How a miscarriage almost tore a beautiful friendship apart!

When my boyfriend and I decided to try for a baby, I was bursting with excitement – and trepidation. I decided to confide in my best friend, Jane. We met at journalism college when I was 19 and she was 22. Jane was just about the coolest person I'd ever met. We bonded like sisters – and in the years to come we'd sometimes bicker like sisters too. But we always made up.

Anna (left) and Jane

After college, Jane moved to San Francisco but we stayed best friends: we chatted on the phone, visited each other and later Skyped. From either side of the ocean we saw each other through some major life changes: my marriage break-up, her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, my father's death, Jane's divorce.

But there was one tragedy our friendship could not weather. In fact, it tore us apart. When I told Jane that I was trying for a baby, she was naturally delighted for me. She already had two children, Emily, now 13, and Elliot, 11, from her first marriage. And now, she confided, she and her new partner, Tavis, were hoping to have a baby.

A few weeks later, I rang Jane to tell her I was pregnant. Six weeks later, so was she. I couldn't have been more excited. We'd go through pregnancy together, give birth weeks apart and, with luck, our babies would grow up to be friends, just like us. As always, we chatted weekly, swapping complaints about morning sickness and indigestion, though poor old Jane seemed to be suffering far more than me. I worried that the pregnancy might take a toll on her often frail body; I'd seen her bloom through her pregnancies before, but once those hormones left her body, the MS made her crash.

But Jane has always been so brave, so strong, so super positive, and I knew she and Tavis wanted this baby more than anything.

There was even better news – like me, Jane was expecting a girl. I remember the day she told me the name they had chosen: Daisy Rae. She sounded so sweet already. And Jane loved Gracie, the name awaiting my daughter.

Then, disaster. Jane's mother, Pam, emailed to say her baby had died. Jane had gone for a routine checkup at 20 weeks, and Daisy was no longer alive.

Doctors thought she had been strangled by the umbilical cord. I reached down and put a protective hand over my own bump. As sad as I was for Jane, in that moment part of me felt selfishly terrified for my own baby. What if she died too?

I dialled Jane's number and left a message to say how sorry I was. But no amount of emotion or emphasis in my voice could have come close to letting Jane know how I felt for her in that moment. I think she texted back the next day and thanked me for the message. I called Pam again, and asked how Jane was, which I did every few days over the months to come. She very carefully and kindly told me that Jane couldn't speak to me. That I, with my growing, healthy bump, was the last person Jane wanted to hear from.

I remember the tears pricking my eyes. I knew it was a hard thing for Pam to tell me. I knew it made sense and that I was selfish to think any different. I also knew that there was a weak and cowardly part of me that was afraid to speak to Jane, that didn't want to hear that a baby could just "go away". And I wanted to be there for Jane when she needed me most. In those moments, it was hard to accept that my best friend didn't want me anywhere near her.

The weeks went by and I kept in touch with Pam. I was careful not to mention my pregnancy on Facebook too much. I knew when I put a picture up that Jane might see it, so I did so only a handful of times over the nine months. I sometimes checked her profile to see if she'd deleted me. Pam told me that, instead, she had hidden me from view.

I felt helpless. All I could do was hope that Pam was telling Jane I was asking after her, but it did feel as if I was being punished for my pregnancy continuing. I could almost feel the resentment coming across the Atlantic in waves. Because I needed Jane too. This was my first baby, quite possibly the only one I'd have, and, after all, Jane already had two who were alive and well. I didn't want – or deserve – her to resent me or my baby.

Gracie was born in August 2012. Jane says she contacted me when she was born, but it's all a blur – I nearly lost her at the last hurdle and she spent her first week of life in intensive care.

Then, suddenly, Jane sent some wonderful gifts for Gracie – I knew choosing them must have been hard for her, but hoped it might be an olive branch. There was a glimmer of hope that I might get my best friend back.

But there was a long way to go. By then, with a new baby to show off, I couldn't hide my pride on Facebook, I couldn't censor the pictures I posted – I had to wait for Jane to come round.

The breakthrough came last summer when she met Gracie. She shed some tears, we both knew why. But although Daisy wasn't there, Emily and Elliot were and it gave us so much pleasure to see our children playing together.

