Osama Bin Laden Finally laid with gun shot

A text hit my inbox on 2nd May 2011 at exactly 08:47 stating Osama Bin Laden has been buried according to a US news channel. Initially, thought I was having a nightmare, secondly questioned the text message because you need to catch someone (or at least they need to be in sight) before you can kill. Leaned over reluctantly to grab the Freeview remote control, flicked over to the trusted and somehow reliably BBC news channel, and behold it was true that Osama Bin Laden has indeed been killed.

Osama (aka The Prince, The Emir, The Director), has been considered by the United States of America for the last 10 years as the most wanted man in the world and public enemy number 1 since the tragic incident in September 11 (9/11) attack, which caused the death of about 3000 people as well as other terrorist incidents round the world.

Of course the killing of such a "hated" prominent (if not one of the most famous person on the planet) figure will draw a lot of attention, celebration, questions of the strategy, controversy, and of course the conspiracy theories.

Implication
The note on the UK Foreign & Commonwealth website reads "...The death of Osama Bin Laden will have important consequences for the security of our people at home and abroad and for our foreign policy..." The first thing that obviously comes to mind is that Al-Qaeda members or those that believe in Osama Bin Laden ideologies will retaliate in the next couple of months, weeks or even days, hence the public have been warned to be vigilant but not scared. Most of the US and it's allies consulates round the world have been told to review their security strategy.
One thing everybody(at least all the so called experts) mutually agree on is that the killing of "the director" does not mean Al-Qaeda will now cease to exist or terrorism become to a thing of the past. So why kill him?, I sense you asking, well it's was one of the mandate Obama promised the AMERICANS when he came to power in 2008, and of course it has more or less become an American obsession to capture or kill this public enemy number 1. Also, lot of money(we talking billions of USD) has been spent (especially in Afghanistan) to capture Osama and also combat terrorist activities. Loads of US, UK, and other allies lifes have been lost as part of this quest also, one cannot put a price on that.

You could say Obama is officially the luckiest benefactor of the killing of Osama, considering the campaign for the 2012 US election is about to kick-off, now who won't vote for a leader that made an obsession of the Americans come true?, well maybe those that really hates him of course!.

Questions
Jay Carney (White house spokesman) confirmed today(3rd May 2011) at the White house press conference that Osama resisted arrest but was not harmed when the US Special Forces confronted him, but he was still killed. How he resisted arrest without any weapon is still not clear, confirmation is that pentagon are still reviewing the videos from the event.  Some unproven theory is that US wanted him dead than being alive any way, and moreover Osama will indeed preferred to be killed rather than being taken to US to face some long and hard jail sentence.

Why was he buried at sea?, "The burial at sea of Osama bin Laden has drawn criticism from Muslims in Saudi Arabia, his birth-place, and elsewhere in the Islamic world, amid concerns that his body was not handled according to the correct religious rituals..." is the opening statement in this Financial times article. The Americans no doubt where not ready to have him buried on land as they don't want him to have shrine where his followers go to pay respect. But, US did confirm that Saudi Arabia said NO when asked if they will take the dead body.

Where are the key evidence(e.g. Video)?, well Pentagon are still reviewing all the necessary evidence, and are expected to make it publicly available when deemed appropriate considering it's a very sensitive subject.

Pakistan-US Relationship
US went into Pakistan to execute the operation without informing nor being detected by the owner of the land (Pakistan) of which they (US) are not apologetic. Even Mark Lowenthal (former Ass Dir, CIA) agrees with the Obama administration did the right thing, when he was interviewed by BBC new channel.

Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) [Pakistani premier agency] have come under fire for what some have described as incompetency, and to some extent unbelievably funny, considering the guy they have been looking for was leaving comfortably next door to their Army barracks.

If it was an even playing field, then Pakistan can revenge by having one on the US for making them look so stupid, but that will not happen considering US gives aid to them(Pakistan). US will like the relationship to continue as they still need to continue relationship in fighting the terrorists in the region, and of course reduce the Pakistan home grown terrorists.

Pakistan remains key to the US and vice-versa. But lesson learnt from this is that AMERICA does not factor in the feelings of it's allies, and not reluctant to step on their toes. Their motto(in my view) is lets do it, and we can discuss the implication at a later date (i.e rather say "sorry" than ask for permission).

An element of "lack of trust" is the main reason here, a rumour has it that some key Pakistani's do indeed know Osama was residing in the building where he was captured and executed.

Guess overall, lesson learnt is that if you hurt or offend the AMERICANS to the extent which Osama did, they won't mind spending all the money in their treasury piggy bank to hunt and kill you.

GOING TO UNITED KINGDOM TO STUDY

In order to come to the United Kingdom (UK) to study, one would need a student visa (also know as a Tier 4 Visa). At the moment, there are there are two main routes which can be used to enter UK, these include child and adult student category, Brief description is provided below:

Child Student Visa: this visa is for children between 4 and 17 years old who are coming to the UK. It was highlighted that children between four and 15 years old can only apply if they are going to study at an independent fee-paying school. If the child is under 16 years old, maximum time allowed under this category is the full length of the course (up to a maximum of 6 years) plus 4 months after the end of the course. If the child is 16 or 17 years old, maximum time allowed is the full length of the course (up to a maximum of 2 years) plus 4 months after the end of the course. Am guessing the type of student that would fall under this section includes those intending to study at the secondary or Advance Level (possibly the first part of the study called ‘AS’).

Adult Student Visa: According to the home office website, one can apply to come to UK as an adult student if the intention is to study at post-16 education level. Types of course that can be taken under this section is more varied compared to the child student visa. Some of the courses and length of stay allowed in the UK includes:
­ Degree level or above: For courses 12 months or more, duration of stay is the full length of the course plus 4 months after the end of the course. Courses that are 6 months or more but less than 12 months, duration of stay is the full length of the course plus 2 months after the end of the course.
­Course to prepare to study (known as pre-sessional): duration to stay would cover the full length of course plus 1 month after the end of the course.
­ Postgraduate doctors and dentists on a recognised Foundation programme: the maximum length of the course allowed is 3 years. Duration of stay in the UK would cover the full length of the course plus one month after the end of the course.

As UK has now adopted a point based system, you would need 40 points to be able to apply for a student visa. A brief description on how to obtain the points and document needed as proof is explained below:
­ -30 Points from doing a course (at an acceptable level) with an approved education provider (also known as sponsorship). A visa letter or confirmation of acceptance for studies issues by the approved education provider is the proof needed to get the points. From February 2010, UK Border Agency will only accept a confirmation of acceptance for studies and will no longer accept a visa letter.
­-10 Points for having enough money to cover the course fees and monthly living costs (also known as maintenance). Document needed as proof of meeting the point is a bank statement or letter confirming that you have enough funds to cover the course fees and living costs for up to one year, at the time of submitting the application. You would need to be able to prove that the fund (money) has been in the account for 28 days prior to submitting the application for it to be accepted.

Approved Education Provider
To score the 30 points highlighted above, the institution (College, University, etc) to be attended needs to have been approved and hold a license to teach international students. List of approved education provider which has been assessed by UK Border Agency (UKBA) can be found on the education provider register following the link below. Potential student would not be able to obtain student visa if the institution is not on the register.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/quickguideforstudent/adultstudents/applyingforanadultstudentvisa/#header1
Rules on working
As an international student in the UK, you are only allowed to work 20 hours per week during term-time (except where the placement is a necessary part of the studies such as one-year industrial work placement). Students are allowed to work full time during the holiday season which is usually between July – September.
People on student visa are not allowed to engage in activities such as Business services, self-employment or professional sportsperson/entertainer services.

Post-study work
As part of UKBA initiative to retain the most able international students who have studied in the United Kingdom, there is an option to apply for a 2 years working visa. This enables a graduate to be able to secure a job more easily as the potential employer does not need to apply for a work permit for the graduate. You need to note that you will need to switch to another category once the Post Study Work (PSW) visa expires, and also this does not count as part of the residency period.

Key Facts about UK
­ According the UK Met Office the average warmest year in the UK was 2006 with a temperature of 10.84 degree Celsius. So, if you are moving from Bahamas you might want to think twice!
­ United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The capital of England is London, hence London is not the country as some people might think.
­ If you see football like a religion then you are in for a spoil. Premiership, probably the biggest league in the world is based in UK. Be warned though that the ticket and club jersey are quite expensive if you are a dedicated fan.

Reference and Links
Overview of the student visa system

Video about studying in the UK

Calculating how money needed as proof

Post study working in UK

UK Met Office

Premier League