Performance: Presidency blasts Fashola for attacking President Ebele Jonathan

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">B</span>y Henry Umoru<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />ABUJA—THE Presidency yesterday carpeted Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State for accusing President Goodluck Jonathan’s government of being inactive for three years, saying the governor might have been occupied in his state to know the achievements of the administration.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At a briefing in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who admitted that there were some challenges, insisted that the government was giving its best attention to the problems.</span></div> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_459753" style="border: 0px; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 422px;"> <a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/performance-presidency-blasts-fashola-attacking-jonathan/atiku-fashola/" rel="attachment wp-att-459753" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt=" LECTURE: From left; Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and Chief Timipre Sylva at the 50th birthday lecture in honour of the former Bayelsa State Governor at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja yesterday." class="size-full wp-image-459753" height="250" src="http://dvsl3w2q45hb8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ATIKU-FASHOLA.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.247059) 1px 1px 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow;" width="412" /></span></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">LECTURE: From left; Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and Chief Timipre Sylva at the 50th birthday lecture in honour of the former Bayelsa State Governor at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja yesterday.</span></div> </div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Okupe was reacting to comments by Governor Fashola during a lecture at the 50th birthday celebration of former Governor Timipre Sylva.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fashola was quoted as saying “this government had been inactive for 3 years and in the fourth year intends to give the electorate kerosene, price and money for the purpose of seeking their votes.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">However, according to Okupe, “it has become necessary for us to respond to some blatant and obvious lies, deliberate and skillful misinformation contained in the lecture given by Governor Raji Fashola at the 50th Birthday celebration of former Governor Timipre. Governor Fashola stated that “this government had been inactive for three years and in the fourth year intends to give the electorate kerosene, price and money for the purpose of seeking their votes. Nothing can be further from the truth than this. ‘</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">”We admit that Governor Fashola may have been too occupied in Lagos and that may have narrowed his vision or precluded him from appreciating lofty developments by this administration all over the country.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On Jonathan’s achievements</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“We state as follows: The Government of President Goodluck Jonathan, has never lied about its achievements, programmes, commitments and even challenges within the Nigerian context. The Government inherited a generating capacity of 2800 Mega Watt, MW, 10 comatose National Integrated Power Projects, NIPPs, and an inefficient Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, the privatisation of which, though central to effective power supply, was never the less, seemingly unachievable.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“In three years, the Government has increased power generation to 5000MW with an installed capacity of 7000MW; which itself would have increased but for sabotage and vandalism sponsored by the opposition. The PHCN was seamlessly and transparently privatised to the acclamation of global players. All the comatose NIPP projects have been completed and brought back to life and their initial problem of non-alignment with gas pipe line infrastructure has been corrected.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“In the last three years, through the execution of its transformation Agenda, this administration, contrary to the assertions of Governor Fashola, has made significant achievements in the following areas:   Railways – which were comatose for 20 years, have been revamped. Lagos-Kano lines have been opened and currently carry in excess of 5 million passengers per annum from less than 1 million 4 years ago.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On infrastructure</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Infrastructure – several thousands of our major economic arterial roads have been rehabilitated while more than 2000km of new roads constructed. Aviation – Virtually all our airports international and local have been comprehensively rehabilitated and refurbished.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">”Agriculture – local food production has more than tripled. Food imports bill drastically reduced. We have become the largest exporter of cassava in the world. We have increased local Rice Production from 1.5 million tons to 3.5 million tons. We have revived the rice milling in the country. We had 1 million three years ago. Today, we have 18 million. A recently commission mill in Nasarawa is the largest in Africa.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On commerce and industry</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Commerce and Industry – A new sugar master plan is working. We will be self-sufficient in sugar production in 10 years. We are currently net exporter of cement. Housing – for the first time in Nigeria history, a Mortgage Refinancing Company has been formed and capitalized with $ 300 million. This will allow low and middle income Nigerians to be able to access long term mortgage loan at cheap rates nationwide.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On economy</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Economy – We have maintained healthy economic indices in the last three years. We have successfully diversified the Nigeria economy. Latest figure shows that contribution from oil has significantly reduced.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">”We are currently the largest economy in Africa and the 26th largest in the world. If we are able to maintain the current trend, we will be among the world top 20 in 10 years.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On insurgency</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“On the issue of insurgency, the President has not lied to the people of Nigeria. Insurgency is a global phenomenon which has recently plagued the country. At its peak, it ravaged some 12 States in the North including Abuja. Today, because of the courage, resilience and capability of our Armed Forces and Security Agencies, we have pushed them to the fringes of the North Eastern parts of the country. There are still obvious challenges but Government is giving it the best attention and considerations possible.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Recently, Foreign Allies including Britain, USA, France, Israel, China and Australia have arrived Nigeria soil and are co-operating with our military to resolve especially the issue of the kidnap of the Chibok girls. These are the best global players and have been with us for about six weeks. If the releasing of the girls was a tea-party, definitely, it should have been over by now. We have said it before and we will say it again, “yes, we know where the girls are but our approach at releasing them must be carefully weighed against their overall safety.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“It is a matter of National disgrace and shame that highly placed, and highly net worth individuals in the country will continue to politicise the Nations misfortunes and challenges not minding the deleterious and untoward demoralizing effects this attitude have on our Military especially, the widows and innocent children of our Military heroes who die daily on the fields, defending their country”.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On missing $49 billion</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“On the issue of the purported missing $49 billion from the NNPC account, it is regrettable that even some of the best among us will in the name of politics descend so low to propagate a confirmed falsehood. Even the originator of this story has since changed the figures at least three times. From $49 billion to $12 billion and to $20 billion, yet, none has been substantiated.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> <br /></div>

Performance: Presidency blasts Fashola for attacking President Ebele Jonathan

B y Henry Umoru ABUJA—THE Presidency yesterday carpeted Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State for accusing President Goodluck Jonathan...

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Most Amazing And Shocking Photos of 2013

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#14 World Aquatics Championship Marvell</span></span></h2> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">What is the best place to take an amazing photo? Underwater, of course! A photographer decided to use this technique during the World Aquatics Championship last year, and dived into the pool with his camera. You can see the result below. Isn't it amazing? This looks like a picture form an epic graphic novel!</span></span></div> <div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12594_700x.jpg" /></span></span></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html#Fwdf84KTtVq0ztJB.99</span></span></h2> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#13 Some Things Just Can't Be Destroyed</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The city of Moore in Oklahoma, USA was struck by a tornado on May 20, 2013. This disaster caused much destruction to many buildings, taking the lives of 23 people with it. This picture was taken after everything went quiet. Nature can destroy many things, but love is not among them, that's for sure.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12518_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmfEOyI_q-UeMt_ZqvJFz-cgU3mhq1cybQyk7UtnjCohDYJz7VkTJrvWBNDGNWIyYIpxrxZtjf4EJJrma818ow7f-eYLrNyHEE2kZV5ajGfnM7-bQHm23CjFON0eRlc4gqoeSyIqVFGc/s1600/Oklahoma+%23+2.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3.bp.blogspot.com</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> </div> <div class="pw pw-widget ra1-pw-classicWidget ra1-pw_size_small pw-layout-horizontal pw-widget-look-native" style="margin-top: 10px;"> <a class="pw-button pw-button-pinterest button-type-looknative pw-size-small look-native" href="" style="background-image: none !important; border: none !important; box-sizing: content-box; display: inline-block !