MILITARY: Boko Haram 'bomb factory discovered' by Nigerian troops.

Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's military said on Friday that it had uncovered a Boko Haram bomb-making factory in the northeastern town of Buni Yadi after soldiers retook the town from the insurgents.

Islamist fighters captured the town in Yobe state in August last year as the group seized swathes of territory in the crisis-hit northeast.

The military announced that it had wrested back control last Saturday.

Defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said that search operations in the area led to the discovery of the bomb-making factory manufacturing improvised explosive devices or IEDs.

"A large quantity of IEDs, including those commonly used by suicide bombers were recovered from the site," he added in an emailed statement.

"The factory, which was located in a fertiliser company, has also converted some of the materials therein for production of all types of IEDs.

"Troops are still evacuating the materials which include a large quantity of suicide bomber vests from the facility to their base."

Boko Haram has increasingly used suicide attacks in its six-year campaign to create a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.

Women and young girls with explosives vests strapped to their bodies have been sent into crowded markets and bus stations, causing mass casualties.

Roadside bombs -- a tactic seen widely in Iraq and Afghanistan by Al-Qaeda-linked militants -- have also been found buried in the ground.

Olukolade said four soldiers were killed by IEDs during the operation to retake Buni Yadi and the advance was delayed because the devices were planted on the road leading into the town.

Nigeria's military, assisted by soldiers from Niger, Chad and Cameroon, as well as South African mercenaries, have made major gains against Boko Haram in recent weeks.

The operation is designed to secure and stabilise the northeast in time for elections to take place in two weeks' time at which President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking re-election.

Olukolade said the discovery of the bomb-making factory "is expected to degrade the capability of terrorists in the production of explosives, which they have been using lavishly in the area".

South African court rules appeal against Pistorius can go ahead

Johannesburg (AFP) - A South Africa court dismissed Friday an attempt by Oscar Pistorius's lawyers to stop an appeal that could see the fallen Paralympian hero spend significantly more time behind bars for killing his model girlfriend.

Pistorius's defence had sought to block prosecutors from appealing the double-amputee athlete's culpable homicide conviction in order to seek a murder verdict that carries more time in prison.

But Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over Pistorius's trial, criticised the athlete's lawyers and rejected their application.

The 28-year-old Paralympian was last year found guilty of culpable homicide -- a charge akin to manslaughter -- and sentenced to five years in prison for shooting Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.

State prosecutors were granted permission in December to appeal against the verdict, arguing that Masipa misinterpreted the law when she ruled Pistorius did not intentionally kill Steenkamp when he shot four times through a locked toilet door.

Pistorius's legal team countered that his conviction was based on facts presented during the trial and therefore could not be appealed.

Masipa on Friday said Pistorius's lawyers should argue their point in the appeals court itself, adding there was "nothing new" in their application.

"Before I gave my finding in December, both counsel had an opportunity to argue whether the points raised at the time were points of fact or points of law," Masipa told the court.


"Procedurally it would be wrong to grant or refuse this application... I strike off the application."

- State appeal -

Masipa's decision paves the way for the prosecution's appeal to go ahead.

"The court today has confirmed, or agreed with the NPA, that this matter should not be entertained," National Prosecution Authority spokesman Velekhaya Mgobhozi said after the hearing.

"We will be going to the Supreme Court (of Appeal)."

Pistorius's lawyer Barry Roux shook his head when the decision was announced.

During the trial, Pistorius testified that he shot Steenkamp believing she was an intruder who had broken into his house in a gated Pretoria community.

The state argued he deliberately killed the 29-year-old law graduate and reality television star after an argument.

If an appeals court finds him guilty of murder, the athlete -- known as the "Blade Runner" for his prosthetic legs he wears on the track -- could face at least 15 years in jail.

Pistorius has been serving his sentence in a central Pretoria prison since October.

Due to his physical disability, he is being held in the hospital ward of the prison, shielding him from the often brutal overcrowded cells, known for gang violence.

Pistorius was jailed after a sensational months-long trial that made world headlines.

On Tuesday, Reeva's mother June said she was launching an anti-abuse organisation in her daughter's memory.

She refused to be drawn on the appeal process, saying it was "in the hands of the law".

