Attacks leave at least 10 dead in central Nigeria

JOS, NIGERIA (BNO NEWS) – At least ten people are feared killed after attacks in two villages in central Nigeria on early Monday morning, officials said.

The attacks occurred at around 12:30 a.m. local time in the villages of Heipang and Korut in the Barkin Ladi area of Jos, Plateau State, government officials told Thisday newspaper on Tuesday.

According to Barkin Ladi’s local government council chairman Emmanuel Lomang, four military ID cards were found at the scene of one of the attacks and are believed to have been behind the attack. The chairman said gunshots were fired to scare the people, but moments later, a house was attacked and seven people of the same family were chopped with machetes and killed.

Another man was killed after answering the door. According to the man’s wife, Margaret Deme, the men who shot her husband were dressed in black and accompanied by military personnel.

The attack continued at another house where two brothers – Samuel and Adamu Gwom – were also shot and killed. The mother of the two brothers, Ngo Chang Gwom, also confirmed that the perpetrators were dressed in black and escorted by the military.

Despite military Special Task Force’s Captain Charles Ekeocha confirming the attack, he argued that military personnel had arrived at the area to repel the attack. During the operation, Ekeocha explained, gun shots were fired against the troops, who retaliated and killed one of the attackers. He was later transferred to the mortuary at Jos University Teaching Hospital, he added.

Following the attacks, local youths protested. Ekeocha said the demonstrations turned violent as vehicles were stoned and military barracks were ransacked. To avoid further problems, troops were withdrawn to the Mararaban-Jama’a area of Jos.

Ethnic clashes between Fulanis, who are majority Muslims, and Beroms, who are mostly Christians, are not uncommon in Jos and its surrounding areas.

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19475/attacks-leave-at-least-10-dead-in-central-nigeria/.

Caspian Sea States sign deal to enhance responses against oil pollution

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) — The five countries bordering the Caspian Sea have undertaken the commitment to strengthen regional responses to oil pollution in the world’s largest enclosed body of water, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced on Monday.

High-level representatives from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan met last week in the Kazakhstan city of Aktau for the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 3) to the Tehran Convention, a legally-binding agreement signed by all parties on the environmental protection of the Caspian region, to which UNEP provides the Secretariat.

“The adoption of the Protocol Concerning Regional Preparedness, Response and Cooperation in Combating Oil Pollution Incidents by the five Caspian States marks a historic milestone in their determination to protect and preserve the Caspian Sea environment against the threats posed by oil pollution,” UNEP said in a statement issued on Monday.

According to UNEP, once the five signing countries ratify the Protocol, it will see the introduction of an emergency response system to deal with oil pollution incidents as well as enhance monitoring measures across national borders.

Over the last two decades, the Caspian Sea has become increasingly exposed to the risk of pollution from oil and gas exploration, exploitation and transport, with the transport of oil or oil products accounting for some 10,000 shipping movements annually.

The countries have also agreed on an environmental impact assessment by establishing a set of common rules that include notifying one another of planned activities which may cause any damage to the marine environment.

The specific characteristics of the Caspian basin such as its climatic and salinity gradients have created a unique ecological system with more than 400 endemic species.

The biodiversity of the site includes 115 species of fish, among them the caviar-bearing Caspian sturgeon and the rare freshwater seal, which are endangered by over-exploitation, habitat destruction and pollution, the UNEP report stated.

“Improving knowledge about potential environmental impacts is the very backbone of international environmental cooperation and good inter-State relationships,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said during the Aktau meeting. “Addressing concerns related to potential adverse environmental trans-boundary impacts is the best recipe for preventing such impacts and safeguarding peace and stability.”

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19479/caspian-sea-states-sign-deal-to-enhance-responses-against-oil-pollution/.

Morocco considers early elections

2011-08-15

Some 20 Moroccan political parties on Sunday (August 14th) agreed "in principle" to hold early parliamentary elections this fall, Al Jazeera reported. "The (interior) ministry has proposed to political parties that November 11th be the tentative date for early parliamentary polls," government spokesman Khalid Naciri was quoted as saying. "Now the parties and the ministry will need to agree on the election system that needs to be adopted, the election laws and whether we should have separate national lists for (electing) women and young people," he added.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/08/15/newsbrief-04.

