Afghan Army Trains Women for Special Forces

 A female member of Afghan special forces (R) stands guard during a training exercise on the outskirts of Kabul

AP

The Afghan army is training female special forces to take part in night raids against insurgents, breaking new ground in an ultraconservative society and filling a vacuum left by departing international forces.

"If men can carry out this duty why not women?" asks Lena Abdali, a 23-year-old Afghan soldier who was one of the first women to join one of the special units in 2011, reports The Associated Press.

Night raids have long been a divisive issue between Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who doesn't want foreign troops entering Afghan homes, and the U.S.-led coalition that says the raids are essential to capturing Taliban commanders.

Many Afghans, however, have complained that the house raids are culturally offensive. Having male troops search Afghan females is taboo. So is touching a family's Quran, the Muslim holy book, or entering a home without being invited. Another focus of anger has been the disregard for privacy and Afghan culture because women and children are usually home during the raids.

see more after the cut

Goldie: How she died – Kenny Ogungbe

CEO of Kennis Music, the label Goldie was signed on, Kenny Ogungbe has issued a statement detailing the final hours of the late singer.

see more after the cut

Nigeria: Pope Resigned Due to Head Injury - It's Not True - Vatican

BUT for a head injury he sustained during a trip to Mexico last March, Pope Benedict XVI would not have suddenly resigned on Monday, it has emerged.

Vatican Spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed that the Pope hit his head during his March 2012 trip to Mexico, but denied the accident had any "relevant" role in his resignation, citing old-age and not a particular health problem as reason for his resignation.

see more after the cut

Odemwingie sacks agents

Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie has sacked his agents following his protracted and controversial decision to force a move to Premier League bottom club, Queens Park Rangers.

The forward has been in limbo at West Bromwich Albion as a result of his ill-advised action and he has decided to part company with his agents.

He took to the social networking site, Twitter via his verified account, @OdemwingieP to make the announcement.

“I have sacked my agents. They at my gate begging 4 permission to negotiate a come back. Told them to seek permission from authorities hahaha,” he tweeted.

The WBA forward who became a father in January also took the time to speak about the demands of his new life.

“Was nice to chat with those who were nice. Maybe we continue by 3am. No sleep for sometime now and not only because I became a dad,” he tweeted.

TomTom to Receive AFCON Trophy

 Super Eagles with the AFCON trophy

TomTom, the Official Candy of the Nigerian national football teams, has concluded arrangements to receive the Africa Cup of Nations which the Super Eagles lifted last Sunday in South Africa.

The trophy visit to the Ikeja, Lagos premises of Cadbury Nigeria Plc is part of the elaborate reception for the victorious team which would hold Friday afternoon.

During the event, TomTom will hand over to the team the packages it had for their triumphant experience. These include the Most Valuable Player award, which is valued at $10,000 (about N1.6 million) and the Shot-on-Target, which totalled $12,500 (about N2 million) for the 25 shots-on-target recorded throughout the championship.

see more after the cut

Thai couple win World’s Longest Continuous Kiss

BANGKOK (AFP) – A kiss lasting nearly two-and-a-half days propelled one determined Thai couple to a new record for the world’s longest smooch on Valentine’s Day, organisers said Friday.

Hospital security guard Ekkachai Tiranarat, 44, and 33-year-old housewife Laksana locked lips for 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds, smashing last year’s Guinness World Record by more than eight hours.

see more after the cut

Valentine’s Day Greeting From An Adorable Little Girl (Photo)

She meant to say I love my whole family…..but where is mom to correct her?

All that matters is the love she circled. Isn’t it?

MAN TURNS TO SNAKE AFTER GIVING 5 US DOLLARS TO SCHOOL BOY

There was panic in Kuwadzana yesterday afternoon when rumours circulated that a snake had mysteriously entered a Grade Two pupil’s tummy after he got US$5 worth of ‘miracle money’ from a stranger. The minor (name withheld) is said to have picked a R2 coin before meeting the man whom later gave him a US$5 note.

see more after the cut

GOLDIE IS DEAD.....NIGERIAN SINGER SUSAN HARVEY DIED IN LAGOS YESTERDAY

The first story that started this news is a shocking question we received from a fan of NaijaGists Facebook page who asked us” is Goldie dead“, we quickly put a call through to our source in Lagoswho is a very good friend of Goldie Harvey’s management company.

We received the confirmation back few minutes ago that Nigerian singer Goldie is dead. Yes Goldie Harvey is dead.

see more after the cut

Nigerian Woman Suffers Hot Soup Attack From Lover “My Fiance Poured A Burning Stove On Me”

A 27-year-old woman, Mary Sunday, has been in the hospital bed at Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital seven months after she was allegedly attacked by her fiancé, Corporal Isaac Gbanwuan, with a pot of boiling stew and a lighted stove.

It was learnt that Sunday had lost her ears due to the attack.

Before the attack, which took place in August 2012, Sunday, was to report for training at the Police Academy, Kano as a cadet officer.

sse more after the cut

Sexiest Celebrity Valentines: Robert Pattinson, Justin Bieber & More

Big-Screen Boys

Some guys just beg to be seen on enormous screens, like Zac Efron and Taylor Lautner for example. Whether they’re singing about basketball, or turning into werewolves, we don’t mind paying for insanely overpriced movie tickets to see them in action; they’re always worth the price of admission.

see more after the cut

Josh Duhamel’s Valentine’s Day Surprise For Fergie Revealed

Josh Duhamel told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY what his go-to Valentine’s Day gift is — and it’s a little naughty! Keep reading for the salacious details.

