UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA SET FOR WAR...

The United States speaks of teaching Syria a lesson to hold it accountable for what it claims is chemical weapons use by the administration of Bashar al-Assad. Why isn’t there a case for America to be held accountable for the WMD’s it has used in over half a century? Absolutely. Leave it to the United States to utter such a completely hypocritical statement that another country another power has to be held accountable for using the same kinds of weapons or being accused of using the same kinds of weapons that the United States has literally been using now for 20 years; and not just the United States, but Israel as well.

Where are all the tears for the children of Gaza who were incinerated with banned weapons, just as Barack Obama stated in one of his recent press conferences, that the presidency of Bashar al-Assad has used banned weapons?

Where are all these tears, where are all these war preparation to be used against Israel for what Israel did during Operation Cast Lead where it killed several hundred children - it incinerated them with banned white phosphorous. So, as I said, leave it to the United States to utter such a hypocritical statement and to maintain such a hypocritical position as this.

Well, the proof is the same proof I suppose that Saddam Hussein was constructing weapons of mass destruction. It’s the kind of proof that they come up with in their own minds in order to justify their war crimes. There will be no such proof. I think back to the time when then Secretary of State Colin Powell went before the United Nations and gave this ridiculous presentation showing these supposed mobile chemical weapons factories that later were proved to be an absolute lie.

That in itself was a war crime the fact that the United States went before the world body and made this case based upon lies that resulted in millions of people being killed.

So we’ll never see the proof if anything happens. This is the way that the West works; this is the way that Israel works, “By way of deception we shall do war”.

 In light of the fact that the US Congress might approve another war, on Syria, what will the consequences be of an illegal war, which the UN says if it happens without a UN mandate it will be illegal - what will be the consequences of such a war?

We would brand ourselves as a completely lawless state that has no respect whatsoever for any law international or whatever; but I would not withdraw the possibility that indeed the Congress will not approve this and Barak Obama will not go to war.

I realize at this time this sounds like a crazy thing when we look at all of the build up to war, but it is entirely possible that this thing has been ‘ginned up’ deliberately so that Barack Obama would be able to make for himself an easy exit out of a very difficult situation.

Look, we are staring down the barrel here against the Russians. It’s very possible that this thing, if it continues in Syria the way that it has been, that we could find ourselves going to war against Russia.

I think Barack Obama is looking for an out and I think it is entirely possible that the jig is up i.e. it’s already been arranged that there will be no attack on Syria and that Obama may go before the world body and more importantly before Benyamin Netanyahu and to say, look we tried, but the rule of law has spoken here and I cannot engage in military activities outside of a Congressional declaration of war. So, I wouldn’t leave this out of the possibility, there is still hope. I think that what is going to happen is that Congress is going to have to say ‘no’ to this at which point Obama will have his exit in this very difficult situation where he will be able to go not just in front of the American people, but in front of the entire world and more importantly in front of Benyamin Netanyahu and to say well we tried, but the rule of law has spoken and I think if Congress does not give him the authorization that he appears to be desiring that I don’t think that there will be any attacks on Syria.

HOW TELLING LIES CAN AFFECT YOUR RESPONSE TO TEXT MESSAGES...

Ever been trading a flurry of text messages when there’s an awkward pause? Well, a new research says you probably should be suspicious, Cellular-news reported.

A Brigham Young University study finds that when people lie in digital messages — texting, social media or instant messaging – they take longer to respond, make more edits and write shorter responses than usual.

“Digital conversations are a fertile ground for deception because people can easily conceal their identity and their messages often appear credible,” says Tom Meservy, BYU professor of Information Systems.

“Unfortunately, humans are terrible at detecting deception. We’re creating methods to correct that,” he says.

According to Meservy, humans can detect lies about 54 per cent of the time accurately – not much better than a coin flip.

It’s even harder to tell when someone is lying through a digital message because you can’t hear a voice or see an expression.

With the many financial, security and personal safety implications of digital deception, Meservy and fellow BYU professor, Jeffrey Jenkins, along with colleagues at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Arizona, set up an experimental instrument that tracked possible cues of online lying.

The researchers created a computer program that carried out online conversations with participants — similar to the experience consumers have with online customer service questions.

More than 100 students from two large universities, one in the south-eastern US and one in the south-western US, had conversations with the computer, which asked them 30 questions each.

The participants were told to lie in about half of their responses. The researchers found responses filled with lies took 10 per cent longer to create and were edited more than truthful messages.

“We are starting to identify signs given off by individuals that aren’t easily tracked by humans,” Meservy said.

“The potential is that chat-based systems could be created to track deception in real-time,” he added.

The findings appear online this week in the academic information systems journal ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems.

TELECOM :NOKIA FORCED MICROSOFT INTO DEAL...

Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia was a defensive move to keep the Finnish phone maker from going under or falling into the hands of an Android-first rival, several analysts argued.

“Had Nokia abandoned Windows Phone, then Windows Phone would be dead,” an industry observer and independent analyst who writes on his Stratechery.com website, Ben Thompson said.

Thompson was one of several analysts who read between the lines of the Nokia deal and concluded that Microsoft’s hand was forced.

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced it will pay €3.79bn($5bn) for “substantially all” of Nokia’s Devices & Services business and €1.65bn ($2.17bn) to license Nokia’s patents.

Also included in the deal was a credit line of €1.5bn($2bn) that Microsoft will extend to Nokia in the form of convertible bonds that the latter can issue in €500m ($658m) chunks.

That Microsoft-funded financing was the clue Thompson seized on.

