FRESH 4RM GIM

Former Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur manager, Harry Redknapp, is set to become the new head coach of the Super Eagles, according to a report in the Daily Star. Currently, Salisu Yusuf is the interim coach of the Nigerian national team and will take charge of the two upcoming friendly matches against Mali and Luxembourg. Yusuf stepped in after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), decided not to continue with Samson Siasia, who was given the job on a temporary basis following Sunday Oliseh’s shock resignation in February this year.

  Eddie Murphy, an American comedian, actor, writer, singer, and producer is taken by Box-office to make him the 5th-highest grossing actor in the U.S. Eddie Murphy arrives at "Movies Rock: A Celebration of Music in Film," at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Eddie Murphy He was a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live’’ and worked as a stand-up comedian. Murphy was ranked #10 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. The Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy is set to star in his first film after a five-year break. The movie was directed by Bruce Beresford and also features Britt Robertson.

Maman Amazone, the wife of late Congolese musician Papa Wemba. Image by: LUC GNAGO / Reuters The body of Congolese "rumba king" Papa Wemba arrived home in Kinshasa on Thursday, greeted by dignitaries, relatives and tens of thousands of distraught fans. The legendary African music star died on Sunday at the age of 66 after collapsing on stage during a music festival in Ivory Coast. His body was flown home after an all-night musical tribute in Ivory Coast to the flamboyant performer.

This was just as Saraki pleaded not guilty to the 16 amended charge filed by the prosecution The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, on Thursday refused to disqualify himself from presiding over the trial of the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who is standing trial over alleged anticipatory declaration of assets. This was just as Saraki pleaded not guilty to the 16 amended charge filed by the prosecution. Based on the amended charge, the tribunal however adjourned till May 10 for continuation of trial. Saraki had filed an application seeking the tribunal chairman to disqua‎lify himself on ground that he (Umar) is under the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged N10 million bribe and hence there is the likelihood of bias, which could invariably affect the justice of the matter.

The Nigerian whizkid scored a double against Stoke in last weekend’s 4-0 win, which momentarily sent him to the top of the goals-per-minute charts, above Barcelona ace Luis Suarez and Madrid galactico Cristiano Ronaldo Kelechi Iheanacho has a better strike rate than the brilliant Lionel Messi this season. And the promising Manchester City teenager is also ranked above European greats Karim Benzema, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robert Lewandowski – and his Blues team-mate Sergio Aguero – when it comes to goals per minute. The Nigerian whizkid scored a double against Stoke in last weekend’s 4-0 win, which momentarily sent him to the top of the goals-per-minute charts, above Barcelona ace Luis Suarez and Madrid galactico Cristiano Ronaldo.

  According to Oyeyemi, over the years, vehicle number plates had continued to be indiscriminately issued without registering the data, thereby making it impossible for vehicles and their owners to be easily identified The Federal Road Safety Corps said indiscriminate issuance of number plates without registering the data was compromising the security of the nation. The Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, said this in Abuja on Thursday at the workshop for Motor Licencing Authority Officials on: “Importance of National Driver’s Licence and Vehicle Number Plates to National Security.”

President Muhammadu Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari went to China the other week and made tantalising returns. He got over $6bn in investment agreements for Nigeria in six days. I’ll come to it one of these days to state which aspects of the trip catch my attention. For the moment, my focus would be what had ailed China when it hosted Nigeria’s leader. China’s attention was divided that time. Or, who can give full attention to guests when his stomach rumbles; I mean when he’s riled by what a neighbour is doing but can’t do a thing about it? Anyway, it was unimaginable that a certain John Kerry would be across the sea in Japan, engaged in anything reeking of the WW2, and China would be silent. Here, I’m fascinated by this one issue that continues to impact the complex relations among nations in Asia – Japan’s role in the WW2.

  L-R: Odia Ofeimun, left and Wole Soyinka, centre In the days leading to the nomination of retired General Mohammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), many Nigerians had a lot of misgivings about his candidacy based upon the records of the lanky looking born again politician. General Buhari is so described because he once toppled a democratically elected government in December 1983. It could be debated whether the overthrow is deserved or not, but that is what the record shows. The post nomination of retired General Buhari as the flag bearer of the APC witnessed never before told corralling of all and sundry to his corner. All the supposedly independent watchdog groups who ought to have remained neutral were in the corner of the APC and the then candidate Buhari.

retired Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau, Minister of Interior, made the declaration in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Bassey Akpanyung, on Thursday in Abuja The Federal Government has declared Monday as public holiday to commemorate the 2016 Workers’ Day Celebration. Retired Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau, Minister of Interior, made the declaration in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Bassey Akpanyung, on Thursday in Abuja. The minister congratulated Nigerian Workers for their resilience, hard work and commitment to the change mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari despite current challenges. Dambazau enjoined them to continue to support the President in his desire to fight corruption, ensure security of lives and property and stabilise the economy through creation of jobs and diversification of the economy. Dambazau further urged Nigerian Workers to re-dedicate themselves to the service of the nation

North Korea is maintaining its defiant anti-US posture as for the umpteenth time as the reclusive state has sentenced a US man to 10 years of hard labour for spying. Kim Dong-Chul, a 62-year-old naturalised us citizen born in South Korea, was arrested last October. Last month, Kim made an apparent confession in Pyongyang, saying he was paid by South Korean intelligence officers.

  The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it had commenced investigations into the various metering claims presented to it by power distribution companies. It also stated that it had set up task forces to monitor the estimated bills being issued to unmetered customers by the firms, stressing that several consumers had complained of receiving outrageous bills, which were confirmed by the NERC.

  President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed appreciation to France and other major economies for their support towards ending the Boko Haram crisis. He stated this at an audience with the French Minister of Defence, Jean-Yves Le Drian. According to Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President Media and Publicity, Buhari and Le Drian discussed ongoing French support for the Federal Government's efforts to end the insurgency.

Hon Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, a lawyer, chairman House Committee on Public Petitions, represents Ukwa East/West of Abia State in the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in this chat spoke extensively on the implications of allowing herdsmen have grazing reserves in Nigeria among other issues. What is your take on the spate of clashes between farmers herdsmen recently in Nigeria? One’s wealth should not be used in destroying another person’s wealth. The Fulani are nomads in nature and we are talking about increasing animal husbandry and production. Therefore, we must find a balance on how that should be done.

We are hoping Tee Billz Instagram account was hacked, if not… Tee Billz is going through a meltdown and he’s pouring out his heart on Instagram. He’s saying the marriage between him and Mavin artiste Tiwa Savage who he once managed is over and getting deep about his own family dynamics that a lot of the public doesn’t know about. This is uncharacteristic of the loving couple the public has come to know and love and their fans are already sharing their sadness at the news. Here’s what he posted so far this morning, starting about 20 minutes ago.

The lone known surviving suspect in the Paris attacks was returned Wednesday to the city where Islamic State extremists unleashed a night of mayhem and charged with a host of terrorism offenses, raising hopes that he may be able to help French investigators trace the pathways of IS fighters thought to be hiding out in Europe. Salah Abdeslam was whisked in secretly by helicopter after being transferred from the prison cell in Belgium where he had been held since his capture last month. His lawyer, Frank Berton, described a "muscular operation" that had caught even the attorney by surprise, causing him to rush to join his client at Paris' Palace of Justice.

  Ogun State Police Command, yesterday, paraded a dismissed police officer, George Oliseh, for disguising himself as a Superintendent of Police and being in possession of 10 bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp. The state Police Commissioner, Abdulmajid Ali while parading 37 suspects at the command’s headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta for various offences such as robbery, cultism, murder and Impersonation, said the arrested suspected fake Police officer donned a police uniform and identity card. The fake officer, according to the Police Commissioner, was arrested on Sunday at Sagamu, Ogun State while conveying consignment of the illicit weed from Owo town in Ondo State in his Toyota Camry car with number plates RSH 101 RE. Ali said Oliseh was in the company of an accomplice, Isaac Ishicheli, who claimed to be his brother-in-law.