'Rahma' restaurants help needy Algerians during Ramadan

Free meals, food baskets and financial support are being handed out to poor families across Algeria as part of holy month celebrations.

By Lyes Aflou for Magharebia in Algiers – 15/08/11

Many needy Algerian families rely on the generosity of the state and private individuals for food during the holy month of Ramadan. Free meals, home-delivered food baskets and financial support are the primary forms of help.

According to the Ministry of Solidarity, nearly 1.5 million needy families will benefit from the food donations. Disadvantaged families and individuals with special needs, such as the disabled, receive baskets containing vegetables, fruit and dairy products necessary for a balanced diet.

More than five million meals are also being served at some 691 "rahma" (mercy) restaurants across the country. Roughly 13,000 volunteers have been recruited to help with the task. The Algerian Red Crescent, the Muslim Scouts and charities are all involved in running and funding the restaurants. Health inspection committees are monitoring the restaurants to prevent any outbreak of food poisoning.

A national committee with provincial and commune-level offices has been set up to organize the solidarity effort.

In Algiers alone, more than 27,000 food baskets and more than 90,000 envelopes containing money were distributed within the first nine days of the month, Radia Benmiloud, head of the Department for Social Action said August 10th.

Benmiloud stated that the baskets, which contain food between 6,000 and 9,000 dinars in value, include basic essentials such as couscous, flour, sugar, coffee, rice, dried vegetables and oil.

"The work of the national solidarity sector and the province and communes of Algiers has been co-ordinated with the contributions of benefactors in order to ensure that this expression of collective generosity will be successful," she said.

As for the direct financial support, she said: "Money orders of between 6,000 and 10,000 dinars, according to the funds available within each commune, were given after the individual needs of certain needy families had been examined".

In Algiers alone, nearly 190,000 eat-in meals and 57,730 take-away meals have been served, Benmiloud said. Homeless people, travelers passing through Algiers and those who are apart from their loved ones and cannot afford a substantial meal are able to visit any of 143 free restaurants.

Mokrane, who is unemployed, visited a "rahma restaurant" on Rue Larbi Ben M'hidi in central Algiers. Although the meals, which consist of a starter, a main course and a dessert, are free, the way in which they are served left something to be desired, in his opinion.

"In order to serve everyone, over a hundred people, the staff must sometimes serve the meals more than an hour before the fast ends. As a result, the meals are cold and lose their flavor," he told Magharebia.

Hamid, a waiter, told Magharebia that was to be expected "given the large number of diners who queue up before the restaurant opens, if you want to eat when the muezzin calls".

"We don't need to serve up haute cuisine," said Salah, another diner. "The food is given to us free of charge and it's just as good as what you could have at home if your financial situation was better than ours."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/15/feature-03.

Tunisian Amazighs form cultural association

After years of restrictions under the Ben Ali regime, Tunisia's Amazighs are looking to revive their ancient heritage.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 15/08/11

The Tunisian revolution ushered in a new era of freedom for the country's Amazigh population, allowing the once neglected minority to form its own associations to protect its heritage.

In the latest breakthrough for the community, the Tunisian Amazigh Culture Association (TACA) on July 30th received a license allowing it to work on reviving and developing Amazigh culture after years of restrictions under the former regime.

TACA, whose development began last April, aims to secure recognition of the Amazighs as a main component of the Tunisian identity and to rehabilitate their history by reviving their heritage and recognizing their culture. This is in addition to preserving Amazigh traditions, maintaining the architecture of Tunisian villages that have an Amazigh character and working to include them in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

"The number of Amazighs in Tunisia is not more than 100,000 citizens, but their history is very old. Therefore, the Tunisian society has to recognize them as a minority without any prejudices, marginalization or exclusion," TACA president Khadija Ben Saidane said during a press conference. Amazighs are spread throughout villages in southern Tunisia, such as Matmata and Djerba.

