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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Ethiopia denies reports its troops crossed the border

Ethiopia has denied reports from Somali residents and media that its soldiers have crossed back into the neighbouring country, where the government is struggling to contain hardline Islamist rebels. Ethiopia denied reports from Somali residents and media on Tuesday that it had sent soldiers back into the neighbouring Horn of Africa country, where hardline Islamist rebels are battling Somalia's government.Ethiopia invaded in late 2006 to help the interim Somali government topple an Islamist movement controlling the capital and much of the south, but withdrew its troops this year."This is a totally fabricated story. We have no plans to go into any of Somalia's territory," Wahade Belay, spokesman for Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry, told Reuters in Addis Ababa.Citing witnesses in the area, all the main Somali language websites and radio stations were on Tuesday running stories saying there had been an Ethiopian incursion.On Monday, Ethiopia said it was watching events closely but felt the situation was contained within Somalia and that there was no immediate danger that would prompt intervention.Residents near the central town of Baladwayne said Ethiopian troops in military vehicles arrived before dawn on Tuesday."Some of their soldiers were on the hills ... We do not know what they want. They have not spoken to anyone," local man Hussein Osman told Reuters by telephone."We believe they are concerned about the al Shabaab (rebels) flowing into our region."Ismail Hassan, another resident, said the Ethiopian soldiers were accompanied by some former Somali government officials."They were on the outskirts of Baladwayne," he said.

Sri Lanka declares 'victory'

Sri Lanka's president has declared victory over Tamil separatist fighters, saying the country has been "liberated from terrorism".Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered a "victory speech" in parliament on Tuesday after the army claimed on Monday that it had killed Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader and founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), ending more than 25 years of civil war.But the LTTE dismissed the government's claims that Prabhakaran was dead and vowed that the Tamil struggle for a homeland would continue.Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the international spokesman for the group, admitted that many senior members had either "given up their lives or have been treacherously killed", but he said Prabhakaran was "alive and well"."The Sri Lankan government may have declared a military victory. But it does not realise that it is a hollow victory. It has completely lost the trust and confidence of the Tamils in Sri Lanka," he told the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet on Monday."Our struggle will continue until the aspirations of our people are realised."

2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic

The Mercedes-Benz GLK makes a great first impression, a dissapointing second one, and then recovers on the third. After that, whether you like it or not depends a lot on what your Match.com profile says you're looking for in a long term traveling partner.First, the good stuff. Among the cute 'utes, the GLK is an absolutely smoking hottie. Its trim body chiseled like a model from a Bowflex ad. It may not be the best-looking Benz ever, but is one of the most striking, featuring a long hood, short tail profile that's more SL sports car than ML sport utility vehicle. In fact, the proportions are so close to those of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren supercar that if the two were parked next to each other you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. (Before you write in to say how ridiculous that notion is, please look up the definition of the word 'hyperbole').In any case, I've never driven a truckvestite that's gotten more attention that this one. I'm not just talking about turning heads - though they were seen spinning in abundance – but break the fourth wall, approach and engage conversation. It's a looker, and I guess it looks easy. Base price: $35,900 As tested: $50,165  Engine: 3.5L V6 Power: 268 hp, 258 lb-ft torque Transmission: 7-speed automatic  MPG: 16 city/21 highway

Indian stocks surge on election

Indian stocks have surged after the Congress party won a surprisingly decisive victory in national elections.The benchmark Sensex index jumped 17%, or 1,306 points, to 14,272, forcing the Bombay Stock Exchange to shut down for the day.Trading had already been halted earlier, after investors pushed stocks above their daily maximum limit.The Congress victory gives the party a strong mandate to continue reforms that have spurred Indian economic growth.

Suu Kyi trial begins in Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's detained opposition leader, has gone on trial on charges that could see her jailed for up to five years.The trial which began on Monday is being held behind closed doors in the notorious Insein prison, on the outskirts of the former capital, Yangon.The opposition leader and two female aides are accused of breaking the conditions of her six-year house arrest, after an American man apparently made an uninvited visit to her home earlier this month.If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison. Her current period of house arrest is due to expire on May 27.Earlier police cordoned off the prison behind barricades of barbed wire, following a call from opposition supporters for protesters to gather outside.

