IMalawian Zomba Prison Music Band Nominated for a Grammy Award

Inmates of the Malawi high-security jail, the Zomba prison band have not only produced an album called "I Have No Everything Here," they're also up for a grammy nomination in February.

 The Zombie prison band who are inmates of the Zomba high-security prison in Malawi

 The maximum security prison in Zomba, Malawi is not the sort of place where Grammy-nominated albums are typically recorded. But a group of Zomba’s inmates, many of them serving life sentences for offences including murder and theft, have found themselves nominated for a the prestigious awards in the best world music album category.

 Announced last week, the group known as the Zomba Prison Band, are joined on the shortlist by some of world music’s biggest stars; Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Angelique Kidjo, Gilberto Gil and Anoushka Shankar. 

Ian Brennan, who produced the album, said; "I was shocked. Absolutely shocked… The other four nominated artists all have roots that go back decades, so to see this group of completely unknown people from what is really a lesser known country get recognised is really humbling."  Recorded in the summer of 2013, 16 inmates wrote and performed the songs for the album, "I Have No Everything Here". They are the first Malawian musicians to be nominated at the prestigious Grammys. But Brennan doesn’t know if the prisoners involved have been informed of their historic nomination, as all communication with them must go through the prison commissioner or local NGOs.

 

Zomba Prison Project - I Have No Everything Here (CD)

 

 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014

Bloggies Finalist)

How Pro-Biafra Agitators Take Over Lagos in Massive Protest for Nnamdi Kanu

Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have staged a protest in Lagos today. We bring to you all the photos from the peaceful protest in Nigeria's commercial city.

 As they continue to demand for the unconditional release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) staged a protest in Lagos today. 

 Yesterday, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) issued a warning to members of MASSOB and IPOB who were reportedly plotting to hold protests in the State.

 The Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, also took to his Twitter page to state that the state will deal with anyone who attempts to breach the peace. "We must put together our resources and stand firm in our resolve to confront and eliminate those that continue to test our collective peace," he Tweeted.

 Well, few hours ago, the pro-Biafran group members peacefully took to the streets in some parts of Lagos to continue the agitation for the sovereign nation of Biafra.

 Below are the photos some of the members shared on social media;

 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

DSS Drops Charges Against Nnamdi Kanu in Magistrate Court

The Department of State Services has elected to withdraw the case at the lower court for a higher court, which has jurisdiction to entertain charges bordering on terrorism, to take over.

 

Shuaibu Usman, magistrate of the chief magistrate court, Wuse zone 2, Abuja, on Wednesday discharged Nnamdi Kanu, director of Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on all counts of criminal conspiracy and ownership of an unlawful society brought against him by the federal government.

 After holding that the government had dropped the charges against Kanu, the judge ruled: “The accused person is hereby discharged and the case struck out.”

 The government through its agent, the Department of State Services (DSS), had elected to withdraw the case at the lower court for a higher court, which has jurisdiction to entertain charges bordering on terrorism, to take over. Usman was scheduled to deliver judgment on the application of the DSS on December 1, but he put it off until December 16.

 The DSS has held Kanu for at least 90 days despite an order of the magistrate court granting him bail in October.

 After the lower court granted him bail, the secret police got an order of the federal high court, Abuja, to keep the leader of IPOB in detention.

 But his lawyer, Vincent Obetta, filed a counter application, seeking bail for the accused person. Adeniyi Ademola, justice of the federal high court, Abuja, is expected to rule on the bail application on Thursday.

 A wave of protests, engineered by IPOB, had swept through the southeast a few days ago owing to the continued detention of Kanu.

 IPOB is demanding an immediate and unconditional release of its leader.

 

Source: TheCable

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Bishop Kukah Urges Nigerian President to Dialogue With Pro-Biafra Groups

 Highly revered Catholic Bishop, Hassan Kukah has spoken out about the pro-Biafra agitations that has been staring up disturbances in recent times in Nigeria.

