Abuja, Nigeria for her African fans to have the chance of meeting her again.

The “Energy” crooner will be performing live in Abuja come November.

She confirmed this via twitter saying “Back to Nigeria in November  I’ve done Lagos, I’ve done Calabar, & I’m Ambassador of the Cross River States) Performing Abuja this time!”

She added “#iloveafrica …but you already know that!”

Keri Hilson performed in Calabar and Lagos back in 2009 and from the looks of it, Abuja is going to be her next stop!

She has also performed with lots of artiste including Grammy award winners, R. Kelly, Kanye West, Kardinal Official amongst others.

Culled from Channels Television.

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Simply Cheska...

R. Kelly makes Soul Train Awards’ history as most nominated artist...

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R. Kelly is nominated for two awards at this year’s Soul Train Awards, making him the most nominated act ever at the awards show.

R. Kelly is up for the Ashford & Simpson songwriter’s award and album of the year, bringing his career total to 21 nominations.

Usher leads this year’s awards with five nominations. Estelle, Nas, Trey Songz and John Legend are also multiple nominees.

Whitney Houston is nominated for best gospel inspirational performance and Amy Winehouse is nominated for best international performance. New Edition will receive a lifetime achievement award.

The Soul Train Awards, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, will be taped 8 November at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The show will air on 25 November on BET and Centric.

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Simply Cheska...

NUC lifts suspension on Lead City University...

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The suspension of the operational licence of Lead City University, Ibadan has been lifted by the National Universities Commission.

The commission however insisted that it will continue to monitor what it describes as “the implementation of the agreed actions in respect of the outcomes of the forensic audit report”.

In a letter signed by the NUC’s director of Quality Assurance, Professor C.F. Mafianu, and addressed to the university authorities, the NUC stated that the action is to take effect from the 18th of September 2012.

It was also stated in the letter that the regulatory body will not hesitate to impose appropriate sanctions should there be further observed breaches.

The NUC had earlier in the year suspended the operational license of seven private tertiary institutions but in August restored the license of three of the universities.

Th affected universities were Madonna University, Okija; Achiever’s University, Owo; and Tansian University, Umunya.

Others listed by the commission are Caritas University, Amorji-Nike, Enugu, Lead City University, Ibadan, and Joseph Ayo Babalola University, (JABU), Ikeji- Arakeji, Osun.

Culled from Channels Television.

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Simply Cheska...

N5000 note: NBA calls for the dismissal of CBN governor...

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The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has called for the immediate sack of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over the planned introduction of the N5,000 note.

NBA’s president, Mr Okey Wali at a meeting with some legal luminaries in Abuja on Thursday, said the introduction of the N5,000 note should not be imposed on Nigerians.

Mr Wali threatened that the association will go to court if the federal government goes ahead with the plan.

The lawyers’ meeting was called to deliberate on how to develop the bar association while appraising its performance with a view to identify lapses and suggest ways of reforming the legal profession.

The leadership of the NBA kicked against the plan to introduce N5,000 note and other national issues which it identified as been clogs in the wheel of the nations development.

While some of the legal practitioners argued that the introduction of the currency will increase inflation in the country, others called on the government not to embark on policies that will harm the nation’s economy.

The summit for the senior lawyers which is the first to be organized by the NBA is aimed at bringing members of bar together to brainstorm on ways of addressing issues of professional ethics, strategic planning and development of the legal profession.

Culled from Channels Television.

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Simply Cheska...

Did U.S. magazine Photoshop a baby bump onto the Duchess of Cambridge's body?

Photo shopped? Star magazine has been accused of retouching an image of the Duchess of Cambridge for its latest cover (left) to make her appear pregnant. The original version of the image can be seen on the right.

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A U.S. publication appears to have Photo shopped a baby bump onto the Duchess of Cambridge's slender frame.

Star magazine, which claims to reveal that Kate is pregnant with twins, published an image of the British royal from her recent visit to Singapore on the cover of its latest issue.

The 30-year-old is seen standing in what is quite a typical pose, with her shoulders back and hips forward, with her arm resting across her midriff, as she toasts Mary Tan, the President of Singapore's wife.

However the gossip site Celebuzz suggests that Star Magazine has taken the liberty of retouching the photograph, to make it appear as though the Duchess's stomach is larger than it is.

On comparison with what it believes to be the original photograph, the site says there are several glaring clues indicating that it has been airbrushed to suit the title's headlines.

It reads: 'Not only has is her floral slim-fit frock been mysteriously blown out... but Prince William‘s wife is mysteriously missing her right-hand ring.'

Comparison: MailOnline laid a ghost of the Star magazine cover over the original image to compare the two, and it does indeed appear that there are some differences.

MailOnline laid a ghost of the Star magazine cover over the original image to compare the two, and it does indeed appear that there are some differences.

Furious: Demi Lovato took to Twitter to vent her anger over the magazine's headlines.

The Duchess's entire torso looks to have been widened, and the angle of her left arm and the glass she holds seem to have been altered, with Mary Tan's glass removed from the frame entirely.

The cocktail ring is missing from her right hand, as is the shoulder of a woman in the background, just seen in the original. Kate's face, eyes and teeth have also been lightened.

In MailOnline's overlay composite, the Star cover and the photo beneath were matched using the position and size of the Duchess's eyes to ensure that they were in perfect proportion with one another.

