Media caption"I saw fire, everybody was afraid to go in there"
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.
Image copyrightReutersImage captionCrowds gathered at the scene of the blast in Nyana the morning after
"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.
Media captionSyrian President Bashar al-Assad speaking on Iranian state television
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."
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
Image copyrightAFP
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.
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.
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".
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.
Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out an early header from
Jeremy Mathieu before Suarez struck to leave the hosts four points clear
at the top of La Liga.
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.
Kendrick Johnson was 17 when he died in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013.
Story highlights
Kendrick Johnson's parents, five other family members face misdemeanor charges
Despite potential jail, fine, family has no intention of accepting plea deal, attorney says
Parents have staged, attended numerous protests since son's January 2013 death
(CNN)Still seeking justice in their son's death,
Kendrick Johnson's parents will face the justice system themselves
Monday on misdemeanor charges related to a 2013 protest, their attorney
said.
Kenneth and Jacquelyn
Johnson, along with five family members, each face a charge of
interference with government property for allegedly blocking the
entrance to the Lowndes County Courthouse in Valdosta, Georgia, and
blocking access to the security checkpoint inside the building.
The
demonstration was planned after Johnson's parents became frustrated
with the lack of information they'd received from local investigators
regarding their son, who was found dead inside a rolled gym mat at his
South Georgia high school in January 2013, attorney Chevene King said.
Footage published on YouTube
shows authorities arresting family members who held hands, blocking a
door to the courthouse. Another video posted to a Kendrick Johnson
tribute page on Facebook shows family members later, inside the
courthouse, joining hands in front of the checkpoint. The family and others can be heard chanting, "No justice, no peace," as officers step in to arrest them.
The relatives, who call themselves the "KJ 7," were arrested and released on bond in the April 25, 2013, incident, King said.
Upon her release that evening, Jacquelyn Johnson told CNN affiliate WCTV, "I'm going to be right back out at the courthouse in the morning, ready to do it all over again, until we get justice."
Each of the seven family members could face up to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both.
There are no plans to entertain any potential plea deals, King told CNN.
In May 2013, the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office announced it was closing its investigation
into Johnson's death after determining Johnson, 17, slipped into the
mat while reaching for a shoe and got stuck. An autopsy completed by the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded Johnson died of accidental
positional asphyxia.
Months later, a
pathologist hired by the Johnsons conducted a second autopsy, found
evidence of "unexplained, apparent non-accidental blunt force trauma" to
the 17-year-old's neck and concluded the death was a homicide.
In
October 2013, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia,
Michael Moore, launched a federal investigation, which is ongoing.
Kendrick Johnson's parents, who have been steadfast in their claim that their son's death was no accident, filed a wide-ranging $100 million lawsuit
earlier this month, claiming several former classmates beat their son
to death inside the high school gym. The suit names 37 people, mostly
members of local law enforcement, plus the city of Valdosta as
defendants.
"We know who killed him. We just have to prove it," Johnson's mother, Jacquelyn Johnson, told CNN.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid forward's moment of madness
A kick, a slap, a punch, a red card and some cheeky goading of rival
supporters, Cristiano Ronaldo covered off a number of football crimes
on Saturday.
The 29-year-old - voted the world's best player when he
was awarded Fifa's Ballon d'Or this month - lashed out with seven
minutes remaining of
Real Madrid's 2-1 win at Cordoba.
His
reckless kick from behind on Edimar
was followed by a slap to the Brazilian's face and Ronaldo could have seen red earlier when he
appeared to land a right-hook
on defender Jose Angel Crespo.
That sin went unpunished but after being dismissed for
the ninth time in his career, the Portuguese dusted off his World Club
Cup winners' badge as rival fans taunted him on his way to the tunnel.
A show of defiance maybe, but a contrite apology
swiftly followed: "I apologise to everyone and especially to Edimar for
my thoughtless acts in today's match,"
said Ronaldo.
It is not the first time the so-often slick and cool
Ronaldo has engaged in an act of violence and three of the four red
cards shown to him in La Liga have now been for fighting with opponents.
Gareth Bale - a player booed for not passing to Ronaldo
in recent weeks - netted a late Los Blancos winner to nullify the
impact of the red card.
Referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez
did not deem the act to be violent conduct,
so Ronaldo is unlikely to serve a three-game ban which would take in the Madrid derby on 7 February.
Ronaldo tussles with Jose Angel Crespo, who he also seemed to throw a punch at earlier in the game
With the score at 1-1 and seven minutes to go, Ronaldo lashed out at Edimar with a reckless kick
The World Player of the Year
then pleads his innocence as Edimar lies on the floor but home players
quickly surround and pressure him
Melee over, the former Manchester United forward is shown the ninth red card of his career
Ronaldo, a three-time Ballon d'Or winner, pointed at his Fifa World Club Cup winners' badge on his way off
Ronaldo trudges off past Real
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and down the tunnel his boss will now
await the referee's report of the incident
Gareth Bale - who would score a winning penalty - consoles Cristiano Ronaldo after his sending off
Manchester United's Angel Di Maria has been voted Argentina's
foreign-based player of the year by the country's sports journalists.
The winger won the Olimpia de Plata (Silver Olimpia award) at a ceremony
on Tuesday, where striker Lucas Pratto of Velez Sarsfield won the
equivalent for best player in the Argentine league.
Di Maria helped former club Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup in
May and Argentina reach the World Cup final, which he missed through
injury, in Brazil in July.
Velez, announcing Pratto's award on their website
(www.velezsarsfield.com.ar) on Wednesday, said the striker was on the
verge of joining Brazil's Atletico Mineiro pending a medical.
Media reports have said Velez will receive $5 million for Pratto, a high fee for a transfer between South American clubs.
North Korea has described new sanctions imposed in response to a major cyber-attack against Sony Pictures as part of groundless and hostile US policy.
The US placed sanctions on three North Korean organisations and 10 individuals, after the FBI blamed Pyongyang for the cyber-attack.
North Korea has denied involvement but has praised the attack on Sony.
It came as Sony was about to release The Interview, which portrays a plan to assassinate North Korea's leader.
Sony initially cancelled plans to show the film, before deciding to release it to a limited number of cinemas and online.
'Inveterate repugnancy'
The fresh US sanctions imposed on Friday are believed to be the first time the US has moved to punish any country for cyber-attacks on a US company.
Announcing them, the US said the apparent effort to stifle the movie release was part of the justification for the new restrictions, though the targets of the sanctions were not directly involved.
In response, the North's state-run KCNA news agency on Sunday quoted its foreign ministry spokesman as saying: "The policy persistently pursued by the US to stifle the DPRK [North Korea], groundlessly stirring up bad blood towards it, would only harden its will and resolution to defend the sovereignty of the country.
"The persistent and unilateral action taken by the White House to slap 'sanctions' against the DPRK patently proves that it is still not away from inveterate repugnancy and hostility toward the DPRK."
North Korea has blamed the US for lengthy internet outages in the country last week.
US sanctions are already in place over North Korea's nuclear programme.
Barcelona forward Luis Suarez is confident his scoring form will return
and he can put a slow start to his debut season in Spain behind him.
Suarez needed eight La Liga games to open his Barca account with a goal
against Cordoba last weekend and has two in three Champions League
appearances, a meagre return for the player who was Premier League top
scorer with 31 goals in his final campaign with Liverpool.
The Uruguay international plays in a three-man attack at Barca with
Lionel Messi and Neymar and although he has not been as prolific as he
or coach Luis Enrique would like he has been contributing with assists
and has made four in La Liga and one in Europe's elite club competition.
"I am obviously a striker who likes to score a lot of goals and have
done that in every team I have been with," Suarez said on Barca's
website (www.fcbarcelona.es) on Friday.
"I'm not scoring much at the moment but I'm sure that with help from my
teammates the goals will come," added the 27-year-old, who made his
return from a four-month ban for biting an opponent at the end of
October.
"But as long as the team is winning important games as it is then I'll be happy whether I score or not.
"A forward always has to help the team, either with assists or goals.
"Sometimes making good assists or passes makes you feel better than scoring easy goals."
Barca's first game after the two-week winter break is a La Liga match at
Real Sociedad on January 4 before they host Elche in a King's Cup
last-16 first-leg game on January 8.
Barca are also through to the Champions League last 16 where they will play Manchester City over two legs in February and March.
"We didn't want to meet them, but they didn't want to meet us either," Suarez said.
"We know that we are going to have to beat some strong teams if we want to win the Champions League.
"Beating City is a good target for us and a good chance to show people why Barcelona are here."
Barca are second in La Liga after 16 matches, a point behind Real Madrid who have a game in hand.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on
Tuesday backed a one year transfer ban against Barcelona in a major blow
to the Spanish football giants.
The court said in a statement that it had "dismissed" an appeal made by
Barcelona against the ban imposed by Fifa in April for breaching rules
on signing players aged under 18.
Barcelona, who are second behind Real Madrid in La Liga, are banned from
buying players during the transfer window that opens on January 1 and
for the summer transfer period before the 2015-16 season. That means
they cannot sign a player until January 2016.
Barcelona were also fined €375 000. The Spanish federation was also reprimanded by Fifa.
"The panel found in particular that FC Barcelona had breached the rules
regarding the protection of minors and the registration of minors
attending football academies," said the statement.
"The Fifa decision is confirmed in full and the sanction remains in force."
The CAS panel promised to give the full reasons for its decision as quickly as possible.
Fifa announced the ban in April this year after an investigation into
several players aged under 18 who were registered and played for
Barcelona between 2009 and 2013. It found that Barcelona and the Spanish
federation were guilty of a "serious" infringement of rules for 10
players.
Barcelona made a first appeal to the Fifa disciplinary committee and the
sanction was suspended enabling them to make major signings such as
Luis Suarez from Liverpool for €95 million.
The club spent more than €150 million in all before Fifa's appeal
committee upheld the ban. Barcelona then went to the CAS and asked for
an emergency procedure so that a decision was announced before the
January transfer window opens.
Barcelona are one point behind Real Madrid but have played one game
more. Atletico Madrid in third place are just three points behind.
Not content with four titles in 2014, including his second Champions
League, prolific Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to
make next year an even bigger success.
Ronaldo netted 51 goals in 47 appearances last season, setting a record
of 17 goals for one edition of Europe's elite club competition, as Real
secured a record-extending 10th continental crown and the King's Cup.
The Portugal captain continued where he left off in 2014-15 as the
world's richest club by income claimed the European Super Cup and Club
World Cup and he has amassed an incredible 32 goals in 25 games in all
competitions.
His haul of 25 in 14 La Liga matches is a Spanish record and he looks
set to smash the biggest total for a season in Spain's top flight of 50
scored by Lionel Messi in 2011-12.
"It would be a dream if 2015 was like 2014 or even better," Ronaldo said in an interview published in sports daily As on Saturday.
"It is possible to do it because Madrid is always a candidate to win the competitions it is playing in," added the 29-year-old.
"We have a team spirit that can help us win the most titles possible and we will fight to the death to get them."
Ronaldo attributed much of Real's recent success to the arrival of coach
Carlo Ancelotti, who replaced the divisive Jose Mourinho at the end of
the 2012-13 season.
Italian Ancelotti immediately ended Real's 12-year wait for their 10th
European title and, using the club's millions, has built a formidable
side that is top of La Liga and one of the favourites to repeat their
Champions League success this term.
"The coach has a lot of importance," Ronaldo told As.
"He is a great trainer and a great person and we are all delighted with him.
"Together we are a united family which will try to improve on the successes of 2014."
Ronaldo will find out whether he has won a third Fifa World Player of
the Year award, and his second in a row, on 12 January when he is up
against Argentina captain Messi
Reuters
