The UKIP candidate who SUPPORTS sharia law: Right-wing party’s activist under fire for saying thieves should have their hands cut off

By SUZANNAH HILLS

A UKIP candidate is facing calls to resign after claiming the solution to crime in Britain is sharia law and thieves should have their hands cut off.

Self-employed builder and UKIP activist Dean Perks, prospective candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, shocked supporters at a rally when he suggested the brutal punishment as a legitimate way to tackle crime.

shariaMr Perks is a prospective parliamentary candidate for the party at the next general election but leader Nigel Farage is now facing a barrage of calls to get rid of him.

Speaking at a meeting with supporters in Coventry, West Midlands, earlier this year Mr Perks made the shocking claims.

He said: ‘In my opinion, sharia law works as a prevention – and prevention is better than cure.

‘If you think you are going to get your hand chopped off for pinching something, you won’t pinch it.

‘I recently had a conversation with someone who asked what I thought of Sharia law.

‘I said: “Well in all honesty, I do agree with part – but by no means all – of sharia law”. That’s my view – my opinion. I ain’t going to defend myself. I do agree with it.

‘Sharia law, in my opinion, works as a prevention.’

The potential candidate is no stranger to controversy, earlier this year he faced a backlash when he praised the Enoch Powell, claiming he was ‘well liked in the Asian community’ and labelling him ‘a visionary’.

He was also forced to admit calling someone ‘retarded’ via social network Twitter.

The controversies were a far cry from a statement he gave on launching his campaign, claiming he would never bad mouth other candidates.

In launching his campaign for the hotly contested Halesowen and Rowley Regis seat, Mr Perks said: ‘I hope to show people a new type of politician.

‘It is not my intention to bad mouth or attack any other candidates as I believe we should all be in the running for the same purpose.’

However on he was involved in the ugly Twitter spat which resulted him writing: ‘I just asked the question but he will not answer, I think he may be retarded.’

This followed on from an argument with Labour councillor Dave Branwood who asked Mr Perks whether he thought Enoch Powell, whose 1968 Rivers of Blood speech caused his own downfall, was racist.

Mr Perks replied: ‘No. It’s a fact he was very well liked amongst the Asian community. I’d say he was a visionary.’

This led to anti-facist, left wing politicians, including Dudley North Ian Austin MP and several other outraged Twitter users to round on Mr Perks calling him racist.

However, Mr Perks, denied he is racist.

He said: ‘I have never studied Enoch Powell. I’m not racist because I’m not afraid to have an opinion. I have a Muslim godson, a Sikh brother-in-law and three mixed race cousins.’

Now he is facing more calls to resign from MPs. John Spellar, Labour MP for Warley, said the comments were typical of the party.

He said: ‘Once again this shows the bizarre sort of candidate that UKIP is attracting.

‘People from all communities will be astonished and appalled that Mr Perks want to bring such barbarity into Britain.’

‘The real question is how did he ever get to be a candidate in the first place. I challenge Nigel Farage to throw him out immediately.’

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said: ‘Sharia law can only be applied in Muslim states.

‘There is no way sharia law could be introduced in the UK and Muslims who live in countries where there isn’t a predominance of Muslims, like here, follow the law of the land.

‘Mr Perks seems to be very confused, you can’t pick and chose with sharia law, you either believe in all of it, or none of it’

Mr Perks did not make clear which parts of sharia law he agrees and disagrees with and could not be contacted for comment yesterday.

But on his Twitter page he insisted he is ‘against sharia law in the UK’.

Source: Mail Online

Ethiopian Injera Bread Gets Barley Makeover - CANJEERADA ITOOBIYA OO HORUMAR LAXAADLE LAGU SAMEEYAY !!!

BY ZERYHUN KASSA
imagesResearchers have produced a variety of barley that makes Ethiopia’s staple bread injera just as well as the traditional cereal teff, according to taste tests.

Injera, thin spongy flat bread, is made of a grain called teff. Teff makes the best injera, and although it can also be made from cheaper alternatives such as barley and sorghum, Ethiopian people tend to shun them as inferior.

Now, researchers have bred barley that rivals teff for making injera, according to research published in Crop Science last month.

Teff is a low-yield crop in Ethiopia, making it expensive, says Addis Abraha, a researcher based at Ethiopia’s Mekelle University and an author of the research. He adds that the preference for teff makes it twice the price of injera made from other cereals.

“The search for an inexpensive grain such as barley as a substitute to make injera of a comparable quality became very important,” Abraha tells SciDev.Net.

The researchers from Ethiopia and Norway tested 11 barley varieties grown in the Tigray region, 800 kilometres north of the capital Addis Ababa. Barley is widely cultivated in Tigray, but yields are low.

Abraha says the research produced three improved varieties. The first, named Himbil, was officially released in 2011. Two other varieties were released in 2012.

The researchers bred the varieties with local farmers. In tests, 20 local people aged from 36 to 72 tasted the different types of barley injera and scored them for qualities such as texture, taste, suppleness and the quality of the bread’s surface.

Himbil scored high on taste when compared to teff injera, but faired poorly on colour because of its purple tinted flowers. “Ethiopians want their injera white,” says Abraha.

The researchers then crossed Himbil with Saesa, another high-scoring barley variety which is white, released in 2012. This variety proved a hit with farmers in the region, owing to better, stable yields, which points to wider acceptance, he says.

Åsmund Bjørnstad, a researcher on the project from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, says people do not yet associate barley with good injera, and they may need convincing.

But Adugna Woldesemayat, a plant breeder at the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI), says the local community may not need much convincing, because barley has been used for a variety of purposes, including injera-making, for centuries.

But it may be more of a challenge in other parts of the country where teff dominates.

Source:ERTA

Will Israel pursue same policy in Syria as Ethiopia’s in Somalia?

by CUMALİ ÖNAL
 

CUMALİ ÖNAL

 Syria is getting out of control. With the Bashar al-Assad regime collapsing, it is dragging the entire region into this collapse. Bombs rocked Turkey; there is growing violence in Lebanon… If the current situation goes on like this much longer, Syria will most likely turn into a second Somalia in the heart of the Middle East.

The Somalization of Syria would serve the interests of two countries in the region: Israel and Iran. Both are aware that a democratic and stable Syria would not serve their interests. Iran may try everything to destabilize Syria in an attempt to ensure that stability and democracy in this country do not benefit other countries.

However, all eyes should be turned to Israel on the Syrian issue. We can see how uncomfortable Israel is with newly elected President Mohammed Morsi, who is taking control in Egypt. The Israeli media continually publishes reports referring to this state of unease and dissatisfaction.

What policy will Israel pursue from now on? We could offer an answer to this question by taking a look at Ethiopia’s longstanding policy vis-à-vis Somalia.

Ethiopia, which holds control over parts of Somali territory, interfered with the domestic affairs of the country after the collapse of the Said Barre administration in 1991.

Evidence shows that Ethiopia was responsible for the inter-communal conflicts in Somalia in which thousands of people were murdered. Ethiopia made sure that no single tribe maintained control in Somalia so that the civil war could not end.

The most typical example of this pattern and policy was observed in the early 2000s, when the Islamic Union of Courts seized control of the country. Shortly after the group took control of most parts of the country, including the capital Mogadishu, Ethiopia, backed by the US, conducted an operation in Somalia, causing the collapse of this administration, which Ethiopia accused of having ties with al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda cell. Now that Somalia has taken some major steps towards stability; Ethiopia’s actions and responses to these steps are to be expected.

As for Syria, if opposition groups in this country fail to reach an agreement, Israel may take control. And in this case, clashes may be provoked between tribes, groups and members of different religions and sects.

Israel benefits from the disagreements between Palestinian groups. Israeli authorities have disseminated strong propaganda to the world following Hamas’s firing of missiles into Israel from Gaza after a break of many months. Tel Aviv is able to pursue the same policy in Syria.

An unstable Syria would have a lot to offer Israel.

First, as Syria remains in turmoil, regional powers, including Turkey, will focus on the developments in this country; and they will not consider Israel’s actions. The world will not be interested in the Palestinian issue.

Second, an unstable Syria would mean that Israel could continue to maintain control of the Golan Heights, internationally recognized as Syrian territory. The Tel Aviv administration is well aware that a strong central government in Damascus would be more decisive than the Assad regime in taking the Golan Heights back from Israel.

