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No fewer than eight people, including the son of an influential Afghan cleric, have been killed and 45 others wounded after a suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into a bus in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, police say, reports Aljazeera. Qari Hilal, the son of cleric Qazi Amin Waqad, died in Monday's suicide bombing which appeared to have targeted Sahibzada Anees, a senior official in the city administration. He had passed by shortly before the blast in the Jehangir Abad neighbourhood. Qazi Amin Waqad is a member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, which is trying to draw the Afghan Taliban into peace talks. Hilal was organising a conference of Afghan and Pakistani religious scholars to oppose militancy, Afghan consulate officials quoted by the Reuters news agency said. The attack is the latest in a wave of violence that has rocked Pakistan ahead of national elections on May 11. "At least eight people were killed and 45 others were wounded in

(Nigeria) Hundreds of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP supporters in Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, on Monday embarked on protest against the outcome of the April 20, local government elections in the area. The PDP supporters marched through the major streets of Auchi the headquarters of the local government, chanting war songs for several hours. The protesters armed with placards with different inscriptions were not allowed by soldiers to gain entrance to the local government secretariat. They demanded for among others, the outright cancellation of the elections held throughout the state, because the elections were alleged to be characterised with malpractice. The Chairman of PDP in the area, Mr Baba-Sheriff Idenebomhe, and Mr Sule Asemokhai, spoke on behalf of the protesters. According to the duo, we decide to take to the streets to let Nigerians and indeed the world at large, know that no election took place in the local government area.

(Nigeria) President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Abuja urged officers and men of the Nigeria Police to be mindful of the rights of the ordinary citizens in carrying out their operations. The president gave the charge at the commissioning ceremony of police helicopters and patrol vehicles to mark the end of the 2013 Police Week celebration. Jonathan stressed the need for the police to avoid abuse of human rights but have regards for human dignity and sanctity of life in the course of their duties. ``I will also charge the police that while doing their work, to be mindful of the rights of ordinary citizens because that is very sensitive. While policing us, you must know that the rights of the citizens of this country must be protected. In that regard, respect, maximum discipline from officers and men of the Nigeria Police is required,’’ he said. The  president commissioned seven helicopters, 275 patrol vans and 17 armored personnel carriers for use by the poli

(Nigeria) The Minister of Environment, Mrs Hadiza Mailafia, said on Monday 300 buildings contaminated with lead poisoning in Bagega village in Zamfara had been rendered safer for habitation. Bagega village is in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara. This is contained in a statement by Mr Lawrence Ojabo, the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Environment, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday. Mailafia, who stated that the 300 houses represented 75 per cent of the lead contaminated buildings in Bagega, assured that the village had also been rendered safer for habitation. The minister disclosed this at Bagega village, where he received members of the good governance tour led by the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku and Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Abubakar. According to the statement, Maku and Abubakar visited and inspected the ongoing remediation works at the project site. Mailafia said that the works involved

(Nigeria) A 44-year-old pastor, Baba-Yemisi Seyi, was on Monday arraigned in an Upper Area Court in Jos for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a minor. Seyi of Mugambus St., Gwandang in Bukuru, near Jos, appeared before Malam Mustapha Hassan on a one-count charge of having sex with a 10-year-old girl. The police First Information Report (FIR) stated that the accused committed the offence on April 10, at about 4.00 p.m. The FIR said that, on the fateful day, at about 7.30 pm, one Grace Ifeanyi, came to the ``B`` Division police station, Bukuru, and reported that the accused had committed the offence. It stated that the accused, who resides in the same compound with the victim, had canal knowledge of her. According to the FIR, the complainant informed the police that the accused raped the minor when she went to his room for a ``fellowship`` programme designed for children by him. When the FIR was read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty to the charg

