UN Urges Israel To Repay Lebanon US$850mn In Oil Spill Damages

Oil from the bombed power plant of Jieh contaminating the beaches of Beirut (Photo from Wikipedia.org)

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has nearly unanimously approved a resolution urging Israel to pay Lebanon some US$850mn compensation to cover the clean-up cost of an oil spill caused in 2006 by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) jets attack on oil storage tanks during the war with Hezbollah.

Twitter Should Ban Racist Words – MP

Photo by Antonello Sticca (Photo source: totalpolitics.com)

Racist words should be banned from Twitter, says a UK Labour MP who was a victim of anti-Semitic abuse online.

Brain GPS: UK Scientists Identify ‘Internal Compass’ Controlling Directional Sense

AFP Photo / Miguel Medina

The precise part of the human brain that controls people’s sense of direction has been identified by leading scientists in a groundbreaking piece of research.

Those who have more robust nerve signals in what the scientists describe as the brain's “internal compass” are generally more accomplished navigators, the study suggests.

Nigeria Football: Tide Turns Against Out-Of-Contract Super Eagles Coach Keshi

The tide appears to have been turned against out-of-contract Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi, who not only has lost the support of his coaches’ fraternity but now seems to be enmeshed in an endless waiting game for the NFF to offer him a new deal as reportedly directed by the Presidency.

Affairs Of State? Tony Blair ‘Breaks Into Sweat’ Over Alleged Relationship With Murdoch’s Wife

Tony Blair.(Reuters / Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

Tony Blair says he will “never” discuss the true nature of his relationship with Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife, Wendi Deng. The media mogul filed for divorce in June 2013 amid speculation the former prime minister had been having an affair.

'Bird Has Flown': Warblers Predict Tornadoes, Escape Before They Hit, Report Shows

Photo from wikipedia.org

Birds can predict tornadoes and hurricanes and move away before the disaster unfolds, US scientists discovered conducting a research on golden-winged warblers, RT.com reports.

'Earthquake' Needed To Change 2022 World Cup - Blatter; FIFA To Publish Garcia Report In "Appropriate Form"

Blatter is adamant that the 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar ©Sebastien Bozon (AFP)

Only an "earthquake" can change FIFA's decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Friday, AFP reports.

NEWS FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW: A Rich Man Sent His Son To The Rural Area And This Is What Happened When His Son Returned Home

A really rich Chinese man sent his son to the rural area and wanted him to experience poverty. His son lived with a family in the rural area for three days, and when he returned home, he had the following conversation with his father.

Nigerian Peacekeeper Cured Of Ebola In Netherlands

An ambulance carrying a Nigerian worker suspected of having Ebola arrives at the Emergency Hospital of the University Medical Centre Utrecht in Utrecht, on December 6, 2014 ©Vincent Jannink (ANP/AFP)

A Nigerian UN peacekeeper infected with Ebola and brought to the Netherlands for treatment has been cured, the Dutch authorities said on Friday.

United States: Law Enforcement Is The Most Obese Profession - Study

AFP Photo/Taylor Hill

A study on the prevalence of obesity by occupation found nearly half the cops, firefighters and security guards in the United States are obese. Economists, scientists and psychologists scored the lowest rates of obesity, RT.com reports.

2015 Election: Panic In PDP, Presidency Over Osinbajo

Yemi Osinbajo (Photo source: TheCable)

With the choice of frontline lawyer-pastor Yemi Osinbajo as All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chiefs have returned to the drawing board, The Nation reports.

EU Condemns Sect’s Killing Spree In Borno

Catherine Ray, Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Photo source: Twitter)

The European Union (EU) has condemned as “unacceptable”, yesterday’s killing of people in a Borno village by insurgents.

Japan Scientist Quits As Cell Research Discredited

Haruko Obokata

The Japanese researcher whose claim of a major breakthrough in stem cell research was discredited has resigned after the government lab where she worked failed to replicate her results.

German Medics Report On Drug Success For Ebola Patient

The University Clinic where an Ebola patient arrived for treatment is seen in Frankfurt am Main, central Germany on October 3, 2014 ©Daniel Roland (AFP)

German doctors on Friday gave details of how an experimental drug together with advanced intensive care helped save a Ugandan physician who had been airlifted from Sierra Leone with Ebola, AFP reports.

‘No Results Yet On Kwara PDP Governorship Primary’

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo and his executive members have disagreed over the status of Senator Simeon Ajibola as the party’s governorship candidate.

Prisoners In Nigeria Have Right To Vote In All Elections, Court Rules

Nigeria Prisons Headquarters, Abuja (Photo: Nigeria Prisons Services)

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, has held that prisoners in Nigerian prisons have the right to vote in all elections conducted in the country.

‘Impossible’ To Cut Oil Production - Saudi Oil Minister

Saudi Arabia Oil Minister Ali bin Ibrahim al-Nuaimi (Reuters / Fadi Al-Assaad)

Saudi Arabia, home to the world’s second largest oil reserves, says it can’t afford cutting oil production, even despite the falling prices.

English Premier League Football Clubs Charge Children Up To £600 To Be Mascots

Reuters / Andrew Yates

Several Premier League clubs charge children up to £600 to be a mascot at a football match and thereby exclude families from poorer backgrounds, The Guardian has revealed.

‘Cursed By God’: Far-Right Activist Claims Liverpool FC Punished For Backing Gay Rights

Liverpool's Jordan Henderson (L) celebrates with Raheem Sterling after scoring his team's third goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England, December 2, 2014 (Reuters / Darren Staples)

A far-right English Democrats activist has claimed Premier League football team Liverpool FC had performed less well last season because they openly ‘promoted’ homosexuality.

Early Exit? Chinese First-Time Flyer Opens Plane Emergency Door

Reuters / Carlos Barria

A Chinese first-time flyer has opened an emergency door in a plane to get some fresh air. Luckily, he did not cause any harm, and the offense is being treated leniently compared to previous incidents aboard Chinese planes.

'WORKSHOP OF THE WORLD' ZERO ON CHILDCARE? Shame In China As Village Votes To Expel HIV-Positive Boy

Villagers appended thumbprint on " joint letter ", with the Kun Kun watching carefully.  (Photo: Chenyong Bin) (村民正在“联名信”上签字按手印，坤坤在仔细的看着。（陈永斌摄）Source: People’s Daily

The plight of an eight-year-old Chinese boy with HIV, reportedly ordered to leave his village by 200 petitioners, sparked intense online soul-searching Thursday in a country where discrimination against sufferers remains rife.

Nigeria’s Problems Are Artificial – Bishop Hassan Kukah

Bishop Kukah

Catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, said yesterday that Nigeria’s problems are artificial and that Nigerians are their own worst enemies.

54 Soldiers Given Death Penalty For Mutiny

The soldiers appeared before a court martial in Abuja

The General Court Martial sitting at the Army Headquarters Garrison in Abuja yesterday sentenced 54 soldiers to death after finding them guilty of mutiny. 

Pope Francis Blows On Candles On Cake To Mark 78th Birthday

Happy Birthday, Pope Francis (Photo: AP)

In this photo provided by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis blows candles on a cake during his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican, yesterday. 

SERVICE NUISANCE TO CAPTIVE AUDIENCE? Caution Telecoms Companies, PCC tells NCC

GSM-cartoon (Source: www.vanguardngr.com)

The Public Complaints Commission has called on the Nigerian Communication Commission to call mobile network service providers in the country to order as regards unsolicited advertizements, calls and text messages frequently sent to mobile phone users.

US, Cuba Patch Torn Relations In Historic Accord

Rescuing His Legacy? President Barack Obama speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, to announce the U.S. will end its outdated approach to Cuba that has failed to advance U.S. interests. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, Pool)

After a half-century of Cold War acrimony, the United States and Cuba moved on Wednesday to restore diplomatic relations — a historic shift that could revitalize the flow of money and people across the narrow waters that separate the two nations.

A GROWING SENSE OF BLACK INJUSTICES: US George Stinney, 14-Year-Old, Exonerated For Double Murder 70 Years After His Execution

George Stinney Jr (Reuters/South Carolina Department of Archives and History/Handout)

It took 70 years, but a 14-year-old African American boy from Alcolu, South Carolina who was executed for allegedly killing two white girls has now been exonerated of murder.

