A Russian intelligence-gathering ship has been operating off the U.S. East Coast and near the Gulf of Mexico for the past month, the Pentagon said Thursday.

"We are aware that the Russian ships Viktor Leonov and Nikolay Chiker are currently operating in waters that are beyond U.S. territorial seas but near Cuba," said Lt. Col. Tom Crosson, a Pentagon spokesman. "We respect the freedom of all nations, as reflected in international law, to operate military vessels beyond the territorial seas of other nations."

The Leonov is an intelligence gathering ship outfitted with high-tech electronic spying gear. The Chiker is an ocean-going naval tug that has been accompanying the spy ship on its mission.

Pentagon officials suspect the ships were part of a spying operation since March against the U.S. nuclear missile submarine base at Kings Bay, Ga. and other U.S. military facilities

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states. According to the CIA World Fact Book, Nigeria is slightly more than twice the size of California. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. The above description paints a picture of how exposed Nigerian borders could be at any time. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. In terms of religion Nigeria is roughly split into halves between Muslims in the North and Christians in the South. However, a very small minority practice traditional religion, as often portrayed in Nigerian/African movies.

Recently, the incidences of bombings which create general insecurity in Nigeria have become frequent and much more dangerous. During the 50^th independence anniversary celebrations, a powerful bomb exploded at the Eagle Square, killing at least 12 people and maiming others. A similar bomb exploded at a military cantonment in Abuja killing several people, leaving many others wounded. This was suddenly followed by a terrific multiple bomb blasts that left at least 143 people dead, 100 bodies were taken to a morgue at Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital in the city centre. In another instance, a powerful bomb detonated at the Nigeria's Police Headquarters killing about a dozen and injuring many. Then there was the United Nations' headquarters in Abuja where 22 people were killed and several others wounded following a suicide bomb attack. Just a few weeks later, another suicide bomb attack happened in a church killing 43 and injuring 72 of Christian worshipers. This month (8^th April 2012), during the Easter ceremony, officials say at least 38 people died in a car bomb somewhere in the northern city of Kaduna. A few hours later, another bomb detonated in the central city of Jos, living tens of people wounded. The list goes on and on...

What did Russia do after being threatened with more sanctions by the United States, the European Union, and the leaders of the G7 on Friday? It repeatedly violated Ukraine's airspace with fighter jets, of course.

According to the Pentagon, Russian military aircraft entered Ukrainian airspace several times overnight. And for the umpteenth time, Russia was called upon to "de-escalate the situation."

The sanctions, expected to be unrolled next week, are a part of a bid to goad Moscow to stop interfering with Ukraine's efforts to stabilize the eastern part of its country, where battles with pro-Russian separatists are taking places in a number of cities and towns. Just yesterday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of wanting to start World War III. And, as the crisis intensifies, the United States and Russia are reportedly no longer on speaking terms.

In addition to the threat of sanctions, the Ukrainian prime minister's recent whereabouts yesterday might have played a role in compelling Russia to breach Ukraine's airspace:

Maxim Eristavi @MaximEristavi

Ukraine PM @Yatsenyuk_AP cuts short visit to Italy & @Pontifex, says Russian jets violated airspace repeatedly overnight

Is America an oligarchy? Thanks to a new study from Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin I. Page of Northwestern University, social media, Op-Ed pages and the blatheri are all atwitter at the implication that American democracy is a sham.

In Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, Gilens and Page used a data-set of 1,779 policy issues from 1981 to 2002 to compare actual policy outcomes with the prevailing policy preferences of three income groups: "10^Th income percentile (quite poor), the 50^thpercentile (median), and the 90^th percentile (fairly affluent)."

Not surprisingly, the policy desires of the 90 Percenters (earning at least $146,000 per year) are the most likely to become policy outcomes. If they support a policy, it has a 45% chance of being enacted. But if they oppose a policy, there is an 82% chance it will be defeated, derailed on the way to becoming a law, even if a majority of Americans support it.

The Obama regime, wallowing in hubris and arrogance, has recklessly escalated the Ukrainian crisis into a crisis with Russia. Whether intentionally or stupidly, Washington's propagandistic lies are driving the crisis to war. Unwilling to listen to any more of Washington's senseless threats, Moscow no longer accepts telephone calls from Obama and US top officials.

The crisis in Ukraine originated with Washington's overthrow of the elected democratic government and its replacement with Washington's hand-chosen stooges. The stooges proceeded to act in word and deed against the populations in the former Russian territories that Soviet Communist Party leaders had attached to Ukraine. The consequence of this foolish policy is agitation on the part of the Russian speaking populations to return to Russia. Crimea has already rejoined Russia, and eastern Ukraine and other parts of southern Ukraine are likely to follow.

Instead of realizing its mistake, the Obama regime has encouraged the stooges Washington installed in Kiev to use violence against those in the Russian-speaking areas who are agitating for referendums so that they can vote their return to Russia. The Obama regime has encouraged violence despite President Putin's clear statement that the Russian military will not occupy Ukraine unless violence is used against the protesters.

We can safely conclude that Washington either does not listen when spoken to or Washington desires violence.

A week after Islamic extremists stormed a remote boarding school in northeast Nigeria, more than 200 girls and young women remain missing.

At Chibok, the scene of the attack, weeping parents cried on Monday, begging the kidnappers to "have mercy on our daughters," and for the government to rescue them.

"I have not seen my dear daughter, she is a good girl," cried Musa Muka, whose 17-year-old Martha was taken away. "We plead with the government to help rescue her and her friends; we pray nothing happens to her."

Although at least 200 remain missing, dozens of the students managed to escape their captors, jumping from the back of an open truck after they were kidnapped in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday last week or by running away and hiding in the dense forest. The number who escaped depends on whom you speak to - 39, 43, maybe more than 50.

Self-defence forces have managed to repel an attack on a checkpoint in Soledar city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region after unknown assailants landed in a helicopter and attacked in a blitz operation.

Over a dozen of gunmen descended from the helicopter and launched an attack on a defense squad guarding a checkpoint near Soledar. As the unknown men attacked, the militia, most of them reportedly unarmed, was forced to retreat.

Following the shootout, the attackers have retreated as well, taking one of the defenders hostage, the local self-defense force told RT's correspondent Paula Slier who is at the scene.

The deployment of US and NATO aviation, ships and troops raises concerns, Russia's Chief of General Staff told his American counterpart. In a phone conversation the two also spoke of Russian military exercises and "substantial" Ukrainian troop buildup.

"Our concern is caused by an increase of US air force and the American military personnel in the Baltic, Poland, and also the Alliance's ships in the Black Sea," the Defense Ministry said in a statement, quoting General Valery Gerasimov. NATO wargames in Eastern Europe are also "not helping" to normalize the situation, Russia's defense minister Sergey Shoigu said earlier.

The first waves of US soldiers have already arrived in Poland and Latvia, after Tuesday announcement that the Pentagon is sending about 600 soldiers to Poland and the three Baltic states for infantry exercises. "If there's a message to Moscow, it is the same exact message that we take our obligations very, very seriously on the continent of Europe," Defense Department spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said at the time.

Opposition fighters in the Syrian town of Zabadani have surrendered after intense fighting with regime troops, losing their last stronghold along Lebanon's border.

The Syrian army was now in near total control of the Qalamoun region, west of Damascus.

Iran's Al Alam TV broadcast pictures of dozens of opposition fighters reportedly handing themselves over to the Syrian authorities.

Rebels did not deny losing the town, located 30 kilometers northwest of Damascus. Opposition activists say the armed men had no other choice but to surrender.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, opposition activist Tayem al-Qalamouni said: "The fighters were forced to accept the truce because supply lines were cut. There was no safe corridor for civilians."

Representatives of Russian TV channels have urged international organizations, including the UN, UNESCO and the OSCE, to protect the rights and dignity of journalists covering the Ukraine crisis from illegal actions of the Kiev authorities.

Disturbed by intensified assaults and intimidation of journalists in Ukraine, their detentions and deportations, the heads of all Russia's major TV corporations, including RT, have called on human rights organizations to "defend the professional rights of journalists working in Ukraine."

"Ukraine's Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk and other regions are witnessing the ruthless suppression of civil liberties on a daily basis. Journalists are being threatened with their lives if they continue to report from Ukraine," the letter reads, signed by the heads of All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), NTV, REN TV, Channel 5, RT and News Media.