Militants retreat from Mogadishu

MOGADISHU — Somalia's Islamist Shebab rebels pulled out of key positions in the war-torn and famine-struck capital on Saturday, with the country's president proclaiming the city "fully liberated."

"Mogadishu has been fully liberated from the enemy, and the rest of the country will soon be liberated too," Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told reporters.

The Al-Qaeda affiliated Shebab insurgents abandoned several strategic positions overnight that were then taken over by government troops.

"We are very happy -- the fruits of bloodshed and the wars that we fought against the rebels are finally attained," Ahmed said.

African Union-backed government troops have been battling Shebab rebels in Mogadishu in an offensive to secure aid delivery routes for victims of the drought threatening some 12 million people in Somalia and other Horn of Africa countries.

"We have two enemies to fight - one of them is the Shebab, while the other is those who try to rob the people," the president said.

"We will not tolerate looting, and anyone found committing such a crime will be brought to justice."

Lawless Somalia is awash with rival militia factions. On Friday, food aid being handed out to famine victims in Mogadishu was looted by gunmen, who killed five people.

However, a spokesman for hardline rebels, Ali Mohamed Rage, said Saturday's withdrawal involved merely "a change of military tactics."

"The Mujahideen fighters applied military tactic changes to undermine the allied enemy of Allah, and you will soon be hearing a good news."

Shebab fighters are waging a bloody campaign to overthrow the country's Western-backed transitional government, and control large areas of the south and centre of the country.

Until Saturday morning, government and AU troops controlled just over half of Mogadishu, including the airport and port, while the Shebab controlled the city's north-east.

"The enemy is defeated, they pulled out of Mogadishu -- and we will fight them to eliminate them from the rest of the country," Somalia's prime minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said.

Since February, the African Union mission (AMISOM) with its 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers has clawed back key positions from the insurgents.

Major Paddy Ankunda, a spokesman for the AU's AMISOM force in Somalia, said they were reacting cautiously to the Shebab's move.

Rebel units began trundling out of the city in pickups before dawn after intense firefights with government forces late Friday night. The Al Qaeda-linked militants headed toward their strongholds across Somalia, a desolate terrain awash with hundreds of thousands of starving families enduring the Horn of Africa's worst drought in decades.

The country "welcomes the success by the Somali government forces backed by (African Union peacekeepers) who defeated the enemy of Shabab," President Sheikh Shairf Sheikh Ahmed told reporters at his residence.

He added: "It is time to harvest the fruits of peace. I call on the Somali people to help and to support their soldiers and point out any Shabab member hiding in homes."

Ali Mohamoud Rage, a Shabab spokesman, told a Somali radio station: "We have abandoned Mogadishu but we remain in other towns. We aren't leaving you. We have changed our tactics. Every one of you will feel the change in every corner and every street in Mogadishu. We will defend you and continue the fighting."

Shabab and its fierce interpretation of Islamic law, which espouses stoning adulterers and public beheadings, were despised in Mogadishu, where residents lived trapped by gunfire and artillery barrages between the rebels and government-backed troops. The capital devolved into a fearful, bloodstained, whittled version of itself as bullet-pocked buildings slumped along the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. has been concerned that the Shabab, which has connections to the Al Qaeda extremists in Yemen, would further disrupt the volatile intersection of Africa and the Middle East. In 2010, Shabab carried out twin bombings in Uganda that killed 76 people; the attacks were retribution for Uganda soldiers taking part in the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

The rebels have been particularly brutal to their own countrymen. In recent weeks, they have deterred humanitarian organizations from reaching drought regions under their control, leaving swaths of the country scattered with starving families. Shabab has also been criticized for preventing hundreds of thousands Somalis facing famine from fleeing their territory to international aid camps.

The Islamic militants began seeping across Mogadishu in 2007, a year after Ethiopian troops invaded the country and a transitional government attempted to form a semblance of order among warring clans and religious extremists. The transitional government has received millions of dollars in Western assistance but is rife with corruption, tribal politics and an often noncommitted, underpaid army.

Surges by Africa Union forces, however, had weakened Shabab's grip on the capital. The rebels had been divided on tactics in recent months, and shortly before midnight Friday they launched attacks on government bases and troop positions. Gunshots and explosions rang across the city for hours as government-backed forces advanced on rebel strongholds.

"The government repelled the attacks and we have cleared Mogadishu this morning," government spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman told The Times. "The security committee is in emergency meeting to restore law and order in the vacuum left by" retreating Shabab forces.

Somalis watched as militants streamed out of the city.

"I saw a convoy of about dozen pickup trucks full of fighters coming from Mogadishu," Osman Farole, a resident of Afgoye, about 22 miles outside the capital, told The Times. "Among the convoy were two black-tinted 4x4 vehicles that are supposed to carry their leaders.

Norway polar bear attack: grieving family pays tribute to Horatio Chapple

JUST before Patrick Flinders headed out on the expedition to the Arctic Circle he and his father posted a short film on the internet to express his excitement over the ''fantastic'' trip.

The 16-year-old, like his friends, Horatio Chapple and Scott Smith, both 17, dreamed of experiencing raw nature and were particularly excited about seeing polar bears in their natural habitat.

However, it was the brutality of the wilderness they had to face after their group was attacked by the world's biggest land carnivore.

A 2.1-metre, 254-kilogram bear rampaged through their camp on Friday, ignoring traps designed to keep it at bay. By the time it was shot, Horatio, an Eton schoolboy, was dead and Patrick, from Jersey, and Scott along with their two guides were seriously injured.

Patrick survived by punching the bear repeatedly on the nose.

Police who arrived by helicopter found the group in shock, the bloody carcass of the bear still lying among the tents and the injured.

The injured have undergone surgery and are recovering in hospital.

The victims were part of a group of 80 that landed last month on the Norwegian arctic island of Spitsbergen, home to more than 3000 polar bears.

Michael Reid sustained injuries to his face and neck in the incident and remained in hospital today, along with fellow leader Andrew Ruck, 27, Patrick Flinders, 16, and Scott Bennell-Smith, 17, who also underwent treatment overnight.

Mr Ruck's and Mr Reid's injuries were described as severe, while Scott and Patrick sustained less serious injuries. All were stable after operations.

The five men and boys attacked were part of a group travelling on a British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) expedition, which was camped on the Von Postbreen glacier near Longyearbyen on Svalbard, north of the Norwegian mainland.

Peter Reid described his shock when the BSES called him on Friday to inform him of the incident in which Horatio, from near Salisbury in Wiltshire, died.

"We were very anxious," he said. "We're upset, but there's a family in Wiltshire with a 17-year-old son who's been killed and we can't imagine the grief they're going through."

On hearing that his son had shot the bear, he felt a "mixture of anxiety and pride", he said.

His son, who lives in London and works as an events co-ordinator for the Royal Geographical Society, spoke warmly of Horatio in his email, he added.

Michael Reid described the schoolboy as "one of the best members of our group" and wrote "I am so devastated".

Hospital staff said it was hoped the survivors could be transferred to a hospital in the UK as soon as possible.

Jane Owen, the British ambassador to Norway, has visited the four survivors and said they were "all bearing up well".<

She said: "It's clearly a priority to get them home as soon as possible. They're receiving extremely good treatment here at the hospital in Tromso.

"We are working with the hospital authorities to establish when will be the right time to arrange for them to be medevaced (given a medical evacuation) back to the UK so that they can be with their families as they go through the recovery process.

"Our priority is obviously to support those involved and respect families' need for privacy at this very difficult time.

More than two dozen U.S. deaths in Afghan copter crash

Nato helicopter crashed overnight in east Afghanistan following an operation against Taliban insurgents.

