December 27, 2012 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Somali Federal parliament rejects 2013 proposed budget

26 Dec- Source: Garowe Online/Jowhar Online/Hiiraan Online- 178 words
Somalia’s federal parliament has voted to reject the 2013 proposed budget presented by the administration of Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, Garowe Online reports.
Federal parliamentarians met Wednesday in Mogadishu, where the MPs debated about the newly proposed budget presented by Somali Finance Minister Mohamud Hassan Suleiman.
Parliament Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari announced the vote after the debate, saying that 163 MPs were present on Wednesday’s session.

Key Headlines

Somali AU police forces conduct security operation in the capital (Radio Mogadishu/SONNA/SNTV)
Dead al Shabaab officer found in El-buur (Radio Mustaqbal)
Reverse brain drain: Heading home to Somalia ( globalpost)
Jowhar security sweep nets 9 suspects (Radio Bar-kulan)
Turkish frigate returns from CTF mission off Somalia coast (Anadolu News Agency)
Somaliland: Political Parties Registration and Verification Committee Releases Names of Qualified National Parties (Somalilandpress)
Somali pirates threaten to kill hostages (Africa Review)
Court releases terror suspect on Sh10 million bond (Daily Nation)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali, AU police forces conduct security operation in the capital

26 Dec-Source: Radio Mogadishu/SONNA/SNTV- 167 words

National Security forces and the African Union Police Unit on Wednesday conducted a joint operation against insecurity acts in the capital Mogadishu where several people have been arrested.
The forces carried out the operation near ex-mall in Hamar-weyne district in the capital where they confronted men dressed in government military uniforms who collect illegal money from public buses.
Over 20 people have been arrested in the operation conducted in Mogadishu today by the Somali police forces backed by the African union police forces according to Somali National News Agency SONNA.
Similarly, Somali forces have carried out operation near Afgoye district in lower Shabelle region south of Mogadishu.
The security forces were fighting bandits who harm residents and public buses there as the district commissioner of Afgoye, Abdulahi Nor confirmed to Radio Mogadishu.

Dead al Shabaab officer found in El-buur

Dec- Source: Radio Mustaqbal- 111 words
News from the El-buur town of Somalia’s Galgadud region said that the resident found the dead body of one of the military officials of al Shabaab.
The dead officer identified as Sheikh Hassan Abu Hudeyfa is believed to have been killed by some of the fighters of al Shabaab after they disagreed over the amount of money which they wanted to collect from the local villagers.
Some reports also suggest that the killing of this officer is related to the killing of a peacemaker in the region. There are no comments from the al Shabaab administration in the region regarding the killing of the military officer

Somali Federal parliament rejects 2013 proposed budget

Jowhar security sweep nets 9 suspects

26 Dec- Source: Radio Bar-kulan-74 words
An overnight security sweep by government police in Jowhar, the main town of middle Shabelle netted 9 suspected gangs.
Local residents told Bar-kulan that four among the arrested suspects were wearing police uniform to rob and harass people.
Police targeted their operation mainly on Hanti-wadag neighborhood which has recently experienced insecurity.
Local elders urged the government to deal with the insecurity in Jowhar, promising to assist the law enforcement apparatus in doing their job.

Somaliland: Political Parties Registration and Verification Committee Releases Names of Qualified National Parties

26 Dec- Source: Somalilandpress-166 words
The Political Parties Registration and Verification Committee-PPR&VC has announced the results of the much anticipated recently held local council elections in which they declared the names of the names of official three National Parties for the coming 10 years which are as:
1.KULMIYE,2. WADDINI,3. UCID.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Somali pirates threaten to kill hostages

26 Dec- Source: Africa Review- 203 words

Somali pirates stationed in parts of Mudug region are threatening to kill hostages they have been holding since January 2011, reports indicate.

The pirates picked up the hostages from a ship they attacked and hijacked.

Reports reaching Mogadishu from Central Somalia indicated that the pirates had failed to secure ransom payment for the release of the hostages.

The ship crew members who were at the mercy of the pirates were said to be Philippine nationals and were being detained on the mainland.

Court releases terror suspect on Sh10 million bond

25 Dec- Source: Daily Nation- 225 words
A Nairobi court has released on bond a terror suspect accused of hurling a grenade into a guesthouse and injuring two people in Eastleigh.
Mr Mohamed Jaylan was on Monday charged before a Nairobi magistrate’s court but set free on a Sh10 million bond and two Kenyan sureties.
Police have accused him of throwing a hand grenade into Buffalo Guest House along Muratina Road in the populous estate.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Reverse brain drain: Heading home to Somalia

26 Dec- Source: globalpost-850 words
The Kulan Art Café is a bright airy place with murals and framed paintings by local artists, potted plants, fresh coffee and ice cream, homemade cakes and a menu featuring Western staples like pizza and hamburgers.
In Hargeisa, the capital of the breakaway state of Somaliland, there is nothing else like it. Nor is there anything like it elsewhere in Somalia, which is attracting increasing numbers of diaspora Somalis as the country gradually emerges from decades of conflict.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/somalia/121221/reverse-brain-drain-somalia
Turkish frigate returns from CTF mission off Somalia coast
26 Dec- Source: Anadolu News Agency- 101 words
TCG Gemlik frigate returned to Marmaris Aksaz naval base in southwest Turkey on Wednesday from a mission in the Gulf of Aden to fight piracy.
TCG Gemlik frigate left the naval base where is on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey on May 31.
The Turkish frigate with 266 soldiers patrolled in Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia and India Ocean for 208 days under the command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151.
CTF is an international naval task force set up in response to piracy attacks in shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia. It has 27 member countries.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“Since the elections, the wags in Somaliland have taken to referring to the ruling party (Kulmiye which means one who unites) as Dulmiye which means oppressor – this is the type of wordplay that features prominently in Somali humour and poetry.”

Somaliland: Elections Have Consequences

26 Dec- Source: SomalilandPress-1583 Words
One of my favourite Somali historical stories (and most probably imaginary) characters relates to Egal (Cigaal) Shidaad when he was on a journey seeking water and fresh pasture for his family’s livestock (sahan in Somali). As he was making his way through unfamiliar territory, dusk fell and he decided to strike camp and rest for the night. While gathering some firewood, he saw an ominous figure crouching some distance from him and took fright. It is important to understand that Egal Shidaad’s defining feature, and the aspect of his character that made him famous, was his abject cowardice; this aspect of his make-up is made even more pronounced by the fact that he comes from a people and a tradition characterised by proud, independent, self-reliant warriors where martial prowess and heroism is the order of the day. I must state that Egal was no relation, even though I would personally like nothing more than to claim him as a genealogical ancestor.