Germany Ready to Help Ukraine, Iraq Despite Problems With Armed Forces: Defense Minister

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Germany is able to assist Ukraine and Iraq, despite problems within its own armed forces, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told ARD.


The conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq are calling for Germany to take responsibility and it is ready to do so, von der Leyen said in an interview with German public broadcaster ARD on Saturday.
German media have previously reported equipment problems within the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, because of which the country had temporary difficulties, fulfilling its military duties.
According to the defense minister, the problems are related to the late delivery of spare parts for aircraft and the technical failure of some helicopters belonging to the naval forces. These problems are not solely due to her own faults, she stated, but also to the mistakes of the defense industry.

Son Stabs Mother to Death in Enugu

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A woman, Eunice Ugwuozor, has been stabbed to death by her son, Uchechukwu, in Enugu.
And according to reports, the unsavory incident took place in Ubiekpo Abor community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, on October 2, 2014. A statement from the Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, explained that the woman was asleep when her
son stabbed her last Thursday around 5:00 am. Uchechukwu reportedly abandoned the mother’s lifeless body in the house and escaped, before he was apprehended.

Anambra to clamp down on touts extorting lorry, trailer drivers

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The Anambra State Government on Sunday said it had directed its Joint Security Taskforce to rid the state of touts extorting lorry and trailer drivers.  The state Commissioner for Information, Chief Tony Onyima, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Onitsha that the government could not tolerate the illegal activities of the touts on the roads.

Onyima expressed surprise that the touts had regrouped after being dislodged earlier in the year, promising that the government would move against them again.
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Shelling Strikes Donetsk’s Kievskaya Area, Inflicts Casualties: City Council

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Shelling has struck Donetsk's Kievskaya area, inflicting casualties among civilians, reads the statement published on Donetsk's City Council's website Sunday.
"As of 13:00 p.m. [10:00 GMT], the situation in the city remains critically grave. The sounds of single shots from large-caliber weapons and artillery volleys do not subside. Once again, the shelling has struck Kievskaya Area – the neighborhood of Gladkovka. The units of the MES [Ministry of Emergency Situations] are in place. According to preliminary records, there are casualties among the civilian population. Due to military actions, tram services via route №1 have been stopped since 11:30 a.m. [08:30 GMT]," the statement reads.
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Israel Regrets Sweden’s Decision to Recognize Palestinian State

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Sweden’s ambassador to Israel will be summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem Monday over Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s remarks before Swedish parliament on its readiness to recognize the state of Palestine, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website reported Sunday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that he regrets the newly-inaugurated Prime Minister’s “hasty” remarks, saying that Lofven “apparently has not yet had sufficient time to study the matter and to understand that it is the Palestinians who have...been an obstacle to reaching an agreement with Israel,” a statement posted on the ministry’s website reads.
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Tajikistan Blocks Access To Facebook

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A popular social networking website Facebook is now blocked in Tajikistan. On Sunday evening, all 8 internet providers in Tajikistan blocked access to the website, while users started experiencing problems with using Facebook on Saturday. People in Tajikistan now use proxy services or anonymizers, trying to avoid restrictions. Due to the Eid al-Adha (or Kurban Bayram) religious holiday celebrations in Tajikistan, officials are not commenting on the situation. Local experts argue that the website could have been blocked after a call to join the demonstration against the Tajik government on October 10, earlier published on Facebook. From June, users in Tajikistan are denied access to the popular video sharing website Youtube. Access to Facebook has already been restricted in the country twice this year, in June and in July. The authorities in the Central Asian republic have attracted international criticism in recent years for repeatedly blocking and unblocking access to foreign social networking sites, including Facebook, Vkontakte and Twitter.

Four Policemen Dead, Four Injured Trying to Prevent Terrorist Attack in Russia’s Grozny

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Chechen Grozny , Russia

Four policemen died and four were injured while trying to prevent a terrorist attack in Chechnya's capital, Grozny, Russian Interior Ministry said Sunday. "On Sunday evening a concert was scheduled to take place in Grozny, dedicated to City Day celebrations. Policemen who worked by metal detectors have noticed suspicious young man. When police officers decided to inspect and identify him, he blew himself up," Ministry's press service said. The press service reported about four police officers dead and four injured. At the moment, there is no information about any victims among civilians. Earlier the same day, a RIA Novosti source said he had heard an explosion at Isayev Avenue near the railway station.

Dear Children of Hong Kong

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Article written by an anonymous resident of Hong Kong

Dear children of Hong Kong:

Most if not all of you are very concerned about the puzzling scenes and conflicting interpretations/comments (some with fake photos) flying around, each perhaps serving some untold purposes. Concerned but not necessarily adequately informed (not as those who have followed the socio-political development in Hong Kong as a cool pursuit of truth rather than passion – to look for sometimes unpalatable truth rather than what you might prefer to believe, and have done so for a considerable length of time), this must have been a difficult time– though to some, they may actually have a privately congratulatory feeling of “being part of history or history making” as they do what they usually cannot on the streets. 

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Photos From Late Brig. Gen Benjamin (Black Scorpion) Adekunle's Burial

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Cross section of soldiers on parade during the funeral service

The funeral service in honour of Late Brigadier General Benjamin Adesanya Maja Adekunle (retired) popularly referred to as ‘BLACK SCORPION’ was held at Tafawa Balewa, in Lagos State on Friday 3 October. Enjoy the last moment of the civil war hero in pictures.
See more pics bellow.

US Ebola Survivor Readmitted to Hospital & Put in Isolation

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The third US patient, Dr. Rick Sacra, to be treated for Ebola on American soil has been isolated again in hospital after suffering a persistent cough and fever.

DailyMail reports that Dr Rick Sacra, 51, who contracted the deadly virus while working in Liberia was readmitted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, two weeks after he was cleared. He was treated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for the infection last month and was released.
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US Sanctions Against Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service Have No Practical Sense

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The United States' sanctions against the Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) have no practical sense, said the head of the FSKN, Viktor Ivanov on Russian TV-Center channel.
"America's sanctions against our service have no practical sense and the US government only needs them to put more pressure on the President of Russian Federation. Moreover, our colleagues – the drug enforcement police officers of the US – were strongly against such measures, but nobody listened to them," Ivanov said on Saturday.

Georgia Ready to Begin Reconciliation With Abkhazians, Ossetians

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 Georgia wants to begin the process of "real" reconciliation with Abkhazians and Ossetians, said the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, commenting on the decision by Abkhazian President Raul Khadjimba to close five crossing points on border with Georgia.

"Yesterday a new initiative has been voiced by de-facto authorities of Abkhazia. In that respect I would like to note, that since we came to power, we have voiced our intention and readiness to begin the process of real reconciliation with our Abkhazian and Ossetian brothers," Garibashvili told reporters. He has referred to the Abkhazian initiative as "unwise" and noted that such a step might worsen the lives of the locals.
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US Armored Vehicles Arrive in Estonia for Drills

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- Heavy military equipment of the First Brigade of the First Cavalry Division of the US Army has arrived in Estonian town of Tapa, said the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces.

According to the statement by the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces, released on Saturday, nine US Stryker armored fighting vehicles, eight Bradley fighting vehicles and other US military equipment have arrived in Tapa to take part in the three month long drills.  Three Stryker 18 ton wheeled armored transport vehicles were delivered to the Estonian town earlier in September.
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More Than 130 Pilgrims Die During Hajj in Saudi Arabia: Reports

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- More than 130 pilgrims from Arab states have died in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj which has begun on October 2, due to exacerbation of chronic diseases and age-related complications, the International Islamic News Agency reported.

According to the report, released on Saturday, the biggest number of deaths (14) has been registered among the pilgrims, coming from Egypt. Casualties have also been reported among the religious travelers from Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, Somalia, Yemen, Jordan and Mauritania.
Another 213 pilgrims are currently under treatment in the hospitals of Saudi Arabia.

Military imposes 4 days curfew in Borno

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The military y e s t e r d a y announced a four-day curfew in Borno State following intelligence report indicating plans by Boko Haram to attack public buildings, places of worship and markets.

Spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army Maiduguri, Colonel Sani Usman, a Deputy Director of Army Relations (DDAPR), said intelligence available to security agencies in the state shows that Boko Haram planned to attack various places including praying grounds during the Muslim festival using improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The curfew, according to him, takes effect from Friday evening till Monday morning.

Many Trapped In Abuja Building Collapse

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Many people are reported to be trapped in a club house which is undergoing make over from a bungalow to a storey building in Abuja on Friday. The collapsed building is believed to trap many people under the rubbles most of whom are menial labourer and customers at Phase IV road in Jikwoyi, Abuja.

Four persons have been pulled out of the collapsed building alive by rescue workers hours after the incident and were immediately rushed in ambulances to nearby hospitals, while voices of those trapped under the rubbles calling were heard. Many of them called for help while informing the public that they were still alive.

Worshippers trek long distances to pray in Borno

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Muslims in both Borno and Yobe states were compelled to trek long distances from their homes to prayer grounds to observe the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

In Maiduguri and other towns of Borno State, just like the military authorities did about two months ago during the celebration of another Islamic festival, Eid-el-Fitri, vehicles were barred from the roads to forestall any security breach.
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Tribute to Wing Commander Chimda Hedima 1975 - 2014.

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Despite some military sources claiming the person beheaded in the Boko Haram video is unknown person, friends of Wing Commander Chimda Hedima have paid him tribute. Additionally they told the story of the way the brave son killed as much Boko Haram men as he could, knowing he will be captured. 

See the tribute below...

Eid-el-Kabir: Mark, Atiku, others urge peace, unity

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As Muslims celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir, some prominent Nigerians have urged Nigerians to continue to promote peace and unity of the country.  Senate President David Mark urged Nigerians to embrace harmonious relationship with one another irrespective of their ethnic or religious affiliations.
Mark spoke in his goodwill message to Nigerians.  He said, “There is no problem too difficult for the nation to overcome if we unite and maintain the sanctity of our brotherhood.”
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Eld-el-Kabir: Be your brother’s keeper, Sambo tells Nigerians

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Vice-President Namadi Sambo on Saturday reiterated his call on Nigerians to always be their brother’s keeper and to cooperate with the government for speedy development of the country.

Sambo made the call while fielding questions from newsmen after performing the “two raka’’ at Eid-el-Kabir prayer at the National Mosque, Abuja.
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