Afghan provincial spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the helicopter crashed in the Sayd Abad district of Wardak province. The volatile region borders the province of Kabul where the Afghan capital is located and is known for its strong Taliban presence.

Nato said the alliance was conducting a recovery operation Saturday at the site and investigating the cause of the crash, but did not release details or a casualty figure.

"We are aware of an incident involving a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan," said US Air Force Captain Justin Brockhoff, a Nato spokesman. "We are in the process of accessing the facts."

Nato said insurgents were in the area at the time of the crash.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed the downed aircraft was a US military helicopter and that the Taliban fighters had brought it down with a rocket attack.

The Taliban claimed militants downed the helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade. Mohammad Hazrat Janan, head of the provincial council said Tangi village elders reported that insurgents shot at the craft when it was flying back from an operation.

The incident took place in the eastern province of Wardak, an area rife with insurgent activity. There has been a swell of recent attacks in the country's southern and eastern provinces.

The crash comes just as NATO is drawing down and handing over security control to national forces. Ten thousand U.S. soldiers are scheduled to depart by year's end, while the full drawn-down is expected to take place by the end of 2014.

However, NATO's International Security Assistance Force has not said how the incident occurred. ISAF spokesman Justin Brockhoff confirmed the crash and acknowledged the helicopter had been flying in area where there was reported insurgent activity, but declined to offer additional details.

Officials are being especially tight-lipped because recovery operations at the site are still under way and body identifications and family notifications are just beginning, the U.S. military official said.

Last month, a NATO helicopter was brought down by insurgent fire in the country's eastern province of Kunar. The Taliban also claimed responsibility for that attack, though no injuries were reported.

In a separate incident, a NATO service member died Saturday after an improvised explosive device detonated in southern Afghanistan.

Elsewhere Saturday, a joint Afghan and coalition force conducted raids in the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing "several insurgents," NATO reported.

The operation also targeted a "Taliban facilitator," who NATO says was responsible for supplying ammunition and bomb-making materials to the Taliban.

In July, a series of gun battles in Nangarhar between insurgents and NATO forces left at least 10 militants dead.

Wallabies blacked out at hoodoo ground

AUCKLAND — An intensive defensive effort by the All Blacks created a 30-14 win over Australia in their Tri-Nations clash Saturday, giving their self-belief a boost in the countdown to the World Cup.

It was a far from perfect performance by the All Blacks who allowed the Wallabies an advantage with possession.

But while Australian attacks were swiftly shut down for most of the match the All Blacks, with Richie McCaw, Piri Weepu and Dan Carter to the fore, were able to find holes around the Australian ruck and out wide.

The three tries to two victory in the clash of the world's top two sides ensured the All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup, the symbol of trans-Tasman superiority, which they have held since 2003.

It also left them on track for an 11th Tri-Nations title in the 16-year history of the competition and gave an insight into the game they are working on for the World Cup which starts here next month.

"I thought the defence was outstanding," said All Blacks coach Graham Henry while playing down any psychological edge it could give them going into the World Cup.

"I think there's far too many occasions in the past where (a Tri-Nations win) hasn't amounted to a result in the Rugby World Cup so if we get complacent about this victory it will be curtains I'd say"

The Wallabies did finish the stronger of the two sides as the pace of the game told on several All Blacks having their first run since the Super 15 series, but Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said the damage had been done by then.

"Tactically we didn't help ourselves. We allowed the All Blacks to establish the D (defence) line and really create some linespeed in their defence and stymie our attack. We left a lot of points out there as well. We lacked a bit of patience in the way and where we attacked."

Weepu, getting a start at number nine after coming off the bench in recent Tests, stamped his mark with a series of breaks close to the maul and the All Blacks backs feasted off a supply of front-foot ball.

Other Wallabies youngsters in their first Auckland Tests were also rattled as New Zealand's biggest crowd of the modern era of 55,000 roared at every slip-up in the 22nd straight home win at their bastion.

