Car Bomb Kills 19 in Nigerian Capital Abuja; 60 Injured

People who were injured during an explosion are seen on stretchers at Asokoro General Hospital in Abuja. The suspected bomb exploded in the suburb of Nyanya, on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital Abuja.Reuters

A car bomb attack has killed at least 19 people and injured more than 60 in the Nigerian capital Abuja weeks after a deadly explosion claimed by Boko Haram took 70 lives.

The massive explosion that rocked the Nyanya suburb of the capital defied the heightened security arrangements for a regional economic conference the capital city was to host next week.

The blast happened near a bus station just as commuters were waiting to board buses. According to the head of Nigeria's Emergency Management Agency, 19 people were confirmed dead while 60 were taken to hospitals, BBC reported.

"People in the crowd were saying that a man parked his car, walked away and the next thing they know, the car blew up," the report quoted an eyewitness as saying.

Another witness told Reuters he heard a "deafening explosion, then the area near Nyanya bridge was on fire. There were many people in the vicinity".

No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the hand of Boko Haram, which has been fighting President Goodluck Jonathan's government to create a hardcore Islamic enclave, is suspected.

The scene of Thursday's attack was barely 100 metres away from the spot of the 14 April attack.

The attack has deepened the security crisis facing Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, as it prepares to host world leaders including Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang next week for the World Economic Forum on Africa.

The government had deployed around 6,000 soldiers and police as part of increased security measures. However, the car bomb near the capital has dealt another blow to the government close on the heels of the 14 April blast and the mass abduction of more than 200 school girls.

"I'm worried about our security here. After the last explosion the president said he would increase security," BBC quoted a witness, Charles Osueke, as saying.

"There were policemen around when this explosion happened and they didn't manage to stop it."

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One Direction Take Celebrity Selfie During Where We Are World Tour

Liam Payne took the image with his band mates on stage in Santiago.One Direction / Twitter

They are the most photographed band in the world but that didn't stop One Direction turning the camera on themselves for their very own celebrity selfie.

The British boy group, who recently embarked on their Where We Are world stadium tour, took the selfie with members of their live band on stage in Santiago.

The image, which was taken by Liam Payne has been liked 350,000 times, re-tweeted 21,658 times and favourited 36,444 times and generated 30,000 comments.

The trend for celebrity selfies was kick-started by Ellen Degeneres famous Oscars selfie, which featured A list stars Meryl Streep, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Jared Leto and Kevin Spacey.

The photo became the most retweeted image ever and caused social networking site Twitter to crash.

Meanwhile, the One Direction boys have been struggling to sleep at their hotel rooms as screaming fans have been keeping them awake at night.

Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson were told not to return to their rooms at the Belmond Palacio Nazarenas in Cusco, Peru after a sightseeing trip to the ancient Machu Picchu ruins.

250 fans had occupied the square outside the hotel and as 25 police officers attempted to disperse them, it was decided to relocate the band.

The band members have said they have been overwhelmed by the reception they have received during the first shows of their Where We Are World Tour.

Rio Tinto Sues Israeli Billionaire Beny Steinmetz Over Guinea Mining Rights

Rio Tinto has filed a complaint over iron ore mining rights(Reuters)

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has filed a lawsuit over its loss of valuable mining assets in Guinea.

The company filed a complaint against its competitor Vale, BSG Resources (BSGR) and the Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmitz, who they accuse of stealing one of the world's largest and most valuable untapped iron ore reserves, through a scheme that breached US Federal law.

Rio Tinto alleges that the defendants concocted a fraudulent scheme that led to "the theft of Rio Tinto's valuable mining rights ... through a scheme in violation of the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act."

The lawsuit, filed in a New York District Court, relates to the rights to the Simandou mining concession in Guinea, west Africa..

Rio Tinto lost the rights to the northern half of the development in 2008, when Guinea's former President Lansana Conte's government revoked its permit. It was then transferred to BSGR, the mining arm of Steinmetz's conglomerate.

Guinea says it now has "precise and coherent evidence" that BSGR used intermediaries to pay bribes to Mamadie Touré, Conté's wife, until his death in 2008.

Rio Tinto is seeking the New York courts "to award compensatory, consequential, exemplary and punitive damages ... in an amount to be determined at trial," according to a statement.

"Rio Tinto's injuries are clear and definite and include the loss of billions of dollars in assets, as well as the lost investment of its activities in Simandou," Rio Tinto said in the filing.

"This is a case about the theft of Rio Tinto's valuable mining rights by the defendants through a scheme in violation of the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act," it added.

Steinmetz and BSGR deny all allegations of wrongdoing and said they will seek international arbitration against the government of Guinea.

In a statement, BSGR said "Rio Tinto chose to do nothing with its mining rights so the mining rights were taken away. Baseless and bizarre lawsuits like this won't change that fact."

Can the Humble Falafel Sandwich Show When Middle East Economies Will Bite?

