PHOTOS: Nigeria's World Cup base camp

this is  an exclusive look inside the luxurious Vitoria Hotel Concept, Campinas, that will host the Super Eagles during their World Cup campaign in Brazil
Located in the city of Campinas, the beautiful Vitoria Hotel Concept has been chosen by the Nigeria Football Federation as base camp for the Super Eagles during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Their Group F opponents Argentina, Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina have opted for Cidade do Galo in Belo Horizonte, Joaquim Grava and Guaraja both in Sao Paulo respectively.
Campinas itself, a city 96km from Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, is an ancient metropolis founded in the 18th century. The Super Eagles will find the city warm and welcoming when they arrive for the Mundial in a few days.
The city is home to one of the biggest shopping malls in Latin America, the Shopping Parque Dom Pedro, one of seven big malls that cater to tourists all year round.
The Vitoria Hotel Concept, founded in 2003, is the biggest hotel in the Vitoria Hotel chain. It is a 19-floor edifice with 253 rooms. It contains a spa, a swimming pool, a heliport, fully fitted gym and four restaurants that cater to different tastes - Mediterranean, Oriental and Iberian.
“I love the place. It is good for our team and we will be able to achieve full concentration,” Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi gushed about the hotel when it was announced in December.

Diet soda better for weight loss than water, according to study funded by soda makers

A study funded by the American Beverage Association concluded that drinking diet beverages instead of water can help dieters lose more weight.
The authors of the study — two of whom have “received consulting fees from the Coca-Cola Company outside of the submitted work” — concluded that participants in the study who drank diet sodas lost “significantly more weight compared to the water group,” and also “reported significantly greater reductions in subjective feelings of hunger than those in the water group.”
Such findings fly in the face of previous studies, one of which concluded that those who drank diet sodas consumed significantly more calories from solid foods, and another that demonstrated that artificial sweeteners create a “cognitive distortion” that compels people to eat more.
The American Beverage Association criticized that second study, saying that it was “an opinion piece not a scientific study. Low-calorie sweeteners are some of the most studied and reviewed ingredients in the food supply today. They are a safe and an effective tool in weight loss and weight management, according to decades of scientific research and regulatory agencies around the globe.”

Libya apologizes for detaining UN officer on suspicion of black magic

The United Nations says Libya has apologised for the detention of one of its officers on suspicion of “black magic”.
Guards at a Tripoli prison arrested Ahmed Ghanem, an official observing the trial of two sons of Muammar Gaddafi, earlier this month, saying they suspected him of having written materials containing spells or enchantments.
The UN stability mission in Libya (Unsmil) said it has had an apology and assurances from the government that it respects an agreement giving UN staff immunity from arrest.
“Unsmil was dismayed by the detention of Mr Ghanem for an hour and a half as well as what followed in terms of defamation and false accusations through some social media pages,” said a UN statement. “The mission affirms that it scrupulously respects the Libyan authorities’ legal, security and administrative procedures when its representatives attend trials.”

U.N. calls for using drones to help humanitarian missions stay safe

U.N. peacekeeping missions should deploy more drones and state-of the art technology to become more effective, limit boots on the ground and keep aid workers safer, their chief said Thursday.
On International Day of UN Peacekeepers, staff paid tribute to more than 3,000 peacekeepers who have died since 1948, including 106 last year, and to those still serving on the frontline.
The head of UN peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, said, on average, a peacekeeper dies every 30 days, and technology needs to be upgraded to assist a record number of U.N. boots on the ground.
The Security Council last month approved a new mission in Central African Republic and in December voted to send an extra 5,500 soldiers to war-torn South Sudan.
“Clearly we cannot continue to afford to work with 20th century tools in the 21st century,” he told reporters in New York.
Ladsous said drones had already helped in DR Congo and could be vital in improving humanitarian access.
“They (convoys) can use the images of the machines to make sure they are not going to be attacked or hijacked on the way. That I think is a very significant development,” Ladsous said.
“We do need them (drones) in countries like Mali, like Central African Republic and clearly in South Sudan it would be my desire that we might deploy them,” he said.
Surveillance drones could replace some military observers and make a big difference.
“In some cases using technology can make it necessary not to have so many boots on the ground and also, lets never forget, to improve on the delivery,” Ladsous said.

China flaunts security might ahead of Tiananmen anniversary

Police officers and commandos in Beijing showed off their anti-terrorist prowess Thursday, days ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown and following a string of separatist attacks.
At an event open only to Chinese domestic media, Beijing police officers — including the elite Snow Leopard Commando Unit — flaunted their skills at handling attempted terror attacks, hijackings and large-scale protests.
The show of force demonstrated the police force’s “superb ability to counter and protect against terrorism”, the Beijing Public Security Bureau said on its official microblog.
One photo published on the police microblog showed dozens of plainclothes “demonstrators” — armed with bricks, sticks and Molotov cocktails — attacking a line of black-clad riot police, who were standing behind a protective barricade taller than the officers themselves.
Other images showed rows of white armoured vehicles, helicopters flying above plumes of black smoke, and police dispersing the crowd with water cannon.
The exercise was the latest in a series of displays by China’s Communist authorities aimed at deterring would-be attackers and assuring the public that they are well-equipped to respond to the threat of terrorism.