ISIS welcomes Boko Haram allegiance: tape

Baghdad (AFP) - The Islamic State group welcomed a pledge of allegiance made to it by Boko Haram and vowed to press with its expansion, according to an audiotape Thursday purportedly from its spokesman.

"We announce to you to the good news of the expansion of the caliphate to West Africa because the caliph... has accepted the allegiance of our brothers of the Sunni group for preaching and the jihad," IS spokesman Mohammed al-Adnani said in the message, using the Arabic name for Nigeria's Boko Haram extremist group.

In the tape of some 30 minutes, Adnani urges Muslims to join militants in West Africa and played down "victories" by the US-led coalition and Iraqi forces against his group.

The Sunni radical Sunni movement has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria and declared an Islamic "caliphate" there. It has also drawn expressions of allegiance from jihadists in Egypt and Libya.

On Saturday, an audiotape attributed to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said "we announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims, Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al-Husseini al-Qurashi," referring to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Security analysts have said that pledge may only have propaganda value in the short term but could lead to closer links in the future.

Shekau has previously mentioned Baghdadi in videos but stopped short of pledging formal allegiance.

But there have been increasing signs that the Nigerian militants, whose six-year insurgency has claimed more than 13,000 lives and left 1.5 million people homeless, have been seeking a closer tie-up.


IS's Adnani said Muslims must support Boko Haram in West Africa, and claimed that the Islamic State was growing in strength and expanding.

"Our caliphate is resisting and it is advancing in the right direction. We are fighting the Crusaders and the rafidah (Shiites) and day by day the Islamic State is becoming strong," he said.

The tape's release comes as US Security Council diplomats are drafting a resolution to shore up a regional force fighting Boko Haram, and as Iraqi forces were tightening the noose on IS in Tikrit.

Iraqi forces entered IS-held Tikrit, in the northern province of Salaheddin, on Wednesday after a 10-day push to wrest the city back from the jihadists.

A combination of army, police and volunteer forces moved into northern and southern Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and a main IS stronghold after making major gains around the city.

But Adnani said IS "continues to resist.... and the victories proclaimed by the coalition are only illusions", claiming that only "inches of land" in Iraq had been recaptured by loyalist forces.

And he insisted that the group is "sure of its victory" regardless of the challenges it is facing.

"God is on our side and give us the strength to combat this armada of Crusader countries," he said.

For months, IS has been targeted with air strikes from a coalition led by the United States and already suffered territorial setbacks in Syria and Iraq.

House for sale in Indonesia -- with free wife [READ]

Sleman (Indonesia) (AFP) - An advert for a house in Indonesia has gone viral online after the woman selling it offered to throw in an unusual extra feature for free -- her hand in marriage.

The Internet ad reads for the most part like a regular house listing, saying that the single-storey property has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a parking space and a fish pond.

But it also proposes to buyers a "rare offer" -- "when you buy this house, you can ask the owner to marry you", alongside a picture of Wina Lia, a 40-year-old widow and beauty salon owner, leaning against a car in front of the house.

The ad said that terms and conditions apply, and notes the offer is "for serious buyers and non-negotiable". The house in Sleman, on the island of Java, is on the market for 999 million rupiah (about $75,000).


News of the offer quickly spread among Internet users in social media-crazy Indonesia.

Boldies99, a user on popular online forum Kaskus, said Lia was "quite smart -- even though the house will be sold, she will remain the owner."

Lia told AFP she was "shocked at the reaction", as she had been overwhelmed by journalists coming to interview her, and even the police in the conservative, Muslim-majority country had been asking questions.

The police "came to verify the news as they consider it as an improper advertisement. But I explained to them that it was not my idea," she said.

The mother of two explained that she had asked a friend who was a property agent to help her find a buyer -- and in the process a husband -- but she had expected him to pass on the news to a limited number of people, not put an ad online.

"I told a friend of mine who also works as property agent that if there is a buyer who is a single man or a widower who wants to buy a house, and at the same time look for a wife, he can let me know as I'm also a widow," she said.

She added that there was only one potential buyer, who had visited on Wednesday, but refused to give further details

Former SA Koevoet fighter killed in battle against Boko Haram

Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state, has been the scene of intense fighting between Boko Haram and pro-government militias fighting alongside government troops. File photo
Image by: AFP PHOTO / BOKO HARAM

A private South African para-military specialist has been killed in an attack by Nigerian Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram.

