Month: October 2016

The find adds to the grim evidence of the hazards of crossing the Mediterranean — a journey that the UN said Wednesday has claimed more than 3,800 lives so far this year, a record.
MSF said its chartered rescue ship, the Bourbon Argos, picked up 107 people aboard the inflatable boat 26 nautical miles off Libya on Tuesday.
Its crew initially counted 11 corpses on the dinghy’s floor, which was flooded with a murky mixture of fuel and seawater.
The Bourbon Argos was then called away to another rescue operation nearby, saving 139 people aboard another vessel.
The crew returned to the dinghy and found on closer examination that 29 people had died, probably from suffocation, skin burns or drowning.
The bodies were retrieved from the toxic mixture over a period of hours, with the help of a team from the German NGO Sea-Watch.
“The mixture of water and fuel was so foul that we could not stay on the boat for long periods. It was horrible,” MSF project leader Michele Telaro said in a statement.
‘Rush to the cemetery’ –
Twenty-three survivors suffered burns from exposure to fuel, 11 of whom were seriously hurt. Seven survivors were taken to hospital, two of them by helicopter.
The MSF team also provided psychological help to survivors, including a man who was left clutching his eight-month-old baby after his wife died.
“It’s a tragedy, but sadly one cannot say that this was an exceptional day in the Mediterranean,” said Stefano Argenziano, in charge of MSF’s migrant assistance activities.
“Last week was terrible for our teams. They were engaged around the clock in rescue operations in which too many men, women and children lost their lives.”
To venture out to sea in such conditions, said Argenziano bluntly, “is a headlong rush to the cemetery.”
In Geneva, the UN’s refugee agency said fatalities on the Mediterranean migrant route had set a new, tragic record.
“We can confirm that at least 3,800 people have been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, making the death toll in 2016 the highest ever recorded,” spokesman William Spindler told AFP in an email, as the figures passed last year’s mark of 3,771.
In Rome, Pope Francis pleaded on behalf of migrants and foreigners seeking a better life or safe haven abroad.
“Today, the context of economic crises unfortunately fosters the emergence of attitudes that are closed and unwelcoming,” he said in his Wednesday address in St. Peter’s Square.
“In some parts of the world, walls and barricades are being erected. Closure (of borders) is not a solution, it ends up by encouraging trafficking. The only path towards a solution is that of solidarity.”

Russia scrapped plans Wednesday to refuel Syria-bound warships in a Spanish port after Madrid came under pressure to refuse access to a flotilla that may be used to help attacks on Aleppo.
Spain’s foreign ministry said three Russian ships had been due to take on fuel and supplies at the port of Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the north coast of Africa across the sea from Gibraltar.
These were believed to be part of a wider fleet led by aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.
There has been concern that the ships could take part in air strikes in Syria, where Russia has been conducting a bombing campaign for the past year in support of President Bashar al-Assad and has deployed a naval contingent to back up its operation.
“The Russian embassy in Madrid… told us that it is withdrawing its demand for permission to stop over for the boats, which means that the stop-overs have been cancelled,” the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moscow’s decision comes against a backdrop of increasing tensions between Russia and the West over the war in Syria, as well as the conflict in Ukraine.
Just last week, the European Union’s 28 leaders — including Spanish acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy — signed a draft statement condemning “the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo”.
Russian ships have for years made stops in Spanish ports, with permission granted on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the safety of local residents and the environment, Spain’s foreign ministry said.
“(But) faced with information that materialised about the possibility that these ships would help support military actions in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the foreign ministry asked the Russian embassy in Madrid for clarification on this information,” it said.
Following this, Russia cancelled the planned stop-over, it added.
News of the stop-over prompted criticism Tuesday.
The foreign ministry said Spain had in September given Russia permission to refuel from October 28 to November 2.
But Mike Walliker, the commander of British forces in Gibraltar, said Wednesday evening that the fleet had already sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean.
The first group, comprised of escort vessels, entered at around 4:00 am local time (0200 GMT), he told AFP.
The second — which included the aircraft carrier — sailed through several hours later, passing Gibraltar just before sunrise, he added.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had expressed concern that the fleet could take part in Syria air strikes.
“It’s a decision which has been taken by individual allies, whether they provide fuelling and supplies to Russian ships,” he told reporters in Brussels.
“But this time I have conveyed a very clear message that we are concerned about the potential of this carrier group to increase attacks in Aleppo,” he added.
“All allies are aware of our concerns, they share our concerns about Russian airstrikes against Aleppo.”
A British government spokesman said that London “has previously expressed concerns to the Spanish government about its hospitality to the Russian navy when we have concerns about Russia’s military activity.”
Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian premier and liberal leader in the EU parliament, said in a Twitter message it was “scandalous” that Spain, a member of NATO and the EU, would allow the Russian Kuznetsov fleet “to refuel and receive technical assistance on Spanish territory.”
At least 57 Russian navy ships stopped in Ceuta between 2011 — when Moscow started to regularly use the port facilities there — and August 2015, according to conservative US think tank Heritage Foundation.
The foundation blasted Spain for allowing Russia to use the port even after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in March 2014.
It said Greece, another NATO member, as well as Malta, which is part of the EU but not NATO, also allow Russian navy ships to use their ports.

A certain lady allegedly escaped with her life after getting drugged in her car along Uhuru highway. The unknown lady was driving her Subaru when she was handed a flyer. Unbeknownst to her, the flier was laced with drugs.
 
Following this incident, Whatsapp users have sent out this alert
But according to the owners of  the company in the fliers, this is just business politics and it should not be taken seriously:

The delegation of certain powers to a prime minister would fall in line with reforms proposed by a national dialogue held between Bashir’s government and some opposition groups.
Bashir himself had abolished the post of premier after he led a bloodless coup almost three decades ago against then premier Sadiq al-Mahdi with the help of Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi.
But on Wednesday, a top aide to Bashir told the Sudanese parliament that the president will now appoint a prime minister to head his government.
“The president’s proposal forms part of changes to be made in the country’s constitution based on recommendations from the national dialogue,” said Al-Rashid Haroon.
A prime minister is expected to be appointed within the next two months, officials said.
“This is a positive step because the prime minister will have some of Bashir’s powers,” Al-Noor Ahmed, editor of leading Sudanese daily Assayha, told AFP.
“The prime minister will also be accountable to parliament, which is different because the president is not.”
Ahmed hoped the post of prime minister would go to an “outsider” and not a member of Bashir’s National Congress Party.
“It would be better if the prime minister’s powers are defined in the new constitution and not by the president,” he added.
Earlier this month, Bashir concluded a year-long national dialogue aimed at resolving the insurgencies in Sudan’s border regions and healing the country’s faltering economy.
He launched the dialogue in October 2015 but the talks were boycotted by most mainstream opposition and armed groups.
On October 10, Bashir submitted a “national document” which will serve as a framework for a new Sudanese constitution.
The document has been signed by the government and some small opposition and rebel groups which took part in the talks.
Sudan currently has a transitional constitution adopted in 2005, ahead of the country’s north-south split in 2011 following two decades of civil war.

Chidinma Okeke was crowned the winner of Miss Anambra 2015 beauty pageant; she was representing Anambra State Orumba North.
 
Hell broke loss after a video showing Ms Okeke and her personal assistant Queen Adaobi Nzekwe ‘getting down to business’, leaked online last week. Queen Adaobi Nzekwe is also a model who was the 3rd runner up at the Queen of Democracy 2014.
 
The shows Okeke lying down in her birthday suit as Nzekwe (also bare) inserted a huge cucumber in her private part while thrusting it back and forth. The two then take turn to pleasure each other with the cucumber.
 
Ms Okeke discredited the video saying it was photoshopped;
Her denial however didn’t shield her from the inevitable that was to follow; her crown was taken away from her.
Ms Okeke is also not out of the woods just yet, she could face prosecution. Lesbianism carries a jail term of 14 years in Nigeria.
 

The radio presenter shared a photo of the bong that looks like a rifle on his gram thanking his favorite person in the world for the gift. He however mentioned that as much as he likes his new toy, he does not smoke sheesha.
Judging from where the self proclaimed Raverend placed the hookah, it is obvious to assume that he will be using it as a decoration for his house. Shaffie is one of the lucky renowned radio personalities who often get flashy gifts from club owners for always attracting the right crowd.
 
 
His latest gift comes a few days after he got the only customized Hennessy bottle in Africa. He now refers to himself as Mr Hennessy courtesy of his boss, Al Nairobi, who made this possible. He captioned the photo,
Shaffie is now worth a couple of millions and could be the highest paid male presenter in East Africa.