Star magazine, which is yet to respond to MailOnline's request for comment, accompanied the image with a sensational coverline of: 'Scandal turns to joy: It's twins!'

Two bullet points beneath add: 'Pregnant Kate gets thrilling news amid nude photo uproar... Up to 125lbs and showing.'

The inside story cites a 'family friend', 'insider' and a 'source', who apparently told the title that the Royal couple conceived during a 'passionate night' in Wales after the London Olympics.

It is Star's second cover in a row claiming to reveal that the Duchess is expecting. Just last week it suggested that stitching in the waistband of one of Kate's dresses was proof that it had been let out to make space for 'mommy weight'.

Jilted boyfriend broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home and hanged himself on her four-poster bed to ‘shock’ her...

Claim: Jilted lover Matthew Nimmo hanged himself in the home of his ex-girlfriend, an inquest in Crook, County Durham heard, pictured.

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A jilted lover distraught that his ex-girlfriend was in a new relationship broke into her home and hung himself on her four-poster bed to 'shock' her, an inquest heard.

Matthew Nimmo died weeks after he was released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for breaching a restraining order that banned him from contacting her.

Coroner for County Durham Andrew Tweddle said that it was unclear whether Mr Nimmo intended to kill himself or just meant to shock his ex-girlfriend and her partner when they returned home.

Detective Inspector Philip Curtis said Mr Nimmo, 35, of Darlington, County Durham, had been released from prison earlier in the year.

On Thursday May 3, Mr Nimmo went to his ex’s house in the town where there was an altercation in which he got stabbed.

Mr Curtis said four people were arrested after the incident, and it was still 

being investigated when, on Tuesday, May 15, Mr Nimmo went back to the house and met his ex.

The police officer said they spent the afternoon talking to each other before they both left, with the ex-partner meeting her boyfriend and going to his mother’s house.

When the couple returned home they then discovered Mr Nimmo’s body in their bedroom and called the emergency services, Mr Tweddle heard.

Mr Curtis said neighbours were interviewed with one saying he had heard a smash at about 9pm the night before but could not see anything unusual.

Soldier has baby on the frontline: Doctors sent from the UK as Army girl - who didn't even know she was pregnant - gives birth after Taliban raid...

Camp Bastion, Afghanistan: A Fijian woman soldier stationed at the British base in Helmand gave birth on Tuesday. The super fit squaddie did not even realise she was pregnant.

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A British soldier who did not know she was pregnant has given birth on the frontline.

The woman had a son in Camp Bastion on Tuesday – just days after the Taliban launched a deadly attack on the UK’s main base in Helmand.

The baby was born five weeks premature. Last night both mother and child were said to be doing well. A 'specialist pediatric retrieval team' from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford will travel to Afghanistan in the next few days to provide care for the soldier and her son on their RAF flight home.

Unexpected task: The soldier, who has not been named, was taken to Camp Bastion's £10million field hospital where Army medics delivered her baby.

The birth has stunned military chiefs and led to calls for extra medical checks on women who are sent to the warzone.

Almost 200 troops have discovered they were pregnant at war since 2003 – forcing commanders to send them straight back to Britain. But this is the first time a UK soldier has given birth to a baby in Afghanistan.

The soldier, a gunner in the Royal Artillery who helped provide covering fire for troops fighting insurgents, was unaware that she was carrying a child.

She had been deployed with the 12th Mechanised Brigade since March, but two days ago complained of severe stomach pains.

To her astonishment, medics informed her that she was about to give birth.

She was in the 34th week of her pregnancy, meaning she conceived before flying to Afghanistan for her six-month tour of duty.

This screengrab of a video released by a Taliban media unit purports to show last weekend's raid on Bastion: The pregnant soldier, a gunner in the Royal Artillery, was part of the forces mobilised to defend the base.

She was taken to Camp Bastion’s £10million field hospital where doctors – who are more used to carrying out amputations and treating bullet wounds – delivered her son.

Despite its location, the hospital is one of the best equipped in the world and has portable X-ray machines, an operating theatre, CAT scanner and an intensive care unit capable of treating up to 20 seriously-ill patients.

A military source said: ‘This has left us completely gobsmacked. You prepare yourself for dealing with war wounded at Bastion – not a mother giving birth to a baby. It is the talk of the camp.

‘This is a very unusual case. The mother deployed not realising she was pregnant and had no idea she was pregnant until she gave birth. She has not done anything wrong.’

Lieutenant Colonel Andrea Lewis, commanding officer of the field hospital, said: ‘This is a unique occurrence, but my team is well-rehearsed in the unexpected and they adapted brilliantly to this situation.

‘I am pleased to report the mother and baby are doing well and we are all delighted at the outcome.’

One killed, five injured as thugs invade Ebute Meta

Alaga

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At least one person was killed while five others sustained varying degrees of injuries after thugs numbering about 12 invaded Oto Town and Apapa Road as well as six other streets in Ebute Meta, Lagos.The development comes less than three weeks after four persons were injured and 28 vehicles were vandalized in the area by thugs.

PUNCH Metro learnt that in the renewed attack on Wednesday, the thugs, wielding knives and cutlasses, killed one Hakeem Omisore, along the Railway Line in Oto Town and robbed residents in the area.Our correspondent, who visited the area, learnt that the violence was a continuation of a long running feud between thugs from Oto and Apapa.

