Bush approves military aid to Nigeria

President Bush has authorised $4m of military aid to Nigeria.

Mr Bush said in a statement that there was an unforseen emergency in the African country that required immediate military assistance.

The electoral authorities in Nigeria have announced that the country's first presidential election since the return of civilian rule in 1999 will be held in April next year.

Correspondents say that hotly disputed constitutional issues and fears of electoral violence in the run-up to next year's vote have left the country on tenterhooks.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service