Nigeria: Early Marriage is a setback for Female Children; Senator Speaks Out

The debate on early marriage refused to wither away as a member of the Nigerian Senate again speaks out against it. The champion of the proposal has always been Senator Ahmed Yerima who married a 13-year old Egyptian. When the clause received the yes vote to be retained in the Constitution which is under the guise of protecting the girl-child who married early by conferring on her the right of full age as regards the renunciation of her citizenship, Nigeria cried out and since then, the Senate has vowed to review it.

News Agency of Nigeria reports that Sen. Helen Esuene, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Youth Matters, says early marriage is a major setback to the self-actualisation of female children. Esuene expressed this concern on Saturday in Uyo at the 18th Biennial Conference and General Assembly of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN).

The theme of the conference was "The girl child: reaching out and raising opportunities for health, empowerment and education”. She said that early marriage was a monster that deprived girls of their childhood, health, future and sometimes her life."Child marriage serves no useful purpose in the society and should be discontinued,’’ she advised.

Esuene said that it was abnormal to practice such old culture in the 21st century world where the female gender was in a hurry to cover lost grounds in the area of public participation. The senator said that girls must be empowered with the right tools of education, self-confidence, knowledge and absolute understanding of their physical makeup.

She said that girls should be made to grow up to see themselves as complete and independent persons, not a weak half. Esuene added that the girl-child had been spotlighted in recent years due to attempts to correct her marginalisation caused by cultural and traditional practices.

"I am happy to note that some of the obnoxious cultural practices such as genital mutilation and fattening are fast becoming history,’’ she added. She also expressed concern that the level of female education in the northern part of the country was still very low in spite of Universal Basic Education programme of the Federal Government. She said that the girls needed to acquire adequate knowledge to be in a position to impart same to her children later in life.

Many Nigerians killed against the section that could encourage many paedophiles who do not understand the basic Islamic tenet of ensuring and assuring the girl-child is protected as adduced by Senator Ahmed Yerima. Twitter users created the hashtag #ChildNotBride which spread like wildfire and instantly created a platform to go against the provision in the constitution.

Computer glitch delays NASA's cargo ship arrival at space station

A computer mishap has forced NASA and the Orbital Sciences corporation to delay the planned arrival of the brand new cargo ship at the International Space Station (ISS) for 48 hours. “Following the discovery of a data format discrepancy between an on-board ISS navigation system and a similar system on Cygnus at around 1:30 a.m. this morning, today's rendezvous with the station was postponed,” the corporation reports on its website.

A software update has already been developed and is currently being tested. After it is uploaded to Cygnus, a second rendezvous attempt will be made. The ship “remains healthy, with all major subsystems operating as expected,” the company says. On Wednesday, the Cygnus capsule, packed with food and clothes for the ISS crew, blasted off from Virginia for a test flight and had been scheduled to reach the station on Sunday.

RT

Consuming Fire on the Mountain of Africa?: Islamist Terrorists from Somalia hit Kenya

RT latest report says Kenyan military spokesperson Colonel Cyrus Oguna confirmed that “most of the hostages have been released, and the Kenya Defence Forces has taken control of most parts of the building," where at least 68 people were killed in an attack. Four military personnel were injured during the latest rescue operation, Kenya Defense Forces stated. Kenyan authorities have regained control of most of the mall and have rescued most of the hostages, Kenya Defense Forces tweeted.

Kenyan forces have launched a major assault to free the hostages trapped inside the mall. US President Barack Obama has also called Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta to say that the US will support Kenya's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the shopping mall attack to justice. Former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, said that the militants had established contact with the country’s authorities. He did not mention the attackers’ demands. Beside Kenyans, among the victims of the attack are also citizens of France, the UK, Canada, China, South Korea and India.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram of condolence to Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying Russia strongly condemns this act of terrorism, the Kremlin’s press-service reported. Security forces have “a good chance” of neutralizing the attackers at the shopping mall, said Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta. "The criminals are now located in one place within the building. With the professionals on site, I assure Kenyans that we have as good a chance to successfully neutralize the terrorists as we can hope for," he told reporter

At least 68 people are now reported to have been killed according to Kenyan Red Cross and over 200 others wounded by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in a Nairobi shopping mall, as the hostage crisis there has entered its second day. Foreigners are among the casualties. 10 to 15 gunmen are still inside the shopping mall, a Kenyan minister has reported. 30 hostages are still inside the building, according to the country’s officials and Western diplomatic sources cited by CNN. AP journalists reported from the scene that gunfire was heard in the mall on Sunday morning.

They added that following the shooting, two wounded Kenyan security forces were carried from the mall. Israeli advisers are reportedly helping Kenya to work out a strategy to end a siege at the mall. "There are Israeli advisers helping with the negotiating strategy, but no Israelis involved in any imminent storming operation," an Israeli security source told Reuters. President Kenyatta also lost close members of his family. Ghanaian poet, Kofi Awoonor also died in the Westgate attack after sustaining serious injuries. Awoonor was in Nairobi to speak at the Storymoja Hay Festival, a four-day celebration of writing, thinking and storytelling.

Along with Ghanaian poets Nii Parkes and Kwame Dawes, Awoonor was due to perform on Saturday evening as part of a showcase of award-winning poetry from both sides of Africa. He died age 78. One of the smiles of Africa is gone. His son was severely injured too but new report shows he has been discharged from the hospital. Witnesses said the attackers ordered all Muslims to leave the premises, as only non-Muslims would be targeted. "The casualties are many, and that's only what we have on the outside. Inside there are even more casualties and shooting is still going on," Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Abbas Guled said.

A police officer inside the shopping centre said the gunmen had barricaded themselves into the Nakumatt supermarket. "We have reports of American citizens injured in the attack, and the US Embassy is actively reaching out to provide assistance," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement, Reuters reports. Al Jazeera International has reported that Al Shabaab, a hardline Islamist group with a stronghold in neighbouring Somalia, told them that they carried out the Nairobi shooting.

"We got three bodies from this shop. And a couple of bodies here," he said pointing to an abandoned hamburger bar, Reuters reports. Some local television stations are reporting that hostages have been taken, but there has been official confirmation. A Reuters photographer earlier said he saw five bodies outside the mall and a former British soldier said he saw four more people who had also been killed.

