NewsReports

Colombia’s Farc rebels have released two soldiers taken hostage earlier this month, the first step in a deal to revive peace talks. The two, Cesar Rivera and Jonathan Diaz, were captured by the rebels in the eastern border region of Arauca. Three others, including a Colombian general, were taken in a separate incident and remain captive. The Colombian President, Juan …

Reports from Ferguson on the protests as the grand jury decision was announced A grand jury has decided not to charge a Missouri policeman over the death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. Announcing the decision, state prosecutor Robert McCulloch said the jury exhaustively examined evidence. Mr Brown’s family said they were “profoundly disappointed”. Shots were fired, and cars and …

A grand jury has made a decision on whether to charge a Missouri police officer over the death of an unarmed black teenager. His family confirmed that the jury’s decision is expected to be announced later on Monday. Michael Brown, 18, was killed by Darren Wilson on 9 August in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri. His death sparked …

Lagos, Nigeria – By Oladipo Airenakho. Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Nigeria (SOGON) has expressed worry about the absence of legal instrument and accurate data for a proper feasibility study for Maternal Death Review (MDR). The association said during a recent three-day training workshop organized by the Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC) in Lagos that the absence of …

Chuck Hagel has resigned as US defence secretary after less than two years in the top military post. President Barack Obama confirmed his resignation and paid tribute to his “class and integrity”. Mr Hagel, 68, a Vietnam war veteran and former Republican senator, said it had been his life’s “greatest privilege”. Last month, it was reported that he was sharply …

ABUJA—FOR scoring the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan below average, the Presidency Sunday took a swipe at former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying his comments at an event, weekend, where he rated Jonathan’s performance “below average” were not only untrue, but also misleading. In a statement, last night in Abuja by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. …

•$73 crude benchmark too optimistic •Falling oil prices not responsible for deteriorating economy •Expect tough times ahead •Nigeria has done many things wrong in the last four years Economists, private sector operators and bankers have concluded that the present economic woes bedeviling the country cannot be attributed to the current crash in oil prices but to the lack of monetary …

ABUJA—More reactions have continued to trail last Thursday’s invasion of the National Assembly by the police as former Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Adeniyi Akintola and various groups and professional associations have condemned the invasion and called for caution. While Tukur argued that the foundation of Nigeria’s democracy …

The Federal Government has said it plans to cut subsidies on petroleum products by half next year after sharp falls in global crude prices, spurred a reversal of its 2015 budget downwards. President Goodluck Jonathan submitted the revised budget figures to lawmakers last week, proposing to spend 458.68 billion naira ($2.59 bln) on petrol subsidy in 2015, down from 971.14 …

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned that the reported plan hatched by the Presidency to arrest House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal could trigger a crisis that will be fatal for the nation’s democracy, hence there is the need to jettison the plan out of abundance of caution. In a statement ,Saturday in Ijebu-ode by its National Publicity Secretary, …