An Indian man has been living in a tree for the past 15 years despite passionate appeals by his mother to return home. Kapila Pradhan, 45, a resident of Nagajhara village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, left home after an apparent tiff with his wife. "My son and daughter-in-law quarrelled constantly after their son was born and their relationship soured day by day," says his mother Sishula. "One morning I found my son had left the house while everybody was still asleep." Since I left home I have hardly had any cooked food Kapila A month later, villagers found him deep in the forest living in a tree. "I went to the forest to bring him back home but he refused," she adds. "Hurt and rejected I had to come back home. I cried a lot," says Kapila's mother. Cyclone survivor Kapila lives on whatever he can find to eat in the jungle. "Since I left home I have hardly had any cooked food," he told the BBC News website from his tree-house 7.6m (25 feet) above the ground. "Sometimes the villagers feed him during festive occasions," says a local resident Sukanta Dakua. Sishula Sishula says she has given up hope that her son will return "However no amount of coaxing can make him leave his tree house," Manoj Sahoo, another local resident, says. Even during a devastating cyclone in 1999 when winds of 300 km/h destroyed large parts of Orissa and killed thousands, Kapila continued to live in the forest. He recalls the terrifying moments when it rained persistently and the other trees in the forest fell one by one. "I just survived as a tree missed me by inches," he said. However more than the cyclone, it was the threat posed by wild elephants and monkeys that forced him to move to a tree closer to the edge of the forest, near a village. 'Illicit' relations Kapila's life is far removed from the one he once lived. Before he moved to the forest, he was married, and says he was overjoyed when his son was born. Tulasi and Babuan Tulasi and Babuan now live together The family celebrated and the entire village was invited to dinner. But things soon soured. His neighbours say Kapila's wife, Tulasi, began having "illicit relations" with his younger brother Babuan. Soon after Kapila left home, Babuan moved in with Tulasi and they had a child a few years later. "I am not formally married to Tulasi but have accepted her as my partner because I care for her," says Babuan. He rejects the allegation that his brother left because of his alleged relationship with his sister-in-law and says he began a relationship with her only after he realised his brother was never coming back. Both Tulasi's children address Babuan as their father. With Kapila away from home for more than a decade, his mother has accepted the new family arrangement. But what if Kapila comes back? His mother Sishula says it is hardly likely, but if he does, he should not reclaim his wife.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - The Islamic militant group Hamas was ready to merge armed factions including its military wing to form an army to defend the Palestinian people, a senior Hamas leader said on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENT "We are willing to form an army like every country ... an army to defend our people against aggression," Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal told a news conference in Damascus after the group swept Palestinian parliamentary elections.

By the way, what in God's good name is "the support of the Islamic and Arab world"? I've never heard of any such thing when it comes to Palestine. Could you give me an example of this. If it was not the financial, moral, and political support of the Islamic world however small it might be, Palestinian tribes would have met the same fate of that of the native tribes in North America.

The signs coming from Palestine are not encouraging. Days after the victory of Hamas, Gaza and West Bank is getting lawless and sliding deep into missery. I hope Hamas was prepared to govern and has a roadmap unlike the USC of Somalia.

I voted 2 times in Canadian elections, and have given my votes to the Liberals.

The result is, minority Conservative government. Rural wariors(Conservatives) vs Urban wariors(Liberals). Let the game begin.

