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(Nigeria) The Edo State House of Assembly on Tuesday in Benin passed a bill for a law to amend the law prohibiting the act of kidnapping in Edo. The passage of the bill followed a clause by clause consideration of the report of the house Committee on Judiciary on a bill to prohibit the act of kidnapping in the state. During the clause by clause consideration of the bill, the house resolved that any person who contravened section 2(1) and 2 of the principal law shall on conviction be sentenced to death. The house also resolved that any person or persons who aids or abets another to commit the act of kidnapping or abduction under the law commits an offence and shall be liable to live in imprisonment without an option of fine. The law further provides that any person who puts forward him/herself whether overtly or covertly to another to be kidnapped for the purpose of extracting money commits an offence and shall be liable to live imprisonment upon conviction. The proper

(Nigeria) Human rights groups, under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society, CCS, on Tuesday in Lagos staged what they called a ``Save Our Democracy’’ protest. The protesters, in their dozens,  kicked off their ``democracy walk’’ from the Testing Ground Bus Stop, Ikeja, on Obafemi Awolowo Road, before massing at the Governor's Office, Alausa. The protesters, including women, chanted songs warning those they referred to as political jobbers against truncating the nation's fledgling democracy. The coordinator of the group, Mr Raji-Rasheed Oyewumi, said the protest was called to sensitise Nigerians, particularly politicians, on the need to protect the nation's hard-earned democracy. He said the group was worried about political activities that had heated up the polity. ``We want to warn those in power to be careful and also to sensitise Nigerians on the need for them to participate actively in the polity. ``We need a democracy that will benefit all and not

At least one person was killed and hundreds more injured at Haiti's three-day summer "Carnival of Flowers," which wraps up Tuesday, police and medical sources said. Police said the death occurred Sunday, when a man in his thirties fell off a float. And over the three days, some 800 people, including four young children, were treated by emergency services on Sunday and Monday for illness, accidents and knife injuries, according to emergency services. The generally noncritical injuries were largely due to altercations and the influence of alcohol, they said. "What's alarming is the many young people, mostly girls, found inebriated. They've consumed alcohol and taken drugs," a medical source said. Tens of thousands of people participated in the first two days of the carnival, joined by President Michel Martelly, a former singer who has previously presided over the summer festival. The festivities took place in a large public square near the pr

(Nigeria) Some prominent lawyers on Tuesday differed on the prosecution of Acting Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Shadrack Nwanosike, who was found guilty of falsifying his age. The National Judicial Council, NJC, had at its 63rd Meeting, held on July 17 and 18, 2013, recommended Nwanosike for compulsory retirement. The lawyers, in interviews with NAN in Lagos, unanimously commended the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar,  for her efforts in sanitising the nation’s judiciary. Mr Onyekachi Ubani, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja branch, said the issue of a judge falsifying his age was disgraceful. ``What the NJC is doing now is praise worthy. It shows that there is hope in this country. The beauty about it is that somebody is being punished for it, which was not the case in the past. However, it is not sufficient to just dismiss him, he should be prosecuted,” Ubani said. A lawyer and activist, Mr Fred Agbaje , said Nwanosike’s involvement in fo

(Nigeria) The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in the South East Zone said it would continue with its ongoing strike until Government implemented its demands. The union announced this position in Awka on Tuesday when it addressed newsmen. ``Only the implementation of the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the union would make the lecturers resume work.’’ Dr Chidi Osuagwu, the Zonal Coordinator of the union, said it was embarrassed to hear from some quarter that the ongoing strike would be called off on August 1.       ``This is very unacceptable to the union and its members. We will not call off the strike until the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement is fully implemented’’, he said. He appealed to students, parents and guardians to bear with the union, pointing out that it was pursuing a worthy course to improve the university system in the country. He recalled that ASUU embarked on the strike due to federal government’s failure to implement the agreem

(Nigeria) Wikki Tourist FC of Bauchi on Tuesday said seven suspects had been arrested for their alleged role on invasion of the pitch during a league match against visiting El Kanemi FC of Maiduguri. The club’s Chairman, Sule Chindo, told News Agency of Nigeria that the suspects were arrested by security personnel in Bauchi. Chindo added that investigations were ongoing to ascertain the roles played by each of them in disrupting the Globacom Premier League, GPL, match. He said that the match, played on July 21, was interrupted because of a pitch invasion by some supporters of Wikki Tourist, after they alleged that the referee was biased. The chairman warned that, henceforth, any supporter or fan that disrupted a match would not be spared, noting that some of the people were being used by the club's detractors. ``Henceforth we will not allow any so called supporter or fan to cause problem for us. ``We realised that some enemies of the club are using some irresponsibl