The other day, when I called Jane excitedly to tell her that Gracie had taken her first steps, I knew she must be thinking, "That's what Daisy would be doing now." But although it hurts, perhaps it keeps Daisy alive too.

Jane's story:

When I got pregnant two years ago, the person I was most excited about telling was my best friend, Annie. Not just because we shared every part of our lives, but because she was pregnant too. And despite the thousands of miles between us, we were going to experience our pregnancies together.

Tavis was – is – the love of my life, and though I had two children from my previous marriage, I'd always pictured myself with three, so this was going to be perfect. To share it with Annie only made it more exciting. In my imagination our babies would be best friends: they'd spend summers together, live in the same town and, one day, we'd hang out together with our grandchildren – one big, happy extended family like something out of a movie.

Annie and I had been best friends for 16 years. It was tough on our friendship when I moved to San Francisco, but we kept in constant touch. In fact, I was with Annie on New Year's Day 2000 when I found out I was pregnant with my first baby. I did a pregnancy test at her house – she knew before my husband did.

With my third pregnancy, Annie and I found out we were both having girls. Then, without warning, it was all over for me. Daisy Rae died, a few days after I'd felt her kick for the first time. I went for the five-month checkup and there she was lying inside me as if sleeping, but with no heartbeat. My life came crashing down. My baby had just ... gone.

I had to wait a week to have her body removed under anaesthetic in hospital. The alternative was to be induced and give birth, but I couldn't bear to do that. I had to accept that I'd be leaving the hospital with nothing more than sorrow.

I was heartbroken. I'm not sure how I made it through that week, and have little memory of it. There was a lot of crying, sleep and medication. But a few weeks later, I knew I had to try to make it out of the fog and rejoin the real world. But it was filled with pregnant women and newborn babies – I couldn't bear to see them.

And how could I still be friends with Annie? She was getting bigger and more beautiful by the day: I only needed to go on to Facebook to see that. I felt it wasn't fair.

I sent a text to tell Annie I couldn't be in touch with her any more, crying as I composed it. Was I mourning the loss of my friend or that she had what I so desperately wanted? She replied to say that she understood and stayed in touch with my mum.

At first Mum tried to persuade me to talk to Annie. She told me how much Annie cared about me and needed me. But I just couldn't. I couldn't stand seeing her pictures on Facebook either. I hid her profile so it wouldn't come up in my feed, then I hid every one of my friends who popped up with a pregnant status. Which, it seemed at the time, was everyone.

My happiness for Annie hadn't gone, but in the space where I'd once felt my baby kick, resentment towards her – and any pregnant woman – grew. All I had was an empty belly.

I tried explaining to Tavis how I felt about her, but he found it hard to understand. Of course he knew I was grieving – he was, too – but he didn't understand how I could resent my best friend. And he didn't want me to appear mean. But my feelings were so complex that only a handful of people understood. One of those was my grief therapist, who promised me they were normal, and most importantly, they would change in time.

Sometimes I'd send Annie a text to say hi and send love, to reassure her that I hadn't left completely. She always responded, but I could tell from her tone that she didn't really know what to say. Often I felt she seemed apologetic for still being pregnant and I felt bad for putting her in that space. Other times I felt she was angry at me for being selfish and not being there for her.

Then Gracie was born. I knew her due date – part of me had dreaded that news – and Mum called to say the baby was in intensive care, which shook me. I sent Annie a note, but didn't hear back, which was no surprise considering the situation.

I knew that if Annie and I were to ever be friends again, I had to send a gift to acknowledge Gracie's birth and, more, despite my grief, I wanted to share in her joy.

I took Emily shopping for Gracie's gift, to have at my side one of the babies I hadn't lost. We bought Goodnight Moon, which was Emily's favourite book as a baby, a soft white owl and some fridge magnets with Gracie written on them. That was my way of showing Annie I was sorry for not being there during her pregnancy or birth, that I was happy for her and wanted us to be friends again.

Little by little, Annie and I were in touch more often. I knew she understood and eventually she told me how sad she was that Gracie and Daisy wouldn't grow up together. Her acknowledgment was all I needed.

Then, some really wonderful news. Eight months after I lost Daisy, I got pregnant again. But again I miscarried, this time at 12 weeks. I knew I wouldn't try again.

