Djibouti's ruling coalition scoops pool

Djibouti's ruling coalition took all 65 seats in parliament

Djibouti's ruling coalition scoops pool
Djibouti opposition says official turnout figure ‘is a lie’ after boycotting parliamentary elections.
DJIBOUTI - Djibouti's ruling coalition took all 65 seats in parliamentary elections boycotted by the opposition, the interior minister said Saturday, adding that turnout exceeded 72 percent, the highest for 15 years.
The opposition labelled Friday's exercise a "charade" and said the announced turnout was far from the reality.
Interior Minister Yacin Elmi Bou said 103,463 people had voted for the Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP) and 6,536 had returned blank or spoiled ballots.
"The turnout was 72.16 percent, the highest for 15 years," he said, while admitting that the relatively low abstention rate was due to almost a quarter of voters disappearing from the electoral roll.
Opposition parties who had called on their voters to stay at home said many Djiboutians had not bothered to register this time because they were "fed up" with the regime of President Ismael Omar Guelleh.
"For us, what happened yesterday was not remotely like an election. It was a farce," Ismail Guedi Hared, head of the three-party opposition Union for a Democratic Alternative (UAD).
"People did not vote yesterday, the 70 percent turnout is a lie," he charged.
The UAD won 38 percent of the vote in the last parliamentary polls in 2003 but this did not translate into any seats under Djibouti's first-past-the-post electoral system.
Djibouti is a poor but strategically significant African country on the Red Sea, housing both French and US military bases.

Source: Middle East Online

Mansadii Xamdi Jacayl - Abdifatah Dahir Cige

qofkii eebe doortee
uqalmaaya caashaqa
kama qado aduunyada
quudkiisa waligii
qalinqora lix xafareey
shan ayaad kuqoran tahay
inta qaadir uumiyo
qarnigaad usidataa

aan qodbeeya gabaygee
anoo tala kaqaayiba
qorshahaygu uuyahay
qaban qaaba hawleed
axadnimo qiyaastii
qaar walaala daacada
manu qaadin socodkii

saafi qoobka maan dhigin
qabqab hawl namay galin
gabaygii qur,aankiyo
qaar jacayla maan galin
habayntii laqaad qaad
anigoo qoslaayoo
qalbiguna farxaan yahay
qiimaynta sheekada
qayb aan kuleeyahay
xaajadu qasnaynoo
qudbi yahay isfahankuna
imahelin qabow,oo
wax iqaatay mooyee
qalbigii uraray meel

qayla musik baa furan
qoob ciyaarna lagu daray
kuqotomiyay aragii
guud ahaan qiyaastii
dadku wuu qurxoonaa
alla bixiya quruxdee
mid aan quudhin bay hayd
amaantana kaqaniyoo
xataa maanso looqoro
kaqabwayn runtiiyoo
kaxishooday qalinkii
loo qiray ayay hayd

qajilaad muquurmoo
qawlkiina dhigi waa
dabnuhuna isqaban waa
qalanjay runtii hayd
bal aan qiiree sheegee
qalanjadan midbay hayd
qaadirkeen dhammeeyoo
qumanaan udhalatoo
qiyaasteedu dhabi tahay
afku qalin madawyahay
dhexdu qabasha ay tahay
wajiguna qor qoran yahay
mid quruuraduu haa
sartu qaawanaynoo
qayba yari kamuuqdaan

qoor geed magooliyo
quruxdii suleekhana
mid isqari tidhay hayd
qosol dabac sanbay hayd
gabadh qaaliyay hayd
qurcud dama habeenkoo
laga quustay nuurkii
qamar soobaxay hayd

dhulkoo ciiri qarisoo
laqaboobay dhaxantii
qorax diirisay hayd
isma quudhu aadmigu
waa tala qadiimoo
ishaa la isku qaadaa

sadex qaaf bilaw yahay
qulacudu wa mide
kuwii qaasim looqoray
markay sixir uqariyeen
iyo gabi qur.aankaba
gidi qoorta kusudhay
nolol qaaya badan iyo
qoys kaagu khayr badan

ilqabawsi waad heli
qabri kuufudaydiyo
qiyaamaha najaaaxbaan
qayd kaaga dhigayaa
qaadirkuna hakula jiro

c/fataax daahir cige
mudane_22@hotmail.com
Cairo, EGYPT

The Real Thing

Jill Scott is a strong lyricist, a treat really in modern R&B.