“Nokia was either going to switch to Android or was on the verge of going bankrupt. I suspect the latter,” Thompson said, pointing to the $2bn in instant credit.

Nokia was virtually the only smartphone vendor committed to Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, a move it made after Stephen Elop, previously a Microsoft executive, was named Chief Executive Officer of Nokia in 2010. Other handset manufacturers, including leader Samsung, had either given Windows Phone only lukewarm support at best, or had completely ignored the OS to focus on Android.

“Microsoft felt they didn’t have a choice,” Thompson said. It had to buy Nokia before someone else did, and either shuttered its handset production or converted its devices into another slice of the enormous Android pie.

According to research firm IDC, Android-based smartphones will represent 75 per cent of those shipped worldwide this year, while Apple’s iOS will account for 17 per cent and Windows Phone will come in a distant third at four per cent.

Other analysts saw the Nokia acquisition in similar terms.

“Microsoft announced that it was providing Nokia with €1.5bn in ‘unconditional’ financing, which means that Nokia was in significant financial distress,” a mobile technologies analyst who runs Tech-Thoughts.net, Sameer Singh, said. “If they couldn’t reach a deal with Microsoft, they would have to sell to another company at a far lower valuation or consider bankruptcy.”

William Stofega, who leads IDC’s mobile device technology and trends research, concurred.

“With Nokia’s stock price on a downward slide, rumors of a potential acquisition of the company by several OEMs began to circulate,” Stofega noted in a Wednesday note to clients. “An acquisition of Nokia by an OEM would have forced Microsoft to engage in an expensive bidding war for the entire company or continue to build a mobile business without the benefit of a hardware platform. Neither scenario would help restore confidence in Microsoft on Wall Street.”

All three analysts pointed out that minus Nokia, Windows Phone was dead in the water, as the Finnish firm’s handsets accounted for about 84 per cent of all Windows Phone shipments.

Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer, who two weeks ago announced he would retire in the next 12 months, acknowledged Nokia’s importance to Windows Phone and the defensive nature of the acquisition.

“A very high concentration, over 80 per cent , of the Windows Phone business is already with Nokia,” Ballmer said in a conference call with reporters and Wall Street analysts on Tuesday. “And so in terms of evaluating paths that would ensure that we continue to see great Windows Phone devices from the Nokia team and in an attempt to really ask what’s the most sensible economic model, it made sense for us to go first party, have our own phones, to ensure Windows Phone presence.

POEWR HOLDING COMPANY OF NIGERIA(PHCN) REFUSES TO HANDOVER...

Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo

Employees of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria have vowed to resist the takeover of the electricity distribution and generation companies by the successful buyers until all outstanding payments are made.

The workers’ position contradicts the recent pronouncement by the Federal Government that the successful bidders who met the deadline for the payment of the 75 per cent balance of their bid prices could now take over the companies.

Our correspondent gathered that the Federal Government had not cleared the workers’ pensions as captured in the agreement between both parties, but it went ahead to announce that all was set for the private investors to take over.

The General Secretary, Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, an umbrella body for the PHCN workers, Mr. Abiodun Ogunsegha, said on Sunday that the government was wrong to have stated that the power firms would be handed over to investors.

He said, “No company can take over until payments are concluded. Yes, the government has paid some workers, but it has not concluded the payment.

“The payment is ongoing. The understanding we have is that payment has to be concluded; but this has not happened.

“What they are paying is the severance and gratuity part of the agreement. They have not paid the pension. But they are promising that they will pay all. Until that is done, it will be wrong to say you are handing over the companies to private investors.”

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had said in a statement that the government had recorded substantial compliance with the payment terms by the preferred bidders and stressed that the investors could begin to take over the electricity companies.

“The completion of payment now entitles the preferred bidders to take full possession of the 15 PHCN unbundled entities, which include 10 distribution companies and five generation companies,” Nebo said.

MONARCH RAMPAGE IN DELTA STATE :OLU OF WARRI MUST GO!!!.

The Delta State Governor, Dr.  Emmanuel Uduaghan,   has appealed to thousands of Itsekiri  protesting the bid by their  monarch to jettison their  traditional beliefs  to remain calm, saying he was already meeting with stakeholders   to resolve the matter.

Uduaghan, who arrived the palace at about 3.45pm on Sunday, was met by the surging protesters, who appealed to him to mediate in the crisis.

The governor, was   allowed into  the palace without  his security aides,  came out after about 15 minutes to address the protesters.

Urging  the protesters  to exercise restraint,  he  said he had discussed with   Atunwase II, the chiefs and the youth  over the issue and expressed  gratitude to the protesters for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner.

The palace of the Olu of Warri was barricaded for the third day by the protesters who erected canopies in the front gate.

Some women and youths also erected canopies by the side fence of the palace where they cooked and danced.

Itshekiri masquerades were also brought in to spice up  the protest as they banged   the gate of the palace while the protest lasted.

The protest was sparked off by the monarch’s decision to, among others,  abolish the ancient Itshekiri masquerades which are paraded during traditional festivals.

While the monarch was inside the palace as the scene was playing out, only a few chiefs, leaders and youth representatives were allowed to enter the palace by the protesters.

Several meetings were held by groups who adjourned and  reconvened after some hours. The groups were  said to have also met   with the monarch.

Atunwatse II  had few days ago declared in a document titled  “The New Order of Iwere Kingdom,” that the “Ogiame” title which had been in existence for over 500 years would cease to exist following the recent consecration of the kingdom to God.

“Ogiame” means “King of the River,” according to the history behind the Itsekiri throne.