(Nigeria)  The Edo State Government, through its Inland Revenue Services, has shut  the Benin Airport, over evasion of taxes by airport workers. However, in a shift reaction, the spokesperson, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr Yakubu Dati, described the development as an ``invasion``. Dati said this in a news release made available to aviation correspondents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja. ``We learnt early this morning that some people belonging to the Edo State Inland Revenue Service shut the Benin Airport over what our staff described as non-payment of taxes.  ``This is coming to us as a rude shock, because they could have explored all lines of dialogue, instead of just taking the laws into their hands.  ``To close Benin Airport is not good for the security and safety of the airport environment, `` he said. Flight and commercial activities at the airport were grounded for several hours on Tuesday. Dati explained that the laws se

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan will next week indict former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on charges of conspiracy to murder opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, officials said on Tuesday. The court said Musharraf would be indicted on August 6. Musharraf’s lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri said his client would plead not guilty. If convicted, Musharraf would face the death penalty or life imprisonment, government prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar Ali said. A former military strongman, Musharraf was brought to the court in Rawalpindi city near the capital Islamabad by security officials. He has been under house arrest for more than three months. Bhutto, who was twice elected prime minister, was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack in December 2007. There are worries the trial could widen mistrust between the civilian government and powerful military.Four generals have ruled Pakistan in the past but none were ever indicted.

(Nigeria) Umaru Shehu, Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State on Tuesday confirmed the detention of two men for hijacking the N2 million given to the widow and children of an officer killed in the Alakio attack. The money was given by the Nasarawa State Government and the I-G to widows and children of officers killed on May 7, attack on security agents in  Alakio. Shehu told newsmen in Lafia that the two brothers of one of the deceased officers from Plateau collected the money from the widow who had two daughters and gave her only N20,000. According to Shehu, the widow reported to the police that she was subjected to all manners of humiliation and was ejected from the family house with her children. He said that the alleged ill-treatment prompted the police to invite  the  brothers, detain and query them over the allegations. He said that they confessed to have collected the money and allegedly spent N700,000 for the funeral rites of the deceased. The CP said he had to

No fewer than 17 people, including three children, burned to death in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday when a gas cylinder exploded on a bus after it collided with a truck, officials said. The bus was carrying passengers to the city of Bannu when the collision happened on a highway around 140 kilometres (87 miles) from Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. "The gas cylinder installed in the bus leaked after the accident and it caught fire," said Dil Nawaz Khan, a senior government official in Karak city, where the accident happened. "All 18 people on board were burnt and only one passenger could survive. His position is also critical," he told AFP. Hospital officials said six women and children were also among the dead. "We received 17 dead bodies including the bodies of three children and as many women. Most of the dead bodies are badly mutilated and could not be identified," Sarfraz Khan, a doctor at Karak's

After a three-year stalemate, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Tuesday set themselves an ambitious goal to reach a long elusive peace deal within nine months. Standing side-by-side with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has dragged them back to the negotiating table, officials from both sides said it was time to end their decades-old conflict. "I can assure you that in these negotiations, it's not our intention to argue about the past, but to create solutions and make decisions for the future," Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni told her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat. Both sides have agreed to meet again "within the next two weeks," Kerry said, either in Israel or the Palestinian territories to begin formal negotiations. "Our objective will be to achieve a final status agreement over the course of the next nine months," he added after hosting two days of talks in Washington. In the past, during years of failure "we di

A train that derailed in Spain killing 79 people was travelling at 153 kilometres per hour (95 miles per hour) at the time of the accident, a court said Tuesday after analysing the train's data recorders. Moments before the accident the train was travelling at a speed of 192 kilometres an hour, the court said in a statement, while the speed limit at the spot where the train derailed was set at 80 kilometres an hour. "Seconds before the accident the brakes were activated. It is estimated that at the time of the derailment the train was travelling at 153 kilometres an hour," the High Court of Galicia which is leading the investigation said. The driver of the train was speaking on his work phone at the time of the accident and appeared to consult a map or other document, the court added in a statement. "Minutes before the train came off the tracks he received a call on his work phone to get indications on the route he had to take to get to Ferrol. From the co

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Tuesday in Cairo that Egypt's deposed President Mohamed Morsi, who she met late on Monday, is in good health and has access to the news. "He is well and has access to the news," Ashton said in a televised press conference on state-run Nile TV, noting that she does not know the location where Morsi is held. Meanwhile, Ashton stressed that her visit to Egypt is not to dictate any side but to help find a solution to the ongoing crisis on the ground. "There is no field for violence or dissent, and demonstrations should be peaceful," she said.

China's economy will maintain steady growth in the second half of this year amid "extremely complicated domestic and international conditions," according to the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, CPC, Central Committee, reports Xinhua. The central authorities will continue to coordinate the tasks of stabilizing growth, restructuring the economy and promoting reforms, according to a statement released Tuesday after a meeting held by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The meeting was presided over by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping. China's economy has been stuck in a protracted slowdown, easing to 7.5 percent in the second quarter from 7.7 percent in the first three months, as the government deliberately tamed down the pace to avoid bubbles. China targets GDP growth of 7.5 percent and 3.5 percent growth in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation. In the first half of the

Two Chinese workers were killed and another injured after an under-construction ramp leading to a Han River bridge collapsed Tuesday, police said, reports Xinhua. The accident happened around 1 p.m. local time (0400 GMT) on the southern part of Banghwa Bridge in western Seoul when heavy equipment fell from the entrance ramp and crushed the workers, local media reported. Four workers, all Chinese nationals, were working at the construction site on the ramp, municipal officials said. The fourth was unharmed. "Two workers were killed and another injured. The injured has been sent to hospital," a municipal official said at the rescue site. Chinese Consul General in Seoul He Ying confirmed the victims were Chinese nationals. The Chinese embassy demanded South Korean authorities provide emergency treatment to the injured, quickly find out the cause of the accident, and properly cope with the aftermath of the accident. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon rushed to the sce

Fugitive United States whistleblower Edward Snowden cannot expect to obtain Russian citizenship through a simplified procedure, the Federal Migration Service, FMS, said Tuesday, reports Xinhua. "I don't see any legal norms which would give him such a possibility," deputy head of the FMS Vladimir Burov told reporters. Last week, FMS warned that the U.S. asylum seeker, who has been in a Moscow Sheremetyevo airport's transit zone for more than a month, could be stranded there for half a year. Snowden faces espionage charges in the United States after disclosing its classified intelligence surveillance project code-named PRISM. He filed papers seeking a temporary asylum in Russia earlier this month. A Moscow regional body of the FMS will decide whether to grant him the temporary asylum within three months. If granted asylum and passing a mandatory health check, Snowden is entitled to receive a standard certificate from that FMS territorial division.

Mamnoon Hussain has been elected as Pakistan's new president, announced the Election Commission of Pakistan, ECP on Tuesday evening, reports Xinhua. "Mamnoon Hussain has secured 432 votes whereas justice Wajihuddin (Ahmed) secures 77 votes, so Mr. Mamnoon has been elected as the 12th president of Pakistan," Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim told a press conference here. Mamnoon Hussain, a presidential candidate fielded by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will assume the office of the president on Sept. 9 while incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari will retire from the office on Sept. 8 after completion of his five-year term as the country's president. Tuesday's presidential elections kicked off at 10:00 a.m. local time and ended at 3:00 p.m. local time without any break. A total of 887 members of the parliament house and four provincial assemblies had cast their votes, out of which

Libyan security forces on Tuesday defused a dozen bombs that had been placed inside a car that was parked outside a luxury hotel in the capital, the interior ministry said. The incident comes a week after another hotel in the capital was thought to have been targeted by a rocket that missed and hit a nearby apartment building. Interior ministry spokesman Rami Kaal said the car, which did not have any licence plates, had been parked outside the Radisson Hotel, popular among foreign diplomats and business people. Inside were 12 bombs linked by an electrical circuit and 10 seven-litre cans of petrol. The explosives, which had been set to be activated from a distance, were defused. Assailants have frequently attacked Western targets in Libya since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 armed uprising backed by NATO air power. Most attacks have occurred in the east of the country, the birthplace of the uprising, which is an Islamist stronghold. On July 23, a rocket hit an apartme

Seven children in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo and another four in Homs in the centre were among 17 civilians killed in air raids on Tuesday, a watchdog said. The deaths in Homs come as troops pressed an offensive against remaining rebel areas there, while in Aleppo province, the raid comes exactly a year into the rebel takeover of the targeted town of Anadan. Meanwhile, Islamist rebels downed a military helicopter with a ground-to-air missile near Damascus airport and a car bomb killed a leading Kurdish politician in the northeast, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The number of people killed in a regime air raid on Anadan has risen to seven children and three women," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Activists and the Observatory said the strike targeted a mosque in Anadan, where the women and children were attending a religious studies class. "The strike comes exactly a year on from the day rebels took control of Anadan,&q

Four Algerian soldiers have been killed in attacks in the east and south of the country, a security source and media reports said on Tuesday. "A captain was shot dead late on Monday at Yakourene in Kabylie by gunmen as he was returning to barracks 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Tizi Ouzou," east of Algiers, a security source told AFP. Newspapers also reported three soldiers killed by an explosion on Sunday night at Meziraa in the southern province of Biskra. "A home-made bomb went off as a national guard patrol passed by, killing two and wounding three," the French-language Le Soir d'Algerie said. El Watan daily reported that "one of the wounded died on Monday of his injuries" after being evacuated to a military hospital in the capital. The paper said the mountainous and remote region where the blast happened "is a known den of terrorists". The number of attacks blamed on Islamist extremists has greatly reduced in Algeria, but gro

(Nigeria) Bomb blasts that ripped through a mainly Christian area of Kano State, northern Nigeria have killed 24 people, an official said Tuesday, shattering a recent lull in insurgent attacks there. At least four explosions were heard Monday night around outdoor bars in the Sabon Gari area of Kano, causing panic and sending clouds of smoke and dust into the air, residents said. One resident said a small church may have also been among the targets. The military blamed the attack on suspected members of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram and said packages that caused the explosions were left in the area. Nigeria's military has been waging a sweeping offensive in the country's northeast in a bid to end Boko Haram's four-year insurgency. Kano, a major commercial centre in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north, is not in the area targeted by the offensive. It has recently seen a lull in attacks, though it has previously been hit by heavy violence blamed on Boko

(Nigeria) Students in Osun have called on the Federal Government  and ASUU to  resolve the issues  which led to the current strike by university lecturers. Many of the students,  who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria, on Tuesday  enjoined both parties to bury the hatchet  for peace to reign. Adewale Adejuyigbe, a final year student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,  said the incessant strike by ASUU had  elongated his stay in the university. He said: “I am fed up with this strike action of ASUU. “Each time they have one or two issues to settle with the Federal Government,  strike action should not be the only option. `` In a democratic setting, there are many available means of expressing your grievances other than total paralysis of the system at the expense of the students. `` I believe  our lecturers know that their job goes beyond normal service for payment, it is indeed a service to humanity because education remains the light of the society.’’ Another s

(Nigeria) The police in Kano have confirmed six people dead and six others injured in a Monday evening  blast in Sabongari area of the city. The commissioner of police in Kano State, Alhaji Musa Daura, said that the explosion occurred at a bar, where people also played snooker. Three loud explosion rocked the scene immediately after the .Muslim  night prayers and soon after the blasts, there was sporadic shooting in the area. Residents within the vicinity of the incident made frantic telephone calls to confirm the whereabouts of their relations. Mrs Ngozi Eze of Yoruba  Road, some distance  away from the scene, asked:  "what is this again when we thought everything has died down? ``Only God will save us in this Kano.’’ The blast shook the foundations of many buildings near the spot, where the blast occurred. 

(Nigeria) President Goodluck Jonathan said in Abuja on Monday that his family has lost a supportive benefactor by the death of his mother-in-law, Madam Charity Oba. Jonathan, who described the deceased as a pleasant woman who never complained, made the statement when he received two separate groups who paid condolence visits to the first family at the Presidential Villa. The groups were a delegation from Bayelsa State, led by Governor Seriake Dickson, and the G-20 Political Group, led by Prof. Jerry Gana. ``Mrs Oba was a lady everyone would want to have as a mother-in-law. Since I married my wife she was supportive, she doesn't complain no matter what. ``In fact, my daughter stayed with her till she was grown enough to stay with us at the State House. Your visits are encouragement to us at this time of our grief. It gives us a sense of belonging,'' the president said. Dickson had earlier said that the state was saddened by the loss and commiserated 

(Nigeria) A middle age man, Godwin Idon, allegedly beat his wife, Mrs Marvis Idon, to death for killing a snake inside their home in Uzebba-Iuleha, Owan-West Local Government Area, Edo, reports News Agency of Nigeria. It was gathered  that serious quarrel ensued between the couple after one of their sons had allegedly killed a snake in their living room. The husband was said to have been infuriated by the action which he described as a taboo in the community. NAN reports that after a week of quarrel, the wife in company of her mother-in-law decided to seek the intervention of a native doctor to know the implication of the son’s action. It was when she returned that the husband accused her of foul-play and subsequently hit the wife on the head with a plank during a fight before the women collapsed and died. The remains of the deceased, who died on the spot, had been deposited in a morgue in Sabongidda-Ora, headquarters of the council. The Police Area Commander, Mr David

(Nigeria) The Nigerian Army in a raid carried out between July 12 and 23, said it arrested 42 suspected members of Boko Haram sect in various hideouts in Lagos and Ogun States. The General Officer Commanding, GOC, 81 Div. Maj.-Gen. Obi Umahi, brought out the suspects before newsmen in Lagos on Monday. Umahi said their arrest was based on intelligence report from army operation commanders. Umahi further said the suspects admitted to being members of the sect, while some confessed to have taken part in deadly Boko Haram operations in some parts of the country. The GOC said some of them were among those responsible for the killing of soldiers and civilians in Maiduguri, Borno. According to him, the suspects were arrested at Ibafo Trailer Park, Ileke New Trailer Garage, Ogun, Aviation Quarters, Mafoluku-Oshodi, Mile 12 Motor Park, Ketu, Orile Trailer Park, Lekki New Extension and Bar Beach, Lagos. ``We are still trying to track their weapons," he said The GOC held that

(Nigeria) The Rangers International FC of Enugu has vowed to pursue its disqualification from the CAF Confederation Cup by the continental football body. The club was disqualified from the competition after it reached the group stage for allegedly fielding an ineligible goalkeeper. The club’s Manging Director, Paul Ozor, told newsmen in Enugu on Monday that it would fight hard to be re-instated in the competition. Ozor said the club would not give up in its effort to restore its image before the football family and would do that through the appropriate means. He said the club was considering the option of arbitration since CAF did not treat its appeal satisfactorily.

(Nigeria) Nigerian prosecutors on Monday widened charges against three Lebanese nationals accused of links to Hezbollah as their trial began with access to the courtroom restricted and the identities of witnesses concealed. Mustapha Fawaz, 49, Abdallah Thahini, 48, and Talal Ahmad Roda, 51, have been accused of having ties to the powerful Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah and plotting attacks against Western and Israeli targets in Nigeria. Prosecutors brought fresh charges related to money-laundering and illegal importation of goods among crimes. These came in addition to the terrorism-related offences filed last month after a massive supply of weapons was found at a business in the capital Abuja and a private home in the northern city of Kano. "We want to be sure that all elements of every offence disclosed by the investigation is properly before the court," prosecutor Simon Egede said. Judge Adeniyi Adetokunbo Ademola agreed to a prosecution request to re

Eight Tunisian soldiers were killed Monday in a firefight with "terrorists" near the Algerian border where the army has been tracking Al-Qaeda-linked militants for months, national television said. "Eight soldiers were killed as they exchanged fire with a terrorist group in Mount Chaambi," state broadcaster Wataniya 1 said, while other Tunisian media outlets put the toll at between seven and nine.

(Nigeria) The Minister of Finance, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, was prepared to take-over the Destination Inspection programme in December. Okonjo-Iweala made this known to newsmen in Abuja on Monday shortly after a closed door meeting with the NCS Board on ways to improve the revenue profile of the service. The destination inspection is designed for the inspection of targeted imported goods on arrival in the country. This is based on the declaration of goods and commercial documents. It will be recalled that four companies were engaged in 2006 to provide such service for a seven-year period. ``The transition process is going relatively okay. I do not think there is any organisation that will go through a transition period without some pains. ``I think customs is handling itself fairly well, and I count on the Comptroller-General to ensure a smooth transition. It's only a couple of two, three months remaining and customs is