Looks like things get pretty wild at the Duhamel-Ferguson household! On the red carpet for the Feb. 11 screening of Josh Duhamel’s new movie, Safe Haven, he gave HollywoodLife.com the low down on his best Valentine’s Day gift for Fergie. Hint: it involves costumes.

see  more after the cut

Christopher Dorner Case: LAPD Alert Called Off, Officials Confident Manhunt is Over

The LAPD has moved back into a "normal state of police operation" after Tuesday's Christopher Dorner gun battle, a signal that the manhunt is over.

Cops won't officially declare Christopher Dorner dead until the tests are run on the corpse believed to be inside what is left of a burned down California cabin.

Still, every indication is that Dorner was inside when the cabin went up in smoke. A rep for the police department says the city is no longer on tactical alert.

Dorner met his fate following a frightening shootout in which he exchanged fire with police and barricaded himself in a remote cabin in Big Bear, Calif.

see more after the cut

John Galliano Outfit: Is It Anti-Semitic?

John Galliano has once again angered some members of the Jewish community.

The designer, who was fired from Christian Dior in 2011 after declaring his love for Hitler on video, was photographed yesterday outside a friend’s Manhattan apartment - and his outfit has apparently angered some local Jewish leaders.

see more after the cut

Brandi Glanville: I'll Make Peace With LeAnn Rimes When ...

Reality star and author Brandi Glanville hasn't given up hope that she, ex-husband Eddie Cibrian and his new wife LeAnn Rimes may all live in peace one day.

In fact, she says she's ready to move on with her life ... seriously.

• 
• 

"I'm ready to put it behind me," the outspoken Drinking & Tweeting author said. "This is my final chapter. This is me closing to door on our public fight."

"I want it out of the media. I'll deal with it as best I can with them."

Say what now?

The 40-year-old conceded, "We don't have the best communication or relationship now but, I'm hoping we can change that." What might do the trick?

"I don't think we'll be friends, but I hope we can coexist peacefully," she said of LeAnn Rimes, who Cibrian first cheated on her with back in 2009.
see more after the cut

Tabloid: Melissa Gorga Cheated on Husband!!!

The latest issue of Life & Style makes it as clear as can be: Melissa Gorga cheated on her husband, Joe.

According to the tabloid, Real Housewives of New Jersey viewers will find out this season that Gorga engaged in an affair with Brian “Bulldog” Bowen, an ex-boyfriend who will actually appear on upcoming episodes.

“Bulldog claims to have a lot of dirt on Melissa, and some of it is already coming out," an insider says. "And the next season hasn't even started airing yet."

see more after the cut

Elisha Cuthbert: The Most Beautiful Woman on TV?

She was embarrassingly caught in a cougar trap many years ago on 24.

But now there's only one place Elisha Cuthbert finds herself: in the hearts of TV viewers around the country.

According to the latest issue of Maxim, this Happy Endings star is the most beautiful woman on television, an opinion that is difficult to argue against based on the following photo:

But we could imagine at least one Vampire Diaries star that could give Cuthbert a run for her sexy money.

Do you agree with Maxim's assessment? Who is TV's most beautiful female?

Elisha Cuthbert (Happy Endings)Claire Holt (The Vampire Diaries)Emily VanCamp (Revenge)Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)Other (Cite in Comments)

Kate Middleton Pregnant Bikini Pics Defended By Chi: There is No Scandal!

Under fire from the royal family and others for running Kate Middleton baby bump photos in its latest issue, Italy's Chi Magazine has no regrets.

Most mainstream publications declined to run the photos. Not Chi, whose boss, Alfonso Signorini, stands by his decision to distribute the images:

Signorini said in a statement Wednesday:

"The photographs were bought from an international agency. We cannot talk about a violation of privacy when we publish pictures of public people in a public place."

"You can't compare this with the media persecution of Lady Diana. I cannot stress enough that the photos were taken in a public place, not private property."

see more after the cut

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West: Smuggled Through Airport Security!

Note to random employee at JFK airport: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West may pose like Jesus.

But they aren't actually gods that deserve special treatment, okay?

• 
• 

The couple touched down in New York yesterday following a trip to Brazil, only to find themselves at the center of a TSA investigation because an airline greeter rushed them past a checkpoint in order to speed up their boarding process.

see more after the cut

Boy and His Bulldog Earn Fame on Instagram, Place in Our Hearts

A boy and his bulldog. Friends forever. National treasures.

Little Tasuku and his French Bulldog Muu are inseparable, and have become Internet sensations in recent days because, well, they're just that cute. See?!

Apparently, the boy and his bulldog do everything together. They sit on the couch. Talk. Have snack. Take naps. It's really tailor made for an Instagram account.

The boys' mother, Aya Sakai, certainly thought so.

Her photos of the duo's daily adventures have earned her 67,000 followers, who are smitten with Muu, Tasuku and their adorable, enduring friendship.

see more after the cut ...