Women masturbate as a coping mechanism and way to relieve stress — rather than a craving for sex, according to a new study.

Researchers in Switzerland surveyed 370 women aged 18 to 56 years old on how often they masturbate and the reasons behind it.

In total, the entire group only masturbated nine times a month.

But those who were psychologically distressed — regularly anxious or stressed — masturbated more often than those who were not.

Previous research has suggested the activity can help to relieve stress because it prompts the feel-good hormone dopamine to be released in the brain.

One woman wrote in response to the survey: ‘For me, it is also a valve to relieve stress. I notice that I masturbate more often during exam periods, for example.’

A second said: ‘[Masturbation] distracts me and relieves me from stress’, while a third added, ‘it brings me back to the here and now and makes me forget everything else for a moment’.

Model Cara Delevingne says she wants to end the ‘global stigma’ around discussing female masturbation: ‘Men are talking about it all the time’

In the study, published online, scientists recruited 370 women who had masturbated at least once over the last three months via Facebook, Instagram and university mailing lists.

Each completed a 35-minute survey in January 2021 on their masturbation frequency, habits and a questionnaire that determined whether they were psychologically distressed.

Results were then adjusted for factors such as relationship status, age and education level.

Of those who completed the survey, 85 percent were heterosexual, while 64 percent were in relationships and about half had a university degree.

Overall, 12 percent of the women — or 44 participants — said they masturbated as a coping mechanism to relieve stress.

But the main reason women masturbated, according to the survey, was to promote calm and relaxation, with 64 percent saying this was why they did the activity.

A further 55 percent also said they masturbated because it evoked feelings of joy.

Few women said they masturbated for reasons such as to help them fall asleep or to relieve any physical pain.

In the paper, they wrote: ‘According to the women in our study, masturbation serves as a strategy to induce positive emotions and promote relaxation when experiencing stress.

‘These findings are consistent with previous research that has highlighted the role of masturbation as a coping strategy for psychological stress and as a means of relaxation.’

In the initial group of 800 women, 15 were excluded because they said they had never masturbated while another 53 were excluded because they said they had not masturbated in the last three months.

Participants on psychiatric medication or who reported using anal stimulation were also excluded from the study.

Superstar singer and Grammy Award winner, Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, has taken a swipe at his rival, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.

Two weeks ago, Davido got married to his longtime girlfriend, Chioma, in what was a gathering of the “who is who” in the society.

The couple are currently overseas for their honeymoon.

However, a fresh crisis is brewing up during the honeymoon as Davido is locked in child custody battle with his first baby mama, Sophia Momodu.

On Friday night, the singer called out his baby mama, Sophia, for citing the death of his son, Ifeanyi, who drowned in a swimming pool accident at his Lagos mansion, in her counter suit.

“Your constantly bringing up the death of my child at any point u can to just remind us of this tragedy that haunts us everyday of our lives .. Imade will grow up to see I fought for her .. as for now u can have her .. P.S she won’t be a child forever .. enjoy ❤️ Imade Aurora Adeleke ! Your father loves you!” Davido wrote on X.

Following his outburst, his colleague, Dammy Krane mocked him, saying he now knows the pain his late friend, Tagbo’s mother felt when his son whom he accused Davido of contributing to his death, died.

“i’m boldly saying @davido has hand in Tagbo’s death. If im lying they should sue me, make everything cast for court. I ready help am spread all hin dirty linen for public,” Dammy Krane posted on X.

Weighing in, Burna Boy asked him to pull down the post.

“Bro. WTF are you doing?? Take this down now !! Make me and u no get problem abeg . No be like this we dey handle differences,” he wrote under the comment section of Dammy krane’s post.

The Grammy Award winner then wrote on his X account: “‘Odogwu too wise’ who no hear go feel.”

Commenting under the post, a fan warned him about his plans to stay single despite his recent 33rd birthday.

“Burna Boy, you should start planning for your future by getting married and starting a family. OBO has already set an example. You’re over 33 now, and you need to understand that you’re not getting any younger,” the user wrote.

Responding in pidgin, Burna Boy wrote: “Baba make I just dey as I dey abeg, u nor see wetin him dey face like dis?”

Another user then commented: “You can’t even answer a question like a reasonable person. LOL. Just big head and plenty beards.”

In response, the singer said, “Ok. But between me and you, Shey na betta example the guy use?”

Another user followed up asking the Afrobeat singer: “Adekunle Gold na better example?”

He, however, agreed to choose the kind of love life between celebrity couple, Adekunle Gold and his wife, Simi.

“Ehen! Na wetin we dey pray for be that bros,” he replied.

Davido has yet to comment on the drama.

CREDIT: DAILYTRUST

An American lawyer, Nicole Kierulff Sayers, testified in the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Wednesday, alleging that Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley, a Nigerian man, and his entire family conspired to defraud her of $370,000 through a romantic scam and false promises of a contract with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed these details in a statement released on Friday.

The anti-graft agency stated that Kingsley is being prosecuted on a two-count charge of stealing, obtaining by false pretence, and criminal possession of fake documents totaling $370,000.