Meanwhile, residents of both areas have been trading blame over the incident.

The brother of the deceased, who refused to identify himself, said his brother went to urinate along the railway around 3am when he was killed.

He said, “My brother went to ease himself around 3am on Wednesday when the hoodlums attacked him and collected his phone.

“According to neighbours, my brother was shouting ‘I know you people, I can identify you’ when the hoodlums shot him.” PUNCH Metro learnt that plans were being made to take the deceased to his hometown in Ile-Ife, Osun State, for burial.

After killing Omisore, the hoodlums were said to have proceeded to Alarape Family house in Oto and shot one Wasiu. It was learnt that Wasiu had been rushed to the General Hospital, Lagos, where doctors were preparing to perform a surgery on him.

When our correspondent visited Thomas Street, off Apapa Road, blood stains were seen splattered on a carpenter’s workshop.

The carpenter, Ibrahim Alaga, who has been hospitalised, told our correspondent that N160, 000 was stolen from him. He said, “The thugs used a cutlass to inflict wounds on my head and my back. Some of them were holding guns. They stole N160,000 which a customer had paid as deposit for a job.

EXCLUSIVE: John Lennon's son tells woman 'you are an argument for abortion' after she challenges his environmentalist views...

Rage: Sean Ono Lennon, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, told a Twitter user they were an 'argument for abortion'.

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John Lennon's son has said that a woman who disagreed with his viewpoint 'should have been aborted'.

Sean Ono Lennon, the musician son of the late Beatle and Yoko Ono, became so enraged with a woman on Twitter who called him and his mother hypocritical that he told her: 'You are an argument for abortion.'

Lennon, 36, and his mother recently founded Artists Against Fracking, a group that campaigns against fracking - the extraction of natural gas and petroleum by fracturing rock - and has attracted major backing in liberal Hollywood.

Son and mother appeared on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show in August to talk about why they started the group and to sing a song entitled Don’t Frack My Mother.

Artists Against Fracking has won the support John Lennon's former bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.Also adding their weight have been Fallon, Ruffalo, Lady Gaga, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, Hugh Jackman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

Last month, Lennon wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times in which he said: 'Surely the voice of the "sensible centre" would ask to stop all hydraulic fracturing so that our water, our lives and our planet could be protected and preserved for generations to come.

But Lennon's sentiments were rather less high-minded on Monday when he was challenged on his views by Phelim McAleer, an Irish-born Los Angeles-based documentary film maker who is in favour of fracking taking place.

McAleer said in a twitter message addressed to Lennon: 'Environmentalists luv all diversity except diversity of opinion abt #Fracking'. 

He included a link to a New York Post article about a New York state politician receiving death threats over his support for fracking.

Abuse: Sean Lennon's retort to a fellow Twitter user who got into a heated debated with him over fracking.

Man arraigned for faking brother’s death

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The Ogun State Police Command on Tuesday arraigned a 51-year-old man, Victor Olajide, before an Abeokuta Chief Magistrate’s Court for perjury.

He was said to have told the police he could not appear before the court because he attended the funeral of his deceased brother, after he was served a court summons.

The police also accused Olajide of lying to the court about his whereabouts and for presenting fake invitation card issued for the supposed burial of his “late brother,” adding that the church he claimed the funeral service took place in Ekiti State denied organising such an event.

Police prosecutor, Mr. Paul Etusi, said Olajide committed the offence on October 9, 2009 about 10am at the High Court Registry, Isabo.

Etusi said following the absence of the accused, the court gave judgment in favour of the other party.The police, however, said when Olajide appeared in court on the next adjourned date, he claimed that he travelled to Ekiti State for the burial.

The prosecutor said, “Olajide said he was not aware of the hearing but after proper investigation, he was found to be lying. The invitation card he tendered was fake.

Japanese man who cooked his genitals and served them to paying guests is charged with indecent exposure...

Grim: Mao Sugiyama, 22, cooks his genitals at a dinner for paying guests in Tokyo, Japan. He has been charged with indecent exposure.

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A man who cooked his genitals and served them up to diners at a Japanese restaurant has been charged with indecent exposure.

Mao Sugiyama, 23, had his penis and testicles surgically removed by a physician in March. 

They had been certified free of infections and were frozen for two months before being served up at a banquet in Suginami, a residential area in western Tokyo.

He charged guests around £160 per person to eat the meal which was garnished with mushrooms and parsley.

Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said criminal papers against Sugiyama and three other people who helped organise the event were sent to the Tokyo district public prosecutors' office. Sugiyama who describes himself as an 'asexual' illustrator, could not be arrested for cooking or selling his genitals as there is no law against cannibalism in Japan. 

If convicted of indecent exposure, Sugiyama, who has also had his nipples removed, could be jailed up to two years and fined up to 2.5 million yen ($32,000).

Mao, who goes by the nickname HC, said he had initially considered eating his own penis – but decided to serve them up instead.

He cooked the genitalia, which were removed in early April shortly after his 22nd birthday, himself while being supervised by a chef.

Police quiz three over swimming pool death...

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Police detectives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department on Wednesday questioned three members of staff of Chinese Group of Companies over the death of two of its employees at the company’s swimming pool.