The World Bank has promised to provide funding for Nigeria’s petroleum sector, while it also expressed support for the ongoing reforms. In a statement, yesterday, NNPC said the Managing Director of the World Bank, Sri Mulyani Indrawati made this known when she paid a visit to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, in Abuja. fuel-pumpShe commended the Federal Government for bringing transparency and accountability to bear on NNPC operations and the entire oil and gas industry, adding that the 20 fixes introduced by Kachikwu to NNPC business models have gone a long way to reform the Corporation for profitability.

•President Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged the World Bank to facilitate the speedy repatriation to Nigeria of stolen funds held by Swiss authorities. He made the call during a meeting with visiting Managing Director of the World Bank Ms. Sri Mulyani Indrawati in Abuja. Buhari said the repatriation of additional $320 million from Switzerland, which was identified as illegally taken from Nigeria under the Abacha administration, would ease the economic hardship facing the country.

Brett Griswold Optimistic and opportunistic diabetes advocate. Managing diabetes is a skill. It takes practice, focus, patience, and time to improve. But, as much as you will improve, chances are that you will never be perfect. There are simply too many variables such as pump site failures, not rapid enough insulin, and misleading food labels that are working against you. Perfect diabetes management is an unrealistic goal that will leave you disappointed quite often. Rather, I think it is more helpful to focus on problem solving and learning how to achieve in range blood sugars more often than not. By focusing on problem solving and how to get consistent blood sugars you may become a more optimistic person because your focus is forward thinking, instead of dwelling on the unchangeable past. So many of us spend too much time beating ourselves up over what went wrong. “My blood sugar is 300, I shouldn’t have had that piece of cake!”

• House to remove ‘offensive’ estimates from budget The House of Representatives is to investigate the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ( NERC ) over the N213b intervention fund provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (ÇBN) last year through the Nigerian Electricity Sector Intervention facility. The investigation followed the opposition of the lawmakers to a plan to borrow another N309b through a Federal Government secured bond.

Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin and Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase to immediately secure communities under herdsmen’s attacks. The President also ordered the security chiefs to go after groups terrorizing innocent Nigerians in communities and villages. Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed unfolded the President’s directive yesterday in Abuja at the presentation of the book, “Who will Love my Country”, written by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.

CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar on Wednesday said, contrary to the claim by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Attorney-General, the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, had cleared him of the alleged bribery levelled against him. Umar said this in response to Saraki’s lawyer, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, while arguing the Senate President’s motion asking the tribunal chairman to disqualify himself from further presiding over the trial.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is gradually losing its force and control on the oil market. The collapse of oil producers meeting in Doha, Qatar was a worrisome signal because the presence of the organisation’s leader, Saudi Arabia, couldn’t make a difference. Although the organisation counts 13 countries among its membership, but Saudi Arabia has long reigned as a first among equals, coming handy whenever there was need to intervene in the global oil market especially at periods of low oil. Saudi Arabia produces about 10.2 million barrels per day (bpd), which is about a third of OPEC’s total output, and about 11 per cent of world supply.

Few months after President Muhammadu Buhari made Babatunde Fowler, chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS), he is being accused of sharp practices. .A petition to the president Muhammadu Buhari,by aggrieved staff accused him of sundry violations of the Inland Revenue Act. Fowler who held sway as Lagos Inland Revenue Service boss for a long time, was is a lackey and candidate of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Fowler was accused of serially breaching the 2007 FIRS Establishment Act, NewsdiaryOnline reports.

Nigeria’s revenue fell last month to the lowest level in more than five years as taxes and oil earnings dropped, making it more difficult for the government of Africa’s largest economy to pay public workers. The country’s federal, state and local governments were altogether allocated 300 billion naira ($1.5 billion) in March, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement e-mailed late Thursday from the capital, Abuja. To assist the lower-tier governments, the ministry also waived 10.9 billion naira of loan repayments.

The singer was managed by Sam Lufti at the height of her breakdown Toby Canham/Getty Images Pictured: Britney Spears and Sam Lufti A new report has surfaced which documents Britney Spears ' infamous meltdown. The pop star and her former manager Sam Lufti are currently locked in an ongoing legal battle over whether Lufti is owed money from his time working with her. Britney is soon to be deposed in the legal case and documents are being released through the California Board of Appeals.

The superstar's dad has spoken out after Bey dropped her new visual album Beyonce's dad DENIES hitting her Beyonce's father has denied he has hit her after the star set tongues wagging with her new record, Lemonade. The 34-year-old singer hinted that her dad, Mathew Knowles, had struck her with his hand when she was younger, but he's adamant the lyrics aren't referring to him at all. Before singing her track, Daddy Lessons, Bey reads a few lines written by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire: "Did he convince you that he was God? … Are you a slave to the back of his hand? Am I talking about your husband or your father?"

 Many of the 700 foreigners who have fled their homes took refuge at a church in Lusaka Letter from Africa In our series of letters from African journalists, film-maker and columnist Farai Sevenzo considers the implications for Zambia of recent riots. Six bodies of murdered citizens have turned up in the Zambian capital Lusaka in the last month. It was widely reported that the victims had been mutilated and were missing their hearts, ears and private parts. At the heart of the matter lay the darkness of ritual killings - when people are murdered for their body parts in the malevolent belief that in the hands of powerful sorcerers, these organs can be employed as charms to enhance political ambition and improve the lot of individuals in the pursuit of business and money.

Man City: Real Madrid are not favourites - Manuel Pellegrini Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says his side have nothing to fear in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, despite David Silva missing the game. City, who are hoping to reach the final for the first time, drew Tuesday's first leg 0-0 at Etihad Stadium. Playmaker Silva will miss the second leg on 4 May with a hamstring problem. "I don't think Real are favourites," Pellegrini said. "We are not afraid to go away to the Bernabeu." Football Daily podcast: 'A professional European display by Man City'

Dele Alli made his England debut in October Midfielder Dele Alli could miss the rest of Tottenham's season after being charged with violent conduct by the Football Association. Television footage appeared to show Alli punching Claudio Yacob during his side's draw with West Brom on Monday. The incident was not in the referee's report on the match, which ended 1-1. Violent conduct usually incurs a three-game ban, so a guilty verdict would mean the England player, 20, misses all of Spurs' remaining fixtures.

  Charlotte Osei, Electoral Commissioner The Electoral Commission (EC) says it is committed to ensuring that it is the most credible elections regulatory body in Africa. Speaking at a press conference to unveil the Commission's five-year strategic plan, Chairperson Charlotte Osei said it is keen to ensure that its mandate stipulated by law is fulfilled to the letter. She said the vision of the EC is to be “a benchmark in Africa for enabling independent trusted world-class democratic elections for the citizens of Ghana and all the candidates who take part in the elections.”

Marketers of petroleum products said, yesterday, that non payment of N150 billion outstanding debt owed them by the Federal Government was also hampering the availability of products nationwide. fuelTheir position came as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said the ongoing fuel scarcity might linger as marketers face the challenges of non-availability of petrol in depots. A major marketer, who chose to be anonymous, said with the non payment of the outstanding debt, coupled with the scarcity of foreign exchange, marketers were finding it difficult to import products. “We have been told that the government included the outstanding debt in 2016 budget. We are yet to see it as you and I know that the budget is yet to be passed,”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered jewellery worth over £2 million (N593 million) from former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke and the wife of Mr Jide Omokore, an ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan. A top EFCC official told Daily Trust yesterday that the anti-graft agency also recovered a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment valued at N2.6billion from a Lagos hospital said to be owned by former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu. He said several other property were also recovered from the former oil minister, including a wrist watch valued at £600, 000 (N185 million).