At least two dozen wounded were wheeled out on stretchers and shopping carts. Many of the victims had sustained what appeared to be superficial wounds inflicted by flying debris. Others were seen walking out of the building with bloodied articles of clothing wrapped around their injuries. "I Personally touched the eyes of four people and they were dead. One of them was a child. Its carnage up there," said a former British soldier at the scene.

Police are currently engaged in an ongoing shop-by-shop sweep of the complex. "They have seven hostages, confirmed," an officer told AFP. Kenyan soldiers were also deployed to take part in the operation to bring the shopping complex back under control. Police helicopters circled over the building as sporadic gunfire could be heard more than two hours after the attack was launched. Police cordoned off the roads surrounding the mall in central Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood.

Kenya’s interior minister said the mall shooting may be “an attack by terrorists.” "It is a possibility that it is an attack by terrorists, so we are treating the matter very seriously," Mutea Iringo, the principal secretary in the Ministry of Interior told Reuters. Asked if foreign security services were involved in the operation to flush out the attackers, he said, "At this stage it has not become necessary yet." Nairobi police Chief Benson Kibue blamed the attack on terrorists, though he did not name a group. Five assailants, armed with AK-47s and grenades launched their attack on the Westgate shopping mall in the Kenyan capital around midday.

Gunmen were said to have lobbed grenades at the onset of the strike. They then proceeded to shoot indiscriminately and took several people hostage at the mall in Nairobi, a senior Kenyan government source said. Armed police arrived on the scene nearly half an hour later and could be heard shouting "get out, get out" as scores of shoppers fled the building. Smoke billowed out of the entrance, which was believed to have been caused by the grenade attack.

"They don't seem like thugs, this is not a robbery incident," Yukeh Mannasseh who was on the mall's top floor when the shooting started, told Reuters. "It seems like an attack. The guards who saw them said they were shooting indiscriminately." Other witnesses said that the gunmen had asked all Muslims to vacate the mall, as only non-Muslims would be targeted in the attack. When asked if the attack was a robbery, one paramilitary officer replied, "No, terrorist".

An AFPTV reporter said police and security guards were trying to secure a multi-screen cinema complex inside the mal where many had taken shelter. The reporter said she saw at least 20 people rescued from a toy shop on one of the upper floors of the building. A shop manager who managed to escape said it had appeared “the shooters had taken control of all the mall.”

The Somali militant group al-Shabaab had earlier threatened to strike the mall, as it is a popular destination for the city’s expatriate community. However, no one has yet to claim responsibility for the assault. One victim said that he had been shot by a man who appeared to be Somali, while others noted the gunmen were speaking in a foreign language. "A Somali guy shot at me. The guy who shot me was carrying a rifle, an AK-47," said  Saptal Singh, who was in a cafe in the top floor of the mall.

The sleeping of Africa on the world stage will eventually consume it. Apparently, most of the people involved in this attack were foreigners. The consuming war of Washington versus Al Qaeda is fast moving around countries close to Muslim-populated countries or countries with a sizable number of Muslim population. One begins to wonder when Africa will wake from slumber and see itself losing in the Imperialism versus Fundamentalism game despite not being a participant and has no interest whatsoever. Nigeria is currently battling its own. Mali just ended and one only hopes for a better future ahead, now Kenya.

Of what benefit is a belief that people use to send wrong signals to the world? Of what benefit is the follower-ship of a country that is really and advantageously secured where it is located but continuously precariously spread its tentacles of hatred with its policies? The two camps are same and Africa seems to be caught between the era of Trans-Saharan and Trans-Atlantic trades again. Somalia has continually been the albatross of the continent as many of today's fundamentalists had received their training in that country since 1991. Al Shabaab has already claimed responsibility for the Kenyan attack. The Twitter account of Al Shabaab which announced the attack has been suspended.

NASA Calls off Attempts to Find its Deep Impact Space Probe

NASA has called off attempts to find its Deep Impact space probe, after it lost contact last month. The Deep Impact space probe mission, which began eight years ago to study the make-up of comets, has now been abandoned. NASA says the probe was heading towards the sun in November, an encounter it was not sure to survive.

The spacecraft was launched in January 2005 for a close-up study of comet Tempel-1. It was not just a passive experiment. The probe released an 372-kilogram metal slug that crashed into the comet's nucleus, triggering a shower of particles for analysis by the mother spacecraft and remote observatories.

Deep Impact continued its comet quest with a flyby of Hartley 2 in November 2010 and long-distance studies of other bodies, including the approaching Comet ISON. The spacecraft was also used to look for planets beyond the solar system.

NASA last heard from Deep Impact on August 8, with engineers suspecting that a software problem caused the spacecraft to lose its orientation system, cutting off radio contact with Earth in the process.

"Despite this unexpected final curtain call, Deep Impact already achieved much more than ever was envisioned," Lindley Johnson, who oversees the program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement.

University of Maryland astronomer Michael A'Hearn, who led the Deep Impact science team, said in a separate statement: "I'm saddened by its functional loss. But, I am very proud of the many contributions to our evolving understanding of comets that it has made possible."

"These small, icy remnants of the formation of our solar system are much more varied, both one from another and even from one part to another of a single comet, than we had ever anticipated."

NASA had hoped Deep Impact would play a key role in observations of the approaching Comet ISON, a suspected first-time visitor to the inner solar system that was discovered in September 2012 by two Russian astronomers. Later this month, NASA's Mars Curiosity rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will attempt to catch a glimpse of the comet as it flies by Mars.

Reuters

Israel Cannot Be Touched; It Must Remain A Nuclear Power. ~UN Attempts to Say

In the build-up to the final agreement for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons and place them under international control, embattled President Bashar al Assad attempted to mull what the world knows can never be possible; that Israel should destroy its own stockpile of chemical weapons too. It was another good try anyway. Assad knows better (but was trying to render his own voice so as not to appear weakened) that Israel is the only country in the world that can do whatever it likes without anybody holding it culpable.

The United States does not need to bark or roar before the majority of the UN member states know what to do as regards any resolution presented against Israel on the floor of the UN General Assembly or any of the the UN-affiliated bodies. The UN Security Council is simply a no-go area. Israel equals veto. An Arab-backed resolution targeting the Jewish state for criticism over its clandestine nuclear weapons arsenal was voted down by member states of the UN nuclear agency. Fifty-one countries voted against the so-called ‘Israeli Nuclear Capabilities’ measure and 43 states voted for it.

The indefinite postponement last year of an international conference on banning atomic arms in the region led to the frustration of the Arab states; hence, proposed the rejected measure at the annual member state gathering of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The US had pushed for the Israel’s neighbours not to present the text of the resolution. The US knows full well that it will die a natural death as always.

If the text had been adopted, Israel would have been compelled to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and place its nuclear facilities under IAEA monitoring.  Diplomats had expected a close vote. The United States said the move would endanger broader diplomatic efforts to create a Middle Zone free of weapons of mass destruction. Israel said it would severely undermine efforts to hold regional security talks.

Despite the warnings, Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, head of the Arab League group at the IAEA, earlier said the draft resolution would go ahead. "The world has to know that Israel is not playing a constructive role, that Israel has a [nuclear] capability," Ramzy told Reuters. Iran for its part said this week Israel's nuclear activities "seriously threaten regional peace and security."

World powers agreed in 2010 to an Egyptian plan intended to lay the groundwork for establishing a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. The US, who co-sponsored the meeting, said it would not take place as scheduled last December and did not forward a new date. Arab diplomats said they had held back on proposing the resolution over the last two years in a failed bid to buoy chances for the Middle East conference.

"We have engaged seriously and constructively in the preparations [for the conference]. The Israelis have been playing for time, delaying. We have never seen enough seriousness on their part," Ramzy said. Israel's atomic energy chief, Shaul Chorev, said that Arab states were using this week’s IAEA meeting as a platform for "repeatedly bashing" his country. The Arab-backed resolution only deepens "existing distrust" among the region's countries, he said.

Israel is believed to possess anywhere from 75 to as many as 400 nuclear weapons, including thermonuclear weapons in the megaton range. Israel has never confirmed or denied being in possession of the arms. In the most recent US report on the Israeli arsenal, published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, nuclear weapon proliferation experts Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen assess that Israel stopped producing nuclear warheads back in 2004 once it reached around 80 munitions, RT reported.

However, the country can easily double its arsenal since it has enough fissile material to build at least another 115 bombs, the experts say. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Israel’s assumed nuclear weapons stockpile made the country “a target” and “create foreign policy problems,” AFP reported.

Putin said “the technical advantage of Israel – we need to say this directly – is such that it doesn’t need nuclear weapons. Israel is already in a technical military sense several heads above the countries in the region.” He added that Syria had developed chemical weapons “as an alternative to the nuclear weapons of Israel.”

Despite the glaring tactical and strategic advantages of Israel over all countries in the Arab World, it still continues to roar profusely over the Iranian nuclear programme which Tehran had reiterated countless number of times that it is for peaceful purposes. Israel's stance has made Western powers slam numerous biting sanctions on Iran. Ayatollah Khamanei released a Fatwa in 2004 that nuclear weapons are not endorsed by Islam and was re-echoed recently by President Rouhani. However, Netanyahu continues to claim they are all lies.

The same Netanyahu was confirmed by former French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, as a foremost liar while President Obama confirmed him as being deceptive. They were unknowingly overheard by some reporters. The world only understands propaganda. It is a case of he who controls the media or has the most formidable influence on the media controls the minds and thought processes of many in the world.

This is why a McCain will always and maybe will forever be furious that a Putin is taking the [media] war to their doorstep by writing a masterpiece and an evergreen speech to the American people in the New York Times, where Putin lectured the 'most democratic' nation on earth on how to respect international law which would prevent the escalation of wars and to stop relying on brute force like Adolf Hitler. John McCain retorted with a vainglorious trash; neglecting virtually all the issues raised while attacking solely the personality of Putin and lectured Russians on how to be gays.

The Thinkers, Leaders and their War of Words; Washington versus the Kremlin

Either President Putin is fervently hated or mildly loved, he has done what the world continues to wish since the demise of the Soviet Union; reduction in wars especially Washington-led and backed wars. He has successfully dissuaded the United States from the usual 'no one can question me' nature. He has moved the thinking of the US away from 'I can strike any nation at will if it does not comply with Washington-imposed standards and red lines'.

Putin might be hated really based on Western fabrication and portrayal of him but he is currently ensuring all rational humans have the best rest of minds as possible. Had the US struck Syria, the world would currently be moving closer to an Iraq and a Libya by now. It is natural of Washington and NATO to strike, leave the country in disarray and stylishly exit such. Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya are ready-made illustrations.

Putin has finally completely changed the perception of the powers in Washington that everything is not all about war-war; it could be a case of word-word too and he is succeeding in that. No American leader would naturally have written an op-ed in any Russian Times long before now because to them, the US is too powerful and no one can challenge it in all spheres of life. Putin just did and basically through Snowden, Syria and his op-ed in the New York Times. In response, Senator McCain, the seemingly most 'powerful' war-hawk today retorted in kind.

Republican Senator John McCain has slammed President Vladimir Putin’s polices in an op-ed headlined “Russians deserve better than Putin,” written for Russia’s online newspaper Pravda.ru. McCain accused Putin and his associates of corruption, punishing dissent and creating an economy “based almost entirely on a few natural resources.” The US senator also singled out the case of Russian lawyer Sergey Magnitsky, who died in prison. McCain, who says he is often referred to as “an active anti-Russian politician,” described himself as “pro-Russian” and said he was not an antagonist of that country’s citizens.

McCain apparently refused to link the case of Edward Snowden and Sergey Magnitsky as well as failed to grab the tenets of Putin's op-ed which was primarily to tell Obama not to create fundamentalist ideology in the Americans through his 'Exceptionalism Stance'. What Putin is simply saying is that sensible countries of the world are tired of over-dependence on brute force by the US to force nations to bow at its feet and the message in guise to the Americans is that their nation is hated because it is God's own. Which nation is Devil's own?

Amnesty International Calls for the Trial of Gaddafi's Son by ICC; AU to Debate Member States Pull-out

Again the cry is on Africa. After the deposition of Maummar Gaddafi and the turning of Libya into a 'beggar nation' those who never believed anything good can come out of Africa are calling again for the transfer of erstwhile figures of the Gaddafi regime to the Hague for trial. The Kenyan deputy President, William Ruto is currently facing trial at the Hague over the post-election violence of 2007. He is the first serving official to stand trial at the Hague. Uhuru Kenyatta, the Kenyan President is to begin his own trial in October.

