Read about Ladi Kwali: The woman on the ₦20 note

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 If you know any great Nigerian history please share with the rest of us. Below is the history of Ladi Kwali, the woman on the N20 note...

Nigeria's best known potter who was awarded a Doctorate and was made MBE in 1963 for the level of detail and skill she utilized while making her pots.
Ladi Dosei Kwali (1925-1983) popularly known as Dr Ladi Kwali was born in 1925 in Kwali town in the present Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,Nigeria.

Missouri Governor Calls for More Funding for Police Amid Ferguson Protests

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National Guard and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are playing a critical role in keeping people safe and protecting property in the St. Louis region, the office of Missouri governor said.
Protesters are taken into custody Friday, Nov. 28, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon intends to provide critical funding for Missouri National Guard and Missouri State Highway Patrol to continue their operations in Ferguson and the St. Louis region, the office of Missouri governor said.
Nixon will call a special session of the Missouri General Assembly to ensure that the members of the Missouri National Guard are paid before December 15, the office of Missouri governor reported late Friday.

Up to 13,000 Potential Victims of Modern Slavery in UK: Home Office

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© FOTOLIA/ RAFAEL BEN-ARI

Children Increasingly Fall Victim to Human Trafficking: United Nations

Professor Bernard Silverman has estimated that in 2013 there were between 10,000 and 13,000 potential victims of modern slavery in the UK.
The report shows there is no place in the world where children, women and men are safe from human trafficking, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said.

NATO Determined to Weaken Russia at Its Western Borders, Expert Says

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Is NATO really seeking a “more constructive relationship with Russia”? Radio Sputnik is discussing it with Lindsey German, Convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, and Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos, Publisher and Editor of Politics First magazine

Speaking at the Amari air base during his visit to Estonia Thursday NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "There is no contradiction between being in favor of a… firm policy from NATO and at the same time aspiring for a more constructive relationship with Russia. … We urge them [Russia and the separatists] to be part of a peaceful solution," he said.

Official - China Recognises Crimean Referendum

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 By Alexander Mercouris

"OFFICIAL - CHINA RECOGNISES CRIMEAN REFERENDUM"

This is the clear meaning of the statement TASS reports that a senior official of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has made. 

The fact that China recognises the Crimean referendum means that de facto (and surely before long de jure) China has recognised Crimea's unification with Russia.  Note also that the official has expressed support for Russia's Ukrainian policy.

http://en.itar-tass.com/world/760944

Biden in Ukraine, War Surely to Follow

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US Vice President Joe Biden's plane has touched down in the Ukrainian capitol to meet with US-backed president, Petro Poroshenko, and prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk. If the past is prologue, we should expect a full-fledged assault by Kiev on the breakaway eastern part of the country to begin at anytime.

Biden's last trip to Ukraine was in April, where he told unelected post-coup prime minister Yatsenyuk that "You will not walk this road alone. We will walk it with you." Within days of Biden's assurance of support, Kiev's offensive on eastern Ukraine markedly intensified. Soon thereafter, artillery shells fell on densely-populated civilian centers killing hundreds at a dramatically increased rate.

Vladimir Suchan - Many people have been disappearing in Kiev

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Vladimir Suchan: "According to local sources, many people have been disappearing or rather disappeared in Kiev at the hands of the masked storm troopers organized into various battalions, which are ultimately under Avakov's command, since the Banderite coup on February 22. Together with the many disappeared people, the same masked storm troopers of this force, which represents both terror and the pseudo-police (the new SA and SS) are also seizing the properties (i.e., apartments) of the disappeared people. Thus, besides directing the war and terror in the east of Ukraine, Avakov is also carrying out a Nazification campaign in Ukraine's cities."

Why is the West so upset with Viktor Orbán?

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by Philip George. Bucharest

The prime ministers and presidents of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia have been accused numerous times in the U.S. media lately for coordinating movements against American influence in the region. 

Is someone still wondering why people are on the streets of Budapest shouting “freedom!”, “Europe!” and other senseless things like that? There is a strong resemblance with the Euromaidan style Soros & Co. backed protests in Ukraine, although Hungary is already a democratic country and a full member of the European Union and NATO. Was the internet tax really a reason for people to turn against a government which was… inefficient or anti-social? On the contrary, the Orbán government was highly efficient and under its leadership Hungary’s economy and the living standards of its citizens considerably improved. 

