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No fewer than 23 militants and seven civilians have been killed in northwest Pakistan in attacks on rebel hideouts, a checkpoint clash and a motorcycle bombing, officials said Sunday, reports AFP. The deaths occurred during attacks on Taliban hideouts by Pakistani jets, a United States drone strike, a gunfight at a security forces checkpoint and the bombing at a camp for displaced people.

Britain and Ireland are to revive talks between nationalist and unionist parties in Northern Ireland to resolve a standoff that has at times threatened to topple the power-sharing administration, reports AFP. The two countries announced on Sunday a new round of discussions would be convened to break deadlock over the divisive issues of flags, parades and dealing with the region's troubled past.

Militias of the proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Ukrainian military exchanged prisoners on Sunday. DPR released 30 people, while Kiev - 60. Earlier, the militia told Ukraine that the upcoming exchange of prisoners of war should be organised on the 29-for-29 basis, representative of the Republic’s committee on prisoners of war Darya Morozova said on Sunday, reports Itar-Tass. “The Ukrainian side is ready to release to the Donetsk Republic 60 prisoners of war, but according to the data we have only 29 people are militias taken prisoners.”

(Nigeria) Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State , has appealed to royal fathers in the South-South to help check the menace of crude oil theft in the region. The governor made the appeal, when he received the South-South Monarchs at the Government House, Benin City , said “I think your Royal Majesties have a role to play to lend your voice against oil theft because that is destabilizing the country and creating huge environmental challenges which we will confront when we may not have the resources to do so.

( Nigeria ) The Rivers State Patriotic Youth Assembly, RSYPA, has called on the Arewa Youth Leaders and Stakeholders to be downright in addressing issues concerning internal party politics in the country. President of RSYPA, Mr Joseph Itenyi, who made the call on Sunday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in a reaction to a statement by the Arewa Youths in which the group condemned the collective endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said: "I see the position of the Arewa youths as less informed because a collective decision of a political party to present any candidate as the PDP has done is as good as an election.

( Nigeria ) The Nigerian Medical Association,  NMA, Lagos State Chapter, on Sunday appealed to the Lagos State Government to pay the withheld emoluments of doctors in its employment. The Chairman of the association, Dr Tope Ojo, made the appeal at a news briefing in Lagos . Ojo said that it was worrisome that the Lagos State Government withheld the emoluments of its doctors for the month of August and September 2014 as a result of the July 1 NMA nationwide strike.

(Nigeria) The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Lagos State on Sunday disowned Mr Adejumo Agbaje, who filed a suit challenging the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 general polls. In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, the PDP said Agbaje was not a consequential member or leader of the party in the state. Agbaje along with some persons parading themselves as PDP members had filed a suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/662/2014 challenging the eligibility of Jonathan in seeking re-election in 2015.

It was supposed to be a record-breaking year for tourist visits to Israel . But all that changed when the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas prompted jittery travelers to cancel trips en masse, leaving empty hotel rooms and barren tourist sites in their wake, reports AP. The summertime fighting delivered a serious hit to Israel 's thriving tourism industry, causing losses of hundreds of millions of dollars and sparking concern that aftershocks may continue well after the war. "Our challenge is how to prevent more cancelations. Despite a month having passed since the war, there is still an image among tourists that it is not safe to travel here," said Oded Grofman of the Israel Incoming Tour Operators Association.

Militias in the Donetsk People’s Republic, DPR, have found another burial site near Donetsk, DPR First Vice-Premier Andrei Purgin said on Sunday, reports Itar-Tass. The mass grave was found near the village of Nizhnyaya Krynka where a battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard had been stationed two weeks ago. “Another burial site has been discovered. It is located near the village of Nizhnyaya Krynka. Exhumation will help establish how many bodies are there and how these people died,” Purgin said.

Iranian state television has accused the BBC of trying to steal "artistic, historic and cultural documents" from government archives in the Islamic Republic, reports AP. The BBC had no immediate comment on the claim, coming in a report aired Sunday, though Iran has a history of accusing the British broadcaster as operating as a cover for spies and dissidents.

Waving rainbow-colored flags, several hundred gay activists proceeded undisturbed through downtown Belgrade on Sunday thanks to the protection of thousands of anti-riot police officers, reports DW. The march advanced for only several hundred meters through the empty Belgrade streets where shops were closed and public transport was stopped. Still, it was important symbolically as a rare public event staged by gays in this highly conservative Balkan country.

(Nigeria) In recognition of his people-oriented projects in the past seven years of his administration, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has been honoured by the people of Emohua Kingdom with a Chieftaincy title of “Ugwugwu of Emohua"(the Pride of Emohua). The governor also received accolades from the people for his uncommon achievements in terms of infrastructure and manpower development.

(Nigeria) Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has accused the Federal Government of making illegal deductions from the Federation Account, which has led to the pauperization of states. He called on the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to speak up  against such illegalities and many others being perpetrated by the Federal Government if democracy must grow in the country. Speaking while playing host to Mr Augustine Alegeh, SAN, President of the NBA at Government House in Benin, Oshiomhole, said that the NBA must find time to speak out not only on rule of law but also on political issues without necessarily being partisan.

Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have brought parts of the city center to a standstill. Police have used tear gas to disperse crowds calling for more political freedom from Beijing . Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters on Sunday surrounded a government enclave and blocked streets in central Hong Kong in an escalation of the demonstrations that the city has experienced over the past days, reports DW.

( Nigeria ) The All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused the President Goodluck Jonathan administration of seeking to negotiate the timing of the release of the Chibok girls to create a maximum public relations boost for itself, rather than out of a genuine concern for the girls who are now in their sixth month in captivity. APC in a statement in London on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the clearest evidence of the government's manipulation of the girls' release came during President Goodluck Jonathan's recent visit to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

The world is not doing enough to combat Ebola outbreak and more countries need to contribute critical assets and capabilities to contain the epidemic, United States . President Barack Obama said on Thursday, reports Xinhua. "In an era when regional crises can quickly become global threats, stopping Ebola is in the interests of the entire world," Obama said at a United Nations high-level meeting on Ebola, warning that this disease could cause a humanitarian catastrophe across West Africa .

United States  investigators believe to have identified the "Islamic State" member who beheaded two American journalists, reports DW. Meanwhile, Iraqi and US officials are looking into claims of a terrorist plot aimed at New York and Paris . Speaking to reporters on Thursday, FBI chief James Comey announced a significant step in the hunt for the "Islamic State" militant responsible for the deaths of American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff. "We believe we have identified the executioner," Comey said.

The police chief of the Missouri town where unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead has apologised, reports DW. Brown's death sparked violent riots and a debate in the United States on race relations. The police chief of the small town of Ferguson , Missouri , used a video message to say he was sorry for the mistakes his force made after the killing of Michael Brown.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has kicked off day two of the United Nations General Assembly with a promise to carry out nuclear talks "in good faith" with Western powers - which he blamed for "blunders" in the Middle East, reports DW. In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Rouhani said a deal on Iran 's contested nuclear program was possible before November's deadline. Tehran and world powers have been trying for almost a year to negotiate a permanent solution to the program, after extending their deadline this July.

Lawmakers in Nigeria on Thursday approved a request from President Goodluck Jonathan for a more than $1 billion loan to fight Boko Haram extremists, reports AFP. Members of the Senate upper chamber of parliament approved the request, which was made earlier this month to beef up the military fighting the insurgents in the northeast.

( Nigeria ) All courts in Ekiti State have been shut down indefinitely on the orders of the state Chief Judge, Justice Ayo Daramola, reports NAN . The Chief Registrar of the state judiciary, Mr Obafemi Fasanmi, stated this in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday.

Nigeria 's police on Thursday claimed that one of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants nearly six months ago had been found, but elders rejected the claim, reports APF. National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojokwu said the girl was "dropped off by suspected Boko Haram militants at Mubi in Adamawa state" at about 5:00 p.m., on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry initiated a criminal probe in regard to a group of the country’s lawmakers who last week traveled to Moscow, met with their Russian colleagues and attended a session of the Russian parliament’s lower house, Zoryan Shkiryak, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, said on Thursday, reports Itar-Tass. “The main investigative department of the Interior Ministry launched a criminal probe into the reported case of (Ukrainian) lawmakers’ participation in a session of the (Russian) State Duma,” Shkiryak said.

United States Secretary of State, Mr John Kerry has named former U.S. Ambassador to India , Amb. Nancy Powell, Ebola Coordinator for the Department of State. A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday said Powell had previously served as the State Department’s Senior Coordinator for Avian influenza. It stated that In her new role, she would lead the department’s outreach to international partners to ensure a speedy and truly global response to the Ebola crisis.

( Nigeria ) The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA in Anambra State , has raised concern over the increasing methamphetamine shipment in the state. Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Mr Sule Momodu, State Commander of the agency, told newsmen in Awka on Monday that the national headquarters recently intercepted a parcel, which was traced to Awka, the state capital.

The number of the Ebola outbreak victims in West Africa has reached 2,917, the World Health Organisation, WHO, said in a report on Thursday, according to Itar-Tass. A total of 6,263 people have been infected with Ebola in the region, the United Nations Health Agency said adding that Liberia ,Sierra Leone and Guinea remained the hardest-hit countries.

( Nigeria ) Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described Governor Rotimi Amaechi of the state and his stooges, which it described as being foisted as All Progressive Congress, APC leaders as a bunch of confused bedfellows with conflicting mindsets. PDP in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media to the state party Chairman, Mr Jerry Needam on Thursday in Port Harcourt, said that the APC before now posited that Chief OCJ Okocha, SAN was responsible for the judicial crisis in the state but is now blaming the problem on the Minister of State for Education and PDP Leader, Chief Nyesom Wike.

( Nigeria ) The All Progressives Congress, APC, has condemned the obvious attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government, allegedly working with some members of the National Assembly, to cover up the smuggling of $9.3 million to South Africa on a private plane, saying that the cover-up plans will fail because the issues involve transcend Nigeria . APC in a statement in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the cover-up attempt manifested clearly at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, when Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha curiously refused to entertain a debate on a motion seeking a probe of the issue that has further ridiculed  Nigeria in the global community.

One of the victims discovered in a mass burial near Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, has been identified as a local citizen, the head of a police department in Makiivka said on Thursday, reports Itar-Tass. “This is a local citizen, he worked at the mine,” Pavel Strikov said. The victim was among the four bodies uncovered by military police of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, DPR, in the Komunar mine earlier this week. An investigation into the discovered mass graves is ongoing, he added.

The European Union, EU and its western allies should not lift sanctions on Russia until Ukraine has regained control of all its territory, Ukraine 's prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said, reports ShareCast . Speaking to the United Nations, UN, General Assembly, Yatsenyuk said that Russian troops were still operating in Ukraine and he urged the EU and the West to keep the pressure on Moscow . "We ask our partners not to lift sanctions until Ukraine takes control of its entire territory," the Ukrainian prime minister said.

The United States-based terrorism monitoring group SITE, has said that the extremists said they would kill one of two German hostages (main picture) unless a 250 million pesos  about $5.62 m ransom was paid and Berlin stopped supporting the US-led campaign against the "Islamic State" (IS) group in Iraq and Syria , reports DW. Manila responded on September 25, saying the Philippine government doesn't negotiate with Islamist militants.

Ukraine intends to apply for membership in the European Union, EU in 2020, President Petro Poroshenko announced, reports DW. Poroshenko said his country would apply for EU membership after implementing over the next several years a series of economic and political reforms that are part of his "Strategy 2020" plan.

Sierra Leone restricted travel Thursday into and within three more "hotspots" of Ebola where 1.5 million people live, meaning that more than a third of the country's population is now under quarantine, reports Fox News. Sierra Leone is one of the hardest hit countries in an Ebola outbreak sweeping West Africa that is believed to have killed more than 2,900 people, according to World Health Organization tolls published Thursday. The agency says the situation in Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, driven primarily by a sharp increase of cases in the capital, Freetown .

The nationalised property of Ukrainian billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskyi in Crimea is due to be sold at open tenders in around six months, Crimea ’s acting head Sergey Aksyonov said on Thursday, reports Itar-Tass. Last week, Crimean government officials backed by police and self-defense forces started taking inventory of property and seizing documents for the Foros recreation center, in the Yalta resort city, owned by entities affiliated with Kolomoyskyi.

The family of the dead man, who had been sick for six days with Ebola’s telltale symptoms, took him twice by taxi to treatment centers here in the capital, only to be turned back at the gate for lack of beds. He died at home, his arms thrashing violently and blood spewing out of his mouth, in front of his sons, reports The Boston Globe . “We had to carry him home two times because they could do nothing for us,” said Eric Gweah, 25, as a team of body collectors came to retrieve the corpse of his father, Ofori Gweah, 62. “The only thing the government can do is come for bodies. They are killing us.”

The United States on Wednesday issued financial sanctions against 11 individuals and a foreign entity it designated as "global terrorists," vowing to disrupt the finances of the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda, reports AFP. The sanctions would see any US assets belonging to those affected frozen, while any transactions with US persons would be prohibited.

A Missouri drill sergeant is guilty of sexually assaulting and harassing eight female soldiers, a military judge ruled Wednesday, reports AP. Army Staff Sgt. Angel M. Sanchez, 30, was accused of using his supervisory position with the 14th Military Police Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood to threaten some of the women he was tasked with training. His accusers said the incidents took place in the bathroom of the female barracks as well as in an office shared by drill sergeants.

Nigeria 's military on Wednesday claimed for the first time that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was dead, as it said troops had killed a lookalike who had been posing as the militant commander, reports AFP. Defence spokesman Chris Olukolade told reporters in Abuja that a heavily bearded Islamist fighter identified as Mohammed Bashir died during fighting in the town of Konduga , in Borno State .

( Nigeria ) The Media Rights Agenda, MRA, has called on the Department of State Service, DSS, and the Niger State Government to immediately charge Tega Oghenedoro, the journalist arrested for allegedly demanding N50million bribe, to a court of competent jurisdiction, if they have actionable evidence against him. MR in a statement in Lagos , contended that Oghenedoro’s detention without charge is illegal and constitutes a violation of his fundamental rights.