The monarch, in the document, said he had renounced his allegiance to the “Umalokun” (goddess of the sea), land and sky as well as  the “Ogiame” title to which his ancestors had pledged allegiance to “Umalokun” and other deities.

BORNO STATE SET TO DEMOLISH CHURCHES...

CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

The   Borno State Government has begun moves to demolish over 20 churches and schools built by them.

Our correspondent gathered on Sunday that the state government would embark on the demolition exercise any moment from now.

Sources hinted that the state government had already dispatched a notice to the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and owners of farmlands in the area intimating them of the plan to acquire the site for a 1000 housing units.

A leaflet from the office of the Borno State Ministry of Lands and Survey dated August 20 and signed by one Musa Ummate (O/C Land Administration) on behalf of the commissioner was obtained by journalists on Sunday in Abuja.

The leaflet is titled, ‘Notice of acquisition and assessment/valuation of structures on proposed site for 1000 Housing Units along Gubio Road Highway.’

It reads: “I am directed to refer to you farmers and holders of structures on the proposed site for caption matter above and regret to inform you that the Executive Governor has, on the power conferred on him by Section (2)b of the Land Use Act 1978, directed through high powered committee on Construction Ref. no: HPCC/2500/HE/S/TEC/1 to notify you of his intention to acquire your farm lands and assessment/valuation of the structures on the proposed site situated along Gubio Road, Maiduguri.

“The acquisition is necessary in view of requirements of the land acquisition by the state government for overriding public interest to construct a Housing Esate. The affected farmers and holders of structures are to take note and appear on site for the above exercise, please.”

But a CAN source said, “Over 20 churches and many schools will be affected. The parcels of land on which the churches were built were bought from farmers and have the authority and certificate of the District Head in Maiduguri popularly called Bulama. The land was not under the ministry when it was bought.”

When contacted, the General Secretary of CAN, Dr. Musa Asake, confirmed the development but called on the Borno State Government to have a rethink.

He said, “We have seen that eviction notice from the Borno State Government. We are all Nigerians and there are other places where the state government can develop. The areas being earmarked for demolition are already developed with churches and schools.

“We have enough problems at hand and we don’t want to add another one. Christians have suffered enough in Borno State. If the state government wants to destroy churches and build any housing estate, no Christian will see it as a sign of progress.”

Asake promised that CAN would take up the  matter with Borno State Government as soon as it was confirmed that the letter actually emanated from the government.

Several calls and text messages to the mobile phone of the Borno State Commissioner for Information,  Mr. Inuwa Bwala, as at 3:45 pm on Sunday for the state government’s reaction were not replied.

LADIES BEWARE: USED UNDERWARE CAN GIVE YOU SYPHILLIS...

She drives slowly, being careful of the many vehicles and the milling crowd in the market. Suddenly, she pulls over her Sports Utility Vehicle, alights, walks into a stall and joins other shoppers selecting second-hand underwear from a heap.

She is lucky to find a parking space because it is scarce on Fridays at Vesper Market, off Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Badagry Local Government Area, Lagos. On the major market day (Friday) finding space to either walk or park vehicles is usually a big challenge.

That is the day shoppers converge on the market to buy from the newest consignments of second-hand clothes from London, United States, Italy and other countries.

Second-hand clothes? Yes, even second-hand underwear!

There, you find buyers who resell the wares in other smaller markets. You will also find direct users – both low and medium income earners. Wholesale transactions are done on Fridays. On offer are all types of used clothes, shoes, bags and underwear for men, women and children.

The woman, who later identified herself as Danny, told World-click that she had a regular customer in the market. She visits the market only when her customer informs her, via the telephone, that there are new consignments.

“My customer has my (telephone) number and she calls me anytime she has new items,” she told our correspondent, adding that though she could afford new materials, the used ones were of better quality.

“I prefer this. I can’t imagine myself  buying sub-standard new underwear. It’s frustrating because you pay more for lesser quality,” she said.

Danny, however, does not know that using second-hand underwear can be hazardous to her health.

 An undergraduate, Marylyn Okon, told our correspondent that buying second-hand dresses and underwear gives her the opportunity of buying quality outfits  at lower prices. But she is aware of the health implications.

 “Yes, I know there are health implications but I cannot afford to buy new clothes in the regular boutiques, these ‘bend down’ boutiques give me the opportunity to wear good quality clothes in school and I don’t have to pay much. My dressing is as good as that of my colleagues and except I tell them, they won’t know that I bought them from here. Second-hand clothes are a blessing to poor people like me. I buy used dresses and underwear,” she said.

Felix Goodman sells second-hand underwear. He does not know that the goods he handles everyday can cause harm not only to his customers’ health, but to his own health too.

“Wives usually buy on behalf of their husbands. We have real good things and those who know the difference prefer them to the new ones in terms of quality. It’s a good business and I make good profit from it. Our customers continue to increase because people bring their friends who admire what they see on them,” he said.

 Vesper Market is fast taking the shine off popular second-hand markets in Aswani, Yaba and Katangua, all in Lagos. These markets  are also common in Kaduna, Abuja, Warri and Benin City among others.

The rule there is, ‘never mind who’s staring; everyone is in the market to buy high quality materials at cheaper rates. So, the shoppers bend down to select their choice items, from the heaps of boxers, singlets, T-shirts, panties, brassiere, camisoles, knickers, girdles and night gowns, among others.

However, medical studies have raised the alarm over the risk that these used items pose.

They say some bacteria, fungi, parasitic and viral infections can be contracted through wearing of second- hand clothes.

They claim Sexually Transmitted Diseases are not only contracted through sexual relationship with infected persons.

