US 'Trying to Discredit Russia's Efforts in Syria' and Ruin Aleppo Operation

© AFP 2016/ FADI AL-HALABI

The battle for the city of Aleppo is shaping to become a milestone in the Syrian conflict; its outcome will most likely determine the fate of the country, if not the Middle East, philosopher and anthropologist Vladimir Lepekhin, director of EurAsEc (The Eurasian Economic Community) Institute, wrote for RIA Novosti.

For the analyst, this is not merely a battle between Damascus-led forces and rebels, but rather a "standoff" between the Russian and US-led coalitions.

El-Rufai Was Part Of Nigeria’s Problem – Shehu Sani

Sen. Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna Central) said Gov. El-Rufai of Kaduna State had no justification to blame the Peoples Democratic Party for Nigeria’s problems.
Sani said on Monday that all defectors from PDP were part of the party and should not absolve themselves of blame.

Why Nigeria Did Not Achieve Much Results – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said although Nigeria recognised her problems early enough, the country wasted so many opportunities.
This, he said, made the nation not to achieve much results.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted the President as speaking while receiving Executive Members of Association of Africa Automotive Manufacturers led by the chairman, Mr. Jeff Nemeth, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Herdsmen killed 6 villagers in Kaduna because the villagers killed one Fulani chief

Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of Miyetti Ahallah(association of herdsmen), Haruna Usman, has said that last week Saturday's attack by herdsmen in Godogodo village in Kaduna state was a reprisal one after the villagers killed a Fulani chief. In an interview with Vanguard, Usman said;

PDP Election: Zoning Can’t Stop Me — Dokpesi

One of the aspirants for the office of national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Raymond Dokpesi, was on Monday successfully screened to contest for the position at the party’s convention scheduled for Wednesday in Port Harcourt.
A statement by his media aide, Omor Bazuaye, said Mr. Dokpesi went through the screening processes without hitches.

Our Economic Policies Are In Right Direction, CBN Replies El-Rufai

ABUJA—CENTRAL Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has reiterated that its current economic policies were in the right direction to rescue the dwindling economic situation in the country. Governor of CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, who faulted critics of the apex bank’s policies, said the bank was operating the best policies needed to address the present economic crisis in Nigeria.

We Met Economy In Meltdown – Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday declared that the present Federal Government met an economy that was already in a meltdown.  Although he assured Nigerians that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was doing its best to salvage the situation, he stressed that the country did not adequately exploit the oil boom era by investing massively in infrastructure and diversifying the economy.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and German Steinmeier made statements in Yekaterinburg [Updated]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and German Steinmeier made statements in Yekaterinburg Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speak to the press after their meeting in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg

Russian military options in Syria and the Ukraine

This article was written for the Unz Review:http://www.unz.com/tsaker/russian-military-options-in-syria-and-the-ukraine/

The past two weeks have been rich in military developments directly affecting Russia:

Syria:

1) Russia has announced that she will transform the Khmeimim airfield into a full-fledged military base with a permanently deployed task force.

2) Russia will deploy her heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser (often referred to in the West as an “aircraft carrier”) Admiral Kuznetsov to the eastern Mediterranean to to check the combat capabilities of the ship and its strike group and to engage, for the very first time, the state-of-the-art Ka-52K Katran helicopters.