New Russian anti-smoking law alarms tobacco industry

Tough new anti-smoking legislation that comes into force on Sunday in Russia has dismayed cigarette companies as they face the prospect of declining sales and tighter regulation of their industry.
Russia was once seen as a key emerging market for the tobacco industry with its high number of heavy smokers keen to switch to Western brands, but from June 1 there will be a blanket ban on smoking in restaurants, cafes and hotels.
In the first stage of the ban, Russia last year outlawed smoking on municipal transport as well as in public spaces such as schools, administrative buildings and hospitals.
The stringent new law also bans all forms of tobacco advertising and requires that packs of cigarettes be hidden from customers at the point of sale. Smokers will have to choose their brand using a catalogue without images or logos.
“This is some of the harshest anti-smoking legislation in the world,” said Alexander Lyuty, the communications director in Russia of British American Tobacco (BAT).
According to the state statistics agency Rosstat, the number of smokers in Russia — 40 million out of a population of around 143 million — has remained the same since 2010.
Every year, 400,000 Russians die from smoking-related illness.

Justin Bieber has certainly been living it up at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Canadian singer has spent many a night partying at nearby nightclubs (with several stars like Paris Hilton and Busta Rhymes) and most recently was seen on the red carpet at the amfAR gala.
The Biebs strutted his stuff in a perfectly-fitted suit at the annual Cinema Against AIDS charity auction at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc Thursday evening.
When asked by reporters on the red carpet what made him stop by the star-studded event, he replied, "I'm just here to swag" and stormed off.
The black tie outing comes on the heels of the pop star spending some quality time with his rumored former flame Barbara Palvin.
The 20-year-old singer was seen on Roberto Cavalli's yacht late in the evening with several other famous faces other than the model, including Kellan Lutz, John Travolta and Heidi Klum, but seemed to have his eye set on the brunette beauty.

Godzilla Director Gareth Edwards Signs on to Make a Star Wars Movie for 2016

Gareth Edwards has been gifted the keys to another alternate universe.
The Godzilla director, whose reboot of the classic monster tale has already gobbled up $216 million worldwide, has been chosen to helm one of Disney's promised Star Wars films that will stand alone from the planned trilogy that picks up where Return of the Jedi left off.
The news was posted Thursday on the official Star Wars website. Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) is writing the screenplay.
"Ever since I saw Star Wars I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life— join the Rebel Alliance! I could not be more excited and honored to go on this mission with Lucasfilm," Edwards said in a statement.

Nigerian military is afraid of fighting Boko Haram – US General

The Nigerian military is afraid of engaging the Boko Haram insurgents, the US Air Force Chief of staff, Gen. Mark Welsh III says.
While speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday, Gen. Mark Welsh III questioned the ability of the Nigerian military to rescue the girls even with international help, “We’re now looking at a military force that is, quite frankly, becoming afraid to even engage. The United States doesn’t have the capacity, the capability to go rescue every kidnapped person around the world.”
The Pentagon’s Principal Director for African Affairs, Alice Friend, also said, “The Nigerian military has the same challenges with corruption that every other institution in Nigeria does. Much of the funding that goes to the Nigerian military is skimmed off the top, if you will.”
US officials have also said that its involvement had also been made difficult because Nigerian officials ignored past warnings to soften brutal tactics that only fuelled the Boko Haram’s insurgency.
At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, officials condemned the kidnappings and committed American aid to help rescue the girls. But they also expressed frustration at Nigeria’s political and military leaders for failing to heed Washington’s warnings about the extremist group.

Nigerian president criticized for cancelling visit to kidnapped girls’ town at the last minute

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday cancelled a visit to the hometown of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamic militants, provoking fresh criticism of his handling of the crisis.
A senior government official told AFP that Jonathan’s trip to remote Chibok in Borno state “was on (the president’s) schedule up to this morning” but the visit had been scrapped.
No reason was given but security concerns were reportedly blamed.
Jonathan was now due to head direct to a security summit in Paris on Saturday to discuss the Boko Haram threat to regional stability.
Presidents Barack Obama of the United States and Francois Hollande of France discussed the conference and the hunt for the schoolgirls in a telephone call, the White House said.
The no-show in Chibok heaped further pressure on Jonathan after the United States on Thursday criticised Nigeria’s response to the crisis as “tragically and unacceptably slow”.
Officials said the safe return of the 223 girls — still missing a month after they were abducted — was now one of Washington’s top priorities, with specialist U.S. teams, drones and surveillance aircraft involved in the rescue effort.
But French officials categorically ruled out Western military intervention, insisting that the solution should be found by Nigeria and its neighbours.

BRING BACK OUR GIRLS!! BRING BACK OUR GIRLS!! ("Personally" by P-Square: Choreo by Diamond Green & The Bomb Squad)

SHARE THIS VIDEO!!! This video to to help spread AWARENESS to help "Bring Back Our Girls!" This choreography was done by The Bomb Squad and Diamond Green...a woman who has a special place in her heart for Nigeria. Thank you for allowing us to do your choreo to this song by the popular Nigerian artist P-Square. Let's spread the word now...share this video as many places as you can!!!! BRING BACK OUR GIRLS!!!!!

Eto'o hits back at 'fool' Mourinho

Samuel Eto'o has described Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as a "fool" for questioning his age and vowed to play on at the highest level.

Mourinho, who was also Eto'o's manager at Inter Milan, was caught on camera making unguarded comments suggesting the Cameroon striker was older than his official age earlier this season.
The 33-year-old, in line to feature in his fourth World Cup this summer, responded by celebrating his next Chelsea goal as if he was a geriatric.
Now Eto'o, who is out of contract this summer after scoring 12 Chelsea goals, plans to continue to ply his trade in one of Europe's top leagues.
Eto'o told africanfootball.com: "Thanks for informing me that it will be my last World Cup.
"Today, I am 33 years old. And it is not because a fool called me an old man that you must believe it.
"And you may have noticed that the old man was better than the youngsters.
"Some believe I am going to retire in the United States or in the Middle East, but I have regained the joy of the Champions League and I am going to carry on playing in the Champions League. Where? I am not going to tell you.

