Simon Akpaasou's Blog

Saudi Influencer Under Fire After Sharing a Video of Her Wedding Ceremony With a Christian American Story by Salam Bustanji A Saudi Influencer received a massive backlash after she shared a video on her social media, in which she is getting married to a Christian American. The incident sparked a controversy due to the fact that Muslim females are forbidden to marry men from different faiths. The Saudi bride appeared in the video, dressed in a short white wedding dress, making vows to her husband, who makes his vows in Arabic as she and the guests laugh.  She also left this post on her Instagram account: I’m here to announce something, it’s my turn to be happy, I’m in love, I found my soulmate, I’m incredibly thankful it always makes me slightly teary eyed when I start to say it think it or write it, how lucky am I? I’m so happy I have never been this happy before, it even hurts! it’s crazy how this universe works!! I dreamed of this love for so long, I knew it’s existing, but I did

Mullah Nangyalay was killed but local officials say the attack also hit dozens of innocent bystanders. More than 60 civilians were killed or wounded in a US drone attack targeting a top Taliban splinter-group commander in the western Afghanistan province of Herat, local officials said. The Taliban commander, named as Mullah Nangyalay, was killed in Shindand district close to the border with Iran, Herat provincial governor's spokesman Jailani Farhad said on Thursday. "According to the people, over 60 civilians were killed and wounded in the operation," Toryalai Tahiri, deputy head of Herat provincial council, told Afghan local media TOLO News. Quoting Wakil Ahmad Karkhi, a member of the Herat provincial council, TOLO News reported "civilians have been killed and wounded alongside Mullah Nangyalai's fighters" in an American attack on Wednesday. The Afghan government said it launched an investigation into reports of civilian casualties. Nangyalay split from t

(CNN)A Russian warship "aggressively approached" a US Navy destroyer while it was operating in the North Arabian Sea Thursday, ignoring warnings from the US vessel and increasing the risk of a collision, the US Navy said Friday. The incident is the latest example of a close encounter between US and Russian military forces that US officials have described as unsafe and provocative and comes roughly seven months after another incident in the Pacific in June when US and Russian warships came so close the US ship had to perform an emergency maneuver to avoid a collision. "On Thursday, Jan. 9, while conducting routine operations in the North Arabian Sea, USS Farragut was aggressively approached by a Russian Navy ship," the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which oversees naval operations in the Middle East, said in a statement. A US Navy official says that the Farragut is part of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier group and the Farragut is tasked with intercepting potent

(CNN)The Trump administration is imposing new sanctions on Iran following attacks on US and allied troops earlier this week, Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Friday. "The President is issuing an executive order authorizing the imposition of additional sanctions against any individual owning, operating, trading with, or assisting sectors of the Iranian economy including construction, manufacturing, textiles, and mining," Mnuchin told reporters at the White House. He noted those would be both primary and secondary sanctions and that the executive order allows the US to designate other sectors in the future. Additionally, the US is announcing 17 specific sanctions against Iran's largest steel and iron manufacturers, three Seychelles-based entities, and a vessel involved in the transfer of products. The actions, the administration says, will "cut off billions of support to the Iranian regime." The administration is also sanctioning eight senior Iranian officials

Iranian missiles damaged or destroyed seven buildings in the part of Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq that houses U.S. military personnel, satellite photographs appear to show. Two images provided by commercial satellite company Planet Labs Inc., and reviewed by Reuters, show five missile impact points in that part of the base. The extent of the damage can be gauged by comparing the photographs, taken after Wednesday’s attack, with images from December 25 last year. At least three of the structures appear to be aircraft maintenance hangers. Some of the buildings or structures have completely disappeared. Only parts of the others remain. “They targeted the American portion of the base. They meant to hit it and they did hit it,” said Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. U.S. President Donald Trump said no Americans were harmed in the strikes, which Iranian said it launched in retaliation for the killing last week in Iraq of an Iranian

The famous US rapper was seen interviewed by a lady, where she asked him, “If there is someplace that you wanna go that you haven’t been?” Then he replied: “I have never been to Nigeria and that’s the place where I would love to go...” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7LiocfsFy8

