THE WOMAN WHO LIVES AGAIN

 

By Richard Hooper BBC World Service

One year ago a group of gunmen in Burundi was hired to kill a woman visiting from Australia. But the hit did not go as planned, leaving her with a chance to turn the tables on the man who wanted her dead.

"I felt like somebody who had risen again," says Noela Rukundo.
She was supposed to be dead. The hired killers had been paid. They had even explained how they would dispose of the body.
But now, waiting outside her house for the last of the mourners to leave, she was ready to face down the man who had put out a contract for her murder.
"When I get out of the car, he saw me straight away. He put his hands on his head and said, 'Is it my eyes? Is it a ghost?'"
"Surprise! I'm still alive!" she replied.
Noela's ordeal began five days earlier, and 7,500 miles away in her native Burundi. She had returned to Africa from her home in Melbourne, Australia, to attend her stepmother's funeral.I had lost the last person who I call 'mother'," she says. "It was very painful. I was so stressed."
By early evening Noela had retreated to her hotel room. As she lay dozing in the stifling city heat of Bujumbura, her phone rang. It was a call from Australia - from Balenga Kalala, her husband and father to her three youngest children.
"He says he'd been trying to get me for the whole day," Noela says. "I said I was going to bed. He told me, 'To bed? Why are you sleeping so early?'
"I say, 'I'm not feeling happy'. And he asks me, 'How's the weather? Is it very, very hot?' He told me to go outside for fresh air."
Noela took his advice.
"I didn't think anything. I just thought that he cared about me, that he was worried about me."
But moments after stepping outside the hotel compound, Noela found herself in danger.
"I opened the gate and I saw a man coming towards me. Then he pointed the gun on me.
"He just told me, 'Don't scream. If you start screaming, I will shoot you. They're going to catch me, but you? You will already be dead.'
"So, I did exactly what he told me."
The gunman motioned Noela towards a waiting car.
"I was sitting between two men. One had a small gun, one had a long gun. And the men say to the driver, 'Pass us a scarf.' Then they cover my face.
"After that, I didn't say anything. They just said to the driver, 'Let's go.'
"I was taken somewhere, 30 to 40 minutes, then I hear the car stop."
Noela was pushed inside a building and tied to a chair.
"One of the kidnappers told his friend, 'Go call the boss.' I can hear doors open but I didn't know if their boss was in a room or if he came from outside.
"They ask me, 'What did you do to this man? Why has this man asked us to kill you?' And then I tell them, 'Which man? Because I don't have any problem with anybody.' They say, 'Your husband!' I say, 'My husband can't kill me, you are lying!' And then they slap me.
"After that the boss says, 'You are very stupid, you are fool. Let me call who has paid us to kill you.'"
The gang's leader made the call.
"We already have her," he triumphantly told his paymaster.
The phone was put on loudspeaker for Noela to hear the reply.
Her husband's voice said: "Kill her."
Just hours earlier, the same voice had consoled her over the death of her stepmother and urged her to take fresh air outside the hotel. Now her husband Balenga Kalala had condemned her to death.
"I heard his voice. I heard him. I felt like my head was going to blow up.
"Then they described for him where they were going to chuck the body."
At that, Noela says she passed out.
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Balenga Kalala had arrived in Australia in 2004 as a refugee, after fleeing a rebel army that had rampaged through his village, killing his wife and young son.
Settling in Melbourne, he soon found steady employment, first in a seafood processing factory and then in a warehouse as a forklift operator.
"He could already speak English," recalls Noela, who also arrived in Australia in 2004. "My social worker was his social worker, and they used him to translate Swahili."
The two fell in love. They set up home in the Kings Park suburb of the city. Noela had five children from a previous relationship and went on to have three more with Kalala.
"I knew he was a violent man," admits Noela. "But I didn't believe he can kill me. I loved this man with all my heart!
"I give him, beautiful and handsome, two boys and one girl. So I don't know why he choose to kill me."

