The two nuns abducted in Mandera district Monday by armed bandits are in Somalia.
Kenyan security forces confirmed that they were pursuing the kidnappers but said no progress had been made.
A top police official told AFP that they were collaborating with village elders in Somalia to negotiate with the bandits to release them.
The nuns were captured in Elwak in an early morning attack that saw the bandits make away with three vehicles, two of them belonging to the government and the other belonging to a school.
The nuns now confirmed as members of the little sisters of Jesus order were Identified as Caterina Giruado, 67, and Maria Teresa Oliviero, 61, both natives of Italy.
Elwak is one of the several frontier hotspots where two rival Somali clans have been fighting for years over access to water and pasture prompting the government to launch a crackdown.
Armed Somali gangs have carried out scores of kidnappings in recent months, targeting either foreigners or Somalis working with international organizations to demand ransom.
Aid groups said at least 24 aid workers, 20 of them Somalis had been killed so far in Somalia, with more than 100 attacks against Aid agencies.
Tension is reported to be high in the area following the attack.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Pirates hijacked a Philippines chemical tanker with 23 crew near Somalia, bringing the total number of attacks in waters off the impoverished African nation this year to 83, a maritime official said Tuesday.
The tanker was heading to Asia when it was seized Monday in the Gulf of Aden by pirates armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.
In Manila, Foreign Ministry spokesman Claro Cristobal said the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi and the ship’s operator identified the chemical tanker as the MT Stolt Strength.
All 23 seamen on board are Filipino and are “reportedly unharmed,” he said, adding that Philippine authorities are coordinating with the ship’s operator to secure the early safe release of the vessel and crew.
Choong said there was an attempted attack the same day on a refrigerated cargo ship in eastern Somalia, but the vessel managed to escape with evasive maneuvering. The ship flies a Saudi flag but is operated out of Britain.
Separately, the Indian navy said its marine commandos operating from a warship prevented pirates from hijacking an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
Choong said the bureau was still verifying the attack with the Indian ship owner. He said there were several other attempted attacks Tuesday, but details are still being ascertained.
The bureau has issued an urgent warning to ships to take extra measures to deter pirates even while sailing in a corridor of the gulf patrolled by a multinational naval force.
“The corridor is protected, but safe passage is not 100 percent guaranteed. The patrol boats cannot be everywhere at the same time. The ship master must maintain a strict radar watch for pirates,” he said.
Many ships have managed to fend off pirate attacks after seeking help from the coalition forces, he added.
NATO has sent three ships to the Gulf of Aden — one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes — to help the U.S. Navy in anti-piracy patrols and to escort cargo vessels.
The European Union has said at least four warships backed by aircraft will begin policing the dangerous waters in December. The EU flotilla will eventually take over the NATO patrols.
Despite the increased security, attacks have continued unabated off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has had no functioning government since 1991.
As of Monday, there have been 83 attacks this year in Somali waters, with 33 ships hijacked. Twelve vessels remain in the hands of pirates along with more than 200 crew, Choong said, most notably a Ukrainian freighter loaded with tanks and weapons seized Sept. 25.
___
Associated Press writer Oliver Teves in Manila contributed to this report.
Each day, one million South Africans get a text message that reads something like this:
Frequently sick, tired, losing weight and scared that you might be HIV positive? Please call AIDS Helpline 0800012322.
It’s part of Project Masiluleke — which means “hope” and “warm counsel” in Zulu — a plan to use mobile phones to encourage South Africans to test for HIV. It is believed to be the largest mobile communication campaign for health promotion ever attempted.
South Africa has an estimated six million people infected with HIV, according to the United Nations. And almost 90 percent of South Africans have mobile phones with plans that include free “please call me” text messages.
Encouraging people to get tested is a challenge in a country where stigma and shame accompanies a positive diagnosis. Project Masiluleke will offer South Africans discretion and privacy to get tested, treatment options and counseling.
Initial results have been encouraging. During three weeks of usability testing in October, Project Masiluleke helped increase daily call volume to the National AIDS Helpline in Johannesburg by nearly 200 percent, according to National Geographic.
As CNET reports, “This isn’t the first time cell phones have been employed in the battle against AIDS. In August, a catchy ‘condom, condom’ ringtone made its debut as part of a three-year ad campaign aimed at making condom use more socially acceptable in India.”
Project Masiluleke is another good demonstration of how mobile phones can be used for the public good. Let’s hope it encourages South Africans to take control of their health and pursue the care they need.
Nigeria President Umaru Yar Adua has asked his lawyers to sue an Abuja-based newspaper after it reported the president was seriously ill and has not been seen in public in the past two days. Gilbert da Costa has more for VOA in this report from Abuja.
A Nigerian presidency statement said there was no truth in the report in the Leadership newspaper and it was part of a plot to embarrass the president and destabilize his administration. It said the president had persistently faced, what the statement described as, malicious rumors and outright falsehoods about his state of health.
President Umaru Yar ‘Adua is known to have a chronic kidney problem. His health has been a source of constant speculation in the Nigerian media and opposition politicians have voiced concern about whether he is fit enough to govern.
Abuja-based lawyer and political analyst Maxi Okwu says there is a need for clarity on the state of the president’s health, and that suing a newspaper is not the way to do it.
“The threat by the president to sue a paper for making a statement on a matter of public interest is an empty threat,” said Okwu. “Let him not hide behind the fact that he has immunity from personal prosecution or litigation against his person to intimidate a public institution like a newspaper that should inform the public. The matter of his health is a matter for public interest, and it is because he shrouded it in mystery that the matter is escalating.”
Recently, a privately-owned television station was shut for days for reporting that President Yar’Adua may step down due to ill-health.
In the middle of last year’s electoral campaign, Mr. Yar’Adua had to be evacuated to Germany for a few days with a health scare. He has since returned to Germany on several occasions for medical check-ups.
President Yar’Adua’s victory in April 2007 polls has been challenged at the Supreme Court by his two main rivals.
Eighteen months into his presidency, Mr. Yar’Adua is struggling to make good on promises to establish law and order and use the country’s oil wealth to make it one of the world’s top economies.
CAIRO, EGYPT (AFP) – Sunni Islam’s highest authority has approved a woman’s right to fight back if her husband uses violence against her, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported on Monday.
The declaration by Sheikh Abdel Hamid Al-Atrash, who heads Al-Azhar University’s committee for fatwas, or religious edicts, comes after similar rulings by religious leaders in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
“A wife has the legitimate right to hit her husband in order to defend herself,” Atrash was quoted as saying.
“Everyone has the right to defend themselves, whether they are a man or a woman… because all human beings are equal before God,” he said.
Over the last few days, Saudi Sheikh Abdel Mohsen Al-Abyakan stressed the fact that a wife should resort to “the same kind of violence” as her husband used against her, whether it be with a leather strap or a wire cable, the paper said.
Prominent Turkish Muslim preacher and writer Fethullah Gulen went one step further and ruled that a woman should return the violence with interest.
“She should give back two blows for each one received,” the paper quoted him as saying.
Rights groups quoted by Amnesty International say that 35 percent of Egyptian women killed each year die as a result of domestic violence. –AFP
DENVER, COLORADO – Art for Ethiopia, our fundraising art sale/auction for Children’s Heaven that was held this past Saturday, November 8th in Denver was a SMASHING success!!! Not only was the event attended by hundreds of people, but we were able to exceed our own fundraising expectations and raise over $12,000!! Hanna Fanta, director of Children’s Heaven, was moved to tears when she found out how much people contributed towards her project of building a permanent community center for her girls’ programs. We were also moved by everyone’s generosity as well as the time commitment, enthusiasm, and dedication shown by the volunteers and board members who made the event happen. Special thanks to Tracy Stevens for planting the seed of inspiration that blossomed into this amazing event. Also thanks to volunteers Shawn Rodda, Emily Barr, Katie Bell, Becky Mitchell, Greg Cradick, Valerie Photogoddess, Jasmine Champion, Ellen Yeiser, Lisa Wells, Katie Bradford, Heidi, and Hanna Fanta for all you did!! And thanks to Board members Dawn and Paige for travelling out to the event. It was great to have you here!
Here are some stories from Hanna’s children to give you an idea of what these girls face every day in their lives:
Tigst Shewangizaw age 10 lost her mother and lives with her older sister who is eleven. Her 11 year old sister is the one who is taking care of her and herself. Tigist has lost a lot of weight because of malnutrition for she has no one to look after them. She wants to be a doctor.
Asefu H/Mariam, age 11, lost both her parents and she now lives with her aunt. When we met her she works during the day time and goes to school at night. Assefu baby sits her niece and does chores in the house. We made a deal to her aunt for her to go to school during the day time. She now goes to school during the day time and is very happy. She wants to be a teacher.
Bethlehem Jafar, age 11 lost her father and lives with her mom. She was raped when she was seven years old. She did not get any help to cope with the tragedy. Bethlehem has aggressive behaviour because of the incident. She wants to be a pilot.
Haymanot Sisay, age 11, lost both her parents. She is HIV+ and gets sick more often. After her parents died, she started to live with her aunt. In her new family she gets a lot of stigma and labor work. She used to work hard and do many chores in order to live with her aunt and be able to go to school. Her aunt finally wanted her to leave her house for no reason and she is now staying at Children’s Heaven shelter for she has no one to take care of her. She wants to be a singer.