Unlike Angie Stone, the other modern R&B singer who actually understands the value of soul's roots (and whose singing can be a blend of creaminess and feistiness rather than some manufactured powerplay), Jill Scott rarely sticks to a lover's rhythm.

She can do some grind, a bit of North African a la Somali-Canadian rapper K'naan [Kaynaan], touches of hip-hop and pre-disco subtle grooves. Don't worry, smooth operators looking for music to seduce by, as she says in Come See Me, Scott is still up for some "passion and desire, innumerable fires", plenty of it actually (a woman is not a camel, etc, etc) but there's more on the go here than that.

The Real Thing is a quasi-concept album tracing the course of a relationship which ends badly and the rediscovery of optimism and desire - yes, the Celibacy Blues is not a permanent state. As the harsh Hate On Me and the contemplative How It Make You Feel show at either end of the spectrum, Scott is a strong lyricist, a treat really in modern R&B. It's why she brings something more to the show than mood and feel. The Real Thing won't change your world but it does nice work.

Source: SMH

Magaran meesha tolkay Maxad Case Noo Wado

Waxaan marka hore qormadan ku bilaabayaa salaan aan u dirayo dhamaan akhristayaasha sharafta leh meelkasta oo ay joogaanba iyo waliba saxaafada madaxa banaan ee inoo suurto galisay inaynu afkaarteena isweydaarsano. Waxa kale oo aan jecelahay inaan inyar ka idhaahdo inta aanan guda gelin ujeedada maqaalkayga, oo ah waajib inawada saaran, taasoo ah in aan ilaahay u barino, taakulo iyo wixii gargaar ahna gaadhsiino dadka walaalaheen ah ee ku dhibaataysan meelo kamida gobolka Awdal .

Hadaan is cadeeyo sidii caanaha geela waxaan ahay nin ka soo jeeda beelaha Maxad Case oo degan magaalada Djibouti. Waxaanan jeclastay inaan wax ka idhaahdo warar la isla dhexmarayay maalmahan dambe oo ah in Beesha Maxad Case ee degan USA soo gaadhsiisay Gudoomiyaha Xisbiga Mucaaradka ah ee Kulmiye qalab caafimaad iyo waliba dawooyin.

Arrintaasoo markaan sii daba galay la ii cadeeyay inay dhabtahay oo la gaadhsiiyay Siilaanyo. Run ahaantii ma xuma in deeq la gaadhsiiyo meel aan dawlad la ictiraafsanayni ka jirto ama dad baahani ay joogaan sida gobolada ay ka kooban tahay maamulka somaliland. Balse waxaan garan laayahay ama aan fahmi waayay sababta keentay in tuugtii SNM ugu waawaynayd wakhtigan gacanta loo geliyo qalabkaas iyo daawooyinkaasba. Iyadoo aynu ognahay baahida taala gobolka awdal. Waxa kale oo aan ilaa hada liqi laayahay ujeedada laga leeyahay in Siilaanyo lagu soo hagaajiyo iyada oo ay joogaan dadkii gobolka u soo dhintay markay noqoto xaga caafimaadka sida DR C/Rahman Jamac Hadi, DR Walhad iyo waliba DR Qaws oo og xogogaalna u ah baahida caafimaad ee gobolka taala inta ay leegtahay iyo siday degmooyinka gobolku u kala mudan yihiin, ileyn hawsha waa lakala leeyahaye. Mana aha inay mucaaridnimadu meelkasta gasho ee waxa qurux badan inay xad lahaato, waayo waxay abuuri kartaa iskhilaaf siyaasadeed oo ka dhex dhaca beesha dhexdeeda.

Waxa kale oo ay abuuri kartaa ama kugu soo jeesan kara dad badan oo siyaasad ahaan ku taageersanaa markii hore. Hadalka sii badin maayo ee waxaan ku soo gunaanadayaa in la isku duubnaado lana iska ilaaliyo wixii tafaraaruq keenaya .

Wabilaahi Towfiiq
Cabdi Jamac

Djibouti

Reporter’s Notebook: Arriving in Djibouti

By Michelle Tan - Staff writerPosted : Thursday Feb 7, 2008 16:23:06 EST

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti — The initial bird’s eye view of Djibouti isn’t very impressive: dry river beds and a whole lot of nothing.

But as you get closer to Djibouti City, you see a messy jumble of shacks and small buildings, packed so tightly together they almost look like they overlap.
Photographer Sheila Vemmer said it looked like someone threw those houses across the city like confetti.

Vemmer and I landed in Djibouti at 2:16 p.m. on Feb. 6. We’re here for a month to write about and photograph U.S. troops and the work they do here.
After half a day, I can’t complain. So far, so good, and we’re looking forward to exploring the world outside the wire.

Camp Lemonier, the primary American military base in the region, is a typical military base. Home to about 2,000 troops, this will be our home base while we’re in country.
There’s a very fine looking gym, a basketball court, a Green Beans Coffee, a PX, a laundry facility, rows and rows of chus as far as the eye can see, all the standard amenities you’d find on most mid- to large-sized bases.

What’s not-so-standard is the cantina where soldiers can have three beers a night.
Vemmer and I checked out the cantina briefly tonight — but jet lag knocked us out of there early. I have a feeling we’ll be back.

Armytimes

Somalia: Djibouti Now a Major Stop for Asylum Seekers, Says UN

Djibouti has become part of a new migration route for Somali asylum seekers headed for the Middle East, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported today.
Last year, 700 Somali asylum seekers escaped to Djibouti, but this year already over 550 asylum seekers and migrants have traveled from self-declared autonomous Somaliland region, in Somalia's north-west, into Djibouti.

Border authorities recently told a joint UNHCR/Government team that there is a continuous flow of asylum seekers in Somaliland as they try to gain entry into Djibouti.
"Previously, some asylum seekers would make a treacherous journey around the hilly region separating Djibouti and Somaliland to avoid being stranded at the border for days," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva.
The agency and the Government have requested that the asylum seekers - mainly young single people hoping to ultimately make it to Yemen - be allowed into Djibouti in accordance with that country's international obligations.
They are also considering creating a reception facility in close proximity to the border to receive and screen asylum seekers before transferring them to the Ali Addeh camp which currently houses 7,000 refugees.

Some of these refugees have said that they have lived in settlements for internally displaced persons (IDPs) but have received little assistance and have no ways to make a living, according to UNHCR.
Smugglers have been roaming Somaliland and offering to take asylum seekers and migrants by boat directly across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, or to northern Djibouti before crossing to Yemen, border authorities have cautioned.
UNHCR again urged greater efforts to protect those trying to make the dangerous trip across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. Last year, of the nearly 3,000 people who arrived in Yemen, 1,400 people who attempted to cross the Gulf died or are missing.

Source: UN

End of Alberta health premiums heralds Stelmach's election call

KATHERINE O'NEILL
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
February 5, 2008 at 3:50 AM EST

EDMONTON — Less than one hour before calling a provincial election yesterday, the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party surprised many by announcing plans to scrap health-care premiums.

It was a major reversal for the 37-year-old government, which for years has resisted calls to stop collecting the much-loathed fees, which cost an average family about $1,056 a year and rake in $1-billion annually for the treasury.
The Alberta Liberal Party called the move, which was outlined in yesterday's Speech from the Throne, desperate and yet another sign that the political dynasty is out of ideas.
All of the Tories' political rivals are planning to campaign heavily on the idea that political change is needed in the oil-rich province.

But Tory Leader Ed Stelmach is already insisting the campaign will be about trust.
"It's time for Albertans to decide who they trust to manage Alberta's growth and make the most of this unique moment in our history," the 56-year-old former farmer told reporters in Edmonton shortly after calling an election for March 3.
This will be the first election test for Mr. Stelmach since he became party leader in December, 2006. He replaced Ralph Klein, who retired from politics after being premier for almost 14 years.
The Tories have governed Alberta since 1971, but in recent years have been called out-of-touch, tired and bereft of ideas on how to handle the debt-free province's explosive growth and oil and gas wealth.
Mr. Stelmach said the political dynasty has a plan and is full of "fresh ideas."
Its platform will include a range of promises, including plans to save more oil and gas revenues, introduce new environmental protection laws and phase out health-care premiums over the next four years.
For years, the right-wing Tories strenuously resisted the idea, even as the debt-free province's coffers overflowed with oil and gas revenues. The fees, which are collected from individuals and employers, was instituted in 1969 by the provincial Social Credit government. British Columbia and Ontario also charge health-care premiums.
Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft said his party had already been calling for the premiums to be scrapped and the Tories' move yesterday "just shows how out of ideas they are.
"People are looking for a fresh start. We are that fresh start," he told reporters.
Polls have suggested that this election will give the Conservatives their 11th majority government. The party came to office 37 years ago on a platform of much-needed change, defeating another political dynasty, the Social Credit Party.
However, despite a booming economy, the polls also show that a large block of voters are unsure about who should lead Canada's economic powerhouse next. It's also unclear whether thousands of newcomers who have flooded into Alberta since the boom began will influence the outcome.
The party leaders are expected to begin crisscrossing the province today in an attempt to woo voters. The Tories are planning to campaign under the slogan: "Change that works for Albertans."
Mr. Taft has conceded it's a David versus Goliath battle, because the Tories' election war chest is rumoured to be in the millions of dollars.
He expects the Tories will wage an intense "air war" with pricey radio and television commercials. The Liberals, whose slogan is "It's time," aren't disclosing their election budget, but the party still owes $473,000 from previous campaigns.
The timing of the vote is already creating a minor controversy for the Tories.
March 3 marks the third anniversary of the Mayerthorpe massacre. In 2005, four Alberta RCMP officers were shot to death while they investigated a grow-op and stolen auto-parts operation at a farm northwest of Edmonton.
Mr. Stelmach faced difficult questions from reporters about that yesterday, and also whether he was abusing government resources by holding a news conference for partisan purposes at the legislature after calling the election.
Mr. Stelmach also dodged questions about Mr. Klein's recent prediction that the Tories will win another majority but lose seats.
"There are many, many political comments that have been made. The most important poll is March 3," he said.

Source: globeandmail.com

Obama, Romney lead in California on Super Tuesday

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama opened narrow leads on Hillary Clinton in California and Missouri one day before crucial "Super Tuesday" nominating contests in 24 states, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Monday.

In the Republican race, Arizona Sen. John McCain solidified his double-digit leads over Mitt Romney in New York and New Jersey, but Romney expanded his lead in California, the biggest prize on "Super Tuesday."

Obama and Clinton were deadlocked in New Jersey, and Obama enjoyed a double-digit advantage over Clinton in Georgia in two other Democratic contests on the biggest single day of voting ever in a U.S. presidential nominating campaign.

Obama, an Illinois senator, and Clinton, a New York senator, have waged a bitter duel for the Democratic presidential nomination, competing for votes from coast to coast after splitting the first four significant contests.

"The momentum is with Obama," said pollster John Zogby. "If this trend continues it could be a very big night for him."

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, led McCain 40 percent to 32 percent in California, where the margin of error was 3.3 percentage points. A win in California, the most populous state, could help puncture McCain's growing momentum in the Republican nomination fight.
McCain won the last two contests, in South Carolina and Florida, to seize the front-runner's slot in a hard-fought Republican race despite qualms among some conservatives about his past views on taxes, immigration and campaign finance.

"Romney is widening his lead in California and has a really big advantage with conservatives," Zogby said. "Romney winning California would give some Republicans pause when they look at McCain as the potential nominee."