(Nigeria) A cross section of residents of Aba in Abia State, have called on the state government to urgently rehabilitate and reconstruct roads in the city to forestall imminent flooding. The residents told News Agency of Nigeria, in Aba on Monday that the heavy rains witnessed in the city had posed a serious threat to the residents, especially the businessmen. They said the bad roads in the city were driving businesses away as many of them were moving to neighbouring states like Akwa Ibom and Enugu that had improved infrastructure. One of the residents and a businessman, Mr Okey Nwagbara, lamented that businesses had collapsed due to poor infrastructure in Aba. ``There is no business going on in Aba anymore. Businesses have collapsed. All those people who used to come to Aba to do business have diverted to other places due to lack of access to the city. Businessmen are now relocating to neighbouring states like Akwa Ibom and Enugu because the governors have provided ena

Saudi Arabia’s shipment of crude oil to the United State of America, rose last year and Iran boosted Asian shipments to counter falling sales to its European customers, Organisation Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC reported. The Kingdom exported 1.42 million barrels a day of crude to the U.S. in 2012 compared with 1.31 million a year earlier, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries said in its Annual Statistical Bulletin on Monday, reports Bloomberg. Iran shipped 1.84 million barrels a day to Asian customers up from 1.39 million barrels in 2011. Saudi exports to Europe rose to 991,000 barrels a day in 2012 from 890,000 in 2011. Iran’s shipments plunged to 162,000 barrels a day last year from 741,000 barrels a year earlier. Exports from all OPEC nations rose to 25.3 million barrels a day in 2012 from 23.5 million, the report showed. OPEC’s members are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates

(Nigeria) The National Judicial Council on Monday recommended the compulsory retirement of Justice Shadrach Nwanosike, the acting Chief Judge of Abia State from office. This is contained in a statement by the acting Director, Information of the Supreme Court, Mr Soji Oye in Abuja. The statement said that the recommendation was sequel to the findings of the NJC that Nwanosike, falsified his date of birth which invariably affected his retirement age. It stated that the NJC also considered and deliberated on the report of its Committee on Performance Evaluation of Judicial officers of the Superior Courts of Record in the country. The NJC also recommended the appointment of judicial officers as Chief Judges of the FCT, Rivers, Jigawa and Katsina. It stated that the name of a Chief Judge for the FCT High Court had been recommended to President Goodluck Jonathan for appointment. The NJC is under the chairmanship of the Chief the  Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar. 

Clashes on Monday between a Libyan brigade affiliated with the army and an armed group in the coastal city of Sirte killed two people. Four people were injured in the clashes, which continued for several hours, prompting government and other offices to close in the city, the official LANA news agency reported. Also on Monday, a car bomb exploded in the eastern city of Benghazi but caused no casualties, witnesses said. Libya's new leaders have been struggling to assert their authority and re-establish security in the North African country since strongman Moammar Gaddafi was killed in October 2011. More than 1,000 inmates broke out of a prison near Benghazi on Saturday as protesters stormed political party offices. Protests were triggered by the killing on Friday of a prominent anti-Islamist rights activist, Abdel-Salam al-Mesmari, in Benghazi. A policeman and an army officer were also gunned down in another part of the city.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, on Monday said that 105 children involved in sex trafficking and exploitation have been recovered in 76 cities across the U.S. over the weekend. At a news conference, the agency said that authorities also arrested 150 pimps in a-three-day nationwide raids, adding that the youngest victim rescued was 13. ``Child prostitution remains a persistent threat to children across America," said Ron Hosko, assistant director of the FBI's criminal investigative division. ``This operation serves as a reminder that these abhorrent crimes can happen anywhere and that the FBI remains committed to stopping this cycle of victimisation and holding the criminals who profit from this exploitation accountable." It was the FBI's largest action to date focusing on the recovery of sexually exploited children, according to NBC news. The pimps preyed in particular on troubled children, including children from broken homes or with a histor

(Nigeria) The Minister of National Planning Commission, Dr Shamsuddeen Usman, has said that Nigeria will require 2.9 trillion dollars in the next 30 years to bridge its huge infrastructure gap. Usman said this on Monday in Abuja at a high profile policy dialogue on `` Infrastructure and Structural Transformation in Nigeria’’ organised by the African Development Bank, AFDB. He said the country was well aware of its inadequacies in terms of infrastructure ``which is why it has started to address some of them, especially in the areas of power, transport and ICT sector’’. Usman explained that a National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, NIIMP, was formulated to address the inadequacies and integrate existing infrastructure plans and projects of the Federal Government into one. ``The AFDB has been working closely with us in our economic transformation, especially in the development of the NIIMP. ``This master plan is a long term 30-year plan, covering from 2014 to 2043

