Cairo - Qaeda awash in funds despite meltdown

CAIRO: The meltdown in the global financial system may spare Al Qaeda. It is thought to have access to strong potential funding sources - and thus might dodge fallout from the global crunch devastating others. One principal reason the groups may avoid fallout now is because they have been forced to pull away from banks, relying instead on less-efficient ways to move money. The methods, including hand-carrying money and using informal money-transfer networks called hawalas - likely will shield extremists from the current banking system turmoil. ap