Meningitis outbreak in Nigeria kills more than 300

A new strain of meningitis has emerged, and there are not enough vaccines against it, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control warned.

A meningitis outbreak has killed more than 300 people in Nigeria, the country's Center for Disease Control said.
The agency reported a wide outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis across 15 states.

A new strain of the disease called "stereotype C" has emerged, and last week the Center for Disease Control warned that there were not enough vaccines against it.
"There is a vaccine available," Chief Executive Chikwe Ihekweazu said, "but it is not commercially available for the stereotype involved in this specific outbreak, and we have to make application to the World Health Organization for the vaccines."
However, in a press release on April 1st, Health Minister, Professor Isaac Adewole, said that up to 1.3 million vaccines have now been acquired.
"We have secured 500,000 doses of the meningococcal vaccines from WHO which will be used in Zamfara and Katsina states," Prof. Adewole said. "While additional 800,000 units from the British government."

Nearly 2,000 suspected cases have been recorded and 109 have been treated since the outbreak began in February. 

An emergency response team has been sent to the five states in the northwest of the country.

As one of the 26 countries on the African "meningitis belt," Nigeria records some of the highest incidences of the disease on the continent.

The outbreaks peak in the dry season in certain states due to the low humidity and dusty conditions and usually end as the rainy season approaches, Ihekweazu added.

"Meningitis is a tough disease, especially during this period, and it is associated with overcrowding, understanding the living conditions in the country, people must keep their building ventilated," he said.

According to the WHO, even when the disease is diagnosed early and adequate treatment begins, 5% to 10% of patients die, typically within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

Some common symptoms are stiff neck, high fever, sensitivity to light, confusion, headaches and vomiting. 

 

 

 

Local and international organizations are working together to manage the epidemic. "We believe that our concerted efforts will bring this outbreak under control, as we also work towards preventing outbreaks of this scale in the future," the Center for Disease Control stated.

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Japanese scientists want to be first to drill into the Earth's mantle

Story highlights

    Scientists say they still need to do further research before drilling can begin
    But they're hopeful they can begin drilling by 2030

Humans have been to the Moon and explored almost every corner of the planet -- but there's one place they have never been.
A group of Japanese scientists said they plan to be the first group to successfully drill into the Earth's mantle, the planet's vast molten-rock interior, which lies just beneath the outer crust.

Researchers at Japan's Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) say they are hoping to discover more about how our planet was formed and what the mantle is composed of. Japanese media first reported on the project earlier this week.
The mantle makes up more than 80% of the entire Earth's mass, lying six miles (10 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor.

A piece of peridotite, the rock believed to make up Earth's mantle.

"We don't know the exact (composition) of the mantle yet. We have only seen some mantle materials -- the rock is very beautiful, it's kind of a yellowish green," researcher Natsue Abe, who works for JAMSTEC, said.
The Japanese government, which is helping fund the expedition, hopes the research could help discover ways to better predict earthquakes, Abe said.
"In Japan we have some volcanoes, earthquakes and such kind of natural hazards. People (want to create) some monitoring or analysis equipment but we don't know ... what kind of factor to use," Abe said.
"So we need to know the natural system more clearly or precisely ... we have to observe the earth more precisely."

Journey to the mantle 

Three drilling sites are currently under consideration, Abe said, all of them in the Pacific Ocean.
"One is off Hawaii -- we're going to survey there -- another one is off Costa Rica, (and) the last one is off Mexico," she said.
To access the mantle, JAMSTEC wants to use one of the most advanced drilling vessels currently available, the Chikyu.
"It's the biggest drilling ship of our science area, so the drilling capability is three times longer, or deeper, than the previous (vessels)," Abe said.
Japan's deep-sea drilling vessel, Chikyu, anchored at a pier in September 2013. 

Japan's deep-sea drilling vessel, Chikyu, anchored at a pier in September 2013.

The researcher said the Chikyu's drill will drop down through almost 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of ocean before reaching the ocean floor.
It will then bore through 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) of the sea floor, or the planet's crust, before it reaches the mantle.
"We already drilled and have taken some samples from the ocean floor but (only) from the top," Abe said. "(We want) to dig from the ocean floor to the deep pristine mantle."
Drilling will start by 2030 at the latest, according to Abe. 

Four objectives 

Their project has four primary objectives, only the first of which is to access the planet's mantle by drilling through the sea floor.
"The second aim is we want to investigate the boundary between the oceanic crust and the mantle," Abe said. "The third one is we want to know how the oceanic crust formed." 

The final objective is to further examine how deep microbial life exists inside the planet. "(What is) the limit of the life inside the Earth?" Abe said.
Before any drilling can begin, there's more research that needs to be done to build the right technology, Abe said, but she was convinced the project was "feasible."
"If we dig into the mantle we will know the whole Earth history, that's our motivation to search," she said.

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Breaking News: Earthquake strikes Philippines near Manila

April 8/4/2017.  — A series of earthquakes hit Batangas on Saturday afternoon, being felt in parts of Metro Manila and some areas of south Luzon.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the first tremor hit 2km northwest of Mabini, Batangas at 3.07 p.m.

As of 4:29 p.m., Phivolcs reported the following earthquake intensities: 

•    Intensity VII - Mabini, Batangas
     Intensity VI - Calatagan, Nasugbu and Tingloy, Batangas
      Intensity V - Batangas City, Sto. Tomas and Lemery Batangas; Tagaytay City
      Intensity IV- Dasmarinas, Cavite: Lucena City; Pateros City
      Intensity III - Makati City; Pasay City; Quezon City; Muntinlupa City; Malabon City; Mandaluyong City; Bacoor, Cavite
      Intensity II - Daet, Camarines Sur  

Phivolcs recorded a second stronger quake at 3:09 p.m. 12 kilometers northwest of Mabini, clocking in at magnitude-6.0.

As of 4:43 p.m., Phivolcs reported the same earthquake intensities as the first one.

A third magnitude-4.1 tremor was recorded at 3:29 p.m. 2 kilometers northwest of San Luis, Batangas.

Meanwhile, the United States Global Survey (USGS) also reported three earthquakes.

A magnitude-5.5 quake in Bagalangit, Mabini, Batangas was recorded at 3:08 p.m., while a stronger magnitude-5.9 tremor was recorded shortly after in Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas.

USGS added a third magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit Taysan, Batangas at 3:29 p.m.

Shortly after the quakes, Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas told CNN Philippines there was no electricity in Batangas City, Bauan, and Mabini.

He added so far, only minor damages have been reported and no evacuations have taken place, but they are still closely monitoring the developments for possible action.

Different origins 

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum Jr. told the media that the USGS report is not entirely accurate.

"Let me correct the estimation, because the USGS, there is a discrepancy on what they will get because they don't have many stations in the Philippines," Solidum said.

He added the origin of the first quake is the local Batangas fault near the Mabini and Tingloy areas.

Solidum clarified that the two consequent tremors originated at the Manila Trench, meaning they are not related to the first one.

The Phivolcs director explained while the second earthquake has a higher magnitude, it is located in a deeper location along with the third one.

He added the first tremor that occurred in Mabini is now part of a series of earthquakes happening in the Mabini-Tingloy area, which includes the magnitude-5.5 tremor that jolted the province on Tuesday night.

Solidum warned of possible aftershocks and smaller quakes, but said a tsunami is unlikely.

He further explained that the recent Batangas earthquakes will not trigger the so-called "Big One," as it lies in the West Valley Fault. 

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The race to destroy space garbage

A visualization of the satellites and other debris around earth

Millions of pieces of man-made trash are now orbiting the Earth. Some are tiny, others are large enough to be seen with a telescope, but all pose a risk to space craft and satellites. 

And according to experts the threat is growing as space becomes more and more crowded.

Some 23,000 pieces of space junk are large enough to be tracked by the US Space Surveillance Network. But most objects are under 10cm (4in) in diameter and can't be monitored. Even something the size of a paper clip can cause catastrophic damage 

''At the moment we're not tracking stuff that small," says Brian Weeden of the Secure World Foundation, a Washington based organisation dedicated to the sustainable use of space.

"And that's important because something as small as a centimetre can cause problems if it runs into a satellite."

Collisions are rare, but half of all near-misses today are caused by debris from just two incidents. In 2007, China destroyed one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile. In 2009 an American commercial communications satellite collided with a defunct Russian weather satellite.

As recently as 2015, the debris from that collision forced the crew of the International Space Station to evacuate to the Soyuz capsule. No-one was harmed, but the debris will likely remain in the Earth's orbit for hundreds, if not thousands of years. 

Scientists are experimenting with ways to clean up space. So far, there is no space vacuum. And debris have a nasty habit of creating more debris that get exponentially smaller and harder to spot.

More than 7,000 satellites have been put into space but only 1,500 are currently functioning. And within the next decade the number could increase to 18,000 with the planned launch of mega-constellations - large groups of satellites aimed at improving global internet coverage.

"That's going to amplify the problems we have with tracking objects, predicting close approaches and preventing collisions," says Weeden. "The problem is going to become much, much harder in the next several years."

Everything travels at the same speed relative to its altitude in space. That's not a problem if everything moves in the same direction, says Weeden, but objects often follow different orbits and can cross paths - a situation known as a conjunction.

"Think of it like all the cars on a highway are doing a hundred miles an hour. If the car next to you is doing that speed you don't really notice it. But if the car coming at you is doing that speed - you'll collide at 200 miles an hour."

Scientists are experimenting with ways to clean up space. So far, there is no space vacuum. And debris have a nasty habit of creating more debris that get exponentially smaller and harder to spot.
More than 7,000 satellites have been put into space but only 1,500 are currently functioning. And within the next decade the number could increase to 18,000 with the planned launch of mega-constellations - large groups of satellites aimed at improving global internet coverage.
"That's going to amplify the problems we have with tracking objects, predicting close approaches and preventing collisions," says Weeden. "The problem is going to become much, much harder in the next several years."
Everything travels at the same speed relative to its altitude in space. That's not a problem if everything moves in the same direction, says Weeden, but objects often follow different orbits and can cross paths - a situation known as a conjunction.
"Think of it like all the cars on a highway are doing a hundred miles an hour. If the car next to you is doing that speed you don't really notice it. But if the car coming at you is doing that speed - you'll collide at 200 miles an hour."

An impact crater in a window of the International Space Station from debris

Lauri Newman is NASA's traffic cop at Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland. She is responsible for using military data to decide whether the space agency's unmanned craft such as satellites need to be moved to prevent a collision with debris.

"Satellites can protect themselves from things that are smaller than a centimetre by putting up extra shielding," she says. "But the things between one and 10cm - if you can't track it there's nothing you can do."

Satellite technology is essential to almost every modern convenience - from communications to GPS navigation and downloading movies on demand. It's also vital to national security.

"It affects everything," says Lt Col Jeremy Raley a program manager at Darpa, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. "So I need to be able to see everything (in space) all the time and know what it is when I see it."

That's why Darpa is leading military efforts to find better ways of tracking space debris. In October last year it delivered a massive 90-ton telescope to the US Air Force at White Sands, New Mexico.

The Space Surveillance Telescope is designed to penetrate Geosynchronous orbit (GEO) which is becoming increasingly important. Communications and television satellites in GEO can remain in a fixed position above the Earth, offering uninterrupted service.

"The telescope is a big deal because it can see more objects and smaller objects. And rather than having to take time to look at an object and then look at something else, it can keep track of things on a more persistent basis," says Lt Col Raley.  

The Space Surveillance Telescope and the
US defense department

But that level of scrutiny costs money and also raises the question of whether the US should share its data to improve space safety overall.

That was one of the issues discussed at a recent symposium in Washington organised by the Universities Space Research Association and the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University. Experts discussed who should manage space, who should be responsible for debris and whether there should be an agreed set of international guidelines for the sustainable use of space.

"There's a classic public policy, economic question here," says Weeden. "It's like pollution. It might not be worth it for you to pick up your garbage and avoid polluting the river, but there are costs to society if you don't. How do you get people to be responsible when the costs may not be borne by them?"

No single nation or entity is responsible for space although in 1959 the UN set up a Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

"There are currently 85 countries that are members of this committee and they range from space powers such as the US, Russia and China to countries like Costa Rica that don't even have a satellite in orbit but are an end user of satellite functions," says Weeden. "Getting all of those countries to agree on this stuff is a really difficult challenge."

But with more nations and commercial organisations operating in Earth's orbit and many looking beyond, such issues are becoming increasingly urgent.

Do nothing is no longer an option.

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Breaking News. South China Sea: Duterte orders Philippines military to occupy islands

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he has ordered military personnel to occupy all Philippines-claimed islands in the disputed South China Sea.
"We tried to be friends with everybody but we have to maintain our jurisdiction now, at least the areas under our control. And I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all these," he said during a visit to a military camp on the Philippines island of Palawan.

Duterte said he may raise the Philippines flag on Pagasa Island, also known as Thitu Island, on the country's independence day on June 12.
Thitu is in the Spratly island chain, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

Building up 

The Philippines has traditionally been a forceful claimant in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Under Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino, Manila won a landmark case at an international tribunal in the Hague, which ruled China had no legal basis for the bulk of its claims in the waters.
Duterte's administration has been cozying up to Beijing since his election last year, and territorial disputes have been pushed to the background.
In a visit to the Chinese capital in October, Duterte said to Chinese President Xi Jinping that "America has lost now. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow."
Following his visit, Beijing agreed to allow Philippines fishing ships access to China-controlled territory.
"By cozying up to China and trash-talking America, Duterte has achieved something that Washington couldn't deliver: a peaceful resolution to the Scarborough Shoal standoff," Ashley Townsend, a regional expert at the University of Sydney, wrote for CNN Opinion at the time. 

Trump and China: What's at stake? 

Duterte's latest comments seem to mark a departure from his previous policy, and suggests a desire to pursue the type of militarization Beijing has been accused of bringing to the region.
"Even those, those vacant (islands) that are considered ours, let's live there," Duterte said.
"It's like we're all competing to take these islands. And what's ours now at least, let's take it and make a strong point there that this is ours."
He said the Philippines should "fortify" its territory: "(We) must build bunkers or houses there and make provisions for habitation."
Duterte has a history of making wild claims and pronouncements he does not necessarily follow up on. In December, he had to walk back a story he told about throwing someone out of a helicopter.   

High stakes 

While relations between Manila and Beijing may have improved, tensions in the South China Sea -- which is both resource rich and a crucial shipping route -- have remained high.
China has continued militarizing and building up the territories it controls, reclaiming land to turn sandbars into islands, and equipping them with airfields, ports and weapons systems.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has taken a firm line on Beijing's expansionism, saying in his confirmation that the Trump administration would "send China a clear signal."
"Building islands and then putting military assets on those islands is akin to Russia's taking of Crimea. Its taking of territory that others lay claim to," Tillerson said.
During a visit to Beijing however, Tillerson's tone was considerably softer, and he echoed Chinese language on the need to "expand cooperative areas and achieve win-win results."
Trump meets with Xi Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, though it is unclear whether the South China Sea issue will come up.

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Breaking News. Nnamdi Kanu: High Court reserves ruling on review of witness protection to April 25.

- The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday reserved ruling on whether or not it will reverse its order on witness protection in the ongoing trial of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
- Counsel to Kanu, Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor told the court that he had filed an application asking the court to review its stand on protecting the identity of witnesses in the case
- Justice Nyako adjourned the matter until April 25 to rule on both the application to review the witness protection order and bail.

Justice Binta Nyako, on March 27, insisted that she would not review her judgment on the issue of protecting the identity of the witnesses as long they were security operatives.




“I will not vary my order on protection of security operatives; It is either they wear a mask or are behind a screen.

 “Security operatives need to be protected not because of this case but because of the future, and so as long as the witnesses are security personnel, they will be taken behind a screen,”  Nyako said.

But counsel to the defendants maintained that since some of the charges against the defendants had been struck out, there was need for the order to be reviewed to reflect the current charges.

At the resumed hearing on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Shuaibu Labaran, told the court that the matter was slated for argument on the application to review the court’s decision on witness protection.

