Caught In The Act: US Secretary of State Kerry caught using fake photos to fuel Syrian conflict

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Secretary of State John Kerry opened his speech Friday by describing the horrors victims of the chemical weapon attack suffered, including twitching, spasms and difficulty breathing. Attempting to drive the point home, Kerry referenced a photograph used by the BBC illustrating a child jumping over hundreds of dead bodies covered in white shrouds. The Secretary of State forgot to mention, however, that this photo was taken during US intervention in Iraq back in 2003.

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Alleged Abuja Bombing: We Exploded Two Fuel Tankers In FCT – MEND

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3 weeks after it called-off what it described as planned attacks on mosques and related institutions over the bombings and killing of southerners in the North by Boko Haram insurgents, the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, claimed it struck in the early hours of Saturday in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

The militant group said it secretly attached portable military limpet explosives on two articulated petrol tanker vehicles outside the NNPC depot in Abaji, Abuja, at about 5.00 am and detonated the devices.

Sunday Vanguard could not verify the claim at press time while the media manager of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidy of the NNPC, Nasir Imodagbe, denied the bombing claim.

NNPC : Nigeria’s refineries now producing 10m litres/day of fuel

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Thursday, announced an improvement in Nigeria’s refining capacity, declaring that domestic refining of Premium Motor Spirits, PMS, at the country’s three refineries has increased to 10.23 million litres per day.

According to Group Executive Director, Refining and Petrochemicals, NNPC, Engineer Anthony Ogbuigwe, the three refineries are also currently producing 5.53 million litres of dual purpose kerosene and 8.016 million litres of automotive gas oil, diesel daily.

₦98,114,927.39 ($620,000) Fuel Subsidy Bribe: Judge Fails To Rule On Farouk Lawan’s Trial

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Ruling on an application to quash the charges against former chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on fuel subsidy; Farouk Lawan and the committee’s secretary, Mr. Boniface Emenalo, was stalled on Thursday as the trial judge, Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi, could not deliver the anticipated ruling owing to bereavement.

An official of the Abuja High confirmed the development to journalist in Abuja and consequently, May 10, was fixed as new date for ruling on the pending application by Lawan and Emenalo.

The duo seeks to have the court quash the 7-count charge preferred against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Firstpost World Nigerian fuel tanker explosion kills at least 36

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LAGOS (Reuters) – At least 36 people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded after crashing into a crowded bus in southern Nigeria, officials said on Saturday. The Federal Road Safety Commisson said the crash happened on Friday on the Benin-Ore road linking the commercial hub of Lagos with southeast Nigeria. Three people were injured.

Traffic accidents are common in Nigeria, where roads are bad and safety standards poor.At least 95 people were killed in July last year in southern Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed and caught fire as people crowded around it to scoop up the fuel.

(Reporting by Tim Cocks; editing by Andrew Roche)

Fuel Subsidy Scam: Courts Temporarily Freezes Assets Belonging To Son Of Former PDP Chairman

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A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Thursday, temporarily froze assets belonging to two oil marketers, Seun Ogunbambo and Mamman Ali, the son of the former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Ali.

The Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo-headed court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an order for an interim forfeiture of assets belonging to the two oil marketers, who are part of many others indicted in the fuel subsidy scam, Ali and Ogunbambo.

FG respond to fear of January 2013 fuel increase

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Lagos—President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Abdulwahed Omar, Tuesday assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would not increase the price of petrol in the New Year.Omar, who gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos, said already the masses were facing a lot of hardship, adding that government would not want to add to their sufferings.

Crashed Dana Plane Ran Out Of Fuel – Pilot (Video)

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A pilot and aviation expert, Benson Ikponwosa on Monday said the only plausible explanation to the recent Dana plane crash could be shortage of fuel. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Mr Ikponwosa said a plane that left Abuja with its two engines intact could not have lost both engines if aircraft had adequate supply of fuel. A Dana Airline plane, flight MD83 had in June crashed into two buildings at the Agege area of Lagos State killing all 153 passengers and crew on aboard.

FG Skips Planned Refinery Projects - Jonathan Must Tackle Fuel Subsidy Corruption–Labour

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Eleven months after promising to build three new refineries for the country, the Federal Government may have dumped the plan. Saturday PUNCH investigations showed that the FG may have dropped the idea because of the unresolved issue of deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.
This development came to the fore as organised labour expressed surprise at President Goodluck Jonathan’s N161bn supplementary budget on fuel subsidy for 2012.

Don't Dare Nigerians, Another Fuel Hike Will Collapse Your Govt.- NNLC Warns GEJ

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The Nigeria Labour Congress has warned the Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government against any surreptitious move to increase the price of petroleum products in the country. NLC President, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, warned in a statement on Friday that any increase in the price of fuel would lead to a crisis as the congress would call out Nigerians to resist it. He warned that any increase in the prices of petroleum products would culminate in a crisis that would surpass the last January anti-fuel price hike demonstration.

Fuel Subsidy Probe: Otedola/Lawan Case Hearing to Commence Nov 23

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The court hearing between oil mogul, Femi Otedola and embattled erstwhile Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on fuel subsidy probe, Farouk Lawal has been scheduled to commence on November 23rd. Otedola who is Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas, had in a suit he filed before the high court, adduced reasons why he said the House of Representatives should be compelled to pay him N250 billion as compensation for business losses he suffered owing to his alleged indictment by the said fuel subsidy probe panel. 

He equally cited the Speaker of the House of Reps, Aminu Tambuwal, as a defendant in the suit. It would be recalled that Femi Otedola accused Farouk Lawan of demanding $3 million to exonerate his company from the Farouk Lawan-led fuel subsidy probe panel, releasing an audio tape to corroborate his claims.

Fuel Price Hike: Nigerian Labour Congress Threatens Strike, Mass Protest

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike and mass protest in the event that the federal government increases the pump prices of petroleum products.

The threat followed the lingering fuel crisis in the country which the labour union described as a ploy by the federal government to increase pump prices of petroleum products.

It also threatened to picket fuel stations selling above official price if the necessary authorities that are expected to play a regulatory role fail to exercise their

N888bn enough for 2012 fuel subsidy – Okonjo-Iweala

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Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
| credits: File copy

The Federal Government believes it has no compelling reason to prepare a supplementary appropriation for petroleum subsidy payments because the fund earmarked for that purpose in the 2012 budget should be enough, MARTIN AYANKOLA writes.

The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said the N888bn allocated for subsidy payments in the 2012 budget should