Sunday, March 31, 2013

Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:1PM GMT

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'Wahhabi clerics prop up house of Saud'

A political analyst says the Sunni majority of Saudi Arabia has been deceived by a Wahhabi monarchy that rules by fueling sectarian divisions, Press TV reports.

Zayd Al-Isa, a London-based Middle East expert, said in an interview with Press TV that a “Wahabi Salafist establishment” gives religious legitimacy to the Al Saud regime, while a majority of Saudis are Sunni Muslims.

“And those people have been deceived for a long time by the Saudi regime’s claims that it is the guardian and the defender of Sunnis,” Isa said.

The analyst added that the popular uprising in the Arab world “shows that the Saudi regime is supportive of dictatorship; supportive of tyrants against the world of Sunni Muslims who are the dominant force in those regions.”

Isa described spreading sectarian divisions as the Al Saud regime’s defense to quell the Arab uprising.

He made the remarks days after a Saudi prosecutor demanded the death penalty for prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on charges of ‘aiding terrorists’ and ‘instigating unrest’ in the kingdom.

Sheikh Nimr was attacked, injured and arrested by Saudi security forces en route to his house in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on July 8, 2012.

Isa described the charges as “groundless”, saying, “The evidence is always fabricated and it is extracted using the worst types of torture.”

“Those who are accused, particularly the Imam, have been denied any access to a lawyer or indeed to any legal representation,” the analyst added.

Since February 2011, demonstrators have held anti-regime protests on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in Qatif and the town of Awamiyah in Eastern Province, primarily calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

MKA/SS

Hargeysa oo lagu arkay dad Somali ah wata beybalada Kirishtanka diintana laga saaray (SUBXAANALLAH)

Monday, March 18, 2013 0 comments

iftineducation.com - Magaalada Hargeysa ee xarunta maamulka Somaliland ayaa waxa lagu arkayaa dad gacmaha ku wata bibelada (Buugaagta diinta Masiixiyada) waxaana taasi ay ka dambeysay markii dad diinta masiixiyada faafinaya Ay Xarumo Ka Furteen Magaaladaasi

Wadaado Yuhuud ah ayaa lagu arkay magaalada Hargeysa oo dadka ugu yeeraya diinta Masiixiyada si ay uga soo baxaan diinta munazalka ee islaamka.

Shiikh C/qaadir Suni oo ka mid ah culimada waa weyn ee deegaanada Somaliland ayaa shalay ka istaagay masjid kuyaalla Somaliland waxaana uu ka digay in dadka ay ka baxaan diinta islaamka.

Shiikha ayaa waxa uu ka digay dad Yuhuud ah oo Hargeysa jooga dadkana ugu baaqaya inay ku biiraan Diinta Masiixiyada iyagoo dad badan wadadii

wanaagsaneyd ee islaanmka ka leexiyey.

Waxa uu si caro ay ku jirto uga hadlay damiir xumada ay sameeyeen dadka qaatay Bible Christian ah oo gacmaha iyagoo ku wata la arkay waxaana uu ku sheegay dadkaasi in dhiigooda banaan yahay in la dilo maadama diinta islaamka ka baxeen.

style="text-align: justify;"> Shiikh C/qaadir Sunni waxa uu ka sheekeeyey haweyney cunug ay dhashay oo xanuunsanaa ay utagtay dhaqtar yuhuudi ah oo hargeysa kusugnaa isagoo si cad uyiri diinta islaamka miyaa heysataa haweyneyda haa bay ku tiri markaas buu yiri wiilkaaga dibada ayaa caafimaad loogu qaadaa hadii diinta masiixiyada aad soo galeyso.

Haweyneydii ayaa iska diiday arintaasi iyadoo sheegtay inay diinta islaamka aysan ka laabaneyn ayna ku dhimaneyso sidaa waxaa jameecadii masaajidka usheegay Shiikh C/qaadir Sunni oo ka hadlayey masjid kuyaalla Somaliland.

Ilaa hadda maamulka Somaliland kama aysan hadlin arintaan la sheegay in dad diinta islaamka kabaxay ay Hargeysa In Kastoo iftineducation.com.com uu Helay Xog Ku Saabsan Dowlada Qudheeda Dadkaasi Yahuuda Ka Kiraysay Goobaha Ay hada Uga Sugan Yihiin Magaalada Hargeysa

Fadlan Like Iyo Share si aad asXaabtada inTa internetka iStiCmaAsho ugu gudbiso Thanks

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Woman Shot Dead For Shoplifting At Walmart