Former Koevoet member Leon Lotz, of KwaZulu-Natal, is among scores of former South African security force personnel helping to train government and allied forces to fight the insurgents.

The group of which Lotz was a member is believed to be contracted to the Nigerian government. It does not have the support of the South African government.

Lotz and five others, including another foreigner and four Nigerian soldiers, were killed on Monday near Maiduguri.

The nationality of the other foreigner is not known.

Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state, has been the scene of intense fighting between Boko Haram and pro-government militias fighting alongside government troops.

About 80 South Africans are providing assistance to the forces engaging Boko Haram in the form of advice on military tactics and intelligence gathering, and training in the use of heavy weapons and advanced fighting techniques.

Lotz's neice, Vanes-Mari du Toit, posted on Facebook: "What an absolute honour knowing you. You fought for what was right, always had the best advice.

"Today I say goodbye to a legend of an uncle, who passed away in battle fighting Boko Haram ... Rus sag, Oom (Rest softly, Uncle)."

Iraq Arrests ISIS Advisors, US And Israelis Held

A photo from the Golan Heights depicting IDF soldiers  conversing with Jabhat al Nusra terrorists.

TEHRAN – Iraqi Special Forces said they have arrested several ISIL’s foreign military advisors, including American, Israeli and Arab nationals in an operation in Mosul in the Northern parts of the country.

The Iraqi forces said they have retrieved four foreign passports, including those that belonged to American and Israeli nationals and one that belonged to the national of a Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member-state, from ISIL’s military advisors.

The foreign advisors were arrested in a military operation in Tal Abta desert near Mosul city.

Last year, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Mossad of training ISIL terrorists operating in Iraq and Syria.

Alexander Prokhanov said that Mossad is also likely to have transferred some of its spying experiences to the ISIL leadership, adding that Israel’s military advisors could be assisting the Takfiri terrorists.

Prokhanov said ISIL is a byproduct of US policies in the Middle East.

ISIL is a tool at the hands of the United States. They tell the Europeans that if we (the Americans) do not intervene, ISIL will cause you harm,” he said, adding that Iran and Russia are the prime targets of the ISIL.

“They launched their first terror attack against us just a few days back in Chechnya,” he said, stressing that the ISIL ideology has got nothing to do with the Islam practiced in Iran and some other Muslim countries in the Middle East region.

Prokhanov said the United States and Israel are one and the same when it comes to supporting a terror organization like the ISIL.

[MUST WATCH] South African Journalist Mugged Before Going Live On-Air

South African journalist Vuyo Mvoko was about to do a routine live shot from Johannesburg for his station SABC Tuesday night when two men mugged him.

He is standing in front of his camera about to go on-air when a man in a blue shirt approaches, trying to pick his pocket.

A second man in a red shirt and hat appears as well, as you hear off-camera the screaming of a woman and the muggers saying “give me.”

It looks like they got away with something before Mvoka said, “we’re being mugged.”

The journalist later appeared on-set to explain his ordeal.

Mvoka said the men—one carrying a gun—were looking to take his phone. They got away with the phone (two or three), as well as their laptop.

Africa's Richest Man Loses Half His Fortune Due To Currency Depreciation In Nigeria

Aliko Dangote (Africa's Richest Man)

Aliko Dangote calls his homeland Nigeria as “one of the best-kept secrets.” The 57-year-old billionaire, who reportedly lost $10.3 billion in the last one year, is Africa’s richest man.

According to Dangote, a lot of foreigners are not investing because they’re waiting for the right time. However, he believes that “there is no right time.” Dangote was worth $25 billion in 2014. However, he lost more than the half of his fortune and is worth much less at the moment. The owner of the “Dangote Group” suffered heavy loss due to a reduced demand for cement and the depreciation of the Naira. The Nigerian Naira is at 200 to the dollar.

Dangote is ranked 67th on the World’s Billionaires List with his $14.7 billion fortune which he has earned mostly from flour, sugar and cement companies. Nigeria now has three new billionaires. Economists believe that Nigeria is going to be one of the countries in the world with the fastest average annual GDP growth between 2010 and 2050.