According to studies, while used clothes generally pose health dangers to users, the underwear has been found to present greater risks.

Infections such as virginal and skin candidiasis, scabies, tinea corporis, chicken pox, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and even Hepatitis A, B and C, among others, can be linked to wearing underwear previously used by infected persons.

A consultant dermatologist, Dr. Olufunmilayo Ajose, said the risk of infection is heightened where users fail to wash, properly disinfect and iron these clothes.

She said though the harsh economic realities might make it difficult to ban the sale and use of second-hand underwear and clothes, there should be proper awareness on handling and using them.

Ajose said, “The handling from the source is very important. If the clothes are not properly stored but are bundled together, they may become mouldy and fungal. If in turn the person who buys them does not wash and iron before wearing them, he will be at risk of picking any infection that the previous user has.

“If proper care is taken, no disease will cling permanently to the clothes. So any second-hand clothes or underwear that you cannot iron, don’t buy them or you risk being infected with STIs, scabies and other fungi, bacteria and virus-linked infections.”

But a Consultant Surgeon at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Philip Ogunjimi, said people should avoid used underwear entirely because of the health risks.

He said that some bacteria are very resistant and can survive harsh conditions for long on clothes.

He said that a regular wash may not get rid of some of the bacteria, especially those that come with discharge from the body of the previous user.

He added that strong reagents are sometimes needed to get rid of them, stressing that such clothes must be ironed so that the heat can kill the eggs, where present.

“It is true that there are great risks in using second-hand underclothes. STIs are the most likely ones. This practice should be discouraged in the interest of healthy living,” said Ogunjimi.

A medical counsellor based in Delta State, Dr. Abidemi Shabi, said there are possibilities of contracting various kinds of infections through the wearing of second-hand clothes.

He said, “Fungi infections include Tinea (Ring worm), viral infections include genital warts for underwear, and parasitic infestations such as scabies and body lice, which is also capable of causing louse-borne diseases.

“All of these infections can, however, be prevented simply by washing and ironing of the used clothes before wearing them.”

A Gynaecologist and the Medical Director, BeeHess Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Bakare Olabode, said organisms in pus on underwear can stay alive and can be dangerous to the health of the next user if not properly treated.

“Anyone buying these materials should ensure that antiseptic is used to disinfect them and the underwear should either be lined out in the sun or ironed before wearing them. Itching under the thighs, candidiasis and other STIs can be prevented.”

In a comment posted on the Internet, Dr. Folusho Ajani of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital said second-hand clothes might also cause hepatitis.

She said the B, C, D and G types might be transmitted through blood, sweat and semen of infected persons. She explained that candidiasis, a STI, is caused by the yeast fungus found on the skin.

She, however, stressed that vaginal and skin variants could be contracted from using second-hand clothes and underwear, previously used by an infected person.

She said the yeast fungi responsible for the disease could be passed on to the new user if precaution is not taken before wearing them.

She stressed the need to thoroughly wash the underwear with disinfectants and iron them before use.

She said, “Candidiasis of the skin may also be contracted through used clothes, though it is rare except there are cuts on the skin. Hepatitis viruses hardly survive outside the body for a long time.”

CHANNEL O AWARD RUMBLE BETWEEN NIGERIAN ARTIST...

Davido

The likes of Davido, Kcee, P Square, Tiwa Savage and Wizkid are set to battle it out with other African artistes as the nominees for the 10th edition of Channel O Music Video Awards were revealed earlier in the week.

Last year, some Nigerians, including D’banj, won big at the award and it might not be a surprise if the artistes pull it off again this year.

Nigerian artistes got 20 nominations in different categories including Most Gifted Duo and Most Gifted Male Video category.

To celebrate a decade of recognising the best African contemporary music talent, the 10th Annual Channel O Africa Music Awards has expanded the prestigious Most Gifted Video of the Year category to 12 nominees, increasing the pressure on nominees in the most fiercely fought category at the awards.

The category again reveals the mix of newcomers and established artistes at this year’s event – a signal of the growing maturity of Africa’s music scene.

Nigeria’s Wizkid, Ice Prince and P Square made that category alongside other African artistes.

The event is scheduled to hold in South Africa on November 30.

MOTHERS GENE CAN DETERMINE HER CHILDREN AGING PROCESS...

The new research pinpoints the maternally-inherited genes along with the accumulation of changes during our lifetime are associated with aging.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging have shown that the aging process is influenced not only by the accumulation of the cell's power plant’s DNA damage during a person's lifetime, but also by the inherited DNA from their mothers.

The mouse model study reveals that normal and damaged DNA is passed...

The cell's power plant, known as the ‘mitochondrion’, is a structure located in the cell and generates most of the cell's supply of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is used as a source of chemical energy.

"The mitochondria contains their own DNA, which changes more than the DNA in the nucleus, and this has a significant impact on the aging process," clarified the study leader Nils-Goran Larsson, Ph.D., professor at the Karolinska Institutet and principal investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging, alongside Lars Olson, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet.

"Many mutations in the mitochondria gradually disable the cell's energy production," Larsson noted.

If we inherit our mother's mitochondrial DNA with mutations, we experience aging process more quickly, he explained.

"The study also shows that low levels of mutated mitochondrial DNA can have developmental effects and cause deformities of the brain," said lead author Jaime Ross, Ph.D., at the Karolinska Institutet.

The study researchers suggest that the recent achievements can shed more light on the aging process and the significance of reduction in the number of mutations.

