Another scam or ……..?

—– Original Message —–From: “Ramdan Aman” <ramdanaman1@takemail.com>

To: <africanpress@chello.no>

Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 6:10 PM

Subject: urgent and confidential investment

Dear Sir,
I received encouraging information about you and how trust worthy you are.
I am delighted with such a useful information.

I am interested in the partnership
 investment program with your corporation. First permit me to introduce myself.

I am the personal assistant to MOHAMED OULD NAFAA (The Minister of Construction)
of the Western Sahara State in the democratic Republic of Sahara (A tiny country in the
 Desert). Being the personal assistant to the minister of Construction of my country, I awarded the contract of IRRIGATION to Portuguese Firm worth several millions of dollars. In the execution of that project the Portuguese firm discovered large amount of gold in one of the contract sites.

I collaborated with the Portuguese firm on a mutual agreement on the proceed of which I have received my share of $14,000,000.00 (Fourteen million dollars).

As the personal assistant to the minister of this Tiny country, I cannot introduce or circulate this funds into the Sahara banking system onsidering my provisional duty and considering the fact that I earn less than $1,000.00 monthly
coupled with the code of conduct guidelines, and regulations for Public Civil Servants.

Right now my country western sahara is in a civil crisis with morroco because of our struggle for political independence. The crisis is intensfing everyday i decied to leave with my family once I am able to move my money out from western sahara.

The above situation prompted my decision to solicit your co-operation to take delivery of this funds into your custody for my proposed investment as you will be adequately conpensated with $2 000,000.00.

I will arranage all necessary procedures in ensuring a smooth process for the funds to get to you. I will appreciate you contact me once you receive this mail via e-mail account indication your capability and willingness to enable me to give you more details of my modus operandi of getting this money to you hitchfree.

This matter requires your urgent attention and confidentiality whatever your decision or you can send your reply through my email.
Best regards,

Ramdan Aman
Western Sahara
______________________

The above is a letter received by our editorial. We wish to alert our readers on such letters being circulated to get money wongfully from innocent people. Be on the look out!

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

Norwegian Foreign Minister criticises the new UN Secretary General.

The newly appointed Bishop in South Hålogaland in Northern Norway, Tor Berger Jørgensen, has praised Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre for having dared to criticise the new UN Secretary General Mr Ban, 62 (right>), on death sentencing statement he released after the Iraqi former leader was executed.

In a letter, the Bishop thanks the minister for his clear  and important message to the UN Secretary General.

The New UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon was quoted recently saying the Iraqi people had the right to put Saddam Hussein to death as punishment for crimes he committed against the Iraqi people!

According to the Bishop, by saying what he has said, the UN boss has made death sentencing to be an affair that does not concern the international community, but a sole dicision by the leaders of every country.

He terms the message by the UN boss as step backwards in the struggle to ban death sentence as punishment.

The Bishop regrets the fact that a democratic country like USA, still continues to practice death sentencing, with the support from the president and his religious advisers

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source. (ANB-NTB)

Are you African interested to study in Norway?

A study permit is granted to foreign nationals intending to stay in Norway for the purpose of education. Separate rules apply for citizens of EU/EEA countries.

What requirements are there for obtaining a study permit?

In order to obtain a permit to study in Norway, you must:

1. Have a firm offer of admission from an officially recognised educational institution

What studies can a residence permit be granted for?

1. Be going into full-time education
   This means that you must take subjects or courses that are eligible for full support from the State Educational Loan Fund (Statens LĂĄnekasse). This applies even if you intend to finance your stay by means other than the State Educational Loan Fund

1. Be ensured housing
   You must be ensured housing for the period to which the application relates. Housing is deemed to be ensured if you have the use of a house, apartment, bed-sit, room in a boarding house, etc. If the accommodation is rented, a written contract must be presented, approved by the landlord, housing cooperative or other person having charge of the accommodation.
2. Be ensured subsistence
   You must be ensured subsistence for the period to which the application relates. You must have financial means equivalent to full funding by the State Educational Loan Fund at the current rate. For the academic year 2005-06 this amounts to NOK 80,000. If you must pay school fees, this amount will be in addition to the above-mentioned subsistence requirement.Subsistence may be ensured by a study loan, a grant, own means or income from work You may apply for a permit to work part-time alongside your studies. Income from this work may be taken into consideration when assessing whether you have sufficient means to ensure subsistence. The subsistence requirement rises if you will be financing your stay partly by working. It is not generally acceptable for subsistence to be ensured by a financial guarantee from a third party, regardless of whether the guarantor is in Norway or abroad. In exceptional cases it may, however, be accepted that parents living in Norway can guarantee that an applicant will receive board and lodging in their home.

