Gunmen Kill 20 in Northeastern Nigeria

by Administrator

Gunmen have killed at least 20 people in northeastern Nigeria, the latest in a series of deadly attacks in the region. The attacks on Christians Friday happened in the Mubi district of Adamawa state, near the border with Cameroon. A local journalist told VOA Hausa service that unidentified gunmen opened fire at three locations in the district. Reports from the area say the attacks targeted people of the Igbo ethnic group. A purported spokesman for the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks in a phone conference with journalists. The spokesman, known as Abu Qaqa, also said Boko Haram was responsible for an attack on a church in Gombe state late Thursday that killed six people and wounded 10. He said the attacks were in response to an ultimatum Boko Haram issued earlier this week, demanding that Christians in the largely Muslim north leave the region. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks in Nigeria, including the Christmas day bombings tthat killed more than 40 Christians. The sect, whose name means "Western education is a sin" in the Hausa language, has been blamed for dozens of deadly shootings and bombings mostly in the country's north. It is fighting to implement a radical interpretation of Islamic law across Nigeria, which is divided between a primarily Muslim north and a mainly Christian south. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in 15 regions last week, closing parts of the borders with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Mr. Jonathan has vowed to crush Boko Haram, but his critics complain that he has done little to rein in the group.

• Buy Discount UGG 1873 Bailey Button Triplet Grey from cheapugg-shop.net

Tunisia is Tense Ahead of Revolution Anniversary

by Administrator

An elderly man is in serious condition after setting himself on fire in southern Tunisia this week - in an apparent attempt to draw attention to the dire economic situation in the North African country. The act speaks to simmering tensions days ahead of the one year anniversary of Tunisia's revolution that launched the so-called "Arab Spring" uprising. Press reports describe the man as a grandfather in his 80s. He had joined a group of unemployed people demonstrating to be able to meet ministers from the new government visiting the southern region around Gafsa. His act of immolation late Thursday triggered unrest, with police clashing with stone-throwing youths. It was a similar act - by a frustrated vegetable vendor that triggered widespread protests culminating in Tunisia's January 14th revolution last year that launched the larger "Arab Spring" uprising. Tunis-based political science professor Hamadi Radissi says the same volatile ingredients - poverty and high unemployment - remain today. "Tunisia today is as it was one year before…with roughly one million job seekers, 20 percent rate of poverty, 170,000 graduates asking for jobs. The situation doesn't change," said Radissi. Underscoring popular frustration, Radissi says, there have been numerous self-immolations in the year since Tunisia ousted long-time dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. The country has also witnessed a slew of strikes and protests airing political as well as economic grievances. Still, other observers point to more positive events. In October, Tunisia held its first democratic elections for a new Constituent Assembly that were hailed as an Arab model by the international community. The moderate Islamist Ennahdha party, banned for years under Ben Ali, is now the major political force in the new coalition government. On Thursday, visiting Foreign Minister Alain Juppe of France - Tunisia's former colonial power - hailed the democratic transition and offered support for the new government. In remarks to reporters, Mr. Juppe said France will increase its aid to Tunisia. He encouraged French investors and tourists to return to the North African country. The international community has pledged billions of dollar in assistance. But so far, analyst Radissi says, there is little evidence of it on the ground. "In six months the situation is going to worsen. Europe, the United States and Arab [countries] are not ready or not in a hurry to give money and help the new government because it is Islamist, so they are waiting - and the country can't wait," he said. Other observers are much more optimistic about Tunisia's future. They see the current problems as growing pains as the country begins a new chapter in its history.

• Buy Discount UGG 1873 Bailey Button Triplet Celeste from cheapugg-shop.net

Europe Faces More Negative Economic Indicators

by Administrator

The 17 eurozone nations are facing a new wave of negative economic indicators, a further signal that Europe's currency bloc is headed toward a recession. The European Commission said Friday that executive and consumer confidence dropped in December to the lowest point in more than two years. Factory orders in Germany, with the eurozone's strongest economy, fell nearly 5 percent in November, erasing a similar gain the month before. Meanwhile, retail sales slid eight-tenths of a percent in November, and unemployment remained at a record high of 10.3 percent for the second straight month. In the broader 27-nation European Union, more than 23 million workers were unemployed in October. Spain topped the list with a nearly 23 percent jobless rate. One economic analyst, Martin Van Vliet of the ING bank, said the breadth of the new reports "has recession written all over it." He said Europe's two-year governmental debt crisis, fears of a recession and austerity measures imposed by governments, cut consumer confidence in the last several months. Three countries - Greece, Ireland and Portugal - have already been forced to seek international bailouts, and Greece is negotiating the terms of a new $169 billion aid package. Financial analysts fear that Italy and Spain, the eurozone's third and fourth largest economies, could also need help but that their debts could be too large for the continent to handle. Borrowing costs for both Italy and Spain spiraled up on Friday, with Italy's interest rate for 10-year bonds topping 7 percent. European governments consider that borrowing rate to be unsustainable over the long term. Hungary, just outside the eurozone, also faced new negative economic news. Fitch Ratings, a financial services firm, downgraded the Budapest government's credit standing to junk status. Fitch said the new rating reflects the "further deterioration" of the country's economy.

• Buy Discount Discount UGG 5899 Classic Short Boots Black from cheapugg-shop.net

News for Tuesday 03 January, 2012

• New Hampshire Prepares for Presidential Primary

Recent News

• Monday 02 January, 2012
• Sunday 01 January, 2012

News archive