Magnitude 4.9 earthquake strikes 30 miles from Iran's sole nuclear power plant just two weeks after a similar quake in the region The 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck about six miles southeast of Borazjan in Iran's south-west early on Wednesday, with a depth of six miles experts reported Location of the quake is about 30 miles from the nuclear power plant in Bushehr. It came on the same the day Iran attacked U.S. troops with missiles and a passenger plane carrying 176 people crashed after taking off from Tehran. It is the second earthquake to hit the region in the last two weeks after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit the same area near the power plant on December 26

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday that Israel would strike a “resounding blow” if attacked by arch foe Iran, as regional tensions soar after the US killing of a top Iranian general. “Anyone who attacks us will receive a resounding blow,” the premier told a Jerusalem conference after Iran launched a salvo retaliatory missile strikes on bases used by US troops in Iraq. Netanyahu has described the target of last week’s US drone strike — Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards foreign operations arm — as a “terrorist-in-chief”. (AFP)

Oil prices climbed sharply Tuesday after the Pentagon said Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US bases in Iraq. The apparent retaliation for last week's US drone stroke against a senior Iranian commander amplifies concern about a spiraling tit-for-tat conflict between the United States and Iran. US crude jumped more than 4% to over $65 a barrel Tuesday evening after US officials said Iran launched more than a dozen missiles that targeted at least two bases hosting American military personnel. Crude, which settled at $62.70 a barrel during regular trading Tuesday, climbed as high as $65.48 a barrel. Significantly, the attack was claimed by Iran itself, not one of the nation's various proxy groups in the region. And the Pentagon said that Iran used ballistic missiles from inside Iraq, indicating a significant escalation. "It comes as no surprise that there has been a reprisal from Iran -- the concern is that this is just the sign of things to come,&q

US soldiers and officers would return home in coffins in retaliation for the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleiman, secretary General of the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, has said. “When the coffins of American soldiers and officers begin to be transported … to the United States, (President Donald) Trump and his administration will realize that they have really lost the region and will lose the elections,” Nasrallah said in a televised address from Beirut. Nasrallah noted that the response to the assassination of General Soleimani was not only Iran’s responsibility, but also that of the entire axis of resistance. Nasrallah added that attacks on US military forces in the Middle East will be “fair punishment” for the crime, listing US bases, naval ships and military personnel. The Hezbollah chief further noted that US act of terror marks the start of a new phase for the entire Middle East. “The targeted killing of General Soleimani and Muhandis is the beg

An airbase housing US and coalition troops in Iraq has been hit by rockets, according to US security sources. The Al-Asad base was reportedly hit by multiple rockets. It is unclear if there have been any casualties. It come after top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad on Friday, on the orders of US President Donald Trump. Iran has threatened "severe revenge" for Soleimani's death. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps takes credit for the for the rocket attack. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51028954

Damning Description Of How US Embassy Portrays Nigeria On Its Website The United States Embassy on its website also announced that the number of Nigerian students in its country increased by 5.8 per cent in the 2018/19 academic year, Also, Vanguard earlier reported the result of a survey by Afrobarometer which revealed that “one in three Nigerians have considered emigration, most to find an economic opportunity”. The United States of America is undoubtedly one of the places many Nigerians want to emigrate. Foreign investment into Nigeria rises by 34% to $8.5bn in Q1’19 according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). As much as we celebrate foreign investments and tries to woo citizens of countries like the United States to invest here, it appears Nigeria infrastructure and security problems is a deterring factor. How the website of the US embassy in Nigeria portrayed the country (Nigeria) is disheartening and a call to duty for the Nigerian government. Nigerian Health States The US