Is Zika virus transmitted through sex?

 

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) voiced concern on Wednesday over a report the Zika virus had been sexually transmitted in the United States and called for further investigation into the mosquito-borne virus.

The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the United States was reported in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday by local health officials, who said it likely was contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite.

"We certainly understand the concern. This needs to be further investigated to understand the conditions and how often or likely sexual transmission is, and whether or not other body fluids are implicated," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters.

Man Dies Aged 107, Thanked Red Wine For Long LifeMan Dies Aged 107, Thanked Red Wine For Long Life

Red wine has been credited with everything from preventing cancer to halting weight gain.

Now comes the news that a recently deceased man believed it helped him reach the age of 107.

Spaniard Antonio Docampo Garcia died last week after many years of refusing to drink water, preferring to guzzle his home-made red wine instead.

Antonio, of Vigo, north-western Spain, told friends and family that red wine was the secret to his long life.

While there is evidence to suggest that red wine can be good for our health, medics usually recommend a glass or two a day - whereas Antonio regularly drank three litres.

Beware of Zika Virus

 

Montevideo (AFP) - South American countries vowed Wednesday to eliminate the mosquitoes spreading Zika, the virus blamed for brain damage in babies, after a US patient caught it by having sex.

With health authorities warning the mosquito-borne illness could infect up to four million people, ministers from 14 countries held emergency talks in Uruguay to plot their response to the growing crisis, with fears the virus could spread worldwide.

The country worst hit, Brazil, said it was sending more than 500,000 personnel out to clean up and advise people about the disease.

How to Protect Your Children from Pornography

How to Protect Your Children from Pornography 

 

I was shocked to the marrow to find my 16 years old son watching pornography on his laptop recently. He quickly shut it down when he saw me but not before i have taken a eyeful of what he was watching.

I was even very lucky compared to some other parents. Three teenage boys of the same mother and father were caught having homosexual sex with themselves in my neighbourhood and that is a combination of incest, homosexuality, underage sex and pornography at work! What can parents do?

 
  If you are a parent you will do well to take this matter very seriously unless you are given your children adequate sex education, they will learn it from homosexuals or some other sexually depraved individuals outside. Those who neglect the education of their children both formal and informal have mortgage their children's future. Today's generation of children are high tech and it would be suicidal if you wake up early and close late without adequate communication and education of your children.

Q: What are your children watching? Do you explain to them, the functions of their genitals?  What name it is called? The consequences of unbridled sexual intercourse, namely HIV/AIDS, Gonorrhoea, syphilis, unwanted pregnancy, rape, incest, homosexuality or even death! Do you?

if you don't know how to go about it you should find books and tapes on the subject prepared by trained professionals and educate yourself first before you educate them or seek professional counselling.
 

Children have easy access to pornography in Nigeria whether you like it or not. They access it on their smart phones, laptops, DVDs. Pornography is even sold on the streets of Lagos and children are free to buy them. Are they not?

if you think pornography is limited to heterosexual sex. You are wrong. Homosexual sex, lesbianism are increasingly being accessed by kids as young as 10! Our depraved Nigerian music videos don't help matters, from Davido, to Whiz kid, it's all about nudity; little wonder we have such a high rate of rape and sexual violence, paedophilia and all. Check the news.

 Pornography is addictive. When you watch them even as an adult you want to act out, not to talk of underage kids. What the heck are you doing with your kids leaving them to surf the internet without supervision and leaing them watching ungodly movies with your blessings.? 

Yemi Olakitan

President Mugabe plan to run for the seventh term

In Zimbabwe, national development is being sacrificed at the altar of political feuding.  The succession question is the mother of all problems bedeviling the people and it will continue to haunt the people until it’s resolved. The question about the next successor of President Mugabe is still pending. Since Zimbabwe's independence, most of the world has moved on - but Mugabe’s outlook remains the same. Although we can only guess, no one can state clearly Mugabe’s motive in the upcoming election. 

