A court in the West African state of Niger has
sentenced a man to four years in jail in the country's first prosecution for
slavery, a magistrate said on Thursday.
The 63-year old man had taken a woman as his fifth wife
against local law and had subjected her to slavery, the magistrate added,
requesting anonymity.
Niger ranks number 28 out of 160 in the 2013 United
Nations global slavery index with up to 130 000 people trapped in modern
slavery. Mostly women and children are trafficked for sexual exploitation,
domestic work and forced labour, the index says.
Elhadji Djadi Raazikou, who has been in detention since
2010, was arrested after a local anti-slavery organisation, Timidria, alerted
the authorities.
Raazikou, already married to four wives, was accused of buying
a young girl for about $420 and putting her to work for one of his wives.
He later took her as a fifth wife while she continued to
work for him as a domestic servant.
Realising he had fallen foul of local Islamic law that
allows a man to marry up to four wives so long as he treats them all equitably,
Raazikou had tried to divorce one of the others, the court in Birnin Konni in
southwest Niger, heard on Tuesday.
He admitted the slavery charge but having already served
four years in detention, he is expected to be released at the end of this
month, the magistrate said.
The truck was loaded with munitions, then driven up a hillside in
northern Syria. Moments later, there was a massive blast followed by
cries of "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great" in Arabic, and the rattling
of gunfire.
The suicide attacker in
the bombing depicted in this online video was an American jihadi,
radical Islamists claiming responsibility for the blast have said.
Late Thursday, two U.S. officials confirmed their boast.
The man called by the nom de guerre Abu Hurayra Al-Amriki was a U.S. citizen, who grew up in Florida and went to school there.
Neither official would disclose the bomber's real name. Investigators are interviewing family members.
Al-Amriki is among a
group of Americans whom intelligence agents have been trying to keep
tabs on since they went to Syria some months ago to join extremists in
the fight against the Syrian government.
Smiling, holding a cat
Abu Farouk al Shamy, a
spokesman for the rebel Suqour al-Sham battalion, told CNN that the
Sunday attack was executed in coordination with the al-Nusra Front, an
al Qaeda-linked organization that the U.S. government has blacklisted as
a foreign terror organization.
One video on YouTube,
with the title "the American martyrdom from al-Nusra Front," identifies
the suicide bomber as Abu Hurayra Al-Amriki. This video and several
other social media posts feature a picture of a bearded man with that
name, smiling and holding a cat.
Al-Amriki in Arabic
means "the American." The name Abu Hurayra, which is popular among Sunni
Muslims, offers little clue as to the man's identity. Abu Hurayra was a
companion of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and the narrator of Hadith.
Syrian activists say the
video is from Sunday and shows militants' preparations and ultimate
attack on Syrian military checkpoints in Jabal Al-Arba'een, near the
city of Ariha in Idlib province and believed to be along a key rebel
supply route.
According to Syrian
activists and social media postings, four vehicles laden with explosives
were part of the attack. One YouTube video says the American detonated
the biggest one, which contained 17 tons of explosives, including
artillery shells. It is not clear what exactly this man's involvement
was, including whether he was driving an armored truck, a tanker or some
other vehicle.
Islamists praise the American
Even if he clearly did
not act alone, it is the man identified as Abu Hurayra who has gotten a
lot of attention on websites and social media venues tied to radical
Islamists.
That includes a tweet by
a man with the handle Abu Suleiman al-Muhajer, whose bio identifies him
as belonging to al Qaeda in the Levant, the umbrella organization for
the al-Nusra Front. His tweet, which was published on the radical
Islamist website Hanein, features the alleged American's picture and the
words, "Abu Hurayra Al-Amriki performed a martyrdom operation in Idlib,
Jabal Al-Arba'een. May Allah accept him."
U.S. intelligence and
law enforcement officials have expressed concerns about Americans
joining the fight in Syria, including with groups like the jihadist
al-Nusra Front. The worry is that they and other Westerners might pose a
threat when they return a home.
"There's going to be a
diaspora out of Syria," FBI Director James Comey said last week. "And we
are determined not to let lines be drawn from Syria today to a future
9/11."
Daniel Wani is thrilled about his daughter's birth -- but hoping it doesn't hasten his wife's death sentence.
His pregnant wife, Meriam
Yehya Ibrahim, was condemned to die by hanging after she refused to
renounce her Christian faith and profess she was a Muslim.
When Ibrahim was convicted of apostasy and adultery by a Sudanese court two weeks ago, she was eight months pregnant.
She gave birth to the
couple's baby girl this week at a Khartoum prison, where she's detained
together with her 20-month-old son.
Pregnant Christian sentenced to death
Will Sudan execute jailed young mother?
Husband: All I can do is pray
In past cases involving
pregnant or nursing women, Sudan waited until the mother had weaned her
child before executing any sentence. Her baby's early birth makes her
impending death sentence more daunting.
But despite languishing in prison with two infants, she's holding firm to her beliefs.
"There is pressure on her
from Muslim religious leaders that she should return to the faith,"
Wani said. "She said, 'how can I return when I never was a Muslim? Yes
my father was a Muslim, but I was brought up by my mother.' "
Wani said his wife is a practicing Christian, more so than him, and even had their son, Martin, baptized.
"I know my wife. She's
committed," he said. "Even last week, they brought in Sheikhs and she
told them, 'I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change my mind.' "
The arrest
Ibrahim was arrested after Muslim relatives accused her of renouncing her religion.
Their complaint alleged
that she went missing for years, and her family was shocked to find out
she married Wani, a Christian, according to her lawyer.
Wani said he'd never met
the relatives who made the accusations. His wife, he said, was raised a
Christian by her mother, who was Ethiopian Orthodox, after her Muslim
father deserted the family when Ibrahim was age 6.
"These people filed
charges claiming that she was their sister and filed a police report
saying that she had disappeared," he said.
'She's frustrated'
At first, Ibrahim was
charged with adultery for marrying a Christian. The apostasy accusation
was added after she maintained she was a Christian, according to her
husband.
"The police originally
called for the case to be dismissed, but these people went back and
added another charge ... which is adultery, by saying she was their
sister and a Muslim. It is illegal for a Muslim woman to marry a
Christian man, therefore we were brought before the court."
She's been detained
since January 17, he said. In addition to the emotional turmoil
resulting from her conviction, they have to worry about their children.
"An illegitimate
marriage does not result in legally recognized offspring, which means
that my son and the new baby are no longer mine, he said.
Wani's own physical
condition makes the ordeal even harder. He uses a wheelchair and
"totally depends" on Ibrahim, according to her lawyer, Mohamed Jar
Elnabi.
"He cannot live without her," he said.
Wani said he's not been allowed to visit his detained family as much since the apostasy charge was added.
"She's in a bad mood," he said of his wife. "She's frustrated."
More punishment
In addition to the death sentence, the court sentenced Ibrahim to 100 lashes for the adultery conviction.
To avoid this fate, all she had to do was recant her Christian faith and profess she was Muslim, the religion of her father.
The court had warned her
to renounce her Christianity by May 15, but she has steadfastly
maintained that she is a Christian, and will remain a Christian.
