Islamic Self-Flagellation (Muharram)

Screaming baby cries as a relative slices its head open with a kitchen knife as part of Islamic self-flagellation ceremony to mourn the death of the Prophet's grandson 

• WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
• Gruesome photographs show dozens of men using sharp knives attached to chains to whip their own backs
• The men were marking Ashura which mourns the death of tge Prophet Muhammad's grandson in 680 AD
• After performing the gory ritual, pools of blood can be seen on floor of the mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan
• Separate photos show men performing the ritual in India with one cutting the head of a young child

By Julian Robinson For Mailonline,www.dailymail.co.uk

• October 9th, 2016

This is the moment a baby screamed out as a relative sliced its head open with a kitchen knife as part of an Islamic self-flagellation ceremony to mourn the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson 1,300 years ago.

Gruesome pictures show a man holding a knife to the head of a young child in Ahmadabad, India while others show boys whipping themselves with sharp blades.

In separate images, men can be seen crying out in pain as they use knives attached to chains to cut their own backs at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Pools of blood can be seen on the floor of the building after the men performed the ritual to mark Ashura - one of the major fixtures of the Islamic calendar.  

A man holds a knife to a baby's head as he cuts the child during a Muharram procession in Ahmadabad, India

A Kashmiri Shia Muslim boy flagellates himself during a Muharram procession in Srinagar in Indian controlled Kashmir

Gory: Shia Muslims in Afghanistan have gathered to perform self-flagellation rituals as they mourn the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson 1,300 years ago

Pain: Gruesome pictures show men crying out in pain as they use knives attached to chains to whip their own backs at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan

Tradition: Pools of blood can be seen on the floor of the building after the men performed the ritual to mark Ashura - one of the major fixtures of the Islamic calendar

Ritual: Photographs of the event show young men, bleeding profusely from their backs, while afterwards they help each other wash away blood coming from their wounds

Sharp: Even very small children swing the sharp blades on the end of chains, slashing their skin in the brutal ritual

Photographs of the event in Afghanistan show young men bleeding profusely from their backs. Afterwards they help each other wash away blood coming from their wounds.

The tradition is seen by some as a way of washing away their sins and is a national holiday in many countries with thousands taking part in the annual rituals.

A national holiday in many countries, thousands take part in the annual rituals which include people whipping and cutting themselves with chains and knives.  

Kashmiri Shia Muslims flagellate themselves as they take part in a religious procession held on the seventh day of Islamic month of Muharram, in Srinagar

Even teenagers and young children take part in the bloody ritual. These photos show boys self-flagellating in India

Kashmiri Shia Muslim children flagellate themselves as they mourn the death of Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad

Graphic pictures show the men swinging chains with knives attached over their shoulders as part of the bloody ritual

Crowds of people watch the Kashmiri Shia Muslims carry out the ritual in the streets of Srinagar, India

After the ritual in Srinagar, men crouched down to display the blood on the knives they had used to cut themselves

Ashura mourns the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, who was killed by armies of the Yazid near Karbala in 680 AD.  

That event lies at the heart of Islam's divide into Shia and Sunni sects. 

In recent years, there have been a spate of attacks on Ashura celebrations around the region by Sunni extremist groups which regard Shiites as heretics. 

Beliefs: The tradition is seen by some as a way of washing away their sins and is a national holiday in many countries with thousands taking part in the annual rituals

Agony: A national holiday in many countries, thousands take part in the annual rituals which include people whipping and cutting themselves with chains and knives

Brutal: Ashura mourns the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, who was killed by armies of the Yazid near Karbala in 680 AD

In recent years, there have been a spate of attacks on Ashura celebrations around the region by Sunni extremist groups which regard Shia as heretics

Some Shia leaders discourage self-mutilation and bloodletting, claiming it has no basis in early religious history and creates a negative image, and encourage people to donate blood instead

Some Shia leaders discourage self-mutilation and bloodletting, claiming it has no basis in early religious history.

Others say it creates a negative image, and encourage people to donate blood instead. 

Thousands of men perform the same brutal practice in Lebanon, Bangladesh, Iraq, Pakistan and Myanmar and even Athens, Greece. 

