At least 23 people have been killed in heavy fighting between Ethiopian troops and fighters allied to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Somalia, officials and witnesses said. The fighting broke out after armed men ambushed an Ethiopian military convoy near the village of Garsani, about 300km north of Mogadishu, late on Wednesday. At least 13 civilians and eight Ethiopian soldiers were killed in the fighting, witnesses said on Thursday. The fighters, however, said they lost two members in the battle. "I have counted bodies of 13 civilians, including four children," Ibrahim Adan Moalim, a local resident said. Sheikh Abdirahin Ise, an anti-government fighter, told AFP news agency: "The fighting was so heavy and our holy warriors with the help of Allah won a huge victory." "In return they [Ethiopian troops] killed pastoralists who were near the fighting zone." Revenge pledge The fighters have promised to avenge the killing of Aden Hashi Ayro - the leader of al-Shabaab, the former armed wing of the ICU. Ayro, killed in a US air raid last week, was accused by Washington of being al-Qaeda's leader in Somalia. Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in 2006 to rescue an embattled transitional government. The ICU has since been fighting government forces, its Ethiopian allies and African Union troops. Separately, on Wednesday, a truck driver contracted by the World Food Programme (WFP), was shot dead in central Somalia by a gunman who opened fire at a convoy of trucks ferrying food. Peter Goossens, the WFP's director for Somalia, said in a statement: "We condemn this senseless killing and once again urge all parties to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian staff and cargo across the country." Violence has disrupted the delivery of aid to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced civilians in the country. Humanitarian groups are struggling to feed at least two million people in Somalia, which is experiencing a prolonged drought and record high inflation. Source: Agencies http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4BAAA693-8A66-4DB2-91DF-7892C4B3F524.htm

How ironic! After the Saudis and Masaaris boycotted the last Arab League Summit, they now want an emergency meet! Saudi Arabia called for an urgent meeting of Arab foreign ministers to try to halt the violence. "In light of the dangerous escalation of the situation on the Lebanese scene, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports holding an urgent and extraordinary meeting of the Arab League ministerial council in Cairo to discuss the Lebanese crisis and its fallout," a foreign ministry official was quoted by the state SPA news agency as saying on Friday. The UN Security Council called for "calm and restraint", urging all sides to return to peaceful dialogue. The White House urged Hezbollah to stop "disruptive" acts.

Hezbollah 'seizes Sunni Beirut' Hezbollah gunmen are reported to have taken control of large areas of Beirut in a third day of fighting, while fierce gun battles are raging in other mixed Sunni-Shia-Christian neighbourhoods. The street battles between the opposition gunmen and fighters loyal to the governing coalition have left at least 11 people killed and 20 others wounded. A rocket-propelled grenade also reportedly hit the fence of the heavily protected residence of Saad al-Hariri, the Sunni politician and leader of the governing coalition, in Koreitem in Muslim western Beirut on Friday. Al-Hariri was believed to be inside at the time but unhurt. Gunmen loyal to Hezbollah also forced Future News, an al-Hariri TV station, off the air in the Lebanese capital. "Armed gunmen surrounded the building, stormed into the garage and demanded through the army the shutdown of the station," a senior official at the station, said. The security sources said Hezbollah and fighters from the allied Amal movement - both Shia groups - had overrun offices of al-Hariri's Future group across the predominantly Muslim western half of the Lebanese capital. The headquarters of the Future movement's Al-Mustaqbal newspaper was also surrounded by gunmen firing rocket-propelled grenades, setting fire to one floor, its managing editor said. Herbollah control In several neighbourhoods across the capital automatic rifle fire could be heard in the worst domestic fighting since the 1975-90 civil war. Hezbollah also took control of all roads leading to Beirut's international airport, Lebanon's only air link to the outside world. Beirut's port was also shut down, port official Elie Zakhour said. Tension between the government and Hezbollah escalated when the cabinet said the group's private phone network was illegal and an attack on the country's sovereignty. Hezbollah said it was infuriated by government allegations it was spying on Beirut airport and by the cabinet's decision to fire the head of airport security who is close to the opposition. Call for restraint The fighting prompted urgent appeals for calm from the international community. Saudi Arabia called for an urgent meeting of Arab foreign ministers to try to halt the violence. "In light of the dangerous escalation of the situation on the Lebanese scene, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports holding an urgent and extraordinary meeting of the Arab League ministerial council in Cairo to discuss the Lebanese crisis and its fallout," a foreign ministry official was quoted by the state SPA news agency as saying on Friday. The UN Security Council called for "calm and restraint", urging all sides to return to peaceful dialogue. The White House urged Hezbollah to stop "disruptive" acts. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/89A58D9F-EE3F-47A3-A82A-A2C287DFDB1E.htm

