|
Is There An Organized Al-Quaeda Presence in West Africa
By Far the Answer Remains No - Not Yet - TTimes Africa Editorial
 |
West Africa has a strong Sunni tolerant form of Islam, particularly in the
Sahel, the southern fringes of the Sahara desert stretching across from
Chad, northern edge of Nigeria, Mali, to Senegal.Talibanic clerics from
Pakistan and Wahhabist missionaries from Saudi Arabia, elements from the Al-
Quaeda form in Algeria have all tried to gain a foothold in West Africa,
enticing muslims with all sorts of doctrines, materials and money; however
every intelligent reports have consistently showed a very poor to nil
progress on the part of the extremist. The lone anemic attempt of Umar
AbdulMutallab at perpertuating an attack on Delta Airlines flight into
Detroit, is not only evidence of continued security alert in the West but
also evidence that the radical efforts in West Africa have largely been
unsuccessful. By far and large the extremist have failed in West Africa,
with their ideologies rejected by the vast majority of West African
Muslims.
The main militant threat in the Sahara is still al Qaeda's North African
wing of Algeria's. U.S. military officials have said in the past that the
group is active in Mali and used Mauritania and Niger, and parts of the
Nigeria's northern border. There activities however amount to nothing more
than to host mobile training camps, often believed to be little more than a
few jeeps congregating around desert oasis and watering holes teaching
converts how to use satellite phones and explosives. Nigeria arrested a
group of Islamists with suspected links to al Qaeda in 2007 and some
Western diplomats have expressed concern that these elements could become
wide spread. That concern has not materialised in any shape or organized
fashion and there is no evidence that such form of organized radical islam
or its effects have much potentials in becoming established in Northern
Nigerian as well as other parts of West Africa.
The caution however is to keep up the intelligence, combat corruption in
governments in the region that causes mass poverty. The best solution is
proactive engagement by the West. Act now by supporting the moderate
elements early, alleviate poverty, help fight corruption among political
leaders, keep up intelligence and military activties to monitor the region.
All been said, the answer to the question of orgnized radical Islam in West
Africa to date remains - NO -; there has been no conclusive evidence of an
al Qaeda presence in Nigeria or any significant al Qaeda presence in West
Africa. How ever, this is the time to act and prevent such radicalization
of the region. A few logistical assistance today, may save a full blown
Iraq style invasion tomorrow with all the billions of dollars in lives and
cost.
TTimes Editorial Team - Len Blasso Editor, Ron Jones, Richard Mermane, Dan E. Austin M.D, Expert on African and Nigerian Affairs, Sanin Adnan IT Consultant and Ermias Zwede. Contact us at editor@ttimesmail.com
TTimes welcome Interview opportunities and commentaries on this, please contact us at editor@transatlantictimes.com, send you commentaries, request for interviews, send your articles on subject. TTimes Africa staffs are also avaiable for interview on this subject.
British Court Dismiss Case Against A Hotelier For Abusing Muslim Guest
Hotelier Ask Guest if She Was a Terrorist Because She Wore a Hijab
 |
A British court cleared Christian husband-and-wife hoteliers of verbally abusing a Muslim guest at their hotel because of her faith and asking her if she was a terrorist because she wore a hijab. The Liver Pool couple who owned the hotel, were charged for verbally abusing and harrassing the muslim women, who wore the muslim attire that provoked the verbal exchange. Tazi the muslim woman claimed she was harrashed and assaulted by the Liverpool couple for her muslim faith.
In the two-day trial Benjamin and Sharon Vogelenzang were accused of launching a tirade against 60-year-old Ericka Tazi at their hotel - the Bounty House hotel in Aintree, Liverpool. The exchange took place, on the day of Tazi departure when she wore hijab and Benjamin Vogelenzang asked her if she was a murderer and a terrorist. The couple denied assaulting Tazi with religiously aggravating words, and claimed that Tazi told them that Jesus was a minor prophet and that the Bible was untrue. A judge dismissed the case yesterday. Tazi had stayed at the Bounty House a month while attending a course in Liver Pool.
The World Most Hostile City - Mogadishu
A Generation of War With No Just Cause, A Lawless Society
 |
Corpses covered with sheets were being prepared for burial and the air was heavy with incense burned to cover the stench of death. A mortar bomb had landed in the compound, pots and pans stained with blood were still scattered around the retirement home in the Somali capital the day before, killing nine people and injuring 23. Scenes like this are a daily reality in Mogadishu, a city ravaged by almost 20 years of war and abandoned by half its population. Here, civilians bear the brunt of a war that has caused thousands of deaths and displaced 1.5 million people in the past three years alone, with no end in site. A generation of war children now 18 years and older, with no other knowledge of life and no hope of finding peace. The war is elusive, so is any possible solution. There is no simple just cause to sttract the attention of any peace mission, its just a culture and a lawless society of war.
Once full the colonial Italian architecture dating from its years as the capital of Italian Somaliland, the city centre of Mogadishu is now rubbish with destroyed buildings. This morning, two militias allied with the TFG are clashing for control of the port, civilians are caught in the crossfire. You must call your friends before venturing out and keep your cell phone with you to receive updates on clashes. That's the only way to survive living in this hell on earth called Somaliland.
IRS Files a $79,000 Tax Lien Against California Governor
California's Financial Problems Just Keep Coming
 |
An IRS lien of $79,000 which involves penalties for late or incomplete information provided to the Internal Revenue Service, was filed agaianst California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today. It relates to the governor's 2004 and 2005 tax returns. The IRS does not comment on individual cases, so it isn't clear why the penalties were assessed or why they are so large. News of the lien, however, brought a quick defense from Schwarzenegger's office on the usually sluggish day after Thanksgiving.
"The governor has paid his taxes in full and on time," press secretary Aaron McLear said in a statement this morning. "We are contacting the IRS to determine if the document in question, which appears to be a penalty for missing info and not for unpaid taxes, is legitimate and if there is any discrepancy to resolve." For the 2004, the lien records an "unpaid balance of assessment" of $39,047.20. A $40,016.80 assessment is recorded for 2005.
Unlike other elected officials, Schwarzenegger has only fitfully released information about his taxes. During his 2006 re-election campaign, however, his staff allowed reporters to spend several hours examining his returns for three years, including 2004 - a year in which he paid roughly $4 million in state and federal taxes on income of $16.8 million, mostly from investments.
Schwarzenegger isn't the first politician to have tax lien woes this fall: In October, the IRS placed a lien on the property of Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and his wife for not paying $239,000 in taxes that the agency says the couple owes for 2005 through 2007.
Right Time To Sell Your Gold
Gold Hit All Time High Record $1,180 per Ounce Today
U.S. gold futures hit all-time highs above $1,180 an ounce Wednesday, as investor sentiment improved based on a broadly lower dollar and a report that
India may buy more gold from the International Monetary Fund.
on better job numbers and rise in personal consumption data. Investment demand firm up as world's largest gold traders report increase in demand world wide. However, with more prospects of improved economic numbers going forward into 2010, it may the right time to take some profit and sell out some of that Gold.
YTD
US gold GCZ9 1187.00
US silver SIZ9 18.768
US platinum PLF0 1479.50
US palladium PAZ9 371.30
Belgian Prime Minister Emerges First European President
Tony Blair Not Favored
 |
European leaders have chosen the Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, to be the first permanent European Council President, foreign affairs supremo went to the EU Trade Commissioner, Baroness Catherine Ashton from the UK. Both had unanimous backing from the 27 EU leaders at the summit in Brussels, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said. Earlier, the UK government said it was no longer pushing for former PM Tony Blair to get the presidency post.
Mr Van Rompuy had crucial French and German support. He has a reputation as a coalition builder, having taken charge of the linguistically divided Belgian government and steered it out of a crisis. The UK persuaded the other six leaders in the socialist group to back the Baroness Ashton, having dropped Tony Blair. Mr Blair was an early frontrunner for the presidency, but some leaders feared he would overshadow them and so the mood shifted in favour of a lower-profile name instead.
The EU president will chair regular meetings of the European Council at which decisions are taken about the political position of the bloc.
Antartic Tourists Trapped by Ice Are Making Some Progress
Hope to Get Through This Soon
The icebreaker Captain Khlebnikov became trapped in frozen waters in a bay near Snow Hill island on Friday. On board are 105 tourists who paid up to £10,000 each for the tour on which they will see rare Emperor penguins off the Antarctic coast.
A BBC crew filming for the nature documentary Frozen Planet are among those on the icebreaker. The ship was trapped by large ice sheets and unusually harsh weather conditions. "These situations do happen when you do this style of holiday. There are not stringent day-to-day itineraries. That's not how we work, and that's what people buy in to." A Russian transport ministry spokesman said: "The wind has currently slowed down in the area and the massing of the ice has ended.
Large Deposit of Water Found in the Moon
Find Estimated at 26 Gallons
The NASA Team within the field of view of their instruments measured approximately 220 pounds or about 26 gallons of water. Next, the team will now try to understand how the compounds they saw in the plume relate to what’s actually embedded in the lunar regolith at the bottom of the permanently shadowed crater.
For about a decade, lunar scientists have known the moon contained a lot of hydrogen, thanks to the Lunar Prospector mission, but it wasn’t entirely clear what form that hydrogen was stored in. Now, the LCROSS observations provide a handy explanation for the hydrogen: It’s bound with oxygen to form water. Astronomers are gaining a new appreciation for celestial bodies that once seemed rather staid.
El Nino Blamed For Heavy Atlantic Rain Fall and Pacific Drought
El Salvador Hit Hardest By Rainstorms
 |
Heavy rains causing extensive damage on the Atlantic coast, with storm damages across North and South America. On the Pacific coast, severe drought has had an impact on the crops of subsistence farmers, all weather patterns caused by the effects of El Niño. An estimated 10,000 people will need urgent assistance in the coming days after heavy rains swept across El Salvador, leaving more than 100 people dead and causing extensive damage. The devastating storm comes after Hurricane Ida churned along the Atlantic coast of Central America late last week.
The intensity of the rainfall over the last 24 hours surpassed that of Hurricane Mitch 11 years ago, said Dorte Ellehammer, WFP Representative in El Salvador. Severe flooding washed away entire harvests, homes and livelihoods. This disaster has compromised the food security of thousands of people. A difficult task due to the fact that many municipalities are only accessible by helicopter since bridges and roads have collapsed as the result of the flooding and mudslides.
Top US States and Cities To Find Jobs
Dont Pack and Move Just Yet
 |
The employment economics of central part of the country--from Texas to Montana--have held up better in the past fews months than all other parts of the country. I guess you have the answer to the question for now, but hold up... Dont pack up just yet. Most of these areas did not experience the same housing boom and bust that was seen in parts of Nevada, Florida, and Arizona. Most of the central parts from Texas to Montana was insulated by their supply of natural resources, and did not have much to go up for them and have not much to go down. And given that income levels in the central states have grown more than in the rest of the nation, it would not be much to guess their econmies would likely remain better than the rest of the country.
What does all this mean for job seekers? Although North Dakota's unemployment rate is the lowest in the nation, the unemployed shouldn't necessarily take flight for North Dakota. They won't find much churn to open up opportunities. Many did not get employed there and many are not giving the jobs neither. Now may be I head up to Texas if I were you, but be careful, Texas is a large State, some areas in the south shows some horrible unemployment figures. Probably, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio Metropolis. Good luck.
|
