Oh My God - Thank you for not allowing me to suffer like others do. I love you.

Today's headlines 1/23/2008:

Al-Lahem had previously told CNN that the Saudi judge revoked his license as punishment for speaking to the media about his client's case, which attracted international attention.
His client, an engaged teenager, was raped by seven men who found her alone with a man unrelated to her. She has said she was meeting with the man to retrieve a photograph. The attack took place in Qatif in March 2006. The seven rapists were sentenced to two to nine years in prison but she also was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison for having violated the kingdom's strict Islamic law by being alone with an unrelated man.

The woman's sentence provoked outrage in the West and cast light on the treatment of women under Saudi Arabian law. Under Saudi law, women are subject to numerous restrictions, including a strict dress code, a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man's permission to travel or have surgery, and can't be in the company of another man unless it's a relative.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Gaza City was plunged into darkness Sunday after Israel blocked the shipment of fuel that powers its only electrical plant in retaliation for persistent rocket attacks by Gaza militants. The power cut sent already beleaguered Gazans to stock up on food and batteries in anticipation of dark, cold days ahead. Gaza officials warned the move would cause a health catastrophe while a U.N. agency and human rights groups condemned Israel.

"We have the choice to either cut electricity on babies in the maternity ward or heart surgery patients or stop operating rooms," Gaza Health Ministry official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said.
Israel justified the cutoff because of continuous rocket attacks by Gaza militants. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Meckel said the Gaza Strip continues to receive 70 percent of its electricity supply directly from Israel, which would not be affected, and another 5 percent from Egypt. The blackout "is a Hamas ploy to pretend there is some kind of crisis to attract international sympathy," he told The Associated Press. (CNN and WHDH-TV)
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Hopes are high that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and armed groups can end a decade of fighting that a new report says has claimed the lives of more than 5 million people.

Rebel soldiers loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda. The two sides have been attending a conference for more than two weeks in the eastern city of Goma and late Tuesday, they appeared close to signing an agreement. Their discussions are focusing on peace for the country's eastern Kivu provinces. Humanitarian group, the International Rescue Committee, released a report Wednesday saying that conflict and humanitarian crisis in Congo have taken the lives of some 5.4 million people since 1998, and that 45,000 people continue to die there every month. IRC President George Rupp said the loss of life was equivalent to the entire population of Denmark, or the state of Colorado, dying within a decade. Even with the country's violence, the IRC found that most of the deaths were from non-violent causes like malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition. Nearly half the deaths were among children younger than 5, even though they are only 19 percent of the population, the IRC said. The group said the national rate of mortality is nearly 60 percent higher than the average in the sub-Saharan region.

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BUSIA, Uganda (AP) -- With one baby strapped to her back, another in her arms and a posse of other grandchildren clinging to her skirts, Mary Nyawera stood in line for food rations.

Hundreds of children are at risk of malnutrition in Ugandan border camps. The explosion of violence over Kenya's disputed election has cost Nyawera her home, her livelihood and all four of her sons. She is now the sole provider for 22 grandchildren, all refugees at a border camp in neighboring Uganda. The 74-year-old was lucky to be called to the front of the line here recently, where she received some ground corn and dried beans. But the rations fell short of the children's needs. "The young children need some milk and sugar. They don't eat maize and beans," Nyawera explained. More than 600 children who have sought refuge in Busia are at risk of malnutrition unless their diets improve, according to James Male of Save the Children.
Fighting over the disputed December 27 election has pushed thousands into neighboring Uganda. In just one day recently, more than 500 Kenyans crossed the border, bringing to about 7,000 the number of refugees who have sought safety in three Ugandan border towns including Busia.
The International Organization for Migration said it has plans to set up two camps outside the Kenyan city of Eldoret to house up to 10,000 people. For now, refugees are being housed in schools across the border in the towns of Busia and Malaba, where people are sleeping on mats, sharing meager supplies and lining up for food. (CNN/1/22/08) Picture from Displaced children at Uganda border camps.


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NOW WHAT WERE YOU STRESSING ABOUT????????????????????????????????

Oh Dear Lord: I pray for all the human suffering and pray that that you grant them peace once and for all dear Lord. I beg you to please help them, Please my Lord......