Shipwrecked Man Makes Land 'After 16 Months Adrift'

 An emaciated man survived 16 months adrift at sea, eating turtles, birds and fish and drinking turtle blood, having floated over 8,000 miles from Mexico to a remote Pacific atoll, it was claimed on Friday.

A Norwegian researcher said that the man – who only speaks Spanish and has a long beard and hair – was not in a good condition after his 24-foot fibreglass boat washed up on the reef at Ebon Atoll.

 In a story reminiscent of the Tom Hanks film Cast Away, the man, dressed only in ragged underpants, apparently set off from Mexico heading for El Salvador in September 2012 with a companion, who died at sea several months ago.

 "His condition isn't good, but he's getting better," Ola Fjeldstad, a Norwegian anthropology student doing research on Ebon, told AFP by telephone.

 Details of his survival are sketchy, Ms Fjeldstad added, as the man only speaks Spanish, but he said his name was Jose Ivan.

Kim Kardashian Wants North West on Her Show But Kanye Is Saying No!!

Kim Kardashian is being pressured to feature her daughter, North West, on Keeping up With the Kardashians because the show’s ratings are plummeting. According to Radar Online, Kim thinks her daughter is ready to join the family business but Kanye has forbidden it thus far, even if it means the end of the show.

Ryan Seacrest, who produces the Kardashian reality shows for E!, is said to have personally reached out to Kim and asked her to consider allowing North on the show for limited periods of time.

“Kim really wants to put North on the show…” Radar’s source explains. “Viewers and fans of the show want to see Kim interact with her daughter, and how she is as a mother.

“Kim has always been an open book with her fans,” the source continues, “but once Kanye came on the scene, that all changed. Kanye shuts Kim down whenever she brings it up.”

The source says that Kanye, on the flipside, thinks that reality TV is tacky and doesn’t want North on  display. Kim is said to have persuaded Kanye to allow their wedding to be televised as a compromise but her charm might not work when it comes to the baby.

Man Asks Live in Ex-Wife to be His Housekeeper

A businessman who continued living with his former wife after they divorced asked her if she would be his housekeeper after he moved another woman into the home. She obviously went off on him.

Via Telegraph

The man could not understand why his former wife became “so aggressive” when he informed her of the new arrangements, the court heard.

On Wednesday Mr Justice Bodey ruled that she was entitled to nearly half of her former husband’s £13.6 million fortune.

The Family Division of the High Court, heard that the couple, who cannot be named and are from London, married in the late 1970s and divorced in the 1990s.

The judge said they treated the divorce as “just a piece of paper” and carried on living together.

Baby Factory Uncovered In Ondo, 24 Suspects Arrested

A Baby factory has been uncovered in Ilu-Titun in Okitipupa council area of Ondo State by the state command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS.At least 24 suspects were arrested in connection with the illegal establishment. Among those nabbed by the anti-trafficking detectives of the command included five pregnant women, five nursing mothers, five babies, two of which are less than a month old  and eight men whose duty it was to impregnate the women.

Also, some guards of northern extraction were picked. The arrest of the proprietor of the baby factory, Mrs Happiness Ogundeji, was after several months of intelligence gathering and discreet surveillance by officials of the command. The suspects were paraded before newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Akure, yesterday, by the state’s comptroller of NIS, Mr Musa Al-Hassan.

According to reports, the proprietor, Mrs Ogundeji had to relocate to Ondo State after she was  arrested in Imo State for a similar offence. Al-Hassan told newsmen that following a tip-off, the suspects were rounded up at their hideout by a combined team of his officers and military operatives.

According to him, the suspects had earlier resisted arrest following which they reinforced to effect the arrest.Vanguard gathered that the illegal operation was being carried out at a well-secured two-flat apartment in the town. The proprietor was said to have pretended that the baby factory was a natural healing home. It was gathered that  young girls between the ages of 19  and 25 were recruited into the home where some young men purposely work to impregnate them.

Once a girl is pregnant, she is separated from those yet to be impregnated. After delivery, the girls are offered ridiculous amount, their babies taken from them and sold to rich men and women who pay millions of naira, depending on the sex of the baby. Twins are said to be the costliest as they go for N2.5 million.