Shelly Frey, 27, was shot and killed by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy at a Houston, TX., Walmart. The deputy was suspicious of Frey, saying he thought she was stealing from the store, reports UK Daily Mail.
Harris County Sheriff’s deputies said that Shelly Frey, Tisa Andrews and Yolanda Craig were shoplifting when they were stopped by Louis Campbell, a 26-year veteran of the force, who is employed as a security guard at Walmart.
Campbell said that the women dashed to their car, and when he went to open their car door, they drove away. Campbell then thought it was his duty to stop the perpetrators so he fired the deadly shot into the car which hit Frey in the neck.
Security at the store noticed the three women putting items into their purses and notified Campbell, who was working an extra job that night.
The three shoplifters tried to pay for some small items to serve as a cover for the ones they planned to steal.
Campbell opened Frey’s car door and told her to get out, after he chased her and the other two women to the car, but she refused, said officials.
Andrews started to drive away while the deputy was standing between the open door and the driver’s seat.
“She threw it in reverse and tried to run over the deputy,” said Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deputy Thomas Gilliland.
Gilliland said, “He confronted the suspects at exit of the store before they left. One female wouldn’t stop, struck the deputy with her purse, ran off.” He added, “I think it knocked him off balance and, in fear of his life and being ran over, he discharged his weapon at that point.”
Officials said that there were two small children in the vehicle at the time of the incident, although they were not Frey’s, who is a mother of two.
“He was clearly marked in uniform as a Harris County deputy. And identified himself as the suspects were leaving the establishment,” said Gilliland regarding Campbell.
Even with Frey wounded, the women still fled, but they stopped at The Worthington at the Beltway apartments in the 1300 block of Greens Parkway. Frey was pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics arrived.
“Shelly was the perfect mom, perfect friend, perfect daughter,” said her father, Shelton Frey.
“Why couldn’t you just shoot the tire, shoot the window?” said her mother Sharon Wilkerson. “Was it that serious?”
Sharon said that even if Frey did shoplift, she didn’t deserve to die. She is now concerned for Frey’s children.
Andrews and Craig have both been charged with shoplifting. A small price to pay when their friend was shot to death.
As for deputy Campbell, he is on three days paid leave for standard protocol. The Harris County Sheriff’s Homicide Unit, Office of the Inspector General and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will investigate this horrific incident. The case will go in front of a grand jury.
Walmart said in a statement:

“This is a tragic situation and we recognize this is a difficult time for all parties involved. We’re committed to working with law enforcement and providing any information we have as they determine the facts of the case. Because this is an active investigation, any specific details of the incident should come from law enforcement. We hire off duty officers to provide security to some of our stores. While we have policies in place for our associates to disengage from situations that might put them or others in harm’s way, off-duty officers working at a WM store are authorized to act in accordance with their department’s code of conduct.”

- See more at: http://www.interpacket.com/woman-shot-dead-for-shoplifting-at-walmart/#sthash.qgRHLfbD.dpuf

Published On : Mon, Dec 10th, 2012

News | By Pete Crain

Woman Shot Dead For Shoplifting At Walmart

“This is a tragic situation and we recognize this is a difficult time for all parties involved. We’re committed to working with law enforcement and providing any information we have as they determine the facts of the case. Because this is an active investigation, any specific details of the incident should come from law enforcement. We hire off duty officers to provide security to some of our stores. While we have policies in place for our associates to disengage from situations that might put them or others in harm’s way, off-duty officers working at a WM store are authorized to act in accordance with their department’s code of conduct.”

- See more at: http://www.interpacket.com/woman-shot-dead-for-shoplifting-at-walmart/#sthash.qgRHLfbD.dpuf

Published On : Mon, Dec 10th, 2012

News | By Pete Crain

Woman Shot Dead For Shoplifting At Walmart

“This is a tragic situation and we recognize this is a difficult time for all parties involved. We’re committed to working with law enforcement and providing any information we have as they determine the facts of the case. Because this is an active investigation, any specific details of the incident should come from law enforcement. We hire off duty officers to provide security to some of our stores. While we have policies in place for our associates to disengage from situations that might put them or others in harm’s way, off-duty officers working at a WM store are authorized to act in accordance with their department’s code of conduct.”

- See more at: http://www.interpacket.com/woman-shot-dead-for-shoplifting-at-walmart/#sthash.qgRHLfbD.dpuf

Daawo Sawirada iyo Magacyada Gaarigii ay ku dhamaadeen Soomaalidii Tahriibka ahaa ee Liibiya iyo Dhaawacayada oo yaala Isbitaal

Monday, December 31, 2012 0 comments

iftineducation.com - Safaarada Soomaaliya ee Dalka Liibiya ayaa soo bandhigtay Sawirada Qaar kamid ah Soomaalidii ka badbaaday Shilkii gaari ee dhawaan ka dhacay Dalkaasi ayna ku dhinteen Soomaali tiro badan.

Sawirada lasoo bandhigay ayaa sidoo kale kujira Gaarigii ay Soomaalida Tahriib doonka ah saarnaayeen kaa oo ah gawaarida waa weyn ayna ka buuxeen shamiindo fara badan oo kusoo dumay Dadkii saarnaa Gaarigaasi taa oo sababtay in ay ku dhintaan dad ku dhaw 30-qof oo isugu jira Rag iyo Haween.

Sii hayaha Safiirka safaaradda Soomaaliya ee Libya C/qani Waceys ayaa sheegay in ay heleen Magacyada Qara kamid ah Ddakii dhintay kuwa kalana ay hada iyaga oo bad qaba ay joogaan Liibiya kuwa dhaawacmayna lagu daweenayo Isbitaalo kuyaalka Dalka Liibiya.

Safiirka ayaana ugu baaqay Waalidiinta Soomaaliyeed in caruurtaada aysan u ogolaanin ay ay Tahriibaan ayna soo aadan Dalka Liibiya uu sheegay in ay kala kulmayana dhibataooyin aad u faraa badan sida tii dhawaan dhacday.