Our correspondent, who visited the SCID, learnt that the PRO of the company, identified as Mr. Ajiboye; a driver and a Chinese national were quizzed by the detectives.

It was learnt that Wednesday was the first time the police would question any member of staff of the company since the incident occurred.

Two of the workers, Richard Dada and Odion Imhonbhio, died in controversial circumstances at the pool on September 9.

It was learnt that members or Richard’s family wrote statements at the SCID on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Simeon, the elder brother of Richard, has accused the management of avoiding the deceased family. He said since Richard and his colleague, Imhonbhio, died in the pool, all efforts to see the company’s management had been met with a sharp rebuff.

The deceased’s brother, spoke with our correspondent on Wednesday at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos.

He said, “Since the incident occurred, the management of CGC has refused to see us. We have only been speaking with the driver and the Public Relations Officer of the company. They were also the ones that offered N500,000 settlement to us.

“It took the publication of PUNCH Metro to shake the company before they started to take us seriously.” Simeon said he learnt that the company had advised its members of staff to avoid using the swimming pool as it was being renovated, adding that the deceased were said to have defied this instruction.

Reps want N7m pay hike..

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Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday launched an agitation for a N7m increase in their quarterly allowances, barely 24 hours after resuming from a two-month recess.

Each member of the House currently enjoys N27m per quarter as allowances but the lawmakers want the sum jerked up to N35m, The PUNCH learnt.

Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal, reportedly had a hectic time calming frayed nerves at an executive session on Wednesday.

Some of the lawmakers, in seeking an increased allowance, at the closed door session, reportedly raised questions of financial impropriety against the leadership of the House.

They reportedly questioned how the “N5m” budgeted for each member’s medical expenses and insurance was utilised by the House.

One of the lawmakers at the session told our correspondent that “transparency and accountability were the main issues discussed at the executive session.”

“There are 360 members; we have funds budgeted for medical allowances and insurance.

“If you put aside some funds for these sub-heads, which is about N5m, we have to know how this money is being utilised.”

Tambuwal was said to have used the session, which lasted for over two hours, to explain to his aggrieved colleagues that the leadership was transparent in the running of House accounts.

A source said he explained that the delay in the payment of pending allowances was caused by paucity of funds. The speaker reportedly tried to convince members that there was the need to prudently manage resources.

Michelle thought diet pills could help her drop a dress size. Now she's got just ten years to live...

Devastated: Michelle Rumsay is only expected to live for another 10 years after she took an over-the-counter cold and flu remedy consistently to help her control her weight.

Hello Friends!

Like most women, Michelle Rumsey thought that dropping a dress size would give her confidence a much-needed boost. At 5ft 5in tall and weighing 9st 6lb, she was hardly overweight, but hated the extra fat she had put on around her middle.

In search of a quick-fix one evening, she came across an internet forum on slimming pills where dieters talked about using a drug called Ephedrine to speed up their metabolism and help them lose weight.

Michelle, now 46, placed an order for the drug online — a decision that was to have tragic consequences. She developed a four-year dependence on the pills, causing a heart condition that has left her with a life expectancy of just ten years.

‘I’m angry and depressed that I have effectively been handed a death sentence,’ she says. ‘It never occurred to me that these pills could be so dangerous.’

Shockingly, Ephedrine is legal in the UK and available without prescription. Marketed as a cold and flu remedy, internet chat rooms are awash with women waxing lyrical about its weight-loss properties.

It is one of several ‘diet’ drugs being used by increasing numbers of women desperate for a short-cut to weight loss.

Most are deemed too unsafe for doctors to prescribe in Britain, but are available online from overseas pharmacies.

Dr Ian Campbell, former chair of the National Obesity Forum and honorary clinical director of the charity Weight Concern, warns: ‘The great hopes we had for medication in the past decade have been dashed. My advice is not to use these slimming aids. I wish we had an effective and safe weight-loss medication, but at the moment there is only one — Orlistat.

‘The alternatives are of little use or high-risk.’

So what is driving otherwise sensible women to take such desperate measures to control their weight?

'The pills made me feel sick and I could feel my heart beating erratically. It was frightening, but my appetite disappeared'

Until she reached her late 30s, Michelle, from Saxmundham, Suffolk, was the epitome of good health. At 8st 7lb and a size ten, she ran a horse yard and enjoyed running, cycling and climbing.

In November 2005, she met Michael Harrowven, a steel constructor, then 28. Michelle relaxed into her new romance, letting her healthy eating habits slip and swapping salads for Michael’s favourite fast foods. By the following May, she’d put on 13lb.

Michelle says: ‘Michael said I looked beautiful but I was 39 and 11 years his senior. I wanted to look like his girlfriend, not his mother.’

She researched slimming pills online, and on one forum, users recommended Ephedrine. 

A naturally occurring substance with amphetamine-like properties, it is not prescribed as a slimming aid, but is available as an over-the-counter cold remedy. 

It can increase blood pressure, however, leading to heart disease, anxiety and insomnia. Its dangers have not gone unnoticed by the medical profession. 

‘There is a move to make it prescription-only,’ says Dr Campbell. 

Michelle didn’t realise Ephedrine was available in Britain, so she ordered 50 tablets for £12 from a manufacturer in Canada, which was marketing it as a nasal decongestant. 