Man United third-quarter profits up 60 per cent

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has announced a 60 per cent jump in the club's third-quarter profits.

On the field, United endured a dismal 2013-14 season, finishing seventh in the Premier League having disposed of the services of David Moyes.

However, Woodward was able to deliver more positive news from a financial perspective and hoped the club would be more competitive next season.

"We once again generated record revenues and EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) as all of our businesses delivered impressive year over year growth," he said in a statement. "This puts us in a healthy financial position to continue to invest in the squad.

"Everyone at the club is working hard to ensure the team is back challenging for the title and trophies next season."

Puyol: I have lived the dream at Barcelona

An emotional Carles Puyol expressed his pride at having "lived the dream" at Barcelona after calling time on his trophy-laden career.

The 36-year-old will retire at the end of the season after a long-standing knee injury finally took its toll on the combative centre-half.

Puyol is a one-club man who won six Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League crowns, earning himself a reputation as one of the game's true greats along the way.

Addressing a farewell event held in his honour at Camp Nou on Thursday, Puyol recalled playing football with his brother as a child when such lofty achievements seemed mere fantasy.

"I would never have thought then that I would have this great career," he said.

"I've lived the dream of so many young kids, doing what I most enjoy in life, playing football and training. I've won lots of titles but the most important thing is the human warmth and feeling I take from this club. I came here as a boy and I'm leaving with a family who I'm really proud of."

Team-mates past and present were among the huge crowd gathered to bid a fond farewell to the Spaniard, who has 100 caps to his name and boasts FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship winners medals.

ARSENAL TO BID FOR BENZEMA

This is a transfer that we would really like to see. Karim Benzema is a quite wonderful striker that has had a quite wonderful season, and yours truly has staked a fair amount of his well-earned money on him being in the top few goalscorers at this summer's World Cup.

The Daily Telegraph report that Arsenal could be set to renew their interest in the Frenchman, after hopes of a deal were dashed last summer.

The paper admit that the chances of such a deal depend largely on Real Madrid's ability to recruit either Luis Suarez or Sergio Aguero from the Premier League, but mention that a deal could be done for £30million. Benzema is still only 26 so that would seem a more than fair price, reflecting that the striker only has one year left on his deal at the Bernabeu.

United delay over van Gaal

Manchester United have remained silent about their new manager and might wait until next week to make an announcement.

United are thought to be close to a deal with the Dutchman, who is currently preparing Holland for the World Cup in Brazil, but look likely to wait a few more days before unveiling van Gaal as David Moyes' successor.
Ed Woodward, United's executive vice-chairman, could shed some light on the managerial situation this afternoon when he addresses Wall Street analysts following the publication of the club's quarterly financial figures.
Ryan Giggs, who took charge temporarily following Moyes' sacking after just 10 months in charge, held 'positive' talks with van Gaal in Holland on Wednesday to discuss his role in the new Old Trafford set-up

Park announces retirement

The 33-year-old, who made over 200 appearances for United between 2005 and 2012, spent last season on loan at Dutch club PSV Eindhoven - the club from which he joined the Red Devils.
He was one of the first South Korean players to make a significant impact in the Premier League.
He announced his retirement from international football having won 100 caps for his country and representing them in three World Cups in 2002, 2006 and 2010.
He played a significant role in the 2002 tournament, which South Korea co-hosted and became the first Asian side to reach the semi-finals.
Park was the first Asian player to score goals at three World Cups.
He rejected calls for a return to help the squad at the tournament in Brazil this summer.
Park began his career with Kyoto Purple Sanga before first joining PSV in 2003 and then, two years later, United, with whom he won four Premier League titles, and the Club World Cup in 2008, having been left out of the 18-man squad for the UEFA Champions League final win over Chelsea earlier that year.
He moved to QPR in 2012 for a brief and ill-fated playing spell that ended when the club were relegated to the Championship in 2013.

Rio to decide on future soon

The 35-year-old, who was told by United after the Southampton game that he would not be getting a new contract after nearly 12 years at Old Trafford, has been linked with a number of clubs around the world.
A collection of Major League Soccer sides including LA Galaxy are believed to be interested in signing the former West Ham and Leeds centre-back, as well as Turkish sides Besiktas and Galatasaray.
But Ferdinand could still remain in the Premier League and was linked with a shock switch to Arsenal last month.
Ferdinand said: "In the coming days I will start to think about my next step and make a decision on what will happen.
"I haven't had much time to do that yet since the season ended. I've been able to get away from the hype and enjoy my time."
Ferdinand will leave United having made 312 appearances. He won six Premier League trophies, one Champions League and three League Cups under previous manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
United are expected to announce Louis van Gaal as David Moyes' successor on Monday and Ferdinand believes the Dutch coach will be ideally suited to the job.
"He seems very strong and direct, has a good understanding and knowledge of what he wants to do and doesn't deviate. You need to be like that at a club like Man United," the former England international said.
"At every club he's been at - Ajax, Bayern Munich, Barcelona - he seems to have gone in and done things his own way and I envisage him doing same thing if he comes in to United like it's anticipated."

Man admits killing Australian ‘vampire’ prostitute

An Australian man admitted on Wednesday that he killed a male prostitute who styled himself as a "vampire", saying he did so to avenge a woman who was allegedly raped and had part of her tongue bitten off.

The man -- who is appearing as the prosecution's key witness in the high-profile Melbourne trial, and cannot be named for legal reasons -- told the court that he shot 28-year-old sex worker Shane Chartres-Abbott near his suburban home in June 2003.

