Nigerian military: 20 women, children rescued; scores of terrorists killed

 
Nigeria's military claimed more progress Saturday in its fight against Boko Haram, saying scores of terrorists were killed and 20 women and children were rescued in a recent operation.--by (CNN)

Ukraine charges 2 suspected Russian soldiers with 'terrorist activity'

Two Russian soldiers allegedly captured while fighting in eastern Ukraine have been "charged with terrorist activity," Markiyan Lubkivskiy, adviser to the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, said Wednesday.

UK police figures give alarming insight into rise in reported child sex abuse

Politicians, celebrities and music makers are among more than 1,400 suspects investigated over alleged histories of child sex abuse, UK police said Wednesday, in a report that sheds a light on the alarming prevalence of the problem.

French Open 2015: Roger Federer furious after boy's selfie attempt

From world leaders to celebrities of all degrees of fame, taking a selfie with fans has become an accepted part of life.

But tennis great Roger Federer felt an unacceptable line was crossed Sunday when a spectator invaded center court at the French Open to try to get a snap with the 17-time grand slam winner. 

High-ranking separatist commander killed in eastern Ukraine

A high-ranking separatist commander was killed in eastern Ukraine when his car was attacked in Luhansk region, his battalion announced in a video statement Sunday.

Alexei Mozgovoi, commander of the Prizrak, or Ghost, Battalion, was the target of the attack, Ukrainian and Russian media both reported.

A pro-Ukrainian guerrilla group called Shadows claimed responsibility for the attack, according to its leader, Aleksandr Gladkiy.

Nigeria -- crippled by fuel shortages

 

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, but fuel shortages have paralyzed the country that just a year ago was declared Africa's largest economy.

At one gas station in Lagos, crowds push at the gates waving empty jerry cans. Cars queue for a kilometre down the road creating gridlock.

Similar scenes are being repeated at almost every petrol station across Nigeria.

Egypt's former leader Morsy given death sentence in jailbreak case

 
Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy was sentenced Saturday by a Cairo court to death -- the latest judicial setback for the ousted leader. He was convicted in a 2011 prison break.

Morsy's name, along with those of more than 100 other defendants, will be passed to the Grand Mufti, the highest legal authority in Egypt, who will have the final say on their sentence. The verdict will be confirmed June 2.

Mathematician John Nash, wife killed in car crash

John Forbes Nash Jr., the Princeton University mathematician whose life inspired the film "A Beautiful Mind," and his wife died in a car crash Saturday, according to New Jersey State Police.

Nash, 86, and Alicia Nash, 82, were riding in a taxi near Monroe Township when the incident occurred, State Police Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Williams said.

China "nail houses"

In China, they're known as "nail houses" -- homes where owners refuse to accept compensation offered by road builders and developers in exchange for the demolition of their property. The dwellings stand like a nail that refuses to be hammered down -- a not uncommon phenomenon as some homeowners resist dispossession of their land or hold out for more money.

Nigerian military: 20 women, children rescued; scores of terrorists killed

 
Nigeria's military claimed more progress Saturday in its fight against Boko Haram, saying scores of terrorists were killed and 20 women and children were rescued in a recent operation.

Burundi opposition leader gunned down

 

 A Burundian political opposition leader was shot dead in the nation's capital, a police spokesman said Saturday.

Zedi Feruzi, the leader of the UPD party was killed along with his bodyguard in a drive-by shooting in Bujumbura, Pierre Nkurikiye said.

President Pierre Nkurunziza's office said Saturday that it was "very moved by the assassination."

The killers have not yet been identified, Nkurunziza's office said in a statement. A radio journalist was seriously wounded in the attack near Feruzi's home.

The violence comes a day after at least three people were killed and 21 were wounded by two grenades thrown in a market attack in Bujumbura. A suspect is in custody, Nkurikiye told CNN earlier.

The turmoil, much of it centered around Nkurunziza's decision to seek a third term, has been ongoing for more than a month. Such a re-election bid is prohibited by the agreement that ended the nation's 1993-2003 civil war, yet the President is pushing forward nonetheless.

