Welcome to Olamama's blog!!!: March 2018

Saturday, 31 March 2018

GSK buys out Novartis in $13 billion shake-up

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) is buying Novartis (NOVN.S) out of their consumer healthcare joint venture for $13 billion, taking full control of products including Sensodyne toothpaste, Panadol headache tablets, muscle gel Voltaren, and Nicotinell patches. GSK’s biggest move since Emma Walmsley became chief executive last year follows the British drugmaker’s decision last week to quit the race to buy Pfizer’s (PFE.N) consumer healthcare business, endangering an auction the U.S. company hoped would bring in as much as $20 billion.

A 12- year -old boy named Zubair Abubakar in Gombe State, Nigeria had his hands amputated after the punishment meted on him by his teacher for allegedly stealing a phone led to the cessation of bloodflow to his hands. Doctors said they had to amputate the boy’s two hands because they had become infected and gangrenous.

Russian authorities on Saturday arrested billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov on charges of embezzling more than $35 million, in one of the highest-profile prosecutions of a Russian tycoon in years. Magomedov denied the charges at a pre-trial hearing, where a judge ordered that he be held in custody until May 30.

A mother flew into a rage and killed her own son because he accidentally wet his bed, according to police in South Dakota. The FBI said that 2-year-old Kylen Shangreaux was brutally killed by his biological mother, Katrina, 30, of Porcupine, over a potty training accident. When Katrina noticed that Kylen wet his bed, she began to bite him all over his body. Kylen suffered bite marks, bruises, and a torn scrotum and had been dead for hours before anyone sought help from a doctor.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has won a second term with 96.9 percent of valid votes raising a previous tally from the preliminary count. The flagship state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram also raised its estimate of turnout in the March 26-28 election to 42.08 percent, saying 25 million of Egypt’s 60 million registered voters had cast ballots.

54-year-old Gao Chengyong dubbed China’s “Jack the Ripper” who targetted women and girls wearing red, has been sentenced to death for the killings of 11 people including an eight-year-old girl. The notorious serial killer was dubbed China's Jack the Ripper after he mutilated the bodies of his victims over a 14-year period.

The head pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, a 14,000-member megachurch in Houston, Texas, has been indicted for wire fraud and money laundering. He's also accused of stealing millions from his congregation. Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, 64, a longtime spiritual adviser to ex-President George W. Bush was on Thursday indicted in federal court on claims that he sold more than $1 million in worthless Chinese bonds to vulnerable and elderly investors, some of whom lost their life savings to the alleged scheme, The Washington Post reports.

Russia has expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries as the dispute over the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter in Britain worsens. The move on Friday was in retaliation for the wave of ejections of Russian officials after what the UK and its allies alleged was a nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the southern English city of Salisbury. It came a day after Moscow ordered the expulsion of 60 US diplomats in response to a similar move by Washington earlier this week.

Fathers are no longer teaching their children life skills such as reading a map, riding a bike and pitching a tent, a poll suggests. Children are also missing out on learning how to swim, catch a fish – and even how to make a good cup of tea. More than two-thirds of the 1,000 fathers polled said their own father was more ‘hands on’ when it came to passing on life lessons. Three in ten fathers admitted they have never shown their children how to tie a tie, while 29 per cent have never demonstrated how to buff and polish a pair of shoes.

Baby born from embryo frozen for 25 years

A woman in the US has successfully given birth to a healthy baby from a 25-year-old embryo-the longest known frozen human embryo. The baby, Emma Wren Gibson was delivered last month by Jeffrey Keenan, medical director of the US National Embryo Donation Center. The embryo was originally frozen on October 14, 1992. It was thawed for implantation on March 13 this year.

According to a new report, women are more likely to orgasm when they have sex with other women than when they have sex with men.
This revelation comes from an exclusive report from The Sun, which takes note from a survey of 2,300 people around the world. Researchers found that women are more likely to orgasm during same-sex encounters, with some women who have sex with women reporting having orgasms as many as 55 times a month. Straight women, on the other hand, said they experience around 7 orgasms a month.

Apparently, rapper DMX got a lighter sentence after a judge heard his rap song in court. During the rapper's recent sentencing, his attorney played the judge "Slipping" an old rap song by DMX and it is believed this helped reduce his sentencing from a possible 5 years in jail to only 365 days.

