A group of Somalis wrote their names in the genesis book of history at the weekend by launching the first-ever gay website [www.somaligaycommunity.org">. The Project Manager of Somali Gay Community in the United Kingdom, Murad, said the site, which aims to woo Somalis the world over, is designed to bridge information drought surrounding gay affairs in a purely conservative and Muslim society like Somalia.

Welcoming the nomination of Nur Hassan Hussein as the new Prime Minister of Somalia, the senior United Nations envoy to the country has voiced hope that this move would pave the way for unity. In a statement, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah praised the concerted efforts of members of the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) that led to the decision and said he was pleased that the process was carried out in a peaceful manner.

Hungry, exhausted and traumatised, thousands of civilians have been pouring into Afmadow, a Somalian town near the Kenyan border, having fled the “hell on earth” of their embattled capital, some 630 kilometres to the north. Among them was Hawo Ali, who arrived in Afmadow on 15 November, five days after escaping Mogadishu with 20 of her relatives and neighbours, including a 10-month-old baby. Ali said she saw troops in the city killing 21 people, including women and children.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the Somali Transitional Federal Government to reopen three private radio stations it closed in the last two days without any explanation. “Our Somali colleagues already work in a very difficult situation and it’s appalling that the government is making their daily struggle even more difficult,” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa office.

Somali insurgents dragged the bodies of dead Ethiopian soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu on Thursday in the latest outbreak of fighting which has sent thousands fleeing the capital. Witnesses said at least three Ethiopian soldiers, who are backing the interim Somali government, were killed during fighting in the Sqa Holaha neighbourhood in northern Mogadishu.

About 10,000 children are severely malnourished and at risk of death in the Lower and Middle Shabelle regions of Somalia as food prices experienced a sharp increase and the ongoing conflict hindered access to those affected, early warning agencies said.

Battles broke out again in the Somali capital on Friday killing at least one, wounding four and stoking the nation's humanitarian crisis after nearly 90,000 people fled days of fighting earlier this week. Ethiopian forces supporting Somalia's interim government are trying to crush Islamist-led rebels. A Reuters witness said clashes resumed before dawn in the heart of the coastal capital.

As crisis worsens in Somalia, where 88,000 people fled their homes in recent days adding to a total displaced population nearly ten times that amount, the top United Nations humanitarian official there today called on all parties to facilitate access by aid workers to civilians in need of assistance.

None of us know when we might need the services of an effective human rights organization to defend us, our families, colleagues and communities, or even our way of life. What is certain is that we will need them at some point in our lives. That is why we all have an interest in making sure that the individuals who have chosen this difficult job are allowed to do their jobs without pressure and intimidation.

Ongoing clashes coupled with a lack of central government control are crippling attempts to develop a national AIDS strategy in Somalia, where thousands have been displaced and are living in temporary shelters, with little access to basic healthcare.

When the two buses from Mogadishu finally reached Galkayo, everyone aboard felt relieved even though the road had been paved with militiamen robbing passengers at gunpoint and five women had been raped. Once in Galkayo, the second largest city in Puntland in north-eastern Somalia, the women joined the belt of settlements sheltering displaced families that has grown around this city due to a recurrent civil conflict over the past 17 years.

The International Federation of Journalists has condemned the assassination on Friday of a leading radio journalist in Somalia where a wave of brutal and targeted attacks has claimed eight media victims this year. On the same day a number of incidents across the country suggested independent media face a new wave of intimidation.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended food distribution in the Somali capital after Government forces invaded the UN compound in Mogadishu and abducted the local head of the agency in a move immediately condemned by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Fierce clashes erupted in Mogadishu between Ethiopian-backed Somali forces and Islamist fighters, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday. The overnight fighting was focused around the former Defence Ministry building in southern Mogadishu and resulted in a fire in Bakara market, where the Islamist insurgents often ambush police patrols.

Reporters Without Borders is appalled by the attempted murder on 24 September 2007 of privately-owned Radio Shabelle's acting manager, Jafar Mohammed 'Kukay', the latest target of a wave of political killings that seems to be aimed at demonstrating that the transitional federal government is unable to guarantee security in the Somali capital.

The Somali government has stopped evicting internally displaced persons (IDPs) from government buildings, in a bid to stem displacement in the capital, Mogadishu, an official told IRIN on 26 September. Dahir Mohamed Burale, the commissioner of the National Refugee Commission of Somalia (NRCS), said it had convinced the government it should provide alternative accommodation for the IDPs before evicting them.

Somali police have surrounded the offices of an independent radio station in the capital Mogadishu and opened fire on the building, according to station officials. Tuesday's operation came three days after security forces raided Shabelle's offices, detaining 14 members of staff and accusing one journalist of throwing a grenade at police.

Following a recent nutrition survey, UNICEF and its partners estimate that 83,000 children in central and southern Somalia suffer from malnutrition - 13,500 of whom are severely malnourished and at risk of dying. “These children urgently require attention to ensure that they survive,” said UNICEF Representative to Somalia Christian Balslev-Olesen. “UNICEF is very concerned that their numbers might increase with continued civil strife, limited humanitarian access to these areas, food insecurity and a depressed economy,” he added.

It is 10.30am on a sunny Thursday morning in the self-declared republic of Somaliland’s capital and 15-year-old Mohamed Yusuf is skipping school. Mohamed is not playing soccer or smoking cigarettes or shining shoes for a few extra shillings; instead he and a half-dozen of his classmates have trekked 5km through the dusty streets of Hargeisa to attend a session of Biyo Dhacay primary school’s Child-to-Child (CTC) club.

Some 3,000 Ethiopians have gathered in the dusty northern Somalia port of Bossaso, joining Somalis preparing to make the risky trip to Yemen across the Gulf of Aden when the annual sailing season resumes. The bad weather that kept smugglers' boats ashore in July and August is coming to an end and the people traffic is expected to begin in earnest in the next few days. Those making the journey risk everything; at least 367 people died during the crossing during the first six months of this year.