The House of Representatives, yesterday, slashed President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for virement by N66.5 billion as it approved only N31.9 billion of the N98.4 billion requested by the President.

THE Federal Government, yesterday, rejected to criticism by the United States Government following Senate’s outlawing of same sex marriage, insisting that same sex marriage is not only alien to Nigeria’s social and cultural believes but also undemocratic since majority of Nigerians are against it.

Nigeria has a rich record of performance in its participation in the Paralympics games, but that account may take a battering at next year’s London 2012 Paralympic Games as the country’s athletes are lagging behind in their preparations.

An injunction to stop Lagos State Government from collecting tolls on Lekki Expressway, which is to start on December 18, 2011, was yesterday filed at the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, by a Lagos lawyer, Ebun Olu Adegoruwa.

THE Federal Government came under serious attack, yesterday, by the Senate over the strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, just as it warned against what it termed foot- dragging and bureaucratic bottleneck on the part of the government.

THE importance of job creation to reduce the scourge of unemployment seems to have dawned heavily on later day political leaders. About three years ago, former Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State launched an ambitious jobs scheme aimed at recruiting 10,000 new hands into the state’s teaching and civil services.

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday upheld the judgment of the Election Petitions Tribunal which had nullified the election of Senator George Sekibo who represented Rivers East Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, yesterday, called for the employment of well- trained persons in the drafting of the country’s laws, regretting that some laws were not properly harmonised.

Trial of the former Managing Director of Bank PHB Plc, (now Keystone Bank), Mr. Francis Atuche, continued yesterday, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC’s witness, Mr. Waidi Gbadamosi, admitting that he could not explain the contents of the banking documents he tendered before the High Court on Tuesday.

Banks and other financial institutions in Azare, Bauchi State, have closed down following the bombing of two new generational banks, and three police stations by gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram, last weekend.