Admiral Zheng He. Born to a devout Hui(Ethnic Chinese Muslims) Chinese Muslim family in Kunming, southern China. Sheng He ship one of Zheng He's 300-vessel fleet, is four hundred feet long - much larger than Columbus's. Sheng He's "tomb". Silver coin commomorating Admiral Sheng He. I found this interesting to read. "When the Chinese reached the east coast of Africa, they found people who built houses of brick. "Men and women wear their hair in rolls; when they go out they wear a linen hood. There are deep wells worked by means of cog wheels. Fish are caught in the sea with nets." The Africans offered such goods a "dragon saliva, incense, and golden amber." The Chinese found the African animals even more amazing. There included "lion, gold-spotted leopards, and camel-birds (ostriches), which are six or seven feet tall." The most exciting thing that Zheng He ever brought back to the emperor�s count was a giraffe. The animal came from today's Somalia. In the Somali Language, the name for giraffe sounds similar to the Chinese word for unicorn. It was easy to imagine that this was the legendary animal that had played an important part in the birth of Confucius. Surely, it must be a sign of Heaven's favor on the emperor's reign. When the giraffe arrived in 1415, the emperor himself went to the palace gate to receive it, as well as a "celestial horse" (zebra) and a "celestial stag" (oryx). The palace officials offered congratulations and performed the kowtow before the heavenly animals. When Zheng He came back from his seventh voyage in 1433, he was sixty-two years old. He had accomplished much for China, spreading the glory of the Middle Kingdom to many countries that now sent tribute and ambassadors to the court. Though he died soon afterward, his exploits had won him fame. Plays and novels were written about his voyages. In such places as Malacca and Java, towns, caves, and temples were named after him. However, a new Ming emperor had come to the throne. His scholar-officials criticized Zheng's achievements, complaining about their great expense. China was now fighting another barbarian enemy on its western borders and needed to devote its resources to that struggle. When a court favorite wanted to continue Zheng He's voyages, he was turned down. To make sure, the court officials destroyed the logs that Zheng He had kept. We know about his voyages only from the pillar and some accounts that his crew members wrote. Thus, China abandoned its overseas voyages. It was a fateful decision, for just at that time, Portugal was beginning to send its ships down the west coast of Africa. In the centuries that followed, European explorers would sail to all parts of the world. They would establish colonies in Africa, America, and finally in the nations of East Asia. China would suffer because it had turned its back on exploration. Zheng He had started the process that might have led the Middle Kingdom to greater glory Unfortunately the rulers of the Ming Dynasty refused to follow his lead." source: http://planet.time.net.my/CentralMarket/melaka101/chengho.htm

anuary 14, 2006 Iris Corp will implement a complete E-Passport and E-Identification system for Somalia IRIS Corp Bhd has secured a US$25 million (US$1 = RM3.74) order from Just Solutions Ltd for the supply and implementation of a complete E-Passport and E-Identification system for Somalia. Just Solutions is a company incorporated in the United Arab Emirates. Iris will design, develop and implement the hardware and software to enable the enrolment, production and issuance of up to 2 million each of e-passport books with inlays and e-Identification cards respectively over a five-year period. Iris is confident that the Somalian order will create more opportunities for the company in the African continent and will enhance its strategic vision in strengthening its marketing resources and partnership distribution channels. Meanwhile, Iris’s shares rose to an almost one-year high yesterday on talks that its earnings are expected to recover and a new major shareholder may emerge in the firm. Iris rose 1.5 sen, or 8.11 per cent, to close at 20 sen. It was the most active counter of the day with 52.9 million shares traded. Iris is the system provider for Malaysia’s e-passport system and is also the sole manufacturer for the country’s MyKad identification cards. Apart from that, the talk extends further that a new investor may step into the firm to add strength to its businesses. Source: Business Times, Jan. 14, 2006