It was learnt that the Abuja office of the command learnt of the operation of the  syndicate in Ondo State following a tip-off from Cross River State Command and it subsequently directed both the Ondo and Imo State commands to investigate the allegation.

Consequently, the  anti-human trafficking officials of the state command led by Obisesan Abiola acting on intelligence reports burst the syndicate. It was further discovered that the proprietor is assisted in the factory by a Cameroonian. Al-Hassan said the command would always collaborate with sister agencies to rid the state of criminality. One of the pregnant girls in her early twenties simply called ‘Grace’ claimed to be a student of Lagos State University, LASU, and is engaged to the son of the proprietor.

The supposed husband insisted  that  his mother had not committed any crime while the proprietor denied operating a baby factory.

Ogundeji said  she was operating a herbal natural clinic. Items  discovered at the factory were eight luxury cars, foodstuff, baby items, among others. Meanwhile, all the suspects are to be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP,  headquarters in Lagos after preliminary investigation by the officials of the command.

The house used for the illegal business had been sealed off by security operatives.

Culled from Vanguard

Thief: NAICOM Insurance Commissioner Jailed For 15 years Over N10.4 Million Fraud

Okechukwu Chukwulozie, a former Commissioner of the National Insurance Commission(NAICOM) yesterday began his journey to Kuje Prison in Abuja to serve 15 years over N10.4 million fraud.

He was convicted last Wednesday at an Abuja High Court on 5 counts charge for using private interest to furnish his official residence and demanding for a percentage in a contract he awarded.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission(ICPC),in 2007 jointly charged Chukwulozie, his wife, Angela; and a former Deputy Commissioner in charge of Finance and Administration, Adedolapo Ogungbe to court the N10.4 million fraud without option of fine.

It was yesterday that Chief Chukwulozie began his journey to Kuje prison from ICPC detention cell as it was late yesterday to convey him to Kuje after securing his conviction papers.

Delivering judgment, Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi, said that the court sentenced Chukwulozie to three years on each of the five counts he is convicted for and it will run concurrently.

Oniyangi, held that the ICPC had proved all the ingredients of Section 19 of the the ICPC Act against him.

“The ICPC has proved beyond reasonable doubt that a commissioner of NICON, Chukwulozie, demanded fifty per cent of fees paid to liquidators of Gateway Insurance Plc.

“Beyond reasonable doubt is the standard of evidence required to validate a criminal conviction. Generally the prosecution bears the burden of proof and is required to prove their case.

“The prosecution has presented to court evidence to support its charges against the convict.

“In this case, they have done so. The court hereby sentences you to three years each on each of the five counts level against you, which will run concurrently.

However, Justice Oniyangi held that the ICPC had failed to prove its case against the second (Angela) and third accused (Ogungbe) persons.

“The court discharges the second and third accused persons charged with aiding and abetting the crime.

Crazy: Chinese Students Tie Their Hair to the Ceiling to Prevent Sleep During Study

In other to keep themselves awake,  Chinese university students have resorted to tying up their hair using clothespins. Every time they nod off, the pins will pull on their hair, jerking them awake.

The technique became popular after two students at the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in Fujian province uploaded pictures of themselves on Weibo. Chen Tang, 20 and her roommate Huang Lu, 21, had been struggling with a huge workload and needed a quick fix to fight the urge to nap. They had tried the regular methods – caffeine, push-ups and cranking up the air-conditioning – but none of that worked. That’s when they decided to hit the history books for a solution.

Chen and Huang read about two famous Chinese scholars who practiced extreme methods to keep their minds alert. One would stab himself with needles every time he started to get drowsy, while the other would tie his hair to a beam in the ceiling so that it pulled every time he nodded off. Chen saw merit in the second method and decided to give it a try. “Chen is so keen to succeed that she decided to give the hair trick a try, as you can see her hair is more than long enough,” said Huang, who posted the pictures online.

“As we didn’t have a beam in our dorm, she used the clothes dryer and claims it worked really well.” Chen said that the trick helped her clear her mind. She plans to use it more often in the future. “The preparation is boring, but the hanging hair practice makes it interesting and I really feel much more energetic by studying this way,” she said. After Huang put up the pictures, the hair-hanging technique seems to have gone viral. Weibo is now full of photographs of Chinese students emulating Chen.

