July 9, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

KRCS digs 10 water wells in Somalia

08 Jul – Source: KUNA News – 119 words

Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) announced it has dug 10 water wells in in the city of Bosaso, Somalia and its neighboring villages in cooperation with Somalia social welfare and emergency relief authority. KRCS President Barjas Hamoud Al Barjas said in a statement on Monday that the water wells project in Somalia will have a positive impact for the Somali people as it provides potable water where water scarcity is a major problem for many countries that are suffering from drought. Al-Barjas added that this project comes within the framework of the humanitarian aid provided by the KRCS to people of Somalia as directed by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah the Honorary President of the society.

Key Headlines

Somali president flies to South Sudan (SNTV)
Somali PM visits Baidoa town (Somali Channel TV)
UN Official Concerned About Humanitarian Situation in Somalia’s Kismayo (Garowe Online)
3rd rond of Somalia-Somaliland dialogue opens in Turkey (/VOA Somali Service)
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s plane ‘catches fire’ (BBC/VOA)
Somalia: UN envoy decries journalist’s murder underscores need for press freedom (UN News Center)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali president flies to South Sudan

08 Jul – Source: Bar-kulan/SNTV – 94 words

A high level delegation led by the president of the Somali Federal government Hassan Sheikh Mohamud flew to South Sudanese capital, Juba on Monday. The delegation is expected to attend the 2nd anniversary of the world’s newest born nation independence day whichis due to be marked on Tuesday. The Somali Head of State is expected meet his south Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir after the celebrations. The two leaders are expected to discuss wide range of issues including the two countries bilateral relationship, Somalis investment in Jubba and collaboration on stablizing Somalia.

Somali PM visits Baidoa town

08 Jul – Source: Bar-kulan/Shabelle/Somali Channel TV – 104 word

Delegation led by the Prime Minister of the Somali Federal government has arrived in Baidoa town, capital of Bay region in southern Somalia on Monday. Accompanying Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon were Ministers for Defense, Trade, members of the Somali Federal Parliament and top other government officials. Prime Minister is set to assess the security situation of the region and hold talks with locals and government’s security officials in the area on how outlawed al Shabaab group would be liberated from the rest of the region. This is Prime Minister’s first visit in Bay region since he was appointed at the end of 2012.

UN Official Concerned About Humanitarian Situation in Somalia’s Kismayo

08 Jul – Source: Garowe Online – 75 words

A UN official expressed his concern about the escalated humanitarian distress in Somalia’s key southern port city of Kismayo. Philippe Lazzarini, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, was concerned about the humanitarian situation in Kismayo which witnessed heavy fighting in June, said UN associate spokesman Farhan Haq. Battles between rival warlords in Kismayo, which killed at least 71 civilians and injured 300 others last month, has also had serious humanitarian consequences, the spokesman said.

3rd rond of Somalia-Somaliland dialogue opens in Turkey

08 Jul – Source: Garowe Online/VOA Somali Service – 123 words

Talks between Somalia’s Federal Government (SFG) and the country’s separatist region of Somaliland entered a third round of discussions hosted by the Turkish government in Istanbul. Parliamentary delegations representing the SFG and Somaliland are currently in Istanbul, led by Federal MP Khalid Omar Ali and MP Baashe Mohamed Farah, Deputy Speaker of Somaliland Parliament, respectively. Speaking on VOA Somali Service on Sunday, the two MPs said the talks commence on Monday and that the agenda is “continuation” of the agenda of talks in June 2012 in Dubai, and April 13, 2013, in Istanbul. Head of Somaliland’s delegation, Deputy Speaker Baashe Mohamed Farah, said the Somaliland delegation’s agenda is clear in demanding full independence from the rest of Somalia.

REGIONAL MEDIA

KRCS digs 10 water wells in Somalia

08 Jul – Source: KUNA News – 119 words

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s plane ‘catches fire’

08 Jul – Source: BBC/VOA – 133 words

A plane carrying the Somali president has been forced to make an emergency landing in Mogadishu after one of its engines reportedly caught fire. A spokesman for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said it was not clear why the engine stopped working. The president was not hurt but firefighters scrambled to put out the flames, local reports say. Mr Mohamud was chosen as president last year in a UN-backed move to end decades of conflict. The BBC’s Mohamed Mwalimu says the plane’s tyres were damaged in the incident. The president was flying to the South Sudan capital, Juba, when it was forced to turn round. One of the first reports of the incident came from a Twitter feed run by the al Shabaab militant group but it did not say it had attacked the plane.

Somalia: UN envoy decries journalist’s murder, underscores need for press freedom

08 Jul – Source: UN News Center – 159 words

The United Nations envoy in Somalia today underscored the importance of protecting journalists and defending press freedom, following the killing of a television reporter on Sunday. Libaan Abdullahi Farah ‘Qaran,’ a reporter for Kalsan TV based in Galkayo, the capital of the north-central region of Mudug, was reportedly shot dead while returning home from work. Nicholas Kay, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and to all media professionals in Somalia. “UNSOM is dedicated to working with Somali authorities to strengthen the security and justice sectors in order to ensure that Somalia is safe and that perpetrators of violent crime are brought to justice,” he stated in a news release. Mr. Kay also noted that this is a “politically tense” period in Puntland ahead of local elections, and he called for restraint on the part of all political actors.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“A climate of optimism and confidence emerged as political progress was made as al-Shabab was driven back. A new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was elected in September 2012. There is still a long way to go before claiming victory. The political situation remains fragile and militias are a concern. But no one can deny what could be a serious attempt at rebuilding Somalia.”

Somalia seeks foreign investment after 20 years of civil war

08 July- Source: World Review-710 Words

PIRATES, who exploited a power vacuum in Somalia holding hundreds of ships hostage and earning US$400 million in ransom, have had their activities crushed. Now a new chapter has opened in Somalia’s history with political agreements bringing hopes of peace and reconstruction to put Somalia back on its feet. An international anti-piracy force focussed on Somalia, and led by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces in the Horn of Africa, patrolled the Indian Ocean and attacked pirate vessels threatening international shipping. The pirates held oil tankers and merchant vessels hostage and abducted seamen and citizens until large ransoms were paid between 2005 and 2012.