Counsel to Kanu, Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor told the court that he had filed an application asking the court to review its stand on protecting the identity of witnesses in the case. Ejiofor said that part of the reason he filed the application was on the grounds that six out of the initial 11-count charge against the defendant were struck out. He prayed the court to vacate the order it made allowing the prosecution witnesses to give evidence behind a shield and to instead order the witnesses to testify in an open court. Mr E.I Eseme, counsel to the third defendant, Benjamin Madubugwu, in his argument, also prayed the court for the same relief, adding that his application was brought pursuant to Section 6(6) of the 1999 Constitution. He urged the court to review the order it made on Dec. 13, 2016, to shield witnesses, set aside the order and direct that all witnesses should testify in public.

Eseme added that his client was not standing trial for any of the offences that required witness protection. According to him, Section 36(4) of the 1999 Constitution provides that it is mandatory for proceedings in all criminal trials to be public. He noted that there was no counter- affidavit from the prosecution, adding that it could only mean that the facts were not contradicted and so they were not opposing the application. Mr Chukwuma Ozougwu, counsel to the fourth defendant, David Nwawuisi, also towed the same line of argument and urged the court to grant the application in favour of his client. Labaran, in his reply, prayed the court to dismiss the three applications on the grounds that they were frivolous and a deliberate attempt to delay the prosecution of the case. He told the court that the claim by the defence counsel that since he did not file a counter affidavit, the court should assume that he was in support of the application should be discountenanced. According to him, if the defendants have a problem with the ruling of the court that witnesses should be protected, they should appeal the decision.

He added that moreover, it was only journalists and the general public that would not see the witnesses but only hear them as all the defendants, the lawyers and the judge would see the witnesses. He said the order was granted based on the discretionary powers given to the judge by Section 232 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). Justice Nyako adjourned the matter until April 25 to rule on both the application to review the witness protection order and bail.

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Teenage Boy Arraigned On 4-Count Charge

Jail

A 17-year-old boy on Thursday appeared before a Mararaba Upper Area Court, Nasarawa State, charged with attacking a trader, Mohammed Bello, and inflicting injuries on him.

Ibrahim, who resides at Nyanya, Abuja, and is facing a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, trespass, mischief and causing hurt, denied committing the offences.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Steve Kwaza, told the court that the accused and one Danhayiya Abu, who is still at large, committed the offences on March 30, at 12.30 p.m.

“The defendant entered the shop of one Mohammed Bello at Ruga Market, Mararaba, destroying most his valuable properties, the cost of which is yet to be ascertained.’’

Kwaza said that the accused and his accomplice, also attacked the trader and inflicted severe injuries on him.

According to the prosecutor, the accused, while armed with a cutlass, attempted to forcefully gain entry into another premises belonging a military officer, Col. Idris and in the process destroyed the gate.

He said that the teenager was, however, apprehended and handed over to the police.

Kwaza said that the offences contravened Sections 97, 348, 327 and 246 of the Penal Code.

The presiding Judge, Ibrahim Shekarau, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum.

He said that the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction, must be of reputable character and have a substantive means of livelihood.

The case was adjourned until April 24 for hearing.

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Breaking news, Fresh evidence the Russia ‘scandal’ is a Team Obama operation

Susan Rice

Do you suspect that the noise over Trump campaign contacts with the Russians is just a political hit arranged by Obama insiders before they left? You got fresh evidence of that Monday, with news that then-national security adviser Susan Rice was behind the “unmasking” of Trumpites in transcripts of calls with Russian officials.

Again, nothing on the public record so far shows that anyone on Team Trump said anything improper on those calls.

It’s no surprise that US spooks intercept foreign officials’ calls. But intelligence community reports don’t disclose the names of US citizens on the other end. To get that info, a high official must (but rarely does) push to “unmask” the Americans’ names.

Bloomberg’s Eli Lake now reports that Rice started doing just that last year.

That was perfectly legal. But we also know that the Obama administration later changed the classification of the “unmasked” transcripts, and other similar material, in order to spread the information as widely as possible within the government.

The motive for that was (supposedly) to prevent Team Trump from burying it all once it took over. But the result was that it made it relatively safe for someone (or someones) to leak the info to the press.

Which made it likely somebody would leak. So Team Obama’s “spread the info” initiative certainly broke the spirit of the laws.

Those leaks have produced a nagging political sore for the new administration — leading to the ouster of national security adviser Michael Flynn, helping to drive down President Trump’s approval ratings and making it harder for him to push his program through.

Rice certainly wasn’t politically naive about the political uses of intelligence information. She was, after all, the Obama official who famously made the rounds spouting the false “Our intel says it was about the video” line on the Benghazi attack back during the 2012 campaign.

All of this puts the actions of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes in clearer perspective. After viewing the Rice requests at the White House, he disclosed that Trump officials had been caught up in incidental surveillance.

All of which is a reminder that two issues are in play here: Russian meddling in the election, about which the nation already knows plenty — and the Obama team’s efforts to sabotage Team Trump.

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Syria chemical 'attack': Russia faces fury at UN Security Council

 Russia has been sharply criticised by other world powers at the UN Security Council in New York over the chemical weapons deaths in northern Syria.Russia has been sharply criticised by other world powers at the UN Security Council in New York over the chemical weapons deaths in northern Syria. 

Moscow's suggestions that civilians were poisoned by rebel weapons on the ground have been widely rejected.

The UK's foreign secretary, a rebel commander and a weapons expert all said evidence pointed to an attack by the Syrian government, Russia's ally.