Three other men are on trial for the murder and have pleaded not guilty.

The unnamed man said he shot Chartres-Abbott after one of the accused, 42-year-old Warren Shea, told him about the escort's alleged rape of the ex-girlfriend of the second defendant, Mark Perry, 46.

The witness told the court that he carried out the shooting as "a favour".

"It was in relation to evening the score," said the man.

"He weren't too happy about it. The Warren that I knew was a man of honour and it went against his grain. I shot Chartres-Abbott as a result of that conversation."

Crocodile eats boy in Papua New Guinea

The limbs of an 11-year-old boy have been found inside a huge crocodile and his head discovered nearby after he was attacked in Papua New Guinea, a report said Wednesday.

The four-metre (13-foot) croc grabbed the boy, Melas Mero, as he was fishing with his parents on Thursday at the Siloura River in Gulf Province in the south of the Pacific nation, police commander Lincoln Gerari told PNG's National newspaper.

"The crocodile swept the boy with its tail and then attacked the defenceless child," Gerari said.

The provincial commander said police found two hands, two legs and a hipbone inside the crocodile after they tracked it down and killed it. The head was found later and taken to a morgue.

The attack is the second to take place in PNG this year, according to a global database managed by researchers at Australia's Charles Darwin University.

The CrocBITE database said a man, whose age was not given, was killed on January 1 by a saltwater crocodile at Rawa Bay in North Bougainville.

A total of 75 crocodile attacks, of which 65 were fatal, have been recorded in PNG by the database since 1958.

Archbishop of Canterbury: Same-sex marriage is now legal ‘and that’s great’

The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has told gay magazine PinkNews it was “great” that parliament had passed the measure he opposed, leaving his aides scrambling to explain that all he meant was it was great that parliament can and does pass laws. Welby, who campaigned and voted against gay marriage last year, remains opposed both to gay marriage and homophobia, his office explained.
This spin is probably justified. Welby has an impetuous and enthusiastic manner when talking informally. He certainly would not want to announce a change of position or policy without careful preparation to minimise the resulting split. There is not even any hard evidence that he is himself changing his mind on the substantive issue. But there are increasing signs that the official line cannot hold for much longer. Pressure is building from both supporters and opponents of gay marriage.
Last month, Canon Jeremy Pemberton became the first priest in the Church of England to defy the House of Bishops and marry his same-sex partner. There will undoubtedly be others, and it is still not clear how they can be disciplined. On the traditionalist side, one of the most prominent and successful independent church leaders, the Rev Steve Chalke, has been thrown out of the Evangelical Alliance, a group that claims to represent 2 million Christians inside and outside the Church of England, as a result of his support for equal marriage and gay rights.

U.S. deploys unmanned drones in search for kidnapped Nigerian girls

The U.S. military is flying surveillance drones as well as manned aircraft over Nigeria to help the search for more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist extremists, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
However, the data is not yet being shared with the Nigerians because Washington is still working out an agreement to govern the sharing of intelligence, Colonel Steven Warren told reporters.
The United States has deployed a Global Hawk, which flies at high altitude, and the manned MC-12, a turboprop plane heavily used in Afghanistan, for the mission, a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP.
The Pentagon had initially declined to say publicly if drones were being used.
“I can confirm that we’re using both manned and unmanned aerial ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets in the search for the kidnapped girls,” Warren said, without identifying the plane models.

Thai army chief warns military ‘may use force’ if unrest continues

Thailand’s army chief warned Thursday that the military may “use force” if political violence escalates in a six-month crisis which has left 28 people dead and hundreds wounded.
“I want to warn every group — especially those who use violence and war weapons against innocent civilians — to stop now because if the violence continues the military may be needed to come out… to restore peace and order,” General Prayut Chan-O-Cha said in rare official statement.
He added his troops “may need to use force to resolve the situation” if it escalates, warning of “decisive measures” if civilians are hurt.
His comments come after three people died and more than 20 others were wounded early Thursday in a gun and grenade attack on an anti-government protest camp in Bangkok’s historic heart.
Fears of civil conflict are also mounting, with rival groups of supporters massed in or around Bangkok.
Thailand’s military has staged 18 successful or attempted coups since 1932, and supporters of the battered government say they fear it may act again as the political turmoil rumbles on.

U.S. plans nearly $1 billion arms deal with Iraq

The United States plans to sell nearly $1 billion worth of warplanes, armored vehicles and surveillance aerostats to Iraq.
The deal includes 24 AT-6C Texan II light-attack aircraft, a turboprop plane manufactured by Beechcraft that has .50 caliber machine guns, advanced avionics and can carry precision-guided bombs, the Pentagon said.
The aircraft and related equipment and services are valued at $790 million.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency informed Congress on Tuesday of the planned sale, which will go ahead unless lawmakers block the deal.
“The proposed sale of these aircraft, equipment and support will enhance the ability of the Iraqi forces to sustain themselves in their efforts to bring stability to Iraq and to prevent overflow of unrest into neighboring countries,” the agency said in a notice.

Putin’s ‘New Russia’ takes shape in eastern Ukraine

Fielding questions during a live phone-in last month, President Vladimir Putin described regions of eastern and southern Ukraine as a “New Russia” that could one day return to Moscow’s control.
Now that vision is taking shape.
Russia’s widely condemned annexation of Crimea in March and Putin’s increasing rhetoric about protecting Russian-speakers abroad had raised fears the Kremlin was gearing up to seize new territory.
Those worries were allayed when Russian troops failed to pour over the border after separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk said weekend referendums had overwhelmingly backed breaking away from Ukraine.
Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Wednesday that Moscow had “no intention” of sending in troops to eastern Ukraine.
While denying Russian troops were in the restive regions, Putin recalled that after its conquest in tsarist times the territory from Donetsk to Odessa was known as Novorossiya — New Russia.
Won by Russia in famous battles led by Catherine the Great and her favourite Grigory Potemkin, eastern and southern Ukraine only ended up as part of the country after the territory was transferred by the Bolsheviks in the 1920s, Putin said.

#BringBackOurGirls: We’ll rescue them without Nigeria’s permission – Sen. McCain (READ)

John McCain, a United States Senator has said that the abducted Nigerian schoolgirls should be rescued by the US forces whether the Nigerian government approves or not.
The two-time presidential candidate was said to have stated that America does not need permission from “some guy named Goodluck Jonathan” to save the girls who have been held captive for the past one month.
Senator McCain said:

“If they knew where they were, I certainly would send in US troops to rescue them, in a New York minute I would, without permission of the host country,” . “I wouldn’t be waiting for some kind of permission from some guy named Goodluck Jonathan.” 

According to reports:

 McCain insisted that if he were US president, his administration would have prepared special forces ready to enter Nigeria if a rescue opportunity was apparent. His rationale for military intervention rests with the United Nations charter, he said, since the mass abduction was akin to “crimes against humanity.”

Cristiano Ronaldo's Girlfriend, Irina Shayk goes topless for #BringBackOurGirls Campaign

There's been alot of criticism following her decision to pose like this..Many brand it inappropriate while others feel she is a model and whatever medium she uses to get the message across is not a problem .....
Big deal or nah......

Rihanna gives $25,000 to charity after smashing Police Chief's phone at NBA game(Photos)

Rihanna is just adorable.Last week at an NBA game, she was seated next to 65 year old L.A. Police Commission President Steve Soboroff. So while she attempted to take a selfie with his phone, she mistakenly dropped the phone,cracking the screen.
She decided to make up for it by handing over $25,000 to a charity fund for officers.She then shared a friendly Twitter exchange with Steve afterwards, saying:

 'Sorry I broke your phone @SteveSoboroff :)'

He then tweeted

 'BIG @rihanna news: she's donating $25,000 to @LAPoliceFdtn for cadets & families of fallen officers.'

He is also auctioning the phone to raise more money for the good cause, after getting her to autograph it writing: 'Sorry! I ♥ LAPD. Rihanna.'

How sweet...More photos below

Borno Villagers fight off Boko Haram gunmen,kill several and Capture 10

Residents of Kalabalge Village in Borno State on Tuesday fought off invading Boko Haram gunmen in an early morning attack, killing several of them with about 10 also caught alive.
According to Premium Times,the insurgents had repeatedly attempted to attack Kalabalge, an agro-nomad community near the Cameroon borders, but failed to gain entry into the village on each attempt.
A vigilante member told premuim times on phone

Davido makes Nollywood debut

Sensational Hip hop singer, David Adeleke, a.k.a Davido, has landed his first role in a Nollywood movie titled: John Zerebe.
His cousin, Ikechukwu Ojeogwu, who is the producer of the flick, said: “The proposed budget   is N10 million for the flick. The money may be small, considering the director of the movie, Teco Benson, and a cast member like Genevieve Nnaji, who is being considered for the lead role.”
However, Ojeogwu said the budget was exclusive of cameras and other equipment needed to set up his production company.
He also expressed his challenge in bringing Genevieve on board. “I have not yet decided on the female lead. But my eyes are on Genevieve Nnaji. Having her and Davido in the same movie will surely be a huge hit. The major challenge now is that Genevieve is younger and may not fit-in well, as the character of the lead actress demands.

APC: converting abducted Christian girls to Islam unacceptable

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the conversion to Islam of the Christians among the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram terror group four weeks ago in Chibok, Borno State.
The party described the development as “totally unacceptable and downright unconstitutional”.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, after an emergency meeting on the Boko Haram problem, the party also described as “utterly barbaric” the action of the girls’ abductors in forcing them to make statements against their convictions.
It reminded the abductors that Nigeria is a multi-religious state where the constitution recognises the rights of the citizens to any religion of their choice, hence “it is patently wrong and unconscionable to force any citizen to convert from one religion to another”.
APC added: “This whole abduction saga has hit at the very soul of our nation. But just when we felt we had all witnessed the worst atrocity by the primitive and brutal group called Boko Haram, we are confronted with a totally repulsive scene of teenage girls, literally with guns to their heads, being forced to say they have converted to Islam.

‘Modern’ Pope Francis turns to old-school exorcism to fight the scourge of secularism

As Mother Teresa lay in a Calcutta hospital the year before she died, her violently disturbed sleep became intolerable, her doctors seemingly unable to help. The problem, the visiting Archbishop of Calcutta suggested, was not a medical matter but something altogether more sinister: this living saint was being attacked by the devil. It was only after an exorcist was called that peace was restored.
That a woman regarded as so holy could have been subject to diabolical visitations was reported with surprise. Yet, if a course for Catholic clergy that took place in Rome last week is anything to go by, exorcism is far from rare. The programme trains about 200 priests a year in the ancient rite. For outsiders, exorcism appears anachronistic, a throwback to the superstitions of the middle ages. What the scale of last week’s course shows, however, is that the devil is alive and kicking in Pope Francis’s apparently modernising church.
In recent decades, the church has been surprisingly vocal on the issue. In 1975, the former Roman Inquisition published a study called Christian Faith and Demonology, with the aim of making the reality of the devil clear. Three years earlier, Pope Paul VI – surely a man of the modern age, given his 1968 encyclical prompted by the contraceptive pill and the miniskirt – said evil “is a living spiritual being, perverted and corrupting” and certainly not “a conceptual and imaginary personification of the unknown causes of our ills”. Just last Tuesday, Francis himself put great emphasis on the role of the devil when speaking of the protomartyr Saint Stephen, saying that the “struggle between God and the devil” was apparent in the persecution of the church’s people

Mexico kicks corrupt cops out and beefs up military presence in cartel-plagued border state

Mexico’s government decided Tuesday to increase military control over security in the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas and purge corrupt police to reverse a surge in drug cartel violence.
Clashes between cartel gunmen and troops as well as street gunfights among gang members have left more than 80 people dead in the state since April 5.
Authorities have blamed much of the recent violence on an internal power struggle within the Gulf cartel following the arrests of key leaders, but the gang has also been at war with the rival Zetas cartel in recent years.
After a national security meeting in Reynosa, which borders the US state of Texas, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong announced a “new phase” to break up gangs, seal off drug trafficking routes and ensure residents can count on trustworthy police.
He said Tamaulipas will be divided into four security zones with a military officer in charge of each.
The authorities will widen the use of intelligence gathering to combat cartels and boost security at ports, airports, border crossings and roads.

Turkish mine explosion kills 151 workers and traps more than 700 others underground

At least 151 people have been killed and hundreds more remain trapped underground after an explosion and fire in a coal mine in western Turkey, the energy minister said Wednesday.
A total of 787 mineworkers were trapped at the time of the explosion on Tuesday and “we have evacuated 363 people (including the 151 dead) so far,” said Energy Minister Taner Yildiz.
He said it was likely the death toll would rise further.
“Time isn’t in our favor,” he warned, adding that of those recovered 76 people were injured, including one seriously.
Earlier, Cengiz Ergun, the mayor of the province of Manisa where the mine is located, put the toll at 157 dead.
Rescue workers were trying desperately to reach the scores of trapped miners and had managed to evacuate around 50, a security source told AFP.
The source said there were pockets in the mine, one of which was open so rescuers were able to reach the workers, but the second was blocked with workers trapped inside.
The explosion was believed to have been triggered by a faulty electrical transformer at around 1230 GMT.
Hundreds of people gathered around the explosion site as rescuers brought out injured workers, who were having difficulty breathing and coughing due to the dust.
Sena Isbiler, a mother of one of the miners, stood on top of piles of wood, craning her neck to see who was being led out of the mine.
“I have been waiting for my son since early afternoon,” she told AFP.
“I haven’t heard anything about him yet.”
Fire officials were trying to pump clean air into the mine shaft for those who remained trapped some two kilometres (one mile) below the surface and four kilometres from the entrance.
Late in the evening injured people were still emerging from the collapsed mine — some walking, others being carried by rescue workers while being given oxygen.
Nearby, security officers tried to keep ambulance routes clear to ensure aid could reach the victims.
The mining company Soma Komur issued a statement calling the mine collapse a “tragic accident”.
“Unfortunately, some of our workers have lost their lives in this tragic accident,” the statement said.
“The accident happened despite maximum safety measures and inspections, but we have been able to take prompt action,” it added.

French foreign minister defends sale of warships to Russia

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius defended in Washington the sale of two warships to Russia, despite US opposition — while leaving open the door to re-examine the contract in October.
Per a 2011 agreement worth $1.2 billion, France is to deliver two Mistral warships — an advanced helicopter assault ship — to Russia. The first is due October 2014 and the second in 2015.
France has so far resisted pressure to suspend the controversial contract, which has triggered protests from the United States and other NATO allies.
“France needs firmness lessons from absolutely no one,” insisted Fabius. “France will do its duty, whether in regard to Ukraine or elsewhere.”
However, “the rule with contracts is that contracts which have been signed are honored,” the foreign minister said at a press conference during his two-day visit in Washington.
“Legally, we don’t have the possibility of not honoring them,” he added, explaining that Russia has already paid out “more than half” of the agreed fee.

Human Rights Watch says ‘strong evidence’ Syria government used chlorine gas

Evidence "strongly suggests" Syria's government used chlorine gas on three towns in mid-April in violation of the chemical weapons treaty it joined last year, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

The New York-based watchdog cited interviews with witnesses and medical personnel, video of the attacks and photographs of the remnants of barrel bombs.

"Evidence strongly suggests that Syrian government helicopters dropped barrel bombs embedded with cylinders of chlorine gas on three towns in northern Syria in mid-April 2014," HRW said.

Doctors who treated victims said at least 11 people were killed in the attacks and "symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine" were seen in nearly 500 people, said the report.

It documented attacks on the towns of Kafr Zita in central Hama on April 11 and 18, Al-Temana in Idlib on April 13 and 18 and Telmans also in Idlib province on April 21.

All three are areas under rebel control.

‘Titanic’ director James Cameron’s robotic research submarine Nereus implodes

Hollywood director James Cameron on Tuesday mourned a "tragic loss" after a deep sea research vessel imploded nearly 10 kilometres (six miles) beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

The Nereus robotic research vehicle was exploring the Kermadec Trench, several hundred kilometres north of New Zealand, when it was crushed by the extreme water pressure.

"I feel like I've lost a friend," Cameron posted Tuesday on the Facebook page of the US-based research body the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which was operating the Nereus.

"Nereus was an amazing, groundbreaking robot and the only currently active vehicle in the world that could reach the extreme depths of the ocean trenches. This is a tragic loss for deep science.

"They've not only lost a child, they've lost a great opportunity to explore one of the ocean's deep trenches -- the last great frontier for exploration on our planet," Cameron wrote.