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px 10px 1px 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: bottom;"><span class="pw-button-type-looknative" style="-webkit-background-clip: padding-box; background-clip: padding-box; background-image: linear-gradient(rgb(254, 254, 254) 0px, rgb(229, 229, 229) 100%); border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: content-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 18px !important; position: relative; vertical-align: top; width: 58px !important;"><span class="pw-icon ra1-pw-icon ra1-pw-icon-pinterest" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); background-image: url(http://i.po.st/static/v3/img/post-native.png); background-position: -102px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; box-sizing: content-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block !important; height: 14px !important; left: 50%; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -16px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; position: absolute; top: 2px; vertical-align: top; width: 31px !important;"></span></span></a></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=1#q7zEfalbK8uhjJ88.99</span></div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#12 Cleaning the Huang He River</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This looks like a huge thunderstorm, but it's not, actually. Some rivers like Huang He River in China require annual cleaning. Well, there was a good reason to call it the Yellow River after all.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12527_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://img.pr0gramm.com/2013/12/130711-twip-01.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">img.pr0gramm.com</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=2#KfcZPkbgQI8bPp3H.99</span></div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#11 Sinister Skies During a Baseball Game</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Most people go to baseball games to see the game itself, but you never know what else can be expected. Sometimes the surrounding atmosphere can be more impressive that the match itself. Just look at these crimson skies!</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12536_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/lollapa/imgs/6/2/62d868f8.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">livedoor.blogimg.jp</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=3#lIPri6GrVhliErHG.99</span></div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#9 Belgium October Riots</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Belgium experienced a number of demonstrations on its territory last year. Local police was used to keep peace during the protests, and eventually got covered in special foam, used for controlling the crowds.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12523_700x.jpg" style="width: 714px;" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://www.ideal.es/ideal/granada/multimedia/201310/07/media/20131007-10.JPG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ideal.es</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> </div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#8 Viral Photo from North Korea</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This country is considered to be closed to the majority of people, including officials and journalists as well. Taking this into consideration you can imagine the excitement surrounding the following photo.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12524_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://images.khabaronline.ir/Images/news/Larg_Pic/24-1-1392%5CIMAGE635014863309910384.JPG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">images.khabaronline.ir</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=6#sothA6KVWLmjI8m1.99</span></div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#7 Catching the Biggest Wave Ever in Portugal</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Can you spot the surfer on this photo? Look closely and you'll see a tiny man riding a giant wave. So what exactly brought Carlos Burle to perform this unbelievable stunt?He actually attempted to break the Guinness World Record by catching and ridding the biggest wave ever. Good news is that he succeeded after all.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12521_700x.png" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://static.tva.ca/sites/tva.ca/files/capture_decran_2013-10-30_a_07.14.43.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">static.tva.ca</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=7#cj7OwULgDftj887f.99</span></div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#6 Waiting for the New Catholic Leader</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In 2013, Vatican City introduced the new Pope - Francis, who has a great support by Catholics from all over the world. The following picture was taken on the day of his election, when thousands of people gathered to welcome him.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12528_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqOokzpKD4lVJ-wEPiOX6iEH6A2QwJyMpxmBzymRTXnqn7d1zDtMTTNnvzC_AKYiVk3mlohZdmT6phHRllrLDU_MGr1q2SaGGYuXVN-afJXjhl6zLgD54AeKKy_Ujm-l7kGRDy65x5l5j/s1600/estamos-contigo-papa-francisco.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1.bp.blogspot.com</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=8#0fURmt8s00qePWqA.99</span></div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#5 A Boy and His Dog</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">News is always full of stories about pets rescuing their masters. This time we've got the opposite situation: this boy saved his dog's life during massive flooding in Manila, the capital of the Philippines back in November, 2013. True friends are friends forever!</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12529_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1358929/thumbs/o-MEXIQUE-MORTS-facebook.