The Balkan Chronicle

A renowned Arab Caliph once said: “If I were a merchant, I would only trade in Oud perfume, so that if I did not make a profit, I would have profited from its sensational scent.”

Oud (agarwood or agar) comes from trees found in India, Cambodia, Yemen, Thailand and Ethiopia. It is a certain fungal infection that comes from Aquilaria trees, which is peeled off the tree. The chips are initially pale and light in color; the heartwood turns dense and dark as a result of the growth of a dangerous mold.

Animals across the world are fleeing global warming by heading north much faster than they were less than a decade ago, a new study says.

About 2,000 species examined are moving away from the equator at an average rate of more than 15 feet per day, about a mile per year, according to new research published Thursday in the journal Science which analyzed previous studies. Species are also moving up mountains to escape the heat, but more slowly, averaging about 4 feet a year.

The species — mostly from the Northern Hemisphere and including plants — moved in fits and starts, but over several decades it averages to about 8 inches an hour away from the equator.

Environmental activists look to a variety of source material for their inspiration but for a group in Sheffield there's an alternative starting point for people who haven't yet got round to reading the fourth assessment reports of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

"For Muslims the Koran is very clear: Islam teaches us about our duty, and so it's not an optional thing, you have the responsibility to go out there and improve your environment."

So many people are critical of Muslim society today, with its seemingly chaotic urban condition, and the Muslim's little care for their natural environment. So many critics tend to unjustifiably blame this on Islam. This is contrary to the truth as some ten centuries ago, when Islamic society was closer to its faith, the situation was all too different.

Novi Pazar is located 280 kilometers from Belgrade on the road that leads to Kraljevo and Raška. The city lies at the mouth of the Jošanica and Raška rivers. It was built in the 15th century near Ras, the capital of the first Serbian state, and Stari Pazar (Trgovište).

What is so particular about this city? Is it the individual buildings, is it the people or the atmosphere and the way of living? Or a little bit of all of these? One thing is certain – the influence of many cultures and peoples on such a small place, and a never stationary history, transformed Sarajevo and its inhabitants into survival artists who made a lot out of a little – an open, cheerful city with lots of cordiality.