Snake sanctuary owner Luke Yeomans dies from cobra bite

The owner of a Nottinghamshire snake sanctuary has died after apparently being bitten by one of his own animals.

Luke Yeomans, 47, was due to open the King Cobra Sanctuary, in Eastwood, to the public this weekend.

South Africa's lesbians fear 'corrective rape'

Lesbian South Africans are living in fear as rape and murder become a daily threat in the townships they call home. Noxolo Nkosana, 23, is the latest victim of a series of violent attacks against lesbians. She was stabbed a stone's throw from her home in Crossroads township, Cape Town, as she returned from work one evening with her girlfriend. The two men - one of whom lives in her community - started yelling insults. "They were walking behind us. They just started swearing at me screaming: 'Hey you lesbian, you tomboy, we'll show you,'

Before she knew it a sharp knife had entered her back - two fast jabs, then she was on the ground. Half conscious, she felt the knife sink into her skin twice more. "I was sure that they were going to kill me," she says.

Pictured: Mohammed Manga, Nigeria's first suicide bomber

The man who bombed the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Abuja on June 16 was a fairly well-to-do businessman who was actually on a suicide mission on behalf of the Islamic sect the Boko Haram. Mohammed Manga was a 35-year-old married man with five children who drove overnight from Maiduguri to Abuja in order to carry out the

morning attack which left about five people dead and many cars incinerated in the blast. He had left N4 million in his will for his five children – two girls and three boys – before embarking on the fateful journey to the nation’s capital. There was proof also that Manga was accompanied on the deadly mission by at least a collaborator in the plot, who took his last photograph alive as he drove through the streets of Abuja. The collaborator(s) might have disembarked from the car before Manga reached the Louis Edet House headquarters of the Nigerian Police.

Brazilians try to set new mass gay wedding record

Dozens of gay and lesbian couples have tied the knots under Brazil's new same-sex union laws in a bid to set a new world record for mass gay weddings. Nearly 50 homosexual couples exchanged vows under Brazil's landmark law in an attempt to break a world record. Brazil's Federal Supreme Court legally recognized same-sex partnerships in May, in a landmark case for gay rights in a country with the world's largest population of Roman Catholics.

Egypt army vows to stop virginity tests on female protester

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt’s military has vowed to stop virginity tests on female protesters, Amnesty International said on Monday, after a top official said the tests were necessary to head off possible charges of rape. “The head of Egypt’s military intelligence has promised Amnesty International that the army will no longer carry out forced ‘virginity tests’ after defending their use, during a meeting with the organisation on Sunday,” Amnesty said in a statement. Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had discussed the issue with Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty. Sisi is a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which took power after a popular uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February. The general was the first identified Egyptian military official to acknowledge that forced virginity tests have taken place. “He said virginity tests were carried out to protect the army against possible allegations of rape, and added that the army does not intend to detain women again,” an Amnesty statement said on Sunday. On May 31, Amnesty called on the authorities in Egypt to bring to justice those responsible for forced virginity tests on female protesters, slamming it as “nothing less than torture.” Amnesty’s statement came after an apparent admission by an unnamed army general to CNN that women detained on March 9 in Cairo’s Tahrir Square had been subjected to virginity tests. A senior military official on May 31 denied to AFP reports that the army had conducted such tests, saying “these allegations are baseless.” Amnesty opposes forced virginity tests under any circumstances. “Sisi said people alleging abuses should complain to the military prosecutor and could also post their complaints on the SCAF Facebook page,”

High-speed 'space wedge' on track

he European Space Agency (Esa) is pressing ahead with its re-entry demonstrator known as the IXV, which it expects to launch in 2013.