  

Man Ties His 7 Children To Wheel-Barrow, Solicits For Buyers

Palpable confusion reigned in Owerri, yesterday, as a father tied his seven children, including his triplet, to a wheel-barrow and was heading to an unknown destination before officials of Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development intervened.

 Investigations revealed that the 44-year-old man, Israel Dike,  is a native of Odenkume, Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State, but resides in Ugwu Ekwema, Egbu Road, Owerri.

The childrens' hands were securely tied to a wheelbarrow while the man was soliciting for buyers for the children, saying he was fed up with his dwindling economic fortunes.A staff of the ministry told Vanguard: “Following a tip off, a high powered team led by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Nma Onyechere, quickly went and rescued the children.”Apart from disclosing that he planned selling some of them with a view to enabling him take proper care of others, Dike equally lamented that Governor Rochas Okorocha put him in the mess he has found himself today.“Owelle Okorocha is the cause of what I am passing through today.

He made me a promise in the past and has failed to redeem it till today,” Dike said. Speaking to newsmen at the scene, the commissioner described Dike as a “depressed man, who is mentally deranged.”While urging Dike’s wife to go for family planning, the commissioner equally promised that government would carefully ascertain the level of the man’s mental problem. Answering a question, Mrs. Onyechere said the ministry would find a way of giving out the children to foster parents with a view to ensuring adequate care and their education. 

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Horror: Ghanian Woman Killed Ex-Husband, New Wife And Child For Dumping Her

A 33-year-old Ghanaian woman, on Monday 27th of January, 2014 wiped out her ex-husband’s entire new family. Efua Badu and her ex were once married but latter separated when the two were having problems in their marriage. Their families tried to settle the matter, but her ex-husband insisted it was over. He later got married to a 25-year old lady who gave birth to a daughter who is now two and half year-old.

Efua who couldn't stand losing her man, the father of her two kids, at around 1.30am in the early hours of Monday set the uncompleted building her ex was living ablaze, killing him, his new wife and their baby while they were all asleep. She later fled from the scene, but when fire fighters got there, they couldn't trace where the fire began and said someone might have set the family ablaze.

After investigation, Efua was traced to her home by the police, where they saw some burns in her right arm and face. She denied ever knowing anything about the fire, but later confessed she was behind it when she was been interrogated. She admitted she did it out of jealous and pleaded to be forgiven.

The charred bodies of the three have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for examination. Sadly, the 25-year old new wife and her daughter only got to the man’s house for the first time on the 26th of January, 2014, when he went to bring them to start living with him, from where they used to live and died few hours later.

Cee Lo Green Party Hard

On Sunday night Cee Lo Green  had several pretty women get painted to look like cheetahs and lions then had them bounce up and down on a trampoline for his Grammy party, according to a Monday report from TMZ.

The girls seemed to be having the time of their lives as they giggled while holding hands on the apparatus.

At one point just one woman, who looked a bit like Kim Kardashian, did the bouncing, but then fell down, needing help to get up. The site described the 39-year-old mogul's event, which took place at LA's Lot 613, as 'awesome.'

In addition to the bouncing ladies, the singer had food trucks and a mobile barber shop, in which Green was photographed getting groomed.

Cee Lo was just one of the many who had Grammy parties on Sunday evening.

P. Diddy (as well as Drake and Nicki Minaj) had a fete too, only that one featured a camel and a lion, more than one-upping Cee Lo.

Earlier in the evening, the entertainer had attended the Grammys with his stepdaughter Sierra, aged 23, whose mother is Christina Johnson. The beauty was featured in an episode of My Super Sweet 16.

Dressed in an ivory iridescent pajama style outfit, the rapper looked like he was ready for a vacation in Dubai, not the red carpet at a major awards show.

Sierra looked gorgeous in a low-cut white dress and a diamond cross necklace.

Though the Grammys were well attended - Madonna, Katy Perry and Beyonce all performed - the ratings were about the same as last year, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with just over 28m viewers.

Boko Haram Kills 74 In 2 Northeastern Villages Attack

74 people have been killed in separate attacks by suspected Boko Haram members in Adamawa and Borno states, northeast Nigeria.