"There are various dietary manipulations and drugs that can up-regulate mitochondrial function and/or reduce mitochondrial toxicity. An example would be antioxidants,” said co-author of the study Barry Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., a visiting professor at the Karolinska Institutet.

The research team is planning to continue the study on mice and on fruit flies to explore whether reducing the number of mutations can extend the lifespan.

HOW COCAINE DESTROYS DECISIONS AND LEARNING AREAS OF THE BRAIN...

Cocaine can change the structure of learning and memory spots in brain only within few hours of taking the drug, according to a new study conducted by American researchers.

The study unveils how the drug experience is associated with rapid growth of structures linking memory and consequently the changes in behaviour.

Analysis of mice brain indicated that only within two hours of being injected with cocaine, the fast growth occurred in the frontal cortex which is responsible for controlling higher functions such as planning and decision-making, according to the report.

A team of researchers from University of California, Berkeley and UC San Francisco monitored the brain cells during the study to seek tiny protrusions called dendritic spines which are known as implicated organs in memory formation.

They applied a hi-tech laser scanning microscope to look inside the brains of living mice to hunt for the dendritic spines.

The mice were given the choice of two very different chambers, each with a different smell and surface texture.

According to the observation, mice switched preferences to the one where they had received the cocaine shot.

"This gives us a possible mechanism for how drug use fuels further drug-seeking behaviour," said the research leader Dr Linda Wilbrecht of the University of California at San Francisco.

"It is been observed that long-term drug users show decreased function in the frontal cortex in connection with mundane cues or tasks, and increased function in response to drug-related activity or information," she said.

"Their change in preference for the cocaine side correlated with gains in new persistent spines that appeared on the day they experienced cocaine," Wilbrecht concluded.

The experts claim that the recent study makes clear how addiction occurs and how it is learned by the brain.

HOW COFFEE CAN REDUCE LIVER DISEASE...

A new research carried out by an international team suggests that regular consumption of coffee and tea can reduce fatty liver in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Headed by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and the Duke University of Medicine, the study demonstrates that daily consumption of four cups of coffee or tea shares a health benefit due to the caffeine present in both beverages.

The animal models of the research that was taken on mice proved the effects of caffeine on the fatty livers.

The researchers found that caffeine was able to trigger the stored lipids in the liver cells to metabolize, which then helped lower the amount of fat in the liver.

They say “consuming the equivalent caffeine intake of four cups of coffee or tea a day may be beneficial in preventing and protecting against the progression of NAFLD in humans,” according to the findings that will be published in the September issue of the journal Hepatology.

"This is the first detailed study of the mechanism for caffeine action on lipids in liver and the results are very interesting,” said the study leader Paul Yen, M.D. associate professor of the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore.

"Coffee and tea are so commonly consumed and the notion that they may be therapeutic, especially since they have a reputation for being "bad" for health, is especially enlightening," he also stated.

While nearly 70 percent of people with diabetes and obesity experienced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, there are no effective treatments for it.

The patients suffering from this dangerous disease are usually recommended to control it through strict diet and exercise.

The recent study could lead to the development of caffeine-like medicines that do not have the usual side effects related to caffeine, but retain its therapeutic effects on the liver, the research team claims.

SYRIAN GOVERNMENT: OBAMA IS NOT DIFFERENT FROM BUSH...

The case for intervention in Syria is strangely reminiscent of the Iraq War. The planned US strike looks as if it rests on the same dubious logic. It could well have the same tragic consequences.

The British government has discovered the hard way that many of its people understand the troubling parallel. Not surprisingly, last Thursday the House of Commons firmly resisted government attempts to railroad it into giving the green light for a military strike.

Uncannily, Prime Minister David Cameron was following in the footsteps of Tony Blair. Like Blair he pressed the Obama administration to delay a strike until United Nations inspectors completed their investigation and until an attempt was made to get the necessary support from the UN Security Council.

Cameron's failure to persuade enough of his parliamentary colleagues of the wisdom of this approach has given the international community breathing space and the US time to think again.

In deciding what to do about Syria the White House and the US Congress would do well to recall the prelude to the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The issue then as now was weapons of mass destruction.

A UN inspection team, headed by Hans Blix, was in Iraq investigating the situation but had yet to complete its investigation.

Having sought but failed to get authorization from the UN Security Council, the Bush administration decided there was no point waiting any longer. The time had come to strike.

To gain international support for its decision the US produced evidence suggesting Saddam Hussein's regime was developing - and possibly intending to use - weapons of mass destruction. Most experts and governments - and world public opinion - remained unconvinced.

And so it was that the US set out on a military adventure, based at best on shaky legal grounds.

Getting rid of Saddam proved the easy part. No WMD were found. But what was meant to be a limited intervention turned out to be a protracted one that left the US demoralized and Iraq in ruins.

Prolonged sectarian violence, which continues to this day, has generated a destabilizing dynamic that now engulfs much of the Middle East.

Ten years later the Obama administration, with the support of a few European governments, is on the verge of embarking on a similarly ill-conceived expedition.

Last time it was Britain that bolstered an otherwise feeble coalition. This time the hope is that France will come to the party. Several Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan, have already indicated they oppose military intervention.

US Secretary of State John Kerry claims to have conclusive evidence that the Assad government has launched a chemical attack on its people, and argues that such actions must not go unpunished. Obama has spoken of a limited strike not aimed at regime change.

But what is the reality? The indications are that a chemical weapons attack did take place in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. But we know little about the chemicals used - though sarin gas has been mentioned frequently - the means of delivery or their provenance.

The US intelligence report released on Friday speaks of more than 1400 casualties - but this and other details given are asserted rather than demonstrated.

