NIGERIA akara fish with Irish potato chip by the food magician 1Q FOODS

A few days ago I was creating new recipes using the regular brown bean paste used for Akara and Moin Moin in Nigeria and I came up with Akara Fish & Chips. This was the second occasion I was wriggling to shoki in the kitchen after having released the first bean paste sensation Moin Moin Pancakes. It is amazing how we can make some local Nigerian and West African foods so interesting and nutritionally interesting.

The British pride themselves with fish and chips as a national dish and I have sampled quite some of fish and chips in restaurants. This is one dish that allows you to play safe if you are not the most adventurous person with food. For me I the flour batter is always a put off when I consider my waist line. So this twist on Fish and Chips is one way of me getting to enjoy this dish and clean up the plate.

You can load on stir fried vegetables with this dish for even more nutrition packed plate. Enjoy!

Recipe for Akara Fish

Ingredients

1 cup ground brown Beans Paste

1 Egg

6 pieces Croaker Fish Fillet

¼ teaspoon dry Chili Pepper

¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

¼ teaspoon dry Ginger powder

Seasoning cube to taste

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Croaker Fish

Croaker Fish Fillets

Method

1. Wash, and peel the beans. Blend into a very thick paste. Soaked beans just long enough to remove the coat, this ensures that the bean paste will be thick. I blended the beans in my neighborhood mill as I did not want to put too much pressure on my domestic blender. If your blender can survive the pressure by all means blend at home.
2. Dress the fish, and make fillet out of the fish. Cut fish into desired size. You may want to use shop bought fish fillet. Season fish with ginger powder, salt, black pepper, chili pepper, and seasoning if need be. Some fish just taste flat so you may need to boost the taste a bit with a seasoning cube. Allow fish to marinade for about 15 minutes.
3. Beat the egg and add to the bean paste. Add black pepper, and salt and whisk to incorporate air just like you will do for Akara
4. Deep the fish into the Akara paste, coat very well and deep fry on medium heat so that the fish cooks well whilst the Akara comes out crispy and brown.
5. Serve with oven baked or fried potato chips some vegetables and pepper sauce or ketchup.

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FAA:Flights grounded at Washington D.C. area airports due to computer problem

Flights were grounded at airports in the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday due to a problem with a flight-tracking computer system, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Some flights into and out of the New York and Washington, DC metro area airports area may be delayed. We are directing high altitude traffic around the affected airspace," said spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen, adding the agency was diagnosing an automation problem at an air traffic center in Leesburg, Virginia.

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U.S., allies hit Islamic State militants in Iraq with 15 air strikes.

U.S.-led forces continued to bombard the Islamic State in Iraq on Friday, targeting the militant group with 15 air strikes, according to a statement released by the military on Saturday.

The strikes were concentrated near Ramadi with coalition forces launching five as part of an attempt to clear the way for the Iraqi army to recapture the city that fell to the Islamic State in May. The strikes hit tactical units and also destroyed four Islamic State buildings, a weapons cache, vehicles and improvised explosive devices, the Coalition Joint Task Force said.

Forces also conducted five air strikes in Syria and destroyed excavators, a bulldozer, fighting positions and a machine gun with three strikes near Al Hasakah.

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U.S., allies hit Islamic State militants in Iraq with 15 air strikes

U.S.-led forces continued to bombard the Islamic State in Iraq on Friday, targeting the militant group with 15 air strikes, according to a statement released by the military on Saturday.

The strikes were concentrated near Ramadi with coalition forces launching five as part of an attempt to clear the way for the Iraqi army to recapture the city that fell to the Islamic State in May. The strikes hit tactical units and also destroyed four Islamic State buildings, a weapons cache, vehicles and improvised explosive devices, the Coalition Joint Task Force said.

Forces also conducted five air strikes in Syria and destroyed excavators, a bulldozer, fighting positions and a machine gun with three strikes near Al Hasakah.

