Ethiopian Mother Tells How Her 15 Children Were Cursed, Thrown To Hungry Crocodiles

A 45-year-old inconsolable woman narrates her painful story about her fifteen children being killed by tribal elders in southern Ethiopia’s Omo Valley.



Mingi is the traditional belief among Karo, Hamar and Bano tribes in southern Ethiopia that children with physical abnormalities will bring ill fortune, drought, famine, disease and death to its tribe, if they aren’t killed

Buko Balguda’s seven sons and eight daughters were all killed at birth by village elders. For Ms Balguda, the nightmare started when her future husband failed to be initiated as a man in a traditional ceremony and thus could not marry a woman.

Despite elders prohibition the wedding took place and every child born in this family was doomed to death as he/she was considered to be cursed (‘mingi’). Ms Balguda wasn’t required to kill her own child, she was forced to stand and watch as elders carried her babies away to their deaths.



Buko Balguda’s seven sons and eight daughters were all killed at birth by village elders

"I lost five plus five plus five babies – 15 in total. I had seven males and eight females. During this time, our tribal traditions were very hard. It was not me who killed the babies. It was other people from my village. I did not respect our traditions, so they killed my children."

Mingi is the traditional belief among Karo, Hamar and Bano tribes in southern Ethiopia that adults and children with physical abnormalities will bring ill fortune, drought, famine, disease and death to its tribe, if they aren’t killed.

A child can be declared Mingi for the following reasons: because of disabilities, because their parents didn’t get permission for a pregnancy from the elders, because they are part of a set of twins and most cruelly of all, because their teeth develop the wrong way.



Cursed children are left alone to be eaten by hyenas, thrown to hungry crocodiles or simply starved to death in a locked hut

Cursed children are left alone to be eaten by hyenas, thrown to hungry crocodiles or simply starved to death in a locked hut. The tribe leave cursed children alone in the bush without food and water to be eaten by hyenas or drown them in the river full of crocodiles.

The Karo officially banned the practice in July 2012, while around 50,000 individuals secretly continue to practice it in other Omotic communities. The charity organizations working in Ethiopia ask parents of ‘mingi’ children to give them to orphanages or foster parents. The Karo officially banned the practice in July 2012, while around 50,000 individuals secretly continue to practice it in Bana and Hamar communities.

The charity organizations working in Ethiopia ask parents of 'mingi' children to give them to orphanages or foster parents

The charity organizations working in Ethiopia ask parents of ‘mingi’ children to give them to orphanages or foster parents

It is illegal but elders do it in secret and nobody has been arrested for doing it so far. Until things change, the pain for women like Ms Balguda will continue. "At the time, I had no choice. Nowadays, when i see the women giving birth or giving milk, I feel sorry. I feel lonely. Nobody is on my side."

Sources: Dailymail, Naij.com news

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Mystery 100-meter-wide hole appears at Russia's 'world's end'

MOSCOW, July 16 (Reuters) - Researchers are to investigate a giant mysterious hole that has appeared in one of Russia's most isolated northernmost regions, state television reported.

It was unclear what had caused the gaping crater, about 100 meters in diameter, filmed from the air in Yamal, which means 'the end of the Earth' in the local Nenets language, where temperatures plummet to -50 degrees Celsius (-58 degrees Fahrenheit) and the sun barely rises in winter.

An expedition to collect soil and water samples from the site was planned for Thursday with two researchers from the Siberian-based Center for the Study of the Arctic and a scientist from Russia's Academy of Science, state news outlet Vesti reported.

TV Zvezda, broadcast by Russia's Defense Ministry, reported the person who shot the video footage as saying the hole appeared to have been caused from below and that the darker soil around its top indicated the effect of high temperatures.

Yamal, inhabited by indigenous reindeer herders, is one of Russia's richest regions in natural gas. The hole was found near the Bovanentsky gas field, leading to speculation that it could have been caused by an underground explosion.

Source: MSN

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26,000 Flee Homes As Mount Sinabung Erupts In Indonesia

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung has erupted more than 30 times, spewing lava and ash clouds over a wide area, officials said, with more than 26,000 people now forced to flee their homes.

Mt Sinabung, which lies in the northwest of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, sent hot rocks and ash 5 kilometres into in the air, spreading hot clouds over a 4.5 kilometres radius, said the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.

Enormous clouds rose from the mountain, as thick layers of grey ash blanketed plantations and nearby houses.

With the volcano erupting regularly, many of those who have left their homes since Mt Sinabung started erupting in September have fallen ill, a local government official said.

“Some refugees are sick, coughing mainly, and they are also in need of clean water,” said Robert Peranginangin,a spokesman for Karo district.

