₦airaland Forum

Being an heiress is harder than you'd think.

There's the pressure of living up to your parents, the spotlight of the media and, of course, the daily dilemma over which diamond-dog collar to put on your pocket pooch.

But China's richest heiress has expounded on another problem: boyfriends. Or the lack thereof.

Zong Fuli, 30, the daughter of beverage magnate Zong Qinghou (net worth around $12 billion), tells the Chinese edition of Marie Claire that she is "rich and boyfriendless." She says she can't find a regular nice guy, and that men simply want her for her money.

"I feel pessimistic about love. Quite often it is hard for girls like me to find a boyfriend. Everyone knows this," said Miss Zong, who went to Pepperdine University in California and works at her dad's drinks empire.

"I have simple requests in love. He could be someone who sends me text messages every day with simple greetings such as asking whether I've eaten yet, or when I am going to bed. Just a little love and caring would be enough for me. But it is very hard to find a man like this, really."

She said that most men "just want to do business."

Needless to say, throngs of single Chinese men have offered themselves to Zong on the internet. (Before you ask, no I don't have her email address or number.) "I will be your Prince Charming," wrote one suitor.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/help-wanted-one-boyfriend-billionaire-chinese-heiress-1B8031266

He is an Opportunist, wielding his Pic with Pres. Obama to attract Voters.

President Barack Obama's Kenyan half-brother has launched his own political career by announcing his intention to run for a Kenyan county gubernatorial seat in the upcoming March 4 elections.

Malik Obama, 54, who shares a father with the US president, said in an interview late on Wednesday that the achievements of his brother have "inspired and challenged" him to get into active politics in his homeland.

"When I look at the success that my brother has had in the US, I feel I would have let down my people if I do not follow in his footsteps and end their suffering through dedicated, honest and focused leadership," Malik said in his ancestral home of Kogelo in western Kenya.

The trained economist said he is the right candidate to deal with the "endless cycle of poverty and unemployment that bedevils my people". "I can confidently say that of all the people who are vying for the position, I am the best placed candidate ... by virtue of my second name alone, I have the connections to bring development to Siaya," he said, referring to his home county 100 km from the lakeside city of Kisumu.

Although he says he is charting his own path, Malik Obama is using his now famous second name to try and get an edge over his competitors, who include the younger brother of Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

In a country polarized by dominant political parties, Malik Obama is running as an independent.

He said his links to Washington will help him clinch the seat. "Why would my people settle for a local connection when they have a direct line to the White House," he said as he weaved his way through a group of supporters, the slogan "Obama here, Obama there" looming on posters.



Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Obamas-half-brother-eyes-Kenya-political-role/articleshow/18069522.cms

French troops' initial clashes with Islamist militants in Mali have shown that the desert fighters are better trained and equipped than France had anticipated before last week's military intervention, French and other U.N. diplomats said.

The realization that the fighting could be bloodier than anticipated in the weeks -- or months -- ahead might make Western countries even more reluctant to get involved alongside France. French officials, however, hope it will rally their allies behind them, diplomats say.

"The cost of failure in Mali would be high for everyone, not just the people of Mali," an African diplomat said on Thursday. Like the other diplomats, he spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military and diplomatic issues.

The seizure of dozens of hostages in neighbouring Algeria, where Algerian troops launched a military operation to rescue the captives from "diehard" Islamist militants at a desert gas plant, also raises the possibility that Islamist violence could snowball beyond Mali's borders.

The diplomats were speaking after French forces had their first encounters with Islamist fighters in recent days. The ground war appeared headed for escalation on Thursday as French troops surrounded the town of Diabaly, trapping rebels who had seized it three days ago.

"Our enemies were well-armed, well-equipped, well-trained and determined," a senior French diplomat said.

"The first surprise was that some of them are holding the ground," he said, adding that others had fled during six days of French air strikes aimed at halting the militants' offensive and preventing the fall of Mali's capital, Bamako.

French, Malian and African forces are facing off against an Islamist coalition that includes al Qaeda's North African wing, AQIM, and the homegrown Ansar Dine and MUJWA militants. The motley mix of Tuareg rebels, Islamists and foreign jihadists has been united by the threat of foreign military intervention, which the Security Council called for last month.

Some of the militants are believed to have been trained and armed by the government of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was ousted and killed by rebels in a 2011 civil war.