(Nigeria) Pirates stormed a container ship off Nigeria 's oil-producing southern coast, kidnapping five foreign sailors and stealing cash, a watchdog and a security source said Monday. The International Maritime Bureau said the April 25 incident involved "14 heavily armed pirates" who were able to breach the ship's saferoom, while a security source said the five sailors included nationals from Myanmar, Russia and Sri Lanka. The abducted expatriates said to be crew members on board an Antigua and Barbados flagged oil vessel, MV City of Xiamen were identified as Sri Lankans, Russian and a Myanmar. It was, however, learnt that a massive manhunt has been launched in the creek of Southern Ijaw and Brass council area by a combined team of the Joint Task Force otherwise know as Operation Pulo Shield and the anti Kidnapping squad of the Nigerian Police. The operation, according to security source, is backed with the deployment of 20 gunboats following the rec

(Nigeria)  Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has described the grounding of the Rivers State Government's private aircraft by the regulatory Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, as a glaring case of political witch-hunt, despite the tepid denial of all concerned. ACN in a statement, in Lagos, Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,  said the action also amounts to gross abuse of national institutions, and a pointer to what lies ahead for all perceived enemies of the Jonathan Administration. It said the worst part of the whole issue is the fact that a body like NCAA, which is supposed to carry out its all-important duties without political interference, but in accordance with stipulated global standards, has now become a tool in the hands of vindictive politicians. ACN said the inconsistent reasons given for grounding the plane have exposed the shenanigans of those who feel they could easily pool the wool over the eyes of Nigerians. ''

(Nigeria)Mr Ernest Nwapa, the Executive Secretary of the board, told News Agency of Nigeria in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State that since the law came into effect in April 2010, the oil industry had witnessed rapid advancement especially in the area of job creation. “Everybody knows where we were before the law was passed by Mr President; this whole thing was so important that one of the first things Mr President did even as acting President was to sign the law “And since he signed the law and established the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, the industry has not been the same again; things that people thought could not be done here are now being done here; and people have appetite to do more. “We have journeyed on the human capacity side; we have journeyed on the job creation;, we have journeyed on the tonnages that are now being done in Nigeria that were never done before; we are looking at the first time an FPSO topside would be integrated in Nigeria and indeed

(Nigeria) The United Nations has advised Cameroonians and the Nigerians living in the Bakassi Peninsula to live in harmony and ensure an atmosphere of peace as the UN team works to demarcate the border between the two countries.  Mr Said Djinnit, the UN representative in the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, CNMC, said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Yaounde on Sunday at the end of 31th session of the Commission.  ``We believe that the border will divide the states but it should not divide people, so I am advising that they should live  together, they should live in unity, in spite of the demarcation.  The UN has initiated projects that will benefit the affected population in Nigeria and Cameroon.  I have drawn the attention of the EU as well as the senior authorities of the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the UN Development Programme to the need to associate themselves with the work of the Mixed Commission. ``So that new means of live

(Nigeria) Lagos State Government on Monday asked a Federal High Court, Lagos, to dismiss a suit challenging its plan to collect toll on the recently constructed Lekki-Ikoyi suspension bridge. The suit was filed by a Lagos lawyer, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, challenging the legality of construction of a bridge on a federal navigable water way and seeking to collect toll on same. At the hearing on Monday, Mr Ade Ipaye, the state Attorney-General, said that a preliminary objection had been filed challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit. He told the court that the applicant's suit was incompetent and premature since there was yet to be a decision as to whether or not to collect toll on the bridge. ``All remedies sought by the applicant are in respect of the tolling, since they have not suggested that the bridge be removed. ``In the first place, the applicant commenced this suit by an originating summons, which is not the appropriate mode of commencing an

(Nigeria)National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says some of the displaced persons during the recent Baga crisis in Borno are still hiding in the bush. This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Abdul kadir Ibrahim, the NEMA Information Officer in the North East Zone, in Yola on Monday. According to the statement, following the return of normalcy and on arrival into Baga town, the agency discovered that most of the displaced persons are still scattered in the bush. ``Other people are taking refuge in the homes of their relations in the neighbouring communities," it said. He said that humanitarian workers led by the agency had commenced distribution of relief items to displaced persons affected by the crisis. ``This is in line with the President Goodluck Jonathan directive to the agency that immediate relief materials should be given to the people. ``The Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi had dispatched a team of officers with the

