Al Shabaab tweet about the beheading of a British soldier in Woolwich , London

Drummer Lee Rigby of the 2nd
Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers murdered on
Wednesday the 22nd of may 2013 in Woolwich

(Medeshi)-  Al-Shabaab of Somalia have posted tweets in their twitter site in which they have shown sympathy for the Woolwich terrorist attacker that beheaded a British soldier in Woolwich on day light. The group have also criticized David Cameron's subsequent comments.

Ten dead in Somalia after al-Shabaab clash with Ethiopian troops

(Medeshi)- Mogadishu , Somalia, May 23 |UPI| -- About 10 people are believed to have been killed in clashes between Ethiopian troops and al-Shabaab insurgents in the Somali city of Beledweyn, officials say.

Global partnership for education grants US$4.2 million for Somaliland teacher's salaries

(Medeshi)- US$4.2 million grant for Somaliland to help rebuild their education systems. The financing will support the development of teacher salary payment systems which will gradually increase the number of male and female primary school teachers paid by the government. A program to support the South Central Zone in Somalia is under development.

London : "Serving soldier " beheaded with machete in suspected terror attack in Woolwich (Warning : distressful Video)

(Medeshi)- The following a video recorded by the attacker who beheaded a British soldier near the Army Baracks in Woolwich on Wednesday afternoon . The man is carrying as shown in the video,  a machete and a butcher's  knife used in beheading the the soldier.

Kenya reopens registration of asylum seekers

(Medeshi)- Nairobi, May 23 |Xinhua| -- The Kenyan government has reopened registration of asylum seekers mainly from Somalia after six months of closure, the UN refugee agency said in its latest update for Somalia on Thursday.

Somalia, beyond the famine

(Medeshi)- NAIROBI, 22 May 2013 (IRIN) - Over one million people in Somalia are currently food insecure, according to a May report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). This number is a significant drop from the 3.7 millionconsidered food insecure in mid-2011.

London : "Serving soldier " beheaded with machete in suspected terror attack in Woolwich

(Medeshi)- A man has been killed in a machete attack and two suspects shot by police in Woolwich, south-east London.

Ethiopia: 3 African countries banned from AU summit

(Medeshi)- 21st summit of the African Union (AU) - Central African Republic, Guinea Bissau and Madagascar have been banned from attending the 21st summit of the African Union (AU), to be held from 25 to 27 May in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Somalia famine killed 260,000 people - Case study - ( Warning : graphic photos + Video)

(Medeshi)- Nearly 260,000 people died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012, a study shows. Half of them were children under the age of five, says the report by the UN and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

Dr. Edna Aden calls for Somaliland recognition during a conference at EU HQ in Belgium (Video)

( Medeshi) - Dr Edna Aden made the following speech at a conference at the EU headquarters in Belgium. Edna discusses in length the history of Somaliland and urges the World to recognize this democratic State.

Somaliland : EU hands-over Sheikh Technical Veterinary School to IGAD

Sheikh-Technical-Veterinary-School 20120

(Medeshi)- 20 May 2013 - Press Release :
Today, the European Union has launched the handing over phase of the Sheikh Technical Veterinary School to the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD). The pioneer school specialised in animal health and initiated by the EU in Somaliland 10 years ago, will indeed soon become a regional centre of excellence within the Horn of Africa.

US: 91 people, including 20 children, are feared killed by Oklahoma tornado

(Medeshi)- At least 91 people, including 20 children, are feared killed by a huge tornado which tore through Oklahoma City suburbs, officials in the US state say.
Worst hit was Moore, south of the city, where neighbourhoods were flattened and schools destroyed by winds of up to 200mph (320km/h).
About 120 people are being treated in hospitals.
President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma.

"We will defend Somaliland," Ethiopian PM says

(Medeshi)- Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn declared bi-partisan support for Somaliland in the case of military action against the threat from neighboring Somalia and other external militants such as al Shabab.

Somaliland needs to be prepared to thwart new threats from Somalia

Photo : Somaliland army in parade on May 18, 2013

(Medeshi)- Somali president has recently said in a news conference  coinciding with Somaliland 22nd independence day that "Somalia's unity is sacred and that Somaliland should swallow the idea of secession".  This rings alarm bells specially at this time when the World has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to Somalia and when the arms embargo is lifted . Another press release followed today in which the Minister of information of Somalia condemned the recent decision of the Somaliland government to prevent UN flights from entering the country . The Somali Information minister also  apologized to UN  in the press release about the UN flights embargo by Somaliland .

Decades more of drones

(Medeshi)- US Assistant Secretary of Defence Michael Sheehan told the Senate Armed Services Committee that there is no time limit or geographical boundary on drone strikes. M Sheehan said this during testimony on Friday, in which he said that military operations against Al-Qaeda would last beyond the present term of President Obama, due to end in January 2017, in fact “10 to 20 years.”

Somalia : Floods damaged significant riverine and rainfed cropped areas

(Medeshi)- • Despite the improvements in the current food security conditions due to good Gu rains since March, over onemillion people estimated by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit-Somalia (FSNAU), FEWS NET, and partners during January 2013 will likely still remain food insecure through September, primarily at Stressed or Crisis (IPC Phases 2 or 3) .

Portland resident escapes war-torn Somalia, earns criminal justice degree from UMPI

(Medeshi)- By Jen Lynds - PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — At college commencement ceremonies across the country, it is not unusual to hear stories about students who have overcome tremendous obstacles in order to receive their degrees. Some have fled war-torn countries, worked several jobs to pay for school or attended college in an area where they didn’t really know anyone at all.

Somali premier to seek trust vote this week

(Medeshi)- MOGADISHU: Somalia’s prime minister is expected to face a vote of confidence next week, lawmakers said on Friday, and backers of the challenge said they were frustrated with the pace of political reform.

Somaliland marks 22 years of independence

(Medeshi)- Somaliland, which is more tribally homogeneous than the rest of Somalia, has been striving for international recognition since it broke away in 991.

Ahmed Mahamoud Silany, the region’s president, told Al Jazeera on Friday that, despite Somalia's calls to be united with the region, Somaliland is determined to retain its independence.

Interview with Somaliland representative in London On Somaliland quest for indepenedence (Video)

(Medeshi)-Somalia New Deal and Somaliland Independence

MN Somali humanitarian heroes Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan sentenced for helping destitute Somalis

(Medeshi)- By Mick Kelly | fightbacknews |Minneapolis, MN – About 200 Somalis, mainly women, converged on the Federal Building here, May 16, for the sentencing hearing of two Somali humanitarian workers. Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan were convicted of ‘material support for terrorism’ in October, 2011. Judge Michael J. Davis handed down a 20-year sentence for Amina Ali and a 10-year sentence for Hawo Hassan.

Change looms for Ethiopia’s ancient salt trade (+ Photos )

(Medeshi)- Reuters - Abdu Ibrahim Mohammed was 15 years old when he began trekking with caravans of camels to collect salt in a sun-blasted desert basin of north Ethiopia that is one of the hottest places on earth.

Now 51 and retired, he has passed his camels to his son to pursue this centuries-old trade in “white gold” from the Danakil Depression, where rain almost never falls and the average temperature is 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius).

Somaliland : May 18 celebrations (Video + Photos)

(Medeshi)- Following are videos and photos from the web of May 18 celebrations in Somaliland :

Somaliland hopes for World recognition (+ Video)

(Medeshi) - The Horn of Africa has been ravaged by war and famine for decades, and now one of Somalia's regions, hopes to become an independent state.

Video of Toronto mayor Rob Ford 'caught smoking crack on video' offered for sale by a group of Somali men

(Medeshi)- By William Clarke - the  Telegraph. Toronto Star reporters were contacted by a man who described himself as an organiser in the Somali community. He claimed to represent two other Somali men who had allegedly supplied crack cocaine to the mayor, and sought to facilitate the sale of the video.
The video, which has not yet been purchased, has been viewed by journalists with the Toronto Star and the news website Gawker. The owners of the video are reported to have hoped to sell it for as much as $1 million.