Mum-to-be with HIV who says it's not the end of the world if baby gets it too as having the virus 'wouldn't affect my child's life'

Amanda Mammadova was diagnosed with HIV in 2010 - three months after meeting her now husband Ali, 29

The virus was passed on unknowingly by her ex-partner  

They married eight months later and decided they wanted to try for a baby

34-year-old said she tried to persuade her husband to opt for insemination

But he wanted the couple to conceive naturally, despite the risk

Mrs Mammadova's viral load - the amount of HIV in her blood - is very low

It means there is a very low risk of passing the virus through sex

She doesn't need anti-viral medication yet, but has regular check-ups

She is pregnant with the couple's second baby - who is due in June

Their daughter Saabria is HIV negative as is Mr Mammadova

At 20 weeks' pregnant Mrs Mammadova will start to take anti-viral medication to help reduce the chance of passing the virus to her baby

A mother with HIV is pregnant with her second baby since diagnosis – despite the risk of passing the virus to her child or husband.

Amanda Mammadova said ‘it wouldn’t be the end of the world’ if her baby is born with the illness, adding: ‘Having HIV wouldn’t affect my child’s life.’

The 34-year-old personal trainer was diagnosed with the virus in 2010 – just three months after meeting her husband, Turkish native Ali, 29. She contracted the virus from an ex-partner who unknowingly had the disease, and although she feared her new boyfriend would call off their relationship, he vowed to support her. They married eight months later

Amanda Mammadova, who is HIV positive, is pregnant with her second child after she and her husband Ali chose to try and conceive naturally, having done so with their daughter Saabria

Mrs Mammadova, from Milton Keynes, already has a 14-year-old daughter from a previous relationship but her husband agreed to risk getting HIV so they could have a baby together.

The couple naturally conceived their now 21-month-old daughter, Saabria, who was born HIV-free. Despite having unprotected sex, her husband did not contract the virus either.

They decided to try for a second baby – and are now expecting their new arrival in June.

If an HIV-positive mother takes the appropriate anti-viral drugs during pregnancy and labour and does not breast-feed, the risk of transmitting the virus to her child is around 1 per cent

Mrs Mammadova 's viral load - the amount of HIV in her blood - is low, meaning the risk of transmission during sex is low. The couple's daughter Saabria was born HIV negative and Mr Mammadova has regular tests

Mrs Mammadova 's viral load - the amount of HIV in her blood - is low, meaning the risk of transmission during sex is low. The couple's daughter Saabria was born HIV negative and Mr Mammadova has regular tests

Mr Mammadova is waiting for a test to establish if he has contracted the virus while the couple were trying for their second child, who is due in June

And for Mrs Mammadova, this risk is further reduced given that she is an ‘elite controller’ – meaning her immune system is ultra-effective at controlling the virus. Such patients are said to have a very low risk of passing on HIV to partners during sex or during pregnancy to an unborn child.

Both mother and baby will also be given a course of anti-HIV treatment upon birth, which will help reduce the risks of transmission. But Mrs Mammadova admitted that there is still a chance the virus could be passed on to her husband or child.

If either were to contract the virus, they would have virtually the same life-expectancy as someone without it – but they would have to spend the rest of their lives on daily medication, with regular GP check-ups.

If their immune system is badly compromised – through developing another illness, for example – it could develop into AIDS, the later stage of the illness, where life expectancy is on average three years.

Mrs Mammadova said that while she would rather her child was born without the virus, she added: ‘I wouldn’t be devastated if my child had HIV. It isn’t a death sentence any more. It wouldn’t hold them back and they would go on to achieve everything they wanted.

When Mrs Mammadova is 20 weeks' pregnant she will begin to take anti-retroviral drugs to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to her unborn baby. The drugs reduce the risk to less than 0.5 per cent, experts say

Mrs Mammadova said she tried to persuade her husband to opt for insemination but he refused and was adamant he wanted them to conceive naturally like a normal couple despite the low risk of transmission

‘It hasn’t ruined my life – in fact, it has got better since my diagnosis. Having HIV isn’t the end of the world, it’s something that you live with. It doesn’t define who you are.’

