Somali and world news

A Somali journalist working for the government broadcaster was shot dead outside his home in the capital Mogadishu on Sunday, the fourth reporter to be murdered in the country this year, the union of journalists said. Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh, who worked for Somali National Television and Radio Mogadishu, was killed by unknown assailants as he returned home after work, according to Abdirahim Isse Addow, director of Radio Mogadishu, who was quoted by the National Union of Somali Journalists. Three other journalists had been killed in Somalia so far this year, the union said. Rageh's murder came a week after at least 30 people were killed by a car bomb, suicide bombers and gunmen at Mogadishu's law courts and a car bomb explosion near the airport. The attacks were blamed on Islamist militants al Shabaab, who afterwards warned of more to come. Western and Somali officials are concerned al Shabaab, which was driven out of Mogadishu two years ago but still cont

Hundreds likely injured after massive explosion at fertiliser plant near Waco, Texas. An explosion at a fertilizer plant has left the factory in ruins, causing major damage to nearby buildings, injuring numerous people. A dispatcher with the West, Texas Fire Department said the explosion happened on Wednesday night at a fertiliser plant in the community north of Waco. She said any casualties would be taken to hospitals in Waco. There was no immediate reports from officials about fatalities or the severity of the explosion, as Texas Gov. Rick Perry said state officials were also waiting for details about the extent of the damage. "We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident,'' Perry said in a statement. "We have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West, and the first responders on the scene.'' Gayle Scarbrough, a sp

President Bashar al-Assad says fighters have crossed over from Jordan, raising probability of conflict spreading across the region.

President Bashar al-Assad accused the West on Wednesday of supporting al Qaeda militants in Syria's civil war and warned they would turn against their backers and strike "in the heart of Europe and the United States". Assad also launched his strongest criticism yet of neighboring Jordan for allowing thousands of fighters to cross the border to join a conflict he insisted his forces would win and save Syria from destruction. "We have no choice but victory. If we don't win, Syria will be finished and I don't think this is a choice for any citizen in Syria," the defiant president said in a television interview. Assad's forces have been fighting back across the country against rebels who have taken control of much of rural Syria and seized a provincial capital in March for the first time in two years of fighting. The conflict started with mainly peaceful demonstrations but descended into a civil war in which the United Nations says at least 7

A Kenyan separatist movement denied on Friday accusations by the authorities that it was behind a raid in a coastal resort that killed eight people, although it said former members may have been involved. Armed police officers shot dead six attackers and two policemen were killed in Thursday's early morning raid on a casino popular with tourists in Malindi. Officials blamed the banned Mombasa Republican Council (MRC). A series of attacks blamed on the movement have damaged prospects for growth and investment along Kenya's coast, a major tourist draw, and in Mombasa, an economically vital port city. "Police should stop using the MRC as a scapegoat for failing to protect Kenyans," senior MRC member Omar Bebo told Reuters. He said that criminal gangs "have taken advantage of our sour relationship with government to cause trouble". "Some of these gangs are formed by splinter groups of youths who decamped from the MRC because we rejected their ca