Last summer, four months after losing this second baby, I met Gracie. She was 11 months old and perfect. We spent a magical day together at my parent's country cottage. Among the rambling roses and bumble bees, Emily and Elliot took turns pushing Gracie on the swing. They were wonderful with her, as I knew they would have been with Daisy.

Jane with Gracie

During the day, I looked at Gracie, and Daisy came rushing to my mind. The tears flowed. Annie and I looked at each other, but didn't say anything – there was nothing to say. I fell in love with Gracie that day and was able to move on with Annie. This day was about me meeting this beautiful little girl with the whole world ahead of her, and with an incredible mum showing her the way.

That's what Gracie and Annie are to me now. They don't represent my loss any more, but what we've all gained.

The Pendulum by Dele Momodu!

Fellow Nigerians, one of the most frequently asked questions by friend and foe is: why do you want to be President and not a Senator or Governor? The answer is very simple. You need executive power in the hands of a committed and determined change agent to be able to regenerate Nigeria. The Governors can do as much as the omnipotent and ubiquitous President allows these days. Governors have to pay obeisance to Him on High in Abuja as frequently as possible or face the wrath of the almighty. The lack of proper Federalism has made it impossible for the Federating units to operate at optimal speed and value. Everyone looks at the body language of the President and must know how to decode the subliminal messages emanating from him lest something bad begin to happen to you and yours.

The Legislators also understand the game. In reality they can’t be too independent. They are regularly bullied or compromised by the omniscient executive. Is it not curious that no legislator has been able to reject the atrocious remunerations being allocated to them? That is the bait the executive uses to hook, implicate, placate and tame the shrew. The Judiciary has been struggling to free itself from the stranglehold of the executive arm of government but it has not been too easy. The executive has the power to hire and fire via subterfuge. Everything has become politicised and no institution is too sacred to be desecrated. I do not want to be specific but we are all witnesses to the deluge of contradictory judgments dissembled by our Judges in staccato fashion.

The story of the Fourth Estate of the Realm is almost similar. Despite the preponderance of electronic and print media, most organisations require government patronage to survive in a turbulent market. The situation is worse for the electronic media. You have to behave and tread softly or get yanked off the air. Government remains the veritable source of news in Nigeria. Most journalists have to camp inside and outside various government houses and make sure they are chummy with the government spokesperson or miss out on the goody train. Our job is too delicate. Societal expectations are not often realistic. Everyone goes about their businesses and expect the reporter to be the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the Earth. And when the media organisation dies due to lack of patronage the same society moves on casually and leaves the casualties to stew in their own juices. We’ve seen it too many times.

Where then do we turn? You would say the civil society. Even that is not an easy route. That road is paved and littered with thorns. There is nothing any one can do for his country that the likes of Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), Mr Femi Falana (SAN) and others of their ilk did not try. Gani could not be made a President despite being called the Senior Advocate of the Masses while Femi could not become the Governor of Ekiti State. The principalities that control the levers of power in Nigeria cannot be easily uprooted and upstaged. They have their secret weapons that are so potent and recyclable. If they drop the spectre of ethnicity and it fails, they will drop the bomb of religion. If that fails to explode, they will try the whiff of money or throw all the three aces at once. Trust me, it works like magic. How many people can resist the lure of lucre in a largely impoverished environment? I’m sure these facts are known to you all.

I’ve answered my opening question so many times that I can almost write a doctoral thesis on it. I’ve come to the conclusion that majority of our citizens would love to have a good President in Nigeria. However, I’m not sure they want him even if they find him and recognise him as the one they’ve been awaiting all along, for several reasons I will explain shortly. Wherever two or more Nigerians are gathered the topic of discussion must dovetail into politics. We are all experts in political science and it is strange that we each shout about corruption until we’ve been tested. Those who have no opportunities of getting close to the national cake call everyone in government rogues. I often wonder why it is so easy for radicals of yesteryears to decay and disappear into oblivion. This has made the search for that special leader very cumbersome and frustrating. So where do we go from here?

Let us begin with definitions to be sure we are all on the same page. Who is a good Leader? A good Leader is that man or woman who was born to lead or acquired the skills along the way. He is not a Saint but possesses saintly inclinations. He loves unconditionally. He’s detribalised. He has religious tolerance. He has the ability to manage people and resources. He is a man of vision with a sound mind to see what most people find difficult to decipher. He is a man of modest means who has managed his life prudently and is humble in success. He is very educated not by just going to school but by being exposed to great knowledge about the complex world in which we live.

