late Gen. Abacha loot: US to return $480million to Nigeria

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The U.S has taken control of $480million which is part of money stolen by former military dictator General Sani Abacha, after a court ruling in D.C on Wednesday August 6th. The U.S Department of Justice will now hand over the stolen money to Nigerian government, U.S government spokesman said yesterday.

According to court documents, late General Abacha, his son Mohammed Sani Abacha, their associate Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and others embezzled, misappropriated, extorted money from the Nigerian government and stashed them in various banks across the world. Continue...
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Obama authorises air strikes on Iraq

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US President Barack Obama says he has authorised air strikes against Islamic militants in northern Iraq but will not send US troops back to the country.

He said Islamic State (IS) fighters would be targeted to prevent the slaughter of religious minorities or if they threaten US interests.

No strikes have been made yet but the US has made humanitarian air drops to Iraqis under threat from the militants.

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Aviation fuel scarcity causes flight delays, cancellations

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Delays and outright cancellation of scheduled flights have nearly paralysed activities in the Nigerian aviation industry in the last two weeks.

As a result, passengers scheduled to travel to domestic and foreign destinations have been expressing dismay at the increasing cases of interruptions to their flight schedules and the consequent toll on their business activities.

Investigations by our correspondent showed that major airlines flying both local and international routes had been affected by the crisis, which was traced to inadequate supply of aviation fuel.

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Detailed expert analysis of the MH17 downing

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Just found this detailed analysis on a friend's blog and decided to share it with readers.

You can download his full report by clicking on either one of the following links:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByibNV3SiUoobnpCVDduaHVORHM/edit?usp=sharing

http://www.mediafire.com/view/61qa99yt6v3dq64/MH17Analysis_Parts_1_and_2.pdf

One could be getting increasingly frustrated and angry at the fact that clearly the Dutch and the British, obviously under the orders of Uncle Sam, are sitting on the data of the flight data recorders and not releasing them.  At the very least, the following countries have the recordings of the radio contacts between MH17 and the Kiev ATC:

Russia Extends Snowden’s Asylum for 3 Years – Lawyer

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Russian authorities have extended the temporary asylum for fugitive National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden for three years starting from August 1, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said Thursday.

Russia’s Federal Migration Service refused to comment on the report.

«Political asylum is not under consideration. In this case, a decision was made about his residence permit. The permission was issued for three years with a possibility of extension for another three years," Kucherena told reporters in Moscow.

The lawyer said that a foreign national may apply for Russian citizenship after living in the country for five years, but said it was up to Snowden to decide.

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Ukraine Civil War: War Torn Donetsk People’s Republic Prime Minister Resigns, Names Field Commander as Successor

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The prime minister of Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Boroday, announced his resignation Thursday.

«I came here as a crisis manager, a startuper if you wish. A lot was done in the past days, and DPR has proven itself as a state. Now I cede my place to a respected field commander, my friend Alexander Zakharchenko," Boroday said.

A Moscow-native, Boroday said the leader of the DPR must be a Donetsk native, as Zakharchenko, who has also been an outspoken leader of a unit of independence supporters called Oplot.

NATO Chief Threatens Russia With More Sanctions Over Ukraine

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NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that more sanctions will be imposed on Russia if the situation in southeastern Ukraine continues to deteriorate.

"I have no doubt the 'international community' will respond with tougher sanctions if Russia continues to intervene further," he told reporters during his visit to Ukraine’s capital Kiev.

The statement came on the day Russia announced embargo on US and European agricultural goods in response to the latest Western restrictions on the country’s economic, defense and energy sectors.

Sanctions Against Russia Suicidal for France - Lawmaker

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France’s decision to impose sanctions against Russia was extremely unreasoned, wrong and suicidal, Jacques Myard, a member of the National Assembly of France, told Le Figaro Thursday.

"The European Union and its member states have made a serious mistake [by imposing sanctions on Russia] because the Ukrainian conflict involving Russian-speaking rebels is a completely regional conflict, a consequence of the Soviet Union collapse and what had happened before, in particular, during the Second World War, when many Ukrainians fought alongside the Nazis," Myard said.

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US May Introduce New Sanctions Against Russia Over Iran Oil Deal - Reports

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The United States may introduce new sanctions against Russian companies due to the recently signed oil deal between Moscow and Tehran, the US Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said Thursday, as reported by Reuters. Although it was still unclear whether Russia and Iran had agreed on an oil-for-goods swap, Cohen said Washington had warned Russia against such a deal under the threat of additional US sanctions, according to Reuters.

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Canadians Cut off From Local Water Supplies After Billion Gallon Waste Spill

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Hundreds of British Columbia residents can no longer consume water at the place where they live following a billion gallon spill of mining waste that reached rivers and creeks in the Cariboo provincial area, the CBC reports.

The open-pit Mount Polley copper and gold mine recently suffered a breach in a tailings pond, which caused 1.3 billion gallons of slurry to pour out straight into Hazeltine Creek, equaling in size nearly 2,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Maidan Unrest Back to Life as Activists Clash With Police on Central Kiev Square

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Clashes among activists and police broke out Thursday on central Kiev's Maidan Square, the flashpoint of the country’s pro-EU uprising in November 2013.
Activists were seen throwing stones and sticks at police and firemen in a bid to force them out of the square.
A RIA Novosti correspondent said that tires were set ablaze, with sounds of what appeared to be an explosion heard in downtown Kiev. Thick smoke has blanketed the square, where a protest camp was set up less than a year ago.
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Russia Slaps U.S.A, EU, Canada and Australia with Sanctions

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Russia’s one-year ban on food imports from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Norway came into force Thursday after being published by the official government website.
Earlier on Thursday, Russia unveiled its list of banned imports of beef, pork, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, nuts, as well as cheese and other dairy products from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Norway that have imposed sanctions against Russia.
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Exposed: See The PDP Rigging Template For Osun Election

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 SUBVERSION OF DEMOCRACY AND THE PEOPLE’S RIGHT:PDP’S ELABORATE RIGGING PLAN FOR OSUN GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION UNCOVERED!
Fortuitously, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun has uncovered a very damning ‘secret’ document on how the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) intends to rig the August 9th gubernatorial election in Osun.
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British Govt. Downplays Impact of Russian Food Sanctions on UK Economy

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Russia’s ban on food imports from the so-called sanction nations will not have a significant impact on the UK agricultural industry, the British government said Thursday.

Russia unveiled earlier on Thursday a substantial «blacklist» of food imports from the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, and Norway. The list includes meat, poultry, fish, seafood, milk, dairy products, as well as fruits and vegetables.
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Ebola Virus: Crusades Banned In Lagos Churches & Mosques

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Few hours after the death of the latest victim of EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) in Lagos State Nigeria, LASG has ordered an immediate ban of all crusades in the state.

This move is to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

Niger State seeks peace between herdsmen, farmers

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Governor Muazu  Aliyu of Niger State on Thursday called for mutual understanding and harmonious co-existence between herdsmen and farmers in the country.

Aliyu, who is also the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, made the appeal in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

The governor was reported to have spoken at a symposium on ‘Disentangling Farmers and Herdsmen Clashes: Fostering Peaceful Co-existence’, and a book presentation for victims of the clashes in Minna. 

No plan to send troops to Nigeria – Obama

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The United States President Barack Obama has said that his country has no plan to send troops to fight terrorism in African countries including Nigeria.

Obama made this statement after the US-Africa Leaders Summit while fielding questions from journalist on Wednesday.

According to him, the US is more interested in increasing the capacity of regional organisations on the continent to tackle issues more effectively and promptly.

Obama said, “Now, with respect to terrorism, I think there’s uniform concern of terrorist infiltration in many countries throughout Africa. A lot of the initiatives that we put forward were designed to partner so that countries, first and foremost, can deal with these problems within their own borders or region.

13 dead & 41 others wounded in Iraq car bombings

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At the least 13 persons were  killed and 41 others were wounded in three car bombs that targeted Shiite communities in Baghdad and Kirkuk on Thursday, police and medical sources said. Twin car bombs killed eight people and wounded 17 others near a mosque in Kirkuk. In a nearby of Kadmiyah in Baghdad, five people was killed and another 24 were injured in a suicide car bomb, based on sources.

Military dislodge Boko Haram from Damboa & other villages in Borno

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Special Forces in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign have cleared Delwa, Mustafari, Manga, Wanga and Damboa of terrorists who have been rampaging in the communities, the Nigerian military has annouced. 

Fashola restores LASU school fees

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Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has directed the immediate reversal of the school fees of Lagos State University, LASU, which was increased by the government to what it was as far back as 2011.

Governor Fashola gave the directive today August 7th at the convocation programme of LASU which held earlier today at the LASU Ojo campus ground. The reversal comes after months of protests by students and lecturers of the university. Continue...