Turkey: PKK fighters killed in attempt to storm base

Officials say air operation targeted PKK members after attempt to storm military base in southeastern Hakkari province.

Turkish military officials say the army has killed 35 Kurdish fighters after they attempted to storm a military base in the southeastern province of Hakkari.

The early morning attack on Saturday came just hours after clashes in Hakkari's Cukurca district between Turkish troops and fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the officials said.

They said the fighters attempted to take the base in three different groups, but were spotted by aerial reconnaissance.

An air operation was subsequently launched, killing 23 fighters, the Turkish officials saidFour more were then killed in a ground operation, they said, adding that the other eight Kurdish fighters were killed in Friday's gun battle in Cukurca.
Those clashes also left 25 soldiers wounded, the officials said

world population,nigeria ranked 7

Nigeria populous than Germany,russia and uk

its wonderful to know that Nigeria is a highly populated country and yet we are going into recession ,Nigeria population is doubled compared to Germany, Russia, uk, france, south Africa, iran spain Saudi arabia and so more.and yet we cannot make a fine policy to bring the nation out of recession.i feel we should blame ourselves as citizens not the government.

usa is a capitalist country where individuals make the country not the government.with such population I feel theres is a lot of success that can come out of this state-nation.we need to start brain washing ourselves and people around our environment.to know this,

sourced from infoplease.com ,Nigeria as the population of 181,562,056.

check the world population and each countries population here http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/most-populous-countries.html

mother kills children in germany

The parents of eight babies found dead in a house in southern Germany went on trial in Coburg on Tuesday.

The mother is standing trial for the murder of four of her children while the father is in court for aiding and abetting her crimes.

The infant bodies were discovered in November wrapped up in towels and plastic bags at the family home in Wallenfels in the state of Bavaria.

The prosecution accused the mother of the premeditated murder of four of the children.Report says it is not clear if the other four children had survived the birth and were viable.

According to the prosecution, the parents did not want to live with the burden of additional children.

The couple, who separated before the bodies were found, has three living children together.

kim and kanye in ready for divorce

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West‘s marriage is on life support right now, but don’t expect a court showdown if they do go their separate ways. ybc has learned the couple has hammered out an agreement on how to potentially divide their assets— including the kids — in the event of a split!

“They’ve figured out a mid-nuptial agreement, where Kim gets primary custody of the kids and Kanye holds onto most of his cash,” an insider revealed.

 Kardashian, 35, has grown mistrustful of her 39-year-old husband and has been examining their marriage more closely than ever before.

However, “They’re both adult enough to realize that divorce is always a possibility and to their credit they wanted to figure out arrangements ahead of time,” said the insider.

China jails top Hu Jintao aide for corruption

An ex-aide to retired Chinese president Hu Jintao has been jailed for life for corruption, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.

Ling Jihua pleaded guilty and "decided not to appeal", state media reported.

Ling was in effect chief-of-staff to Mr Hu, but was demoted in 2012 amid a high profile anti-corruption campaign.

His downfall came after reports of an alleged cover-up over his son, who died alongside two semi-clad women while driving his Ferrari in Beijing in 2012.

There was also speculation that Ling's demotion may have been the result of political manoeuvring ahead of a leadership change that year.

The court in the northern city of Tianjin held a closed-door hearing on 7 June, Xinhua reported.

Ling was convicted of taking $11.57m (£8.71m) in bribes and to have used his influence to secure property deals and promotions for his associates, among other favours, the state news agency said.

Descent from power

Until the scandal involving his son, Ling had been tipped for promotion to the party's Politburo.

Instead, he was moved from head of the Central Committee's General Office - in effect chief of staff to China's leader - and appointed to the less influential post of head of the United Front Work Department.

The identity of those inside the Ferrari was never revealed and censors blocked online comments mentioning the crash. Ling was accused of trying to cover up the scandal.

The authorities announced an investigation into him in late 2014, and he was expelled from the Communist Party and arrested in July 2015.

President Xi Jinping has overseen a campaign against corruption since coming to power in late 2012 and many high-profile political figures have been jailed.

Critics say President Xi's campaign is as much about eliminating political rivals as it is about tackling corruption

Bomber blows himself up near US consulate in Jeddah

                                                  

A suspected suicide bomber has died after blowing himself up near the US consulate in Saudi Arabia's city of Jeddah, the interior ministry has said.

Security officers early on Monday became suspicious of a man near the parking lot of Dr Suleiman Faqeeh Hospital, which is directly across from the US diplomatic mission.

When they moved in to investigate, "he blew himself up with a suicide belt inside the hospital parking", the ministry said, adding that two security officers were lightly wounded.

The attack happened at around 2:15am (23:15 GMT) on July 4, the day when Americans celebrate their independence.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

An investigation was ongoing, and some people were being questioned for their suspected links to the attack, security sources told Al Jazeera.

In a statement, the US consulate said there were no casualties or injuries among its staff, adding that it and the US embassy were in contact with Saudi authorities investigating the incident.

The US State Department also said it was aware of the explosion in Jeddah and it was working with Saudi authorities to collect more information.

In 2004, five people stormed the US consulate in Jeddah with bombs and guns, killing four Saudi security personnel outside and five local staff within.

Three of the attackers were killed in the assault and two were captured.

Australia election: PM Malcolm Turnbull 'confident' of poll win

Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull says he is confident he can form a government after Saturday's election, but results are still too close to call.

The leader of the Liberal-National coalition needs to win 76 out of 150 lower house seats to form a ruling majority.

With about half the votes counted, results suggest a very close contest.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said the close result was a vindication of his Labor Party's policies.

Labor has improved strongly on its 2013 election result of 55 lower house seats.

"There is one thing for sure - the Labor Party is back," he said.

The leader of the Australian Labor Party Bill Shorten is congratulated by party supporters as he arrives alongside his wife Chloe (R) to give a speech about the success of the Labor Party in the Australian Federal Election in Melbourne on July 2,

Supporters congratulated Bill Shorten on Labor's gains as he arrived with his family to make a speech in Melbourne

All 150 seats in Australia's lower house, the House of Representatives, are up for grabs at the election, as are 76 seats in Australia's upper house, the Senate.

It is the first time in decades that all the seats in both houses have been up for election.

The double-dissolution election, as it is known, was called by Mr Turnbull in an attempt to break a deadlock over industrial relations legislation.

It was thought the result of the UK's referendum on the EU would benefit Mr Turnbull, who assured voters that he could deliver "economic certainty".

The former lawyer and investment banker vowed to deliver tax cuts for workers and small businesses.

Michy Batshuayi: Belgium striker confirms exit from Marseille

Chelsea target Michy Batshuayi has confirmed that he will leave Ligue 1 side Marseille this summer.

The Belgium international, 22, is set to move to the Premier League club in a £33m (40m euros) deal on Sunday.

Batshuayi, who scored 23 goals in all competitions for Marseille last season, will be new manager Antonio Conte's first signing at Stamford Bridge.

"This should be formalised tomorrow, I will leave Olympic Marseille this summer," Batshuayi wrote on Twitter.

Batshuayi came on as a substitute in Belgium's 3-1 Euro 2016 quarter-finaldefeat by Wales on Friday.

The Brussels-born forward, who signed for Marseille from Standard Liege in 2014, came off the bench to score in Belgium's 4-0 win win over Hungary in the last 16 on Monday.

He was linked with several Premier League clubs, and Crystal Palace reportedly agreed a fee with Ligue 1 side Marseille earlier this week.

Germany reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals after winning a thrilling penalty shootout against Italy in Bordeaux.

Joachim Low's World Cup holders looked on course for victory in normal time - against a country they had never beaten at a major tournament - when Mesut Ozil rounded off a slick build-up with Mario Gomez and Jonas Hector to score at the near post in the 65th minute.

Italy did not flinch but were grateful for a moment of madness from Germany defender Jerome Boateng when he needlessly handled, allowing Leonardo Bonucci to score the first penalty of his career with 12 minutes left.

Germany missed more penalties in one shootout than in their history - three - but were once again the winners on penalties.

They have still never lost a shootout since the 1976 final of this competition when they lost to Czechoslovakia - some 40 years and 13 days ago.

It was settled when Hector drove low under Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon after Manchester United's Matteo Darmian saw his side's ninth penalty saved by Manuel Neuer.

Germany will now play either hosts France or England's conquerors Iceland in the last four.

Obama seeks to reassure Canada, Mexico on Trump, trade

President Barack Obama sought to reassure his counterparts in Canada and Mexico Wednesday that a potential Donald Trump presidency wouldn't throw cross-border ties into turmoil, even as he pushed back on the GOP candidate's platform.

Expressing confidence that immigration wouldn't be shut off and trade deals would persist, Obama argued against the type of protectionist policies that Trump has espoused on the campaign trail. And he cast the presumptive GOP nominee as a failed historical archetype.

"We've had times throughout our history where anti-immigration sentiment is exploited by demagogues," Obama said. "The language is identical. But guess what? They kept coming, and they kept coming because America offered possibility for their children and grandchildren."

Three world leaders leads to one awkward handshake

Convening a final North American leaders' summit even as the U.S. presidential contest throws crucial cross-border issues into dispute, Obama and his counterparts discussed trade, security and climate change during a day of talks in the Canadian capital.

But during an afternoon press conference, Trump was the topic du jour. Reporters quizzed Obama, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extensively about the candidate's vow to construct a border wall and withdraw from free trade deals.

Clinton questioned by FBI as part of email probe

Hillary Clinton met with the FBI for three and a half hours Saturday as part of the investigation into her use of a private email server while leading the State Department, her campaign said.

"Secretary Clinton gave a voluntary interview this morning about her email arrangements while she was secretary," Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement. "She is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the Department of Justice in bringing this review to a conclusion. Out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview."

An aide said the interview occurred at FBI headquarters in Washington Saturday morning and lasted approximately three and a half hours. The FBI declined to comment on the interview.

The meeting means the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server for official business as secretary of state is coming to an end. The question now becomes how long it will take for the FBI to conclude its probe.

Sources familiar with the investigation had previously told CNN the Justice Department's aim was to wrap up before the Republican and Democratic conventions later this month. The timing is crucial, because if Clinton were to be indicted before the convention, Democrats could perhaps nominate another candidate.

The news of FBI agents interviewing the former secretary of state could heighten anxiety among Democrats that their nominee might be indicted before November. It also serves as a reminder of Clinton's negatives to voters already skeptical of her trustworthiness.

It's an investigation that has cast a shadow over her campaign and also has put the Justice Department in the position of having a major say in how the 2016 vote turns out.

The interview comes at the end of a week that could have been another win for Clinton as Trump continues to struggle, but instead demonstrated her -- and her husband's -- inability to avoid unforced errors and leave past controversies behind.

House Benghazi Committee Republicans on Tuesday released their report on the September 11, 2012, attack where four Americans died, which drew significant media attention but lacked significant new information that changed the dynamic of the race. The panel's biggest discovery was finding the email address and server over a year ago.

Clinton has maintained that no emails marked as classified at the time were sent on the server, and that information in some emails was retroactively classified. And her campaign has actively portrayed the congressional investigation into Benghazi as a partisan exercise, highlighted by last October's 11-hour hearing where Clinton testified.

But the FBI interview, along with news that Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch met at an Arizona airport Monday, shows Clinton can't move past the email issue -- a story that overshadowed the launch of her campaign in early 2015 and helped Bernie Sanders find running room still won't go away.

After pm Erdogan apology, Russia brings Turkey in from the cold

Outside the Turkish Embassy in Moscow there is a heap of flowers and a hand-coloured paper flag left in sympathy after this week's suicide attack in Istanbul.

The pile is small and the carnations have wilted in the sun, but the gesture reflects a dramatically different mood to last November when hundreds of Russians came here to hurl stones, eggs and insults.

The breakdown in relations came after Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian military plane on the border with Syria. The pilot was killed as he attempted to parachute to safety.

Vladimir Putin lashed out, calling it a stab in the back and state media here echoed his furious tone. The airwaves filled with talk of treachery.

Then came the sanctions: a ban on charter flights to hugely popular Turkish resorts, restrictions on Turkish imports and for firms operating here and the introduction of visas.

In a matter of months, one opinion poll showed Turkey leaping from nowhere to third place among the countries Russians view as their enemy, behind the US and Ukraine.

But that anger is now dissipating as suddenly as it was whipped-up.This week, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally apologised for downing the plane - or that is how Russia is reading his carefully chosen words.

President Putin, who had insisted on that apology, immediately ordered talks on restoring ties.

In what many saw as a battle of wills, it looks like Mr Erdogan blinked first. The political about-turn that followed has been dizzyingly swift.

By Friday, the Russian and Turkish foreign ministers were shaking hands in Sochi. And after months accusing Turkey of collaborating with extremist groups in Syria, Russia now says military and anti-terrorist contacts have been renewed.

Next up, are package holidays. Turkey has long been a key destination for Russians and their sudden disappearance hit the local economy hard. Ankara now says charter flights will resume by 7 July.

Russia's official reason for cancelling flights was security concerns, after Moscow accused Ankara of supporting extremists.

Tiwa Savage Hosts A Party In A Yacht To Celebrate Her Album In Durban (pics)

Tiwa savage celebrated Her Red Album in Durban South Africa.

She hosted a party a in a yacht with the likes of Ay comedian, Juliet Ibrahim, do2dtune and many others

Suspects arrested are DSS moles, not our members- Avengers

*Dares DSS to parade suspects before pressmen Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, notorious militant group in the oil rich Niger Delta region, Saturday, debunked claims by the Department of State Services, that it has arrested some of its members, saying those arrested were DSS moles. In a statement posted on its website, the NDA, which has blown oil and gas installations across the Niger Delta region, said the SSS should grant reporters access to suspects in its custody to substantiate its claims that those arrested were members of the militant group.   The SSS had said in a statement, on Friday, disclosed that two members of the Avengers were arrested as a result of intensified surveillance it recently put in place to forestall criminal activities across the country. The statement, signed by Tony Opuiyo, also said some members of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as well as other criminal elements in different hideouts across the country, were also arrested in the operation which lasted throughout the month of June. The secret police said Christian ‘Sensor’ Oluba and Selky Torughedi were the two individuals with alleged ties to the Avengers who were apprehended while plotting to launch an attack on an oil installation. But in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, the Avengers faulted the Director General of the SSS, Lawal Daura, for trying to fool President Muhammadu Buhari by giving him a false sense of comfort over the situation in the region. Mr. Agbinibo said the individuals arrested were, in fact, SSS moles whom the department only arrested and labeled criminals after they demanded payment for the clandestine operations they had carried out for the country. “The boys have the right to demand for their money from SSS, why not pay them instead of arresting and labeling them as Niger Delta Avengers members?” “If the SSS are denying this, let them allow the suspects to speak to the press. We (Niger Delta Avengers) don’t have any connection with these boys. We dare the SSS to allow the boys to tell the world their side of the story,” Agbinibo said. He admonished security outfits to desist from “feeding” Mr. Buhari a false narrative about activities across the region, saying the war against oil vandals would not be won if they remained economical with the truth. “SSS and Nigerian Army can’t win the Niger Delta war by feeding their President with false information about situation of things in the Region. “It’s all good because as it seems the SSS is now having internal crisis with most of their sleeper agents and it’s a sign that God is on our side,” Agbinibo said. The Avengers also decried Mr. Daura’s alleged indifference to the truth, saying the security chief should imbibe the teachings of his faith as a Muslim. “This is to SSS Director Lawal Daura, this the holy month of Ramadan and as a Muslim you hold it to Allah and the Nigeria people to say the truth. Why not come out with the truth?” The Avengers’ spokesman, therefore, urged the authorities to sort out their matter with the informants, adding that President Buhari should focus on more important issues in the Niger Delta. “The Nigerian Army will never get us (Niger Delta Avengers), let them go and settle with their sleeper agents and stop deceiving the general public and their President. “There are problem in the Niger Delta region such as underdevelopment, environmental degradation, lack of infrastructure and the issue of self-determination. “These are the areas Mr. President should focus on, not arresting their allies and linking them to Niger Delta Avengers,” the Avengers said.

wales win over belgium 3-1

Wales manager Chris Coleman says not being afraid to fail was key to his country's greatest night of football as they reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

Around 46,000 fans in Lille's Stade Pierre Mauroy watched Wales' stunning 3-1 last-eight win over Belgium, while 6,000 ecstatic Welsh supporters were at Cardiff's Bute Park fan zone.

"Don't be afraid to have dreams," the Wales manager told BBC Sport.

"Amazing performance, amazing result," tweeted Prime Minister David Cameron.

The result secured Wales' first semi-final place at a major tournament, and came against the team second in Fifa's official world rankings.

Wales were ranked 117th in the world in October 2011 with Coleman facing calls to quit his role from some Wales fans, but they have now reached the last four in their first major finals since the 1958 World Cup.

"Four years ago I was as far away from this as you could imagine," said Coleman, 46. "I'm enjoying it, it's great and we deserve it.

"If you work hard enough and you're not afraid to dream then you're not afraid to fail.

"I'm not afraid to fail. Everybody fails. I have had more failures than I've had success."

Thousands take to London's streets in pro-EU protest

Thousands have protested in London against British voters' decision last week to leave the European Union, which has left the country deeply polarised.

Most protestors who gathered on many were draped in EU flags, while others waved banners in support of the EU. 

Marching through the Westminster political district, they chanted: "What do Saturday were young adults, and we want to do? Stay in the EU."

"I was genuinely stunned on the morning after the vote," Nathaniel Samson, a 25-year-old marcher from Hertfordshire north of London, told Reuters. 

"I feel deeply uncertain about my future," he added. "I'm on the march to voice my discontentment. I am accepting the result, but it's to show that we won't accept it quietly."

London voted 60 percent in favour of remaining in the EU in last Thursday's referendum, with younger voters widely in favour of staying in the bloc, but 52 percent of Britons overall cast ballots in favour of leaving.

 Faithia Balogun Recieves  Honour As Delta State Indigene

Nollywood actress, Fathia Balogun has just been listed among the 100 most influential people from Delta State.

The actress, who was recently conferred with a chieftaincy title, expressed joy at such great feat and shared a picture of herself holding up the list, which is in book form.

“To all my fans all over the world. I say thank u and God bless you..pls don’t stop your love and prayer for me…love u Fam,” she said.

Fathia is an actress, film-maker, producer and director who has starred, produced and directed several Nigerian films over the years.

In 2008, she won the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for the Most Outstanding Actress (Indigenous) and her movie Iranse Aje won the best indigenous film of the year.

On April 2014, she won the AMAA award again, emerging as Best Actress of the Year along with Odunlade Adekola who emerged as best actor of the year.

Faithia Balogun, also won the Best Indigenous Language: Yoruba award for the work done in the film ‘Iya Alalake‘ at the 2015 Africa-Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).

NSCDC Arrests an Undergraduate students With Gun

 

A 300 level student of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), identified as Kayode Alajo (24), has been arrested for alleged illegal possession of a firearm by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ogun State.

The student was nabbed with a locally-made gun in Tekobo area of Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, by NSCDC operatives, who were on patrol of critical infrastructure around Sam Ewang/Idi-Aba axis in the state capital.

While confirming the arrest on Friday, the state Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Kareem Olanrewaju, noted that the suspect was arrested after he and his gang allegedly burgled a Toyota Camry car with registration number Lagos FFF 593 AA at Tekobo area.

The PRO noted that several items were recovered from the suspect, which includes one international passport, charms and incriminating identity cards and documents. “The suspect, along with others now at large, have before now been suspected by residents to be the ones behind a series of crimes being committed in their community