Hundreds of Spanish firefighters were on Monday battling a wildfire that has forced the evacuation of about 800 people on Majorca island and devastated 2,000 hectares of land, officials said. More than 80 tourists were among those evacuated. The fire raging near Andratx and Estellencs in the west has reached the Tramuntana mountain range, an ecologically valuable area that lies parallel to the north-western coast of the island and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. About 400 firefighters and soldiers using 28 aircraft or helicopters were working to combat the blaze. One firefighter was taken to hospital for dehydration. No other injuries or damage to buildings were reported. The fire was the worst on Majorca since 1992. A farmer who was suspected of accidentally starting it on Friday by burning plant remains has denied the charges.

(Nigeria) Students of  The Polytechnic, Ibadan , on Monday protested over the epileptic power supply in the schoo, reports News Agency of Nigeria. It was gathered that the students,  who protested for over two hours,  paralysed human and vehicular movements. The aggrieved students rendered anti-government slogans and barricaded all entrances leading into the  institution. Those who spoke on condition of anonymity said the epileptic power supply being experienced at the main campus of the institution should be addressed  to ensure  smooth academic activities. "Power supply has been so terrible in the school recently. We stated our plight to the authorities. We have been experiencing perpetual darkness at nights in the school since they carried out  repair work on the generator. "We complained that the situation should be addressed because it is inimical to our career as students. This is an academic environment and we should be given some comfort," an angry st

(Nigeria) The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, on Monday in Abuja said Nigeria lost over 11 billion dollars to crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism between 2009 and 2011. The NEITI Chairman, Mr Ledum Mitee, disclosed this at the public presentation of NEITI audit reports for the Oil and Gas sector for 2009 to 2011 and the Solid Minerals Sector Audit for 2007-2010. The report, which was carried out by NEITI auditors highlighted the transaction and revenue flows between government agencies and international oil companies operating in Nigeria. According to the report, more than 136 million barrels of crude oil estimated at 10.9 billion dollars have been lost to theft and sabotage within the period under review. ``This amount which was 7.7 per cent of the total revenue accrued to the federation in the audit period is considered significant. ``This was in addition to a loss of about 10 million barrels valued at 894 million dollars as a result

(Nigeria) No fewer than eight passengers,  including a pregnant woman,  reportedly died in a ghastly auto crash on Monday on  the Gbongan-Ibadan expressway, Ogun State, reports News Agency of  Nigeria. It was gathered that  the victims were travelling in a bus from Ede to Owode in Osun at 6.40 a.m.  when the accident happened. An eye-witness told NAN that the affected bus passengers were traders from  a nearby market who had  boarded the ill-fated vehicle  for the  trip. The  eyewitness  said that a light blue Golf car marked AG 19 EDE coming from Ede caused the accident when it somersaulted suddenly on  high speed. It was further learnt that the  car  crashed  into two other vehicles—an ash coloured  KIA marked KUJ 74 AJ and a white Toyota Hiace also marked XR 930 ABC. The  multiple accident,  which resulted,  led to the death of  eight persons while a few others were rushed to the hospital for medical attention. The  accident spot was said to have been  thronged  b

United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay has strongly condemned a suicide attack on an office housing Turkish diplomatic staff on Saturday in Mogadishu, which left two dead and several others injured. The PANA correspondent in New York on Sunday quoted Kay as saying in a statement that ``my deep sympathy and sincere condolences go to the Turkish government, the victims and those who have lost their loved ones. ``Turkey has been working tirelessly and bravely to help the Somali people over the last few years.’’ The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, UNSOM, which Kay heads, described the attack as one of the several ones that Al Shabaab has carried out during the holy month of Ramadan. ``I condemn all acts of terrorism,’’ he stressed, saying UNSOM and international partners ``stand firm in our efforts to help the Somali people to enjoy the peace and development they so desperately want and need’’. UNSOM, which began operations

