^^we are sports fans saxib. You name it we know the rules the main players etc

Street turns into 'swimming pool of blood' Reuters Baghdad: Car bombs killed nearly 200 people in Baghdad yesterday in the deadliest attacks in the city since US and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown aimed at halting the country's slide into civil war. One car bomb near a market in the mainly Shi'ite Muslim Sadriya district killed 140 people and wounded 150, police said. "The street was transformed into a swimming pool of blood," Ahmad Hamid, a shopkeeper near the scene, said. Wednesday's attacks killed a total of 191 people and wounded 250, police said. Witnesses said many of the dead were women and children. The apparently coordinated attacks - there were five within a short space of time - occurred hours after Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said Iraq would take security control of the whole country from foreign forces by the end of the year. Al Maliki is under growing pressure to say when foreign soldiers will leave, but the attacks in mainly Shiite areas of Baghdad underscored the huge challenges for Iraq's security forces in taking charge of overall security from more than 150,000 US and British troops. "I saw dozens of dead bodies. Some people were burned alive inside minibuses. Nobody could reach them after the explosion," said a Reuters witness at Sadriya, describing scenes of mayhem at an intersection where the bomb exploded near a market. "Women were screaming and shouting for their loved ones who died," said the witness who did not wish to be identified, adding many of the dead were women and children. One man waving his arms in the air screamed hysterically: "Where's Maliki? Let him come and see what is happening here." US and Iraqi forces began deploying thousands more troops onto Baghdad's streets in February. Sectarian death squad killings have declined, but car bombs are much harder to stop, US military officials say. The bombings could inflame sectarian passions in Baghdad, especially among the Mehdi Army militia of anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, which has kept a low profile so far during the two-month-old Baghdad security offensive. Al Qaida is blamed for most of the major bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq and there are fears the Mehdi Army may take to the streets to retaliate. Epicentre of violence The attacks came several hours after Al Maliki again appealed for reconciliation between majority Shiites and once-dominant minority Sunni Arabs who form the backbone of the insurgency. "There is no magic solution to put out the fire of sectarian sedition that some are trying to set up, especially Al Qaida," Al Maliki said in a speech made on his behalf before the attacks. Among the other attacks yesterday, police said a suicide car bomber killed 35 people at a checkpoint in Sadr City, stronghold of the firebrand cleric Al Sadr. In a speech at a ceremony marking the handover of southern Maysan province from British to Iraqi control, Al Maliki said three provinces in the autonomous Kurdistan region would be next, followed by Karbala and Wasit provinces. Gates' opinion Iraq failure 'will be felt first in region before US' Failure in Iraq will unleash sectarian strife and extremism and will be felt first in the Middle East, visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday. Speaking to a US Chamber of Commerce luncheon on the third day of his Middle East tour, Gates exhorted Arab countries to use their influence to dampen the insurgency and encourage political reconciliation in Iraq. "Whatever disagreements we might have over how we got to this point in Iraq, the consequences of a failed state in Iraq - of chaos there - will adversely impact the security and prosperity of every nation in the Middle East and Gulf region," he said. Gates also said that Iran and Syria need to become part of the solution by reducing the violence and helping promote reconciliation in Iraq. source

got this on my phone xalayto

It should,,,,,LOZ do something productive and move it to sports section will ya,,,,,

^^dont be so eager. We wont slip up. I hope. You guys a win at the weekend. Weldone

lol A Somali party thread gets turned into how one should confront an Asian toilet SOL!

Chelsea better not slip up tonight. I'm looking forward to that Prem game at the bridge vs Man Utd to decide the title.

A school was bombed yesterday in Afghanistan. Killing scores of Muslim kids. Just in case it escaped your radar,,,,

NG, you need to go to Africa saxib. No not Egypt i mean Africa!!! That huge place full of black people (for the most part). You have been too comfortable for too long. Complaining about toilets :rolleyes:

Poland and Ukraine host Euro 2012 Poland and Ukraine have been chosen to host the 2012 European Championships. Italy were widely expected to win the Uefa vote in Cardiff, with another joint bid from Croatia and Hungary also in the running. However, Italy's bid was overshadowed by last season's referee corruption scandal and their on-going problems with football-related crowd trouble. It will be the first time that either Poland or Ukraine have hosted a major football championship. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/6562527.stm Warning to nomads: DONT GO!

In their endless pursuit of safeguarding their women, the KSA authorities are actually making marriage worthless. Marriage should be sacred and encouraged even before university if need be but this latest one takes the buskud. Why dont they just open a branch of every college/university in Britain, US and Canada in the KSA, problem solved!

^^Didnt know that. But i would still maintain that when one digs little deeper, the 'essense' of the business is usually Riba based.

^^lol Bush and Rumsfeld would be proud

^^lol@ the Carry On films classics

Originally posted by -Serenity-: ^In the likely future. When the Amanah account was introduced, I read a fatwa somewhere stating it wasnt exactly shariah compliant. So honestly, I couldnt be bothered with the madax xanuun of it all at the time. And its not often that I have savings anyways or have to deal with interest lol. Can an iterest based entity (HSBC) offer Sheria Compliant Morgages in the first place? Same with Loyds TSB. Islamic Bank of Britain is your best bet.

May Allah make all the gaalo iyo wixi raacsan see defeat. Amiin.

Hes right about the boys and their fashion sense,,,,,, I can see NG is just itching for a write up on his trip. Go ahead saxib,,,,,you know you want to

Paragon I am sure deep down in your hearts, there sits a clarity that can free you from unquestioning support of the wrong over the right. We all know that but if you wave to a blind man do not expect a wave back!

Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Rebuff Withdrawing From the Areas They Seized in Mogadishu Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu) April 16, 2007 Posted to the web April 16, 2007 Aweys Osman Yusuf Mogadishu The results of the meetings between the elders of Mogadishu's major ****** clan and the Ethiopian soldiers seem to be failing as Ethiopians rebuffed to withdraw from the areas they seized during the four day gun battle in the capital late last month. The spokesperson for ******, Ahmed Derie, has told Shabelle on Monday that the Ethiopian forces based in and around Yaqshid neighborhood in Mogadishu where they captured in gun fight with clan militia and insurgents. "The Ethiopians rejected to implement the resolutions made in our recent meetings with them. In order to let the people who fled the neighborhood to return to their homes peacefully, the Ethiopians were supposed to desert the areas they captured, but they turned down. We do not know what will happen next," he said. The Ethiopian troops are currently based in Mogadishu's biggest football stadium, the international airport and former government buildings in Wardhigley. They have also taken control of the main road in Hamar Bille leading to the presidential compound. Derie pointed out that the Ethiopians indicated they wanted to use the main road linking the stadium to Villa Somalia (The presidential palace) peacefully. "But they said they would withdraw from the residential areas in Hamar Bille neighborhood," Derie said. He did not rule out that there might be a peaceful dialog between ****** clan and the Ethiopians in the future. "Our side, we will attempt to seek for a peaceful solution to the standoff," he said. The clan leaders issued a statement in early April that Ethiopian troops should abandon all areas they occupied during the fight. Now that the decisions were declined, many suspect if this would spark fresh violence in the world's most dangerous city. Meanwhile, the clan leaders endorsed the postponement of the country's reconciliation conference which was due to be held on 16 April. Derie said the decisions, to postpone the conference, made by Ali Mahdi Mohammed, the chairman of the committee for the reconciliation conference, shows that there was violence and war in the capital. In a press conference he held in his home in north Mogadishu, Mr. Mahdi announced that the Somali reconciliation conference would be held on 14 July. "The reasons why we postponed the conference are to boost the peaceful effort continuing in the capital Mogadishu. We are firstly trying to give the efforts to stop the feuds in Mogadishu a chance," he said. Mahdi also pointed out that the financial resources for the conference have not entirely reached the transitional government based in the bullet-riddled capital. Mogadishu's powerful clan, ******, boycotted the conference in protest that president Yusuf was bringing more of his tribesmen into capital nominating them the government's top posts. The recent deadly clashes, in which more than 1,000 Somalis perished, according to local statistics, exacerbated the general situation in the Horn of Africa country. Mahdi indicated that the reconciliation would be held in the volatile city as announced by the Somali president early March. source

Somaliland, Saudi businessman sign livestock export deal The Somaliland livestock minister has announced that an agreement on livestock exports has been reached between Somaliland and a Saudi Arabian businessman. The businessman will export 2,000,000 heads of cattle, camels or goats per year. The Somaliland livestock minister said at a meeting that the agreement between the government and the businessman, who goes by the name Sulayman Sa'id al-Jabiri, has two provisions: 1. The businessman should buy 2,000,000 heads of livestock - camels, cattle or goats from Somaliland every year and export them to Saudi Arabia. 2. Building of a quarantine camp for livestock meant to undergo health checks in Berbera that meet international standards. The camp will have the capacity of keeping 5,000,000 heads of cattle, camels or goats and it will be funded by the businessman. The construction of this camp will begin at the end of this week. The Somaliland livestock minister also mentioned that the sale of livestock to Yemen will remain as it is. The minister noted that this agreement would be useful for exporting Somaliland livestock to Saudi Arabia, where a ban used to exist on livestock from Somaliland. BBC Monitoring Copyright © 2007 BBC Monitoring/BBC. Source: Financial Times Information Limited.

Well, time now for us to take a quick break. But when we return: looking for ways to revamp its economy, Somaliland demands action on an international livestock ban. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) MAKGABO: And welcome back. We now take you to the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland, where leaders are looking for ways to revive the region's economy. Once thriving, the economy has taken a downward turn after many Arab countries imposed a ban on the region's principle export, livestock. Catherine Bond reports from the port city of Berbera. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CATHERINE BOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Livestock, the backbone of Somaliland's economy, shipped on the hoof from the Red Sea port of Berbera. But there are fewer animals leaving Somaliland than before, and leaders here in this breakaway region of Somalia are angry about it. (on camera): Normally, Somaliland says it would export more than 2 million sheep a year to Saudi Arabia; exports that would earn it up to 200 million U.S dollars. (voice-over): Last year Berbera did it's best business ever. But a ban last September, the second in three years, has hit it hard. ALI OMAR MOHAMED, PORT MANAGER: Last year when the livestock was stopped, we were expecting about 30 percent cut in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) volumes on both sides, but now we have been up to 60 percent cut. BOND: At first, the ban was due to an epidemic of rift valley fever, which killed more than 300 people in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. But now, even officials of the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, have declared Somaliland's stock disease free. And leaders here call Saudi Arabia's ban on Somali mutton, which has devastated the economy and cut government revenues in half, unwarranted and unfair. Political pressure, claims its president, to get Somaliland's unrecognized government to rejoin the fractured state of southern Somalia. MOHAMMED IBRAHIM EGAL, SOMALILAND PRESIDENT: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) what I say about the power of these beggars, you know the -- some of these. The FAO came here. They examined our livestock, not only here but in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) region of Ethiopia and Somalia. And they have testified, you know, that there is no sickness, you know, in our livestock, you know. BOND: Another suspicion: Saudi interest in Australian sheep farms. Some say it means Saudi Arabia has let Australia fill the gap. Either way, FAO officials believe it's time to resume trade, based on regulations to protect both exporter and importer with Somali traders able check they're sending livestock free, not just of rift valley fever, but foot and mouth and Renda (ph) pest. The ban last year, says the FAO, was justified. PAUL ROSSITER, FOOD & AGRICULTURE ORG.: There was a huge problem, and one of the things which the Saudis and the Yemenis both did was to immediately put in place a ban on the movement of their own livestock. And I think in this whole story about these outbreaks and the bans, that people have neglected the fact that there's been a ban on the indigenous livestock movement, as well as a ban on importation. BOND: With the welfare of hundreds of thousands of families at stake, the FAO now hopes trade will resume, which it has a little. The United Arab Emirates reopened markets like Dubai. This partial lifting of the ban helping pastoralists like 13-year-old Nuo (ph) already. "Several months back," he says, "there was no market for our goats. But now the demand has increased and we are getting a favorable price." A favorable price, say experts, that comes from top quality, comparable or even better than mutton from other areas. ROSSITER: If you've ever eaten it, you'll agree that it is actually delicious compared with some of the more commercial sources that are brought in on boats from other parts of the world. BOND: Somalis are confident that, given the chance, their old trading ties with Saudi Arabia will help them recapture the Saudi market. MOHAMED: And as soon as the ban is lifted, we draft all our livestock away from the market. BOND: They and the FAO would like to see the ban reversed before February, so that Berbera can take advantage of its proximity to Saudi ports. The two- or three-day journey across the Red Sea before mutton eating pilgrims converge in Saudi for the Hajj. Catherine Bond, CNN, Berbera, Somaliland. cnn.com - transcripts

Somaliland, Saudi Businessman Sign Livestock Export Deal Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 14, 2007 (SL Times) – The Somaliland livestock minister has announced on Monday that an agreement on livestock exports has been reached between Somaliland and a Saudi Arabian businessman. The businessman will export 2,000,000 heads of cattle, camels or goats per year. The Somaliland livestock minister said at a meeting that the agreement between the government and the businessman, who goes by the name Sulayman Sa'id al-Jabiri, has two provisions: 1. The businessman should buy 2,000,000 heads of livestock - camels, cattle or goats from Somaliland every year and export them to Saudi Arabia. 2. Building of a quarantine camp for livestock meant to undergo health checks in Berbera that meet international standards. The camp will have the capacity of keeping 5,000,000 heads of cattle, camels or goats and it will be funded by the businessman. The construction of this camp will begin at the end of this week. The Somaliland livestock minister also mentioned that the sale of livestock to Yemen will remain as it is. The minister noted that this agreement would be useful for exporting Somaliland livestock to Saudi Arabia, where a ban used to exist on livestock from Somaliland. Source: Somaliland Times

Dirham is weaker against the pound these days but steady against the dollar as its pinned to it. I usually divide my earnings by 7 to see what the pound equiv is. These days i divide by 7.3

What is at stake here is which of the two ideas takes supremacy: clanhood or nationhood. If it is clan then Puntland has a case and Somaliland should cede those areas inhabited by ******. You missed to edit this part JB.

Salaams Cambarro They always want people to spend then inflation rises then they raise the rates. Its a never ending scenario. They make the conditions right for people to borrow and spend then raise the rates due to 'high inflation'. All the fat cats must be rubbing their hands (again). :rolleyes: