The source who requested anonymity did not specify when any operation could be carried out but said Niger’s army chief General

The source, who requested anonymity, did not specify when any operation could be carried out but said Niger’s army chief, General Moumouni Boureima, had recently travelled to Algeria to discuss planning with officials there. “This is a about attacking head-on a joint problem, namely the presence of terrorists linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in this vast area,” said the source. However, a senior military source in Niger confirmed there were preparations for a joint effort. It was not immediately clear whether the Malian operation heralded a wider offensive.

The AQIM title was adopted when rebels with Algeria’s Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) affiliated themselves to the al Qaeda network. Mali and others in the region such as Algeria, Niger and Mauritania are trying to deflect pressure from Europe and the United States to tackle Islamist militant violence there. We do not know whether they are Salafists or another armed group .. but we think they are Salafists,” said the source. A group called al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is threatening to kill a British hostage, believed to be held in the region, on May 15 unless Britain releases a Jordanian Islamist it is holding in prison. (Reporting by Eman Goma and Rania El Gamal; Editing by PeterBlackburn). * Three army units sent in pursuit of armed group * Hunt comes before deadline in British hostage case * Sahara states said preparing possible joint action By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO, May 9 (Reuters) – Mali launched an operation aimed at flushing out suspected al Qaeda militants in the Sahara on Saturday and states in the region are preparing for a joint crackdown, military sources said. Investment Dar (TIDK.KW), Kuwait’s biggest investment firmcomplying with Islamic law, has said it is in talks withcreditors for a revamp and may sell assets.

“Some important local investment firms are still facingtough challenges to restructure…,” Sheikh Salem said, withoutelaborating. especially that thefinancial stability law and its tools gave us more relief andcomfort,” Sheikh Salem told the paper. “I confirm that for the time being I am more comfortablecompared with the fourth quarter of last year.” No investment firm has applied to benefit from the packageyet, he added. “Despite that, I can say that the situation of the bankingand financial sectors might be currently closer to stabilitythan… at the start of the fourth quarter of last year.” In March, Kuwait’s cabinet approved a $5.2 billion economicstimulus package to enable banks to lend about 4 billion dinarswithin two years of which the government would guarantee up to50 percent to encourage lending “We are now in a much better position…

of the global financial and economic crisis,”Sheikh Salem told Rai according to a transcript of the interviewobtained ahead of publication on Sunday. “It might be premature at the current time to assert thatthe local banking and financial sectors have totally overcamethe aftermath… The Federal Reserve used a different method than analysts and investors had expected to calculate the required capital levels.U.S. * Cenbank governor says financial sector more stable than Q4 * Governor says too early to say if financial crisis over By Eman Goma and Rania El Gamal KUWAIT, May 9 (Reuters) – Kuwait’s financial sector is morestable than in the fourth quarter but it is too early to saywhether it has totally overcome the impact of a global crisis,the Gulf Arab state’s central bank governor said. (Editing by Peter Blackburn) Stocks Global Markets Japan Saudi Arabia.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel was suspended one game on Saturday and fined for aggressive arguing and making physical contact with umpire Bill Welke in Thursday’s match against the Phillies. Petrochemical firms could resort to alternative sources offeedstocks but these will cause a surge in costs. The global crisis hit hard both firms in the first-quarter:SABIC posted its first loss in seven years while the muchsmaller Sipchem posted an 87.4 percent plunge in its net profit. State oil giant Aramco’s announcement of plans to ventureinto the petrochemicals industry, as it did with Japan’sSumitomo Chemical (4005.T) or as it plans to do with U.S DowChemical (DOW.N), has heightened these concerns. The plans wouldtechnically lead to lower availability of ethane to its rivals,which include state-controlled SABIC.