KNOW YOUR WORLD: July 2013

Militant group claims responsibility for Iraq prison attacks

An al Qaeda group claimed responsibility Tuesday for coordinated attacks on two Iraqi prisons that a lawmaker said freed more than 500 inmates, including some senior members of the militant group.

Militants supported by suicide bombers and armed with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns attacked two Iraqi prisons Sunday and Monday as inmates inside rioted and set fires, ending in a massive jailbreak, authorities said.

The attacks occurred Sunday night at Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, and al-Taji prison, north of the capital.

At least 21 inmates and at least eight prison guards were killed, the Iraqi Justice Ministry said, while 25 inmates and 14 guards were

What do prison attacks mean for region?

Blast during sermon in Iraq mosque kills at least 18

The Justice Ministry did not say how many inmates had escaped, but lawmaker Hakim al-Zamili said Monday that more than 500 fighters had gotten away.

A statement posted on radical Islamist websites and purporting to be from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attacks and said that "more than 500 of the best jihadi fighters" were among the freed inmates.

CNN could not confirm the authenticity of the statement, which was signed by the group's Information Ministry instead of the more usual official media wing.

State-run TV Al Iraqiya reported that guards at Abu Ghraib, also known as Baghdad Central Prison, facilitated the prison break. Al Iraqiya ran part of an interview with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who said "the guards who were present inside the prison were part of this militia, they were complicit, and they are the ones who opened the prison gates."

Al Iraqiya TV also reported that the Ministry of Interior had arrested a number of the escapees, but the report did not specify a number or from which prison they had escaped.

Ramzy Mardini, adjunct fellow at the Beirut-based Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies, compared the attacks to a previous prison break in Yemen. Many of those who escaped then belonged to al Qaeda.

"Like in Yemen in 2006, this could be al Qaeda's so-called great escape moment in Iraq, whereby a prison break is large and significant enough to exhibit noticeable impact on the insurgency and the group's effectiveness for the foreseeable future," Mardini wrote in an e-mail to CNN.

"Al Qaeda has certainly proven its reach over the past year to still exhibit a capacity to pull off high-profile and coordinated attacks. But this takes the cake, especially given the scale of the operation, its potential impact and the fortified nature of the target," he said.

Mardini described the attacks as al Qaeda's "best advertisement" in terms of propaganda since 2009 bombings in Baghdad.

Bombers strike in Iraq; more than 20 dead

Meanwhile, at least 16 people were killed and dozens wounded in a new wave of explosions and shooting in Baghdad and Mosul on Tuesday, according to police officials.

Three roadside bombs exploded in rapid succession near a popular restaurant in southern Baghdad, killing seven people and wounding 28 others. A car bomb and two roadside bombs outside a Sunni mosque, also in southern Baghdad, killed four people and wounded 15 more, officials said.

In western Mosul, the northern Iraq metropolis, gunmen at a livestock market killed three Shiite people, who police said were visiting from Baghdad. Two prison guards were shot dead in eastern Mosul.

Attacks on Monday also rocked Mosul. A suicide bomber blew himself up at an Iraqi army post in northern Mosul's Kokjili district in the morning, police said. At least 16 people were killed and 21 were wounded. Both civilians and soldiers were among the victims.

Later, at least four people were killed and two were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near a Sunni mosque in the al-Muthana neighborhood of central Mosul, police said.

The deadly fighting is the latest in a string of violence in recent months, much of it stemming from discord between Sunnis and Shiites. Sunnis have long felt politically marginalized under a Shiite-led government in the post-Saddam Hussein era. They enjoyed more political clout during Hussein's rule

THE US AND THE TALIBAN-KILLINGS

The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country's security to the Afghan army and police. The Taliban met a key U.S. demand by pledging not to use Afghanistan as a base to threaten other countries, although the Americans said they must also denounce al-Qaida. But President Barack Obama cautioned that the process won't be quick or easy. He described the opening of a Taliban political office in the Gulf nation of Qatar as an "important first step toward reconciliation" between the Islamic militants and the government of Afghanistan, and predicted there will be bumps along the way. Obama, who was attending the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland, praised Afghan President Hamid Karzai for taking a courageous step by sending representatives to discuss peace with the Taliban. "It's good news. We're very pleased with what has taken place," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Washington. British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose country has the second-largest contingent of troops in Afghanistan after the U.S., called opening the office "the right thing to do." As the handover occurred, four U.S. troops were killed Tuesday at or near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, U.S. defense officials said. The officials said the four were killed by indirect fire, likely a mortar or rocket, but they had no other details. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details on the deaths. Officials with the Obama administration said the office in the Qatari capital of Doha was the first step toward the ultimate U.S.-Afghan goal of a full Taliban renunciation of links with al-Qaida, the reason why America invaded the country on Oct. 7, 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the United States. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, said U.S. representatives will begin formal meetings with the Taliban in Qatar in a few days. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, said the only way to end the war was through a political solution. "My perspective has always been that this war is going to have to end with political reconciliation, and so I frankly would be supportive of any positive movement in terms of reconciliation, particularly an Afghan-led and an Afghan-owned process that would bring reconciliation between the Afghan people and the Taliban in the context of the Afghan constitution," he said. Dunford added that he was no longer responsible for the security of the country now that Afghan forces had taken the lead. "Last week I was responsible for security here in Afghanistan," he said, adding that now it was Karzai's job. "It's not just a statement of intent — it's a statement of fact." The transition to Afghan-led security means U.S. and other foreign combat troops will not be directly carrying the fight to the insurgency, but will advise and back up as needed with air support and medical evacuations. The handover paves the way for the departure of coalition forces — currently numbering about 100,000 troops from 48 countries, including 66,000 Americans. By the end of the year, the NATO force will be halved. At the end of 2014, all combat troops will have left and will replaced, if approved by the Afghan government, by a much smaller force that will only train and advise. Obama has not yet said how many soldiers he will leave in Afghanistan along with NATO forces, but it is thought that it would be about 9,000 U.S. troops and about 6,000 from its allies. It is uncertain if the Afghan forces are good enough to fight the insurgents. The force numbered less than 40,000 six years ago and has grown to about 352,000 today. In some of the most restive parts of the country, it may still take a "few months" to hand over security completely to the Afghans, Dunford said. The transition comes at a time when violence is at levels matching the worst in 12 years, further fueling some Afghans' concerns that their forces aren't ready. The decision to open the Taliban office was a reversal of months of failed efforts to start peace talks while the militants intensified a campaign targeting urban centers and government installations. Experts warned that it would be a mistake to expect too much. "The keys are to keep expectations low, to remember that a compromise is unlikely because no one can say what it would consist of," said Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution. He added that in his opinion, the Taliban wrongly "expect to win the war once NATO is largely gone come 2015." "All that said, it's a potentially useful step if we don't confuse ourselves or wind up in polarizing debates within the coalition," O'Hanlon said. In Doha, Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri, the assistant to the foreign minister of Qatar, said the Emir of the Gulf state had given the go-ahead for the office to open. "Negotiations are the only way for peace in Afghanistan," Al-Hajri said. The Taliban emerged from the Pakistani-trained mujahedeen, or holy warriors, who battled the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s with secret backing by the CIA. Civil war broke out when the pro-Soviet Afghan government collapsed following the departure of Moscow's troops. The U.S. took an arms-length position of neutrality as rival warlords shelled Kabul into ruins. By 1994, the Taliban had evolved into a united military and political force and in 1996, the group took control of Afghanistan. Led by Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Afghan Taliban sheltered Osama bin Laden in the years leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, but the group was toppled shortly after the U.S. and allied invasion one month later. The U.S.-led invasion leveraged the firepower of factions, such as the Northern Alliance, who had held out against the Taliban after it seized power in 1996. CIA and U.S. special operations support for anti-Taliban forces enabled the U.S. to oust the Islamists by December 2001 without committing large numbers of U.S. ground troops, and the group appeared to have been defeated as a military threat. However, by 2005, the Taliban was beginning to make a comeback, showing signs of improved training and equipment, while using territory inside Pakistan as a sanctuary. On Monday, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naim said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as the Taliban were known when they ruled the country, was willing to use all legal means to end what they called the occupation of Afghanistan. But he did not say they would immediately stop fighting. "The jihad continues to end the occupation and establish an Islamic emirate. To achieve this goal, we will follow every legitimate means," he said. "The emirate of the Taliban, with its military effort, has a strategic goal related to the future of Afghanistan. The movement is not intending to harm any other parties and will not allow anybody to use Afghan territory to threaten other countries." The Obama administration officials said the U.S. and Taliban representatives will hold bilateral meetings. Karzai's High Peace Council is expected to follow up with its own talks with the Taliban a few days later. But in making their announcement in Doha, the Taliban did not specifically mention talks with Karzai or his representatives. "We don't recognize the Afghan government and the government of Karzai. The talks will be with the Americans only in Doha under the patronage of Qatar," he said. "We represent the people of Afghanistan. We don't represent the Karzai government." The administration officials acknowledged the process will be "complex, long and messy" because of the ongoing level of distrust between the parties. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, vowed to continue to push the Taliban further, saying that the Taliban ultimately must also break ties with al-Qaida, end violence and accept Afghanistan's constitution — including protections for women and minorities. They said the U.S. had long demanded that the Taliban make a statement distancing the group from international terrorism, but had said that they did not expect them to break ties with al-Qaida immediately. That would be one of the outcomes of the negotiating process, they added. The U.S. will hold its first formal meetings with the Taliban in Doha within a few days, senior officials said, with the expectation that it will be followed up days later by a meeting between representatives of the Taliban and the High Peace Council. The first meeting will focus on an exchange of agendas and consultations on next steps. Naim did not give a schedule for talks. The Taliban office is in one of the diplomatic areas in Doha. Its sign reads: "The Political Bureau of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Doha." Despite Karzai's stated hope that the process will move almost immediately to Afghanistan, U.S. officials do not expect that to be possible in the near future. The Taliban have for years refused to speak to the government or the High Peace Council, set up by Karzai three years ago, because they considered them to be U.S. "puppets." Taliban representatives have instead talked to American and other Western officials in Doha and other places, mostly in Europe. Officials said Obama was personally involved in working with Karzai to enable the opening of the office, and that Kerry had also played a major role. Obama briefed other leaders at the summit meeting, which included the countries of Britain, Russia, Germany, Japan, Canada, France and Italy. James Dobbins, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was scheduled to leave Washington on Tuesday to visit Turkey, Qatar, Afghanistan and Pakistan, focusing primarily on "reconciliation efforts," according to State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. ___ Associated Press writers Julie Pace in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report. Amir Shah, David Rising, Rahim Faiez and Kay Johnson contributed to this report from Kabul.

HIGHEST EARNING ARTISTES IN 2013

Forbes yesterday released their annual 'list of top-earning celebrities under 30' and Lady Gaga topped the list. Forbes calculated their earnings between June 2012 and June 2013. See the top 10 below...

1. Lady Gaga (age 27) $80 million
2. Justin Bieber (age 19) $58 million
3. Taylor Swift (age 23) $55 million
4. Calvin Harris (age 29) $46 million
5.Rihanna (age 25) $43 million
6. Katy Perry (age 28) $39 million
7. Jennifer Lawrence (age 22) $26 million
8. Adele (age 25) $25 million
9. Kristen Stewart (age 23) $22 million
10.Taylor Lautner (age 21) $22 million

WHERE IT ALL STARTED FROM

Throughout its history, the United States has characteristically remained a country of two things: a country of immigrants, and a country of unmatched religious diversity. And yet when compared with the rest of the world – where these two very factors alone have so often engendered horrible religious wars and decades of enduring conflict – the history of religious conflict in the United States seems almost nonexistent.

That is not to say the United States has been immune to its share of conflict explicitly rooted in religion. This paper explores the various manifestations of religious conflict throughout the history of the United States, from the Revolutionary War to the attacks of September 11^thand their fallout. A distinction is drawn between religious intolerance, which is not the focus of this paper, and outright religious persecution or violence. Similarly, the paper reflects efforts made to de-conflate religious conflict from ethnic and racial conflict, which has been much more prominent throughout the history of the United States. In examining the history of religious violence, intolerance, discrimination, and persecution in the United States, we arrive at some possible explanations for why the United States has seen such minimal religious conflict despite being so religiously diverse.

The Revolution

It has been said that the United States is a nation founded on religious conflict. The colonies were settled by those escaping religious persecution in Europe. There is even some evidence that religion played a major role in the American Revolution and that revolutionaries believed it was willed by God for the Americans to wage war against the British.[1]

As the Church of England was striving to establish one, uniform religion across the kingdom, colonial America was divided, each of the colonies being dominated by their own brand of Christianity. Due to the distance from England and the room in the colonies, many religions were able to establish themselves in America, colony by colony. For example, Anglicans, who conformed to the Church of England, populated Virginia. Massachusetts was home to the Puritans. Pennsylvania was full of Quakers. Baptists ruled in Rhode Island. And Roman Catholics found a haven in Maryland, where they could establish themselves amid the other colonists’ protestant majority. Each of these colonies maintained a distinct religious character and favored one religious denomination’s power.

The American colonists saw the revolution not only as a war for political independence, but to protect the religious diversity of the thirteen colonies. Put in other terms, it was a war for religious independence and freedom. To sever ties with Mother England would be to ensure that the various Christian denominations could co-exist on the American continent. The conflict was, in part, a conflict that pitted the various American religious denominations against the Church of England, who wanted to impose a uniform, Anglican religion on the colonies.

Early Religious Persecution

The period after the Revolutionary War saw a lot of infighting between the various states and Christian denominations. Virginia, which was home to the largest portion of Anglicans loyal to the Church of England, was the scene of notorious acts of religious persecution against Baptists and Presbyterians. Anglicans physically assaulted Baptists, bearing theological and social animosity. In 1771, a local Virginia sheriff yanked a Baptist preacher from the stage at his parish and beat him to the ground outside, where he also delivered twenty lashes with a horsewhip. Similarly, in 1778, Baptist ministers David Barrow and Edward Mintz were conducting services at the Mill Swamp Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Virginia.[2] As soon as the hymn was given out, a gang of men rushed the stage and grabbed the two ministers, took them to the nearby Nansemond River swamp, and dunked and held their heads in the mud until they nearly drowned to death.

The period during and soon after the Revolutionary War also saw abundant political manifestations of religious conflict. At the time, some states abolished churches, while supporting others, issued preaching licenses, and collected tax money to fund and establish state churches. Each state constitution differed in its policy on religious establishment, or state-supported religion. It would not be until well after the adoption of the Constitution of 1789 and the First Amendment religion clauses that the disestablishment for which the United States is so recognized became the de facto practice.

1800s

The early part of the 19^th Century was relatively quiet in terms of religious conflict in America. The religious conflict that stands out in this period involves tensions between Catholics and Protestants, culminating in violence directed at Irish Catholic immigrants. The surge in immigration from Europe during the 19^th Century coincided with and influx of Catholics and the rise of activist Protestantism in the U.S. As strong Protestant values permeated the country, immigrants who were Catholic also became viewed as outsiders and undemocratic. These views are separate from, but on top of, the harsh anti-Irish sentiment that also spread during the period.

In the 1830s and 1840s, anti-Catholic violence broke out in the Northeast and elsewhere. In 1835, one incident was ignited by a speaking tour by Lyman Beecher, who published Plea for the West, a book about a Catholic plot to take over the U.S. and impose Catholic rule. After Beecher’s speaking tour passed through Charlestown, Massachusetts, a mob set fire to the Ursuline convent and school.[3] In Philadelphia in 1844, pitched gun battles broke out between “native” Americans and mostly Irish Catholics. Martial law had to be declared in order to end the violence.[4]

The Mormon War, the Utah War

Around the same time as anti-Catholic violence broke out in the Northeast, another religious group was being chased out of the same area. The Mormons, who emerged after the 1830 discovery of The Book of Mormon, were a religious community chased out of New York, out of Ohio, out of Missouri, and out of Illinois, to Utah, where they finally settled.

In Illinois in 1839, the Mormons settled Nauvoo and built a thriving Mormon town there, complete with a large Mormon temple. In the short period of three years, the Mormons prospered, announced the doctrine of polygamy, and founder Joseph Smith announced his candidacy for president of the United States. Locals were intimidated and envious. Smith and his brother Hyrum were arrested on morals charges and held in jail. On June 27, 1844, an anti-Mormon mob attacked Nauvoo and burned it to the ground.[5] They also invaded the jail cells where Smith and his brother were being held, and executed them.

Shortly after the sacking of Nauvoo, Brigham Young announced his leadership of the Mormons and led them to Utah, where they flourished. In 1857, fears of a religious state of Mormons grew and the president ordered federal troops to enforce the installation of federal judges and a new non-Mormon governor. At some point in the interim, this is still a subject of debate, the infamous Mountain Meadow Massacre happened – in which local Mormons slaughtered a group of 120 California-bound pioneers who were openly hostile toward their religion and making threats to return from California to attack them.[6]

The massacre only fueled anti-Mormon sentiment. Tensions escalated. The Mormon army, also known as the Nauvoo Legion, was called out to respond to the imminent arrival of 2,000 U.S. Army troops. Salt Lake City was evacuated on standing orders to burn the city should an invasion occur. No violence was to break out, as attention was diverted to the Civil War.

As the federal government focused its energies on fighting the Civil War, legal sanctions and political oppression of the Mormons continued that virtually dissolved the church by 1887. It wasn’t until the 1890s, when the Mormons ended the practice of polygamy, that Utah finally achieved

PAY PER CLICK IN AFRICA

So you have decided to give pay-per-click search a try. Pay per click advertising is one of the most affordable advertising options available to small businesses. But like most advertising, you need a good strategy to get your moneys worth. I find that too many people running their first Pay per click advertising campaign make mistakes that can quickly turn expensive.
Recent interest in pay per click advertising has seen a flood of Kenya companies posting their ads on Google and other Pay per click advertising providers. The only setback being in the relative inexperience in the picking of keywords and management of the cost to ensure a fair return on their investments.
The basics require that the first thing to do is to establish the exact cost for the pool of targeted keywords. Extracts of data from the leading Pay per click advertising providers show that high traffic keywords can cost an upward of $ 5.00 or about Kshs 400.00 per click at present exchange rates. Affordable?
Present web averages pin conversion rates at just 2% of all web visitors. Essentially only one for every 50 visitors. At the present rates this translates to $ 250.00 or Kshs 20,500.00 for every sale you make. This is clearly not sustainable.
So you still want high volumes of traffic from your Pay per click advertising campaign, the solution is to cast your net broadly, targeting a large number of less popular keywords. These words are usually less expensive and taken as a group can give you a considerable volume of traffic.
Case in point, you run a tours company and wanted to rank high for the keyword Kenya safari. That particular keyword receives over 90,500 hits per month on international search.

plea deal to avoid death penalty agreed upon by Ariel Castro

Ariel Castro agreed Friday in an Ohio courtroom to a plea deal in one of the most sensational kidnapping cases in recent memory. The deal, reached with prosecutors, would let him avoid the possibility of a death sentence and spare his alleged victims from having to testify at a trial.

