Washington seeks to build up forces on Russia's border, restart Cold War - former Reagan advisor

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 Paul Craig Roberts

What is your focus for the further NATO enlargement? Would the organization manage to move towards building up the bases in the Baltics and Eastern Europe?

The purpose of the call from Washington to build up forces on Russia’s border with Eastern Europe and the Baltics is to restart the cold war. Washington needs a threat in order to continue to supply hundreds of billions of dollars annually to its military security complex. This complex is very important to Washington. It is very powerful and much of the money that the tax payers are required to give up in order to fund in armament industry and the security industry, returns to politicians in form of campaign contributions.

Russia, China, non-aligned countries should call to abolish NATO - expert

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On 30 May 1982 Spain joined NATO and became its sixteenth member. Since NATO's formation in 1949 the organization accepted new members six times and as of 2014 NATO unifies 28 states in Europe and North America. Rick Rozoff, the owner and manager of the Stop NATO website and international mailing list, shared his views about the possibility of further NATO enlargement and on how should the international community and Russia react to it during his interview with VR.

What are your forecasts for the further NATO enlargement? Would the organization manage to move eastward in Europe?

Obama in Poland: the real danger is from the West

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On June 3-4 president Barack Obama is going to Poland before moving on to the G7 summit in Brussels. Obama’s visit  is theoretically devoted to the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Poland’s first post-communist parliamentary election,  in 1989.

Obama though is unlikely to talk much about the past, he is much more likely to want to discuss the future, especially about the "containment" of Russia (the State Department’s new policy line on Russia, first hailed by the former US ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul, in his recent opinion piece in The New York Times).

Read more: Russia, China, non-aligned countries should call to abolish NATO - expert

In Warsaw, Obama will meet the Polish and American pilots of the Poland-based F16 fighter jets, a new symbol of this "new" containment. (It should not be forgotten that the "old" containment policy was launched in late 1940s on the advice of the great American diplomat George F. Kennan, also a former ambassador to Moscow, who  from the 1990s opposed NATO’s expansion and other hostile US and allied action against the new, non-communist Russia.)

Pics: Chibok girls who escaped from Boko Haram visit Borno State Governor

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 The Chibok girls who allegedly escaped from their Boko Haram abductors today June 2nd visited the Borno state Governor in his office today. See more photos after the break...

Coach Stephen Keshi releases 23-man list for the 2014 World Cup

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Super Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi has released his 23 man list for the 2014 World Cup starting in a few weeks. See below

Goalkeepers:

Vincent Enyeama (Lille/FRA), 

Chigozie Agbim (Gombe United),

Austin Ejide (/ISR)

Sudan retracts claim that woman sentenced to death is going to be freed

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A few days ago, we heard that Meriam Ibrahim, the woman sentenced to death in Sudan for apostasy will soon be freed after the country's Foreign Minister Abdullahi Alzareg was quoted as saying that Sudan was committed to protecting the woman. But according to new reports, that's not happening as the Foreign Minister is now saying quotes attributed to him was taken out of context. 

The country has officially denied that Meriam would soon be released. Now they are saying Meriam's release will depend on whether a court accepted an appeal request made by her defence team.

'We don't need foreign assistance, Nigeria can solve Chibok problem alone' - Chimamanda Adichie

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While speaking at the 2014 Hay Festival for Literature and Arts in Wales recently, award-winning Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie expressed her reservations on the foreign assistance Nigeria is receiving on the missing chibok school girls. Adichie said the foreign government should focus on solving their own problems and leave Nigeria to deal with theirs

"Now we have American drones helping us in this forest and even the French have sent in people – shouldn’t they be fixing their own economy? We can solve our own damn problems. I’m sure that there are hunters in that area who know that forest very well. Why haven’t they been used? Why aren’t we depending on them? What we need is a better equipped military, a better trained military. We don’t need Americans to send people in" she said.

 Continue.

Female Pastor Burns 10 Year Old House Girl’s Face With A Hot Spoon

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Pastor Fine Oru, who reportedly burnt the face of her 10 year old niece, Grace Opion, with a hot spoon, has been arrested by Police from the Azikoro Police Division in Bayelsa.
Oru is the Assistant General Overseer of the ‘Heart Beat of God Bible Church,’ on Ompadec road, in Yenagoa,

Oru, 46, hails from Otueke, the Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa , and resides at the Egbenda community, off Ox-Bow road, in Yenagoa.  Opion, according to Oru, is the daughter of her younger sister, who is a pupil at Kingdom Success Academy, within the neighbourhood.
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Tragedy: Man lost his life on PHCN power line poles in Calabar

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In early hours of this morning, residents in the Government Technical College, Lemna, Calabar, woke up to discover a man dried on PHCN power line poles, electrocuted. One resident said their lights went very early in the morning and they thought it absolutely was the typical PHCN blackout, only to get the man hanging from the poles at the break of dawn.  Police and other security agencies have arrived the area and efforts are ongoing to bring the man down and make proper identifications. 
R.I.P

Brazilian Football icon, Pele's son Sentenced To 33 Years In Jail

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This may  break the heart of his 73 year-old father. Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, the 3rd son of Brazilian legend, Abedi Pele has been sentenced to 33 years in jail for money-laundering. Edinho as fondly called who played as a goalkeeper for Santos in 1995 was once detained for drug trafficking offences some years back but was later released.  The 43 year-old who was simply connected with a notorious drug dealer and several drug gangs in Santos is currently retired but works as a goalkeeping coach in the club. He's expected to make appeal in few days. 

