tagged w/ Somalia
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If you've never heard of Maplecroft, rest easy. Most people have not. The link will take you to their 'about' page on the Internet, and for the sake of simplicity, let's say that Maplecroft rates terrorism risks the way Nielsen rates TV hit shows. However, if you have time to spare, theirs is a fascinating website, especially for the foreign world affairs addict.
Well, it's official. Somalia has overtaken Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories as the country most at risk for 'extreme terrorism'. And that is according to the UK based Maplecroft group. The statistics which propelled Somalia to the top:
Somalia experienced 556 terrorist attacks between June 2009 and June 2010, killing 1,437 people.If you've never heard of Maplecroft, rest easy. Most people have not. The link... more
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When Vanguard correspondent Christof Putzel convinced the Mexican cartels to help him show the story of migrants crossing the border, it wasn't his first time navigating a dangerous underworld. Whether he's interviewing tenuously elected leaders in Somalia, neo-Nazis in Russia or negotiating access to pass through an area controlled by narco traffickers, Christof says it's not about being macho, it's about staying cool.
In "Life And Death On The Border," Putzel travels to the U.S./Mexico border to investigate one of the most contentious issues in America today: immigration. Meeting with "coyotes," the hired smugglers who offer to take immigrants across the border for a fee, Putzel learns the methods used to evade border patrol and the dangers they face on the journey. Arrest and deportation are inherent risks, but the lack of water and scorching temperatures of the desert crossing are far more deadly. Those who do make it safely across the border face tightening immigration laws and an increasingly hostile public. Putzel ultimately crosses the border with a migrant and coyote.
"Life And Death On The Border" premieres on Monday, November 15 at 9/8c on Current TV.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Mondays at 9/8c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.When Vanguard correspondent Christof Putzel convinced the Mexican cartels to help him... more
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Personal Note: I'm not a fan of the FBI, but...
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Federal crackdown on child prostitution results in 884 arrests
By Michael Martinez, CNN
November 8, 2010 5:45 p.m. EST
The FBI was one of several federal agencies involved in the sweep, in which 69 children were recovered.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Authorities say they recovered 69 children from prostitution
* Seattle has 16 kids recovered from prostitution, the most of 40 cities
* The crackdown is part of the ongoing Innocence Lost National Initiative
(CNN) -- A three-day federal crackdown on child prostitution rings across the country has resulted in the recovery of 69 children and the arrest of 884 people, including 99 pimps, federal authorities said Monday.
Meanwhile, in Tennessee, authorities announced Monday they were arresting 29 individuals involved in gangs that trafficked underage Somali and African-America girls in a prostitution ring. The 29 people were connected to the Somali Outlaws, the Somali Mafia and the Lady Outlaws, officials said.
The three-day federal sweep, called Operation Cross Country V, involved 40 cities nationwide and is part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, authorities said.
"Child prostitution continues to be a significant problem in our country, as evidenced by the number of children rescued through the continued efforts of our crimes against children task forces," said Shawn Henry, executive assistant director of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response and Service Branch, in a written statement. "There is no work more important than protecting America's children and freeing them from the cycle of victimization. Through our strategic partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies, we are able to make a difference."
The city where the most children were recovered was Seattle, Washington, with 16, said FBI Special Agent Jason Pack. Seven pimps were arrested there, he added.
Following Seattle were Tacoma, Washington, and Sacramento, California, each with seven child prostitutes retrieved by authorities, Pack said. Two pimps were arrested in Tacoma and three in Sacramento, he said.
The city with the largest number of pimps arrested was Detroit, with 10, Pack said.
To combat growing child prostitution, federal agencies formed the Innocence Lost National Initiative in June 2003 to address enterprises involved in the domestic sex trafficking of children. Those agencies were the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, the Department of Justice's Child Exploitation-Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
There are now 39 Innocence Lost task forces and working groups throughout the country.
So far, those units have recovered 1,250 children, and the initiative has resulted in 438 indictments, 625 convictions, 153 criminal enterprises disrupted and 58 successfully dismantled, authorities said. Convictions have resulted in sentences ranging up to 25-years-to-life and in the seizure of more than $3 million in assets, authorities said.
The most recent sweep, over a 72-hour period ending Sunday night, was the fifth such law enforcement operation, said Pack.
"Once again, Operation Cross Country has awakened the nation to the fact that today American children are being marketed and sold for sex in American cities," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in a written statement. "These kids are victims. This is 21st century slavery. We are proud to be a part of this extraordinary partnership to rescue children, save lives and bring the pimps and operators to justice."
The FBI says that at least 25 percent of adult prostitutes were enticed into the illegal activity as juveniles.
In Tennessee, federal authorities said the gangs transported the minor girls from Minneapolis, Minnesota, which has a large Somali immigrant community, to Nashville, Tennessee, for prostitution over a 10-year period. Some of the girls were 13 years old or younger.
"I would call this one of the more significant cases that we investigated," said John Morton, director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.Personal Note: I'm not a fan of the FBI, but...... more
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A great story to follow up on Christof's piece from last season. A young Brit gets pulled into al-Shabab...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11667690A great story to follow up on Christof's piece from last season. A young Brit... more
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Transparency International is a global body that works as a civil society organization. The main objective of Transparency International is to identify the corrupt sectors in the world through the world wide surveyTransparency International is a global body that works as a civil society... more
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mky786
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added this
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1 year ago
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...the problem of piracy is not going to dissappear...we have to learn how to deal with it......the problem of piracy is not going to dissappear...we have to learn how to deal... more
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The kidnapped charity worker for Save the Children was released and is now due to meet up with his family. Frans Barnard, thanked the local elders for negotiating for his release with the Adado leader stating 8 of the kidnappers were arrested.
""The clan elders invited Save the Children into the community to do the work that we do and they saw Frans as a guest," she said.
On Wednesday, Save the Children said Mr Barnard was being looked after well in Somalia and was "in good spirits"."-BBCThe kidnapped charity worker for Save the Children was released and is now due to meet... more
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Two workers for Save the Children were kidnapped in Somalia by gunmen who are unknown though the BBC states the town they were in Adado is currently under the control of al-Shabab.
"But a moderate Islamist group allied to the UN-backed government is trying to wrest away control of the town and there is heavy fighting near the airport, our reporter says."-BBC
It is believed the aid worker and the security consultant were in Adado to see if it would be possible to set up a base for Save the Children there. The charity group states they haven't yet heard about the welfare of the kidnapped workers, but the article note other kidnapping usually result in a ransom demand.Two workers for Save the Children were kidnapped in Somalia by gunmen who are unknown... more
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En Somalia los enfrentamientos entre las tropas de la Unión Africana que respalda al Gobierno transitorio y los insurgentes del grupo radical Al Shabab, aliado de Al Qaeda, han dejado unos 8 muertos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwZXRbgWmPcEn Somalia los enfrentamientos entre las tropas de la Unión Africana que... more
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Unbeknownst to many Americans, the United States has pledged more than $185 million in support of the African Union’s military mission in Somalia, which has been battling against an insurgency intent on preventing a UN-backed government from being installed and imposed upon them. This past week saw some of the heaviest fighting this year. The United Nations reported that combat in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, caused the displacement of at least 22,000 more civilians and forced relief agencies to curtail their operations in the city.Unbeknownst to many Americans, the United States has pledged more than $185 million in... more
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Vanguard correspondent Christof Putzel has reported on the failed state of Somalia since 2006 -- but the chaos in the east African nation dates back almost 20 years. Fighting between forces of the Transitional Federal Government and terrorist group Al-Shabaab in Mogadishu continues. More than 230 civilians were killed and at least 400 more were wounded over a two week period.
In this exclusive update, Christof breaks down the current situation in Somalia and talks about why Al-Shabaab -- which has claimed responsibility for both a major suicide attack in Somalia that targeted members of parliament and a bombing at a popular expatriate cafe in Uganda during the World Cup -- should be taken very seriously.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Wednesdays at 10/9c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.Vanguard correspondent Christof Putzel has reported on the failed state of Somalia... more
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In Uganda, the suspected mastermind of the bomb attacks on July 11th in the capital of Kampala said this past week following his arrest that he was driven by "rage against the Americans." Issa Ahmed Ruyima said: "My rage was against the Americans whom I deemed were responsible for all the sufferings of Muslims around the world."In Uganda, the suspected mastermind of the bomb attacks on July 11th in the capital of... more
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It's been almost two decades since U.S troops were forced out of Somalia after the "Black Hawk Down" battle. Now, the U.S. is backing a push by African states to add troops to combat Somali militants. But Somalia experts who have watched violence spin in circles for nearly 20 years are warning that more troops will not bring peace.It's been almost two decades since U.S troops were forced out of Somalia after... more
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In this extra scene from Vanguard's "American Jihadi," Christof Putzel interviews a young Somali-Canadian man who explains his decision to fight along Al-Shabaab -- and then to leave that fight and come home.
In "American Jihadi," Vanguard correspondent Christof Putzel traces the journey of a small town kid from Alabama to Somalia, where as part of Al-Shabaab he is now recruiting young Muslims from the west to wage jihad overseas.
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Wednesdays at 10/9c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.In this extra scene from Vanguard's "American Jihadi," Christof Putzel... more
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An African Union peacekeeping force, funded by hundreds of millions of dollars from the United States and its allies, has killed, wounded and displaced hundreds of Somali civilians in a stepped-up campaign against insurgent militants, according to medical officials, human rights activists and victims.An African Union peacekeeping force, funded by hundreds of millions of dollars from... more
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