Below is how Boston 25 is reporting it:

"A judge heard a DMX rap song before adding his own lyrics to a court proceeding on Wednesday, ordering the rapper imprisoned for a year in a tax fraud case.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff took requests, accommodating DMX's desire to hear his autobiographical hit "Slippin'" before DMX faced the music over his admission of guilt. The judge called DMX's fraud a "brazen and blatant" crime that could not go unpunished.

A grandmother has been arrested in Benin city, Edo state after she burnt her grand daughter's fingers because she ate a plate of indomie noodles without her permission. According to eyewitnesses, the grandmother tortured her granddaughter by placing her hand on a gas stove until it got badly burnt.
A person who witnessed the incident reported the case to the Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs who alerted the police and the grandmother has been arrested. The little girl is currently receiving medical care at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital UBTH, Nigeria.

Scientists have found a new organ in the body that no one knew about before

Scientists believe they have just discovered a new organ in the body which no one knew about before now. A new study published On Monday, March 27 says the new organ discovered is called the interstitium. The interstitium is a network of fluid-filled tubes all around the body which could act as a shock absorber. Sadly, this organ could also act as a conduit for cancerous cells to move to different parts of the body. However, knowing about it could lead to new treatments and better understanding.
If it is indeed an organ, it could be the biggest of 80 in the human body, found under the skin and also lining veins and arteries, muscles, the gut and every visceral organ. Previously, scientists had seen it but believed it was made up of dense connective tissue. When slides were examined that’s what it looked like, because to make a slide the fluid is drained away as part of the process.

Ugandan authorities have shut down 23 radio stations for “promoting witchcraft’’ and trying to con people out of money. The stations’ licencses were suspended after they had guests on air who claimed they could heal diseases like HIV, Pamela Ankunda, the Uganda Communications Commission spokesperson said.
“The radios have been promoting witchcraft. People claimed on these radios to cure diseases like AIDS and cancer. These people have been fraudulently getting money from the public,’’ she added.
“Their operations and licences have been suspended until they are able to assure the commission through writing that they will abide by the minimum broadcasting standards,’’ Ankunda said.

No more pain for Philippine devotee nailed to cross for 32nd time

A Philippine man who has been nailed to a cross every Easter for the past 32 years in a Good Friday re-enactment of Jesus Christ's crucifixion says he no longer feels any pain from his wounds. Ruben Enaje, 58, again portrayed Christ on Friday in the traditional religious rite in Cutud village, about 76 km (47 miles) from the capital Manila.
"In the past, I went home injured and limping, but this year I feel so great," Enaje said after the ritual held under a sweltering sun.
He said he believed his strong Catholic faith helped him avoid pain.

Today, UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) finally concluded a 15-year mission in the one-time war-torn country, describing its operations as a success. The UN said the peacekeepers were departing a “stable and grateful Liberia” as peacekeeping mission in the country formally ceased operations on Friday after aiding Liberia’s transition from ravaging civil war to a hopeful era of peace.
The conclusion of the 15-year operation follows a landmark election that resulted in the country’s first transfer of power from one elected president to another in 70 years. The newly elected President, George Weah, spoke for many Liberians as he thanked the UN for helping to make that possible.

Richard Phillips, a 71-year-old Detroit man has been released from prison after spending over 45 years in custody. Phillips had been wrongfully accused of being involved in a fatal shooting in 1971. A judge granted the prosecutor’s request to permanently drop the case against Phillips, whose conviction was erased last year.

A new Heineken advert has been criticised for being racist. The advert shows a bottle of Heineken sliding along a bar past black people with "sometimes, lighter is better" as the tagline. In the video, a bartender is seen sliding a bottle of Heineken along the bar to a woman who looks sad. The barman then sends the beer sliding past a black woman, a black man playing a guitar, and a black woman walking past. It then ends front of the light-skinned model with the caption "sometimes, lighter is better".
After the advert was published online, a lot of people, including celebrities, called the brand out.

A woman who suffers horrible back pain has discovered she has had part of an epidural needle stuck in her spine from the time she gave birth 14 years ago. Amy bright, 41, gave birth to her sixth and youngest son Jacob by c-section at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida in 2003. Shortly after giving birth, she began to experience severe back pain and it has had a debilitating effect on her life ever since.

Schools in UK on lockdown after threats of shooting pupils dead or running over them

Schools in the UK have been put on lockdown amid a major safety alert after an email threatened to 'run down and shoot' children. Police have confirmed that "malicious communications" were sent to schools 'across the country'. An email allegedly threatened 'pupils would be run down' if they left the building or shot down. Schools across the country, including London, Durham, Cambridge, Suffolk and the West Midlands, have been affected while numerous other police forces are monitoring the situation. Frantic parents are reported to be arriving at schools in a desperate attempt to remove their children.

A 21-year-old journalist is making headlines in Pakistan by becoming the country's first transgender news anchor. Pakistan's social networks went on fire following Marvia Malik's first on-air appearance on March 23rd and in the days since she's gone viral across Facebook and Twitter, with many lauding the move as progress for transgender rights in Pakistan.

Rioting and a fire in the cells of a Venezuelan police station in the central city of Valencia killed 68 people on Wednesday, according to the government and witnesses. Families hoping for news outside the police station were dispersed with tear gas and authorities did not give information until late into the evening.
“The State Prosecutor’s Office guarantees to deepen investigations to immediately clarify what happened in these painful events that have left dozens of Venezuelan families in mourning,” said Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab on Twitter.

New York rapper, DMX has been sentenced to one year in prison for tax evasion. The 47-year-old rapper was handed the sentence during a hearing in Manhattan on Wednesday, after having pleaded guilty to the charges last year November. The rapper who was first arrested in July 2017, was facing 14 charges of tax fraud. He initially pled not guilty and paid $500,000 to be released on bail, but later pled guilty to one count in November as part of a deal with authorities.
According to TMZ, the New York rapper would have faced up to 4 years in prison if the deal hadn't been struck. But following the12 months jail term, DMX whose real name is Earl Simmons will have three years of supervised release when he's out of prison.

France to lower school starting age from six to three

Children in France will start school at the age of three instead of six, under new reforms announced by President Emmanuel Macron. The change will give France one of the lowest compulsory school starting ages in Europe. But it will only affect a small number of children, as the majority of French families already choose to send their children to nursery school at three. Only 2.4% of children are not enrolled at that age, government figures show.

Irish Housing Minister, Eoghan Murphy has announced that Ireland will hold a referendum on whether abortion should be legalized on May 25. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had earlier pledged to hold a vote to change the constitution, which guides the Catholic-majority country's abortion laws, some of the strictest in the developed world.
Murphy tweeted: "I've just signed the order for polling day on the referendum on repealing the 8th amendment to the constitution." The amendment places the right to life of an unborn child on equal footing with the mother's right to life.
Ireland is among just 50 countries that allow terminations only when a woman's life is at risk, according to the Pew Research Center. Incest or rape do not provide legal grounds for abortion in Ireland. Six other countries ban abortion under all circumstances.

Trump cancels special status for Liberians

President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to special legal status for certain immigrants from Liberia, including some who have lived in the United States for decades, effective next year, citing improved conditions in the West African nation.
“Liberia is no longer experiencing armed conflict and has made significant progress in restoring stability and democratic governance,” according to a memorandum signed by Trump and released by the White House.

Archaeologists have found a portion of a 2000-year-old road, dating back to the Han dynasty, in central China's Henan province, according to a media report on Wednesday. The road, excavated at the ruins of county seat of Langling in Rendian Township, Queshan County, has intact vehicle tracks, indicating it was frequently used during that period, said Liu Haiwang, head of the provincial cultural heritage research institute.

A woman was left with hideous brows after she paid to get eyebrows tattoo to augment her thin brows. Kanyarat Chaichan, 26, was left with thick, black, strangely shaped brows thanks to a shabby job done by an inexperienced tattoo artist. Unfortunately, Kanyarat couldn't afford to have her new eyebrows removed, so she decided to accept the huge brows above her eyes.

On Tuesday, Facebook shares fell by 5% following reports that CEO Mark Zuckerberg agreed to testify in front of Congress about the company's data scandal. The crisis began on March 16 after Facebook said it was suspending data analysis company Cambridge Analytica for allegedly harvesting data from more than 50 million Facebook users. Cambridge Analytica worked on Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake has rattled the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea, a month after a deadly quake there killed more than 100 people. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from today’s quake, which the US Geological Survey said was centered in a remote area of East New Britain province.
USGS reported the quake had a depth of 40 kilometers. Deeper earthquakes tend to cause less damage on the Earth’s surface.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake on Feb. 26 killed at least 125 people, injured dozens and brought work to a halt at four oil and gas fields.
Home to 7 million people, Papua New Guinea is located to the east of Indonesia and sits on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire.”