GEJ's secret negotiator cllaims Chibok girls are very ill

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Some of the 219 schoolgirls still in the custody of Boko Haram insurgents have taken ill, according to a prominent Australian cleric, Dr. Stephen Davis.

Davis, a   hostage negotiator, said   the online publication of a British newspaper,The Mail on Sunday, was   hired by President Goodluck Jonathan to broker the release of the girls.

According to the newspaper, the clergyman who was once the Canon Emeritus at the Coventry Cathedral in London and a friend of The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby,   has been in Nigeria   working secretly on the release of the girls   for almost a month now.

It added that he was asked by the President to come to Nigeria after previously brokering a truce between the Federal Government and Niger Delta militants in 2004.

‘Nigerians own 70 per cent houses on London’s expensive street’

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About 70 per cent of the most expensive buildings in London are owned by Nigerians, the Chairman, New Nation, an empowerment-oriented group, Mr. Charles Dukwe, has said.

He added that citizens of the United Kingdom avoided buying houses in the area due to their expensive prices.

The philanthropist spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Saturday shortly after unveiling the Queen of Compassion and Kill the Killers Initiative, a grass roots campaign against diabetes and high blood pressure.

Present at the event as brand ambassadors were Nollywood stars such as Ini Edo, Uche Jombo, Monalisa Chinda and Desmond Elliot.

60 Killed as Boko Haram Bombs Bar & Brothel Joint Close to Army Base In Adamawa

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A bar and a brothel located near a major military base in Mubi, Adamawa State, have been blown up by alleged Boko Haram terrorists today, June 1. From 40 to 60 people are feared dead.
According to Sahara Reporters, the location under attack was "Kaban", usually visited by both civilians and military patrons. Sources report that the explosion happened at about 6 p.m. It has not been determined whether the victims were soldiers or civilians.

Nigeria Implicated In new Match-fixing Scandal

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Nigeria has been implicated in yet another football match-fixing scandal, with the revelation that the friendly match between the Super Eagles and North Korea on the eve of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was doctored.
The allegation, published by the New York Times, opens a fresh can of worms in a series of claims that Nigeria has featured prominently for years in the dubious art of match-rigging.
Nigeria won the friendly against the North Korean side by 3-1.

Mariam Ibrahim, Sudanese Woman sentenced to death for apostasy 'to be freed'

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The Sudanese Government today said it'll free Mariam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman sentenced to death by hanging for denouncing her Islamic religion.

A Sudanese Under-secretary at the foreign ministry Abdullahi Alzareg said Sudan guaranteed religious freedom and was committed to protecting the woman. He said Meriam would be free from prison in a matter of days. 

 

Meanwhile her lawyer, Elshareef Ali Mohammed has expressed reservations over the government's new position, saying they are just trying to divert international attention from the case and he doubts she would be freed soon

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"No break up yet ,just normal issues - Christ Embassy denies Oyakhilomes breakup

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A few weeks ago, a Facebook account called'Where's Rev Anita Oyakhilome?' was made by an anonymous member of Christ Embassy International where they insinuated that a lot of thing was not well in the holy matrimony of Pastor Oyakhilome and his wife of many years, Rev. Anita. In the Facebook page, Pastor Oyakhilome was quoted as saying that there were problems in his marriage due to his wife's attitude. Speaking along with his UK-based pastors and deacons at the church Bermondsey branch office on May 16th, pastor Oyakhilome allegedly said;

"I am here for your concerns about the ongoing domestic issue with my wife and I know it affects you directly, being the ones under her leadership.

Nigerians in Asia, Watch out for Rat Meat or meal !

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SAD: British Woman Bags 20 Years In Iran For unlawful Facebook Comment

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A British woman has reportedly been sentenced to 20 years in a hellhole Iranian prison for posting comments on Facebook allegedly criticising the country’s leadership.

Roya Nobakht, 47, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, was arrested last October when she was visiting the south-western city of Shiraz.

Former Kogi State First Lady, Hajiya Zainab Idris Slumps & Dies During Morning Praye

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The wife of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, a former governor of Kogi State, Hajiya Zainab Idris is dead. She was said to have slumped and died while about performing the early morning Islamic prayers on Saturday. It was also learnt that her surprising death was a great shock to both her family members and residents of the state as she was said to have appeared healthy on Friday night before her shocking demise on Saturday of an undisclosed ailment.

20-yr-old Woman ordered to refund ₦30,000 dowry

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A Grade 1 Area Court  in Aso Pada, Mararaba, Nasarawa State, has ordered a 20-year-old woman, Patience Kaka, to refund  the sum of N30,000 which was paid as her  bride price to her  ex-husband, Samson Ade, within seven days.

The judge, Mr Albert Maga, gave the order after counsel to Samson, Mr Idris Gadzama, told the court that Patience refused  to  adhere  to the court’s  order given  on April to pay back the dowry. 

He further  advised  Patience  to discuss with her relatives  on how to make the refund.