Despite the fact women have made major gains in educational achievement — catching or surpassing men in 95 countries — women still earn less in exchange for longer hours, are less likely to have a job and are far less likely to have a senior or managerial post, the report said.
The Geneva-based WEF has tracked the disparities between the sexes since 2006 in four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
Economics was the only area where progress was being reversed, said WEF, which is most known for organising an annual gathering of politicians, business leaders and celebrities in the Swiss alpine resort town of Davos.
“Progress towards parity in the key economic pillar has slowed dramatically with the gap ? which stands at 59 percent ? now larger than at any point since 2008,” WEF said in a statement.
Report author Saadia Zahidi explained that the 170-year projection was based on data from the past 11 years played forward with the assumption trends are replicated year after year, with no major changes.
Also built into to the 170-year figure are the massive gender gap disparities in different regions.
Western Europe for example, “could expect to close its gender gap within 47 years,” while in South Asia it could take more than 1,000 years “unless efforts are accelerated,” WEF said.
Overall, Nordic countries dominated the top of the table for gender parity: men and women were most equal in Iceland followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden.
In fifth spot was Rwanda, where President Paul Kagame has made gender equality a key focus of his government since taking over in the aftermath of the country’s genocide, although rights groups have fiercely criticised what they have described as his authoritarian manner and crackdowns on political opponents.

Those are the sweet words one author by the name Claudia Gray once wrote and which brings out in its entirety the true definition of love at first sight. The elephant in the room however still lingers; does this love really exist or is it façade that can only exist in fairytale and poetry books?
Can you actually walk into a club on a Saturday, cross paths with a lass and its forever ever after from there on? Can your eyes meet, connect and give an assurance that you have definitely met your soul mate?
This question was posed to a bunch of young people, randomly and this is what they had to say. Here, have a

In his latest circulating videos, Noriega is seen preparing Chia Seed Pudding and Acai Bowl shirtless with only his boxers, packing 8 abs and a bulge to accompany. 
 
According to , in 2007 Noriega moved to New York to pursue his dream career of becoming an actor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts but ended up switching to modeling in 2009. Then he later attended International Culinary Center in 2014.
 
Following in his family’s culinary background- he comes from a family of bakers, Noriega opened his first restaurant in Lima with his sister then later his chicken-themed restaurant, a Peruvian rotisserie in New York.
Combining his love for being shirtless and cooking, Noriega currently makes his videos when he is partly dressed. His videos however, are in Spanish so unless you know the language, the video won’t be of any use…but I don’t know who exactly is listening to what he is saying with all the bulge and ribs going on.
 
 

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has removed seven rebel MPs from key parliament committees in a move to discipline errant members who have decamped or openly declared their desire to work with the rival Jubilee Party.
Topping the list is former ODM secretary general Ababu Namwamba who decamped to the Labour Party of Kenya and is now its party leader.
The Budalang’i lawmaker was removed from the powerful Budget and Appropriations Committee, the Committee of Administration and National Security and the Constitution Implementation Oversight and Implementation Committee.
 
Also discharged from the various committees were Karachuonyo MP James Rege (Committees of Energy, Equal Opportunity and National Cohesion) Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi (Committees of Energy and Lands) and Mathare MP Steven Kariuki (Committees of Education, Constitution Oversight and Implementation).
Others removed are Imenti Central’s Kubai Iringo (Commitees of Finance and Regional Integration), Nominated MP Isaac Mwaura (Committees of Environment and House Procedure) and Sirisia MP John Waluke (Committees of National Security and Delegated Legislation).
The legislators had earlier been summoned by the party’s disciplinary committee but they defended themselves saying that Party Leader Raila Odinga was mismanaging ODM and had denied them their democratic right to make decisions.

Machakos County has 59 Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) including 19 nominated MCAs. The Star reports that 39 of the 40 elected MCAs have signed the petition to impeach Mutua. 7 of the 19 nominated MCAs are also of the opinion that the Governor should be sent home.
 
The impeachment move comes as a surprise to many given that Mutua was said to be the most performing governor in Kenya.
Mutua’s philosophy of ‘Maendeleo Chap Chap’ which was aimed at fast development of Machakos County was hailed by many, and was perceived to be the pillar of his re-election bid and leverage against Kenyan MCAs with appetite for impeaching governors.
But Machakos MCAs want to send Mr. Mutua packing on the basis of abuse of office and abetting corruption.
The recent unveiling of statues of prominent Kamba leaders in Machakos further fueled MCAs beef with Mutua; some MCAs claimed the governor did consult residents and the county assembly when he erected three statues of Muindi Mbingu, Paul Ngei and Mulu Mutisya.
 
The Star further reports that Machakos MCAs held a closed-door meeting on October 26th to prepare for Mutua’s impeachment motion to be tabled in the assembly in the course of the week.
 

Fast bowlers Tim Southee and James Neesham ran through India’s middle order to help New Zealand to a 19-run series-levelling win in the fourth one-day international Ranchi on Wednesday.
Southee (3-40) and Neesham (2-38) shared five wickets between them to bowl out India for 241 in 48.4 overs.
Earlier opener Martin Guptill scored a gritty half-century to drive New Zealand to 260 for seven after electing to bat first.
“Coming here, we had to decide between dew that may or may not come in versus the deterioration. The dew didn’t come in, so that perhaps worked in our favour,” skipper Kane Williamson said of his decision to defend the score.
“India is a great side, it is exciting to go 2-2 into the final match.”
Southee hurt India’s reply with an early wicket but Ajinkya Rahane (57) and Virat Kohli (45) put on 79 runs for the second wicket to steady the chase.
Kohli dominated his stay at the crease with two fours and a six before his innings was cut short by leg-spinner Ish Sodhi who got the star batsman caught behind.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is trying to make the number four slot his own, walked out to a rousing welcome in his hometown Ranchi.
Neesham soon swung into action with two big wickets of Rahane and Dhoni as India’s chase began to fall apart.
Rahane was setting a good pace after recording his 16th ODI half-century, but failed to convert his solid start into a big score as he was adjudged lbw to a Neesham inswinger.
Neesham got Dhoni bowled for 11 in his very next over as the crowd fell silent with the wicketkeeper-batsman once again faltering in a chasing effort after he consumed 31 deliveries.
But it was Southee’s double strike in the 33rd over of the innings that completely derailed India’s chase with the hosts slipping to 154 for six.
Southee got Manish Pandey (12) and Kedar Jadhav (0) off consecutive deliveries to be on hat-trick which was only averted by Hardik Pandya (9), who did not last long.
Axar Patel tried to infuse life into the chase with his 40-ball 38 as he looked to turn things around with Amit Mishra, who made 14, at the other end.
Mishra was run out after a mix-up while attempting a second run and Patel was bowled by Trent Boult, who took two wickets.
“The number five and six are quite new, they will learn their own way. Some will play big shots, some will take it deep,” said Dhoni of India’s inexperienced middle order.
“Once they have played 15-20 games, they will figure out what works for them.”
But the hosts did not bow out without a fight as Dhawal Kulkarni, unbeaten on 25, and Umesh Yadav put together 34 runs for the final wicket to give the Black Caps a scare.
Earlier the visitors, started off well courtesy of a 96-run opening stand between Guptill (72) and Tom Latham only to lose steam towards the end of the innings.
Leg-spinner Mishra led the bowling charge with impressive figures of 2-42.
The spinners, who were brought into the attack after the 10th over, dried up the flow of runs and Patel’s left-arm spin managed to break the stand.
Guptill went on to complete his 31st ODI half-century as he and skipper Kane Williamson tried to build momentum against a persistent bowling attack.
“What we wanted was (to) build partnerships. It was not an easy surface. Although you always want more, 260 was not a bad effort on that surface,” said Williamson.
Guptill, who was named the man of the match, though did not make the most of a dropped chance at 62 as he fell to Pandya 10 runs later.
Mishra ended the obdurate Williamson’s stay at the crease after getting the batsman caught by Dhoni for 41.
India’s bowlers kept chipping away as the visiting batsmen found it hard to get runs in the final 15 overs, in the process losing wickets at regular intervals.
Mitchell Santner struck an unbeaten 13-ball 17 to give respectability to the New Zealand score which in the end proved just enough.
The action now shifts to Viskhapatnam for the deciding fifth and final match on Saturday.

Brioche which operates a chain of pastries and bakeries in Rwanda is expanding to Kenya to cater for the growing market for pretzels, swiss rolls, wraps, baguettes, croissants, doughnuts, ciabatta, crumpets and other pastries. 
” said Brioche founder and chief executive officer Jean-Philippe Kayobotsi.
Mr Kayobotsi added that the new store will be centrally located in the Upperhill financial district of Nairobi and is strategically placed to serve tenants at UAP Old Mutual Tower, Nairobi’s highest building and the surrounding offices.
 
Commenting on Brioche’s tenancy UAP Old Mutual Tower, Group Asset Management MD Ms Patricia Kiwanuka said that the pastry chain will enhance the vibrancy of the iconic tower which is attracting strong local and global brands.
said Ms. Kiwanuka.
UAP Tower is a 33-storey commercial building in the Upperhill financial district of Nairobi and at Ksh 5 billion is the group’s biggest property investment to date.
Already, the Tower has recorded over 50 per cent occupancy key among them banks, financial institutions and multinationals headquartered in Nairobi.

In a previous article on this platform, we detailed the advantages of dating a big beautiful woman. .
For those who prefer to be with the small, dainty, pretty ladies, though, here are 8 advantages of doing so.
Being around a petite girl makes you look bigger even if you’re not exactly that tall.
There is also the advantage of them making you feel bigger, more masculine.
She really can’t get to the top of the fridge, or shelve, so she needs you to do these things for her.
Many petite ladies have hot legs which are accentuated when they wear heels or stilettos. Those legs look shapelier and way sexier.
 
These petite ladies are usually lithe, agile and quick in movement.
You never have to worry about them lumbering around slowly or lazily.
It is as though they made up for their small size with their vivacity.
If there’s such thing as that, these special species of women sometimes look cute even when they are pissed off.
 
Picture this; you both have a misunderstanding and she tries to get a swipe at your face, you just laugh because she can’t reach that far.
You just pick her up and hold her tight as you apologise with sweet words in her ear… Awwwwn… so romantic, yeah?
You know those images of women looking all cute wearing their boyfriends’ shirts?
Petite girls look far sexier when they do this. They look so totally cute in the shirt which most times reaches below their knees and makes you just want to wrap them up in your embrace.
Scientists say shorter girls have more estrogen than taller ones, therefore making them more feminine than the big girls.
They also say petite women tend to be more motherly than those that are not.
 
While cuddling a BBW lady will provide all the cushion you need, the petite girls fit so well into you.
They occupy less space, which allows them to snuggle up really close to you as your arms reaches and wraps around them completely.
You don’t have to strain yourself just to get from one position to the other.
She’s so lightweight and small that you can easily lift her, place her on your hips and [clears throat] do your business.

The Football Association may be reluctant to hire a foreigner as Sam Allardyce’s replacement as full-time England manager based on previous painful experiences, FA chief executive Martin Glenn told the BBC on Wednesday.
Glenn, who admitted he had been personally disappointed by Allardyce’s behaviour in which he advised journalists posing as Far Eastern businessmen about circumventing the ban on third-party ownership of players, added the national set-up had not been left in a great state when the foreign managers left.
Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italy’s Fabio Capello are the two foreigners the FA have turned to with varying degrees of success this century.
Eriksson — along with Roy Hodgson the only manager to have gone to three major finals with England in the past 20 years — guided England to three successive quarter-finals, losing to Portugal on penalties in two of them.
Capello’s reign was far less harmonious and included a woeful 2010 World Cup finals campaign culminating in a 4-1 thrashing by Germany.
“In the past we’ve gone for foreign managers who’d be attracted as they might help us win a tournament,” said Glenn, who was head-hunted last year to take up the role after a successful career in the food industry.
“They haven’t maybe left the international set up in a better place.
“We want somebody there for the long term.”
Glenn said one of the biggest conundrums the next manager faced and one that his predecessors had singularly failed to resolve is ridding the players of their demons with regard to donning the England shirt.
“We have been very successful at winning tournaments in the development teams,” said Glenn.
“The under-21s, the under-19s, when we put our boys up against the best in the world we are winning.
“We’re not translating that enough when it comes to the senior team.
“We think the difference is psychological preparation, this fear factor when you put on the England shirt.
“The manager we hire will really understand that and will have detailed plans to address it.”
Glenn said he expected interim manager Gareth Southgate, who impressed in his stewardship of the England Under-21 side but ruled himself out when Hodgson stepped down after losing to Iceland at Euro 2016, to be a candidate.
Southgate has thus far been in charge for two 2018 World Cup qualifiers, England’s 2-0 win over Malta and a drab 0-0 draw against Slovenia.
The former England and Aston Villa centre-back will remain in charge for the qualifier against Scotland at Wembley on November 11 and the home friendly with Spain four days later.
“He will almost certainly be a candidate. It’s up to him to decide whether he wants to do it,” said Glenn.

The residents say that this happened on Monday early morning before the villagers had woken up. They now blame the grave-diggers for digging shallow graves and the undertakers who are never around to keep an eye at the graveyard.
said a resident.
 
This has been the case for a while now since most graves are dug by drunken men who often carry out this activity at night as reported by Citizen digital. One resident revealed that the intoxicated men prefer doing this at night to avoid paying taxes.
The hyenas sometimes end up carrying body parts to the nearby villages. The Villagers are now pleading the government to relocate the graveyard as they fear worse things might happen.
said one of the village elders
So far the villagers have noticed that the remains dumped by the Hyena’s are being feasted by dogs and chickens which could easily lead to a disease out break.

Gambia becomes the third African country this month to pull out from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
While announcing its withdrawal from the ICC, Gambia accused the Hague-based tribunal of .
Gambia’s Information Minister Sheriff Bojang accused the court system of being racist and unfairly targeting Africans for prosecution.
The announcement comes after similar actions by the South African and Burundian governments to pull out from the court.
According to , Michael Masutha, the ICC’s obligations are inconsistent with laws giving sitting leaders diplomatic immunity.
 
The decision followed a dispute last year when South Africa allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to visit the country for an African Union summit, despite him facing an arrest warrant from the ICC.
Earlier this month, Burundian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to withdraw from the court.
Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility of leaving the ICC, which has often been accused of bias against African leaders.
Kenya’s National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, has indicated that the House Business Committee will soon meet to deliberate on repealing the International Crimes Act.
Most of the ICC’s investigations and indictments have been of Africans, stirring criticism from many governments on the continent.

The offensive to drive the Islamic State group from its Raqa stronghold in Syria will begin in the next few weeks, top US and British defence officials said Wednesday.
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and his British counterpart Michael Fallon made the predictions nearly 10 days into a US-backed Iraqi offensive on Mosul, the last major Iraqi city under IS control.
“It will be within weeks, not many weeks,” Carter told reporters at a two-day NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels.
During a visit Sunday to Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan to review the Mosul offensive, Carter said an operation to isolate IS in Raqa should begin in conjunction with the assault on its Iraqi bastion.
Arriving for the defence ministers meeting, Fallon said: “We hope a similar operation will begin towards Raqa in the next few weeks.”
The United States leads a 60-nation anti-IS coalition that has provided key support for the Iraqi army offensive launched last week.
It comes in the form of thousands of air strikes, training for Iraqi forces and advisers on the ground.
The loss of Mosul — where IS leaders declared their “caliphate” — would leave Raqa the last major city still under the group’s control.
Carter said the idea of simultaneous operations against Mosul and Raqa “has been part of our planning for quite a while.”
Later Wednesday, he said the United States would likely work with key NATO ally Turkey to retake Raqa when asked about tensions between Baghdad and Ankara over its role in the attack on Mosul.
“We already are working extensively with the Turkish military in Syria” and this had produced “significant” results, including the seizure of the “very important city” of Dabiq.
Earlier this month, Ankara-backed rebels seized the emblematic northern town of Dabiq from the extremist group, having already taken Al-Rai.
“So we are looking for other opportunities including further within Syria, to include Raqa. That’s been part of our discussions,” Carter added.
Turkey’s positioning of troops in northern Iraq and its insistence that it has a role in the Mosul offensive have led to sharp exchanges with the Iraqi government, creating a headache for Washington as it tries to keep both of its allies on-side.
Iraq on Monday insisted that Turkey was not participating in the Mosul attack, rejecting Turkish claims that it was.