Troops in final push against Swat's Taliban-held main city

Pakistani military jets and helicopters struck Taliban targets in a final push toward the Swat valley's main city of Mingora. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told a multi-party conference on Monday that operations were "progressing successfully".Pakistani jets and helicopters on Monday bombarded militant targets in Swat, where troops entered strategic towns in a pincer thrust towards the Taliban-held capital of the northwest valley.Pakistan's deadly offensive against Taliban fighters entered a fourth week Monday with troops battling on three fronts in the districts of Lower Dir, Buner and Swat where more than 1.1 million people have been displaced.Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani convened a cross-party conference in Islamabad, reiterating calls for the Taliban to disarm in what he has called a fight to "eliminate" Islamist militants threatening the nation's sovereignty."The operation against the terrorists is progressing successfully," Gilani told the conference. "Success in the war against terrorists guarantees protection and security to our future generations."Fighter jets and attack helicopters pounded militant hideouts and supply lines in Swat, once a tourist destination popular with Westerners until two years ago, when it was plunged into a Taliban insurgency to enforce sharia law.The military says its troops are closing in on Mingora, the capital of Swat under Taliban control, and have issued a map showing security forces in a pincer movement of troops pushing down from the north and up from the south.Pakistan said Sunday that ground troops had moved into the Taliban-held towns of Kanju, two kilometres (one mile) from Mingora, and Matta, further to the north, where officials said operations were "in progress".One military official in the region said helicopters were shelling suspected militant hideouts in the Fizaghat area, four kilometres (two miles) northeast of Mingora, indicating that troops were closing in on the Swat capital.Another security official confirmed shelling against militants in Peochar and Takhta Bund, which he described as the main supply route for Taliban fighters holed up in Mingora.Pakistani authorities say more than 1,000 militants and at least 46 soldiers have been killed in a three-pronged onslaught launched in the northwest districts of Lower Dir on April 26, Buner on April 28 and Swat on May 8.

Pakistan Denies Reports it Is Expanding Nuclear Arsenal

Pakistan denied it was expanding its nuclear arsenal, a week after the top U.S. military officer said there was evidence it was doing so.Pakistan is battling a growing insurgency by Islamist militants with links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Washington is considering giving it billions of dollars in aid to help fight the insurgents, who are also blamed for attacks on U.S. and foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan.At a congressional panel last week, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked whether there was evidence that Pakistan was adding to its nuclear weapons systems and warheads. He simply replied: "Yes."But Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira denied that assertion Monday."Pakistan does not need to expand its nuclear arsenal but we want to make it clear that we will maintain a minimum nuclear deterrence that is essential for our defense and stability," he said. "We will not make any compromise."Pakistan, a desperately poor country of 170 million people, is thought to posses more than 60 nuclear weapons under a program that began when its traditional enemy, India, started producing them.

Israeli PM meets Obama

Israel's Netanyahu Resists Obama's Call for Two-State Solution, but Calls for Peace Talks With Palestinians. President Obama won't put an "artificial deadline" on Iran's abandoning its nuclear weapons program but said Monday that the Islamic Republic's obtaining a nuclear weapon would be not only a threat to Israel and the U.S. but would be "profoundly destabilizing" to the rest of the world.President Obama won't put an "artificial deadline" on Iran's abandoning its nuclear weapons program but said Monday that the Islamic Republic's obtaining a nuclear weapon would be not only a threat to Israel and the U.S. but would be "profoundly destabilizing" to the international community in general.In talks with reporters after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Obama said he would not let talks go on forever, but the June election in Iran will be revealing about whether there is a chance for progress with Tehran by the end of the year. The president added that a "range of steps" are still available against Iran, including sanctions, if it continues its nuclear program."Iran is a country of extraordinary history and extraordinary potential and we want them to be a full-fledged member of the international community, and be in a position to provide opportunity and prosperity for their people but that the way to achieve those goals is not through the  pursuit of a nuclear weapon," Obama said."We are not foreclosing a range of steps ... in assuring that Iran understands that we are serious," he added.Netanyahu said Iran's obtaining nuclear weapons would be an existential threat not only to Israel but the rest of the world. "It could give the nuclear umbrella to terrorists or worse, it could actually give nuclear weapons to terrorists I believe it would put all of us in great peril," he said. However, the two appeared at odds as the U.S. leader called for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians and Netanyahu made no mention of a nation for the Arab people.

Sri Lanka rebel chief 'killed'

Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader and founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been killed, Sri Lankan officials and state-run media have said.Sri Lankan officials said on Monday that he was among more than 250 fighters killed, along with his son and other senior officials, as government troops captured the last sliver of territory held by the separatist group. "Over 250 dead bodies of terrorists are scattered over the last ditch," Lieutenant-General Sarath Fonseka, the head of the Sri Lankan army, said in a statement. "All military operations have come to a stop. Now the entire country is declared rid of terrorism."At an official ceremony in the capital, Colombo, Sri Lanka's defence secretary declared the end of the 26-year conflict with the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers."We have successfully ended the war," Gotabhaya Rajapakse told Mahinda Rajapakse, the president and commander-in-chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces.