A week of news is never dull in Somalia but speaking of not dull, I first want to congratulate our editor Michael Logan for hiswin at the Terry Pratchett award for first-time novelists.His quirky choice of subject and plotwon him only half of the twenty thousand pound award. Why?Believe it or not he had to share the award with another writer named Logan. Truth is stranger than fiction. Unless it's a first time novel about sex-crazed Zombie cows.

We applaud him and will do our best to shrink his ego upon his return.

On a more serious note, Somalia never fails to surprise us either.We were the first in the world to break the story ofan expat security team rolled up in Mogadishu with $3.6 in black duffel bags.Although it is a well known secret why they were there they still are being held and we hope the money is still in the Mogadishu bank where they were forced to take it.

Today we did an exclusive bit onHow Pirates Spend Their Ransom Money. If you knew pirates you would not be surprised that very few invest in anything longer than a good time and new car.

We were also on the scene with the police in Bosaso dug upa very ominous IEDthanks to a tip from a local tipster. With the pressure on Al Shabaab in the south, the security situation is changing rapidly in the north.

Our reporters wanted the world to understand justhow difficult it was to bring the news from Somaliaso we happily obliged them. They do a extraordinary job with few of the resources outside reporters take for granted

There was disturbing news from the North and we were the first to describe therapid escalation expected in the contested region between Somaliland and Puntland.One thing that is important to Somalia Report is to stay away from the polarized reporting which usually characterizes this long running dispute.We will watch this area closely and update you.

News coverage of piracy tends to spike only when a Western or high profile ship is captured. We have decided to fight that trend with our weeklyPiracy Reportsthat tell the story of one ship every week starting with those held in captivity longest. Last week it was theMV Icebergwhich had been held for well over a year.We also report on the small fishing vessels and crews, many of whom are not reported by official organization. This week is the last Prantalay fishing vessel, the last survivor of a trio of fishing ships that the pirates unwisely demanded $27 million for and ended up getting sunk by the Indian Navy.

Our coverage includes theongoing fighting in the southand some of the nuances of disturbing developments like theAl Shabaab threats against the well known humanitarian group MSF. Although its important to stay neutral and dispassionate its hard to not come down on hard on many of the recent pubic acts of al Shabaab against the very people they seek support from.

We also try to cover thefighting inside the plush hotel roomsas the President and the Speaker of TFG duke it out forsupremacy or even self-extinction in Uganda due to donor fatigue.

Please make use of ourDaily Media Roundupof Somali and English language news so we don't duplicate the efforts made by the world press. Finally please help us in our constant interest in making the site more productive, functional and purposeful in bringing attention to the plight of the Somali people by sending in your comments and tips.

Respectfully,

Robert Young Pelton

Publisher

Somalia Report

Note: I will be traveling and in my constant efforts to make Michael's life miserable please continue to fill up his In Box with tips, suggestions and questions...especially while he is away. Send your emails [email protected]>