At least seventy people were killed and over 124 injured when a bomb ripped through a crowded bus station near the Nigerian capital Abuja early Monday, reports said. The death toll was expected to rise.

The blast, which occurred at the Nyanya Bus Park station five miles (8km) south of Abuja, came as commuters travelled during morning rush hour.

It destroyed over 30 vehicles, including 16 luxury coaches, and hurled body parts across the area. Secondary explosions ignited vehicle fuel tanks.

EU foreign ministers said today that they would expand a list of names targeted by EU sanctions, as pro-Russian activists occupied more buildings in the eastern regions of Ukraine.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague , told reports that the seizure of official buildings “is something that is being planned and brought about by Russia.”

In a telephone conversation with the United States president, Barack Obama, the Russian premier, said that allegations of Russia’s involvement were “based on questionable information,” reports the BBC.

Canadian defence and diplomatic officials have been quietly working on plans for possible Canadian military missions in Syria, the Ottawa Citizen reports.
 
Internal documents obtained by paper show the defence ministry has drawn up at least five scenarios for which Canadian forces should prepare.
 
At least one possible intervention “assumes that a legitimate armed opposition group has been recognized” by Canada, although details about the rest of this scenario have been blacked out, the paper said.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Sunday held a rare meeting without US mediator Martin Indyk present, as they try to salvage peace talks before a deadline of April 29, the Wall Street Journal reports.
 

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, in a telephone call to the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, threatened fresh sanction against Russia, reports the Financial Times today.

A senior state department official told the Financial Times that Kerry expressed “strong concern” that the unrest in eastern Ukraine was “orchestrated and synchronised, similar to previous attacks in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.”

135 civilians were killed by gunmen  in North-east Nigeria this week, reports the BBC.

A senior state senator, Ahmed Zannah said today the militants are from the Islamist Boko Harim movement.
The Nigerian official further added that attackers targeted a teachers training college and abducted several women.

Over 250,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in the North-East of Nigeria due to fighting between the Nigerian army Islamic militant groups.

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The US government today imposed sanctions on the Crimean division of Ukraine’s national gas company, Chernomorneftegaz, reports the Financial Times.

Gas companies in the US were set to explore areas in the Back Sea on a joint resource exploration venture with the Crimean based company. The new sanction makes it highly likely that US companies will miss out on revenue from resources from the oil and gas rich regions.

Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, outlined the possibility of devolving powers to areas of eastern Ukraine, that have seen a surge of protests demanding self-rule.

The prime minister travelled to eastern Ukraine to hold talks with activists who had seized a government building, reports the BBC.

Yatsenyuk’s attempts to negotiate with the pro-Russia separatist demonstrators comes amidst of Russia denying Ukraine gas deliveries.

The Russian president yesterday warned that gas supplies to Ukraine would be cut off if Ukrainian debts were not paid off.