She bought two packets of 50 tablets every month and admits she should have known better.

‘I actually thought it was illegal, but didn’t see how it could be dangerous. Michael was against the idea, but I was determined to lose weight,’ she says.

She started taking two tablets a day, cut down on what she was eating, and was delighted when she lost 7lb in three weeks. By August 2006, she weighed 8st and was a size eight. 

‘I skipped breakfast and dinner and had a baked potato with a small amount of cheese mid-afternoon,’ she says. 

‘Michael said I was too skinny, but I liked the way I looked.The pills kept my appetite down and I was convinced that if I stopped taking them, the weight would pile back on.’

In February 2008 she and Michael broke up, but her addiction to the pills continued. Two years later, she started suffering side-effects after she’d taken her pill one morning.

‘I felt light-headed. The room was blurred and my heart was racing. After ten minutes, my heart rate went back to normal, but I was terrified. I was sure the pills were to blame and threw them in the bin.’ 

Despite her decision to stop taking the tablets, Michelle didn’t put on any weight. ‘I’d been spending £12 a month for nothing,’ she says.

In September 2010, Michelle met Mark Malster, 39, a mechanic, and they started seeing each other. They were out on a bike ride together that month when she suddenly developed chest pains.

Lagos arrests soldier, driver on Third Mainland Bridge...

Hello Friends!

The Lagos State Government’s special security unit, Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, has arrested a lance corporal and a driver for driving against traffic.

The soldier, Umaru Usman, and the driver, Sagir Abubakar, were arrested between 1pm and 3pm on Tuesday for driving a truck against traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Task force Chairman, Mr. Bayo Sulaiman, a Superintendent of Police, on Wednesday said the action was contrary to the new state traffic law.

He added that the truck with number plate, YOBE XB 323 FKA, had been impounded by the task force.

Sulaiman said, “The truck was carrying bags of rice, bags of cement and boxes of sugar when it was impounded.“The truck has been forfeited to the state while the lance corporal, who acted as a pilot to the truck, has been handed over to the military authorities because we found out that he had no pass. “Of course, the driver will be charged to court for violation of the state traffic law.”

The chairman said the enforcement of the traffic law had commenced since the day the law was signed by Governor Babatunde Fashola.

He added that law enforcement agencies were enforcing the law gradually to allow the people to adjust. He said, “For instance, we are concentrating more on ridding the state of touts, popularly called agbero.

The woman who found out her husband was her FATHER (but only after he'd died)...

Secret: Valerie Spruill, 60, from Ohio, discovered her husband was in fact her father after he died.

Hello Friends!

A woman has spoken of the horror she felt on discovering her late husband was in fact her father. 

Valerie Spruill, 60, from Doylestown, Ohio, only made the horrifying discovery through a DNA test after her husband Percy had died. 

Spruill, who has three children and eight grandchildren, is now telling her story in an attempt to find her other siblings from her father.

'It needs to be told, because children need to know where they come from,' she told the Akron Beacon Journal. 'And I know it hurts, because I have been devastated by this.'

The confusion began because she was looked after by her grandparents from 3-months-old.

Her mother Christine was one of three 'night ladies,' as she terms it, who testified in a 1980 trial of Summit County Probate Judge James Barbuto who was convicted of sex charges. 

Valerie's mother and father got together when he was just 15 and the number of children they had is unclear. She is aware of six brothers.

She was cared for by her grandparents and her mother visited, although Valerie thought she was a family friend. 

Aged nine, she was devastated when she found out Christine's identity - who died in 1984 - as well as discovering that the man she thought was her father was actually her grandfather.

'This story needs to be told because children need to know where they come from. And I know it hurts, because I have been devastated by this'

Valerie Spruill

But she was not told who her real father was and Valerie later met and married Percy. 

Born in Mississippi, Percy worked in Akron as a truck driver and, later, as a parking-lot attendant. He died in 1998 at the age of 60, but for years, she heard odd rumours about their relationship. 

Snoop Dogg smokes a bong lit by his 18-year-old son in controversial new pictures...

Smoking: Snoop Dogg's son Corde Calvin Broadus apparently lights his bong for him in this image he posted on Twitter.

Hello Friends!

He is famed for his love of marijuana and has even had a book of his lyrics printed on smokable paper.So it will come as little surprise to most that Snoop Dogg has been indulging in smoking sessions with his son Corde Calvin Broadus.

The 18-year-old can even be seen lighting his father's bong in sensational pictures posted online by the former high school athlete.

Corde shows multiple pictures of himself smoking while relaxing on his own, with his father, and even as he works in the studio his own rap record.

In one tweet, which he posted alongside a photo of himself and Snoop rolling cigarettes, he wrote: 'Wouldn't mind living in Amsterdam fo a year.'

The Dutch city is of course famous around the globe for its plentiful cannabis coffee shops.

The images came after it emerged he had turned his back on a possible college football scholarship to concentrate on starting a career in hip hop under the moniker Spanky Danky.

And while he was reportedly being headhunted by a number of universities, he decided he would rather work with his father on making his own mixtape rather than put his body through the grueling experience of training to appear in the NCAA.

Rolling: Corde said he would like to spend some time in Amsterdam when he posted this image.

Solar powered: He claimed he was using this magnifying glass and the sun's rays to light his pipe.

As well as the pictures of himself alongside his father, he also posted images of himself relaxing while smoking a suspicious looking cigarette, and even claimed he was lighting his bong using the rays of the sun and a magnifying glass.

He hardly shies away from connecting himself to marijuana, and in fact labels himself an '18-year-young hippie.'

He also said in one tweet: 'I been on bongs since middle of high school jus started fu**in wit vapors and Js more.'

Relaxing: He was smoking a particularly suspicious looking cigarette when this photograph was taken.

However not everyone is happy at his antics, with one person telling him 'your an idiot. go play football.'

His father is famous for his love of cannabis, and has been arrested several times after being caught in possession of the drug.

He converted to Rastafarianism in July following a trip to Jamaica, claiming he is the reincarnation of Bob Marley and adopting the new moniker Snoop Lion.

Up in smoke: He appeared to be wearing a Rastafarian bracelet as he puffed away here.

Bad influence? Snoop has been arrested in several occasion after being found in possession of cannabis and promotes the use of the drug.

Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

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Simply Cheska...

Nigerian benefit fraudster who claimed he earned just £700 a month as minicab driver owned £1million mansion in Africa

Fraud: Ovo Mayomi, 44, left, claimed he was earning £700 a month and living in Croydon, south London. His wife Juliet Ubiribo, 32, right, told benefit bosses she was a single mother and a victim of domestic violence.

Hello Friends!

My Thoughts: My pain concerning this sad but annoying story, is that folks like these, give Nigeria a very bad image! We have reasonable, honest Nigerians who travel to all countries of the world with genuine means of livelihood and documents...The average Nigerian is not only friendly, but decent and honest! You can take this to the bank...

A minicab driver who claimed he was earning just £700 a month but was living a luxury of life in his Nigerian mansion, has been ordered to pay almost £1.2million. 

Ovo Mayomi and his wife Juliet Ubiribo were convicted of fraud in 2010 after using an identity and immigration scam to falsely claim £43,000 in benefits.

Mayomi, 44, claimed he was earning £700 a month and living in Croydon, south London, while his wife, 32, claimed benefits after telling benefit bosses she was a single mother and a victim of domestic violence.

But fraud investigators have now found Mayomi owned a large luxurious house in Nigeria worth more than £1million complete with chandeliers and £89,000 worth of sound equipment. He also had a £25,000 watch. His wife wore a Rolex watch and drove a Mercedes Sport Coupi.

Now a judge has ordered Mayomi to pay £1,197,743.54 in a confiscation order under the Proceeds Of Crime Act, or go to prison for six years.

As well as two money-transferring businesses and bank accounts, investigators also discovered Mayomi owned a fish farm in the country.

The couple's benefit scam was revealed when a visa application by Mayomi showed they had married a year earlier and that Ubiribo had a job in order to support him.

Wealth: Fraud investigators found Mayomi owned a large luxurious house in Nigeria (pictured) worth more than £1million complete with chandeliers and £89,000 worth of sound equipment.

Ubiribo also asked the council to rehouse her because she was the victim of domestic violence.

However, the telephone number she gave revealed the man she named as her landlord - Ayiomike Neburagho - was, in fact, her husband Mayomi using a false identity. 

At a police interview, Mayomi admitted that while living in Nigeria he had bought the identity of Ayiomike Matthew Neburagho and had entered the UK as him.

Mayomi was also shown a wedding photograph of himself, using the Neburagho identity, marrying a Nigerian woman in the UK.

He admitted he was the groom in the wedding photo but he said he was 'just standing in for someone'. Ubiribo and Mayomi pleaded guilty to all charges.

Mayomi was jailed for 30 months two years ago and his wife was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years. 

She was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service and be under curfew for four months from 9pm to 6am.

Music Producer's Wife Raped By HIV Aids Positive Man

Hello Friends!

My Thoughts: This story is truly tragic! In my opinion, the wife would need all the support she would need, from her husband.

A woman who is married to a music producer was recently raped by a man who is HIV -positive!

Since this ugly incident occurred, the music producer, Chitungwiza and his wife have been living in perpetual fear of the unknown. Fortunately, the rapist, who was later arrested has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

"Tawanda (the rapist) in the company of his robbery gang, forced open the door to the residence of the victim and stole cash amounting to US$580, a Samsung cellphone and various clothing items. After that, he went inside the bedroom with his gang where he forced himself on the producer’s wife before they went away.

Partly culled from NigeriaFilms.

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Simply Cheska...

'My bones were like razor blades': Anorexic, 22, who was so thin she even got bruises lying in bed battles back to health...

Recovery: Emma, 22, is now healthy and looking forward to the future eight years after she started to suffer from anorexia. Pictured, right, still painfully thin aged 20.

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A former anorexic who was so thin that even lying on a hospital bed left her bruised, has managed to recover from the eating disorder that nearly killed her.

Emma O’Neil, 22, weighed three stone at her worst point. However, it was only after she got so weak she collapsed while crossing a road - narrowly escaping being hit by a car - that she started her long road to recovery.

Now, eight years on, Emma, from Glasgow, is finally back to full health - and has even set up a foundation with two friends, to help anorexics and their families cope with the condition.

Emma said: 'At the time, I didn’t realize how ill I was - I didn’t realise what I was doing to myself and my family. 'I was so thin that I couldn't even sleep on a normal hospital bed - my bones were like razor blades jutting out and I was left bruised.