 He’s ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist for 35 years & has injected new urgency into factional battles led by the elite within his ruling ZANU-PF party. But things are changing, he’s aging -has stumbled twice in recent public appearances, and in September read a speech to parliament apparently unaware that he had delivered exactly the same address a month earlier. These are lapses, and these aren’t good signs in proper governance. What’s Mugabe’s interest in the seventh term?
 Obviously, he’s frail, and that’s bad for governance. But, you’ll be surprised that Zimbabwe's ruling party at the weekend publicly endorsed 91-year-old President Mugabe as its candidate for elections in 2018. I’m not sure about him wanting to be president. I’m sure that Backstage, his focus is on whom he wants as his successor.
 You’ve made a vital point there, because even at that endorsement occasion, Godfrey Kanyenze (head of the Labor and Economic Research Institute of Zimbabwe) said that Mugabe’s focus is on retaining power, or accessing power as a way of securing his gains and privileges -he loses power, his farms and businesses will be undermined. 

The President definitely wants to retain power within. Zimbabwe's economy has been in crisis for 15 years since land reforms led to a collapse of agriculture. I think someone else should be given a chance. No matter how good it seems, you can’t know there’s something or someone better if you don’t try. You’ve heard he recently appointed his nephew as minister? 

Yes. Vice-President Mnangagwa is seen as a front-runner, & Mugabe’s wife, Grace, was appointed leader of the powerful ZANU-PF women's wing last year. These are signs that Mugabe and his wife could be planning to keep power within the family.
Well, let’s just observe closely and see how it goes. For now, we’re sure that Mugabe’s actions proves that he wants power to remain within –even though he’s not elected, he wants  someone at his beck-and-call to be elected.

Mugabe has never named a successor, and it seems chances of an outsider winning the next election are seen as slim. "The opposition is nowhere," said Masunungure.

The increase in Stolen Babies and Baby Factories in Nigeria

 

A baby factory is a location where women are encouraged or forced to become pregnant and give up their newborns for sale. Stolen babies may also be described as the children that are been kidnapped or stolen from their mothers at child birth or in the streets. The Nigerian child and women is supposed to be protected against all forms of adverse experiences such as trafficking and abuse as they are great potentials for nation building. However, recent happenings indicate that the Nigerian child and women are facing new and challenging form of abuse brought about by human trafficking networks in the country.

 It’s really an act to cry for, on hearing the story of the recent found baby factory in Enugu, why on earth will a human being subject pregnant women and babies to this devilish act!, What are the causes of prevalence of baby factory in Nigeria?

There are several causes which include greed, illiteracy, childlessness, lack of ethical behavior on the part of medical professionals, being pregnant out of wedlock and the thought of social stigma and ostracism, misplaced set of values among the populace, corruption in the society, unemployment, poverty and the desire for boy-child to carry on the family name.

 This reasons are not enough to participate in this act, it’s revealed that some of this babies are sold out for ritual purposes, so how can a lady live with that taught of being a killer. In what ways can this act be curbed from Nigeria?

Media reports show that the prevalence of baby factory has become very rampant in Nigeria to an extent that merits serious attention. There is the need to reawaken guidance counselors and reposition them in the bid to curbing the prevalence of baby factory in Nigeria. Counseling is designed to help people to understand and clarify their views, and learn how to reach their goals through meaningful, well-informed choices, and through the resolution of emotional or interpersonal problems. Effective counseling should help to improve the self-image of young people that get involved in this act and facilitate achievement in life tasks.

 It’s reported that some of the girls that was interviewed in this baby factory confessed to joining the act willingly and they blamed the government and poor economy for this. How can the government contribute to the removal of this problem in Nigeria?

 The Federal Government should make provision for the training of teachers in guidance and counseling; establish and equip counseling clinics, career resource centre’s,  provide jobs to the youths and also set a committee to monitor the motherless babies homes and maternity wards in the country to prevent this rebellious act.