The Prime Minister of Jordan, Hani Mulki has resigned after days of public protests against tax rises and austerity measures.

The protesters chanted anti-government slogans and clashed with police, who fired tear gas and blocked roads.

The demonstrators say a new tax bill backed by the International Monetary Fund will hurt the poor and middle class.

The people of Tanzania have been gripped by sadness following the death of popular conjoined twins who lived for twenty-one years.

Reports say Maria and Consolata Mwakikuti died after suffering respiratory complications at a local hospital, six months after they were diagnosed with a heart disease.

The deceased women had two hearts and separate heads and arms but were joined from the navel downwards and shared organs like the liver and lungs.

The Senate has subjected the three remaining components of the unbundled Petroleum Industry Bill to a public hearing at the National Assembly.

They include the Petroleum Industry Administration Bill; the Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill and the Petroleum Host and Impacted Communities Bill.

The public hearing is being handled by the Joint Senate Committees on Petroleum Upstream, Downstream and Gas.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Kabiru marafa said the eventual passage of the bills would ensure transparency in the oil and gas sector.

Declaring the three-day hearing open; the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said the passage of the bills would increase Nigeria’s competitiveness in the international oil and gas market.

Senator Saraki is also of the hope that the once the bills become operational, Nigeria would become a hub for international investments.

He is also optimistic that the passage of the petroleum bills would give oil producing communities a true sense of belonging in the business.

The Senate President said the current state of affairs in the oil market due to the crises in the Middle East was an opportunity for Nigeria to exploit the investment potentials in the sector.

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You will recall that the first component of the PIB entitled Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, was passed by the National Assembly in March this year.‎

Super Eagles boss Gernot Rohr has dropped fullback Ola Aina and midfielder Mikel Agu as he named his final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Rohr had cut his initial 30-man provisional squad to 26 while injury ruled Moses Simon out of contention.

After the game against England on Saturday, the Eagles' trainer confirmed the omissions of Aina and Agu in the squad ahead of the 2018 World Cup:

FULL SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Deportivo La Coruna), Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba), Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United).

Defenders: William Troost-Ekong and Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor), Tyronne Ebuehi (Ado Den Haag), Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge KSV), Bryan Idowu (Amkar Perm), Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes FC), Leon Balogun (Brighton), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa).

Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Tianjin Teda), Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City), Oghenekaro Etebo (Las Palmas), John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva), Joel Obi (Torino, Italy).

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City), Victor Moses (Chelsea), Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Simeon Nwankwo (Crotone).

Nigerian defender, Kalu Orji, has joined Moroccan club, Mouloudia Club Oujda on a three-year contract.

The 25-year old, last featured for four-time NPFL Champions, Kano Pillars having signed a short term deal with the club in April this year after severing ties with another NPFL club, Enugu Rangers.

The defender was a member of Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles that finished second at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) hosted by Morocco early this year, his second appearance in the competition after participating in the previous edition in Rwanda in 2016.

The Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos has been chosen as the preferred venue to host the 2nd window of the 2019 FIBA Men World Cup qualification games.

The venue is expected to wear a new look ahead of the first game between Mali and Rwanda on Friday, June 29th 2018.

The choice of bidding to host Group B games by the factional President of the NBBF, Engineer Musa Kida was in line with the promise of attracting international basketball championships to Nigeria before his election last year.

Nigeria are currently leading Group B after defeating Mali, Uganda and Rwanda during the first set of its group games played in Bamako.

At least twenty-five people have been killed and hundreds injured in a violent volcanic eruption in Guatemala.

Reports say the eruption of the Fuego volcano, which is located about forty kilometers south-west of the capital city, is the most violent in decades.

The volcano has been spewing rocks, black smoke and ash into the sky, and sent lava flowing into the village of El Rodeo, killing people inside houses.

The main airport in Guatemala City has been closed, as President JIMMY MORALES declared three days of national mourning.

The Nigeria Police Force is treating the shooting of six APC members during the flag-off of the party’s governorship election campaign in Ekiti State as a case of accidental discharge.

The gunshot, which affected former House of Representatives member, Opeyemi

Bamidele, was fired by a policeman who was discovered to be attached to the Police Mobile Force in Lagos.

Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, while responding to question on a television programme monitored from Port Harcourt, said not right-thinking policeman would cock his gun and starting shooting at a crowd.

The policeman behind the gunshot at the APC rally in Ekiti State last Friday has since been arrested, as investigation opened into the incident.

The President of the Nigerian Senate, BUKOLA SARAKI, is expected to report to the High Command of the Nigeria Police Force any moment from now.

Senator SARAKI was invited by the Police based on a purported indictment in the confessions of some suspects who were arrested in connection with the recent robbery attacks that claimed the lives of thirty-three people in Offa, Kwara State.

Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, disclosed during the parade of twenty-two suspects, including seventeen that were allegedly involved in the multiple robbery attacks and raid on a police station in Offa.

Jimoh Moshood said the other five members were found to be leaders of the gang, adding that they confessed during interrogation to be members of a group known as Youth Liberation Movement.

Moshood said the five principal suspects purportedly admitted and confessed to have been sponsored with firearms, money and operational vehicles by the Senate President and the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji  Abdulfatah Ahmed.

On his par the Senate President, BUKOLA SARAKI, has dismissed the allegation against him by the Police High Command and urged the public to disregard the claims, which he described as baseless and another ploy to implicate him by all means.

In a move similar to that of the Senate President, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has also refuted the police allegations of sponsoring, funding, arming or otherwise supporting political thugs.

The Governor’s denial was made in a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Muyideen Akorede, which was obtained by our correspondent.