CHANGE OF BLOG NAME

Guys,i'm changing the blog name from chibuzorchiakwelu.blogspot.com to chiaks.blogspot.com

Lindsay Lohan Goes For A Sexy Swim In New Tyler Shields Photo

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Lindsay Lohan is showing off her sexy side in a new photo taken by controversial photographer Tyler.The 27-year-old actress took to Instagram to post the picture, in which she is in a swimming pool, striking her signature finger-in-mouth pose. She captioned the photo, "@thetylershields come to #nyc."

Shields' book, "The Dirty Side of Glamour," will hit stores on Nov. 12. He's throwing a launch party on Nov. 9 at the Guy Hepner Gallery in Beverly Hills, Calif., which Lohan has been invited to attend.

This new image is relatively tame compared to Lohan and Shields' previous collaborations, which have featured the star covered in blood and holding a gun to her head.

Jaime King Cuddles In Bed With Her 3-Week-

Old Baby Boy James Knight: Picture

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Jaime's sweet boy! Jaime King is smitten with her new baby boy, and decided to show him off via Instagram on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The Hart of Dixie star welcomed her first child earlier this month.Hart of Dixie star Jaime King shared a pic of her 3-week-old son James Knight via Instagram on Tuesday, Oct. 29Credit: Courtesy Jaime King

"It is a grey cotton jersey kind of day," the 34-year-old actress wrote. Alongside the caption, the former model shared an adorable photo of her son James Knight (with his face hidden!) lying on her chest as they snuggled in bed together. The mother-son duo also wore matching grey shirts.

The first-time mom looks simply blissful in the sweet snapshot, as she also showed off James' dark brunette locks. The actress shut her eyes for the photo and also gave a closeup of her stunning engagement and wedding band.

King and her director husband Kyle Newman first announced in May they were expecting and later welcomed James on Oct. 6. "Mom and Baby are happy, healthy and are doing great," a rep for the actress confirmed  at the time.

Two weeks later, the beaming new mom revealed her post-baby body while stepping out for coffee with her mom Nancy at Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Oct. 18. That same day, she shared a picture of James -- with his face covered up once again -- wrapped in a blanket as they went for his first doctor check up.

Miley Cyrus talks about her life since her breakup with Liam Hemsworth in Cosmopolitan : "I broke"

Peter Pedonomou / Cosmopolitan

Since her breakup with Liam Hemsworth ,  Miley Cyrus keep your head and focus on his music.

The singer of 20 years Wrecking Ball  gave an interview to the magazine Cosmopolitan and confided in her life since her breakup, but also on its ultra-hyped performance at the MTV VMA and more.

"I have to treat my music like a relationship - give him the time and attention it deserves - and this time, it is the love of my life," said Cyrus. "I broke in a few years, I will not tell me. 'If only I had not spent all that time whining because of a break," you see this is not what God wants? I make my life right now. "

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

"God wants me to have success in my life, I am happy, I make others happy and to myself."

The beautiful blonde and her ex Hunger Games , revealed that they had ended their engagement in September. Immediately after the announcement, Hemsworth wasphotographed kissing Mexican singer and actress Eiza González .

Despite his penalty heart, Cyrus seems to move on with dignity. She admits that her schedule is "overloaded and denies" right now, but she "lives for it."

"I broke out like crazy, everything falls into place as it should," she has said. "Even people who want to hate me, they can not alter the fact that everyone is just talking to me."

"I do not mean I'm number one right now ... I just feel like an outsider, and more cool. This is rebellious from me, because it is not within standards. It is as if the company wanted to silence me. "

As for the stars who dropped his famous performance at the VMAs, Cyrus replied: "I do not care."

"I think they would have given anything to be in my place, because I was 100% agreement with myself ... and not many people can say that."

Cyrus appears on the cover of the December issue, more beautiful than ever in her transparent dress covered in rhinestones.

The magazine comes out Nov. 5 at newsstands.

 

Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan girlfriends party?The scoop on their evening together!

Getty Images

Ancient stars Disney girlfriends party New York?

Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus were seen together in a nightclub in New York, 1OAK on Saturday night, and despite the article in the section Page Six of the New York Post who said that "Lindsay had climbed the table Miley" and pushing the two tables do not "become one table,"  the evening news was not as outrageous as the tabloid says.

Despite rumors that the two women "remained until 5 am" and even parts together,  "Lindsay Lohan arrived at 1OAK on Saturday night and Miley Cyrus came a little later. They did not arrive together."

Instagram

"When Lindsay saw Miley, she went to his table and began to talk to her," the source added. "They were very happy and enjoyed the music."

The two starlets are known for their love of the party, but the source insisted that the singer out of rehab, who recently finished his 90-day treatment ordered by the court, and the singer of 20 years of "Wrecking Ball "do not drink, or someone in their group, including the son of Magic Johnson , EJ Johnson , and Andrew Warren .

Article Page Six also stated that the model of Ralph Lauren Morgan O'Connor was present.

Twitter

LiLo and Miles can not be partying all night, but the girls seemed to get along well, in any case, if we are to believe their recent interactions on social media.

A few hours after their meeting, Lindsay responded to Cyrus' tweet about the announcement of his tour Bangerz, writing: "Finally ..." and a merry bunch emojis.

She also retweeted a tweet from a fan saying "you girls are my darlings", after it was announced that they had spent time together.

Time will tell if they will spend another night together!

The hug of the day: Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego is doing canoodling after their secret wedding

GoldenEye / London Entertainment

Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego are clearly in the honey moon phase.

The couple, who married in secret at the beginning of the summer, was seen in full outpouring of affection during a shopping trip to Venice Beach, Calif., Monday, Oct. 28.

Dressed in a very relaxed, but chic, the newlyweds were hand in hand waiting to cross the street, and they even took a moment to steal a kiss.

The star of Star Trek Into Darkness Italian artist and her husband were surprised together for the first time in May, when they were photographed kissing while vacationing in Capri. 

"Zoe is super happy," "She is in a phase of great happiness."

The source also added that Perego was "a really nice guy" who has "a very good energy."

Looks like Zoe is always so happy!

Zac Efron and Lily Collins are walking hand in hand at Disneyland: discover the adorable photo!

Twitter

Zac Efron  and Lily Collins seem to have a good time together.

Both actors have revived rumors about their romance after they were spotted together  at Disneyland on Tuesday, which could simply say that the two friends wanted to spend the day with Mickey and his band, except that a fan took a picture  of the duo holding hands while walking in the amusement park.

So they are together or not?

Several sources have confirmed to E! News In fact, they go out together, but they still do not know if it's serious. Another person close to Collins insisted that the two stars were just "friends to see" and that they "did not go out together."

BONUS ROLO / AKM-GSI

There are some days, Zac and Lily were already found to be a canvas, then we can ask whether the stars that came out (more or less) together before, decided to give another chance to their story love.

However, after their breakup in June 2012, a source close to the two stars told E! News that the extent of their love story was exaggerated.

"They were never really together, so you could say they broke, but they never formed a couple officially," said our source at the time. "They met from time to time, it was not serious at all."

And today, it seems that history repeats itself.

 

Salma Hayek: a gust of wind reveals her ass on the beach with Pierce Brosnan

KVS / Gaz Shirley, PacificCoastNews

No, the next Salma role is not that of a sans-culotte.

Salma Hayek became the unfortunate victim of a gust of wind while filming a scene for his next film, How to Make Love Like an Englishman  with Pierce Brosnan  in Los Angeles.

As you can see very  clearly, Salma buttocks were exposed unwittingly when her skirt is raised in the middle of filming a scene.

And she intended it or not, one can only marvel at his anatomy .

Without going into details, let's just say that the actress of 47 years must spend hours in the gluteal muscles to the gym.

But this is not the first time Salma unfolds.

Earlier this week, pictures were circulated where it outlined its best advantage during the filming of his movie, by the sea

Salma is luscious desire in her bra in a plaid unbuttoned white shirt to put her cleavage well demonstrated.

She completed her sexy look with a black skirt, black boots, a black hat and sunglasses chic black sunglasses.

Not only does the actress is absolutely charming, but we can also say that it is very cheeky (note the joke)!

Former Brazilian footballer's head left on his doorstep

Qatar removes Zidane statue after outcry

Locals condemn artwork depicting footballer's headbutt in World Cup final as anti-Islamic.

The statue, 'Coup de Tete', was created by Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed [Reuters]

Qatar has removed a statue depicting a headbutt attack by footballer Zinedine Zidane following an outcry by conservatives who slammed it as anti-Islam idolisation. The five-metre sculpture depicting the France footballer attacking Italy's Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final was put on display on Doha's corniche on October 3. But the statue, sculpted by Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed, appears to have offended Muslim conservatives, who saw it as a violation of religious tenets. It was removed on Monday, according to local newspapers. "Congratulations for having new idols," wrote one tweeter sarcastically, as the Arabic hashtag "Zidane's statue in Qatar" triggered huge reaction from dismayed conservatives. "It is sad that our youth see in this art and modernity. Our children do not differentiate between the right and the wrong, or the haram (prohibited) and the halal (permissible)," wrote another. To avoid the possibility of idolisation, Islamic jurisprudence prohibits statues of human beings and animals. Although some Muslim countries display statues in public, conservative Gulf nations mostly do not. Saudi municipal authorities in June smashed sculptures of horses erected on a roundabout in the southwestern Jazan province after the kingdom's top cleric Abdulaziz al-Shaikh wrote to the local governor demanding their removal for being a "great sin". The Qatar Museum Authority bought the "Coup de Tete" sculpture after it was put on display earlier outside the Pompidou Centre in Paris. It was also reportedly displayed between July and September in Italy's coastal town of Pietrasanta. QMA reportedly said at the time that the sculpture was planned to be a permanent fixture on the corniche. Doha News website said the statue will now join Abdessemed's collection that is on display in the Arab Museum of Modern Art, citing QMA chief marketing officer Kimberly French. The Museum is hosting until January 4 an exhibition by Abdessemed entitled "L'age d'or", featuring drawings, paintings, sculptures and videos.

World Series 2013: Boston Red Sox beat St Louis Cardinals

Boston Red Sox won the 2013 World Series with a 6-1 victory over St Louis Cardinals in Game 6 at Fenway Park.

Winning the series 4-2, they clinched the title in front of their own fans for the first time in 95 years.

Boston have now landed three Major League titles in 10 seasons, following an 86-year drought which ended in 2004 when they also beat the Cardinals.

The last time Red Sox won the World Series at home, their pitching staff included the legendary Babe Ruth.

The subsequent sale of Ruth, baseball's greatest star, to the rival New York Yankees was said to have initiated the infamous Curse of the Bambino which Boston took more than eight decades to break.

World Series 2013

• Game 1: Boston 8-1 St Louis
• Game 2: Boston 2-4 St Louis
• Game 3: St Louis 5-4 Boston
• Game 4: St Louis 2-4 Boston
• Game 5: St Louis 1-3 Boston
• Game 6 : Boston 6-1 St Louis

*home team listed first

"I knew this was going to be a special year," said Boston slugger David Ortiz, the outstanding player of the best-of-seven series.

"When we started rolling, nobody ever stopped the train."

Michael Wacha, the 22-year-old rookie Cardinals pitcher, came into Wednesday's game with an outstanding record in this season's play-offs, but lasted only three completed innings.

The Red Sox took a 3-0 lead in the third inning when a double by right fielder Shane Victorino scored centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, designated hitter Ortiz and left fielder Jonny Gomes.

Wacha was removed from the game with nobody out in the fourth inning after a solo home run by shortstop Stephen Drew extended the lead to 4-0.

A single by first baseman Mike Napoli scored Ellsbury, and another hit by Victorino with the bases loaded put the Red Sox up by six unanswered runs with the game still in the fourth inning.

Veteran John Lackey, the Red Sox starting pitcher, produced a solid performance, leaving to a standing ovation from an ecstatic home crowd after six and two-third innings.

Cardinals slugger Carlos Beltran scored shortstop Daniel Descalso on a single in the seventh inning, but St Louis left three batters on base when they had a chance to put real pressure on the Red Sox, whose relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa got the crucial out.

Another reliever, Brandon Workman, closed down the Cardinals in the eighth, and closing pitcher Koji Uehara completed the job in the ninth, sparking scenes of jubilation.

"Big Papi" Ortiz, the only member of the 2004 team still playing for the Red Sox, was named as the World Series' most valuable player.

“I knew this was going to be a special year. When we started rolling, nobody ever stopped the train”

David OrtizBoston Red Sox designated hitter

He had a quiet game on Wednesday, but was walked to first base four times, three times intentionally, meaning he successfully reached base 19 times during the World Series. His batting average during the series, .688 meant he recorded a hit nearly seven times out of every 10 "at bats"  - when an average of .300 over a season is considered excellent.

Gomes, who spoke articulately following the Boston marathon bombing in April, said: "This is so much more than a World Series championship for this team."

Victorino added: "it's been a fun year, and an enjoyable ride. It's been a special group of guys all year long."

Boston's victory represents a remarkable turnaround from 12 months ago when they finished bottom of the American League East division, with their worst regular season record since 1965.

General manager Ben Cherington faced a daunting task when he took over from Theo Epstein, the man who oversaw Boston's World Series wins in 2004 and 2007, in part by applying the emerging sabermetric analytical techniques highlighted in the book and film Moneyball.

Initially, Cherington struggled. His first team manager Bobby Valentine, who succeeded the much-loved Terry Francona, proved little short of a disaster.

But Cherington has since been more sure-footed, and successfully refashioned the team in little over a year.

He began by shipping out expensive and under-performing stars such as Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and one-time pitching ace Josh Beckett, who fell out with the fans amid questions over his commitment.

They were replaced by cheaper alternatives, including Napoli, Victorino, Gomes and Uehara, all of whom played a key part in the successful 2013 campaign.

They have been moulded into a formidable unit by new manager John Farrell, who spent four years as Boston's pitching coach under Francona before cutting his teeth as a manager at the Toronto Blue Jays.

There is no doubt that Ortiz will go down as one of the all-time greats in Red Sox history, but the team of 2013 will primarily remembered as exactly that: a tight-knit team, not a collection of egos.

Kremlin slips spying gadgets into G20 summit gift bags, newspapers say

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes President Obama to St. Petersburg in September in a brief encounter ahead of the G20 summit. Two Italian newspapers reported Tuesday that the Russian hosts included "Trojan horse" data surveillance devices in the gift bags given to all G20 summit delegates.(Sergey Guneev / European Pressphoto Agency / September 5, 2013)

• 
  
• Russian hosts of the Group of 20 summit near St. Petersburg in September sent world leaders home with gifts designed to keep on giving: memory sticks and recharging cables programmed to spy on their communications, two Italian newspapers reported Tuesday.

A Kremlin spokesman denied the allegations reported by Il Corriere della Sera and La Stampa, both of which attributed their stories to findings of technical investigations ordered by the president of the European Council and carried out by German intelligence.

The USB thumb drives marked with the Russia G20 logo and the three-pronged European phone chargers were "a poisoned gift" from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turin-based La Stampa [link in Italian] said in its report.

“They were Trojan horses designed to obtain information from computers and cellphones,” the paper said.

The bugging devices were included in gift bags given to all delegates who attended the Sept. 5-6 summit at the palace in Stelna, outside of St. Petersburg, the newspapers said.

Suspicions about the drives and rechargers were first raised by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council,Il Corriere della Sera [link in Italian] said in its front-page story.

Van Rompuy. from Belgium, ordered technical analysis of the devices by intelligence experts in Brussels and Bonn, the newspapers said. Initial investigation found "the USB sticks and the recharge cables are suitable for undercover detection of computer data and mobile phones," the Italian newspapers said Van Rompuy reported to G20 members in a confidential memo.

Further tests are underway on the devices, and any official response to the Russian government's alleged espionage attempts would depend on those findings, the articles said, quoting an unnamedEuropean Union official.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov denied the allegations of attempted spying and accused Western governments of trying to divert attention away from the scandals caused by disclosures that the U.S. National Security Agency has been spying on its allies' communications.

"It is definitely nothing other than an attempt to switch attention from the problems that really exist, which dominate the agenda between the European capitals and Washington, to problems that are ephemeral and nonexistent," Peskov said, according to the Voice of Russia broadcast.

Relations between Moscow and Washington have been cool since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was granted asylum in Russia in August after leaking details of widespread U.S. surveillance of foreign and domestic phone calls, texts and emails.

British media carried extensive excerpts of the Italian newspapers' reports and official British reaction. The Telegraph coverage included an unnamed diplomat's disparaging remarks characterizing the reported Russian bugging attempt as a "schoolboy error" sure to be detected by any of the attending nations' security services
.

Bodies of 87 migrants including 48 children found in Niger deserte

The group of migrants were attempting to reach Algeria. (Google Maps)

31 OCTOBER 2013

The bodies of 87 migrants were found in Niger's northern desert after they died of thirst just a few kilometres from the border of Algeria, their planned destination.

Al Jazeera reports the corpses of the 7 men, 32 women and 48 children were in addition to 5 bodies of women and girls found earlier.

The group were attempting to reach Algeria on a trip that began in late September.

Security sources have reported that they likely died in early October.

Almoustapha Alhacen, a spokesman of local aid organisation Aghir In'man, confirmed the death toll.

He described how the bodies were found; "The corpses were decomposed; it was horrible.

“We found them in different locations in a 20km radius and in small groups, often under trees, or under the sun. Sometimes a mother and children, but some lone children too," Alhacen said.

Once discovered, the bodies were buried according to Muslim rites.

In a separate case, Nigerien officials said on Monday that dozens of migrants, most of them women and children, had also died of thirst in the Sahara desert earlier this month.

Two vehicles carrying the migrants broke down, one about 83km from the city of Arlit in northern Niger where they had set off from, and another at 158km.

"The first vehicle broke down. The second returned to Arlit to get a spare part after getting all the migrants it was carrying to alight, but it too broke down," a security source said.

"We think that the migrants were in the desert for seven days and on the fifth day, they began to leave the broken down vehicle in search of a well," they added.

However, 21 people had survived, the source said, including a man who walked to Arlit and a woman who was saved by a driver who came across her in the desert and took her to the same city.

Nineteen others reached the Algerian city of Tamanrasset but were sent back to Niger, the source added.

Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and has been hit by successive food crises.

FIFA Reveals 23-Man Shortlist For Ballon d’Or Award

FIFA have revealed the 23-man shortlist for the 2013 Ballon d’Or.

Four time winner, Lionel Messi, Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery and Real Madrid Attacker Cristiano Ronaldo are among the favourites to win the prestigious award which will be held on January the 13th 2014 in Zurich.

Other nominees include Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the most expensive player in the world Gareth Bale.

Unfortunately for the African continent, Ivorian international Yaya Toure is the only African player in the 23-man list of nominees for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

The Manchester City midfielder will jostle for the most prestigious player’s award with Barcelona star and current holder Lionel Messi, 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and UEFA best player, Franck Ribery.

The 23-man list will be reduced to three in December before the winners will be announced.

The final decisions will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as international media representatives selected by France football.

For the coach of the year award, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jupp Heynckes are among the 10 candidates shortlisted for the award.

Heynckes, who guided Bayern Munich to a historic treble in 2012/2013, stepped down at the end of the season.

Ferguson won the premier league title with Manchester United last term before retiring from the game.

New Chelsea manager, José Mourinho however made the list despite winning only the super cup last year with Real Madrid.