President Buhari and Bishop Kukah

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, has advised the Federal Government to handle the pro-Biafra agitation with utmost care, stating that the agitators were entitled to their request, therefore, must not be crucified for it.
According to Daily Post, Kuka called on the government to draw the leader of the group close and dialogue with him, instead of force.  Speaking on the topic: “The Pursuit of Happiness: Some Thoughts On Human Rights, Freedom And Justice In Nigeria,” at the 41st Convocation Lecture of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the priest urged President Muhammadu Buhari to have a round table discussion with Kanu and his fellow activists, in order to maintain peace.
Kuka who stressed that the arrest of Kanu by security operatives resulted in heavy protests across the globe, affirmed that no governor in Nigeria could command the number of people that the pro-Biafra leader brought out without any form of inducement.
He said: “This country cannot continue this way. The Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has the right to seek Biafra since we have freedom of expression. The problem of Nigeria should not be with Kanu but with those who let the door open.
“The President of Nigeria or any governor, unless he pays, cannot bring the number of people that Kanu brought out.

“The anxiety of Nigeria should be that a young man (Kanu) who can bring out this great number of people is worth doing business with.”
The bishop called on Nigerians, especially politicians, to discard lust for power and greed for material gain, saying they do not bring happiness.
He said: “The world can provide for the need of everybody but cannot provide for the greed of everybody.”

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Yahya Jammeh Declares the Gambia An Islamic Republic

The President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh has declared the formerly circular country an Islamic Republic.

President Yahya Jammeh

Gambia’s president has declared the tiny West African country an Islamic republic, saying the decision was made because Islam is the religion of the majority of its citizens and to break from the nation’s colonial past.  According to Arab News, President Yahya Jammeh made the declaration Friday at the end of a political rally held on the coastal village Brufut, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of the capital, Banjul.  “In line with the country’s religious identity and values, I proclaim Gambia as an Islamic state,” the Gambian leader told his supporters.
 

About 90 percent of Gambia’s 1.8 million people are Muslim. Jammeh was making a declaration about the republic, and was not declaring it in line with the jihadist organization known as the Daesh group.  “Gambia cannot afford to continue the colonial legacy,” Jammeh said.

 In an attempt to allay the fears of religious minorities, Jammeh said the rights of Gambia’s Christian community will be protected.

Jammeh said that there will be no mandates on dress. “We will be an Islamic state that would respect the rights of all citizens and non-citizens.”  The head of the country’s Islamic body wouldn’t say if he endorsed the declaration.  “We haven’t met yet to discuss over the presidential announcement,” said Gambia’s Supreme Islamic Council Chairman Imam Momodou Lamin Touray.  Hamat Bah of the opposition National Reconciliation Party criticized the decision. “There is a constitutional clause that says that Gambia is a secular state,” he said. “You cannot make such a declaration without going through a referendum.”

 Gambia is a popular beach destination for British tourists although Jammeh’s government has been regularly criticized by Britain and other Western powers for human rights abuses. Jammeh has ruled Gambia since seizing power in 1994.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Why Men Will Continue to be Babies in the Hands of Women!

 What is all the fuss about the female mammary gland, many have wondered. From time immemorial men have always been fascinated by the woman's breasts as explored by this writer.

In the battle of the sexes one advantage women will always have over the men is their boobs! Simple as it is. it is very comical how seemingly intelligent men turn into whimpering teenage boys at the sight of a well-stacked women. I thought I’d heard and seen everything for and against the mammary gland until recently when I was in the midst of ‘matured’ men who amused themselves by analysing the anatomy of female guests at a wedding.
“What’s so special about a pair of boobs?” I asked Supo, one of these men.  He had bragged he was strictly a boobs man. Actually, most men do.I agreed with him, swearing that a woman without `more bounce to the once’, has virtually lost her femininity!  “Are you serious?” he wanted to know.