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GBAGAUN!!: Aloy Productions International

   
Aloy Productions International is at it again!
Aloy Productions International is now BACK, BIGGER and BETTER, you can't beat whats happening in the house of Aloy Productions these days.....
You want to know? Just keep tab on the Production house.
Do you know Aloy productions don't only produce.
They also promote, endorse and Market the best quality films and music.
Aloy production produced, promoted and Marketed all Yinka Ayefele's from 1999 till 2011
( https://youtu.be/Alq88Mjql4U )

    YINKA AYEFELE          YINKA AYEFELE              YINKA AYEFELE

Also  marketed TUNSHE "Rolling the Praise" Album 2011.


                              TUNSHE

ALOY PRODUCTIONS DON'T JOKE WITH QUALITY, CLASS AND TASTE..So watch out for the new wonders that are about to erupt from the production house.

OFFICE ADDRESS: Moyosore CD market Bolade Oshodi and Block EU Army Arena Plaza Bolade Oshodi,Lagos Nigeria.

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Court throws out Arizona sheriff's immigration policy challenge

A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a lawsuit brought by an Arizona sheriff who argued that President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration were unconstitutional.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a district court judge's finding that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio lacked standing to sue, a provision in U.S. law that means he has to prove he has been directly harmed.

He claimed his office had been injured by Obama's November 2014 orders that are designed to ease the threat of deportation for about 4.7 million undocumented immigrants.

Judge Nina Pillard, writing on behalf of a three-judge panel, said Arpaio's claims "rest on speculation beyond that permitted" by the court's precedents.

The Obama administration provisions would give temporary legal status and work permits to eligible immigrants.

Arpaio, a longtime Republican firebrand on immigration, has had several actions stymied by the courts this year.

In April, he admitted to civil contempt charges in a Phoenix court after failing to comply with several court orders banning his police force from racially profiling immigrants.

The Supreme Court in June also upheld a 2014 appeals court ruling that struck down an Arizona law that denied bail to illegal immigrants charged with certain felonies.

Obama's executive actions are currently on ice, after a Texas judge ruled against his administration in February.

That more substantive challenge brought by 26 states, led by Republican bastion Texas, will be heard by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in July and could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.

Republicans have brought a swath of lawsuits against administration officials on immigration and Obama's signature healthcare law over the past year, aiming to curb what they view as executive overreach.

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Burundi,U.N. warns of mounting political crisis

Burundi's leaders need to renounce violence and resume their dialogue to prevent the country's political crisis from escalating, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday.

Tensions have been high in the central African state since late April when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to seek a third term in office, a move his opponents and Western powers said violated the constitution and which triggered a failed coup in May.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a news briefing in Geneva that at least 96 people had been killed since the start of election-related violence in April.

The violence has continued since Nkurunziza was re-elected on July 21.

Shamdasani said at least eight members of the ruling CNDD-FDD party had been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the past two weeks.

In early August, a human rights activist who openly opposed Nkurunziza's bid for a third term was also shot and seriously wounded.

"Burundi has been slipping closer to the edge ... we call on leaders on all sides to take concrete steps to renounce the use of violence and to resolve differences peacefully," Shamdasani said.

She said there have also been at least 60 cases of people being tortured in police and intelligence services custody, adding that the number of those killed, detained or tortured may be much higher.

A Burundi government spokesman said those involved in torture and killing were acting on their own accord and "will be prosecuted and punished accordingly". He gave no details of any arrests.

The UNHCR says more than 181,000 people have fled to neighboring countries due to the violence.

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Ceasefire in Syrian town, villages extended until Sunday

By Mariam Karouny

A ceasefire between the warring sides in a Syrian town and two villages has been extended until Sunday, sources on both sides said on Friday.

The ceasefire between rebels on one hand and the Syrian army and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah on the other began on Wednesday. It halted fighting in the town of Zabadani near the Lebanese border and the villages of Kefraya and al-Foua in the northwest.

Sources involved in the negotiations say they are focused on agreeing a withdrawal of rebel fighters from Zabadani and the evacuation of civilians from the two Shi'ite villages in the northwest.

"There is no final agreement yet but talks continue," a source on the insurgents' side said.

An official close to the Syrian government said negotiations were going slowly.