As for the sources of the evidence we are simply referred to general categories, much of it available on the public record, and generally regarded as less than conclusive.

As for motive, US policymakers remain remarkably silent. Why should Assad decide to use chemical weapons at a time when his forces are making considerable gains against the rebels? And why should he do it at the moment that UN inspectors are inside the country and within 10 minutes' reach of the site of destruction?

And the possibility of one or other of the rebel groups acquiring such weapons has been all too easily dismissed. It is only three months since Carla del Ponte, a member of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, announced she had "strong concrete suspicions" that rebels had used the nerve gas sarin.

The sarin attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995, which killed 13 people, severely injured 50 and caused temporary vision problems for nearly a thousand others, was the work of a small unaided cult group. One of the well organized and internationally supported rebel groups would, one assumes, be capable of inflicting much greater havoc.

With evidence that is still less than conclusive, Obama appears on the verge of repeating the mistakes of his predecessor - assuming he is able to persuade Congress to vote for the proposed strike.

If he does go ahead, he will, like Bush, be doing so on dubious legal grounds. Even if it is established that the Syrian army did carry out the chemical attack, the US is not under direct military threat - it is not therefore acting in self-defense. And, in the absence of UN Security Council authorization, which will not be forthcoming, the "responsibility to protect" principle does not allow third parties to take matters into their own hands.

In any case, why not wait, at least for the UN inspection team to complete its report? Why discredit the credibility of its investigation before it has had a chance to submit its report.

The Syrian government claims it has given the UN inspectors clear evidence that it was not responsible for the attack. Why not wait to see what the inspectors make of such claims?

If it goes ahead, a US military strike on Syria will be the ninth Western military intervention in a Muslim country in 15 years. The gains thus far for peace and security have been negligible and the costs for the authors and victims of intervention nothing short of horrendous.

A US military foray into Syria will reopen Pandora's box. What will the US do if, as seems likely, the planned "limited strike" fails to achieve its objective of intimidating Assad? In all probability, the US and its allies will be tempted to take additional military action, with incalculable consequences for Syria, and for regional and global security.

As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Pope Francis have stated in clear language, only a politically negotiated solution offers any prospect of peace in Syria and the reconstruction of that war-torn country.

An Australian government wishing to exercise the limited leverage afforded by membership of the Security Council would do well to press for this option in the difficult days and weeks ahead.

STUDENTS IN FRANCE WANTS QUALITY EDUCATION...

A newly-released poll shows that a majority of French people are unsatisfied with the quality of education they received in the country.

The survey conducted by market researching company CSA and published on Monday revealed that 58 percent found the equality of the education they received in France as unsatisfactory.

The poll also found that nearly six out of ten or 57 percent believed teachers in France to be “badly trained,” and another one in ten thought their educators were “very-badly trained” while only two percent saw them “very-well trained.”

In a separate poll, showed a massive 93 percent of its readers saw “The quality of teaching is getting worse.”

The recent surveys came as the French Education Minister Vincent Peillon was recently forced to defend the quality of the country’s higher education system, after only four French universities was ranked among the world’s top 100 in an annual report.

Meanwhile, France is struggling to tackle its unemployment, which has climbed for 27 consecutive months, reaching a record high of 3.28 million in July.

The younger generation has been hit the hardest as one in four French youths are jobless and cannot find any source of income.

An estimated 1.9 million French youths aged between 15 to 29 are known as NEETS which means neither in employment, nor in education, or in training.

Hollande took office in May 2012 with promises to curb the rising unemployment by the end of 2013 and to create 100,000 new jobs per year.

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT: THERE IS A BALLISTIC MISSLE IN MEDITERRANEAN SEA..

The Russian Defense Ministry says it has detected two “ballistic targets” fired toward the eastern part of the Mediterranean from the sea’s central part.

The launch of the ballistic objects was detected at 10:16 Moscow time (06:16 GMT) by a radar system in the southern Russian city of Armavir, a Defense Ministry spokesman said, Russia’s Ria Novosti reports.

The objects detected by the Russian radar have fallen into the sea, according to a “diplomatic source in the Syrian capital” cited in the report.

The Russian embassy in Syria also said there are no signs of a missile attack in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

On August 21, the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed that 1,300 people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

A number of Western countries, including the US, France, and the UK, were quick to adopt the rhetoric of war against Syria despite the fact that Damascus categorically rejected having had any role in the chemical attack.

On Tuesday, August 27, speculations became stronger about the possibility of a military attack on Syria. Media outlets reported US plans for likely surgical attacks, which would be in the form of “cruise-missile strikes,” and “could rely on … US destroyers in the Mediterranean [Sea].” The plan was said to be awaiting US President Barack Obama’s go-ahead.

Later, however, domestic and international calls against a potential war seemed to have forced some of the warmongering countries to tone down their stances.

On August 29, the British parliament voted against participation by Britain, the United States’ closest ally, in any potential military intervention in Syria. While the British government had primarily sought a second vote in the parliament as well, it ruled out any such vote on September 2, saying that the parliament “has spoken,” and that the government “has absolutely no plans to go back to parliament.”

On Friday, August 30, NATO also distanced itself from participating in any military intervention in Syria, with the chief of the Western military coalition, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, saying he did not “foresee any NATO role” in a war on Syria.

Washington has remained defiant, saying that it is willing to go ahead with its plans for a strike on Syria without the approval of the United Nations or even the support of its allies. However, US President Barack Obama said on Saturday, August 31 that his administration will first seek authorization from the Congress.

While the US and Britain for now seem to have paused in rushing to war, France has nevertheless been seeking to bolster the case for military intervention, releasing “evidence” that the Syrian government has been behind the August 21 attack. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Monday, September 2, 2013, “It's not for France to act alone. The president is continuing his work of persuasion to bring together a coalition without delay.”

This comes despite warnings from the UN, as well as Iran, Russia, and China against war.

NIGERIA GOVERNMENT TO SPEND N16bn ON RURAL ELECTRIFICATION...

Minister of State for Power, Mrs. Zainab Kuchi
 

A total of N16bn will be spent by the Federal Government on rural electrification projects this year, the Minister of State for Power, Mrs. Zainab Kuchi, has said.

She said a large percentage of the sum would be used to revive the numerous abandoned electricity projects scattered across various rural communities in the country.

Kuchi spoke at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Power in Abuja on Tuesday during the inauguration of an 11-man board for the Rural Electrification Agency.

“The funding for the REA is N16bn this year and that will go squarely for the development of the abandoned projects in our rural areas. The abandoned projects have been identified and we advise proper funding for these projects,” she said.

The minister stated that the agency had been in existence for a long time, though its presence was poorly felt by rural dwellers.

According to her, the inauguration of the board is aimed at reviving the nearly comatose agency and stressed that the members should focus on the development of appropriate technologies for rural electrification.

Kuchi said, “Our target is to achieve 75 per cent rural electrification access by 2020. This is your charge. Your key indicators will include the number of rural communities that have access to electricity and the number of investors who we are able to attract to the rural electrification sub-sector.

“Others are the extent to which we are able to garner information on local technology and work towards their application in the rural electrification agency; and how many jobs we are able to create in the rural economy and the impact to which we are able to have on socio-economic development in the rural areas.”

The minister said electricity, under Nigerian laws fell within the concurrent list, adding that the federal, states and local governments could participate in its provision.

Kuchi explained that the new policy focus was to ensure greater synergy in terms of planning, content of programmes and projects, and in actual implementation.

Speaking on behalf of the members, the REA Board Chairman, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, said the short history of the agency was replete with ups and downs.

He commended the President for putting back the agency on track and pledged that the board would bring power to the rural communities.

NIGERIAN ARMY RETIRES 10 GENERALS...

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika
 

The authorities of the Nigerian Army have retired some top generals of the Army.

It was gathered that those retired were ten in number.

Among those affected were the former Director of Training and Operations, Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Lawrence Ngugbane, the former Commander of Training, Doctrine and Command, Maj.-Gen. Babagana  Mungonu, and the former Chief of Research and Development, Maj.-Gen. Obinali Ariahu.

A top military source said on Wednesday that the generals were retired because they had put in the maximum years in service.

The source said that the retirement exercise was routine and not punitive.

The source added that the retirement exercise was expected to take place every quarter of the year.

The source couldn’t give the names of the others affected in the exercise.

“It is true that some of our generals have been retired. The exercise is a routine one. It is not a punitive retirement, they have reached their terminal level.

“Some of them were asked to proceed on the compulsory terminal leave in June this year,” the source said.

Our correspondent could not contact the Director of Defence Information, Brig.- Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, for comments as the calls placed to his mobile telephone line indicated that it was switched off or in an area outside network coverage.

WE WILL NOT ENDORSE YOU: TARABA STATE ASSEMBLY TELLS SUNTAI.

The Taraba State House of Assembly yesterday formally passed a resolution, asking Alhaji Garba Umar, to continue as Acting governor, pending when ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai, would be physically and mentally fit to resume duty. 
The resolution, which was passed at the plenary session of the House, was a follow-up to the lawmakers’ decision of last Wednesday after their visit to Suntai. They held that Suntai was unfit to resume duty and advised that he should seek further medical attention.
Reading out the latest resolution in the House yesterday, the Deputy Speaker, Tanko Maikarfi, who chaired the session, noted that the exercise was  in view of the “incapacitation” of Governor Suntai.
The session was attended by nine of the 16 lawmakers, who had signed last week’s resolution, declaring that Suntai could not have authored the letter, purportedly written to the House, upon his arrival, after 10 months of receiving medical attention in Germany and the United States. The House invoked the provisions of  Section 190(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended and transmitted power to his deputy to act as the governor.
Meanwhile, the sacked Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Garvey Yawe, returned to work yesterday. He was appointed by the Acting Governor Umar,  after he (Umar) fired the one originally appointed by Suntai, before the governor had air mishap, on the allegation of corruption.
But upon Suntai’s return, the governor also fired Yawe last week, and replaced him with Mr. Timothy Kataps, the Attorney-General. Suntai’s spokesman, Sylvanus Giwa, had also announced the sacking of the entire cabinet last week.
However, Yawe’s return to his duty post yesterday has further confirmed that the purported sack of the entire cabinet by Suntai, remained “null and void,” as countered by the Acting governor last week.
There were also strong indications yesterday in Jalingo that Suntai may have resolved to approach the court to stop Umar from functioning but return to his position, as the deputy governor.
Meanwhile, two delegations from the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Presidency are expected in Jalingo today to wade into the political crisis, which deepened since the arrival of the ailing Suntai pen-ultimate Sunday.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Acting Governor, Mr Kefas Sule, told World-click that the two teams would be preceded by members of the National Assembly from the state,who would prepare the ground for the combined meeting of all the  political actors.

NIGERIA ECONOMY GETS $15bn FROM BEEF BUSINESS...