Photos show the men standing in a mosque and repeatedly whipping themselves with knives attached to the ends of chains

Crowds of men watch on in the mosque and some of them film the gruesome scenes using their mobile phones

A young man kneels down and dabs at his wounds with a damp cloth after whipping himself with sharp blades

Some of the spectators could be seen breaking down in tears as the brutal ritual unfolded in front of them in Afghanistan

Crackdown on Drugs

Streets running with blood and 3,700 dead: After 100 days in office Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte compares his crackdown on drugs to 'Hitler's Holocaust' and cuts ties to US

• WARNING:GRAPHIC CONTENT
• Reports claim more than 3,700 dead in Philippines' war against drugs in the last three months
• President Rodrigo Duterte is violently carrying out his campaign promise in the last 100 days
• Up to 26,000 people have been arrested and thousands turning themselves in out of fear
• Duterte's remains popular with 8/10 Filipinos satisfied with the campaign against drugs 
• The US, European Union, Roman Catholic Church and UN have condemned the slaughters
• Duterte has now unofficially called an an end to its alliance with the United States after 65 years

• By Riley Morgan For Daily Mail Australia,www.dailymail.co.uk


• October 8th, 2016

The Philippines president's war against drugs has reached new macabre heights with the death toll surging above 3,700 and he is now sensationally halting the nation's military alliance with the US after 65 years.

The bombastic president Rodrigo Duterte, has sensationally disparaged the country's alliance with the US ordering its troops to leave his shores.

The potential ending of an alliance comes as a reaction to the international outrage of the slaughter of drug addicts and criminals at the hands of vigilantes and police in the Philippines. 

The Philippines' death toll has reached more than 3,700 in less than three months The United Nations, the US, the European Union and the Catholic Church have all condemned the potential breach of human rights

Filipinos cuffed and rounded up in Manila during the drug crackdown ordered by the president

The fear of being shot has triggered drug dealers to turn themselves into police, with more than 26,000 people arrested and hundreds of thousands turning themselves into authorities

The fear of being shot has triggered drug dealers to turn themselves into police, with more than 26,000 people arrested and hundreds of thousands turning themselves into authorities

The Filipino president, dubbed 'The Punisher', has been heavily lambasted for his ruthless crackdown on drugs with the Philippines' death toll reaching more than 3,700 in less than three months, according to Al Jazeera.

Duterte ordered the drug crackdown as an election promise fuelling widespread bloodshed - equating to 36 Filipinos dying every day in his first 100 days in office - and the terror can be seen in the graphic photos below. 

Duterte's drug raids come after he said at least 3.7 million Filipinos have become addicted to methamphetamine, known locally as shabu. 

He has claimed to have encouraged citizens to take matters into their own hands with the help of police and alleged secret death squads.

The Huffington Post report that the killings occur in 'encounters' with motorcycle vigilante gunmen or killed by trained police or unofficial death squads.   

Crowds gather around a suspected drug dealer killed in the violent drug raids in the Philippines 

Authorities carry a dead man killed in the violent drug raids in the Philippines

Police look to enter a house to take a grandfather to a police station as part of the crackdown

Terror has taken over the Philippines with more than 26,000 people arrested and 3,700 dead

The unofficial death toll in the Philippines is reported to have reached 3,700 since the raids started just over 100 days ago

The slaughter has equated to roughly 36 Filipinos killed everyday since Duterte took over as leader of the nation

Two motor cyclists gunned down in Manila as a result of the 'war on drugs' crackdown

Cases include a five-year-old girl tragically killed as gunman opened fire on her grandfather and a father and son smoking shabu beaten and shot to death in police custody. 

The fear of being shot has triggered drug dealers to turn themselves into police, with more than 26,000 people arrested and tens of thousands turning themselves into authorities.

This had lead to despicable conditions in jails and the limited 44 rehabilitation centres across the nation. 

The fear tactic has seen Duterte's popularity sky-rocket, with a Social Weather Stations Survey in late September showed 8/10 Filipino residents are satisfied with the campaign promise to crackdown on drug users and dealers.

Incredibly the fear tactic has seen Duterte's popularity sky-rocket with 8/10 Filipino residents are satisfied with the campaign promise to crackdown on drug addicts and dealers

Drug addicts and dealers are turning themselves in as they are scared they will be shot or beat up in the violent drug raids

In a speech in Davao - a city where reportedly death squads were sanctioned - Duterte responded to claims of his comparison to Hitler. 

'Hitler massacred three million Jews, now, there is three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them," he said.

While both figures were incorrect, he continued to say, 'At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have...", where he reportedly pointed to himself, according to the BBC. 

However, the international community has slammed Duterte's maligned war on drugs, which has seen armed police sanctioned to target and raid drug dealers.

A young man takes a photo of two victims of the violent drug war that has claimed more than 3,700 people according to reports

Relatives mourn the loss of two cyclists killed in the vicious drug raids with the death toll reaching 3,700 people

The international community has slammed Duterte's maligned war on drugs, which has seen armed police sanctioned to target and raid drug dealers

The Roman Catholic Church, the European Union, the US and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon have condemned the killings as a breach of human rights.

In his long list of boisterous comments, Duterte recently told president Barrack Obama to, 'Go to hell', and has claimed he will make sure the amphibious military exercise on its beaches, one of 26 military actions, in six months will be the last between the nations.

He claimed the US was using his nation as a 'doormat' and said as long as he was in charge the Philippines relationship with the US was over. 

The US are still waiting for official notification according to reports. 

Children look down at a body that was found dead earlier in the week in Manila

People mourn the man killed during a drug deal operation earlier in the week in Manila

Transforming Containers into Floating Dorms

Sailing through college: Company transforms shipping containers into cheap, eco-friendly, floating dorms 

• The first Urban Rigger opened this month in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Students will move in to the 12-room floating dormitory in October for $600 a month
• Structure is made of nine former shipping containers on a concrete pontoon 
• The rig is solar-powered by panels on the roof that connect to batteries below the water 

By Reuters Reporter, Dailymail.com Reporter,www.dailymail.co.uk

• View Original
• September 29th, 2016

It's a cheap and eco-friendly way to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Urban Riggers, a company in Denmark, has developed student housing out of old shipping containers, transforming them into a floating college dorm on the Copenhagen harbor.

Architect Bjarke Ingels told Reuters there were many benefits to this type of accommodation. 

'These shipping containers have already traveled collectively around 50 times around the Earth and now they've arrived here and we've placed them together, not like the typical sort of serial line-up that you use for cargo but in this star shape, this hexagonal courtyard that becomes the communal space,' Ingels said. 

The new-age dorm: This student housing complex is called the Urban Rigger and is made of nine shipping containers, stacked in two levels on a concrete pontoon

Eco-friendly: The rig uses sustainable technologies such as solar panels and hydro source heating to provide energies

The rig uses sustainable technologies such as solar panels and hydro source heating to provide energies

Welcome home, students: The rent for one room will be roughly about $600 per month. Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in the world 

Ingels added: 'You have direct access to swimming in the clean harbor water of Copenhagen. 

'You have a shared roof terrace, you have a solar roof, you have a green roof and then you have, of course, these amazing, compact, student homes.'

The design and construction of the Urban Rigger was built around sustainability.

Underneath the concrete pontoon, beneath sea level, is a room holding the batteries that power the rig.

The batteries receive their power from solar panels on the roof. There are 12 modest rooms in the complex, with a common room and outdoor terrace.

The first students are set to move in at the end of October, and will each pay $600 a month rent. Drone footage uploaded online shows the extent of the ingenuity.    

Comfortable: Each modest room is set up like a small studio apartment, for just $600 a month 

The first unit complex - with 12 dorm rooms - opened to the public on September 21. The students move in next month 

A solar array on top of one of the containers (back) powers the homes, while there is an outdoor terrace on the roof 

Alexander Loudrup, who studies at University of Copenhagen, said the Urban Rigger is ideal student accommodation. 

'By living in one of these, you will be able to live a very healthy life because you're not living in the middle of the city, you're living by the water where the air is clean and also you'll be away from the distractions and sounds of the city so you'll be able to concentrate on your work,' he said.

Another, larger Urban Rigger structure is in development on the water in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. That complex will feature 24-interconnected rigs, with a total of 288 rooms. 

Ambitious: There are plans to open a much bigger Urban Rigger complex in Gothenburg, Sweden, with 24 connected rigs 

Putin's Secret Family

Is this Putin's secret family?  Russian president's 'lover' appears in public wearing wedding ring and sitting next to two young boys

• Vladimir Putin is rumoured to be in love with ex-gymnast Alina Kabaeva
• The glamorous 33-year-old Alina Kabaeva has denied a relationship but claims continue
• Now she has been pictured in public wearing wedding ring with two boys
• Russian leader Putin announced he was divorcing wife Lyudmila in 2013
• Since then, 63-year-old president refuses to speak about his private life

• By Jay Akbar For Mailonline, www.dailymail.co.uk
• View Original
• September 29th, 2016

The Russian ex-gymnast rumoured to have a secret family with Vladimir Putin has appeared in public with what appear to be her two children for the first time. 

Alina Kabaeva, 33, who has been linked to the Russian president as far back as 2008, took two young boys - whose ages are unknown - to an ice skating show at the Megasport Arena in Moscow.

One witness said the glamorous Olympian wore a wedding ring which she tried to hide from the cameras.

Putin, 63, who announced he was divorcing wife Lyudmila in 2013, routinely refuses to speak about his private life.

Kabaeva, a former gold medal winning rhythmic gymnast, has gone on record to deny having a relationship with the Russian president - and yet the speculation continues.

Vladimir Putin's alleged lover ex-gymnast Alina Kabaeva (pictured, with two young boys) has appeared in public with what could be her two children for the first time

Looking slim and elegant, a smiling Kabaeva attended an ice skating show at the Megasport Arena in Moscow, where she sat next to two young boys - a blone and a red head

Kabaeva's outing set off a new wave of rumours that she and Putin had been together, though she has long denied the allegations 

Vladimir Putin, 63, who announced he was divorcing wife Lyudmila in 2013, refuses to speak about his private life

Her outing sparked a fresh wave of rumours she has been engaged in a years-long relationship with the Russian strongman while others Moscow gossip columns suggest the two have ended their affair. 

None of the claims have been independently verified. 

The photos of Kabaeva and the two boys were taken on the eve of the recent Russian parliamentary elections, which were won by the United Russia party founded by Putin.

Kabaeva, who wore an elegant cream coat over a finely embroidered black dress, took a picture of the boys with world figure skating champion Yevgeny Plyuschenko and legendary gymnast Alexei Nemov.

'Do you understand who the people are that you're standing next to? Be proud of it' she snapped at one of them, according to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.

It reported that Kabaeva, whose private life is considered a 'top secret matter', did not specify if these boys were related to her. 

Alina Kabaeva commented on the show to one of the boys from time to time. 'And later during the break she photographed the boy with Yevgeny Plyuschenko (world champion figure skater) and Alexei Nemov (world champion gymnast) 

One source present at the event said Alina Kabaeva wore a wedding ring, but tried to cover her hand to hide it in pictures

The Uznayvse website claimed it is 'known' that Kabaeva has children but the identity of the father has remained a mystery.

She is rarely seen in public but when she is, the former gymnast is accompanied by a large security detail which is believed to be government-organised.  

Claims of a relationship between Putin and Kabaeva fist began in 2008 when it was reported by a Moscow newspaper run by media tycoon and former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev.

There were rumours that Kabaeva was pregnant last May when she attended a girls' gymnastics competition in Moscow wearing a loose-fitting red dress which appeared to be hiding a baby bump.

Russian media said she looked slightly 'overweight' and 'older' in the dress which was in stark contrast to her usual, figure-hugging ensembles.

In October the same year, a slim-line Kabaeva was spotted wearing a ring on her right hand for the first time. 

There were rumours that Kabaeva was pregnant last May (top) when she was spotted wearing a loose-fitting red dress which appeared to be hiding a baby bump (bottom, Kabaeva five months later)

Kabaeva was spotted wearing a ring on her right hand for the first time in October 2015  (pictured)

'Guests at the event were impressed not only with the fit body of the sportswoman, who is in great shape now, but also with the ring on her wedding finger,' Russian Cosmopolitan reported. The Kremlin refused to comment.

Much of the Russian media refuses to speculate on Putin's private life and, at the time, Putin bemoaned the 'erotic fantasies' of journalists who poked their 'snotty noses' into other people's lives.

In July of that year, the Sobesednik paper claimed Kabayeva pulled out of taking part in a televised ice skating show because she was pregnant. The report rapidly vanished from the net.

Some of her interviews have fueled suspicions that she was romantically linked with Putin.

Kabaeva, who has been dubbed 'Russia's First Mistress' by some, said she had met a man who 'I love very much' but refused to name him.

She went on: 'Sometimes you feel so happy that you even feel scared.'

Putin has previously made clear: 'I have a private life in which I do not permit interference....it must be respected.'

Though widely seen as one of her country's most desirable and famous sportswomen, who once posed semi-naked for Russian Maxim, it has been more than a decade since she has been romantically linked to anyone other than Putin.

The Russian president has previously made clear: 'I have a private life in which I do not permit interference....it must be respected.'

While inviting photographers to his bare-chested macho photo stunts in Siberia, he is less keen on allowing Russians to know about his domestic arrangements.