(Nigeria) A ghastly motor accident has killed a family of seven on the Katsina-Kano Road in Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State. The Police Public Relations Officer, PPROof the state Police Command, Mr Aminu Sadiq, told journalists that the accident happened on Saturday at  8pm in Lambar-Rimi town. Sadiq, added that the accident occurred when a Peugeot car from Katsina and a Honda Civic car coming from Kano had a head-on collision. He added that five persons died on the spot, while two infants later died and four others sustained various degrees of injuries. ``They (those who sustained injuries) were rushed to the Katsina General Hospital for medical treatment,’’ the PPRO said. Sadiq who said the police were investigating the cause of the accident advised motorists to always obey traffic rules and regulations to reduce road accidents. It was gathered that the dead were said to be members of the family of one Alhaji Abashe Sarkin-kasuwa, of Kankia

Renowned feminist and former women's magazine editor Mary Thom was killed in a motorcycle crash over the weekend in Yonkers, New York, friends and colleagues said, reports Reuters. Thom, 68, a former editor of Ms. Magazine, crashed her motorcycle on the Saw Mill Parkway on Friday evening, said Eleanor Smeal, publisher of Ms. Magazine and a close friend of Thom. An accomplished author, editor and journalist, Thom devoted her career to giving voice to women's rights issues in books, magazine columns and through her work within the women's movement, which mourned the loss over the weekend. "We, who are Mary's friends and family haven't absorbed her loss yet: it's too sudden,'' said actress Jane Fonda and feminist authors Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, three co-founders of the Women's Media Center, in a statement. "Ms. Magazine, the Women's Media Center, the women's movement and American journalism have suffered a

(Nigeria) The Rivers State Government, Sunday, said it had not been told by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, that its governor's aircraft had been grounded. Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari,  in a statement, said the state government had not been formally told of any action taken by NCAA on the aircraft.  She said, " As we speak, all I have is information that I have gleaned from the media. All we have as a government is that information. No formal communication has reached us in Rivers State Government. We believe that it will be best that we await formal communication from the regulatory agency. "Just to say that all our documentation is in place. And to also say that as a responsible sub-national, we have complied with the norms that regulate aviation business in Nigeria. We have applied formally to the honourable minister of aviation for the import license. That application was received in her office in Septe

(Nigeria) Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited has shut down its operations in Akwa Ibom State, following a crisis between two of its host communities.  The crisis was between Esit Urua and Mkpanak communities in Eket Local Government Area and Ibeno Local Government Area, respectively. The clash between the communities was over ownership of land. The crisis, which started on April 25, led to destruction of properties in the two neighbouring communities, causing paralysis of social and economic activities in the area as markets and other businesses had remained closed.  The clash spread to the Eket-Ibeno Road Office of Mobil and the management of the company reportedly shut the premises and directed the workers to ``go and remain at home till further notice for security reasons. “The situation in the area forced the management to shut the premises and evacuate most of the expatriate staff by helicopter, from Qua Iboe Terminal to its housing estate in Eket,”

(Nigeria) Rev. James Odedeji, the newly-ordained Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West, Anglican Communion, has called on Christians to maintain a close relationship with God and work according to His dictates. Odedeji made the call in a homily after his ordination on Sunday at the Archbishop Vinning Memorial Anglican Church, Ikeja, Lagos. He called on the people to join in the service of God, as laid down in the principles and doctrines of the church. ``We should have a good relationship with God, avoid distractions and trust in the unfailing power of God,” Odedeji said. The bishop urged priests to see to both the spiritual and physical welfare of the members of their parishes. He noted that he had zero tolerance for lazy, undisciplined and unproductive priests. ``The priest is being taken care of by the church, for this reason, the ministers need to stand up to their responsibilities. I see my appointment as God's finger that has changed my calling to glor