Buhari sent a letter which was read on the floor of the House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday urging lawmakers to approve the loan to “ensure prompt implementation of the projects.”
He said the projects would cut across all sectors with special emphasis on infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, water supply, growth and job creation and reducing poverty.
“The total cost of the projects and programmes under the borrowing (Rolling) Plan is $29.960 billion,” he said, adding that the plans included the sale of Eurobonds worth $4.5 billion and budget support of $3.5 billion.
Buhari also said the loan was necessary “to bridge the financing gap”, adding the borrowing would cover 2016 to 2018 fiscal years.
Nigeria, which depends on oil sales for 70 per cent of its government revenue, is struggling to fight its way out of a recession as a result of persistently low crude prices and the ongoing militant attacks in the oil-producing south.
Nigeria announced a record 6.1 trillion naira ($19.4 billion) spending plan for this year’s budget to try to stimulate growth and develop infrastructure.
While most of the plans in the 2016 budget are yet to be implemented, a draft of the 2017 budget of 6.866 trillion naira has been sent to parliament for approval.
Cash-strapped Nigeria has held talks with the World Bank, China and other institutions to fund a 2016 budget deficit of 2.2 trillion naira but so far only the African Development Bank has publicly confirmed a planned loan of $1 billion.
Nigeria’s economy is set to shrink in 2016 for the first time in 25 years, according to Bloomberg News.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday doubled a doping ban against Kenyan marathon star Rita Jeptoo to four years, signalling the end of her career.
The world sports tribunal said there were aggravating circumstances including Jeptoo’s “deceptive and obstructive” behaviour, which warranted doubling the original ban against the 2014 Chicago and Boston Marathon winner.
The marathon titles were taken away from Jeptoo, now 35, who was also ordered to pay 15,000 Swiss francs ($15,000/13,850 euros) in legal costs to the world athletics body, the IAAF.
The IAAF had appealed to the CAS to get the ban extended against Jeptoo who was revealed to have failed a test for the blood-doping EPO drug on October 24, 2014, 12 days after winning the Chicago Marathon.
“The panel found to its comfortable satisfaction that the athlete used rEPO over a period of time to enhance performance,” said a CAS statement.
It added that there was “undisputed” proof that the substance had been injected by a doctor.
“The athlete provided various differing accounts of the circumstances leading up to the injection and also regarding her relationship with that doctor.”
The CAS judges said they were “comfortably satisfied that there are aggravating circumstances in the case at hand as it was obvious to the panel that the athlete used rEPO as part of a scheme or plan.”
The judges highlighted Jeptoo’s “long relationship with the doctor in question, her multiple visits to see him, that her rEPO use was consistent with her competition calendar, that she hid the visits to the doctor in question from her manager and coach, as well as her deceptive and obstructive conduct throughout the proceedings.”
Jeptoo’s lawyer withdrew from defending her and Athletics Kenya also did not take part in the hearing.
Jeptoo, who won the Boston race three times, said last week she hoped to return to elite competition.
“I have returned to serious training with the hope that I will return to the marathon soon,” Jeptoo told AFP expressing optimism about the CAS verdict.
Meanwhile, Chicago Marathon organisers announced on Wednesday that Mare Dibaba, of Ethiopia, has officially been named the winner of the 2014 race. She finished the race in two hours, 25 minutes and 37 seconds.
The Erythropoietin (EPO) hormone, which stimulates red blood cell production to delay fatigue, is now one of the most common doping substances being found in athletes.

Rory McIlroy hinted Wednesday that his Rio Olympic snub may not have been entirely due to fears over the Zika virus, saying his situation was “a little more complicated” than others.
The world number three from Holywood, Northern Ireland, also said he hadn’t turned any thoughts yet to taking part in Tokyo 2020, adding that he would instead “concentrate on the 16 majors that we have between now and then”.
On the eve of “Asia’s Major”, the $9.5-million World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, McIlroy was asked if he would like to play in “Asia’s Olympics” — Tokyo 2020.
“The participation in the Olympics, for me it’s just a little more complicated than for some other people, (because of) where I’m from and the whole politics of the thing,” McIlroy told a news conference.
He was referring to having to choose whether to represent Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland at the Games, a highly sensitive topic.
Before pulling out ahead of the Rio Games, McIlroy had come under fire from some quarters in Northern Ireland for originally opting to compete under Ireland’s tricolour.
“It’s a difficult subject for me,” he admitted before acknowledging that the sport’s first appearance in the Games for more than 100 years had been a success despite his own initial reservations.
McIlroy had given a blunt assessment of Olympic golf before the Rio Games, saying he probably would not even watch it on TV.
“Probably (I’ll watch) the events like track and field, swimming, diving, the stuff that matters,” he had said.
But McIlroy revealed he had tuned in after all, and was delighted by what unfolded as his Ryder Cup teammates Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson went head-to-head right to the last putt on the final green.
“I was really happy with how golf went in the Olympics. I turned it on in the final afternoon and … you could sense an atmosphere in the crowd.
“It was fantastic for golf, and to have two of our best players in the world battling it out for a gold medal, it was great for the game.
“I was delighted by how well it went and honestly, I was happy to be watching on TV.”
McIlroy got a taste of what he had missed out on at the Sheshan International Golf Club course on Wednesday — as he entered the media centre for a press conference, Stenson was leaving, clutching his gleaming Olympic silver medal.
But McIlroy still would not commit to going to Tokyo. Not yet anyway.
“Four years’ time is a long way away, so we’ll see what happens,” said the four-time major winner.

France’s infamous “Jungle” was cleared of thousands of migrants in a massive operation that wrapped up Wednesday, but aid groups said dozens of unaccompanied children were not guaranteed a bed for the night.
“Unregistered minors are wandering around, lost, wondering where they will spend the night,” said Samuel Hanryon, spokesman for Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The warning came as the abandoned slum outside the port of Calais smouldered from countless fires set by departing migrants, causing many to flee without their possessions.
Riot police outside the camp’s main entrance initially barred anyone from returning to the squalid settlement to retrieve their belongings, but later relented, allowing around 100 to go back in.
Top regional official Fabienne Buccio, announcing the end of the evacuation, said a “page has been turned” for the camp, which was a magnet for migrants hoping to sneak onto lorries or trains heading across the Channel to Britain.
But the fate of unaccompanied minors — a source of deep concern and a bitter blame game between Paris and London — was shrouded in uncertainty.
Some 1,500 are being housed temporarily in an on-site park of specially fitted shipping containers that is now full, according to the group France Terre d’Asile, responsible for their care.
“There is no more space in the container camp,” said Pierre Henry, the group’s director.
He told AFP that 40 children were due to be transferred to Britain on Thursday, adding to more than 200 that London took in last week. Another 40 have been sent to a temporary centre in eastern France awaiting news on their cases.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has said that all minors “with proven family links in Britain” would eventually be transferred there.
He added that London had committed to reviewing all other cases where it was “in the child’s interest” to settle across the Channel.
Success in closing down the camp and resettling its residents carries heavy political implications for President Francois Hollande, who is deeply unpopular and has yet to decide whether to seek re-election next year.
Most of the migrants hoping to reach Britain had fled conflict or persecution in countries such as Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan.
“We left our nations behind us in flames, only to find the Jungle go up in flames too,” said Aziz Yaacoub, a 25-year-old from the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur.
The authorities have said those who agree to be moved can seek asylum in France.
Buccio said “at least 6,600” would have left the camp by the end of Wednesday, most boarding buses to shelters around France.
Estimates of the camp’s population ranged between 6,400 and 8,100 before the operation began Monday.
Demolition crews continued Wednesday to tear down the Jungle’s tents and makeshift shelters.
Their work was impeded — and paradoxically speeded up — by the fires that ravaged many of the ramshackle dwellings.
Firefighters, volunteers and migrants joined forces against the blazes, but the going was tough in the smouldering maze of alleyways.
Migrants and officials alike said the fires were set deliberately, while gas cylinders previously used for cooking had exploded and caused the blazes to spread.
Police said four migrants had been arrested on suspicion of arson.
Many locals fear new settlements will simply spring up in the area once the Jungle is razed.
Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart said the announcement of the end of the camp was premature, pointing to the remaining unaccompanied minors and perhaps hundreds of former residents who have slipped out into the surrounding area.
“We have to be vigilant and make assurances that the camp is not replicated (and) stop migrants coming back,” the right-wing mayor said.
The scores who were allowed back into the site, despite the announcement of its closure and the clear risks from the smouldering fires, were adamant about staying on.
“I’m going to stay here a night or two, then go to Calais,” said Momtas, a bearded Afghan migrant. “I don’t think it’s really finished tonight.”
Parts of the camp remained untouched by the demolition work or the fires, including a few tents and even a cafe with two folding chairs outside.