Sudanese Parliament speaker Fatih Izz Al-Deen said claims that she was raised as a non-Muslim were untrue.
She was raised in an Islamic environment, and her brother, a Muslim, filed the complaint against her, according to Al-Deen.
Attempts to contact Sudan's justice minister and foreign affairs minister for comment have been unsuccessful.
'I'll stand by her'
Wani, an American
citizen, said he was optimistic the appeal their lawyers have filed
would lead to the court's ruling being overturned.
"I'm hoping that, given the way people have come together around the world -- which I want to thank them for," he said.
"All the rights groups,
all the broadcasters ... It's looking like it had an effect. Perhaps it
will result in the judgment being overturned."
But until it's done, the mother of his children has his support.
"I'm standing by her to end. Whatever she wants, I'll stand by her," he said.
Worldwide condemnation
Rights groups and foreign embassies worldwide have condemned the verdict.
"The fact that a woman
could be sentenced to death for her religious choice, and to flogging
for being married to a man of an allegedly different religion, is
abhorrent and should never be even considered," said Manar Idriss,
Amnesty International's Sudan researcher.
Foreign embassies in
Khartoum, including those of the United States, United Kingdom and
Canada, urged the government to reverse course.
Though there's no
timetable on when the judicial process will finish, the couple isn't
giving up. The appeals court's ruling could come within the next week,
their lawyer says.
Until then, they're
grasping at small signs of hope. The last time Sudan executed someone
for apostasy was in 1985, when a man criticized the implementation of
Sharia law.
At least 11 people have been killed and several others wounded in
fighting between rival clans in Wajir in Kenya's remote northeast,
police said on Friday.
The fighting broke out on Thursday when
the attackers raided a settlement of the local Degodia clan. Kenyan
media reports said the attack was believed to have been carried out by a
militia from the rival Garre clan.
"We are told the attackers
raided the village and they started shooting randomly. They also torched
several houses. I can confirm 11 people dead and seven wounded," police
spokesperson Zipporah Mboroki told AFP.
"Some of the victims were thrown into a trench and burnt to death," she added.
Reports
said the attack was as revenge for the deaths of three men killed by
bandits believed to be from the rival Degodia clan, and local media put
the death toll at as high as 18.
Officials said security has been
tightened in the area, one of Kenya's poorest regions. The region is
situated close to the border with war-torn Somalia and awash with guns.
According to breaking news report by Premium Times, Boko Haram men this morning kidnapped 2 first class traditional rulers in Borno State - the Emir of Uba, Ismaila Mamza and
the Emir of Gwoza, Idrisa Timta.
According to security officials who spoke with Premium Times, the emirs
were seized by the gunmen around 10a.m today Friday May 30th
near Shaffa while they were traveling to Gombe to attend the funeral of
the Emir of Gombe, Shehu Abubakar, who died on Tuesday May 27th. (pictured above)
The Borno state government is yet to issue an official statement on the abduction.
What is the Obama Doctrine? As the President put it Wednesday, "Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail."
The Obama Doctrine, as outlined by the President at the commencement ceremony at West Point, can be summarized as limiting the use of American power to defending the nation's core interests and being smart enough to avoid the temptation to use such power when it embroils the country in costly mistakes such as the decision to invade Iraq.
Obama was attempting to answer a central question: What strategic doctrine should guide U.S. actions in a world where America's long war against core al Qaeda and its Taliban allies is winding down, at the same time that Russia and China are both flexing their muscles and when a number of al Qaeda affiliates in countries such as Syria are enjoying something of a resurgence?
Peter Bergen
The President's answer is the foreign policy equivalent of medicine's Hippocratic oath "first do no harm."
Without directly saying so, it amounts to a cautious but firm repudiation of the decisions made by presidents such as George W. Bush and Lyndon Johnson, who ordered massive commitments of American military power against perceived enemies.
A foreign policy of judicious restraint that doesn't sacrifice core American interests is not the sort of foreign policy that lends itself well to emotional rhetoric. But that's exactly Obama's point; it is American hubris and overreach since World War II in wars such as Vietnam and Iraq that cost the nation dearly in blood and treasure, while doing little to protect America's core interests.
But the President also said that the United States reserved the right to take unilateral military action when standing up for core American interests, which he defined as "when our people are threatened, when our livelihood is at stake or when the security of our allies is in danger." 9,800 troops to stay in Afghanistan in 2015 Obama: Military force used if necessary 9,800 troops to stay in Afghanistan in 2015 Obama: Military force used if necessary
What does the Obama Doctrine mean in practice? In cases where there is no core American interest at stake, but where there are issues of concern to the global community, the President says the United States should lead multilateral efforts to resolve them.
An example of this -- which, interestingly, the President didn't cite in the speech -- was the 2011 American-led intervention to topple Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to prevent him killing large numbers of his own civilians, an effort that both NATO and the Arab League led.
The Obama Doctrine means more money for U.S. Special Forces. While Special Forces occupy only a tiny percentage of the American defense budget, they are the tip of the spear when it comes to partnering with countries that have some kind of al Qaeda presence and enabling local forces to go after such groups.
At West Point, Obama announced that he would go to Congress to seek a new $5 billion fund for counterterrorism training efforts in countries in North Africa and Asia, an effort that will be led by Special Forces.
This dovetails with what Adm. William McRaven, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, has pushed for over the past year or so -- a greater Special Forces presence in many countries around the world to partner with host nations and train them to fight al Qaeda affiliates or other groups aligned with al Qaeda's ideology.
In Syria, the Obama Doctrine means working with Turkey and the Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia to increase funding and other kinds of assistance to the more moderate elements of the Syrian opposition and also to identify extremist groups better to make sure aid is getting to the right groups.
On Iran, the Obama Doctrine means continuing negotiations with the Iranian regime to modify its nuclear program, where the President sees that "for the first time in a decade, we have a very real chance of achieving a breakthrough agreement -- one that is more effective and durable than what would be achieved through the use of force."
It also means closing the Guantanamo prison camp since, after all, the indefinite detention of prisoners doesn't fit with American ideals. Over the past year the Obama administration has made some quiet progress on that front, releasing two Algerians and three Chinese Uyghur prisoners. A further six of the remaining 154 prisoners in Gitmo will also soon be transferred to Uruguay.
But will the Obama Doctrine be seen as the right strategy to guide American foreign policy for many years in the future? To answer that question it is worth examining what strategies have guided American foreign policy since the defeat of the Nazis almost seven decades ago.
The holy grail of American foreign policy makers is to establish a national security strategy (or doctrine) that deals with the real threats that the United States faces as they change over time. But coming up with such a strategy that actually informs effective policies is relatively rare.
Since World War II there have been two doctrines that could be described as more or less unalloyed successes.
At the dawn of the Cold War, George Kennan established the doctrine of "containment," which attempted to block Soviet expansionism through a combination of American political and economic efforts that included the establishment of U.S.-led institutions such as NATO, the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Sometimes containment also meant that the United States fought proxy military conflicts with the Soviets, such as the Vietnam War, where the two superpowers backed different sides in a civil war. The intent of this strategy was to contain the Soviets, and yet, at the same time, to avoid becoming embroiled in an outright war that might end with mutually assured destruction.