Third, the separation of a predominantly Alawite and Druze area from the central administration in Syria would be a golden opportunity for Israel. In this case, the area could serve as a buffer zone between Israel and the Sunni Arab world to the north. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is preferable to Sunni Arabs for Israel.

The genie is out of the bottle in Syria. The question is, who will be the genie’s master? If it is Israel or Iran, there will be no stability in the region for a while. But if the groups reach consensus and settle their disagreements, agreeing on a central government or authority, the vicious plans of third parties for the region will be foiled.

CUMALİ ÖNAL
c.onal@todayszaman.com

Source:  todayszaman

Somalia: Extremist Violence Returns to Hit Mogadishu

ANALYSIS

Al-Shabaab has renewed its campaign to bring instability to the country’s capital Mogadishu. A Somali official says a bomb blast in the main market in Mogadishu on Jul. 9 left at least five government soldiers wounded. Credit: Omar Faruq/IPS

By Muhyadin Ahmed Roble and Yusuf Ahmed,
Mogadishu/Nairobi — As the Somali government announced it would set up a coastguard to combat piracy in this Horn of African nation, insecurity is emerging as the biggest challenge that the government faces - and it is only getting worse.

Osman Aweis Dahir, director of the local Dr. Ismail Jimale Human Rights Organisation, said that the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab has renewed its campaign to bring instability to the country's capital Mogadishu.

"The little stability that the city had experienced since the Al-Shabaab withdrawal appears to have been broken," Dahir told IPS from Mogadishu. The Islamist extremist group was forced out of its bases in Mogadishu on Aug. 6, 2011 by Somali and African Union peace-keeping forces. Until the withdrawal, the government only controlled half of the city.

But in recent weeks there has been a rise in the number of ambushes, assassinations and suicide bombs in Somalia's capital.

"The city is like an open shop in a market which its owner has left [unattended]." -- Jama Ahmed Siad, local security expert

"The city has experienced its deadliest attacks in recent times during the past two weeks," said Dahir. More than 60 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in several incidents across Mogadishu. This is a setback to the rising hopes of a return to relative security."

On Tuesday, Jul. 30, an officer from Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) was assassinated by Al-Shabaab. His name was added to the growing list of government officials killed over the last three weeks. Included on that list is female deputy commissioner of Mogadishu's Yaqshid district, Rahma Dahir Siad, who was killed outside her home on Jul. 17.

Even foreign diplomats are not safe in the city. On Jul. 27, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack on the Turkish embassy that killed three people.

It was the second that day. A few hours earlier a bomb planted inside a member of parliament's vehicle exploded in the north of the city.

On Jul. 24, Sheikh Abdu Aziz Abu Musab, Al-Shabaab's military spokesman, said that his group carried out over 100 attacks between Jul. 10 and 24. Half of these, he said, occurred in Mogadishu.

"If anything, the sharp rise in such coordinated attacks is a clear testament to the strength of the Mujahidin and their operational capacity," he told a pro-Islamist radio station in Somalia.

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdoon acknowledged his disappointment at the government's weak handling of the security situation in the country. "We are very concerned [about] the security matter and it was not handled the way we wanted," Shirdoon told reporters in Mogadishu on Jul. 18. He promised to improve the city's security.

But Jama Ahmed Siad, a security expert based in Mogadishu, said the government was negligent and lacked a clear strategy to counter the Islamist extremist group's switch to guerrilla-style warfare.

"Security is the key to all problems in Somalia and when you solve it, you have solved half the problem," Siad told IPS, adding that the government is yet to understand that.

"For instance, the NISA agents have reduced their presence on the roads entering Mogadishu for the past three months. They used to inspect the vehicles and people entering the city at these checkpoints, where they previously captured members of Al-Shabaab trying to infiltrate the city," Siad added.

A senior officer at NISA told IPS that the agency had handed the control of these checkpoints to the Somali police and military "but there is a plan to deploy NISA's agents back there very soon."

Mohamed Elmi, a civil society activist in Mogadishu, said the government's main challenge was how to combat the suicide car bombings. He told IPS that government forces did not have the advanced weaponry, technology and training for this.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told journalists on Monday, Jul. 29: "The security forces are at war... but it is not easy to find a suicide car moving around in a city of two million."

The presidential spokesman, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and the prime minister's spokesperson, Ridwan Haji Abdiweli, refused to comment to IPS on the security situation in the city.

But one government official told IPS that the government had, on the day of the Turkish embassy bombing, deployed a 1,000-strong counter-terrorism force on the streets in Mogadishu. "The elite force with unique uniforms armed with advanced weapons and their vehicles painted in a distinctive colour are assigned to cleaning up the city of Al-Shabaab members," said the officer who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Siad said such a force was unlikely to counter the Islamists' increasing terror attacks. "There is no single Islamist base in the city, but several secret bases that they use. Therefore, such deployment is unhelpful," he said.

He said the government needed to concentrate efforts on gathering intelligence relating to these secret Al-Shabaab bases and the organisation's leaders in the city.

Dahir said the government's weak handling of the country's internal security casts doubt on its ability to deliver its Six Pillar Policy - a policy framework that aims to secure progress in the areas of security, stability, justice, economic recovery, peace-building, and service delivery.

In a policy brief released in April, the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS), the country's first think tank, praised the government's foreign policy and diplomatic successes.

Somalia has been gaining more visibility in the international arena, with Mohamud paying high-level visits to Washington, London, Ankara, Brussels, Cairo and several other countries to build his government's image.

"However, there are disturbing signs of an imbalance between foreign policy priorities and domestic achievements," the HIPS report said.

And until the issue of domestic security is resolved, Mogadishu's occupants will remain vulnerable.

"The city is like an open shop that its owner has left," Siad said.

Turkey’s Somalia strategy

HASAN KANBOLAT

HASAN KANBOLAT

Somalia and East Africa have been facing drought and famine for a long time, Somalia arguably having experienced the most disasters in the world.

The country has been struggling with a civil war since the early 1990s and since the collapse of the Siad Barré regime in 1991, a central government hasn’t been able to be established. The Somali Transitional Parliament (TFG), which was created in 2004 with the support of the international community, couldn’t extend its authority beyond Mogadishu. Scattered armed groups have been clashing with one another for decades. While food is scarce and people have to walk for miles to get water, arms sales have been going on relentlessly in the country. In Somalia the drought and famine have caused extensive internal migrations. As a result of these migrations, large camps have come into existence. With the two-decade-long clashes combined with the terrorist organization al-Shabaab’s armed struggle for power, the country has been facing the worst starvation problem of the past 60 years. Turkey has been trying to support Somalia on many levels. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Mogadishu on Aug. 19 of last year, the first time since 1993 that a prime ministerial-level visit was made to Somalia. Early this year the Turkey-Somalia Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group was established in Parliament. In January 2008 Somalia opened an embassy in Ankara. The Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu, which had been maintained in Somalia since 1979 but closed in 1991 due to the civil war, was re-opened on Nov. 1 of last year. On March 6 Turkish Airlines (THY) started flights between İstanbul and Mogadishu. These persistent positive steps taken by Turkey have changed the attitude of the international community toward Somalia. With the transition from a stance of ignorance regarding the humanitarian tragedy in Somalia, Somalia’s isolation has started to abate. Turkey has also been making wide-ranging contributions to Somalia in terms of humanitarian aid. With mid-term and long-term development projects, Turkey is targeting the rebuild of Somalia’s infrastructure. Turkish nongovernmental organizations have seen and treated around 70,000 patients in African countries. Turkish NGOs and official foundations have built more than 200 wells. The Turkish Ministry of Health opened a tent hospital in Somalia on Aug. 18 of last year. Additionally, 55 tons of medicine, medical equipment, a mobile clinic, six ambulances, two inflatable hospitals and two tent hospitals for use in severe weather conditions were delivered to Somalia. In March Aden Abdulle International Airport’s terminal was modernized by the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA). A 200-bed Al Shifa Hospital and Eye Center Mogadishu was built under the sponsorship of Medical Park while the Yakup Asibi Mosque was built by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH). The Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) will build more than 1,000 housing units. The Red Crescent has donated 2,000 tents. A mobile bakery and a mobile dining hall have been established. The Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning together with the Red Crescent have started garbage collections. Somalia owns around 3,337 kilometers of coastal line but does not utilize the fertile agricultural lands of this coastal line. Turkey has planned helping Somalia in terms of agriculture and fishing. There are currently 640 Somali students in Turkey, 500 of whom are at university level. Foundation universities accept 230 of these 500 students and state universities accept 270. Turkey will assist Somalia in terms of vocational education. A cooperative venture with vocational schools at secondary school-level in Turkey will be set up. Turkey supports the political reconciliation process in Somalia as it has been striving for security and stability to re-emerge in Somalia. In Somalia there is no discrimination against language and religion. In spite of that, the country was divided in four camps and there are clashes among these four groups. Turkey has been trying to provide support for Somali security forces and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in terms of both equipment and education. Within this scope, Turkey has been fighting against piracy

HASAN KANBOLAT
h.kanbolat@todayszaman.com

Source: .todayszaman.com

Eritrea Pledges Support to Somalia Government

We’ll never forget the solidarity of the Somali people 
and government during and after our struggle

By TesfaNews,

The Government of the State of Eritrea has thrown its full support and recognition towards the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia under the Federal Government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

According to Eritrean diplomat at the UN, it is now official that Eritrea recognizes the Federal government of Somalia as the legitimate representative of the people of Somalia.

Sources at the UN Security Council suggests that Eritrea has notified Council members about the said ‘recognition‘ in an informal way when it presents its statement during the informal consultation on July 12 with the Security Council Committee concerning Somalia and Eritrea. 

In an interview he made today with the Voice of America (VOA), Eritrean envoy to the UN, Ambassador Araya Desta, confirmed that “Eritrea now supports earnestly the efforts of the Government of Somalia in stabilizing the country.”

Somalia has endured more than 20 years of war and lawlessness since the fall of President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

The successive Somali Transitional National Governments (TNG) that are established outside of Somalia have been repeatedly rejected by the Somali people. They all have been characterized by incessant internal conflict, lack of progress on the key transitional tasks and failure to build functioning institutions.
Eritrea does not recognize any of the externally established TNGs because it believes they are illegitimate regimes that have been imposed upon the Somali people against their will.

However, with the election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the first ever president to be elected on home soil in four decades, a new window of opportunity opened for the revival of the historic Somalia-Eritrea relationship.

Ambassador Desta re-affirms Eritrea’s opposition to all negative interventions in the internal affairs of the country and encourages all Somalis to engage in constructive dialogue and national reconciliation.

Somalia: Puntland 'Suspends Cooperation' With Federal Government in Mogadishu

Puntland President Abdirahman Farole speaks 
at State House in Garowe, Aug. 1, 2013

GAROWE, Somali - Puntland government in northern Somalia has suspended cooperation with the Somali Federal Government in Mogadishu until the country’s constitution is restored, Garowe Online reports.

President Farole gave the keynote address on Thursday evening at a celebratory event held at Puntland State House in Garowe marking 15 years since Puntland’s statehood was founded in 1998.

President Farole said that Puntland was founded in 1998 to establish law and order in the territory and to help establish a federal system of government for Somalia.

“If Puntland had existed as it does today in 1991 when Mogadishu collapsed, then Puntland would not have collapsed. This is among the benefits of federalism,” President Farole said.

The Puntland leader spoke at length about the process to establish the Federal Government in Mogadishu, noting the sacrifices of life and limb made to ensure that Somalia had a functioning national government.

'Tampered constitution'

“However, the federal constitution is the fundamental thing that keeps Somalia together. Without the constitution, Puntland is not married to Mogadishu; Puntland is only married to its state constitution,” President Farole declared, to the crowd’s applause.

He criticized the Federal Government for failing to print new Somali Shilling currency and to help Somali markets recover, despite Puntland’s repeated appeals and the March 11 agreement signed in Garowe between President Farole and Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon.

President Farole condemned Somali federal officials for preventing Sudanese scholarships for Puntland students, saying: “Do they [Federal Government] expect us to travel to Mogadishu so Sudanese scholarships can be distributed? What era are we in? Who do they think we are?” he asked to the crowd’s applause.

“Puntland educational certificates do not require Mogadishu’s stamp of approval. If anything, Puntland should approve Mogadishu’s educational certificates, because Puntland has a unified curriculum, functioning institutions, standardized examinations, and an educational policy,” said President Farole.

Continuing, he said: “Puntland will suspend all cooperation and relations with Somali Federal Government until the country’s genuine federal constitution is restored. Puntland does not recognize the tampered constitution the Federal Government now uses and Puntland does not recognize any law passed by Federal Parliament using the tampered constitution. Puntland considers the tampered constitution as Mogadishu regional government's constitution, not Somalia's federal constitution.”

New Deal Conference

President Farole declared that Puntland “will attend the New Deal conference in Brussels in September only with its own name, status and will speak on its own behalf. No entity will represent Puntland except Puntland government,” he added.

The Puntland leader said that he informed the European Union delegation that visited Garowe on July 25 that Puntland will attend the New Deal conference with its own status, or will not attend at all.

“If our condition is not satisfied, we will not attend, but we will forward priorities in our new Five Year Development Plan to Brussels to be incorporated into the New Deal Compact for Somalia,” said President Farole.

Puntland has had strained relations with Mogadishu in recent years. Somalia's president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has yet to address Puntland's concerns about the country's federal constitution.

“2014 Genel waxa ay ka qodi doontaa ceelkii ugu horeeyay Somaliland” Wargeyska Telegraph

Shirkadda sahaminta iyo soo-saarka shidaalka ee Genel ayaa ka rajeynaysa wax soo-saar xooggan ka dib marka ay ka bilawdo qoditaanka shiidaalka Somaliland oo ay beryahanba ku haysay hawlgalo sahamin ah.
Sida uu qoray wargeyska Telegraph, shirkadda Genel Energy waxa ay sheegaysaa inay horumar ka samaysay dhinacyo badan oo ay filayso hor u socod ballaadhan oo saliideeda sannadka soo socda.
Shirkadda Genel waxa madax ka ah Tony Hayward oo ah guddoomiyihii hore ee shirkadda BP, waana shirkadda ugu ballaadhan ee shiidaalka ka soo-saarta gobolka is-maamul hoosaadka leh ee Kurdiyiinta Ciraaq.

Waxa kale, oo shirkadda Genel sahamin ka samaysay Marooko, Malta iyo Somaliland oo la filayo inuu qoditaanku bilawdo dabaqayaaqada sannadkan.

Warbixintan uu wargeyska Telegraph ka qorey shidaalka waxay intaa raacisay in dunida inteeda badan daaha laga rogay shiidaalkii sahlanaa, sidaa awgeedna ay haatan shirkadaha shiidaalku ay u jeedaan dhulalka aan la sahamin inay ka raadiyaan kaydad cusub.

Waxaanu wargeysku yidhi “Sannadka soo socda, Genel waxay ka qodi doontaa ceelka ugu horeeya Somaliland oo ku yaalla bariga Afrika oo xorriyadeeda dib ugala soo noqotay Soomaaliya labaatan sano ka hor, ka dib dagaal sokeeye, waxaanay wararku sheegayaan inay jiyoolajiyada dalku la mid tahay ta dalka Yaman, halkaasi oo lacagta ka soo baxda shiidaalku qayb wayn ka tahay dakhliga dawladda.”

Wargeyska oo qoraalkiisa sii wada waxa uu sheegay inay caddaan tahay in aan Somaliland laga samayn sahamin iyo dhaqdhaqaaqyo sidaas ah tan iyo markii ay shirkadihii shiidaalku ka baxeen sannadihii 1980 –meeyadii. Taasina ka dhigan tahay in ay ka jirto halkaasi fursad wanaagsan oo lagu heli karayo shiidaal.

Snowden granted 1-year asylum in Russia, leaves airport (PHOTOS)

"Over the past eight weeks we have seen the Obama administration show no respect for international or domestic law, but in the end the law is winning,” the NSA leaker stressed. “I thank the Russian Federation for granting me asylum in accordance with its laws and international obligations."

Snowden's legal representative Anatoly Kucherena

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia and is allowed to enter the country’s territory.

The whistleblower has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, Snowden's legal representative Anatoly Kucherena said, with his words later confirmed by Russia’s Federal Migration service.

“I have just handed over to him papers from the Russian Immigration Service. They are what he needs to leave the transit zone,” he added. 

Kucherena showed a photocopy of the document to the press. According to it, Snowden is free to stay in Russia until at least July 31, 2014. His asylum status may be extended annually upon request.

With his newly-awarded legal status in Russia, Snowden cannot be handed over to the US authorities, even if Washington files an official request. He can now be transported to the United States only if he agrees to go voluntarily.

A statement by the WikiLeaks has revealed the words Snowden said after he was handed the Russian asylum certificate.

"Over the past eight weeks we have seen the Obama administration show no respect for international or domestic law, but in the end the law is winning,” the NSA leaker stressed. “I thank the Russian Federation for granting me asylum in accordance with its laws and international obligations."

Snowden departed at around 15.30 Moscow time (11.30 GMT), airport sources said. His departure came some 30 minutes before his new refugee status was officially announced.

His present location has not been made public nor will it be disclosed, Kucherena said.

“He is the most wanted person on earth and his security will be a priority,” the attorney explained. “He will deal with personal security issues and lodging himself. I will just consult him as his lawyer.”
 
Snowden eventually intends to talk to the press in Russia, but needs at least one day of privacy, Kucherena said.

The whistleblower was unaccompanied when he left the airport in a regular taxi, Kucherena added.

However, WikiLeaks contradicted the lawyer, saying the organization’s activist Sarah Harrison accompanied Snowden.


WikiLeaks        ✔ @wikileaks

FLASH: We can now confirm that Edward Snowden's welfare has been continuously monitored by WikiLeaks staff since his presence in Hong Kong.

5:05 утра - 1 августа 2013

Africa Minister Calls for 'Market-Based Solution' to Barclays' Withdrawal of Services to Money Service Businesses

ANALYSIS

UK Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds

By Magnus Taylor,

UK Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, has stated that the government will not intervene directly in Barclays Bank's decision to withdraw banking services to Money Service Businesses (MSBs) including those that provide remittance services to Somalia, but said he hoped that a 'market-based solution' could be found.

Simmonds stated in a letter dated 18th July to SOAS academic Laura Hammond (and shared with African Arguments) that "the government would not be able to intervene on behalf of a particular company or 'remittance corridor'".

He was responding to a letter submitted by Hammond on behalf of 105 academics, researchers and practitioners calling on the UK government to intervene to prevent the collapse of remittance flows into poor and fragile states, particularly Somalia.

Said Simmonds, "Barclays' decision is ultimately a private commercial matter" and "it is an operational and commercial decision for each bank how it implements the regulations and ensures it is compliant" [with regulations put in place to protect banks from money laundering and terrorist financing].

However, Simmonds said that "(government) officials are working with regulators, trade associations and industry to look at all options for a sustainable market-based solution."

He indicated that the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is working "to develop 'safer corridors' for remittances to high risk jurisdictions such as Somalia. The group's letter to Simmonds had asked for government involvement in playing such a role to help find a lasting solution to the crisis and to protect remittance corridors.

Rushanara Ali, UK
Shadow Development Minister

A group of government ministers, led by Shadow Development Minister Rushanara Ali (MP for Bethnal Green and Bow), has also been active in drawing attention to the issue. Ali hosted a Parliamentary debate on July 17 in which several ministers with large immigrant populations gave their support to government becoming involved in working for a solution to the problem.

Barclays' withdrawal of banking services to MSBs has been met with dismay by Somalis both in the country and in the global diaspora who either send or rely on remittances. British Olympian Mo Farah added his voice in a recent interview for ITN saying that "cutting this lifeline would be a disaster for millions" including members of his own family. An online petition has also received over 1700 signatures asking Barclays to reconsider its decision.

Dr Hammond states that she welcomes the government's involvement in facilitating dialogue between banks, MSBs and regulators. 'The action is coming quite late, but I hope there is still time to avert a major crisis.

While the ultimate decision may be a commercial one for Barclays to make, the risks to government efforts to fight money laundering and terrorist financing, not to mention its commitment to promoting humanitarian and development work in fragile states such as Somalia, mean that it is necessary for government to be part of the effort to keep these channels open.

If banks, regulators and governments are serious about wanting to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, the answer is to strengthen the sector, possibly through making regulations more robust rather than closing down the industry.

In many cases, I suspect that much of the compliance that MSBs are engaged in goes unrecognized by banks - this was one of the findings of a recent report by Oxfam, Adeso and InterAmerican Dialogue on Somali MSBs in the US.'
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Magnus Taylor is Editor of African Arguments. Thanks to Laura Hammond for assistance with this article.