HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH

Regular orgasms can reduce the risk of prostate cancer, a study has found. Men who ejaculate more regularly throughout their lives lower their risk of the disease. The researchers, from Harvard Medical School, did not explain why orgasms could lower prostate cancer risk. However it has previously been theorised that regular orgasms may flush out cancer-causing chemicals in the prostate. Another theory is that if sperm is regularly cleaned out to allow new cells to develop, it helps stop the build-up of old cells that might be more likely to turn cancerous. The prostate is a small satsuma-sized gland located between a man’s penis and his bladder, whose main function is to produce a thick white fluid that is mixed with the sperm produced by the testicles, to create semen. The new study is the largest to date on the frequency of ejaculation and and prostate cancer. The researchers found that men in the 40-49 age bracket who ejaculate 21 or more times a month reduced their risk of prostate...

The Nigerian army has relocated at least 260 women and children recently rescued from the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, officials say. They were taken from a camp in the north-eastern city of Yola and flown to an unspecified military facility. The women will receive medical help and support as part of their rehabilitation process, the BBC has learnt. The government is said to be worried that some women may have been radicalised while in captivity. Camp officials said there were suspicions some of the women had been communicating with militants. They will be housed at the military facility under the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Programme which is part of the government’s so-called “soft approach” to combating terrorism. Backed by soldiers from Chad, Cameroon and Niger, the Nigerian army has managed to liberate a number of towns from the militants since they launched a military operation in February. However, sporadic attacks and violence have continued, with thousands killed...

A Nigerian restaurant has reportedly been shut down for cooking human flesh and serving it to customers. The police were tipped off by locals who suspected something horrific was taking place inside the kitchen. They raided the hotel restaurant to discover human heads which were still dripping with blood in plastic bags. A local priest who ate at the restaurant – in the south-eastern province of Anambra – was alarmed at the price of meals there, let alone where the meat came from,BBC Swahili reported. He was presented with a bill of 700 Naira – around £2.20 – when the daily wage for tens of millions of Nigerians is approximately 60p. The priest said: ‘The attendant noticed my reaction and told me it was the small piece of meat I had eaten that made the bill scale that high. ‘I did not know I had been served with human meat, and that it was that expensive.’ The police also found a terrifying arsenal of weapons which included grenades when they raided the restaurant. Ten people were arre...