HarperCollins Regret: World’s Top Publisher ‘Regrets’ Erasing Israel From Atlas Meant For Middle East Customers

HarperCollins, one of the world’s largest publishing companies, has officially apologized for excluding Israel from its Collins Middle East Atlas because of “local preferences”. The publisher was accused of harming peace efforts in the region, RT.com reports.

Piano Stores Closing Across US As Fewer Children Taking Up Instrument, Some Deterred By Cost

In this Dec. 3, 2014, photo, Jim Foster talks about his career at his Foster Family Music Center piano store, in Bettendorf, Iowa. Foster is closing his store this month after being in business for nearly 30 years. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

When Jim Foster opened his piano store 30 years ago, he had 10 competitors selling just pianos.

‘Rivers’ Monthly Allocation Slashed By 50%’

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi

The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said on Thursday that the monthly federal allocation to the state had been slashed by over 50 per cent as a result of the dwindling oil prices.

Nigerian Army Dismisses 203 Soldiers

Nigerian Army Headquarters (Photo: Sunnewsonline.com)

One of the sacked soldiers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the soldiers were dismissed for asking for support equipment, following the army’s plan to convey them in a tipper for an operation in Bama and Gwoza, two strongholds of Boko Haram insurgents.

Polio: Nigeria To Be Certified Polio-Free This January — Minister

Kick Polio Out Campaigners

The Minister of Health, Dr Halliru Alhassan on Thursday said Nigeria will be certified polio-free this January.

CONFIRMED! Gerrard To Leave Liverpool Football Club At The End Of The Season; Brendan Rodgers Praises Departing Liverpool Captain

Steven Gerrard

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has announced he is to leave his boyhood club at the end of the season, GRAPHITTI NEWS has confirmed.

• Joined the Liverpool Academy at the age of 9 after being spotted by a scout.
• Made his debut for Liverpool in 1998 as a substitute.
• Won his first England cap in 2000 and was named captain in 2012.
• His autobiography Gerrard: My Autobiography won Sports Book of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2006.
• Awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2006.
• Scored a hat trick during his 400th Premier League appearance for Liverpool in 2012.
• Received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University in 2008.
• In February 2011, set up the Steven Gerrard Foundation, which aims to raise money for a range of children's charitable organizations.

Source: BBC Sport

The full statement posted on the LFC website states:

Emergency Plans Responsible For Wobbling Economy, Says Jonathan

President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has attributed the wobbling state of the nation’s economy to the abandonment of long-term economic plans in favour of emergency options.

BPL & Football: Gerrard To Leave Liverpool

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard looks set to announce he is to leave the club in the summer.

Liverpool Football Club (LFC) captain Steven Gerrard is set to announce he is to leave his boyhood club at the end of the season, Press Association Sport understands.

Suicide Bomber Dies In Attempt On Church

Failed Bombing Attempt On New Year Day

There was a failed New Year Day suicide bombing attempt in the Gombe State capital, yesterday. It came less than 12 hours after two suspected bombers were killed by their bombs in an attempt on the Army Barracks in the town Wednesday night.

FG Declares Friday As Public Holiday; Pray For Nigeria, Jonathan Tells Muslims At Prophet Mohammed's Birthday

Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro

The Federal Government has declared Friday, January 2, 2015 as public holiday for the observance of Eid-el-Maulud.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Sierra Leone Leader Urges Prayer, Fasting To End Ebola

Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, the fourth President of Sierra Leone, is leading his country forward through his ambitious Agenda for Change programme. (Photo: European-times.com)

Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma has asked the country to begin a week of fasting and prayers to end the Ebola virus that has killed more than 2,700 people in the country.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Ebola Death Reaches 7,905; If You Travelled To UK From Africa Sitting Close To This Woman, Please Read This!

Race to find the final 50 people who flew to Britain with nurse suffering from Ebola

Pauline Cafferkey

UK authorities are hunting for 203 people on flights with British National Health Service (NHS) nurse, Pauline Cafferkey to UK, who later fell ill in Glasgow after return from Sierra Leone hours later. 47 passengers are still yet to be spoken to and 32 may be abroad and those sat near her told to check for symptoms until at least mid-January

2015 - Happy New Year

Twitter Back Online After Limited Blackout

Twitter was back online Monday following a partial outage which the company said was due to a bug.

2015: INEC Redeploys Resident Electoral Commissioners

INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega (Photo: bellanaija.com)

Ahead of the 2015 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday announced a major shakeup in the commission.

SHOCKING: Nearly 900 Dead, Missing in 2014 Air Disasters

The United States of Air Crashes (Source: www.statista.com)

Nearly 900 people are dead or missing following air disasters around the world this year, with Southeast Asia taking a particularly heavy hit. Three major events involved weather, two planes were shot down in eastern Ukraine, and one crash was attributed to mechanical problems.

