Somalia 'is at war' with Ethiopia
A Somali government soldier on patrol in Baidoa
The government is getting military help from Ethiopia
The leader of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls much of southern Somalia, says the country is in a state of war with Ethiopia.
"All Somalis should take part in this struggle against Ethiopia," Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys said from Mogadishu.
Heavy fighting for a second day is some 20km from the government's Baidoa base. There are fears conflict could plunge the entire Horn of Africa into crisis.
Local residents say Ethiopians troops are clashing with Islamist militias.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6199239.stm
Iran President Facing Revival of Students’ Ire
NY Times ^ | December 21, 2006 | NAZILA FATHI
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1756775/posts
Posted on 12/21/2006 9:22:37 AM EST by King of Florida
TEHRAN, Dec. 20 — As protests broke out last week at a prestigious university here, cutting short a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Babak Zamanian could only watch from afar. He was on crutches, having been clubbed by supporters of the president and had his foot run over by a motorcycle during a less publicized student demonstration a few days earlier.
But the significance of the confrontation was easy to grasp, even from a distance, said Mr. Zamanian, a leader of a student political group.
The student movement, which planned the 1979 seizure of the American Embassy from the same university, Amir Kabir, is reawakening from its recent slumber and may even be spearheading a widespread resistance against Mr. Ahmadinejad. This time the catalysts were academic and personal freedom.
“It is not that simple to break up a president’s speech,” said Alireza Siassirad, a former student political organizer, explaining that an event of that magnitude takes meticulous planning. “I think what happened at Amir Kabir is a very important and a dangerous sign. Students are definitely becoming active again.”
The protest, punctuated by shouts of “Death to the dictator,” was the first widely publicized outcry against Mr. Ahmadinejad, one that was reflected Friday in local elections, where voters turned out in droves to vote for his opponents.
The students’ complaints largely mirrored public frustrations over the president’s crackdown on civil liberties, his blundering economic policies and his harsh oratory against the West, which they fear will isolate the country.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
PMO rejects report on Olmert-Siniora meeting
Published: 12.21.06, 16:00
The Prime Minister's Office rejected a report on Thursday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met his Lebanese counterpart Fouad Siniora in Egypt.
The report said the two met in Egypt at the end of the war between Israel and Hizbullah. (Ronny Sofer)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3343014,00.html
Morning all. Getting a late start this a.m. Looks like things are ratcheting up. Did see a reference to the Ethiopia-Somalia escalation; one to watch for sure. I still believe that eventually the Nigerians will throw in their lot as well, with the Ethiopians.