Friday 12 February 2016
Sunday 4 October 2015
Nigeria's Abuja hit by blasts with at least 18 dead
dNigeria's Abuja hit by blasts with at least 18 dea
The first two struck Kuje township: one by a suicide bomber near a police station, the other a bomb at a market.A series of explosions on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital Abuja have killed at least 18 people, officials say.
Another bomb exploded at a bus stop in Nyanya.
No group has said it carried out the attacks yet but suspicion has fallen on Boko Haram Islamists, who targeted Nyanya last year.
The militants, who are fighting to carve out an Islamist state, has mostly focused their campaign on the north-east.
More than 40 people were injured in the blasts on Friday night, which security officials described as co-ordinated.
Explosives experts have been combing the scene for bomb fragments.
Police have also stepped up stop-and-search activities in Abuja following the blasts, AFP reported.
Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power vowing to eradicated Boko Haram, condemned the attack.
Reuters
"My heart goes out to the families of the dead and injured in Abuja, and other parts of the country. Our will cannot be broken; evil will never triumph over good. We will be rid of this evil stalking our land," he tweeted.
Some 17,000 people are said to have been killed since Boko Haram began its insurgency in 2009.
This year, security forces have managed to reclaim most of the territory captured by Boko Haram fighters and freed a number of people kidnapped but militant attacks have intensified.
Syrian crisis: Assad warns of Mid-East destruction
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said a coalition between Syria, Russia, Iran and Iraq must succeed "or else the whole region will be destroyed".
Mr Assad also criticised the US-led coalition and its air strikes in Syria and Iraq as counter-productive, saying that terrorism had only spread.
Meanwhile, Russia has carried out more air strikes in Syria it says targeted so-called Islamic State (IS) positions.
Syrian activists say the raids appear to have focused on other rebel groups.
In an interview with Iranian state television, reported by the Syrian presidency Twitter feed, President Assad said Syria, Russia, Iran and Iraq were united in battling terrorism and would achieve "practical results", unlike the US-led coalition.
Mr Assad's international opponents say a negotiated solution to Syria's four-year-old civil war must involve the president stepping down, although some Western nations now say he could remain during a transitional period.
But Mr Assad insisted: "Discussion about the political system or officials in Syria is an internal Syrian affair."
Russian air strikes - in depth
Where key countries stand - Who is backing whom
Why? What? How? - Five things you need to know about Russia's involvement
What can Russia's air force do? - The US-led coalition has failed to destroy IS. Can Russia do any better?
Inside an air strike - Activist describes "frightening Russian air strike"
Syria's civil war explained - Analysis and background on the conflict
Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday that its aircraft had bombed 10 IS targets in Syria over the past 24 hours - including command posts, a training camp, ammunition stores and a workshop making explosive devices including suicide belts.
It said its air campaign, which began on Wednesday, was being expanded.
"As a result of our air strikes on Isil [IS] targets, we have managed to disrupt their control system, the terrorist organisation's supply lines, and also caused significant damage to the infrastructure used to prepare acts of terror," the ministry added.
Syrian activists said Russian strikes in central Homs province had killed at least two children and a shepherd, and wounded a further 15 people.
The Syrian authorities have reportedly detained a prominent opposition figure, days after he criticised the Russian air strikes.
Munzer Khaddam, spokesman for the National Co-ordination Committee for Democratic Change, was held at a checkpoint near the capital Damascus, an official from his group told AFP news agency.
Turkey and Britain have condemned Russia's military intervention in support of President Assad.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described it as a grave mistake that would further isolate Moscow.
In London, Prime Minister David Cameron said Russia's actions would lead to further radicalisation and terrorism.
"Tragically, what has happened is that most of the Russian air strikes, as far as we have been able to see so far, have been in parts of Syria not controlled by Isil (IS) but controlled by other opponents to the regime.
"So what is happening is that they are backing the butcher Assad, which is a terrible mistake for them and for the world; it's going to make the region more unstable, it will lead to further radicalisation and increased terrorism.
"And I would say to them: change direction, join us in attacking Isil but recognise that if we want to have a secure region, we need an alternative leader to Assad. He can't unite the Syrian people."
The US-led coalition carried out 16 air strikes against IS militants, weapons and buildings in Syria and Iraq on Saturday, according to a US military statement.
Syria's civil war
AFP
Why is there a war in Syria?
Anti-government protests developed into a civil war that four years on has ground to a stalemate, with the Assad government, Islamic State, an array of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters all holding territory.
Who is fighting whom?
Government forces concentrated in Damascus and the centre and west of Syria are fighting the jihadists of Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, as well as less numerous so-called "moderate" rebel groups, who are strongest in the north and east. These groups are also battling each other.
What's the human cost?
More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and a million injured. Some 11 million others have been forced from their homes, of whom four million have fled abroad - including growing numbers who are making the dangerous journey to Europe.
How has the world reacted?
Iran, Russia and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement are propping up the Alawite-led Assad government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the more moderate Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France. Hezbollah and Iran are believed to have troops and officers on the ground, while a Western-led coalition and Russia are carrying out air strikes.
Friday 3 April 2015
Iran nuclear talks: Obama hails 'historic' agreement
Iran nuclear talks: Obama hails 'historic' agreement
- 3 April 2015
- From the section Middle East
President
Obama has hailed a deal restricting Iran's nuclear programme as a
"historic understanding" which, if implemented, will make the world
safer.
The framework agreement, struck after intensive talks, aims
to prevent Tehran making a nuclear weapon in exchange for phased
sanction relief.Iran and the six world powers involved must now finalise the deal.
Iranians have been celebrating in the streets but Israel says the deal threatens its survival.
"This will be a long-term deal, that addresses each path to a potential Iranian nuclear bomb," the US President said in a statement after the deal was announced.
"If Iran cheats, the world will know it," he said, adding that the agreement was based not on trust but on "unprecedented verification". He said that if the deal is finalised, "we will be able to resolve one of the greatest threats to our security, and to do so peacefully".
According to "parameters" of the agreement published by the US state department, Iran must reduce the number of its centrifuges that can be used to enrich uranium into a bomb by more than two-thirds.
It also has to redesign a power plant so it cannot produce weapons-grade plutonium, be subject to regular inspections, and agree not to enrich uranium over 3.67% - far less than is required to make a nuclear bomb - for at least 15 years.
Monday 23 March 2015
Brain tumour boy Ashya King free of cancer, parents say
The parents of
five-year-old Ashya King, who were detained after taking him abroad for
brain tumour treatment, say their son is now free of cancer.
Brett and Naghemeh King were held in prison in Madrid last
summer after taking their son from hospital in Southampton against
medical advice.They took him to receive treatment in Prague that was unavailable in the UK.
Mr King has told the Sun newspaper a recent scan showed "no evidence" of the tumour.
Mr and Mrs King took Ashya out of Southampton General Hospital last August, after disagreeing with doctors about his treatment and deciding to seek proton beam treatment abroad.
They took him to Spain but were arrested at the request of the British authorities and held in Madrid's Soto Del Real prison.
The couple were kept in the jail for more than 24 hours before being released when efforts to extradite them to the UK were abandoned, with prosecutors saying they were happy any risk to Ashya's life "was not as great or immediate as... originally thought".
Bercelona vs real madrid el classico
Luis Suarez drilled in a brilliant second-half winner as Barcelona
maintained control of the Spanish title race by beating Real Madrid in a
pulsating El Clasico.
Although Barca made the brighter start, Real soon got into the game and had the first big chance when Karim Benzema's cross found Ronaldo unmarked at the far post, but he did not have much angle to work with and could only send his cushioned volley against the crossbar.
Barca then went ahead after Suarez won a free-kick, Lionel Messi swung it into the middle and French centre-back Mathieu arrived unmarked to send a perfectly placed header past the dive of Iker Casillas.
But Real battled quickly back and a dramatic minute saw Suarez's cross-shot present Neymar with a golden chance which he put straight at Casillas, before Real immediately broke and Benzema's brilliant backheel found Ronaldo for a low stabbed finish.
Real finished the opening period in the ascendancy as Gareth Bale had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside and Ronaldo forced a good save from Claudio Bravo with a thunderous long-range drive.
The visiting team made a similarly strong start to the second half with an early chance for Benzema saved. But Barca then re-established the advantage with a decidedly route one goal as Brazil right-back Dani Alves delivered a long ball over the top, Suarez produced brilliant control and then steered a perfectly placed low finish into the bottom left corner.
The home team were dominant after that, squandering several chances to double their lead as Neymar ended a brilliant run by blazing over and then thrashed a shot wide after a pass from Messi, while Casillas did well to save from both Messi and Jordi Alba.
Real had little answer and, aside from a deflected strike from Benzema which Bravo did well to save low to his left, they never seriously threatened an answer as a jubilant Nou Camp celebrated a well deserved win.
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