Another Bomb Blast Rock in Kano Market-Photos

A bomb blast has rocked the commercial city of Kano, as State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso attends the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he is vying for the party’s presidential ticket.

The blast occurred at Kantin Kwari textile market in the city, according to AFP. The market is regarded as the largest in northern Nigeria.

Although details are still sketchy at the moment, sources say the military have cordoned off the area.
The blast occurs barely two weeks after almost 200 people were killed in multiple explosions that rocked the Kano Central Mosque

U.S. And NATO End Afghan Combat Command After 13 Years

The United States and NATO closed their combat command in Afghanistan on Monday, which is more than 13 years after invading the country in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks to target al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. AP reports:

Though quickly routing the Taliban-led government that sheltered the militants, the U.S.-led coalition soon found itself spending billions of dollars rebuilding a country devastated by almost 30 years of war while an insurgency grew as the invasion and occupation of Iraq quickly took America’s attention.As NATO’s International Security.

 Assistance Force’s Joint Command, which was in charge of combat operations, lowered its flag Monday and formally ended its deployment, resurgent Taliban militants launched yet another bloody attack in the country. And with President Barack Obama allowing American troops to go after both al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the country into the next year, the fighting likely won’t be over anytime soon.“I don’t think the war will slow or stop during the winter, as attacks on cities are not contingent on the weather,” Afghan political analyst Wahid Muzhdah said.

 “I believe attacks in the cities will increase — they attract media attention.”Monday’s ceremony saw the NATO flag of the command folded and put away amid the foreign troop withdrawal. From Jan. 1, the coalition will maintain a force of 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak around 140,000 in 2011. As of Dec. 1, there were some 13, 300 NATO troops in the country.

Secret Cinema Lagos 13 Killed In Failed U.S. Bid To Rescue Hostages In Yemen

A 10-year-old boy, woman and a local al Qaeda leader were among at least 11 people killed as well as two Western hostages when U.S.-led forces fought Islamist militants in a failed rescue mission in Yemen, residents said on Sunday. Reuters covered the story:

U.S. special forces raided the village of Dafaar in Shabwa province, a militant stronghold in southern Yemen, shortly after midnight on Saturday, killing several members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).American journalist Luke Somers, 33, and South African teacher Pierre Korkie, 56, were shot and killed by their captors during the raid intended to free them, U.S. officials said.

 AQAP, formed in 2006 by the merger of the Yemeni and Saudi branches of the network, has for years been seen by Washington as one of the movement’s most dangerous branches.Western governments fear advances by Shi’ite Muslim Houthi fighters with links to Iranhave bolstered support among Yemeni Sunnis for AQAP, which has established itself in parts of south and east Yemen, including Shabwa where the raid took place.

Mexico: Bodies Of Missing Students Abducted By Police Were Burned

Mexican authorities said on Sunday that mounting evidence and DNA tests have confirmed that the 43 trainee teachers who were abducted by corrupt police 10 weeks ago were incinerated at a garbage dump by drug gang members. Reuters has more on the story:

Attorney General Jesus Murillo told reporters that one of the students had been identified by experts in Austria from a bone fragment in a bag of ash and bits of burned tire found in a river where drug gang members said they tossed the students remains.

“This scientific proof confirms that the remains found at the scene coincide with the evidence of the investigation,” Murillo said. “We will continue with the probe until all the guilty have been arrested.”
President Enrique Pena Nieto is facing his deepest crisis over his government’s handling of the probe. The case laid bare Mexico’s deep problem of impunity and corruption and it has overshadowed Pena Nieto’s efforts to focus on economic reforms.

One month ago, Murillo said that drug gang members had confessed to murdering the students and burning their bodies in a pyre of tires at an isolated dump.
But parents of the missing students have refused to accept the government’s version and at a demonstration in Mexico City on Saturday night they said they would continue to demand more answers even after they had heard word of the DNA test results.

SEE Photos of Nuella Njubigbo’s Baby Girl

The Nollywood actress Nuella Njubigbo put to bed recently.

Nuella shared these photos of her baby girl on Instagram and captioned it with “Baby Tess” …. Still cant believe this precious, sweet, adorable, little angel is ours…. Awesome!!!
Who am I Lord that you are mindful of me??? I will tell the world of your greatness and Supremacy! She is my “Testimony of God’s good works in our lives” @tchidichikere”

Messi: I was targeted by doping control

Lionel Messi has claimed he was subjected to more rigorous anti-doping controls than his Barcelona team-mates ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Officers from AETSAD (Spanish Agency for Protection of Health in Sport), who work in conjunction with Uefa, visited Barcelona and conducted tests on five players - Messi, Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic, Claudio Bravo and Jordi Alba - prior to Monday morning's training session.

Afterwards Messi took to his Instagram account to reveal he came under particular scrutiny. “Doping control. Of the five chosen, I was the only one who had to give urine and blood samples... bit strange isn’t it?" he wrote.

On Saturday, Messi grabbed another hat-trick - his 21st in La Liga - as Barca thrashed city rovals Espanyol 5-1.

The Argentina forward has scored 13 goals in 14 La Liga appearances this term, while netting an additional seven goals in five Champions League appearances.

On Wednesday, Barca have the chance to secure top spot in Champions League Group F by beating PSG

Bluetooth 4.2 Launched with new features, improved security and speed

Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has taken wraps off new Bluetooth technology. Dubbed as Bluetooth 4.2, it boasts of faster connection speed, stronger privacy controls and better Internet connectivity.



The upgraded Bluetooth will enhance the compatibility of smart things and make connections between devices even more secure. Bluetooth 4.2 allows for a direct connection to internet routers and hot-spots using low-power IPv6/6LoWPAN protocols. This could prove hugely beneficial for small, low-power IoT devices and home automation, as well as the next generation of wearables.

“Bluetooth 4.2 is all about continuing to make Bluetooth Smart the best solution to connect all the technology in your life – from personal sensors to your connected home. In addition to the improvements to the specification itself, a new profile known as IPSP enables IPv6 for Bluetooth, opening entirely new doors for device connectivity. Bluetooth Smart is the only technology that can scale with the market, provide developers the flexibility to innovate, and be the foundation for the IoT.”

said Mark Powell, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG in a statement.

On the privacy front, Bluetooth 4.2 includes new protections against Beacons, which can locate and send notifications to nearby Bluetooth devices. Some retailers use Beacons to track and alert their shoppers, but with Bluetooth 4.2, users will have to opt in to the specific alerts they want to see. It even features smarter data packets that enable transfer speeds 2.5 times as fast as the previous standard. Bluetooth 4.2 devices will likely begin to appear sometime in early/mid 2015