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">i.huffpost.com</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=9#JrUW3fY9qFeo5DT0.99</span></div> <div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#4 The Power of Lightning</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lightning can be truly impressive, and the following picture serves as a perfect example to that. The photographer has managed to take a photo exactly the same moment the lightning hit the river. If you are planning to visit France, you might see something similar yourself in Angel Bay, Nice.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12532_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://tpic.home.news.cn/xhForum/xhdisk001/M00/06/76/wKhJEFJRMhgEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA729.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tpic.home.news.cn</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> </div> <div class="pw pw-widget ra1-pw-classicWidget ra1-pw_size_small pw-layout-horizontal pw-widget-look-native" style="margin-top: 10px;"> <a class="pw-button pw-button-pinterest button-type-looknative pw-size-small look-native" href="" style="background-image: none !important; border: none !important; box-sizing: content-box; display: inline-block !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px 10px 1px 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: bottom;"><span class="pw-button-type-looknative" style="-webkit-background-clip: padding-box; background-clip: padding-box; background-image: linear-gradient(rgb(254, 254, 254) 0px, rgb(229, 229, 229) 100%); border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: content-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 18px !important; position: relative; vertical-align: top; width: 58px !important;"><span class="pw-icon ra1-pw-icon ra1-pw-icon-pinterest" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); background-image: url(http://i.po.st/static/v3/img/post-native.png); background-position: -102px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; box-sizing: content-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block !important; height: 14px !important; left: 50%; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -16px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; position: absolute; top: 2px; vertical-align: top; width: 31px !important;"></span></span></a></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=10#3Ij6fT7ACvg3fVgZ.99</span></div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#3 Christ, the Redeemer and the Full Moon</span></span></h2> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This statue doesn't require any special introduction, as it's one of the most famous attractions located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Being a perfect example of Art Deco style, it looks more than impressive under the full moon.</span></span></div> <div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12535_700x.jpg" /></span></span></div> <div style="font-weight: normal;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://jto.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/wn20130528h1a.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">jto.s3.amazonaws.com</a></span></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=11#9BBisvMd6TMDC21x.99</span></span></h2> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#2 Beautiful Union of Hibiscus Flower and Volcano Ash</span></span></h2> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">No, this picture wasn't photoshopped in any particular way. It's a real photo of a real hibiscus flower taken in Sumatra Island, Indonesia. The secret behind it is tied with Sinabung volcano eruption, which covered the surrounding area with dust and ashes.</span></span></div> <div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12537_700x.jpg" /></span></span></div> <div style="font-weight: normal;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://blogs.ft.com/photo-diary/files/2013/11/Ash.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blogs.ft.com</a></span></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></span></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Read more at http://news.nster.com/740-most-shocking-images-of-2013.html?b=12#P4BZ043byKcMLfty.99</span></span></h2> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#1 The Land of Skyscrapers</span></span></h2> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Recife is one of the biggest metropolitan area in Brazil, and is literally filled with skyscrapers. Do you see those black stripes on the picture below? These are actually shadows of the skyscrapers themselves! Seems like it's really hard to find sunny spot to play soccer there.</span></div> <div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: right;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img class="" src="http://news.nster.com/images/uploaded/00/01/25/12539_700x.jpg" /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Image source:</span> <a href="http://as01.epimg.net/futbol/imagenes/2013/06/15/album/1371251479_453061_1371252645_album_grande.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">as01.epimg.net</a></span><div class="author-google-block"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="source-title">Text by: </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/108715881070559336191?rel=author" target="_blank">Adam Kent</a></span></div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> </div> <div class="pw pw-widget ra1-pw-classicWidget ra1-pw_size_small pw-layout-horizontal pw-widget-look-native" style="margin-top: 10px;"> <br /></div> </div>

Most Amazing And Shocking Photos of 2013

#14 World Aquatics Championship Marvell What is the best place to take an amazing photo? Underwater, of course! A photographer decided ...

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Power struggle on Baghdad streets as Maliki replaced but refuses to go

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div id="slideshowInlineLarge" style="clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; width: 580px;"> <div class="yui-sldshw-displayer" id="displayFrame" style="float: none; height: 378px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 580px;"> <div class="yui-sldshw-active yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 1; position: absolute; text-align: left; width: 580px; z-index: 2;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic0" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow/idUSKBN0G808J20140811#a=1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium;" target="_top"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Iraqis carry a portrait of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as they march in support of him in Baghdad, August 11, 2014. REUTERS-Ahmed Saad" id="image0" src="http://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20140811&t=2&i=962504155&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=378&r=LYNXMPEA7A0EO" style="border: none; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; outline: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 654px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic1" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 654px;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow/idUSKBN0G808J20140811#a=2" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Iraqis carry portraits of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as they gather in support of him in Baghdad, August 11, 2014. REUTERS-Ahmed Saad" id="image1" src="http://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20140811&t=2&i=962518476&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=378&r=LYNXMPEA7A0F6" style="border: none; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; outline: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic2" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic3" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic4" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic5" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic6" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic7" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic8" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic9" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic10" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> </div> </div> <div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="display: table; height: 378px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; text-align: center; visibility: hidden; width: 580px; z-index: 0;"> <div class="image-container" id="ic11" style="display: table-cell; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 580px;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow/idUSKBN0G808J20140811#a=12" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;" target="_top"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing the violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, re-enter Iraq from Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in Fishkhabour, Dohuk Province, August 10, 2014. REUTERS-Ari Jalal" id="image11" src="http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20140811&t=2&i=962518470&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=378&r=LYNXMPEA7A0FE" style="border: none; height: 378px; margin: 0px auto; outline: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="rolloverCaption" id="captionContent" style="bottom: -1px; clear: both; float: left; left: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: -10px; padding-right: 20px; position: relative; width: 600px !important; z-index: 2;"> <div class="rolloverBg" style="background-image: none; clear: both; float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; width: 610px !important;"> <div class="captionText" style="height: 60px; margin-right: 10px; padding: 10px; position: relative;"> <div style="padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="label" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;">1 OF 12. </span>Iraqis carry a portrait of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as they march in support of him in Baghdad, August 11, 2014.</span></div> <div class="credit" style="margin-top: 5px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CREDIT: REUTERS/AHMED SAAD</span></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnLeft" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-right: 35px;"> <div class="relatedRail gridPanel grid2" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 140px;"> <div class="module" id="relatedVideo" style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 20px; width: 140px;"> <div class="moduleHeader" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border: medium none; float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; width: 140px;"> <h3 style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">RELATED VIDEO</span></span></h3> </div> <div class="moduleBody" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 140px;"> <div class="feature" style="background-image: none; float: left; padding: 0px; width: 140px;"> <div class="photo" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 4px 0px; position: relative;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSKBN0G808J20140811?videoId=339764019" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; margin-top: 3px; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Video" border="0" height="80" src="http://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?d=20140811&i=91932837&w=140&r=91932837-1&t=2" style="border: medium none; outline: none;" width="140" /><img alt="" border="0" class="overlay" height="80" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources_v2/images/video_overlay_140.gif" style="border: none !important; left: 0px; outline: none; position: absolute;" width="140" /></span></a></div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 20px;" tns="no"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSKBN0G808J20140811?videoId=339764019" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 3px; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Kurdish forces battle Islamic State militants near Arbil</span></a></h2> <div class="photo" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 4px 0px; position: relative;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSKBN0G808J20140811?videoId=339616694" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; margin-top: 3px; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Video" border="0" height="80" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?d=20140811&i=91915920&w=140&r=91915920-1&t=2" style="border: medium none; outline: none;" width="140" /><img alt="" border="0" class="overlay" height="80" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources_v2/images/video_overlay_140.gif" style="border: none !important; left: 0px; outline: none; position: absolute;" width="140" /></span></a></div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 20px;" tns="no"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSKBN0G808J20140811?videoId=339616694" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 3px; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Al-Maliki should not stir the waters-Kerry</span></a></h2> <div class="photo" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 4px 0px; position: relative;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSKBN0G808J20140811?videoId=339506982" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; margin-top: 3px; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Video" border="0" height="80" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?d=20140811&i=91906450&w=140&r=91906450-1&t=2" style="border: medium none; outline: none;" width="140" /><img alt="" border="0" class="overlay" height="80" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources_v2/images/video_overlay_140.gif" style="border: none !important; left: 0px; outline: none; position: absolute;" width="140" /></span></a></div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 20px;" tns="no"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/video/idUSKBN0G808J20140811?videoId=339506982" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 3px; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">More aid reaches northern Iraq as political strife grows</span></a></h2> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnLeft" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-right: 35px;"> <div class="relatedRail gridPanel grid2" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 140px;"> <div class="module" id="relatedNews" style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 20px; width: 140px;"> <div class="moduleHeader" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border: medium none; float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; width: 140px;"> <h3 style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">RELATED NEWS</span></span></h3> </div> <div class="moduleBody" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 140px;"> <ul style="clear: both; float: left; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; width: 140px;"> <li style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px;"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/11/us-iraq-security-yazidis-mountain-idUSKBN0GB29O20140811" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Iraq's Yazidis who escaped Mount Sinjar haunted by horrors</span></a></li> <li style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px;"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/11/us-iraq-security-un-idUSKBN0GB20V20140811" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Kurdish forces and others aiding escape from Iraqi mountain: U.N.</span></a></li> <li style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px;"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/11/us-iraq-security-usa-strikes-idUSKBN0GB1WQ20140811" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">U.S. strikes have slowed Iraq militants but not weakened them: Pentagon</span></a></li> <li style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px;"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/11/us-iraq-security-usa-kurds-idUSKBN0GB1XL20140811" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">U.S. begins direct arms shipments to Kurdish forces</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnLeft" style="clear: left; 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border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px;"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/united-nations" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">United Nations »</span></a></li> <li style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 0px;"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/places/iraq" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Iraq »</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnLeft" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-right: 35px;"> <div class="relatedRail gridPanel grid2" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 140px;"> <div id="thirdPartyLinkbackNews"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnLeft" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-right: 35px;"> <div class="relatedRail gridPanel grid2" id="relatedInteractive" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 140px;"> </div> </div> <div class="columnLeft" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-right: 35px;"> <div class="relatedRail gridPanel grid4" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 300px;"> <div class="assetBuddy" name="breaking news - Iraq"> <span modulename="E0812141148_475056" name="trackingEnabledModule" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="module" style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 20px; width: 300px;"> <div class="moduleHeader" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border: medium none; float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; width: 300px;"> <h3 style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/breaking-news-iraq" modid="worldNews|Text|E0812141148_475056" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">IRAQ</a></h3> </div> <div class="moduleBody" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 300px;"> <div class="gallery feature" style="float: left; padding: 0px; width: 300px;"> <div class="photo" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 4px 0px; position: relative;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/breaking-news-iraq" modid="worldNews|Text|E0812141148_475056" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to the media on the situation in Iraq on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington August 9, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas" border="0" src="http://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/media/global/assets/images/20140811/20140811_5891177620140811105808.jpg" style="border: none; outline: none;" title="President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to the media on the situation in Iraq on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington August 9, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas" /></a></div> <h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 20px;"> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/breaking-news-iraq" modid="worldNews|Text|E0812141148_475056" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">The Iraq Crisis: As it happens</a></h2> </div> </div> </div> </span></div> </div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Reuters) - Iraq's president named a new prime minister to end Nuri al-Maliki's eight-year rule on Monday, but the veteran leader refused to go after deploying militias and special forces on the streets, creating a dangerous political showdown in Baghdad.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Washington, which helped install Maliki following its 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, congratulated Haidar al-Abadi, a former Maliki lieutenant who was named by President Fouad Masoum to replace him.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maliki said in a televised speech the president's decision to name a replacement for him was a "dangerous violation" of the constitution and, flanked by political allies, he vowed "we will fix the mistake."</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maliki's son-in-law, Hussein al-Maliki, called the move "illegal" and said it would be overturned in court. "We will not stay silent," he said.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Washington delivered a stern warning to Maliki not to "stir the waters" by using force to cling to power.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A Shi'ite Muslim Islamist, Maliki is blamed by his erstwhile allies in Washington and Tehran for driving the alienated Sunni minority into a revolt that threatens to destroy the country. Leaders of Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish communities have demanded he go, and many fellow Shi'ites have turned against him.</span></div> <span id="articleText" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span id="midArticle_start"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><span class="focusParagraph"></span><span id="midArticle_1"></span><span id="midArticle_2"></span><span id="midArticle_3"></span><span id="midArticle_4"></span><span id="midArticle_5"></span><span id="midArticle_6"></span></span><br /> <div style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"> U.S. President <span class="mandelbrot_refrag"><a class="mandelbrot_refrag" data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.reuters.com/people/barack-obama?lc=int_mb_1001" style="color: #006e97; cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Barack Obama</a></span> said the naming of a new prime minister was an important stride for <span class="mandelbrot_refrag"><a class="mandelbrot_refrag" data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.reuters.com/places/iraq?lc=int_mb_1001" style="color: #006e97; cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Iraq</a></span> toward rebuffing Islamic State militants, who have overrun large swathes of northern Iraq.</div> <br /> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Obama said he spoke with Abadi to congratulate him and to urge him to quickly form a new cabinet that is broadly representative of Iraq's different ethnic and religious communities.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also praised the naming of Abadi and urged him to seek a broad-based government acceptable to all components of Iraqi society, the United Nations said.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The new political crisis comes just days after Washington launched its first military action in <span class="mandelbrot_refrag"><a class="mandelbrot_refrag" data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.reuters.com/places/iraq?lc=int_mb_1001" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Iraq</a></span> since pulling its troops out in 2011. U.S. warplanes have bombed Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State, who have marched through northern and western Iraq since June.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Washington says it is taking limited action to protect a Kurdish autonomous region and prevent what Obama called a potential "genocide" of religious minorities targeted by the militants.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Pentagon said U.S. airstrikes conducted since Friday have slowed the operational tempo of the Islamic State but are unlikely to substantially weaken the group.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">U.S. aircraft on Monday hit four Islamic State checkpoints and destroyed several of the group's vehicles near Mount Sinjar, where thousands of people of the Yazidi religious sect have taken refuge, the Pentagon said.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Washington is also directly supplying weapons to Kurdish fighters, U.S. officials said. The weapons were supplied by the Central Intelligence Agency but the Pentagon may soon start arming the Kurds, the officials said. They declined to specify when the supply program began or what sort of arms it included.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">NEW GAINS FOR ISLAMIC STATE</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Islamic State fighters made new gains against Kurdish forces despite four days of U.S. airstrikes, while Baghdad, long braced for the Sunni fighters to attack, was now tensing for possible clashes between Maliki and rivals within the Shi'ite majority.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">President Masoum asked Abadi to form a government that could win the support of all groups in a parliament elected in April. In remarks broadcast on television, Masoum, a Kurd, urged Abadi to "form a broader-based government" over the next month.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Abadi urged national unity against the "barbaric" Islamic State, which has driven tens of thousands from their homes as it swept aside Baghdad's troops to consolidate a "caliphate" in Iraq and <span class="mandelbrot_refrag"><a class="mandelbrot_refrag" data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.reuters.com/places/syria?lc=int_mb_1001" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Syria</a></span>.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"We all have to cooperate to stand against this terrorist campaign launched on Iraq and to stop all terrorist groups," he said in broadcast remarks after meeting Masoum.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As police and elite armed units, many equipped and trained by the United States, locked down the capital's streets, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry aimed a stark warning at Maliki against fighting to hold on to power.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"There should be no use of force, no introduction of troops or militias in this moment of democracy for Iraq," Kerry said. "The government formation process is critical in terms of sustaining stability and calm in Iraq and our hope is that Mr. Maliki will not stir those waters.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"There will be little international support of any kind whatsoever for anything that deviates from the legitimate constitution process that is in place and being worked on now."</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Under Iraq's post-Saddam governing system, designed to avert conflict by giving all groups a stake, the speaker of parliament is a Sunni and the largely ceremonial president a Kurd. Most authority is wielded by the prime minister, a Shi'ite.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maliki's opponents accuse him of abusing the system by keeping key security posts in his own hands instead of sharing them with other groups, alienating Sunnis in particular by ordering the arrest of their political leaders. Islamic State fighters were able to exploit that resentment to win support from other Sunni armed groups.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maliki's Shi'ite State of Law bloc emerged as the biggest group in parliament in the April election, but does not have enough seats to rule without support from Sunnis, Kurds and other Shi'ite blocs, nearly all of which demand he go.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He has nevertheless stayed on in a caretaker capacity while arguing that the constitution requires his bloc to be given the first opportunity to form a government. He has used courts before to keep power: in the previous election in 2010, when State of Law was second, a court let him form a cabinet.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">'PRETTY RELIEVED'</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A U.S. official insisted Washington had not been involved in the selection of Abadi but said "everybody is pretty relieved that they have chosen somebody and that it was not Maliki".</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maliki also appears to have alienated his supporters in <span class="mandelbrot_refrag"><a class="mandelbrot_refrag" data-ls-seen="1" href="http://www.reuters.com/places/iran?lc=int_mb_1001" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Iran</a></span>, the regional Shi'ite power, which has sent military advisers to help organize the battle against the Islamic State. Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric, Ali Sistani, all but ordered Maliki to leave power on Friday, declaring that politicians who cling to power were making a "grave mistake".</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Obama says a more inclusive government in Baghdad is a pre-condition for more aggressive U.S. military support against the Islamic State. He has rejected calls in some quarters for a return of U.S. ground troops, apart from several hundred military advisers sent in June.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Islamic State, which sees Shi'ites as heretics who deserve to be killed, has ruthlessly moved through one town after another, using tanks and heavy weapons it seized from soldiers who have fled in the thousands.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On Monday, police said the fighters had seized the town of Jalawla, 115 km (70 miles) northeast of Baghdad, after driving out the forces of the autonomous Kurdish regional government.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On Sunday, a government minister said Islamic State militants had killed hundreds of people from the small, Kurdish-speaking Yazidi religious sect, burying some alive and taking women as slaves. No confirmation was available for the killings.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thousands of Yazidis have taken refuge in the past week on the arid heights of Mount Sinjar, close to the Syrian border. The Islamic State considers the Yazidis, who follow an ancient faith derived from Zoroastrianism, to be "devil worshippers".</span></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span id="midArticle_8"></span><span id="midArticle_9"></span><span id="midArticle_10"></span><span id="midArticle_11"></span><span id="midArticle_12"></span><span id="midArticle_13"></span><span id="midArticle_14"></span><span id="midArticle_15"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><span id="midArticle_1"></span><span id="midArticle_2"></span><span id="midArticle_3"></span><span id="midArticle_4"></span><span id="midArticle_5"></span><span id="midArticle_6"></span><span id="midArticle_7"></span><span id="midArticle_8"></span><span id="midArticle_9"></span><span id="midArticle_10"></span><span id="midArticle_11"></span><span id="midArticle_12"></span><span id="midArticle_13"></span><span id="midArticle_14"></span><span id="midArticle_15"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><span id="midArticle_1"></span><span id="midArticle_2"></span><span id="midArticle_3"></span><span id="midArticle_4"></span><span id="midArticle_5"></span></span><br /> <div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> A U.N. official said on Monday that thousands of Yazidis have been able to escape in the past three days with help from Kurdish security forces and others. But the official said many are still trapped on the mountain.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The bloodshed could increase pressure on Western powers to do more to help those who have fled the Islamic State's offensive. They have already dropped supplies and U.S. aircraft have been bombing the militants since Friday.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span id="midArticle_6"></span><span id="midArticle_7"></span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Reporting by Michael Georgy Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=alastair.macdonald&" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Alastair Macdonald</a>, <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=peter.graff&" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Peter Graff</a>and <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=eric.beech&" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Eric Beech</a>; Editing by <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=david.stamp&" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">David Stamp</a> and <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=ken.wills&" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none medium; text-decoration: none;">Ken Wills</a>)</span></div> </div>

Power struggle on Baghdad streets as Maliki replaced but refuses to go

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