(Nigeria)President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Otunba Michael Adenuga on the celebration of his 60th birthday, Monday, April 29, 2013. Felicitating with him on the occasion, President Jonathan noted that Otunba Adenuga, who was recently conferred with Nigeria’s second highest National Honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON will be celebrating 60 years of great achievements in business and philanthropy. The President described Otunba Adenuga   as an embodiment of the ideals of “diligence, commitment, unmediated   patriotism and selfless service. “Come Monday, April 29, 2013, you shall be celebrating   60 years of a remarkable life filled with monumental achievements in high entrepreneurship, philanthropy and dedicated service to God and country. “On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I join your family, friends, protégés and well-wishers in thanking God for your exemplary life. “It is my prayer that Almighty

(Nigeria) The Lagos State Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, said on Sunday that it had sealed about 30 illegal patent medicine stores in the Ajah-Lekki area of the state. A statement in Lagos by the Lagos State Ministry of Health said that the state government was worried about the dangers posed by illegal drug hawkers. It quoted Dr Yewande Adesina, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Public Health, as saying that their nefarious activities needed to be urgently curtailed. The statement alerted members of the public to the risks and dangers of purchasing drugs from hawkers. ``The shops were sealed for offences ranging from sales of drugs without licence from the regulatory authorities, to failure to relocate from a market area/adherence to the mandated distance between a patent medicine shop and the market place, among others. ``The drug distribution system in Lagos will get worse if the activities of illegal dr

Six months after the deadly Superstorm Sandy struck the United States’ East Coast, thousands of Americans are still homeless, reports Presstv. According to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, some 39,000 New Jersey families, out of the initial 161,000, remain displaced. Reports say that in New York, over 250 families are still living in hotels, with the Federal Emergency Management paying for their hotel expenses. Many others are still living with their relatives. During a press conference on Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also pointed out that many people were "still in hotel rooms, you still have people doubled up, you still have people fighting with insurance companies, and for them it's been terrible and horrendous." Six months after the catastrophic storm, New York officials announced the approval of the Housing of Urban Recovery Action Plan worth USD 1.7 billion, on Friday. On January 3, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner was at

United States has carried out over 80 assassination drone attacks in Yemen in 2012, which have caused significant civilian casualties, a Yemeni rights group says, reports Presstv. According to Yemeni National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms, HOOD, unmanned US drones carried out over 80 air attacks in Yemen last year. Meanwhile, Yemeni activist Farea al-Muslimi, said in his testimony before a US Senate committee that "rather than fighting terrorism, US drone strikes in his country were fuelling it". He also said that the United States has become an enemy of Yemenis by carrying out the drone strikes and targeted killings. "While American hold courses on the rule of law for Yemenis, they are violating it by carrying out drone attacks," Muslimi told the Senate committee. Washington uses its assassination drones in Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia, claiming that they target the terrorists. The attacks, however, have mostly led to

(Nigeria) A Lagos High Court, will on May 3, 2013, decide on whether the Managing Director of Wema Bank should be compel to appear in court to face the charge against him by Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC. Trial judge, Justice Samuel Candide Johnson, fixed the date for ruling, after arguments by counsel on the proper person to represent a corporate body like WEMA Bank in a criminal case. In the charge, WEMA bank, Faniran Olubanji Samuel and Ariel Investment Management Limited and one Adegoke Adeleke, are facing a four-count charge bothering on conspiracy, fraud and stealing. Justice Candide Johnson had at the last adjourned date raised the issue on whether the Managing Director of WEMA bank should be compelled to enter into the dock for his company, (WEMA bank Plc). Justice Candide-Johnson, thereafter, directed counsel to all the parties to address the court on it. Counsel to WEMA bank, had argued that the issue of who is competent to represent a corporate

Edo people protesting the local government elections results, as released by Edo State Independent Electoral Commission.   (Nigeria) Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sunday, raised alarm that the conduct of the just concluded local government election in Edo State in the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, controlled state, was a signal that Nigeria's democracy was under threat. PDP's National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement, in Abuja, said "The survival of our democracy is under very serious threat. Unpatriotic and undemocratic elements have laid siege to our nation’s democracy and Nigerians are now living in serious fear and uncertainty. "Since the annulment of June 12 1993, presidential election, we have never in the political history of Nigeria witnessed any such assault on the people and democracy like what is going on in Edo state today.As I address you, the people of Edo state are being subjected to the worst form of tyranny