What this panel recommended is to decriminalize polygamy relationships/marriages. They are not suggesting legalizing polygamy. The two are different. Sxb, I'm not claiming anyting, I'm simply quoting what the media is reporting! Legalize polygamy, federal study urges Contributed by: Perturbed --More symptoms of our lovely charter of rights and freedoms. The Globe and Mail Legalize polygamy, federal study urges By DEAN BEEBY Thursday, January 12, 2006 Posted at 6:47 PM EST Canadian Press Ottawa — A new study for the federal Justice Department says Canada should get rid of its law banning polygamy, and change other legislation to help women and children living in such multiple-spouse relationships. "Criminalization does not address the harms associated with valid foreign polygamous marriages and plural unions, in particular the harms to women," says the report, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. "The report therefore recommends that this provision be repealed." The research paper is part of a controversial $150,000 polygamy project, launched a year ago and paid for by the Justice Department and Status of Women Canada. The paper by three law professors at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., argues that Sec. 293 of the Criminal Code banning polygamy serves no useful purpose and in any case is rarely prosecuted. Instead, Canadian laws should be changed to better accommodate the problems of women in polygamous marriages, providing them clearer spousal support and inheritance rights. Full story:

Conservatives are getting closer to their dream of ruling Canada. Finally Bush has a partner to sing the COW BOY song with. Polls give Conservatives strong lead Friday, January 13, 2006 9:32:48 AM ET By Janet Guttsman TORONTO (Reuters) - Two new polls gave the Conservative Party a strong lead in the run-up to the January 23 federal election, and a projection based on several surveys said they could be within three seats of a majority. A Strategic Counsel poll for The Globe and Mail and CTV News said support for the Conservatives held steady at 39 percent, while support for the ruling Liberal Party slipped by one point to 27 percent. An EKOS poll for The Toronto Star and La Presse put the Conservatives at 37.6 percent and the Liberals at 28.3 percent. A previous EKOS survey put the Conservatives at 39.1 percent and the Liberals at 26.8 percent. "The race is now the Tories' (Conservatives') to lose, and their game looks pretty sound," EKOS President Frank Graves told the Toronto Star. "If (Prime Minister) Paul Martin and the Liberals are not able to disrupt this pattern in the next few days, the only remaining question will be whether it is a Conservative minority or a Conservative majority on election night." The Globe and Mail said number crunching from several Strategic Counsel polls projected that the Conservatives would win 152 seats in the new Canadian Parliament, more than twice the 74 seats projected for the Liberals. There are 308 seats in Parliament, so a party needs 155 seats to win a majority. "Projecting seat totals is an inexact science," the paper cautioned, noting that projections ahead of the June, 2004 election were not accurate. The Liberals won only a minority government in that election and were ousted last November amid anger at corruption and kickbacks during an advertising campaign to promote Canadian unity. The anti-Liberal backlash was especially strong in French-speaking Quebec, where they trailed behind the Bloc Quebecois, a party that backs Quebec independence and campaigns only in the province. But the Conservative resurgence has affected voting intentions in Quebec as well, and the Strategic Counsel survey put support for the Conservatives in Quebec at 23 percent, compared with 48 percent for the Bloc and 18 percent for the Liberals. The Conservatives have no seats in Quebec at present. "If they are going to have a breakthrough, it will be outside of Montreal and at the expense of the Bloc," pollster Allan Gregg told the Globe and Mail. Polls for individual provinces are traditionally less reliable than those for Canada as a whole, because they are based on smaller sample numbers. Another key electoral battleground is Ontario, Canada's most populous province, and both pollsters said the Conservatives appeared poised for big gains there. Ekos polled 2,045 Canadian voters between January 10 and January 12. Its survey showed support for the left-leaning New Democratic Party at 18.1 percent and countrywide support for the Bloc Quebecois at 11.6 percent. The Strategic Counsel survey questioned 1,500 Canadians about voting intentions between January 10 and January 11. It put support for the NDP at 16 percent and support for the Bloc Quebecois at 12 percent. (Additional reporting by Scott Anderson) ($1=$1.16 Canadian) [