One of the counts against him reads: “That you, Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley sometime in 2021 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with intent to defraud obtained the total sum of Three Hundred and Seventy Thousand United States Dollars($370,000) from Nicole Kierulff Sayers under the false pretence of being a purported payment to finance a contract with Federal Ministry of Works and Housing with Contract No: RC/FGN/0275AN/20 issued to Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley, a claim which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.

During Wednesday’s trial, Sayers, the third prosecution witness (PW3), was led in evidence by prosecution counsel Fatsuma Muhammad.

She identified Kingsley in court, recounting how he initially contacted her via Facebook on her birthday, claiming to share the same spiritual beliefs.

“I know the defendant; the defendant messaged me on Facebook on my birthday and he said he was a member of the same spiritual organisation with me. We engaged in romantic discussions and phrases and we engaged in conversations that escalated into a relationship of a romantic type,” Sayers said.

This connection, according to her, soon escalated into a romantic relationship, during which Kingsley allegedly manipulated her into transferring funds.

Sayers told the court that the defendant asked her for money to finance the award of a contract by the Ministry of Works and Housing, claiming that some men were threatening his life if he didn’t provide money to secure the contract.

“Before we met each other, he had asked me for money about eleven days before, and his reason for asking for the money, according to him, was for the award of a contract by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and alleged that some men were threatening his life, if he did not provide the money to secure the contract.

“He asked me for help, and supplied me with the details of the contract and logo and all the information, I believed that because I was in a vulnerable state and I had developed an emotional connection with him,” she added.

According to her, the defendant told her that if she gave him $15,000, he would repay her within 45 days, and she believed him and transferred the money to the defendant with an instruction to repay her the money.

Sayers also described how Kingsley involved his family in the deception, including a FaceTime video call during which she was introduced to his parents, siblings, and even his alleged two-year-old daughter.

She described how she transferred the money and met the defendant’s family, saying, “I transferred the money using a money transfer app; he received it, and within one week, he asked me to join him in a FaceTime video with his family.”

“This was his parent’s house and his entire family was there, which included his sister Doris Nwachi, Kenneth Nwachi, his sister-in-law Loveline, his father Chizom, his mother Victoria and his alleged daughter, Princess, who was then two years old.”

Two Congolese soldiers were sentenced to death Friday for “cowardice” and “fleeing the enemy,” two days after a similar sentence was handed down to 25 soldiers in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to an AFP journalist.

The trials are taking place as M23 rebels, which Kinshasha accuses Rwanda of backing, last week seized new terrain on the northern front of the conflict that has been ongoing for two and a half years in the North Kivu province. Kigali denies backing the M23 rebels.

Since the end of 2021, rebels have conquered vast swathes of territory in the province, nearly completely encircling the provincial capital of Goma.

The hearings have a “deterrent and educational” character, Captain Melissa Kahambu Muhasa, representing the public prosecutor, told AFP.

They aim to put off soldiers from abandoning their posts on the front lines, she said.

Public hearings were staged Thursday by the Butembo garrison military court in the town of Lubero, some 70 kilometres (43 miles) away from the city.

Some 30 soldiers including at least three captains were tried for “cowardice”, “fleeing the enemy”, “dissipation of war munitions”, and “violating orders”, murder, theft, looting or extortion.

The court on Friday delivered two death sentences, to a second-class soldier and a corporal.

It will review the cases of the other defendants on Saturday.

The defence condemned the sentencing, announcing its intention to appeal, as it had on Wednesday when 25 soldiers received death sentences at a trial in the village of Alimbongo.

In early May, eight soldiers in Goma were also sentenced to death for “fleeing the enemy”.

Last March, the Congolese government lifted the moratorium on the death penalty which had been in force since 2003 in the country.

The measure in particular targeted soldiers accused of treason, at a time when the east of the country is in the grip of an armed rebellion.

A former Argentine national lawmaker who kissed his partner’s breast during a parliamentary session held by videoconference has been given a one-month suspended prison sentence for causing “disruption in the exercise of his duties,” local media reported.

Juan Ameri was suspended and then resigned as a parliament member after a recording of the incident went viral on social media.

The footage showed Ameri, then 47, fondling a woman sitting on his lap, pulling one of her breasts out of her T-shirt and kissing it while another lawmaker made an address and other participants watched from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ameri said he did not think he was connected to the internet at the time.

“Here in the center of the country the connection is very poor. My partner came out of the bathroom, and I asked her how her implants were doing and I kissed them, because she had surgery ten days ago to have them put in,” he explained at the time.

This week, a court ruled it was “evident that he knew his behavior could be noticed by the representatives of the people as well as by all those people who were watching the live broadcast of the debate,” Argentine media reported, citing judicial sources.

“The media destroyed me and I paid with my health. I must have thought of a hundred different ways to kill myself,” Ameri told La Nacion newspaper, adding he intended to appeal the court ruling.

Ameri now sells poultry products and lives away from the spotlight.