Merkel: Refugees Must Go Home After Wars End

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a news conference at the Chancellery in Berlin January 29.Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

NEUBRANDENBURG, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday tried to placate the increasingly vocal critics of her open-door policy for refugees, insisting that asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq would go home once the conflicts there had ended.

Merkel, despite appearing increasingly isolated over her policy, has resisted pressure from some conservatives to cap the influx of refugees, or to close Germany's borders. A record 1.1 million migrants arrived in Germany last year.

But growing concern about the country's ability to cope and worries about crime and security after assaults on women are weighing on support for Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

Merkel said that despite efforts to integrate refugees and help them, it was important to stress that they had only been given permission to stay for a limited period of time.

"We need...to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that once there is peace in Syria again, once IS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained," she said at a meeting of CDU members in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

She said 70 percent of refugees that fled to Germany from the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s had returned to their home countries.

Her remarks come after Horst Seehofer, leader of the CSU, threatened to take her government to court if his demand to stem the flow of asylum seekers was not met.

Support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has edged up into double digits. Its leader said in an interview published on Saturday that border guards should shoot at refugees to prevent them from illegally entering the country if need be.

Merkel has tried to convince other European countries to take in quotas of refugees, pushed for reception centers to be built on Europe's external borders, and led an EU campaign to try to convince Turkey to keep refugees from entering the bloc.

But progress has been slow.

Germany wants to limit migration from North Africa by declaring Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia "safe countries," which would end their citizens' chance of being granted asylum.

Merkel said she had spoken to Morocco's king and that Morocco had said it was prepared to take back people from that country.

Children Abused by EU Troops in Central African Republic: U.N.

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur patrols in the Philippine Sea in this file photo. The destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea on January 30.U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Declan Barnes/Handout via Reuters

WASHINGTON/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea on Saturday to counter efforts to limit freedom of navigation, the Pentagon said.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said no ships from China's military were in the vicinity of the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur when it passed near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands.

"This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants—China, Taiwan and Vietnam—to restrict navigation rights and freedoms," Davis said, reflecting the U.S. position that the crucial sea lane should be treated as international waters.

The Navy conducted a similar exercise in October in which the guided-missile destroyer Lassen sailed close to one of China's manmade islands, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.

Davis said the latest operation sought to challenge policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas. He said the United States took no position on competing sovereignty claims to naturally formed land features in the South China Sea.

"No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law," Davis said.

The Chinese foreign ministry responded Saturday evening with a statement on its website condemning the action.

"The American warship has violated relevant Chinese laws by entering Chinese territorial waters without prior permission, and the Chinese side has taken relevant measures including monitoring and admonishments," China's foreign ministry said in a statement.

China's defense ministry followed up later Saturday night with a far more forceful statement on its website, calling the American action "intentionally provocative" and "irresponsible and extremely dangerous."
The ministry also said that Chinese navy vessels had immediately taken responsive action, conducted identification checks and promptly gave warnings for the ship to keep its distance.

"Regardless of whatever provocative steps the American side takes, China's military will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and security," the ministry statement concluded.
The operation followed calls in Congress for the Obama administration to follow up on the October operation.

This month, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee criticized Obama for delaying further freedom of navigation patrols.

He said that allowed China to continue to pursue its territorial ambitions in the region, including by landing a plane on a manmade island in the Spratly Islands archipelago.

SOKOTO : MAN BEHEADED FOR FLYING BIAFRAN FLAG BY HAUSAS

SOKOTO : MAN BEHEADED FOR FLYING BIAFRAN FLAG BY HAUSAS
 
Disturbing report coming in from Sokoto in northern Nigeria has it that an Igbo man was today beheaded by the Hausa Fulani ethnic groups of Nigeria in northern Nigeria for flying the biafran flag. This is are some of the reasons biafrans are asking for a separate state from Nigeria because their freedom and existence cannot be guaranteed in Nigeria. More details coming soon.

Nigerian Men Rush To Eritrean Embassy For Visa Over Compulsory Two Wives Tale

Nigerian Men Rush To Eritrean Embassy For Visa Over Compulsory Two Wives Tale

A recent juicy faboo tale on Punch, SaharaReporters, Vanguard and other Nigerian mainstream media of a mufti who wished for laws that made it compulsory to have two wives or face jail has sparked a “visa rush” in Nigeria as men of all walks of life have been cramming the Eritrean embassy in Kano for Visas.

Eritrea, the Grand Mufti, the highest religious authority in the country, declared that every man must marry two women or face a jail sentence. The declaration was leaked last Thursday on several social media platforms. The Eritrean government will compensate Eritrean men for the marriage ceremonies and houses.  SaharaReporters’ juicy tale.

The fabulous hoax story appears to have first originated from a post in Punch that referenced a misread article in Afkinsider.com.
The form below filled by this handsome young man was filled with “marriage” as the reason for application.

Heavy gun battle between army and BH in Maiduguri (Happening Now)

– Eplosions and gunfire have rocked Maiduguri
– Nigerian troops are battling suspected Boko Haram terrorists
– A civilian Joint Task Force confirmed the attack

The Nigerian troops are said to be battling suspected Boko Haram terrorists as

explosions and gunfire have been heard in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

According to Sahara Reporters, the insurgent have been attacking Dailori and Walonri villages, on outskirts of Maiduguri, since 7:23 pm.

