BBC News, with Jully Canderler.
The new Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg has accused Russia of acting more aggressively in Ukraine and towards NATO. Mr. Stoltenberg said NATO had carried out 100 intercepts of Russian military aircraft this year, more than 3 times as many as in 2013, presenting a danger to civilian flights.
Russia has changed its behaviour. They are responsible for aggressive actions. They have violated the international law. They have not respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And they have undermined the old rule, basic order we have had there in Europe for many many years.
The US House of Representatives has approved a controversial plan to build an oil pipeline linking Canada to America’s Gulf coast. The 8-billion dollar project, know as Keystone XL would carry more than 800,000 barrels of oil a day. It still needs approval from the Senate and from President Obama to go ahead. David Willis reports.
In the 6 years since it was first mooted, the Keystone XL pipeline project has been subjected to numerous environmental reviews, impact studies and legal challenges. Republicans in the House of Representatives favored the plan because of the jobs it would create. Democrates in the Senate have opposed it on environmental grounds. Now in a move that would appear to have more to do with political expediency than energy policy, Democrates have dropped their opposition in the hope of winning the last unresolved seat from the recent mid-term elections in the oil rich state of Louisiana.
European space scientists say the Philae lander is drilling into the surface of the comet it reached on Wednesday, but in fears that its battery may died within hours. The European Space Agency said it’s going ahead with the risky experiment because the lander is seating in the shadow of cliff and running out of usable power. The lander’s drill will put up samples for analysis in its onboard laboratories.
Reports from northeastern Nigeria say Bokho Haran militants have taken the town of Chibok, where they abducted more than 200 school girls in April. Residents said the militants were still around the town late on Thursday and still in control of it. From Negus, Rose reports.
The name, Chibok became known around the world after the massive abductions of school girls from a boarding school there last April. 290 of them are still missing. Since then, people have complained that the area was not well protected. And many residents of Chibok had already moved to safer parts of the country, fearing another attack. The crisis in Nigeria is deepening every week. But the politicians appear to be more focused on next year’s elections. The military has repeatedly failed to defend the towns and villages in the northeast, allowing the Bokho Haran Juhadists to steadily expand the area they control.
BBC News.
Police in Nigeria say 6 people have been killed by a suicide attack in the northern city of Kano. The Kano state police commissioner said a man had driven his car into a patrol station as he felt are going to buy patrol before the bomb exploded. No one says it carried out the bombing but in recent years, Kano has been the target of several attacks by Bokho Haran militants.
The United Nations’ World Food Programs says from Saturday, refugees in Kenya will only receive half their food allowances. The agency said it’s struggling to raise enough money to feed nearly 0.5 million refugees living in the Dada and Cakoo camps in northern Kenya. The WFP’s funds have been stretched by other emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak.
A funeral has been held in Cairo for a young Egyptian activist who killed herself this week after leaving a message saying there was no hope for justice in her country. Sam Abamahudy took part in the 2011 uprise that removed president Hussein Mubarack. Her death has triggered a flurry on social media. One opposition movement urged those who shared in those dreams of a modern free Egypt not to give up.
A primary pupil from the English Midlands has become the youngest person to be qualified as a computer specialist. Ayan Qureshi sat one of Microsoft professional exams a month before his 6th birthday. Ben Gager has the story.
This is my IT lab and this is my computer and my laptop and my...
Well, most 6-year olds have growing collections of toys. Ayan Qureshi has his own computer lab which he helped build himself. He is the youngest person to pass the Microsoft certified professional exam which he sat in Birmingham City University when he was still just 5. It’s usually taken by school leavers or graduates who are thinking about a career in IT. It took him 5 months to prepare the exam. But he finished it with time to spare.