Commentary by Esther pleases APN!

The story on mistreatment of African women in Norway, has engaged our readers so much for a number of weeks now. The story tops our chart almost every week.

This shows that people are concerned, and willing to help those suffering, due to cruel partners, who mistreat them for the sake of residence permits.

APN will organise a seminar on this topic, and will involve Norwegian politicians in charge of immigration policies.

The important thing here is to have the laws changed, to favour the black women who gets married to Norwegians.

Esther has taken the issue of mistreatment of women very seriously, and we in APN, are pleased about her contribution!

Here below, she reacts to a white man “Tomia” whose comment has enraged her. Tomia thinks Africans should go back to their countries and fix their problems, but Esther, like many others do think that Africans have the right to move to European countries, just like the white people moved, and still do, to the Continent of Africa.

tomia r Says:
January 3rd, 2007 at 1:17 pm e

I dont think these issues of having africans suffering in Norway/Europe amounts to anything.
Let Africans fix their countries, and stop thinking that we whites are their gods or something!

 Esther Says:
January 3rd, 2007 at 5:17 pm e

 To Tomia R

“You Whites! As in milk?? What do you mean we fix our countries? This has nothing to do with countries, and if you should know we are doing exactly that. We are here to look for a different way to develop our mother Africa, directly contrary to why the Europeans went to Africa and are still doing.

If you are one of those who think you are gods, honey you are so wrong. I have got news for you, we are here to stay and many more are coming and there is no damn thing you can do about it. So just sit down and enjoy the show. We will help the ones suffering because unlike you, we care and love each other.

Many Africans I know here, work and pay taxes even more than the natives, so don’t think I will sit here and listen to crap like yours.

And Mr.Korir, incase you organise any conference to support African women, I would love to attend even if its in Norway. I think you are doing a great job writing about these unspoken stories.

By Esther 

They are both reacting to the story below: Click in and see many other comments and have your say also!

• Norway: “I have a new African boyfriend,” says Kenyan woman married to a Norwegian man!

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

A former deputy mayor in Kautokeino in Northern Norway had a sexual affair with a 15 year old girl.

 A court in Finnmark sentenced the 41 year old politician to six months in jail, and he has to pay the girl 50 000 kroner in compensation. He will also pay kr 3.000 in costs.

The affair between the girl and the former mayor, was discovered one year ago. Immediately the news broke out about the affair, the police started their investigations.

The 41 year old had denied the charge, but when he was confronted with DNA results, he changed his story by saying “it was a kind of love relationship, and not misuse of an under age girl.”

Immediately it was discovered he had misused the under age girl, he lost all his political positions. Now he has now also been suspended from his job.

While sentencing the former mayor, the court criticised the fact that he knew the girl was under age, and yet he went ahead to have sex with her six times between the 5th and 27 December 2005. He admitted in court that he had sex with the young girl without a condom.

While investigating the case against the former mayor, the police discovered other unreported cases that has resulted in convictions of 18 men for having had sexual relationships with under age girls in the area.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source:anb-ntb

It is an election year and so sports is not likely to be on the minds of many people especially the politicians.

However, they will, in the course of the political campaigns, be donating footballs, uniforms and trophies for village tournaments in the course of their election campaigns.

Of course these seasonal handouts will do little for the problems that our sport has to deal with. The main one is lack of basic sporting facilities for a majority of Kenyans.

We remind the minister for sport, Maina Kamanda and his two other predecessors, Najib Balala and Ochilo Ayacko among them, they have been unable to give Kenya a national sports policy.

 The young people, whose votes they will be seeking, would like a place to play a game football without worrying if the space where they have been playing will not have been fenced off by a “private developer”

They also want to know that the government will have plans and funds to help those of them who are talented and have good chance of becoming professional athletes to realise their dreams.

The government has done relatively well in terms of rewarding successful sports people. However, helping the development of sports talents and provision of equipment and facilities, not dishing out cash award cheques, should be the priority.

Any political party whose manifesto does not include a feasible sports development programme should be considered wanting.

On the government side, a bigger budgetary allocation to the department of sports in the next fiscal year would be a good indicator of the government’s seriousness in developing sports.

Lifted story: 

By Ira Ndunda, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no, ndund@online.no

source.nation.ke

<President Kibaki of Kenya and Somalia’s President Abdillahi Yusuf (right>) ”held talks with President Mwai Kibaki at State House, Mombasa, even as border security with the warring country was tightened to keep out fleeing militia. Shortly before his arrival, a high-powered security team led by Internal Security minister John Michuki met in Mombasa and resolved to tighten security at entry points to keep out the militia.”