Volcanoes are a regular threat for many living near their fertile slopes in Indonesia. Mt Sinabung is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia that straddle major tectonic fault lines, known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Indonesian villager watches as Mt Sinabung spews hot ash into the air. More than 26,000 people have been forced to flee the volcano. Picture: AFP

Indonesian villager watches as Mt Sinabung spews hot ash into the air. More than 26,000 people have been forced to flee the volcano.
Picture: AFP

It had been quiet for around 400 years until it rumbled back to life in 2010, and again in September last year.

In August 2013, five people were killed and hundreds evacuated when a volcano on a small island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted.

The country’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of eruptions in 2010. [AFP]

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World bids Mandela final goodbye

World bids Mandela final goodbye

With military pomp and traditional rituals, South Africa buried Nelson Mandela on Sunday, thus  marking  the  end of an exceptional journey for the prisoner turned President.

Mandela,  who died on December 5   at the age of 95,  was laid to rest in his childhood village of Qunu.  His body travelled from Pretoria by air to Mthatha in Eastern Cape province, and then by road to Qunu .

Present at the private burial   were about 450 members of the Mandela family,  political and religious leaders as well as foreign dignitaries, including  Britain’s Prince Charles, American civil rights activist ,Reverend Jesse Jackson and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

 Tribal leaders clad in animal skins joined the dignitaries in dark suits at the grave site overlooking the rolling green hills.

As pall-bearers walked toward the site after a funeral ceremony,  three helicopters whizzed past dangling the national flag. Cannons fired a 21-gun salute and their   echoes rang over the quiet village.

  Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief as she watched the proceedings.

“Yours was truly a long walk to freedom. Now you have achieved the ultimate freedom in the bosom of God, your maker,” an officiator at the grave site  was quoted by the Cable News Network as saying.

Military pall-bearers gently removed the South African flag that draped Mandela’s   coffin and handed it to President Jacob Zuma, who gave it to the   former President’s family.

At the request of the family, the lowering of the casket was closed to journalists.

• The funeral ceremony

Before the burial, 4,500 family members, friends and dignitaries attended a state funeral service in a huge domed tent, its interior draped in black, in a field near Mandela’s homestead.

  Seated on either side of  Zuma  were  Graca Machel, and Mandela’s  ex-wife, Winnie.

African National Congress members, veterans of the fight against apartheid, several African presidents and business mogul, Richard Branson, were among the guests.

The flag-covered casket was carried in by military chiefs, with Mandela’s grandson and heir, Mandla, and  Zuma following in their footsteps.

It was then placed on black and white Nguni cattle skins in front of a crescent of 95 candles, one for each year of Mandela’s life. A choir sang Nkosi Sikelel’iAfrika or “God Bless Africa” drifted over the village, a giant picture of Mandela looked down with a smile. Mourners placed their fists on their chests, some with tears streaming down their faces.

The Deputy Leader of the ruling ANC , Cyril Ramaphosa, who presided over the three-hour ceremony, broadcast live across the nation and around the world, said, “The person who is lying here is South Africa’s greatest son.”

Zuma, in his remark, described the ex-South African leader as a beacon of hope and    thanked the Mandela family for sharing him with the world.

He said, “Today (Sunday) marks the end of an extraordinary journey that began 95 years ago. It is the end of 95 glorious years of a freedom fighter and a beacon of hope to all those fighting for a just and equitable world order.

“We shall not say goodbye, for you are not gone. You’ll live forever in our hearts and minds.”

In other major cities, including Johannesburg, crowds watched the funeral at special screenings in stadiums.

• I’ve lost a brother -  Mandela’s prison mate

Mourners represented all spheres of Mandela’s life. There were celebrities, presidents, relatives and former political prisoners.

“You symbolise today and always will … qualities of forgiveness and reconciliation,” said a tearful Ahmed Kathrada, Mandela’s  close friend, who served time in prison with him  for defying the apartheid government.

 “I’ve lost a brother. My life is in a void, and I don’t know who to turn to,” Kathrada lamented.

Talk show host, Oprah Winfrey; Prince Charles; and business mogul, Richard Branson, were also among the attendees.

• Final chapter

The funeral and burial ended  10 days of national mourning for a man whose fame transcended borders.

“Mandela was our leader, our hero, our icon and our father as much as he was yours,” Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete, said, regaling mourners with tales of a secret visit Mandela made in 1962 to Dar es Salaam to gather support for   the African National Congress.

During his fight against apartheid, Mandela fled to Tanzania, which housed the headquarters of the ANC.

In sharp contrast to the days of apartheid, the events honouring Mandela included a great deal of pageantry as well as state honours.

Before arriving in Qunu, the  ex-President’s body lay in state for three days in Pretoria. After an emotional service at the air base there, which included the handing over of his body to the ANC , it was put in a military helicopter for the final leg of his journey.

Though he dined with kings and presidents in his lifetime, the international icon relished his time at the village. He herded cows and goats there as a child, and always said it was where he felt most at peace. Some of his children were  also buried there.

“He really believed this is where he belonged,” said his daughter, Maki Mandela.

Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for defying the racist apartheid government that led South Africa for decades. He emerged from prison in 1990 and became South Africa’s first black president four years later, all the while promoting forgiveness and reconciliation.

His defiance of white minority rule and his long incarceration for fighting segregation focused the world’s attention on apartheid, the legalised racial segregation enforced by the South African government until 1994.

Years after his 1999 retirement from the Presidency, Mandela was considered the ideal head of state. He became a yardstick for African leaders, who consistently fell short when measured against him.

“Thank you for being everything we wanted and needed in a leader during a difficult period in our lives,” Zuma said.

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Chronology of Nelson Mandela’s life

As the remains of a great African icon, Nelson Mandela, the first South African post-apartheid President, are committed to mother earth today in Qunu, here are some of the memorable moments of Mandiba’s life before his passage.

1918, July 18: Born Rolihlahla at Mvezo village in Transkei, one of 13 children in a family with connections to Thembu royalty.

1925: Attends primary school near Qunu. Teacher names him Nelson, in line with the custom at the time of giving English names to children.

1927: Entrusted to Paramount Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo after his father dies when he is nine-years-old.

1934: Circumcised.

1938: Matriculates from Healdtown Methodist boarding school and enrolls at the SA Native College of Fort Hare.

1940: Elected to Fort Hare student representative council, but is expelled after a student strike.

1941: Leaves for Johannesburg to avoid an arranged, tribal marriage.

1942: Starts articles at the law firm Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman. Completes BA degree from the University of SA via correspondence.

1943: Enrolls for an LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand; joins the African National Congress (ANC).

1944: Marries Evelyn Ntoko Mase, a nurse. Founds the ANC Youth League with Anton Lembede, AP Mda, Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu.

1946: Evelyn gives birth to their first child, a boy named Thembi. Another boy and two daughters, one of whom dies in infancy, follow over the next nine years.

1948: Mandela becomes ANCYL national secretary. The National Party comes to power and starts introducing legislation to entrench apartheid and crush opposition.

1949: Mandela joins the ANC executive after the ANCYL takes control of the organisation.
1951: Elected ANCYL president.

1952: Appointed volunteer-in-chief of the ANC’s non-violent defiance campaign against racist laws. Elected Transvaal leader and first national deputy president of the ANC. Arrested and convicted with JS Moroka, Sisulu and 17 others of violating the Suppression of Communism Act: sentenced to nine months imprisonment with hard labour, suspended for two years.

1952, July: Opens the first black legal partnership in South Africa with Oliver Tambo.

1952, September: Banned from attending meetings or gatherings for the next two years.

1953: Devises the M-Plan for the ANC’s future underground operations.

1955: Separates from Evelyn and meets Winnie Madikizela, a social worker from Pondoland. Watches as the Freedom Charter is adopted at Kliptown.

1956, December 5: Arrested on a charge of high treason with 155 other people; the trial drags on for several years.

1958: Divorces Evelyn and marries Winnie; Africanist faction splits from the ANC to form the Pan Africanist Congress.

1959: Mandela and Winnie’s first child Zenani is born; a second daughter Zindzi follows in 1960. The ANC and PAC organise separate anti-pass campaigns.

1960, March: Mandela imprisoned with thousands of others as a state-of -emergency is declared. The ANC and PAC are banned in the wake of the Sharpeville massacre.

1961: Mandela and all the other treason trialists are acquitted. The government bans the ANC, which in turn sets up its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), under Mandela’s direction. Mandela goes underground and the first acts of sabotage follow in December.

1962, January: Mandela is smuggled out of the country for guerrilla training.

1962, August 5: Mandela is arrested in South Africa, near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal.

1962, November 7: He is sentenced to five years in jail for incitement to strike and for leaving the country without a passport.

1963, January: The nucleus of MK’s leadership is arrested at Liliesleaf farm in Rivonia.

1963, October 9: In what becomes known as the Rivonia Trial, Mandela, Sisulu and eight others are charged with sabotage and attempting to violently overthrow the state.

1964, June 11: Mandela and all but two of his co-accused are found guilty of sabotage.

1964, June 12: They are sentenced to life imprisonment. Mandela is sent to Robben Island.

1969: Thembi dies in a car accident.

1973: The government offers to release Mandela to the Transkei. He refuses.

1977: Winnie is banished to Brandfort, in the Free State.

1979: Mandela is given the Nehru Award by the government of India.

1980: The ANC’s leadership in exile launches the “Free Mandela” campaign.

1982: After 18 years on Robben Island, Mandela is moved to Pollsmoor Prison, on the mainland.

1985, January 31: President PW Botha offers Mandela his freedom, provided he unconditionally rejects violence.

1985, February: Mandela rejects Botha’s offer. Protest action spreads throughout the country.