Attackers armed with guns and explosives reportedly killed 22 people at a busy church service in Waga Chakawa village in Adamawa state on Sunday morning, before burning houses and taking residents hostage during a four-hour siege, witnesses said.

The spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Yola, Reverend Father Raymond Danbouye, confirmed to Reuters news agency that 22 people were killed in the attack and have been buried on Monday.

In the other attack in neighboring Kawuri Village in Borno state, Security officials told Associated Press that suspected Islamic extremists used explosives to attack the village killing 52 people and razing more than 300 homes.

A security official said the attackers planted several explosives at a market around Kawuri village on Sunday.

A police official who evacuated wounded victims confirmed that at least 52 people were killed. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to speak to reporters.

Ari Kolomi, who escaped the massacre, said there were more than 50 attackers.

The security official blamed the Islamic terrorist network Boko Haram, which has killed thousands over four years in Nigeria’s northeast.

Police commissioner, Lawan Tanko confirmed the attack, but would not give details on casualties.

“Yes, there was an attack in Kawuri village in Konduga local government yesterday, I am waiting for a detailed report on casualties from the District Police Officer there, but from the preliminary report I got, no police officer died, except few that were injured. But as soon as the report comes in we will brief the press at once,” he said.

Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states have been under a military state of emergency since May.

Justin Bieber Arrested for DUI

Justin Bieber was arrested for DUI   according to TMZ.

Law enforcement  agents  say  Bieber was busted in Miami Beach for both DUI and drag racing.   The arrest occurred early Thursday morning.  Bieber is now in custody and is at the police department where he is being tested -- presumably to more precisely measure his blood alcohol level.

His next stop will be jail, where he will be booked and processed and bail will be set.Hope he doesnt end up in Jail this time.

7 Suspected Homosexuals Stoned In Bauchi State

There was commotion at the Upper Sharia Court 4 in Anguwan Jaki, Bauchi State yesterday, as a mob almost lynched seven suspected homosexuals brought to court for trial. It occurred at about 1: 44 pm, forcing the security personnel to rescue the endangered seven by firing gunshots in the air and using canisters to disperse the mob.

The suspects are Ibrahim Marafa, Shehu Adamu, Yusuf Adamu, Aliyu Dalhatu, Abdulmalik Tanko, Usman Sabo and Hazif Sabo Abubakar. The angry crowd hurled stones at the van carrying them as it sped dangerously back to prison. A few people sustained injured in the process.

The suspects are facing trial for allegedly engaging in gay activities, an action that contravenes the Islamic laws, which the state operates. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Haruna Mohammed, said that the suspects were arrested by the Bauchi State Sharia Commission. The atmosphere around the court was charged as the suspects came out of the court to mount the Hilux van which conveyed them to court.

Shortly after they filed into the van, the crowd in the court premises started abusing and pelted them with stones. The heavily armed prison wardens had to disperse the crowd by shooting into the air. There was pandemonium as the Sharia Judge, Yakubu Aliyu, and reporters as well as lawyers scampered for safety.

Earlier, inside the rowdy court, counsel to the Sharia Commission, Danlami Ayuba, told the court that one of the suspects was identified as Ibrahim Marafa, the principal of a government secondary school. When the case was slated for hearing of witnesses, counsel to the suspect, Abdul Musa, pleaded that he was not ready and sought for bail for his client to enable them study the charges. The bail application was opposed by the counsel to the Sharia Commission.

The trial judge, El-Yaqub Aliyu refused to grant the bail application and adjourned the suit to Monday, January 27, to enable the prosecutors present their witnesses.

Similarly, the State Sharia Commission paraded six other suspects. When their case was mentioned, the Judge cautioned the Sharia commission counsel to ensure that they had proper evidence on the accused persons before arraigning them in court. He decried a situation where an accused had pleaded guilty of the offence he committed four years ago and had repented but was brought to court after he had repented. Quoting sections of the Hadith he said the accused remained innocent until proper evidence is established that he had committed the offence again.

Counsel to the Sharia commission presented two witnesses against two of the suspects but under cross examination, none of the witnesses said he saw them while they were committing the alleged offence.

