Struggling to get by in a Mexican slum

Many are forced to move to shantytowns without basic services as Mexico City dwellings become increasingly unaffordable.

From the top of the hill in Ixtapaluca, Mexico City looks attractive: the metropolis of 22 million seats on a valley surrounded by two beautiful volcanoes and mountains. The city still has a shrinking lake, Xochimilco, a legacy from pre Hispanic times, one of the few remaining natural reserves.

New human settlements keep devouring nature by the day, mostly on the hills, as the flat surfaces are mostly occupied or unaffordable.

To kids here airplanes are an attraction, as they fly over one every minute in the afternoons; so is to look at the city’s historic center to identify some of its many landmarks, typically monuments, office towers and Chapultepec Park, the largest green spot inside the concrete jungle.

But going to see the city’s zoo at Chapultepec is a luxury families living here can rarely afford.

It takes about two hours on public transportation to reach the city’s center, and about half of a daily minimum wage for one person to go down there.

Before taking the first collective taxi to the nearest train station people need to walk on the dirt, which during the rainy season becomes sticky mud.

With no water or sewage the only service that works sometimes is electricity coming on a fragile makeshift system with non-professional wiring. This is an informal settlement arranged by a political group which occupies land then pressures the government to provide services, a process that usually takes several years.

Shanties share the hill with corn fields and a few remaining tall trees.

It is a hard life, says Moises Vazquez, who works as a security guard in the city. But better to struggle for a few years living on something you own, rather than to continue paying rent to somebody else’s property under not better conditions in one of the nearby settlements.

Living in Ixtapaluca has a few benefits: The air is cleaner, the view is amazing. Vazquez mother in-law, who lives with him, her two daughters and seven children in two shanties, is proud she can cook a delicious meal for everyone with the cactus she cuts right there on the side of her home.

“Life is good sometimes when we all seat together to have food,” she says.

Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade comes for a twitter follower

Brigadier General Chris Olukolade is the Director, Defence Information. So the twitter user said to him "another money making venture in the name of fighting insurgency, SMH". And the military spokesman man responded 'Be warned. Am I you father's mate'. lol. On twitter, nobody has respect.

Russia: Aid convoy reaches Ukraine's war-torn city of Luhansk

Lorries, part of a Russian humanitarian convoy, cross the Ukrainian border on September 13, 2014.

- A convoy of more than 200 trucks that Russia says is carrying humanitarian aid has crossed the border into Ukraine without permission, a senior Ukrainian Border Service official said Saturday.

Col. Serhiy Astahov, assistant to the Ukrainian Border Service chief, told CNN that 217 trucks have crossed the Ukrainian border.

Ukrainian border guards and customs officer did not have access to them to check what they were carrying, he said.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which has monitors in Ukraine, said that in total 220 vehicles -- 193 cargo trucks and 27 support vehicles -- had crossed the border overnight and into the morning.

"The first group of 40 trucks were quickly checked by the Russian border guard and customs services," an OSCE statement said.

"The 180 other vehicles were not inspected. All vehicles crossed into Ukraine without being inspected by Ukrainian border guard and customs officers or the International Committee of the Red Cross."

Russian state-run news agency Itar-Tass said the convoy had been cleared by Russian customs control staff, citing the press service of the Russian Southern Customs Department.

The news agency said 250 trucks in total are due to arrive in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk by the end of Saturday. It reported that the first trucks were greeted by residents waving and even crying.

The city has been severely impacted by months of fighting between pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces.

Russian Deputy Emergencies Minister Vladimir Stepanov said the convoy was carrying 2,000 tons of supplies, including food, water purifying equipment and power generators.

A previous convoy sent from Russia last month, also without permission from Ukraine, delivered aid to Luhansk too. Ukrainian authorities raised concerns that it might be used to resupply rebel fighters.

Donetsk airport 'under fire'

A fragile ceasefire agreed to just over a week ago is in place in eastern Ukraine.

But Donetsk International Airport came under artillery fire on Saturday morning, the Ukrainian counterterrorism press office told CNN.

This prompted the Ukrainian military to exchange fire with the rebel forces, it said.

National Defense and Security Council spokesman Col. Andriy Lysenko said in a televised Kiev news briefing that a GRAD missile system was used in the attack on the airport, from three different points in the area.

Donetsk City Council reported that two homes in the area were hit.

Sanctions target Russia

A new round of EU sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine came into effect Friday, targeting six companies and a number of Russian officials and separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine.

This was a day after U.S. President Barack Obama announced that, in coordination with the European Union, "we will intensify our coordinated sanctions on Russia in response to its illegal actions in Ukraine."

Russia in return accused the United States of once again escalating the crisis -- undermining the chances for peace there as well as the greater quest for "global stability."

Kiev and the West accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of arming and supporting the pro-Russia rebels, and of sending Russian troops into Ukraine.

A NATO military officer said Thursday that Russia has about 1,000 troops inside eastern Ukraine, down from a significantly higher number in recent weeks.

NATO also sees 20,000 more Russian troops aligned along the border, according to the NATO officer, who was not named according to standard practice in the organization.

Yatsenyuk: Values outweigh tanks

Speaking at Ukraine's biggest annual political forum, the YES Forum, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that the latest round of sanctions are "the real threat" to the Russian economy.

