News: Victory over Boko Haram terrorists our ultimate aspiration, says NAF

THE Nigerian Air Force says its ultimate aspiration is the total decimation of Boko Haram terrorists in the North East of the country.

Air Commodore Dayo Amao, Commander, 75 Strike Group, Air Force Headquarters gave the pledge in Yola when he spoke with newsmen on a guided tour of territories captured from Boko Haram insurgents.

News: Colombia Bogota explosion injures police officers

AN explosive device has injured five police officers and two other people in the Colombian capital Bogota in the early hours.

The device, which was packed with shrapnel, went off as a police convoy was driving through the southern neighbourhood of Quiroga.

It is not yet clear who may be behind the attack.

News: JAMB assures visually-impaired candidates on admission

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Thursday assured the visually-impaired candidates writing the ongoing UTME Computer Based Test (CBT) of placement in universities of their choice.

Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, the JAMB Registrar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview in Lagos that such a gesture would enable the visually-challenged to strive for academic excellence.

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News: Australia probes reports teenager died in IS suicide attack

AUSTRALIA is attempting to verify reports that an Australian teenager died while carrying out a suicide attack for Islamic State (IS).

IS propaganda published on Thursday claimed that Jake Bilardi, 18, died in a co-ordinated series of suicide bombs in Ramadi in Anbar province, Iraq.

The reports have not been independently verified.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she had been told some months ago that he had travelled to the Middle East.

The government cancelled Bilardi's passport in October, Ms Bishop said.

"If the reports [of Bilardi's death] are confirmed, this is another tragic example of a young Australian being lured to a senseless and violent death by a brutal terrorist organisation that is intent on imposing suffering and misery, not only in Iraq and Syria, but beyond," she told reporters.

An image circulated on Thursday appeared to show Bilardi sitting in a white van, with his Arabic name - Abu Abdullah al Australi - printed underneath and the caption "may God accept him"

Bilardi is understood to have left Australia in August last year and travelled to Iraq via Istanbul.

Australia's ABC reported that he left a series of improvised explosive devices at his family home.

The devices were found by his family who alerted authorities, ABC said. Ms Bishop declined to comment on the report.

A blog reportedly authored by the teenager but removed from the internet contained threats to carry out terror attacks in Australia.

Asked about the threats, Ms Bishop said she was "seeking to confirm" the report and would comment after a briefing from security services.

Bilardi had spoken to the BBC's Secunder Kermani in December, and said he had travelled to the Middle East "chasing death".

"I might as well kill as many kuffar [infidels] as I can," he said.

Twitter accounts connected to IS claimed that Bilardi died in a series of car bomb attacks on Ramadi, along with foreign fighters from Uzbekistan, Russia, Syria, Egypt, Belgium, and Morocco.

The Australian coalition government made it a criminal offence earlier in March for Australian citizens to set foot in the IS stronghold of Mosul without a legitimate reason such as a visit to family.

Any Australian who travels to the city could face 10 years in prison.

Similar restrictions making it an offence for Australian citizens to travel to the Syrian province of al-Raqqa, another IS stronghold, were put in place in December.

But Australia estimates that around 90 of its citizens have already travelled to Iraq or Syria to fight with IS and 20 had been killed in the conflict.

The government has cancelled 100 passports on national security grounds.

Last week, two brothers were intercepted at Sydney airport last week suspected of attempting to join IS. They were later released to their parents.

News: Nemtsov daughter: Putin 'politically' to blame for murder

A daughter of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov says Vladimir Putin must bear responsibility for his murder.

Zhanna Nemtsova told the BBC she believed the Russian president was "politically" to blame.

Mr Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and veteran liberal politician, was shot dead on 27 February while walking with his girlfriend near the Kremlin.

President Putin has condemned the murder and vowed to find the killers.

Meanwhile, one of the men charged over the murder has said he was forced into a confession.

Zaur Dadayev told prison visitors that he was tied up for two days with a bag on his head, and only confessed to the killing so that a friend would be freed.

Speaking to the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse, Ms Nemtsova echoed previous claims made by her father's allies that his killing was politically motivated.

"He was the most prominent critic of Putin. He was the most powerful leader of the opposition of Russia," she said.

"After his death the opposition is beheaded and everybody is frightened," she added.

"Now we do not have any other figure so powerful... with so much expertise and experience to confront the officials."

The 30-year-old, who is a stock market analyst and TV presenter at a financial channel in Moscow, said she had not been contacted by Russian investigators because they were "not interested in an independent investigation".

Officials have yet to cite a motive for Mr Nemtsov's murder.

Last year, he contacted the Russian authorities after receiving death threats on his Facebook page, which he linked to his position on the conflict in Ukraine.

He had been drafting a report expected to expose covert Russian military involvement in the conflict.

Police turned down his request for an investigation in September.

Ms Nemtsov said she had not been able to access her father's apartment where he kept his files.

Speaking about the moment she learned of the 55-year-old's death, she said: "I couldn't believe it, I still can't believe it.

"They have killed my father, I cannot keep silent."

The EU foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, has called for a "full and transparent" investigation into the murder.

The European parliament is expected to adopt a resolution condemning the killing and the state of democracy in Russia later on Thursday.

On Sunday, a court in Moscow said Zaur Dadayev, who was charged alongside fellow Chechen Anzor Gubashev, had admitted involvement in the shooting on a bridge.

But a member of Russia's human rights council, who visited the suspects in prison on Tuesday, said there were "reasons to believe Zaur Dadayev confessed under torture".

Andrei Babushkin said Mr Dadayev had shown him marks from handcuffs and ropes around his legs, and told him he had been tortured with electricity.

He called for "people not involved in the investigation" to look into the claim.

Three other men, including Mr Gubashev's brother Shagid, are being held in connection with the case.

Russia's investigative committee said Mr Babushkin and a journalist accompanying him had been allowed to visit the prison to inspect the confinement conditions.

But they went beyond their remit by inquiring about the criminal case, violating "not only the established norms, but the law," a statement said.

Both Mr Babushkin and journalist Eva Merkacheva would be questioned by investigators, the committee said.

People close to Mr Nemtsov have cast doubt on suggestions he might have been targeted because he had defended the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

They said he was not prominent critic of radical Islamism and focused his criticism on President Putin.

News: New Cuba US direct phone link established

CUBA and the United States have re-established direct telephone links for the first time in 15 years, Cuba's state telecommunications company says.

The company, Etecsa, said initially the link would only be for phone calls.

Telephone calls have until now passed through a third country, making them very expensive.

It is the first agreement signed by the two countries since the announcement last December that the two states would renew diplomatic ties.

MIXTAPE: Dj Davoo - Hottest Sounds Mixtape (Vol. 1)

The wait is finally over, Starz Entertainment one of Nigeria’s fast growing Record Label and Management Company which houses the fast rising hiphop star and Deejay Present The Most Anticipated Hottest Sounds Mixtape Hosted By Dj Davoo