Two Dead As Nigerian Military Jet Crashes In Niger

A Nigerian fighter jet taking part in military operations against al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants in Mali crashed in western Niger, killing its two crew, Niger and Nigerian officials said on Monday.
The incident marked the first casualties in Mali for Nigerian troops, which form the largest contingent in a West African regional force participating in the French-led campaign to drive Islamist rebels from the country's desert north.

Air Commodore Yusuf Anas, spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force, said the plane was an Alpha jet stationed in Niger as part of a Nigerian squadron supporting the mission in Mali.
"An investigation is going on to find out what happened. They were on a normal routine flight about 60 km (37 miles) west of Niamey when something happened," Anas told Reuters.
Asked if there was any evidence of anti-aircraft fire, he said: "We don't know but it was inside Nigerien territory."

A Niger security source said the jet crashed near Dargol in the Tillabery region which borders Mali.
"The plane was not shot at. It was not in enemy territory so for now we are looking at maybe a mechanical problem," another security official from Niger, who asked not to be identified, said.

Worst Dressed at the 2013 Met Gala: Elle Fanning, Katy Perry and More

While the 2013 punk-themed Met Gala Certainly did not disappoint with fab fashions, There Were Were some guests Whose looks more chaotic than sewing.

Some gals ignored the theme altogether, likeElle Fanning , Whose psychedelic tie-dye print Rodarte dress and matching eye makeup multihued HAD us scratching our heads

PHOTOS: Best dressed at the Met Gala

Katy Perry 's strange Dolce and Gabbana crown-and-embellished-dress combo aussi felt more baroque than punk, and we did not quite buy the explanation she crams Vogueabout "channeling the original queen of punk, Joan of Arc."

And then there were Those Who Were a little too enthusiastic in embracing the punk-inspired looks, like Madonna , Whose over-the-top combination of fishnet, plaid andstuds felt a little overkill. Not to mention the fact That she forgot to wear pants !

The Brit fashion designer's get-up was more chaotic than couture-like with its out-there combination of tattered fabric, ribbon and 

With her trademark edgy look, we thought theTwilight star would have one of the best looks at the punkthemed evening, but her Stella 

Justin Bieber tackled by fan during Dubai stage show

A member of the audience at Justin Bieber's stage show in Dubai tackled the singer from behind while he was performing at a grand piano.

Bieber managed to free himself and ran to the side of the stage while security guards grabbed the intruder, who managed to knock the piano over and onto its side.

The singer later retweeted descriptions of the "mayhem".

He later tweeted: "Dubai. Nothing stops the show. 2 more to go."

Footage on YouTube shows Bieber carried on performing while security guards removed the fan and picked up the piano.

He is in the middle of a world tour called Believe which began last September and includes about 100 dates.

'Wasn't a prank'
Reports said that the globally successful 19-year-old took a three-minute break after the on-stage fracas before returning to sing Boyfriend and then Baby.

His guitarist and musical director Dan Kanter later tweeted: "It wasn't a prank. Someone ran on stage during Believe and the piano got knocked off its platform. Everyone is fine. No need to worry!"

A parent of one of Bieber's fans at the Dubai gig, Steve Hoare, told the BBC that as the tickets cost about £100 each, a lot of parents were left angry afterwards.

He said: "My 16-year-old daughter said that the kids at the concert were pretty shocked by it all.

"The attacker may have been an adoring fan. But it was probably someone who was annoyed at Justin Bieber being more than two hours late, as he was the night before.

"Both nights are school nights here, so it was not clever and pretty arrogant, particularly when you play a set that is only just over an hour long."

He added that "this kind of thing doesn't happen in Dubai".

Mr Hoare said that as the region relies "so heavily on tourism", he would be interested to see "what action the authorities take".

Bieber has not been short of headlines recently. Last month he provoked fierce online criticism with his message in a guestbook at the Anne Frank Museum, saying he hoped the Holocaust victim would have been a fan.

The Canadian pop idol wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber."

The museum defended the star but added his comment "wasn't very sensible".

11-Year-Old Boy, Four Others Killed In Benue Clash

A bloody conflict between Fulani herdsmen and Idoma farmers of Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State has led to the death of an 11-year-old boy, while four others were reportedly killed and eight villages also sacked.

According to eyewitnesses, crisis broke out in Agatu after some yet-to-be identified persons allegedly killed 11-year-old Abdulkadir Mohammed and forcefully took away 10 cows from a Fulani herdsman, forcing a reprisal by the herdsmen who also invited mercenaries from neigbhouring Nasarawa State to fight on their side.

“The reprisal on Agatu is far-reaching because no fewer than eight villages have already been sacked by the invaders. Houses and farmland have also been destroyed. And our fear is that four persons are currently missing and they might have been killed by the invaders,” a source said.

