Al Qaeda group charged with drug trafficking

In the first U.S. prosecution alleging direct involvement by an al Qaeda-linked group in drug trafficking, authorities have charged three alleged al Qaeda associates with conspiring to smuggle cocaine through a booming route in lawless northwest Africa, officials said Friday.

Prosecutors filed narco-terrorism charges in federal court in New York Friday against the three suspects, who are believed to be from Mali and were arrested in Ghana in a DEA sting. Although U.S. authorities have alleged that al Qaeda and the Taliban profit from the heroin trade in Afghanistan, the case is the first in which suspects linked to al Qaeda have been charged under severe laws targeting terrorist groups involved in drug activity, federal officials said.

Haifa not to sing in Algeria

The famous Lebanese artist Haifa Wehbe said that she will not sing in Algeria after the violent incident between Algerian and Egyptian soccer fans at a recent game in Sudan.

Haifa, who enjoys great popularity among Egyptian fans, said that she would lose if she performed in Algeria, where her music would not be appreciated.

Tunisia to hold 2nd 5+5 conference

After taking part in the first session of 5+5 Conference on “Quality Digital Education for All” held in September 2009 in Biarritz, France, Tunisia is preparing these days for holding the second session of the 5+5 meeting.

During a meeting held on Wednesday, Mr. Hatem Ben Salem, Minister of Education and Mr. Antoine Godbert Training and diplomatic adviser at the French National Education Ministry, discussed Tunisia’s preparatory activities for the conference which is designed to follow up implementation of the recommendations of the first session.

Swiss businessmen to face retrial in Libya

Two Swiss businessmen already sentenced to 16 months in prison in Libya for immigration offenses face trials this weekend on charges of illegal economic activity, Amnesty International said on Friday.

The two men were denied permission to leave Libya in July 2008 after the arrest in Geneva of a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on charges — which were later dropped — of mistreating two domestic employees.

Lebanon PM on first Syria visit since father’s death

Lebanon’s prime minister, who has blamed neighboring Syria for the assassination of his father, visited Damascus Saturday for the first time since the 2005 killing — a trip that a close associate said was extremely difficult for him to make.

Despite the unresolved issue of his father’s slaying in a massive truck bombing in Beirut, Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri’s visit potentially opens the way for a new era in the two countries’ relations, which have been characterized by upheaval and suspicion for decades.

The 39-year-old Hariri appealed for relations with Syria based on “clarity and honesty.” He was greeted warmly by Syrian President Bashar Assad upon his arrival at the presidential palace at the start of his two-day visit, and Lebanese media said he would attend a dinner banquet hosted by Assad.

Leader says Sudan war coming

Sudan stands on the brink of war between northern Muslims and southern Christians and animists unless the international community pressures the government of President Omar al-Bashir, South Sudan’s top diplomat in the United States said Dec. 18.

Besides the ongoing genocide in Darfur, in which an estimated 400,000 civilians have been killed by government forces, a scheduled April referendum on secession could derail the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a war in which about 2.5 million southern Sudanese people died, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, head of the Government of South Sudan Mission to the United States, said.

BM

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