The plea deal recommends that he be sentenced to life in prison without parole -- that he never get a parole hearing. It would also mean that a trial Castro was facing on August 5 would not happen and he would not face the possibility of being sentenced to death. Judge Michael J. Russo went over the deal with Castro, and told him that he would be labeled as a sexual predator.

Castro replied that he understood. At one point, he interjected that he was "also a victim as a child" to which Russo responded that he could make whatever statement he wanted during the sentencing hearing. Russo also said that victims would be notified of the hearing and also would then have a chance to say what they liked.

Russo went through charges Castro faces reOver and over, Castro replied: "Guilty."lating to the allegations he held three women captive for a decade and asked him how he pleaded.

At another moment in the hearing, which lasted well over an hour, the judge asked Castro how good his English is.

Castro replied that he is good at spelling and reading but his comprehension is bad because "my addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has reall

An attorney for three women had told CNN that they were hoping for a plea deal because they did not want to take the stand at Castro's trial.

A law firm representing Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus, issued a statement after Castro agreed to a plea.

"Amanda, Gina, and Michelle are relieved by today's plea," according to Jones Day. "They are satisfied by this resolution to the case, and are looking forward to having these legal proceedings draw to a final close in the near future."

The women want to remain private and don't want to speak to media or others, the statement said, but they're grateful for the support they've received from family and friends and the Cleveland Courage Fund, which has helped raise money for them.

With help, women freed

Castro's defense attorneys had previously said they wanted a deal that would take capital punishment out of the equation.

Castro was charged with 977 counts, including aggravated murder on suspicion of ending the pregnancy of one of his alleged captives. Under the deal, he agreed to plead guilty to 937 counts.

Russo told Castro that the deal would mean he would go to prison for life, plus at least 1,000 years.

Earlier this month, the former bus driver had pleaded not guilty to the 977 charges. He was being held on $8 million bail.

At the close of Friday's hearing, Russo remanded Castro back into custody, and set a sentencing date for August 1.

Castro abducted Knight, Berry and DeJesus separately in a two-year period starting in 2002, according to authorities.

Ridiculous:Anambra infested with male sex workers

THERE was a startling revelation, yesterday, that males operate sex spots, just like females in AnambraState. Investigations by the Anambra State Aids Control Agency, SACA, showed that there are 618 female and 24 male sex spots in various parts of the state.
Director of SACA, Dr. Ogochukwu Ndibe, who gave the figures at a harmonization programme for international partners operating in the state, said there are 5920 female and over 500 male sex workers in the state.
On the average, there are 10 female sex workers and 5 male sex workers in a spot.
He said: “There are men who have sex with other men as a matter of preference or practice, regardless of their sexual identity or sexual orientation and irrespective of whether they also have sex with women or not.”
According to Ndibe, local governments where the male and female sex spots were prevalent include Awka South, Awka North, Ihiala, Onitsha South, Orumba North, Nnewi North, Onitsha North, Aguata, and Njikoka.
Anambra, with 7.8 per cent prevalence of HIV, is among the highest in the country, although Ndibe explained that with the support of the state government and the current interest and support of many international partners in the state, the rate of spread of HIV in the state would soon reduce.
He, however, said there was need for all levels of government and the communities to improve on direct funding of the HIV response to achieve the desired result as quickly as possible.

HIV test kits

In the meantime, he said the agency had procured and distributed HIV test kits to 107 health facilities in the 21 local government areas of the state, procured and distributed male and female condoms, computers and four SUV cars for easy movement to all the local government areas,
Chief of Staff to Governor Peter Obi, Professor Chinyere Okunna, who is also the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, is not amused at the disclosure.
According to Okunna, who is also coordinating the activities under the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, the state government cannot afford to toy with the intervention programmes of the development partners, recalling how difficult it was for Governor Obi to woo them back to the state when he assumed office in 2006.
She said: “When Governor Obi assumed office in 2006, no development partner was here. As he settled down, he went after the partners and gradually many of them started partnering with us and the voluntary agencies.”
“As a relatively poor state, we cannot achieve much without partnering with the donor agencies which bring money to match with our contribution to execute projects in all parts of the state. In other to ensure that these projects go round, there is need to avoid duplication in some communities as had been observed in the sitting of some projects.

GAY DIPLOMATS ARE NOT WELCOME IN NIGERIA

THE federal government has responded with near adequate conviction, the pressure by Western countries to impose the perverted culture of legalising homosexual lifestyles in Nigeria.

The two arms of the National Assembly have taken uncompromising stands, making a law prescribing a fourteen-year jail term for people caught, tried and sentenced for practising homosexual acts in Nigeria. Our President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has also made it clear that he would align with the feelings of the Nigerian people and its supreme legislature in ensuring that the law is implemented.

We are, however, worried at the half-heartedness with which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is handling the matter. The Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, while recently re-iterating Nigeria’s decision not to succumb to pressures from the West on this vexatious issue, however opened some windows of possibility and prospects for homosexuality in Nigeria.

First, he begged the West to be patient with Nigeria and allow this lifestyle to take root here and be accepted by the Nigerian people before it would be given a free rein. Second, he conceded that Nigeria would accept gay diplomats to serve in this country.

Our rejection of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) nonsense is total and unequivocal. It is rooted in our cultural, religious and social values as a people. It is taboo, abominable and repulsive. Therefore, we cannot afford to allow the moral fabric of our society to be so degraded by foreign cultures and pressures as to allow these evil acts to become acceptable here some time in the future.

We must also not allow countries that have accepted them to export their gay citizens to Nigeria and use their diplomatic cover to practise it here.