  THE Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biatra, MASSOB has said that Biafra is bigger, wider, taller, than anybody including Nnamdi Kanu and also called on relevant stakeholders in the struggle to concentrate their energies and connections towards the release of Nnamdi Kanu from detention, instead of steering up controversies that would betray the collective interest of the Igbo nation. In a statement issued in Abakaliki, theNational Director of Information, MASSOB, Comrade Samuel Edeson stressed on the impact of “uniting our forces together for greater actualization of Biafra” Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, sandwiched between security operaives, leaving the court yesterday in Abuja. Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, sandwiched between security operaives, leaving the court yesterday in Abuja. The statement read in part:

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton scored huge victories Tuesday that bring them closer to a monumental duel for the White House in the fall. Trump's political strength was on display with a clean sweep of races in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Clinton delivered big wins in Maryland and Pennsylvania -- the biggest prizes of the night -- along with Delaware and Connecticut. Bernie Sanders picked up his sole victory of the night in Rhode Island. The wins for Trump -- following a massive victory last week in New York -- move him significantly closer to the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination outright and avoid a contested Republican convention. That historic prospect is now the only way rivals Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich could stop Trump from becoming the GOP nominee.

"All animals are equal; but, some animals are more equal than others". George Orwell, 1903-1950 in ANIMAL FARM. "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."--Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, wife of late American President. From Agatu to Akure to Aba the story is the same. For that matter from Abia to Zamfara states and the Federal Capital Territory, the Federal government and its security agencies have apparently created two classes of Nigerians - herdsmen and the rest of us. Notice, please that I did not add Fulani because they are not all Fulani or even all Nigerians.

  The University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, has been shut indefinitely. This followed a two-day protest by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), seeking the reinstatement of a rusticated 500 Level student of Petroleum Engineering, Tunji Ekpeti Michael. Students left their hostels as early as 7am, singing solidarity songs and mobilising their colleagues to shut down vehicular movement within the campus. They also used the opportunity to protest the lack of power and water among other needs on campus. The protesters chased out students from lecture rooms with canes. Gates and road networks within the university were locked and barricaded. The Ajibode, Poly and second gate entrances and exits were barricaded.

Crude oil is now being pumped directly from Escravos to Warri Refinery and also from Bonny to Port Harcourt Refinery through pipeline buried on the sea bed. This is coming as Minister of State for Petroleum and Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said incessant pipelines vandalism and fuel scarcity in Nigeria would soon end.

Fresh facts have emerged why the people of the state especially the Ijaws in the riverine communities of Delta State did not disrupt the reception of Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, during his recent visit to the state. The VP, penultimate week, visited the Forcados Terminal, a major export line operated by the Anglo-Dutch oil firm, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which was destroyed by a shadowy militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), over alleged witch hunting of the ex-warlord, Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo , who is facing prosecution in absentia for corrupt enrichment.

After Sunday's big revelation, can Melisandre resurrect Jon Snow? Here's four reasons we think the Red Priestess could do just that. "Game of Thrones" returned on Sunday, April 24, 2016 for its sixth season with a huge reveal. Every hardcore "GOT" and Jon Snow fan is hopeful that the twist means something positive as regards Jon Snow's fate. Titled "The Red Woman," the premiere episode came to an end with Melisandre, in the privacy of her quarters, removing her magical necklace to reveal her true form as an ancient crone.

The attack is said to have occurred on Monday, April 25, 2016, in the Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area of the state.    A herdsman About 40 people have been reported dead in Enugu State after an attack by Fulani herdsmen. The attack is said to have occurred on Monday, April 25, 2016, in the Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area of the state, according to Vanguard. The herdsmen also reportedly burnt 10 houses and a church, Christ Holy Church International during the invasion.

