Monday, July 27, 2009

When will this violence stop!!!


Dozens of people have been killed after Islamist militants staged three attacks in northern Nigeria, taking the total killed in two days of violence to 150.

A Report:
Tensions are never far from the surface in northern Nigeria. Poverty and competition for scarce resources, along with ethnic, cultural and religious differences have all fuelled sudden violence.

But the latest violence is not between communities, it involves young men from religious groups, arming themselves and attacking local police.

Fringe religious groups in Nigeria have claimed links to the Taliban before - individuals have also been accused of links to al-Qaeda. But Nigeria is very different to countries like Mali or Algeria, where groups such as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb operate.

The idea of radical Islamist militants gaining a serious foothold in Nigeria is usually dismissed, because of the strength of local identities and traditions.

By Caroline Duffield, BBC News, Nigeria

Some of the militants follow a preacher who campaigns against Western schools.

The preacher, Mohammed Yusuf, says Western education is against Islamic teaching.

There has also been an attack in Wudil, some 20km (12 miles) from Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria.

A curfew is in force in Bauchi, the scene of Sunday's violence.

Sharia law is in place across northern Nigeria, but there is no history of al-Qaeda-linked violence in the country.Sharia law is in place across northern Nigeria, but there is no history of al-Qaeda-linked violence in the country.


Source BBC News

A Fair Deal in G20 Summit

The French and Chinese foreign ministries both announced that Paris and Beijing had agreed to renew "high level contacts" and the countries' "strategic dialogue".
France said it "reaffirmed its policy of there being only one China and that Tibet is an integral part of Chinese territory". It added that it did not support independence "in any form".
Ties between China and France - which are major trading partners - went from fair to frosty last year when Mr Sarkozy decided to meet the Dalai Lama in Poland during a tour of Europe by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

China opposes any foreign leader meeting the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of seeking independence for Tibet after 58 years of Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama insists he wants only meaningful autonomy.

China expressed its displeasure by postponing a summit with the European Union that had been scheduled to be held in France on Dec 1 – an unprecedented step. France at the time held the rotating EU presidency.


Source Sky News.