Since our people have chosen to shun gay lifestyle here, we must be uncompromising about it because the reasons adduced are cogent. Homosexualism is a virus that degrades the family and its values, corrupts human cohabitation and offends God. It eventually leads to social decline.

We are a country on the rise to our manifest destiny as Africa’s example to the world. We must get there with our values intact as every great society attempts to do.

The West will never allow a person who is a confirmed paedophile, for example, to work in their country even as a diplomat. If the West cannot be allowed to send such perverts to Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran, why should they be allowed here?

We say no to gay diplomats in Nigeria. Part of the screening we must conduct before accrediting diplomats to represent their countries here should include checking their sexuality record. We say no, and we mean no!

11-yr-old maid set ablaze over piece of meat

Policemen at Bode Thomas division of Lagos State command, Tuesday, arrested a woman who allegedly set her 11-year-old house maid ablaze in Surulere area of Lagos, for stealing a piece of meat from her pot of soup.

The maid identified as Ita Bassey-Eno who reportedly escaped death by the whiskers, is currently at the Burns and Trauma Centre of the Gbadaga General Hospital, with doctors battling to save her life.
The victim, Ita Bassey-Eno on her hospital bed....

The victim, Ita Bassey-Eno on her hospital bed….

Although her mistress, a staff nurse at an undisclosed hospital in Surulere, Mrs Nkese Iroakazi, reportedly denied the allegation at the police station, the ailing girl was said to have managed to state that she allegedly poured kerosene on her before striking a stick of matches to set her on fire.

The incident, as gathered, occurred last Saturday at 7, Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, after Ita rushed out of the apartment with fire on her, apparently in an attempt to plunge into a gutter. Unfortunately, she reportedly fell before she could get to the gutter.

One of the residents was said to have succeeded in putting out the fire with the aid of a fire extinguisher, before she was rushed to the hospital.

Eyewitness account

A resident who simply identified herself as Morakinyo told Vanguard: “I was just alighting from the bus when I saw people gathered in front of the building. When I got there, I saw Ita whom we all call Eno on the floor. Then, the flame had been put out.

“Two men who attempted to carry her into a car could not because the skin at that time had peeled off. They had to get a slab, placed her on it and rushed her to the hospital. From what I gathered, the girl has spent barely one month in Lagos before the incident.

“She was brought from her village in Akwa Ibom State last month alongside another girl called Happiness. Since then, we have not seen either of them going to school.

“We heard that while Happiness was in the sitting room, there was a cry from Ita in the kitchen and before she (Happiness) knew what was happening, Ita rushed out of the kitchen and straight to the road shouting for help.

“How could someone who has children of her own treat another’s like this? It was even the residents that alerted policemen who came to pick Mrs Iroakazi.”

95% burns

When Vanguard visited the hospital, Tuesday, a doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity expressed fear about the victim’s condition, revealing that she suffered 95 per cent burns.

“It will take a miracle for her to survive. In any case, we are trying all we can to ensure she gets back on her feet. That will entail some surgeries because her private part was badly damaged.

“Currently, she wears pampers and that area needs immediate surgery after the injuries would have healed.”

Ita was sighted with bandage all over her body, except her face and feet. When a nurse approached her to administer the day’s treatment, she groaned in pains.

As at 3 p.m yesterday, police sources told Vanguard that the suspect would be transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba for further investigation.

BLAST IN KANO

A series of loud explosions rocked Nigeria’s second city of Kano on Monday, residents said, describing at least four blasts in the Sabon Gari neighbourhood, which has been previously targetted by Boko Haram Islamists.

“There is confusion all over the place. There were four huge explosions, so huge that they shook the whole area. Everywhere is enveloped in smoke and dust,” said Chinyere Madu, a fruit vendor.

The blasts were said to have targetted Enugu street in Sabon Gari, a strip filled with outdoor bars and eateries.

Resident Kola Oyebanji said he believed “beer parlours” were the target.

“My house is not far from there,” he told AFP. “All my windows are shattered.”

Kano is the largest city in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north, but Sabon Gari is a mostly Christian neighbourhood.

The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear, with police and emergency officials in Kano not available to comment.

Boko Haram, the extremist group which has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, was blamed for coordinated suicide blasts at a bus park in Sabon Gari in March that killed at least 22 people.

5 FEARED DEAD IN TARABA ATTACK

Five persons were killed yesterday in Tapga Village of Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba state when armed militia group from the neighbouring Tarok Village of Plateau state attacked the Taraba village.

It was gathered that many others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the attack while others were forced to desert Tapga village. The injured were said to have been taken to some clinics in Wukari and Ibi towns for treatment. It could not however be ascertained the reason for the attack.

According to eye-witnesses, some of the refugees are taking refuge in Jibo -a settlement of Wukari.

Chairman of Ibi council Adamu Ishaku, who confirmed the attack and killing to newsmen, said “the attackers took my people unaware”.

Ishaku said the attackers had planned to invade Sarki-Kudu village of his council but they couldn’t succeed before “they ended up lunching the attack on the unsuspecting residents of Tapga,”

Ishaku however gave the casualty figure at three while eye-witnesses said the death toll rose to five as at press time.

Our source added that the fate of little children and women left behind was still unknown.

The Ibi chairman said security in parts of Ibi has been porous especially at the coastal and border areas.

HEAVY BABY BORN IN GERMANY

One of the heaviest babies ever born in Germany was born last week at the University Hospital Leipzig

The baby girl, Jasleen, weighed a whopping 13.47 pounds and measured nearly 23 inches long.

She was born vaginally, not via a C-section, according to a hospital statement.

"We anticipated that the child would be big," said Holger Stepan, chief of obstetrics. "We prepared in advance by assembling a special team (of doctors and midwives) to be ready for any possible complications."

He said he'd never before helped in the birth of such a heavy baby.

The girl's mother suffered from gestational diabetes, which, when untreated or uncontrolled, can cause babies to be born larger than normal.

Her condition was not discovered until the mother checked herself into the hospital while in labor. She had not previously been a patient there.

The hospital said both mother and child are well.

According to the website for Guinness World Records, the heaviest baby -- weighing in at more than 23 pounds -- was born in Seville, Ohio, on January 19, 1879. He died 11 hours later.

Micheal jacksons estate consultant helps AEG Live's defense

A lawyer for micheal jacksons estates gave an entertainment industry consultant permission to help AEG Live in its defense of the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the pop singer's mother, the expert testified.

