Presidency dismisses MEND support for Buhari

The Presidency on Thursday alleged that members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta  (MEND) made attempts to kill President Goodluck Jonathan on two occasions.

It said on the two instances, members of the group launched 'murderous assaults' on places where the President was present.

Blasts heard at printing plant northeast of Paris where 2 brothers have taken a hostage

PARIS — French police are confronting two intense hostage standoffs Friday, as two suspects in the terror attack on a satirical newspaper were cornered in an industrial town northeast of Paris and a third gunman was holding as many as five people at gunpoint at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema 'furious' with Gareth Bale after Real Madrid defeat

Gareth Bale is in the bad books of the two other members of Real Madrid's 'BBC' attack.

At the weekend Los Blancos lost their first match since September, going down 2-1 to Valencia. It was a result that brought an end to a stunning 22-match winning streak.

With the score at 1-1, Bale had a fantastic opportunity to put Real Madrid back in front having just seen Atonio Barragan equalise Ronaldo's opener from the penalty spot. But with the Wales international bearing down on goal, he opted to continue alone rather than make a simple pass across goal for the unmarked Benzema. A brilliant tackle from Nicolas Otamendi meant the chance went begging and to compound Bale's selfish decision making, minutes later Otamendi went down the other end and put Valencia in front.

Israeli video remix king becomes player in election campaign

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — One of the most unlikely stars of Israel's election campaign is a musical artist whose popular video remixes of stump speeches have rocked YouTube, leading some of his most prominent targets to try to recruit him.

China bans private cars on ride-hailing apps such as Uber

BEIJING (AP) — China has banned drivers of private cars from offering services through ride-hailing apps, throwing up a new hurdle to Uber Technologies Ltd.'s global expansion.

Only licensed taxis may use ride-hailing apps, the Ministry of Transport announced Friday. Such apps are hugely popular in China, and the ministry said it needed to protect users.

Glance at AirAsia search nearly 2 weeks after crash

An AirAsia jetliner crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28, killing all 162 crew and passengers on board the two-hour flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore. A massive international search team has been underway for bodies and wreckage. The efforts have been hindered by seasonal monsoon rains that on many days prevent divers and high-tech equipment from making progress. A look at what's known about the crash and the recovery operation.

Ivanovic advances to Brisbane final

BRISBANE (Reuters) - Serbia's Ana Ivanovic battled her way into the final of the Brisbane International on Friday, beating American Varvara Lepchenko 7-6(2) 6-4.

Ivanovic, who came from a set down to win her previous match, once again had to dig deep before seeing off Lepchenko after nearly two hours on the Pat Rafter Arena.