In a ruling issued Wednesday by Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen, the murder conviction against George Stinney was vacated over concerns that the young boy’s constitutional right to a fair trial was violated to the point that his name should be cleared, WIS TV reported. 

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Better Late Than Never - Sierra Leone Launches Stiff Measures To Fight Ebola Surge

Ebola vaccines bring hope to Ebola victims ©L. Saubadou / A. Bommenel, abl/jfs (AFP)

Sierra Leone on Wednesday launched stiff measures to stem the spread of Ebola, including a ban on New Year revelries and travel restrictions.

The strictures came as hundreds of health workers and volunteers fanned out across the country's west, where the capital Freetown is located, to begin the 15-day exercise officially dubbed the "Western Area Surge".

Obama To Announce Major Cuba Policy Change, US May Open Embassy

People walk beside the Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital where U.S. government contract worker Alan Gross is held prisoner in Havana (Reuters / Desmond Boylan)

Cuba has exchanged American citizen Alan Gross for three Cubans jailed in the United States. The prisoner swap is set to pave the way for a major overhaul of bilateral ties, potentially bringing an end to over five decades of severed diplomatic relations.

Iraqi Man Who Lost Five Sons To AIDS In Weary Fight For Justice

Khalid al-Jabor -- who lost five sons to AIDS after they were infected with HIV following a tainted blood transfusion in the 80s -- holds a poster showing four of his sons during a press conference in Paris, on December 12, 2014 ©Bertrand Guay (AFP)

First one of his sons died, then another and another. By 1996, Khalid al-Jabor had lost five children to AIDS, all victims of contaminated blood allegedly exported to Iraq by a French firm now owned by drug giant Sanofi.

Garcia Quits FIFA Position

FIFA World Cup report: Michael Garcia, the lawyer in the eye of the storm; FIFA's ethics investigator Michael Garcia has resigned (Photo: The Guardian)

US lawyer Michael Garcia has resigned as FIFA's independent ethics investigator after losing his appeal challenging the findings to clear Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Former Agric Minister: The Many Lies Of Adesina – TheCable

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture

BY ADAMU BELLO

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored – Aldous Huxley

I have decided to put on record the authentic performance of the Agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy from the year 2000 to 2013. 

Mass HIV/AIDS Outbreak Spreads Panic In Cambodia Village

Reuters / Samrang Pring

More than 80 people, including elderly, women and children, have tested positive for HIV/AIDS infection in a small village in Cambodia, authorities confirmed. The infection may have been caused by medics re-using needles during treatment.

Pakistan Revokes Ban On Death Penalty After Taliban School Siege

A mother mourns her son Mohammed Ali Khan, 15, a student who was killed during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, at her house in Peshawar December 16, 2014 (Reuters / Zohra Bensemra)

After the bloody Taliban attack on an army-ran school that left 132 students and nine teachers dead, Pakistan intends to relinquish its moratorium on death penalty.

Kenya: Building Collapses, Search For Survivors

Medical personnel with a stretcher wait as rescue workers dig through the rubble at the scene of a building collapse in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

A Kenyan rescue official says a number of people are feared trapped or dead after a five-story residential building collapsed in downtown Nairobi.

APC VP NOMINATION: Amaechi Loses Out As Buhari Settles For Osinbajo - TheCable

Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has picked Yemi Osinbajo, former attorney-general of Lagos state, as his running mate.

Oil Price Slump Will Not Ground Lagos Economy — Fashola

Photo credit: Bellanaija.com

Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has on Tuesday disclosed that the continuous fall in crude oil price at the international market will not ground the Lagos State economy.

NIGERIANS EXPORTING CRIME: Nigerians In South Africa And Gun Violence - By Chiedu Okoye

When designers first started planning the massive Orlando Power Station in Soweto, Johannesburg’s largest township, they had no idea that it would become one of the most recognizable landmarks in South Africa. Originally intended to meet the massive electricity demands of the controversial township, the two large cooling towers that came to define it were for more than 50 years white and drab. It wasn’t until after the plant was decommissioned that this important site came to life. (Photo: landlopers.com)

Nigeria is called the giant of Africa. But is Nigeria truly the giant of Africa? Perhaps, Nigeria is the potential giant of Africa with clay feet and spindly legs. We have the potentialities to make Nigeria the greatest and biggest economy in Africa; but clueless, visionless, inept, and corrupt leadership has continued to hinder our national growth. 