"Putin's idea was to split the unity among EU member states and to split the unity between the U.S. and the EU. And at a certain period of time I was thinking even that he succeed. But no, he failed," he said.

"Values, EU values, and values of freedom and democracy are much stronger than Russian tanks and artillery and his autocratic regime."

Yatsenyuk claimed that Putin's ultimate goal was "not to just take Donetsk and Luhansk, his goal is to take the entire Ukraine.

"He cannot cope with an idea that Ukraine would be a part of the big EU family. He wants to restore the Soviet Union."

A day earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told the same forum that the latest sanctions against Russia demonstrate Europe's unity and solidarity with Ukraine.

"It shows how close Ukraine is for every leader, every European country," said Poroshenko.

Braless Nicki Minaj shows off some serious under-boob

The sexy rapper showed off some serious under-boob in a crop top and matching skin-tight leggings as she partied away at a night club in Paris on Friday night after performing on stage with Beyonce.

Armed robbers write letter to streets in Palmgroove; say they are coming to raid

Residents in some streets in the Palmgroove area of Lagos are currently living in fear after receiving a letter from armed robbers who said they are coming soon to raid them. (copy of the purported letter above). The letter which was sent to five different streets on Saturday September 6th, reads in part;

"Beware of the coming! Be on the look out in this area. Property owners are coming anytime from now. The gate men you have are not our problem. Our problem is how many resources do you have for us? August visitor must visit whether you like it or not. So expect August visitor when you did not expect. Surely August visitor shall visit just like the second coming of Jesus. It is turn by turn."

In the last line of the letter which is not clear, the armed robbers listed names of the street they plan to attack. They are Oseni street, Nkanna street, Odogbolu street, Ibiwoye Oba and Bode Thomas street.

Some residents in the area immediately contacted police and they sent some of their men to guard the streets for a few hours yesterday. The residents say they are so scared.

Toke Makinwa Covers Season 2 Of 'The celebrity shoot'

The Season 2 of The Celebrity shoot' by fashion designer and stylist Abbyke Domina is out. It's about celebrating successful African women and modern Africa clothes and Toke makinwa covers the new season where she shared in a brief interview what fashion is to her. She says her fashion icons are Eku Edewor,  Zed Eye and Lisa Folawiyo. Continue to see the fab pictures...

WHAT IS FASHION TO YOU?
Fashion is an expression of who we are, what we feel on the inside and how we love to be seen. It is very interesting how  without speaking, your fashion sense can send out all sorts of messages. I also think it is a reflection of how you feel inside. That been said, i believe that there are no set rules to fashion, everyone needs to find out what works for them.

WHO IS AN AFRICAN WOMAN  AND YOUR FASHION ICON HOME AND ABROAD?
An African woman represents beauty, confidence, strength and so much more, I have quite a number of  Fashion Icons too. I think the Young generation of fashionistas keep pushing the envelope and I definitely love seeing  Victoria Beckham, Rihanna, The Kardashians, Blake Lively, Leighton Meeser etc. Back home, I love Eku Edewor's style, Zed Eye, Lisa Folawiyo etc

T.J. Lane Captured: Escaped High School Shooter in Custody

A convicted school shooter who sparked a massive manhunt when he escaped from an Ohio prison Thursday has been caught, officials said.

Thomas "T.J." Lane, 19, was apprehended and returned to the Allen Correctional Facility in Lima, Ohio, according to Joellen Smith, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Lane, who is serving three life sentences for killing three students at Chardon High School in 2012, escaped along with another inmate from Allen Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, at around 7:30 p.m. A dispatcher at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Lane said Lane was taken into custody at about 1:20 a.m. Friday in the area of the prison.

Lane’s escape prompted the school district which runs the high school where he shot dead the three students to cancel classes Friday and offer counselors to rattled students. Lane opened fire on a cafeteria table full of students at Chardon High School on Feb. 27, 2012, killing three students — Demetrius Hewlin, 16; Russell King Jr., 17; and Daniel Parmertor, 16 — and wounding three more, one of whom was reportedly paralyzed.

“Our thoughts and prayers today go out to the families of Demetrius, Russell and Danny and all others affected by the tragedy as well as by the troubling events from Thursday evening,” Chardon Local Schools Superintendent Michael P. Hanlon, Jr. said in a statement to parents.

Lane is serving three life sentences for the shootings. On the day he was sentenced, Lane wore a white T-shirt with the word “KILLER” scrawled on the front and shouted obscenities at the court.

The other inmate who escaped with Lane, Clifford Opperud, 45, is still on the loose, police said. Opperud was serving a 12-year sentence for aggravated robbery, burglary and kidnapping, according to prison records.

Three law enforcement agencies and a helicopter equipped with infrared detection equipment fanned out over the area around the prison looking for the escaped inmates, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director John Born said in a statement. A third inmate also escaped, but was caught shortly after breaking out of the prison, Lima police said.

DUNCAN SCOTT/ THE NEWS-HERALD / POOL VIA REUTERS FILE

T. J. Lane takes off his shirt to show a white t-shirt with the words "Killer" spelled out at his sentencing before Geauga County Judge David Fuhry in Cleveland, Ohio, March 19, 2013. Lane was sentenced to life without parole for killing three students in a shooting rampage at a high school in a small town east of Cleveland.