This distinctive wedge-shaped vehicle will be put at an altitude above 400km from where it will begin its flight back to Earth. Its suite of sensors should give engineers new insights into how objects fall back through the atmosphere. Ultimately, the data should inform better spacecraft design. Even probes sent to land on other worlds like Mars should benefit from the knowledge. "IXV is providing Europe with important technologies and a step to more ambitious programmes in the future," said Antonio Fabrizi, one of Esa's senior directors. He signed an agreement at the Paris Air Show that will lead to manufacture of the demonstrator by Thales Alenia Space in Italy. The company's facility in Turin has spent the past two years researching the concept. The Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV) is a car-sized, two-tonne automated craft that can be seen as a follow-on to the Advanced Re-entry Demonstrator flown by Esa in 1998. But whereas ARD was a traditional cone-shaped object, IXV is very different; it has flaps and thrusters to control its descent trajectory. A ceramic heatshield on its underside will prevent IXV from burning up. The vehicle will launch from French Guiana in South America on Esa's forthcoming small rocket, Vega. The top stage of Vega will put IXV on a sub-orbital trajectory around the Earth that will bring the demonstrator down in Pacific. A parachute will be deployed to bring it to a gentle splash-down. The whole mission should last about an hour. The knowledge gained from the flight is expected to feed into materials research and the computer models that are used to describe the energetic physics that occurs when an object plunges through atmospheric gases at several kilometres per second. Europe's expertise on re-entry technologies is more limited than, say, the US, and it is looking to boost its knowledge with a number of flight demos. Later this year Esa will also launch its EXPERT (eXPErimental Reentry Testbed) vehicle. This is smaller than the IXV at just over 1.5m in length and weighing slightly less than 450kg; but again, it will be packed with sensors. EXPERT will launch to just over 100km on a submarine missile before falling back to the ground and landing by parachute. Thales Alenia Space is also leading this project industrially, too. "We are growing a competency in re-entry in our company and this will feed into future missions," Luigi Pasquali, the president and CEO of Thales Alenia Space (Italy), told BBC News. Although only one flight of the IXV is currently planned, its recovery from the ocean would allow further experimental flights to be conducted.

Arsenal board ready to sell Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona

Arsenal are prepared to sell Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona if the two clubs can agree a fee,

The Premier League club have rejected an initial bid but are now bracing themselves for an improved offer. A senior Arsenal official said: "The offer was made formally in writing to our chief executive (Ivan Gazidis), and we said no straight away." Asked if the club expected another bid, the source said: "Possibly. If it's enough I expect we'll have to sell.

China shows off its fighter jets to the world

China has given the world a glimpse of its air force at a special performance by a display team.

Four Chinese-made J-10 fighters put on a show of aerial stunts at a military base just outside the city of Tianjin. China hopes the manoeuvrability and price of the J-10 will make it attractive to buyers in other countries.

Lagos Gets Set For Dance 234 Audition

n Abuja, the Dance234 audition was hot, in Enugu it was explosive, in Benin it was mind blowing and as many are wondering what more is to come, Lagos picks up the baton for the Dance234 audition, which is to begins on June 25, 26 and 27 at KOGA Entertainment, Bolaji Close, Oregun, Lagos. Dance234 is a dance reality show from KOGA entertainment a foremost entertainment out fit in Nigeria poised to discover dancers in their purest form, help them unleash the professional dancer in them and give them a platform to be known for their skills. The experienced team of the Dance234 judges that consist of Brandiny of ‘The Mask’ dance team and Preere Yibowei a Nigerian dance instructor express excitement at the success they have achieved so far in the auditions. Speaking on the auditions, Brandiny, one of the judges said ‘personally I am encouraged not only by the success of the auditions so far, but because the passion and zeal I see in those who participated in the auditions tells me that dance in Nigeria in a number of years is definitely going to be a really big thing. I am so glad I was a part of this show because it has really opened me up to another of Nigeria’s untapped resources, which is Dance. Preere YIbowei on her part said ‘I hope not to sound sentimental but I am particularly looking forward to the Lagos audition. This is because I believe Lagos is the headquarter of entertainment in Nigeria, so I am expecting a lot from Lagos’. The Dance234 Lagos audition will mark the end of all the auditions. After which, twenty finalists consisting of an equal mix of boys and girls will be selected to battle it out on the KOGA stage in Lagos for the grand price of a car, N1, 000, 000 (one million naira), and a dance course abroad’

New report ranks Nigeria the 14th most failed state in the world

Nigeria has once again been ranked the 14th most failed state in the world; only better than Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Central African, Iraq, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Pakistan, and Yemen. The is according to the seventh annual Failed States Index report 2011 ranking by Fund for Peace, an American independent non-profit research and educational organization that works to prevent violent conflicts and promote sustainable security in the world. Nigeria maintains its same position as that of last year.