PHOTOS: HENRY RETIRES - Thierry Henry Quits Soccer, Transits To Football Punditry

Graceful, agile and deadly accurate in front of goal

Thierry Henry has brought an end to his illustrious playing career by announcing his retirement from professional football. The former Arsenal striker left New York Red Bulls at the end of the MLS season and he will now take up a position at Sky Sports as a pundit. The French forward joins Sky's already strong line-up of analysts including Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp.

DOPING IN ATHLETICS: Two Kenyan Runners Banned For Doping

Kenyan women's third placed, Chelengat Viola Kimetto, crosses the finish line of the 30th Athens Classic Marathon at the Athens Panathenaen stadium on November 11, 2012 ©Louisa Gouliamaki (AFP)

Kenyan marathon runners Viola Kimetto and Joyce Kiplimo have been banned for two years for doping, Athletics Kenya (AK) said Tuesday.

APC Meeting Deadlocked Over Choice Of VP Candidate

APC leaders during the National Convention in Lagos last week (Photo credit: Sahara Reporters Media)

National leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party have hit a deadlock at the Rivers State government lodge in Abuja in a meeting convened to choose a Vice Presidential candidate for the 2015 presidential election.

Vienna May Shut Down Controversial Saudi School

Photo: ssiv.edu.sa

Vienna's Board of Education has ordered for a school owned by the Saudi government to stop operating by the end of the year, after it failed to provide a full list of its staff to authorities. The institution previously came under fire for its curriculum.

130 Killed By Taliban In Pakistan Army School Seizure

Rescue workers and family members carry the coffin of a student, who killed during an attack by Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, in Peshawar, December 16, 2014. (Reuters/Khuram Parvez)

At least 130 people, most of them students as young as 12, have been killed and at least 122 others injured in a Taliban seizure of a military-run school in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan, according to provincial authorities.

Oil Workers’ Strike: FG, Labour Meet As Workers Shut Operations

Fuel sold in black market (Photo: Vanguard.com)

The Federal Government will today meet leaders of striking oil workers and other stakeholders in the petroleum sector in a bid to end the industrial action before it worsens the fuel supply and aggravate other socio-economic indicators in the country.

GLO-CAF AWARDS: Soweto Gospel Choir, Flavour, Other Stars To Perform

Soweto Gospel Choir: Songs of Hope

Notable music stars across the African continent are billed to entertain guests at the 2014 Glo-CAF Awards which holds in Lagos on January 8, 2015.

Tens Of Thousands Dead In South Sudan Conflict: UN

In this Sunday Dec. 29, 2013 photo, displaced people gather around a water truck to fill containers at a United Nations compound which has become home to thousands of people displaced by the recent fighting, in the capital Juba, South Sudan. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Tens of thousands of people have died in South Sudan during one year of warfare and the country's leaders are putting their "personal ambitions" ahead of the young nation's future, the U.N. secretary-general said Monday.

PHOTOS - Brazil Olympics: Super-Bacteria Found In Rio Sea Waters

The world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue can be seen from the sailing courses

Researchers in Brazil have discovered a drug-resistant bacteria in the sea waters where sailing and windsurfing events will be held during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Kwara Varsity Sets Up Committee For Study Of Nollywood

Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, Vice-Chancellor, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, has inaugurated a committee to see to the establishment of the Centre for Nollywood Studies at the university.

Ebola-Hit Liberia Delays Election Until Weekend

Liberian politician and ex-footballer George Weah speaks during a meeting in Monrovia on November 20, 2014 before the opening of political campaign activities for senatorial elections ©Zoom Dosso (AFP)

A much-postponed election for half the seats in Ebola-hit Liberia's Senate has been put back until the weekend -- but cannot be further delayed, the country's electoral commission said Monday.

No Passengers, No Planes: ‘Ghost’ Airports Of Europe

http://rt.com/business/214503-ghost-airports-europe/

Across crisis-stricken Europe ‘ghost’ airports have freshly painted tarmac, shiny new doors and all the nuts and bolts in place - but no passengers and no airplanes, giving them an eerie aura.