Zabadani has been the focus of a weeks-long campaign by the Syrian army and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah aimed at driving out insurgents who are still holed up inside.

The rebels have meanwhile targeted the two Shi'ite villages in a parallel offensive.

The negotiations have been led on the insurgents' side by the Sunni Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham.

Iran, which backs Hezbollah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, helped to bring about the ceasefire, as did Turkey, which has supported insurgents fighting against Damascus.

The ceasefire began at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday and was initially agreed to last two days.

Issues being discussed included safe passage for wounded fighters who want to leave Zabadani, and the later withdrawal of all fighters, the official close to the Syrian government said.

The rebels had submitted a list of names of wounded fighters they want to evacuate initially, the official said.

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Ibadan Students protest as colleague was injured in accident

Hundreds of students of Federal College of Agriculture and Federal College of Animal Health, Ibadan for the second day yesterday, stormed major streets and roads at Moore Plantation/ Odo-Ona area in the Oyo State capital.

They were protesting severe injuries inflicted on their colleague, who was knocked down by a motorist.

The  student was injured in the road mishap, which occurred at about 4p.m on Wednesday.

The protest, which entered its second day yesterday, saw many residents and motorists fleeing the area for fear of being attack.

But some motorists became victims of the students’ wrath as their vehicles’ windscreens were damaged.

The students set burn fires on the busy Ibadan-Abeokuta Expressway, after blocking the road with heavy objects, leading to gridlock for more than one hour.

The accident victim, Aminu Bola, who is a 200-Level National Diploma (ND) student of Agric Technology of the Federal College of Agriculture, is receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of Molly Hospital, Ibadan.

Anti-riot policemen were deployed to different locations where the protest took place.

A few police vans accompanied the students as they carried out their actions through the city.

It was gathered that the students were angered yesterday’s morning, when they learnt that a middle-aged man was also injured by another vehicle on Wednesday’s night at the same spot, “where the student was knocked down”.

The identity of the second accident victim was not known as at yesterday. But some residents claimed that he died before getting to the hospital.

The students, who displayed placards with various inscriptions, berated government for alleged neglect and lack of concern for the welfare of the citizens.

They wondered how long it would take to provide the needed facilities and “bumps to prevent incessant accidents on roads”.

The protesting students made a procession through Moore Plantation, Odo-Ona, Iyaganku, Dugbe, Mokola and Government Secretariat Complex in Agodi, where they sought for the audience with Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

But he was not available to receive the protesting students.

The students’ leaders said the victim needed N3 million for urgent surgical operation to save his life at the hospital.

Their spokesman, Raji Muritala, who threatened that the students would be forced to block the expressway, if nothing is done to save Aminu’s life,  said:  “We need N3 million for urgent surgical operation. We need the assistance of the government”.

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President Buhari Sacks NPA MD, Ado Bayero

Tobi Soniyi 

President Muhammadu Buhari has terminated the appointment of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero, who was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan in the twilight of his administration.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said the termination of  Bayero’s appointment was with immediate effect.

The statement reads: “He is to hand over the management of the NPA and all government property in his possession to Mr. Habibu Abdullahi, who has been reinstated as Managing Director of the NPA by Buhari.

“Buhari wishes Bayero well in his future endeavours.”

Bayero is the son of the immediate past Emir of Kano the Alhaji Ado Bayero, who died last year.

Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero

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Failed Nigeria Power Projects,Senate to Probe Obasanjo and Jonathan.

Omololu Ogunmade 

The Senate yesterday constituted a 12-man committee to probe the management of funds allocated to the power sector since 1999 by the administrations of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

The committee chaired by Senator Abubakar Kyari has four weeks to conclude its assignment.

The decision to probe the management of power sector allocations since 1999 was the fallout of a motion by the Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, on the disconnection of Maiduguri from national power grid.
The Senate therefore urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct  the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to immediately reconnect Maiduguri to the national grid.

It also urged the federal government to complete the Mambilla power project with a view to improving electricity supply in the country.