The issue is also overshadowing an aid conference on Syria in Brussels.

Seventy donor nations are discussing aid efforts in the war-ravaged country. The UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, said details of new pledges would be released later on Wednesday.

According to UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 20 children and 52 adults were killed in the chemical incident in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib province, on Tuesday.

Opening the Security Council meeting, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo said that, if confirmed, this would be biggest chemical weapons attack in Syria since Ghouta in August 2013, when hundreds of people were killed in rebel-held suburbs of Damascus.

What happened?

Footage from Khan Sheikhoun following the incident on Tuesday showed civilians, many of them children, choking and foaming at the mouth. 

A child looks up at the camera as she is treated by a medic. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported dozens of people suffered respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting and foaming at the mouth after the attack, in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib

A Civil Defence volunteer uses an oxygen mask to help him breathe. A Syrian military source has denied the government used chemical weapons.

Men are treated by rescue workers. The attack reportedly took place at about 06:30 local time (03:30 GMT).

A man carries the body of a dead child. The British-based Observatory says at least 20 children were killed.

Men stand over the bodies of people who have died. Russia's defence ministry has insisted it did not carry out any air strikes in the vicinity of the town, in Syria's north-west.

Medics treat a man after the attack. Mohammed Rasoul, the head of a charity ambulance service in Idlib, told the BBC that his medics had found people, many of them children, choking in the street.

A man cries surrounded by bodies. Photographers who rushed to the hospitals where people were being treated described a smell that they could not quite place.

Some of the victims were treated across the border in Turkey. One woman in hospital said: "We were affected by the gas. We couldn't stand up. I felt dizzy and sick. I suffer from shortness of breath. I couldn't breathe."

The World Health Organization said some of the victims had symptoms consistent with exposure to nerve agents.

A team from medical charity MSF treating victims in Idlib found patients' symptoms were "consistent with exposure to a neurotoxic agent such as sarin gas", the charity said in a statement.

Sonia Khush, Syria director of the charity Save the Children, said victims had travelled far and wide to get treatment, making it difficult to estimate how many had been affected.

What do the Russians say?

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denies its forces launched a chemical weapons attack.

Russia has acknowledged that Syrian planes did attack Khan Sheikhoun but it says the aircraft struck a depot producing chemical weapons, for use by militants in Iraq.

"Yesterday [Tuesday], from 11:30am to 12:30pm local time, Syrian aviation made a strike on a large terrorist ammunition depot and a concentration of military hardware in the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun town," Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konoshenkov said.

"On the territory of the depot there were workshops which produced chemical warfare munitions."

What did they say at the UN?

Matthew Rycroft, the UK's ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council that Mr Assad had "humiliated" Russia by "making a mockery" of the peace process it had brokered with some rebel groups.

"What is your plan?" he asked. "What is your plan to stop these horrific senseless attacks? We had a plan and we had the support and you rejected it to protect Assad."

Russia and China have blocked attempts to impose sanctions on Syria   

Matthew Rycroft suggested Russia had been "humiliated" by its ally Syria

Vladimir Safronkov accused Syrian rebels of fabricating evidence

 

 Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, Vladimir Safronkov, hit back by accusing the UK of being "obsessed" with overthrowing President Assad instead of seeking peace.

He said his country - which can veto any UN Security Council resolution - saw no need for a new resolution and called for a "full, objective" international investigation. Much of the video evidence of the attack had, he argued, been "staged".

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said Syrian chemical attacks would continue if nothing was done.

"Time and time again Russia uses the same false narrative to deflect attention from their ally in Damascus," she said.

Hinting at possible unilateral action by the US, she added: "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action."

French UN envoy Francois Delattre blamed the Assad government for the attack, accusing it of "destructive madness".

He said the world needed an "America that is seriously committed to a solution in Syria". 

What do others say to the Russian version? 

Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, told Reuters news agency: "Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas."
Local journalists say there are no military positions in the town itself but an array of broadly aligned rebel groups controlling the area surrounding it.
Critics of the Russian statement say reports of the release of gas came hours before the times stated by Mr Konoshenkov.

A chemical weapons expert, Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, told the BBC that the Russian version of events was "pretty fanciful".

The idea that a nerve gas like Sarin could spread after a weapons manufacturing process had been bombed was "unsustainable", he added.

US President Donald Trump called the deaths a "terrible affront to humanity".

Witnesses said clinics treating the wounded were subject to air strikes

Has Assad used chemical weapons before?

The Syrian government was accused by Western powers of firing rockets filled with Sarin at Ghouta.

President Assad denied the charge, blaming rebel fighters, but he did subsequently agree to destroy Syria's chemical arsenal.

Despite that, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has continued to document the use of toxic chemicals in attacks in Syria.

How bloody is Syria's civil war?

More than 250,000 people have been killed and, after more than six years, no political solution to the fighting is in sight.

Nearly five million Syrians have fled the country and more than six million are internally displaced, the UN says.

"This is the most complex and the most violent conflict in our times," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said at the conference in Brussels. 

Why is there war in Syria? 

 

 

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Haley: If UN won't act on Syria, 'we may'Haley: If UN won't act on Syria, 'we may'

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley strongly condemned Russia and the Syrian government Wednesday over the chemical weapons attack on civilians, suggesting that the US is open to using military action to solve the country's ongoing civil war.
"When the UN consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley said, adding that if the UN doesn't take action, "we may."