Cabdiqani Maxamed Wacays oo ah safiirka Soomaaliya u fadhiya wadanka Liibiya ayaa liiskaan oo ay kujiraan magacya dhameestiran iyo kuwa aan dhamestirneyn uu ku sheegay sida tan:

Magacyada meydadka Ragga

1) Cali Cabdulle Xirsi

2) Xasan Cismaan Jeylaani

3) Max’ed deeq Barqad Cali

4) Cabdi Raxiin

5) Askar

6) Muuse

7) Sugaal

8) Saciid

9) Axmed

10) Axmed Qadar

Magacyada

meydadkaHaweenka

11) Sacdiyo Max’ud Xasan

12) Saamiyo

13) Yaasmiin

14) Dahabo

15) Xaawo

16) Aasiyo Cismaan Maxamed.

Shilka dadkaani ay ku dhamaadeen oo dad badan oo kale uu dhaawac kasoo gaaray ayaa waxa uu ahaa kii ugu xumaa taariikhda dhaw iyada oo uu rogmaday gaari ay lasocdeen tahiibayaasha oo dusha looga guray Shamiido si tahriibayaash ciidamada amanka looga qariyo

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iftineducation Media Network
iftineducationmedia@gmail.com

Subxaanalah: Daawo Gabdho Soomaaliyeed Oo Sheegaya In Dantu Ku Kaliftay Inay Jirkooda Ka Ganacsadaan.

Sunday, March 31, 2013 0 comments

iftineducation.com - Qaar ka mid ah dumarka Soomaaliyeed ee qaxootiga ku ah dalka Yemen ayaa duruuftu ku qasabtay inay jirkooda ka ganacdaan.

Arintantaan foosha xun ayaa waxaa keenay kadib markii ay bateen dhibaatooyinka ay ka mid yihiin noolol xumada, shaqo la’aanta iyo wax barasho la’aanta haysata qaxootiga ku nool dalka Yemen.

Sawiradaan ayaa laga soo qaaday dumar Soomaaliyeed oo ku nool degaanka Albasateen ee u dhaw magaalada Sanca ee xarunta dalka Yemen kuwaaso ay dantu ku qasabtay inay jirkooda ka ganacsadaan sidey ku warantay wakaalada wararka ee Reuters.

Dumarkaan ayaa markey usoo haajirayeen dalka Yemen filayay inay heeli doonaan shaqo iyo noolal dhaanta tii ay wadankoodii hooyo uga soo tageen lakiin arinku sidaas ma noqon.

Sawirada iyo warbixintaan ayaa waxaa soo bandhigay wakaalada wararka ee Reuters.

Aqristayaasha sharafta leh ee ku xiran iftineducation.com waxaan weydinaynaa: Ma la dhihi karaa eeda waxaa iska leh raga Soomaaliyeed gaar ahaan qabqablaasha dagaalka iyo ururada magacyada diimaha huwan ee dagaalka umada raaxada uga qaaday??

Saturday, March 30, 2013

News: Water Disconnections in Nairobi South C

My journey to Mogadishu

MOGADISHU NIGT LIFE

Soomaali loo diiday inuu galo Australia

Anti-Muslim Violence Continues in Central Myanmar

Supreme Court verdict due not later than 5pm Saturday

Tight security around Supreme Court

Bridal Hair Style

Soo Dhawaynta Fanaanka Fuaad Cumar ee Burco

Hablahayagu Waa Xariir - Fuad Omar

Abdirahman Xanxanteeye (Filsan) 2013 HD

Abdirahman xanxanteeye (Hadal muxu ka taraya) HD

Friday, March 29, 2013

Aghori Babas: Living With The Dead

Living Without Laws: Slab City, USA

فضيلة الصبر | خطبة الجمعة د.محمد العريفي

Two boys 'beaten to death' in China school

29 March 2013 Last updated at 10:01 GMT

Two boys have died after they were beaten by a member of staff at a primary school in southern China, state media report.

The boys, who attended a private school in Yulin City, in the Guangxi Zhuang region, died later in hospital, Xinhua news agency says.
A male employee reportedly hit the boys, causing critical injuries.
This comes a day after a man killed two before slashing six children at a school in Shanghai on Thursday.
Police in Yulin have detained the male employee and are investigating the case. The boys were in the fifth grade, which generally has children aged between 10-12.
China has seen a number of attacks at primary schools in recent years.
On 14 December 2012, 22 young children were wounded by a man wielding a knife at a primary school in Henan province.
In 2010, a series of knife attacks in schools were also reported.

Girl, 14 raped by two men on bus in Pollok, Glasgow

29 March 2013 Last updated at 10:47 GMT

The attack happened after the bus left the Silverburn shopping centre in Pollok

Investigations are continuing after a teenage girl was raped by two men on a double decker bus in Glasgow.

The attack happened on the top deck of the 57 bus as it left the Silverburn shopping centre in Pollok, Glasgow, at about 22:30 last Friday night.
The 14-year-old sat downstairs with a friend but then moved to the upper deck where she was assaulted and raped by two men.
Police have appealed for other passengers to come forward.
Detectives said the girl engaged in conversation with two men who had boarded the bus in the city centre.
Her friend, also 14, went up to see her and raised the alarm with passengers downstairs.
A woman and two men came to the girls' aid. They all left the bus two stops along from Silverburn.
The passengers are said to have waited with the girls until they got another bus home, thought to be in the Darnley area of the city, where police were contacted.
'Frightening experience' No CCTV footage is available from the bus.
Both of the attackers are said to be aged around 18 to 20.
One is about 5ft 10in, with a shaved head and wearing a black jumper.

“Start Quote

She has been left traumatised by her ordeal”

Det Con Jackie Carroll Strathclyde Police

The other man has brown, spiky hair and was wearing a tracksuit which may have been grey, with a body warmer or jacket.

Det Con Jackie Carroll of Strathclyde Police said: "This was a very frightening experience for the young girl concerned, and thankfully she was assisted by her friend and the Good Samaritans on the bus who ensured she got home safely.
"She has been left traumatised by her ordeal.
"We're continuing extensive enquiries into the incident, and would like to trace two men and woman who came to her assistance, as they will have vital information which could help with our investigation."
Police said the two men were very loud and using crude and lewd comments to other passengers.
The bus driver ejected them at Pollokshaws Road, near to the park, at about around 00:30 hours.
A spokesman for bus operator First Glasgow said: "Our thoughts are very much with the victim of the assault."
"We are assisting the police with their investigation and would echo their appeal for anyone to come forward who may have information about the incident.
"The safety and security of our staff and passengers is our number one priority and we will continue to do everything we can to help the police apprehend the perpetrators."

Tanzania: Dar es Salaam building collapse 'traps dozens'

Some people in the rubble have reportedly been calling for help

At least three people have been killed and dozens more are trapped after a multi-storey building collapsed in the centre of the main Tanzanian city, Dar es Salaam, rescue workers say.

Thirteen people have been pulled out of the ruins alive, officials say.
Some 45 people, including construction workers, residents and children from a Koranic school, are missing.
The BBC's Hassan Mhelela says the 12-floor building under construction is now a "huge pile of chaos".

"I thought there was an earthquake and then I heard screaming. The whole building fell on itself," eyewitness Musa Mohamed told the AFP news agency.
Our reporter says a huge crane is pulling out a mass of iron bars to get access to the centre of the building, where some people are thought to be still alive.
Trapped victims are said to have been making phone calls to friends and relatives.
Bulldozers are also being used to move the rubble, our reporter says.
He says there are large crowds of onlookers, as well as rescue workers and armed police officers at the scene.
The collapsed building was near a mosque, as well as other residential and commercial properties in central Dar es Salaam.

Bosnia jails Serb Veselin Vlahovic for war crimes

Woman Shot Dead For Shoplifting At Walmart

- See more at: http://www.interpacket.com/woman-shot-dead-for-shoplifting-at-walmart/#sthash.qgRHLfbD.dpuf

29 March 2013 Last updated at 11:41 GMT

Veselin Vlahovic was extradited by Spain in 2010

A court in Bosnia-Hercegovina has sentenced a former Serb paramilitary commander to 45 years in prison for war crimes during the 1992-95 conflict.

Veselin Vlahovic was found guilty on more than 60 counts, including the murder, rape and torture of Bosnian Muslim and Croat civilians in Sarajevo.
The Montenegrin - known as the "Monster of Grbavica", after a district of the city - had pleaded not guilty.
His sentence is the longest handed down so far by the Bosnian war crimes court.
The verdict took around two hours to read because of the large number of crimes involved.
'Synonym for evil' In his closing statement, prosecutor Behaija Krnjic said Vlahovic's name was "the synonym for evil", and that he had killed 31 people, kidnapped 14 others still considered missing, and raped 13 women.
The crimes took place in three districts of Sarajevo controlled by Serb forces between May and July 1992 - Grbavica, Kovacici and Vraca.
BBC Balkans correspondent Guy De Launey says it is not the first time Vlahovic has been convicted.
He was sentenced to prison for robbery in his native Montenegro, but escaped 12 years ago.
He then lived in Spain under a Bulgarian passport until his arrest and extradition in 2010. Vlahovic was also wanted for armed robbery in Spain, and murder in Serbia.
Our correspondent says the relative speed of the trial is in contrast to proceedings at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague. Former Serb nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj has been in custody there for 10 years and his trial is still incomplete.

Inside San Pedro Sula, the 'murder capital' of the world

By Rafael Romo and Nick Thompson, CNN

March 28, 2013 -- Updated 1607 GMT (0007 HKT)

Living in the world's murder capital

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

San Pedro Sula, Honduras, named murder capital of world for second straight year
Acapulco and Caracas come second and third, respectively, in Mexican think tank report
Residents say "murder capital of the world" label is hurting business and is undeserved
Honduras university says murder rate in San Pedro Sula actually higher than reported

(CNN) -- It is nighttime as a pack of masked soldiers silently moves toward the front line of a deadly shootout between law enforcement officials and unknown men in a dimly lit Honduras neighborhood.

But the soldiers are too late to prevent the grisly scene that awaits them. One of their own is on the ground, seriously wounded. One of the attackers is dead, and three others have been shot.

"They didn't even say a word. They just pulled out their weapons and started shooting at our soldiers," army commander Carlos Rolando Discua said of the scene, which has become all too familiar in Honduras' second-largest city.

Discua oversees a unit of soldiers, often masked to protect their identities, who patrol the streets of San Pedro Sula, the so-called murder capital of the world.

Photos: Deadly violence grips Honduras

For the second straight year, San Pedro Sula, in northwest Honduras, has topped a list of the world's 50 most violent cities, with a rate of 169 intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants -- an average of more than three people every day.

The report, compiled by the Mexican think tank Citizen Council for Public Security, Justice and Peace, compared intentional homicide statistics around the world in 2012. The report does not include cities in the Middle East.

The sunny beach resort of Acapulco in Mexico ranked second on the group's list, followed by the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

New Orleans is the murder capital of the United States, according to the report, which ranked the city 17th on the list. Detroit, St. Louis, Baltimore and Oakland were the other U.S. cities to make the list.

Central America's bloody drug problem

San Pedro Sula's challenge, experts say, is that Mexico's offensive against drug cartels and the active U.S. deportation of criminal immigrants are pushing the problem south. Some of this criminal element has ended up in Honduras, where, like most Central American countries, law enforcement has few resources to fight it.

But city residents say that "murder capital of the world" is an undeserved label that is hurting local businesses.

There are only three morgues in Honduras, and one of them is in San Pedro Sula. Residents say that people who are murdered elsewhere and then taken to the city's morgue are being grouped into the city's crime statistics.

"All of the crimes that happen in northern Honduras are registered as happening here," businessman Luis Larach said. "So what we businessmen are doing is an accurate count to determine where crime or violent deaths originate so that the information is truthful."

The National Autonomous University of Honduras said that only people murdered in San Pedro Sula were tallied in the group's report -- and that in fact the actual murder rate in the city is even higher.

The authors of the report defended their research on the group's website, writing: It "is not the ranking that damages the image of the city but the violence and the government's inability to contain and reduce it. To hide the problems never solves them."

Honduras is far from the only country in the region with a murder problem. The top 10 -- and 39 of 50 overall -- most violent cities on the list are Latin American.

Authorities have launched Operation Lightning in San Pedro Sula, saturating violence hotspots with police and soldiers, and some residents believe the beefed-up security is working.

"There's more security now," said local resident Nicolle Valladares. "And that gives us peace."

Unfortunately, at least so far, the measures seem to have had little impact on the murder rate.

Journalist Elvin Sandoval in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and CNN's Laura Perez Maestro in London contributed to this report.

American says he would die for justice in Bangladesh

Join the conversation

CNN iReport

By Henry Hanks, CNN

March 28, 2013 -- Updated 1330 GMT (2130 HKT)

Ruhel Ahmed, from Austin, Texas, joined protesters in his native Bangladesh. "My lifelong dream has been to go back ... and see that justice is done," he said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

What was an American doing in the midst of an intense protest in Bangladesh?
Ruhel Ahmed is a veteran of the 1971 war at the heart of Bangladesh demonstrations
He has been in the U.S. for a few weeks, but plans to return soon for several months

(CNN) -- What was a 60-year-old American with a heart condition doing in the midst of the months-long protests in Bangladesh?

To understand the answer, you have to go back a few years in Ruhel Ahmed's life.

At 18, he was a student-turned-guerilla freedom fighter wounded in action in the 1971 independence war -- a war that started 42 years ago to the week. Earlier this year, he returned to the homeland where he fought, weaker, but still strong at heart, and inspired by what he has seen. This demonstration is personal for the solar technician from Austin, Texas.

"There's an unfinished job of trying the war criminals," said Ahmed, who was in Dhaka on business when the demonstrations started in February. He joined as quickly as he could, camera in hand, documenting his experiences along the way for six weeks.

"I was here for 20 years in America. Now that my family is settled and my kids have grown up, my lifelong dream has been to go back to Bangladesh and see that justice is done. The time has come now," he said.

Protests in Bangladesh over war crimes

The Shahbag protests, named after a Dhaka neighborhood, center on that brutal nine-month war in which Ahmed and other Bangladeshis fought for independence from Pakistan. When one of the top officials in the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party, Abdul Quader Mollah, was sentenced to life in prison for war crimes on February 5, protesters demanded a death sentence. (Since then, violence has escalated as other war criminals received death sentences, and Jamaat supporters launched counterprotests.)

Photos: Shahbag takes over Dhaka intersection

During Ahmed's time in Bangladesh, he would spend about six hours a day among the protesters, as they shared their stories about why they were there. He encountered many among the hundreds of thousands in the crowd who shared the protests with the world via social media, all the while knowing they could be in danger. Ahmed himself said he is willing to die for the cause.

Dozens have been killed in incidents related to the protests since February. "One of the bloggers I met spent the day talking to me. The next day he was chopped in pieces."

Bangladesh on the brink?

On March 8, Ahmed was documenting the protest with his camera when chaos erupted. Three Molotov cocktails were tossed from a five-story building, allegedly by supporters of Jamaat. "Everybody panicked," he said.

"One of the speakers at the demonstration said, 'Our parents were not afraid in 1971; we won't be afraid now,'" according to Ahmed. "Within 30 seconds, everyone sat down and started chanting slogans."

Of course, scenes of large protests have become more common in recent years, with varying results. When he sees how other protests like those in Egypt's Tahrir Square turned out, he is concerned with how that country still lacks stability, but he says this demonstration is different.

"We are taking Gandhi's approach, we are nonviolent. This is unprecedented. You see kids, mothers, old people who cannot walk," he said.

Bangladeshi freedom fighter explains why he's protesting

Though he has personal reasons to see "justice" and the war criminals punished, many of the protesters he encountered weren't even born in 1971. However, they were familiar with the war through school, and many had fathers, grandfathers or uncles who fought.

"The new generation -- the Facebook generation -- is totally determined," he said. He even suggested renaming the site of the protests "Facebook Square."

"They're not going to leave until justice is done. I ask them, 'How long?' They say 'As long as it takes.' They want the extreme jihadist party (Jamaat-e-Islami) banned; they want the country to be a secular country. I hope I survive that long to see it is done."

Ahmed recently returned to the United States because of his health. He is going to have a heart procedure done this week. Then he is ready to return for as long as four months to join the continuing protest.

Though his return to Bangladesh has been short, his life is forever changed. He has been touched by so many things he saw: from balloons filled with written messages for those who died in the war, to a candlelit vigil, where his camera panned the crowd, showing the "hopeful, determined" faces of the demonstrators.

"I'm dying to go back, believe me."

China sentenced 20 people in Xinjiang on charges of terrorist activities

By CNN Staff

March 29, 2013 -- Updated 0105 GMT (0905 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Courts in northwest China's Xinjiang province sentenced 20 people for separatist activities
Sentences ranged from five years in jail to life in prison in five separate cases
The northwestern province of China has been the scene of periodic unrest
Riots last year left 12 dead in Kashgar last year, according to Xinhua

Beijing (CNN) -- Two courts in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region sentenced 20 people for alleged terrorist and separatist activities on Tuesday, a spokesperson at the Kashagar Prefecture Intermediate People's Court told CNN.

They received sentences ranging from five years in jail to life in prison in five separate cases in Kashgar and Bayingol prefectures.

The case was reported in Chinese media, including semi-official website Yaxin in Xinjiang. Chinese media did not reveal the ethnicity or gender of the accused, however they are believed to be Uighurs -- a Muslim minority of northwest China -- because of the ethnicity of their names.

The northwestern province of China has been the scene of periodic unrest. Xinjiang was rocked by the worst violence in decades in July 2009 when rioting between Uighurs and Han Chinese left nearly 200 people dead and 1,700 injured in the regional capital Urumqi.

Riots last year left 12 dead in Kashgar last year, according to Xinhua.

The 20 suspects in court on Tuesday were accused of spreading ideas of religious extremism and terrorism as well as participating in terrorist organizations, provoking incidents and incite separatism, according to state media. They used the Internet, mobile phones and digital devices for their crimes.

The suspects were said to be linked to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which are considered terrorist organizations by the Chinese government, according to state media.

U.S. ex-soldier charged with using RPG for al Qaeda group

By Terry Frieden, CNN Justice Producer

March 28, 2013 -- Updated 2314 GMT (0714 HKT)

Source: CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Army veteran Eric Harroun fought Syria's government, affidavit says
Group he allegedly fought for is part of terror group, Justice Department says
FBI arrests Harroun at hotel near Washington

Washington (CNN) -- A former U.S. soldier has been arrested and charged with illegally using a weapon on behalf of an al Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria.

Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix was arrested Tuesday night by the FBI at a hotel near Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. A Justice Department official tells CNN that FBI agents questioned Harroun at the hotel, then took him into custody.

Harroun appeared Thursday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, and was charged in connection with his alleged use of a rocket-propelled grenade in Syria.

The law used to charge him states, "Any national of the United States who, without lawful authority, uses or threatens, attempts, or conspires to use a weapon of mass destruction outside of the U.S. shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or if death results, may be punished by death."

Harroun served with the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2003. He is not charged with targeting U.S. troops in Iraq.

The organization he allegedly fought with, al-Nusra Front, is one of several aliases used by the al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist organization. The organization claims responsibility for nearly 600 terrorist attacks in Syria, the Justice Department said.

An FBI affidavit says Harroun crossed into Syria in January 2013 and fought against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. He posted photos and videos of himself on the Internet handling RPGs and other weapons, it said.

The Pentagon declined to comment on Harroun's arrest. However, "It's always a concern when terrorist networks in that part of the world and elsewhere seek to recruit Americans, whether they're in the military or not," spokesman George Little told CNN's Erin Burnett.

"I don't think this is a widespread phenomenon, and most of our people in this country -- and certainly most men and women in the military -- would not consider joining a terrorist network," Little added.

Nin Soomaali ah oo dhacdo layaab leh ka sameeyay Magaalada Sydney "

Hooyo dishay wiilkeeda markuu quraanka baran waayey.

Nin Cadaan oo dilay naag Soomaali oo saaxiib la ahaan jirey.

Naag Kenyati oo Muslimtay.

Gudoomiyaha maxkamada sare oo sheegay garsoorayaal laaluush qaataan.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

مداخلة الشيخ علي بن حاج على المغاربية بشأن الاعتداء على عائلات المختطفين...

ALGERIE- [ الشيخ علي بن حاج/المغاربية [الجزائر الاحتجاجات

ALGERIE - إعتقال الشيخ علي بن حاج ومرافقيه بورقلة

ALGERIE - الشيخ علي بن حاج نظام يركع وينذل للغرب ويقمع شعبه

ALGERIE- La visite du gouverneur.! الشيخ علي بن حاج - هذا نظــــام عميل

ALGERIE - !!..الشيخ علي بن حاج/ الجزائر لوكانت في يد أمينة

لقاء الجمعة مع فضيلة الشيخ علي بن حاج 22 مارس 2013

ALGERIE الشيخ علي بن حـاج / المســـاجين

Becoming a Muslim: My story by Jon Dean

Will Somalia get enough rain this year?

a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Photo: Jaspreet Kindra/IRIN

Another drought would affect crops and livestock (file photo)

JOHANNESBURG, 28 March 2013 (IRIN) - Parts of southern Somalia are yet to recover from the battering they took in 2010-2011, when severe drought followed excessive rain, and now the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) says insufficient rain may fall in the coming months. "We are concerned - our forecast shows that there is 80 percent probability that rains could trend from normal to below normal across Somalia," said Gideon Galu, a regional FEWS NET scientist based in Africa.

The situation appears to be particularly bleak in southern Somalia, where rains during June/July are likely to be inadequate. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said they were “somehow optimistic”. "This is a seasonal climate forecast which will depend very much on the spatial and temporal distribution of the rains during the season," said Hussein Gadain, chief technical advisor at FAO. "In fact, we expect some areas might even be flooded, especially along the Shabelle River, where farmers cut the… [banks] for irrigation."

Accurately predicting the weather and its possible impact is tricky, and even more so in a year marked by the absence of strong climatic signals from the oceans. Phenomena like La Niña, when sea surface temperatures are cooler, or El Niño, when they are warmer, are part of the normal climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean and occur once every four to seven years. They can also provide clues as to how the weather may behave.

Somalia has two distinct rainy seasons. The first is 'Gu', the long rains from March to June that support the main cropping season. The second is 'Deyr', the short rains, which occur at different times across the country but usually from October to November, according to FAO.

"Normally, the climatic conditions in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean (El Nino and La Nina) tend to affect the Deyr rains more than the Gu rains, which are affected by the Somali Jet [a narrow wind-stream running north along the east African coast] and the conditions in the western Indian Ocean,” Gadain noted.

Galu said FEWS-NET uses an analogue year - when a similar forecast has been made - to build a picture of the likely impact on agriculture. "The year we used as a reference - especially 2002 (the most likely scenario) indicates that rainfall distribution during the coming months is also expected to be erratic in both space and time," but he added that no two seasons/years can be exactly the same.

Some parts of southern Somalia received good Deyr rains between October and December in 2012, and farmers have managed to harvest an almost average crop of sorghum, but FAO noted that the agro-pastoral areas of Gedo, in the southwest, as well as Lower and Middle Juba, the country’s southernmost regions, received inadequate rainfall.

The severe drought in the Horn of Africa in 2010/11 displaced millions of people and left tens of thousands dead, and led the United Nations to declare a famine in parts of southern Somalia.

"We are particularly concerned, as the same communities - who have not really had sufficient time to recover - could be affected by insufficient rains," said Galu. "Crop yield prospects in southern Somalia, particularly for the rainfed cropping areas, are likely to be reduced in [the] case of below-normal rainfall amounts and erratic distribution during the season."

jk/he

Theme (s): Early Warning, Economy, Food Security,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Briefing: In Somalia, relative peace belies rocky road ahead

a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Photo: Ahmad Mahmoud/IRIN

An 18 March explosion in Mogadishu left several people dead

MOGADISHU, 26 March 2013 (IRIN) - Since the August 2011 withdrawal of Al-Shabab insurgents from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, security has improved, allowing for the gradual resumption of government functions. But sporadic suicide attacks, conflict-related population displacement and socio-economic problems persist, exemplifying some of the daunting challenges still ahead.

On 18 March, for example, a car bomb in Mogadishu left several people dead.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud responded in a statement: “We can only presume at this stage that this cowardly attack is the work of Al-Shabab. They have been severely weakened and now resort to terrorism and murder of innocent Somali citizens… Al-Shabab/Al-Qaeda forces have no place in this world, and we will not allow them to have [a] place in Somalia.”

Al-Shabab has since claimed responsibility for the attack.

Below, IRIN provides an overview of Somalia’s recent progress and the many challenges that remain.

What does relative stability look like in Somalia?

Recent gains by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali forces against the Al-Shabab insurgents have given the government some breathing space. Members of the Somali diaspora are now returning due to the increased stability.

“We are no longer scared of the heavy shelling exchanged by Al-Shabab and African Union forces,” Abdullahi, a businessman in the Bakara Market, told IRIN. The market was previously an Al-Shabab stronghold.

“More children are going to school, businesses are opening, and there been a construction boom,” added another Mogadishu resident. “There has been a really big change.”

According to the mayor of Mogadishu, Mohamed Ahmed Nur Tarsan, there has been a significant improvement in the security situation there.

“When Al-Shabab was ruling parts of Mogadishu, all government MPs [members of parliament] and politicians could not rent houses but were all caged in the presidential palace. Now, they live in various neighbourhoods of Mogadishu,” he said.

The lighting up of two arterial roads in Mogadishu has allowed businesses there to remain open after dark; children can also be seen playing in the streets. “I am playing football with my friends until late at night,” Mohamed Hassan, 12, told IRIN in the Mogadishu district of Howlwadag.

There are plans to gradually light up other major roads in Mogadishu in a bid to boost business.

What are the remaining security threats?

But “insecurity remained a key challenge throughout the country in February,” according to an update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), issued on 6 March.

“An explosion occurred in Mogadishu's Abdiaziz District. The vehicle-borne improvized explosive device [VBIED] attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. One person was confirmed dead and three others were injured.

"When Al-Shabab was ruling parts of Mogadishu, all government MPs and politicians could not rent houses but were all caged in the presidential palace. Now, they live in various neighbourhoods of Mogadishu"

“In Kismayo, 11 people were killed in clashes between rival pro-government and clan-based militias. The clashes may be related to the long political tension in the Juba region over the formation of a regional state,” the update said, adding that a suicide attack on 11 February in Gaalkayo had killed one person and wounded 27 others.

Dozens of households also fled areas in the Bay and Bakool regions to the town of Luuq, and others fled to Dollo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia, fearing armed clashes in Diinsoor and the onset of the lean season, it said.

Meanwhile, an Al-Shabab blockade in Bakool has led to a rise in the cost of basic foodstuffs.

“The cost of 50kg of rice was 400,000 Somali shillings (US$24) a year ago, and it is 800,000 Somali shillings ($48) today,” Osman Ali, a father of eight, told IRIN by telephone. “I have spent all I had. Now, I am almost about to sell my houses to get food for my children.”

Mohamed Moalin, the commissioner of Bakool’s regional capital of Hudur, said that Al-Shabab is preventing food from reaching the town.

“Al-Shabab controls the main roads that lead to Hudur, and they would not allow vehicles carrying food to enter the [areas] we control, and this has resulted [in] hardships for the people.” Residents there now rely on food brought in by donkey carts.

In a 21 March press release, following the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Hudur, AMISOM sought to reassure residents, stating it “is working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia in their efforts to re-establish a security presence in the area.”

AMISOM Force Commander General Gutti said, “We have in place contingent measures to ensure that areas in Bay and Bakool remain stable and secure in the event of further Ethiopian troop withdrawals.”

The Somali government is also grappling with acts of criminality by its armed forces.

Several hours after the execution of three soldiers for killing civilians, the chairman of Somalia’s Supreme Military Court, Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab, told IRIN: “We will not tolerate killers and rapists within the armed forces. We will kill them because they denied the very people they were supposed to protect the right to life.”

Armed, uniformed men have also been accused of robbery. “I have had my mobile phone forcibly taken by two uniformed men,” Abdikafi Mohamed, a resident of Mogadishu, said.

International focus on the security sector was reflected in the March partial lifting of a UN arms embargo on Somalia, which will allow the government to continue to train and equip its armed forces.

How have development efforts fared?

The Somalia government also struggles to ensure access to health and education.

The lack of experienced health professionals and supplies is a challenge, said Mohamud Moallim Yahye, the deputy minister for development and social services.

Photo: UN Photo/Tobin Jones

The Somalia government is struggling to ensure access to health

“Most of our doctors are junior and they do not have access to the right equipment to carry out their work. With the help of our Turkish brothers [through Turkish NGOs], we want to rebuild the country’s health institutions and gradually get free public hospitals,” Yahye told IRIN, adding that the ministry hopes to engage more with development partners.

“Donors and aid organizations used to engage with local NGO and private individuals while providing services, but now things are changing - health interventions across the country will be conducted through the Ministry of Social Services [and] Development.”

An estimated four million Somali children are also missing out on schooling, according to the social services ministry. The ministry hopes to send at least one million children to school in 2013, even as former government schools are currently housing hundreds of internally displaced persons.

A standard syllabus must also be developed. “There are various syllabuses in use in the country which impart different cultures and values among Somalis, so developing a standard curriculum is a challenge,” said Yahye.

Has peace affected the economy?

Financial issues remain paramount. The Somali shilling has been strengthening against the US dollar over the last couple of months, with adverse effects.

At present, $100 is being exchanged for 1.7 million Somali shillings, compared to 2.2 million in the recent past.

“My brother in Britain sends me $100, but it buys less shillings than before, which means I can buy less goods or services. It’s good to have our money strengthened, but it does not have increased purchasing power,” said Liban Galad, a student in Mogadishu.

“We used to eat three times a day, but we have reduced [this to] two,” Fatima Rashid, a mother of five, told IRIN.

Somalia does not have a functioning central bank to regulate the supply and demand of currencies.

“For the last two decades, no legal sufficient money has been printed, so there [are] less shillings in Somalia, and the rise in demand for the shilling has devalued the dollar,” Mohamed Sheikh Ahmed, an economics lecturer at the SIMAD University, told IRIN.

Investors and returnees have also flooded the market with dollars. “Somali investors are coming home with dollars. All salaries are paid in dollars. Tax is paid in dollars. And agencies, especially [the] Turkish, are paying in dollars - huge amount[s] of dollars,” he added.

Some business people could also be hoarding Somali shillings leading to a higher demand.

To help to stabilize the fluctuating exchange rate, Ahmed suggests printing more 1,000 shilling notes, but says longer-term measures are needed. “The most practical [solution] in the long term is the printing of new money with [a] strong central bank, which can control the demand and the supply [of currency],” he said, adding that the government should also start paying salaries and collecting taxes in Somali shillings.

amd/aw/rz

Theme (s): Conflict, Economy, Education, Governance, Health & Nutrition, Security,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs