CHRISTIAN MAN SENTENCED TO HAVE HIS LIPS BURNT IN IRAN FOR EATING ON THE MONTH OF RAMADAN

A Christian man has been sentenced by an Iranian judge to have his lips burnt with a cigarette for eating during the day in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The punishment was carried out in public in a square in the city of Kermanshah.

Five other Muslim men were publicly flogged with 70 lashes for not fasting during Ramadan.

The punishment given to offenders has been criticized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a political coalition which opposes the government.

The spokesperson from the coalition denounced the treatment as ‘savage’ and called on western countries to take action.

The group said: ‘The silence of the world community, especially of western countries, vis-à-vis these medieval punishments under the excuse of having nuclear talks with Iran has intensified the brutal and systematic violation of human rights in Iran.

‘This will ultimately embolden the Iranian regime to continue its nuclear projects more than before.’

But earlier this year the UN blasted Iran for the persecution of Christians in a damning report laid bare to the world in March.

The detailed report found that Iran has continued to imprison Christians for their faith and designated house churches and evangelical Christians as ‘threats to national security.’

At least 49 Christians were among 307 religious minorities being held in Iranian jails as of January 2014, noted the UN, which also criticised the regime for its hostility to Jews, Baha’is, Zoroastrians and Dervish Muslims.

In its annual report on people imprisoned for their faith around the world, the Brussels-based organization Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) named Iran as one of five countries with the largest number of 'freedom of religion or belief prisoners.'

There are an estimated 250,000 Christians in Iran's 76 million strong population.

They all face torture, imprisonment or the death sentence under Sharia law for not observing Islamic religious festivals and dress codes.

Thousands of persecuted Christians have fled the country, which saw Hossein Soodmand hanged in 2008 for following the faith.

Read More

NICKI'S 'ANACONDA' COVER CREATES CONTROVERSY

Not everyone one is impressed with Nicki
Minaj’s sexy and revealing “Anaconda” single cover. Last week the rapper posted the pic on social media and it became an instant hit! But some people are worried that she’s sending the wrong message to her young fans.
Chuck Creekmur, owner of AllHipHop.com –
who’s supported Nicki when she was still
underground - has written an open letter to
her.
He wrote: “I’m trying to raise a young girl that will eventually grow into something greater than the both of us. I know that this requires great parenting, great education, great luck and an assortment of great influences.”
He went on to ask if this is the path she wants kids to follow. “Make no mistake about it, you are a leader now,” he added.

Read More

10 WAYS YOU KNOW YOUR MOBILE

If you’re among those millions of smart phone users who keep fidgeting with it even when it’s not ringing or vibrating, you’re most likely to suffer from this new disease.According to a report published in the medical journal The Lancet, a 34-year-old female patient in Spain was diagnosed with what they called ‘WhatsAppitis,’ bilateral wrist pain caused by excessive use of the messaging service WhatsApp. The doctor who diagnosed the disease reported that the woman used her mobile to text her family members and friends for a continuous stretch of 6 hours. The next day she got up with severe wrist pain.This is not the first disease or harmful effect of using mobile phones that has been reported. We all are probably so addicted to our phones that we are unknowingly destroying our health. Here are some health risks of cell phones you should be aware of:
1. Cancer: As reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO), mobile phones emit radiofrequency (RF) fields a 1000 times greater than what is emitted from base stations. It’s obvious that this increased emission is likely to have some adverse effect on health of users. Although there is no clear evidence suggesting that exposure to RF fields increases the risk of cancer, but the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified RF as a possible carcinogen in humans. 
2. Sleep disorders: Somehow night-time has always been favourite among regular chatting and gossiping freaks. But do you know that’s the main reason why you are sleep deprived? Several studies have concluded this. One of them is a cohort study by Sara Thomée et al which found that high mobile phone use was associated with sleep disorders. Major contributing factors to interrupted sleep pattern are getting awakened in the middle of the night due to mobile rings and vibration and increased use of mobiles post-evening until midnight. 
3. Increased accident-risk: Whether you’re an iPhone, flip phone or a Blackberry user, the chances that you check your phone aggressively while travelling is undoubtedly higher. Be it while driving or while crossing the road, mobile phone can be a potential distraction. According to the WHO, we now have a lot of research showing an increased risk of traffic accidents with mobile usage (3-4 times greater). 
4. Heart problems: Radiation from cell phones is not only associated with cancer but also with chronic diseases like heart problems. A study published in European Journal of Oncology, radiations emitted by cordless phones, including mobiles, contribute to abnormalities in heart function. Results reported that radiation causes the red blood cells (RBCs) to seep hemoglobin and lead to heart complications. 
5. Infertility: Beware men! Your phone can even make you infertile. As of now there’s enough evidence to show that mobile phone radiation decreases sperm count in male rats. To identify whether the same holds true in humans, Wdowiak A and colleagues carried out a research which revealed that the group of men who used mobile phones had a decreased sperm cell count in their semen, leading to infertility.
6. Hearing impairment: Today, every alternate person on the street has earphones plugged in. But that’s not the only reason why hearing loss is increasing in youth and adults. Your mobile radiation is an additional factor that’s making you deaf. Long-term exposure to electromagnetic (EM) field from cell phones contributes to reducing hearing function. A study showed that people who attended phone calls for approximately 2 hours every day were at a higher risk of impaired hearing compared to those who moderate users (10-20 mins).
7. Eye problems: A lot of people use their mobiles to read e-books, do web surfing, etc apart from texting. When you do so, the glaring screen and small font size put a lot of strain on your eyes, especially if you’re reading in the dark. Mobile devices have smaller screens so you tend squint or open up your eyes wide open and blink lesser number of times. This can cause dry eyes, irritation and reddening.
8. Skin allergies: Most mobile phones have a typical metallic sheen to make them look more attractive. Such phones contain potential skin allergens like nickel, chromium and cobalt which cause cell phone dermatitis. A study by Marcella Aquino and colleagues tested 72 cell phones for the presence of nickel and cobalt. According to the results, about 29.4% of Blackberry models were tested positive for nickel, 90.5 per cent of flip phones were positive for nickel and about 52% of flip phones had cobalt.
9. Infections: How many of you use your phones in the restroom? Here’s a good reason why you shouldn’t. Cell phones not only serve as a home for your valuable data but also carry millions of infectious organisms. A study found that mobile devices are highly contaminated with organisms from fecal origin. They are a niche for several germs like E.coli (known to cause vomiting and diarrhea) andStaphyloccocus aureus (known to cause skin infections). 
10. Stress: The general desperate nature of people to be available 24/7 on their mobiles is responsible to their exponentially increasing stress levels.

So, the next time you use your mobile phone incessantly, think again!

Read More

FATHER OF JUVENTUS STRIKER RELEASED BY KIDNAPPERS

 Father of Juventus striker was held in Buenos Aires. Segundo Tevez unharmed after eight-hour captureCarlos Tevez is understood to be flying out to Argentina to help deal with the matter. The lawyer for Carlos Tevez says the father of the Argentina and Juventus star was kidnapped on Tuesday, but was released eight hours later and appeared to be physically unharmed. Gustavo Galasso said the forward’s father “is in good shape” as he announced the news about Segundo Tevez to reporters in Argentina.

Police did not immediately provide information about the incident. But the Argentinian TV station C5N said Tevez was set free after a payment of $400,000. Galasso did not confirm this.

In Italy, Juventus said that it gave Tevez permission to travel for “family reasons,” but reports in Italy said he was not going back to Argentina following the release. Local reports said Tevez’s father was kidnapped by unknown assailants around sunrise but offered few other details.

Read More

FATHER OF JUVENTUS STRIKER CARLOS TEVEZ KIDNAPPED

The father of Juventus Striker, Carlos Tevez has been kidnapped in Argentina and is being held for ransom, according to reports in Argentina.

The incident occurred at around 7am on Tuesday in Moron, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, when Juan Alberto Cabral’s car was intercepted, reports La Nación.

The criminals contacted the family in the city and made an initial request for ransom that was much lower than a second request a short time later, suggesting it wasn’t initially clear to them who they were holding.

Police are investigating the incident and the Juventus striker Tevez is understood to be travelling to Argentina to help deal with the matter.