The Senate further condemned the inability of TCN to provide continuous and uninterrupted power supply to all parts of the country.
Ndume expressed concern that Nigeria, with the population of over 150 million, boasts of producing ridiculous 4, 600 mega watts whereas South Africa with the population of 52 million produces as many as 40,000 mega watts.

He also observed that the disconnection from the national grid and continued erratic power supply across the country had affected economic activities and resulted in the collapse of several industries.
The senator further expressed concern that with an installed power generation potential of about 5,000 mega watts, the output being distributed at present is about 1,950 megawatts of energy.

Furthermore, he said it was disheartening that Nigeria continues to grope in darkness while Iran with only 70 million population generates about 42,000 megawatts and South Korea with about 35 million population generates about 60,000 mega watts of electricity.

Speaking on the motion, Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) said the motion was apt as he lamented the untold hardship that poor power supply had caused Nigerians.

``The problem of power was on before 1999 and I am surprised that up till today, the power sector is still grappling with insufficient power supply. This motion is apt because there is a need to find out what happened in spite of the unbundling and huge amount spent so far,’’ he said.

In his contribution, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North West), lamented how many companies had been shut down as a result of irregular power supply.

He regretted that financial contributions by some states in the South for improved power supply had made no difference.

``In 2015, we are celebrating 4,000 mega watts; for me, this is worrisome. We cannot have employment without power, and Nigerians  are  complaining about high cost and some localities which have not seen electric power for months are asked to pay high tariff,’’ he said.

In his remark, Senate President Bukola Saraki said inadequate power supply in the country called for concern in view of the adverse effects it has had on the nation’s economic growth.

According to him, besides corruption, poor power supply is another problem that has impeded the country’s growth.

“We thought that with the Power Reform Act and unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), we would begin to see a relief with regard to power supply, unfortunately, it is not so.

“The adhoc committee we will set up should look at the activities of the Discos and what is preventing Nigerians from benefitting from the unbundling of the PHCN,’’ he said.

Also yesterday, the Senate set up an ad -hoc committee to examine the aviation sector and come up with strategies for the repositioning the industry.

The National Assembly took the decision following a motion sponsored by the Deputy Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, on “the worrisome and unstable position of Nigeria aviation industry.”

Na’Allah who said the growth and development of domestic airlines in the country had remained stagnant, called for total review of extant laws guiding the operations of domestic and international airlines in Nigeria.

He observed that a number of domestic airlines, including Sosoliso, Concord, Sloak, Okada, Chanchangi, had gone into extinction a few years after take-off.

Meanwhile, the Senate had adjourned plenary till September 29 in observance of its annual six weeks’ break.

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First Black to Portray James Bond: British-Nigerian Actor David Oyelowo

British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo is set to portray 007 and other characters in a recording of Trigger Mortis, a new Bond novel by Anthony Horowitz. However, his performance will be heard rather than seen – in an audiobook.

The announcement on Thursday follows long-standing rumours that Idris Elba is in line to replace Daniel Craig when the latter’s run playing James Bond on the big screen comes to an end, potentially in two movies’ time.

According to a report by the London-based The Guardian newspaper, this feat is coming after Oyelowo, 39, appeared as Martin Luther King to much acclaim in the film Selma.

Guardian quoted Oyelowo as saying: “I was asked specifically by the (original author Ian) Fleming estate, which is really special.

“I am officially the only person on planet Earth who can legitimately say ‘I am the new James Bond’… even saying that name is the cinematic equivalent of doing the ‘to be or not to be’ speech.”

He has form in playing a British security service agent, starring as MI5 officer Danny Hunter in Spooks, the BBC spy drama.

However, Oyelowo said another black British actor, Idris Elba, was “ripe” for the screen role of Bond. Idris Elba is tipped to play Bond on the big screen.

Elba, who first found fame after moving to the US to appear in the acclaimed crime drama The Wire, was “a titan on screen, he has all the qualities that you’d want in a James Bond”, Oyelowo said.

“Because films and TV affect culture, a black Bond would be a cultural event, a statement, beyond just entertainment,” he added.

Oyelowo appeared as Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company, a casting decision that was criticised because of the colour of his skin.

“(One academic) said that we open ourselves to ridicule if we allow black people to play English kings when English kings have never been black. But I’ve never seen an Egyptian play Cleopatra,” Oyelowo said.

He was also sent hate mail along the lines of “how dare you enter a realm that is not yours to enter?”

The actor, who now lives in Los Angeles, said: “It’s upsetting. I had letters coming through to the stage door. This was over 10 years ago now, so you’d hope that wouldn’t be the case now.”

Oyelowo, an actor, producer, director, and writer was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, to Nigerian parents of Yoruba ethnicity. His mother worked for British Rail while his father, Stephen, worked for then state-owned British Airways. He then studied theatre studies at City and Islington College, where his teacher suggested that he become an actor.

Oyelowo enrolled for a year in an art foundation course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He finished his three-year training in 1998.

Oyelowo has played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Middle of Nowhere (2012), Lincoln (2012), and garnered praise for portraying Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013). On television, he played MI5 officer Danny Hunter in the British series Spooks (2002–04), and in 2014, provides the voice of Imperial Security Bureau agent Kallus on the animated series Star Wars Rebels. In 2014, Oyelowo played Martin Luther King, Jr. in the biographical drama film Selma, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor (Drama).

Also in 2014, he starred in the HBO movie Nightingale, for which he won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries and was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

Actor David Oyelowo

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Buhari Orders Service Chiefs;End Insurgency in Three Months

President Muhammadu Buhari has given the military chiefs three months to end the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeastern Nigeria.

He gave the charge just as word got out that 17 members of the Islamist sect were killed on Wednesday by local vigilantes in a Borno village.

The president gave the marching order yesterday at the State House in Abuja while decorating the recently promoted service chiefs with their new ranks.

The decorated service chiefs – General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, Chief of Defence Staff; Lt-General T.Y. Buratai, Chief of Army Staff; Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff – were appointed on July 13 and confirmed by the Senate on August 4.

Buhari, who was joined by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, also called on the Armed Forces to respect and protect the rights of civilians and combatants while carrying out their duties, and urged them to brace up to the challenge of the insurgency.

Apart from asking the service chief to end the insurgency in three months, the president also charged them to ensure that banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality are phased out within this period.

He said: “The activities of these misguided groups and individuals have resulted in wanton destruction of lives and properties of our citizens as a disruption of socio-economic lives of millions of Nigerians.

“You need to brace up and continue to team up with other stakeholders to come up with a well coordinated joint effort which will bring the desired end to the insurgency within three months.”

The president also charged the military chiefs to be accountable for both the men and equipment placed under their command in the course of carrying out their assignment.

“Your troops welfare must be uppermost in your mind, take care of them and make available what is due to them,” he said.

The president asked the service chiefs to re-professionalise the military and ensure troops are well trained and equipped before going to battle.

He said: “You should also ensure that they abide with the newly enforced rules and relations of international standards while carrying out their assigned tasks.

“In particular, you must protect innocent civilians and respect the rights of combatants. This no doubt will earn the support of local communities and the respect of our allies and support of the international community.”

The president directed the military chiefs to “get back to work and make Nigerians proud”.

He assured them of unflinching government support by providing all the resources the soldiers would need to succeed.

Buhari, who appointed the new military chiefs after he dismissed their predecessors, said he considered only merit in making the appointments.

“Therefore I have no doubt in my mind that all of you are equal to the task ahead of you. You must acquaint yourselves and justify the honour done to you,” he declared.

He reminded them of the efforts he had been made to garner international support for the war against the insurgents and asked them to complement the efforts.

He said: “I have been to several countries with the sole aim of canvassing for global support to eliminate terrorism from Nigeria.

“These efforts which include establishment of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) should be complemented by you.”

Meanwhile, 17 members of the Boko Haram terror group were killed on Wednesday evening by a youth vigilante group in Lahou village, Borno State.

Speaking to THISDAY from the village, near Ngulde in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, the leader of the youth vigilante group in the council, Apagu Bitrus, said the terrorists attacked Lahou at about 4 pm on Wednesday but met their waterloo “as our men were able to overpower them”.