Legal experts recommend Canada legalize polygamy Melissa Leong, The National Post; with files from CanWest News Service Published: Friday, January 13, 2006 TORONTO -- A new study commissioned by the federal government recommends Canada legalize polygamy and change legislation to help women and children living in plural relationships. The paper by three law professors at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., argues a Charter challenge to Section 293 of the Criminal Code banning polygamy might be successful, said Beverley Baines, one of the authors of the report. "The polygamy prohibition might be held as unconstitutional," she said in an interview Thursday night. "The most likely Charter (of Rights and Freedoms) challenge would be brought by people claiming their freedom of their religion might be infringed. Those living in Bountiful (B.C.) would say polygamy is a religious tenet." Polygamy has been openly practised for more than 60 years in Bountiful, in southeastern B.C. Last year, the RCMP launched an investigation into allegations of child abuse and sexual exploitation within the fundamentalist Mormon community of 1,000 people. No charges have been laid. The Martin government commissioned the $150,000 study into the legal and social ramifications of polygamy just weeks before it introduced divisive same-sex marriage legislation. Same-sex marriage was approved last May. Critics said at the time the study underscored a deep concern in the federal government that legalized homosexual marriage could lead to constitutional challenges from minority groups who claim polygamy as a religious right. "In order to best prepare for possible debate surrounding Canada's polygamy policy, critical research is needed," a Status of Women Canada document said last year. "It is vital that researchers explore the impacts of polygamy on women and children and gender equality, as well as the challenges that polygamy presents to society." Sayd Mumtaz Ali, president of the Canadian Society of Muslims, said last year that he opposes same-sex marriage, but said if it is legalized in Canada, polygamists would be within their rights to challenge for their choice of family life to be legalized. "This is a liberally minded country with regards to equal rights, and literally millions live common law," Ali said. Multiple marriage is legal in most Muslim countries, he said. But Muslim men who take more than one wife must prove to local courts they're capable of treating them equally, Ali said. Chief author Martha Bailey told The Canadian Press that criminalizing polygamy serves no good purpose. "Why criminalize the behaviour?" she said. "We don't criminalize adultery. "In light of the fact that we have a fairly permissive society, why are we singling out that particular form of behaviour for criminalization?" Baines said polygamy is rarely prosecuted. "No one is actually being prosecuted but the provision is still being used in the context of immigration and refugee stuff. People are not being admitted to the country." She said removing it from the the Criminal Code will not force marriage laws to recognize it, but would only remove criminal sanctions. The report -- commissioned by the Justice Department and Status of Women Canada and written by Baines, Bita Amani and Bailey -- also says the criminalization of polygamy does not address the harms that women in polygamous relationships face and suggests that Canadian laws be changed to better serve women by providing them spousal support and inheritance rights. Polygamy, outlawed in Canada but accepted in many other countries, typically means a man has several wives at the same time.

Pictures from our capital. Labo nin oo Muslimiin Jarmal ah oo kaqeybgalay tukashada salaada ciida. source:Dayniile source:Dayniile source:HornAfrik Mogadishu Stadium source: Somaliweyn Mogadishu Stadium source: Somaliweyn Eid prayer in Jowhar. source:Idamaale

gacmahooda kula diriraya isbaarooyinka yaala waddooyinka waa weyn ee Gobolka Banaadir Sabti, January 07, 2006(HOL): Markii ugu horeysay ayay dadweynaha Muqdisho tijaabiyeen awooddooda qarsan, kadib markii ay maanta dadweynaha ku nool xaafadda Geed Jaceyl ee Degmada Wardhiigleey xoog ku muquuniyeen Koox Maleeshiyo ah oo Isbaaro soo dhigtay Isgoyska Aadan Cadde, kuwaasoo horay looga qaaday halkaas. Iska hor imaad dhexmaray dadweynaha deegaanka iyo kooxdaas maleeshiyada ah ayaa sababay dhaawaca labo ruux, haseyeeshee dadka deegaanka ayaa muujiyay sida ay ugu faraxsan yihiin in ay xaafaddooda ka xoreeyaan isbaaro lagu qaadayay lacago baad ah, isla markaana lagu furanayay dadweynaha caadiga ah. C/llaahi Qarshe oo madax u ah ciidamada Madaniga deegaankaas ayaa sheegay in ay ku fiirsan waayeen dadka deegaanka koox burcad ah oo wax u dhimeysa iyaga iyo dadka kale ee safarka ah, sidoo kalena mid ka mid ah Odayaasha deegaanka oo ka qeybgalay howlgalka ay ku sifeynayeen maleeshiyadaas ayaa sheegay in aan dib dambe goobtaas lagu qaadi doonin wax lacag ah oo baad ah. Haweenka Deegaankaas oo ay wehliyaan Caruurtooda ayaa la sheegay in ay gurmad u fidiyeen ciidamada Madaniga ee xaafadooda, kuwaasoo aan cabsi gelin doonin dadka rakaabka ah ee saaran gaadiidka ka shaqeeya iyo kuwa mara wadada wadnaha. Mid ka mid ah darawaliinta gaadiidka yar yar ee isticmaasha wadadaas ayaa sheegay in ay xowli adag ku mari jireen wadadaas, si ay uga nabadgalaan in la dhaco gaadiidkooda ama la baarto jeebabkooda, taasoo ay caan ku yihiin in ay mararka qaarkood isticmaalaan maleeshiyooyinka lacagaha Baadda ah xoog uga qaata Gaadiidka Dadweynaha, iyadoo ay mararka qaarkoodna gaadiidkaas sameeyaan shaqo joojin ay kaga cabanayaan lacagta faraha badan ee ay ka qaataan maleeshiyooyinka dhex taagan waddooyinka, taasoo dhibaato ku ah Haweenka iyo Ardayda Dugsiyada Waxbarashada aada, kuwaasoo ku qasbanaada in ay lugeeyaan masaafo aad u dheer, halka kuwa shaqaalaha ah ay iyana ku qasabto in ay ka daahaan shaqooyinkooda. Salaad Iidow Xasan (Xiis), Hiiraan Online sxiis@hiiraan.com Mogadishu, Somalia

Originally posted by Kheyr. owever, what good does this do for the IMAGE of Muslims worldwide in exposing the ROTTEN APPLES of the Ummah to the WORLD at large. It just feeds the negative sterotyping and type casting of muslims. The damage is already done. Big international news agencies such as the CNN and AP have already carried it. And this is not the first time such ugly crimes was commited by people who are claiming to be Muslims likes us. The worst thing we can do is ignore it and hope this evil crimes will go away somehow. ^^The above is Pakistani news website not a western or anti Muslim website.

Allah bless them all.

Very good example of how uneducated the Muslims are about the true teachings of their religion. Although honor killings are relatively rare in Somalia compare to these places, they still do happen. Man slays four daughters in honour killing From Our Correspondent BUREWALA: A man killed his four daughters by slitting their throats while they slept in their home at Qadria Colony Chak No 187/EB Gaggo Mandi on Friday night. Nazir Ahmad son of Murad Ali, labourer, came to area police station to court arrest after the gruesome killing. Nazir married his elder daughter Muqaddas, 22, about three years ago in Chak No 46/EB Arifwala. But her daughter’s marriage was on the brink of collapse due to tiff over domestic issues and she had come to her parent’s home. During her stay at home, she developed illicit relations with a youth of the area and a few days earlier the girl eloped with the youth and returned but Nazir resented this act and plotted to kill the four daughters as he feared that other girls might follow her. Last night, he intoxicated his wife and four daughters and tied them up with a rope. First he slit the throat of Muqaddas and then killed three others daughters including Bano Rani, 10, Sumaira, 6, and Humaira, 4. The accused after carrying out the grisly killing, spent the night by collecting woods for fire to warm himself. When his wife Rehmat woke up in the morning, she raised hue and cry and people gathered. Nazir confessed to the killing in his first statement at local police station. He said that he killed his elder daughter for her wrongdoings and killed three others so that they should not follow their elder sister. Police have registered anti-terrorism-cum-murder case against the accused under Section 302 PPC and 6/7 ATA on the statement of his wife and started investigation. The accused was father of seven children four daughters and three sons. http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2005-daily/25-12-2005/national/n10.htm