Chaos and Re-Alignment of Central and Eastern Europe with Kiev's Banderite (Nazi) Regime and Its Maidan as a Strategy: A New Stage in the NWO Drama

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Attempts at Maidan-like regime changes in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary are now underway. The West wants and desire to politically secure NATO's new rear or, respectively, forward positions.

This means and demands closing the "post-communist" period with its "democratization" and "liberalization" game and finalizing the prepared transition to a "more efficient' right-wing dictatorship.

As a regime and type, new fascist dictatorship would be much closer to and more aligned with Ukraine's Nazi/Banderite oligarchy.

The Šešelj Case: Justice At Last?

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by Stephen Karganovic

After almost twelve years of extra-judicial agony at the Detention Unit of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at the Hague, on November 12 Serbian political leader Vojislav Šešelj returned home to Belgrade. True, the circumstances of his release (regarded as “provisional” in the terminology of the Tribunal which incarcerated him) leave quite a few more questions than they provide answers. To state just a simple one that immediately comes to mind, why isn’t there a verdict after the seemingly interminable trial? (Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz forecasts there might be one at the end of 2015.)

Faces and voices of the Novorussian resistance: Siberia and Kedr

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Interviewing a militiaman nicknamed "Siberia" whose parents are originally from Galicia (Western Ukraine). He gives his thoughts on the civil war, the relationship between Russians and Ukrainians, and the situation as a whole.

Jehovah’s Witness Wife Dies After Refusing Blood Transfusion

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A husband has told of his grief for his Jehovah’s Witness wife who reportedly died after refusing a blood transfusion.  Adeline Keh, 40, suffered a fatal infection after giving birth by Caesarean section to her son at Homerton Hospital in east London, her distraught husband Kwaku said.
She was transferred to the Papworth heart and lung hospital in Cambridge, where she is said to have refused a blood transfusion and died a month after the birth.

Ukraine SITREP November 9th, 22:25 UTC/Zulu: A creeping conflict

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There is an interesting word in Russian: вялотекущий.  It can be translated as "creeping" or "sluggish".  It is composed of the word вяло which means "lethargically", or "torpidly" or "apathetic" and текущий which means to flow, to progress.  This word comes to my mind when looking at the war in the Ukraine, it is progressing towards some kind of worsening, but it does so in a slouching, slowly creeping way.

Novorussian side 

On the Novorussian side the recent elections did not solve the constant infighting between the various commanders.  To my great regret, this nonsense is still going on.  Bezler was removed from his command, Mozgovoi was told that his brigade had to be incorporated into the Novorussian Armed Forces (NAF), which he gladly accepted, and that this would be done by breaking up his brigade into various units of the NAF, which he categorically rejected.  Then there was the news that Zakharchenko had decorated Strelkov and Borodai as with the Medal of "Hero of the Donetsk People's Republic".  Strelkov denied that adding that he would not take that medal from Zakharchenko anyway. 

The news was then "corrected" to say that this decision had been made about Bezler and Borodai.  The blog of Colonel Cassad (http://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/ - the most honest Russian-language blog on Novorussia IMHO) goes into exquisite details about all this nonsense and the English version of this site apparently has resumed translating his blog.  You can find the English version here: http://cassad-eng.livejournal.com/.

Voentorg in action

The good news is that while the Novorussians are fighting, the Russians are sending them huge amounts of weapons.  The main difference with what Russia did in the past is that this time around the Voentrog is not done covertly at all and that these huge columns of trucks have been seen driving around the center of Donetsk, clearly in the hope that somebody would film or photograph them.  The message to the Junta is clear - we are ready and we will support Novorussia.  It appears that so far this new "semi-overt" style of support has deterred the Junta Repression Forces (JRF) from any major attacks.

Question for everybody: I have heard reports that columns of T-80 tanks has been spotted in Novorussia.  Can somebody confirm whether this is true or not?  So far, all the "T-80s" have turned out to be modification of the Ukrainian T-72, but the appearence of Russian T-80s could be significant because while not modern by Russian standards, most Russian T-80s have been retrofitted with modern electronics and fire systems.  In other words, a modernized Russian T-80 would have a huge advantage over a Ukrainian T-72, specially an unmodified one.

