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PARIS – Doctors Without Borders says that two of its employees in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital — a Belgian and an Indonesian — have been killed in gunfire that occurred in one of its offices.
The aid group said Friday that the exact circumstances of the gunfire a day earlier is not immediately clear. However, a security guard, Ahmed Ali, said Thursday that a disgruntled former employee of Doctors Without Borders, a Somali dismissed the day before, had returned and opened fire.
The aid group identified the victims as Philippe Havet, 53, of Belgium, and Andrias Karel Keiluhu, 44, an Indonesian doctor best known as Kace.
In its statement, Doctors Without Borders said one victim died on the spot and the second at a hospital after surgery.

BEIRUT – Syrian security forces fanned out in cities and deployed snipers on rooftops Friday as the opposition called on protesters to march to main squares around the country, activists said.
The presence of Arab League monitors in Syria has re-energized the anti-government protest movement, with tens of thousands turning out this week in cities and neighborhoods where the observers are expected to visit.
The huge rallies have been met by lethal gunfire from security forces, apparently worried about multiple mass sit-ins modeled after Cairo's Tahrir Square.
The Local Coordination Committees, an activist coalition, said at least 130 people, including six children, have been killed in Syria since the Arab observers began their one-month mission on Tuesday. On Friday, security forces boosted their presence in flashpoint areas across the country, the LCC said.
The nearly 100 Arab League monitors are the first Syria has allowed in during the nine-month anti-government uprising. They are supposed to ensure the regime complies with terms of the League plan to end President Bashar Assad's crackdown on dissent.
The plan, which Syria agreed to on Dec. 19, demands that the government remove its security forces and heavy weapons from cities, start talks with the opposition and allow human rights workers and journalists into the country. It also calls for the release of all political prisoners.
The opposition called on social media for a "march to freedom squares." On Tuesday, tens of thousands of protesters tried to storm the main Clock Square in the central restive city of Homs as observers visited. They were pushed back by security forces using tear gas and live bullets.
The LCC and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said troops, including snipers, were heavily deployed in areas around the country on Friday.
Authorities are apparently worried about multiple mass sit-ins modeled after Cairo's Tahrir Square, which was the focus of protests that toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in February.
The U.N. says more than 5,000 people have been killed since the Syrian uprising began in March.
On Thursday, security forces killed at least 26 people, four of them shot dead in the Damascus suburb of Douma during a protest by tens of thousands. The crowd had gathered at the mosque near to a municipal building where cars of the monitors had been spotted outside.
The ongoing violence, and new questions about the human rights record of the head of the Arab League monitors, are reinforcing the opposition's view that Syria's limited cooperation with the observers is nothing more than a ploy by Assad's regime to buy time and forestall more international condemnation and sanctions.
Still, the presence of outside monitors has invigorated frustrated protesters and motivated them to take to the streets again in large numbers after months of demonstrations met by bullets had dashed their hopes of peaceful change.
Although the violence against protesters has not stopped, Rami Abdul-Raham, who heads the Observatory, said the death toll would have probably been double what it is had there been no monitors on the ground.

LONDON – Can you help make Stephen Hawking's voice heard?
The famed British physicist is seeking an assistant to help develop and maintain the electronic speech system that allows him to communicate his vision of the universe. An informal job ad posted to the famed physicist's website said the assistant should be computer literate, ready to travel, and able to repair electronic devices "with no instruction manual or technical support."
Hawking has long struggled against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease which left him almost completely paralyzed.
He lost his real voice in a tracheotomy in 1985, but a wheelchair-mounted computer helps synthesize speech by interpreting the twitches of his face. The synthesizer's robotic monotone has become nearly as famous as Hawking himself, but the computer — powered by batteries fastened to the back of Hawking's wheelchair — isn't just for speaking.
It can connect to the Internet over cell phone networks and a universal infrared remote enables the physicist to switch on the lights, watch television, or open doors either at home or at the office.
It's a complicated, tailor-made system, as the ad makes clear. A photograph of the back of Hawking's wheelchair, loaded with coiled wires and electronic equipment, is pictured under the words: "Could you maintain this?"
"If your answer is 'yes,' we'd like to hear from you!" the website says.
Hawking's website says that the job's salary is expected to be about 25,000 pounds ($38,500) a year.
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Online:
http://www.hawking.org.uk/

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Name: Shoutz
[More from Mashable: Who Are Your 10 BFFs on Facebook? This App Will Tell You]

Quick Pitch: Shoutz is a free social video network.

Genius Idea: Mobile-to-mobile platform for recording and sharing personal videos or 15-second "Shoutz."
[More from Mashable: Jewelry Site Plukka Turns Group Buying On Its Head]

Shoutz, the social mobile video network, is a free mobile app for recording and sharing personal videos. Users can watch, record and share 15-second "Shoutz" directly from their phones, giving the world an opportunity to see exactly what they see when they see it.

The app provides a personal way of communication by helping users connect with their friends, family, fans, consumers and the rest of the world through videos. Shoutz partners with sports teams, celebrities, companies, artists and advertisers to enhance the interaction between their fans and consumers through channels.

The app requires an iPhone or Android 2.3 or higher device. Once the app is downloaded, users can sign in with their Facebook accounts or create their own profile, which also acts as their own channel.

Whether you're a fan of Nascar, tennis, the outdoors, etc., choose a channel that interests you and select the stars or celebrities you want to follow within that channel. Then click on the user's profile to see their 15-second Shoutz, which you can comment on, reshout or rate. The app also provides the number of public views for each Shoutz.


15-second Shoutz.



Users can upload their own 15-second Shoutz to their channels and share them directly from the app to Facebook, Twitter or via email. Shoutz also gives users the option to create a list of groups to share videos with. For example, if a user records a video of themselves fishing, they can share their video only with their group of friends who enjoy fishing.

Shoutz also has a feed that features the trending videos of the day, the channels you follow and Shoutz from the individuals you follow.





To help its partners manage their campaigns and build their brand strategy, Shoutz provides them with a "Channel Activity & Earnings Report" which analyzes the demographics of their channel's fans. The report includes information on platform ads, generated revenue, and the time, date and location of Shoutz views.

The detailed report can help, for example, a beverage company target their campaigns to the specific audience that views their Shoutz.

"A lot of celebrities don't know enough about their fans," Jim Mueller, CEO of Shoutz, told Mashable. "Shoutz provides real-time analytics that adds value for advertisers and makes it easier to manage campaigns, build brand strategies and target effectiveness."


Red McCombs, co-founder of Clear Channel Communications, is one of Shoutz's primary investors. Developed in 2010, Shoutz's business model is based on advertisements. The company shares its revenue with its partners, and channels and stars share the ad revenue from their profile pages.


Shoutz is currently in public beta and will completely launch in early 2012.


Image courtesy of Shoutz, Shoutz


Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark




The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your busess is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.


This story originally published on Mashable here.

PITTSBURGH – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn't want his sprained left ankle to keep him out of Pittsburgh's regular-season finale Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
"As long as I can deal with pain, I'll be out there," Roethlisberger said Thursday. "I don't want to let the guys down, so I'll do what I can to be out there."
Roethlisberger, who sat out the Steelers' win last Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, fully participated in practice again Thursday. He said the ankle, sprained on Dec. 8 in Pittsburgh's last meeting with the Browns, was "a little sore." Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said he was "much more" confident in Roethlisberger's ability to play Sunday after watching his mobility improve in Thursday's practice.
Roethlisberger will play if he's healthy, Arians said.
"I want him out there but not at the risk of injuring himself," Arians said. "If he can't move around and get out of the way, there's no sense in getting him out there."
There's plenty at stake against the Browns as the Steelers (11-4) remain in the hunt for the AFC North championship. To win it, they need a win vs. Cleveland and hope the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
If Roethlisberger can't play, 37-year-old Charlie Batch, who threw for 208 yards in the Steelers' win over the Rams, is available.
Guard Doug Legursky (shoulder) and safety Troy Polamalu (knee) sat out for the second straight practice Thursday. Linebacker James Harrison, who sat out Wednesday's practice with a neck injury, and receiver Mike Wallace (ankle), who was limited in practice Wednesday, participated fully Thursday.