Spurred on by President Barack Obama, US lawmakers set the stage late Friday for a frantic beat-the-clock weekend effort to avert a catastrophic debt default sure to rattle the world economy.

NAIROBI, July 30 (AFP) - For Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked rebels, the drought devastating parts of the country is being exploited by external enemies, claiming that local Muslims were adequately addressing the crisis. The Al-Shebab insurgents have expelled several foreign aid groups from regions under their control since 2009 and reiterated recently that the ban was still in force after the United Nations declared famine in two regions they rule.