Haley, who is also the UN Security Council president, was speaking as the council considers a resolution condemning the Assad regime for the attack, which killed dozens, including many children. Russia, which backs the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is likely to veto the resolution.
"How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" Haley said as she displayed photos of the victims.
Her comments are the most direct threat of unilateral action by the US delegation at the UN to solve the Syria crisis. The remarks are especially notable as the Trump administration has struck a more lenient tone on the regime of Assad, breaking with the Obama administration in demanding he abdicate power.
Representatives from the US, United Kingdom and France have ‎circulated a draft resolution demanding that the Syrian government provide flight logs from Tuesday, the day of the attack, which killed dozens, including many children. The draft also calls for meetings with Syrian generals or other officers.
The resolution explicitly condemns the use of chemical weapons within Syria and states that their use represents a threat to international peace and security.
An emergency Security Council meeting was called at UN headquarters in response to the suspected targeted attack.
The Syrian military under Assad has denied responsibility for the attack, claiming it would never use chemical weapons.
Multiple countries denounced the attack on Wednesday before and during the Security Council hearing.
Bahram Qasemi, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said the country "strongly condemns" the use of chemical weapons in Syria "regardless of the perpetrators and the victims."
France's UN ambassador, François Delattre, said of the attack: "That reminds us of the day of the regime's attack on Damascus. This chemical horror opens a new spiral into the abyss of the human tragedy."
But Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blasted the resolution, telling reporters Wednesday it was "unacceptable" and that it was drafted too quickly.
The UK and Chinese ambassadors also exchanged sharp words over responsibility for UN inaction.
UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft condemned prior vetoes by China and Russia, which blocked international action on Syria. But China's Ambassador Liu Jieyi, in a rare diplomatic outburst, said the UK delegate should stop "abusing" the Security Council.US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley strongly condemned Russia and the Syrian government Wednesday over the chemical weapons attack on civilians, suggesting that the US is open to using military action to solve the country's ongoing civil war.
"When the UN consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley said, adding that if the UN doesn't take action, "we may."

Haley, who is also the UN Security Council president, was speaking as the council considers a resolution condemning the Assad regime for the attack, which killed dozens, including many children. Russia, which backs the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is likely to veto the resolution.
"How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" Haley said as she displayed photos of the victims.
Her comments are the most direct threat of unilateral action by the US delegation at the UN to solve the Syria crisis. The remarks are especially notable as the Trump administration has struck a more lenient tone on the regime of Assad, breaking with the Obama administration in demanding he abdicate power.
Representatives from the US, United Kingdom and France have ‎circulated a draft resolution demanding that the Syrian government provide flight logs from Tuesday, the day of the attack, which killed dozens, including many children. The draft also calls for meetings with Syrian generals or other officers.
The resolution explicitly condemns the use of chemical weapons within Syria and states that their use represents a threat to international peace and security.
An emergency Security Council meeting was called at UN headquarters in response to the suspected targeted attack.
The Syrian military under Assad has denied responsibility for the attack, claiming it would never use chemical weapons.
Multiple countries denounced the attack on Wednesday before and during the Security Council hearing.
Bahram Qasemi, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said the country "strongly condemns" the use of chemical weapons in Syria "regardless of the perpetrators and the victims."
France's UN ambassador, François Delattre, said of the attack: "That reminds us of the day of the regime's attack on Damascus. This chemical horror opens a new spiral into the abyss of the human tragedy."
But Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blasted the resolution, telling reporters Wednesday it was "unacceptable" and that it was drafted too quickly.
The UK and Chinese ambassadors also exchanged sharp words over responsibility for UN inaction.
UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft condemned prior vetoes by China and Russia, which blocked international action on Syria. But China's Ambassador Liu Jieyi, in a rare diplomatic outburst, said the UK delegate should stop "abusing" the Security Council.

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Breaking News. Women lawyers rescue 14-yr-old from early marriage in Abia State, Nigeria.

A 14-year-old girl currently in SSS2 in Abia State University Secondary School, whose parents allegedly wanted to forcefully marry off to an older man against her wish, has been rescued by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).

The chairperson of the organisation, Chidinma Alozie, who disclosed this at the fund raising dinner for building of FIDA Legal Clinic and emergency rescue centre in Umuahia, said that invitation cards had been printed and a date set for the wedding, awaiting the girl to conclude her examinations, when FIDA got wind of the news.

The FIDA chairperson said the organisation moved to secure an emergency protection order from Magistrates’ Court and took the girl into protective custody immediately after her examinations, two days before her marriage.

Alozie, who enumerated several cases of child abuse in the state, observed that there was need for conducive and secured emergency rescue facility aimed at confronting these challenges in the society and appealed to government, corporate organisations, spirited individuals, foreign donors and friends of Abia to come and assist FIDA in its dream to facilitate the building of rescued homes.

In her address, the special guest of honour and wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, represented by the wife of Deputy Governor, Lady Vivian Ude Okochukwu, commended FIDA for protecting women and child’s rights.

Mrs Ikpeazu, who assured FIDA of collaboration with her Vica Hope Foundation, charged women lawyers not to relent in their efforts, while she also enjoined well-meaning individuals to complement them so as to rid the state of child abuse and youths restiveness.

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Roman Polanski's no jail return offer rejected

Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl

Roman Polanski's offer to go back to the US in return for an assurance he would not serve more jail time has been refused. 

The Oscar-winning director of The Pianist and Chinatown pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl at actor Jack Nicholson's house but left the US in 1978 the day before he was to be sentenced.

Last month, however, prosecutors in the 83-year-old's case told a hearing that he should return to the US and should not receive special treatment because of his fame.