Win Myint elected new Myanmar president

Myanmar's parliament has elected Win Myint as the country's next president, a week after the resignation of his predecessor. Win Myint, a close aide of Aung San Suu Kyi, has been a speaker in the lower house since 2012 and was widely tipped for the top job. But his role will be essentially ceremonial, with Ms Suu Kyi acting as de facto president. Htin Kyaw resigned as president last week, amid growing health concerns.

Snoop Dogg‘s first gospel album "Bible of Love" which was released on March 16, 2018, has made it to the top of the Billboard charts. The 32-track gospel album features some new music from other inspirational artists. One of the tracks on the album is titled "Words Are Few". On the track, Snoop Dogg spits about his relationship with God along with singer B Slade. The music video even has Snoop praying in a church with a choir backing him up.
The debut album made it to number 1 on the Billboards top gospel chart with 3,144 sales in the first week.

Mum strangled and smothered seven-year-old son to death because she feared losing him in custody battle

A mother has been found guilty of strangling and smothering her seven-year-old son because she feared losing him in a custody battle. Lesley Speed, 44, faces a lifetime behind bars for killing Archie Spriggs, 7, at their Rushbury home near Church Stretton, Shropshire, on September 21, 2017, after which she tried to kill herself.
Archie was found dead on his bunk bed by Speed’s partner, Darren Jones. Jones also found Speed on the bathroom floor with self-inflicted knife wounds to her neck, arms, and wrists.

Robot fired after putting off customers at UK store

One of the first robotic assistants to be used by a UK store was fired after a week because it was found to put off customers. Fabio was initially welcomed by staff when he began work at the upmarket Margiotta store in Edinburgh last week. Developed by academics at Heriot-Watt University and filmed by BBC's 'Robots and Us', Fabio greeted shoppers with cheerful high fives and offered food samples. Its software being connected to the internet meant it had access to an unlimited amount of information, which it used to respond to questions.

Mozambican media say 23 people were killed when a vehicle veered into a crowd attending a party in the capital of the southern African nation. Radio Mocambique says the vehicle was travelling at high speed when it hit the crowd early Sunday in Maputo. The radio station describes it as an accident.
A senior police official Paulo Langa says the driver of the vehicle ignored a police order to stop just before hitting the party-goers beside a pedestrian bridge on a main road. Radio Mocambique quotes Langa as saying the driver died.
An investigation is underway.

Expert says Brexit campaign used data mined from Facebook

The computer expert who sparked a global debate over electronic privacy said Tuesday that the official campaign backing Britain's exit from the European Union had access to data that was inappropriately collected from millions of Facebook users.
Christopher Wylie previously alleged that political consultancy Cambridge Analytica used data harvested from more than 50 million Facebook users to help U.S. President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign. Wylie worked on Cambridge Analytica's "information operations" in 2014 and 2015. Wylie on Tuesday told the media committee of the British parliament that he "absolutely" believed Canadian consultant AggregateIQ drew on Cambridge Analytica's databases for its work on the official Vote Leave campaign. The data could have been used to micro-target voters in the closely fought referendum in which 51.9 percent of voters ultimately backed Brexit.

The tenth person to be murdered in London in just 12 days is the son of a Nigerian politician who was given an award for saving a woman from a sex attack. Abraham Badru, 26, was shot dead near his family's home in Hackney on Sunday night at around 11pm. Paying tribute to his son, father Dolapo Badru, 62, a member of the Nigerian Assembly, similar to the House of Commons in the UK, described him as 'quiet and hard-working'.

Grand Rapids Drive forward, Zeke Upshaw died on Monday morning after he collapsed during the team's G League game on Saturday against the Long Island Nets at DeltaPlex Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was 26.
The Drive provided a statement from Jewel Upshaw, the Chicago native's mother saying "After continued efforts from the medical team at Spectrum Health, Zeke made his transition at 11:16 a.m. To family, friends, teammates, coaches, fans and confidants, thank you for your prayers and support during this most difficult time."
It was reported that Upshaw went into cardiac arrest on Saturday during the game. A cause of death was not immediately released. Upshaw played three seasons at Illinois State before moving to Hofstra for his senior season. He went undrafted in 2014. His professional career included stints with the Helios Suns (Slovenia), Basket Esch (Luxembourg) and the Drive, whom he joined in 2016.

Prince died from "exceedingly high" levels of fentanyl in his body, report says

The cause of singer Prince's death has been revealed in a toxicology report from his autopsy. The report shows that he had what multiple experts called an "exceedingly high" concentration of fentanyl in his body when he died, according to the Associated Press, which obtained the report. Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died on April 21, 2016, after being found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Since his death, information has emerged about his alleged abuse of prescription drugs and the toxicology report seems to confirm that.