Cadde Muuse Oo Madaxweyne C/Laahi Yuusuf Talooyin Wax Ku Ool Ah Oo Ku Saabsan Dowladda Federaalka Ah Siiyey MUQDISHO, Khamiis 5/1/2006 Madaxweynaha maamul Goboleedka la magac baxay Puntland Jen. Cadde Muuse Xirsi ayaa talooyin wax ku ool ah siiyey madaxweynaha dowladda ku meel gaarka ah ee Soomaaliya C/laahi Yuusuf Axmed. Cadde Muuse ayaa kulan uu la yeeshay intii uusan madaxweyne C/laahi yuusuf u amababixin dalka Yeman u sheegay in looga baahan yahay in uu wax badan ka tanaasulo isla markaana dowladda federaalka ah ay si dhab ah u shaqo bilowdo. Cadde Muuse yaa kula taliyey C/laahi Yuusuf in uu ka tanaasulo amaba uu iska dhaafo waxyaabaha dadka Soomaaliyeed ku kicinaya xasaasiyada ama dareenka iyo weliba in uu dowladdaha qaar ee lagu tuhun san yahay in uu xiriir shaqsiyadeed la leeyahay uu u badelo mid caalami ah oo ku dhisan wax wada qabsi iyo daris wanaag, meeshana laga saaro dan u fulinta dowlad gaar ah. Wuxuu sidoo kale u soo jeediyey in dib u heshiisiinta labada dhinac ee dowladda ay noqoto midda ug horeysay tilaabo la qaado isagoo sidoo kalena kula taliyey in magaalada Muqdisho dowlada federaalka ah ka howl bilowdo si addun weynuhu iyo weliba Soomaalidu ay ugu qanacdo nidaamka dowladda oo laga sugayo waxyaabo badan in ay qabato. Ilo xog ogaal aha ayaa wargeyska QARAN u sheegay in Cadde Muuse uu talooyin muhiim ah siiyey isagoo u sheegay in waxyaabo badan oo madaxweynuhu ku dhaqmo hadii uusan ka tanaasulin dowladiisa aysan shaqeyn karin isla markaana loo baahan yahay in isbadel cusub uu sameeyo. (QARAN PRESS)

~Funny kid.~Now Read this. http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/

Sxb, thats very powerfull images! The positive things happening in our capital; home to 2.6 million citizens. Only the sick will say otherwise.

Gaabow, Yaloxow, Tootow, and now Roobow, The list goes on and on and on, this week they created new warlords in Mogadishu, land of warlords and anarchy, I think thats the new year's Somali dictionary enteries. This is an insult to Mogadishu(Xamar) our capital and the 2.5 million people who call it home. Aerial photographs of Mogadishu _________________ Soori, macalinka, but the picture was too large, obscuring the screen. I resized it. [ January 04, 2006, 03:20: Message edited by: Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar ]