Earlier this week he moved the elections to June 6, 10 days later than originally scheduled.

 By Steve Almasy, CNN

Ireland votes overwhelmingly in favor of same-sex marriage

 

Same-sex couples will soon be able to walk down the aisle in the Emerald Isle.

Voters in Ireland overwhelmingly chose to change their nation's constitution Friday, becoming the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote.

The official results were announced Saturday at a Dublin Castle press conference: 1,201,607 voted in favor of the landmark referendum, while 734,300 voted against it, said Ríona Ní Fhlanghaile, an elections official.

Voter turnout in the majority Catholic nation was more than 60%, according to Fhlanghaile.

Despite speculation in the run-up that opposition to the measure might have been understated because people were too shy to tell pollsters that they planned to vote "no" -- the outcome was lopsided, with the measure passing by just over 61% of the total vote cast.

Once the votes began to be tallied, the result was never in doubt.

Only one of the country's 43 parliamentary constituencies failed to pass it.  

By Laura Smith-Spark, Kevin Conlon and Phil Black, CNN

Martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero closer to sainthood

 

Almost 35 years to the day that an assassin's bullet hit his chest, Archbishop Oscar Romero was beatified on Saturday, bringing the slain priest one step closer to sainthood.

Tens of thousands of people crowded El Salvador's Savior of the World Plaza for the bestowing of an honor that some wondered if Romero -- a controversial figure in his time -- would ever receive.

He was a hero to the progressive liberation theology movement, but his beatification was delayed for decades over political concerns. Pope Francis put things in motion when he declared Romero a martyr earlier this year.   by  San Salvador, El Salvador (CNN)

Okada & Keke riders fight at Oke Afa, Lagos yesterday-Photos

Okada and Keke riders clashed at Oke Afa near Ajao Estate, Lagos, yesterday. Trouble started after a collision between an Okada man and a Keke Napep led to a fight between the men. Witnesses said other riders got involved in the fight and about 7 Okadas and Kekes ended up getting burnt during the fracas. Thankfully, no one was killed. But the clash was so serious that police is patrolling the area today and no shop opened.

Uche Jombo celebrates 3rd anniversary with beautiful message & unseen wedding photo…Peep HERE

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So Sad! August Alsina reveals he Is battling blindness

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Hot Shots: Genevieve Nnaji hits Mexican beach in sexy one-piece bikini

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So This Happened: Instagram chick accuse Jim Iyke of marrying her in her dreams

 

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Kenyan Northern white rhinos under guard 24 hours

 

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Boy found in suitcase at Spanish border

Priego de Cordoba, Spain (CNN)--Bundled up tightly in a fetal position, an 8-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast survived several hours locked in a suitcase in a botched smuggling attempt into Spain.

A police spokesman who cannot be identified for security reasons told CNN that the boy -- who is now in Spanish custody -- was discovered Thursday in El Tarajal, a terrestrial point of entry at Spain's border with Morocco.

Police are still not sure how long the young boy spent tucked into the pink, medium-sized polyester suitcase, pressed against a few personal belongings.

"He was shocked when we opened the suitcase to see so many people looking at him," the spokesman said. But the boy is in good condition, he said.

The concrete that can heal itself

It's the world's most popular building material, and ever since the Romans built the pantheon from it some 2,000 years ago, we've been trying to find ways to make concrete more durable.

No matter how carefully it is mixed or reinforced, all concrete eventually cracks, and under some conditions, those cracks can lead to collapse.

"The problem with cracks in concrete is leakage," explains professor Henk Jonkers, of Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands.

"If you have cracks, water comes through -- in your basements, in a parking garage. Secondly, if this water gets to the steel reinforcements -- in concrete we have all these steel rebars -- if they corrode, the structure collapses."

But Jonkers has come up with an entirely new way of giving concrete a longer life.

"We have invented bioconcrete -- that's concrete that heals itself using bacteria," he says.

Dozens of dinosaur eggs discovered by construction workers in Chinese city

The Chinese city that boasts the largest number of dinosaur eggs in the world has added a new batch to its impressive collection.