Read More

LAGOS GOVERNMENT LOCATES 59 CONTACTS WITH DEAD LIBERIAN VICTIM

The Lagos State Government said on Monday
that it had identified no fewer than 59 people
who had contacts with Mr Patrick Sawyer, the
Liberian who died of Ebola Virus in the state.
Dr Jide Idris, the Commissioner for Health,
said at a news conference in Ikeja that the
contact tracing became imperative to
ascertain any possible transmission of the
virus by the victim.
Idris said the identified contacts comprised
44 hospital and 15 airport contacts, including
the Nigerian Ambassador to Liberia.
He said 20 of the contacts had been screened
and that none of them had so far been found
to be infected with the virus.
The commissioner, however, said the
contacts did not include those he might have
been with on his flight to Nigeria on July 20,
as the airline had yet to release the
passenger manifest for investigation.
“The airline manifest has not been provided
by the airline as at the time of this report and
therefore, the precise number of passenger
contacts is yet to be ascertained, especially as
two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome
and Lome-Lagos).”
The commissioner urged Nigerians not to
entertain fears about Sawyer`s case as the
state and Federal Governments were doing
everything possible to prevent any risk to the
country.
Idris said that the deceased’s body had been
decontaminated, using 10 per cent sodium
hypochlorite and cremated with the
permission of the Government of Liberia.
“A cremation urn has been prepared for
dispatch to the family. The vehicle containing
the remains have also been decontaminated
while the hospital in which he died on July 25
has been demobilised .”
Idris said that the state Ministry of Health had
designated an isolation ward at the Infectious
Disease Hospital, Yaba, for case
management, adding three other centres
were under way.
The commissioner urged residents to report
people with abnormal cases of bleeding and
fever to the appropriate authorities for
intervention, as high fever with bleeding from
all body openings were symptoms of the
disease.
Idris also urged residents to always keep
their environments clean and maintain good
personal hygiene as Ebola virus spreads
easily in dirty environments.
Also speaking, Prof. Abdul-Salami Nasidi, the
Director, National Centre for Disease Control
(NCDC) warned against the consumption of
bats and monkeys as these animals had been
established to be the original sources of
Ebola.
“This is time for those bat-eating and
monkey-eating communities to be careful
now. Ebola started from the eating of
Chimpanzees. How the virus got to the
monkey, nobody knows yet.
“But this is the time to be careful about the
eating of monkeys and bats. The Ebola threat
is high in West Africa and people should start
taking precautions.”
In a remark, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, the
President of the Nigerian Academy of
Science, also warned Nigerians against the
unsupervised burial of people who died from
suspected Ebola case.
He said 40 per cent of cases in high risk
countries were transmitted from victims`
bodies, stressing that an Ebola corpse was
deadlier the patient.
On he part, Mrs Yewande Adeshina, the
Special Adviser to the Governor on Public
Health, urged traditional healers to
collaborate with the government in checking
Ebola threats by reporting suspicious cases
for the right intervention. (NAN)

Read More

RIVER TURNS BLOOD-RED IN CHINA

River’s plague-like transformation was
noticed earlier on Thursday 24/8/2014 by residents in Zhejiang province who reported that they had noticed a weird odour coming from the area where the river was located, ABC News reports.

Locals also said the river appeared to be fine around 5am local time, but in less than an hour later, people noticed the sudden change of colour - blood-red metamorphosis.
Upon inspection, investigators with the
Wenzhou Environmental Protection Bureau
were unable to find any specific causes for
the bloody incident.
“We suspect that somebody dumped
artificial colouring in the water because he
thought the typhoon yesterday would cause
heavy rain, and nobody would notice [the
colour]”, bureau chief Jianfeng Xiao told
China News.

“It turned out there wasn’t heavy rainfall
yesterday, so the evidence is left behind.”
Xiao added that the businesses along the
river include a food colouring company, a
clothing shop and a paper manufacturer,
according to ABC News.
Despite the inexplicable strangeness of the
blood-red waterway, locals had said they have been reaping benefits.
“The really weird thing is that we have
been able to catch fishes because the water is normally so clear” , said a villager on
Weibo.

Read More