I Will Conduct Credible Polls in 2015 ~President Jonathan to Obama

After throwing powerful jabs at those who continue to distract his administration with fake news and obnoxious conjectures by telling them to allow him concentrate on his job, President Jonathan again has emphasized on his main goal which is to transform Nigeria in all facets; politically, economically and diplomatically. The President resounded the position of Nigeria as the 'Big Brother of Africa' without which Africa may not really put its onus rightly.

President Goodluck Jonathan had earlier warned those bent on creating political pandemonium in the land to desist from doing so. He cleared one of such nefarious statuses Nigerians are quick to jump at by speaking through his media aid, Dr Reuben Abati to demystify the news making the round that he took 600 officials to New York as reported by Sahara Reporters. The whole Presidential team composed of just 30 officials. He warned the opposition and their attack 'voltrons' not to blow up the house they intend to occupy with dynamites.

President Goodluck Jonathan continues to reiterate the commitment of his administration to hold credible, free and fair elections in the country by 2015. He gave the assurance during his bilateral meeting with President Barack Obama in the Lyndon B. Johnson suite in the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on Monday. “I have conducted credible elections in 2011 and I am committed to do the same in 2015.”

Jonathan reminded the US President that as he continued to work towards a safe world, Nigeria, he said, should not be left out.  “For you to fix the world, you must fix Africa. For you to fix Africa, you must fix Nigeria.” He also called for a stronger global consensus and determination to end the scourge of terrorism as quickly as possible. President Jonathan said that unless the international community unite and deploy its enormous resources to eradicate terrorism, it would continue to be embarrassed by terrorist outrages such that occurred in Nairobi.

He expressed his appreciation of the support and assistance Nigeria had received from the U.S. in the fight against domestic terrorism. Jonathan said that Nigeria would welcome more bilateral collaboration to fight terrorism in the country. On his part, President Obama recalled his recent trip to Africa and since then he saw common interests in helping Nigeria improve its rural electrification, empowering young people through the Young African Leaders programme.

According to him, improving internal security is in a way consistent with human rights and making sure Nigerian elections in 2015 continue to improve the country’s democratic process. Obama said the attack at a Nairobi mall over the weekend “underscores” the level to which all countries "are connected” and the need to work together. “We stand with them against this terrible outrage that’s occurred, we will provide them with whatever law enforcement help that is necessary.”

“The United States will continue to work with the entire continent of Africa and around the world to make sure that we are dismantling these networks of destruction.” The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, were also in attendance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jonathan was accompanied to the meeting by the Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U. S, Prof. Ade Adefuye, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, and the Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo.

EU demands Clarification on US Espionage Acts on its Diplomats; Warns of Consequences

A new word ought to surface just as the United States got 'Romnesia' (a disease that makes you forget anything that makes you bad) during the Presidential debates and campaigns. Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, always did not usually remember anything he had said that contradicted him. There would probably be another cyber, internet and espionage coinage superior to Wikileaks; maybe termed 'Snowdenvirus' due to the recent leaks by Edward Snowden.

Snowden's new leak showed that the United States had been spying on European diplomats. Reacting to this, the president of the European parliament has demanded an explanation from US authorities over the latest revelation that EU diplomatic missions in Washington, New York and Brussels were under electronic surveillance from the NSA.

“I am deeply worried and shocked about the allegations of US authorities spying on EU offices,” said the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz. “If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-US relations.”

“On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the US authorities with regard to these allegations," he added. Meanwhile, Germany's justice minister also called for an immediate explanation from the United States saying the news that Washington bugged European Union offices was "reminiscent of the Cold War."

"It must ultimately be immediately and extensively explained by the American side whether media reports about completely disproportionate tapping measures by the US in the EU are accurate or not," Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said in a statement.

Other EU diplomats also expressed shock concerning the latest batch of revelations in the NSA leak, reported by Der Spiegel magazine on Saturday. "If these reports are true, it's disgusting,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told Der Spiegel. "The United States would be better off monitoring its secret services rather than its allies,” Asselborn continued. “We must get a guarantee from the very highest level now that this stops immediately."

A spokesman for the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence had no comment on the Der Spiegel story, Reuters reported. Der Spiegel, quoting from a September 2010 "top secret" US National Security Agency (NSA) document leaked by former CIA employee Edward Snowden, reported on Saturday the NSA was eavesdropping on the EU’s internal computer networks in Washington, as well as at the 28-member bloc UN office in New York.

The German magazine also reported that five years ago, the NSA also targeted telecommunications at the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, home to the European Council, where all EU member states have their offices. Snowden, 30, fled the US for Hong Kong in May, just weeks before The Guardian and Washington Post published details he provided about a top-secret US government surveillance programme that accumulated internet and telephone traffic both at home and abroad.

The whistleblower is presently in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, where it is believed he is attempting to gain political asylum in Ecuador. Lode Vanoost, former deputy speaker of the Belgian parliament, believes that the main purpose of the US surveillance programme was “economic spying” on the EU.

“At the moment, the EU is negotiating a new free trade agreement with the United States,” the former deputy speaker noted. “On the economic level, [the US] is losing ground everywhere,” he said. “Look at what the BRIC countries are doing. The EU is having stronger ties with Russia, with Africa, with Latin America. And the US doesn’t seem to get its economic priorities imposed as it used to. So what I see is a big risk for economic spying.”

He added that there is “too much at stake” for there to be a total breakdown in US-EU bilateral relations, however, “behind closed doors there will be some very tough words” exchanged between EU and American officials.

Ecuador has revealed that the choosing and the safe landing of Snowden in any destination is in the hand of Russia. Russia seems to be the love, the land currently romanced by anybody dissatisfied with the condition and system of the obtainable in any Western nation as noticed in the case of the French actor, Gerard Depardieu, who recently received Russian citizenship in protest against high taxes in France. This has also been the case with anybody not comfortable with/in Russia.

'West fighting al Qaeda in Mali and Supporting same in Syria. Syria needs Reforms’ ~Putin

Speaking about the conflict in Syria, President Vladimir Putin said it was possible to avoid the civilian war by conducting reforms in due time.

“Syria as a country was rife for some kind of change. And the government of Syria should have felt that in due time and should have undertaken some reform,” Putin said. “Had they done that, what we’re seeing in Syria today would have never happened.”

However, he added, one should take into account that the entire Middle East is currently finding itself in a state of uncertainty and conflict – and it’s wrong to try and interfere from outside.

"From the outside some people think that if you bring the entire region in compliance with someone’s specific idea of democracy, things will settle down, and everything will be all right in that region. But that’s not true. Considering that region’s background history, culture, religion – you cannot interfere with it from the outside.”

Putin pointed out that the West is supporting some certain organizations that are fighting Assad in Syria, and they are countering "those very same groups" in Mali.


“Where is the logic in that?” he said. “Our Western counterparts often tell us that the Al-Nusra is one of the key organizations in the Syrian military opposition. But it has been dubbed terrorist by the US Department of State, and it doesn’t even hide its links to Al-Qaeda. So will you let this organization join the future government of Syria? Our Western counterparts say no. Are you going to just make them go away once you have victory in Syria? They don’t know. It’s totally unclear.”

Putin reminded that the quality of life in Libya was one of the highest in the region before the regime change.

“What do you have there now? There is a war of everybody against everybody among various tribes, there is war for resources, and, I’m afraid, if we go the same way in Syria, there will be same havoc in Syria that we’re now witnessing in Libya,” he concluded. “Isn’t that enough from what we’re seeing in Pakistan and Afghanistan right now, where there’re terrorists that are not controlled by anyone, except for terrorists?”

Speaking about mass demonstrations, the president stressed that the government should control protesters, “put them put them in the legislative field,” if they “violate the law.”

“This is what happening both in the US and in Russia,” Putin said.

“Russia doesn’t try to influence Occupy activists, yet foreign agents try to do this in Russia,” he said, referring to the Occupy movement that initially started from protests in New York and then spread worldwide.

Fans Ready to Pay Fortune for Titanic's Replica Maiden Voyage

                              
A handout picture received from Southampton City Council on April 4, 2012 shows the Titanic leaving Southampton on her ill-fated maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. (AFP Photo)


Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, who plans to build a modern replica of the legendary Titanic cruise ship by 2016, has received an “overwhelming” response from people around the world willing to be the first paying passengers.

A half-dozen people have even offered $1 million or more to be on the maiden voyage, officials from Palmer's company Blue Star Line announced at a press conference.

Raymond Tam, Director of Asia Operations for Blue Star Line said "Many people when they think about Titanic II, they think about the romantic story of Rose and Jack, Romeo and Juliet, so I am sure many people can associate themselves one way or the other with Titanic. So I guess our target has no limit on boundaries.”

The global launch of the Titanic II project is scheduled for February 26, according to the Blue Star Line website. It will be held in New York on the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, not far from the original Titanic’s would-be port of destination. Details concerning the project are expected to be released at the event.

Preliminary plans and drawings of the Titanic II were revealed in July 2012. The ship is being designed by the Finland-based Deltamarin engineering company, and will be constructed by China's CSC Jinling Shipyard company.

The upgraded version of the world’s most famous cruise liner will have the same dimensions as its ill-fated original: It will be 270 meters long (885 feet), 53 meters high, and will weigh 40,000 tons. The ship will have 840 rooms and nine decks, and retain the first, second and third-class divisions of the original.

However, the replica will also be equipped with cutting-edge technology and the newest navigation and safety systems. The ship will also be wider, its bridge will have greater visibility over the bow, and this time there will be lifeboats for everyone.

Once completed, the Titanic replica will first sail from China to Southampton, and then carry passengers to New York along the original ship’s 1912 route. The Titanic was the world’s largest and most luxurious ocean liner, but it sank 100 years ago during its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic, killing around 1500 passengers.

Palmer is not the first to set the ambitious goal of recreating the Titanic. In 1998, the same project was announced by South African business mogul Sarel Gous. It was abandoned in 2006 over lack of public interest and investment.

                      
This handout diagram provided by The Blue Star Line on July 17, 2012 shows the preliminary plans and drawings for the Titanic II. (AFP Photo/The Blue Star Line)

Islamists Threaten to Attack Germany

A German Islamist threatened in an internet video to attack Berlin this summer and kill Chancellor Angela Merkel, Die Welt newspaper reported.

The video threat is being evaluated by the country’s security services, an intelligence spokesman said.

The Islamist Abu Azzam, believed to be a radical Salafist who moved to Egypt last year, added that Germany's Reichstag parliament building would be subject to attacks like those on New York's World Trade Center in 2001.

This event could not be unconnected from the activities of France in Mali and the worldwide support she receives especially from Europe. The Islamists in Mali have threatened to give France a long war through their axis in Europe and elsewhere.