I personally do not really care who of the Novorussian leaders is in command as long as it is one person.  All of them have shown that they are competent military commanders so the question is a political one.  Zakharchenko is by far the most legitimate political leader since he won the election, and he seems to most willing to do what the Kremlin wants which I consider a good thing.  But this is also the reason why a lot of the other field commanders don't like him, especially Strelkov.  But then again, Strelkov himself is far from being unanimously endorsed either and, besides, he is now out of the Novorussian political game since he now lives in Russia.  The fact is that Novorussia cannot exist without Russian support, so my totally politically incorrect preference for the command of the NAF would be for a Russian general to be put in charge, but that ain't happening.  Next best,  somebody who will listen to a Russian general.  But for the political command of Novorussia was is needed is a good administrator, a local Novorussian and a civilian capable of effectively interfacing with the military commanders.  I personally liked Borodoi, but any guy close to the security services would do.

Why the security services?  Because no real "democracy" is possible in a combat zone.  So the next best thing is a pretend democracy where the democratically elected leader has some personal legitimacy, but is willing and capable of working closely with the military commanders and with the Kremlin.  Sort of Borodai v2 I suppose.  Alas, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Ukieland aka Banderastan

The total chaos in continuing the the Nazi-occupied Ukraine.  While the junta did succeed in bringing a lot of military power (man and gear) to the line of contact, no real attack has materialized.  Besides the already well-know terror shelling of civilians in Donetsk, the new and rewamped JRF has not shown itself capable of anything yet.  Could they do more?

Yes, definitely,  they now have three things which they lacked before the Minsk agreement:

1) More firepower
2) More armor
3) Well defended sectors

These are good ingredients for a determined attack.  The problem for them is, of course, that the NAF now also has more of these three categories.  Finally, the NAF retains a very significant advantage in moral, tactical proficiency, local population support, knowledge of the terrain and reconnaissance.  This, along with the repoening of the Voentorg spigot, might well explain the current Ukie lack of attack.

[Sidebar: I have seen a lot of nonsense about Uncle Frost, General Winter, Jack Frost, etc.  This is utter nonsense.  Both the Russians and the Ukrainians (as if they were different) have fought wars in the winter for over 1000 years and they can very much do that again.  Even in the Arctic (in the case of Russians).  The Russians train in Siberia, on permafrost, in the Caucasus and, of course, in Central Russia's brutal winters and while extreme weather conditions of the Winter or Spring (the thaw) make that harder, they don't make that impossible at all.  A Winter offensive is definitely possible, is less likely]

On the political side, on the Ukie side the elections has also not settled anything and all the bigshots are busy fighting each other.  Most of the "action" seems to take place around Kolomoiski, but there is plenty of hatred to go around for everybody.

Russia

the leaders of the free world

The big news for Russia is clearly the drop in the prices of oil and the drop in the value of the Ruble.  Are the two linked?  Yes, of course.  While the general economic downturn worldwide did probably negatively impact the price of oil, there is little doubt that the AngloZionist Empire is using its influence to prevent the OPEC countries from cutting down on production.  Is this strategy effective?  Yes, definitely, but it also is very pricey, especially for the US shale gas industry.  Cheap oil is also very good for China, so while Russia is hurting, China is getting a much needed boost.  Worse for the AngloZionists, Russia and China are signing even more multi-billion dollar contracts but instead of dollars, they make them in Rouble-Renminbi.   

Still, the worst problems for Russia are, beyond any doubt, self-inflicted.  There is a reason why Russia has been so dependent for years on gas and oil exports: it is because the Russian economy has not been able to provide alternative sources of revenue and the reason for that is that the entire economic system adopted by Russia after 1991 has been designed to lock Russia into an "African" style of economy: Russia was allowed to export her raw materials and was told to import all the rest.  How was that achieved?  By telling the Russians to keep interest rates high, their savings invested in US T Bonds and keeping their main corporations incorporated abroad.  Of course, none of that would have been possible without a faithful local comprador class imposing that system by its power of corruption on the rest of the country.  The bottom line is that these sanctions primarily hurt Russia there were Russia is weak anyway, so in a sense you could say that these sanctions are acting like cattle-prods forcing the Russian state to very reluctantly go to its own salvation.

This is now a race against time.  Who, of the USA or Russia, will have to cave in first and who will have the staying power to hold on to its objectives.  Can you guess on whom I am betting? :-)

Conclusion 

The situation in Novorussia is bad but not catastrophic.  Russia will help Novorussia through the winter months and, hopefully, the infighting amongst the field commanders will eventually stop.

