WITH the sudden arrival of President Umaru Yaradua to the country after three months absence on health grounds, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, United States Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs cautions that everyone must act responsibly.

OBY Ezekwesili, vice president, African Region of the World Bank says Africans in Diaspora must maintain a huge dose of optimism that the African continent will grow and develop just as other continents in the near future.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has rebutted critics who say he isn’t showing enough compassion toward black America, citing his health care effort as one example he says “will be hugely important” for blacks.

THE two chief executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could get paid as much as $6 million for 2009, despite the companies’ dismal performances last financial year which cost taxpayers more than $100 billion.

UNITED States officials intend to increase security for international flights to the U.S. starting Monday this week, increasing gate pat-downs and bag searches in response to the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight over the Christmas holiday.

OVER the past three years, the World Bank says it has committed almost US$1 billion through grants, loans, and credits to HIV programs. It puts total bank financing for HIV/AIDS since 1988 at more than $4.2 billion.

THREE financial institutions in Nigeria, First Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC and Zenith Capital are among the 37 institutions on the continent receiving various awards at the African Banking awards holding in London this week.

AS the United Nation’s Climate Summit holds this week in Copenhagen, developing countries across the world look up to Nigeria to push for the formation of a climate change fund to help third world countries that are adversely affected.