Apagu, bursting with enthusiasm, said: “We slayed 17 militants on Wednesday evening when they invaded Lahou village and equally seized two vehicles from them.”

He revealed that the attackers were all teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years.

Apagu said: “I can confidently tell you that when we took the battle to them, some of them fled but we are going to bury those who were killed this morning (Thursday).”

He however lamented that one of his members who happened to be a former councillor in the ward was killed by the terrorists in the attack.

To complement the efforts of the youth vigilantes in the North-east, the Nigeria Air Force said yesterday that it had deployed additional combat aircraft to the region in support of the ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

The new deployment came on the heels of the recent visit of the Chief of Air Staff to the operational areas.

The newly deployed platforms include the F-7Ni fighter aircraft, Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, Agusta 109 LUH, Supa Puma Combat Support helicopter and ATR-42 surveillance aircraft, which hitherto had been sent for scheduled maintenance.

The provision of additional combat aircraft in the North-east is in line with the president’s mandate to bring an end to insurgency in the zone, the Nigerian Air Force said.

It said: “The new deployment is aimed at boosting existing military efforts to defeat the Boko Haram terrorists. It is also expected to enhance the capability of the Nigerian Armed Forces to fight in a more proactive and efficient manner.”

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Japan joins U.S.-Philippine humanitarian drills amid China sea dispute

Japan has joined U.S.-led maritime humanitarian exercises off the Philippines for the first time, as concerns mount among the three allies about China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.

A Japanese navy replenishment ship was in Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base, to refuel a U.S. Navy floating hospital en route to Vietnam for the seven-nation humanitarian mission.

It was the first time a Japanese navy ship has taken part in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief drills although a flotilla of Japanese training vessels, including a submarine, makes annual port calls in Manila.

Rear Admiral Charles Williams, commander of U.S. Seventh Fleet's Task Force 73, said humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercises were becoming a regular component of military exercises in the Philippines.

"You are seeing in exercises ... a shift from strictly bilateral engagement to multilateral, which is why you see the Japanese here today," Williams told journalists aboard USNS Mercy, one of two U.S. hospital ships.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims. Japan and China also have conflicting claims in the East China Sea.

Williams said the presence of Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, head of Japan's Self-Defence Forces, "speaks volumes about their commitment to the region and their commitment to being part of a multilateral engagement".

Kawano met early this week with his Philippine counterpart, General Hernando Iriberri, and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in Manila, where he expressed interest in holding joint amphibious landing exercises and operations with Philippine marines.

In a meeting with Gazmin, Kawano also expressed interest in sharing information in the South China Sea and capacity building, particularly in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Williams said humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations were "a great avenue toward increasing maritime stability and security in this region", part of Washington's rebalance to Asia policy.

China hit back on Monday at U.S. criticism that it restricts navigation and overflights in the South China Sea. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also said China's construction of facilities on man-made islands for "military purposes" was raising tension and risked "militarization" by other claimant states.

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U.S. believes Islamic State likely used mustard agent in Iraq attack

The United States believes Islamic State militants likely used mustard agent in an attack on Kurdish forces in Iraq earlier this week, the first indication the militant group has obtained a banned chemical weapon, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

"We have credible information that the agent used in the attack was mustard," a senior U.S. official told the Journal.

Islamic State could have obtained the mustard agent in Syria, whose government admitted to having large quantities of the blistering agent in 2013, when it agreed to give up its chemical weapons arsenal, the newspaper reported.

"That makes the most sense," the Journal quoted a senior U.S. official as saying about the possibility that Islamic State obtained the mustard agent in Syria.

Islamic State could also have obtained the mustard agent in Iraq, the Journal reported.

The newspaper did not specify where or when the attack occurred, or whether it caused casualties.

The White House's National Security Council said it was aware of the reports and was seeking more information.

"We continue to take these and all allegations of chemical weapons use very seriously," spokesman Ali Baskey said in a statement.

U.S. intelligence agencies have said in the past they believed Islamic State has used chlorine gas in attacks in Iraq, the Journal reported. Chlorine is not a banned chemical agent.

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Journalist, five others killed in Mexico state of 'Veracruz'

A journalist was among six people killed by armed men in a bar in the Mexican state of Veracruz, the state attorney general's office said on Thursday, days after the murder of another journalist based in the state sparked widespread outrage.

Five gunmen stormed the bar early on Thursday morning in the eastern city of Orizaba, the attorney general's office said. It said it had identified among the dead the bodies of journalist Juan Heriberto Santos and Jose Marquez, a suspected drug boss.

Two other journalists from a local newspaper who were in the bar at the time are in police custody, authorities said.

On July 31, Veracruz-based photo journalist Ruben Espinosa and four women were found dead in a Mexico City flat, prompting international outcry over the treacherous conditions for members of the media working in the state on the Gulf of Mexico.

At least 18 Veracruz journalists have been killed since 2000, according to advocacy group Article 19.

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Currency war fears ease

Bond yields rose in major markets on Thursday after China's central bank reassured investors there was no reason for its currency to keep falling, but oil prices fell to six-year lows on supply concerns.

Despite the renewed calm in markets, the yuan weakened for a third day and some forecast further declines in the face of a weak economy, even as People's Bank of China Vice-Governor Yi Gang dismissed talk of a deeper devaluation.

"They're taking the Chinese central bank at its word, but I'm still taking those comments with a pinch of salt," said Hantec Markets analyst Richard Perry.

The PBOC set its guidance rate at 6.4010 per U.S. dollar prior to the market opening, weaker than the previous fix of 6.3306. The gap between the guidance rate and the traded spot market rate narrowed sharply as banking sources said the PBOC had stepped up intervention to stabilize prices. It was lately traded at 6.3982.

Traders remained cautious. Sources had told Reuters this week some powerful voices in the government were pushing for an even deeper yuan devaluation to help China's struggling exporters.

Oil prices neared their nadir for 2015 after refinery outages and data showing inventory builds revived concerns about oversupply.

U.S. crude settled down $1.07 at $42.23 a barrel, after setting a session bottom at $41.91, its lowest since March 2009 when the financial crisis was wreaking havoc on oil prices. Brent crude slipped 1.1 percent to $49.13.

Investor fears of a currency war or substantial asset depreciation eased, but U.S. equities were hit by weak energy prices, dragging shares of those companies lower.

U.S. equities, which had rebounded from steep losses Wednesday, were mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 5.74 points, or 0.03 percent, to 17,408.25, the S&P 500 <.SPX> fell 2.66 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,083.39 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 10.83 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,033.59.   

The pan-European FTSEurofirst index of leading 300 blue-chips <.FTEU3> rose 0.9 percent, while the MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.MIAPJ0000PUS> edged up 0.5 percent.

U.S. FED FOCUS

The recovery in equities dimmed the allure of safe-haven government debt, pushing up U.S. and European bond yields.

German 10-year bond yields were 3 basis points higher at 0.63 percent while benchmark U.S. 10-year yieldswere up 6 basis points at 2.19 percent, following a lackluster auction on Wednesday.

The dollar, which had also suffered as investors pared back bets that the Federal Reserve's long-awaited interest rate hike would come as early as its Sept. 16-17 meeting, rebounded on Thursday.

"With the suggestion that the PBOC’s currency adjustment is mostly complete at this point right now, one has to think that a September Fed hike is still on the table," said Mazen Issa, senior currency strategist at TD Securities in New York.

The dollar index <.DXY> was up 0.1 percent at 96.373, rebounding from a one-month low of 95.926 hit on Wednesday. U.S. retail sales rebounded in July as households boosted purchases of automobiles and a range of other goods, suggesting solid momentum in the economy.

The euro was little changed at $1.1155 after scaling a one-month peak of $1.1215 on Wednesday, helped by the unwinding of euro-funded carry trades in the yuan and other emerging market currencies.

Spot gold was down about 0.9 percent at $1,115.01 an ounce after logging its fifth straight session of gains.

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