"Our goals are represented by shedding light on the Amazigh civilization of Tunisia both inside and outside the country, appreciating such civilization and using it for the service of economic and social development, especially in Amazigh-speaking areas," TACA secretary-general Jalloul Gharki said. "This is in addition to helping in building an integrated Tunisian culture based on plurality, diversity, difference and participation without any exclusion or marginalization."

The Amazighs predate the Arabs in North Africa, and the two cultures mixed during the Islamic conquest. There are also still some tribes that speak Tamazight in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

Khadija Ben Saidane called on the next Constituent Assembly to recognize the Amazigh presence in the next Tunisian constitution, and to include the teaching of Amazigh language in schools as an optional language in the curricula.

"This is our demand, and the Tunisian state must recognize the Amazigh culture and language and work to develop them like Algeria and Morocco," said Abdel Razak Choui, a Tunisian of Amazigh origin.

"It's something that inspires optimism," said Ahmed Ouzal of the establishment of the TACA. "Now, our work will be more organized, and through this association, we will seek to defend our culture and very old history. We will also prove that the Amazigh is a main component of Tunisian society, and that it is still clear in its habits and traditions up till now."

However, some people oppose the demands of the Amazighs in Tunisia and argue that such a representative body could lead to strife and divisions inside the Tunisian society and may even threaten national unity.

In his turn, Amine Moudi, a young Algerian, said: "They were able to penetrate even Tunisia where there is a small percentage of Amazighs. What do they want from us? Tunisia is a part of the Arab Maghreb."

"There is nothing that indicates that there has been an Amazigh problem in Tunisia so far," Abdel Jawad Rhaeim said. "The Amazighs are a part of Tunisia, but this doesn't mean that they are the identity of Tunisia."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/15/feature-02.

DRC gears up for November election

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Election officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo said more people registered to vote for November presidential elections than expected.

Voters in the DRC head to the polls to elect their next president in November. Slightly more than 25 million people registered for the 2006 vote. Officials at the country's Independent National Electoral Commission said more than 31 million people have registered for November's vote.

"It is more than we expected," election commission Chairman Daniel Ngoy Mulunda was quoted by Zambian newspaper Newsday as saying.

Incumbent President Joseph Kabila will likely square off against rivals including the country's former House Speaker Vital Kamerhe.

The Zambian report notes 2006 runner-up Jean-Pierre Bemba is unlikely to compete in the November contest because he faces charges at the International Criminal Court.

In a July travel warning, the U.S. State Department said elements within the Congolese military and rebel forces pose a significant security threat.

Militants with the Lord's Resistance Army operate along the border with the DRC, Uganda, Central African Republic and South Sudan.

Witness accounts said armed members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, and the Mai Mai militia were behind the sexual violence in DRC. The FDLR is linked to the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/15/DRC-gears-up-for-November-election/UPI-13371313429257/.

Kyrgyz presidential bidders line up

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The Kyrgyz prime minister entered the race to become the country's next president in elections scheduled for October, his party said Monday.

An April 2010 coup in Kyrgyzstan forced President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to flee his stronghold in the south of the country to Belarus. Since the 2010 coup, the country had parliamentary elections and formed a unity government under Roza Otunbayeva.

Otunbayeva is ineligible to seek the presidency after her interim tenure expires Dec. 31. Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev was introduced by the country's Social Democratic Party as its candidate for president, Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti reports.

The report adds there are 70 people, ranging from the country's envoy to Kazakhstan, journalists and farmers, who've added their names to the list of presidential candidates.

To run, candidates need to collect more than 30,000 signatures in support of their bid for president by Aug. 25 and raise about $2,500.

After the coup, at least 400 people were killed during June 2010 violence between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in the southern regions of Osh and Jalal Abad. Human rights groups note Kyrgyzstan has a long way to go before ethnic rifts are mended.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/15/Kyrgyz-presidential-bidders-line-up/UPI-19781313423979/.