The  US Air Force   has today launched more than 50 fully-armed Lightning II stealth fighters in a single wave. The52 F-35A aircrafts, worth a whopping $4.2 billion (£3.19bn), took off in quick succession from the Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The exercise carried out by the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings displayed the Air Force's huge strength and sends a warning to Iran. The US continues to brace for Iran to respond to the drone strike killing of its most powerful general - Qassem Soleimani. "We're ready to fly, fight, and win," the 419th Fighter Wings tweeted after the exercise. They added the exercise "pushed the boundaries and tested our Airmen's ability to deploy the F-35As en masse". The 388th Fight Wingers said: "The exercise, which was planned for months, demonstrated their ability to employ a large force of F-35As – testing readiness in the areas of personnel accountability, aircraft generation, ground

Iran: Reconsider travelling to Nigeria, US warns citizens Published January 6, 2020 Adelani Adepegba, Abuja Following the Friday killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a drone airstrike, the United States has cautioned Americans to reconsider travelling to or across Nigeria. The US Embassy in Nigeria, in a statement on its website, admonished American citizens to review their personal security measures, be prudent and keep a low profile. Stating that it had no specific security threat information, the mission advised US nationals in Nigeria to stay alert in public places, including schools, hospitals, government facilities, places of worship, tourist locations, and transportation hubs. The security advisory, which was dated January 3, 2020, also asked them to review and alter travel routes and times to reduce time and place predictability. It read, “Due to recent world events, U.S. citizens should review their personal security measures. While we have no specific threat infor

President Donald Trump has warned Tehran that the U.S. will target 52 Iranian sites if Iran attacks Americans in the wake of the killing of a top Iranian general. “Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago),” Trump tweeted Saturday. He described some of those targets as being “at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture.” The purported targets, Trump added, “WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!” Top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad in what the Pentagon called a “defensive action.” The strike was ordered by Trump, who justified the move by saying that Soleimani “was plotting to kill many more” Americans. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has threatened the U.S. with “harsh retaliation” for the strike near Baghdad airport t

Iranian authorities have put a bounty on American President Donald Trump's head during the televised funeral of General Qasem Soleimani after he was assassinated last week An $80million bounty has been placed on Donald Trump's head in the wake of General Qasem Soleimani's assasination, according to reports. During the televised funeral of the top Iranian, official state broadcasters said one US dollar would be tabled for every Iranian in the country, with the cash going to whoever killed the US President. “Iran has 80 million inhabitants. Based on the Iranian population, we want to raise $80million (£61million) which is a reward for those who get close to the head of President Trump,” it was announced, according to en24. Soleimani, Iran's preeminent military commander, was killed on Friday in a US drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport. The attack took long-running hostilities between Washington and Tehran into uncharted territory and raised the s

Prophet TB Joshua releases 11 powerful prophecies for 2020 The founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Prophet TB Joshua has released his prophecies for 2020. The prophecies which are 11 in numbers can be described as the most anticipated prophecies in the year. It would be recalled that the man of God wasn't in church last week because he was on the mountain seeking God's face for 2020. While he was speaking on the 2020 prophecies in a live service at his church, he stated that he got them on the 28th Of December but he needed to confirm from God too. Below are the prophecies PROPHECY FOR THE WORLD: 1. This year will be a year of HUMILITY. This year, the Lord will humble us with our challenges. Challenges can be affliction, arrogance, pride, wickedness or bad habits. To humble us with these is for those things to destroy us or expose us. Let us move closer to God. 2. Agriculture will help the economy because the economy will have a backlash. People should invest in ag

ISTANBUL — Iraq's prime minister Sunday urged parliament to take "urgent measures" to force the withdrawal of foreign forces following a U.S. drone strike that killed a senior Iranian commander and key Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad last week. In an address to parliament, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi recommended that the government establish a timetable for the exit of foreign troops, including the members of the U.S.-led coalition to fight the Islamic State, "for the sake of our national sovereignty." "What happened was a political assassination," Abdul Mahdi said of the U.S. strike that targeted Iran's elite Quds Force commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, as traveled in a convoy near the Baghdad airport. He said that foreign troops were in Iraq to train its forces and help target remnants of the Islamic State "under the supervision and approval of the Iraqi government." "Iraq cannot accept this," he said. "No foreig