29 September, 2013
Xogmaal; Wareysi Khaas ah Aqoonyahan Axmed Xasan Carwo, La-taliyaha Dhaqaalaha ee Madaxweynha Somaliland.
28 September, 2013
Revealed: suspected leader of Kenya terror attack
JAMAL OSMANReporter
Exclusive: Channel 4 News learns the alleged leader of the Nairobi shopping mall attack was born a Christian in Kenya and is a former member of the country's special forces.
Multiple sources from within Somalia have told Channel 4 News the identity of the man who led the group behind the attack on Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre.
According to sources connected to al-Shabaab, his Jihadi fighting name is Omar or Umayr.
Omar, who is believed to have been killed in this week's siege, was a Kenyan national, born to a Christian family from Nairobi. He converted to Islam and was also a former member of Kenya's special forces.
Umayr is understood to have left Kenya for Somalia in 2005, where he joined the Kamboni militant Islamist group. Kamboni later joined with al-Shabaab.
Sources say Umayr used to teach al-Shabaab fighters martial arts and boxing at a training camp in Somalia. They say he fell out with leadership because they thought he lacked ambition.
Second man
A second man been named by Channel 4 News sources.
Known as Khadhab, he is a Somali national who worked in an Islamic bookshop in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh. He was arrested and imprisoned in Somalia, and it is alleged he was tortured by the CIA while in custody there.
When he was released, sources say, he crossed over into al-Shabaab territory.
The Kenyan government has not yet officially confirmed the identities of any of the attackers.
On Thursday, Interpol issued a "red notice" against Samantha Lewthwaite at the request of the Kenyan authorities. Though the red notice did not refer to the Westgate attack, it has been speculated that Lewthwaite, the wife of 7/7 London bomber Germain Lindsay, may have been involved in the attack.
A spokesman for Al-Shabaab earlier told Channel 4 News that the attack was an "offical operation", planned and carried out by al-Shabaab leadership.
Sixty-seven people are confirmed dead following the four-day siege, but that death toll is expected to rise.
Why are Americans giving up their citizenship?
Why are Americans giving up their citizenship?
By Tom Geoghegan BBC News, Washington
In today's Magazine
Is Breaking Bad's Walter White one of TV's truly evil characters?
The Loop: Happy campers
Putting a price on love
10 things we didn't know last week
The number of Americans giving up their citizenship has rocketed this year - partly, it's thought, because of a new tax law that is frustrating many expats.
Goodbye, US passport.
That's not a concept that Americans contemplate lightly. But it's one that many of them seem to be considering - and acting on.
The number of expatriates renouncing their US citizenship surged in the second quarter of 2013, compared with the same period the year before - 1,131 cases to 189 in 2012. It's still a small proportion of the estimated six million Americans abroad, but it's a significant rise.
The list is compiled by the Federal Register and while no reasons are given, the big looming factor seems to be tax.
A new law called the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (Fatca) will, from 1 July next year, require all financial institutions around the world to report directly to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) all the assets and incomes of any US citizens with $50,000 (£31,000) on their books. The US could withhold 30% of dividends and interest payments due to the banks that don't comply.
Continue reading the main story
Are you an ex?
Have you given up the citizenship of any country?
Tell us why, using the form at the bottom of the story
We will publish a selection
It's an attempt by the US authorities to recover an estimated $100bn a year in unpaid taxes on US citizens' assets overseas. Unlike other countries, Americans are taxed not only as residents of the US but also as citizens, wherever they live.
Suddenly, some expats are waking up in a cold sweat. They have always had to file tax returns and disclose foreign accounts on a form called the FBAR, although in practice many didn't. But now Fatca means they have to be more rigorous or face huge fines, in the knowledge that the US authorities could know a lot more than they have in the past.
Many would say the IRS is only trying to get what it is owed, but critics say that in trying to track down the wealthy tax-dodgers, ordinary people are being dragged into an expensive and time-consuming form-filling nightmare. And for some, it's become too much.
“Start Quote
I used to be a flag-waving, patriotic citizen”Genevieve BesserAmerican in Germany
Bridget, who asked the BBC not to use her real name, gave up her US citizenship in 2011, 32 years after leaving for a new life in Scandinavia.
"This has nothing to do with avoiding taxes. I was never in danger of having to pay taxes in the US since I pay more here. The issue for me was that it was becoming harder and harder to follow the tax code and comply. It was difficult already but when I knew Fatca was coming, I thought, 'Do I want to go through with it anymore?'"
She felt threatened even if she did everything to fulfil her responsibilities, she says. A simple loyalty card at the local grocery store caused her anxiety when she realised it was linked to a bank account she never knew she had.
It became so complicated to do her tax return that she turned to professionals, at an annual cost of nearly $2,000 (£1,250), with the prospect of Fatca raising the price to $5,000. Also, fewer tax lawyers were taking on American clients, she says, and some banks were even turning away American money.
"In the end, I sleep better now knowing that I no longer have to worry about the US requirements. I will never be able to live or own property in the US but I can visit and that's enough for me."
Notable ex-Americans
Novelist Henry James
Director Terry Gilliam
Violinist Yehudi Menuhin
Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin
Socialite Denise Rich
Bridget, who runs an editing and translation company, says her strong emotional bond with the US has been frayed.
"I've enjoyed being an American even though I haven't lived there since I was young. I identified with America so I felt angry that I had to get to this point where it wasn't viable to keep my citizenship anymore.
"When you're an American living in America, it's one thing but when you live abroad in another country, in certain ways that feeling becomes even stronger because you realise that things that you think are individual characteristics are actually national ones so you identify even more strongly with your nationality.
"I used to always introduce myself as American but not now, although I will always be American in my heart even though I won't carry the passport. I will still celebrate Thanksgiving and 4 July."
She says the tax issue is the biggest topic of conversation among the expat Americans she knows. And tax lawyers in the US who deal with people living abroad say it has become a huge issue.
'I'm thinking about it'
"I used to be a flag-waving patriot who tried to be an informal ambassador of goodwill to her country," says Genevieve Besser, who has lived in Germany for 25 years and owes no US tax. "No longer. Thanks to Fatca, I'm wondering if I should renounce my US citizenship. The US must repeal Fatca and join the rest of the civilised world by switching to residence-based taxation."
Besser, who is self-employed, says her investment options are restricted, because most German banks will no longer open brokerage accounts for US citizens. She can't be joint owner of the house she shares with her German husband. Nor can she have signature authority over their retirement savings account because, she says, the bank would close the account.
"A property that was bought and sold at the same euro price during a period when the euro strengthened relative to the dollar would generate a 'phantom' profit - and a tax liability to the US government, even though I would have no benefit from it," she says. "Fatca is an arrogant piece of legislation that penalises US citizens for living abroad and violates the two principles of law: 'innocent until proven guilty' and 'the punishment should fit the crime'."
"I'm all for people paying their taxes, but it's very expensive to follow the letter of the law," says David Kuenzi, founder of Thun Financial Advisors, which specialises in helping Americans abroad with tax issues.
"Some people are spending $4,000-$5,000 a year to do their tax return only to find out they don't owe anything to the US."
Fatca has only created a little additional reporting for individuals, says Kuenzi, but it has generated a fear that the IRS will have full knowledge of people's assets. So reporting suddenly has to be assiduous, accurate and complete for every passport-holding American.
"You have very wealthy people hiding their assets and not paying their taxes and that's an outrage. Something should be done about it, but this reaction has created a terrible imposition on every American living abroad and it's way over the top," he says.
Foreign banks do not seem happy about it either, and Senator Rand Paul, a libertarian Republican, has introduced a bill seeking to remove aspects of the law related to data-sharing.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
I don't know any Americans abroad who aren't thinking about giving it up”Victoria FeraugeAmerican in France
But the US Treasury is standing firmly behind the new law. In astatement on its website, Robert Stack, deputy assistant secretary for international tax affairs, rebuts certain "myths".
"Fatca provisions impose no new obligations on US citizens living abroad... US taxpayers, including US citizens living abroad, are required to comply with US tax laws," he says.
"Individuals that have used offshore accounts to evade tax obligations may rightly fear that Fatca will identify their illicit activities. Yet a decision to renounce US citizenship would not relieve these individuals of prior US tax obligations."
Those who have joined the ex-American club, or are thinking about it, say this is not about tax evasion.
Victoria Ferauge, 47, is married to a Frenchman and has lived abroad for nearly 20 years, primarily in France. If her adopted country finally agrees to Fatca then she wonders what the implications will be.
"Are my bank accounts going to be closed? Is my husband going to be forced to take my name off the accounts?"
Ferauge is unemployed and recovering from breast cancer so she doesn't have any income. She has paid nearly $1,000 to accountants this year but will have to get more expensive help next year.
With strong ties to the Pacific Northwest, and two parents to visit there, the Seattle-born 47-year-old would rather not renounce her citizenship.
"I don't know any Americans abroad who aren't thinking about giving it up but what I say to myself is that I will fight as long and as hard as I can.
"And it's only when I've exhausted all options that I will make that appointment with the US embassy."
But others said no matter what the tax hardship, they would never switch nationalities. Being an American, said one, was more important.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
XEER ILAALINTA OO KA HADASHAY KUFSI WADAREEDKA IYO INAMADA CANADIAN AH OO QAYB KA AHAA
XEER ILAALINTA OO KA HADASHAY KUFSI WADAREEDKA IYO INAMADA CANADIAN AH OO QAYB KA AHAA
Syria chemical weapons: UN adopts binding resolution
Nick Childs reports on the hopes for a UN resolution on Syria after two-and-a-half years of stalemate
Syria conflict
Rebel rifts deepen
Arms destruction
UN report analysis
Profile: Isis
The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a binding resolution on ridding Syria of chemical weapons.
At a session in New York, the 15-member body backed the draft document agreed earlier by Russia and the US.
The deal breaks a two-and-a-half year deadlock in the UN over Syria, where fighting between government forces and rebels rages on.
The vote came after the international chemical watchdog agreed on a plan to destroy Syria's stockpile by mid-2014.
'Huge victory'
Continue reading the main story
Syria's chemical weapons
Syria believed to possess more than 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents and pre-cursor chemicals, including blister agent, sulphur mustard, and sarin nerve agent; also thought to have produced most potent nerve agent, VX
US believes Syria's arsenal can be "delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery rockets"
Syria acceded to Chemical Weapons Convention on 14 September; it signed Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1972 but never ratified
Syria's chemical weapons stockpile
How to destroy Syria's chemical arsenal
Syria chemical attack: What we know
Speaking after the vote in New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described the decision as "historic".
"Tonight the international community has delivered."
And he urged the Syrian government to implement the resolution "faithfully and without delay".
The UN resolution condemns the use of chemical weapons but does not attribute blame.
The document has two legally binding demands: that Syria abandon its weapons stockpile and that the chemical weapons experts be given unfettered access.
Although the draft refers to Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the use of military force, a second resolution authorising such a move would be needed.
US President Barack Obama earlier said agreement on the issue by council members would be a "potentially huge victory for the international community".
Previous attempts at a resolution stumbled amid disagreements between Russia and the US on how to deal with the crisis in Syria.
The US - backed by France and the UK - had pushed for a resolution carrying the threat of military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's armed forces. Russia had opposed this.
'Unmistakable message'
The UN vote came just hours after the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) adopted "a historic decision on the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons".
In a statement after a late-night meeting in The Hague, the watchdog said its executive council "agreed on an accelerated programme for achieving the complete elimination of Syria's chemical weapons by mid-2014. The decision requires inspections in Syria to commence from 1 October 2013".
"The decision also calls for ambitious milestones for destruction which will be set by the (executive) council by 15 November."
The OPCW plan will be included in the UN resolutionOPCW Director General Ahmet Uzumcu said the move "sends an unmistakable message that the international community is coming together to work for peace in Syria, beginning with the elimination of chemical weapons in that country".
These are unchartered waters for the OPCW, a small organisation that has never undertaken a job of this size or complexity, says the BBC's world affairs correspondent Paul Adams.
It will need a lot of help and is expected to ask for urgent funding and additional personnel, he adds.
The OPCW document will form part of a UN resolution which sets out to govern the whole process.
Meanwhile. violence goes on in Syria. Activists said a car bomb killed at least 20 people near a mosque in Rankus, a town north of Damascus, just after Friday prayers.
'Comprehensive report
Earlier, the UN said its team of inspectors currently in Syria are investigating three chemical weapons attacks alleged to have happened after the 21 August attack in Damascus that left hundreds dead and sparked a threat of US military action.
The three attacks are among seven alleged incidents the UN said its team were investigating.
In a statement, the UN said its team, led by Ake Sellstrom, arrived in Syria for its second visit on 25 September and hopes to finish its work by Monday 30 September.
It is working on a "comprehensive report" that it expects to have finished by late October.
The UN listed the alleged attacks, which all took place this year, as Khan al-Assal on 19 March; Sheikh Maqsoud on 13 April; Saraqeb on 29 April; Ghouta on 21 August; Bahhariya on 22 August; Jobar on 24 August and Ashrafieh Sahnaya on 25 August.
Syria pushed for the investigation of the three post-21 August incidents.
Its envoy to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, accused "militants" of using chemical gas against the army in Bahhariya, Jobar and Ashrafieh Sahnaya.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Syria chemical weapons: UN to vote on binding resolution
Nick Childs reports on the hopes for a UN resolution on Syria after two-and-a-half years of stalemate
The UN Security Council is due to vote shortly on a binding resolution on ridding Syria of chemical weapons.
The 15-member body is expected to adopt the draft document agreed earlier by Russia and the US.
The deal would break a two-and-a-half year deadlock in the UN over Syria, where fighting between government forces and rebels rages on.
The vote comes after the international chemical watchdog agreed on a plan to destroy Syria's stockpile by mid-2014.
'Huge victory'
Syria's chemical weapons
Syria believed to possess more than 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents and pre-cursor chemicals, including blister agent, sulphur mustard, and sarin nerve agent; also thought to have produced most potent nerve agent, VX
US believes Syria's arsenal can be "delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery rockets"
Syria acceded to Chemical Weapons Convention on 14 September; it signed Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1972 but never ratified
Syria's chemical weapons stockpile
How to destroy Syria's chemical arsenal
Syria chemical attack: What we know
The UN resolution - which is expected to go before the UN Security Council in New York at 20:00 local time (00:00 GMT Saturday) - condemns the use of chemical weapons but does not attribute blame.
The document has two legally binding demands: that Syria abandon its weapons stockpile and that the chemical weapons experts be given unfettered access.
Although the draft refers to Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the use of military force, a second resolution authorising such a move would be needed.
US President Barack Obama said agreement on the issue by council members would be a "potentially huge victory for the international community".
Previous attempts at a resolution have stumbled amid disagreements between Russia and the US on how to deal with the crisis in Syria.
The US - backed by France and the UK - had pushed for a resolution carrying the threat of military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's armed forces. Russia had opposed this.
'Unmistakable message'
The UN vote comes shortly after the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) adopted "a historic decision on the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons".
In a statement a late-night meeting in The Hague, the watchdog said its executive council "agreed on an accelerated programme for achieving the complete elimination of Syria's chemical weapons by mid-2014. The decision requires inspections in Syria to commence from 1 October 2013".
"The decision also calls for ambitious milestones for destruction which will be set by the (executive) council by 15 November."
The OPCW plan will be included in the UN resolutionOPCW Director General Ahmet Uzumcu said the move "sends an unmistakable message that the international community is coming together to work for peace in Syria, beginning with the elimination of chemical weapons in that country".
These are unchartered waters for the OPCW, a small organisation that has never undertaken a job of this size or complexity, the BBC's world affairs correspondent Paul Adams says.
It will need a lot of help and is expected to ask for urgent funding and additional personnel, he adds.
The OPCW document will form part of a UN resolution which sets out to govern the whole process.
Meanwhile. violence goes on in Syria. Activists said a car bomb killed at least 20 people near a mosque in Rankus, a town north of Damascus, just after Friday prayers.
'Comprehensive report
Earlier, the UN said its team of inspectors currently in Syria are investigating three chemical weapons attacks alleged to have happened after the 21 August attack in Damascus that left hundreds dead and sparked a threat of US military action.
The three attacks are among seven alleged incidents the UN said its team were investigating.
In a statement, the UN said its team, led by Ake Sellstrom, arrived in Syria for its second visit on 25 September and hopes to finish its work by Monday 30 September.
It is working on a "comprehensive report" that it expects to have finished by late October.
The UN listed the alleged attacks, which all took place this year, as Khan al-Assal on 19 March; Sheikh Maqsoud on 13 April; Saraqeb on 29 April; Ghouta on 21 August; Bahhariya on 22 August; Jobar on 24 August and Ashrafieh Sahnaya on 25 August.
Syria pushed for the investigation of the three post-21 August incidents.
Its envoy to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, accused "militants" of using chemical gas against the army in Bahhariya, Jobar and Ashrafieh Sahnaya.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
26 September, 2013
24 September, 2013
MADAXWEYNAH SOMALILAND OO ANSIXIYEY XEERKII CASHUURAHA WADOOYINKA
XEERKA CASHUURTA WADOOYINKA
Xeerkan ooy saaka golaha Wakiiladu ku ansixiyeen aqlabiyad xoogan oo ah 58 halka ay diidiin 8 xubnood oo kaliye, kana aamuseen 3 xubnood., iyo isla maantaba Madaxweyne Siilanyo ku dhaqangaliyey wareegtadan:
Madaxweynaha Jamhuuriyada Somaliland Mudane, Axmed Maxamed
Maxamuud (Silaanyo) waxa uu xeer Madaxweyne oo sumadiisu tahay
JSL/M/XERM/249-2048/092013 ku dhaqan geliyey Xeerka Takaaliifta
Horumarinta Waddooyinka.
Madaxweynuhu:-
Markuu Arkay: Qodobka 90aad ee Dastuurka Jamhuuriyadda
Somaliland;
Markuu Arkay: Qodobka 75aad ee Dastuurka Jamhuuriyadda
Somaliland;
Markuu Arkay: Go’aanka Golaha Wakiillada JSL, Go’aan Lr. GW/G/KF-
22/620/2013 ee ku taariikhaysan 24/09/2013 ee ay ku
ansixiyeen Xeerka Takaaliifta Horumarinta
Waddooyinka Xeer Lr. 64/2013.
Wuxuu Soo Saaray
Dhaqan-galka Xeerka Takaaliifta Horumarinta Waddooyinka Xeer Lr.
64/2013 ee Jamhuuriyadda Somaliland.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Nairobi attack: Kenya's President Kenyatta says siege over
President Uhuru Kenyatta: "We have shamed and defeated our attackers"
Kenya attack
Battle on Twitter
Kenya's balancing act
How does al-Shabab work?
What we know
The four-day siege involving suspected Islamist militants at Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre is over, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta says.
Five attackers were shot dead by troops and 11 suspects were in custody, he said in a TV address to the nation.
Kenya has "shamed and defeated our attackers" but the "losses are immense", he said, confirming that 61 civilians and six soldiers had died.
Three days of national mourning have been declared, starting on Wednesday.
There was no air, no light and no water - we just tried to stay as quiet as possible in the hope they wouldn't find us”Sonia Hanspaul Vijen
Eyewitness accounts
President Kenyatta said that several bodies - including those of "terrorists" - were thought to be trapped under rubble after three floors of the building collapsed following a blaze on Monday.
Some 175 people were injured in the attack; 62 people remain in hospital and many others are being treated for shock and are undergoing counselling.
"I promise that we shall have a full accountability for the mindless destruction, deaths, pain, loss and suffering we have all undergone as a national family.
"These cowards will meet justice, as will their accomplices and patrons, wherever they are," he said.
At least 18 foreigners are among the dead, including six Britons, as well as citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China.
Continued threat
The militants stormed the Westgate centre on Saturday, throwing grenades and firing on shoppers and staff.
Somali Islamist group al-Shabab said it had carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenyan army operations in Somalia.
The president said he could not confirm reports that a British national and two or three US citizens were involved in the attacks, but he said forensic experts were carrying out tests to ascertain their nationalities.
In an interview with the US TV programme PBS Newshour, Kenya's Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said the Americans were 18 or 19 years old, of Somali or Arab origin.
Her remarks have fuelled media speculation about the possible involvement of Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of one of the men who carried out attacks on London's transport system on 7 July 2005.
Continue reading the main story
Al-Shabab militia
Name means "The Youth" in Arabic
Controls large areas of Somalia
Formed as a radical offshoot of the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006
Include foreign jihadists
Has launched cross-border raids into Kenya, Uganda
Estimated to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters
Announced merger with al-Qaeda in 2012
Q&A: Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?
Battle on Twitter
But a Twitter post from al-Shabab on Tuesday evening dismissed claims that women were involved in the attack. The group said it "categorically" denied involvement of any woman".
The group said: "We have an adequate number of young men who are fully committed and we do not employ our sisters in such military operations."
President Barack Obama called the events in Nairobi a "terrible outrage" and said the US was providing all the co-operation it could to Kenya.
Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said those behind the attacks "must be held accountable."
Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia.
There are about 4,000 Kenyan troops in the south of Somalia as part of an African Union force supporting Somali government forces.
Al-Shabab is fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia.
Despite being pushed out of key cities in the past two years, it remains in control of smaller towns and large swathes of the countryside.
UN special representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay called on Tuesday for a fresh surge in African troops to Somalia to counter an estimated 5,000 al-Shabab fighters.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
23 September, 2013
Somali leader says threat of al-Shabab is global
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Islamic extremist group claiming responsibility for the weekend terrorist attack at a Kenyan mall presents a threat not just to the region or Africa but to the world at large, the president of Somalia said Monday on a trip to Ohio.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said reports that some of the attackers may have been Somalis who lived in the United States illustrate the global nature of al-Shabab.
"Today, there are clear evidences that Shabab is not a threat to Somalia and Somali people only," Mohamud said in a speech at Ohio State University. "They are a threat to the continent of Africa, and the world at large."
Kenyan authorities say dozens of people have died in the attack. Mohamud said he has spoken with the president of Kenya and plans to visit the country.
Mohamud likened the attacks to an al-Shabab assault on Somalia's main court complex in April that killed dozens, and a 2010 al-Shabab attack in Uganda's capital that killed about 76 people.
Mohamud said his government is committed to uprooting al-Shabab. He said maintaining security is his top priority as Somalia rebuilds after decades of civil war and terrorist threats. But a relapse is a possibility, he warned.
In his speech, he called on people from Somalia who are living in Ohio to consider coming home to help rebuilding efforts. Central Ohio has the second-largest number of Somalis in the U.S. after the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., area. The president said his current government has Somalis from the U.S., Australia, Britain, Canada, Sweden and elsewhere. Many more have returned to set up businesses.
"The government will prepare the ground for you to come," Mohamud said.
The president pledged to continue the policy of creating a unified country bringing together all regions. He also promised free elections in 2016. The key to success, he said, is a country stable in all ways.
"Stable in terms of security, stable in terms of politics and stable in terms of economy," Mohamud said.
Mohamud started his U.S. visit in Washington, then planned to travel Monday to New York for a speech at the United Nations.
Secretary of State John Kerry praised Mohamud's efforts building a government Friday.
"We encourage you to continue the work of reaching out, of reconciliation and rebuilding the democracy, and I know he's committed to that," Kerry said.
Outside Monday's university event and at another speech Sunday night, a few dozen Somali protesters challenged Mohamud, saying he was not committed to the constitution or creating a unified country, and he was siphoning too much international aid to the capital of Mogadishu.
"We would like him to unify the country, not separate the country," said Liban Abdi, who runs a health care business in Columbus and has lived in the city for 14 years.
___
Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.
shirkii hoodaale ee beesha sacad muuse oo si rasmi ah uga furmay agabar ..VIDEO
The Somaliland Government condemns the terrorist attack at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall
The Somaliland Government condemns the terrorist attack at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall, and sends its condolences to the nation and people of Kenya
Yesterday, in a public message of support and solidarity with the people and government of Kenya, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of Somaliland Mohamed Behi Yonis issued the following statement via BBC Somali Radio:
“The Somaliland government condemns in the strongest terms the hideous and intolerable acts that occurred in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, and we fully deplore the horrific death and violence brought upon these innocent people, including women and children.”
“We send our deepest prayers and sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives and others in Kenya affected by the tragedy, and wish them endurance and faith during these trying times.”
Somaliland, as a long-time partner and ally of Kenya’s, has also relayed its continued commitment to supporting the efforts of Kenya and other members of the international community to bring peace and combat terrorism throughout the region.
Ahmed Yusuf Elmi (Sudi)
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
In Somali capital, today’s boom is real estate
The Associated Press
Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013 | 12:15 a.m.
Mohamed Nor's phone rings constantly, kept busy by the property hunters who want to own a piece of Mogadishu. Other clients sit on a chaise longue inside his airy office in the battle-scarred Somali capital, waiting patiently for the real estate agent's attention.
"Yes, we have any sort of property," Nor tells one caller. "Come to me today so I can show you some."
This seaside city's real estate market has seen an upsurge in demand over the last two years, thanks in large part to security gains made following the ouster of the al-Qaida-linked insurgents of al-Shabab. Although Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia are still a long way from firm stability and suffer the occasional militant attack, property brokers such as Nor now answer the many calls of ordinary Somalis who want to invest their money at home.
The real estate boom started with the arrival of aid agencies that assisted thousands of famine-hit Somalis in 2011. Those foreign aid workers who briefly moved into Mogadishu paid higher rents. More and more houses are now available for sale or rent, in part because landlords appear eager to tap into the influx of new arrivals from the diaspora.
On a recent morning, as Nor sipped strong coffee in his office, two portly men arrived and asked to be shown around. He stepped out with the potential buyers, pointing here and there at newly built houses for sale. When the men settled on a gritty stone house located near the presidential lodge, negotiations with the owner quickly commenced and a deal was sealed within hours: $900,000.
That figure was unthinkable two years ago, Nor said, estimating that such a house would not have fetched more than $80,000 at a time when the city was largely covered in rubble amid fierce fighting between African Union-backed government troops and al-Shabab fighters.
The $900,000 deal illustrated dramatic changes in the property sector of a country where many still live on less than $1 a day. The appearance of growing security may be encouraging speculation, piling pressure on poor Somali families who cannot afford higher rents. Many have been evicted after failing to pay rising monthly rents.
"We were sadly left at the mercy of merciless landlords," said Sahra Hashi, a mother of six who was forced to move out of her long-time residence after her landlord increased the rent. "Life is getting tougher for us." The monthly rent was raised from $450 to $1,500 _ a figure that she believes could only be afforded by expatriates such as the one who has since occupied the house.
Sensing the possibility of higher returns, some landlords are subdividing their properties into smaller units to accommodate more tenants.
Yusuf Abdiqadir, a father of two who pays $500 for a one-bedroom apartment in Mogadishu, said a lack of many housing options leaves some tenants especially vulnerable to landlords who raise the rent on short notice.
One real estate agent, Liban Hashi, said it is simply "good business" that property prices have more than quadrupled in a couple of years in this hardscrabble city.
Both Nor and Liban said they can make up to $10,000 in commissions weekly, about as much as they used to earn yearly when Mogadishu was still in the grip of al-Shabab. The most desirable, and expensive, houses tend be located closer to the sea or the seat of Somalia's government, where security is believed to be tighter, brokers said. Some residential houses have been sold for as much as $3 million, according to Nor.
The brokers owe their success in part to the aura of chaos that still pervades Mogadishu, where it is hard to collect taxes and the economy depends on a thriving informal sector. Properties are not advertised in the media, and real estate agents, who are often middle-aged Somali men, get their information by walking the streets of Mogadishu and seeking out potential sellers. In open restaurants and spots within the sprawling Bakara market, potential buyers meet brokers and consider possible deals.
The informal nature of the property market encourages scams and land disputes, producing dozens of land claimants with title deeds who attend court in Mogadishu each week to settle land disputes.
Halimo Sheikh Ahmed, a Somali-American woman who says she is locked in a dispute with a man who claims ownership of her father's land, described Mogadishu's property market as "complicated."
"They get fake documents and claim your land," she said. "There's no way out, except to fight for your rights."
Somaliland: Students Protest Raise in University Tuition fees Amid Mounting administrative Costs
By Goth Mohamed Goth
The Chancellor of Hargeisa University Dr. Abdi Hussein Gaas said ,he was dismayed by the actions of some of the students protest which rocked the learning institution earlier today said, “The Rise in tuition fees goes towards improving the quality of the teaching but what triggered the student protest is more than just the tuition fees.
Dr. Abdi Hussein Gaas stated that the university administration decision was due to rising administrative costs and the university has no other choice but to increase the tuition fees so as to meet the ever sky rocketing expenses.
Similar moves by the University admiration to increase tuition fees were been met with fierce opposition by students at the university at the end of last Semester, the university administration informed undergraduates about the changes.
Attempts to negotiate between the university administration and students failed when the angry students started to burn tires outside the university premises after the administration refused to back down from the proposed rise in tuition fees.
The minster of national planning Dr. Sacad Ali shire who is a member of the national committee for higher learning urged students to express their grievances in a peaceful manner and that the government is looking into the matter
SomalilandPress.com
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Universal TV Rayiga Dadweynaha 22 09 2013 WAXQABADKA XUKUUMADDA SOMALILAND IYO ARAGTIDA DADWEYNAHA
Ophir Secures Rig For Gabon Drilling Campaign; Exits Madagascar
LONDON (Alliance News) - Ophir Energy PLC Monday said it secured a rig for its West African drilling campaign, set to start in the first quarter of 2014.
FTSE 250 company Ophir said the deep-water drill ship would commence in Gabon in early February, with three locations more or less settled upon already, though Ophir said further details of the sequence will follow.
Ophir also said it is set to withdraw from Madagascar after informing the government of its intention of give up its interest and operatorship in the Marovaoay Block. Ophir also said it reduced its stake in its Somaliland project to just 25% from 75%.
"We are pleased to have secured a rig that enables our 2014 West African drilling programme to commence in early February. This programme will run in parallel with our ongoing drilling activities in East Africa using the Deepsea Metro I drillship and means we now have confirmed rig slots secured for our next twelve months of drilling," Chief Executive Nick Cooper said in a statement.
"We have also continued to rationalise the portfolio to focus resources on our core, material assets; recently exiting or scaling back our positions in Congo, Madagascar and Somaliland," Cooper said.
Liiska Magacyada Dhalinyaro Somaliya Oo Al-Shabaab Baahiyeen,Sheegeena Inay Ka Qeyb Qaadanayaan Hawlgalka Lagu Qabsadey West-Gate Mall – Nairobi Oo Weli Socda.
Liiska magacyada Dhalinyaro Somaliya oo Al-shabaab baahiyeen.sheegeena inay qeyb ka ahaayeen hawlgalka lagu qabsadey West-gate Mall – Nairobi oo weli socda.
Nairobi-(Qaran-news)-Xarakada Al-Shabaab ayaa boggay ku leedahay Twitter-ka soo dhigay magacyada 9 ruux oo ay sheegeen inay ka mid yihiin Xoogaga ka qeyb qaadanaya hawl-galka maalintii labaad ka socda Suuqa Ganacsiga ee Westgate Mall ee magaalada Nairobi.
9 Ruux ee somalilada ah oo u badan dhalinyaro ayaa siday sheegeen Al-shabaab ka kala yimi dalalka reer galbeedka sida Mareykanka, Canada, Britain iyo Finland, iyo qaar kale oo ka kala yimid Soomaaliya, Somaliland iyo Kenyaba.
Magacyada ayaa intay mid mid u soo dhigayeen si lama filaan ah looga xidhay Barahooda Twitterka, labada barood oo cinwaankooda kala ahaa HSM_Press2 iyo HSM_Press Office
Hadaba Liiska Magacyada la soo dhigay Barta Twitter-ka Al-shabaab ka hor inta aan la xidhin bartooda sidan u qornaa:
Ahmed Mohamed Isse 22 y.o native, from saint paul minnesota,
Abdifatah Osman Keenadiid. 24 y.o from minneapolis
Gen Mustafe Noorudiin. 27 y.o from kansas city. MO
Qasim Said Mussa 22 y.o garissa KE.
Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon 24 y.o from london UK
Zaki Jama Caraale 20 y.o from hargeisa somalia
Ismael Guled 23 y.o from helsinki finland.
Sayid Nuh 25 y.o from kismayu somalia
Abdirizak Mouled 24 y.o from ontario canada
Ciidamada kenya ayaa wali la hardamaya kooxihii qabsaday dhismaha oo la sheegay inay dhismaha kore isugu tageen, isla markaana muddo 30 saacadood ka badan ku sugan yihiin gudaha xarunta, kuwaasoo la rumeysan yahay inay maxbuus ahaan u heystaan dad aan tiradooda la sheegin.
Qarannews
22 September, 2013
NAXDIN: Hooyadood ayaa Dalxiis u Geysay Muqdisho balse iyadoo Aan La Socon ayay London dib ugu Soo Laabteen
Hooyo Soomaaliyeed oo Caruurteedii Muqdisho u geysay inay dalxiis ku qaataan soona bartaan ehelkooda Muqdisho ku dhaqan,ayaa nasiib-darro ka mid noqotay Dadkii lagu xasuuqay Maqaayadda (Village-Restaront)ee Tiyaatarkii hore ee Muqdisho ka soo horjeedo,halkaas oo nin naftiisii haligay sabab u noqday
inuu ku dilo qaraxyadii uu isku soo rakibay,isagoo salfaday 18-qof oo ay ka mid tahay Hooyadhii dhashay 5-tan Caruurta ah ee London ku soo laabtay iyagoo Hooyo la*aan ah.
5-tan Caruurta ah ayaa hadda Magaaladda London ku soo laabtay iyagoo jawaab u waayay sababta Hooyadood loo dilay, waxaana arintan murugadda leh ka naxay Soomaalidda London ee deriska iyo qaraabadda la ahaa Caruurtan Hooyadood Muqdisho u geysay Dalxiis balse soo laabtay iyagoo murugeysan oo Hooyadood lagu dilay Muqdisho
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Canadian teen brothers jailed in Somaliland
Mississauga dad wants help to free his Canadian-born sons, sent to visit their grandmother, from an African prison.
/ FAMILY PHOTO
Jamal Noor, 15, has been in a Somaliland prison ever since police stormed his grandmother's home on July 24.
By: Gemma Karstens-Smith Staff Reporter, Published on Fri Sep 20 2013
EXPLORE THIS STORY
2 PHOTOS
2 COMMENTS
Save to Mystar
Share on Facebook
inShare0
Two Mississauga teens have been jailed in Africa for more than a month, their father says, since taking a summer trip to visit their grandmother.
Mohamed Noor sent sons Liiban, 18, and Jamal, 15, to Somaliland in June. The Canadian-born brothers had never been to the tiny East African territory, an autonomous region within the borders of Somalia that considers itself independent.
The vacation was interrupted on July 24, Noor says, when police officers stormed into their grandmother’s home.
“They came to the house with special forces. They terrorized the house,” Noor alleges. He says the boys were accused of raping a young woman, the cousin of a politician.
PhotosView gallery
zoomA week later, Liiban and Jamal were sentenced to 10 years in prison, Noor says.
Their father alleges there was no investigation of the allegations, and no trial, and that the brothers weren’t even able to speak with a lawyer.
He says the boys didn’t know the girl involved. They say they didn’t know any young people in the area, in part because they don’t speak the local language.
Canada’s foreign affairs department is “aware of the arrest and detention of two Canadian citizens in the territory of Somaliland,” a spokesperson for the department said in an email. The Canadian Embassy in Nairobi is providing consular services to the family.
More Video
Retaeh Parsons Appears in Facebook Dating Ad
Balloonist's Atlantic Bid Ends in Failure
The department declined to release any other details on the case, citing the privacy of the individuals concerned.
Calls and emails by the Star to several agencies and politicians in Somaliland were not immediately returned.
Noor alleges the teens were hauled off to the police station for a forceful interrogation.
“(The police) beat them up so bad. They tortured them. They told them, ‘You have to admit it,’ to something they didn’t do.”
Noor left his Mississauga home for Somaliland as soon as he could, his wife and three younger children in tow. He’s bent on getting his boys out of jail, but says the fight has been frustrating and costly.
“I tried to do something, but nobody can give me any details,” said Noor, who moved to Canada from Somalia more than 25 years ago.
Noor says he is allowed to visit his sons for five minutes once a week, on Mondays. They’re housed in overcrowded cells with inmates more than twice their age.
He says he sees bruises and wounds on their bodies, and hears them talk of being hit and threatened.
“They keep asking, ‘What happened, why are we here?’” Noor said. “They cannot understand.”
While Liiban speaks a bit of broken Somali, Jamal can’t communicate at all in the native language of his captors.
“It’s very difficult. It’s very, very difficult,” their father said. “I don’t even sleep. I can’t. I have nightmares. I cannot sleep with my kids sitting in there.”
Noor has done everything he can think of to win the boys’ freedom. He says he calls Canadian consular officials dialing seeking updates on his sons’ case. But there’s been little progress, and he feels Canadian officials could do more to help his boys.
“It’s very slow,” he said. “I feel helpless now.”
Somaliland officials have been of little help. Setting up meetings with officials takes weeks, Noor said, alleging that some demand bribes before handing over any information.
“They think we have a lot of money or something because we are from Canada,” said Noor, who works as a truck driver in Mississauga.
Noor’s life is now consumed with trying to free his sons. All of his children should now be back in their Mississauga schools, and Noor back to work. But the distraught father feels stuck in Somaliland, unwilling to leave without Liiban and Jamal.
“We cannot leave our kids here,” he said. “We don’t want to leave them behind.”
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
LIVE UPDATES: WESTGATE DEATH TOLL AT 59: MINISTER NTV Kenya Livestream
LIVE UPDATES: WESTGATE DEATH TOLL AT 59: MINISTER
NTV Kenya Livestream
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/THE-WESTGATE-TERROR-ATTACK/-/1056/2002524/-/8uo3hcz/-/index.html
4.58pm President Kenyatta says the security forces are doing all they can to secure the lives of those still in the mall.
4.54pm President currently addressing the press, says Kenya shall not relent on the war on terror.
4.05pm Israeli forces join Kenya battle to end deadly mall siege, AFP reports.
3.55pm UN Security Council issues a statement condemning the attacks at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi which has claimed at least 59 lives and injured 175.
3.26pm Deputy President William Ruto asks ICC to adjourn his trial so he can deal with the Westgate terror attack, Reuters reports.
2.14pm Police fire tear tear gas to disperse surging crowds.
2.13pm President Kenyatta to address a press conference at 3pm Sunday. He will be joined by former PM Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi.
2.03pm One more survivor rescued, a woman.
1.15pm The Chinese ambassador to Kenya Liu Guangyuan issues statement saying; "the Chinese side is shocked and strongly condemns the terrorist attack at Westgate Shopping Mall, and wishes to express deep condolences to the victims and profound sympathy to the wounded and the deceased family.”
12.50pm The top Muslim leadership in the country issues statement and condemns the attacks at the Westgate mall.
12.34 The government to provide the list of those affected later on.
12.26pm Minister Ole Lenku says there could be between 10-15 attackers in the mall; says operation is delicate to ensure that hostages get out safe. 1000 people out so far.
12.01pm Death toll now at 59 says minister Ole Lenku,175 injured.
11.44am A Canadian immigration official from the Canada’s High Commission in Kenya among those killed, said the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird in a press statement.
11.17am "This attack does not warrant countries issuing travel advisories because this has happened all over the world, it happened in Egypt and even in the US," said former PM. Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has sent condolences from Sri Lanka.
11.09am "This is a cowardly act by terrorists which they tried to do in 1998 and failed, they will not succeed," says former PM Raila Odinga.
10.57am Unknown number of hostages still trapped in the mall, Interior cabinet secretary Ole Lenku to brief journalists shortly. Police are not allowing anyone near the mall. Gunshots heard earlier.
10.45am Former PM Raila Odinga arrives at Oshwal Center near Westgate Mall, says its a tragic incident and hopes life returns to normal as soon as possible.
10.28am Another woman rescued bringing the number of those rescued this morning to four, husband happy to see her.
10.03am Our reporter Aggrey Mutambo notes that one of the survivors (an employee) who hid in the basement says suspects still inside the mall 22 hours later, fire exchange was there earlier on.
9.51am The US State Department indicates that at least four US nationals were injured in the attack.
9.30am Two military officers seriously injured in Westgate rescue operation rushed to Oshwal Center for first aid.
9.17am Oshwal Religious Center near Westgate is providing free food and water to victims, security forces and other rescue agents.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Al-Shabaab twitter account suspended after mall attack
PHOTO | LIONEL BONAVENTURE | FILE A picture shows the Twitter logo on a tablet screen. President Kenyatta to address press conference at 3pm Sunday. He will be joined by Former PM Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi AFP
In Summary
The group issued a string of messages on Twitter Saturday, claiming its fighters were behind an attack on Nairobi’s upmarket Westgate shopping mall.ADVERTISEMENT
By AFPMore by this Author
The Twitter account of Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked Shabab rebels was suspended Saturday after they used the site to claim responsibility for an attack on a Nairobi shopping mall that left 59 dead and 175 wounded.
A message from Twitter on the English-language @HSM_Press account read that the account was suspended, the third time this year that the group has been expelled from the site.
According to Twitter users are blocked “for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities”.
The Shabab’s previous account, @HSMPress, was suspended in January after the group posted photographs of a French commando they killed and threatened to execute Kenyan hostages.
They opened another account, @HSMPress1, but were again suspended earlier this month after threatening Somalia’s internationally-backed president.
The group issued a string of messages on Twitter Saturday, claiming its fighters were behind an attack on Nairobi’s upmarket Westgate shopping mall.
“The Mujahideen entered #Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the #Kenyan Kuffar (infidels) inside their own turf,” the Islamist militants had said on Twitter.
“What Kenyans are witnessing at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military,” the group said.
AFP
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Three Britons among Kenya shopping mall attack dead
About 1,000 people managed to escape from the Westgate centre
Three British nationals were killed in Saturday's attack on a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the Foreign Office has said.
And it said that number is "likely to rise as further information becomes available".
At least 59 people were killed and 175 injured in the attack, the Kenyan interior minister has said.
Between 10 to 15 attackers and an unknown number of civilians are still in the building.
The next of kin of the dead British nationals have been informed, the Foreign Office said.
Prime Minister David Cameron called the attack "an absolutely sickening and despicable attack of appalling brutality".
The Somali militant group al-Shabab says it carried out the attack on the upmarket Westgate shopping centre in response to Kenyan military operations in Somalia.
Kenyan interior minister Joe Lenku said 1,000 people had managed to escape from the shopping centre.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Three British nationals were killed in Saturday's attack on a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the Foreign Office has said.
And it said that number is "likely to rise as further information becomes available".
At least 59 people were killed and 175 injured in the attack, the Kenyan interior minister has said.
Between 10 to 15 attackers and an unknown number of civilians are still in the building.
The next of kin of the dead British nationals have been informed, the Foreign Office said.
Prime Minister David Cameron called the attack "an absolutely sickening and despicable attack of appalling brutality".
The Somali militant group al-Shabab says it carried out the attack on the upmarket Westgate shopping centre in response to Kenyan military operations in Somalia.
Kenyan interior minister Joe Lenku said 1,000 people had managed to escape from the shopping centre.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
21 September, 2013
Somalia Al-Shabab claims Nairobi Westgate Kenya attack
Footage from inside the mall shows the aftermath of the shoot-out
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Latest updatesLive
Texts from inside the shopping centre
In pictures: Nairobi shootout
A senior figure in the Somali militant group al-Shabab has told the BBC it carried out a deadly attack on a shopping centre in neighbouring Kenya.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said 39 people had been killed, including members of his family, and 150 injured.
The operation to secure the mall and catch the gunmen was ongoing, he said in a national TV address. |
Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda, said the attack was in response to Kenya's presence in Somalia.
There are about 4,000 Kenyan troops in southern Somalia, where they have been fighting the militants since 2011.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Frank GardnerBBC security correspondentAl-Shabab's claim that it carried out Saturday's deadly attack will have come as no surprise to those in the region. Ever since Kenyan forces went into Somalia in 2011 to push the militant al-Qaeda-linked group back from their common border, al-Shabab has threatened to step up its attacks inside Kenya.
Since then, it has carried out sporadic gun, bomb and grenade attacks on churches, security forces and other targets, but nothing on this scale.
The Westgate attack bears similarities to the Mumbai siege of 2008 where heavily armed jihadist gunmen attacked "soft" (undefended) city targets, killing as many civilians as possible, taking hostages where they could, and taking maximum advantage of the surrounding publicity.
That prompted a complete rethink in counter-terrorism in Britain, with the realisation that the UK was unprepared at the time for such a determined attack.
On its Twitter feed, al-Shabab said it was behind what it called the "Westgate spectacle".
In his TV address, Mr Kenyatta said security forces were "in the process of neutralising the attackers and securing the mall".
He went on: "We shall hunt down the perpetrators wherever they run to. We shall get to them and we shall punish them for this heinous crime."
He said he had "personally lost family members in the Westgate attack".
Trapped
The attackers entered the Westgate centre at about 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT), throwing grenades and firing automatic weapons.
Dozens of shoppers fled; many were trapped inside. Officers have been going from shop to shop to secure the area.
Some seven hours after the assault began, al-Shabab said on Twitter that its fighters were still battling Kenyan security forces inside the Westgate centre.
A security source told the AFP news agency police and soldiers had finally "pinned down" the gunmen in one corner of the shopping centre after several hours of fighting.
One gunman was arrested and died of his wounds, Kenyan officials told the BBC. Four other gunmen were arrested.
Al-Shabab has claimed on its Twitter account that the Kenyan government wants to negotiate an end to the Westgate attack, but officials have told the BBC they intend to hunt the gunmen down.
The BBC's Anne Soy is ordered to lie down, as military vehicles move in
Some witnesses said the gunmen had told Muslims to leave and said non-Muslims would be targeted.
"They came and said: 'If you are Muslim, stand up. We've come to rescue you," said Elijah Lamau.
He said the Muslims left with their hands up, and then the gunmen shot two people.
Continue reading the main story
Al-Shabab at a glance
"The Youth" in Arabic
Formed as a radical offshoot of the Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu, in 2006
Previously ran much of southern Somalia
Lost some popular support by banning Western aid agencies during 2011 famine
Estimated to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters
Q&A: Who are al-Shabab?
The correspondent in Nairobi for the Economist, Daniel Howden told the BBC he spoke to one man with a Christian first name but a Muslim-sounding surname who managed to escape the attackers by putting his thumb over his first name on his ID.
However, the man told Mr Howden that an Indian man standing next to him who was asked for the name of the Prophet Muhammad's mother was shot dead when he was unable to answer.
The BBC's Mark Doyle, who is embedded with the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia, says the AU troops attack al-Shabab where they can.
Al-Shabab says the AU forces are invaders stopping their legitimate vision of creating an Islamic state and respond by mounting hit-and-run attacks, our correspondent says.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there would "undoubtedly" be British nationals caught up in Saturday's events.
He confirmed that the UK government's emergency committee Cobra met on Saturday afternoon.
The US State Department says it has reports that American citizens were injured in what it called "a senseless act of violence".
This is one of the worst incidents in Kenya since the attack on the US embassy in August 1998.
Dozens of civilians were inside the Westgate centre when the gun battle began. Many managed to flee, but some were trapped.
Armed police combed the corridors as terrified shoppers fled.
This woman who had been held by the gunmen was carried out of the building in a state of shock by the emergency services.
Some went to extraordinary lengths to escape.
Security forces went from shop to shop to secure the building.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
20 September, 2013
The arrival of Somalis in Leicester
The arrival of Somalis in Leicester
Jawaahir Daahir
Although best known for its South Asian population, Leicester has since the turn of the millennium hosted between 6,000 and 9,000 Somalis, many of whom moved to the city from the Netherlands. In this article, Jawaahir Dahir of Somali Development Services offers her reflections of the reasons why Somalis came to Leicester and the challenges that they faced – and continue to face – in the city.
This article is a response to Public Spirit’s profile of Leicester.
It is interesting to see how Leicester’s profile has changed over the years and how it has become one of the most religiously diverse cities in the United Kingdom. It is interesting, too, to see how it has moved from a position of opposing new arrivals to welcoming new communities, making Leicester a role model of how multiculturalism works not just in the UK but in Europe. The arrival of a large Somali population in Leicester (peak time was between 1999 and 2001) was a surprise to the Local Authority (LA) as well as the established communities. The lack of knowledge of Somali culture and community’s needs has raised questions within the LA and other service providers, and prompted the council to commission research into Somali community’s needs in 2002 (conducted by Hashim Duale and myself). This produced a range of recommendations for the LA and other agencies working with Somali community and became a baseline for helping the community to settle in Leicester.
The transition period was a challenging one for the community, for established communities and for mainstream services, which were not well equipped to accommodate these unexpected and significant changes. There were lot of fights between Somalis and Caribbean, white-British or Asian children in secondary schools and colleges. As one of young person’s story states in Somalia to Europe:
Things didn’t always pan out as smoothly as we planned … since we stumbled upon many obstacles during our transition into living in Leicester. At the schools and colleges there were a lot of other students who didn’t like having us there. There were so many fights and name-calling, especially from black students.[1]
There were access issues in relation to mainstream services as well as bullying and racism both in schools and in certain neighbourhoods.
____________________________________
“Most Somali people moved to Leicester because of its multiculturalism, religious freedom and opportunities for personal development.”
____________________________________
On the other hand, most Somali people have moved to Leicester because of its multiculturalism, religious freedom and opportunities for personal development. Many of them were amazed how Muslim communities have thrived here and how various members of the society from different ethnicities and all walks of life are respectful of each other’s values and culture, which was not the case in the other European cities they had lived in for years. It is clear that this didn’t happen overnight but was a gradual process that witnessed a change of political attitudes towards immigration.
The new arrivals strategy of Leicester City Council was part of the process of creating a cohesive society capable of providing a welcoming and supportive environment for new communities, despite the challenges this brings in.[2] Moreover, all the sectors of public have shown strong commitment towards the city’s diversity regardless of their difference. This has led to the Leicester we know today, which is a role model for the many European cities that are keen to learn from its good practice. Many times Somali Development Services (SDS) has hosted European delegations, including Dutch, Danish and Swedish, who want to learn from the good practice that enabled the Somali community to settle in Leicester.
____________________________________
“The Somali population has a very limited voice in the decision-making process, which makes it hard for them to influence the political response to the current economic situation.”
____________________________________
It is important to note that the economic crisis and budget cuts faced by the city are a significant threat to its community cohesion, as many services have been cut by the LA. It is evident from the focus groups[3] that SDS conducted that some established communities were hostile to the Somali community when they arrived as they felt their neighbourhood’s resources were threatened – hence the fights we have seen between groups of young people. The budget cuts have caused many services to close that were vital to local people, especially youth groups and other vulnerable people, and this can lead to tensions between different communities.
Furthermore, the Somali community has no representation in the mainstream political parties. They have a very limited voice in the decision-making process, which makes it hard for them to influence the political response to the current economic situation. This is made worse by the fact that Somalis are not recognised by the census in the way that White-British and Asian communities are; there are roughly 250,000 people of Somali origin living in UK but rather than being counted as a distinct ethnic group they are counted as ‘Black: Africans’. This places them in an even more disadvantaged position compared to established communities.
Jawaahir Daahir is the founder and Managing Director of Somali Development Services, which offers support, advice and training within the Somali community and beyond. She is also one of the authors of Somalia to Europe: Stories of Somali Diaspora.
[1] Jawaahir Daahir et al., Somalia to Europe: Stories of Somali Diaspora (Leicester: Leicester Quaker Press, 2011), 63.
[2] Leicester Partnership, Leicester New Arrivals Strategy (Leicester, 2008).
[3] Somali Development Services Ltd: Consultation Workshops (Leicester, 2013).
MISS WORLD MUSLIMAH 2013 FINAL - OBABIYI AISHA AJIBOLA (NIGERIA) is the ...
18 September, 2013
16 September, 2013
Defendant allowed to wear face veil
A judge has ruled on the wearing of a full-face veil in court
16 SEPTEMBER 2013
A Muslim woman will be allowed to stand trial while wearing a full-face veil but must remove it while giving evidence, a judge has ruled.
ALSO IN THIS SECTION
Anti-tank mine thieves are jailed
Grand Theft Auto V early sales row
Murder probe after teen stabbed
14-year jail term for paedophile
PPI Claim Back Online
Official Website. Mis-sold PPI? Enquire Online in Just 20 Seconds.
www.PPIClaimBack.co.uk
Pre-Paid Funeral Plans?
Request Our Free Brochure About Saving In Advance For Your Funeral
www.GoldenCharter.co.uk
Ads by Google
The 22-year-old from London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it is against her religious beliefs to show her face in public.
But Judge Peter Murphy, sitting at London's Blackfriars Crown Court, ruled that it was "crucial" for jurors to be able to see the defendant's face when giving evidence.
The woman, referred to in court as "D", entered a not guilty plea to a charge of intimidation last week while wearing a niqab after the judge backed down from a previous decision that she would have to show her face to be properly identified.
Presenting his final ruling, he said there was a "pressing need" to address the issue of whether women involved in proceedings should be allowed to wear veils in court.
He said he "expresses the hope that Parliament or a higher court will provide a definite answer" to the issue soon, adding: "The niqab has become the elephant in the court room."
"Given the ever-increasing diversity of society in England and Wales, this is a question which may be expected to arise more and more frequently and to which an answer must be provided," he said.
His judgment came as Home Office Minister Jeremy Browne called for a national debate on whether the state should step in to prevent young women having the veil imposed upon them. Mr Browne said he was "instinctively uneasy" about restricting religious freedoms, but he added there may be a case to act to protect girls who were too young to decide for themselves whether they wished to wear the veil or not.
Liberty, which campaigns on civil liberties and human rights issues, said it welcomed the ruling. Director Shami Chakrabarti said: "Credit to Judge Murphy for seeking to balance the freedom of conscience of the defendant with the effective administration of justice. He has shown a sensitivity and clarity that can only further build confidence in our courts in Britain's diverse communities and around the world."
But Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, condemned the decision. He said: "It is vital that defendants' faces are visible at all times, including while others are giving evidence, so we regret the judge's decision not to require this. We will be complaining to the Office of Judicial Complaints and also be asking senior legal officers to make visibility throughout court hearings mandatory, and not subject to judges' discretion."
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
16 SEPTEMBER 2013
A Muslim woman will be allowed to stand trial while wearing a full-face veil but must remove it while giving evidence, a judge has ruled.
ALSO IN THIS SECTION
Anti-tank mine thieves are jailed
Grand Theft Auto V early sales row
Murder probe after teen stabbed
14-year jail term for paedophile
PPI Claim Back Online
Official Website. Mis-sold PPI? Enquire Online in Just 20 Seconds.
www.PPIClaimBack.co.uk
Pre-Paid Funeral Plans?
Request Our Free Brochure About Saving In Advance For Your Funeral
www.GoldenCharter.co.uk
Ads by Google
The 22-year-old from London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it is against her religious beliefs to show her face in public.
But Judge Peter Murphy, sitting at London's Blackfriars Crown Court, ruled that it was "crucial" for jurors to be able to see the defendant's face when giving evidence.
The woman, referred to in court as "D", entered a not guilty plea to a charge of intimidation last week while wearing a niqab after the judge backed down from a previous decision that she would have to show her face to be properly identified.
Presenting his final ruling, he said there was a "pressing need" to address the issue of whether women involved in proceedings should be allowed to wear veils in court.
He said he "expresses the hope that Parliament or a higher court will provide a definite answer" to the issue soon, adding: "The niqab has become the elephant in the court room."
"Given the ever-increasing diversity of society in England and Wales, this is a question which may be expected to arise more and more frequently and to which an answer must be provided," he said.
His judgment came as Home Office Minister Jeremy Browne called for a national debate on whether the state should step in to prevent young women having the veil imposed upon them. Mr Browne said he was "instinctively uneasy" about restricting religious freedoms, but he added there may be a case to act to protect girls who were too young to decide for themselves whether they wished to wear the veil or not.
Liberty, which campaigns on civil liberties and human rights issues, said it welcomed the ruling. Director Shami Chakrabarti said: "Credit to Judge Murphy for seeking to balance the freedom of conscience of the defendant with the effective administration of justice. He has shown a sensitivity and clarity that can only further build confidence in our courts in Britain's diverse communities and around the world."
But Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, condemned the decision. He said: "It is vital that defendants' faces are visible at all times, including while others are giving evidence, so we regret the judge's decision not to require this. We will be complaining to the Office of Judicial Complaints and also be asking senior legal officers to make visibility throughout court hearings mandatory, and not subject to judges' discretion."
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Warka Berbera Madaxweyne Silaanyo oo furay Masharicda Berbera 15sep2013
Somaliland: VP Sayli Opens Diplomatic Channels with Niger
| Somaliland: VP Sayli Opens Diplomatic Channels with Niger |  |
| Sunday, 15 September 2013 00:19 |
 L-R Mr Al-Ishaaqi, VP Sayli ,Speaker Chaibou and Ambassador
By: Yusuf M Hasan
DUBAI (Somalilandsun) – The governments of Niger and Somaliland have agreed to enhance relations by establishing diplomatic offices in their respective capitals of Niamey and Hargeisa respectively.
This outcome follows a meeting held in Dubai between the Somaliland vice president Abdirahman Abdilahi Sayli and a delegation from Niger led by speaker of parliament Hon Boucary Sani Chaibou and the country's Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates also in attendance was the CEO of Africa Development Fun Mr. Hussein Al-Ishaqi.
"I hereby extend and official invitation to you, the vice president of the republic of Somaliland to visit our capital Niamey where arrangements for exchanging diplomats shall be finalize" said Hon Chaibou at the meeting he hosted VP Sayli
Apart from establishing full ambassadorial level relations the Niger government has also promised to leader to provide successful students from Somaliland with scholarships for higher education to be pursued in various universities in Niger, reports www.qurbejoog.com which is the only media outlet accompanying VP Sayli in his sojourn to the Emirates.
While hundreds of Somaliland citizens have benefited from scholarships thence graduated from universities in various African countries Niger shall become the Second African country after Ethiopia to establish full diplomatic relations with the horn Africa country that remains without international recognition as a sovereign nation two decades after withdrawing from its 160 voluntary later turned fateful union with Italian Somaliland.
|
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)