 “Do you know of any otheraphrodisiac that’s been around since God created man that generates as much excitement as a pair of boobs? It is not as if they’ve suddenly arrived out of nowhere you know? All warm. All soft. And pleasing to touch! New toys for the beautiful generations to play with! To make it more interesting, you get them in various shapes and sizes.
“My fIrst fascination with boobs started in my second year in secondary school. I was only 14 then and our housemaid allowed me to do it to her. She must have noticed me lusting after her and decided to take me out of my misery! There I was. a pubescent boy confronted with a pair of knockers. She was huge. Just huge! I had never seen a pair of boobs like hers in all my life. And I’d seen my mother’s and my elder sister’s. Her own (the maid’s) just bulged from everywhere. Over. Under, Between. Great trembling folds of flesh like a set jelly that you shake around. Terrific! You could put your head between them and blot out the world!
“She never bothered to keep them under wraps either. always throwing open her wrapper to re-tie! She taught me how to hold them. Kiss them. the biggest ice cream ever invented! It was years later that I wondered where she learnt the tricks from – my dad or my brother? Like I said. the housemaid made sure that I enjoyed the wonder of her boobs. She wriggled as I eagerly followed her lead. The heat of the excitement I felt sent a shock right through my school-boy’s body. I was a man. I had made it! Her buba opened and wrapper tossed aside with careless abandon. I held my first whole woman cushion against my chest and I was drunk with lust.

“And I think I hung on to her breasts all the way through my bumbling sex act. Hung on like my whole life depended on it. Eyes screwed tight and shut in ecstatic wonder, I had absolutely no technique. But we got by. From that day on. I was hooked. I stole food and money for her and gladly helped with some of her chores – and she was generously grateful! Muti (that’s the maid’s name), wherever you are today. I thank you for my first launch through space. Since her. and that was a couple of decades back. I’d been hooked on boobs. If you haven’t got them. forget it. Having no boobs is like having a bottle of wine without a cork-screw – how do you get to enjoy the wine?”
In case you men out there have conveniently forgotten. boobs are not really for your benefits, you know? Actually, they are to nourish your offsprings into responsible adults.’ Instead of latching on to your partner’s boobs all of the time, consider the poor mite for whose sole purpose the boobs are intended.
"I’m a boobs man” Ike, a mechanical engineer bragged. ‘and when my wife had our first son, I became jealous of him. Her boobs were fun and oozing milk and he was attached to her chest, sucking away with careless abandon. Could breast milk be tastier than the milk we all knew? Why was the baby in such rapture – over his milk? I was itching to find out. That night. I crawled up to my wife in bed. sort out her boobs and tried sucking them as our son did, hoping to get as much pleasure as he did from her milk.

 “Yuck!, the milk tasted very unpalatable and I almost spit it out. What could anyone find enjoyable in that?” I gently reminded him that boobs are to provide infants with nourishment, not give grown-up kids the time of their life!

 

Culled from Vanguard

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Nigerian Troops Arrest Shi'te Leader, Elzakzaky

Nigerian army has arrested Leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky after raiding his house.

Sheikh Ibrahim Elzakzaky

 

The leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, a Shi’te Islamic group in Nigeria, Sheikh  Ibrahim Elzakzaky, has been arrested by Nigerian troops, following a siege on his Zaria residence.
According to Premium Times, inside sources in the sect’s hierarchy revealed that a top leader of the movement, Muhammadu Turi, and the head of the medical team of the sect, Mustapha Saidu, and several others were killed during the siege.
The Nigerian Army and members of the sect have accused each other of instigating attacks that led to the death of members of the movement on Saturday.
While the Army accused the Shiite followers of attempting to assassinate Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, the Islamic movement said soldiers simply decided to attack “defenseless people”.
It was gathered that the Nigerian troops sustained a crackdown on the members of the sect throughout the night as heavy shootings and sounds of explosions were heard in Gellesu and Sokoto Road, where Hussainiyya – the spiritual centre of the sect – is located.
Residents of the area said that they saw armoured tanks demolishing the Hussainiyya shrine and the residence of the leader of the sect.
A source at the military hospital in Chindit Barracks Depot of the Nigerian Army, Zaria revealed that they received 19 bodies of people killed in the encounter.

The spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, could not be reached for comment and is yet to release a statement on the arrest.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Buhari Shuns Sylva Over Violent Bayelsa Poll

 resident Buhari has expressed his disappointment in the outcome of the recently held gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State in his refusal to meet with his party's flag bearer, Timipre Sylva.

APC gubernatorial candidate, Timipre Sylva

Efforts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, to have audience with President Muhammadu Buhari may have been  rebuffed, reports Vanguard'
A source in the Presidency stated that Buhari was not happy with the APC in Bayelsa  and  Sylva over alleged  pockets of violence during the rescheduled election in Southern Ijaw LGA.

The source stated, "Mr. President is angry over the overwhelming criticism and condemnation of the process by international observers, who did not mince words in describing the poll as a rape of democracy.

“Some of the observers are already seeing the APC-led Federal Government as lacking the capacity to conduct a free, fair and credible election in a state as small as Bayelsa. What happened in Southern Ijaw was  against every acceptable global democratic norm and practice.”

 It would be recalled that Bayelsa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr. Baritor Kpagih, on Monday, December 7 canceled and suspended indefinitely, gubernatorial election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area following allegations of irregularities, violence by both the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Cameroonians Must Hear This..Lastest Gossips from Cameroon-Writtam-pen

 Writtam-pen

Alice Sadio enters Ben Muna's shoes as APF strong woman

My People, happy Sunday to you all. I salute everyone! Last week when I said that this country is under the weather some people who are on the wrong side of the law to have contributed to the chaos could not permit my handset to relax. I was obliged to swift off my phone to preserve my battery. Do not be afraid. Am I not a free man and by the way, who is going to arm-twist with me? They are the ones who are trying to camouflage the skeletons in their cupboard not me. I hear Alliance of Progressive Forces-APF dished bitter democratic lessons to Popol and John Ntarinkon and other life Presidents of political parties in Cameroon. However, I know that my detractors will climb on tree tops to protect the epileptic S and C. Will Paul and John clean from this? Na another Five Francs Kweshion this, abeg let me borrow from my friend Clovis Atatah’s ingenuity. That Ben Muna stepped aside for democracy to prevail is food for thought noor? A woman is now the chairlady of AFP. BRAVO Madam Alice SADIO and thank you Ben for taking the advice to leave the stage before nemesis could catch up with you. Let me also use this opportunity to congratulate my friend Gerard Philippe Kuissu Mephou who was also elected Assistant Secretary General of AFP. Thumbs up Gerard. This is happening when Chop People Dem Money party reorganization just ended with fighting, boxing and scheming in Bertoua, Buea etc. And also when John Ntarinkon's Suffer Don Finish is suffocating with a Secretary General. Politics for this country na awarawa. Let nobody ask me why up to now John Ntarinkon has not appointed a new ever since Eliza resigned.

I say ehn! FECAFOOT don turn na FECAFOOD. Another incident has just happened that makes me not a hundred percent with this country.  In fact, I do not know whether I should be crying or smiling over the issue. What I have observed is that the main problem our football managers-FECAFOOD is that of marginalization. The latest scandal of the week is that Masso Yo, the chairman of the Normalization Committee of FECAFOOD, oh sorry I mean FECAFOOT was grilled at the Special Criminal Court on how the gombo daglocked for the football jamboree in Brazil was used.

You must have heard the latest scandal between John Beginning and Atangana the Nji from Bamenda. The cooked up interviewed that wrapped my friend Choves Loh. And for your information, FECAFOOD is a chop-pot reserve only for Frogs and not Anglos. They have officially declared the Cameroon food-ball (I mean football) federation is a no go zone for Anglos. Remember no English Speaking media organ features on the list of names of media organs submitted to FIFA to cover the last June 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Is this not another mark of gross marginalization? Or could we call it tribalism? Remember that the same Frogs used John Beginning to chase away Iya Mohammed. When time came for JB to take over the management of FECAFOOD, Massa Yo cooked up a scheme with the royal blessings of Sebb Blatter (trapped in fraude) to dive in through the window under the guise of Normalization Committee. I think if you have never ever heard of a country where meritocracy is a taboo, come closer to Cameroon and you will be able to write books.  Now it is Mbarga of Mboa who is using Atanga the Nji, an Anglo to nail JB.

 I don bad for Prime Minister Yang e village. Guess what? JB has vowed that he will take Cameroon Tribune to court. Hahaha, I hope Peter Esoka will also shutdown Cameroon Tribune..

God’s time they say is the best. You know Popol always spring surprises. Last week, Popol was in Paris and he became the advocate for the Lake Chad basin. Chai this Pa na pepper. I wish he sanctioned all the CPDM MPs who rejected Hon. Mbaya’s Private Member Bill on water catchment protection. Popol is now a climate change campaigner; he has joined Awudu, Njamshi and Elvis Paul Tangem to advocate for a sane environment. I hope you all heard him in Paris, he even told eyibos about Vision 2035.

I almost forgot about the trumpeted sacking of the VC of the University of Bamenda, Edokat. I hear it is hot. The minister that ordered that his office should be sealed, guarded and then the Osheinization of UBa stopped.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

SURUDEV Gets Global Green Grant to Implement Conservation Practices in Kom-Wum Forest

SURUDEV Director Kari at Bongom Onion Bio Farms

A Bamenda based organization has been awarded over $ 17000 to carryout biodiversity conservation in the Oom-Wum forest in Menchum Division of the North West Region.

The project which is aimed at conserving the Pan troglodytes ellioti in the Oom-wum forest also engages adjacent forest users in alternative income generation activities, tree planting, sensitization of some 10.000 community members with chimp posters, junior secondary school students with chimp handbooks, reconnaissance survey of Chimp nests among other activities. Kari Jackson says this is the only generation that is feeling the impacts of climate change and that something has to be done about conservation practices if not this generation will have nothing to hand to the next one. “How can we fight the phenomenon of poaching, illegal logging, poor farming, forest encroachment without involving those whose mindsets are still a threat to these forests and its biodiversity? Remember you cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them and you help them to understand that these resources are their own and they must protect them” Kari added. He also expressed gratitude to the commitment of the Arcus foundation, for supporting SURUDEV efforts in encouraging biodiversity conservation in the Bamenda highlands. He said that SURUDEV Bio Farms-Bongom continues to inspire youths and communities in practicalities in mitigating climate change. “After harvesting our onions of over 10 tons, we have earmarked to kick start water melon harvesting next week. Sales are encouraging and we intend to train more widows in the upcoming season and plant more 2000 trees”. According to Kari Jackson, the bio farms have enabled them to raise enough funds to be able hire office spaces in Bamenda and Nkambe. He said SURUDEV will equally be launching a new and more flexible web site www.surudev.org, was well as kickstart an e-newsletter as well as a print newsletter. These, he emphasized is aimed at highlighting the works of SURUDEV, other international and local environmental news that is vital for the community. And he concluded that this year was a very successful year for SURUDEV “and we hope to do better next year given that we served some communities with over 10 projects and hope to improve on our services and the number of communities too”.

Pictures below show the results of the first onion harvested at Bongom thanks to the efforts of SURUDEV Bio Farms (Farmers introduced to the marketing gardening of a crop they thought could never grow in their area)

 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Boko Haram's Top Commander Named 'Naira' Napped

 Cameroon has apprehended a top Boko Haram commander who has contributed immensely to the organized bloody attacks of the sect.

Cameroonian security agents have arrested a Boko Haram top shot known as Suleiman Shehu aka Naira.
He was arrested on Thursday in Double near Mora, Cameroon. News of his arrest was broken by Cameroonian journalist and blogger, Bisong Etahoben, on Twitter.
The journalist also reported that Niger is to hand over 457 identified Boko Haram insurgents held in three detention centres in Niamey, Kolo and Kutukale to Nigerian authorities

 

Source: New Telegraph

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Former Nigerian President Replaces Bill Clinton As Keynote Speaker At U.S Event

Former president Goodluck Jonathan has been chosen to succeed former U.S. president Bill Clinton as the keynote speaker at a popular U.S. event.

Goodluck Jonathan

The immediate past Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has been chosen to present the keynote address at the 2016 Hope Global Forums conference, billed to hold in the second week of January in Atlanta, United States, U.S.
Last year at the 2015 edition of the event which attracted over 3, 000 leaders from 40 countries, former U.S President, Bill Clinton had performed a role similar to the one expected of Jonathan.
The Hope Global Forum is an annual event that convenes thousands of thought leaders, business professionals and public policy officials from many countries to brainstorm on ways of advancing the social and economic well-being of all people around the world.  Daily Sun reports that the letter of invitation, detailing Jonathan for the assignment, was jointly signed by Operation Hope chief executive: John Hope Bryant, the group’s spokesman, Andrew Young, and the Mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed.
The trio urged the former president to lend his support to an entrepreneurship mentoring programme, by sharing his experience in office with a wider global audience.
The invitation letter reads in part: “As someone recognised for his leadership and vision in Nigeria and abroad, we are personally requesting your attendance. It is important for us that your influential voice and perspective be included as we drive a global conversation.
“We invite you to join Fortune 500 CEO’s, private investors, financial leaders and government officials to connect and collaborate on this vision.

“With the theme ‘Reimagining the Global Economy: Inclusive Economics’, the annual meeting is set against the backdrop of the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend and gathers leaders from government, community and the private sector to outline a vision for the modern global; economy; A vision where the undeserved, working poor and struggling middle class are viewed as untapped assets for economic growth, entrepreneurship and job creation.
“The powerful history of Atlanta as the ‘Cradle of the Civil Rights Movement’ serves as a catalyst for our gathering, highlighting the unfinished work of economic self-reliance launched by Dr. King prior to his death. We will honour that legacy with a series of activities for our guests, including ‘white glove’ viewing of Dr. King’s papers.”

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Second Version of Paris Outcome Text Issued – But a Deal is Still Far Away

Paris, 11 Dec (Meena Raman and Hilary Chiew) – The second version of the draft Paris Outcome was presented to Parties at the end of a brief meeting of the Paris Committee under the UNFCCC on evening Thursday, 10 December, by COP21 President, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
The first version of the draft Paris Outcome, encompassing the post-2020 agreement and an accompanying decision which includes decisions relating to pre-2020 actions, was issued on Wednesday, 9 December.  The new iteration of the text, which was initially scheduled to be provided in the afternoon of 10 December was only made available at 9 pm.
At this fifth meeting of the Paris Committee that was established on Saturday (5 December), COP21 President Fabius said after significant work and a series of consultations, Parties can now move to a decisive step.
Together with the Secretariat, he said, the text was prepared to reach balance, impartiality and reconciled positions. The text is shorter although brackets remain around complex issues, he said, citing issues of finance, differentiation and ambition which will see more consultation in these final hours of the COP.
(The new text was reduced from 29 to 27 pages of which 12 pages contained the draft agreement and 15 pages were allocated to the accompanying draft decision.)
“Compromise does require us to forget the ideal solution for everybody. That is the work we have now  … we are close to the finishing line and we must find common grounds. In other words, time to come to an agreement, “ said Fabius.
He then proposed that Parties study the new draft and consult with other Parties over the next 2.5 hours which will be followed by consultations similar to the setting on Wednesday night. He said he will chair the ‘indaba-type consultations’ which he named ‘indaba of solutions’ where he urged Parties not to present statements but to provide compromise solutions.
He also said in the event when there are persistent differences, the facilitating ministers will be asked to meet at a corner of the room or in a separate room and to report back to the indaba within 30 to 45 minutes.
After this final round of consultations, the COP21 President hoped to present a final version of the text on Friday (11 December). He hoped Parties will agree to this method of work in the final hours to complete the final lap that separates them from a legally-binding, ambitious and fair agreement that the world is expecting.

At 11.30 pm, the COP 21 President convened the indaba consultations, which was closed to observers.
According to sources, the consultations revealed that several developing countries, including China and India raised their concerns over the dilution of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) in the draft agreement as reflected in the obligations of Parties.  They made proposals to address their concerns.
However, sources said that the United States, represented by its State Secretary, John Kerry, supported the agreement, saying that differentiation was reflected, through the notion of ‘self-differentiation’ as represented by the intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs).
It seems that he stressed that the new agreement was a “monument to differentiation.” Kerry was reported to have regretted the “situation” of the US where there could not be a mandatory system (for emission cuts) and for finance to be legally binding.
Sources disclosed that divergences continued with developed countries stressing that the ‘donor base’ of those contributing to climate finance should be expanded to include developing countries, with references in the draft text to the mobilising of climate finance “as part of a shared effort by all Parties”. Developing countries, on the other hand, could not agree to such proposals in the text.
Information provided to TWN revealed that developed countries also expressed that they are unable to commit to a quantified number for finance in the agreement.  Several developing countries indicated that developed countries were breaking away from their obligations under the UNFCCC; one developing country said that the issue of finance could be a make or break for the Paris deal.
With the help of facilitators, breakout groups on differentiation, ambition and finance were held with Parties trying to find solutions.
According to sources, Parties expressed their red lines, which clearly reflected continued divergences over the issue of differentiation and its application as regards the various elements, especially in relation to mitigation, finance and transparency.
The consultations ended at around 5.30 am, on Friday, 11 December.
The COP President informed Parties that there would be a “slight delay” in the conclusion of the COP with a final text to be presented on Saturday morning, 12 December, and for its adoption sometime in the afternoon. (The COP was scheduled to close on 11 December.)

Whether and how compromises will be reached remains a challenge.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Horror in Nkambe as Achaba Rider Stabs Female Student

victim in hospital

Tongues are still waging in Nkambe and Ndu towns over what has been described as a horrific and barbaric attempt by an achaba rider to kick the ghost out of a female lower sixth student of GBHS Bamenda. Sources say the young man whose name we got as Nelson aka star boy, achaba rider based in Ndu before leaving for Nkambe had told his friends that he would kill somebody before the end of the day. Late yesterday night, Nelson allegedly sneaked to Nkambe where he attacked his alleged former girlfriend with knives. The student sustained severe injuries on her stomach and several others around her body. It is thanks to the help of the neigbours that she did not die. It has been confirmed that this is the second time Nelson has attempted to kill his former friend. It is alleged that during the first attempt at Ndu, the uncle of the said girl who is from Binka took Nelson to the police and he was cautioned to stay away from the girl. After committing the dreadful act, he left for Ndu. Achaba riders in Nkambe are reported to have launched a manhunt to intercept him with the help of riders in Binka, but the search couldn’t yield any fruits.  Alerted, Achaba riders laid an ambush in Ndu yet the wanted Nelson having sensed danger escaped to an unknown destination. Sources say the young girl is responding to treatment at the Nkambe district hospital.

Public opinion in Nkambe is aghast with the act and the population has vowed to fish out the young man for him to respond to his act before the law court.

in 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

HOFNA Cameroon Uses Songs, Drama, Debate to Build Safe Schools, Communities(PhotoNews)

 The event which took place at the Bamenda Congress Hall on December 10, 2015 was described by parents, teachers and students as a milestone marked the “16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence,” organized by a Bamenda based nongovernmental organization, Hope For the Needy Association HOFNA Cameroon. Welcoming participants, HOFNA Cameroon Director Chongwain Christelle said that HOFNA is committed more than ever to work together with youths to end gender based violence in and around schools, and communities. The evidence of this practice she added is that the male gender sometimes discriminates over females because of their chauvinistic beliefs. She called on everyone to join the crusade to elude this belief so much so that the education of the girl child is fostered. Holding on the theme “Together, let us build safe schools and communities for All, especially Girls to thrive”, the Bamenda event kick started the official launching of a project code named “Creative Arts for Girls’ Empowerment.”

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)