He is God-fearing without being a religious bigot. He is an ideologue who’s flexible enough to consider other principles of governance where applicable. He is charismatic and must be a good representative of his country wherever he goes. He is eloquent and can communicate with his people effortlessly. He is inspirational and can galvanise his people into dreaming big. He is trusted to the extent that his people are ready to make any necessary sacrifice required of them. He is a man of the people, in short.

Why do we need that one leader and not many leaders? The answer is simple. No nation is governed by a multitude but by one powerful and clear-headed leader whose ideas and ideals percolate down the entire fabric of society. He knows his onions and is ready to risk his all to succeed glowingly where others failed woefully. Other leaders would naturally queue behind him to tap into his uncommon wisdom, determination and resilience. History is replete with stories of such monumental figures.

My favourite example is Mao Tse-tung, former Chairman of the Communist Party of China. He was a revolutionary who’s often referred to as the founding father of the People’s Republic of China. The irony of his life is that he was never born poor being the son of a wealthy farmer who was greatly influenced by Marxist-Leninist theories. It is interesting to note that Chairman Mao declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949 under the control of a one-party socialist movement. Against all odds, and after several cultural, economic and political battles, he was able to build a new China into a super power. The lesson in his life is that change can never be a tea party. A leader who is only interested in enjoying the paraphernalia of office would never be able to transform his nation. The population of China alone was challenging enough yet he was able to put China on sound footing.

My next example is Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. Like Chairman Mao, he is also regarded as the Father of Singapore and was its first Prime Minister. At the time of his attaining power, Singapore was a miserable Third World Country but through discipline and determination he was able to rebuild a dilapidated nation into a First World country and a remarkable Asian Tiger. The lesson again is that a true transformational leader must be ready to put his nation above earthly treasures and pleasures. The story of Lee Kuan Yew is a must read for all aspiring politicians who wish to make the much-desired difference.

Mahatma Gandhi’s name can never be omitted in world history because of the sacrifice he made for the emancipation of his country. He was the major promoter of nonviolent civil disobedience and led India to Independence in August 1947. Interestingly, his birthday which is now a national holiday is on October 2. The man practically starved and fasted himself to death while protesting against man’s inhumanity to man. He was imprisoned on several occasions in India and South Africa. His was a life of sacrifice for the betterment of his larger society and humanity in general.

Please, endure one more example in contemporary history, The Great Madiba, Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Everyone is fascinated by the life history of Mandela yet we can hardly point at one African leader today who is willing and ready to make the necessary sacrifice for his country like he did. All those who went to shed crocodile tears at his funeral forgot his legacies as soon as they returned from the photo opportunity. The man would not have suffered in vain if his painful existence gave birth to others like him. Such is the irony of life.

Long before all these leaders, the world had men who became deified and whose names continue to reverberate globally. Prophet Mohammed and Jesus Christ remain the biggest iconic figures in religion. It is noteworthy that many of us call their names but easily forget what they stood for in world history. Their lives reflected how one tree can make a forest. The essence of my preamble is to demonstrate why we must continue the search for that elusive man or woman with the true capacity to transform our country from its penurious state to a prosperous haven.

Is it possible to have such a leader in Nigeria? The answer is yes. We tend to think our liberator would have to descend from heaven. It is never going to happen in that manner. The kind of man we want exists already but we are too blinded by many primordial sentiments that we can’t even see or identify such a person. Indeed, several of them exist.  I will go into our sordid history to pick a few examples of how we missed the boat in the past and hoping such mistakes would not be repeated over and over again. The choices I’m going to pick will be controversial but so be it. In a country where everything is quotalised, I expect many people to kick but my choices are by no means exhaustive. They are just glaring glimpses of missed opportunities due to our collective myopia.

I will also endeavour to prove that apart from our wasted heroes we have many heroes wasting away at the moment. Until we unburden our souls and purge our minds of long-held prejudices, that man we need would continue to elude us. The land is filled with bitterness and volatile anger. Is this the solution? I sincerely don’t think so. Many are saying the country should break up. But this is a worse option. They tend to forget that the greatness of China, India, America and several others stems largely from their substantial population. The secret of America is in absorbing and tolerating people of all races. Our intolerance level is abysmal and extremely dangerous. We hate our next door neighbour with such venom and only God knows who would restore peace, love and joy to this land of great men and women.

I believe all hope is not lost. My duty is to pursue the line of argument that Nigeria has many great men and women who can lead her to greatness. Most times, politics is a game of trial by error. There are no hard and fast rules. Until you try a particular leader you may never know his capabilities.

I shall start with the living generation of potentially great leaders simply because they can make a difference whilst we can only rue what might have been regarding those that have passed on.  Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State epitomises one of such miracles and positive accident of Leadership. He has confounded all those who queried the wisdom of the then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he backed him with all his might. We must give Tinubu some credit more than his critics are willing to do. He knows how to identify good materials.

Our search for that man of our dreams must begin with seeking our best materials with a fine toothcomb. We must find and encourage them.  Gold is usually rough before it is polished. We have a unique opportunity to turn ourselves into miners. If we do not participate in one form or another, we have no reason to lament later.

By Dele Momodu

Fall 2014 Hair, Makeup & Nails trends!

Sure, the clothes garner all the hoopla but the beauty at New York Fashion Week is also exciting, if not unique.

Unfortunately it can be hard to get a real good look at the hair, makeup and manicures unless you're lucky enough to score a backstage pass. Which is where these tips come in handy.

E news is zooming in on all the best Fall 2014 beauty looks at NYFW and also sharing the exact products used to create each one. 

Photos below:

What Do Nigerians Really Want In 2015?

The next elections are just a fresh calendar away. And so far the chaos of our choices is loud, sufficient for even a stubborn optimist to admit to the cynicism of citizens who have long predicted another case of our vulnerability to polarisations. Observing the ongoing political drama, and interacting with fellow Nigerians from across various parties, religions and ethnic groups, validates the fears of the cynical.

I have challenged such cynicism on reading a commentary on the evil that is democracy in Nigeria by the poet Khalid Imam, who expressed a view shared by many Nigerians, thus:

“Politics is amoral! Politicians always defecate on the mat of morality. Politics is but a war fought by politicians to satiate the greedy … ogre they always worship. At whatever cost, what matters most in politics is the protection of present selfish interest and having an assured relevance in tomorrow’s political games. Nothing more, nothing less. Today, politics seems to be about self, for the self and the self alone. The dramatic defection of politicians from one party to the other is all motivated by selfish interest, not common interest of the majority. Democracy is insane as it always serves as a reliable vehicle for transportation of capitalism and godlessness to every clime. May God save the poor from the hands of his foes parading themselves as his leaders.” – Facebook (31/Janauary/2014: 16:59)

With this mindset, I highlighted, how would we redeem the system? Isn’t this defeatist? Aren’t we all politicians in our own different ways?

I think that this “politics is a dirty game” perception is the reason we’re still unable to rescue this country. These politicians are humans, like us, and thus I referenced Hon. Abdullahi I. Mahuta of Katsina State House of Assembly, our mutual friend on Facebook and a politician who has defied the logic Khalid appealed to in that post. Hon. Mahuta has shown us the merciful side of politics, and has paid a price as a victim of the game, for challenging flaws in budget allocations as the Minority Leader of the State Assembly—that allocations to named schools were not as proposed by the Governor. For this heroism, he earned a suspension.

But that isn’t what makes the Honourable Member a hero in my books. He also champions an advocacy called “Ni ma na yarda”, as reported by columnist Auwal Sani Anwar,  that challenges public office holders to have their children enrolled in public schools, and his own children are already in these under-funded schools. This pro-education advocacy, expected to have adequate attention drawn to our structurally and academically collapsed public schools, will also demystify class divides, rousing the essence of a generation of the haves and the have-nots existing along blurred social strata.

You may think that the memories of all we have witnessed and experienced, including the disappointing stink of this government’s Fresh Air, may be hard lessons for us in this last year of a disastrous term? But our attitude indicates otherwise. Our attitude to the activities of the opposition parties and the stunts of candidates who have shown interest in the race to Aso Rock so far, assure me that we are still not serious, and for this baffling un-readiness to get it right this time, I ask: what do Nigerians want?