Turkish police clashed with protesters in Diyarbakir on Wednesday, using tear gas and water cannon to prevent them demonstrating against the detention of the Kurdish-majority city’s co-mayors.
Gultan Kisanak and Firat Anli were taken into custody on Tuesday night in a surprise move against the leaders of a city hit by renewed fighting between Turkish forces and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The two were detained as part of a “terrorism” probe, security officials said. The Diyarbakir prosecutor said in a statement that Kisanak and Anli were accused of having links to the PKK and “inciting violence”.
Hundreds of protesters tried to march to the town hall in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey. Some threw rocks at police, an AFP correspondent said.
At least 25 protesters were now in custody, security sources told AFP.
Internet access in Diyarbakir has been out of action since the morning, according to the correspondent.
Dogan news agency reported that from 10:30am (0730 GMT), other southeastern and eastern cities like Batman, Van, Elazig, Gaziantep and Kilis also could not access the internet.
Officers responded using batons, teargas and water cannon to repel the protesters, the correspondent said.
“The pressure will not intimidate us,” demonstrators chanted.
The Diyarbakir governor’s office warned that any demonstrations on Wednesday were “unlawful” and would not be allowed, saying that since August 15, public gatherings and meetings were banned in the city.
Rallies were planned elsewhere in Turkey, including Istanbul — in the city’s popular Istiklal Avenue.
A group of around 50 people tried to hold a sit-in on the avenue as they carried a large banner saying: “Municipalities belong to the people — people cannot be taken over,” an AFP photographer said.
But police refused to allow the protest and threatened to intervene, the photographer said, adding the group chanted: “We are shoulder-to-shoulder against fascism”, and “If you are quiet, you will be next”.
The prosecutor said Kisanak was accused of being a member of the PKK, while both individuals had made speeches in support of the rebel group, they alleged.
They are also alleged to have allowed the use of municipal vehicles for the “funerals of terrorist members”, the prosecutor added, referring to the PKK.
The prosecutor denied the co-mayors access to lawyers for five days, Dogan news agency reported, which is permitted under the state of emergency imposed after the July 15 failed coup.
The pro-Kurdish leftist People’s Democratic Party (HDP) described the move against the mayors as “extremely unlawful and arbitrary”.
In a statement, the HDP called on the international community not to remain silent in the face of “groundless and fabricated accusations”.
A spokesman for Council of Europe chief Thorbjorn Jagland said the detentions were a “matter of particular concern” and would be asking Turkey, a member of the rights watchdog, for the “necessary explanations”.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn described their detention as “worrying” in a statement on Wednesday.
More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK first launched an insurgency in the southeast in 1984.
A two-and-a-half-year ceasefire collapsed last July which led to almost daily attacks by the PKK against security forces while Ankara launched military operations in the southeast to rid urban areas of fighters.
Last month, 24 mayors suspected of links to the PKK were suspended and replaced with officials close to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) co-founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Manchester United greats Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have teamed up with a Singaporean billionaire to open football-themed cafes and hotels in Asia, a spokesperson for the tycoon said Wednesday.
The two sportsmen and Peter Lim, owner of Spain’s Valencia football club and Singapore-based property developer Rowsley Ltd, are looking at opening the first Cafe Football outlet in Asia in 2017, the spokesperson said.
Neville told Bloomberg News the outlet will be in Singapore.
“We’ve had fantastic reviews in Manchester, and we are looking for a U.K., Europe and Asian expansion over the next 12 to 18 months to add multiple properties,” he said.
Neville told Singapore’s Straits Times that the trio would also look at expanding Hotel Football across Asia.
“We have an aggressive roll-out plan for Hotel Football, looking to over 5,000 new rooms over the next five to 10 years. We already have discussions in India, China, Thailand, and Malaysia, as well as other parts of the UK,” he said.
Rowsley announced in September that the company will open its third Cafe Football at the National Football Museum in Manchester later this year.
The first Cafe Football opened in London in 2013, followed by a second near Manchester United’s home ground Old Trafford in 2015.
In July, Neville and Giggs unveiled plans for a multimillion-pound development in Manchester city centre, including a 200-bed hotel, two skyscrapers and a synagogue.
Neville, a former England full-back, said the project would create 1,300 jobs and regenerate a historic part of the northwestern English city.
Welsh football legend Giggs recently left his assistant manager’s role at Manchester United following the arrival of former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

Three years ago, Akothee was a typical artist struggling to make it to limelight. She had songs that not so many people knew about.
Her exorbitant lifestyle attracted the curiosity of Kenyans and all over sudden everybody seems to notice the slightest movement she makes.
Akothee cruises in a range of posh vehicles including Range Rover, Toyota Landcruisers, Mercedes convertible among other posh brands.
 
The songbird also owns palatial houses in Switzerland, Mombasa, Nairobi and at her rural home in Migori County.
 
It was until early this year that Akothee’s music received a new lease on life; this was after she did a collabo with Diamond and Flavour.
Her song with Diamond ‘Sweet Love’ has over 2.9 million views on YouTube in less a year, while ‘Give It To Me’ featuring Flavour has garnered over 1.5 million views in 7 months.
Akothee paid Diamond Kes 1.5 million to do a collabo with him. And now the songbird is also charging artists who want to work with her.
Speaking with Mzazi Willy Tuva on Radio Citizen, Akothee revealed she charges artists Kes 1 million to be a collabo with them.
“As artists, we don’t have to rush into signing deals with record labels, we can make our own money using social media. Don’t settle for less. As for me don’t call if you can’t afford to raise one million shillings for a collabo.”Akothee disclosed.
Funny the singer is yet to work with any local artist for a major music project. But the last song she did solo ‘Yuko Moyoni’ has over 450k views in just three months. So judging from her success, Akothee is right to demand 1 million for a collabo.
 

A German couple accused of luring women to their village home with personal ads went on trial Wednesday over charges they tortured and killed two of them.
Wilfried and Angelika Wagener allegedly entrapped at least eight women over the years in what the media has dubbed the “house of horrors” case.
They are accused of cutting up one 33-year-old woman in 2014, deep-freezing her remains and later burning them in the fireplace of their home in the central German village of Hoexter.
At the trial’s opening the 46-year-old man, bearded with a black jacket, and the woman, 47, wearing a brown ponytail looked impassive as they sat in the dock, separated by justice officials.
They were arrested last May after their car broke down while they were transporting a 41-year-old woman with severe head injuries who died hours later in hospital.
Chief prosecutor Ralf Meyer on Wednesday outlined details of the case that has sparked widespread revulsion in Germany amid fears the couple may have had more victims.
Meyer said the couple drew women to their home with personal newspaper ads in the man’s name, then colluded to entrap and abuse them and force them into “servitude”.
The couple sought to systematically break their victims’ spirit through beatings, ripping out their hair, chaining them up and exposing them to severe cold, he told the court in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia state.
In one case they allegedly held a woman for over three months in 2011-12 before finally allowing her to leave. The woman, now aged 51, only dared to contact police after hearing of the couple’s arrest this year.
Aside from the sadistic power games, the two also allegedly stole or extorted money from their victims, with police finding about 100,000 euros ($110,000) in their home.
The couple married in 1999 and filed for divorce in 2013 — the same year the man met and quickly married the 33-year-old woman who later died.
The co-accused continued to live together until their arrest, police said.
Wilfried Wagener was previously convicted in 1995 of abusing his then wife and jailed for two years and nine months on charges of assault, false imprisonment and coercion.
Since their arrests, the two have sought to shift the blame on each other, according to police and lawyers.
The trial, with thousands of pages of forensic evidence and witness testimony, is expected to run until at least late March.
A court spokesman told national news agency DPA that “after all we are dealing with two deaths, with one corpse missing, and we don’t know who else has been harmed.”

Homosexual and lesbian sportspeople could be encouraged to come out based on the results of a BBC poll which found 82% of sports fans would not be upset if their club signed a gay player.
Nevertheless the BBC Radio 5 live poll — which took soundings from 4,000 people — also reveals 8% of football fans would cease supporting their club if they sign a gay player.
And 50% of football fans polled said they had heard homophobic abuse at matches — compared to 59% who heard racist abuse.
However, 71% of football fans polled also said clubs should educate fans on homophobia.
Supporters’ attitude to homosexual players does remain an area of concern certainly for the governing body of English football, the Football Association.
Greg Clarke, chairman of the FA, told the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee last week he would not encourage players to come out — former German international Thomas Hitzlsperger is probably the most high profile footballer to reveal his homosexuality but he waited till he had retired.
Clarke said he was “personally ashamed” there were players who did not feel “safe” to come out, and promised to “stamp down hard” on homophobic behaviour in the game.
Clarke’s remarks, though, were lambasted by former Blackburn and Celtic star Chris Sutton, who classified the 8% as ‘cavemen’.
“Coming out wouldn’t be a problem in the workplace,” Sutton told the BBC.
“Working at a football club is just like anywhere else. Players I played with wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
“This 8% shouldn’t be allowed in football grounds. By not taking it on, the 8% are the winners in all of this. Greg Clarke should be taking these people on.
“It’s bonkers in our society that people like this can dictate whether someone can come out or not,” added Sutton, who won the 1995 Premier League title with Blackburn.
Despite Sutton’s remarks the precedent of Justin Fashanu remains a sobering experience for those who may be gay and thinking of coming out.
The talented striker is the only player who while playing in England revealed he was gay in 1990 — he subsequently never settled going through 12 clubs in seven years and tragically hanged himself in 1998 aged 37.

