Faudzil @ Ajak

Faudzil @ Ajak
Always think how to do things differently. - Faudzil Harun@Ajak

30 June 2013

PEOPLE - Woman sentenced to life for cutting off her husband's penis as she shouted: 'You deserve it!'

















Woman sentenced to life for cutting off her husband's penis as she shouted: 'You deserve it!'


  • -  Catherine Kieu, 50, found guilty for the July, 2011 attack
  • -  She was driven by jealousy in brutal attack as she suspected husband of cheating
  • -  Penis couldn't be attached but husband had surgery so he could urinate


A California woman who was accused of cutting of her husband's penis before tossing it in the garbage disposal has been sentenced to seven years to life in state prison.

Catherine Kieu, 50, was guilty of charges of torture and aggravated mayhem for the July 11, 2011, attack and sentenced to life in jail, but she could be eligible for parole after seven.

She was convicted in April of one count each of torture and aggravated mayhem.


Jailed: Catherine Kieu,was found guilty of charges of torture and aggravated mayhem for the July 11, 2011, attack and has now been sentenced to seven years to life in jail
Jailed: Catherine Kieu,was found guilty of charges of torture and aggravated mayhem for the July 11, 2011, attack and has now been sentenced to seven years to life in jail


The victim, known only as Glen throughout the trial, was in court for today's sentencing.

'I'm hoping this will be the last time I ever have to see her,' he said. 'I felt some relief, and it was a very sad day for me.'

Kieu was convicted in April of aggravated mayhem - maliciously depriving a human of a body part.

'This was a horrible event,' said John Christl, of the Orange County District Attorney's office. 'In effect, the victim is going to be serving a life sentence because of what the defendant did to him. She, in turn, deserves her life sentence.'

The victim was hospitalized, but reconstructive surgery was not successful.

'I remember the event. It's not cohesive because of the shock, the trauma, the torture,' he said. 'There may be a situation where I can become happy. Whole? Never.'They had argued over the possibility of a friend staying at their condo at a later date, authorities said.

'In my 24 years on the bench, I've seen a number of murder cases,' said Judge Richard F. 

Toohey. 'Her actions were as calculated, as cold, as callous as any murder in the first degree.'

Prosecutors argued that Kieu refused to accept her husband's demand for a divorce and carried out the attack as part of a revenge plot. The attack occurred about two months after the husband filed for divorce.


Reconstructive surgery was not possible after Kieu thre the organ down the garbage disposal. Kieu's husband said it felt as if he'd been 'murdered'
Reconstructive surgery was not possible after Kieu thre the organ down the garbage disposal. Kieu's husband said it felt as if he'd been 'murdered'


'I don't think she wanted to get divorced -- that's what it came down to. As far as the reason for it,she was adamant. Maybe this is her way.'

During trial, the 60-year-old victim testified that his penis could not be reattached and that he felt as though he had been murdered.

Deputy District Attorney John Christl told jurors that Kieu, 50, drugged the man's tofu with sleeping pills and screamed 'You deserve it!' before attacking him with a 10-inch kitchen knife.

Kieu was jealous and angry about her husband's plans to divorce her because he was seeing his ex-girlfriend, the prosecution said.

Kieu spiked her husband’s dinner with Ambien, tied him to his bed with nylon ropes and then cut off his penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife, according to prosecutors.

She then threw it in the garbage disposal and turned it on, mutilating the organ, authorities said.
Her husband was treated and released from UC Irvine Medical Center, but doctors were unable to re-attach his penis.

The couple was reportedly going through a divorce at the time, and the defense argued that Kieu was suffering from depression and other mental health issues.

Audio of the incident was captured by a voice-activated recorder Kieu had hidden in the bedroom, Christl said.

'This was a cruel and calculated violation of a person’s body and mind,' the victim, who was not identified, said in an impact statement at the sentencing.

'I now struggle with what is before me. She has torn off my identity as a man,' he said. 'She has caused doubt in my belief in good. She has betrayed my trust in people.'

The victim testified he had spent a few days in a hospital and underwent surgery, but 'not reconstructive surgery.'

The operation was 'to make it usable as far as going to the bathroom.'


Brutal: Kieu spiked her husband¿s dinner with Ambien, tied him to his bed with nylon ropes and then cut off his penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife
Brutal: Kieu spiked her husband¿s dinner with Ambien, tied him to his bed with nylon ropes and then cut off his penis with a 10-inch kitchen knife


The defense argued she 'had a break from reality' on the night of the attack.

Kieu apparently had mental health problems caused by a childhood full of molestation and other trauma in war-torn Vietnam and her husband also constantly demanded sex in ways that caused her pain, her defence lawyer said.

Kieu's public defender, Frank Bittar, said before jury deliberations: 'She's a shattered woman who tried to do the best she could'.

The husband said he remembered waking up tied to the bed. 

During the trial Mr Christl described the scene: 'When he woke, she told him 'You deserve it' three times, and then slices off his penis with one motion of the knife'.

'She then walks into the kitchen, takes the severed penis, and puts it into the garbage disposal.'

'All of a sudden I felt a very sharp pain,' the husband said. 'I will never have a sex life again.'

Bittar agreed that Kieu had a difficult past, but said no one could condone what the victim went through.

PEOPLE - Wife cuts off husband’s penis


















Wife cuts off husband’s penis


June 29, 2013
Kieu drugged her former spouse before tying him up and severing his penis with a knife. She then threw it into the garbage disposal unit.
PHOENIX: A judge sentenced a Southern California woman who cut off her estranged husband’s penis and tossed it in the garbage disposal to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Catherine Kieu, 50, was convicted by an Orange County jury in April of aggravated mayhem and torture following the July 2011 assault on her ex-husband.
Kieu drugged her former spouse before tying him up and severing his penis with a knife. She then threw it into the garbage disposal unit.
An attorney for Vietnam-born Kieu argued at trial that she had suffered sexual abuse as a child which left her with post-traumatic stress. She was remorseful about the attack, he said.
After the sentencing hearing, the victim – identified only as “Glen” – said he wished Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey could have given Kieu more time behind bars, City News Service reported.
“Deep down inside I was hoping for a stronger sentence, but given the restraints of the law this is what he had to do,” he said.
“There may be a situation where I can be happy, but whole? Never … I’ve got a long ways to go.”
- Reuters


29 June 2013

SHOCKING - Central Nigeria ethnic violence kills at least 48: army

















Central Nigeria ethnic violence kills at least 48: army



Map locating Plateau state in Nigeria where gunmen have raided three villages, leaving at least 48 people dead in what appears to be reprisal attacks linked to cattle theft

Raids by gunmen in ethnically divided central Nigeria and gun battles between soldiers and attackers have killed at least 48 people and left dozens of homes burnt, the military said Friday.
The attacks appeared to have been reprisals linked to cattle theft, often the source of friction in the Middle Belt region dividing the mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south of Africa's most populous nation.
Thursday's violence saw gunmen raid three villages in the remote Langtang region of Plateau state, leaving at least 28 residents dead. Homes were also burnt in two other villages, said Captain Salisu Mustapha, spokesman for a military task force in the region.
He did not have a specific number of homes burnt, but said it was around 100. Residents were fleeing the area to find shelter and out of fears of further violence.
According to Mustapha, homes were burnt in areas where the attackers fled by youths seeking revenge against the assailants.
"We now have a total of 48 dead from the attacks on three villages," Mustapha told AFP. He said the dead included 20 assailants killed in an hours-long gun battle by soldiers.
"Two suspected gunmen involved in the attacks were arrested with some arms and their motorcycles," said Mustapha.
The villages attacked were Karkashi, Bolgang and Magama, and residents said the raids followed incidents of cattle rustling.
Herdsmen from the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group were suspected to be behind the raids on the villages populated by the mainly Christian Taroks.
"The attackers withdrew towards Yamini, Yelwa Shendam and Agikamai villages," Mustapha said in a statement later in the day.
"However, some suspected Tarok youths set ablaze some settlements around Yamini and Agikamai while our own personnel were in pursuit of the assailants ..."
He said more troops had been deployed and the situation had been brought under control.
Thousands have been killed in Nigeria's central region in recent years in clashes between Muslim and Christian ethnic groups in a struggle for access to land or local power.
Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, mainly based in the country's northeast, has occasionally carried out violence in the Middle Belt as well, but there was no sign of any link in Thursday's violence.
Nigeria's military is currently engaged in an offensive in the northeast seeking to end Boko Haram's four-year insurgency.

The country includes some 250 ethnic groups, and illegal weapons are widespread. Authorities have been largely unable to stop such violent flare-ups.

WOMEN - Eating two portions of oily fish could protect women against breast cancer

















Eating two portions of oily fish could protect women against breast cancer



  • -  Omega-3 fatty acids can cut breast cancer risk by up to 14 per cent
  • -  Oily fish is the best source - but two thirds of adults never eat it
  • -  Also essential for brain development and reducing inflammation




Appealing: Research has found eating salmon can reduce women's chance of breast cancer by up to 14 per cent
Appealing: Research has found eating salmon can reduce women's chance of breast cancer by up to 14 per cent
Women eating two helpings a week of oily fish such as salmon may gain protection against breast cancer, claim researchers.

A major review of studies found adding this amount of fish to the diet cuts the breast cancer risk by up to 14 per cent.

Fish supplies omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain development and also thought to reduce inflammation of the brain, cardiovascular system and other cells.

But surveys suggest nine out of 10 children and two-thirds of adults in Britain never bother to eat it.

The best dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids is oily fish because the human body cannot produce them.

Almost 50,000 women in the UK develop breast cancer each year, and the rate is rising.

Previous research has suggested that omega-3 is the most promising type of fat to cut cancer risk, but results have been inconsistent.

A team of researchers based in China set out to investigate the link between fish and omega-3 intake and the risk of breast cancer.

They measured intake from both dietary sources and blood tests, according to a report in the British Medical Journal.

They reviewed and analysed the results of 26 studies from the United States, Europe and Asia involving over 800,000 participants and over 20,000 cases of breast cancer.

The latest study found an extra 0.1 g or 0.1 per cent of energy per day derived from omega-3 fatty acids in fish was linked with a five per cent reduction in risk.

Overall, omega-3 fatty acids from fish sources was linked with a 14 per cent cut in breast cancer between the highest and lowest levels of intake.

The risk was lowest in Asian populations, probably because fish intake is much higher in Asia than in western countries, say the authors.

Further analysis suggested that more protection came from eating more oily fish - an extra 0.1 g or 0.1 per cent of energy per day derived from omega-3 fatty acids in fish was linked with a five per cent reduction in risk.

To achieve this level of risk reduction, women should eat one to two portions a week of oily fish such as salmon, tuna or sardines.


Reduced risk: Almost 50,000 women develop breast cancer each year - but new research suggests more omega-3 in their diet can help
Reduced risk: Almost 50,000 women develop breast cancer each year - but new research suggests more omega-3 in their diet can help


The authors say their analysis, together with previous publications, supports a ‘protective role’ of omega-3 fatty acids from fish on the incidence of breast cancer.

    They say the study provides ‘solid and robust evidence’ which could be enhanced by additional research comparing women’s omega-3 dietary intake and breast cancer incidence, it says.

    Britons are currently advised to eat fish at least twice a week, including one portion of oily fish. A portion is 140g or six ounces.

    The human body cannot produce omega-3 fatty acids and the best dietary source is oily fish.
    Types of fish that contain high levels include tuna, salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and anchovies.

    White fish is also a healthy food including cod, haddock and plaice although it contains lower levels of essential fatty acids.

    Katherine Woods, Research Information Manager at Breast Cancer Campaign said the research may have failed to account for women with healthier diets being leaner.

    She said ‘While this research reported a reduction in breast cancer risk of 14 per cent for women consuming the highest levels of a particular type of fatty acid, it is important to note that body mass index (BMI) was not factored into the findings which could go some way to explaining this link.

    ‘Further research is needed in order to understand any links between BMI, fatty acids found in fish and breast cancer risk.

    ‘Maintaining a healthy weight, exercise and reducing alcohol intake can help reduce the risk of breast cancer and other diseases.’

    Sally Greenbrook, Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s Senior Policy Officer said ‘It’s difficult to say with any certainty which foods or dietary factors have an impact on breast cancer risk, since we all eat a variety of different foods, and our diet changes over our lifetime.

    ‘The study found that fatty acids found in fish could be associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, but there’s not enough evidence yet to suggest eating fish will reduce a person’s individual risk. However, we do recommend that all people eat a healthy balanced diet for their general health and wellbeing, of which fish can certainly form a part.’


    28 June 2013

    PEOPLE - The girl who cries tears of BLOOD

















    The girl who cries tears of BLOOD: Doctors mystified by rare condition



    • -  Yaritza Oliva, from Chile, developed the condition earlier this month
    • -  The 20-year-old now bleeds from her eyes several times a day
    • -  She said that the the pain in her eyes is ‘indescribable’
    • -  Parents have appealed for help raising funds to send her to an eye expert




    Doctors have been left mystified after a 20-year-old woman in Chile started crying blood.

    Yaritza Oliva developed the condition earlier this month, and now bleeds from her eyes several times a day.

    Miss Oliva, who lives in Purranque, Chile, said that the pain is ‘indescribable’, The Sun reported.


    Scroll down for video 

    Yaritza Oliva recently started crying blood and has doctors baffled
    Yaritza Oliva recently started crying blood and has doctors baffled


    The 20-year-old said that the pain in her eyes is 'indescribable'
    The 20-year-old said that the pain in her eyes is 'indescribable'


    When she visited the doctor no infection was found so she was sent home with eye drops.

      But, her parents, who cannot afford to send her to an appropriate medical expert, have asked friends and neighbours to help them raise funds for her.

      Father, Jose, made an appeal on a local news programme.



      Her family is asking for financial help so she can undergo treatment from appropriate experts
      Her family is asking for financial help so she can undergo treatment from appropriate experts


      Doctors believe it may be a case of haemolacria, a condition that has only been diagnosed three times before
      Doctors believe it may be a case of haemolacria, a condition that has only been diagnosed three times before


      WHAT IS HAEMOLACRIA?

      Haemolacria is the condition that makes sufferers cry tears of blood.

      The tears can either have a red tinge or appear as though they are entirely made of blood.

      While the visual impact of haemolacria is powerful and may be very scary, it is not always cause for concern.

      It is a symptom of many diseases and may be indicative of a tumour in the system that produces tears.

      It can also be provoked by conjunctivitis, environmental damage or injuries.

      There have been cases of Haemolacria induced by hormones in grown women.

      Some researchers suggest that it is connected to extreme stress or psychological upset.
      The carpenter said: ‘Please put your hands over your hearts, see our situation and help my daughter.’

      Some experts have suggested that Miss Oliva has a condition called haemolacria.

      The rare condition causes sufferers to cry tears of blood. 

      Haemolacria can indicate a more serious illness, such as a tumour and can be caused by high levels of hormones in women.

      A teenage boy was diagnosed with haemolacria in 2009 after he cried blood three times a day.

      Calvino Inman, 15, from Tennessee, said that he had no warning when the tears were about to occur.

      He said that sometimes he could not feel them, and others it was like a burning sensation.

      He and his mother appeared on television to appeal for help, but they did not find a cure.
      Very little is known of the condition.


      the 20-year-old now cries tears of blood several times every day and is in an extreme amount of pain
      the 20-year-old now cries tears of blood several times every day and is in an extreme amount of pain


      Miss Oliva is desperate for help from doctors and her family hope to raise the funds needed to send her
      Miss Oliva is desperate for help from doctors and her family hope to raise the funds needed to send her

      WOMEN - Women in their 30s and 40s are TWICE as likely to contract cancer than men

















      Women in their 30s and 40s are TWICE as likely to contract cancer than men - with breast cancer largely to blame 



      • -  Breast cancer is main reason this subgroup have a higher risk of the disease
      • -  Overall, men have a 14% greater chance of getting any form of cancer 
      • -  People living in the North of the country more likely to develop the disease 


      Women in their late 30s and early 40s are twice as likely as men to develop cancer, new figures have revealed.

      Breast cancer is the main reason for the increased risk among women aged between 35 and 44, according to the data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

      This form of the disease accounted for 30.7 per cent of all new cancer cases recorded in 2011.


      Gender disparity: Map shows have cancer rates among men and women diverge more as people age, with men having a 14 per cent greater lifetime risk
      Gender disparity: Map shows have cancer rates among men and women diverge more as people age, with men having a 14 per cent greater lifetime risk


      While the report found that women have a higher chance of cancer earlier in life, men have a higher lifetime risk of getting the disease, the study found. 

      For men, the most common type of cancer was of the prostate, which accounted for 25.6 per cent of new cases.

      The figures show there is little difference between men and women for other commonly reported cases of cancer.

        Lung cancer was the second most prevalent type of the disease in 2011, accounting for 13.8 per cent of new cases in men and 11.6 per cent among women.

        Bowel cancer was the third most common form of the disease, with rates of 13.6 per cent and 11.2 per cent among men and women, respectively.

        The data also shows that older people and those living in the north of the country have a higher risk of contracting the disease.

        Cancer incidence was higher than expected for both sexes in the north of England, and for women in the East Midlands and South West regions.

        In the older age groups, rates of cancer in 2011 were higher in males than in females - 37 per cent higher in those aged 65 to 69, and 63 per cent higher in those aged 85 and over.

        Cancers caused by unhealthy lifestyles, such as drinking and smoking, have seen a rise of up to two-thirds in the last decade. Malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer, which affects many young people – rose more than any other type in the past decade, by 66 per cent.


        Rates: Map shows highest incidence of cancer among men
        Rates: Map shows highest incidence of cancer among men in cities in the north east and north west. Interactive map on the ONS website shows how rates for men and women have changed across the country


        Cancers to see a decline in the number of new reported cases in 2011 included ovarian and stomach cancers.

        Nick Orminston-Smith, statistical information manager at Cancer Research UK, told The Independent: 'Even though you're more likely to get breast cancer when you're older there are some younger women who contract it.

        'Overall, however, men are more likely to get cancer than women across all ages. You're about 14 per cent more likely to develop cancer at some point if you're a man.'

        In 2011, some 139,120 men in the UK were registered as having cancer, compared with 135,113 women. Figures for both genders are expected to rise with the inclusion of additional hospital admissions.

        Ciarán Devane, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, pointed out in the newspaper that in the last ten years, cancer rates have soared by nearly a fifth. He said the figures were 'startling'.

        Mr Devaneadded that it was important to highlight that among cancer types there was a huge amount of variation and the reasons cancer affects some subgroup more than others were extremely complex and not fully understood.


        Cancer rates among men and women and across different forms of the disease


        Cancer rates among men and women and across different forms of the disease
        To view which areas in England have the highest rates of cancer, for men and women, visit the ONS website.

        PEOPLE - Little boxes on the hillside... home to 40,000 Buddhist monks

















        Little boxes on the hillside... home to 40,000 Buddhist monks: The stunning makeshift town that has sprung up around a Tibetan monastery



        • - The remote settlement located in the Larung Valley, Serthar County of Garze 
        •    Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in China

        • The thousands of tiny homes sprawled up the mountainside form one of the world's largest Buddhist institutes



        Nestled amid the rolling mountains, deep within the Larung Gar Valley, thousands of tiny wooden homes form one of the world's largest Buddhist institutes.

        The remote but sprawling settlement is found at elevations of 12,500ft and is home to over 40,000 monks, nuns and religious students.

        It is located in the Larung Valley, Serthar County of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in China.


        The sprawling hillside settlement of Larung Gar, home to Serthar Buddhist Institute, in the traditional Tibetan region of Kham
        The sprawling hillside settlement of Larung Gar, home to Serthar Buddhist Institute, in the traditional Tibetan region of Kham


        The thousands of tiny homes sprawl up a mountainside forming one of the world's largest Buddhist Institutes
        The thousands of tiny homes sprawl up a mountainside forming one of the world's largest Buddhist Institutes


        The remote settlement is found at elevations of 12,500ft and is home to over 40,000 monks, nuns and religious students
        The remote settlement is found at elevations of 12,500ft and is home to over 40,000 monks, nuns and religious students


        The homes are predominantly made out of wood. Each one is built so close to the next that they all begin to merge into rows of homes
        The homes are predominantly made out of wood. Each one is built so close to the next that they all begin to merge into rows of homes


        It is said to have sprung up from a handful of settlers into the sprawling town that now occupies vast areas of hilly terrain.

        At the focal point is a giant Buddhist monastery - the Serthar Buddhist Institute - with a huge wall separating the monks from the nuns.

          The homes are predominantly made out of wood. Each one is built so close to the next that they all begin to merge into rows of homes.


          Located in a valley, the town allegedly sprung up from a handful of settlers into the sprawling town that now occupies vast areas of hilly terrain
          Located in a valley, the town allegedly sprung up from a handful of settlers into the sprawling town that now occupies vast areas of hilly terrain


          The tiny homes are predominantly made out of wood and are almost identical to each other
          The tiny homes are predominantly made out of wood and are almost identical to each other


          At the focal point is a giant monastery - with a huge wall separating the monks from the nuns
          At the focal point is a giant monastery - with a huge wall separating the monks from the nuns


          Japanese photographer Shinya Itahana, 33, visited the Larung Gar Valley a number of times to capture the eye-catching town in both summer and winter
          Japanese photographer Shinya Itahana, 33, visited the Larung Gar Valley a number of times to capture the eye-catching town in both summer and winter


          The sprawling settlement of homes are a beautiful sight. The photographer said the makeshift town is 'a very welcoming place as long as you do not disturb the peaceful atmosphere'
          The sprawling settlement of homes are a beautiful sight. The photographer said the makeshift town is 'a very welcoming place as long as you do not disturb the peaceful atmosphere'


          But the one to three roomed dwellings do not have their own toilets - instead communal ones have been built for the 40,000 plus residents.

          Japanese photographer Shinya Itahana, 33, visited the Larung Gar Valley a number of times to capture the eye-catching town in both summer and winter.

          He said: 'It is a very welcoming place as long as you do not disturb the peaceful atmosphere. It has become a bit of a tourist attraction - not just with pilgrims but some foreigners too.'

          Reaching the picturesque hillside town is not an easy task, with the nearest large city, Chengdu, being located around 400 miles away.

          The journey by car can take around 13 - 15 hours. Shinya added: 'During the winter months it can take longer, around a day, because the road conditions are so poor.'

          But that has not stopped people flooding to the Buddhist institute to study Tibetan Buddhism.


          Some of the thousands of monks gather outside the settlement of Larung Gar. It is home to Serthar Buddhist Institute
          Some of the thousands of monks gather outside the settlement of Larung Gar. It is home to Serthar Buddhist Institute


          Tibetan monks gather during a lecture at the Institute. Hundreds of people flooded to the Buddhist institute to study Tibetan Buddhism
          Tibetan monks gather during a lecture at the Institute. Hundreds of people flooded to the Buddhist institute to study Tibetan Buddhism


          Reaching the picturesque hillside town is not an easy task, with the nearest large city, Chengdu, being located around 400 miles away. But that has not deterred the crowds from making the pilgrimage
          Reaching the picturesque hillside town is not an easy task, with the nearest large city, Chengdu, being located around 400 miles away. But that has not deterred the crowds from making the pilgrimage


          Tibetan monks, armed with cans and umbrellas, collect water from a communal well
          Tibetan monks, armed with cans and umbrellas, collect water from a communal well


          A typical street scene at the settlement. The one to three roomed dwellings do not have their own toilets - instead communal ones have been built for the 40,000 plus residents
          A typical street scene at the settlement. The one to three roomed dwellings do not have their own toilets - instead communal ones have been built for the 40,000 plus residents