Obviously we don’t know what democracy is. Yet. We have taken democracy for a magic wand that makes everything all right with a streak of our criticisms from our air-conditioned rooms and offices, tweeting randomly against communal troubles that are also our responsibility to eliminate. This hatred towards, or misperception of, democracy, acquired from our history of misbehaving politicians, is no doubt the cause of this chaos in reaching a consensus on what we want, who we want, and how we want it realised.

If we want to practise democracy, we have to be democratic. How do we expect credible leaders when all we do is criticise without taking part? And because we see one another in the same image, every praise of a presidential aspirant is seen as sponsored. If I write in favour of one, I’m bought. If I announce my support for General Babangida as President, I’ll be accused. If I announce my support for Governor Rochas as President, I’ll be accused. If I announce my support for Mallam Ribadu as President, I’ll be accused. If I announce my support for Governor Fashola as President, I’ll be accused. If I announce my support for Alhaji Atiku as President, I’ll be accused. All because we do not understand that the product of politics are our effort and sacrifice. And the accusers, as usual, would not name a candidate decent enough to be a popular choice; this is where we undermine the power of our number and the possibilities of team work. Overseas, it’s patriotic to give your all in supporting an admired presidential candidate. Here, you mention “Buhari”, you’re an APC member or a northerner or a paid publicist!

Sometimes, the most stones are cast by the actual sinners: our journalists. Though it’s advisable for our journalists to remain reasonably objective in covering and gauging the pulse of the nation, this is hardly the case. Our journalists are more ethically confused. They preach against corruption, yet they won’t cover your story if they’re not paid. And the fact that they expect private citizens to not get involved in the political process, considering such as a compromise, is a disturbing delusion. Private citizens should free themselves from the lie that they are not allowed to express public support for candidates in whom they see their hope of a new Nigeria.

The second set of Nigerians that must never be our models are some of these critics overseas whose ideologies hardly encourage citizen participations in our political processes, as such is seen as complicity in the looting of the country. Some of us have been hoodwinked into adopting their “never join politics” development thesis as we celebrate these consistently loud voices that quote Karl Marx and Adam Smith in vilifying an entire nation for the sins of a few.

We are different from them. We are the direct victims of any failed political experiment, and screaming and writing about failed governments without struggling to infiltrate the ranks of our “laboratory politicians” whose incompetence cause these troubles means we are complicit in the fall of this nation.

If a UK-based critic, for instance, sets fire to his green passport, out of disappointments in Nigeria, it’s understandable. He has another home. You don’t. There’s a limit to his participation in the evolution of our democracy. You live in Nigeria, and so you must walk the talk!

So, dear countrymen, we have to change our methods of engagements. Politics is not as dirty as the fabric of the hypocrisy we exhibit in boycotting the system. Yes “all politicians are thieves”, but I have not seen your poster, nothing to tell me that you’re in the race. How can I vote for you, sir? Your absence, my most reverend saint, means my vote is invalid. 

May God save us from us!

by Gimba Kakanda

Fake-food scandal revealed as tests show third of products are mislabelled!

Consumers are being sold food including mozzarella that is less than half real cheese, ham on pizzas that is either poultry or "meat emulsion", and frozen prawns that are 50% water, according to tests by a public laboratory.

The checks on hundreds of food samples, which were taken in West Yorkshire, revealed that more than a third were not what they claimed to be, or were mislabelled in some way. Their results have been shared with the Guardian.

Testers also discovered beef mince adulterated with pork or poultry, and even a herbal slimming tea that was neither herb nor tea but glucose powder laced with a withdrawn prescription drug for obesity at 13 times the normal dose.

A third of fruit juices sampled were not what they claimed or had labelling errors. Two contained additives that are not permitted in the EU, including brominated vegetable oil, which is designed for use in flame retardants and linked to behavioural problems in rats at high doses.

Experts said they fear the alarming findings from 38% of 900 sample tests by West Yorkshire councils were representative of the picture nationally, with the public at increasing risk as budgets to detect fake or mislabelled foods plummet.

Counterfeit vodka sold by small shops remains a major problem, with several samples not meeting the percentage of alcohol laid down for the spirit. In one case, tests revealed that the "vodka" had been made not from alcohol derived from agricultural produce, as required, but from isopropanol, used in antifreeze and as an industrial solvent.

Samples were collected both as part of general surveillance of all foods and as part of a programme targeted at categories of foodstuffs where cutting corners is considered more likely.

West Yorkshire's public analyst, Dr Duncan Campbell, said of the findings: "We are routinely finding problems with more than a third of samples, which is disturbing at a time when the budget for food standards inspection and analysis is being cut."

He said he thought the problems uncovered in his area were representative of the picture in the country as a whole.

The scale of cheating and misrepresentation revealed by the tests was described by Maria Eagle, the shadow environment secretary, as unacceptable. "Consumers deserve to know what they are buying and eating and cracking down on the mislabelling of food must become a greater priority for the government," she said.

Testing food is the responsibility of local authorities and their trading standards departments, but as their budgets have been cut many councils have reduced checks or stopped collecting samples altogether.

The number of samples taken to test whether food being sold matched what was claimed fell nationally by nearly 7% between 2012 and 2013, and had fallen by over 18% in the year before that. About 10% of local authorities did no compositional sampling at all last year, according to the consumer watchdog Which?

West Yorkshire is unusual in retaining a leading public laboratory and maintaining its testing regime. Samples are anonymised for testing by public analysts to prevent bias, so we are unable to see who had made or sold individual products. Many of the samples were collected from fast-food restaurants, independent retailers and wholesalers; some were from larger stores and manufacturers.

Substitution of cheaper ingredients for expensive materials was a recurring problem with meat and dairy products – both sectors that have seen steep price rises on commodity markets. While West Yorkshire found no horsemeat in its tests after the scandal had broken, mince and diced meats regularly contained meat of the wrong species.

In some cases, this was likely to be the result of mincing machines in butcher's shops not being properly cleaned between batches; in others there was clear substitution of cheaper species. Samples of beef contained pork or poultry, or both, and beef was being passed off as more expensive lamb, especially in takeaways, ready meals, and by wholesalers.

Ham, which should be made from the legs of pigs, was regularly made from poultry meat instead: the preservatives and brining process add a pink colour that makes it hard to detect except by laboratory analysis.

Meat emulsion – a mixture in which meat is finely ground along with additives so that fat can be dispersed through it – had also been used in some kinds of ham, as had mechanically separated meat, a slurry produced by removing scraps of meat from bones, which acts as a cheap filler although its use is not permitted in ham.

Levels of salt that breached target limits set by the Food Standards Agency were a recurring problem in sausages and some ethnic restaurant meals. The substitution of cheaper vegetable fat for the dairy fat with which cheese must legally be made was common. Samples of mozzarella turned out in one case to be only 40% dairy fat, and in another only 75%.

Several samples of cheese on pizzas were not in fact cheese as claimed but cheese analogue, made with vegetable oil and additives. It is not illegal to use cheese analogue but it should be properly identified as such.

Using water to adulterate and increase profits was a problem with frozen seafood. A kilo pack of frozen king prawns examined contained large quantities of ice glaze, and on defrosting the prawns themselves were found to be 18% added water. Only half the weight of the pack was seafood as opposed to water.

In some cases the results raised concerns over immediate food safety. The herbal slimming tea that was mostly sugar contained a prescription obesity drug that has been withdrawn because of its side-effects.

Making false promises was a dominant theme among vitamin and mineral supplements. Of 43 samples tested, 88% made health claims that are not allowed under legislation because there is no science to support them or were mislabelled as to their content in some way.

Even when fraud or mislabelling is found, it is not aways followed up. Once it has detected a problem with a product, a council is required to refer it to the home authority in which it was originally made, which may or may not take enforcement action.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, called for more effective use of resources and tougher penalties.

"No one wants to see another incident like the horsemeat scandal happen again and the rigorous enforcement of standards underpinned by effective levels of food testing is essential for restoring consumers' trust in this industry," he said.

British man takes African teen as second wife, first wife finds out on Facebook!

A bigamist was caught by his wife after she saw a photograph of him grinning with his new Gambian teenage bride on Facebook.

Nicolette Smith was further devastated when she noticed Stephen Smith, 52, had married Awa Jobarteh, 19, at the same African register office they tied the knot at seven years earlier.

Ms Smith then called the police, but incredibly her cheating former partner has avoided jail and claimed he was the victim.

The factory worker had been abandoned by his new young bride two days after arriving back in the UK, and she has never been traced.

Nicolette met her husband in 2001, after his first divorce, but has been left in financial ruin after their marriage breakdown.

She was declared bankrupt when Smith failed to pay the mortgage and is still waiting for her husband to sign divorce papers, Teesside Crown Court was told.

The 52-year-old was prosecuted for bigamy after he admitted ‘hastily’ rushing down the aisle with his third wife because he was in love.

The court heard that the day before the wedding Smith signed a petition for divorce from his second wife, which carried a signature purporting to be by Nicolette – but it was faked.

Nicolette admitted she was disappointed that he was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years with 150 hours’ unpaid work.

‘I feel as though he’s got away with this and has been portrayed as some kind of victim himself after all that he’s put me through. He knew if he responded to my divorce petition, he’d give away where he’d been hiding,’ she said.

Discussing the way he was dumped by his new bride she told The Sun: ‘She looked so young in the pictures and he looked a little pathetic. I don’t know what else he could have expected’.

Smith claimed he was a wronged victim, duped and abandoned by his latest spouse after he met her in Gambia, married her on November 7, 2012 and brought her to the UK.

Smith married his second wife in December 2005. The marriage broke down two years later.

He went missing and her solicitors received no reply in efforts to start divorce proceedings. She then reported him to the police when she found out that he’d remarried.

Smith admitted a charge of bigamy, his first crime but said he had thought he was divorced and that his divorce was ‘automatic’.

Central African Republic soldiers murder man in cold blood after presidential speech!

Soldiers lynched an innocent bystander in the Central African Republic yesterday, beating the man to death before scores of witnesses only moments after the new president had voiced “pride” in their professionalism.

The brazen murder, carried out with the utmost brutality, was another sign of the nightmarish disintegration of this remote country of 4.5 million people.

Hundreds of soldiers clad in red berets and new camouflage fatigues were on parade in the capital, Bangui, to greet the new interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza. She took office last month with the task of organising a general election.

Ms Samba-Panza promised the soldiers that her government would pay their wages for the first time in five months. “I would like to renew my pride in those elements of FACA [Armed Forces of the Central African Republic] who are here and to ask them to support my actions wherever they are,” she said.

As soon as she left, soldiers gathered around a bystander and accused him of being from the Seleka rebel movement. What followed was witnessed by a journalists from news agencies including Associated Press and Reuters. “I will kill him with my own hands,” shouted one army recruit. The soldiers set upon the man with knives and bricks, kicking him to the ground, stripping him to his underwear and stabbing him over and over.

As he lay on the ground, bleeding profusely but still alive, peacekeeping soldiers from Burundi tried to protect him. They surrounded the man’s prostrate form, holding back the crowd of soldiers and bystanders.

But as the mob grew more furious, the Burundians abandoned the man to his fate, retreating without firing a shot. One gendarme in a blue uniform who also tried to intervene was threatened and accused of being a traitor. The mob seemed willing to kill him too, but other officers managed to take him to safety.

Then the victim was stabbed and beaten to death where he lay. Afterwards, the mob stabbed his body and dragged it through the streets before setting his corpse alight.

A Western security expert in Bangui said this was the third public lynching in as many weeks. The CAR is trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of retaliatory violence. Last March, the Muslim leader of the Seleka rebels, Michel Djotodia, captured Bangui and declared himself president. The Seleka then began murdering Christians across the country.

After Mr Djotodia resigned last month, the boot was on the other foot. Christian militias, styling themselves Anti-Balaka, retaliated by killing Muslims at random.

Yesterday’s victim was believed to be a Muslim. “What’s happening in the city is that the Anti-Balaka are forcing out all of the Muslims by killing them outright – or by going into the neighbourhoods where they live and pillaging them then burning everything down,” said the security expert. ”Now you have a whole bunch of ex-Seleka running around with no leaders – and a whole bunch of Anti-Balaka who are just kids from the villages with machetes.”

France has deployed 1,600 troops in the CAR, but they lack the numbers to restore order. The African Union has sent another 5,000 peacekeeping soldiers, mainly from Chad and Burundi.

However, Chad’s largely Muslim contingent has been accused of helping Seleka to massacre Christians.

“If the African Union is truly going to protect civilians in the Central African Republic, it needs to rein in the rogue activities of the Chadian peacekeeping troops,” said Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director at Human Rights Watch.