The revelation was a surprise to Katherine Jackson, who was sitting in court Tuesday listening to the expert testify that he believed her son would not have earned any money even if he had not died of a propofol overdose.

If jurors decide AEG Live is liable in Jackson's death, testimony by Eric Briggs -- whose company billed the concert promoter $700,000 to prepare his opinion -- could be used to determine how much in damages the company would have to pay to Michael Jackson's mother and three children.

Briggs, however, previously consulted for the Jackson estate in determining a value of it's biggest asset -- the Sony-ATV music catalog that includes the Beatles songs. He testified that before he signed a contract to serve as an expert in AEG Live's defense he sought and gained permission from the Jackson estate lawyer Jeryll Cohen to waive any potential conflict of interest.

"She (Cohen) was well aware of everything that was going on," Briggs testified

A spokesman for the Michael Jackson estate was unaware of the circumstances or reasons why the estate would approve the waiver that could be counter to the interests of its beneficiaries -- Jackson's mother and three children.

An entertainment industry analyst hired by Jackson lawyers testified he was "reasonably certain" Jackson would have earned $1.5 billion from touring before retiring if he had not died while preparing for his comeback concerts in 2009.

Briggs testified that it was "speculative" that Jackson would have even completed the 50 "This Is It" concerts that AEG Live had already sold out in London.

Briggs said that based on what he'd learned from testimony in the case, he believed that Jackson would have died before the first show -- even if he had not suffered the fatal overdose of a surgical anesthetic on June 25, 2009. He cited the testimony of a doctor who said that Jackson would have been dead within a week if he remained under the care of Dr. Conrad Murray.

The Jackson lawsuit contends AEG Live is liable in Jackson's death because it negligently hired, retained or supervised Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the pop icon's death.

The Erk opinion included $300 million that he estimated Jackson would have earned from endorsements and sponsorships. But Briggs testified that "significantly negative headlines, drug abuse and other issues" had ruined Jackson's ability to earn endorsement and sponsorship money.

"Q score" data for Jackson, which measures his "likability," became dramatically negative by 2006 -- a year after he was acquitted in a child molestation trial, he testified. More than seven people said they disliked Jackson for every one who said they liked him, he said. Companies would be "very anxious" about putting someone with such a negative "likability" next to their products, he said.

One issue hurting Jackson's endorsement deal potential was his financial debt, estimated to be $400 million at the time of his death, Briggs said.

But Jackson lawyer Brian Panish asked Briggs if he considered that Jackson's assets -- most notably the Sony-ATV catalogue -- were greater than his debts.

Briggs stuttered on the witness stand, saying he was reluctant to discuss Jackson's assets because of a client confidentiality issue. He eventually acknowledged that he had worked for the Jackson estate as a consultant analyzing the value of the music catalog. He signed a confidentiality agreement with the estate, which he said prevented him from discussing it.

His company did, however, clear his participation in the wrongful death case with a Jackson estate lawyer before he agreed to be an expert for AEG Live, he said.

Briggs also said AEG Live lawyers were aware of the potential conflict before hiring him and had no problem with it.

Wednesday is the 60th day of testimony in the trial, which began 14 weeks ago in a Los Angeles County court. The judge told jurors she expects testimony to conclude in mid-September.

WEDDING TURNED FUNERAL

Wedding plans have turned to funeral arrangements as New York authorities try to piece together what went wrong in a horrific weekend boating accident that killed a bride-to-be and best man.

"We're looking into every single thing," Rockland County, New York, Sheriff Louis Falco said. "What we're going to do is bring in an accident reconstruction team."

Lindsey Stewart and Brian Bond were planning to marry on August 10.

Mark Lennon, who was to have been the best man in the wedding party, and Stewart disappeared late Friday when a 21-foot Stingray power boat they were passengers on slammed into one of three construction barges strapped together near the Tappan Zee Bridge, 25 miles north of Manhattan.

Stewart and Lennon were thrown from the boat.

Stweart's body was recovered Saturday. But the search for Lennon continued until Sunday morning when a jet skier called police to report a body in the river. Investigators are working to positively identify the body.

It was supposed to be a short boat ride up the Hudson River from the village of Piermont in Rockland County to Tarrytown.

The couple had just dined at a restaurant with friends when Stewart and Bond boarded the power boat, along with three friends.

What went wrong?

Potential alcohol use and poor lighting are key points of interest as authorities look into the deadly crash.

The barge the power boat crashed into had been anchored in the river since April, according to Robert Van Cura, undersheriff of the Rockland County Sheriff's Office.

"The barge had some lights on it; whether or not it was properly lighted is part of the investigation," Van Cura said.

"On a clear, moonlit night, with the bridge lights on, you can see pretty well," said Tom Sobolik in a telephone interview from aboard his sailboat near the accident site.

The moon was last full on Monday.

But Craig and Celeste Kmiecik said they were boating in the area Friday night, and it was dark.

"There was a moon last night, but you really can't see anything," said Craig Kmiecik.

"The barge was not lit up," said Celeste Kmiecik. "We saw that last night coming back to the marina."

Another area resident, Anthony Fowler, said having barges on the waterway were an accident waiting to happen.

"If you put an immovable object that's dark in the path of recreational boaters, you have a recipe for disaster."

Boat operator arrested

Meanwhile, boat operator Jojo K. John, 35, has been arrested.

"We have probable cause to believe that he operated the boat while intoxicated," Van Cura said.

John was arraigned at an area hospital on one count of first-degree vehicular manslaughter and three counts of second-degree vehicular assault. More charges are possible, Van Cura said.

John, along with the others who were not thrown from the boat, all suffered head injuries.

'In no condition to talk'

Bond, the groom, was hospitalized at Westchester Medical Center, said Stewart's stepfather Walter Kosik, who visited him Saturday. "He was in no condition to talk."

A spokesman for the medical center said Bond was in fair condition, with serious head injuries. He was the one who called 911 from the boat, reporting the accident.

For the families, the tragedy was magnified by the pending nuptials.

"She's supposed to be married two weeks from today," said Carol Stewart about her daughter. "It just can't end like this.

MAN MISTAKEN SHOT BY SHERIFF

DEPUTIES

SOURCE:CNN

A Florida sheriff says an unarmed man -- mistaken for a car thief and shot by deputies in his own driveway -- is both.

