PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan,Thursday, reaffirmed his earlier decision not to stand for the 2015 presidential election; saying that his only ambition for the proposed amendment to the constitution is for national interest and nothing else.

The Technical Director, Golf Federation of Nigeria (GFN), Moses Anabui, said on Thursday that the 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt provided a good platform for the development of the game.

Former British newspaper editor Piers Morgan, now a presenter for US television network CNN, denied fresh allegations that he printed stories obtained through phone hacking, reports said Thursday.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has tipped striker Karim Benzema to enjoy a successful season after the Frenchman scored twice in Wednesday’s 3-1 friendly win away to Hertha Berlin.

The public inquiry into Britain’s phone hacking scandal opened on Thursday, with judge Brian Leveson and his six-strong panel holding their first official meeting.

A serious fire outbreak this morning in Enugu has resulted in the death of five people and  twelve houses burnt . The fire outbreak, eyewitness said, was as a result of a fuel tanker which had an accident and burst into flame near the Enugu prisons More details later

Mr. Peter Idabor, the Director General of National Oil Spill Detec-tion and Response Agency, NOSDRA, has solicited the support of Nigerian Navy to check cases of breakage of pipelines and stealing of crude and refined products by van-dals.

General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, Pastor Daniel Olukoya, has described as malicious, a publication accusing him of denying a church member access to his property located within the church premises.

Ebonyi State House of Assembly, yesterday, dropped a commissioner-nominee, Mr. Jonah Egba, for failing to recite the National Anthem and Pledge at a screening in the House.

Former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), has made a case for the creation of state Police to effectively check the wave of terrorist attacks by militant groups across the country.

Former Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, and former Petroleum Minister, Professor Tam David-West, yesterday joined members of the House of Representatives in dismissing with a wave of the hand, the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal and his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha to resign from office after two years to allow for the rectification of the zoning policy of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

A Federal High Court in Abuja will today deliver judgment in a suit seeking to compel the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, to disclose how $12.4 billion oil windfall money that accrued to the Federal Government between 1988 and 1994, was spent.

The probe panel set up by the National Judicial Council, NJC, to investigate allegations of corruption against the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, may have given the two senior jurists a soft landing to save the judiciary from further embarrassment.

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, set up an eight-man committee to audit contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, yesterday, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to sack Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Malam Lamido Sanusi, over the controversial Islamic banking system.