Lets hope the govnt and opposition see sense. Nasrallah played this wrong in my opinion by his speach and rejection of the offer from Hariri. Beirut hit by deadly street battles http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/images/2008/5/9/1_247573_1_9.jpg Fighting intensified after Hezbollah's leader said the government's actions were "tantamount to a declaration of war" [AFP] Eight people have been killed and 15 people wounded in Lebanon, according to security sources, as the country's political crisis threatens to spiral out of control. Fighting in Beirut intensified on Thursday, the second day of anti-government protests, after a speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, in which he called a government crackdown on the Shia group "tantamount to a declaration of war". In several neighbourhoods across the capital automatic rifle fire could be heard as fighters in support of Hezbollah and the allied Amal group exchanged fire with pro-government fighters in the worst domestic fighting since the 1975-90 civil war. Hezbollah claims the government has moved against it by such actions as the launching of an investigation into the Shia group's private telephone network. Tension between the government and Hezbollah escalated when the cabinet said the group's communication network was an attack on the country's sovereignty. Hezbollah says it is infuriated by government allegations it was spying on Beirut airport and by the cabinet's decision to fire the head of airport security who is close to the opposition. Government offer rejected Saad al-Hariri, leader of the Lebanese parliamentary majority and son of the assassinated former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, proposed a deal on Thursday to end the crisis under which the government decisions that have infuriated Hezbollah would be considered a "misunderstanding" and be referred to the Lebanese army. In an own televised address, he criticised Hezbollah, saying: "What fate are you dragging the Muslims to - are you dragging us back to civil war?" He proposed a compromise solution spearheaded by the army - seen as neutral - to end the fighting and "save Lebanon from hell" and called for Hezbollah to lift its "siege" of the capital. The move will give General Michel Suleiman, the commander of the army - which has been neutral in the confrontation so far - the option to suspend the implementation of the government decisions. But Hezbollah's al-Manar TV quoted an opposition source rejecting any ideas for ending the conflict other than Nasrallah's demand that the measures be rescinded. Clashes were reported to have broken out in other parts of the country, with another seven people reported injured in the Beqaa valley. The Lebanese army did not participate in the fighting. But Robert Fisk, a journalist in Beirut, speaking to Al Jazeera, said that could change if the fighting escalated. "If we have a situation where one group of people move into another group's area - either Shia or Sunni - then the army may have to take much harsher measures and that immediately raises the question of 'what is the future of the Lebanese army', because it's made up of all the citizens of this country, not just one group or the other," Fisk said. Gun battles "The fighting seems to be spreading," reported James Bays, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Beirut. "It's something all the political parties said they wanted to avoid." Thursday's fighting occurred on Corniche Mazraa, a major thoroughfare in Beirut that has become a demarcation line between mainly Sunni and Shia neighbourhoods, and the nearby Ras el-Nabeh area. The violence later spread to Khandaq el-Ghamiq, adjacent to the centre of the city. Television footage showed armed and masked men taking cover on street corners next to shuttered shops. Shootings and explosions were also reported near the office of Aisha Bakkar, the Sunni spiritual leader allied with the government, and in Ein el-Tineh where the opposition-aligned parliament speaker has his official residence. 'Calm and restraint' In the US, the United Nations security council also called for "calm and restraint", urging all sides to return to peaceful dialogue. The council issued a non-binding policy statement, which lacks the force of a resolution, after a briefing by Terje Roed-Larsen, a UN special envoy to the Middle East, who warned that the situation in Lebanon was the worst since the civil war. "At the top of the agenda at the Security Council today is the issue of armed militias in the streets of Beirut and elsewhere," Roed-Larsen said, speaking to Al Jazeera after the briefing. What we are seeing today illustrates the necessities of integrating the Lebanese militias into the army. Unless this is done I fear that what we are seeing today will continue." The White House demanded Hezbollah stop "disruptive activities". "Hezbollah needs to make a choice - be a terrorist organisation or be a political party, but quit trying to be both," Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said. "They need to start playing a constructive role and stop their disruptive activities now." Unrest began on Wednesday during a general strike, called by the main labour union over price increases and wage demands, which quickly developed into a confrontation between supporters of the government and the opposition. Protests continued on Thursday, with many roads blocked by barricades of burning tyres. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

^^The roads are OK. It the ones in Hargaisa that need fixing Can someone not run away with my suitcase at the airport, I can carry my own bag. Thank you. They are only trying to help and make some money at the same time. I would only request that the eaterie at Berbera beach be improved. That place (Berbera) has so much potential.

^^Can UDUB do the same outside of Hargaisa?

I saw the dark clouds as soon as I left home. Got in the office and it rained heavily but it was over within approx 7 mins. GG, same concerns here. As long as the rain drops don't contain anything which may be detrimental to crops/people I think it should continue. The success rate may be higher in Africa than in the ME as Africa actually has clouds all year round.

I'm often critical of this guy but not this time.

Al Waleed gives $15.7m to Cambridge and Edinburgh varsities Bloomberg Published: May 08, 2008, 18:21 London: Saudi billionaire Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, the biggest shareholder in Citigroup Inc., gave 8 million pounds ($15.7 million) each to the UK universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh to start Islamic studies research centers. Alwaleed signed an agreement on Wednesday at London's Buckingham Palace in the company of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Chancellor of both universities, the Arab investor's Riyadh-based Kingdom Foundation said in an e-mailed statement on Thursday. "It is paramount for both Islam and the West to reach mutual ground for proactive dialogue, respect, acceptance and tolerance," Al Waleed said in the statement. http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi_arabia/10211680.html

^^Me too. But a bit of rain never hurt anyone. Ibtisam, Ngonge was not taking any pics. He was busy walking into road signs,lamp posts and bus shelters

The Americans just seem to enjoy throwing the race card in people's face! The media will play it up and so will the arm chair politicians but to come from an opponents mouth (Hilary) is what gets me. This race has less to do with policy and more to do with appearance. It will be interesting if Barack wins. Maybe I will pay much more attention but I doubt it. Not until November anyway.

Well I won't be making ayn predictions as they often turn out wrong but it will be a good final. I'm hoping for a classic.

Originally posted by Cadaan: I really hope the british pound takes a nosedive within the next 2 weeks, that way my CDN$$$$ will actually be worth something.... I hear that! The damn thing is too qaali!

America and race! It just never goes away,,,,

Guess what happened the other day, it rained in the May in Dubai! It rained bucket loads in the middle of the desert! This was no ordanary rain however,,,,, Cloud seeding experiment has thundering success By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief Published: May 08, 2008, 00:09 Al Ain: Tuesday's thunderstorm in the western and southern parts of the emirates was a result of a cloud seeding (artificial rain) test conducted by the weather authorities. The storm produced intermittent rain in parts of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It was a surprising phenomenon in the late-spring month of May for the public and some weathermen. An official of the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) on Wednesday confirmed the centre had carried out cloud seeding tests on clouds that came in from southern Saudi Arabia. Residents and weathermen were baffled by the occurrence of thunderstorms in May. "I was amazed to hear about a thunderstorm," said a weatherman requesting anonymity. He said it was an unusual development of CB clouds, the clouds that generate thunderstorms, as most converge over the UAE in the winter, he added. Abdullah Ahmad Al Mandoos, Executive Director of NCMS, said the cloud seeding test was successful and more experiments would be conducted in the next three months but depending on the weather conditions. The NCMS director said Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, has played a vital role in the project and has provided a plane and other facilities for its implementation. "He gives continuous guidance," he added. International prize Shaikh Mansour has also encouraged scientists in cloud seeding research and announced an international prize for the best study in the field. "This prize provided immeasurable benefits not only for science but also for many countries in the world," he said. The centre has its own aircraft that is used for sprinkling cloud seeding salts in the moist clouds. The sprinklers are attached to the wings of the aircraft that drop the salt from a certain height on the clouds. The project was started in 2001 by the Department of Atmospheric Studies at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs. The department has now absorbed the UAE Met Department and taken a new identity as NCMS. The implementation of the project was started in cooperation with the National Centre of the Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the United States, the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and the National Astronomy Space Agency in the United States NASA, said Al Mandoos. A total of 200 flights were undertaken during the winter and summer of 2001. About half of the flights collected microphysical data in clouds and precipitation, with seeding trials having been performed on about half of those flights. Further studies continued during 2003 and 2004. The studies help NCMS in developing the seeding techniques as per UAE climatic requirements to increase the rainfall, said Al Mandoos. He said the objective of the project is to enhance the national water resources, ground storage, and recycling of freshwater. Research: Solving water problems We dream of being able to modify the weather, especially as pearls of perspiration line brows and march down collars. It may not be such an outlandish idea if one goes by cloud seeding. It is a science that can be used to control winds, suppress hail, dissolve fog or create rain. Scientists have been dabbling in it since 1946, when Dr Vincent J. Shaefer conducted his first field experiments in New York. Today nearly 40 countries are working with it, foremost being China. Rumour has it that not a cloud shall pass over Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. It also plans to use cloud seeding to clear the air pollution problem. Some of the other countries include the United States, UK, Russia, India, Australia, Canada, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It rains because millions of extremely tiny water droplets come together around a nuclei, which could be anything from sand, smoke, salt or dust, to form one big drop of rain. There are two basic forms of rain - warm and cold. Warm rain is from clouds, in tropical regions, with temperatures never colder than 0C. Cold rain happens when the cloud temperatures are lower than 0C. This is the natural process, in case of cloud seeding different types of cloud condensation nuclei are artificially introduced to accelerate the warm rain or cold rain process. However, it can only be done if the cloud system is of the necessary size, with sufficient lifespan and has enough water saturation. Most scientists say it is all about assisting nature. Seeding is done using flares dropped from aircrafts or shot from the ground using artillery or rockets. One of the earliest techniques was the 'static mode' wherein silver iodide or dry ice was introduced into cold clouds. This was followed up by the 'dynamic mode', which had a greater number of silver iodide nuclei being introduced to get more rain. You also have hygroscopic seeding that introduces salt crystals, which function as bigger nuclei to accelerate the warm rain process. As nations look for answers to the problem of water shortage, controlled cloud seeding could be one of the key options. http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Environment/10211450.html

Typical, Brits. The weather is nice and all are in a happy mood :rolleyes: Val, I will actually be a tourist and vist all those touristy place IA ps I hope to see a bit of rain when I'm over there :cool:

The gold and green out in force!!!

lass than a week Thurs morning we are there IA

no prep yet, last minute as usual,,,,,

This time next week I will be in Edgware Rd in London,,,IA

Never!

Allah yarxamu

Baashe, The author provides nothing new. 80% of the article is a re-hash of old news which most people already know and would agree with. The UIC were a breath of fresh air – agreed, they brought peace – agreed, they were naïve – agreed, things could have worked out for the better – hmm ok agreed. It’s a classic example of praising an individual/group throughout most of the article with a twist near the end of it based on deliberately manipulated and inaccurate information. The objective of an ‘objective’ journalist is to use as many facts as possible in order to give as holistic opinion as possible on the subject. He failed miserably here! Failure lambar waaxid: the UIC did not tell the government to surrender. Failure raqam laba: the author fails to mention that the UIC got rid of the same warlords the ‘president’ wanted to get rid of with the help of UN forces. Ta sadexaad: the author fails to mention that the UIC did indeed invite him and the govnt to take up their seats in Muqdisho. Failure raqam afar: the author fails to mention the govnt’s lie that there were only 200 Ethiopian soldiers training the TFG when there were in fact more than 8,000 plus CIA preparing for battle. Khamsaa: the author forgets to mention Yeey was/is a warlord Also note the reference to the Ethio military as Yeey’s ‘friends’. It usually takes a couple of sentences before you see the author’s angle and who he is actually favouring. In this case a took 3 or 4 paragraphs. Kudos to him I suppose.

LoL Ngonge has finally caught up with his work load

^^That was Mathew and his "there was an old African saying" was always confusing to his peers Desmond and Porkpie. Got the intro song in my head now,,,,