ALGERIA MISSING TOURISTS UPDATE: My brother, who as I mentioned has actually driven across the Sahara, sends this link to a donations page for the search fund. He also sends this link and this one to discussion forums on the subject, and adds:

If you scroll down from the “donation” button there is not only news on the search for the missing folks, but also a link to pictures of the people and their vehicles. By and large they were well outfited and fairly experienced… not the sort to go missing in such numbers.

Emmanuelle Richard, meanwhile, sends this link to a Swiss story (in French, Google translation here). She also sends a bad link to another story, but the gist is that “a guide interviewed in the report said he was attacked by armed men and was spared after he brandished his Koran.”

Hmm. Stay tuned on this one, as I’m deeply suspicious about what’s going on in southern Algeria.