The All Blacks burst out of the blocks to lead 10-0 after nine minutes and, when it was 17-0 after half an hour, the game was as good as gone.

Australia had their chances, and more possession in the attacking half but, as hard as they probed, just couldn't convert.

The All Blacks' defence under pressure was superb, a cornerstone for the victory, holding out the Wallabies for 14 consecutive phases in their 22 early on to set the tone.

In contrast, the Wallabies couldn't hold out the ruthless Kiwis when they had a sniff near the line.

Centre Ma'a Nonu shrugged off Adam Ashley-Cooper and Rocky Elsom to dive over in the eighth minute to finish a raid sparked by Piri Weepu while, similarly, Keven Mealamu burrowed over shortly after another Weepu blind-side raid.

Australia's attack wasn't predictable or slow but New Zealand's patient, smart and disciplined defence twice forced five-eighth Cooper into low percentage cross-field kicks which never paid off.

Direct rival Dan Carter delivered a five-star performance to underline his standing as the world's best playmaker, starring in attack, defence and slotting six from six with the boot.

Ironically, Australia's pre-match problem area, the scrum, held firm but they paid dearly for the All Blacks' superiority at the restarts.

When Digby Ioane, Australia's best by far, revived some hope with a brilliant counter-attacking try in the 51st minute, it was an immediate hit-back off the kick-off which snuffed out any thought of a comeback.

Australian economy safe and strong - Labor

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's decision for the first time ever to downgrade the US from a AAA to AA+ rating caps a two-week period that has seen the Australian market drop more than 10 per cent, wiping off more than $50 billion.

Wall Street finished up higher after a rally late on Friday following stronger than expected employment figures, but investors remain nervous about toxic debt levels in Spain and Italy.

Amid the turmoil, Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday called on Australians to trust in the "strong fundamentals" of our economy.

Ms Gillard said while Australia was not immune to global events, the nation was in a strong financial position.

We should have confidence that our economic credentials are among the best in the world," she said.

"We should also have confidence that we have handled in the past global instability.

"This Government has a proven track record of handling global instability. And we should also have confidence in the strong fundamentals of our economy.

"We have low debt, low unemployment, the Budget coming into surplus in 2012-13, a AAA credit rating and we are looking to strong economic growth."

Ms Gillard said that with a quarter of Australian exports going to China, Australia had its best terms of trade in 140 years.

"We are in the right part of the world. The part of the world that continues to grow. That means we will continue to see strong economic growth in our region," she said.

Treasurer Wayne Swan yesterday assured Australians our AAA credit rating was safe.

S&P attached a "negative outlook" to the new rating.

"The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that congress and the administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilise the government's medium-term debt dynamics," S&P said in a statement.

But Ms Gillard called on Australians to remain confident about Australia's economy and its "strong fundamentals" despite what was happening globally.

"People should look with confidence at our economic credentials and fundamentals, and people should look with confidence at the ability of this government to deal with global instability," she said.

"We have done it before.

"We came out of the global financial crisis without having gone into recession."

Treasurer Wayne Swan today said Australia's own gold-plated triple-A credit rating was safe and secure and could not be more different to the US.

Mr Swan said Australia had known for some time the US faced a long and painful adjustment to get its budget back on a sustainable medium-term footing.

"But they've taken an important first step towards this objective," he said.

"S&P's announcement comes amid heightened volatility over the past week in international financial markets driven by continuing concerns about the weakness of the US economic recovery and sovereign debt levels in Europe."

Mr Swan said Australia was not immune from events in the rest of the world but the Australian economy's fundamentals remained strong.

He said unemployment was low, public finances were strong with very low debt and a huge pipeline of mining investment.

"Australia's gold-plated triple-A rating is safe and secure," he said.

"It's been recently affirmed and we are widely considered to be in the top-tier, even among the exclusive club of developed economies in the world to share the highest rating."