Polanski's lawyers had said he would return from nearly 40 years on the run if he was promised he would not have to spend any more time in jail.

Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee said: "The People simply do not believe it is in the best interests of justice to give a wealthy celebrity - and that's what Mr Polanski is - different treatment than any other fugitive from justice." 

Samantha Geimer accused Polanski of raping her at Jack Nicholson's house in 1977

She said Polanski "wants answers but will only show up if he likes the answers".

Harland Braun, representing Polanski, admitted the film-maker had committed an "indefensible" crime but said the court had "lied" to him about his possible sentence.

Mr Braun said his client "wants to wrap up" the case, adding: "We know what he was promised - we know he has served eight times what he was promised".

But in a statement on Monday, a Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman said Judge Scott Gordon had "ruled that defendant's motions and corresponding requests are denied".

In his ruling, Judge Gordon wrote: "There is no sufficient or compelling basis for reconsideration of these issues."

The French-Polish director lives in France, having fled the US after 42 days in jail because he said a judge had gone back on a promise about how he would be sentenced.

He was arrested in Switzerland in 2009 on a US extradition request and spent 10 months under house arrest before the request was rejected by the Swiss.

The US then asked Poland to send him back in 2015 but courts there decided he had served his time.

Another court hearing is set for 26 April 2017 in the US regarding a bid by Polanski's lawyers to unseal evidence given in the case by original prosecutor Roger Gunson.

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Breakin News, Fake Army officer arrested in Lagos Nigeria.

The fake army officer

The operatives of the Lagos State Task Force have arrested a fake Nigeria Army officer who obstructed the enforcement unit of the agency from performing their legitimate duties around Lekki area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

The Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi disclosed that the fake army officer was nabbed by the enforcement team of the agency during the demolition of shanties occupied by miscreants and hoodlums around White Sand School, Lekki, Lagos.

Egbeyemi disclosed further that the suspect obstructed the enforcement team and beat-up one para-military officer attached to the agency.

He said the suspect who claimed to be a Staff Sergeant in the Nigeria Army wore an Army cap on a mufti dress, saying that after diligent investigations, it was discovered he was a fake Nigerian Army officer who had been terrorising innocent members of the public around the area.

The Chairman enjoined members of the public to stop impersonating security personnel as everybody had equal right before the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Egbeyemi, however, confirmed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni had directed that the suspect be immediately charge to court.

The suspect, Usman Yaya (27 yrs) from Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State confessed that he stole the Nigeria Army cap from his brother in Abuja.

Yaya confessed further that since he came to Lagos in February, 2017 and had nothing to do, he decided to put on the army cap to extort money from innocent members of the public, particularly commercial buses plying Victoria Island and Lekki.

He claimed that it was his brother ( a Staff Sergeant with the Nigeria Army ) whom he lived with at Abacha Barracks in Abuja, who owned the cap.

Yaya pleaded with the government to temper justice with mercy as he was ready to stop the illegal dealings and return the army cap to his brother in Abuja.

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Why is there a war in Syria?

What began as a peaceful uprising against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad six years ago became a full-scale civil war that has left more than 300,000 people dead, devastated the country and drawn in global powers. 

How did the war begin? 

Long before the conflict began, many Syrians complained about high unemployment, widespread corruption, a lack of political freedom and state repression under President Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his father, Hafez, in 2000.

In March 2011, pro-democracy demonstrations inspired by the Arab Spring erupted in the southern city of Deraa. The government's use of deadly force to crush the dissent soon triggered nationwide protests demanding the president's resignation. 

Protests in the southern city of Deraa in March 2011 were suppressed by security forces

As the unrest spread, the crackdown intensified. Opposition supporters began to take up arms, first to defend themselves and later to expel security forces from their local areas. Mr Assad vowed to crush "foreign-backed terrorism" and restore state control. 

The city of Homs, dubbed "the capital of the revolution" suffered widespread destruction

The violence rapidly escalated and the country descended into civil war as hundreds of rebel brigades were formed to battle government forces for control of the country. 

Why has the war lasted so long?

Government forces have lost control of large swathes of the country to various armed groups

 In essence, it has become more than just a battle between those for or against Mr Assad.

A key factor has been the intervention of regional and world powers, including Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Their military, financial and political support for the government and opposition has contributed directly to the intensification and continuation of the fighting, and turned Syria into a proxy battleground.

External powers have also been accused of fostering sectarianism in what was a broadly secular state, pitching the country's Sunni majority against the president's Shia Alawite sect. Such divisions have encouraged both sides to commit atrocities that have not only caused loss of life but also torn apart communities, hardened positions and dimmed hopes for a political settlement. 

The northern Syrian city of Raqqa is the headquarters of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS)

 

Jihadist groups have also seized on the divisions, and their rise has added a further dimension to the war. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance formed by what was once the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, controls large parts of the north-western province of Idlib.
Meanwhile, so-called Islamic State (IS), which controls large swathes of northern and eastern Syria, is battling government forces, rebel brigades and Kurdish militias, as well as facing air strikes by Russia and a US-led multinational coalition.

Thousands of Iranian-backed Shia militiamen are supporting Syrian government forces

 Thousands of Shia militiamen from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen say they are fighting alongside the Syrian army to protect holy sites.

Why are so many outside powers involved?