Africa’s most populous country has more than 170 million people. The number is expected to rise to 210 million by 2020. Nigeria is expected to overtake the United States by2050. However, Dangote’s country has a majority of its people earning less than $1.25 a day. The country, with a median age is 18.3, has half of its population illiterate.


Dangote is the biggest loser among the richest people in Nigeria due to the depreciation in the Nigerian Naira. His stock prices fell and he lost more than $7.8 billion of his fortune since February. Dangote was worth $21.6 billion on Nov. 7, 2014. However, he lost $4.4 billion more in the next four months.

Many companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange suffered disastrous outcomes in the last few weeks. Several companies like Dangote Cement, Transcorp, Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa hit one-year-lows as oil prices fell. While large cap companies have had weak earnings, there is also a general uncertainty surrounding the 2015 general election in the country.

Africa's largest manufacturer of cement, Dangote Cement, shed nearly 40 per cent of its market value since November. Dangote also lost more than $230 million in paper value on his stakes in publicly-traded Dangote Flour, Dangote Sugar and National Salt Company of Nigeria.

Boxing News: Floyd Mayweather’s Uncle And Trainer Sends Warning To Manny Pacquiao, Filipino Not Going ‘Past Six Rounds’

Roger Mayweather, the outspoken uncle and trainer of top pound-for-pound fighter Floyd Mayweather is stating that Manny Pacquiao won’t survive against his nephew when they meet on May 2, 2015 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Roger, like Mayweather’s father Floyd Mayweather Sr., is known for their brash and aggressive pre-fight predictions in most of the fights of the younger Mayweather.

"He is going to get knocked out. It ain't going to go past six rounds. I don't think so. He's going to hit him in the jaw - boom. He's going to hit him in the head - boom. He's going to knock his ass down - boom,” Roger Mayweather said in an interview with BoxeoMundial. "I'll tell [the referee] don't count too soon so he can get another ass-whooping. There won't be no rematch.”


Roger Mayweather is a former pro boxer who held two major titles in two different divisions in his fight career. He had a record of 59 wins, 35 by knockouts against 13 losses and has retired as a fighter but has served as part of The Money Team as Floyd Mayweather’s trainer since 1996.

Roger Mayweather rose to national prominence came during the Mayweather vs. Zab Judah fight in 2006 when he entered the ring and had a brawl with Judah and his trainers. Roger Mayweather was fined $200,000 and suspended in boxing for a year for the infamous incident. Judah now serves as one of the sparring partners of Mayweather in his training camp against Pacquiao. 


The elder Mayweather’s opinion that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will easily beat Pacquiao echoes a similar statement by Floyd Mayweather Sr in late January. Floyd’s father stated that his son is going to “whoop” Pacquiao in their fight in May and questioned Pacquiao’s punching power. Floyd Sr. wondered where is Pacquiao’s punching power that was seen in the fights against Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya but wasn’t present in the Filipino's recent fights.

50 Cent's 2-Year-Old Son Lands Major Modeling Contract

50 and his son Sire Jackson (Instagram)

When you're 50 Cent, you can make everything in your life into a mogul. That houseplant? It's a mogul. Oh, the dog? Mogul. And, well, you know his own son is a mogul too.

"He's got a [modeling] deal now with Kidz Safe," 50 Cent said during an interview with Angie Martinez on Power 105.1. "It's an audio company. They paid him a big payment too: $700,000."

Yes, 2-year-old Sire Jackson is pulling a Kendall Jenner and breaking into the modeling business.

"He's super cute, you gotta pay for it," 50 joked. By the way, this is the face 50 Cent makes when he's talking about his son:

However, Sire's going to have to wait a couple years to buy a Dylan's Candy Bar franchise or whatever toddlers do with several hundred grand. 50 Cent said he put Sire's paycheck into a trust that he can't access until he turns 18... in 2031.

Sire is 50 Cent's son with his ex-girlfriend, Daphne Joy. The two, who've had a turbulent relationship in the past, are "friends" now, he says.

However, Sire's not the only model in the family. 50 — real name Curtis Jackson — says he's been training in order to hulk up for an underwear ad he's shooting in three weeks. During the interview, 50 promises he'll be doing the full Wahlberg with the ads hopefully plastered all over Times Square. So now there's a grand total of one reason to ever be in Times Square.