He refused to obey commands and lunged at the deputies who fired their weapons 15 times to subdue him, they say.

Roy Middleton, 60, was hit by two of those rounds in his legs. He is in good condition at a Pensacola hospital after a metal rod was placed inside his shattered left leg.

"The tragedy of this is the noncompliance to the directions of law enforcement officers," said Sheriff David Morgan of Escambia County, Florida. "Had that occurred we wouldn't be having this discussion. It's a tragedy all the way around. He is both a suspect and a victim."

'Like a firing squad'

The bizarre story started Saturday around 2:30 a.m. as Middleton was returning home.

Searching for a cigarette inside his White Lincoln Town Car, he appears to have been mistaken for a car thief by a concerned neighbor who called 911. Escambia County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah Meeks and Sgt. Matthew White responded to the call.

This is where the story takes a fork in the road.

Middleton's family said he was not feeling well enough to discuss what happened to him.

But earlier this week, he told the Pensacola News Journal that he first thought someone was joking when they yelled at him to, "Get your hands where I can see them."

He said that as he was turning around to face deputies with his hands raised, they opened fire.

"It was like a firing squad. Bullets were flying everywhere," he told the News Journal.

Deputies feared for their lives

But the deputies involved told a different story.

Meeks fired 12 shots and White fired three times, authorities said. They are now on paid administrative leave. Five of the bullets hit the White Town car, which was parked under a carport in a dark area of the property.

The deputies were in fear for their own safety, according to the sheriff.

"He came out of the car with more of a lunging motion coming out of the car, and the deputies were standing behind him and he had what appeared to be a metallic object in his hand," Sheriff David Morgan said.

Not buying it

But Middleton's family doesn't believe that story. His mother, Ceola Walker, 77, told CNN that her son was holding his car keys with a small flashlight on the key chain. She does not believe he lunged at deputies.

"I don't believe that. He said he didn't. I don't believe that," she said.

She says her son is incredibly lucky.

"They could have hit his upper body, but they didn't ....God just shielded him. I know he did, cause they was trying to kill him," she said.

Andre Lauzon, who lives next door and witnessed the incident, said it lasted less than 30 seconds.

Deafening gunfire

He was out smoking a cigarette on his front lawn when the deputies arrived, he said. His view was obscured by darkness, and at one point he lost sight of Middleton.

But the sound of gunfire, he said, was deafening.

"I'm very surprised that all they did was hit him in the leg," he said.

Timeline, lab analysis

Lauzon says his neighbor may have had trouble getting down to the ground because he was standing between his car and the wall of the carport.

"I don't have any doubt -- even not being able to see what was going on -- that he was complying with them," he told CNN. " Maybe not in the time frame that the officer was looking for -- but it seemed he was complying."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation at the request of the Sheriff's Office.

"FDLE investigators are developing a timeline and conducting interviews and crime laboratory scientists are conducting lab analysis," Gretl Plessinger, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in a statement. "Once our investigation is complete, FDLE will provide the case to the state attorney's office. The state attorney will determine whether or not any laws were broken.

Walker said her son takes pain medication for a bad back. The investigation will determine whether that played a role in the incident.

"The message to the public is this was a tragedy," Morgan said. "And it was a tragedy because we had an individual, a citizen, who for whatever reason, either impairment due to alcohol or drugs, or just taking it upon himself not to be compliant to following basic direct orders."

But his mother disputes the sheriff's theory that her son was a suspect and a victim at the same time.

"How can you be a suspect and a victim at your own house? In your own yard, in your own car?" Walker asked.

APC COMES ALIVE IN NIGERIA

NIGERIA

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated Nigerians on the emergence of the new party, saying with the birth of APC, Nigerians now have an alternative to a ruling party that has taken the people for a bad ride in the past 14 years.

In a statement issued by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Lagos on Wednesday, APC said its emergence is a victory for Nigeria and for democracy, and that it has now also propelled the country to the league of top democratic nations with two major political parties.

”The journey has been long and tortuous. All sorts of obstacles were thrown into our path by anti-democratic forces, but we were painstaking, determined and unrelenting in our quest for a formidable platform that will allow our country, Nigeria, to achieve her full potentials and join the league of respectable nations.

”With the approval of our merger by INEC and the emergence of APC, today marks the beginning of a new dawn for our country and her long-suffering people. We thank Nigerians both here and in the Diaspora for standing by us. We thank the media for their fairness, and we commend INEC for doing the right thing and for not succumbing to pressures from phantom
political associations that sought to force it to circumvent the law.

”We promise not to disappoint Nigerians who have reposed much confidence in us. We say that contrary to the lies being peddled by the naysayers, we are not seeking political power for the sake of getting it, but in order to use it to empower our people and allow their long-nursed hopes and dreams to become a reality.

”And to those who have vowed to change their names if APC survives for a year, we hope they will live up to their words,” it said.

APC said Nigerians can now look forward to a truly democratic party in the best traditions of what the world considers as the best form of government.

The party promised to unveil, in the days ahead, its membership registration plans to give all Nigerians, especially those who have become disenchanted with the way things are going in the country, the much-awaited opportunity to be part of the country’s democratic process in the true sense of the word.

”We will also be unveiling our plans to turn today’s hopelessness into a time of great opportunities, to reverse the downward slide in our socio-economic development, and to ensure that every Nigerian benefits from the commonwealth, instead of the present situation in which a few fat cats are milking the system dry at the expense of the citizenry,” APC said

EU TAKES TOES IN EGYPT

Egypt's factions must find a way to bridge their differences and pave the way for a political solution that involves all sides if the country is to leave its current chaos behind, the European Union's top diplomat said Tuesday.

"Only an inclusive process will work," EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton told reporters Tuesday after visiting with the country's deposed president, current leaders, Muslim Brotherhood members and others during a brief trip.

"And though I recognize that is challenging, it is really important to begin now," she said.

Egypt has suffered from sporadic violence since the July 3 military coup that removed President Mohamed Morsy from power on the heels of mass protests against his rule. He is being held at an undisclosed military facility on a variety of criminal charges.

Most recently, violent clashes between security forces and protesters in Cairo on Saturday left dozens of Morsy supporters dead, and officials have threatened to disband a sit-in of the former president's supporters -- an act that could spur yet more bloodshed.

