United States President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have ended a two-day summit described by a US official as “unique, positive and constructive”. US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon said Obama had warned Xi that cyber-crime could be an “inhibitor” in US-China relations. He also said that both countries had agreed that North Korea had …
Full Story »Libya army chief resigns after deadly clashes
Libyan army chief of staff Youssef al-Mangoush has reportedly resigned after 30 people died in clashes between protesters and a militia in Benghazi. The General National Congress accepted his resignation in a session on Sunday, sources at the assembly say. The clashes erupted when protesters gathered outside the Libya Shield Brigade premises demanding it…
Full Story »S’Africans pray as Mandela remains in hospital
Prayers have been said in churches across South Africa for former President Nelson Mandela, who is spending a second day in hospital for treatment for a lung infection. The presidency has so far provided no update on his condition although further details are expected later. His condition on Saturday was described as serious but stable. Mandela, 94, …
Full Story »Turkish leader climbs bus, lambasts protesters
In a series of increasingly belligerent speeches to cheering supporters Sunday, Turkey’s prime minister launched a verbal attack on the tens of thousands of anti-government protesters who flooded the streets for a 10th day, accusing them of creating an environment of terror, Associated Press reports. Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the most inflammatory of his …
Full Story »UK reluctant to arm Syria rebels
Britain said on Sunday it and other countries were “very reluctant” to arm rebels in Syria even as it warned that success on the battlefield by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad was undermining chances of a Geneva peace conference, Reuters reports. Britain and France worked together last month to lift a European Union embargo on arms …
Full Story »Mali still unstable – UN report
Armed groups in Mali continue to pose a serious security threat to the entire region while African troops forming the core of a United Nations peacekeeping mission deploying next month are not yet properly equipped, the UN chief said in a new report, Reuters reports. France launched a massive military campaign in January which broke …
Full Story »Nigeria moving closer to UN security council seat – Tukur
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, has said Nigeria is getting closer to realising its ambition of being a member of the United Nations Security Council. Tukur, who stated this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said this was as a result of the support being thrown behind Nigeria by top …
Full Story »Sanusi: Four years of banking reform, controversies
Malam Lamido Sanusi’s four years in the saddle as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been a mixed bag of criticisms and commendations, IFEANYI ONUBA writes When the late President Umaru Yar’Adua appointed Malam Lamido Sanusi as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on June 3, 2009, not many had an inkling of the drama that…
Full Story »Review UN corruption convention to favour victims –SERAP
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged states parties to the United Nation Convention against Corruption to “take steps to review the convention in a manner that will ensure that victims of corruption receive appropriate remedies and compensation for the devastating effects it causes disadvantaged groups.” This was part …
Full Story »Somali pirates face death penalty for killing Americans
The trial of three alleged Somali pirates charged with the 2011 murder of four Americans aboard a yacht off the coast of East Africa is set to begin, BBC reports. Ahmed Muse Salad, Abukar Osman Beyle and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar face the death penalty if convicted of murder, kidnapping and other charges. The owners of…
Full Story »