Kenya's spokesman for the presidency Manoah Esipisu said the country had not canvassed for the coming AU summit on October 13, but "welcomed the opportunity by African leaders to discuss what is obviously an important matter for the continent". Kenya's Parliament has passed the resolution endorsing the withdrawal of the country as a signatory to the Rome Statute.

"The Kenyans have been criss-crossing Africa in search of support for their cause, even before their parliament voted to withdraw from the ICC," an AU official told Reuters. "An extraordinary summit will now take place to discuss the issue. A complete walk-out of signatories (to the Rome Statute) is certainly a possibility, but other requests maybe made." The summit would be preceded by a meeting of African foreign ministers a day earlier, he said.

Questions continuously have been asked on the real target and mission of the ICC owing to the fact that George Bush and Tony Blair were never even called into question over their involvement in the Iraqi massacre not to talk being indicted by the body. It is always easy pointing to Africa by ICC than to Syria, Britain and the United States because the powers are present there.

Amnesty International called on Libyan authorities to hand over Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, second son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and former intelligence chief Abdallah Senussi to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Both are wanted for crimes against humanity. Amnesty met with both detainees last week ahead of the referral of their cases to the Indictment Chamber in Tripoli on September 19.

However, Libya insists they be put on trial inside the country. “The referral of these cases to the Indictment Chamber brings us one step closer to the start of national trial proceedings for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, in violation of Libya’s legal obligation to surrender him to the ICC,” Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Hassiba Hadj Sahrahoui, said. In 2012, the ICC charged Saif al-Islam with crimes against humanity during the revolution that toppled his father the year prior. The court also ruled that he be extradited to The Hague.

The perceived selective justice of the ICC is making it lose all credibility if it ever has any in the face of many reasonable African nations. The next AU summit will discuss the revocation of the acceptance of the statute by African states in solidarity with Kenya. No one doubts the fact that impunity of African leaders and their gluttonous acts for bloodshed and wanton desire for destruction all because of greed and avaricious tendencies must be checkmated but it is about time Africans take their destiny in their hands than rely on those who brought the continent to this state since 1443.

Pentagon Prepares to Overtly Arm Syrian Rebels

All options are always and still are on the table to get Bashar al Assad out at all cost. The apparent frustration of the United States in exploring all options are evident in its continued, consistent and constant policies in raising one dust or another each time Assad seems to be knocking it off. Around April, John Kerry categorically stated that Assad has no place in the future of Syria.

When defending the aborted US strike on Syria during the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, he mulled the same note that President Obama has said and stood on his words that Assad must go. The United States has been training the rebels covertly since 2012 in Turkey but it looks more like they are no match for Assad's military.

The US has also explored the sarin gas option since April, all moving towards stalemate and maybe an incoherent end with Russia's stance. Now Pentagon is about to do what it knows how to do best in situations like this; arm the rebels directly under the guise and cloth of 'moderates'. Does it mean radicals and terrorists like Al Nusra have been armed before and are losing; hence new ones must be joined in the nomenclature of being 'moderates'?

RT reports that Pentagon has put together a plan to equip and train “moderate” Syrian rebel forces, marking the first instance of the American military having direct contact with the opposition. Information regarding the new plan was relayed by two Obama administration officials to CNN. The idea has allegedly been under consideration since the first evidence of a massive chemical weapons attack outside of Damascus on August 21 emerged, which the US maintains was carried out by Assad’s government.

Though the two officials did not cite many specifics on the proposal, the effort would involve training which would take place in a country near Syria. However, weapons would not be directly supplied as the Pentagon has no authority to do so.

"We have any number of options under development that could expand our support to the moderate opposition, but no decision has been taken at this point," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey told reporters on Wednesday in response to questions on the proposal. The Pentagon’s plan would involve US troops training selected rebels on the use of small arms, along with command and control and other military tactics.

No matter how diplomatic Washington tries to package and cook its intervention, it is seemingly glaring to most objective observers that the benefits and utmost advantages would serve the radicals in the Syrian war. The oppositions are disjointed, disoriented, disorganized and disunited. All attempts to bring them together by Washington, the house of Saud in Makkah, Turkey, some selected EU countries, Qatar among others have always ended in a more disconnected mission.

An Obfuscating Revolution: Has Libya Turned to a Beggar Nation Like Somalia?

The pretense that a leader is a dictator and must go is costing many nations their future today on the international scene. The real drummers for the galls called protesters and those willing to take up arms against the government lie underneath the sea. They are the ones who want nations, especially those in Africa to keep begging. Once a nation is not begging and not owing them like Libya, any available opportunity is usually turned against such a leader.

All humans deserve freedom, it is a natural craving and the mental thoughts are usually wired to demand for such but it must be done with the great interest of one's nation at heart not those who hide under the banner of being humanitarian or carrying the destiny of humanitarian intervention whom at best are roving lions looking for who to devour to revamp their economic meltdown. Libya has finally joined the rank and file of beggars like Somalia with almost to legitimate decorum.

RT reports that the Libyan prime minister is reaching out for international help amid political turmoil and stunted oil exportation which has cost the country $130 million a day. Ali Zeidan met with Britain’s David Cameron as Libya continues to be mired in post-Western intervention disarray following the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The overthrow has not yielded a conciliatory political climate as many had hoped.

Violence, militias and political activists have cut off most of Libya’s oil fields and ports since July, overwhelming the government’s young army and police force. "If the international community does not help in the collection of arms and ammunition, if we don't get help in forming the army and the police, things are going to take very long," Zeidan said while speaking at a Libya investment conference in London. "The situation is not going to improve unless we get real and practical assistance."

Zeidan told Cameron he’d like to reduce the number of arms flowing through Libya, while peacefully reaching out to militia members in an effort to provide support. "We are going to work on solving this problem," he said. "When blood is shed, the loss will be greater.” Libyan officials said oil production has opened more in the west, but still remains stunted in the east.

The General National Congress has negotiated with an armed group to reopen the El Sharara oilfield. Disruptions in production have cost the country and partners $7.5bn, a board member at the National Oil Company said.

The renewal of El Sharara is expected to increase Libyan oil production to 400,000-450,000 barrels per day (bpd), Libya's deputy oil minister Omar Shakmak told Reuters. Nevertheless, major energy companies are reducing operations in Libya. ExxonMobil is cutting back its involvement in Libyan oil production, saying increased instability is not worth a large presence. Royal Dutch Shell has abandoned exploration on two Libya blocks, and Marathon is pondering the sale of its part in a major Libyan oil consortium, sources said in July.

Libya under Gaddafi was prosperous and had a reasonable standard of living, better than South Africa whom the west wants us to believe has always been better because they are in control there. There was peace and tranquility in Gaddafi's Libya. Many African migrants who once worked in that blessed country still cry today because it was more of a paradise on earth to them. Now, Libya is not the same again and might continue to degenerate if care is not taken.

Nigeria is Winning the War on Terrorism

President Goodluck Jonathan recently disclosed that the sum of over N800M had been spent on training and retraining of SSS officers in a bid to prepare them effectively for the challenges of stemming the tide of terrorism mostly through intelligence gathering. He revealed that N800M was released for training this year, adding that in 2011 and 2012, the sums were N237m and N300m respectively.

The State Security Service in its own response said the war against terrorism is paying off as terrorists have been drastically weakened and can no longer carry out coordinated attacks in the country. According to the Director-General of the agency, Ekpenyong Ita, during the passing out parade and inauguration of 385 members of the Cadet Officers Basic Course 27 in Lagos, he stated that terrorism would soon be a thing of the past in the country.

Ita said the SSS had been able to help curb terrorism due to investment in human capacity development as well as cooperation from members of the public, sister agencies and the press. He said, "We can confidently say that we have decimated the terrorist' top and middle level leadership and its foot soldiers thereby dislodging its centre of gravity".

He revealed further that "there is no doubt that our strategies have invariably affected the cohesion of the group as well as the chain of command, to the level that the group, for now does not possess the capacity to direct and launch simultaneous attacks on several cities or targets in Nigeria as had been the situation in the past two years".

"We intend to build and consolidate on our successes in this war against the terrorists in order to create a conducive environment for democracy and development". Ita said the new officers, who had undergone almost a year of training, were coming at a sensitive time in the nation’s history. He therefore advised them to remain focused and put the nation's interest first.

He said, "to our graduating cadets, you are coming into the service at a very auspicious time, when the service is being re-invented to position herself for even greater effectiveness in the global security landscape. You are coming at a time when the nation grapples with serious security challenges.  You must collectively and individually contribute to the attainment of the service’s mandate".

President Goodluck Jonathan represented by the supervising Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike, said the training of the service personnel was necessitated by the current security challenges facing the country. The President said "we will do more as peace and security are important to the economy. The Federal Government through the National Assembly recently passed the anti-terrorism law".

He concluded by encouraging the cadets. He said "you have performed well but remember that your passing out today is the beginning of your job. Your training was necessitated by the current security challenges facing the country." The Boko Haram menace and other heinous crimes like kidnapping and several cult and communal clashes have posed great security challenges to the country.

Russia Reactivates Arctic Military Presence; India fires nuclear-capable 'Agni V' missile

Developments around the world are making nations think their stand on the international plane. The American strength and its apparent ability to touch on any country it wishes is giving others the motivation to go tough militarily too. Russia has reactivated its presence in the Arctic by deploying its nuclear-powered ice breaking warships to the region.

Russia’s Defence Ministry officially announced return of Russia’s military to the Subarctic region. The statement was made to mark the arrival of a task group of 10 warships and support vessels to the western coast of Kotelny Island in the Novosibirsk (New Siberian Islands) Archipelago.

The task group is headed by Russia’s most powerful battleship and the flagship of the Northern Fleet, cruiser Peter the Great (Pyotr Veliky). The group is accompanied by four nuclear icebreakers facilitating the passage through areas with particularly thick ice.

“For the first time ever, all Russia’s nuclear surface ships – heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great and nuclear icebreakers Yamal, Vaigach, Taimyr and 50 Let Pobedy, were combined to perform a joint task,” Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov told journalists.

Russia's first Defence Minister, Army General Arkady Bakhin said that Temp military airfield on Kotelny Island that was inactive for over 20 years will become operable in October, as An-72 and An-74 cargo planes will land there, bringing instruments and supplies for the reactivated Air Force base.

In the near future the airstrip will be modified to be able to receive heavy cargo planes such as Il-76 and An-22 Antey military jumbos. This will speed up reestablishing Russia’s military presence in the Arctic region, as the air connection will be regular, all-weather and all year around.

The task group left the port of Severomorsk and has already covered 2,000 nautical miles, crossing the Barents, Kara and Laptev seas. The region has been left unmanned militarily since the demise of the USSR. Now, Russia says it wants to take charge fully.

The simple theory of might is right. China itself has embarked on massive military developments which definitely is making the Asia-Pacific region look more like an upcoming theatre of war. America too has been bolstering its forces in Asia especially by radical increase in troops presence in the Philippines. It already has Seoul and Tokyo within its ambit.

India has conducted a second test firing of its nuclear-capable 'Agni-V' long-range ballistic missile, which boasts a strike range of over 5,000 kilometers – capable of reaching Beijing and much of Europe, The Indian Express reported.

The three-stage solid propellant missile was test-fired from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha on Sunday. The 'Agni-V' can carry a nuclear warhead of over 1 ton. India has been struggling to keep up with China's growing military might, and is eager to have a viable deterrent against its larger, nuclear-armed neighbour.

As Russia and the US Agree to Destroy Syria's Chemical Weapons; Opposition Tries to Raise its Stake

Russia and the United States have agreed on a framework to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. John Kerry says Assad must hand over all details of the locations of the chemical weapons stockpiles within a week while Sergei Lavrov has confirmed that both the US and Russia have contacted Damascus directly on the issue.

The United Nations stated that it has received all official documents from the Syrian government to join the Chemical Weapons Convention and Damascus would be a full member by October 14; 30 days after its application to join the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov have both been seriously brainstorming on possible ways to end the Syrian crisis. The European Union on its part said it is satisfied with the progress made and would be willing to render its own assistance to effect all the terms of the agreement.