Hey Nomads, Is there a black gold in our backyard? Maybe, according to this article. Somalia: Energy-hungry China is talking to develop energy sector* Nairobi (HAN) January 1, 2006, - The Western diplomats based in Kenya and Addis Ababa have said that now Somalia may become more politically stable, government officials from energy-hungry China have been talking to the current president of Somalia, Abdulahi Yusuf about the possibility of helping develop the country's energy sector. Abdulahi Yusuf denied this. "It's not true," he said. "Nobody talked to us and asked us about oil in Somalia." Asked to comment on China's relationship with Somalia, the foreign ministry said in July: "The Chinese side is willing to take an active part in Somalia's economic reconstruction and explore the possibilities of all kinds of cooperation with the Somali side." With soaring demand from China's burgeoning economy, a key factor in global oil markets, and Indian consumer markets, oil producers operate close to maximum capacity. The Paris-based International Energy Agency predicted in December that oil demand will increase 7.8 percent in 2006, mostly due to China's growth in demand. Despite the successful acquisitions around the world, China lost -- or rather withdrew from -- a bidding war over Unocal, which Chevron secured for $17-plus billion. India folded on a multibillion dollar project in Nigeria after India's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs turned down a $2 billion proposal from state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp. to acquire a 45 percent stake in a Nigerian oil and gas field, giving Chinese firms an upper hand. Competition between India and China could grow fiercer in 2006 as both countries aim to meet soaring demand. China has also not shied away from investing in countries the United States has poor relations with such as Sudan and Iran. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., warned this year about potential U.S. military conflict with China, if the two sides do not work together. Somalia's oil and gas potential attracted attention from Western major oil producers before the country collapsed in chaos in 1991, and diplomats say Asian firms have shown recent interest amid efforts to stabilise the Horn of Africa country. Somalia lies across the Gulf of Aden from the Arabian peninsula and next to Ethiopia's Somali National Regional State, which has proven reserves of natural gas & Oil. The President of Somalia, Abdulahi Yusuf, trying to build an effective central government following his election by lawmakers at peace talks last year, told: "Any company that is interested in the natural resources of Somalia can come (to talk) to the government, no matter from which country." "After all, we will look after our interest. Let them compete, and the best company will win," he said during a visit to Nairobi en route to Saudi Arabia to discuss possible aid for Somalia. Somalia has no proven oil reserves and only 200 bn cf of proven natural gas reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration. However, companies including Total, Amoco, Chevron and Conoco and Phillips, which have since merged into ConocoPhillips, held exploration concessions in northern Somalia in the 1980s. The firms declared force majeure following the collapse of the central government in 1991. Force majeure is a clause in a contract exempting the parties from their obligations under the agreement as a result of conditions beyond their control. Former government officials said they were negotiating energy deals with about 12 foreign companies in the late 1980s, but the contacts ended when the overthrow of former dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991 triggered a civil war. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have died from famine, disease and violence since then. Analysts say the war has left a complex legal legacy. Some of the old exploration concessions were in a part of northern Somalia that is now within the territory of Somaliland, which declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991. Somaliland, which is not recognized internationally, is also seeking to develop its energy sector but must try to avoid conflict with the earlier accords signed by the internationally recognized pre-war Somali government based in Mogadishu. Asked whether he was in a position to decide what to do with the previous oil exploration agreements, Yusuf replied that he needed more information before he could address the issue: "I never read these contracts," he said. "I don't know if they are contracts previously agreed with the late Somali government or not. I have to see documents. If these companies have documents, they have to show us." Industry analysts foresee a rise in the volume of energy deals in 2006 -- partially due to a growing struggle to secure increasingly scarce energy resources around the globe. Experts predict fewer mergers such as Exxon's $80 billion merger with Mobil will occur in the future, while smaller but influential deals will be predominant, especially with major energy players such as China, Japan and India. Smaller acquisitions and mergers will most likely be the common theme in 2006. * Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya Will be the Next Great Oil Province* Nairobi (HAN) January 1, 2006, - Tom Windle, who explored some of Africa's west coast sites for Amoco, believes Africa's potential has barely been recognized. The regional geologist says that East Africa is the most significant potential oilfield worldwide. A top When Conoco's Mogadishu office became the de facto US embassy before the Marines landed in Somalia; it was not a war on terror, but supposedly a "humanitarian mission". Protecting oil concessions to Conoco and other US corporations was a key factor behind this invasion, after major oil finds in Somalia. The president of the company's subsidiary in Somalia served as the US government's volunteer "facilitator" before and during the US invasion and occupation. The influential Sunday Times described British geologist Jeremy Leggett's first book "The Carbon War" as "the best book yet on the politics of global warming." His latest "Half Gone" endeavors "to prove the case for two big arguments." Leggett contends that "the oil topping point, otherwise known as the peak of production, will be reached in the 2006-2010 window and when the market realizes this, severe economic trauma will ensue. Second, global warming is a real, present, and fast-growing danger." Tom says that although there are prospects for further oilfields in West Africa, it was in the East and the Horn of Africa where the potential is the greatest. "If you really want to know where I think the future of Africa is, it's the east coast," he told the Times. "If someone came to me and said, 'Here's a billion dollars, I want you to open up a new frontier basin,' I would say, 'Right, the East African margin; In my opinion the East African margin (from Sudan, through Ethiopia and Somalia down to Kenya) will be the next great oil province." It's a view shared by Stewart Williams, the consultant from Wood Mackenzie who said that East Africa is now "emerging" after years of being ignored. Big companies are now attempting to "book reserves" in the region under the most favourable terms they can and they have found willing takers in East African governments, anxious to see investment as well as hopeful that any new oil deposits will bring huge economic benefits. A number of companies are now involved in exploring the possibility of oil finds in East Africa including Exxon Mobil, Woodside Petroleum and Tullow Oil, which earlier this month recorded a 660 per cent increase in its profits for the first half of 2005. The British company has invested in trying to explore four potential oil fields in Uganda. Tullow Oil chief executive Aidan Heavey put his firm's exceptional performance down both to the increase in oil prices and its strategy of investing heavily in potential new oilfields in Africa and Asia. The company has already seen considerable success with its African venture after interesting discoveries in Gabon and, despite the fact that no oil wells have been drilled in Uganda since the 1940s, is hopeful that its four licences agreed with Kampala - three of which are new - will bear fruit. Mr Heavey said that the outlook for the rest of the year for the company remained "exciting" with "high impact" exploration wells planned for both Uganda and Mauritania. The company has also decided that as a result of its success it will stick to the current strategy of deals and exploration rather than involvement in refineries. "You've got to know what you are good at and stick to it," Mr Heavey told the Guardian newspaper. Tullow has doubled in size thanks to its purchase of Energy Africa last year. Africa currently produces around 11 per cent of the world's oil and over five per cent of natural gas. It is home to nearly 10 per cent of proven world oil reserves totalling some 112 billion barrels.