'Even an airbed was too rough for me, so they had to wrap me in my dressing gown and sheepskin blankets.'

Emma has set up a foundation with two friends, to help anorexics and their families.

Emma spent her teenage years in and out of hospital, where her worried family and medics begged her to eat. Doctors told Emma her case was the worst case of anorexia they had ever seen.

Miss O'Neil said: 'Some of my friends I was in hospital with who weren’t as ill as I was who have died - I’m so lucky to be here.

'I want to take something positive from this horrible experience, and do all I can to help other people who are suffering.'

Emma was a sporty teenager, and weighed a healthy seven stone when she first developed the condition in her early teens. Within six months, her weight had plummeted to just over five stone - and she was admitted to Gartnavel hospital in Glasgow.

Emma said: 'I can’t even really remember how it started - it certainly wasn’t a vanity thing, as I was a very sporty teenager, and wasn’t chubby at all.

'I have a very addictive personality and I remember trying to see how thin I could get.'

Emma’s weight continued to drop and she was eventually pulled out of her private secondary school and taken into hospital. But she carried on shrinking as she battled against doctors, pulling out feeding drips and refusing to eat.

It was only after she had been in hospital for two years that a turning point finally came, when she came close to being run over after she collapsed crossing a road.

Emma added: 'I had been allowed out for a day visit with my dad, who took me shopping in Glasgow city centre. 'We went into one shop and I was so weak he had to carry me up the stairs, but I still didn’t realise how ill I was.

'When we left the shop, we went to cross over the main road, and when I was half way over, I saw all these cars rushing towards me.

Emma was so thin at one point that even lying on a hospital bed left her bruised

'I tried to run across to the other side of the road, but I just collapsed - I didn’t have enough muscle to run. It was only then that I thought: ‘Maybe I’m not so well.’

'It wasn’t like a magic switch suddenly turned on though - it was still a long and difficult journey. Anorexia was like a prison that I couldn't escape from.

'I could see the devastating effect this was having on my parents and I didn’t know how to help them, but I thought, ‘I can’t lose my family, they mean everything to me’.

'Only in the last year have I been at semi-peace with myself - I have realised the most important things are having a baby, having a career and having a healthy body to carry me through life.'

Emma set up The Only Way is Up Foundation earlier this year with friends Catherine Morran and Susan Parker, who have both suffered with the illness too.

Emma said: 'We want to go into wards and hospital units and help staff and families support people who are suffering with eating disorders. We are the ones who know how best to help people get better.

'Some of the doctors just dismiss people with eating disorders as attention seeking - that’s absolutely not the case, and we want to help people get better treatment.

'We also want to provide somewhere for sufferers and their families to turn to for help and someone to talk to - I’m sure if a service like this had existed when I was in hospital, it would have been a great help for my parents.'

Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

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Simply Cheska...

Ngozi Nwosu Needs Your Help: Panic Grips Friends!

Hello Friends!

The present state of health of veteran Nollywood actress, Ngozi Nwosu has raised concerns among her friends. It has also caused some of them sleepless nights as they (her friends) now rally round to save her life. 

Since the story went viral last week, some of her friends have tried to raise funds for her in order for Ngozi to run the necessary tests. Reports say that she has kidney related problem. We got from a source that Ngozi has kidney leakage. 

A source told Nigeriafilms that a sum of 50,000 Naira was given to Ngozi last week to run the test in the hospital so as to know where exactly was affected. 

Right now, her friends are thinking of flying her to India to do a kidney transplant for her. Already, her friends have started calling for donations to help save the Imo State-born actress. 

Kindly send your donations to the Bank Below:

Bank Name: GTB 

Acct No: 0052851673 

Acct Name: Ngozi. M. Nwosu.

Culled from NigeriaFilms.

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Simply Cheska...

PROOF? Jesus was married found on ancient papyrus that mentions how son of God spoke of his wife and Mary Magdalene...

Explosive: The ancient papyrus that apparently proves that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

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A recently uncovered fragment of ancient papyrus makes the explosive suggestion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were man and wife, researchers say.

The 8cm by 4cm fragment supports an undercurrent in Christian thought that undermines centuries of Church dogma by suggesting the Christian Messiah was not celibate.

The centre of the fragment contains the bombshell phrase where Jesus, speaking to his disciples, says 'my wife', which researchers believe refers to Magdalene.

In the text, Jesus appears to be defending her against some criticism, saying 'she will be my disciple'. Two lines later he then tells the disciples: 'I dwell with her.'

If genuine, the document casts doubt on a centuries old official representation of Magdalene as a repentant whore and overturns the Christian ideal of sexual abstinence. 

It elaborates an ancient and persistent undercurrent in Christian thought that Jesus and Magdalene were in fact a couple, as picked up by Dan Brown in the plot of his best-selling thriller The Da Vinci Code.

The incomplete manuscript, written in the ancient Egyptian Coptic language, has been studied by Karen King, Hollis professor of divinity at Harvard University, the oldest endowed academic seat in the US.

Professor King was to present a paper on the discovery today at an international conference on Coptic studies in Rome after conducting extensive tests and research to establish the document's authenticity.