(Nigeria)  Henry Amike, President of the Nigerian Olympians Association, NOA, said on Monday that doping was a common occurrence in sports. Amike said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the issue became news only when renowned athletes were found to have used certain banned drugs. It will be recalled that the International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF, on July 14, indicted Tyson Gay (U.S.), and Asafa Powell (Jamaica), after the athletes tested positive to banned substances. The president of the association said: ``Well, as far as I’m concerned, the dope thing has been on and it happens periodically and sometimes it happens to big athletes. And a lot of people are being caught every day. ``But once you are caught and you are not a reputable athlete, it is not a big deal. It is because the people that are caught in recent times are `big fish`. ``That is why the news is all over the place; I must tell you that athletes are getting th

Olympic sprint champion, Usain Bolt, has accepted a challenge from Britain's Olympic middle distance champion, Mo Farah, to race for charity, saying he would be prepared to meet over 600m. Farah, who won gold at the 5,000 and 10,000m at the London Olympics last year, was the star turn of the Games along with Jamaican sprinter Bolt, who won the 100 and 200m. ``It would be great to do a distance where people vote in - proper athletics fans - on what distance they think is most suitable," Farah told Sky Sports. He then turned to the camera and said: ``Are you up for that? Come on, you've got to do it." In a separate interview, Bolt was shown the footage and replied he would be prepared to take on the challenge. ``That sounds fun," he said. ``It's going to be hard but it's charity so it's all about fun and enjoyment. I'm up for anything, for anything's possible." Bolt, who holds the world records at 100m and 200m, said runnin

(Nigeria) A 36-year-old Chinese was on Monday charged before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, for alleged forgery and fraudulent sale of Mama Gold Rice brand. The accused, Hong Dong Shen is standing trial on a four-count charge bordering on the alleged offence. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor, Mr Daniel Apochi told the court that the accused committed the alleged offence between February 2011 and March 2013. He said the accused allegedly forged the trade mark of Ollam Nig. Ltd, producers of Mama Gold Rice, and had reproduced about 140 bags of the rice, for sale to members of the public. According to the prosecutor, the trade mark is valued at N200 million. The alleged offence is said to contravene the provisions of sections 390 and 516 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, as well as section 3 and 32 of the Merchandise Act 2004. Following a bail application on behalf of the accused by his counsel,  Justice Mohammed Yunusa granted him ba

 Mali’s Acting President Dioncounda Traore says he will be happy to hand-over power to a president that will emerge at the ongoing presidential election in the country. Malian online newspaper, MaliKounda quoted Traore as saying this while addressing the newsmen on Monday in Bamako. A a total of 27 aspirants were voted for on Sunday in a presidential election that took place in the whole country. Malians residing in countries where the nations has diplomatic mission also exercised their franchise by voting for their choice candidates. Traore, who said he was satisfied with the general conduct of the election also described it as the best ever held in the country since independence. ``I will be very happy indeed to pass the baton to the person who will emerge through the ballot box. ``I voted for the candidate that convinced me during the campaign, I must say that this is indeed the best elections to be held in Mali since independence in 1960,’’ it quoted him as saying.

(Nigeria) The Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta code-named `Operation Pulo Shield’, said on Monday that it arrested 608 suspected oil thieves in 594 raids carried out between January and June. The JTF spokesman, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, told News Agency of Nigeria, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State that oil theft was consequently on the decline. `So far we have carried out 594 illegal oil bunkering patrols, and several arrests have been made. ``In the two quarters we are talking about, we’ve scuttled about 748 illegal refineries within the region and we have impounded 24 sea-going vessels; we equally arrested 133 barges involved in oil theft.  ``And 861 giant open wooden boats popularly referred to as Cotonou boats have been scuttled over this period. ``About 910 large surface tanks which oil thieves engaged in illegal refineries use to reserve the crude have been scuttled. ``We’ve taken into custody about 608 suspects who are involved in oil theft and oil theft related cases.

(Nigeria) President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday asked the judiciary to uphold the ethics of the profession in the dispensation of justice and in the sustenance of judicial practice in the country. Speaking at the inauguration of the Federal High Court complex in Lafia, the President said that no country could dispense justice to its citizens without strict adherence to ethical codes. The president was represented by his Vice, Alhaji Mohammed Namadi Sambo. He said the construction of additional high courts across the country would afford Nigerians the opportunity of obtaining quick dispensation of justice. ``It is a general belief that justice delayed is justice denied, hence the resolve of government to take dispensation of justice to the door-step of Nigerians. ``I want to appreciate the Judiciary for living up to the expectations of Nigerians in every sphere of human endeavour, despite some challenges facing it. ``I wish to call on their lordships and others in the