Mr Swan said the parliament had just about passed the budget in full, a budget that included the biggest fiscal consolidation in the nation's history.

Kate Recycles Her Green DVF Dress for Zara Phillips's Yacht Party

Royal wedding bells just haven’t stopped ringing since Will and Kate said ‘I do’. Queen Elizabeth’s eldest grandaughter, Zara Phillips is the next in line. She’ll wed her rugby playing fiance Mike Tindall on Saturday. Here’s what we know so far.

The ceremony will take place in Edinburgh, Scotland at the quaint church, Canongate Kirk. The couple are hosting a yacht party right now on the Royal Yacht Britannia -- the same boat Prince Charles and Princess Diana honeymooned on after their wedding (which, by the way, was 30 years ago today).

Now let’s address the biggest, most exciting rumor that we’re hoping is true. Kate Middleton may be walking down the aisle again — this time as a bridesmaid! We think the chances of this actually happening are slim to none, but it’s still a slight possibility. Prince William is Zara’s first cousin and she attended his nuptials (although she was not in the wedding party.) If Kate isn’t a bridesmaid, we’re not getting our hopes up for a new outfit — the Princess showed up to the yacht party in same the green DVF dress she wore during her stay in L.A.

As for Zara, The Daily Mail reports she’ll be wearing her grandmum the queen’s favorite designer, Stewart Parvin. Hopefully we’ll be able to see her in it — word has it that Zara doesn’t want any wedding snapshots going public.

Friday, Prince William and Kate surfaced in Edinburgh, where they boarded a family yacht for an evening reception toasting William's cousin and her soon-to-be-groom, rugby player Mike Tindall.

Kate, clad in the same green silk Diane von Furstenberg "Maja" dress she wore for an event in Los Angeles, gave onlookers a new view of her frock, showing off the delicate buttons that run down the back. Her husband followed closely behind.

Also in attendance: Prince Harry, the princes' cousins (and daughters of Duchess Sarah Ferguson) Princess Eugenie in red and Beatrice in purple. Also spotted: Kate's mother, Carole Middleton.

After the wedding ceremony at Canongate Kirk, guests will celebrate with the newlyweds into the night at the Holyroodhouse castle.

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Zara Phillips wedding, things you need to know about M. T.

He ran up a £12k bar bill on his stag do in Florida.

He has broken his nose EIGHT times - and can boast a fans' Facebook page in defence of his hooter.

He has three dogs – Misty, Sway (after Angelina Jolie’s character in ‘Gone In 60 Seconds’) and Storm (after Halle Berry’s character in ‘X-Men’).

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Fellow rugby player Iain Balshaw will be Tindall’s best man at the wedding.

His strong cult following has resulted in the nickname ‘The Fridge’ due to his bulky stature, he weighs 16st and is 6'2".

He has two driving convictions.

He met Zara in a Sydney bar during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He was drowning his sorrows after being dropped by the England team.

He was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield - the same school as the crossbow cannibal Stephen Griffiths.

He calls Zara 'Monica' because she's obsessed with cleaning like the character in TV sitcom Friends.

His great-grandad was a blacksmith, while Zara's was the King of England.

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Kate Middleton Repeats Green Diane Von Furstenberg For Zara Phillips Wedding Party

On Friday, the Duchess of Cambridge attended the pre-wedding party for Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter, wearing the same green Diane Von Furstenberg dress she wore three weeks before at a reception in California (see the side-by-side photos below).

With its fresh color, half-sleeves and bowed belt, the dress is perfect for a summer party. Of course, her husband Prince William wore his go-to outfit -- navy suit and burgundy tie.

Kate’s “Maja” dress was a huge hit when she debuted it in Los Angles July 8 and it will no doubt be a hit when she gives it a wear across the sea for Zara’s big party!

As always Kate went easy on the accesories, letting the dress be the main focus of her look.

Take a look at the photos above and let us know, when did Kate wear Diane von Furstenberg better.

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