Other nominated coaches include Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, Spain Coach Vicente Del Bosque, Dortmund Coach Jurgen Klopp and Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti.

The world's most powerful person is… not Obama?

Is it possible?President Barack Obama has been bumped off the top spot of Forbes' annual ranking of the world's most powerful people—by his Russian counterpart. Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, was named the most powerful person in the world in 2013 by the publication, climbing two places from the previous year. He was followed by Obama at No. 2 and the general secretary of China's Communist Party, Xi Jinping, who jumped from No. 9 in 2012 to No. 3. Politicians dominated 2013's top 10, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel coming in at No. 5, the highest ranking for a woman. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, however, fell out of the top 10, being named the 11th most powerful person in the world. 
Also,Dangote made the list who took the 64th position.

Sex selective abortions worry Azerbaijanis

Almost 10 percent of female births are prevented due to preferences for boys in a trend that alarms demographers. Critics of prenatal sex selection warn of the consequences of big gender imbalances [MJ del Valle/Al Jazeera] Baku, Azerbaijan - After giving birth to a baby girl, 24-year-old Shana knew what to expect the second time she became pregnant. "When we found out that the second baby was going to be another girl, my husband said that he didn't want her and I was forced to have an abortion. It was already three months and 10 days. They anaesthetised me and cut the foetus out of me." Shana's second daughter was one of thousands of girls aborted in Azerbaijan every year.  According to a 2012 report by the Guttmacher Institute, Azerbaijan has the highest total abortion rate in the world, with women having on average 2.3 abortions in their lifetimes. Between 2005 and 2009 almost 10 percent of potential female births in Armenia and Azerbaijan did not occur because of prenatal sex selection, another report found. The oil-rich country has one of the world's worst records in sex-selective abortions, according to a report for the UN. In normal circumstances, 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. In Azerbaijan, the ratio in 2011-12 was 116 boys for every 100 girls. In some parts of the country, such as the Ganja region, the ratio is as high as 120 to 100. It is not rare to hear of women who continue to have abortions until they give birth to a boy. Statistical trends also show that sex-selective abortions rose steeply when ultrasound testing became more common in the 1990s. Shunned for having a girl From a small women's shelter in the heart of Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, Shana told Al Jazeera in a soft voice how she had been happy and in love when she married her husband. But like others living at the shelter, she was rejected for not giving birth to a boy. "My marriage was good until I became pregnant, and did not give in to the pressures of having an abortion because the baby was a girl. Then my husband sent me to my mother's house, and said he was going to take lovers to get a baby boy," she said. Shana's daughter, Leman - now a happy, piano-playing child - was ignored and disowned by her father and his parents from the time she was born. I have seen men turning their heads and leaving the room without saying goodbye. Sometimes, if it is the first daughter, men are more or less ok, but when it is the second daughter, often he is not ok. - Tarana Hasanova, gynaecologist The rejection often begins with an ultrasound taken at the 12th week of pregnancy. Tarana Hasanova, a gynaecologist at Baku's Policlinic Number 1, told Al Jazeera about the reactions she has seen after announcing that the foetus is a girl: "I have seen men turning their heads and leaving the room without saying goodbye. Sometimes, if it is the first daughter, men are more or less ok, but when it is the second daughter, often he is not ok." Will new legislation help? Walking though the wide, clean halls of Baku's main maternity ward, Faiza Aliyeva, the national coordinator for reproductive health in Azerbaijan, said she tries to change mindsets when she holds master classes for gynaecologists. "I tell them to react by saying something like, 'You are lucky! It's a great thing to have a girl. She will look after you in your old age.' That's what I told couples too as a practicing doctor." India's solution to its own gender problem has been to ban testing for sex in the 12th-week ultrasound. But enforcement is difficult, says Dr Luis Mora of the United Nations Population Fund. Cheap kits make it possible to test for sex without a doctor's supervision. And some Azerbaijanis believe that withholding information about the gender of a baby would be a step too far. "It would be a violation of human rights," says Aliyeva. Musa Guliyev, the deputy chairman of the Committee on Social Policy, told Al Jazeera that Azerbaijan's parliament plans to discuss a new legislative package on reproductive health this fall. Under the proposed legislation, any woman pursuing an abortion after the 12th week of pregnancy must have her case subjected to a medical commission that will decide whether the abortion has been sought on non-medical grounds, or for reasons related to the foetus' sex. Guliyev believes such legislation is the only way to ensure that Azerbaijan's long-term demographics are not thrown out of kilter. The UNFPA has also warned of the consequences of a shortage of women, including the risk of human rights violations such as abduction, the trafficking and sale of women and girls for the purpose of marriage, and sexual exploitation. The key, say reformers, is to take a holistic approach to the country's reproductive problems, rather than focusing solely on abortion. By teaching teenagers about sex and making contraceptives more readily available, Aliyeva argues, the government will cut the total number of abortions of foetuses of both genders.  Meanwhile, the case of South Korea has been commonly used as a successful example of how imbalanced sex ratios can be reversed. By the mid-1990s, South Korea's sex ratio at birth was similar to Azerbaijan's today. But by 2007 it had declined to 107 males born per 100 females. South Korea based its strategy on a multidisciplinary approach: Legislation against prenatal sex detection was passed and effectively put into force; a mass media campaign called "Love your daughter" was launched; and new measures were passed to encourage gender equality. These new policies were aided by South Korea's economic boom, which helped women join the workforce and thereby achieve more autonomy. Tradition trumps religion It remains to be seen whether legislation will be able to change ingrained cultural prejudices in Azerbaijan. Legal systems in countries in the Caucasus region grant equal rights to men and women, but for many people of both genders, it is simply a matter of pride to have a son to perpetuate the family’s lineage. This preference runs so deep that not even Muslim and Christian teachings against abortion can limit the practice. From his office in Baku, surrounded by piles of books, Islam expert Sahin Hesenli told Al Jazeera: "A daughter is the gift of God. The Quran states that a man that takes care of several daughters has a place in heaven." But Shana tearfully recalls that her ex-husband's reaction was much different from what Hesenli would have expected. "After Leman was born, my husband did not want to give us money," she said. "He said that she wasn't his child and even asked to do a paternity test because he was sure that he could not have a girl. My mother-in-law also said that her son should have had a boy, not a girl."