Mrs Mammadova said her husband is tested for HIV every six months. ‘Ali has always supported me and is willing to get HIV in order for us to be a normal couple,’ she added.

‘He reassured me he wasn’t bothered whether he contracted HIV or not as I was his wife ... he wanted us to conceive naturally.

‘I had always wanted a family but when I was first diagnosed I thought my chances had been destroyed.

‘I also have an older daughter and I was worried I wouldn’t see her grow up but doctors … gave me hope for the future.

‘I want other people to understand the importance of getting checked. Diagnosing HIV in the early stages saves lives.

‘I hope my story shows people that the disease doesn’t need to hold you back.’

Daisy Ellis, acting policy director at the Terrence Higgins Trust, an HIV awareness charity, said: ‘The strength of our antenatal screening programme means the UK has one of the lowest rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission in the world.

‘If a woman with HIV wants to start a family, the NHS will take every measure possible to stop the virus being passed on.’ 

By LUCY OSBORNE FOR THE DAILY MAIL

The General Overseer of the Kingdom of God Conscious Movement International, 65-year-old Rev Lord Ojeee, also known as Nduwusi Kanu, has been arrested for masterminding the kidnap and murder of the former Chairman of Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, Hon. Godwin Igbo.

According to the Sun, the cleric has hired a gang of kidnappers for a fee of N2m for the abduction of 70-year-old Igbo over an alleged land dispute and chieftaincy title of Eze Agu Nechenba 1 of Ikpoeze 1 of Arondizuogu community in Imo State.

Reportedly, the former council boss was killed and buried in a shallow grave in a thick forest at Lokpanta, Abia State by his abductors.

Two of the kidnappers have been arrested. One of them is a nephew to Rev Lord Ojee, 22-year-old Adindu Chukwu a.k.a. Alhaji, and the second is a 27-year-old Udoh Amaechi Oko. They collected N500,000 as ransom from the family of the deceased even after he was murdered.

Lord Ojee

Chukwu confessed that it was Lord Ojee, who sent them to kidnap the late Godwin Igbo. This in turn led to the arrest Rev Lord Ojee at Uratta road junction, Aba/Port Harcourt road, Aba. All the suspects, the police boss confirmed, are now at the Anti-Kidnapers Squad’s custody where they have allegedly confessed to the crime. Details on the Sun.

Bill Cosby Cries On Stage But More About Jello Than Women

Bill Cosby placed his head in his hands and sobbed at his concert Friday night -- then shouted, "it wasn't my fault" and "I didn't know, I didn't know" ... but it wasn't a confession.

Cosby took to the stage at the King Center in Melbourne, Florida -- after 5 other venues dropped him -- and performed to a packed house that was eating out of his hand.

Bill told a story about his granddaughter's birthday party and began to fake cry on-stage.  The Jello reference at the end of the bit got roars from the crowd, which ended up giving him a standing O.

Before the show ... Bill told a local reporter, "I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn't have to answer to innuendos. People should fact check. People shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos."

Culled from TMZ

Heavily pregnant woman and her partner caught having sex in hospital bed while waiting to have their baby induced

Heavily pregnant woman and partner caught having sex on maternity ward

Cleaner heard moaning coming from a private room and told her bosses 

But the cleaner was told there are no rules against having sex on the ward 

Hospital's policy is for frisky couples to put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside

Sex is rumoured to help induce labour for some women, as is spicy food

A heavily pregnant woman and her partner were caught having sex in a hospital bed while waiting to have their baby induced.

The mother and father were discovered by a cleaner who heard moaning coming from a private room on the maternity ward.

The worker told hospital bosses what she had found but was informed there are no rules against having sex on the ward at St Michael's Hospital, in Bristol.

