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Eight people were killed and 18 others injured on Sunday in clashes amid the ongoing local elections in southern Turkey, private Dogan News Agency reported. Two people died and nine others were wounded when they were fighting for the election of neighborhood unit in Golbasi village of Kirikhan town of southern Hatay province, according to the report. Six Turkish citizens were killed and five others wounded in exchange of fire between candidates for neighborhood unit and their relatives in southern Hilvan town of southern Sanliurfa province, said the report. Another fight erupted in Hamamoren village of Siverek town of Sanliurfa province between the members of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) due to casting vote, leaving four people wounded, said the report, adding that the Turkish Armed Forces reportedly increased measures in the village.

According to Punch,  Security was quickly beefed up around the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Sunday morning as heavy shootings were recorded at the neighbouring headquarters of the State Security Service known as Yellow House. The SSS headquarters is located behind the Villa. The access gate to the seat of power through the Fire Service office in Asokoro was quickly shut while more heavily armed soldiers were seen at the gate leading to the Villa through the Federal Secretariat. Military helicopters were also seen hovering the sky at the time of filing this report. Our correspondent who attempted to access the SSS headquarters area through the Aso Drive was turned back alongside other motorists in front of the Millennium Park by armed SSS operatives. An operative who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that trouble started earlier in the day when one of the suspects in the service’s custody overpowered an operative who was in his cell to feed him. The suspect was ...

1. Accuses Them Of Non-performance, Bad Leadership 2. Says Govs Failed On School Enrolment Despite FG’s Support 3. ‘Manage Your Insecurity; I Handled Mine As Governor In Bayelsa’ BARELY two weeks after 12 Northern governors, who visited the White House in the US, accused him of escalating the Boko Haram crisis ahead of 2015 presidential election, President Goodluck Jonathan, Saturday, reacted with a counter allegation, saying the governors have failed in school enrolment and other parameters of governance.    Blaming them for the security challenges that have bedeviled the Northeast region since 2010, the President, who was in Bauchi for his People Democratic Party’s (PDP) North East Zonal unity rally at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, said the governors have performed poorly and failed to send their “children to school.”     The President pointed to non-performance in viable projects that would have improved the income of the common man.   ...

The UK Foreign Office has advised British citizens in Abuja to maintain “heightened vigilance’’ following the foiled jailbreak at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS). The revised travel alert on Nigeria was posted on the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) website on Sunday. It was updated few hours after the DSS confirmed that it had foiled an attempted jailbreak by insurgents detained at the Asokoro headquarters of the security outfit. The travel alert advised British citizens to be especially vigilant “should they need to go to Asokoro or The Three Arms Zone’’ in Abuja. The statement read in part: “On the morning of March 30, there was an incident involving exchange of gunfire within a Nigerian government compound in the Asokoro area in Abuja. “The incident was brought under control swiftly, and the Nigerian Government has now confirmed that the incident is over and has declared the area safe. “We recommend that British citizens maintain...

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka  Prince William  and  Kate Middleton ) just released a brand new photo of their adorable baby boy at eight months ... and he's sooooo cute. Wearing a baby blue sweater and looking at the family's dog,  Lupo ,  Prince George  is seen posing for a photo with his parents at  Kensington Palace  on March 18, 2014. This is only the third official family portrait since the baby's birth in July 2013. Photographer  Jason Bell also took the last pic of Prince George at his christening back in October. Will and Kate will be heading to Australia and New Zealand in April for a three-week tour with their little guy, who will make a public appearance on April 9 at an event for new parents and babies. We can't wait to see more of the royal baby, he's adorable!

The Federal Government would complete the ongoing rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line by the end of 2014. The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, announced this at the PDP North-East Zonal Rally in Bauchi on Saturday. He said that the Lagos to Kano line was completed last year. He added that government was determined to revive the agricultural sector through encouraging the shift from subsistence to commercial production. He added that this had attracted a private firm to invest 40 million dollars in rice production in Taraba for domestic consumption and for export. “The project has taken off,” he said. According to him, the Federal Ministry Agriculture has undertaken massive intervention to make the North-East zone the lead producer of cotton and sorghum in the country. “Farmers in the zone have been supported to produce cotton, sorghum, tomato and other vegetables due to their rich agricultural heritage. He said farmers’ income in the z...

