UkoLight

Israel has for the first time confirmed that it destroyed a suspected nuclear reactor being built in Syria in 2007. The military said fighter jets bombed the al-Kibar facility in Deir al-Zour province, 450km (280 miles) north-east of Damascus, as it neared completion. Syria’s government has repeatedly denied that it was building a reactor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was determined to prevent its enemies from obtaining nuclear weapons. “The Israeli government, the Israel Defense Forces and the Mossad [intelligence services] prevented Syria from developing nuclear capability. They are worthy of full praise for this,” he wrote on Twitter.

Ride-sharing giant   Uber   said Monday it is suspending use of   self-driving cars after  one of the vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in the   US state of Arizona .   Naija  News  Learnt The Uber vehicle was in autonomous mode, with an operator behind the wheel,  when it hit a woman walking in the street in the city of Tempe late Sunday,  according to the San Francisco-based company. The victim was hospitalized and  later died from her injuries.  “ Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” an Uber spokesperson told AFP. “We are fully  cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.” Uber said it had temporarily halted its use of self-driving cars for testing or  customer rides in Tempe, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and San Francisco.Tempe is one  of just two cities — along with Pittsburgh — where the ride-sharing firm has been  usin...

The US state of Florida, scene of America’s latest school shooting, on Wednesday passed bill that raises the minimum age to buy firearms to 21 while funding a program that allows some teachers and school employees to be armed. The “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act,” which takes its name from last month’s mass shooting in which 17 people including 14 students were killed, passed the legislature’s lower house a day after clearing the Senate. It will now be sent to Governor Rick Scott to sign. The Republican has not indicated whether he would veto the law, but he has previously expressed opposition to US President Donald Trump’s call to arm teachers. America’s long-moribund gun control debate was revived by survivors of the Parkland shooting, who a day after their school was attacked launched the “Never Again” movement demanding legislative action. The bill raises the minimum age to purchase all firearms from 18 to 21 – a move opposed by the powerful Na...

North Korea has declared its readiness to teach the United States a "severe lesson" with its strategic nuclear force if it takes military action against it. The Asian nation also said it will not put its nuclear program or its missiles on the negotiating table. This was contained in a statement after a regional meeting on Monday. In a transcript of a statement by Foreign Minister, Ri Yong-ho, which was distributed to media in Manila, North Korea described new U.N. sanctions as "fabricated" and warned there would be "strong follow-up measures" and acts of justice. North Korea said the resolution showed the United Nations had abused its authority. It said its intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July proved that the entire United States was in its firing range, and those missiles were a legitimate means of self-defense.

Israel calls for Saudi Arabia ties Doha - Israel's intelligence and transportation minister has called on Saudi Arabia's King Salman to invite Prime Minister Netanyahu to Riyadh to establish full diplomatic relations.  Speaking at the Herzliya conference on Thursday, Yisrael Katz also asked King Salman to send newly appointed crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to Tel Aviv after describing shared interest regarding Iran.  "I call upon Salman, the King of Saudi, to invite the prime minister of Israel Netanyahu to visit Saudi Arabia," Katz said.  "We saw what a wonderful host you can be ... when President Trump was there. You can also send your heir, the new one, Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He's a dynamic person. He is an initiator. And he wants to break through. "Exactly this way ... they know who Iran is. They know we have to create an access vis-a-vis Iran. You can send him for a meeting in Israel and I promise y...

WOMEN Soldiers are rarely deployed to conflict situations and their role is shaped by Attitudes to women,s work. Kenya is a key actor in East African security, playing a major role in multinational peacekeeping forces. The Kenya Defence Forces are active in regions where gender-based violence is pervasive, both during and after conflict, yet the access of women in the Kenyan military to meaningful assignments is influenced by traditional attitudes regarding women’s work, and the deployment of women to conflict situations is rare. Research on policy frameworks guiding gender mainstreaming in the Kenyan security sector – and the extent to which policy is carried out – has identified the space women occupy in the KDF and the challenges they face when opting for a career in the military. Kenya military Women photo About the authors Yolande Bouka  is a research associate for the ISS Peace and Security Research Programme, specialising in the Great Lakes Region. She is a ...

Robert Durst, who told prosecutors last year that he has only five years left to live, was wheeled into a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday for a battle over whether his personal papers can be used at trial. The real-estate scion's apparent frailty became the focus of the hearing when prosecutors tried to expedite questioning of two witnesses — an elderly Manhattan doctor and an unnamed person — citing concerns for their safety. Defense attorney David Chesnoff objected, referencing his client's poor health. "Suggesting somehow that a man in a wheelchair is somehow a threat to an 85-year old man in New York ... is just hyperbole," Chesnoff said. Durst, 74, is charged with killing his confidant, Susan Berman, in 2000, allegedly because she knew too much about the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathie, who is presumed dead. Durst was acquitted of murder in 2003 for the death of Texas neighbor Morris Black after he claimed he killed him and dismembered...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - The number of mumps cases in Arkansas have continued to increase. According to the Arkansas Department of Health there are now 1,764 cases being reported. So far, those cases have come from 12 different counties. Five colleges have been affected by the virus, including the University of Arkansas, University of Central Arkansas, and Henderson State University. Doctors are stressing to the public to make sure you are fully vaccinated. Of the 1,764 reported cases, 1,136 of the people were between the ages of 5 and 17. 546 cases are from being over the age of 18.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - The Arkansas Department of Health is tying the mumps outbreak in northwest Arkansas to a community of Marshall Islanders. ADH said the community accounted for about 60 percent of the state's 2,220 reported cases. The mumps outbreak began in August 2016. The department isn't sure why so many Marshallese people are infected, but they are now investigating if the vaccine is less effective for certain people.

Nigeria-born Woyin Karowei Dorgu has been apponited the 13th bishop of Woolwich, England, UK. The Guardian UK reports that Mr Dorgu will be the first black bishop appointed by the Church of England in 20 years. New England Bishop Mr Dorgu's nomination was approved by Queen Elizabeth II whose consecration at Southwark Cathedral will take place on March 17 next year. The 58-year-old was trained as a general practitioner in Lagos before being ordained in the UK. There he has served as a minister in several London parishes. The new bishop plans to celebrate the racial diversity of Woolwich, where a significant Nigerian population live. At a press conference at Southwark Cathedral Rev Woyin Karowei Dorgu said: "I will celebrate the diversity in race, ability, gender, sexuality and class... Celebrating our differences is a gift. My appointment is a small step in the right direction. Quite a lot of Nigerian Christians [in the Woolwich area] are from an Anglican ba...

OAKLAND (CBS SF) — CHP warned drivers to expect delays after a shooting on eastbound I-580 near Lakeshore Avenue led investigators to shut down the freeway in that direction for about 50 minutes Monday afternoon. CHP first reported the shooting with a tweet shortly before 3 p.m. A later tweet included a photo that showed no cars on a stretch of eastbound I-580 near the closure The closure made for a massive traffic jam in the eastbound direction as CHP funneled drivers off the freeway at Lakeshore Avenue. No a Video Authorities stated that there were no injuries in the shooting. CHP tweeted that the eastbound lanes were reopened at about 3:40 p.m. Another shooting on I-580 a few miles away near the Fruitvale Avenue exit late last month left two people injured and led to a closure of eastbound lanes for almost two hours.