Containment succeeded brilliantly because ultimately the Soviet Union imploded of its own internal contradictions without a shot being fired in what could have become an Armageddon-like U.S.-Soviet nuclear war.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Gen. Colin Powell came to be associated with the "Powell Doctrine," which was a response to the Vietnam War debacle. The Powell Doctrine was to go in at the beginning of a war with overwhelming forces to achieve clearly defined political objectives -- and then to end the conflict without getting bogged down in a lengthy occupation.
The classic example of the Powell Doctrine in practice was the 100-hour war the United States waged against Saddam Hussein in 1991, which defeated the Iraqi army that had occupied Iraq's neighbor Kuwait, and did so with relatively few American casualties.
Following the 9/11 attacks, came the Bush strategy of the war on terror that was the basis for the U.S.-led coalition's successful overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan. But after that it also became the basis for the unnecessary and costly war against the Iraqi dictator.
As a strategy the war on terror can hardly be judged a success alongside containment or the Powell Doctrine.
So how might history judge the Obama Doctrine? The doctrine will not satisfy some of Obama's critics, who want him to "do more" on issues such as Russia's intervention in Ukraine. But it does dovetail neatly with where a large majority of Americans are right now.
They have no appetite for any more land wars. According to a CNN poll in December, the 13-year war in Afghanistan has become arguably the most unpopular in American history.
What Obama did in his West Point speech was to chart a course that balances two natural, and contradictory, American national security impulses -- isolationism and interventionism -- and points to a hybrid approach that avoids some of the pitfalls of either of these strategic approaches.
watch video above An accidental dance floor bump and a spilled drink agitated then-New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez before he allegedly shot and killed two men in Boston, an assistant district attorney said Wednesday during Hernandez's arraignment.
The arraignment, in which Hernandez pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, had prosecutors revealing the most details to date about a possible motive in the July 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.
Hernandez, 24, has been jailed since his arrest last year in connection with the June 2013 slaying of Odin Lloyd in southern Massachusetts. Authorities began investigating him in the 2012 slayings after his arrest in the Lloyd case. He wasn't indicted in the double homicide until this month.
Hernandez attorney Charles Rankin objected to the court letting Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Patrick Haggan give "a speech" about the prosecution's case, arguing that the prosecutor was trying to poison the jury pool.
Authorities say Hernandez and a friend -- driving from Connecticut to Boston -- arrived at Boston's Cure Lounge in the early morning of July 16, 2012.
Photos: Aaron Hernandez
Photos: Aaron Hernandez
Hernandez didn't know the victims before that night, and had no interaction with them until a dancing de Abreu accidentally bumped into Hernandez -- spilling some of Hernandez's drink -- as the Patriots tight end stood at the edge of a dance floor, said Haggan.
"(Hernandez) became angered and increasingly agitated, particularly after Mr. de Abreu smiled and did not apologize," Haggan said.
No argument was seen, and the eventual victims weren't "even aware that the defendant had become angered or agitated," Haggan said.
Hernandez told a friend at the lounge "that Mr. de Abreu had deliberately bumped him and was, quote, 'trying him,' " Haggan said.
Investigators believe that Hernandez, in prior months, "had become increasingly sensitive and angered by what he believed to be people testing, trying or otherwise disrespecting him when he frequented nightclubs in the area," according to Haggan.
The friend, attempting to calm Hernandez, walked him outside, and they eventually entered a club across the street, the prosecutor said. At the second club, Hernandez pointed out a small group of men and told his friend he believed that the man who bumped into him at the Cure had followed him, Haggan said.
"Witness testimony and video surveillance reveal, however, that the defendant's belief was mistaken, as the victims never left Cure lounge until after 2 a.m.," Haggan said.
Hernandez and his friend left the second club and returned to the SUV in which they'd arrived, Haggan said. They drove around, and at some point they pulled over on a nearby street, Haggan said.
Hernandez retrieved a revolver from the engine block of the SUV, where he had hidden the gun shortly before he and his friend left Connecticut, Haggan said.
The 2012 shootings
Authorities previously said that the victims and three of their friends left the Cure Lounge and drove away, unaware that Hernandez was driving behind them.
When the victims' car stopped at a red light, Hernandez's SUV pulled up beside it.
"Aaron Hernandez then fired a .38-caliber revolver multiple times from the driver's side of his vehicle into the passenger's side of the victims' vehicle," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said earlier this month.
De Abreu, the driver, was shot several times and fatally hit in the chest. Furtado, who was in the front passenger seat, was struck multiple times and gravely wounded with a shot to the head, the district attorney said.
Two backseat passengers escaped injury and ran from the car. A third man remained in the car and suffered a wound to his arm, Conley said.
Defense attorney: Prosecution trying to poison jury pool
In addition to the two counts of first-degree murder, Hernandez also pleaded not guilty to three counts of armed assault with intent to murder and one count of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, the district attorney said.
After the July 2012 incident, Hernandez continued to play football. During the next season, he had 51 receptions for 483 yards and five touchdowns. The Patriots finished the regular season with 12 wins and four losses and won the AFC East Division. They lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game.
Authorities say they began investigating Hernandez in the 2012 killings after they found the SUV -- at a Connecticut home of Hernandez's relatives -- while investigating him in the 2013 Odin Lloyd case.
Hernandez, already held without bail in the Lloyd case, also was ordered held without a bail opportunity in the 2012 case.
Rankin, the attorney for Hernandez, objected to Haggan's extended remarks.
"There is no reason at all to have a speech by the district attorney's office about what they say the facts are, and the court has just played along with that," Rankin said. "This is not supposed to be a spectacle. This is not supposed to be a sporting contest."
"I object to the court giving the district attorney's office an opportunity to present its one-sided view of the case after a one-sided grand jury proceeding," Rankin said.
The judge noted that Rankin also had an opportunity to speak, and that to prevent the prosecution to speak about the case would violate "custom and procedure that dates back quite a few years."
The next court date was set for June 24.
The 2013 Odin Lloyd killing
Law enforcement has focused on Hernandez since he was arrested in June. He was charged with first-degree murder and weapons charges in connection with the shooting death of Lloyd, a 27-year-old semipro football player, in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, about a mile from Hernandez's home.
On June 17, a jogger found Lloyd's body riddled with gunshot wounds at an industrial park.
Prosecutors have said that on that day, Lloyd was seen was seen around 2:30 a.m. with Hernandez and Hernandez's friends, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, in a rented silver Nissan Altima.
On June 18 and 22, police searched Hernandez's home. Days later, the football player was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Lloyd's death. Hernandez also was hit with five weapons-related charges.
Hernandez pleaded not guilty. The NFL's Patriots then dropped the tight end from the team roster.
Last month, Hernandez's associates, Ortiz and Wallace, were indicted on murder charges in connection with Lloyd's killing. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Nigerian student Naizi Evah, (pictured above) a third year Computer Systems Engineering student of Vaal University of Technology, South Africa was found dead on Saturday May 2014 in her hostel room, this is according to her friends who are trying to get the media involved in the case.
One of her friends who reached out to me said prior to her death, Naizi had been in an abusive relationship with a Zimbabwean student, who also studies in same school with her, studying same course. The unidentified man was arrested by police in connection with Naizi's death but was bailed two days after police said they couldn't find any substantial evidence linking him to her death.
