Has Boko Haram been destoyed?

A year ago 300 school girls were kidnapped from a very prestigious private school! There was an outcry and the parents marched saying Free our girls! There were rumours that the girls had been sold to the fighters. Rumours that bodies had been found and that they had been incinerated There was great activity yesterday in Northern Nigeria as the stronghold of  Boko Haram had been overrun by the Government troops, as John Hall reported in the Online Mail.

Is this true or just another rumour there again? The talk is that Boko Haram have linked up with ISIS to become a vast Muslim Caliphate. We wait to hear the results of the elections in Nigeria. Will we inherit more problems worldwide!? 

Afghanistan a peaceful protest.

On Sunday 22nd March,there was an altercation between a lady called Fathunda and a male "Soothsayer" outside the temple charging visitors for these remedies. There seemed to be an argument between these two individuals and trouble ensued, the lady was chased behind the temple and others were encouraged by the men in the group to stone and jump on the face of the lady until she was dead. A horrific thing to happen just behind a temple where you would think this should be an area of peace and tranquility.   

The Expansion of Boko Haram's land.

Has the area that Boko Haram occupies expanded? Farouk Chokia quotes from the Koranic Verse "Anyone who is not governed by what Allah has perfected is among the transgressions."

They are fighting the government. Patrick Cockburn cites that ISIS can train and arm thousands of fighters in Northern Kenya. I heard on the radio this morning that there were many kidnapped women and that a mass grave had been discovered in that area. What is extremely concerning is that Boko Haram has teamed up with ISIS to make up one immense Muslim state. Meanwhile the difficulties our allies are having in the battle for Tikrit illustrates one of the great strengths of ISIS that may concern us all.

Veronica Morris.

What is Boko Haram up to?

What is Boko Haram up to?
We may not have seen anything about this organisation for some time! But in Nigeria Mike Smith has written a book called "Inside Nigeria's Unholy War".
Reviewing the book, David Blair traces the development of Boko Haram over the last decade from a marginal sect to a vicious insurgency. Writing for the Daily Telegraph he sites the rise of this insurgency. 200 girls were kidnapped from a prestigious boarding school in Chibok Northern Nigeria, by Boko Haram under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau. This terrifying, figure  released a video message stating that they would be sold into slavery. There are rumours that bodies had been found in a nearby area linked to the kidnapping.Who does one trust? What is this the reason for these rumours? Egypt got rid of the journalist who was desperate to hear the whole story, his name was Peter Greste. Similarly Kenji Goto was killed in Syria by terrorists. This man just wanted to know the truth behind these stories, which I think is a very brave thing to do, as I am sure most of the western world would like to know.

Boko Haram girls. where are they?

Is there a "Religious Divide" between the Muslims in the North and the Christians in the South of Nigeria. This has been going on for such a long time ago. It was on the night of April 14/15 last year that young girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram urging them to marry some of their men under pain of death. Some young girls have even been made to become suicide bombers by Boko Haram. The father of one of the suicide bombers Zeharau who said that she wanted to visit Paradise , but after she was threatened with being " buried alive" she refused to detonate her vest. Can you believe it ! Most of the girls were Christian and so very young!

Organophosphates and MS

Is there any correlation between multiple sclerosis and the use of organophosphates in sheep dip? Up until 2002 all sheep dips used in the UK had to contain organophosphates by law. These chemicals were similar to Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War. Can the use of these chemicals have lasting effects upon its users? Years ago I kept sheep in Wales and I have always wondered whether the organophosphates I was exposed to when we used sheep dip triggered my MS. I was invited to Parliament to discuss this and it was incredible that a dozen or so of the people there had the symptoms that I have. There is no way that the government can admit that there is a connection between the two otherwise they would be liable to a massive compensation payments. I only found out about this meeting with Andy Burnham MP through a friend  who alerted me to it. Friends said afterwards they would have loved to have gone! Is this a conspiracy by the government to keep us in the dark? It is not that so much, as an admittance that this was the case would give some sort of closure. Farmers have committed suicide because their livelihood had been destroyed before their eyes. Indeed the consequences were damage to their eyes too; they had been affected as had their hearing. They had developed continual headaches - and so it goes on! 

Paris shooting

I am extremely saddened by the killing of the satirists in Paris yesterday. I found as a student in Exeter all those years ago, that satire was the easiest way of making a joke about something and though you debunked it, people didn't take it so seriously. But I have found that senses of humour are very different and can upset some people. But I believe that it wasn't supposed to be taken on face value! Sadly there is no discussion,