The situation in Ukieland is terrible and only getting worse.  The Ukraine is now somewhere between the 4th and 5th Orlov Stages of Collapse.  The recent gas deal with the EU and Russia changes nothing to that fact.  We can begin to think of rump-Ukraine aka Banderastan aka Ukieland as something like a 'frozen Libya': a very dangerous, poor, violent wasteland run by thugs.

The situation for Russia is difficult, especially in the short term.  The good news is that Russia is immensely wealthy with huge reserves of gold, currencies, natural resources and human capital and that Russia is politically extremely stable.  The deep strategic alliance between Russia and China is, for both countries, the "ticket" out of the dependence upon the dollar and the way to true decolonization from the Empire.

As long as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jiping hold the course - and I believe they will - the Empire will continue to slowly erode.

The Saker

The European Central Bank – ECB – invented yet another tool to hold Europe hostage vis-à-vis Russia

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by Peter Koenig

The ECB has just launched – effective 4 November 2014 – a new watchdog to control and regulate the European banking system. It is called the Single Supervisory Mechanism – SSM. It is supposed to monitor and reign in European banks that do not ‘behave’ in terms of overstretching their investment and risk lending as compared to their capital base.

In fact, the SSM is one pillar of the three pillar ‘security’ system put in place by the ECB and the European Commission – EC.

Bad times for Putin bashers

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I don't know if you have noticed this, but the usual crowd of Putin bashers is being uncharacteristically quiet these days, especially the ones I call the "hurray patriots".  Some of their blogs have simply been closed, others are apparently frozen, and those still minimally active are getting very few visitors (nope, I shall not name them here, both on principle and in order not to direct any traffic towards these cesspools).  They are all apparently getting tired of chanting their favorite mantras ("Putin has sold out!", "Putin has betrayed Novorussia!", "Putin is a puppet of the oligarchs!", etc.).  The reason for that sudden drop in energy is simple: the Putin bashers have just suffered a series of painful political defeats.  Let's look at them one by one:

Russian President Vladimir named the world's most powerful person by Forbes for the 2nd Year running !

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The Russian leader was also been named Person of the Year by Time magazine in 2007, and was named The Times International Person of the Year in 2013. © RIA Novosti. Michael Klimentyev

Russian President Vladimir Putin was named the world's most powerful person by Forbes for the 2nd year running, while US President Barack Obama took second place.

"For the next year running, our votes went with the Russian president since the world's most powerful person, followed closely by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping," the content accompanying the list published Wednesday said.

Ebola Scare: Nigerian man banned from work in the UK after visiting Nigeria

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 John Ogunnoiki, who works as a protection guard at Strong Safety Ltd headquartered in Cornwall, UK, has been informed perhaps not to go to work over doubts he might have Ebola after visiting Nigeria.

The 46 year old English citizen, faces a three-week quarantine from his employers who informed him he wants to have the all-clear from the English physician before he is able to return to work. Bellow is the letter(in full) his supervisor delivered to him

Tambuwal: God Bless The Police

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The news on the defection of the outgoing speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) has become a matter of national discuss in the past few days, with analysts and commentators jumping in to share a piece of their thoughts. The polity went upscale when the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) withdrew the security details attached to Hon. Tambuwal.

First, it is important that every patriotic Nigerian give kudos to Hon. Tambuwal for repositioning the House of Representatives as a stakeholder in the Nigeria project. He deserves resounding applause for his dogged and relentless efforts in taking the legislative arm away from the stranglehold of the executive and repositioning it as a symbol of authority as against the coalition of yes-men.

Fidelity Private Banking Wins Financial Times “Best Private Bank Award 2014”

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Fidelity Private Banking, a Division of Fidelity Bank Plc. has been recognized as the “Best Private Bank in Nigeria 2014” in the Global Private Banking Awards organized by Professional Wealth Management (PWM) and The Banker magazines, publications of the Financial Times Group, one of the world's leading business news and information organizations. This was announced at the 6th Annual Global Private Banking Awards which took place in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, October 29th over a gala dinner.
 Continue..

Sanctions Against Russia for Recognizing Elections in Donbas Foolish: Venetian Politician

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New sanctions against Russia for recognizing the elections in the self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbas would be unprecedented and foolish, founder of the Indipendenza Veneta (Independent Veneto) movement Alessio Morosin said.  "It would be foolish of the European Union to impose new sanctions against Russia for the mere reason that it officially recognizes the elections of November 2. There has been no analogous precedent in international practice," Morosin told RIA Novosti.