Cameroon Cracks Down On Taxes

Cameroon’s military has begun cracking down on Nigerian businesses suspected of evading taxes, according to VOA. Cameroon gained total control of West Africa’s Bakassi pensinsula in August 2013, following a prescribed five-year transition from Nigeria. But most of the oil-rich area’s 300,000 inhabitants still are Nigerians.

Differences Between MH370 And AirAsia Incidents

Members of Indonesia's Marine Police hold a briefing on board a search and rescue craft prior to their heading out to sea to search for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, at Pangkal Pinang port in Sumatra Island, Monday Dec. 29, 2014 in Indonesia. Search planes and ships from several countries on Monday were scouring Indonesian waters over which the AirAsia jet disappeared, more than a day into the region's latest aviation mystery. AirAsia Flight 8501 vanished Sunday in airspace thick with storm clouds on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

The disappearance of an AirAsia passenger jet soon after takeoff inevitably brings back memories of the mystery behind Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared nearly 10 months ago and is yet to be found.

NEWS FROM ANOTHER VIEW: Discover Where Nigerians Are Grazing Greener Pastures In The UK

Can you dream big enough in 2015?

Battabox is the news skit service I just thought to share with you. A peep into Nigerian creatives and their outputs! What do you think? 

This announcement was not sponsored, it is donated gratis by naijaGRAPHITTI. Battabox is fully acknowledged as copyright owner; all rights reserved.
Season's Greetings everyone.

PHOTOS ‘Thank you, Lord Jesus’: 2 Indonesian Families Praise Christ For Missing Doomed AirAsia Flight

(Screenshot from facebook.com)

A missed email and a sick relative prevented two Indonesian families – of five and 10 members respectively – from catching the AirAsia QZ8501 flight. They had cursed their misfortune, before the news came of the plane having disappeared from radars.

Chandra Susanto, who had been planning a holiday in Singapore with his wife and three children since March, had to cancel it a day before the due date, because his father got ill.

Palestinians To Submit Resolution For U.N. Statehood Bid

Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: majalla.com)

Palestinians plan to submit a final draft of a statehood resolution to the United Nations on Monday calling for a peace deal with Israel within a year and an end to occupation of Palestinian territories by the end of 2017, officials said.

Millions Of Impoverished Britons Malnourished – Report

Reuters / Neil Hall

According to official figures from the government’s Family Food report, the poorest 10 percent of the UK population – around 6.4 million people – aren’t eating enough food to maintain their body weight.

Missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 LIVE: Objects Spotted In The Sea During Hunt For Missing Plane

LIVE Officials involved in the search said an Australian plane had spotted the objects, which are in an area of interest and will be examined further (Photo: The Independent)

Australian search planes involved in the hunt for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 have spotted objects in the sea. Officials said the objects are in an area of interest and will be examined further. 

Sir Winston Churchill’s Family Begged Him Not To Convert To Islam, Letter Reveals

He might have been a staunch protector of the British Empire, but the British Prime Minister had a love of the Orient and Islam (Photo: The Independent)

The family of Sir Winston Churchill urged him to “fight against” the desire to convert to Islam, a newly-discovered letter has revealed. The Prime Minister who led Britain to victory in World War Two was apparently so taken with Islam and the culture of the Orient that his family wrote to try and persuade him not to become a Muslim.

Scientists Create Artificial Human Sperm, Eggs From Stem Cells

Reuters / Yves Herman

Scientists from Cambridge University have created artificial human eggs and sperm for the first time, using human embryonic stem cells and skin cells, RT.com reports.

Jonathan To Nigerians: Endure Hardship That Comes With Fallen Oil Price

President Goodluck Jonathan (Photo: ibitimes.com)

President Goodluck Jonathan has asked Nigerians to endure the effects of the current drop in global oil prices, saying the nation will survive it. Mr. Jonathan, while speaking at the Christ Apostolic Church in Abuja on Sunday, said the oil price drop is nothing compared to 2008 to 2009 when oil was sold for US$40 per barrel.

Protests Stall N625m Insurance For Unity Schools’ Pupils

The Federal Government may have rescinded its decision to hire NICON Insurance Plc to insure 125,000 pupils in 104 unity schools across the country. The insurance cover is intended to mitigate the consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of insecurity in the country, especially the attack on educational institutions.

Yet Another Chinese Food Scandal: China Officials Dismissed Over Diseased Meat Scandal

Strict health standards are required for dead pigs under Chinese food production laws ©Peter Parks (AFP)

China has dismissed eight officials after pork from pigs infected with a "highly contagious virus" was found to have entered the market, state media said Monday. The country's latest food scandal was revealed in an investigation by state broadcaster China Central Television which said the annual revenue of the tainted pork was more than 20 million yuan (US$3.2 million).