Some student of the University of Maiduguri residing at 202 Housing Estate are now running for their lives as the conflict rages.

Speaking with journalists, Hauwa Ba’na, a 300 level of political science student, said: ”We are crying in our hostel because the explosions are loud and everyone is panicking.”

Confirming the attack, a civilian Joint Task Force said: ”We are under attack by Boko Haram. There is heavy fighting with military in Dalori and Wanori.”

Lecturer Dr Danfulani Arrested For Criticizing Buhari On Facebook Denied Bail

Chief magistrate Court 1, Kaduna, has denied Dr John Danfulani bail after being detained by the police for over 24 hours.

Danfulani, a lecturer with the Kaduna State University, KASU, is being held for alleged inciting and hateful statements in the social media against the people of northern Nigeria, thereby, capable of causing breakdown of law and order in northern Nigeria and other parts of the country. This is contrary to section 417 and 418 of the penal code of northern Nigeria.

The magistrate, Alhaji Awwal Musa while presiding over the case, said that the police was empowered to protect, investigate and carry out the duty assigned to them, hence the court cannot deny them their power.

He argued that the police had not finished their investigation yet, and as such, Dr Danfulani be remanded in police custody. He also said that further investigation must be concluded in the matter latest by Monday, 1st February, 2016.

Earlier, Barrister Gamaliel Kore, leading other six defending counsels sought for the bail of the accused person, saying that the case was bailable, and as a responsible lecturer, he would not jump bail.

He argued that the accused was invited by the police which he voluntarily honoured even when he was away in foreign country, stressing that if granted bail, he will always be available to stand trial.

The prosecuting officer had prayed that the court should not grant the accused person bail but should be remanded in police custody for three weeks to allow full investigation into the matter without any interference.

Danfulani, who was detained over an alleged Facebook comment is said to be a known critic of the government of Mallam Nasir El Rufai. Below is a screen shot of the post that allegedly got him arrested and detained.

Zika Virus: 7 Things You Need To Know About The Deadly Viral Infection

Lately, the mosquito-borne Zika virus has become a global emergency and a subject of global concern, even as the World Health Organization has projected that up to 4 million people may be affected in the ongoing outbreak. As of today, cases of the viral infection have been reported in 23 countries across the Central and South America. In fact, latest statistics revealed that 36 people in the United States, including 4 pregnant women have been diagnosed with Zika virus infection. Highlighted below are answers to some of the questions you may want to ask about the Zika virus:

1. What is Zika Virus?
It is a mosquito-borne virus first identified in 1947 among Rhesus monkeys in Uganda. About five years later, Zikavirus was identified in humans in Uganda and Tanzania. Since then, outbreaks of the virus have been recorded in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. This virus belongs to the flavivirus genre where Yellow Fever and Dengue also belong.

2. How is Zika Virus transmitted?
So far, it has been established that Zika virus is mosquito-borne. It is usually transmitted to people when they get bitten by an infected mosquito of the Aedes genus, especially Aedesaegyptii, the same mosquito implicated in the transmission of Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever and Chikungunya. Unlike the female Anopheles mosquito which transmits malaria, Aedes mosquito has been described as a daytime mosquito because it usually bites during the morning and evening hours.

3. How can one know if one has Zika Virus?
Although the time of exposure to onset of symptoms (incubation period) is yet unclear for Zika virus, experts have said it is likely to be a few days. The infected individual may experience mild symptoms of fever, skin rashes, muscle and joint pains, headache, malaise and red eyes. Note, however, that only about 20% of infected individuals will show symptoms which typically last for 2 – 7 days.

. Can Zika Virus wreak any havoc?
Intensive research is still ongoing to establish a definite link between Zika virus infection in pregnant women and babies born with small heads (microcephaly). In Brazil which is the worst hit by the current outbreak, more than 4000 children have been diagnosed with microcephaly – a condition where a baby is born with an abnormally small head and by implication, a small brain. Such a baby will most likely experience delays in achieving developmental milestones as well as possible mental retardation in future. In the same vein, the current Zika virus outbreak has been linked with a higher number of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare paralysis syndrome that may occur after some viral or bacterial infections.

5. How is Zika Virus diagnosed?
A highly sensitive and specific method employed in the diagnosis of Zika virus is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which is based on a process that produces multiple copies of the viral DNA. Since the virus can easily cross-react with similar flaviviruses such as Dengue and Yellow Fever, serological diagnosis is not reliable since it can lead to false-positive results.

6. Can Zika Virus be treated?
Currently, no drug treatment or vaccine has been discovered for Zika virus. However, since the symptoms are often mild, supportive treatment will often suffice such as drinking plenty fluids for adequate hydration, pain relief, bed rest and control of fever.

7. Can Zika Virus be prevented?
Yes, Zika virus infection is preventable by eliminating potential sources of the Aedes mosquito and preventing contact between the mosquito and people. How can this be achieved? By clearing your environment of potential breeding sites such as stagnant water or overgrown bushes, use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, use of insect repellant creams, putting on clothes that cover as much of the body as possible since the Zika virus often bites during the day. In combating this menace, Brazil has now deployed thousands of workers to scour her cities for mosquito breeding grounds while also fumigating those areas and educating residents on the dangers of still and stagnant water where the female Aedes mosquitoes lay their eggs.