The "Titanic" and "Avatar" director is also a renowned deep sea explorer. In 2012 he made a record-setting solo dive to the world's deepest ocean point in the Marianas Trench in his Deepsea Challenger submersible, which he later donated to WHOI.

The unmanned Nereus was part of a mission to explore an area of ocean from 6,000 - 11,000 metres (19,685-36,089 feet) deep.

It is likely to have imploded under pressure of up to 16,000 pounds per square inch, WHOI said in a statement.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gets six years in jail for bribery

A Tel Aviv court on Tuesday sentenced Israeli ex-premier Ehud Olmert to six years in prison for accepting bribes linked to a major property development in Jerusalem, media reports said.

Broadcasting live from the court, Israel's main radio stations said Judge David Rosen handed Olmert six years of jail time and a fine of a million shekels ($290,000/210,000 euros) over his involvement in one of the country's worst-ever corruption scandals.

The 68-year-old, who was convicted six weeks ago on two charges of taking bribes, is the first former prime minister of Israel to face jail time for corruption.

"He held the most important and central position and ended up convicted of contemptible crimes," the judge said in passing the sentence.

"A public official who accepts bribes is tantamount to a traitor," he said, adding a finding of "moral turpitude" - moral unfitness to hold public office.

Following a two-year trial, Olmert was convicted on March 31 of bribes to the tune of 560,000 shekels (now $160,000/116,000 euros) with the judge also saying he had committed perjury.

Man claiming to be God crashes into Maryland TV station and barricades himself inside

A possibly armed man who said he was God crashed a truck into a Maryland television news station on Tuesday and barricaded himself inside the building, police and witnesses said.
The man banged on the glass doors of WMAR-TV in Towson, asking to be let inside. When he was refused, he crashed a large commercial truck into the ABC affiliate’s lobby at 11:45 a.m., station employees told CBS television.
A spokeswoman with the Baltimore County Police Department said officers evacuated 55 people from the building and urged others to avoid the area.
Police said they were looking for the suspect inside the building after officers did not find him in the vehicle, which remained in the lobby of the station.
“We don’t know who he is, and we certainly don’t have any info as to what his motive is,” police spokeswoman Elise Armacost told a news conference.
Armacost said there were no reports of injuries but that additional people may still be sheltered in place. She said the suspect may be armed but there were no reports of shots fired.
Brian Kuebler, a reporter at the station, said on Twitter the suspect rammed the building three times with a landscaping truck.
He “tried to get in (the) building screaming ‘LET ME IN!’ and said he was God,” according to Kuebler’s Twitter post.

Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi forecast to win as Obama makes pledge to new India leader

India's triumphant right-wing opposition said Tuesday it was headed for a decisive majority in the world's biggest election after exit polls showed its hardline leader Narendra Modi closing in on victory.

Stock markets surged to record highs on hopes of a business-friendly government under Modi after a decade of rule by a left-leaning coalition, while US President Barack Obama said he looked forward to working with the new administration in New Delhi.

"Modi at Delhi Gate" said a headline in the Mail Today, while the Hindustan Times read simply "Exit Polls: Enter Modi" after surveys released after voting ended Monday pointed to a big win.

All forecasts showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies trouncing the Congress party which has been in power for a decade, and most indicated they would seal a narrow majority.

Official results are due on Friday, with some still cautioning against over-confidence in a BJP victory given notorious forecasting errors at the last two general elections.

Modi was keeping a low profile, but senior BJP figures were bullish.

American Idol’ star Clay Aiken wins Democratic primary in North Carolina

“American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. congressional seat in North Carolina on Tuesday, a day after his main challenger died from a fall, official results showed.
Aiken, 35, earned the party’s nod in the 2nd congressional district by just 390 votes over opponent Keith Crisco, according to a final ballot count from the May 6 primary.
Crisco, a former North Carolina commerce secretary, did not immediately concede the election last week, saying the race was too close to call.
The contest took an unexpected turn on Monday, when Crisco, 71, died after a fall at his home in Asheboro. Friends told local media he had planned to concede on Tuesday. The official tally of votes reported by the nine counties in the district showed Aiken with 40.86 percent and Crisco with 39.49 percent, enough to avoid both a recount and runoff had Crisco lived.
Third-place finisher Toni Morris took 19.65 percent of the vote.
After news of Crisco’s death, Aiken said would temporarily halt campaign activities.
Aiken’s 2003 “Idol” appearance launched a successful singing career, but he took a break from performing to run for Congress in his home state. He will face Republican incumbent U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers in November.

Operation American Spring promises to drive Obama from office this Friday

Self-styled revolutionary patriots plan to converge on Washington, D.C., this week to drive President Barack Obama and disloyal lawmakers out of office.
“We are calling for the removal of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, and Eric Holder as a start toward constitutional restoration,” said retired Army Col. Harry Riley, leader of the Operation American Spring protest group. “They have all abandoned the US Constitution, are unworthy to be retained in a position that calls for servant status.”
Operation American Spring aims to pressure those lawmakers who remain – or are replaced by officials of their own choosing – “to sponsor and pass very Constitutionally crafted State legislation to dissolve the size, powers, scope and spending of the U.S. Government by 2/3rds.”
The activists say they expect 10 million to 30 million like-minded Americans to join them Friday in the nation’s capital for a rally patterned after Occupy Wall Street and “Arab Spring” protests.
They also plan a sister event the same day in Bunkerville, Nevada, where militia groups have gathered to support scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy in his dispute with the federal government.
Organizers also anticipate “incremental nullification” by state legislatures of “all withholding taxes, employment taxes, employer taxes, and income taxes.”