1985, August: Justice Minister Kobie Coetsee pays a social visit to Mandela in hospital where he is undergoing prostate surgery. Mandela is later separated from his comrades to give the government private access to him.

1986, February-May: Commonwealth Eminent Persons’ Group visits Mandela but fails to persuade the government that he should be released.

1986, June 12: A nationwide state-of-emergency is declared and Mandela secretly meets Coetsee for talks.

1986, August: A prison official takes Mandela on his first car outing in 24 years.

1988: Mandela is moved to the private Constantiaberg MediClinic in Cape Town for treatment of tuberculosis.

1988, December 9: He is moved from the clinic to a warder’s house at the Victor Verster prison.
1989, July 4: He meets PW Botha for tea at Tuynhuys.

1990, February 2: Botha’s successor FW de Klerk unbans all political parties and announces the release of political prisoners.

1990, February 11: Mandela is freed.

1990, March 2: He is elected as ANC deputy president under Oliver Tambo.

1990, May 2: Mandela heads the ANC delegation in talks with a government team on the transition to a non-racial democracy.

1990, June: He visits Europe, the United Kingdom, North America and Africa, then attends an Organisation of African Unity summit in Addis Ababa.

1991, July: Elected ANC president in place of the ailing Oliver Tambo.

1991, December: Attends first meeting of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa), set up to negotiate procedures for constitutional change.

1992, April 13: Announces that he and Winnie have agreed to separate.

1993, May: Causes a political row when he suggests 14-year-olds should be allowed to vote in the coming polls.

1993, December: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, together with De Klerk. His autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, is published.

1994, April 27: Votes for the first time in his life, and the ANC wins a convincing majority in Parliament.

1994, May 9: Elected unopposed as president in the first session of the new National Assembly.

1994, May 10: Inaugurated at the Union Buildings in front of the largest gathering of international leaders ever seen in South Africa.

1994, July: Undergoes eye surgery for a cataract.

1995, April: Fires Winnie from her post as deputy arts minister, following her involvement in a series of controversies.

1996: Divorces Winnie.

1997: Plays a key role in persuading Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to hand over Lockerbie bombing suspects for trial in the Netherlands.

1998 July 18: Marries Graca Machel, the widow of Mozambican leader Samora Machel, on his 80th birthday.

1999, June 16: Hands over the presidency to Thabo Mbeki.

1999, December: Accepts position of mediator in a bid to end civil conflict in Burundi.

2001, July: Diagnosed as having microscopic prostate cancer; undergoes a seven-week course of radiotherapy.

2002: Throws his weight behind calls for the South African government to institute a national public sector antiretroviral treatment programme for people with HIV/Aids. Launches global HIV/Aids campaign 46664, named for his prison number.

2003: Celebrates his 85th birthday with a party attended by celebrities from around the globe.

2004, May: Plays a key role in securing the 2010 Soccer World Cup for South Africa.

2004, June 1: Announces his retirement from public life with the catchphrase “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.”

2005, January: His only surviving son, Makgatho, dies of Aids at the age of 54. Mandela goes public on the cause of death.

2005, February: Addresses a rally in London’s Trafalgar Square on the eve of a meeting of G7 finance ministers, to demand freedom for the millions of “slaves” of poverty worldwide.

2005, March: Gives his blessing to the creation on Johannesburg’s Constitutional Hill of the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Commemoration, to honour and document his life.

2007: Witnesses the installation of grandson Mandla Mandela as chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council in the Eastern Cape.

2008: Turns 90, and asks emerging generations to continue the fight for social justice.

2009: Mandela’s birthday is endorsed by the United Nations as International Mandela Day, on which people are encouraged to do good deeds for others.

2011, January: Admitted to hospital in Johannesburg for what the Nelson Mandela Foundation describes as “routine tests”.

2011, June: Mandela moves to his home town, Qunu, in the Eastern Cape.

2012, January: The presidency announces that Mandela will return to his Johannesburg home because of “maintenance” at his Qunu home.

2012, February: The presidency announces Mandela’s admission to a Pretoria hospital for a stomach ailment.

2012, December: Mandela admitted to a Pretoria hospital for treatment of a recurring lung infection and to have gallstones removed. He spends between December 8 and 26 in hospital.

2013, March 9: Mandela admitted to a Pretoria hospital for a scheduled check-up. He is discharged the following day.

2013, March 27: Mandela is re-admitted due to a recurrence of his lung infection. He is discharged on April 6.

2013, June 8: Admitted to hospital in the early hours of the morning due to a recurring lung infection.

2013, June 24: The presidency announces Mandela’s condition is critical.

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Four killed, 15 injured in Kenyan grenade attack

A suspected grenade attack on a minibus in Kenya’s capital on Saturday killed at least four people

The incident occurred near a Somali-dominated area of the city. No immediate claim of responsibility was recorded.

Police, however, said attack mirrored some explosions in 2012, which were blamed on Somali militants.