More than one million people have been forced from their homes by the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, the UN says. Of these, 803,200 have been displaced within the country, and another 254,000 have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the latest UN report. It warns that the situation is likely to get worse as the violence continues. Fighting erupted between the forces of President Salva Kiir and troops loyal to his former deputy, Riek Machar, in December. The two sides signed a ceasefire agreement in January, but sporadic fighting has continued. Food security In its report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the conflict had caused “a serious deterioration in the food security situation” leaving around 3.7 million people at high risk. “Fighting between government and opposition forces has continued, especially in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile state, where towns and rural areas have been ravaged by the violence,” it added. The UN...

According to Vanguard, Everybody who got to the ‘evil forest’ in Ibadan, Oyo State capital where hundreds of people have been killed by kidnappers was stunned to speechlessness seeing the number of decomposed bodies of victims. Call the place the Soka house of horror, a den of killers, the place of skull, the evil shrine, the valley of dry bones, killers’ hideouts, you will not be wrong. No adjective or description is too much to express the horror there. In the isolated bush, life is hellish, brutish, loutish and nasty. It is distasteful, barbaric and fetish. It is better read and heard than seen. If you go there once, you could find it difficult to have your meal. Flies of different sizes and colours were feasting on the bodies. The bodies were in different positions. The odour was unbearable. The land brings to mind David’s statement when he heard about the death of his bosom friend, Jonathan, “Tell it not in Gath or publish it in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters o...

Lady Gaga stepped out not in one, but 3 outr ageous outfits on Friday in New York. She first stepped out in the blue outfit with a lampshade headpiece, then the outfit with the judges-style wig and later at night in a revealing body suit.  Her name really suits her. 

It looks like things are heating up pretty fast between Rihanna  and Drake. The two stars were spotted holding hands as they left Tramps nightclub in London after the rapper's concert nearby. Drake and RiRi left the late-night lounge together and were seen getting into the backseat of the same chauffeured vehicle in the wee hours of the morning. The "Pour It Up" singer sported a pair of sexy thigh-high boots, a white mini dress with a black overcoat and a black beanie for her evening outing. Meanwhile, Drake looked dapper as ever in a gray trench coat that he kept buttoned-up and belted.

Not that we needed any more proof that Zoe Saldana is one of the most beautiful women in the world, but the  Star Trek  beauty has just scored a big-time endorsement deal. I can exclusively reveal that Saldana is the new international spokesperson of L'Oréal Paris. "Growing up, I was taught to believe that I am capable to do anything a man can do," Saldana says. "This family philosophy has shaped who I am today, and is a conviction that will always accompany me through life." "As a L'Oréal Paris spokesperson, being able to say, 'We're worth it,' means so much to me," she continued. "I want to share that value with women so they can embrace it and execute life with confidence. I am thrilled to join this beauty journey with such an inspirational brand."

Taylor Swift  is about to rule the Big Apple! Girlfriend has been spending a lot of time lately in New York City, and now it seems we know why. She was clearly looking for another place to call home, and she's found it…for a cool $20 million! Swifty has reportedly bought a Tribeca loft. In fact, she has supposedly been spotted at the building over the last few days. But there's more to the story here! The fabulous 10 bedroom, 9 bath loft was put on sale by none other than director, producer, and screenwriter  Peter Jackson ! He reportedly  put the place up for sale in May 2013, but apparently it took quite some time to unload it. Whatever she does, we hope she stays there often because $20 million is a lot to pay for a place you never use!

Ever since the glorious news we've been wondering about the gender of the genie in her bottle! And now we finally have an answer!  Christina Aguilera  and her fiancé  Matthew Rutler  are expecting a baby  GIRL!!! The 33-year-old music superstar confirmed the news in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this past Friday where she was performing a private event for fans. At some point during the show — she revealed she was having a baby girl! Here's what she tweeted after the show and after the reveal: Ain't no other fans… Thank you Malaysia for all the love & support! XoXtina Congratulations to the lovely Christina Aguilera and her family !!!

A small victory for Chris Brown  might be coming! The troublemaking singer is in the midst of an assault case, but he is lobbying for the charges to be thrown out and, we must admit, his argument seems pretty solid! Breezy's clever lawyer,  Mark Geragos , is claiming that prosecutors got an unfair advantage in the lawsuit for brawling with a fan in Washington D.C. last year. Mark's insisting that the case be thrown out completely because prosecutors only brought the case before  a grand jury in hopes of sneaking a peek at witnesses before next month's trial. Considering the U.S. Attorney already declared he would reduce the felony charge to a misdemeanor thanks to lack of evidence, there was seemingly no other reason he would make the move except to see how witnesses would act under oath. Was it an abuse of power??! Perhaps! Let's see what the judge rules! In the meantime, Chris is still warming a bed in an El Ay  jail  for a whole other le...

                       Mallam Lamido Sanusi Shareholders of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc have asked an Abuja Federal High Court to order the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, to pay them N10bn as damages over what they described as the fraudulent banking and investment practices and breaches involved in the sale of the bank. The plaintiffs, Abdullahi Sani, Adaeze Onwuegbusi and Chijioke Ezeikpe, in the suit filed by their lawyer, Chris Uche SAN, accused Sanusi of conniving with the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, and Mr. Herbert Wigwe, and Senator Bukola Saraki, to sell the bank in a bid to confer corrupt advantage upon themselves. The CBN and the Securities and Exchange Commission were joined as defendants in the suit, which came up before Justice Ahmed Mohammed on Tuesday. Justice Mohammed granted an ex-parte mo...

The Federal Government on Wednesday said it supported the United States’ seizure of $550m corruption proceeds of a former Head of State, the late Gen. Sani Abacha and his associates. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN, who stated this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the Federal Government would ensure the repatriation of the money to Nigeria. He stated, “As the central authority for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, my office has received requests for Mutual Legal Assistance for the Central Authority of the United States and we are cooperating with the United States in line with the obligations we assumed under the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. “The overall objective of these efforts is to ensure that Nigeria as the victim state is able to have the forfeited assets (money) repatriated to Nigeria to fund development projects for the benefit of the people in accordance with the dic...

The Federal Government has set up a Presidential Committee to assist Para-Military agencies to conduct another recruitment exercise into the Nigerian Immigration Service. A statement issued on Wednesday night in Abuja by the Secretary to the Government theFederation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim said the Committee has 12 weeks to conclude its assignment. According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan approved the composition and mandate of the Special Presidential Committee to assist the Civil Defence, Fire Service, Immigration and Prisons Board to re-conduct the aborted recruitment into the NIS. The Committee’s terms of reference include liaising with the Civil Defence, Fire Service, Immigration and Prisons Board to confirm the actual number of personnel to be recruited; assisting the Civil Defence, Fire Service, Immigration and Prisons Board by re-advertising the recruitment into the NIS with a view to starting the recruitment process afresh and assisting the Civil Defence, Fir...

Coach, Stephen Keshi has praised Super Eagles and Stoke City forward, Osaze Odemwingie as a great player and professional whose character is not out of place. In a down-to-earth interview with cable network, Aljazera, Keshi said that he cannot disqualify him from playing for Nigeria. “If he’s stubborn, that doesn’t mean he can’t play for the national side. He’s stubborn because of the way he was talked to or the way he was approached,” Keshi told Aljazera. Al Jazeera:   Brazil 2014 is on the horizon. Nigerians are excited. You’ve set the bar high by winning the African Cup of Nations. What are your expectations for the summer? Stephen Keshi : I just hope that my players are in good health. That’s key for us. Before the Mexico game [friendly], I lost Bright Dike and I would’ve loved to have him there. Now he’s out of the World Cup. After that, I’m just going to take it match by match. AJ:  Every player has glowing things to say about you. How does that make you...