Reacting, State Secretary of Meyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, an umbrella body of Fulani herdsmen, Alhaji Garus Gololo, said: “In Agatu, just after Bagaji by the River Benue, some people suspected to be Agatu indigenes invaded the herdsmen; they killed one 11-year-old boy, 10 cows and forcefully took away 360 cows from the herdsmen. As we speak, the herdsmen are chasing after the attackers to get back their cows.”

The lawmaker representing Agatu at the State House of Assembly, Mr. Audu Sule, however debunked rumours that his people attacked the herdsmen, saying: “I cannot say the gunmen are Fulanis. They are hired mercenaries numbering up to 1,500 and they crossed over from Nasarawa State through the river to cause mayhem. They have burnt eight villages so far and now moving towards the local government headquarters.”

Pastor Must Offer Sacrifices For Killing Snake – Anambra Community

An altercation has ensued between members of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, and Umuoji community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State over the killing of a snake in the community by the Overseer of the Mercy Throne Assembly, Umuoji, Rev Jude Chubueze.

The community believes Chibueze had desecrated the land by killing the snake, as snake killing in the area is a taboo, and they had gone ahead to seal his church with palm fronds.

The matter has been taken to the Anambra State Police command which is trying to mediate between the two parties to avoid a breakdown of law and order, and assure a peaceful resolution to it.

Reacting on the issue, members of PFN under the aegis of Umuoji Gospel Ministries Fellowship led by Pastor Celestine Ekpunobi, yesterday, described the tradition that forbids the killing of snake as barbaric, adding that such law should only concern the pagans.

Rev Chibueze said a snake stormed his house at night when members of his family were already sleeping. He said he heard his children screaming and rushed there to find a snake where his children had been sleeping.

“When I got to their room, I saw a big snake lying with them and I had to kill it and threw it into the nearby bush. The following day, some community members marched to my house and accused me of killing their god. They beat me up mercilessly.

“They wrote a list of items amounting to N54,890 which they said I should buy to appease their god. Being a Christian, I told them that it is against my faith and more over, I killed a snake and not a human being.”

One of the community leaders, Chief Paul Edekobi said, instead of the pastor doing what he earlier agreed to do with the community by providing the items, he dragged them to Ogidi Police Station where six of the community leaders were arrested.

The Chief threatened that what he did was capable of wiping out his entire family if sacrifices were not made to appease the gods.

“We do not want to destroy his property and that is why we used the palm fronts to tie round the church to stop him from worshipping there for now,” Edekobi said.

But the pastor said: “What they are talking about is not tradition; they see the killing of a snake as a taboo in their world of idol worshipping and not same in Christian faith

“If they do not desist from this act, our next port of call will be the court for the enforcement of our fundamental human rights.”

Policeman shoots tanker driver over ‘too little bribe’

Two policemen may be dismissed from the Force for allegedly shooting a tanker driver for refusing to jack up the N100 bribe he offered them along Wudil Federal High-Way in Kano, northwest Nigeria on Monday.

Witnesses said hundreds of aggrieved tanker drivers blocked the major highway linking Kano to Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states to protest the shooting.

The Commissioner of Police who ordered for the immediate arrest and trial of the policemen, a sergeant and an Inspector, said his Command must ensure that they pay for their misdeeds.

Police: illegal shooting of tanker driver

“The Police flagged down the Tanker driver who was on his way to Kano and allegedly requested for a bribe; and the Tanker driver obliged and gave them a tip of N100, but the police men insisted that the money was too small. It was at this point that argument ensued and one of the police men pulled a trigger and shot the Tanker driver on the leg,” said an eyewitness.

Spokesman of the Command , ASP Musa Magaji Majia described the incident as worrisome, adding that the Police authorities are footing the hospital bills of the Tanker driver who was shot on the leg, “he is currently in stable condition,” Majia told our Correspondent.

“Once we received the signal from the area, we quickly moved in and ensured the arrest of the trigger-happy officer as well as his supervisor, an Inspector on the order of the Commissioner of Police.

“We took the injured driver to the hospital, foot his medical bill and also deployed an officer to watch over his safety while recuperating in his hospital bed. Justice will be done as we are prepared to sacrifice those men if they fail to prove their innocence. They must be tried in line with the established order and regulations,” Majia added.

Charges Dropped For Trey Songz' Alleged Assault Of A Woman With Dollar Bills

Trey Songz is off the hook from his charges from an incident at a New York strip club in which he allegedly threw a stack of dollar bills at a woman.

Trey Songz was arrested last year, after being accused of assaulting a woman during his album release party at a New York strip club in August. The R&B singer was reported to have been involved in an altercation outside the club, where he allegedly threw a "sum of United States currency" at a woman, "causing substantial pain to her left eye."

TMZ reports that after further investigation into the incident, officials could not prove that any illegal activity took place, so Songz is apparently off the hook.

According to the Queens D.A.'s office, even if Trey had thrown some racks at the woman, "There would be no clear case of misconduct. There was just no high level of recklessness."

Listen to Trey's "Make It Rain" below.