“So far, I can confirm that four people have died in the explosion,” the Nairobi County Police Commander, Benson Kibui, told Reuters, without giving details.

Another police officer described it as a grenade attack.

At the scene in Pangani, an area next to Eastleigh, which is home to many Somalis, a Reuters reporter saw a destroyed minibus and metal, glass and other debris on the street. A car nearby was also damaged.

Kenya Red Cross and other ambulances were there. St John Ambulance reported on its Twitter account that 15 people were taken to one hospital and three died from their injuries.

On Friday, there was a grenade atttack on a market in Wajir, in northeast Kenya, near the Somali border. In that attack, police said masked men hurled two grenades, killing one person and injuring others.

Last year a series of such attacks in and around the Eastleigh area of Nairobi were blamed on Somalia’s al Shabaab Islamist group. The group staged an assault on a Nairobi shopping mall in September, which killed 67 people.

Al Shabaab said its gunmen carried out the mall attack to force Kenya to withdraw troops from Somalia, where they are part of an African peace-keeping mission battling with the Islamists.

Philips added that as a part of ways to solve the Boko Haram menace, there was the need for government to ensure equal access to opportunities across ethnic and religious lines.

He said, “The Boko Haram issue has to become a Nigerian issue. It doesn’t matter what part of the country I live or my religion. I do not believe that any true Muslim believes that this is what should be happening. I believe that we should stand up to be counted.

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GOING NUTS! Mexican lawmaker STRIPS TO HIS UNDERWEAR to protest controversial bill (PHOTOS)

The historic vote in the Mexican Congress to open the country’s state-run oil industry to foreign investors for the first time in 70 years, was preceded by passionate debate, fisticuffs and worst of all, one legislator’s ‘striptease’.

A member of the leftisit Democratic Revolution Party, Antonio Garcia Conejo, stripped down to his underwear during a speech yesterday, to dramatize his assertion that the bill is a ‘plunder of the nation’.
The 353-134 vote will allow the government to give contract and licences to private foreign and domestic companies to explore and drill for oil and gas. The proposed move is currently prohibited under Mexico’s constitution. 
It is believed that the final step, which is the approval by 17 of Mexico’s 31 states, is widely seen as assured.

According to reports:

The state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, has had a monopoly since the government took over operations of foreign oil companies in 1938, a move that has been revered ever since as a symbol of national sovereignty.

Opponents say they fear that multinationals, especially from the U.S., will once again regain the sort of domination they had over Mexico’s oil before 1938. Mexico remains one of the top five crude exporters to the U.S., shipping more than 1million barrels a day. Leftist lawmakers tried to block discussion of the measure on Wednesday by seizing the main chamber of the House of Deputies, blocking access with chairs and tables.
When the debate was moved to another room, they dragged out discussion for 20 hours before the measure was finally approved. “The homeland is not for sale! The homeland is to be defended!” they shouted while holding protest signs and Mexican flags.
The proceedings took a strange turn when just before dawn Garcia Conejo took the podium to protest the measuring, shedding his suit and tie. Standing in a pair of black briefs on the dais, the chubby middle-aged lawmaker accused the ruling party of depleting the nation’s assets by signing off on past privatizations of telecommunications. 

“This is how you’re stripping the nation. Where is the benefit? How shameful! But this doesn’t embarrass me,” he proclaimed. “You, too, have a body.”

Mexico news outlets and the BBC reported that political rivals Karen Quiroga on the left and Landy Berzunza on the right even came to blows during the tense session, with the latter landing in the hospital with a scratched retina.  

Despite the protests, most oil analysts had a positive view of the bill hashed out by President Enrique Pena Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party and the conservative National Action Party.

They say major change is needed to rescue Mexico’s moribund oil industry, where production has declined, and where Pemex hasn’t had the finances or expertise needed to tap the country’s vast deep-water and shale reserves.

While oil output has been rising in the U.S. and Canada, Mexico’s production has fallen 25 per cent since 2004 despite increased investment.
According to Pemex statistics, the company has nearly 14billion barrels in proven reserves and up to 115billion barrels in prospective reserves, about half of which are in deep water or shale oil and gas.

“The opening of Mexico’s markets to put it bluntly, we believe is very good for the people of Mexico and the people everywhere in the world that uses energy,” William Colton, Exxon Mobil’s vice president of corporate strategic planning, said in a webcast before the vote Thursday. “It’s win-win if there ever was one.”

Supporters say a better energy sector could add at least a full percentage point to Mexico’s annual growth rate, which was scaled back dramatically this year from a projected 3.5 per cent to 1.3 per cent. Backers also say it will be a boon to all three countries, the U.S., Canada and Mexico, in the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“We are going to be able to develop services and competencies in dealing with energy that are transferrable from one country to another,” Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told The Associated Press. 

