News Desk Tuesday, July 03, 2007

20 Feared Killed by Gunmen in Port Harcourt

PORT HARCOURT — NO fewer than 20 persons lost their lives Sunday night in Port Harcourt when gunmen took over major streets, shooting sporadically. The cause of their action was still unclear at press time. MORE>>

Enahoro, Others ask Court to Void '99 Constitution

ABUJA — FIVE members of Pro-National Conference (PRONACO) have filed a suit at a Federal High Court, Abuja seeking the invalidation of the 1999 constitution.They are contending that the constitution is a fraud, having not emanated from the people of Nigeria as claimed by its preamble. MORE>>

Confusion Over Ministerial List

INTERNAL bickerings within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition political parties have deepened confusion over the ministerial list, Nigerian Tribune investigation has revealed. MORE>>

FG Moves to Remove Ribadu - Ribadu Confers with Obasanjo

There are indications that the President Umaru Yar’Adua government may be planning to replace Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). MORE>>

Obasanjo, Atiku, Others Spent N635m on Lobbying - Report

The administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and eight ex-governors spent more than $5,000,471 (about N635m) on lobbying in the United States between 1999 and 2006. MORE>>

U.S. Congress Moves to Make OPEC Illegal

WITH its citizens at the receiving end of the rising cost of crude oil in the global market, the United States Congress has embarked on a course that may send international law experts back to their text books. In a unanimous vote, the Congress on May 23 passed a bill, which criminalises the formation and operation of oil producing countries acting as a body. MORE>>

AU Summit: Good Show - Ground Debate Wraps up Today

The groundbreaking African Union Summit ends in Accra today. Much is expected from it, but would anything at all come out of it? The session, which has been running since Tuesday June 19 2007 with pre-summit events including the AU Civil Society Organizations Meeting, was officially opened on Sunday July 1, 2007 with the convening of the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the union. MORE>>

AU Summit: Kibaki for a United African State

President Kibaki has backed calls for the formation of an African government. Mr Kibaki, however, stressed the need for a structured approach towards unity during the ongoing African Union Summit in Accra, Ghana. MORE>>

AU Summit: Why We Oppose Gaddafi, by Yar'Adua

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday explained his disagreement with Col. Muammar Gaddafi over the Libyan leader's proposal for the establishment of a United States of Africa. He said the continent was confronted with "greater challenges" which need immediate tackling, rather than setting up a union government. MORE>>

Musicians for African Union Government

South African musician, Hugh Masekela, has declared that the attainment of African Union government would be pointless if African leaders do not take steps to stem the genocide and other human right violations in Darfur and elsewhere. He noted that Africans needed to see themselves as one state and therefore consider the boundaries dividing them as imaginary. With that in mind, he said, the ongoing African Union (AU) Summit in Accra should focus on measures to stop recalcitrant African leaders like Omar Basher and the evil Janjaweed from perpetrating genocide in Darfur. MORE>>

AU Summit: Gaddafi with a Bang! His armed "Batallion" Disarmed

Libyan Leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi arrived in Ghana by road for the AU Summit with his usual entourage of armed guards. Very clearly, a diplomatic spat was in the offing. The Ghanaian security authorities refused to allow all these arms into the national capital and had to be disarmed. MORE>>