Federal Government
latest news & developmentsDespite price, future of Nigeria oil sector cloudy
Record oil prices should mean boom times for Nigeria’s oil industry, but rising militant violence, labour unrest and years of government neglect cast a shadow over its future.…
Drug patents are beside the point
This week Switzerland will become ground zero for the future of health policy in Africa. The World Health Organisation’s intergovernmental working group is meeting in Geneva to…
Nigeria militants claim another oil-pipeline bombing
The main militant group behind a string of recent attacks in Nigeria’s southern oil region said on Friday it had sabotaged another pipeline. The Movement for the Emancipation of…
Top US official pushes cybersecurity goals
Federal cybersecurity officials are trying to develop an early-warning system that alerts authorities to incoming computer attacks targeting critical United States…
US state starts internet safety lessons for children
On a screen at the front of a classroom, Gene Fishel flashed an online social-networking profile of "hotlilflgirl", which said she was 15, enjoyed being around boys and wanted to…
Ousted Comoran renegade leader still on the run
Comoran and African forces on Wednesday battled die-hard supporters of Anjouan’s fugitive strongman as the federal authorities pledged a transition government in the Indian Ocean…
Scientists to test plan for ‘remote-control fish’
Call them Pavlov’s fish: scientists are testing a plan to train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a tone that signals feeding time. If it works, the…
Forces comb Comoros island for renegade leader
A coalition of Comoran and African Union (AU) troops on Wednesday combed Anjouan hunting for its renegade leader after invading the Indian Ocean island the day before. The…
A forgotten war draining a forgotten people
The road from Harar runs for more than 960km east towards the border with Somalia, penetrating deep into the desiccated badlands of the Ogaden desert, the dusty heart of…
SA seeks talks to avert Comoran conflict
South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma called on Tuesday for eleventh-hour talks in Comoros as African Union troops prepared to support federal forces in a…
Aussie kangaroo cull draws human shields
Animal rights activists declared themselves human shields on Saturday and vowed to prevent authorities from killing kangaroos that have overrun a Canberra military base. Last…
Onset of recession adds new fears to White House race
The prospect of recession is looming over the American presidential election campaign, amid a wave of job losses and collapsing home prices that could see the political battle…
Republican candidates go for a spin in Detroit
It’s an exacting task campaigning for president — you have to be an expert on everything, including gas-electric hybrid propulsion systems for a new generation of sedan cars.…
New Jersey abolishes death penalty
For the first time in more than 40 years a United States state is to abolish the death penalty. A 44-36 vote in the New Jersey legislature to abolish executions in the state on…
Brad Pitt unveils plans for New Orleans homes
Brad Pitt launched his own regeneration project for Katrina-ravaged New Orleans on Monday, unveiling designs for a range of eco-friendly and flood-proof homes. Pitt, who had…