 Barclays Research, part of the Corporate and Investment Banking division of Barclays Bank, says the process of boosting production will be slow. Pemex estimates it needs more than $60billion a year in investment to explore reserves, and currently gets about $24billion.

‘We have to recognize that this is an important effort in a historic sense. However, the challenges are huge because of the amount that has to be done to implement the reform as it is designed,’ said Michelle Michot Foss, head of the University of Texas’ Center for Energy Economics.

The measure would allow contracts for profit- and production-sharing as well as licenses under which companies would pay royalties and taxes to the Mexican government for the right to explore and drill.

Private companies could post reserves as long as they specify in contracts that all oil and gas belongs to Mexico. The constitution would continue to prohibit oil concessions, considered the most liberal kind of access for private oil companies.

The bill also calls for mechanisms to prevent, detect and punish corruption in all new contracts, though the specifics must be worked out in what’s known as the secondary laws.

It also appears to reduce the influence of the powerful oil union run by Carlos Romero Deschamps, whose family is famous for its ostentatious lifestyle.

Pemex has an estimated 155,000 employees, of which about 101,000 are unionized, according to Mexico’s Center for Economic Investigation and Education.

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Snake bites man’s penis as he sits on a public toilet in Ghana

A 34-year-old man at Faaman near Mankranso in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region had his penis bitten by a snake while attending to nature’s call.

Kwabena Nkrumah was sitting on the loo at Faaman when he suddenly felt a sharp pain at the tip of his manhood. When he starred deep into the toilet, Nkrumah, who is a porter, nearly collapsed as he saw a big black snake which was about to pounce on his dangling manhood once again.

The man then shouted for help and jumped from harm’s way to a place on the toilet where the snake could not reach him, Mallam Yahaya of Kessben FM said.

According to him, the incident occurred around 10:00 am on Wednesday, adding that Nkrumah’s sudden wail for help, caused panic and fear among other people who were also attending to nature’s call.

He said Nkrumah’s shouts of “snake, snake, snake,” intensified the panic among the people as they ran helter-skelter without even cleaning themselves to avert being hurt by the serpent.

Mallam Yahaya said Nkrumah reported to the people that he had, indeed, been bitten at the tip of his penis by the black snake, complaining further that he was feeling severe pain at the tip of his manhood.

He said the people around hurriedly rushed Nkrumah, who was feeling a bit dizzy, to the hospital where he was treated. Nkrumah had since been discharged from the medical facility.

Recounting his horrific experience on Kessben FMs ‘Breaking News’ programme, Nkrumah told Ali Baba, host of the show that, he initially thought the pain he felt was normal until he saw the black snake lying just beneath him. He noted that he started shivering and yelled for help. He however said he was now feeling better. [Ghanaweb]

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Lying-in-state: Thousands pay respects to Madiba

Thousands lined up on Wednesday to pay their final respects to South Africa’s first black president and anti-apartheid hero, Nelson Mandela.

Mandela’s remains were as it laid in state at the government buildings where he was sworn in as South Africa’s first black president in 1994.

The first several hours were said to have been reserved for family and dignitaries.  First to file past Mandela’s remains was South African President Jacob Zuma, followed by Mandela’s widow, Graça Machel, and former wife Winnie Mandela, both wearing black turbans.

In near silence, dozens of family members passed by as military honor guards dressed in white flanked the coffin on each end.

Others who followed shortly after were singer Bono, model Naomi Campbell and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. South Africa’s last white president, F.W. de Klerk, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela, appeared to wipe away a tear as he passed the coffin.

The hearse carrying Mandela’s casket, who died last week at 95, arrived early on Wednesday. It weaved through streets lined with people in Pretoria, the capital, on its way to the Union Buildings.

The somber mood was a sharp change from the celebratory atmosphere at a huge memorial event for him on Tuesday in Johannesburg.

Khehla Shubane, who served time in prison with Mandela, said, “This is a very poignant moment. This is not the Mandela who was in control of things that were happening around him, inspiring people. This is a Mandela who’s in death now.”

As the body arrived, an honor guard stood at attention and a hushed crowd looked on as eight military officers, led by a chaplain, carried the coffin inside. Police helicopters hovered overhead. A South African flag hung outside at half staff.

Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela; and Defense Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, led a small group of mourners wearing black who walked behind the coffin.

Mandela’s casket was placed under a dome, very close to the place where he took the oath of office to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president on May 10, 1994.

On that extraordinary day 19 years ago, crowds converged around the building to witness history being made. Mandela, a former political prisoner, achieved what was once unthinkable and became South Africa’s first post-apartheid black leader.

ON Wednesday, people queued in various parts of the city for the chance to see Mandela’s body. Thousands managed to gain entry, but hundreds more were turned away before public viewing ended at 17:30 (15:30 GMT).

Mandela’s coffin is expected to lie in state for two more days, so the disappointed can try again on Thursday or Friday.

Those queuing showed enormous patience with the lengthy process of gaining admission, which involves stringent security checks.

The government said in a statement that identity documents were not required, and said the cut-off time for those hoping to view Mandela’s body had been reached by 3:30 pm (1330 GMT), meaning many hundreds of people were likely be turned away.

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Desmond Tutu's House Burgled During His Prayer at Mandela's Memorial Service

Anti-apartheid icon and the retired Anglican archbishop, Desmond Tutu, was giving a blessing at the ceremony when his home was broken into for the second time in recent months.


Desmond Tutu was burgled yesterday while he was speaking at Nelson Mandela's memorial service.

He was among politicians, dignitaries, and 80,000 ordinary South Africans who attended the four-hour commemorative event at the FNB Stadium, and gave a blessing at the end of the service.

The thieves apparently targeted his home in the suburbs of Cape Town in the knowledge that he was more than 800 miles away at the ceremony in Johannesburg.

It is not yet known what was stolen, but South African police said the burglary happened between 7pm and 9pm on Tuesday evening. No arrests have yet been made.

"I can confirm that there was a burglary last night. We are not able to tell exactly what was stolen, the archbishop and his wife were not at home. The house was not pillaged." his aide Roger Friedman said today.


Ceremony: The bishop with Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN, at Mandela's memorial


Intimate: Mr Tutu kisses Mandela's widow Graca Machel during the memorial service

Officers refused to confirm whether or not anything had been taken from the home of Mr Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
Mr Tutu, 82, gave the closing prayers at yesterday's ceremony to the former president in Johannesburg's FNB Stadium.

He urged South Africans to follow Mandela's example, saying: 'I want to show the world we can come out here and celebrate the life of an icon.'

Allies: Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela were closely associated in the fight against apartheid

Today, thousands of South Africans have been lining the streets of the capital Pretoria, as Mandela's coffin was driven through to the government's union buildings where he will lie in state for three days.
Mandela's family and VIPs have this morning been to view his glass-topped coffin, before members of the public are allowed to file past to pay their respects over the coming days.
Mandela will be buried with a state funeral on Sunday.
It is the second time in three months that the former Archbishop of Cape Town has been the victim of thieves.
In the previous break-in, on August 7, thieves broke in to the house while the bishop and his wife Leah were sleeping, and took a number of small possessions.
Burglaries are fairly common in South Africa, where they are known as 'home invasions', due to the country's extreme inequality and relatively weak government.

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Mike Tyson not allowed in UK

Mike Tyson

Former world heavyweight champion boxer and convicted rapist Mike Tyson says he is “greatly disappointed” to discover he is banned from entering the UK.

Tyson, 47, was due in London this week as part of a promotional tour for his new autobiography Undisputed Truth.

His publishers said recent changes to UK immigration laws meant he was unable to travel to the country and has been re-routed to Paris instead.

Tyson is currently booked in for a British tour for his one-man Broadway show, directed by Spike Lee, which is booked for eight nights in March next year in London, Glasgow and Manchester.

In a statement to the Press Association, Mr Tyson said he was “greatly disappointed” when he learned of the immigration law changes that came into effect last December.

“I have been coming to the UK consistently in the past decade so this change is disheartening since it affects my current entry standing,” he said.

“I apologise to my fans that were inconvenienced, however, please know I am currently working diligently with the proper authorities to regain access next year for my UK tour.”

Tyson said he had a great deal of respect for the UK’s laws and would continue taking the proper steps for re-entry.

A spokesman for Harper Collins said the publishers had been unaware of the law change, which had forced the late change of location to Paris.

Tyson was convicted in 1992 for the rape of a teenage beauty queen, and served three years of a six-year sentence.

He also has convictions for assault, cocaine possession and driving under the influence.

Under the new immigration rules, any person who has been sentenced to more than four years in prison is barred from entering the country.

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GAY MARRIAGE: The World’s Largest Gay Mass Wedding Holds In Brazil (PHOTOS)

A total of 130 couples said "I do" in a mass wedding at Rio de Janeiro's Superior Court of Justice, marking the city's first gay civil marriages.

More photos below:

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"Nelson Mandela Was A Magician"

Nelson Mandela was like a “magician” who conjured a united nation out of a country teetering on the brink of war, South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu said Monday.

“Everybody was saying we would go up in flames,” the archbishop emeritus told a memorial service for Mandela in Johannesburg.

“He really was like a magician with a magic wand, turning us into this glorious, multi-coloured rainbow people.

“This repulsive caterpillar, South Africa, that used to be the world’s pariah, he turned into a beautiful, beautiful butterfly.

“That is what we are celebrating,” Tutu told hundreds of mourners of all races who filled the memorial venue for an emotional service.

Tutu said the world must not mourn his old friend’s death, but rather celebrate his life and example.

“He emerged from that crucible of suffering and being dehumanised, breaking rocks… sewing post office bags, working in the quarry,” during his 27-year incarceration under the apartheid regime’s racial laws.

