Explosions rock Yenagoa in Nigeria

Smoke and debris fill the sky seconds after a car bomb explodes alongside firemen responding to an initial car bomb that exploded earlier in Abuja, Nigeria. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222265.html

Two explosions have rocked Nigeria's southern city of Yenagoa hours after a wave of deadly blasts and gunfire hit the city of Kano.

According to a Saturday statement from the office of Governor Timipre Sylva, the bomb blasts were related to upcoming governorship elections in Yenogoa.

"Governor Timipre Sylva has just been informed of two explosions that rocked parts of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, late Friday night," the statement said.

One bomb went off on the Tombia Bridge and an explosive-laden car was detonated near the Government House, according to sources.

The explosions came in the wake of a string of violent attacks in the northern city of Kano where at least eight people were killed.

The Boko Haram militant group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying the offensive was in response to Nigerian authorities' refusal to release a number of group's members arrested in Kano.

Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew in Kano to curb the violence.

In December 2011, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a series of bombings near the Nigerian capital, Abuja, which killed 40 people and injured scores of others.

Nigeria slashes fuel prices over strike

Motorists queue for fuel at a filling station, Lagos, Nigeria, January 14, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221300.html

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a decrease in fuel prices in a bid to end a nationwide strike heading into a second week.

President Jonathan said that the government decided to reduce petrol prices by 30 percent to 97 naira (about 60 US cents) per liter “after due consideration and consultations with state governors and the leadership of the National Assembly.”

"[The] government will continue to pursue full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector," he said in a televised address on Monday.

Jonathan made the remarks after the latest round of talks between the government and trade unions ended with no sign of a compromise over the removal of fuel subsidies.

On January 1, the government hiked petrol prices to more than double from 65 naira (40 cents) per liter to about 150 naira (92 cents).

The decision sparked nationwide strikes and protests that paralyzed the oil-rich country since January 9. The strikes also cost the economy billions of dollars in lost revenue.

The unions on Sunday vowed in a statement to continue the strikes and protests if the government did not reverse its decision on the subsidies.

The unions had demanded the government to restore an estimated USD 8 billion a year in fuel subsidies, but the government only promised to slightly lower the prices.

Nigeria produces over 2 million barrels of crude per day and is a key supplier to the US, Europe, and Asia.

The developments come as concerns over Nigerian oil supplies have pushed up global oil prices.

Nigeria unions vow to keep up protest

Angry protesters burn debris in the city of Lagos in southwestern Nigeria on January 10, 2012 following the removal of a fuel subsidy by the government

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221284.html

Two major unions in Nigeria have vowed to continue nationwide strikes and protests over spiraling fuel prices in the country after negotiations with the government failed.

The assertion, which was made in a joint statement by Nigeria Labor Congress and Trade Union Congress, came after Nigeria's labor unions ended talks with President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday with no clear-cut results.

Tens of thousands of Nigerians demonstrated over five successive days last week in protest against the removal of fuel subsidies on January 1, which more than doubled the price of petrol to 150 naira (92 cents) per liter from 65 naira (40 cents).

The unions also vowed in the statement to continue the strikes and protests if the government did not reverse its decision on the subsidies.

The labor unions also said they needed to consider their next move. "We have come and listened to the president ... on the issue of removal of fuel subsidy and we are going now to analyze the submission of Mr. President and take a decision," said Nigeria Labour Congress chief, Abdulwahed Omar.

The unions had demanded the government to restore an estimated USD 8 billion a year in fuel subsidies, but the government only promised to slightly lower the prices.

Jonathan absented himself from a Saturday meeting with union representatives.

He has said that the subsidies on oil were unsustainable for the country. The government has alleged it would use USD 8 billion in savings to make much-needed infrastructure improvements in the country.

Demonstrations have turned violent across the country over the last week, leaving many Nigerians dead and scores injured.

Nigeria produces over 2 million barrels of crude per day and is a key supplier to the US, Europe, and Asia.

The developments come as concerns over Nigerian oil supplies have pushed up global oil prices.

Nigeria declares state of emergency

A security barrier marks the scene of a car bomb explosion at St. Theresa Catholic Church at Madalla, Suleja, just outside Nigeria's capital Abuja, December 25, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218752.html

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in the areas hit by a series of deadly attacks on Christmas Day last week.

In a televised address on Saturday, Jonathan declared an indefinite state of emergency in some parts of Borno, Yobe, Niger and Plateau states, which would all allow security agencies to make arrests without evidence and conduct searches without warrants.

The president also ordered the closure of parts of the country's borders to control "cross-border terrorist activities".

The moves come nearly a week after a wave of deadly attacks struck parts of Africa's most populous nation.

Jonathan has vowed to crush the group blamed for the bloody attacks.

At least 49 people were killed and several others injured in a wave of bombings which targeted government offices and churches in Nigeria on Christmas Day.

The Boko Haram militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The latest blasts came following days of violent clashes between Nigerian troops and Boko Haram militants in Damaturu city which claimed the lives of least 60 people.

According to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, ethnic and religious conflicts in Nigeria claimed the lives of over 14,000 people between 1999 and 2009.

Nigeria to begin talks with Boko Haram

The Nigerian government plans to begin negotiations with the Boko Haram group. (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/191594.html

Nigeria has announced it plans to start negotiations with the Boko Haram group, which is blamed for bomb attacks and shootings in the northeast of the country.

The Nigerian government issued a statement on Saturday, saying a panel will negotiate with representatives of the group and report back to Abuja by August 16, AFP reported.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has named the seven members of the panel, which includes the ministers of defense and labor and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

The panel, which will be inaugurated on Tuesday, would act “as a liaison between the federal government… and Boko Haram and… initiate negotiations with the sect,” the statement said.

Boko Haram has increased attacks on government targets since Nigerian security forces killed their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, in custody in 2009.

On July 10, three people were killed in a bomb blast at a church near the capital Abuja. The Nigerian authorities blamed Boko Haram for the deadly incident.

According to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, ethnic and religious conflicts in Nigeria claimed the lives of over 14,000 people between 1999 and 2009.

Nigeria bombings kill 25, injure 30

Bomb attacks in northeastern Nigeria killed at least 25 people and injured 30 others on June 26. (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/186401.html

At least 25 people have been killed and 30 injured in bombings at a public area in Nigeria's northeastern town of Maiduguri, officials say.

Military sources said suspected members of the Boko Haram group threw three sets of explosives from the back of motorbikes at around 5 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Sunday, Reuters reported.

According to a police officer, the attackers threw bombs and fired indiscriminate gun shots at Dala Kabompi neighborhood, killing at least 25 people and seriously injuring around 30 others.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on police headquarters in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on June 16, killing at least two, including a policeman.

Police officers, soldiers, politicians and clerics in northern Nigeria have reportedly been the main targets of attacks by Boko Haram elements in the past year.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who was sworn in for his first full term in office on May 29, has voiced support for a dialogue with Boko Haram.

Nigeria violence leaves 800 dead: HRW

Shortly after the announcement of the election result riots broke out in Nigeria

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180258.html

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says 800 people have been killed in election related violence in Nigeria following the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The New York-based rights group gave Monday's estimate based on 55 interviews conducted with witnesses of violence as well as members of the clergy, traditional leaders, police officials and journalists, AP reported.

Violence ignited in the aftermath of the April presidential elections which saw Jonathan, a Christian, re-elected.

An unofficial agreement in Nigerian diplomacy calls for its presidential candidates to take turns between the country's Christian south and Muslim north.

The unexpected death of former Muslim President Umar Musa Yar'Adua, who was expected to be re-elected for another term, is believed to have advanced former Vice President Jonathan into the presidential seat.

Jonathan created a panel to investigate the post-election violence last week.

The panel is in charge of determining the number of casualties and the cause of the riots, in hopes of preventing violence from escalating further.

Nigeria to drop Cheney bribery charges

Nigerian officials have filed a 16-count charge against Dick Cheney and several other former and current Halliburton officials over a bribery scandal dating back to the 1990s

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155580.html


Nigeria may withdraw bribery charges against former US Vice President Dick Cheney over a scandal involving the oil services company Halliburton that he once headed.

This follows negotiations for an out-of-court settlement that was held last week in London between Nigerian officials and representatives of Halliburton.

A spokesperson for Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the company has offered to pay a fine amounting to $250 million to have the case dropped.

They would pay $120 million as fines and $130 million from bad money stored in Switzerland from the original deal -- so $250 million in total," said Femi Babafemi on Tuesday.

The Nigerian government must approve any settlement deal before it is sealed.

Experts have severely criticized this cash-for-crime arrangement.

Last week, Nigeria's anti-corruption agency filed a 16-count charge against Cheney and several other former and current Halliburton officials over a bribery scandal dating back to the mid-1990s.

Cheney was the company's chief executive from 1995 to 2000, before becoming vice president to former US President George W. Bush in 2001.

Halliburton has denied involvement, and a lawyer for Cheney claims the accusations are baseless.

The Halliburton executives are accused of allegedly paying $180 million to Nigerian officials over 10 years -- until 2005 -- in order to win a contract to build a $6 billion liquefied gas project.

The case specifically involves KBR, a former subsidiary of Halliburton, which is a major engineering and construction services firm.

Last year, the firm paid $579 million in fines to the US Justice Department and US Security and Exchange Commission on separate charges related to the scandal.

Gulf oil spill intentional?

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=132875§ionid=3510203



The BP oil spill continues to poison the sea, and US citizens are starting to feel like there's more than meets the eye in this story.

The potential magnitude of what is unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico simply cannot be overstated. It is far, far worse than what is being admitted and what we are allowed to see is catastrophic enough.

Lawsuits claim that the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig, 52 miles southeast of the Louisiana port of Venice on April 20, was caused because Halliburton workers improperly capped the well — a process known as cementing.

Oddly, just eight days before the Gulf blow-out, Halliburton also announced that it had agreed to buy Boots & Coots for $240.4 million. Who are Boots & Coots?

Boots & Coots are the world's largest oil-spill clean-up company, which also deals with oil and gas well fires and blowouts.

Goldman Sachs sold 44 per cent of its holdings in BP, a total of 4,680,822 shares worth the best part of $300 million, in the weeks before the Gulf disaster that sent BP shares plummeting.

BP chief executive Tony Hayward is reported to have sold his £1.4 million shares in BP a month before the explosion. The profit allowed him to pay off the mortgage on his mansion.