A Canadian teenager has struck the jackpot after buying her first lottery ticket to mark her 18th birthday. Charlie Lagarde, from the province of Quebec, bought the scratch ticket along with a bottle of champagne to celebrate turning 18 on 14 March. She won, and had the choice between taking a C$1m ($780,000; £550,000) lump sum or earning $1,000 a week for life. After consulting with a financial adviser, the young winner opted for the $1,000 annuity because it is not taxed.

After days of speculation, it has been confirmed that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un did pay a visit to Beijing. The visit, confirmed by China and North Korea, was Mr Kim's first known foreign trip since taking office in 2011. He held "successful talks" with President Xi Jinping, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
China is North Korea's main economic ally and it was thought highly likely it would consult Beijing before planned summits with South Korea and the US. Mr Kim is due to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April, and US President Donald Trump in May. The Beijing visit is considered a significant step in North Korea's preparation for the proposed talks.

A footballer's brother-in-law has admitted crashing the player's brand new £250,000 car moments after it was delivered. Aston Villa player Lewis Grabban had arranged for Michael O'Donnell to receive the grey Ferrari at his home. But O'Donnell and a friend took the supercar for a spin, crashing into a tree and causing £93,000 of damage. The pair admitted aggravated vehicle taking and were given 12-month driving bans and community orders.

On the same day Facebook bought ads in US and British newspapers to apologize for the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the social media site faced new questions about collecting phone numbers and text messages from Android devices. The website Ars Technica reported that users who checked data gathered by Facebook on them found that it had years of contact names, telephone numbers, call lengths and text messages.
Facebook said Sunday the information is uploaded to secure servers and comes only from Android users who opt-in to allow it. Spokeswomen say the data is not sold or shared with users’ friends or outside apps. They say the data is used “to improve people’s experience across Facebook” by helping to connect with others.

Gold casts of Nelson Mandela’s hands — purchased for $10 million in bitcoins — are going on tour to remind the public of the first black South African president’s contributions to humanity. Made from 20 pounds of 99.999 pure gold, the casts include three life size impressions of Mandela’s hands and two others of his palm and fist, cast by Harmony Gold Mining in 2002.

After repeated calls for him to do so, Mark Zuckerberg has decided he will testify before the US Congress. Facebook sources tell CNN Money the 33-year-old CEO has come to terms with the fact that he will have to testify before Congress within a matter of weeks, and Facebook is currently planning the strategy for his testimony. The pressure from lawmakers, the media and the public has become too intense to justify anything less.

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday “criminal negligence” was to blame for a Siberian mall fire that killed at least 64 people, including 41 children, after they found themselves trapped in the inferno because of locked doors. Two days after the tragedy and after facing criticism on social media for the delay, the Kremlin announced a nationwide day of mourning for Wednesday as questions swirled about Putin’s response to one of the deadliest fires recorded in Russia over the past century.

A woman carried out a horrific act of animal abuse when she cooked her dog alive. The Oregon woman told the police that she put her pet dog in an oven and turned it on because she thought her ex-boyfriend was inside the pooch. 28-year-old Noelle Moor of Warrenton is facing a charge of first-degree aggravated animal abuse. Police were called to Moor’s residence in the 110 block of NW 4th Street by a family member. Officers found the deceased dog, a 7-year-old chihuahua named Bolt, in the oven.

A Washington DC area radio host quit her job, live on air, after her co-hosts blindsided her by inviting on their show a model the host refused to hire as a nanny for her children. Danni Starr, who is one of the three hosts of WKYS popular morning show 'The Fam in the Morning', was looking for a nanny for her 2 kids when a model sent her a DM saying she wanted the job. Danni refused to hire the model because she was too pretty.

A police official in Tanzania says a truck and a minibus collided, killing at least 26 people and injuring nine others. The country’s traffic police commander, Fortunatus Musilimu, says the dead last night’s accident in the southern town of Mkuranga included 12 women and seven children. There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash.
Road accidents are common in the East African nation, often the result of badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. Government statistics show that such accidents kill around 9,000 people annually.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Sunday said he was saddened by the latest accident, adding that “I join the families at this time of tragedy and grief.

Saturday, 31 March 2018

Friday, 30 March 2018

Thursday, 29 March 2018

Wednesday, 28 March 2018