VIDEO: Stella Damasus and Sani Yerima clash on Al Jazeera on the controversial issue of child marriage

Nollywood actress Stella Damasus and Senator Yerima went head to head on the controversial issue o child marriage on ‘The Stream’ a programme aired on International News Network Al Jazeera.



Senator Yerima still stands his grounds that he finds nothing wrong with his actions, claiming that his fourth wife, whom he married when she was only 14, had reciprocated his feelings and they have a son together.
Stella Damascus counter-argued, citing several Child rights charters signed by Nigeria concerning marriage and the rights of the girl-child. She insisted that those breaking the agreements should be labelled criminals and prosecuted.

Click below to watch the argument…

Kent: Dozens of people injured in accident involving over 130 vehicles

Dozens of people have been injured as more than 130 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes in thick fog on the A249 Sheppey crossing in Kent.

Eight of those hurt in the collisions, which took place at about 07:15 BST, have serious injuries.

Early reports said 200 people had been hurt, but police later revised the figure.

Firefighters said they had freed five people from their vehicles on the southbound carriageway.

One witness said visibility had been very poor at the time of the crash but drivers were approaching the crossing with no lights.

Others at the scene described a mass of tangled cars, lorries, and a car transporter. Some reports said the crash went on for 10 minutes as cars continuously collided with each other.

Driver Martin Stammers said the scene was “horrendous” and described seeing cars under lorries and people lying on the floor.

He said visibility was about 10 to 20 yards when he approached the bridge and saw five cars smashed into each other with one across the outside lane.

He said he managed to squeeze through a gap between that car and the central reservation, he said.

“For 10 minutes afterwards, all we could hear was screeching, cars thudding into each other, lorries crashing,” he added.

He said he and his son ran to warn other drivers and warn cars to slow down.

“Later, a woman came up to us sobbing saying, ‘thank you, thank you, you saved my life’,” he said.

‘Smashed cars everywhere’

Jaime Emmett, a 19-year-old student who was driving through the fog, said she managed to stop in time but a van collided with her car, and she then hit a car in front.

She said the fog was so thick she could only see a few cars ahead but added: “All I could hear was the cars smashing in front of each other and I could not know how far ahead the accident was.”

Later she said she could see “smashed cars everywhere”, a lorry that had crashed into the central reservation, and ambulance crews helping injured people with one team carrying a man in a stretcher.

Ch Insp Andy Reeves said the crash was over a “protracted area” with undamaged vehicles between others which had collided.

The injured people were taken to six different hospitals.

‘Hazardous fog’

When asked if the fog had caused the crash, Mr Reeves said it was “too early” to give a cause but added the “weather will be a factor”.

“It was... very hazardous. It was described to me as a very thick fog and it was certainly low visibility at the time.”

He said he expected the crossing to remain closed in both directions for the whole of the working day, including the evening rush hour.

The front of the crash happened where traffic was coming off the bridge towards Sittingbourne, and it had then “concertinaed” over the bridge behind it with incidents stretching back to Queenborough, he said.

Mr Reeves said there could also be a small number of incidents on the northbound carriageway.

Police said if people had to make essential journeys to the island they could use the old Kingsferry Bridge, but should expect long delays.

Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson said he had previously had concerns about lighting on the bridge and said he would be asking questions of the authorities about the accident.

He added: “Today my concerns must rest solely with the people that have been injured on the bridge.”

The £100m four-lane crossing, which connects the Isle of Sheppey with mainland Kent, opened in 2006 and is 0.75 miles (1.25km) long and rises to 115ft (35m) at its highest point.

•Credit (except headline): BBC. Photo shows accident scene.

Source News Express

Ariel Castro, Cleveland Kidnapper Dead....Found Hanging In Prison Cell

Convicted kidnapper and rapist, Ariel Castro was found dead on Tuesday evening, 19 Action News reported. He was 53.

On Aug. 1, Castro was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years in prison for kidnapping and raping Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus, and holding them captive in his Cleveland home for more than a decade.

He pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping, in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table, CNN reported.

During the sentencing, Castrodenied being abusive and insisted that most of the sex was consensual.

'I'm not a violent person," Castro said. "I simply kept them there without them being able to leave."

The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004. They escaped on May 6, when one of the women broke part of a door and yelled to neighbors for help. Castro was arrested that same night.

#huffingtonpost

Photo: Kim Kardashian's dramatic hair makeover

Kim Kardashian debuted her new blonde hair at a barbecue in Beverly Hills, Calif., over the weekend, E! News first reported Tuesday. The 32-year-old got a dramatic makeover by dyeing her brunette locks an ombre shade of blonde. The new look is dark at the roots and light at the ends.
However, her hair colourist, George Papanikolas doesn't think the transition to blonde is  going to be permanent.
Check out the photo...love it!

Girl 'raped by Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell' had no injuries, jury is told by doctor who examined her

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell arrives at Manchester Crown Court for the third day of his trial

The girl allegedly raped by Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell showed no signs of injury during physical examination, according to a medical expert.

The girl claimed she had been raped at the age of six, nine and 10 during years of sexual abuse at the hands of the soap star.

But during a full intimate medical examination a doctor found no evidence of injury that could be directly attributed to a sexual assault or rape.

Dr Louise O’Connor said that during examination she found no evidence of physical injury that would support or negate claims of sexual abuse.

She said: ‘Having no injuries certainly does not negate any of those allegations - a significant number of children and young people who make allegations of assault and come to us to be examined will not have any injuries.’

Le Vell, 48, who has played garage mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV1 soap for 30 years, is facing a total of 12 sex charges.

He is accused of five counts of rape, three of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Dressed in a blue suit and shirt - who was charged under his real name of Michael Turner - sat in the dock as the doctor gave evidence.

The jury at Manchester Crown Court was told the physical examination took place two years after the last alleged sexual assault had occurred.

Dr O’Connor, a paediatric consultant, examined the girl at the St Mary’s Sexual Assault Centre in Manchester after the alleged victim made the allegations in October 2011.




A court picture of Le Vell from yesterday. Le Vell, who is on trial under his real name of Michael Turner, denies the offences saying they are 'an absolute pack of lies'





Le Vell is accused of five counts of rape, three of indecent assault, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He denies all the charges




Le Vell was seen in Manchester alongside his brother Phil before the third day of his trial






Le Vell, 48, who has played garage mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV soap for 30 years, is facing a total of 12 sex charges

She said she cooperated throughout the intimate physical examination though was in some discomfort during certain procedures.

She said the girl suffered from a hereditary condition - lichen sclerosis - that could make the skin prone to irritation and infection.



Le Vell (left) who has been charged under his real name of Michael Turner, has been accused of raping the girl as she clutched a teddy bear

But Dr O’Connor said that during the examination she could find no clear evidence of physical injury that would support claims of sexual assault.

She said: ‘We can’t say that lichen sclerosis supports the allegations of sexual abuse. However the symptoms can be triggered by friction or rubbing.’

The court heard the last alleged sexual assault had occurred some two years earlier and physical injury could have completely healed.

Dr O’Connor said quite serious injury and laceration could have healed without leaving any noticeable scarring on medical examination.

She added: ‘The timing of an examination is most important in dating injuries. Injuries heal up quickly, certain injuries persist.

'The medical findings are neutral and neither support or refute the allegations.’

Earlier the jury were told the 48-year-old married actor had repeatedly raped and sexually abused the girl from the age of six.

On one occasion he allegedly held her favourite teddy bear over her mouth to ensure she remained silent while he raped her.

The court also heard the girl revealed she had been raped while attending a motivational conference hosted by a woman who had herself been raped as a young child.

The teenager had travelled to the self-help conference with her mother and the pair had attended workshops and seminars separately.

But during a scheduled break in the day the girl broke the news to her mother and told her it had been going on for years and years.

Le Vell was initially arrested in 2011 but the case was dropped only for him to be re-arrested and charged in the light of fresh evidence last year.

One of the longest-serving actors on Coronation Street, he has been suspended from the show until the conclusion of the case.

The case continues.



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