Vera Sidika has been quiet for a while, perhaps it is the effect of settling down in a relationship.
However, that does not mean she is not turning heads. She may have stopped making news in locally but she sure heats up the blood and men and women’s veins abroad.
Whether it is in the Arabian emirates or in the orient, Vera’s derriere always demands attention. If Kenya was exporting curvy ladies, Vera Sidika’s generous rear would be the logo of such a body.
Recently, Vera Sidika who gives Larry Madowo competition as Kenya’s ultimate globetrotter, was in Italy. There, the ‘queen’ took to strutting the streets flaunting her curves.
She was looking hot clad in full denim and sheer material revealing her succulent twins.
However, the object of attention for onlookers was her behind and it in one photo, a man had turned craning his neck to fully appreciate the view momentarily ignoring the lady in his company.
Vera Sidika expectedly loved the attention and loaded it. She even decided to use the moment to ask ladies of they are comfortable their men ogling other women. Here is that photo of Vera Sidika turning necks in Italy
 

Manchester United and Manchester City resume hostilities in the League Cup later on Wednesday with rival managers Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola starting to feel the heat.
Mourinho is reeling from United’s 4-0 humiliation by his former club Chelsea, while City manager Guardiola has gone five games without victory for only the second time in his stellar coaching career.
Both managers are expected to rotate their squads for the fourth-round meeting beneath the Old Trafford floodlights, but Guardiola says neither side can afford to take the game lightly.
“I think everyone can believe this competition is not the big one, but I am going to prepare to win the game,” he said.
“For the players who play, we’ll be depending on them to make the best performance possible. It is a final.
“I don’t understand my job if I play a game thinking another game is more important. This is the most important.
“But at the same time, I have to consider how the condition of the players is. Three days after it is West Brom, then Barcelona, and they are so important as well.”
The context was quite different when Guardiola and Mourinho renewed their sulphurous rivalry at Old Trafford on September 10.
Guardiola had won his first five games at the City helm since arriving from Bayern Munich and Mourinho also boasted a 100 percent record after four matches of his United tenure.
City prevailed 2-1, a victory founded upon a dominant first-half display, to confirm their status as early title favourites.
But they have gone off the boil since late September, losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona and draws with Celtic, Everton and Southampton leaving Guardiola scratching his head.
They remain top of the league, but on goal difference alone.
United’s defeat by City plunged them into a negative spiral, the derby reverse followed by successive losses away to Feyenoord and Watford.
A six-game unbeaten run appeared to represent a turnaround, but at Chelsea on Sunday Mourinho was dealt his heaviest defeat since a 5-0 loss to Barcelona’s Guardiola with Real Madrid in November 2010.
While Guardiola has long taken up residence with his family in a city-centre flat, Mourinho is still staying at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel.
His family remain in London and he admitted on the eve of Wednesday’s game that the situation is far from ideal.
“You know the history of the paparazzi,” he said in a Sky Sports interview.
“For the hotel and the brand that sponsors me, the clothes brand, it’s amazing because they are there every day.
“Everybody knows the name of the hotel. Everybody knows the last arrivals of that brand. So, for them, it is amazing.
“For me, it’s a bit of a disaster because I want sometimes to walk a little bit and I can’t. I just want to cross the bridge and go to a restaurant. I can’t, so it is really bad.”
Mourinho is certain to be without Ivorian centre-back Eric Bailly, who will be sidelined for around two months after damaging knee ligaments at Chelsea.
Captain Wayne Rooney is a doubt after missing the trip to Stamford Bridge with a muscle injury, but close-season signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan could make his first appearance since September’s derby.
Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is out for City due to a calf injury and Willy Caballero is expected to replace Claudio Bravo in goal.
Injuries to Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta may leave Guardiola with a problem at right-back, although he could persevere with the three-man defence he used in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Youngsters Tosin Adarabioyo, Angelino, Pablo Maffeo and Aleix Garcia are in contention to play, but Guardiola said he would not field too many untested players.
He said: “To put three, four or five young players in at the same time is not good in that moment (when the team are under-performing) because you have to protect them.”

Jihadists with the Islamic State group were shaving their beards and changing hideouts in Mosul, residents said, as a major Iraqi offensive moved ever closer to the city.
With pressure building on the 10th day of the Mosul assault, Western defence chiefs were already looking ahead to the next target — IS’s other major stronghold of Raqa in Syria.
Recent advances on the eastern front have brought elite Iraqi forces to within five kilometres (three miles) of Mosul, and residents reached by AFP said the jihadists seemed to be preparing for an assault on the city itself.
“I saw some Daesh (IS) members and they looked completely different from the last time I saw them,” eastern Mosul resident Abu Saif said.
“They had trimmed their beards and changed their clothes,” the former businessman said. “They must be scared… they are also probably preparing to escape the city.”
Residents and military officials said many IS fighters had relocated within Mosul, moving from the east to their traditional bastions on the western bank of the Tigris river, closer to escape routes to Syria.
The sounds of fighting on the northern and eastern fronts of the Mosul offensive could now be heard inside the city, residents said, and US-led coalition aircraft were flying lower over it than usual.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi fighters have been advancing on Mosul from the south, east and north after an offensive was launched on October 17 to retake the last major Iraqi city under IS control.
The assault is backed by air and ground support from the US-led coalition — which also includes Britain and France — which launched a campaign against IS two years ago.
Iraqi federal forces, allied with Kurdish peshmerga fighters, have taken a string of towns and villages in a cautious but steady advance over the past week, in the face of shelling, sniper fire and suicide car bombings.
About 3,000 to 5,000 IS fighters are believed to be inside Mosul, Iraq’s second city, alongside more than a million trapped civilians.
With the noose tightening on Mosul, officials from the 60-nation anti-IS coalition have increasingly pointed to the next phase of the fight.
Both US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and British counterpart Michael Fallon said Wednesday they expected an offensive on Raqa to be launched within weeks.
“That has long been our plan and we will be capable of resourcing both,” Carter told NBC News before arriving in Brussels for a two-day meeting of NATO defence chiefs.
If Mosul falls, Raqa will be the only major city in either Syria or Iraq under IS control, the vestige of a cross-border “caliphate” the jihadists declared after seizing large parts of both countries in mid-2014.
An offensive against Raqa is likely to be far more complicated than the assault on Mosul, however: unlike in Iraq, the coalition does not have a strong ally on the ground in Syria.
US President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the White House said in a statement, urging “close coordination” between the two countries to “apply sustained pressure on ISIL in Syria to reduce threats to the United States, Turkey, and elsewhere.”
Syria’s five-year civil war has left the country in chaos, with jihadists, US-backed rebels, Syrian Kurds and President Bashar al-Assad’s forces all engaged on multiple fronts.
Aid workers have warned of a major potential humanitarian crisis once fighting begins inside Mosul itself and civilians were already leaving in growing numbers.
An Iraqi minister said Wednesday that more than 3,300 fleeing civilians had sought help from the government the day before, the most for a single day so far.
There was “a big wave of displaced people… the greatest number since the start of the military operation,” Displacement and Migration Minister Jassem Mohammed al-Jaff said.
The number of people who fled their homes since the start of the offensive in October topped 10,000, the UN said late Wednesday.
The fighting has taken place in sparsely populated areas so far and while the numbers have been growing more rapidly this week, they are still a fraction of the huge displacement aid workers expect later.
At a camp near Khazir, the number of recently displaced people being bused in was higher than usual.
“We’re definitely better off here. We were being bombarded from all sides, by aircraft and tanks,” said a man who fled the village of Bazwaya and gave his name as Abu Ahmad.
The families joined a camp of hundreds of dust-covered blue and white tents, as scores of aid workers distributed mattresses, blankets, food and water bottles.
The humanitarian community fears it will be overwhelmed when the million-plus people believed to still be trapped in Mosul find a way out.

Spain was under pressure Wednesday from its allies to refuse permission for Russian warships headed for the Syrian coast to refuel at one of its ports.
Russia’s request to allow its ships to stop on Spanish territory “are under review” while Spain weighs input from its allies and Russian authorities, a foreign ministry spokesman told daily newspaper El Pais late Tuesday.
Spain’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for information on Wednesday.
The spokesman’s statement appears to confirm reports that part of a Russian flotilla — led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov — was expected to take on fuel and supplies at the port of Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the north coast of Africa.
Russia announced earlier this month that the Admiral Kuznetsov, part of its Northern Fleet, would be sent to the eastern Mediterranean to boost its naval forces in the area.
Russia has been staging a bombing campaign in Syria for the past year in support of President Bashar al-Assad and has deployed a naval contingent to back up its operation.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern Tuesday that the flotilla could take part in Syria air strikes.
“It is up to each country to decide if these ships can refuel in different ports en route to the eastern Mediterranean,” he said.
“I think all NATO members are aware that this group could be used to carry out air attacks on Aleppo and Syria,” he added.
Britain was more direct.
“Her Majesty’s government has previously expressed concerns to the Spanish government about its hospitality to the Russian navy when we have concerns about Russia’s military activity,” a British government spokesman said.
“Access to Spanish ports is a matter for the Spanish authorities,” he added.
Spain, a NATO member, regularly allows Russian war ships to stop in Ceuta.

Jose Mourinho’s woes aren’t just on the pitch, the Manchester United manager is unhappy about his living arrangements and being separated from his family.
The 53-year-old — who is in need of a good result later Wednesday in the EFL Cup clash with city rivals Manchester City after the 4-0 hammering by Chelsea on Sunday — has yet to find a flat and is living on his own in a luxury hotel.
However, that presents its own problems for the Portuguese manager as he says he is under siege from the paparazzi.
“You know the history of the paparazzi, for the hotel and the brand that sponsors me, the clothes brand, (it) is amazing because they are there every day,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.
“For me it is a disaster because I want sometimes to walk a little bit and I can’t.
“I just want to cross the bridge and go to a restaurant.
“I can’t so it is really bad.
“But I have my apps and I can ask for food to also be delivered.”
Mourinho, whose off the pitch troubles increased with the loss of Ivory Coast central defender Eric Bailly for two months with a knee ligament injury suffered in the Chelsea match, admits the problem of being separated from his family — they have stayed in London — is less easy to remedy.
“The reality is that my daughter (Matilde) will be 20 next week, my son (Jose Jnr) will be 17 in a couple of months,” he said.
“They are very stable. University in London. Football in London. Friends.
“So they are in an age where they can’t chase me like they did before. So for the first time the family lives in a different way.
“We try to see the evolution of our feelings and see how we cope with the situation.”
Mourinho, whose odds of not being United manager by season’s end were cut to 11/4 following the Chelsea thrashing, said finding a flat could ease the familial situation as there would be somewhere for them to stay.
However, the restaurants benefiting from his use of their apps need not be worried as Mourinho admitted to a rare failing.
“If I find a nice apartment with a good connection from the garage to the apartment maybe I do it, but I can’t cook.”.

Air strikes on Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province hit a school and the surrounding area on Wednesday, killing at least 26 civilians including many children, a monitor and activists said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “warplanes — either Russia or Syrian — carried out six strikes” in the village of Hass, including on a school complex.
The Britain-based Observatory, which monitors Syria’s five-year conflict, said at least 11 children were among the 26 civilians killed.
The White Helmets civil defence group released pictures of four rescue workers clambering over a mound of rubble in search of survivors after what it said was a “double-tap” strike on the school.
The raids hit Hass around 11:30 am (0830 GMT), an activist with the opposition Idlib Media Centre told AFP.
“One rocket hit the entrance of the school as students were leaving to go home, after the school administration decided to end classes for the day because of the raids,” the activist said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Other activists from the province circulated a photograph on social media of a child’s arm, seared off above the elbow, still clutching the strap of a dusty black rucksack.
Shaky video footage depicted rescue workers sprinting towards the site of the raids and pulling a frail, elderly man out of a collapsed building.
The authenticity of the pictures and footage could not be independently verified.
Syrian government forces and their Russian ally have been criticised by rights groups for indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure.
A leading opposition group condemned the raids.
The Istanbul-based National Coalition said Russian and regime warplanes “targeted children in their schools, deliberately and intentionally hitting civilians with high-explosive material.”
Idlib province is controlled by the Army of Conquest, an alliance of rebel groups and jihadists including the Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from Al-Nusra Front after breaking off ties with Al-Qaeda earlier this year.
Syrian and Russian warplanes regularly bomb Idlib, but air strikes have intensified in recent weeks, according to the Observatory.
Seven days of air strikes across the northwestern province had left more than 75 civilians dead and another 150 wounded, it said.
Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
But it has since evolved into a multi-front war, pitting jihadists, rebels, government forces and Kurdish militia against each other.
More than 300,000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes.

Shen Jui-chang, among 26 hostages freed from the crew of Naham 3 seized south of the Seychelles in March 2012, added he had constantly had a gun pointed at his head during his ordeal.
Shen, the chief engineer on the fishing boat, was reunited with his wife and daughter on Tuesday in Guangzhou, southern China, after a long flight from Kenya with Chinese crew members after they were freed Sunday.
An emotional Shen arrived at Taipei’s main airport on Wednesday afternoon and said he was in “very poor physical health”.
“Every day was nerve-wracking, with the pirates pointing their AK-47 rifles at me 24 hours a day,” the frail-looking sailor told reporters.
Shen had earlier told reporters the hostages were given little to eat during their four-and-a-half years in captivity and were sometimes denied water.
Shen and the other men often caught and ate mice, scorpions and centipedes, according to Taiwanese media reports.
The crew, which also included seafarers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia, were taken hostage at the peak of Somali piracy.
Only one other crew of fishermen spent longer in the hands of Somali pirates.
Three hostages died during the hijacking, including the Taiwanese captain who Shen said was shot when he attacked the pirates with a chair.
Taiwan’s government has been criticised for not doing enough to secure the hostages’ release, but the foreign ministry said Tuesday that efforts by the countries involved in the negotiations should be recognised.

Fresh fires broke out Wednesday in the “Jungle” migrant camp on the second day of operations to dismantle the squalid settlement in northern France.
Smoke billowed over the sprawling camp near Calais for a second day amid fears that abandoned gas cylinders could explode.

China will get its first professional rugby union competition as part of a $100 million investment in the currently low-profile sport by e-commerce giant Alibaba, the firm and World Rugby said Wednesday.
As well as professional men’s and women’s 15-a-side leagues, a national sevens programme will be set up, the two said in separate statements. The money will be spent over 10 years.
But rugby has heavy handicaps to overcome in the world’s most populous country.
Fewer than 80,000 Chinese play the sport and it is far less popular among spectators than football or basketball. Its Chinese name translates literally as “English-style olive ball”.
World Rugby, the sport’s international governing body, would not specify the size of the league, or when it would start, when contacted by AFP.
The chief executive of Alibaba’s sporting arm Alisports, Zhang Dazhong, said the game had “undoubted potential” to become a “mass-participation sport” in China.
The two bodies plan to cultivate one million new players through school programs and train 30,000 coaches and 15,000 match officials in the next five years, according to the statements.
“We will work tirelessly to promote the development of rugby in China,” Zhang added.
China’s national rugby captain Ma Chong welcomed the investment. “As an athlete, I finally see hope for this sport,” he told AFP.
Ma, 24, makes just over 3,000 yuan (less than $500) a month playing for the Shandong provincial side.
“To be honest, until now I haven’t thought that I could support my family playing rugby. But with a professional league, I can actually make it a profession without burdening my family too much.
“I really enjoy rugby, it brings me a joy that nothing else can.?
But Xu Yaojun, president of amateur club Guangzhou Longhua, cautioned that funding was not enough to guarantee success.
“This investment is definitely good news,” he said. “But money is only part of what is needed to develop the game, the whole social system in China, including the education system, all needs to be involved. We need patience in this.”
The announcement comes after Alibaba unveiled a tie-up with World Rugby to increase the game’s visibility through its internet video platforms in April, when World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper told AFP that China has ambitions to host the Rugby World Cup.
Gosper said in a statement on Wednesday that World Rugby’s “strategic mission is to grow the global rugby family. China is central to that mission”.
Many firms in China are investing in sports, anticipating a massive growth in leisure industries as China’s economy rebalances towards consumption.
Rugby has increased its profile in Asia thanks to its inclusion in this year’s Olympics and the upcoming 2019 World Cup in Japan, as well as the growing world sevens series.
Alibaba has obtained the 2016-2017 broadcasting rights to show international matches including the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship and Europe’s Six Nations on its online video platform.
The Hangzhou-based company is investing heavily in the sports industry and has a 38 percent stake in the reigning Chinese football champions, Guangzhou Evergrande.
Alisports has also signed deals to stream NFL American football in China and sponsor FIFA’s Club World Cup. It has partnerships with world amateur boxing body AIBA and basketball’s FIBA.