Parents identify 77 girls in Boko Haram video

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima said yesterday that 77 girls had been identified in the video clip released by Boko Haram on Monday.
The girls were identified during a verification conducted with some parents of the abducted girls, some teachers, security men and some officials of the Borno State Government led by the Chief of Staff in the Government House, Abubakar Kyari.
The verification was conducted twice in Chibok and at the Government House in Maiduguri.
The 267 girls were abducted in Chibok, Borno State on April 15.
The clarifications were made in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication, Alhaji Isa Gusau. He said  the verification would be continue throughout last night.
He initially released the names of 54 of the girls after being identified by their parents.
The governor’s spokesman later announced that 23 more girls had been identified.
The statement he issued before he gave the additional figure, said: “The Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has confirmed that young girls shown in a video released by the Boko Haram sect are part of schoolgirls abducted at Government Secondary School, Chibok, following a night attack on April 14,2014.

Jon Stewart blasts ‘rage heap’ Rush Limbaugh: ‘F*ck you’ for mocking missing Nigerian girls

Daily Show host Jon Stewart found himself with two choices regarding the #BringBackOurGirls online campaign: either he could side with activist Malala Yousafzai, who expressed solidarity with the drive to rescue nearly 300 missing Nigerian girls, or with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who called First Lady Michelle Obama’s own gesture of solidarity “pathetic.”
“So that’s our choice: Malala, or Rush — the quivering rage heap who is apparently desperately trying to extinguish any remaining molecule of humanity that might still reside in the Chernobyl-esque superfund clean-up site that was his soul,” Stewart said. “Who should we choose? I don’t know, why don’t we tweet our votes to hashtag #F*ckyouRush.”

California billionaire Vinod Khosla in court for denying public access to popular beach

Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and now a prominent venture capitalist, on Monday testified about his cutting access to a popular beach in a court case that calls into question a California tradition of open access to the state’s famed coastline.
The lawsuit makes Khosla the latest in a line of Californian billionaires to clash with locals over their properties. Their dispute stems from Khosla’s closure of an access road to a northern California property known as Martin’s Beach, which is about 30 miles west of San Jose.
Khosla, known for his investments in clean technology, testified before Judge Barbara Mallach in San Mateo County Court on Monday that he could not recall whether he knew public access to the beach must be preserved at the time he bought it.
“I had no particular plans for the property,” Khosla said, responding to questions from Joe Cotchett, a lawyer for the Surfrider Foundation. The coastal-protection group brought suit last year against Khosla, arguing that closing the approach to the beach amounted to a violation of the California’s Coastal Act, a state law that governs issues such as shoreline access.

Tanzania Bars Flying Eagles From Training At Dar es Salaam stadium

Samm Audu, the Media Officer for the Flying Eagles, on Saturday announced that the team was barred from training at Tanzania’s National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, ahead of their Sunday’s first leg African Youth Championship (AYC) match against the Ngorongoro Heroes of Tanzania.


Audu, who made this known in a statement said that the National U-20 team was barred by stadium officials, who insisted that the team would not train on the stadium’s pitch this morning.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles is slated to take on hosts Ngorongoro Heroes of Tanzania in a 2015 AYC qualifier on Sunday.

Why Nigeria Satellites Can’t Locate Missing Chibok Girls – NASRDA Boss

Director General, National Space Research Development Agency, (NASRDA), Professor Seidu Mohammed has said the country's satellites cannot trace the abducted Chibok girls because it only possessed 2.5 meters resolution which is not sufficient to do such tracking.

Speaking during an interview, the NASRDA boss said Nigerians were expecting the Nigeria Sat X and Sat 2 to perform wonders in tracing the girls which is not possible as even countries with advanced satellites that have three meters resolutions find it difficult to trace terrorists, but only help in providing useful information on the possible locations of the hidden terrorists.

Breaking News: President Jonathan Rejects Swapping Boko Haram Prisoners For Kidnapped Schoolgirls

Barely hours after it was reported that Nigerian terror group, Boko Haram, who kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State are seeking a prisoner swap for jailed comrades, the Federal Government of Nigeria have allegedly said that it won't swap Boko Haram prisoners for abducted schoolgirls, according to AFP.

More details shortly.

We’ll comb the world for Chibok schoolgirls –Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has assured that the Federal Government in collaboration with other African and European na­tions is ready to comb the entire globe to find and rescue the abducted schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, by the Boko Haram sect.
He gave this assurance at the com­missioning ceremony of a Shipyard and a Maritime University built by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in the Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State. The President dismissed the report that the girls had been sold by the sect as a cock and bull story, adding that “those girls are not for sale.”
In consonance with the mood of the nation, he cancelled the activities of dance troupes invited to entertain him on the occasion. He disclosed that, “More and more countries have indi­cated interest to find the missing girls and to deal with the issue of terrorism. Already USA, UK, China, France, Is­rael, Spain, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Benin Republic and others have joined the search. Interpol of Nigeria and other nations are ready to search the whole world to get them.”

Rare Set of Twins Hold Hands in Delivery Room

One Ohio mom got a very special present for Mother's Day, when her identical twin girls were born holding hands.

Sarah Thistlewaite's daughters, Jenna and Jillian, are a rare set of monoamniotic or "mono mono" identical twins, which means they shared an amniotic sack and were in constant contact during the pregnancy.

The condition also meant that Thistlewaite had to remain on bed rest for weeks at Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio. The twins had to be constantly monitored for nearly two months, since mono mono twins can easily become entangled in each other's umbilical cords.

"It's really mentally challenging. It's a very tough experience to go through," Thistlewaite told ABC News.