A Lebanese man eats a falafel sandwich at a restaurant in Beirut(Reuters)

The Middle East has never been in the international spotlight like it is nowadays.

The fiery uprisings of 2011 caught the world's attention and have directed a spotlight on the economic imbalances throughout the region.

With journalists, analysts and politicians eager to understand the momentous shifts occurring from Cairo to Abu Dhabi, could there be answers hidden inside the humble falafel sandwich?

Forbes magazine thinks so, promoting the Falafel Index as an opening into region's economic and social status.

The Economist's Big Mac index does not quite work in the Middle East. The fast food chain is frequented by expats and wealthy Western-inclined locals but a Big Mac is a luxury meal that remains out of reach for most.

In a bid to show the purchasing power of citizens across the Mideast, Forbes has put together an index comparing the price of a falafel sandwich.

The most expensive place to get a falafel sandwich (consisting of deep fried chickpeas, tomato, lettuce and tahini) is none other than Tel Aviv, Israel, where it will cost you $4.62.

The cheapest falafel sandwich can be bought in Rafah, in the Palestinian Gaza strip, where it will only set you back $0.58.

The United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain find themselves at the pricier end, while the likes of Syria, Jordan and Iraq are still cheaper.

So far, so interesting. Lunch is more expensive in wealthier countries throughout the region and cheaper in those with smaller economies.

The interesting bit comes when you compare the price of a falafel sandwich with average monthly gross domestic product. Forbes says "the relationship between a falafel sandwich on one hand, and income per head on the other, can be used to estimate the fair market value of a currency".

According to the Forbes study, the Saudi and Qatari currencies are undervalued against the US dollar. Indeed they are tied to the American currency and therefore will not shift according to organic market movements.

Moreover, Forbes' most interesting conclusion from falafelnomics is that the Israeli shekel is one of the most overvalued currencies in the region.

Indeed, Israel faced huge street protests in 2011 related to the high price of food in the country, which has some of the highest food prices in the economically developed world.

While there are many more factors to be considered when assessing Middle Eastern geopolitics, the price of a falafel could prove a handy barometer in the future.

Eta Aquarids 2014: The Meteor Shower from Halley's Comet Set to Brighten Night Sky

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is due to peak on 5 May, but will be visible in the night sky through to 7 May – the shower has a fairly broad maxim, so can be seen for several days.

The Eta Aquarids originate from the comet 1p/Halley in the constellation of Aquarius. It produces this meteor shower in May, and the Orionids in October.

This year, the meteor shower is expected to produce up to 45 meteors per hour that will be travelling at around 44 miles per second.

Because they are travelling so fast, they can leave glowing trains – bits of debris – which can last for several seconds and upto a minute in some cases. The Eta Aquariad meteors are known as 'earthgrazers' because they are long meteors that appear to skin the surface of Earth on the horizon.

For 2014's shower, the moon will set out of midnight, meaning the dark sky will allow for optimal viewing. The best time to watch is during the few hours before dawn.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak on 5 May.Nasa

Where to watch

While visible in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, they will be better seen from the south because of the location of the radiant at the different latitudes. Aquarius is higher in the sky in the Sothern hemisphere.

People watching in the Northern hemisphere can expect to see around 10 meteors per hour.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the meteor numbers "increase dramatically", EarthSky reports, with two or three times more meteors visible in comparison to the north.

How to watch

Nasa advises people to find an area away from city lights: "Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair," the agency said. "Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient - the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse."

EarthSky also notes: "Give yourself at least an hour of viewing time for watching any meteor shower. Meteors tend to come in spurts that are interspersed by lulls. Also, it can take as long as 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark.

"You need no special equipment to watch a meteor shower, but a little luck always helps. Meteor watching is a lot like fishing. Sometimes you catch a good number of them and sometimes you don't."

Halley's Comet

The meteor shower comes from Halley's CometNasa

The pieces of debris that create the Eta Aquarids come from Halley's Comet, which takes about 76 years to orbit the sun and was last seen from Earth in 1986. Every time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds a layer of ice and rock, which eventually become the Eta Aquarids and the Orionids.

Halley's Comet was discovered in 1705 and is one of the most famous, having been sighted for around 1,000 years – it even appears in the Bayeux tapestry.

Watch live online

People who miss the Eta Aquarids - or those in the Northern Hemisphere who are disappointed with what they saw - will also be able to watch the shower live online. A broadcast of the display will be shown via the Slooh telescope

"Slooh will cover the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower live all night using special imaging techniques from North America along with commentary from Slooh astronomer Bob Berman," the website notes.

Turkish Police Fire Teargas, Water Cannon and Rubber Bullets at May Day Protesters

A protester throws stone at riot police during a May Day demonstration in IstanbulReuters

Turkish police fired teargas, water cannon and rubber bullets at thousands of demonstrators who attempted to defy a ban on May Day rallies to reach Istanbul's central Taksim Square.

Authorities blocked access to Taksim, which is a traditional key point for unions' rallies and the heart of anti-government protests, last summer, citing reports that "illegal terrorist groups" would attack security forces.

But members from the major unions Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) and the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) have defied the ban and tried to break the police barricades.

Police managed to hit back at flag-waving demonstrators who breached barricades in Besiktas, a neighbourhood near Taksim on the shores of the Bosphorus. Police used water cannons and teargas at protesters.

In the Okmeydani district, leftist activists hurled firebombs and fireworks to police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Clouds of teargas also shrouded the Tarlabasi district.

Riot police use water cannon to disperse protesters during a May Day demonstration in IstanbulReuters

Around 40,000 police officers, water cannon trucks and armoured vehicles were deployed throughout Istanbul according to reports.

Police cordoned off all the avenues, streets and alleys leading to Taksim.

Around 138 people have been detained, while 51 people have been injured according to the Progressive Lawyers Association.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned protesters to "give up hopes" of meeting on Taksim Square.

The unions rejected the idea.

"We will be in Taksim despite the irrational and illegal ban. All roads will lead to Taksim on May Day, and our struggle for labour, equality, freedom, justice and peace will continue," the main unions said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Reeling from Sanctions, Iran Eyes 400 Airplanes if Nuclear Negotiations Succeed

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wait for the start of talks in Vienna(Reuters)

Iran is planning to buy 400 passenger planes in the event of Western sanctions being lifted, according to the country's top aviation official.

The move could provide a potential windfall for Western manufacturers including Airbus and Boeing.

Iran won partial relief from strict economic sanctions in January, having agreed to negotiate with Western powers over its disputed nuclear programme. Iran agreed to relax its nuclear activities for the duration of the negotiation process, which is almost four months into its six month time frame.

A comprehensive deal has so far remained elusive, although analysts believe that the parties are closer to a deal than they have been at any point in the last decade.

"Iranian airlines will be ready to buy 40 passenger planes every four years for 10 years if sanctions are lifted," Ali Reza Jahangirian, head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, told the Ettelat newspaper on Thursday.

Decades of Western sanctions have left Iran's airplane fleet in bad shape. Out of 250 commercial planes, around a hundred are "not functional" and in dire need of repair, Jahangirian said.

"We have got very positive signals from Western companies, including Boeing and General Electric about getting new spare parts for our planes," he added.

Under the current deal, which offered Tehran partial relief on sanctions, companies are allowed to sell a limited amount of commercial plane parts and services to Iran. Moreover General Electric won approval from the United States Treasury to service 18 engines sold to Iran four decades ago.

Boeing and Airbus are the main contenders to capitalise should the Iranian market open up in the future, as Iran already has vintage aircraft from those manufacturers.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won election on a platform of improving Tehran's relations with the rest of the world and boosting its ailing economy. Despite facing pressure from conservative hardliners at home, Rouhani has urged foreign companies to invest in Iran when opportunities arise.

London Firm Zamir Telecom Slaps Bangladesh Minister With Contempt of Court Notice

Naufal Zamir owns the London business Zamir Telecom and his father is senior Bangladesh politician Zamir Uddin SarkerZamir Telecom

London firm Zamir Telecom has started its legal battle with a Bangladeshi minister over the controversial disconnection of the business in the corruption-plagued south Asian country.

In March, Zamir Telecom was cut off from the network by the state-owned Bangladesh Telecommunications Company (BTCL) apparently on the instructions of Telecommunications Minister Abdul Latif Siddique.

The move caused significant financial harm to Zamir Telecom, based in Canary Wharf, and the firm's owner Naufal Zamir believes it to be a political move because of his father's links to the government opposition.

Now Zamir's lawyers have issued Siddique, a controversial figure in Bangladesh politics, with a contempt of court notice in a bid to overturn the disconnection by BTCL.

This is because in 2010 the Bangladesh Supreme Court had already reversed a similar move against Zamir Telecom and instructed that it should not happen again.

"We have been left with no choice but to issue this contempt notice," said Zamir.

"BTCL and the Telecommunications Ministry must respect the rule of law. Zamir Telecom must be re-connected immediately and those responsible for this illegal action must be held to account."

Zamir's father is Zamir Uddin Sarker, a former Bangladeshi government minister, speaker of the parliament and prominent political activist for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is the main opposition to the ruling Awami League.

It is this fact that Zamir believes is motivating the disconnection because the Awami government does not want money flowing to its political opponents.

And he believes the minister is moving to monopolise the telecoms market in Bangladesh with government-supporting businesses.

In a previous interview with IBTimes UK, Zamir said the UK government had intervened by sending a letter to BTCL demanding an explanation for the disconnection.

He also said that while his father is involved in politics, he is not and has no such ambitions.

Bangladesh is ranked by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

A report by the organisation claims that 2000cr Bangladeshi Taka (£153m , $258m, €186m) has been lost from BTCL accounts through corruption over six years.

BTCL had not at the time of publishing responded to IBTimes UK's request for comment.