Indonesia Hunts For Missing Jet Believed 'At Bottom Of Sea'

Director of AirAsia Tony Fernandes (C), President Director Air Asia Indonesia Sunu Widiatmoko (R) and the head of Surabaya search and rescue agency Hernanto (L), speak during a press conference in Surabaya, East Java, on December 28, 2014 ©Juni Kriswanto (AFP)

Multinational search teams hunted Monday for any sign of an AirAsia plane missing off Indonesia with 162 people on board, but one top official warned it was likely at the bottom of the sea. Australia, Singapore and Malaysia deployed planes and ships to assist in the search as anguished relatives anxiously waited for news of their loved ones more than a day after Flight QZ8501 disappeared over the Java Sea.

Prominent South East Asian businessman Fernandes, the owner of English football club Queens Park Rangers, is the CEO of AirAsia. He described the missing plane as his 'worst nightmare' on Twitter

Nigeria’s Problems Increasing – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday admitted that Nigeria’s problems were increasing, instead of abating. Noting that the situation would have been worse if not for the prayers of Nigerians, Jonathan said he was optimistic that God would, in the same way he tackled the problems of the Israelites, do same for Nigeria.

My Certificates Consumed By Fire, Sambo Tells INEC

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo (Photo: The Punch)

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has told the Independent National Electoral Commission that his Bachelors and Masters degrees certificates in Architecture from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, have been consumed by fire.

Idris Elba Responded Perfectly To The People Who Don’t Want A Black Bond — “Isn’t 007 Supposed To Be Handsome?”

Idris Elba (Photo: AP)

Earlier this month, the Sony email hack revealed that British actor Idris Elba was being considered to star as the next James Bond, according to Buzzfeed.

VIDEO Only In Russia: Divers Drink Champagne, Dance Around New Year Tree Underwater

A group of divers in Russia's Far East decided to be the first to celebrate the coming of 2015 – by drinking champagne and swimming in circles around a New Year tree at the bottom of a nearly frozen bay, RT.com reports.

Turk Who Shot John Paul II Lays Flowers On Tomb In St. Peter's Basilica In Surprise Visit

Pope John Paul II (L) greets Mehmet Ali Agca at Rebibbia prison on December 27, 1983 in Rome. Agca attempted to kill pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981 (AFP Photo / STR)

The Turkish gunman who shot and wounded John Paul II in 1981 laid white flowers Saturday on the saint's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican officials said.

Assassins Killed Akure Doctor, Set Body Ablaze — Family

Dr. David Akintayo Oguntuase

The family of Dr. David Akintayo Oguntuase, Head of Paediatrics at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, who was found dead on his clinic in Akure, Ondo State, after it was razed by fire in the eve of Christmas, has said the medical practitioner was murdered.

2015: Jonathan, Buhari Not Worth Dying For — Sheik Gumi

Sheik Ahmad Mahmud Gumi

Revered Kaduna Islamic scholar, Sheik Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has called on Nigerians to avoid any form of violence in the forthcoming general elections particularly the presidential election. Sheik Gumi said both President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC are not worth dying for. He also called on well-meaning Nigerians and electorates not to allow politics to suppress their conscience.

APC Accuses FG Of Suppressing Audit Report On Missing US$20b Oil Money

Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP-led Federal Government of trying to suppress the audit report on the missing US$20 billion oil money, saying the deadline for the release of the report, which was set by the government itself, has come and gone.

Liberia Elections: George Weah Wins Liberia Senate Seat

Mr Weah comfortably beat off a challenge from Robert Sirleaf, the son of President Sirleaf

Former world soccer player of the year George Weah has won a seat in Liberia's Senate to represent the capital, boosting his political fortunes ahead of a presidential election in 2017.

‘Wake Up!’ 1000s Take To Streets Across US Protesting Police Brutality

Protesters, demanding justice for Akai Gurley, march towards New York Police Department's (NYPD) 75th Precinct from the site of his shooting death in Brooklyn, New York December 27, 2014. (Reuters / Stephanie Keith)

A wave of peaceful protests, aimed at denouncing police violence, swept across the US on Saturday, with the number of protesters peaking in Los Angeles, where there were over 5,000 in the “Millions March for First Amendment Rights.”

Canadian Scientists Develop Trap To Lure Blood-Sucking Bed Bugs

Bed bugs (AFP Photo)

Scientists from Simon Fraser University in Canada have invented an effective bait-and-trap against bed bugs that uses chemical attractants, or pheromones. In order to test the trap, a team member had to endure up to 180,000 bites from the nasty insects.

MISSING: AirAsia Flight From Indonesia With 162 People On Board Disappears

An AirAsia flight  - which was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC (pictured above) - that departed Surabaya early Sunday morning was meant to land at Changi Airport

A massive search and rescue operation is under way for missing Air Asia flight bound for Singapore from Indonesia which lost contact with air traffic control after flying through bad weather.