Romney said he would cut short a scheduled trip to Georgia and fly back to California on Monday for a last-minute campaign visit.
'A GOOD SHOT'
"People there are taking a real close look at the race and it looks like I've got a good shot there," Romney told reporters.
In Missouri, McCain leads former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee by 35 percent to 27 percent, with Romney in third place at 24 percent. The margin of error was 3.4 percentage points.
"Huckabee and Romney are splitting the anti-McCain vote in states like Missouri," Zogby said.
The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby rolling tracking poll surveyed presidential races in both parties in California, New Jersey and Missouri. The polls also looked at the Republican race in New York and the Democratic race in Georgia. Polling will continue for one more night.
In California, Obama gained two points on Clinton overnight to lead 46 percent to 40 percent, with a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. Obama wiped out a 1-point Clinton advantage in Missouri to take a 47 percent to 42 percent lead, with a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
The two rivals were deadlocked at 43 percent in New Jersey, with 10 percent still undecided. Obama had a 17-point edge in Georgia, aided by a more than 3-to-1 edge among black voters.
Both Democrats continued to build a strong base of support, with Clinton favored by women, Hispanics and elderly voters and Obama favored by blacks, men and young voters.

The new poll found McCain, who could be on the path to the Republican nomination with a strong performance on Tuesday, doubling Romney's support in New Jersey and doing even better in New York.
All of the presidential contenders are aiming on Tuesday to win a big share of the national convention delegates who choose the nominees. More than half of the total Democratic delegates are up for grabs on Tuesday, and about 40 percent of the Republican delegates.
The rolling polls in all five states were taken Friday through Sunday with samples ranging from 835 likely Republican voters in New Jersey to 967 likely Democratic voters in California.
In a rolling poll, the most recent day's results are added while the oldest day's results are dropped in order to track changing momentum.
(Editing by Patricia Zengerle)
(For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

Source: reuters

Arab education 'falling behind'

The World Bank has said the quality of education in the Arab world is falling behind other regions and needs urgent reform if it is to tackle unemployment.
In a report, bank officials said Arab states had to make improving education their top priority, because it went hand-in-hand with economic development.
The region had not seen the increasing literacy and school enrolment witnessed in Asia and Latin America, they said.
Djibouti, Yemen, Iraq and Morocco were ranked the worst educational reformers.
'Youthful region'
In its report, the World Bank issued a stark warning about the need for better education in the Arab world.

It said that although education was becoming more accessible and the gender gap was being reduced, the region had not witnessed the positive changes seen in Asia and Latin America, particularly in literacy rates and enrolments in secondary schools and universities.
A senior World Bank official, Marwan Muasher, told the BBC that educational reform had to take top priority if the region's youth were to be better equipped in a fast-changing world and high unemployment combated.
"The time has come for countries to focus their energies on the quality of education and making sure that students are equipped with what they need for the labour market needs now - the ability to solve problems, critical thinking, innovation, and teacher retraining," he said.

The report said unemployment in the Arab world averaged 14%, which is higher than other areas in the world, except Sub-Saharan Africa, with the Palestinian territories coming highest with nearly 26% percent.
Mr Muasher said educational reform went hand in hand with economic development, especially given the region's extremely high youth population.
"It's a very youthful region - 60% of the region's population is under 30 years of age, close to 100m new jobs will need to be created over the next 10 to 15 years in the Arab world," he explained.
"If we are to create such jobs, then we have to start with education."
The report concluded that Jordan and Kuwait were the top educational reformers in the region, while Djibouti, Yemen, Iraq and Morocco ranked lowest in terms of access, efficiency and quality of education.
Another study carried out in January by the Tunis-based Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific Organisation found that 75% percent of the 100 million people in the Arab World were illiterate.

Source: BBC

Djibouti opposition calls for election boycott

DJIBOUTI (AFP) — Djibouti's three main opposition parties called Saturday on voters to boycott parliamentary elections on February 8, branding the exercise a farce.
Ismail Guedi Hared, head of the three-party coalition, the Union for a Democratic Alternative (UAD), said the vote had been designed by the ruling party for the ruling party.
The government of the Popular Rally for Progress (RPP) "remains allergic to any political freedom, one of the basic facets of human rights," he charged.
Less than a week from the poll only the five-party Union for the Presidential Majority, headed by the RPP, has registered a list of 65 candidates with the interior ministry.
The coalition loyal to President Ismael Omar Guelleh won the last parliamentary elections in 2003, as the opposition alleged fraud.
The UAD subsequently urged a boycott of the presidential election in April 2005 and regional elections of March 2006, alleging they were undemocratic.

Source: AFP