PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

                        Al-Shabaab commander of the Janaale region south of Mogadishu,Abdirashir Buqdube killed alongside 22 others in a joint security operation by the African Union Peacekeeping Mission {AMISOM} and Somalia National Army {SNA} yesterday night.AMISOM's Sector One Commander Brigadier General Sam Okiding,said in a statement issued in Mogadishu that ''Al-Shabaab cannot hide and we shall continue to work hard to deny them safe haven until the people have been liberated from Al-Shabaab terror''.Over the past two days,at least 12 militants have been killed attempting to ambush and disrupt AMISON & SNA troops doing development projects such as borehole repairs and clearing roads reports Xinhua.                                                                ...

                         In a joint statement,Drew Barrymore and her husband of three years Will Kopelman,insisted that their daughters,3 year old Olive and 23 month old Franlkie will remain their top priority.They told People magazine that ''Sadly our family is separating legally,although we do not feel this takes away from us being a family.Divorce might make one feel like a failure,but eventually you start to find grace in the idea that life goes on.Our children are our universe,and we look forward to living the rest of our lives with them as the first priority''.The news of her marriage break up emerged on friday,thrice married Drew Barrymore was spotted back in her home town of Los Angeles.Now it has emerged that friction over where to base their young family was one of the key issues that led to the breakdown of her marriage to New Yorker Will.The pair's marital home was on New York's Upper East Side,and it is here t...

                     A Syrian officer told pressmen that Islamic State militants retreating from Palmyra,laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in.The officer said main streets and side roads in Palmyra had been rigged with explosives weighing up to 50 kg.More than 3,000 had already been safely detonated since government forces,backed by Russian jets,retook the city on sunday.He did not say why the Islamic State fighters failed to set off the explosives before pulling out,but his assertion echoed comments from Syria's antiquities chief,who said the militants intended to dynamite a greater area of the city's 2,000  year old ruins than they already had.The officer,who did not give his name,said the bombs left behind were linked so they could go off together.Islamic State's defeat in Palmyra was not only a significant military victory for President Bashar al-Assad,opening up the count...

                   It was reported today saturday that two illegal immigrant were arrested two days ago in Cross River by the Nigerian Immigration.The two illegal immigrants are identified as Nji Haeges-Chi from Cameroon and Shahid Mahmood a Pakistani.They both arrested by the border patrol team of the Nigeria Immigration Service on thursday at Yala Local Government Area of the state.The state Comptroller of NIS,Mrs Funke Adeuyi,made the disclosure to journalists in Calabar while parading the duo at the NIS headquarters in the state capital.''These two illegal immigrants were arrested by men of the NIS at Yala LGA of the state on March 31st.After a thorough profiling,our preliminary investigation revealed that both of them do not have the valid travelling documents to be in Nigeria.Our investigation also revealed that the Pakistani national was smuggled into Nigeria by his Cameroonian accomplice and as it concerns security,the intention ...

                  According to sources,Indian actress Pratyusha Banerjee,who shot to fame for her role as Anandi in ''Balika Vadhu'',committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her Goregaon residence yesterday friday.She was 24 years old and her fiance actor/producer Rahul Raj,found her hanging around 5 pm and informed her uncle.She was rushed to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri where doctors pronounced her dead informed the police.Though no suicide note was found from her flat but sources claimed that she set to be married to her fellow actor fiance when trouble brewed between them which led to her taking her own life.Nawahoo.More photos below.                             

               Somali born Supermodel Iman Abdulmajid,lost her mother Mariam to the cold hands of death yesterday thursday.Iman captioned these picture she took with her parents on her wedding in Tuscany on 24 April 1992, ''Saddened by death of my mom Maryan Baadi.May Allah grant her the highest jennah.I beg that you respect my family's privacy during our time of grief #ripmaryanbaadi''.Her mother was an activist,so was her father.Her parent's came from a generation of young Somalis who were actively involved in getting independence for Somalia in 1960.Iman's mother died two months after the death of her musician husband David Bowie.She was married to her late husband 24 years ago,and they have a 15 year old named Alexandra Zahra,known as Lexi.May her mother's soul rest in peace,amen.More photos below.                                           ...

                 Late Dr Tunji Braithwaite who died on tuesday will be buried April 28.The burial date was contained in a funeral programme issued by the family today friday evening.According to the programme,he will be interred at the Reverend Braithwaite Memorial Church,Papa Epe,Lagos.The three day burial arrangement will commence with a service of songs at Yard 158,Oregun street,Ikeja on April 26,while the Christian wake keep will take place at his Victoria Island residence on April 27.More photos below.                                                                                                                               ...