Her friends say the boyfriend had been emotionally and physically abusive towards Naizi, beat her severally and even threatened to kill. They say Naizi got tired of the abuse and broke things off with the man and told close friends she was done with him but he kept on trying to get her back/
Her friends believe she was murdered but don't know by who and want the Nigerian authorities to get involved as they don't believe they will get justice for Naizi with South African police. Naizi was from Edo State and was only 20 years old.
Samuel Eto'o, who is now a free agent, has made it clear that he is interested in a move to Arsenal, after his former Chelsea manager angered him with rude comments about his age.
The Cameroon international is now out for revenge and hopes the Emirates will be the place from which to plot it.
Arsenal are looking to strengthen their squad with a few more attacking players, and while there is interest in signing Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, one striker will not be enough for Wenger and Eto'o may very well be an option for the Gunners.
The 33-year-old openly mocked Mourinho with a goal celebration and later called him a "fool" and a "puppet", after the Blues boss had made comments that he thought Eto'o was older than he actually was.
According to the Mirror, Chelsea wanted to keep the striker, but after Mourinho's comments Eto'o is now set to leave the club. With numerous offers coming in from clubs including MLS and the Middle East, Eto'o is still adamant that the only club he wants to join is Arsenal.
With Nicklas Bendtner leaving on a free transfer, Arsene Wenger is another man down and will have to add other options to the likes of Morata and Loic Remy who he is already tracking as possible additions to his squad.
Eto'o believes he is the man to do the job for the Gunners, and the added incentive of trying to prove his former boss wrong could be extra motivation for the striker.
Swansea have confirmed the signing of Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski on a four-year deal.
The Polish international will leave the Emirates on a free transfer at the beginning of July, ending a seven year run with the Gunners.
Fabianski turned down the offer to extend his contract at the north London club, as he felt his first-team opportunities were limited with national team-mate Wojciech Szczesny being first preference.
According to Sky Sports, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger paid Legia Warsaw £2m for Fabianski seven years ago, and his final game for the Gunners was the FA Cup Final victory over Hull City.
The Polish 'keeper is the first signing by Swansea manager Garry Monk, and will provide competition for both Michel Vorm and Gerhard Tremmel at The Liberty Stadium.
With only 14 days to go until the Soccer World Cup kicks off in Brazil, W.S, looks at the five African footballers who will be looking to make a big impression at the 2014 tournament in Brazil
Yaya Toure - Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast have the best possible chance of progressing in a relatively "easy" group featuring Colombia, Greece and Japan. However, the Elephants have the most to prove to their continental rivals after being dumped out in the Group stages in both previous World Cups. Yaya Toure is the star among stars in a very strong Ivory Coast squad. Toure, a true great of the modern game, will be hoping to display his vast talents on the global stage and in doing so progress late into the knock-out rounds of the competition
Vincent Enyeama - Nigeria
The French based goalkeeper will have to be at the top of his game if the Super Eagles are to progress out of a tricky group which includes pre-tournament contenders Argentina. Enyeama has had a great season in France where he conceded only 26 goals in 38 games. Enyeama has the ideal chance to make a name for himself should he keep Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Edin Dzeko at bay during the group stages of the competition.
Kwadwo Asamoah - Ghana
The Black Stars had a tremendous performance in the 2010 Soccer World Cup where they controversially lost to Uruguay in the quarter-finals. At this year's showpiece, Ghana will rely on Juventus' midfield maestro Kwadwo Asamoah to perform at his best in order for the Black Stars to come out of a group including Germany and Portugal. Asamoah will be hoping to use him form in the Serie A going into a tough Soccer World Cup campaign.
Stephane Mbia - Cameroon
On loan at Sevilla, Stephane Mbia had a stellar season in Europe this year. Mbia established himself in Spain after being sent on loan by QPR. Mbia netted in both legs of the Europa League semi-final against Valencia and Cameroon's Indomitable Lions will be hoping that Mbia scores a few more goals from midfield. Watch how Mbia and Cameroon perform against the like of hosts Brazil, Croatia and Mexico at the 2014 Soccer World Cup.
Madjid Bougherra - Algeria
The sleeping giants of African football, Algeria, will be relying on captain and centre-back Madjid Bougherra in order to overcome a tough group containing Belgium, Russia and Korea. Bougherra has several years of experience in the upper echelon of European football including a spell at Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers. Bougherra is known for making a nuisance of himself in both attacking and defensive boxes and the Desert Foxes will be hoping that he chips in with a few goals in order to secure Algeria's progression.
Authorities in northeast Nigeria on Wednesday revised downward by four the number of schoolgirls held captive by Boko Haram, denying media reports that the hostages had escaped from the Islamists in recent days.
A source at the government in north-eastern Borno state who requested anonymity said the number of girls who are currently missing was now 219, not 223 as previously reported by most media.
Police in Borno said 276 girls were kidnapped by the Islamists on 14 April from a secondary school in the town of Chibok.
Authorities had said that 53 of the hostages had escaped in the first days following the attack.
But, following closer investigation, it emerged that in fact 57 had run to freedom shortly after the attack but that the parents of four girls had neglected to inform officials that their children had safely returned, according to the source.
Conflicting reports
Borno's education commissioner, the point man on the hostage crisis, revealed the revised figures to members of a presidential committee when the panel visited the state capital Maiduguri last week, the source added.
The commissioner "was furious with the parents for keeping the government in the dark", about the fact their children were among those who had escaped, the source added.
Nigeria's remote northeast has a poor mobile phone network and shoddy roads, hampering communication in an area hit hard by Boko Haram's deadly five-year uprising.
Some local media on Wednesday reported that the girls had escaped in recent days or had perhaps been released by the Islamists after falling ill.
Calculating the number of girls taken in the attack has been hampered from the outset by conflicting reports from parents, officials and the security forces.
Days after the attack, the military said all but eight girls had been freed, a claim that was swiftly retracted.
Some parents in Chibok have insisted that more than 300 girls were taken, but in recent weeks most media have reported the figures provided by police in Borno, which have the backing of the state government.
Nigeria faces a race against time to tackle its worsening security situation, which has spread in scale and scope affecting all walks of life, an influential governor told AFP in an interview.
Kano state governor Rabiu Kwankwaso said the country was unprepared for the level of violence from Boko Haram Islamists and that a lack of political leadership had allowed the situation to worsen.
"Time is running out. Something has to be done, especially [in] the north-eastern part of this country," Kwankwaso, a former defence minister under president Olusegun Obasanjo, said late on Tuesday.
Kwankwaso, a leading figure in the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), was one of a number of governors from the mainly Muslim north to switch allegiance from the ruling People’s Democratic Party last year.
The defections, which also led to a number of lawmakers crossing the floor in parliament, threatening President Goodluck Jonathan's majority, were attributed in part to the head of state's perceived indifference to the north.
Kwankwaso said social and economic inequalities in the region compared to the richer, oil-producing south, had helped fuel the insurgency and needed to be tackled.
'Friendly countries'
But he claimed that Jonathan did not heed advice to pay more attention to the problems such as poverty, unemployment and illiteracy.
Nigeria was "reaping the consequences" as a result, he added.
Kwankwaso said he welcomed the help of "friendly countries" in the search for more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters last month.
But he questioned why Nigeria was no longer able to tackle the situation on its own, given the military's history of involvement in peace-keeping operations overseas.
"I don't know what went wrong but this is where we have found ourselves. We have to look for support from elsewhere and that is what those in the saddle of leadership are looking for," he said.
Kwankwaso, seen as a potential presidential candidate in next year's elections, said the five-year insurgency had left everyone a target, from ordinary civilians to the police, military, government and traditional rulers.
The politician's father, Musa Kwankwaso, escaped unhurt after gunmen attacked a mosque in his village in January, killing three worshippers and injuring 12 others.
The range of people attacked put paid to claims that politicians in the north were stoking the insurgency as a way of destabilising the government in Abuja, he added.
At least 15 people, including a priest, were killed and several others wounded in clashes Wednesday in the capital of the strife-torn Central African Republic, a military source said.
The violence erupted in the afternoon close to the Our Lady of Fatima church in central Bangui, where thousands of displaced people have sought refuge, according to a police officer and a military source.
A 76-year-old priest, Paul-Emile Nzale, was among those killed in the violence near the church, Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga told AFP.
"One can only feel sadness about these deaths. For several days there have been clashes in this neighbourhood," he added.
The church is in a neighbourhood where both Christians and Muslims live. The majority Christian country has been wracked by relentless tit-for-tat attacks between Christian vigilante groups and the mainly Muslim ex-Seleka rebels who had seized power in a coup which ended in January.
An initial toll spoke of 10 people killed by late afternoon.
Later Wednesday that figure had risen to 15 dead with a further 30 people wounded as the violence continued, according to a military source in Bangui.
Others sources reported even heavier casualties. The African peacekeeping force in the country, known as MISCA, spoke of 20 people dead.
Five bodies were taken to the hospital morgue and the situation remained very tense, an AFP correspondent reported.
Wave of tit-for-tat killings
Shots were heard in several districts of Bangui, notably in Boy Rabe and Fouh, fiefdoms of the Christian "anti-balaka" militia.
Exchanges of gunfire also continued near a mainly Muslim neighbourhood of Bangui, where helicopters were seen flying over the area.
Barricades had also been erected in several areas, military and police sources said.
Violence in Bangui in the past several days has sparked a renewal in heightened tensions between Christians and Muslims, a source close to the French peacekeeping force in the country told AFP.
Out of the 2 000 French soldiers deployed to the CAR, some 700 have been assigned to patrol the streets of Bangui in light armoured vehicles, but the city is still gripped by violence.
The African MISCA forces has a little over 5 000 soldiers deployed in the country.
Deeply impoverished Central Africa has been in crisis since the Seleka alliance seized power in a March 2013 coup led by Michael Djotodia.
Splinter groups of Seleka rebels went rogue, embarking on a campaign of killing, raping and looting.
The abuses prompted members of the Christian majority to form vigilante "anti-balaka" groups, unleashing a wave of tit-for-tat killings that has left thousands dead and close to a million displaced.
Three people were decapitated on Sunday near a football match organised in Bangui in an attempt to reconcile Christians and Muslims.
Djotodia, now in exile in Benin, was replaced as president by interim leader Samba Panza in January after failing to stop the bloodshed.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Thursday he had ordered "a full-scale operation to put an end to the impunity of terrorists on our soil," as he reassured parents of 219 schoolgirls being held by Boko Haram that his forces would free them.
"I am determined to protect our democracy, our national unity and our political stability, by waging a total war against terrorism," Jonathan said in a televised speech to mark Democracy Day.
The phrase 'total war' was used by Chad's president Idriss Deby following a meeting of countries neighbouring Nigeria held in Paris in mid-May, designed to define a common strategy to fight the Islamist group.
Jonathan also said he had authorised security forces to use "any means necessary under the law to ensure that this is done. I assure you ... that these thugs will be driven away. It will not happen overnight, but we will spare no effort to achieve this goal."
It was not clear what such an offensive could entail given that the northeast of the country plagued by Boko Haram insurgents has been under a state of emergency and a full scale military operation for a year - and Nigerian forces are stretched to breaking point.
"With the support of Nigerians, our neighbours and the international community, we will reinforce our defence, free our girls and rid Nigeria of terrorists," Jonathan said.
Nigeria's leader blames "extremist foreign elements" for the Islamic uprising that has ballooned out of a home-grown religious sect and says his government will "do everything possible" to bring home safely nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted by the extremists.
He also offered amnesty to those who renounce violence.
President Goodluck Jonathan spoke on Monday to mark 15 years of democracy after decades of military dictatorship.
The military has said it has located the girls but fears using force could get them killed. Jonathan has ruled out swapping detained insurgents for the girls.
The Nigerian leader said all democratic gains on the economic and social fronts are threatened by "international terrorism on our shores".
The World Bank says two-thirds of the 170 million people struggle in poverty in Africa's biggest oil producer.
Malcolm Glazer, the controversial American owner of English Premier League giants Manchester United, died on Wednesday. He was 85.
Glazer - the son of a Lithuanian immigrant who went on to build an diverse business empire - gained a global profile through his ownership of United, one of the world's biggest and best supported football clubs.
But he was deeply unpopular with hardcore United fans after loading the club with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt following a 2005 buyout.
His death was announced on the website of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team, one of his other sports franchises.
"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are saddened to announce the passing of Owner/President Malcolm Glazer earlier this morning at the age of 85," the statement said.
"A dynamic business leader, Glazer helped mold the Buccaneers into a model franchise and one respected league-wide."
Under Glazer's stewardship of the Buccaneers, the NFL team enjoyed its first Super Bowl success in 2002.
"Malcolm Glazer was the guiding force behind the building of a Super Bowl-champion organization," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday.
Shares of Manchester United slipped sharply on the New York Stock Exchange after Glazer's death was announced but finished the day unchanged in thin trade at $16.30.
Glazer's death is not expected to have any bearing on the ownership of the club, with his family retaining a 90 percent holding in United.
His sons Joel and Avram Glazer continue to serve as co-chairmen of the club. Another son, Bryan, remains on the United board.
"The thoughts of everyone at Manchester United are with his family tonight," the Premier League club said Wednesday.
Glazer's 2005 takeover of United in a leveraged $1.2 billion buyout triggered widespread protests amongst the club's fans.
Although Glazer's reign coincided with a glut of silverware - including five Premier League crowns and the 2008 Champions League title - he remained a hate figure for many supporters.
Manchester United Supporters' Trust vice-chair Sean Bones said: "It would be inappropriate for me to make any comment about the death of Malcolm Glazer as I didn't know him or his family personally.
"However, as a supporter, I am aware of the detrimental effect the Glazers have had on the football club and the huge debt that has been placed on Manchester United.
"Malcolm Glazer wasn't a board member and his children are on the board, so I don't think that situation changes much."
Some fans took to club forums to call for a respectful reaction.
One user on fan site RedCafe wrote: "say what you will... but he presided over the most successful period in the clubs history", while another urged fellow supporters to "keep it sensible", saying the death was "bound to be a flashpoint for some fans."