President Obama and the Pentagon are however still mulling that all options are still on the table and the American military is still standing on same posture despite the deal.

Meanwhile the Syrian opposition is also planning 'a future' for itself. The opposition to President Assad, an umbrella group led by the Syrian National Coalition, has elected the moderate Islamist Ahmad Tumeh as their provisional prime minister.Tumeh, a 48-year old former political prisoner from the east of Syria, received 75 votes out of the 97 cast in a ballot in Istanbul.

The move is seen by analysts as an attempt to raise its credibility as high stakes diplomacy plays out between the US and Russia to try and resolve Syria’s two year civil war. Tumeh is an independent Islamist and has been appointed to run rebel-held areas where a slide into chaos has threatened to undermine the opposition to President Assad.

Nigeria: Villagers Reject Shell's Greek Gift as Compensation in Port Harcourt

The dispute over two oil spills in 2008 that caused excessive damage in which Shell says progress has been made on spill cleanup plans came to an end at the court but not a logical one. The villagers rejected an offer of compensation from Royal Dutch Shell for damage done to their livelihoods by oil spills from pipelines operated by the company, their lawyers said.

Aljazeera's Yvonne Ndege visited a community and the extent of the damage shown was almost beyond redemption. A man's whole fish pond was destroyed with his massive investments. He lamented that he who was always giving to many in his community and locality suddenly became a beggar. He said the precarious situation he found himself was now worsened by the actions of Shell which claimed it had embarked on a  cleanup which was at best a kangaroo act.

The failure to reach a settlement means Shell and around 15,000 members of the Bodo fishing communities in southeastern Nigeria remain locked in litigation. Their lawyers said they will now go back to a British court to request a trial timetable. The legal action is being closely watched by the oil industry and by environmentalists for precedents that could have an impact on other big pollution claims against majors.

"We haven't reached agreement on compensation, which is disappointing," a spokesman for Shell's Nigeria unit said. "Nonetheless, we're pleased to have made progress in relation to cleanup," he added, saying measures had been put in place to get remediation work done as soon as possible. A source close to Shell and another source involved in the negotiations told Reuters the company offered total compensation of 7.5 billion naira ($46.3 million).

Leigh Day, the British law firm representing the villagers, said the compensation offer amounted to approximately 1,100 pounds ($1,700) per individual impacted, without giving the number of people it says were affected. "The whole week has been deeply disappointing," said Martyn Day of the London-based law firm, who has been in talks with Shell since Monday in Nigeria's oil hub Port Harcourt. "The settlement figures are totally derisory and insulting to these villagers," he added.

The Nigerians launched a suit against Shell at the High Court in London in March 2012, seeking millions of dollars in compensation for two oil spills in 2008, but both sides agreed to try and settle in compensation talks in Port Harcourt. Shell accepts responsibility for the Bodo spills but the two sides disagree about the volume spilt and the number of local people who lost their livelihoods as a result.

Citing independent experts, Leigh Day says up to 600,000 barrels of crude were spilt, which would make it one of the worst in history. Shell in its bid to cover-up, citing a report by a joint investigative team puts the volume spilt in the two original incidents at just 4,100 barrels. Shell accepts that a significantly higher volume of oil was spilt later but says this was due to other factors including sabotage.

It has complained that its clean-up teams were at times denied access to sites by local groups. Recently, Shell went against any punitive measures like death sentence as mulled by the Nigerian Senate for oil thieves and saboteurs. It also claimed neither it nor its workers have been involved in oil theft. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant has been a major play player in Nigeria with its daily crude production not known by the Nigerian government because the government has no capacity and capability to verify.

Whatever Shell declares is what the government would accept. Corruption continues to be the bane of the oil industry while kidnapping, oil theft, pipelines vandalisation and all sort of criminal activities are ubiquitous in the Niger-Delta.

Poll Reveals American Soldiers Do not want Strikes in Syria

As John Kerry of the United States and Sergei Lavrov of Russia battle for the soul of Syria diplomatically in Geneva while the two Presidents, Obama and Putin trade jabs with Obama's 9/11's speech and Putin's counter-voice in the New York Times, American soldiers have simply been showing their disapproval for any involvement and mission in Syria.

The irony of any disapproval though is that it would not stop any recalcitrant American President bent on war and directed by his war-hawks but it goes a long way to show the awkward madness of what democracy is in the United States.

The US service-members oppose military strikes in Syria by a three-to-one margin, according to a poll by Military Times. An online survey of more than 750 active-duty troops found 75 percent of respondents were not in favour of airstrikes against the Assad regime.

A slight percentage more said it is not in the US national interest to get involved in the country’s civil war. Military Times said money and a war-weary isolationist streak were top reasons for the soldiers’ disapproval. Despite this disapproval, Senator McCain still wants nothing other than military strikes. One definitely wonders what would be happening in the world by now as regards wars if he were the President.

Thinking: Occupy Nigeria and the Nigerian Revolution; The Dream of a Million Dreams

Some soldiers slapped or sorry, beat up their Brigadier Commander for slapping a soldier who asked for their entitlements and official two-week leave after returning from Mali. Anyway, my take is that they shall be punished accordingly. Speaking for the Army now, we will not condone nonsense. We will organise Kangaroo court martial session for them, strip them naked of their ranks, deny them of all entitlements and throw them in jail. Rubbish.

BUT WAIT..................................

If soldiers could do this, does it not show the extent of the frustration the Nigerian system is offering? With my minute and limited experience of the military, other ranks (Army and Airforce) and ratings (Navy) are the most dangerous. They share anything and almost everything. The ogas still hide and keep things from one another.

Now, the history of all notable and known revolutions shows they become successful from the major alliance between the aspirations of the people and that of disgruntled soldiers; I mean the other ranks and ratings because they are the ones who will go out there to do the dirty job of killing protesters and once they are tired of the system too, they will join the protesters or revolutionaries. There and then; the revolution will be born.

BUT there can never be a Nigerian Revolution. WHY? The problem is not the soldiers who will be ordered to kill and detract from doing such but the people who will NEVER EVER start any concrete civil disobedience to show their dissatisfaction with the polity. These ones prefer to kill one another at the grassroots than use the energy to fight the oppressors. What is known in history is that the oppressed usually after some time will rise against the oppressors once their eyes have been PERFECTLY opened.

I was in Minna, Niger State during Occupy Nigeria when soldiers were indirectly in support of the protests. Some showed it directly by telling protesters to advance more than them while delaying their own movements. They were also tired of the system. We later learnt that their bosses in the barracks placed a call through to the men on the field on why the burning and arson were still going on in their presence. That was when they did kangaroo chasing and pursuit. Who killed that mini revolution? Was it the security forces known for notorious killings or the civilian organisers? It was the latter; the Nigerian Labour Union.

The Nigerian scenario is ironical. The oppressed in Nigeria usually beg the oppressors to oppress them the more. They give licence to those oppressing them by labelling them with all sort of 'catch phrases' ranging from "sai baba', 'jagaban of Africa', 'messiah', 'giver of fresh air', 'the man for the job' to mention with all modesty; a few. The oppressed in Nigeria have perpetually licensed their destiny to always eat crumbs from the oppressors.

Give them peanut like Atiku's scholarship and they will sing your praises to high heavens. With this renewed vigour coming from the people because of your scholarship, you will be powerful enough again and be emboldened to form a new PDP.

The Nigerian oppressed love to wait for the 'messiah' while forgetting that they are the messiahs of themselves. NO oppressor no matter how 'good' he appears will teach the oppressed how to liberate themselves. No oppressor wants the oppressed to be liberated either.

European Union Nominates Snowden for Sakharov Human Rights Prize that Celebrates Freedom of Thought

It has always been said that one man's villain is another's hero. One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. The onus of nomenclature lies with the side viewing such an individual. Apparently, when a particular section has the upper voice and hand through the media and 'Superpower' force respectively, its version will tend to sell above all others.

Such is the perfect case of Snowden but not centrally exclusive because the world is wiser as it concerns those who might naturally buy Washington's stance too. Had it been the European Union was not involved in the espionage game, it would have joined the White House in condemning Snowden as a villain and rebuked Russia for granting him asylum.

It happened that members of the European Parliament cannot conceal their joyous shock on the revelation of Edward Snowden, hence have officially nominated the whistleblower and former CIA employee for the prestigious Sakharov human rights prize which celebrates freedom of thought. The prize is named after the Soviet dissident scientist Andrey Sakharov and honours people and organizations for their work in defending human rights and freedom of thought.

Andrey Sakharov was a physicist who designed the Soviet Hydrogen Bomb but soon after began to regret what he had done and became a campaigner for the destruction of all nuclear weapons.  He became an advocate of civil liberties and civil reforms in the Soviet Union. He paid the price trying to rid the world of those terrible weapons. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.

Snowden, a computer specialist and former contractor for the US National Security Agency (NSA) leaked classified files of US government and UK surveillance programmes, including spying on their closest allies, to the media. There was a massive manhunt for him especially when speculations about where his final destination would be were not known.

This even led to the embarrassment of the Bolivian President by some European countries when they blocked their airspace thinking Snowden was on board and forced his aircraft to land in Vienna. The US employed all means including threat and blackmail to cajole countries into not accepting him.

Leaders of the parliament's Greens group Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Rebecca Harms said in a statement that Edward Snowden "deserves to be honoured for shedding light on the systematic infringements of civil liberties by US and European secret services. Snowden has risked his freedom to help us protect ours."

He was granted temporary asylum in Russia in late July despite repeated requests for him to be extradited by Washington. Snowden was put forward as a candidate by the European United Left/Nordic Green Left faction. Christian Engstrom from the Swedish Pirate Party, who co-nominated Snowden for the award, said that the whistleblower has paid “a heavy personal price” for his “heroic” actions.

The official presentation of all the candidates for the Sakharov Prize will take place on 16 September, next Monday, the winner will be announced in October and the awards ceremony will take place in Strasbourg in December. Previous laureates of the Sakharov Prize include Nelson Mandela, Chinese dissident Hu Jia and Reporters without Borders, a French based NGO that fights for freedom of the press. The winner receives a prize of 50,000 euros.

Another Somalia and Mali Brews in Africa as Central African Republic Degenerates

Since the overthrow of Francois Bozize in Central African Republic, the country has continued to degenerate in all facets. Recently, the Health Minister decried the mammoth cases of cholera killing people, children mostly and called for international help and support. Apparently, it fell on deaf ears especially as the body which mattered most, the AU has done nothing concrete so far. The AU only usually sever relations with government taken forcefully without attending to any humanitarian concern or need.

Report from Reuters revealed that at least 55 people were killed in clashes over the weekend between gunmen loyal to Central African Republic's former president and the ex-rebels who ousted him. A government spokesman accused fighters loyal to former President Francois Bozize of trying to retake power. The gunmen were not immediately available for comment but clashes took place around Bossangoa, in his home region, about 300 km (185 miles) north of the capital.

The fighting on Saturday and Sunday comes after a UN warning that the country is on the brink of collapse. The former French colony has slipped into chaos since northern rebels captured the capital Bangui in March, over-running South African troops protecting Bozize. "The defence forces lost five men, and there have been more than 50 killed among the assailants and civilians," said Guy Simplice Kodegue, a spokesman for Michel Djotodia, the country's new president, who was swept to power by the Seleka rebels.

A commander in the FOMAC African peacekeeping force said at least 60 people had been killed and the situation was chaotic.The former rebels have been accused by residents, UN officials and non-governmental organizations of a wave of killings and abuses that Djotodia has struggled to control. "Houses were burnt, people were burnt alive including children, women, and old people who had nothing to do with the fighting. It is really disgusting," Kodegue said, referring to the fighting at the weekend.

Bozize, who fled to neighboring Cameroon, told French media in Paris last month that he still nurtured ambitions of returning to power. The peacekeeping force confirmed pro-Bozize gunmen were involved but said little other information was available. Crepin Mboli-Goumba, a spokesman for the government, accused Bozize of coordinating the attacks over the weekend and appealed for an international intervention to restore order.

"It is an attempt by Bozize and his supporters to take power," he said. "Six towns have been taken. This shows Seleka does not control the situation so we call on the international community to mobilize (peacekeepers) so they can intervene." It was not possible to contact Bozize for comment or locals to confirm if the towns had been retaken.

The United States and its Hypocritical Democracy

The United States prides itself as the most democratic nation on earth today. It continues to tell the world that democracy entails freedom in its multidimensional facets, debates, the theory of 'we disagree to agree' with real and genuine understanding of the role of the majority in the polity. That is democracy.

The world cannot deny the influence of the United States politics and elections in the scheme of things. Almost the entire world usually stands still when the American election is the offing. We compare and analyse in line with out various local and indigenous politics and democracy.

If this act is not hypocritical, how come the number one democratic nation in the world finds it hard to debate on the floor of the United Nations Security Council? How come unilateral action like that of the DICTATORS whom America love to hate has become the exclusive preserve of Washington? How come Washington cannot provide evidences as demanded by Russia on the use of chemical weapons in Syria? How come Washington has always been so defiant on collective UNSC action and prefers to always do things alone like autocrats? Is democracy not a farce through all these?

Obama even refused to meet with Putin or really discuss Syria at the G20 summit when others were furious and want a real way out but was meeting one by one with his American puppets; Japan and company. Democracy also endorses the idea of the majority, in fact that is the most crucial factor in democracy; game of numbers. How come the United States believe so much in sidestepping the majority at the United Nations who have expressed concern over attacks or is the US mightier than majority of nations on the floor of the UN General Assembly?

Americans says they do not want their government to spend taxpayers cash irrelevantly nauseously based on some specious speculations. The government simply smiles at their ignorant foolery. They hardly control it; the corporations need to sell, test new weapons and get oil whenever and wherever necessary. Israel has a list of countries that must be off in the Middle East to ensure its full hegemony. After Syria, it will be a case of ratcheting up rhetoric on Iran and the ultimate will be best imagined. It is a planned agenda and everything seems to be falling in place.

If democracy recognises disagreement for agreement, how come Washington refused to accept Kremlin's stance that if the UN can confirm Assad used CW, it would support military action under the authority of the UNSC? Internal democracy of the United States suits the US. It is not different then from what is obtainable really elsewhere since its external track records have no iota of genuine democracy. America is a country where whoever the majority of the people want might not win at the end of the day or what is electoral college? The same US will always condemn Iran. The Ayatollahs of the US are the big corporations determining the outcome of elections.

What is the difference between an America that breeds a Snowden of massive worldwide cyber espionage and a China it loves to condemn about human rights abuses and limitation of freedom? The Occupy movements were brutally suppressed too just like in every other sphere. The only luck was that there was no Russia and China to penetrate and interfere, making some elements so recalcitrant to the extent of picking up arms because they know a Washington-like power will come to aid them. It hates their government, hence will do all to help them destroy their country in the name of humanitarian intervention.

Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have lost all legitimacy. They are now at best abattoirs for humans and graveyards. One needs not talk about the deaths of millions in the wars from Kabul to Baghdad to Tripoli. Washington continues to violate international law and that needs to mention again too because it has become a norm and a tradition. It is constant and consistent. International law is meant for developing nations not the powerful ones. Africa should be pitied here. In fact, only two nations can successfully violate international law without the world winking but with noises from the United Nations; Israel and the United States. They are simply above all laws.

Russia Warns of Nuclear Disaster in Syria ahead of America's Military Push

A military strike on Syria could lead to a nuclear catastrophe if a missile were to hit a reactor containing radioactive uranium, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned. The remark comes as the US continues to push for a military strike on Syria. "If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic," Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a Wednesday statement.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry urged the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to complete a risk evaluation as the US continues to seek support for military action. It asked the agency to “react swiftly” and carry out “an analysis of the risks linked to possible American strikes on the MNSR and other facilities in Syria.” Lukashevich stated that the region could be at risk of “contamination by highly enriched uranium and it would no longer be possible to account for nuclear material, its safety and control.” He added that such material could fall into the wrong hands.

The IAEA said that it is aware of the statement, but it is waiting for a formal request asking the agency to complete a risk evaluation. “We will consider the questions raised if we receive such a request," Reuters quoted an IAEA spokesperson as saying. The agency said in a report to member states last week that Syria had declared there was a “small amount of nuclear material” at the MNSR, a type of research reactor usually fuelled by highly enriched uranium.

Although this type of a reactor would not contain a lot of nuclear material, it would be enough to cause "a serious local radiation hazard" if the reactor was hit, nuclear expert Mark Hibbs from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told Reuters. The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Wednesday to approve President Obama's plan to strike Syria in retaliation against the alleged use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad’s regime.

Should Congress move to approve the president’s request, the US could soon initiate a limited strike on Syria. On the other hand, Moscow needs convincing proof – not rumours - from UN experts that chemical weapons were used in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with AP and Channel 1 on Tuesday.

“We believe that at the very least we should wait for the results of the UN inspection commission in Syria,” Putin said. He added that so far there is no information regarding exactly which chemical agent was used in the attack in the Damascus suburb, or who was behind it.

RT

Al Qaeda-linked Rebels Unleashed Mayhem on a Christian Village in Syria as the United States Plans to Attack

The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed the Syria Authorization endorsing military action against Syria. The resolution will now be transferred to the full house of the Senate for debate and vote.

Meanwhile, Washington's new found friend, al Nusra, previously labelled a terrorist group by the State Department but became a rebel group because it is fighting Assad, Russia's last ally in the Middle East is busy unleashing its beastly acts after killing both Christian and Alawite clerics and its member even ate the heart of a captured soldier.

The Al-Qaeda-linked group attacked a predominantly Christian village sympathetic to the Assad regime in western Syria while rebel and government forces clashed in Damascus.

RT reports that the attack began at dawn when a Jabhat al-Nusra fighter blew himself up at a government checkpoint near the entrance to Maaloula – a village of 2,000 residents - according to a Syrian official and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects information from anti-regime activists.

Following the suicide bombing, al-Nusra rebels and government forces traded fire, with the rebels eventually seizing the checkpoint and taking over a hotel on a mountain overlooking the village, according the Observatory and a local nun.

Rebels also disabled two tanks and an armoured personnel carrier and killed eight regime soldiers during the fighting. From the mountaintop hotel, rebels fired shells into the village, forcing around 80 people to take refuge in a convent, the nun said.

A Syrian government official has confirmed the attack, AP reported. Rebel mortar fire hit a sports hall in Damascus, killing Mohammed Ali Neimeh, a member of the national taekwondo team, state news agency SANA reported.