Several Egyptian human rights groups demanded in a statement released Tuesday that Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim resign over the Saturday incident and demanded that government forces refrain from further violence.

"The Egyptian security forces' recurrent use of excessive, lethal violence in the face of political protest will only exacerbate the political ills that led Egyptian society to rebel against the policies of Mubarak, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and the Muslim Brotherhood," according to the statement, which was signed by 10 human rights, womens' and legal organizations.

From CNN correspondent: Egypt's revolution of the mind

Speaking at a news conference with Ashton, Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei said he agrees with Ashton's call for a non-violent approach that includes the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups in a political solution.

"I want to emphasize again that our immediate priority, as we shared with Lady Ashton, is to stop violence in all its forms and shapes and try every possible way to find a peaceful solution," he told reporters. "Violence is not a solution. It opens new wounds. It doesn't heal old wounds."

Muslim Brotherhood officials said on the group's website that they will continue protesting until Morsy is restored to office.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan up by nearly a quarter, U.N. says

A wounded Afghan boy receives treatment at a local hospital after Taliban attack in Farah province on April 4, 2013.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan increased 23% in the first six months of this year, the United Nations said in a report released Wednesday.

The rise in the number of ordinary Afghans killed and injured reverses a decline in 2012. That was the first drop in civilian casualties since the U.N. began publishing the figures in 2007.

The increase in deaths and injuries so far this year was mainly driven by the stepped up use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its report.

Civilian deaths increased 14% from the first six months of 2012 to 1,319, the report said, while injuries rose 28% to 2,533.

"The violent impact of the conflict on Afghan civilians marked by the return of rising civilian casualties in 2013 demands even greater commitment and further efforts by parties to the conflict to better protect civilians who are increasingly being killed and injured in the cross-fire," said Jan Kubis, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan.

Nearly three-quarters of all civilian casualties in the first half of the year resulted from actions by anti-government groups, notably the Taliban, the U.N. report found.

The remainder were caused by pro-government forces (9%), ground engagements between pro- and anti-government forces (12%) and unattributed factors like unexploded ordnance (5%).

The report singled out the devastating effect of the use of IEDs, which caused 35% of deaths and injuries. The devices killed 443 civilians and injured 917. That's a 34% increase in overall casualties from the first half of 2012.

"The increase in the indiscriminate use of IEDs and the deliberate targeting of civilians by anti-government elements is particularly alarming and must stop," Kubis said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan welcomed the report, saying it had taken "a number of positive steps to reduce the number of civilian casualties in this country."

But the Taliban criticized the report, saying it was "in favor of Americans and part of the propaganda against the Taliban

Al Qaeda's kinder, gentler image makeover

Al Nusra fighters stand ready to fight Syrian regime forces near Aleppo in April. Al Nusra has pledged allegiance to al Qaeda.An al Qaeda-produced video posted on a website in early July opens with uplifting images of smiling Syrian children and jovial old men listening to speeches delivered by al Qaeda militants.

The video seems startlingly out of place on a website usually devoted to serious young men learning to fire machine guns, bloodshed and graphic images of civilian casualties purportedly caused by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Instead, the video, featured on a site aligned with al Qaeda, shows a Jordanian member of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria insisting that his group's poor image is just a myth propagated by Western media. He says: "The international channels try to twist the picture and portray the mujahedeen as bloodthirsty, as distanced from the people -- that they reject the people and don't love them." As the Jordanian militant speaks, young Syrian boys crowd around him

Al Qaeda-affiliated fighters have set up "Advocacy Tents" in Syria's largest city, Aleppo, where the jihadists can "educate the people on our point of view."

In another apparent attempt to soften its image, al Qaeda members in Syria held something akin to a town fair. Another al Qaeda video produced in Syria surfaced online in July, this one showing an al Qaeda-organized ice cream-eating contest in Aleppo.

Around the same time, an Arabic-language news outlet, Aleppo News, published a video of a tug-of-war between members of the two al Qaeda-affiliated rebel groups fighting in Syria. In the video, crowds of young boys and older men cheer on the members of al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda and its regional franchises understand they need to try to win the "heart and minds" of the local population; something they have generally failed to do in the past and something that the leaders of these groups have come to understand is a major problem.

In documents recovered in Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, bin Laden and his top advisers privately criticized the brutal tactics of al Qaeda in Iraq, which had provoked a tribal uprising known as "the Sunni Awakening" that almost destroyed al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate in 2006 and 2007.

Now, al Qaeda in Iraq and in neighboring Syria are experiencing a revival, a revival at least somewhat fueled by al Qaeda learning from some of the mistakes it made during the previous decade in Iraq.

This is significant because al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, al Nusra, is widely considered to be the most effective rebel force fighting the Assad regime, and the group pledged allegiance to the leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in April.

But videos of al Qaeda militants playing tug-of-war or joking with members of the local community are hardly signs of moderation.

Al Qaeda's Syrian branch releases lengthy and passionate sermons dedicated to denouncing Shi'a Muslims as apostates who should be killed.

And although some al Qaeda fighters in Syria might be engaging the public with ice cream, games and conversation, their colleagues in neighboring Iraq continue to launch bloody attacks on civilians.

On Monday, at least 50 people were killed in 15 separate car bomb attacks in Baghdad. Many of those bombings are believed be the work of al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate.

In all likelihood, al Qaeda and its allied groups are doing too little, too late, in their quest to win the public's hearts and minds.

The group's senior leaders recognized the dangers of killing too many Muslim civilians as far back as 2005, when Zawahiri reprimanded the founder of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, for alienating the Iraqi people with indiscriminate violence.

And the majority of Muslims around the world reject violence in the name of Islam, particularly in the form of suicide bombings. This is unsurprising, given that al Qaeda's violence has primarily claimed Muslim lives.

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BLAST IN KANO

5 FEARED DEAD IN TARABA ATTACK

WEDDING TURNED FUNERAL

NIGERIA

EU TAKES TOES IN EGYPT

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan up by nearly a quarter, U.N. says

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan up by nearly a quarter, U.N. says

Al Qaeda's kinder, gentler image makeover

Al Qaeda's kinder, gentler image makeover

FINALLY, APC EVOLVES IN NIGERIA

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