Mshale

Mary Mkisii is a citizen of Liberia who has lived in the United States under a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) since 1993. During her stay in Minnesota, she has earned a nursing degree, bought a home and raised three beautiful daughters. A friend approaches her with a business proposal: an auto repair garage across the street is on sale for a “bargain $200,000.” Would she like to buy it?

You must file a tax return if your income is above a certain level. The amount varies depending on filing status, age and the type of income you receive.

The IRS uses the following income thresholds to determine whether you must file a federal income tax return for 2007.

Up-and-coming Tanzanian moviemaker and Minnesota resident, Josiah Kibira, is working on finishing touches for his third movie shot on location in his country of birth. The title of his movie is “Bongoland II,” which he describes as being about “looking at us (Africans)in our own backyard.”

“We are questioning how we do things and why we accept things the way they are just because someone is afraid to scream –‘the emperor is naked,’” says Kibira.

NEW YORK – To mark the 20th annual World AIDS Day, top United Nations officials called for renewed leadership to tackle the global HIV and AIDS epidemic which has already claimed over 25 million lives worldwide.

Calling AIDS “a disease unlike any other,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need for strong leadership in a number of areas.

“Without it, we will never get ahead of the epidemic,” Ban said.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. – Kerper A. Dwanyen’s rivals in the Organization of Liberians in Minnesota’s presidential elections must have know very early that he was the man to beat. Perhaps that is why, a few weeks before the Dec. 2 elections, some of his opponents renewed accusations that as the leader of the Nimba Redemption Council, during Liberia’s civil war, Dwanyen had been involved in atrocities against innocent civilians.

The Internet Society has awarded pioneering Internet engineer Nii Quaynor the prestigious Jonathan B. Postel Service Award for 2007 for his leadership in advancing Internet technology in Africa and galvanizing technologists to improve Internet access and capabilities throughout the continent.

The Internet Society presented the award, including a $20,000 [USD] honorarium, during the 70th meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Dr. Quaynor has selflessly pioneered Internet development and expansion throughout Africa for nearly two decades, enabling profound advances in information access, education, healthcare and commerce for African countries and their citizens, said Internet Society president Lynn St. Amour.

It's Saturday night and I've just walked into Blue Nile Restaurant. Bebe Cool, Uganda's talented Ragga artist will be performing later tonight, and I have no notion of what to expect. At the moment, DJ Kevo from Kenya is at the turntables enticing the crowd to the dance floor.
   

MINNEAPOLIS – A top University of Minnesota official in charge of reaching out to underrepresented communities said today that the institution was far from achieving its goal of a diverse student body, faculty and staff, and appealed to ethnic media to help.

MINNEAPOLIS – The wife of Democratic presidential aspirant Barack Obama urged a group of community organizers in Minneapolis Wednesday to step up their campaign to educate people on the importance of participating in the political process.

While at a Christian retreat, in Kenya in 1988, Christian Mungai, Harry Mwaura Kiiru, Kanjii Mbugua and Kaima Mwiti met and struck a friendship. Unbeknownst to them, ten years later in California, this friendship would lead to the birth of "Milele" (Swahili for Forever), a gospel singing group and set them on a journey of performing and ministering around the world.

MINNEAPOLIS – It is obvious when listening to Yohannes Tona’s compositions that he draws his music from everywhere. Born into a gospel musical family in Shashamane, 150 miles from Addis Ababa, Yohannes has wanted to play the guitar for as long as he can remember. His late father was an organist, while his mother was a renowned gospel vocalist. Apart from gospel music, his other influences growing up were traditional Ethiopian music, reggae and beats from West Africa.