Boy beats up mum, dies in sleep

OWERRI – Homicide detectives have commenced investigations into the death of one Ngozi Onyii Onuneme from Ogiri, Isiala Mbutu, Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. Vanguard gathered from a villager, who pleaded anonymity, that trouble started when the deceased had an argument with his mother, Mrs. Gladys Onuneme, who wanted to know why he had injured some other person. According to the eyewitness, “the argument eventually snowballed into Ngozi beating up his mother.” The source told Vanguard that on hearing the agonising cry of his mother, Ngozi’s elder brother came out, rescued his mother and, thereafter, beat up the “unruly boy”. Continuing, the villager said Ngozi sustained injuries but was not treated before he went to bed, adding that the family woke up the next morning to behold the lifeless body of the young man. Spirited efforts to get the Police to comment on the incident failed as the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, neither picked his calls nor responded to the text message sent to him

20011 total schoolarship

the 2011 textiary schoolarship by total is on. Be among the luck winners to benefit from total this year. For procedure on how to apply. follow the link clic here

Sperm killers and boosters

Deficient sperm production is one of the major concerns of male infertility today to the extent that 90 per cent of male infertility is caused by the failure to produce sperm that is good enough to facilitate conception. Azzospermia occurs when no sperm is produced while olibospermia is diagnosed when few sperm are produced. Since most sperm are destroyed before ever reaching the egg, the more sperm there are the better the chances that one will successfully fertilise the egg. However, a low sperm count, or a total sperm count of less than 5 million/ml, does not necessarily mean that a man is infertile if the sperm that he does have are healthy, properly formed, and mobile. Just why male sperm count has dropped so dramatically is no big mystery. The difficult part is limiting the problem to the most influential factors. The heaviest sperm killers are probably toxins, probably by-products of chlorine and dioxin, one of the most toxic substances known, highly carcinogenic and a potent endocrine disrupter with the capacity to lower sperm counts. Decline in sperm has been linked to events that affect the endocrine system. The damage is often done in the womb, when sperm-producing capacity as an adult is settled for good. Actually, industrial toxins are just the tip of the iceberg. A man can reduce his count further by his lifestyle: Marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, caffeine, sexually transmitted diseases, tight underwear and hot baths (heat is a major sperm killer) can all reduce sperm counts. Most men now work at sit-down desk jobs instead of physical labour. We depend on vehicles to take us places, and even the exercise we think is so good actually sends bursts of sperm-killing heat through our bodies as opposed to slow, steady, daylong muscle use. The introduction of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) over the last few years has revolutionised the management of male infertility. It offers hope of a genetic child to almost all couples with male-based infertility. Traditionally, a low sperm count is determined by analyzing a semen sample. With male-based infertility, the point in question is when to move to treatment rather than what treatment. Fact is that it is still rare to be able to offer treatment to increase the sperm count or quality and so most treatment options are based on using the sperm that are available in the most likely way to cause fertilisation of an egg. Essentially, the variability that occurs in semen quality from day to day in an individual is poorly understood but the fluctuation may be of marked degree. This variability often leads to people believing that a treatment used has been effective. Although many treatments, ranging from hormonal through herbal to nutritional supplements such as zinc and Vitamin E are used, there is little scientific evidence to support their use.

Q&A with D'Banj

This is an exclusive interview D'Banj granted reporter, Michael Alonge. I took out the interesting parts...:-) Excerpts: Q: When do plan to settle down? D'Banj: When I see the right person Q: How would you know the right person D'Banj: If I see I will know Q: How about Genevieve? D'Banj: We're not...(pause) why do you people keep calling Genevieve? That's a long time, we've even got over that. I am single and searching. Q: Have you talked to God about searching for a wife? D'Banj: Of course Q: Why hasn't he answered you? D'Banj: Who says he hasn't answered me? You never know when it come to relationship. Your best friend might be your wife and you might still be searching. It might be a person that I have dated before or a new person. But I believe God will do it at the right time. Q: Do you think when you finally get married you will cheat on your wife? D'Banj: I don't know. I don't think about that but my dad never cheated on my mum Q: Are you planning to follow his footsteps? D'Banj: I'm not planning to but I came from him, I must have something in common with him. When I get married, I will know. Right now, I don't. Q: How do you manage your female fans? D'Banj: I don't really have many female fans Q: What do you do when girls throw themselves at you? D'Banj: They are usually prevented and I don't get to see them because my people around me near me but if I see you and get to like you, then something might go down. It's up to me to decide... Q: So you don't have a girlfriend? D'Banj: No, I don't. But that don't mean I don't F**k! Q: How many sunglasses do you have? D'Banj: I have more than 100 of it. Mostly designers Q: What will not never be caught doing? D'Banj: Fight over a woman. I will never do that! Q: You are going international now, how easy will it be for you staying in Nigeria? D'Banj: I did it from here and there is no way that you will mention my name that you will not say the Nigerian-born singer. So, it has changed nothing about me except that I am now a superstar who rocks, wines and dines with Jay Z, Kanye West and a lot of other international artists. Q: What if they try to mimic you? D'Banj: Nobody can steal me; nobody can take Nigeria from me. Well, that can happen only if I get married to someone like Rihanna. Q: That means you are not coming back D'Banj: Why not, I will bring here. Q: How is that going to be possible? She won't want to leave her country because of love D'Banj: With love, nothing is impossible (laughs) D'Banj and Rihanna? I won't put it past him making a move on her if he gets the chance...badt guy! lol

Footballer Kalu Uche marries pregnant Stephanie Oforka

The footballer married the ex-beauty queen (Ex-MBGN Miss Universe '08 rep), Stephaine Oforka, 22, on Saturday June 18, 2011. Their traditional wedding held on Friday June 17 at the brides home in Nnewi, Anambra state. To think Uche Kalu once denied knowing Stephanie. Anyway, all the best to the latest couple in town.

4 NYSC members, 42 others die in Enugu, Ibadan auto crashes

ENUGU— TRAGEDY struck in Enugu and Oyo states yesterday as 46 persons died in separate auto accidents. The accident in Enugu which occurred at Egede village on Ninth Mile-Nsukka Highway were a commuter bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit with number plate BENUE - XB 504 TKP and another bus owned by Enugu State Transport Company, ENTRACO, with number plate ENUGU – XL 812 UWN each conveying 15 passengers. The accident claimed 28 passengers and the drivers. Among the deceased were four discharged members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, who were returning to their homes after the national service. Two persons who were seriously injured and went into coma were rescued by officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, who rushed them to a hospital at Ninth Mile. The Peace Mass Transit bus marked 2258 was conveying passengers from Enugu to Nsukka and was said to be overtaking another vehicle when he collided with oncoming ENTRACO bus. Several travelling bags belonging to the passengers littered the road as the FRSC rescue team and sympathizers discovered four NYSC discharge certificates in the luggage. The FRSC Sector Commander in Delta State, Commander Lukas Ikpi who got to the scene of the accident while travelling on the road said he immediately alerted his men at the Enugu Sector Command who rushed to the scene for rescue operation. Senator Ayogu Eze, representing Enugu North Senatorial District, who was returning to Enugu with some journalists after a function at Igboetiti local government area met the FRSC officials removing the mangled corpses trapped in the smashed vehicles. Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Dr Godknows Igali, the State Chairman of PDP, Engr. Vita Abba, who also attended the flag off of the N2.57 billion Adada River Dam at Igboetiti council also witnessed the accident and expressed shock at the number of casualties.

Only 20% Of All Jambites to Gain Admission This Year

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board-JAMB had on Saturday, the 18th of June successfully conducted her University, Polytechnic and Monotechnic Matriculation Examinations. In this year's Jamb, statistics has it that a total of 1, 493, 603 candidates who registered for the 2011 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, sat for the examination across the country on Saturday. However, it has been gathered that due to acute shortage of spaces in our universities, only about 20 per cent of qualified candidates will be offered admission, into the about 117 universities in the country, owned by federal, states and private entities. Meanwhile, the result of the 2011 UTME (JAMB) is being expected and, according to the examination board, the 2011 jamb result will flash in few (about 5)days time. All candidates who sat for this June 2011 examination is therefore encouraged to study harder for their Post-UTME as that will invariably be the final/litmus test for admission into the available tertiary institutions in the country.