FOG OF WAR

A number of diplomats said it was clear that the initial French assessments of the militants had underestimated their strength. It is a view that French officials do not dispute.

"They are better trained, I think, than the French had anticipated at the beginning and are fighting harder than had been anticipated," a senior Western diplomat said.

Other envoys noted that the 2,000 promised Chadian troops, who are known for their desert-fighting expertise, have yet to arrive and it remains to be seen how they will perform.

Diplomats said that the overly optimistic assessments of the Islamists were understandable in what several envoys described as "the fog of war," where clarity is rare and precise information and accurate intelligence are often hard to come.

The senior Western diplomat said there was nothing to suggest the French were being overwhelmed on the ground and pointed to the achievement of Paris' initial objective, which was halting the militants' offensive.

"They feel that they took the decisions that they had to take in the short term," he said.

"But inevitably in these situations you never quite know what the outcome's going to be, or what the consequences are going to be, or what the exit strategy is. But they have been successful in protecting Bamako, which could have fallen."

Nicolas van de Walle, a professor at Cornell University, said the rebels have demonstrated "superior knowledge of this very difficult terrain, their ability to slip across foreign borders and their impressive mobility."

French forces total 1,400 troops, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday, and their numbers are expected to rise to 2,500. Foreign African troops have also begun arriving.

INCORRECT ALGERIAN INTELLIGENCE?

Northern Mali fell under Islamist control after a March 2012 military coup in Bamako triggered a Tuareg-led rebel offensive that seized the north and split the West African nation in two.

Last month, the U.N. Security Council approved an African-led force to help Mali's government reclaim the north. That force is to be comprised of up to 3,300 troops, but is not expected to be deployed in the north before September.

The French and others have called for an acceleration of the force's deployment in light of the emergency Mali is facing.

So far the entire Security Council - including the typically sceptical Russians - are supporting the French, diplomats say.

Despite that diplomatic backing, envoys say that Western nations have offered France little of the logistical support it has requested. The United States agreed to France's request for airlift capacity for troops, and U.N. diplomats said Paris was still hoping Washington can provide drones and aerial refuelling capacity.

The surprises about the Mali conflict have not been limited to the militants' behaviour on the battlefield, diplomats say.

Before the Islamists launched their offensive earlier this month and threatened to take Bamako, Algerian intelligence had concluded that elements of Ansar Dine would be open to negotiations and would not fight alongside AQIM and others.

That assessment proved incorrect.

"It was believed that there were links between Ansar Dine elements and elements of Algerian intelligence," a diplomat told Reuters. "But those links appear to have vanished."

Algeria's U.N. mission did not respond to a request for comment.

The Algerians are allowing their former colonial masters, the French, to use their airspace, which U.N. diplomats say is no small matter and shows Algeria's commitment to supporting France's efforts in Mali.

Algeria has much at stake, given that it does not want the Islamists in Mali to retreat to its territory, where they could carry out operations like the one on Wednesday in which militants seized dozens of hostages.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/18/uk-mali-rebels-un-idUKBRE90H08K20130118?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FUKWorldNews+%28News+%2F+UK+%2F+World+News%29

Revolva: Maybe dem wan use am do juju jazz of motor wey go dey fly soon !!!

Likely

panafrican: He can be happy to be still alive because being the epicenter of such an important international issue is not a source of luck. He better find a way to get out of any muslim country.

His live is not worth a cent so long as his identity has been revealed

I have noticed although not limited to a particular sex, that some Ladies/Women usually by one form of behavior or the other, Nagging incl. but not limited drives their Spouses away to where they will be welcome or at least where they will be comforted at that time.


Ladies do not drive your Husbands away: This is a true life story of a woman

"Recently my husband, "Byron," and I had an argument, and he took off in his truck. He didn't return until after work the following day. He had spent the night at our friend "Arlene's" house. She is divorced and lives alone.

Byron assures me "nothing happened" between them. I want to believe him, but ever since this incident, Arlene will not look me in the eye or speak to me.

I love Byron and trusted him until now. It hurts to think that our marriage may be ruined over a stupid argument. I know he was intoxicated, but why did he choose to go to her home?"

The Question is Would it have been preferable if he went another place or, do you think Arlene has an agenda of her own or is she just an innocent by-stander friend willing to help and to be trusted. Your Contributions.

PROUD-IGBO:
What's this post doing on Nairaland, never mind the 'politics section'? And there i was heart-in-mouth in trepidation, wondering just what a Nigerian was doing disgracing us with 18 heads in the US.

Fallacy of Accent

samally: Am waiting.....#crossinglegnharm

I will feed u guys with pics of every events and every landmark u guys suggest that I visit. Thanks and thanks again for the contributions.

Gudintent: I.meller

Will you come back and gist us about your experience when you get back from your vacation?

It will help those planning to go in the near future .

sure will.

Customs officials said a shipment of 18 human heads destined for cremation was seized at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago because of a paperwork snafu.

The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday the shipment arrived in late December but the paperwork was incomplete and it was unclear where it was supposed to go.

News stories surrounding the shipment Tuesday prompted a suburban company to notify authorities it was the intended recipient.

The heads had been embalmed and had been used for medical research, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said. They had been shipped from Rome aboard Lufthansa.

It wasn't clear why the heads were transported halfway around the world to be cremated.

The medical examiner's office had been holding the heads for safekeeping since the week before Christmas.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2013/01/15/18-human-heads-found-in-airport-shipment/UPI-20091358280747/#ixzz2I57N7qpl

samally: Your hotel wifi is okay...

Ok thanks at that. I might even be able to use VOIP to connect to loved ones and friends cheaper.

okomogo: yes they need photocopies of your visa and passport thats all. Roaming is around N300 per min to Nigeria. Buying a Du sim is your best bet.

thanks so much, how abt my laptop connectivity? Do i buy a diff sim card/modem for that? Wat abt pricing and best plan to subscribe to for 24hrs accesss?

i wont bet on d war been dat easy cos some dirty tricks will be employed by d jihadist that will mk it almost impossible for d allied forces to mk way without mass genocide

Still Available

Chongaiman: As the Gulf War I became iminent, Saddam started making claims of his combat assets bla bla bla. Operation Desert Storm proved him wrong. The Malian rebels seem to be treading Saddam's path. Only time will tell. . .

http://9gag.com/gag/4747150

It would do France more harm if the rebels succeed in launching a missile on any EU soil.

Al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels launched a counteroffensive in Mali on Monday after four days of French air strikes on their northern strongholds, seizing the central town of Diabaly and promising to drag France into a brutal Afghanistan-style war.

France, which has poured hundreds of troops into the capital Bamako in recent days, carried out more air raids on Monday in the vast desert area seized last year by an Islamist alliance grouping al Qaeda's north African wing AQIM alongside Mali's home-grown MUJWA and Ansar Dine militant groups.

"France has opened the gates of hell for all the French," a spokesman for MUJWA, Oumar Ould Hamaha, told Europe 1 radio. "She has fallen into a trap which is much more dangerous than Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia."

Paris is determined to shatter Islamist domination of northern Mali, which many fear could become a launchpad for terrorism attacks on the West and a base for coordination with al Qaeda in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa.

MUJWA, which has imposed strict sharia law in its northern fiefdom of Gao, promised France would pay for air strikes on the city. Dozens of its fighters died on Sunday when rockets hit a fuel depot and a customs house being used as a headquarters.

Launching a counter-attack far to the southwest of recent fighting, Islamists dislodged government forces from the town of Diabaly, just 350 km (220 miles) northeast of Bamako. French and Malian troops attempting to retake the town were battling Islamists shouting 'Allahu akbar', residents said.

The rebels infiltrated the town overnight from the porous border region with Mauritania, home to AQIM camps housing well-equipped and trained foreign fighters.

France, which has repeatedly said it has abandoned its role as the policeman of its former African colonies, convened a U.N. Security Council meeting for Monday to discuss the Mali crisis.

"ORGANISED AND FANATICAL"

"We knew that there would be a counter-attack in the west because that is where the most determined, the most organised and fanatical elements are," French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France's BFM TV.

France has said its sudden intervention on Friday, responding to an urgent appeal from Mali's president prompted by an advance by a heavily armed rebel convoy, stopped the Islamists from seizing the dusty capital of Bamako.

President Francois Hollande says Operation Serval - named after an African wildcat - is solely aimed at supporting the 15-nation West African bloc ECOWAS which received U.N. backing in December for a military intervention to dislodge the rebels.

Under pressure from Paris, regional states have said they hope to send in their forces this week. Military chiefs from ECOWAS nations will meet in Bamako on Tuesday but regional powerhouse Nigeria, which is due to lead the mission, has cautioned that training and deploying troops will take time.

Two decades of peaceful elections had earned Mali a reputation as a bastion of democracy in turbulent West Africa but that image unravelled after a military coup in March left a power vacuum for MNLA Tuareg rebels to seize the desert north.

The MUJWA, an AQIM splinter group drawing on support from Arabs and other ethnic groups, wrested control of Gao - the main city of the north - from the Tuaregs in June, shocking Mali's liberal Muslim majority with amputation of hands for theft under Sharia law.

Last week's drive toward Bamako appeared to have been led by Ansar Dine, founded by renegade MNLA commander Iyad ag Ghali in his northern fiefdom of Kidal.

ISLAMISTS DESTROY TIMBUKTU SHRINES

The group has said that the famed shrines of ancient desert trading town Timbuktu - a UNESCO world heritage site - were un-Islamic and idolatrous. Much of the area's religious heritage has now been destroyed, sparking international outrage.

Hollande's intervention has won plaudits from Western leaders but raises the threat level for eight French hostages held by al Qaeda allies in the Sahara and for the 30,000 French expatriates living in neighbouring, mostly Muslim states.

Concerned about reprisals at home, France has tightened security at public buildings and on public transport.

However, France's top anti-terrorist judge, Marc Trevidic, played down the risk of Islamists carrying out an imminent attack, telling French media: "They're not very organised right now ... It could be a counter attack later on after the defeat on the ground. It's often like that."

In its first casualty of the campaign, Paris said a French pilot was killed on Friday when rebels shot at his helicopter.

Hours earlier, a French intelligence officer held hostage in Somalia by al Shabaab militants linked to al Qaeda was killed in a failed commando raid to free him.

The fighting in Mali has already driven hundreds of refugees across the border into neighbouring Mauritania, aid groups say.

Military analysts warn that if French action was not followed up by a robust deployment of ECOWAS forces, with logistical and financial support from NATO, then the whole U.N.-mandated Mali mission was unlikely to succeed.

"The French action was an ad-hoc measure. It's going to be a mess for a while, it depends on how quickly everyone can come on board," said Hussein Solomon, a professor at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

He voiced grave doubts about the prospects of a properly equipped and trained ECOWAS force deploying effectively in a ground operation to follow up French air strikes.

"It's imperative that other NATO countries get involved," he said. "Everybody talks about the threat of global terrorism, but then where is the global response?"

Officials in Washington have said the United States would share intelligence with France and was considering sending unarmed surveillance drones. Britain has made available two giant C17 transport planes which will ferry French medical gear, tanks and other equipment to Mali this week.


Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/14/uk-mali-rebels-idUKBRE90B0H120130114?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FUKWorldNews+%28News+%2F+UK+%2F+World+News%29

HAH: You can buy Du lines anywhere all you need is your intl passport, they are more expensive at the airport so better buy it outside airport

In addition pls ignore some marketers at the airport that will invite you to an event and promising you a safari, it is a waste of time unless you want to invest with them,the safari promised is also not the usual jolly one .

Take train it will help you reduce cost but as a stranger you don't have a choice but to use taxi which is expensive. But after getting to know your location you can take the metro.

Thank you so very much, do they do any documentation before selling you Sim cards and what about roaming charges in UAE, any suggestions?

The front runner in the race to be Italy's next leader says Britain must not "paralyse" the EU if it seeks to repatriate powers from Brussels.

In his first British TV interview, Pier Luigi Bersani, who heads the left-wing Democratic Party, says no one should try to hold the eurozone to ransom as it attempts further political and fiscal integration to save the Euro.

The British Government has indicated that it may veto attempts to alter EU treaties, unless it can claw back jurisdiction in certain areas, which could be put to British voters in a referendum.

David Cameron is expected to outline his thoughts in a speech to be delivered in The Hague on January 22.

Mr Bersani told Sky News: "The British must choose their path and I hope that their choice is pro-Europe.

"But regardless of that, the eurozone must act responsibly as they have a common currency, so will have to further integrate their policies.

"This is the fundamental dynamic before Britain when it comes to making a decision.

"The future might allow European relationships at multiple speeds and multiple tiers. As the eurozone cannot keep pulling the handbrake, this is inevitable. I hope that solutions can be found to keep Britain as close as possible to the eurozone.

"I believe Europe should have an open and constructive mindset toward Britain's needs, but not to the point of paralysing it, because that would be a damaging for everyone."

The Democratic Party (PD) led by the 61-year-old cigar-smoking former communist is promising to maintain the fiscal discipline of the Monti administration, while pursuing a pro-growth agenda.
Silvio Berlusconi reacting during a press conference following an economic agreement for small and medium companies. Silvio Berlusconi is fighting a series of allegations

The PD heads an alliance of left-leaning parties which is is currently polling at 39% ahead of the elections that will be held on the February 24 and 25.

Current Prime Minister Mario Monti leads a centre coalition with 15% support, while a union of Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom group and the Northern League, garners over 25%.

It is likely Mr Bersani will win a majority in the lower house but may be forced to establish a grand coalition with Mr Monti in the senate.

He told Sky News: "Even with a clear majority in both houses we would be open to talking or working together with those who are pro-Europe moderates like Monti.

"I don't think it's hard to find a middle ground. After all, we just had a year in which we worked in a grand coalition with Berlusconi, yet we managed to save Italy from the precipice.

"I believe these are not real problems, our issues are about the real economy, not political alliances."

As for the colourful Mr Berlusconi, who is fighting fraud and allegations he consorted with an underage prostitute, Mr Bersani refused to make any direct criticism.

"My party will likely be the only one without my name in the logo on the ballot," he said.

"I have been at odds for years with the way Italian politics has been personalised. The Democratic Party wants to be an antidote to this disease; we are the only collective political force which has a shelf-life that goes beyond the leader."

Source: http://news.sky.com/story/1037834/italys-would-be-leader-bersani-warns-cameron

samally: Du is the Best...

Pls where do I buy the DU? Do they have cumbersome registration methods and how do I recharge. pls any tips?

So much Money to be earned but so much work to be done also

Damn... Pls what the best way to get connected while at Dubai. The most cost effective way to stay connected online and Mobile.. Pls Contributions pls

A contestant for the position of Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo from Enugu State, Chief Emma Nwankpa, was on the eve of the national election shot by unknown persons. This comes Chief Gary Nnachi Enwo-Igariwey from Ebonyi state becomes the new President General of the apex Igbo organisation. Nwankpa was

accosted by the assailants at the entrance of his house.

He was said to have offered them his wallet for them to spare him but they shot him on his two legs after collecting the wallet and sped off in a car.

Nwankpa, who is now receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital, did not participate in yesterday’s election which he lost to his only opponent, Chief OAU Onyema.

Police spokesman, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident, said the police were already investigating the attack.

Meanwhile, a new leadership for the body emerged yesterday with the election of Chief Gary Nnachi Enwo-Igariwey from Ebonyi.

THE OHANEZE NDIGBO ELECTION LATEST RESULTS

Chief G N Enwo-Igariwey President General (Ebonyi State)
Dr Joe Nwaorgwu Secretary General (Imo State)
Chief ( Bar) O A U Onyema Deputy President General (Enugu State)
Chief I N Wonwu Deputy Secretary General
Dr P N Atamuo Ohaneze Vice President Anambra State
Chief C Ndimele Ohaneze Vice President Abia State
Chief E B Onyia Ohaneze Vice President Delta State
Chief Ruben Okolo Ohaneze Vice President Imo State
Chief Emmanuel Ajoku Ohaneze Vice President Rivers State
Mrs Celina Adibuah National Financial Secretary
Chief Okeke Ogene National Treasurer
Chief Joseph Ihemeta Assistant Legal Adviser

culled from Elombah.com

Am so Happy people in France turned out in such numbers to protest this Craziness

Prince William and his wife Kate have advertised for a super servant expected to be a jack of all trades as the royal couple prepare to become parents for the first time.

An internal advertisement at Buckingham Palace calls for someone: "To provide a high standard of housekeeping for TRH (their royal highnesses) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge".

The main duties included: "Ensuring all areas of the residence are cleaned and maintained to a high standard at all times. Caring for and maintaining personal clothing, cleaning silverware and glassware and in-house laundry."

The all-singing, all-dancing servant will also be ready to run errands, prepare basic meals when required and care for and exercise dogs, the Daily Express reported.

A current valid UK driving licence is "essential". St James' Palace has consistently stressed that the couple prefer to keep their entourage as small as possible.

The advertisement comes after the couple took on a new "Man Friday" at the end of last year.

The young Fijian-born lance corporal from the 'Parachute Regiment' is the couple's first orderly, whose role includes chauffeuring, logistics, and even organizing the Prince's wardrobe.

A royal insider said the advertisement has already attracted a great deal of interest: "Obviously the prestige of working for the world's most famous couple is an incentive".

"But it is unheard of for one person to be asked to perform so many duties. Clearly the Duke and Duchess are going to get their money's worth out of whoever gets the job. About 15 people have already applied despite everyone wondering how anyone will be able to carry out all these duties in just 37 hours a week," the royal insider said.

"The advert states that they'll be required to work extra hours and you can bet your life they will. Most people employed as housekeepers expect to do a bit of cooking on the side, but walking dogs and driving too? And there's also going to be a baby to factor into the equation. It's unprecedented," the source added.

Applicants do not need to have previous relevant housekeeping experience but must demonstrate a "willingness to learn".

As William and Kate are fiercely protective of their privacy, "discretion, loyalty and reliability are paramount", the advertisement said.

Share your views

Three hundred thousand people today took to the streets of Paris to protest against gay marriage in France.

The massive turnout was in response to plans by Socialist President Francois Hollande to enact a same-sex marriage law by June.

Around five TGV high-speed trains were specially hired to bring people to the ‘Demo for All’ from provincial towns, along with up to 1000 coaches.

Organisers insisted it was pro-marriage, rather than anti-gay, but riot police were on the street after Civitas, a far-right Catholic group whose protests have been openly anti-homosexual, held a rival march.

Between 50 and 88 per cent of people living in France are Roman Catholics, and conservative opposition to the proposed legislation has been enormous.

We want this draft law to be withdrawn,’ said protest organiser Patricia Soullier.

Police estimated that more than 300,000 people joined the march at three points, before they all converged on the Eiffel Tower.

Freezing temperatures and driving rain kept the numbers down, said a police spokesman, who reported no arrests.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, head of the Catholic Church in France, is leading the opposition to gay marriage, along with Muslim, Jewish, Protestant and Orthodox Christian leaders.

At least eight Catholic bishops were on the march.

Mr Hollande, who has a large majority in Parliament, angered many opponents by trying to slip the reform through with next to no public debate.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2261766/Hundreds-thousands-streets-Paris-protest-Hollandes-plans-allow-gay-marriages-France.html#ixzz2HvRDxuM2

ghostofsparta: Ode blacks fools raving about the history of those who destroyed your ancestors, I wonder why aren't the two of you busy researching on the discovery of African contribution to world's knowledge in science and tech.

Lost fooools!

You must not contribute Simpleton, stick back to ur Hedo bullshit

A “lost tribe” has come home to Israel and the return could be part of biblical prophecy.

CBN News was at Ben Gurion Airport when more than 50 members of the Bnei Menashe tribe made history.

The group was just the first of a long-awaited migration. Nearly 2,000 tribe members live in Israel, but five years ago the government stopped their return.

“I feel like I’m home,” one tribe member said.

Another told CBN News they were, “excited, overwhelmed. And unexplainably, you know, feeling in my heart. I feel like crying. I’m emotional, total loss for words.”

A recent decision now permits all the Bnei Menashe, about 7,000, to return.

“The ten tribes may have been lost to us for many centuries, but they were never lost in terms of their identity,” Michael Freund, with Shavai Israel, told CBN News.

Freund worked for years to help bring about this moment. He said he believes the Bnei Menashe return fulfills of biblical prophecy.

“The prophet Isaiah says ‘al tera qui ka ani,’ which means ‘fear not for I am with you, God says,” Freund explained. “‘Me israch avi zerecha,’” which translates ‘from the east I will bring your descendants.’”

“These are the descendants of Israel and they are coming back from the east,” he said. “It is as if the headline of today was written by Isaiah the prophet 25 or 2,600 years ago. It’s a phenomenal thing.”

The Assyrian Empire exiled the tribe of Manassah almost 3,000 years ago. Although they settled in northeast India, tribe members kept their Jewish roots for more than 2,000 years.

Several Christian organizations helped bring them home.

“In fact, the Hebrew prophets said when God gathered His Jewish people back from all the ends of the earth in the last days that there would be Gentiles helping and bringing them back,” David Parsons, with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, told CBN News.

“He said, ‘I’ll beckon to the Gentiles.’ And so we have this invitation from God Himself to be involved in this Aliya,” he said.

Another 300 tribe members are scheduled to arrive in January, with thousands more yet to come.

Source: http://www.christianmessenger.in/lost-tribes-return-to-israel-fulfillment-of-prophecy/

EACH year several dozen institutional archaeological excavations and multiple more salvage excavations take place in the lands of the Bible.

Some excavations draw attention because of the exciting dimensions of their discoveries. Many more compile important information from less dynamic discoveries that help us better understand the biblical world in its social context.

Following are some of the most exciting discoveries announced in the past year, taken from the news digests of ARTIFAX magazine, and reported on The Book & The Spade radio program.
Huqoq mosaic detail

#1) Huqoq Synagogue Mosaic The ancient village of Huqoq is located three miles west of the Sea of Galilee shore near the sites of Magdala and Capernaum. Excavated by archaeologist Jodi Magness, a Distinguished Professor of early Judaism at North Carolina University at Chapel Hill, the mosaic floor of this synagoue is of the highest quality. The mosaic depicts Samson tying the tails of foxes together and also shows two faces around an inscription. This synagogue dates several centuries after the time of Christ and is expected to provide new information about the development of synagogues in the Galilee.

#2) Cult Shrines from Khirbet Qeiyafa These shrines were actually discovered in 2011 excavations, but announced in the late spring of 2012 by archaeologist Yosel Garfinkel of Hebrew University. The shrines are evidence of worship that predates Solomon’s Temple by 30-40 years; shrines without cultic images that are different from Canaanite shrines and conform to the anaconic traditions of Judaism. Khirbet Qeiyafa overlooks the Elah Valley, about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem.
First Temple Period Reservoir

#3) First Temple Period Reservoir This cistern is located near the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, under Robinson’s Arch. With its 66,000 gallon capacity, this discovery provides new information about water consumption in the First Temple era of Jerusalem.

#4) Bethlehem Bullah A seal impression with three lines of script, this is the earliest mention of Bethlehem outside of the Bible. It was found during the sifting of material from City of David excavations. It is a fiscal bulla, related to taxing of shipments during the reign of a king around the time of Hezekiah, Manasseh, or Josiah.

#5) Jerusalem Seal An actual seal which says “Belonging to Matanyahu Ben Ho,” this seal was found near Robinson’s arch in the ruins of a building from the First Temple Period.

#6) An Egyptian scarab This scarab was found in Jerusalem just before the 2012 Passover. It depicts the image of a duck, which is the name of the sun god Amon-Ra. It is dated to the 13th century BC, just after the Amarna period.

#7) The Kiryat Gat Hoard This hoard was found near Ashkelon and contains 140 gold & silver Roman coins dating to the late first and early 2nd century AD. The hoard included a gold earring and a ring with a seal depicting a winged goddess.

#8 ) The Neo Hittite sculpture at Tel Tayinat The sculputure inscription records events of the reign of Suppiluliuma, who probably faced Shalmaneser III in 858 BC. This is an important excavation in Turkey, 22 miles east of Antakya (ancient Antioch) on the road to Aleppo. University of Toronto archaeologist Tim Harrison believes this is the neo-Hittite kingdom of Patina, which may also be the Calno referred to in Isaiah 10:9-10.

#9) 3400-year old wheat from Hazor The wheat was discovered in 14 clay jugs, burned but not destroyed 3400 years ago. This is one of the most important ongoing excavations in Israel, at the site of one of most important ancient cities in Israel.

#10) Akko’s Hellenistic Harbor Archaeologists are exposing the remains of the harbor, from the third and second centuries BC. This was the most important port in Israel in the centuries just before the birth of Christ.

Source: http://www.christianmessenger.in/top-10-discoveries-in-biblical-archaeology-in-2012/

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