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(Nigeria) The All Progressives Congress, APC, has condemned the attack by apparently-sponsored thugs against the 'bring back our girls' protesters who have hitherto conducted themselves in a civil and peaceful manner, calling the attack deplorable and definitely orchestrated to shift the focus from 'bring back our girls' to 'release our girls'. APC in a statement in Lagos on Thursday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the attack on the protesters in Abuja has confirmed its worst fears that the federal government was embarking on a campaign to shift the responsibility from the government to the abductors, in line with President Goodluck Jonathan's admonition to the protesters to direct their protests at the abductors rather than to his government. The party wondered why the government would be pushing its responsibility to ensure the welfare and security of Nigerians to a band of terrorists. ''When we said

(Nigeria) President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday directed the security forces to launch a full-scale military operation to put an end to the impunity of terrorists in the country. The president gave the directive in his democracy day broadcast. Jonathan said that Nigeria's unity and stability as well as the protection of lives and property were non-negotiable. He restated the determination of his administration to protect the nation's democracy, national unity and political stability, by waging a total war against terrorism. The president said the activities of terror groups in the country had caused debilitating pains and horror on the nation particularly the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno. "It is now 45 days since the horrifying abduction of the college girls of Chibok. I share the deep pain and anxiety of their parents and guardians. I assure them once again that government will continue to do everything possible to bring our daughters home. &

Iran and Russia have agreed to continue nuclear cooperation, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, AEOI, says, reports itar-tass. The AEOI spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi made a statement to this effect on Thursday. The Bushehr nuclear power plant is the first nuclear facility not only in Iran but also in the Middle East. With a capacity of 1,000 MW the plant is located 18 kilometers from the city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. “Iran and Russia decided to build two more nuclear power plants in Bushehr,” he said. The capacity of any facility will reach 1,000 MW, Kamalvandi added. According to Iranian officials, the construction of two units may start this year. Russia and Iran reached a preliminary agreement on the project on March 12. The Bushehr nuclear power plant has never been subject to international sanctions. The plant was built under the control of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). The agreements of February 27, 2005 require Iran to retur

The Russian-Chinese Joint Sea 2014 naval drills in the Pacific contribute to strengthening peace and stability in the region, China’s Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said on Thursday, reports itar-tass. A total of six surface ships and support vessels, two helicopters and a marine commando unit from Russia and six warships from China were involved in the war games. “The Russian-Chinese exercises in the East China Sea have been successful,” the Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said, adding that “the pragmatic cooperation of the armed forces demonstrates a high level of mutual trust and strategic coordination between China and Russia.” “This contributes to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” Geng Yansheng said. Russia sent a squadron of Pacific Fleet warships for participation in joint naval drills with China. The grouping of Pacific Fleet’s warships comprised the guards missile cruiser Varyag, the destroyer Bystry, the big anti-submarine shi

Fourteen Ukrainian servicemen were killed in a special operation conducted against federalization supporters in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, parliament-appointed Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov told a parliament meeting, reports itar-tass. A general of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is among those killed, he said. "Our servicemen were in the helicopter that was shot down. They were to replace other servicemen in rotation," Turchynov said. Earlier, a self-defense forces’ representative stated that the people’s militia fighters had shot down the second helicopter of the armed forces controlled by Kiev authorities. The first helicopter was shot down by the militiamen on the south-eastern outskirts of Sloviansk, Donetsk Region, near Chervony Molochar settlement. “Violent shooting can be heard in this area, and dense black smoke is seen,” the militia representative said. In addition, according to latest reports, fight is underway near the Semyonovsk local

The United States said on Tuesday it has no independent information to confirm Nigeria's claim to know the whereabouts of more than 200 kidnapped girls and questioned the wisdom of making public such information. "We don't have independent information from the United States to support these reports you referenced," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said when asked about Nigerian Chief of Defense Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh's statement that the military knew where the abducted girls were, according to Reuters. "We, as a matter of policy and for the girls' safety and wellbeing, would not discuss publicly this sort of information regardless."

(Nigeria) The Senate Joint Committee on Finance has said that contrary to claims by suspended Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor, Mallam  Lamido Sanusi, there is never any unremitted $49.8 billion. This formed part of the report of the Senate Committee on Finance which investigated the allegations by Sanusi that $49.8 billion was not remitted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC into the Federation Account. The report was signed by the committee's Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, and nine other members. According to the report, the total crude oil lifting between January 2012 and July 2013 was 67 billion dollars and not 65 billion dollars as the CBN governor had presented. The committee stated that the CBN, NNPC, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources had agreed after reconciliation that the sum of 47 billion dollars out of the $67 billion had been credited to the Federation Account. ``The problem of non-remittance of revenues by th