Germany Celebrates 25 Years Of The Fall Of Berlin Wall!

About 8,000 helium balloons have been released into the night sky over Germany's capital at the culmination of events to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall;  as tens of thousands of people attended events, including a "citizen's party" at the Brandenburg Gate.

Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier in her speech said the fall of the wall had shown the world that dreams could come true.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 became a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War.

It was built in 1961 to stop people fleeing the communist East.

The white balloons - perched on 3.6m poles to match the height of the wall and stretching for 15km (nine miles) - were released one by one to symbolise its disappearance.

Macaulay Culkin Respons To Death Hoax!

World famous child actor, Macaulay Culkin recently responded to death hoax, hitherto making the rounds.

The 34-year-old actor known best for roles in the first two Home Alone movies, My Girl and Uncle Buck, reportedly took to Instagram last Saturday to debunk the reports and quells people's fears through tribute to an epic '80s dark homedy Weekend at Bernie's. 

The post read: 

"Weekend at bernies with @ancovywarhol #greenroom,". Weekend at Bernies, a cult classic, stars Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman as two insurance company workers who discover their boss, Bernie, is dead. They then shuffle his body around like a puppet in a bid to make people believe he's alive.

Gun Men Abducts Nuhu Ribadu's Brother!

News says gunmen abducted the younger brother of Nuhu Ribadu, Sani Ribadu.

A brother to the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, identified as Arabi Ribadu, reportedly confirmed that Sani was abducted on Sunday, in his farm in Yola, Adamawa State capital.

“He was abducted by gun yielding men in his farm along Fufore road at about 5 p.m. this evening,” he said, adding that they took the victim, abandoning his car.

He also said the abductors took away their victim and abandoned his car.

“Up till moment, there is no communication from them,” he said.

Efforts to speak with the police spokesperson in Adamawa State has so far been unsuccessful as his phone was reportedly switched off.

New video shows scenes inside 'Boko Haram-controlled town'!

According to a new video reportedly obtained by AFP on Sunday, showing Boko-Haram  militants on armored vehicle parading down a road in a yet to be identified town, showed armed men lined along a well-paved road, with three pick-up trucks equipped with heavy weapons, as Abubakar Shekau, the group’s leader  preached to locals.

The 44-minute video, delivered through the same channels as previous messages reportedly showed Boko Haram voices shouting support for their allies in Iraq and the IS in Syria. 

Shekau was seen in close-up shots and rare clarity, dismissing government claims about ceasefire talks and threatens to kill the man who has presented himself as Boko Haram’s negotiator.

Information says it was not possible to tell whether the footage was staged for propaganda purposes, especially scenes of residents cheering Islamist fighters.

The message appeared to be aimed at reinforcing Shekau’s claim that he has created a caliphate within Nigeria.

In the video, black, crested flags associated with the Islamist group are shown.

An armoured vehicle drove down the road lined with both fighters and individuals who appear to be residents of the town.

However, no women or girls are reportedly seen on the street or anywhere else in the footage. Most of the message appeared taken up by a sermon from Shekau, delivered indoors but apparently played on a speaker to locals assembled outside.

“We have indeed established an Islamic caliphate,” he said, restating a call he first made in August.

The images of the sermon include unusually clear close-ups of Shekau, who in past videos has often been shown at a distance, sometimes in grainy footage.

Shekau who has previously expressed solidarity with other jihadi groups and leaders, including the IS militants, in the latest video seemed to associate territory under his control with a wider, global caliphate, but did not submit to the authority of any other jihadi leader.

“To everyone living in Islamic Caliphate, we convey our greetings,” he said, specifically mentioning “brethren” in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Shishan (an Islamist term for Chechnya), Yemen, Somalia and “the Caliphate in Iraq and Syria.”

A graphic shown later includes a picture the IS group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as well as a portion of the message his group issued on July 1 proclaiming a caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq on Sunday was investigating whether Baghdadi was killed in air strikes by US-led coalition warplanes.

Source: AFP

Robin Williams' autopsy showed no alcohol or illegal drugs; death ruled suicide- Coroner!

