Threats, intimidation won’t deter my senatorial ambition -Ayabam

A senatorial aspirant on the platform of the APC in Benue, Mr Andrew Ayabam, says he is not bothered by the ‘numerous threats’ against him by those opposed to his senatorial ambition.

Ayabam, a bank worker and immediate past Chairman of the state Board of Internal Revenue Service bared his mind on Thursday in Makurdi while addressing newsmen.

The former BIRS boss left the office in August 2013 and was replaced by his deputy.

Ayabam, who has declared intention to run for the Benue North East senatoral seat, will meet strong opponents in the race.

Egypt, UAE embassies attacked in Libya

A car bomb went off outside the Egyptian embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, causing some damage to the building but no injuries.

A Libyan security official told the Associated Press news agency that shortly after the blast, which took place early on Thursday morning, another car bomb was discovered near the embassy of the United Arab Emirates. It is unclear why that car bomb did not explode.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to media.

Both embassies, along with most diplomatic missions, foreign and international organisations have been closed for months as Islamist-allied armed groups seized Tripoli after weeks of fierce fighting.

Chibok girls: NLC women urge boycott of 2015 elections

The National Women Commission of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to mobilise women across the country to boycott the 2015 general elections should the Federal Government fail to rescue the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

It would be recalled that since the over 200 girls were forcefully abducted from their dormitory by the insurgent group, Boko Haram, all efforts to rescue them have met brickwall.

Chairperson of the commission, Comrade Lucy Offiong, who made the statement on Wednesday, during a two-day NLC State Women Leadership Training, rued the state of the abducted girls, stressing that they would have been seriously violated by their abductors.

Nigeria: I'm Happy to Be Back - Ikechukwu Uche

Abuja — Returnee Super Eagles striker, Ikechukwu Uche, has expressed delight at being recalled to the team almost two years on the sidelines, promising to work with the rest of the team to rescue what is left of the country's fledgling 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

At least 10 feared dead after blast at Nigerian teaching college

KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - At least 10 people were feared dead on Wednesday after an suspected suicide bombing rocked a teacher training college in north-west Nigeria as students were sitting exams, police and a student said.

The blast happened at the Federal College of Education in the town of Kontagora, Niger state, some 150km from the state capital, Minna.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the explosion happened just two days after nearly 50 students were killed in a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomb attack at a school in the northeastern state of Yobe.

That massacre was one of the worst in the five-year insurgency against a school teaching a secular curriculum, to which the Islamists are opposed.

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Why Jonathan deserves second term— Information Minister

The Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad, has said President Goodluck Jonathan deserved another term in office to consolidate on the gains so far recorded through the implementation of the Transformation Agenda.

He made the remark while speaking in a programme on Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, in Abuja.

He said through the creative management of the economy, Nigeria emerged as the fastest growing economy in Africa, with an inflation rate of eight percent, against 12 percent when the President came into power.

Dr. Muhammad stated that the micro and macro-economic framework introduced by the President and the consistency in policy implementation had boosted investor confidence in the economy, which attracted over $65 billion dollars in Foreign Direct 

FG tasks Julius Berger on road projects

As efforts intensify to complete all ongoing federal road projects across the country, the Federal Government has called on construction giant, Julius Berger Plc, to look inward and source funds from its home country, Germany, to complete its projects in Nigeria.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Zenner, to his office, Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, recalled that German-Nigeria relationship dated back to over 40 years.

ASUU accuses govt of complicity in death of Iyayi

One year after the death of former chairman, Professor Festus Iyayi, the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that the government cannot extricate itself from the circumstances that led to his unfortunate death.

ASUU particularly took a swipe at government officials over their obnoxious use of sirens and flaunting of traffic rules, saying if the Federal Government had willingly implemented the 2009 pact it entered with the union, there would have been no need for that protracted strike.

ASUU President, Nasir Fagge, represented by Biodun Ogunyemi, made the remarks on Wednesday at a commemorative conference in honour of the late don at the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abuja.

AP Exclusive: Drones patrol half of Mexico border

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. government now patrols nearly half the Mexican border by drones alone in a largely unheralded shift to control desolate stretches where there are no agents, camera towers, ground sensors or fences, and it plans to expand the strategy to the Canadian border.