Culled from Daily Sun

Rare £1million Blue Diamond Thought To Be The Clearest Ever Found Is Discovered In South Africa

 A rare blue diamond that might fetch over £1 million when it is sold, and could break world records for its clarity, has been discovered in a mine near Pretoria in South Africa.

The diamond, which came from the famous Cullinan mine, is going to be sold at auction soon, but the owners of the mine, Petra Diamonds, don't know how much it will truly be worth until a buyer emerges, saying 'it depends on what people are prepared to pay for it'.

While the diamond still needs further forensic investigation, the company that found it already think they have unearthed a 'very special diamond.'

Blue diamonds are the some of the rarest diamonds in the world, and only make up around 0.1% of all diamonds found every year. Petra Diamonds has only found four blue diamonds since they took over the Cullinan mine in 2008.

How much a diamond is worth is often decided by three factors; the flawlessness, the colour, and the rarity.

While this latest blue diamond still needs further assessment, it has already been deemed as 'on the large end' and 'exceptional.'

A spokesperson for Petra Diamonds said: 'It's a very special diamond.

'You don't usually get diamond blues of this size or clarity. There's going to be a lot of interest in it in the diamond buying community.'

The stone is an outstanding vivid blue with extraordinary saturation, tone and clarity.'

'It has the potential to yield a polished stone of great value and importance.

'It may well even break new records.'

When the diamond is bought it will likely be cut and polished, meaning it could lose between one third and half of is mass, depending on the quality of the stone.

Located at the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountain range, the Cullinan mine is 37 miles north-east of Pretoria in South Africa.

The mine has a history of producing blue diamonds, but it's regular yield is mostly small white diamonds, earning its owner a revenue of around £133 million a year from a 800,000 carats in total.

The Cullinan diamond mine first made waves in 1905 when it unearthed the largest rough gem diamond ever found, a massive 3,106 carats.

This diamond was named 'The Great Star of Africa', and became famous in British culture when it was mounted in the Scepter of the Cross, part of the Queen's crown jewels.

Other notable diamonds produced by the mine include the Premier Rose, which was 353 carts rough and valued at around $10 million (£6 million), and the Golden Jubilee, 545 carats, worth up to $14 million (£8.5 million) - the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world.

Cullinan has made a few very important diamond discoveries since 2008 when Petra Diamonds took over the mine, including a 39.9 carat diamond which sold for $8.8 million (£4.8 million), a 26.6 carat diamond which sold for $1.45 million (£881,030) and a 25.5 carat diamond which sold for $16.8 million (£10.2 million) last year.

Hopes Fade For Schumacher's Recovery Amid Fears He May Remain In A 'Persistent Vegetative State' Forever But His Family Say He's A 'Fighter And Will Not Give Up'

Fears are growing that Michael Schumacher could remain in a 'persistent vegetative state' for the rest of his life even if he wakes up from his coma.

The Formula One legend has been in intensive care since his skiing accident in France nearly four weeks ago.

He was placed into an artificially induced coma shortly after the crash to help his brain heal, but such measures normally last only a maximum of two weeks.

Jean-Marc Orgogozo, Professor of Neurology at the University of Bordeaux, said: 'Every day, every week in a coma the chances decline that the situation is improving'.

One Austrian website reported Schumacher, 45, may suffer from Apallic Syndrome or persistent vegetative state.

But his family insisted he was a 'fighter' as they poured out their heartfelt thanks to fans around the world on his webpage on Tuesday.

'We all know: he is a fighter and will not give up!' said his family, adding: 'We are deeply moved that there is no let up in the good wishes for Michael from around the world.

'That gives us strength. Thank you all of you!'

But the support of his wife Corinne, 44, his two teenaged children, brother and closest friends cannot mask the fact that 23 days in an artificial coma means that he is far from anywhere near recovery.

A persistent vegetative state is one in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness.

This means that if doctors do bring him out of his artificially induced coma he would be unable to speak, move or feed himself.

The format.at news website said; 'More than three weeks after the tragic skiing accident of the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, hope dwindle for a  full recovery.

'For more than three weeks now Schumacher lies in a medically induced coma at the University Hospital in Grenoble. 

He is fed there with probes, washed daily and moved again and again to avoid a bed sores.'