2 thumbs way up for you Jamila! Powerful Words that can only come from the heart. ^^ So Nomads, I know I prayed for a lot but if you were to pray for one thing what would it be? Allah says: “Allah would make the burden light for you, for the human being was created weak.†[sûrah al-Nisâ’: 28] The Prophet said: Allah is angry with those who do not ask Him for anything (Tirmidhi). We humans need allah's help when we are in our mother's womb as well as when we are outside our mother's womb. I do make dua for myself, my family and the Muslim Ummah most of the time after offering salat.

Harper gains in Canadian poll, but Liberals lead Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:18 PM EST169 ANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Canadians are warming to Conservative leader Stephen Harper but his party still trails Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals, according to a tracking poll released on Wednesday. The Liberals have the support of 38 percent of decided voters, compared with the Conservatives at 31 percent. The New Democratic Party has 15 percent support, with 5 percent for the Green Party, according to the SES/CPAC survey. The Bloc Quebecois, which runs candidates only in Quebec, has the support of 51 percent of decided voters in that province, which is calculated at 12 percent support on a national basis, according to the survey. Nationally, 18 percent of voters remain undecided about which party they will support in the January 23 election, including 21 percent in Quebec. The survey found 25 percent felt Harper would be the best prime minister, his highest rating since the election campaign began and only 3 percentage points behind Martin. The poll surveyed 1,200 people Dec 21-23, and has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points. The campaign slowly returned to life on Wednesday after a Christmas holiday break, with Harper campaigning in British Columbia and Martin in Montreal.

I'm glad you liked it brother.

I'm glad you enjoyed it brother.