SOMALIA

Thousands of Somalis have demonstrated in the capital, Mogadishu, against plans to send a peacekeeping force. Islamic groups organised a similar march on Friday but the latest protest involved several different groups.
A 16-member African Union mission to assess the security situation has arrived in the capital, Mogadishu. President Abdullahi Yusuf has asked the AU for a large peacekeeping force to allow his Kenya-based government to relocate to Somalia.
Ethiopia has meanwhile confirmed that it is ready to send troops to Somalia, according to the AFP news agency. Ethiopian participation is controversial because it has been involved in the power-struggles which have raged in Somalia since 1991.