Russia's air campaign aimed to "stabilise" the government of President Bashar al-Assad

Russia, for whom President Assad's survival is critical to maintaining its interests in Syria, launched an air campaign in September 2015 with the aim of "stabilising" the government after a series of defeats. Moscow stressed that it would target only "terrorists", but activists said its strikes mainly hit Western-backed rebel groups.
Six months later, having turned the tide of the war in his ally's favour, President Vladimir Putin ordered the "main part" of Russia's forces to withdraw, saying their mission had "on the whole" been accomplished. However, intense Russian air and missile strikes went on to play a major role in the government's siege of rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which fell in December 2016.

Rebels have received only limited military assistance from Western powers

Shia power Iran is believed to be spending billions of dollars a year to bolster the Alawite-dominated government, providing military advisers and subsidised weapons, as well as lines of credit and oil transfers. It is also widely reported to have deployed hundreds of combat troops in Syria.
Mr Assad is Iran's closest Arab ally and Syria is the main transit point for Iranian weapons shipments to the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support government forces.

A US-led coalition has been conducting air strikes on Islamic State militants in Syria since 2014

The US, which says President Assad is responsible for widespread atrocities, has provided only limited military assistance to "moderate" rebel groups, fearful that advanced weapons might end up in the hands of jihadists. Since September 2014, the US has conducted air strikes on IS in Syria, but says it has not intentionally attacked government forces.
Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, which is seeking to counter the influence of its rival Iran, has been a major provider of military and financial assistance to the rebels, including those with Islamist ideologies.

Turkish troops are backing a Syrian rebel offensive to take control of a northern border area

Turkey is another staunch supporter of the rebels. However, it has sought to contain the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia whose fighters are battling IS as part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance. Ankara accuses the YPG of being an extension of the banned Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
In August 2016, Turkish troops backed a rebel offensive to drive IS militants out of one of the last remaining stretches of the Syrian side of the border not controlled by the Kurds. Since then, they have taken control of some 2,000 sq km (772 sq miles) of territory, according to the Turkish military, and forced the US to deploy troops to the SDF-controlled town of Manbij to prevent clashes.

What impact has the war had?

There are no reliably accurate statistics on the number of people killed or wounded in the fighting

 

The UN says at least 250,000 people have been killed in the past five years. However, the organisation stopped updating its figures in August 2015. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, puts the death toll at more than 321,000, while a think-tank estimated in February 2016 that the conflict had caused 470,000 deaths, either directly or indirectly.
Five million people - most of them women and children - have fled Syria, according to the UN. Neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have struggled to cope with one of the largest refugee exoduses in recent history.

About 10% of Syrian refugees have sought safety in Europe, sowing political divisions as countries argue over sharing the burden. A further 6.3 million people are internally displaced inside Syria.
The UN estimates it will need $3.4bn (£2.7bn) to help the 13.5 million people who will require some form of humanitarian assistance inside Syria in 2017.
Almost 85% of Syrians live in poverty, with more than two-thirds of the population in either extreme or abject poverty. More than 12.8 million people in Syria require health assistance and more than seven million are food insecure amid rising prices and food shortages. Households spend up to a quarter of their income just on water. Some 1.75 million children are out of school.

Almost half of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million has been displaced by the war

 The warring parties have compounded the problems by refusing humanitarian agencies access to many of those in need. Some 4.9 million people live in besieged or hard-to-reach areas.

What's being done to end the conflict? 

Previous attempts by the UN to broker a political settlement have failed

With neither side able to inflict a decisive defeat on the other, the international community long ago concluded that only a political solution could end the conflict. The UN Security Council has called for the implementation of the 2012 Geneva Communique, which envisages a transitional governing body with full executive powers "formed on the basis of mutual consent".
Peace talks in early 2014, known as Geneva II, broke down after only two rounds, with the UN blaming the Syrian government's refusal to discuss opposition demands.
A year later, the conflict with IS lent fresh impetus to the search for a political solution in Syria. The US and Russia persuaded representatives of the warring parties to attend "proximity talks" in Geneva in January 2016 to discuss a Security Council-endorsed road map for peace, including a ceasefire and a transitional period ending with elections.

A local truce in the Homs suburb of al-Wair in December 2015 allowed rebels to be evacuated

The first round broke down while still in the "preparatory" phase, as government forces launched an offensive around Aleppo. The talks resumed in March 2016, after the US and Russia brokered a nationwide "cessation of hostilities" that excluded jihadist groups. But they collapsed the following month.
Turkey and Russia brokered another truce after the fall of Aleppo. In January 2017, they and Kazakhstan hosted the first face-to-face meeting between rebel fighters and government officials since the war began. That was followed by a fresh round of UN-mediated talks in Geneva, which UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said "achieved much more than many people had imagined we could have".

What is left of rebel territory?  

Several opposition-held districts and suburbs of Damascus are under siege

The fall of Aleppo means the government now controls Syria's four biggest cities. But large parts of the country are still held by other armed groups.
Rebel fighters and allied jihadists are estimated to control about 15% of Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
US officials said in early December 2016 that there were 50,000 or more "moderate" rebels, concentrated in the north-western province of Idlib and the western Aleppo countryside.

Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists are a key part of the rebel alliance controlling Idlib province

Rebels also control smaller areas in the central province of Homs, the southern provinces of Deraa and Quneitra, and the eastern Ghouta agricultural belt outside Damascus.
Kurdish forces, who say they support neither the government nor the opposition, meanwhile control much of Syria's border with Turkey, as well as a large part of the country's north-east.
And although they have suffered extensive losses in the past two years, IS militants still hold large parts of central and northern Syria, including the city of Raqqa.

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