Category:May 11, 2006

The time is 23:00 (UTC) on May 11th, 2006, and this is Audio Wikinews News Briefs.

Somalia

Mogadishu, capital of Somalia is witnessing a heavy fighting over the past four days. Almost 100 people died so far and 200 wounded in the clashes, as health officials said yesterday. The battle between the Islamic Court Union and the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has centered on the northern neighborhood of Sii-Sii. Many of the casualties are civilians caught in the crossfire. There was a temporary truce, but that did not last long. Islamic militia leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed called a unilateral truce on Tuesday in response to appeals from those affected by the violence. But his opponents said the truce was called because of a lack of ammunition. The warlords' alliance spokesman Hussein Gutale Rageh said they would only accept the ceasefire if their rivals withdrew from territory they have occupied during the fighting.

India

The ruling Left-Front Party in the Indian state of West Bengal retained power in the state after winning 204 out of 294 State Legislative Assembly seats. The Left-Front is currently in the lead in 26 other constituencies where counting in progress- an indication that the party may win 230 seats.

West Bengal, India

In recent assembly elections in 5 states of India, the counting has began today. Communist Party of India ( Marxist )-led United Front is leading in 235 seats out of total 294 assembly seats in West Bengal. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has scored a thumping victory in Jadavpur, winning by a margin of over 58,000 votes.

Australia

The Australian House of Representatives heard the traditional right-of-reply to the Budget released May 9, from the Australian Labor Party, led by Kim Beazley (Labor, Brand), plus Budget replies from minor parties in the Australian Senate. While the Budget is politically popular, having as one of its main features, significant tax reform, Beazley focused on the omissions in the Budget, such as the failure to address a skills shortage.

Greece

AEK Athens fans ruined and plundered the ferry "Ierapetra", during the route from Heraklio, Crete, to the port of Rafina in Attica. More specifically, about 700 AEK supporters went on board after the end of the Greek soccer cup final, between Olympiacos and AEK which took place in Crete. The victory of Olympiacos over AEK, with a 3-0 score, caused irritation within the supporters of AEK which caused damages in both the stadium and the ship.

United States

Some of the nearly 700 sticks of dynamite that were stolen from Gold Mountain Mine Company in Big Bear City, California on May 3, has been returned to a fire department in Riverside, California. An unknown individual placed two plastic tubs of the dynamite in front of the fire department, which prompted streets around the department to be shut down and an elementary school was put on lockdown while the bomb squad examined the package. At least 10 houses near the scene had to be evacuated. The dynamite was then removed without incident.

United States

Congressional Republicans and Democrats demanded answers from the U.S. administration Thursday about a government spy agency secretly collecting records of everyday Americans' phone calls to build a database of every call made within the country.

President George W. Bush facing intense criticism assured Americans that their privacy is being "fiercely protected."

"We're not mining or trawling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans". President George W. Bush leaving for a commencement address at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Biloxi.

The top ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said that he was very shocked about the NSA revelation.

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