Aside from being a radio presenter, Grace was also a Proprietor & Creative Director at and a Public Relations & Marketing guru.
She had quite the good career but it seems that her greatest achievement was how she made people feel and that she was a nice person to be around.
Here is what Kenyan celebrities had to say about the late Grace MAakosewe:

 
Rumor had it that the two were not in good terms after their public fight at popular club, 1824. But, the two entertainers maintained a low profile until just recently when the reported that kush had bashed Timmy Tdat’s bedroom skills.
Her ‘story’ went viral as it was published from one tabloid to another. Some termed this as a petty move while others saw it as a way to attract attention for a new song she is planning to release.
Kush however released an official statement on 25 October 2016 brushing off the rumors ‘sparked and fueled’ by bloggers. She mentioned that the report released was cooked up and she is planning to follow up.
 
 
She wrote
Well, the two are definitely not in bad terms as Ghafla spotted them at a popular club, Tribeka, last night around midnight. Timmy Tdat was launching his new song featuring Sudi boy and among those who were present to show their support is his ‘ex’ and her friends.
We cannot confirm the nature of their relationship at the moment but yes…something fishy is going on. Or wait, Kush and Timmy Tdat might be those special exes who hangout despite having bad split ups.

The song  is a celebration of all the women working hard to achieve their dreams regardless of the situations they are dealt with everyday. ” says Avril.
 
  was produced by DJ Space for MOB Studios.   says DJ Space.
 The video was directed by N.X.T a talented duo from Zambia.
Watch video here:
 

But after investing in over 100 million pounds in one player, getting one of the best coaches in the game and igniting all manner of hope among the fans and then continuing to lose is definitely something United fans won’t accept.
I wonder how many Man U fans called in sick today so as to nurse their wounded egos and broken hearts. What about those with swelly red eyes after crying the whole night?
I set out to find some of the reactions to the match especially from Man U fans and this is what I gathered. Some are outright dismissive while others; well, insanely funny.
 
His pal Musembi also didn’t have kind words for me but at least he was willing to talk. According to him it’s about time Mourninho started making hard decisions; like benching Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic; for the latter at least for a while until he gets his balance.
Another guy Joseph still has hopeHe thinks Mourinho still needs more time to get the right formation and within no time Man U will be making headlines again, for the right reasons though.
He also had some piece of advice for the betting committee who are also in great misery as well. He suggested that when making multi bets, to not put the same teams in your bet. Each one of them should have different teams to increase the chances of salvaging your losses.
Live betting is also something worth perusing as it gives the one on one highlight of how a game is faring enabling you to make the necessary informed decisions. All this options are on so login and bet all the way to the bank.
 
 

Former marathon and world record holder Tegla Loroupe is the winner of the 2016 UN Person of the Year award.
She was recognised for her efforts in getting refugees to participate in Olympic Games for the first time in history and her leadership in taking peace to conflict zones in Africa.
In 2015, Loroupe succeeded in lobbying the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to give a chance to refugees with athletics talent to participate in the Olympics.
 
The IOC accepted the request and as a result, ten refugees (five from Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya) took part at this year’s Rio Olympic Games.
Under her Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, she has organised several peace races among tribal rivals, trying to resolve conflicts with conciliation instead of weapons.
In her acceptance speech, Loroupe challenged nations to work together in order to end conflict that contribute to killings and increase in refugees across the world.
 
Loroupe is the first African woman to win the New York City marathon and a world record holder in several long distance competitions.
In 2014, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta named United Nations in Kenya Person of the Year.
She received the award for her efforts in the Beyond Zero campaign  which aims at reducing maternal and child mortality in Kenya.

It also comes with all shapes and sized big ass women from Luo land. The amount of booty you’ll witness Team mafisi! You will be overwhelmed.
Ohangla Music: is a traditional Luo music that is highly infused with instruments- more than six drums struck by a stick and a cylindrical shoulder slung drum, accompanied by either Nyatiti or kinanda. In the olden days, it was mainly played at funerals, beer parties and during Yawo rut (a celebration to mark the birth of twins). Presently, Ohangla is a genre commonly heard at entertainment spots, including wedding parties and campaign rallies.
 
Its dance is usually vigorous gyration of the hips, suggestive dances, obscene lyrics and liberal changaa (illicit brew), for years, it was a common form of music to only the Luo culture. But now, Ohangla has cut across different ethnic groups in the nation. Now even in Kikuyu weddings, you’ll hear a Tony Nyadundo or Lady Maureen’s song being played.
And tonight, we get to sway our hips to live Ohangla tunes courtesy of the Queen of Ohangla herself, Lady Maureen.
Performance starts at 8pm till late at Sky World Lounge, located on Tom Mboya Street.
Free entry, so you have no excuse to miss out this.

France said Wednesday it had extended the mission of its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, in the eastern Mediterranean until mid-December to help the offensive against the Islamic State group in the Iraqi city of Mosul.
President Francois Hollande decided to extend the mission after France’s defence council “reviewed the military, humanitarian, political and security stakes involved in the recapture of Mosul,” a statement issued by his office said.
The carrier was deployed to the region on September 30 with a one-month mission, its third since February 2015.
With the offensive in its second week, Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes were inching towards eastern Mosul on Tuesday as growing numbers of civilians fled the city, Iraq’s second largest.

Kenyans are angry with celebrities who are ‘pretending’ to care about Achieng Abura now that she has died; this is after the Afro-Jazz singer revealed in her last interview that friends abandoned her when she tried raising money for her sickly son.
Also Read: This is why Achieng Abura was abandoned by her friends before she died
A concerned Boniface Mwangi saw the need to start a campaign to raise money for Abura’s son, but Kenyans couldn’t have none of it.
” Boniface Mwangi posted on Facebook.
 
Kenyans, including actress Barbara Chepkoech Adams, smelt the hypocrisy in Boniface’s campaign and decided to fire back at her.
 “
.” Barbara Chepkoech posted.
 
Below are some of the comments Kenyans posted after Boniface announced he was launching a campaign to raise money for Achieng Abura’s son:
Boniface mwangi now u r becoming irrelevant. Now that Achieng is dead u too got a call from her…pls spare us ur nonsense! Where were u when she was doing a fundraising for her son…stop using the dead for ur own gain Mr big mouth.
Which Kenyans are you blaming? You particularly knew her at a personal level, what did you do to help her? Why did it take you all that time to post the photos? We are all guilty as charged but you and many others who knew Achieng at a personal level are the biggest hypocrites.
Fact 1.Abura is dead .Fact2:Son needs medical attention.Fact3.Few helped her in hour of need.Fact4:Refer to fact one and help or quietly leave the ones willing to help in peace.
: Guys Bonnie just recalled memories of Abura on a light note…and then bring up the sons issue so that people can help! I dont understand why some folks here are angry at Mwangi!Help the son if you can..!you dont have to be personal here..!When will some people grow up.?
I was in Kenyatta mortury on suturday when we went to collect the body of my brothers son,which was to be burried at langata.What sadened me #BonfaceMwangi is that the morgue attendant told me that he has Achieng Obura’s remains but nobody has ever come to view the body.We had to pay our last respect and demanded to view the body.#AchiengOburaRIP.
You claim to be her friend yet you didn’t attend any of her fundraiser “hypocrisy of the highest level”posting her pictures will only add colour to your hypocrisy.
Boniface mwangi thenks for the powerful message…. am glad you new her very well….BT what did you do as a friend….with all your fame in instagram, Twitter and Facebook did you do anything to help her….nothing at all….you are always there blam…See More
I thk if u r a genuine person u shld b telling us hw we shld help conjestina coz she is also a heroine en nt well at the moment. Am unagonja akienda,God forbid, urudi hapa na tupicha na kutushw the last time u spent wth her.
Since you know her soo well,and you talked for looooong hours,since us Kenyans dont buy her music,As a foreigner do you buy her music and did you contribute some £ for her son???just asking….