January 22, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somalia President attends Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia

21 Jan- Source: Al Shahid- 310 words

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday night arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabai, where he will be attending the third Arab Economic and Social Development Summit aimed at finding common ground on crucial issues of trade, job creation, energy needs and disease prevention. The summit will be attended by heads of state and ministers of 21 Arab countries.

Key Headlines

Pro-US-Somali diplomatic deal rally in Mogadishu (SNTV/Universal TV)
Somalia to recruit graduates into armed forces (Jowhar website)
Somali government urged to focus on agriculture food security ( Hiiraan online)
Turkey’s support to Somalia “a model to world” (Anatolia News Agency)
William Hague: UK cannot prevent terrorism in Africa (Guardian)
Kenya: Don’t Force 55000 Refugees Into Camps (Human Rights Watch)
Somaliland:More than 210 youth garner sustainable training skills (Somalilandpress)
Somali Press Day observed in Puntland (Puntlandi Online)

SOMALI MEDIA

Pro-US-Somali diplomatic deal rally in Mogadishu

21 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Universal TV- 135 words

Thousands of Mogadishu residents on Monday took to the streets to voice their strong support for the recently announced US government’s move to recognize the new Somali government.
The pro-US-Somali deal protesters are gathering in the former headquarters of the national transport association near the presidential palace in Mogadishu.

Somalia to recruit graduates into armed forces

21 Jan – Source: Jowhar website – 114 words

Somalia’s Defence Ministry has said that University and high school graduates will be given the opportunity to join Somalia’s armed forces, reported privately-owned Jowhar website reported on the 21st of January.
The defence minister said that the initiative is part of a capacity building plan for Somalia’s armed forces which is supported largely by the Turkish government.
He added that the Turkish government will donate up to 10m dollars as part of a three-year plan to increase numbers of police officers to 25,000.

Somali government urged to focus on agriculture, food security

21 Jan – Source: Hiiraan online – 249 words

Worldwide agriculture and hunger eradication have taken their rightful place as a top priority. During the Rio+20 gathering, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced The Zero-Hunger Challenge, calling for an end to world hunger. In Somalia the crisis that commenced in 1991 shattered the existing economy as Government services collapsed and businesses closed. Civil war affected every aspect of Somali society. It destroyed the country’s basic infrastructure. Some 80 percent of Somali households’ income came from their animal herds or subsistence farming.

Somaliland: More than 210 youth garner sustainable training skills

21 Jan- Source: Somalilandpress- 206 words

The Minister of Sports, Youth & Tourism Hon Ali Said Raygal presided over a graduation ceremony held for over 210 youth who have graduated with special skills from Havayoco technical training Project.
Hon Ali Said Raygal speaking during the graduation lauded Havayoco for initiating innovative projects with the purpose of preparing the youth for the job market with the necessary skills.

Four suspects, grenades seized in Luq

21 Jan- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 111 words

Security forces in southwest Somali town of Luq on Monday arrested four suspected militants and recovered five hand grenades reportedly aimed at causing insecurity in the border town.
The four were allegedly ferrying hand grenades using a donkey-driven cart when security officers stopped them for normal checks on Monday, according to area security chief Diyad Abdi Kalil.
Kalil said one of the suspects confessed being the owner of the grenades and the grenades were to be used in Luq town for attacks targeting top government officials in the town.

Somali Press Day observed in Puntland

21 Jan- Source: Puntlandi Online- 216 words
Somali Journalism Day was celebrated in Puntland; a local journalist Abdi Hareed Was gunned down in Mogadishu on Friday by unknown assailants.
Puntland journalists observed this day at a well-organized ceremony held at PDRC premises in Garowe, the capital of Puntland.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Yemen leader Hadi meets Somali President

21 Jan- Source: Yemen News Agency- 328 words
President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi met separately in his residence in Riyadh on Monday with each of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) secretary general and Somali and Palestinian presidents.
President Hadi held talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on the fraternal cooperation relations between the two countries.

The President expressed his congratulations to Somali President on the success of the Somali presidential elections as an important and basic step to establish the state and government’s institutions there.

Somalia President attends Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia

21 Jan- Source: Al Shahid- 310 words

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Kenya: Don’t force 55,000 refugees into camps

21 Jan- Source: Human Rights Watch- 1328 words
The Kenyan authorities should halt their plan to forcibly move 55,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers from cities to overcrowded and underserviced refugee camps, Human Rights Watch said today. Citing a number of grenade attacks in 2012, the authorities contend the move will improve Kenyan national security and lead to the return of Somali refugees to Somalia.

William Hague: UK cannot prevent terrorism in Africa

21 Jan- Source: Guardian -505 words
Britain cannot prevent terrorism in Africa but it can look to the model of the rebuilding of Somalia as an example of how to help failed states,William Hague has said.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the foreign secretary pointed to Somalia as a model for western policymakers, stressing the progress the country had made towards stability in the past year. He referred to the London conference designed to bring about a legitimate government with strong African forces engaged in fighting terrorism.

Turkey’s support to Somalia “a model to world”

21 Jan- Source: Anatolia News Agency -233 words

somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Mohamud Fiqi on Monday said that Turkey-Somalia relations were strengthened every passing day and that such relations were a model to the whole world.
Turkey’s support to Somalia continues to increase after it gained momentum in recent years.
The Somalia Core Group meeting held in Ankara last week was a new indication of Turkey’s role in the restructuring of Somalia.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Donor states have predetermined their non-negotiable policy actions towards Somalia. Therefore, to avoid haphazard diplomatic engagements, which could jeopardize Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and long-term stability, it is necessary for a deep analysis of the core foreign policy issues and diplomacy options available to Somalia. It would be politically more sensible to adopt a streamlined framework of cooperation with the international community.”

Foreign Powers Dictate Somalia’s Foreign Policy

21 Jan- Source: International Policy Digest-1107 Words
Consistent with his goal of speaking in the best interests of Somalia, Professor Michael Weinstein of Perdue University, Indiana, has tried one more time to reason with the Somali elite and the international community about the problems hobbling the Provisional Federal Government (PFG). Weinstein eloquently explains the structural weaknesses, responsible for the PFG’s slow performance. By adding the adjective “provisional” to the Federal Government’s name, Weinstein reminds the Somalis that despite all the rhetoric, in the eyes of the international community, the present government isn’t any different from the previous transitional governments in legal, diplomatic and political terms. In short, without defending the competence and integrity of PFG leaders, he underscores that the donor-powers’ decision to starve the PFG, unless PFG leaders accept a kind of Trusteeship Administration for the next 20 years, is more ominous for the revival of Somalia.