Asian stocks muted after Wall Street retreat

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks were subdued Thursday after Wall Street retreated following five days of record gains but Tokyo gained after a surprise rise in Japan's machinery orders.

KEEPING SCORE: Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.8 percent to 17,321.18 while China's Shanghai Composite Index was off 0.4 percent at 2,484.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was little changed at 23,940.20 and Seoul's Kospi shed 0.1 percent to 1,965.55. Sydney and Jakarta fell while Singapore and Taiwan gained.

Armenia vows 'grave consequences' after helicopter downed

Baku (AFP) - Armenia threatened 'grave consequences' after Azerbaijani forces shot down a military helicopter, sparking fears of a major escalation in the conflict over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh.

The downing of the helicopter belonging to the army of the breakaway ethnic Armenian region is the most serious incident on the Karabakh border since a 1994 ceasefire ended a bloody war that cost 30,000 lives.

Catholic flock thinning in Latin America

Washington (AFP) - Although Argentine-born Pope Francis is largely popular in Latin America, the number of adults in the region who describe themselves as Catholic is falling, says a study published Thursday.

In a study of 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico, the Pew Research Center said the Roman Catholic church is losing adherents to Protestant faiths or seeing them abandon organized religion altogether.

Sandhu named in Cricket Australia XI to face India

SYDNEY (AP) — New South Wales fast bowler Gurinder Sandhu has been named in a Cricket Australia XI to face India in a two-day match in Adelaide as part of the tourists' warmup for their four-test series against Australia.

Poll: Latin America Catholics steadily leave faith

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Latin Americans born into Roman Catholic families have increasingly left the faith for Protestant churches, while many others have dropped organized religion altogether in a major shift in the region's religious identity, according to a survey released Thursday.

While 84 percent of Latin American adults report they were raised Catholic, only 69 percent currently identify as such, said the Pew Research Center in Washington.  At the same time, Protestants have gained members. About one in 10 Latin Americans were raised Protestant, but nearly one in five now call themselves Protestant. About 4 percent of Latin Americans report they were raised with no religion, but 8 percent say they have no tie to any faith.

G-20 host Australia to keep agenda economy focused

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — G-20 host Australia says climate change and Ebola will be discussed by leaders of the 20 largest economies at a weekend summit here, but those issues will not be allowed to distract from the main agenda of promoting economic growth.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's 14-month-old government has been widely criticized for repealing a carbon tax which had been paid by 350 of Australia's worst greenhouse gas polluters.Australia, which is chairing the annual G-20 summit being held this year in the Queensland state capital Brisbane, has resisted pressure from countries including the United States, to make global warming a bigger focus on the economic forum's agenda.

Mali battles Ebola outbreak as African toll passes 5,000

Bamako (AFP) - Mali is scrambling to prevent a major Ebola epidemic after the deaths of an Islamic cleric and a nurse, as the official death toll in the worst ever epidemic of the virus passed 5,000.

The two deaths in Mali have dashed optimism that the country was free of the highly-infectious pathogen and caused alarm in the capital Bamako, where the imam was washed by mourners at a mosque after his death.

Experts pitch hopes low after China-Japan summit

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2014, file photo, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and China's President Xi Jinping, righ

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the leaders of China and Japan met this week, posing for an awkward handshake and ending a high-level diplomatic freeze, it took some of the edge off tensions that have unnerved Washington. But former senior U.S. officials doubt the highly anticipated meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe heralds a fundamental improvement in relations.

Keystone pipeline approval bills advance in U.S. Congress

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline began racing through the U.S. Congress on Wednesday as Democrats and Republicans appeared to be coming together in a challenge of President Barack Obama's oversight of the project.

In a series of rapid developments that unfolded just hours after Congress returned from a seven-week recess, there were indications the measure could pass and be sent to Obama sometime next week.

Obama and other leaders wrap up Asia summit

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders wrapping up a series of summits in Myanmar on Thursday are expected to offer tepid expressions of concern about issues ranging from territorial disputes in the South China Sea to the Islamic State group and no firm recommendations.

Russian PM says sanctions must be lifted for ties with West to improve

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying on Thursday sanctions must be abandoned to overcome problems in relations with the West after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a meeting in Asia.

Bomb explodes near Egyptian embassy in Libyan capital: witnesses

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded near the Egyptian embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Thursday though there were no immediate reports of casualties, residents and witnesses said.

A Reuters witness said the bomb had slightly damaged buildings and some stores, but it was not clear if the embassy had been hit.The blast followed a series of car bombs on Wednesday mainly in towns under the control of the internationally recognised government, based in the eastern city of Tobruk, which is facing a challenge from a rival government set up in Tripoli.

There were no immediate details of whether the embassy was the target of the bomb or whether any staff were in the building.

Obama seeks review of Syria strategy, sees Assad removal as necessary

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama wants his advisers to review the administration's Syria policy after determining it may not be possible to defeat Islamic State militants without removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, CNN reported on Wednesday.

Citing senior U.S. officials, the network said Obama's national security team held four meetings in the past week that were driven by how the administration's Syria strategy fit into its campaign against Islamic State, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq.

Forensics expert to testify at Ferguson grand jury

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A private forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy on Michael Brown will testify before the grand jury deciding whether to charge the Ferguson police officer who shot him, the attorney for Brown's parents said Wednesday.

Crump said Brown's parents are pleased Baden will testify, but skeptical about the process.Attorney Benjamin Crump confirmed that former New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Baden is scheduled to testify Thursday. A spokesman for St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch declined comment. Messages seeking comment were left with Baden.

Man held without bond in wife's fall death

DENVER (AP) — A man accused of pushing his wife to her death off a cliff in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park also killed his first wife 17 years earlier, prosecutors said Wednesday, and a judge agreed the cases were "glaringly" similar.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Tafoya ordered Harold Henthorn, 58, to remain jailed without bond after a hearing in which prosecutors argued he was a dangerous flight risk with $1.5 million at his disposal that includes some of his late wife's assets.

House, Senate to vote on Keystone

WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-stalled legislation to build the Keystone XL pipeline got new life on Wednesday after Senate Democrats suddenly abandoned efforts to block the measure in hopes of helping endangered Sen. Mary Landrieu keep her seat in energy-rich Louisiana.

Republicans responded swiftly to Landrieu's maneuvering, scheduling a vote in the House on Thursday on an identical bill sponsored by Rep. Bill Cassidy, Landrieu's Republican rival in a Dec. 6 runoff.

Russian bomber patrols to reach Gulf of Mexico

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's long-range bombers will conduct regular patrol missions from the Arctic Ocean to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, the military said Wednesday, a show of muscle reflecting tensions with the West over Ukraine.

A statement from Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu came as NATO's chief commander accused Moscow of sending new troops and tanks into Ukraine — a claim quickly rejected by Russia.

Shoigu said the tensions with the West over Ukraine would require Russia to also beef up its forces in the Crimea, the Black Sea Peninsula that Russia annexed in March.

APGA Backs Jonathan’s Second Term Bid

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)  has said  President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration that he would implement the recommendations of the National Conference has shown that  he is a nation-builder determined to move Nigeria forward even at the risk of his own life.

The party said Jonathan stands out as a leader with large heart, having tolerated all the efforts of the opposition geared towards destabilising his administration.

Reacting to the president’s declaration for second term in office, the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, said in keeping with the party’s resolve to endorse Jonathan’s second term bid, APGA will mobilise all the necessary support to ensure  he wins the next year’s presidential election.

Ebola Virus Takes Toll on Lagos Trade Fair

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has decried the low turn out of Chinese and other foreign businesses at the ongoing 2014 Lagos International Trade Fair, noting that the low turn out is due to  the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak that plagued the country some months ago.

The president, LCCI, Alhaji Remi Bello, explained that although, the fair still has in attendance, few foreign companies who came on their own free will, it is clear that the reoccurrence of such epidemic should be prevented as it poses threat to economic development.

Bello who was represented by the Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, LCCI, Mr. Olawale Cole during a press briefing  said participation by exhibitors presently is about 1600 both local and foreign.