“But instead of being consumed by hate and a lust for revenge, (he became) a stalwart for reconciliation… and forgiveness.”

The moving gathering ended with singer Johnny Clegg performing the track “Asimbonanga” he had written for Mandela in 1976.

The title means “We’ve never seen him” and refers to the long years Mandela spent in jail when all images of him were banned.

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President Jonathan Goes To South Africa For Burial Of Nelson Mandela

President Goodluck Jonathan is going to South Africa on Monday for the burial of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, who passed away on December 5.

Jonathan will be accompanied by his contingent and the Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri.

The beginning of Mandela’s burial picked up with South African national day of prayer and reflection on Sunday December 8.

On Tuesday, a national memorial service will be held across the South Africa. The official memorial service will take place at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg. President of the country, Jacob Zuma, is expected to address the official service.

To pay the last respect to the world symbol of fight for freedom, heads of states from all over the world as well as representatives of international will attend the service.

From Wednesday to Friday, Nelson Mandela’s remains will lie in state at the seat of South African government, the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

According to Jonathan's  spokesperson, Reuben Abati, President will pay his last respect to Mandela on Wednesday.

On Saturday, December 14, Mandela’s corpse will be transported to the Eastern Cape from Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria, where the South Africa's ruling party will say a final goodbye to the liberator of the first black president of the country.

The 10 day state burial will finish on December 15, when Nelson Mandela would be interred at Qunu in the in the Eastern Cape. A great number of world leaders are expected to attend the ceremony.

Jonathan, however, might not be among them as may to Nigeria on December 12.

Activities marking the passage of Nelson Madela started in Nigeria on Friday when the President Jonathan declared three days of national mourning and prayers.

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Kanye West: ‘I Am The Next Nelson Mandela’

Kanye West is again under attack, and today - for claiming that he will soon be a bigger cultural and civil rights icon than Nelson Mandela.


In an interview with WGCI radio in Chicago, the American rapper said that yesterday’s death of the 95-year-old South African leader will finally allow people to focus more of their attention on West’s own accomplishments.

When Kanye was asked who, in his opinion, could possibly replace Nelson Mandela in terms of leadership, he responded,

“I am the next Nelson Mandela. I’m only 36 years old, and when I look at everything I’ve accomplished, it’s the only comparison that makes any sense. By the time I’m 95, I’m going to be a bigger hero than he ever was."

West claims he liberates minds with his music. To his mind, that’s more important than liberating "a few people from apartheid or whatever".
West continues that even though he has huge respect for Mandela, anyone can be replaced. The rapper says that he is already worshiped in the whole world and expects, noting,
"And there’s more to come."

Watch the Throne
Nelson Mandela, renowned South African icon of freedom and liberation, died yesterday at the age of 95, leaving the whole world mourning over his passing.

Meanwhile Kanye West is famous for attracting people's attention to his personality. His reaction today was so unusual, however, that host Adrian Cronauer decided to challenge his assertions.

“What have you actually done for civil rights?” he attacked the self-confident celebrity. “Have you been involved in any campaigns? Any political activities? It seems to me comparing yourself to Mandela is a bit of a stretch.”

West answered,
“I faced mad racism when I entered this profession. I mean how many black rappers can you name that came before me? I was a pioneer. And now I’m doing the same thing in the fashion world.

“Not to mention I have a bigger market than he ever did. Mandela was working in South Africa, which has, like what, six people? I started my magic here in the USA and then I took my business global. Worldwide baby."

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TASTY PHOTOS: Jay Z Celebrates His 44, Beyoncé Wears Pizza Outfit For Vegan BD

Jay Z celebrated his 44th birthday with his leading lady Beyoncé by his side on Wednesday.
The power couple have decided to go vegan for 22 days, and this was day two of their plant-based challenge.



As they strive to become more spiritual, the pair opted to eat at Café Gratitude, where each dish is an affirmation.

Pizzas, pizzas everywhere

Jay Z will certainly have been a very happy birthday boy as his wife looked absolutely amazing for their meal in West Hollywood.

The singer was clad in an orange and white printed crop top and trousers.



It’s blurry, yeah, but you can see it’s head-to-toe-pizza. It’s literally pepperoni pizza pants and pepperoni pies on a shirt.



The 31 year-old also sported sky high taupe patent pumps with gold detailing, accessorising further with a gold chain necklace and large round sunglasses.



Beyoncé wore her blonde tresses tied into a boho bun and completed her look with lots of bright pink lipstick.



Meanwhile her rapper beau, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was cutting a very suave figure to celebrate turning 44.

The star was wearing a navy shirt that was plaid but graduated into a block colour, and he wore it under a grey wool coat.

The Picasso Baby hit-maker also sported a pair of dark jeans tucked into navy suede boots, large sunglasses and a chain necklace.


Beyonce and pizza forever

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