"I would hope most of our fans will be able to retain some level of civility, in spite of the general feeling towards what he and his family have done with regards to the club's finances," wrote one supporter.
Fans have complained that Glazer's ownership model has forced United to spend millions of pounds servicing the club's debt -- money which could have been spent in strengthening United's playing staff.
Nevertheless, Glazer found a consistent and vocal ally in Manchester United's legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who insisted the American had been "great" for the club.
"I am comfortable with the Glazer situation. They have been great," Ferguson said in 2012, a year before he announced his retirement.
"They have always backed me whenever I have asked them. I have never faced any opposition."
Glazer has had more success winning over the supporters of his NFL team. He bought the floundering franchise in 1995 from the estate of Hugh Culverhouse and then helped oversee the Bucs most successful period in the history.
The top five winningest seasons in team history have all come during Glazer's time.
After failing to reach the postseason in 14 straight seasons, the Buccaneers advanced to the playoffs seven times over an 11-year period from 1997-2007. They claimed their first and only NFL title during the 2002 season, capping it off with a 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders.
Glazer was instrumental in Tampa, Florida winning bids to host the Super Bowl in 2001 and 2009.
There was panic in the Kurudu, Jikoyi community in the outskirt of Abuja this morning after a loud explosion was heard. Residents in the area were reportedly seen running for safety when they heard the loud bang.
It was initially thought to be a bomb blast but a Spokesman for the Nigerian army assured people it wasn't, explaining that a rock blocking a new road being constructed from Karishi to Apo in the Abuja city centre, was blasted with dynamites to help free the road and allow construction to continue
Find a statement posted on Professor Dora Akunyili's Facebook page below Immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, is presently in India on a visit to see former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, who is receiving treatment in the country. Mr. Obi left for India yesterday in company of his media aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem. The two men confirmed in a message from India that Prof. Akunyili is responding to treatment and that her situation is nothing near the scary picture being painted by rumour mongers. Prof. Dora Akunyili’s husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili, confirmed to me on phone this morning that Messrs Obi and Obienyem are with them in the hospital. “We are very happy to see them. We are even happier that they have volunteered to spend the entire day with us before returning home to Nigeria,” Dr. Akunyili said. He also expressed appreciation to Nigerians, saying: “We can never thank Nigerians enough; their prayers are working.”
The attached photo shows Ex-Governor Obi discussing with the doctors treating Dora, while her husband watches. Below is an e-mail sent from India this morning by Obienyem: “Brother Isaac, I am sending this mail from the hospital where our beloved Prof. Dora Akunyili is being treated. At the moment, her husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili, Mr. Peter Obi and the team of Doctors treating her are rubbing minds.
“While Doctors at the Indian hospital are explaining what they are doing and how tremendously she has improved; Dr. Chike Akunyili thanked them for their commitment to duty. He also expressed gratitude to Nigerians for the outpouring of love showered on his wife. Mr. Obi emphasised the need for Indians to come and set up facilities in Nigeria and for Nigerian Doctors to also show commitment to expanding the health facilities in Nigeria through strategic investment. Though the Doctors said they come to the country now and then, they agreed on the need to consider what Obi said seriously. They promised to keep communications open.
“Obi thanked God for the tremendous improvement of Prof. Akunyili and said the reality he saw was the direct opposite of the grim picture some people painted about her condition. He prayed to God to grant her total healing.
“In Nigeria, it is common for Nigerians to express secret and sometimes open excitement whenever any highly placed Nigerian suffer. They see it as delayed punishment for the iniquities they foisted on the nation. Prof. Dora Akunyili is different. Since the news of her sickness was broken, the entire nation has been crying and praying for her to be healed. Even on social networks, you see people’s writings dripping with tears for a woman who showed the nation what service in the truest sense of the word means.
“Nigerians as a people suffer from forgetfulness that is inexplicable. We forget people’s deeds so easily. Again, Dora is different. The pervasiveness of her good work ensured that it is etched permanently in the psyches of our people. Who in Nigeria today has forgotten the trauma – attacks upon attacks – that Dora was faced with simply for doing what was best for Nigeria and humanity? “I understand that since being in the hospital, Nigerians in India have turned the hospital into a Mecca of sort. Daily they visit to pray for her recovery. I understand that the Nigerian Ambassador to India came calling yesterday.
“Meanwhile, Mr. Obi and the team of Doctors are discussing many subjects. Having finished with health, the secret of the development of the health institution and the part the Government is playing, he is busy asking them the secret of the development of Karnataka, the State in India, where Bangalore city/town is located. He wants to know the secret behind the development in infrastructure, education, social services, among others as to compare note with what are witnessed in Nigeria.”
E! just released some pics from Kim and Kanye's extravagant wedding which held this past Saturday May 24th in Italy. Kim's Givenchy wedding dress is so beautiful but the dress she wore to marry Kris Humphries in 2011 was heavenly. See more photos after the cut...
An American volunteer cardiologist was shot dead in Pakistan on Monday, a member of his minority Ahmadi community said, in the latest attack on a group that says it is Muslim but whose religion is rejected by the state.
Mehdi Ali Qamar had taken his wife, young son and a cousin to a graveyard in Punjab province at dawn to pray when he was shot, said Salim ud Din, a spokesperson for the Ahmadi community.
"He came here just one or two days ago to work at our heart hospital, to serve humanity and for his country," Din said. "Two persons came on motorbikes. They shot 11 bullets in him."
Qamar was born in Pakistan but moved abroad in 1996. He had returned to do voluntary work at a state-of-the-art heart hospital built by the Ahmadi community in the eastern town of Rabwah.
Qamar, aged 50, moved to Columbus, Ohio, in the United States, where he founded an Ahmadi centre and raised funds for medical charities in Pakistan, Din said.
He is survived by a wife and three young sons, Din said.
The US embassy said it was providing consular assistance but declined to give further details.
"We express our deepest condolences to his family and friends," the embassy spokesperson said.
The Ahmadis believe there was a Prophet after Mohammed. Pakistani law says they are not Muslims, although Ahmadis insist that they are.
Ahmadis have often been jailed or lynched for blasphemy for things such as offering Islamic prayers or reading the Koran.
Qamar's killing follows the fatal shooting of a 61-year-old Ahmadi man last week. A teenage gunman killed Khalil Ahmad in police custody after the grandfather was arrested on blasphemy charges for objecting to stickers denouncing his religion.
Blasphemy carries the death penalty in Pakistan and cases against both religious minorities and Muslims are rising.
Some mullahs promise that killing Ahmadis earns a place in heaven and give out leaflets listing their home addresses. Few attacks are ever solved, even when the victims can identify their attackers.
Seven Ahmadis were killed and 16 survived attempted assassinations last year, according to an annual report produced by the Ahmadi community in Pakistan.
Others were driven from their homes or had businesses seized.
Washington - Congress is stepping up pressure on the White House to confront Russia over allegations that it is cheating on a key nuclear arms treaty - a faceoff that could further strain US-Moscow relations and dampen President Barack Obama's hopes to add deeper cuts in nuclear arsenals to his legacy.
Butting heads with Russian President Vladimir Putin over compliance with a 26-year-old treaty to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons is not something that fits into Obama's "reset" in improving relations with Russia, which already was stalled by Russia granting asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and annexing Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
But the issue has been simmering for a few years and Republicans on Capitol Hill want Obama to address it head-on.
It's unclear why the administration, which has raised the issue with Russia through diplomatic channels, doesn't want to publicly blow the whistle on Moscow's alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987.
The treaty banned all US and Russian land-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 480 and 5 470km.
There are several theories: The US doesn't want Russia to pull out of the treaty altogether, which would be embarrassing for a president who, shortly after taking office, declared his vision of a world without nuclear weapons.
Getting impatient
Obama has won Senate ratification of the New START treaty, the most significant arms control pact in nearly two decades. The treaty, which took effect in February 2011, requires the US and Russia to reduce the number of their strategic nuclear weapons to no more than 1 550 by February 2018.
Then last June, Obama announced in Berlin that he wants to cut the number of US nuclear arms by another third, which would shrink the total to between 1 000 and 1 100 weapons for bombers and land- and sea-based missiles.
He said he intends to "seek negotiated cuts" with Russia - something that Congress would be unlikely to approve if Russia is found in violation of the 1987 INF treaty.
It's an awkward time for Washington to be pointing a finger at Russia over nukes.
Besides the issues over Snowden and Ukraine, Washington needs Russia's help in ending the Syrian civil war and sealing a deal that constrains Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting economic sanctions on Tehran.
The Russians say they have looked into allegations that it tested a new ground-launched cruise missile in violation of the treaty and sees the matter as closed.
Republicans in Congress are getting impatient.
"By failing to even acknowledge Russia's cheating - almost since day one of the 'reset' policy and during his New START treaty negotiation - the president has failed to lead," said Representative Mike D Rogers, an Alabama Republican who chairs the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee.
"The Congress - unwilling to wait any longer on the president - is moving ahead with declaring Russia's conduct to be a violation of its treaty obligations. But we only have one commander in chief, and it's time for him to put our defences and other responses in place."
The Republicans are especially interested to know whether the Obama administration knew about the alleged cheating on the INF treaty when it was asking Congress to ratify the New START treaty, which the president hailed as a "cornerstone of our relations with Russia".
Earlier this month, Republican Senators Roger Wicker and Kelly Ayotte asked the Defence Department's inspector general to look into whether the Pentagon knew of "any and all compliance concerns regarding the INF treaty and the Russian Federation during the process of the negotiation and ratification of the New START treaty".
Compliance
On Friday, 10 Republican senators sent a letter to the State Department requesting its inspector general to look into whether the then-assistant secretary of state for arms control knew about the compliance issue - and didn't tell the Senate - when New START was being ratified.
Moreover, the defence authorisation bill the House passed last week included a clause requiring the administration to submit an unclassified report on the matter to Congress 90 days after the bill becomes law, and every 90 days thereafter.
The report should address how the president is holding Russia "accountable for being in material breach" of the treaty and whether it's a good idea for the US to remain a party to it.
In June 2013, Russian presidential chief of staff Sergei Ivanov said the treaty cannot last forever. He lamented that the US never needed the entire class of intermediate-range missiles that the treaty banned unless it planned to go to war with Mexico or Canada.
Since the treaty was signed, countries along Russia's borders, such as North Korea, China, Pakistan and India, have acquired these types of weapons, he said. "Why can anyone have weapons of this class but the US and we legally cannot?" he said.
The US, meanwhile, continues to raise the cheating issue with the Russians, but only quietly - perhaps in hopes of keeping the treaty intact.
Rose Gottemoeller, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, acknowledged earlier this month that the US has deep concerns that Moscow is cheating, but she and other officials have said little else publicly.
"We have serious compliance concerns with the Russians with regard to the INF Treaty," she said. "I've raised them repeatedly. We will continue to do so until we're satisfied. The concern has to do with a ground-launched cruise missile that has been tested."
Right now, everybody is waiting to see whether the State Department's latest compliance report, which was due out in mid-April and has yet to be released, will accuse Russia of noncompliance.
Last year, Congress required the administration to brief lawmakers by 15 May with or without the report.
That deadline has passed as well and Republican lawmakers complain the administration has not reached out to brief them.
A State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to discuss the issue publicly by name, said the administration worked hard to produce a compliance report by 15 April, which requires co-ordinated input from the State, Defence and Energy departments and intelligence agencies. The official said only that the report would be available soon.
The official said Secretary of State John Kerry had "raised treaty compliance issues broadly with Russia", that Gottemoeller had discussed them more specifically with Russian officials and that the administration regularly updates Congress on compliance-related issues "and has done so consistently, as required by law, since coming into office".
Iraq's government is dropping barrel bombs and may also be targeting a hospital in its battle with militants in the conflict-hit city of Fallujah, Human Rights Watch alleged on Tuesday.
The Iraqi authorities denied the claims, which come with Baghdad locked in a months-long standoff with anti-government fighters in Fallujah amid a protracted surge in nationwide bloodshed, all of which is fuelling fears the country is slipping back into the all-out conflict of 2006 and 2007.
The New York-based rights watchdog also said abuses committed by the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant jihadist group - among the main militant organisations in Fallujah - likely amounted to crimes against humanity.
Iraqi army spokesperson did not respond to AFP requests for comment, but HRW said in its report that the military denied targeting Fallujah's main hospital, and the prime minister's spokesperson issued a statement on 12 May denying the use of barrel bombs.
"In terms of what Isil has taken responsibility for ... [they] have committed horrible crimes," said HRW's Iraq Researcher Erin Evers, pointing to the group's claims of having carried out suicide and car bomb attacks and summary executions.
"But to equate them with the crimes of a government that has rescinded responsibility for protecting its civilian population and ... rescinded responsibility for respecting its own laws and international law, there is no way the two can be equated."
The crisis in the desert province of Anbar, which borders Syria, erupted in late December when security forces dismantled a longstanding protest camp maintained by the province's mainly Sunni Arab population to vent their grievances against the government.
Militants subsequently seized parts of the provincial capital Ramadi and all of Fallujah, the first time anti-government forces have exercised such open control in major cities since the peak of the deadly violence that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.
They have held all of Fallujah since, and protracted battles have continued over Ramadi.
Citing witnesses, residents and a government security official, HRW said in its report that since early May, Iraqi security forces had dropped barrel bombs on populated areas of Fallujah.
It said it also reviewed videos and photographs of what were apparently the remnants of exploded barrel bombs.
'Medical supplies running short'
Barrel bombs - empty oil drums packed with explosives - have reached notoriety after their alleged use by the Syrian government in the country's ongoing civil war.
HRW also said the Iraqi government has shelled the main hospital to the point that such strikes "strongly suggest that Iraqi forces have targeted it, which would constitute a serious violation of the laws of war".
The rights watchdog cited witnesses and corroborating photographs and alleged that the "accounts of repeated strikes ... strongly indicate the hospital has been targeted".
Evers said the government assault on Fallujah had "been really bad since January" but added there was a "noticeable increase in the amount of shelling on the hospital in February and March".
Security forces claim to have killed several hundred militants in what they insist are targeted strikes in and around Fallujah, and for months, authorities have trumpeted wide-ranging operations that they insist are making inroads.
But security forces have struggled all year to regain territory in Anbar from militants.
The ongoing unrest in the province has displaced hundreds of thousands from Ramadi and Fallujah, and the Red Cross said on Monday "supplies of water, food and other basic necessities are severely limited".
"Access to health care in Fallujah has been dramatically interrupted," said Patrick Youssef, head of the organisation's Iraq delegation, adding that "medical supplies are running short".
Ukrainian forces fought with separatists in the city of Donetsk for a second day on Tuesday after inflicting heavy losses on the rebels while the government vowed to press on with a military offensive "until not a single terrorist" was left.
A representative for the pro-Russian militants conceded that about 30 rebels had been killed while the mayor of Donetsk said the death toll from fighting which erupted on Monday stood at 40, including two civilians.
A Reuters correspondent counted 20 bodies in combat fatigues in one room of a city morgue, some of them missing limbs.
Ukraine used air strikes and a paratroop assault on Monday to clear rebels from Donetsk's international airport and had pushed the separatists out of the complex by the end of the day.
But shooting continued through the night and on Tuesday the road to the airport bore signs of fighting overnight and heavy machinegun fire could be heard in the distance in mid-morning.
"The airport is completely under control," interior minister Arsen Avakov told journalists in the capital Kiev. "The adversary suffered heavy losses. We have no losses," he added.
"We'll continue the anti-terrorist operation until not a single terrorist remains on the territory of Ukraine," first deputy prime minister Vitaly Yarema said on the margins of a government meeting.
"We have 29 or 30 dead on our side but that is not the final count yet," said Dima Gau, a rebel representative, while another unnamed rebel at a morgue in Donetsk spoke of rebel deaths of 30 to 35.
Donetsk mayor Alexander Lukyanchenko said 40 people had been killed in the past day, 38 of the bodies being of those involved in fighting around the airport.
Offensive
Ukraine launched the fresh offensive against the rebels, who have occupied strategic points in Donetsk, an industrial hub of one million, and other towns in the east, after Kiev's newly elected leader rejected any talks with "terrorists".
Petro Poroshenko, a 48-year-old billionaire oligarch, won overwhelming support in Sunday's election that many hope will draw a line under six months of upheaval. He said a robust military campaign in the east should be able to put down a separatist revolt in "a matter of hours".
On the road to the airport, Reuters journalists saw blood-spattered and bullet-riddled hulks of trucks of the kind the separatist fighters have been using.
Though the rebels backing the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) had suffered serious losses, the heavy machine gunfire indicated that government forces were still facing resistance.
It was too early to say if the apparent military successes of government forces could break the rebellion in Donetsk, the first of a rash of such revolts across eastern Ukraine after months of turmoil in the capital that led to the ousting of the Moscow-backed president, Viktor Yanukovich.
In Donetsk on Tuesday a hockey stadium had been set ablaze, though fire-fighters now had it under control.
A Kamaz truck of the type rebels use to ferry their fighters was wrecked on the airport road, covered in blood and completely riddled with bullet holes. Blood had spattered across the entire roadway and even reached a billboard seven metres above.
Outside the city centre, another Kamaz was flipped over, its deck covered in blood.
The mayor reinforced warnings for people to avoid the airport area and said nine schools and two hospitals had been closed, with patients evacuated elsewhere. He reassured people that food and other supplies were still reaching the city.
A 25-year-old woman was stoned to death by her family outside one of Pakistan's top courts on Tuesday in a so-called "honour" killing for marrying the man she loved, police said.
Farzana Iqbal was waiting for the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore to open when a group of around dozen men began attacking her with bricks, said Umer Cheema, a senior police officer.
All the suspects except her father escaped. He admitted killing his daughter, Cheema said, and explained it was a matter of honour. Many Pakistani families think a woman marrying her own choice of man brings dishonour on the family.
Iqbal had been engaged to her cousin but married another man, Cheema said. Her family registered a kidnapping case against him but Iqbal had come to court to argue that she had married of her own free will, he said.
Around 1 000 Pakistani women are killed every year by their families in honour killings, according to Pakistani rights group the Aurat Foundation.
The true figure is probably many times higher since the Aurat Foundation only compiles figures from newspaper reports. The government does not compile national statistics.
Campaigners say few cases come to court, and those that do can take years to be heard. No one tracks how many cases are successfully prosecuted.
Even those that do result in a conviction may end with the killers walking free. Pakistani law allows a victim's family to forgive their killer.
But in honour killings, most of the time the women's killers are her family, said Wasim Wagha of the Aurat Foundation. The law allows them to nominate someone to do the murder, then forgive him.
"This is a huge flaw in the law," he said. "We are really struggling on this issue."
The Hague - The world's chemical weapons watchdog said on Tuesday that a convoy of its inspectors overseeing the dismantling of Syria's weapons programme had come under attack, but all were safe.
"All team members are safe and well and heading back to their operating base," said Michael Luhan, spokesperson for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Syrian foreign ministry reported earlier that six investigators had been kidnapped with their Syrian drivers while on a fact-finding mission in the central province of Hama.
The team had been investigating allegations that Syrian government forces unleashed a chlorine attack on a rebel-held village in Hama province last month.
If confirmed, the attack would be in breach of Syria's commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Syrian government signed the convention last year as part of a Russian- and US-brokered deal under which it pledged to destroy its entire chemical arsenal.
Syria was not required to declare its stockpile of chlorine - a toxic but weak agent - as it is widely used for commercial and domestic purposes.
But its use for military purposes would still be a breach of Damascus's undertakings under the convention.
OPCW director Ahmed Uzumcu urged all parties in the Syrian conflict to co-operate and ensure the weapons inspectors could do their job under difficult conditions.
"Our inspectors are in Syria to establish the facts in relation to persistent allegations of chlorine gas attacks," he said.
"Their safety is our primary concern, and it is imperative that all parties to the conflict grant them safe and secure access," Uzumcu said.
The future of Yaya Toure at Manchester City has been thrown into further doubt after the player admitted it would be "an honour" to play for Paris Saint-Germain.
"When I think about the objectives of Paris Saint-Germain how can you not be interested in a club like that?" he told France Football.
Toure, the Ivory Coast international, has been making the headlines in British press for some time now after the player was left fuming after City failed to publicly acknowledged his recent birthday.
Toure subsequently said he would clarify his plans for the future after the Soccer World Cup, which gets under way in Brazil in June.
However, it appears Toure is open to the suggestion of swapping Manchester for Paris. Toure, one of Africa's biggest stars, said that it would be an honour for him to be part of PSG one day if he could be of use.
Toure has been immensely successful at Manchester City since moving from Barcelona. He has two premier League winners medals, a FA Cup medal and a League Cup medal and is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the game at the moment.
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Actor Brad Pitt was yesterday May 28th allegedly struck in the face by notorious celebrity 'prankster' Vitali Sediuk as he was signing autographs at the Hollywood premiere of Angelina Jolie's movie, Maleficent. The 25 year old jumped the barricade and attacked the actor, police say
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