It goes on to speculate that the 'severe damage' he suffered to his brain in a ski accident on December 29 could result in the permanent vegative state suffered by around 10,000 of his German countrymen.

This would mean, if and when he is brought out of the coma by his medical team, 'that his condition would hardly be different from the medically induced coma'.

Apallic Syndrome is always the result of a severe brain injury. The chance of recovery from Apallic Syndrome are far below 50 per cent.'

Schumacher's condition remains stable but there is a firewall of silence from his medical team about the intense battle being waged to try to bring him back to normality.

Brain injury patients are placed into artificial comas to reduce the amount of oxygen that flows into the brain, thus making it work less and giving it time to heal.

Such comas usually last for a maximum of two weeks, although there have been instances of patients being under longer. 

As Schumacher enters his fourth week in such a state neurological experts are starting to doubt whether he might ever recover sufficiently to be brought out of his sleep.

Meanwhile, his family have paid tribute to Bundesliga sides Cologne and Schalke on the Formula One legend’s official website.

Players from both sides held up a banner which read ‘Get Well Soon! You can do it, Michael’ prior to their friendly on Saturday in honour of the 45-year-old German, who is a Cologne supporter.

The message from the seven-time champion’s family is the first in over a fortnight and comes just days after it was confirmed that he is in a stable condition at Grenoble Hospital.

Crazy: Man Takes Girlfriend Hostage After Her Parents Refused To Let Them Get Married

A construction worker held his girlfriend hostage on a Chinese rooftop with a meat cleaver for five hours after her parents reportedly refused to approve their marriage.

Hundreds of onlookers and armed police watched as the man stripped to his underwear and ordered his girlfriend to do the same so she would be shamed in front of their neighbours.

He announced he was going to kill her and claimed the 29-year-old regularly had affairs when he went to work, according to various local media reports.

He held his girlfriend by the throat and waved the meat cleaver in the air as trained negotiators tried to talk him down from the roof of the quiet residential block.

The man's relatives were brought to the scene on Monday to try and talk him down but had little luck

As police and soldiers surrounded the rooftop, the half-naked kidnapper demanded a getaway car for himself and his girlfriend.

Eventually police provided one and, still holding his terrified partner, the man put his jeans back on an climbed down from the roof into a city square. 

But as he made his way towards the car officers gave chase, managing to pull him away from his girlfriend and throw him to the ground.

Fally Ipupa Crashed His Bentley

Congolese star Fally Ipupa was involved in a car crash with his Bentley on Wednesday 8 January. It’s not clear what caused the accident that happened in Kinshasa, Congo. According to the Voice of Congo, no lives were lost. The singer and the occupants of the other car escaped with injuries.

How Kim Jong-Un Killed His 'Scum' Uncle: Dictator Had Him Stripped Naked, Thrown Into A Cage And Eaten Alive By Pack Of Dogs

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un sentenced his uncle to be eaten alive by a pack of 120 wild dogs in a savage punishment for treachery, it has been claimed.

Jang Song-Thaek, 67, along with five close aides, was stripped naked and thrown into a cage of hounds which had been starved for three days, according to new details emerging from China.

The pack of animals spent more than an hour mauling the group in a punishment called 'quan jue', or execution by dogs, a report in Chinese newspaper Wen Wei Po said.

The tyranical leader of the communist state had accused his uncle - once seen as North Korea's second most powerful man - of treason and corruption and described him as 'scum' and 'factionalist filth' during his recent New Year message.

Unlike previous executions of political prisoners, which were carried out by firing squads with machine guns, this extraordinary sentence seems to have been specially reserved for the most hated in North Korean society.

The report in the Chinese language newspaper said the entire process was supervised by the supreme leader in North Korea, along with 300 senior officials - a clear warning against anyone challenging Kim's leadership.

The fact details of the barbaric punishment emerged in a newspaper, viewed as Beijing Government's official mouthpiece, in Hong Kong, has been seen as another signal of China's authorities losing patience with its wayward neighbour, according to The Straits Times.

Kim Jong-Un spoke of the execution of his 67-year-old uncle during his New Year address telling the country 'our party took resolute action to remove...scum elements within the party last year.'

The 30-year-old leader appeared on state television for the speech and analysts say the words reflect his feelings towards aides of his uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, and other family members who are believed to have been sent to labour camps.

'Our party's timely, accurate decision to purge the anti-party, anti-revolutionary elements helped greatly cement solidarity within our party,' said Kim, adding that 'factionalist filth' had been 'eliminated.'

His statement on state tv was the first time he had publicly criticised his uncle, who was executed on December 12 after he was accused of treason, corruption, following the ways of the hated West, and being a womaniser.

In its announcement of the sentence, the North Korean regime described Jang as ‘despicable human scum’, who was ‘worse than a dog’.

Furthermore, he ‘perpetrated thrice-cursed acts of treachery in betrayal of such profound trust and warmest paternal love shown by the Party and the leader for him’.

His supposed crimes against the regime included having ‘improper relations with several women’ and having ‘wined and dined at back parlours of deluxe restaurants’.

In addition, Jang was said to have ‘squandered foreign currency at casinos while he was receiving medical treatment in a foreign country under the care of the party’.

Worst of all perhaps, in the twisted logic of this supposed workers’ paradise, was that Jang was guilty of ‘such factional acts as dreaming different dreams’.

Although Jang had played a major role in helping the inexperienced Kim after the younger man had taken power following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, the new leader is believed to have felt threatened by Jang's power.

Observers in neighbouring South Korea agree that Kim has been running a 'reign of terror' in carrying out a 'massive purge' to consolidate his grip.

 Kim also used his New Year message to warn that the Korean peninsula would be engulfed by a 'massive nuclear disaster' if war broke out there again - a reference to the Korean war of the early 1950s when South Korea, supported by the United Nations, fought with North Korea which was at one time supported by China and the Soviet Union.

'If the war breaks out again in this land, it will bring about a massive nuclear disaster and the US will never be safe,' he warned.

Before issuing his New Year message, Kim warmly wrapped in a thick coat and a bearskin hat, visited his pet project, the Masik Pass Ski Resort, lauded by state media as having been completed at 'lightning speed'.

Kim took a test ride on a ski lift, rising up over the project that he said during an earlier visit was 'at the centre of the world's attention'.

Culled from Daily Mail

Cyclist's Miraculous Escape After He Is Knocked Down And Pinned Underneath A Car But Walks Away With Just Cuts And Bruises

 This cyclist spent 30 minutes trapped under car after being run-down - but miraculously escaped with just cuts and bruises.

Justin Futers, 47, was pinned by his legs with an engine pressing down on his shoulders, and couldn't move until he was rescued by emergency services.

He came within millimetres of being crushed by the front wheels as he was dragged beneath the blue Chevrolet on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Futers - who had just pulled out of a junction in Worthing, West Sussex - was wedged under the front of the car. His cycle was also trapped and left a mangled wreck.

He said: 'My head and my face were scraping the tarmac so it was pretty close. I didn't shut my eyes and think "this is it", although it could have been.

'The weight of the engine was right over my shoulders, there was a quarter of an inch between me and the rest of the car, it was that tight.'

Mr Futers, a painter and decorator, hopes these shocking images of his ordeal will be a warning to all road users to take extra care.

 

A former paramedic trainer, an ex-firefighter and an off-duty police officer were all among passers-by who came to his aid.

Emergency services arrived a short while later and took control of the rescue operation. Mr Futers, from Littlehampton, West Sussex, was released and taken to Worthing Hospital where he learned he had escaped with no broken bones.

He says he has not fully considered the psychological impact of the crash but vows to be back on his bike within a month.

He said: 'I can't remember what I was thinking at the time other than "There is a car on top of me".' Witness Mike Brampton, 53, who took the photos, said: 'It is a miracle the cyclist survived let alone escaped with no broken bones.

'As I approached the car all I could see underneath was a figure dressed in red, and I feared the worst.

'I was relieved that he could speak. It could have been a horrific accident, fortunately Justin got off incredibly lightly.'

A South East Coast Ambulance Service said they were called at 12.53pm on Saturday and sent two ambulances to the scene.

A man in his 40s was taken to Worthing Hospital while the driver, a 76-year-old local man, was checked over at the scene but did not require hospital treatment.