Joint Task Force Operatives Repel Attacks

By SaharaReporters, New York
Security operatives last night in Gombe, capital of Gombe State, repelled an attack by unknown gunmen in the Masalacin Idi area. No casualties were recorded.

Our sources said the duel lasted about 30 minutes, finally subsiding when the Joint Task Force comprising soldiers and policemen suppressed the insurgents.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Abdu, who confirmed the gun duel, said that the gunmen opened fire and lobbed grenades at the security operatives, who responded promptly. The attackers, unable to stand the heat, fled to an unknown location.

The security operatives, according to Mr. Audu, have commenced a thorough search for the gunmen.

10 Rocket Propelled Grenades Recovered In Nigeria-Chad Border Following Gun-Duel With Suspected Militants

About 10 Rocket Propelled Grenades and other sophisticated weapons were recovered at the Nigeria-Chad boundary in Borno State by a joint multi-national military squad on Monday.

The incident was confirmed to SaharaReporters by Lt.Col. Sagir Musa, who said the weapons were recovered following a gun battle which left some suspected Islamist extremists dead in Daban Masara border town.

According to him, “The vehicle was intercepted on Monday at about 9pm local time by a combined team of Secret Security Services, the multi-national Joint Task Force, JTF and other security forces.”

Other arms in the consignment included 10 rocket chargers, two AK 47 rifles, and 13 magazines with six rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, he said.

This incident confirms that Nigerian and Chadian troops are now working together at the border.

Lightning bolt kills four members of same family

A bolt of lightning has killed four members of the same family in Poland.

The group were reported missing last week - after they failed to return from a hiking trip.

A rescue operation was launched and last night the bodies of a 50-year-old man and woman from Warsaw, were found, along with the remains of their 22 year old daughter and her fiancé.

Witnesses said an unusually violent thunderstorm - punctuated by multiple lightning strikes - had raged in the area where the bodies were found.

Authorities say it is extremely rare for a single bolt of lightning to kill four people an investigation has been launched to establish the exact cause of their deaths.

Australians told to pay $5,000 - or face death

Thousands of Australians have been stunned to receive a death threat text demanding they pay $5,000 Australian dollars to stay alive.

A number of people have fallen for the scam, which tells people they will be murdered if they don't send the money on - and police have been shocked by the scale of the con.

The message reads: "Sum1 paid me to kill you. Get spared, 48hrs to pay $5000. If you inform the police or anybody, death is promised. (sic)"

But police have warned people not to reply to the text and to delete it immediately.

Speaking at a press conference at Queensland, Brian Hay, Queensland Detective Superintendent, said: “Do not respond. Delete it immediately and don’t panic … because that’s what they prey upon.”

DFW Launch Party Trailer 2012

The DAYTON FASHION WEEK maiden edition kick started yesterday with an open hair competition show.
The show will continue today and run through 28th of July. The show promises to be an exciting show as designers from around the world are on ground preparing to let loose their masterpieces.
In a statement by the founder of dayton fashion week, Mrs. Junda Morris-Kennedy, said, the idea of the event is to spice up the social life of dayton by bringing the world together under the platform of fashion.

Syrian rebels brace for showdown in Aleppo

Are you in Syria? Share your stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport.
(CNN) -- Leaders of Syrian rebel forces ordered their fighters to attack hundreds of government troops heading toward Aleppo, the country's largest city, a Free Syrian Army official told CNN on Wednesday.
The Syrian regime withdrew about 2,000 fully equipped troops, along with their tanks and artillery, from Idlib and sent them to Aleppo, the official said.
As the commercial hub of Syria, Aleppo is a crucial city in the country's 16-month conflict. If rebels eventually gain control of the city it would mark a pivotal point in the Syrian crisis and deal a heavy blow to President Bashar al-Assad's financial ties.
Read more: Is there a plan for a post-Assad Syria?
Across Syria, at least 50 people were killed in fresh violence Wednesday, opposition activists said. The dead included six people in Aleppo and six children, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.
Rebel forces have been trying to wrest control of Aleppo from government forces.
"There is random shelling of the eastern portion of the city as the Syrian Army is trying to force out the FSA (Free Syrian Army). They are hitting civilian homes over and over," one activist told CNN via Skype.
CNN's Ivan Watson, who is inside Syria, said he had noticed the rebels had become better armed in the past few months. While they only had shotguns at one point, they now have rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, he said.
The increased firepower has helped the rebels successfully attack armored vehicles and force some Syrian forces to resupply by helicopter.
Watson said that in the village he was in, hundreds of rebels had loaded up with ammunition this week and headed to fight in Aleppo.

250 foetuses found in vats in Russian forest.

A GROUP of Russians have stumbled across hundreds of embryos and foetuses stashed in four huge vats while taking a weekend stroll through woods.
The 50-litre containers of formaldehyde in the woods of the industrial Ural Mountains region contained 248 embryos and foetuses in all, the police said.
The four strollers noticed the contents because some of the lids to the vats had popped open when they were dropped and some of the embryos had spilled to the ground.
A spokesman for the regional police said the embryos appeared to have been illegally dropped off by a local hospital that treated biological waste for four nearby medical facilities.