Jubilant crowds welcome Palestinian prisoners

Israel frees 26 men to Gaza and West Bank in second phase of deal linked to renewed peace talks. Israel has freed 26 Palestinian prisoners, the second of four batches released as part of a deal that set in motion the current Israeli-Palestinian talks. Jubilant celebrations kicked off on Wednesday morning in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where the prisoners are seen as heroes who fought for independence, and were received by their families and Palestinian leaders. "We greet and welcome our brothers, and we confirm that they will return to their homes and nowhere else," Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said in a speech to a roaring crowd in the West Bank city of Ramallah. "Today we talk about the 104 prisoners, and our journey will not be completed until all the rest of the prisoners are released," he said. "There will be no agreement while there is still a prisoner who remains behind bars." Wednesday's release was part of an agreement brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry that brought Israel and the Palestinians back to the table for talks that had been paralyzed since 2008. In all, 104 Palestinians are to be released in four batches over the coming months. In the West Bank and Gaza, hundreds of relatives and well-wishers welcomed those freed home. Many have spent more than 20 years in prison. Throngs of people rushed toward the prisoners as they were freed, hoisting them on their shoulders, waving Palestinian flags and dancing to music. In Gaza, where five of the prisoners were released, relatives held signs that read "we will never forget our heroes". "Today is a day of joy for the family and for all of Palestine," said Tayser Shubair, waiting earlier for his brother's release in Gaza. His brother Hazem was jailed in 1994 for the death of an Israeli, according to the Israeli prison service. "My brother is a freedom fighter and we are proud of him and we thank the president for his effort to get him out." Thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli prisons since Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 war. Many have been jailed on charges ranging from throwing rocks to killing Israelis in bombings and gun attacks.