Algeria bus crash kills 15 people: report

Sun Jan 10, 2010

ALGIERS (Reuters) - A collision between a bus and a truck in Algeria Sunday killed 15 people and injured another 15, state radio reported.

The crash happened on a major highway in the Ghardaia region, in the Sahara desert, the radio report said, quoting emergency services. It said five of the injured were in a serious condition.

In September last year, a collision between two buses in the Medea region of northern Algeria killed 11 people and wounded 65. Road accidents kill about 4,000 people each year in Algeria, a North African country with a population of 35 million people.

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6091GO20100110.

Somalia: Three killed in Mogadishu clashes

10 Jan 10, 2010

At least 3 people have been killed and 8 others injured after fighting between Al-Shabaab militants and Somali government forces rocked a district in the restive capital at Abdulaziz district in north Mogadishu,

An Al-Shabab official claimed that his group has repelled onslaught on their positions in Abdiaziz district in north Mogadishu, blaming the government forces backed by African Union troops.

"The government troops attacked us and we defend our bases," said Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, who was addressing the local media after the fight.

Somali government military spokesman Col. Ibrahim Kalmoy confirmed the fighting but denied Al-Shabaab claims of receiving backings from AU troops.

The casualty figures from the two sides were not clear and AMISOM officials have not commented about the fighting.

Last week, clashes between the government forces backed by AMISOM troops and Islamist rebels caused the death of more than 30 people including women and children.

The clashes also forced many civilians, who returned to their homes last months, to flee another time to the outskirts of Mogadishu where they don’t have shelter, food and water.

This come after WFP announced last week that it has suspended food aid distribution in southern Somalia.

Source: Garowe Online.
Link: http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Three_killed_in_Mogadishu_clashes.shtml.

Algeria willing to boost strategic cooperation with China: Bouteflika

ALGIERS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said here on Sunday that his country is willing to further develop the strategic cooperation relations with China.

During his meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Bouteflika said Algeria is willing to enhance coordination and cooperation with China on international affairs and work with China to boost the strategic cooperation relations.

Algeria and China always support each other and boast a special partnership based on mutual trust, the president said, adding that the two nations have witnessed progress in substantial cooperation in all areas and close cooperation on major international issues.

Amid deep evolution of the international situation, both Algeria and China have the political will to further develop bilateral relations, he said.

The China-Africa Cooperation Forum (CACF) and China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) are beneficial to boosting China's relations with African countries and with Arab countries respectively, he said.

Algeria would like to help push forward China's relations with Africa and Arab countries, the president said.

Bouteflika also said that Algeria firmly adheres to the one-China policy and supports China in its reunification, noting that Algeria's stand in this regard will never change.

The Chinese foreign minister said over the 51 years since China and Algeria established diplomatic ties, the two peoples have been supporting, trusting and cooperating with each other.

Since entering the new century, Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Bouteflika have exchanged visits and established the strategic cooperation relations, bringing China-Algeria relations to a period of best and quickest development in the history, Yang said.

China highly values Sino-Algerian traditional friendship and is willing to boost friendly communication, expand mutual beneficial cooperation, enhance discussion and coordination on regional and international affairs and enrich the scope of bilateral relations to push forward the strategic cooperation relations to bear more fruit, Yang said.

He said, in recent years, the two countries have enjoyed frequent exchange of high-ranking visits and growing political mutual trust and have worked together to safeguard the rights and interests of the developing countries on international affairs such as the climate change.

Moreover, the substantial cooperation in economic and trade and infrastructure construction fields have been deepened continuously, and the exchange and cooperation within the frameworks of the CACF and CASCF have been expanded, said the top Chinese diplomat.

Also in the day, Yang held talks with his Algerian counterpart Mourad Medelci on bilateral relations as well as on major global and regional issues of common concern. Yang arrived in Algeria on Sunday on a two-day visit.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/11/content_12787271.htm.

Jama'at al-Da'wa ila al-Sunnah Officialy Pledge Allegiance to his highness Amir-ul-Momineen

Saturday, 09 January 2010

The movement, Jama'at al-Daw'a ila al-Sunnah of Afghanistan which has regularly carried out Jihad in the name of Salafi Taliban in Kunar province, has now allied itself with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, according to the report of our website reporter from the region.

The Council, consisting of the Deputy leader of this group, honorable haji Hayaatullah and other senior members of the council, known as respected Sheikh Shawali, respected Maulawi Rahmatullah Khan, respected Maulawi kalajan Jan, respected Maulawi Inayatu Rahman and others, have officially proclaimed allegiance to his highness Amir-ul- Momineen.

They declared cooperation and coordination with Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, vowing that all the Mujahideen of Kunar province will act in compliance with the Code of Conduct of the of the Islamic Emirate and follow its course of actions and that the Mujahideen of Kunar will carry out Jihad as per instructions of the Leadership of the Islamic Emirate in the same way as the other Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Source: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Link: http://www.alemarah.info/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=968:jamaat-al-dawa-ila-al-sunnah-officaly-pledge-allegiance-to-his-highness-amir-ul-momineen.

Members of convoy to Palestine back safe after ordeal

SEPANG: Nine Malaysians, who were part of the largest Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy, arrived home safely yesterday.

The team, which was led by Matthias Chang and included four members of the Perdana Global Peace Organization and a Yayasan Al-Bukhari representative, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 2.05pm.

Organization chairman and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali were among those present to welcome the team.

“None of us was injured. We were determined not to return home until and unless we entered Gaza and delivered the aid supplies, That we have accomplished,” Chang told reporters.

After weeks of delay, the convoy was finally allowed to enter the besieged Palestinian enclave with more than a million dollars worth of medical, food and educational supplies for its people.

Malaysia donated four trucks of humanitarian aid and an ambulance vehicle worth some RM541,000 to the Gaza Elwafa Hospital.

Chang said Dr Mahathir’s aid and support through phone calls had been very assuring to many members of the convoy during the journey.

“Efforts by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in sending all the notes to various counterparts in Egypt and the Red Crescent also alleviated some of the most difficult problems that we encountered,” he said.

Despite the ordeal suffered by the convoy, Chang described the Malaysian team as “very united, determined and dignified”.

“The journey itself was not very difficult, but what was most difficult was the waiting in between various stops,” he said.

The Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy, which began its long journey from London on Dec 6, last year, crossed the Rafah border into Gaza last Thursday.

Some 150 vehicles of the total 220 are now in the hands of Palestinians living in Gaza, which has been under seige by Israeli soldiers.

Source: Malaysian Star.
Link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/11/nation/5447694&sec=nation.

Aid convoy returns to Turkey amid more fracas

The Viva Palestina international aid convoy has experienced new crises and problems since it left Gaza to return home.

Egyptian police attempted to detain five people who were engaged in skirmishes in the port city of El Arish at the Cairo International Airport. In response, some passengers in the terminal building protested against the police while others voiced statements of support aboard the plane. A total of 322 people, including 98 foreigners, arrived in İstanbul after a six-hour delay. Meanwhile, Egyptian officials declared that they would not allow future humanitarian aid convoys to pass through their territory because of the recent incidents.

Members of the convoy -- which was allowed to stay in Gaza for only 34 hours -- endured a long and tiring journey home after skirmishes in El Arish. About 450 people who arrived at the Rafah border crossing at noon on Friday had to wait for hours to be processed by Egyptian authorities. The convoy was only able to proceed after 9 p.m. and was accompanied by a police escort on its journey to Cairo, which took 11 hours instead of the usual five.

When the group boarded a plane to leave the country, Egyptian authorities said the passports of five people -- two of them Turkish -- were lost after 130 people boarded the plane. This triggered another protest. Those waiting in the terminal building did not want to board the plane and the police did not allow those already on board to leave. The fact that those whose passports were said to have been lost were the same people who engaged in skirmishes in El Arish further exacerbated reactions. The six-hour crisis ended when the Egyptian officials backpedaled. When the lost passports were returned, the passengers waiting in the terminal boarded the plane.

A large group of people greeted the convoy members upon their arrival in İstanbul. The chairman of the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) set about organizing another convoy immediately after his return.

Egypt has already declared it will not allow further humanitarian aid to pass through the Rafah crossing. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said members of the Viva Palestina convoy had engaged in hostile acts on Egyptian territory and committed offenses. He added that according to a new arrangement, aid arriving via the port of El Arish will be delivered to the Egyptian Red Crescent for transfer to Gaza.

Meanwhile, speaking to the Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper, Egyptian Ambassador to Turkey Ala Eldin al-Hadidi claimed that the Turkish press had unfairly condemned Egypt. Noting that the press played a great role in encouraging people to hold demonstrations in front of Egypt’s diplomatic offices in Turkey, al-Hadidi said: “In particular, a famous speaker claimed that Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu had called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and told him to call Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to stop the convoy. Such wrong and misleading news played a role in making people react against Egypt.”

Source: Today's Zaman.
Link: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-198172-102-aid-convoy-returns-to-turkey-amid-more-fracas.html.

Tunisia to sell Morocco-made cars

(Magharebia) Tunisia will begin selling a Moroccan-manufactured automobile, Trade Minister Reda Ben Mesbah said in Tunis on Friday (January 8th). The deal to market the "Renault Logan" comes nearly three years after the Agadir Agreement exempted cars made by member states Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt from customs tariffs, MAP noted.