The Somali government has called on Kenya not to allow Islamic Courts Union fighters to move to Kenya. The interim Somali government has warned the Islamists that they will be dealt with if captured.
The Somali president arrived in Kenya aboard a “Kenyan registered private light aircraft, where he rested for a while. He was then driven to Wilson Airport at around 3.40pm where he boarded a military plane for Mombasa. With him were about 10 top officials of his Government.

Kenyan media reports that, “there were fears that more than 3,000 defeated militiamen allied to the Union of Islamic Courts had retreated into border locations with Kenya”, when they realised they we loosing the battle. 
The Kenyan government says, “Eight of the fighters seized by Kenyan security forces on Monday were still in custody at Garissa Police Station. Sources told The Standard the foreigners were expatriates hired by the Islamists to train recruits on military warfare.
Police revealed that an Ethiopian national with a Canadian passport was the commander of the Ogaden National Liberation Front forces sympathetic to the Islamists.”

It is further reported that, “Four other suspects were believed to be among hundreds of Kenyan Somalis recruited by the Islamists but were returning home after the defeat of their troops whose commanders were holed up at Kuda Camp near Raskiamboni border.
The three Eritreans, on the other hand, are said to be Colonels hired to train the Islamist troops.”

Kenya’s Minister for internal security Mr  John Michuki and vice president Moody Awori were in Mombasa to brief president Kibaki on the Somali crisis, before Somalian president arrived for talks. Others present during the meeting were, “Foreign Affairs minister Mr Raphael Tuju, Defence minister Mr Njenga Karume and Head of the Civil Service Mr Francis Muthaura.”

By Ira Ndunda, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no, ndund@online.no
source The ea standard

Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park will double their entry fees next year in a bid to preserve the environment and curb the human impact of mass tourism according to local sources.

According to East African media News on Tanzania, “the Mount Kilimanjaro climbers face a fee increase of 100%, from US$30 (£17) a day to US$60 (£34) a day, while visitors to the Serengeti National Park(Tanzanian side) will be charged US$50 (£28) a day instead of $30.

“We need to protect the environment. There is a lot of demand from tourism and we need to control the numbers in order to maintain the ecological integrity,” Tanapa planning office Allan Kijazi told the BBC.

Its all part of a new marketing strategy aimed at encouraging high yield, low volume tourism. 

There is a possibility that the Kenyans might decide to do as the Tanzanians, by raising their entry fee to the national parks.
By Ira Ndunda, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no, ndund@online.no
source:East African media News

Ahly of Egypt will meet Tunisia’s Etoile Sahel in the African Super Cup in Khartoum next month.
This follows a decision by officials to break with the tradition of allowing the African Champions League winners to host the annual match against the Confederation Cup winners.

The Confederation of African Football wants the Super Cup to form part of their 50th anniversary celebrations in Sudan, one of the four founder members of the organisation.

Ahly will be seeking a third Super Cup to follow up on previous triumphs in 2002 and last year.

By Ira Ndunda, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no, ndund@online.no

<Tali Fahima.

A jailed Israeli woman, Tali Fahima, 30, who was serving a three year sentence for helping Palestinian militants was released from jail today.

Her release comes one year earlier and the prison officials say she got her freedom earlier than expected because of good conduct.

When she was arrested, ”she admitted the charge in a plea deal in which she avoided treason charges. The legal assistant had struck up a friendship with a Palestinian militant leader and visited him several times in the West Bank town of Jenin.”

Her release is conditional. BBC reports that, “She is banned from leaving the country, contacting foreign agents or entering the Palestinian-controlled areas in the occupied West Bank, Ms Steltzer said.”

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc

It has been reported that over 300 Somali refugees have been deported back to Somalia by Kenyan authorities.

 Those send back are Somalians who had fled into Kenya, running away from the fighting. They fled from Islamists and the government forces fighting near the Kenyan border.

BBC reports that, “International law was broken when 340, mostly women and children, were driven in trucks from a Kenyan border transit camp, the UN refugee agency said.”

Kenyans have sealed the border. The screening of Somalians at the border is going on in order to stop the militias from entering the country.

According to BBC, “European members of the Somali Contact group are meeting in Brussels to discuss how Europe can help peace efforts in Somalia. The EU is the largest aid donor to Somalia and has been heavily involved in the mediation process. Those taking part will be Britain, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Germany, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.”

Yoweri Museveni plans to fly to Ethiopia for talks on possible deployment of soldiers in Somalia. 

President Museveni is the only African head of state that has made a commitment to send 1000 soldiers to join the planned African peacekeeping force for Somalia.

It is reported that, “UNHCR spokesperson Millicent Mutuli says the Kenyan Red Cross has been denied access to the refugees who arrived in Kenya four days ago.”

It remains to be seen whether other African countries will soon commit their troops to Somalia’s peacekeeping force in order to assist the interim government in stabilising the country.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc