Thousands of families began fleeing a town in a Pakistani tribal region after three days of fierce clashes between pro-Taliban militants and security forces that killed nearly 200 people. Around 150 militants and 45 soldiers were killed in fighting around Mir Ali, a town known as an al-Qaeda haunt.
Somalia’s prime minister has reached a truce with Mogadishu’s dominant clan, some of whose fighters had supported Islamist-led insurgents in battles with government troops and Ethiopian forces earlier this year. Hawiye clan elders met Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi amid tight security on Monday in the capital, which has been rocked by insecurity since January.
Two suicide car bombs killed at least 22 people in northern Iraq on Tuesday in attacks targeting a police chief and a Sunni Arab tribal leader working with United States forces to fight al-Qaeda, police said. ”Look at this. Is this acceptable? Does God accept this?” said a youth hold ing torn, blood-splattered pages of the Qu’ran.
Sudan’s army bombed Muhajiriya, the main Darfur town held by the only rebel faction to sign a 2006 peace deal with Khartoum, injuring at least two dozen people, the African Union force commander said on Tuesday. Martin Luther Agwai said it was not yet clear why the fighting began on Monday.
<b>A reader asks:</b>
I am a retired 61-year-old guy, married, with my own house and no debts. But I will have to invest wisely and conservatively for my family’s future. This latest equity crash has made me very, very gun-shy of the stock market. How then would you recommend I invest?
cousin of mine who lives in Holland said: "When we are finished with our cars we just throw them in the canal." I think (hope) he was joking about the canal part, but the point is that in Europe they have virtually no second-hand car market and the majority of people lease their vehicles. South Africans, however, have always placed a value on second-hand cars, but the landscape is changing.
The benefits of your pension fund might not necessarily go to the people you nominate. Ultimately trustees of pension funds have to consider financial dependency and financial needs over your own wishes when making payments. This is to ensure that your dependants are taken care of and that those who most need financial help receive it.
When writing up your will you need to elect an executor, someone who will manage your affairs when you die to ensure the wishes in your will are carried out. This might involve the sale of your assets and management of your investments until the estate has been wound up. The executor has signing power over your cheque book and no one else has control during the winding up of the estate. Who do you trust enough to do this for you?
Guns, machetes and looted public funds are the real instruments of power in Nigeria, where politicians backed by unelected ”godfathers” use hired thugs to win office, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999 after three decades of almost continuous army dictatorship, but civilian governments have routinely abused basic human rights.
Renowned golfer Gary Player said on Tuesday he was disappointed that his integrity and support for human rights had been brought into question by his removal from the guest list for the Nelson Mandela Invitational golf tournament. Player’s company was involved in the construction of the Pun Hlaing Golf Club in Rangoon.