Stakeholders with the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) have said that the beef industry alone contributes over $16 billion annually to the nation’s economy. 
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, a stakeholder in the industry, Ms Kenang Rwang-Pam, advocated the provision of grazing reserves for the Fulani cattle rearers throughout the country, saying that if this is done, chances are that the amount could increase to $20 billion.
She stated that the beef industry accounts for about 90 per cent protein needs of Nigerians, adding that there is an urgent need for governments at all levels to find permanent solution to the unending crises between the herdsmen and farmers in the country to put a stop to the killing of Nigerians anytime the two groups clash.
Ms Rwang-Pam also recommended the provision of permanent grazing reserves for the herdsmen to the three tiers of government.
The CIPE is an international non-governmental organisation affiliated to some United Nations agencies. It was founded on the idea that economic and political freedom are intertwined and that progress and development come through a combination of political and economic liberalisation.
Rwang-Pam called on the media to intensify its efforts to bring lasting peace among the two groups through their patriotic reportage of events, stressing that the country would not only witness peaceful co-existence but increases in its overall economy.  “As I speak to you, the cattle rearers or the Fulani herdsmen in virtually all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria have no place to graze their cattle. The farmers also have no sufficient land to farm any longer.  All this makes it possible for the cattle to enter into farmlands at random to consume the crops of the farmers. Once this happens,the farmers lose their yields while they also go after the cattle and kill them.  These two situations have been responsible for the various loss of lives during crises among the two groups.

IS HE A PASTOR?

It appears that Pastor Biodun of COZA has finally granted a robust reply to the alleged sex scandal that supposedly evolved between him and a certain Ese Walters.

Good morning, Man of God. Thank you for finally speaking on this issue sir.’
‘Welcome my brother, you are blessed. It is you I must thank for being very open-minded about this whole nonissue. I read your column last week and I must confess Nigeria is lucky to have people like you who still use their brain cells. The Lord be praised.’
‘Hallelujah. So, where do we start from?’
‘Let us start from the beginning. Praise the lord.’
‘Hallelujah. So, what was on your mind when you invited her to the terrace of your hotel suite?’

‘That’s not the beginning. It all started when I saw her in the congregation while preaching one Sunday; she was very vibratory, especially when taken over by the spirit doing praise and worship. Praise the lord. The spirit ministered to me that she would be useful in Pastoral Care. That was why I invited her to the unit. And she was very useful. Praise the lord.’
‘Hallelujah. By ‘very useful’ you are talking about your affair with her, right?’

‘No, we didn’t have an affair; we had an understanding. Praise the lord.
‘Really? Explain to me how that works, sir.’
‘Praise the lord. She understood that I am a Man of God with a weakness. I understood that she was a believer with an equal weakness. She understood that I was a married man; I understood that she was a willing woman. She understood that I could make her no promises of forevermore; I understood that she understood that by associating with me I would introduce her to a level of grace she was previously unaware of.’
‘Is this also the kind of understanding you had with others that led to your suspension in Ilorin and the 130 women you have slept with?’
‘Lie! Big lie! One hundred and thirty?!!! Haba, how could one man have done that, even with a never seen before level of grace? They just want to give my dog a bad name just to hang it. 120, I may accept, but 130? Never. When it is not as if I have a spare mobile penis that I charge with car charger. People should fear God when saying some things o. Praise the lord.’
‘Let’s return to her story. So, what were your intentions when you invited her to your hotel suite?’
‘Special deliverance, I swear. God sees my heart. I had heard some uncomplimentary stuff about her and had caught her looking at me somehow during Pastoral Care Unit meetings, so I knew I had to intercede for her to retain God’s glory in her life. Praise the lord. Even when I asked her to come to the terrace it was so we could get cool breeze during the deliverance. All was well until she sat on my laps.’

‘What happened when she sat on your laps after you invited her to do so?’
‘My weakness arose.  And when we kissed…my brother, do you eat seedless grapes? That’s what her tongue tasted like, soft and succulent. What was I to do? You people don’t know how hard it is to pastor a Pentecostal church in Nigeria, especially in this Abuja! You are there teaching the word of God and what do you have before you? Gorgeous women with sly smiles; with breasts, big and small, chiseled upon their chests like those old wood carvings; lips like cherries; eyes speaking to your soul, telling you their desires. Ah, until you have walked in my shoes you are not qualified to judge me. Praise the lord.’

‘Is it true you had sex with her everyday for seven days?’
‘Zachariah 10. It’s a level of grace you can’t understand.’
Ask the Lord for rain in the spring for he makes the storm clouds. And he will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture.’
‘You know your bible. Praise the lord.’
‘Hallelujah. And what styles and positions were employed?’

‘One does not talk about such things but suffice to say we were quite experimental, you know, those things one doesn’t ask from a wife. Praise the lord.’
‘ So I’m free to assume missionary wasn’t top of the list?’
‘God forbid. Praise the lord. In fact, it was because of experimentation that we had our first quarrel.’
‘Really? What happened?’

‘She wanted me to use my silk ties to tie one of her legs to the door knob and the other to the window…I thought that was too much of a spread so I declined and she took offence. It was during round 4 on Day 7. Praise the lord.’
‘You know sir, each time you say ‘Praise the lord’, what I hear is Praise the Rod. It seems to me that you spend more time doing the rod’s work than you do doing the lord’s work.’
‘Who died and made you judge? Don’t make proclamation about me if you don’t want the wrath of God. I’m a man of God, remember? Praise the lord.’
‘Is this also why you’ve refused to explain yourself to your congregation?’

‘They don’t need any explanation. They know me.‘We would have to end this interview on this note sir. Thanks again for your time.