   If you have your own means at your disposal, the general rule is that you must transfer the amount to an account in a Norwegian bank in your own name, or, if applicable, deposit the amount in an account that the educational institution has established for this purpose. Documentation of the balance in your account, or confirmation from the educational institution that the money remains in the account, must be submitted with the application.

3. In addition, it is a condition that you return to your country of origin on completion of your studies. “Country of origin” means the country of which you are a citizen, or where you have been granted long-term permanent residence.

A more precise definition of the conditions for the permit can be found in section 4, paragraph 1 of the Immigration Regulations.

How do I apply?

To apply for a residence permit, you must complete an application form. The application must be submitted from your country of origin or another country where you have been legally resident for at least six months.

You may not enter the country until your permit has been granted. The application must be submitted to your nearest Norwegian foreign service mission (embassy, consulate general). You will also be informed of the decision regarding your application via the foreign service mission.

However, some people may apply for a residence permit from Norway. This applies to those who qualify as a skilled worker/specialist, and either:

• Have a residence or work permit lasting three months or more
• Have been granted a visa for three months
• Are entitled to live in Norway for three months without a permit (i.e. no visa requirement) or
• Have been granted a visa, i.e. a job seeker’s visa, for a period of less than three months

It is also a condition that you are not living in Norway while applying for asylum or while waiting to leave the country following a failed asylum application.

Applications made from within Norway must be submitted to the police in the district in which you live.

Certain groups of applicants for a study permit are exempt from the requirement that the permit must be granted before entry into Norway. You may apply from within Norway if you: 

• Are entering under the auspices of the American Field Service (AFS), American Scandinavian Student Exchange (ASSE), Fulbright, Youth for Understanding (YFU), STS High School Foundation (STS), Rotary or Research Council of Norway (NFR)
• Have a scholarship from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) or other Norwegian public institution
• Will be studying at an institution of higher education within the framework of an exchange scheme under the auspices of the EU or a bilateral agreement between a Norwegian and foreign institution of higher education

However, applying from your country of origin is recommended, as the police often have long case processing times.

If you are required to have a visa and you apply from Norway, you will also incur an additional charge, as you will have to pay the fee for the visa application and the fee for the application for a residence permit for educational purposes.

What must the application include?

When applying for a residence permit for educational purposes, the following documents must be included:

• Application form for students
• Passport photo/other photo which meets the set requirements
• A letter of admission from the educational institution where you wish to study. The letter of admission must contain the name of the applicant, information about the educational institution, the studies and the level to which you have been admitted, plus the length of the studies
• Documentation of housing
• Documentation of subsistence (documentation of support from the State Educational Loan Fund and/or documentation that the amount of the subsistence requirement has been deposited in a Norwegian bank account in the applicant’s name or in the educational institution’s account for this purpose)
• Copy of passport
• You must also pay a fee

Exchange students

The general rules for a residence permit for educational purposes also apply to exchange students.

However, if the stay is to be financed by public funding or a grant from the country of origin, documentation of this must be included with the application.

It must be clearly stated where the money is coming from, how much it will be (converted at the prevailing exchange rate) and how the money is to be transferred to Norway (including whether it will be a monthly amount or a single payment).

We urge everyone to allow plenty of time for their application. In order to avoid unnecessary case processing delays, it is important to take care when completing the application form and to include all the requested documentation.

Permit holder’s entitlement

• The residence permit is granted for the duration of the course of study.
• On application, the permit may entitle the holder to work part-time. 
• The permit does not constitute grounds for a settlement permit.
• Family members may come to Norway under the rules for family immigration. If the family’s application is submitted at the same time as the application for the principal person, these will be processed together.

Can the permit be extended or renewed?

The permit may be renewed. An application for renewal must be submitted at least one month before the current permit expires. The application must be submitted to the police in the district where you live. You must also pay a fee when applying for renewal.

For a renewal, you must provide confirmation of the funds in your Norwegian bank account (bank statement) as at the first of every month, for the past six months.

Can I appeal against a decision?

If your application for a residence permit is rejected, you may appeal against this decision. If you appeal, your application will be re-examined by the UDI.

The UDI may reverse the decision and grant the requested permit. If the UDI upholds the decision, the case is sent on to the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) for new consideration.

Lifted info by: 

Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.DI

George Bush: Justice was done!

 Mr Bush

The US President George W Bush  is reported to have said that, “he wished the execution of ex-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had been more dignified but insisted that justice was done.”

However, he says he expects that the Iraqi authorities will conduct, “full investigation” of the way the execution had been carried out.”

According to Bush, “Saddam Hussein had been given justice that, “the thousands of people he killed had not”.

Saddam Hussein was told to go to hell while dangling hanging by the neck. Those present took revenge by filming him using their mobile phones and have distributed the images on the internet.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc

Bush getting close to Merkel, but not too close as Clinton and Lewinsky!

 <Mr Bush and Mrs Merkel in smiles and kisses to cement good working relationship!

When George Bush was attending the G8 summit last July in Russia, he raised eyebrows when he started massaging Mrs Merkel who was seated when he passed behind her.

Now we can see that they have established very close warm working relationship. It is reported that when Bush massaged Merkel’s shoulders, “She initially threw her arms up and grimaced, then smiled when he let go.”

Later in the US, George Bush promised Mrs Merkel that there will be “No back rubs,” anymore. But now only chick to chick!

BBC reports that, “last year’s impromptu massage from the US commander-in-chief ended up becoming one of the most popular video clips on the internet.

 Hopefully the kisses, and hugs will not be compared to that of Lewinsky. Lewinsky’s kisses and hugs with former US president Bill Clinton caused a lot of controversy in the US and almost cost Clinton his top job. 

The war in Iraq damaged the relationship between the US and Germany. The relationship between the two nations, “hit stormy weather under the previous chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, but has improved since Mrs Merkel took over in 2005.”

Mrs Merkel is now the head of G8 summit. She has also taken over leadership of EU as chairperson. She will be chairperson for six months.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc

Mubarak angered by the way Saddam Hussein was treated during the hanging.

<Hosni Mubarak! 

 BBC reports that circumstances of Saddam Hussein’s hanging turned the former Iraqi leader to become a martyr according to Egypts’s leader Hosni Mubarak.

The media reports that, “Mr Mubarak said the unofficial pictures that emerged of the event were revolting and barbaric. The chaotic scenes at the execution, during which Saddam was taunted, have been condemned across the world.”

Mr Mubarak’c country is, “a key regional ally of the US and one of only two Arab states to have signed a peace deal with Israel. Mr Mubarak also revealed that he had sent a message to US President George W Bush to urge him not to allow the execution to take place during the Eid al-Adha, the Islamic feast that marks the end of the Hajj.”

Washington officials are distancing, “themselves from the way in which the execution was carried out, but insisted that justice was served.”

The Americans, however, must have known that the ruling government in Iraq wanted Saddam dead and would not show him any respect when hanging him.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc

Tribalism – The cancer in Kenyan politics

Why is it that we do not have tribes in Europe or in the whole of the western world? How come few people question  a news story describing an African individual as a tribesman or a tribeswoman or the depiction of an African`s motives as tribal? This is a discussion that l will return to on another day. I can only lament that colonial goverments told Africans that they came in tribes and since then we have fought and even killed each other in the name of protecting our tribes.The tribal factor has dictated how kenyans vote since 1957 when they first directly elected Africans to the legislative council. Today politicians are quick to brand others tribalists while they openly tell their prospective voters that “We must stick together if we want to have our own in the State House”

We cannot deny the fact that Kenya`s population is among the most diverse in Africa but that does not mean that Kenyans cannot exist as one people. Some like David G Mailu believe that the country by nature is a federal state of tribes. Which they see as a hindrance to Kenyans consolidating their identity. Yes, Kenya is a recent creation of European colonizers but it has nevertheless defined its identity and its the work of politicians to ensure that Kenyans proudly embrace it.

As elections are approaching kenyans are daily being reminded not to forget `their people`. Other tribes are pointed at as enemies. For example l am willing to put it in writing that no Luo will vote for a kikuyu candidate and no Kikuyu will vote for a Luo in the coming elections. That is the reality but its also a sad reality.

 

By Eman Emali, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no, emali@online.no