Construction workers unearthed 43 fossilized dinosaur eggs during road repair work in Heyuan city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on Sunday, officials said.

The city, which calls itself the "Home of Dinosaurs," won a Guinness World Record for the world's largest collection of dinosaur eggs at its museum in 2004.

Huang Zhiqing, deputy director of the Heyuan Museum, said that it was the first time the fossils have been discovered in the bustling city center.

Major road repair work was halted as a team of researchers and construction workers jumped down into a ditch to dig out the fossils.

Vatican Fast Facts

Here's what you need to know about the Vatican, also known as the Holy See. 

Facts:
The full name of the country is the State of Vatican City, and it is the spiritual and governing center of the Roman Catholic Church.

It stands on Vatican Hill in northwestern Rome, Italy west of the Tiber River.

Tall stone walls surround most of Vatican City.

Historical documentation reveals that St. Peter was crucified at or near the Neronian Gardens on Vatican hill and buried at the foot of the hill directly under where the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica now stands. Excavations at the basilica between 1940 and 1957 located the tomb believed to be St. Peter's.

'I was flogged daily:' Rescued Boko Haram survivors share tales of horror

The Malkohi Camp in Yola, Adamawa State, in north-eastern Nigeria, is home to the 275 women and children who were recently rescued from the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram.

Prior to their rescue, the camp was home to about 845 internally displaced persons. With the arrival of the recently rescued women and children, the camp now houses more than 1,000 people.

On the surface, it seems that normal life has resumed for many of the camp's residents. Joyful tales of reunions with families and loved ones are sometimes shared among the women and girls, such as Hauwa, an adolescent who was reunited with her parents after seven months in captivity.

Fuel shortages bring Nigeria to a standstill

Nigeria's finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala discusses the country's fuel shortages with CNN's John Defterios.

Burundi: Leaders of attempted coup arrested after President's return

The President of Burundi declared Friday that peace had returned, two days after a failed military coup left the African nation in a state of chaotic violence.

In a nationwide TV address, The President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza also warned that any more attempts to seize power by force would "bring war, poverty and other atrocities we have seen in this country."

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to death

A jury condemned Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death on Friday, May 15th, for his role in killing four people and wounding hundreds more in the 2013 Boston marathon bombings.

Borno border town(Marte) Recaptured by Boko Haram sect

Marte, the border town in the northern flank of Borno state has again fallen to the Boko Haram sect.
Security sources said the terrorists, most of whom had fled Sambisa forests and their other strongholds across Borno State, have now regrouped in Marte, a town 112km north of Maiduguri, the state capital.
The deputy governor of Borno State, Zannah Mustapha, confirmed that Marte was seized on Friday.
The news came as soldiers sustained a 24-hour curfew imposed on Maiduguri, the state capital on Thursday after Boko Haram terrorists attempted an invasion of the city on Wednesday night.
Intelligence obtained after the  attack  on Wednesday suggests that at least 600 females had accompanied the Boko Haram terrorists with a mission to carry out multiple suicide bombings..

Fashola hinges sustainable development on adherence to laws

Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Tuesday said it would be difficult for nations to attain meaningful development in the absence of law and order. The governor made the remark while inaugurating a 22-room magistrate court in Ogba area of the state. The court was named after retired Justice Samuel Ilori, a former Chief Judge of the state. Fashola said law and order remained the most important agenda any nation could pursue, pointing out that without it, nothing could be achieved.

“So it is important to pay attention to those who will have the responsibility to enforce the law and those who have the responsibility to administer laws. ” Because the greatest civilizations have been those founded and nurtured on the basis of law and order,” he said. The governor said the delivery of the court was a demonstration of the government’s commitment to deepen the rule of law and widen access to justice.According to him, Nigeria will be a better place if things are always done in accordance with the rule of law. “Law and order remains the most single important agenda that I think any nation can really pursue. “A nation that pursues law and order will achieve everything. And no matter the buildings we build, the roads, if we choose to live outside of the law, our society will not progress.