A heavily pregnant woman and her partner were caught having sex at St Michael's Hospital (pictured), in Bristol, while waiting to have their baby induced

The hospital's policy is for frisky couples to put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, The Sun reported. 

A hospital source said: 'Other patients on the unit heard the commotion and were upset. The cleaner was utterly shocked.

'She was amazed to be told it was OK. The hospital's advice appears to be just to put a sign up - amazing.'

Like herbal remedies and eating spicy food, sex is said to help induce labour in some cases.

However, NHS advice says: 'You may have heard that certain things can trigger labour, such as herbal supplements and having sex, but there is no evidence that these work.

'Having sex won't cause harm, but you should avoid having sex if your waters have broken as there is an increased risk of infection.' 

A cleaner at the hospital caught the couple having sex after hearing moaning coming from a private room on the maternity ward at St Michael's Hospital, Bristol (file picture)

A hospital spokeswoman said: 'Staff work hard to ensure privacy and dignity is maintained for all patients.

'Thankfully, we have not received any complaints or concerns in regard to this matter.'

Last year, St Michael's Hospital was criticised for allowing a mother to bring a dog into the maternity ward so it could watch her give birth. 

The unusual presence was criticised amid claims that no special cleaning took place after the two-hour birth.

Managers justified the extraordinary action by saying that Barney, believed to be a Labrador, was a certified 'therapy dog' who had witnessed many births and had a 'calming presence'.

Rita Edmond Singer Opens Up On Being ‘Pregnant’ For Phyno

The singer opens up in an interview on how the “pregnancy” boosted her career and how she would react if Phyno asked

                    Rita Edmond has been romantically linked to rapper, Phyno

 (The Sun)

Upcoming, singer Rita Edmond became popular after rumours hinted that she was romantically involved with rapper, Phyno and had even gotten pregnant for him.

The singer opens up in an interview with The Sun on how the “pregnancy” boosted her career and how she would react if Phyno asked her out.

Excerpts below:

How did the pregnancy rumour for Phyno affect you and how did you cope with it?

The Phyno saga actually hit me like a ton of bricks! I had no idea where the story came from. It was so embarrassing. People kept calling to ask if I was actually pregnant for Phyno. The news was everywhere.

It went viral on social media. Honestly, I laughed when the first person mentioned it. I thought it was just a joke until she told me it was a hot item in the news. I was shocked when I saw my picture and Phyno’s on social media stating the heartbreaking rumour. I actually cried because of the dirt on my image as a young lady. But I have put it behind me and moved on.

Are you saying you were not in any relationship with Phyno?

I never dated Phyno and I don’t intend to go into a romantic relationship with him. But, he is a nice and handsome guy even if I have a crush on him; it will be because of his style of music.

What if he decides to go into a relationship with you?

Let him come and ask me out then we will find out (laughter).

How did that rumour transform your career?

It affected my career positively. People were happy because Phyno is loved by many. In fact, I won’t mince words because the experience opened doors for me. Wherever I go, before I say Jackie Robinson, people ask ‘Are you Rita Edmond, Phyno’s girlfriend?’ And I tell them that no, I am Rita Edmond but I am not dating Phyno. They give me preferential treatment whereever I go. It has actually helped me to make meaningful friendships in the entertainment industry.

Who is the guy after your heart?

Honestly, I have someone in my life but it is my private life. Most people have been asking on social media if the guy in the video of Lovy Lovy is my man. Let me state here categorically that he is not my boyfriend but a model.

What is your ideal man like?

(Smiles) My ideal man has to be good looking, hardworking, should have a clear, smooth skin and a sense of purpose, and above all, he must be God fearing.

Tambuwal to police IG: I’m ready for your arrest

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal

Embattled Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has told the country’s police boss, Suleiman Abba, that he was not afraid of the police.

Tambuwal, who slammed the police force for its shameful showing at the National Assembly where men of the force engaged in a futile effort to bar the Speaker and his supporting legislators from presiding and attending the sitting called to discuss a request by President Goodluck Jonathan, said he would honour any legal invitation by the police.

The police IG, it was reported, has ordered that the Speaker be invited concerning the near fracas that broke out at the National Assembly on Thursday.

In a statement on Saturday signed by Imam Imam, Tambuwal’s media aide, the Speaker said it was a shame to know that the police that is supposed to be a neutral institution, suddenly took upon itself the toga of illegality and partisanship in the country.

“The attention of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal CFR, has been drawn to publications in the media to the effect that the Inspector General of Police has ordered that he, Speaker, be invited to the Force Headquarters and that he be arrested if he resisted.

“The Speaker wishes to state that he is a law abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who has no immunity against arrest and prosecution except privileges as may be provided by the Legislative Powers and Privileges Act.

“Accordingly, the Speaker states for the records that he is available, ready and willing to answer any lawful invitation from any of the security agencies on any matter for which they may require his attention.

“The Speaker expresses dismay at the unprofessional conduct of the Nigerian Police in the attempt to stop him from accessing the House of Representatives chambers on the 20 November 2014 to preside over the Special Session of the House on the State of Emergency Extension requested by Mr President, for which he had recalled members from their working recess.

“Most disgraceful is the false statement later issued by the Police in which they claimed that in the lawful exercise of their duties ‘Alh Aminu Tambuwal CFR, arrived the venue with a motley crowd, who broke the cordon, assaulted the Police and evaded due process’. 

“This blatant falsehood coming from a law enforcement agency that is expected to be neutral and lawful, is unfortunate, to say the least.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Hon Speaker came to National Assembly accompanied by Hon Members as is customary during any sitting of the House. They all came with their official vehicles but were disallowed from driving into the premises. 

“Certainly Honourable members, who arrived the precinct of the National Assembly in response to a call to perform an urgent, critical national assignment, cannot be described by any self respecting institution as ‘a motley crowd’.”

Chaz B died on Saturday, November 22 after a prolonged battle with kidney disease.

                     

               Popular On Air Personality, Charles Bruce, aka Chaz B is dead

(Twitter)

Popular On Air Personality, Charles Bruce, aka Chaz B is dead.

He is said to have passed away on the morning of Saturday, November 22 after a prolonged battle with kidney disease.

He was a relationship coach and the anchor of 'Sharing Life Issues', a programme on Rhythm FM.

He is survived by his wife and children. May his soul rest in peace.

NEW YORK (AP) — A rookie police officer walking with his gun drawn in a darkened stairwell of a crime-ridden public housing complex accidentally shot and killed a man who was leaving the building with his girlfriend, authorities said Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — A rookie police officer walking with his gun drawn in a darkened stairwell of a crime-ridden public housing complex accidentally shot and killed a man who was leaving the building with his girlfriend, authorities said.

“What happened last night was a very unfortunate tragedy,” Police Commissioner William Bratton said. “The deceased is totally innocent. He just happened to be in the hallway. He was not engaged in any criminal activity.”

The shooting of 28-year-old Akai Gurley, who was unarmed, occurred late Thursday night as 26-year-old Officer Peter Liang and another rookie officer patrolled the Louis Pink Houses in Brooklyn’s gritty East New York neighborhood.

The New York Police Department assigns rookie officers as reinforcements in parts of the city that have seen increases in crime. The housing project, where Gurley’s girlfriend lives, was the scene of a recent shooting, robberies and assaults.

The officers had descended onto an eighth-floor landing when, 14 steps away, Gurley and his girlfriend had opened a door into the seventh-floor landing after giving up their wait for the elevator so he could head to the lobby. The lights were burned out in the stairwell, leaving it “pitch black” and prompting both officers to use flashlights, Bratton said.

Liang, for reasons unclear, also had his gun drawn, police said. He was about 10 feet from Gurley when, without a word and apparently by accident, he fired a shot, police said. In general, officers have discretion on whether to draw their weapons based on what they are encountering or believe they may encounter, Bratton said.

Gurley’s girlfriend, Melissa Butler, told the Daily News she was walking him out of her seventh-floor apartment after braiding his hair when the shooting happened.

“He didn’t do nothing wrong,” Butler said. “He was just standing there, and they shot him.”

She and Gurley made it down two flights of stairs after he was shot, but he collapsed on the fifth-floor landing and lost consciousness, she said.

Gurley was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died, police said.

Gurley’s stepfather, Kenneth Palmer, said officials called his relatives in Jacksonville, Florida, to notify them of the death.

“What’s hitting me on the head right now is how it happened,” Palmer said. “The mood I’m in is pissed off.”

Gurley’s sister and his daughter’s mother, who is not his girlfriend, were to speak Saturday at the Harlem headquarters of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.

Police officials pieced together the details of the shooting from radio reports and interviews with the girlfriend and the second officer, but they said they have not spoken to Liang. The officer must first be interviewed by the district attorney’s office, which will decide whether to file criminal charges, before internal affairs officers can question him, a standard policy.

The shooting comes at a time when the NYPD, the nation’s biggest police department, is changing how rookie officers are used fresh out of the academy to give them more training and time with more senior officers. It also reinforced what some critics say are long-ignored maintenance problems in public housing, including poor lighting.

Public housing employees walked around the buildings Friday with a shopping cart full of light strips and fixed all the lights on the staircase.

The president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, Patrick J. Lynch, said the complex is among the most dangerous in the city and the stairwells are the most dangerous places in public housing.

State Assemblyman-elect Charles Barron, whose district includes the complex, expressed doubt the shooting was accidental.

“This young man should be alive today,” he said. “This is ridiculous.”

The shooting recalled a 2004 incident in which 19-year-old Timothy Stansbury was shot dead by a startled officer on a Brooklyn rooftop of a housing complex. His family got a $2 million settlement with the city.

Venice Is Banning All Wheeled Suitcas

We might be seeing a lot more boats carrying bags in Venice next year. (Photo: Graeme Churchard/Flickr)

Here’s bad news for visitors to Venice, and good news for entrepreneurs and chiropractors: roller suitcases are soon to be illegal in the Italian city.

 The Venice City Council has announced that beginning May 2015, any tourist seen using a bag with hard wheels will be subject to a fine of 500 Euros (about $620), in the name of decreasing noise pollution for locals and wear and tear to the old city’s delicate streets and bridges.

So anyone unable to shlep their bags over their backs to their hotel, or carry them with the handles like people did in the 70s, is going to need some help – many parts of Venice aren’t accessible to cars.

And the real kicker, according to the local newspaper that reported this? Locals are exempt from the law.

Venice’s streets are pretty, but delicate. (Photo: Thinkstock)

The City Council’s solution to the ban is that it’s OK to use bags with inflatable tires – too bad no such bag exists yet.

According to the local Il Gazzettino newspaper, city officials say the ban will be a relief for local residents and shopkeepers who were suffering “serious discomfort” from the daily cacophony of bag wheels. They also noted “progressive deterioration” of the city’s fragile infrastructure.

Some initial reactions to the news over Twitter:

We couldn’t find a similar ban in any other city, but Venice does have a unique conflict in balancing tourism with preservation – the city gets over 20 million visitors a year, and with its cobblestone streets and rising water levels, it’s delicate. Venice already moved to ban large cruise ships from its lagoon this year for environmental reasons.

You’ll have to pick a direction other than Venice now. (Photo: Thinkstock)

TERROR ATTACK: AL SHABAAB kill 32 Kenyan Christians in Mandera after aWARNING

A Nairobi bound bus was on Saturday morning hijacked by men believed to be Al Shabaab militia, who killed 32 people who failed to recite the Quran.

LONDON: GEJ Blasts Media, Claims Victory Over Terrorism

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday said the Federal Government is winning the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency and took a swipe at sections of the media over the crisis.

Vanguard reports that the President made the assertion in London while speaking at the opening of the meeting of Nigeria’s Honorary International Investment Council (HIIC).

He told the gathering that the Nigerian Armed Forces and security operatives were working hard to make sure the sect do not seize anymore town in the troubled north-eastern part of the country.

   Goodluck Jonathan

“We are improving on security. For about a week now there have been no reports of Boko Haram seizing more territories. Rather, we are steadily pushing them back. The impression being created by sections of the media that the situation is worsening is not true. I can assure you that it will never get worse,” Jonathan said.

Mr. President promised the gathering that the country’s security operatives were making huge success in recovering areas recently taken by Boko Haram, and used the medium to solicit for greater support from the National Assembly for the Federal Government’s efforts to curb terrorism, insurgency and insecurity in the country.

Jonathan explained to members of the council headed by Baroness Lynda Chalker that he decided to offere himself as a candidate in Nigeria’s next presidential elections because he was convinced that with four more years in office, he will be able to further consolidate the positive national reforms initiated by his administration and take them to a point of irreversibility for the good of all Nigerians.

“As you already know, I have indicated my willingness to carry on for another four years if I am given the opportunity so that we can carry forward some of the reforms we have been talking about,” he said.

The President listed the expansion of transportation infrastructure, improvement of local content in Nigeria’s oil industry, more inclusive economic growth, job creation and national security which are on the agenda of the meeting as some of the sections in which his administration still hoped to achieve further improvements.

Below is an except from President Jonathan’s speech:

“We cannot move the economy forward without good infrastructure. We have been working very hard in that area. We have improved our road network significantly. In the next three to four years, we should be able to resurface almost all federal roads in the country and begin new ones. We are improving our airport terminals and aviation security. Reforms are also ongoing at our ports to drastically reduce the time required for import clearance formalities. In the rail sector, we may require private sector funds to quicken the pace of development. Our goal is to link all state capitals by rail. It may not be an objective that can be achieved by a single administration, but we want to lay a solid foundation that others can build on. We are also promoting the increase of local content in our oil industry, because that is the only way in which our people will benefit more from the industry and begin to see themselves as true stakeholders who need to protect and help in the development of our oil and gas resources,” Jonathan said.

the council and Baroness Chalker for their valued advice to the Nigerian government over the years.

Meanwhile, the meeting after the President’s speech went into a closed door session to receive briefings, updates and presentations from relevant ministers and council members.

However, the President’s statements underscored the menace of the Boko Haram insurgency that has been capturing towns and slaughtering innocent citizens in the north-eastern part of the country.

The situation became very worrisome at a time when towns were being captured by the sect members almost on a daily bases, but for a short period that no town has fallen into the hands of the extremist, the President in his relief had to included it in his speech in London.

 

Complaint-law-order-actress-writes-i-was-instructed-to-never-tell-anyone-what-we-did-together

Michelle Hurd is a terrific actress who’s appeared as a series regular on “Law & Order SVU,” “90210,” “Gossip Girl,” among other shows. She posted this on Facebook last night. I hesitated to re-post it without her permission, but the story has traveled now. It’s brave of her, like all the other women, to tell the story at all.

Here’s the post:

LOOK, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I can’t believe some of the things i’ve been reading, SO here is MY personal experience:
I did stand-in work on The Cosby show back in the day and YES, Bill Cosby was VERY inappropriate with me. It started innocently, lunch in his dressing room, daily, then onto weird acting exercises were he would move his hands up and down my body, (can’t believe I fell for that) I was instructed to NEVER tell anyone what we did together, (he said other actors would become jealous) and then fortunately, I dodged the ultimate bullet with him when he asked me to come to his house, take a shower so we could blow dry my hair and see what it looked like straightened. At that point my own red flags went off and I told him,
“No, I’ll just come to work tomorrow with my hair straightened”.
I then started to take notice and found another actress, a stand-in as well, and we started talking….. A LOT …. turns out he was doing the same thing to her, almost by the numbers, BUT, she did go to his house and because I will not name her, and it is her story to tell, all I’ll say is she awoke, after being drugged, vomited, and then Cosby told her there’s a cab waiting for you outside.

I have ABSOLUTELY no reason to lie or make up this up!
Anyone that knows me, knows that!

Now you have a first hand account of my experience with Mr. Cosby.

Gas Blast at Hyatt Hotel in London Hurts 12 Workers

were injured when a gas explosion rocked a five-star hotel in London Friday, authorities said. The Hyatt Regency Churchill in London in the central part of the city was evacuated and around 80 firefighters rushed to the scene after the 11:40 p.m. blast, which occurred in the basement level of the building, London Fire Brigade officials said.

Hyatt Regency said in a statement that the twelve injured were hotel employees, that no guests were injured, and that the 500 displaced guests were placed in other hotels.

Nine people were treated at the scene and five others were badly injured enough that they were taken to a hospital, officials said. Two of those five were me with leg injuries.

Ohio Men Wrongly Convicted of Murder After 39 Years Released

Two Ohio men wrongly accused of murder experienced freedom for the first time in nearly four decades on Friday morning, but said they don’t harbor bitterness over their unjust imprisonment.

A Cleveland judge on Wednesday had dropped all charges against Ricky Jackson, 57, and Wiley Bridgeman, 60, allowing for the pair’s release.

Jackson was 19 when he was convicted along with Bridgeman and Bridgeman’s brother, Ronnie, in the 1975 shooting death and robbery of Harold Franks, a Cleveland-area money order salesman.

Testimony from a 12-year-old witness helped point to Jackson as the triggerman and led a jury to convict all three. Ronnie Bridgeman, now known as Kwame Ajamu, was paroled from prison in 2003.

The witness, Edward Vernon, now 53, recanted his testimony last year, saying he was coerced by detectives, according to Cuyahoga County court documents. Vernon wrote in a 2013 affidavit that he never saw the murder take place, but he was told by detectives that if he didn’t testify against Jackson, his parents would be arrested.

Vernon said he confided in a pastor several years after meeting with Bridgeman, and the pastor encouraged him to reach out to the Innocence Project. Vernon wrote that he had “been waiting to tell the truth about this for a long time.”

“A lot of people think I should be mad,” said Jackson, but “in ’75, he was a 12-year-old-kid.” Jackson said “it took a lot of courage” for the witness to recant his statement.

The Ohio Innocence Project, which took up the case, said Jackson had been the longest-held U.S. prisoner to be exonerated.

Jackson was originally sentenced to death, but that sentence was vacated because of a paperwork error. The Bridgeman brothers remained on death row until Ohio declared the death penalty unconstitutional in 1978.

“One of them came within 20 days of execution before Ohio ruled the death penalty unconstitutional” said Mark Godsey, director of the Ohio Innocence Project.

“The bitterness is over with,” said Wylie Bridgeman during his first moments of freedom on Friday.

Jackson agreed. “I had plans for my life,” but “time is just something that you can't get back so I'm not going to really cry about it,” he said.

While Ohio provides compensation for those who are wrongfully imprisoned, everyone is not guaranteed money. The Ohio Innocence Project has set up a fund for Jackson.

A story published in Scene Magazine in 2011 first raised new questions about the murder and whether Jackson and the Bridgeman brothers actually committed the crime.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said in court Tuesday that without an eyewitness there was not much of a case. “The state is conceding the obvious," he said, according to Reuters.

NBC News' Emmanuelle Saliba contributed to this report. Reuters also contributed.

Photo of the Day Meet Desmond Elliott's Mentor

'Desmond Elliott has always wanted to be like Richard Mofe Damijo.

                    Desmond Elliott and Richard Mofe Damijo

 (Instagram)

When you do your job so well, you leave lots of people with the desire to be like you. 

Now we all know Desmond Elliott's role model. The talented and award winning filmmaker took to his  Instagram page to express his respect for veteran Nollywood actor, Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD).

Desmond Elliott posted the above photo with the below caption;

Always a pleasure sir.. I remember 25years ago you came to unijos I and wished id someday act like you...today am proud to be your son. I salute you sir #RMD #actingthings #mentor

Richard Mofe Damijo is a household name in the movie sector, he has also featured in lots of award winning and recommendable movies, including his latest movie '30 Days in Atalanta'.

Zimbabwe stampede after Kwekwe church service

Walter Magaya is one of Zimbabwe's most popular preachers

Eleven people have been killed in a stampede after a religious service in a stadium in Zimbabwe, police say.

Four people died in the stadium in the central town of Kwekwe, while seven others were declared dead on arrival in hospital, they say.

The stampede occurred as thousands of worshippers rushed to leave after the service by popular Pentecostal preacher Walter Magaya.

He claims to be able to heal people by performing miracles.

Some witnesses accused the police of blocking most of the stadium exits and then firing tear gas as people battled to get through the only one left open.

The police have denied firing tear gas.

Mr Magaya, head of the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, told a local newspaper that when he learnt of the deaths, it was "the saddest moment of my life"

Vice President Sambo meets Police IG over National Assembly lockdown

Vice president, Namadi Sambo

General of Police, Suleiman Abba, over the lockdown of the National Assembly by police officers in an attempt to deny the speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, access to the building.

Mr. Sambo met the police chief Friday as President Goodluck Jonathan is currently in London for the Honorary International Investment Council.

The presidency had earlier hailed the police for doing their jobs in deploying at the assembly.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, said Thursday the police were merely enforcing their “constitutional duty” to keep the peace, and that they acted independently.

The police, in an earlier statement, said the operation was based on an “intelligence report” and was meant to forestall the invasion of the assembly by “hoodlums”.

Emerging from a closed door meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo, Mr. Abba told journalists that investigations have begun to establish what transpired at the assembly.

When asked if he authorised the invasion of the National Assembly, the IG said, “Who did what and who didn’t do what will be disclosed to you later. You know we work with investigations, investigations are going on and the press officer will address you”.

Pressed by reporters if he was not aware of this operation, Mr. Abba said, “I still repeat who did what, who didn’t do what you will hear later, is subject to investigations we just don’t talk anyhow”.

Speaking later to journalists of the Hausa service in the State House, on whether some of his officers were injured, the police chief said, “Everybody has seen that somebody was even beating somebody, somebody was pushing a policeman from the car.

“Somebody was removing road blocks mounted by police, we have never seen this kind of thing in the whole world. So we will talk to you later”.

On what action the police will take in response to the incident, Mr. Abba said, “Just wait our findings will reveal”.

Police raided the National Assembly early Thursday ahead of a crucial sitting at the House of Representatives.

The House had planned a session to discuss a request by Mr. Jonathan for an extension of the emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States – all three hit by an insurgency by Boko Haram.

Officers mounted a blockade at the assembly, refusing to allow the speaker, Mr. Tambuwal, in, a move the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, said was aimed at unseating the speaker as punishment for defecting from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Police fired teargas after defiant lawmakers forced their way through three barricades and helped escort Mr. Tambuwal into the central building called the White House.

Ebola Outbreak Thieves Steal Infected Blood In Guinea

The robbers waylaid a vehicle which was transporting test tubes containing blood to a test site in Gueckedou from Kankan prefecture in central Guinea.

Thieves in Guinea have stolen blood samples (not pictured) believed to contain Ebola

 (Shutterstock)

Thieves in Guinea have stolen blood samples believed to contain Ebola during a roadside robbery, officials said Friday, November 21.

The robbers waylaid a vehicle which was transporting test tubes containing blood to a test site in Gueckedou from Kankan prefecture in central Guinea.

The Press Officer of the Guinea Red Cross, Faya Etienne Tolno stated that the blood samples had been taken from a suspected Ebola patient on Wednesday, November 19.

Health officials have appealed to the thieves to return the potentially dangerous blood samples.