Drug can repair spinal cord injuries, study shows

A drug that can encourage nerves in the spinal cord to grow and repair injuries has been developed by US scientists.

The study on rats, published in the journal Nature, showed some degree of movement and bladder control could be restored.

The drug works by disrupting the "sticky glue" that prevents nerve cells from growing during an injury.

Further tests still need to take place, but the charity Spinal Research said "real progress" was being made.

Powerful Typhoon Hagupit nears Philippines

Tens of thousands of people have sought shelter as powerful Typhoon Hagupit heads towards the Philippines.

Hagupit, or Ruby in the Philippines, has gusts of up to 250km/h (155mph) and is forecast to reach land on Saturday.

It is on course for the Eastern Samar province and the city of Tacloban, where thousands were killed by Typhoon Haiyan a year ago.

Australian parliament backs migrant reforms

The Australian parliament has approved changes to immigration laws that include reintroducing controversial temporary visas for refugees.

The bill will allow refugees to live and work in Australia for three to five years, but denies them permanent protection.

It was passed by 34 votes to 32 in the senate and later backed by MPs.

Australia currently detains all asylum seekers who arrive by boat, holding them in offshore processing camps. 

Eric Garner death: Second night of protests in US cities

Protests have been held for a second night over the death of a black man held in an apparent chokehold by a white New York police officer.
Thousands of people took to the streets in US cities, disrupting traffic and holding sit-ins.

Somali radio closure: Shabelle manager 'in hiding'

The manager of the independent Shabelle radio station in the Somali capital has told the BBC he is in hiding after the authorities took it off air.

Mohamed Musa said soldiers stormed the radio's office on Friday, arresting about 20 people, three of whom are still in custody without being charged.

Fire destroys Nigeria football HQ

 

A huge fire has ripped through the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) building in the capital Abuja on Wednesday.

Flames were spotted coming out of the building at about 1000 local time and it took fire fighters almost two hours to extinguish the blaze.

Nigerian Fire Service official Eyo Ime said it is suspected an electrical fault caused the fire.

"The fire started from the chief accountant's office as I was told," said NFF general secretary Musa Amadu.

"I just arrived at the office and saw the smoke and was not allowed to go upstairs, obviously, for safety reasons.

"Staffers would have been able to reduce the impact of the damage, but could not gain access into his office and as such could not quell or trace where the smoke was coming out from.

"But we must not engage in blame games and thank God that no life was lost. But this is sad and unfortunate."

The disaster is another blow for the NFF, coming at a time when it is locked in a bitter leadership crisis which has seen president Aminu Maigari sacked and reinstated twice.

The African champions are also without a coach as the football authority continues to negotiate with Stephen Keshi, whose contract ran out in June, over his return to the job.

However, Keshi told BBC Sport he "cannot wait much longer", adding "it should only take the 24 hours or 48 hours to agree a contract; this is taking too much time".

Nepal and India floods leave many death

In Nepal, officials said at least 101 people were known to have died after rescuers found four more bodies. More than 130 people are still missing.

In northern Indian states severe flooding after rainfall left at least 60 dead and entire villages marooned.

The worst of the rain is now thought to be over.

This man hasn’t taken a bath since 1954

                     
Amou Hadji made headlines this week after a story circulated that he hasn’t bathed himself in 60 years. The 80-year-old Iranian man sat down for a brief photo series that details what could happen to the human body.

Not surprisingly, Hadji has a deep odor and his skin is tough and scaly. Hadji is homeless and refuses to eat food or drink clean water. His favorite food is dead porcupine and he regularly smokes a pipe filled with animal feces. Hadji claims that he has chosen this lifestyle to stay in touch with with the earth.

Zambian child bride: 'I was forced to marry a stranger'

                       

Seventeen-year-old Agnes (not her real name) was married three months ago to a man she had never met.

"My parents sat me down and told me I was no longer their responsibility. They wanted me to move out and start a life of my own," she recalls, sitting in the village of Chibombo, two hours' drive from Zambia's capitalLusaka.

"Things moved faster than I expected - when a stranger paid a bride price to my parents. I had no say in the matter," she says, tears welling in her eyes.

IPHONE VS ANDROID – WHICH IS BETTER AND WHY?

                               

Smartphones have become a basic part of life for people around the planet. Over a billion smartphones are expected to be purchased in 2014 alone. 90% of the smartphone market is occupied by either Apple’s iOS-running iPhones or smartphones powered by Google’s Android operating system. Deciding which of these two is right for you is the big question when you decide that you want to buy a new smartphone. It’s time to pick a side. Lifegooroo is here to give you all of the info on the great iPhone vs Android smartphone debate.

Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan vows to free Chibok girls

                   

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has told parents of the girls abducted by militant Islamist group Boko Haram that the government is doing everything possible to secure their release.

He met parents for the first time on Tuesday after being accused of handling the 100-day crisis badly.

More than 150 people attended the meeting after the government chartered a plane for them, reports say.

Attack on Congo barracks 'repulsed'!!!!

               

An attack on the military barracks of the presidential guards inKinshasa has been repulsed, the Democratic Republic of Congogovernment has said.

The situation is now under control and a small group of "infiltrators" defeated, the government said.

Heavy gunfire earlier rang out from Camp Tshatshi for about 30 minutes.

Rwenzori attacks: Museveni blames intelligence organ

Kampala. Uganda President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday broke his silence, blaming intelligence agencies, specifically the Internal Security Organisation for failure to detect and thwart the Saturday afternoon bloody attacks in Kasese and Bundibugyo that have so far left more than 90 people, including eight members of security forces, dead. Most of the dead are said to be suspected attackers belonging to the Bakonzo, the majority ethnic tribe in the area.

Pope Francis to hold first meeting with sex abuse victims

Pope Francis is to meet the victims of sexual abuse by priests for the first time since his election last year.

He is expected to meet the six victims - two each from Ireland, Britain and Germany - after they have attended a private morning Mass in the Vatican.

The Pope has vowed to punish clergy who have abused children, describing their actions as "satanic".

The Ukrainian government says its forces have retaken two more eastern cities from pro-Russian rebels.

The website of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the national flag was raised in Artemivsk and Druzhkivka.

It comes a day after government forces regained control of the rebel stronghold of Sloviansk.

Meanwhile, large crowds have attended a rally in the regional capital, Donetsk, in support of the rebels.

Israeli strikes kill Gaza militants

               

Nine Palestinian militants have been killed in Israeli air raids on Gaza following rocket attacks on Israel.

The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas says six of its fighters died in a single strike near Rafah in the south.

Three others died in separate Israeli air strikes in response to rocket and mortar fire on Israel.

Tensions in the region are high following the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdair.

Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria arrests 'female recruiters'

Three women have been arrested in Nigeria for recruiting female members for the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, the country's military says.

The women are said to have targeted widows and young girls, promising them marriage to Boko Haram members.

The militant group now has a female wing, the military says.

Somalia parliament suicide car bomb kills four

A suicide car bomb has killed at least four people near Somalia's parliament, police and Somali media say.

Reports say the bomb went off outside the main gate of parliament after guards shot at the bomber.

One report quoted al-Shabab militants praising the "sacrificial attack". An attack by the rebels on the building in May left at least 10 people dead.

The Islamist militant group lost control of Mogadishu in 2011 and has since carried out several bombings.

South Sudan: The hunger caused by bickering politicians

South Sudan returned to war in December but this time the fight was not against the old enemy, Khartoum, but between former allies on different sides of an ethnic divide. The fighting has disrupted the planting season and scattered livestock meaning that hunger is, again, taking hold.

You don't have to go much further than the airport in the capital Juba to see how far South Sudan has fallen in the six months since conflict restarted.

Arrests over Palestinian killing

A number of Jewish suspects have been arrested over the murder of Palestinian 16-year-old Mohammad Abu Khdair, whose death sparked days of violent protests.

Israeli police told the BBC that the teenager, abducted on Wednesday morning and found dead hours later, was killed "because of his nationality".