NIGERIAN teenage international, Kelechi Iheanacho, has declared that Manchester City would shock star studded Real Madrid in today’s UEFA Champions League semi final at Etihad. Iheanacho told City’s official website that they would strive to win the first leg and take the advantage to the Bernabeu for the return leg. In his words: “We really need to win here (Etihad) because at their home it’s not going to be an easy game. It’s a great achievement for the club to be in the last four of the tournament but it would be a dream to get to the final so we’re really hoping for that.”

The damage of Shell’s Forcados export terminal pipeline and the vandalism of the Lagos Escravos pipeline in February, has resulted in the constraint of 3,132 megawatts (MW) Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said. The vice president disclosed this while speaking yesterday at the 9th international conference of Nigeria Association of Energy Economics/International Association of Energy Economists (NAEE/IAEE), in Abuja, with the theme, “Energising Emerging Economies: Role of Natural Gas and Renewable Energy Resources”. This is even as the President of NAEE, Prof Wumi Iledare, who supported the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, stated that government has no business fixing the price of an economic good like petrol. According to him, the price should be determined by the market reality and should sell for about N120 a litre. This way he said, marketers will sell without hoarding the products while consumers will buy with any crisis.

   President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, will lead other senators to a crucial meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari today to find a lasting solution to the 2016 Appropriation Bill logjam. The meeting, billed to hold last Friday, was shifted because one of the personalities key to the meeting was out of town. Vanguard gathered yesterday that the meeting with President Buhari had become imperative as it would be an avenue to bring up grey areas identified in the budget and harmonize them in the overall interest of Nigerians.

Lamido A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, on Monday said he would contest the nation’s Presidency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019. Lamido made this known to newsmen in his village, Bamainain, which is located in the Birnin-Kudu Local Government Area of the state. He, however, said the party’s ticket would not be given to anybody on the platter of gold, adding that a candidate must earn it.

Voters in five north-eastern US states will cast ballots in a series of primaries that could cement the leads of presidential frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Democrat Mrs Clinton and Republican Mr Trump hold sizeable leads in all five contests, according to recent polling. Mr Trump's rivals have already shifted focus away from the north-east. Ted Cruz and John Kasich have teamed up to help each other in the Indiana, Oregon and New Mexico primaries.

  US President Barack Obama is to send 250 additional military personnel to Syria to support local militias in the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS), a security official says. The new deployment will bring to 300 the number of US forces in non-combat roles in Syria. In a BBC interview, Mr Obama ruled out sending ground troops there. He said military efforts alone cannot solve Syria's "heart-breaking situation of enormous complexity". Most of the additional personnel will be special operation forces, the Associated Press news agency reports. The group will also include medical and logistical troops, it adds.

A Human rights group, Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has called on security agencies to investigate the Country Director of Amnesty International, Mohammed .K. Ibrahim, the Kano State- born, but Zaria educated erstwhile career diplomat who was an official of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and a diplomat in Libya. The group said the investigation becomes necessary following reports by the Nigerian office of Amnesty International under Ibrahim aimed at allegedly inciting sectarian crisis which could snowball into a full blown conflict.

   The drought has dried up the massive Guri Dam in Bolivar state seriously depleting the country's ability to generate energy. Venezuela is introducing power cuts of four hours a day from next week to deal with a worsening energy crisis. The cuts will last for 40 days as the country struggles under a severe drought limiting hydroelectric output. It is the latest setback to Venezuela's economy which has been hit by a sharp fall in the price of its main export, oil.

  President Obama has been forthright about Britain's role in the EU The UK's ability to fight terrorism will be "more effective" if it sticks together with its European allies, US President Barack Obama has said. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Obama said being in the EU magnified Britain's influence across the world. The president arrived for a three-day visit of the UK late on Thursday.