Sheriff's officials said on Friday that Robin Williams' autopsy found no alcohol or illegal drugs were in his body when he killed himself at his Northern California home in August.

Reports says the autopsy results released by the Marin County sheriff's office found that the actor had taken prescription medications, but in "therapeutic concentrations."

The coroner ruled Williams' death a suicide that resulted from asphyxia due to hanging.

Sheriff's Deputy Stewart Cowan said Friday that his office was not releasing further information from the report, aside that the late Williams was found in the bedroom of his home in Tiburon on the morning of Aug. 11.  which was preliminarily ruled a suicide.

Susan Schneider, Williams' wife,  said the actor and comedian was struggling with depression, anxiety and a recent Parkinson's diagnosis when he was found dead by his personal assistant at his Marin County home.

Robin publicly acknowledged periodic struggles with substance abuse. He had entered a substance abuse rehabilitation program shortly before his death.

Akwa - Ibom Came To Limelight As Jonathan Commissions Stadium!

All road led to Uyo, capital of Akwa-Ibom, South-South region of Nigeria, as the city came alive, when Heads of Governments, from West Africa ,converged for the grand opening of one of the  monumental sporting infrastructures in Africa. 

Assisted by two serving Heads of Governments: Ghana’s John Dramani Mahama and Côte d’Ivoire’s Alassane Drmane Ouattara, as well as former President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared the edifice open at 6:15pm local time.

In his goodwill message, Ghana’s president, President Mahama, commended the country on how the Ebola virus was contained and showed how Nigeria can achieve a lot if all work together.

On his part, President John Dramani, of Ivory Coast, who spoke as chairman of ECOWAS, stated that the stadium will not just be a nest for champions of Nigeria, but also that of West Africa, Africa and the world.

He hoped that the arena will breed future sport champions like Serena Williams, Nemar, Pele and other notable names of the world.

The commissioning preceded the Nigeria versus Ghana football match.

IS Bringing Two Opposing Groups Together? - Obama writes Iran's supreme leader about militants!

In what was described a shared interest between the U.S. and Iran in fighting the Islamic State group by Wall Street Journal, and a rare outreach to Iran's Supreme Leader, by Associated Press WASHINGTON, diplomatic sources revealed that President Barack Obama wrote a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei about the fight against Islamic State militants, a common enemy in Syria and Iraq.

According to AP news, Obama's letter to Iran's powerful religious leader comes against the backdrop of the looming Nov. 24 deadline in nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, as well as five other world powers. While Obama reportedly previously sent letters to Khamenei, any communication between the two men has been extremely rare.

It is said that the U.S. and Iran are each engaged in military efforts to degrade the Islamic State group, essentially putting the longtime foes on the same side in the campaign against the extremists. 

The Obama administration has repeatedly insisted that it is not coordinating and will not coordinate its military actions with Iran, though officials from both countries have discussed the matter more broadly.

Not confirming or denying the existence of the letter, U.S administration officials who reportedly separately confirmed the existence of the letter to The Associated Press, said there were still no plans to cooperate or coordinate with Iran against the militants.

"The United States will not cooperate militarily with Iran in that effort," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We won't share intelligence with them."

Information disclosed revealed that Iran, though not part of the United States coalition, has been fighting the IS on the ground. However, Iran's interests in pursuing the Islamic State's defeat differ from those of the Obama administration. 

Iran is a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is a target of the militants and opposed by the U.S.

Obama authorized a U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State fighters in Iraq in August and expanded the mission the following month to neighboring Syria. The U.S. is taking action alongside several other nations, including a handful of regional partners.

Two chief critics of Obama's foreign policy, Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, called it "outrageous" that Obama would seek to enlist Iran in its fight against the IS given Iran's support for Assad and Shia extremists throughout the region.

"The consequences of this ill-conceived bargain would destroy the Syrians' last, best chance to live in freedom from the brutal Assad regime," the senators reportedly said in a joint statement.

United States officials have not ruled out the possibility that a nuclear accord with Iran could open the door to discussions on other issues, but they have sought to keep the delicate negotiations focused solely on Tehran's disputed nuclear program.