Attackers kill 'hit list' Yemen policeman

Assassins on motorbike shoot officer on al Qa'eda list of 55 policemen to be killed.

AFP

11 October, 2010

ADEN // Two attackers on a motorbike in a south Yemen town gunned down an officer who featured on an al Qa'eda hit list of policemen to be killed, a security official said today.

One of the attackers drove the motorbike while the other shot the criminal investigations officer, Ghazi al Samawi, the official said. The attack took place yesterday evening in the town of Zinjibar in Abyan province. Witnesses said the attackers yelled "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) as they carried out the killing and then sped off.

Samawi featured on a list drawn up by n al Qa'eda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) of 55 policemen to be targeted for killing. On Saturday AQAP claimed responsibility for the ambush in September of a bus carrying Yemeni intelligence agents, saying it killed 14 people.

The US-based SITE monitoring service also reported that AQAP claimed it had assassinated a colonel named Abdul al Karim al- Baan in the southern Lahij province, whom it described as "the head of investigations."

AQAP also said it had shot an intelligence officer named al Hashidi in the province, without saying whether or not he died, and said it was responsible for an attack on a security and intelligence buildings in Lahij.

* AFP

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50