She told Smithsonian Magazine that the fragment casts doubt 'on the whole Catholic claim of a celibate priesthood based on Jesus’ celibacy.'

She added: 'What this shows is that there were early Christians for whom ... sexual union in marriage could be an imitation of God’s creativity and generativity and it could be spiritually proper and appropriate.'

Ancient: The back side, or verso, of the papyrus is so badly damaged that only a few key words - 'my mother' and 'three' - were decipherable.

In a forthcoming paper in the Harvard Theological Review, Professor King speculates that this so-called 'Gospel of Jesus’s Wife' may have been tossed on the garbage 'because the ideas it contained flowed so strongly against the ascetic currents of the tides in which Christian practices and understandings of marriage and sexual intercourse were surging.'

'What this shows is that there were early Christians for whom... sexual union in marriage could be an imitation of God’s creativity and generativity and it could be spiritually proper and appropriate'

Karen King, Hollis professor of divinity at Harvard University

Professor King downplays the fragment's validity as a biographical document, saying that it was probably composed in Greek a century or so after the Crucifixion, then subsequently transcribed into Coptic.

Its significance instead lies in the possibility that an early Christian sect drew spiritual succour from portraying their prophet as having a wife.

This representation of Jesus as a man with earthly passions and needs has not survived in the doctrines of the established churches, which emphasise celibacy and asceticism as a spiritual ideal.

Professor King's interpretation of the text are based on the assumption that the fragment is genuine, a question that is by no means definitively settled.

A DIFFERENT GOSPEL: THE TEXT OF THE EXPLOSIVE FRAGMENT 

The papyrus’ back side, or verso, is so badly damaged that only a few key words - 'my mother' and 'three'- were decipherable, but on the front side, or recto, King gleaned eight fragmentary lines:

• not [to] me. My mother gave to me li[fe]...
• The disciples said to Jesus,
• deny. Mary is worthy of it
• Jesus said to them, My wife
• she will be able to be my disciple
• Let wicked people swell up
• As for me, I dwell with her in order to 
• an image 

Because chemical tests of its ink have not yet been done, the papyrus could still be challenged on the basis of its authenticity, though independent experts have given their support based on other benchmarks.

To authenticate the papyrus, Professor King sent photos of it to AnneMarie Luijendijk, a professor at Princeton and an authority on Coptic papyri and sacred scriptures.

Professor Luijendijk forwarded the pictures to Roger Bagnall, a renowned papyrologist who directs the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University.

Known for his conservative assessments of the authenticity and date of ancient papyri, Professor Bagnall nevertheless confirmed that he believed the document was genuine.

The scribe's dialect and style of handwriting, and the colour and texture of the papyrus, helped them to date it to the second half of the fourth century AD and place its probable origin in upper Egypt.

The details of the fragment support another view of the life of Jesus that has begun to gain traction since the discovery of a cache of ancient manuscripts in Nag Hammadi, Upper Egypt, in 1945. These manuscripts, including the gospel of Thomas, the gospel of Philip and the Secret Revelation of John, outline the so-called Gnostic version of Christianity which differs sharply from the official Church line.

Christ Appearing to the Magdalene by Titian: A newly discovered ancient papyrus suggests the Messiah and Mary Magdalene were man and wife.

NOSTIC CHRISTIANITY?

Gnosticism is a modern scholarly term for a set of esoteric religious beliefs found among early Christian groups who believed the realisation of intuitive knowledge is the way to salvation.

In general, they believed that the material world was created not by God but via some intermediary being sometimes identified as Ahriman, Satan or Yahweh.

Jesus is identified by some Gnostics as an embodiment of the supreme being who became incarnate to bring gnōsis to the earth, according to Wikipedia.

Others deny that Jesus was God made flesh, claiming him merely to be a human who reached divinity through enlightenment and taught his disciples to do the same.

The movement spread in areas controlled by the Roman Empire and Arian Goths, and the Persian Empire; it continued to develop in the Mediterranean and Middle East before and during the 2nd and 3rd centuries. 

Conversion to Islam and the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229) greatly reduced the remaining number of Gnostics during the Middle Ages, though a few communities still exist.

Gnostic and pseudo-gnostic ideas became influential in some of the philosophies of various esoteric mystical movements of the late 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and North America.

Persecuted and often cut off from each other, ancient Christian communities had very different opinions on fundamental doctrines regarding Jesus' birth, life and death.

It was only with the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire that the Emperor Constantine summoned 300 bishops to issue a definitive statement of Christian doctrine. 

This so-called Nicene creed - named for Nicaea, the town where they met - affirmed a model of Christian belief that is to this day taken as orthodoxy.

The origins of this latest fragment are as yet unknown. Professor King received it from an anonymous collector who had found it among a job lot of ancient Greek and Coptic papyri.

Accompanying the fragment was an unsigned and undated handwritten note from a translator claiming it is the sole example of a text in which Jesus refers in direct speech to having a wife.

Professor King, who is able to read ancient Coptic, believes some of the phrases within the text echo passages in Luke, Matthew and the Gnostic gospels about the role of the family.

These parallels convinced her that this account of the life of Jesus was originally composed in the second century AD when such questions were a subject of intense theological debate.

Those who disagreed with the official line as established by the Council of Nicaea were in time branded by the Roman Church as heretics and their teachings suppressed.

Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

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Simply Cheska...