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13, March 2023

Football: Ireland U17s reach Euro finals as Nickson Okosun’s late strike seals win over Cyprus ⁰

Ireland’s U17 side are off to the European Championship finals after a dramatic finish to their qualifying campaign today, a superb 3-2 win over Cyprus sealed with a stoppage time goal from Bohemians prospect Nickson Okosun.

Having played out a 2-2 draw with Italy and earned a 3-0 win over Ukraine in the first two games of the Elite round of qualification, Colin O’Brien’s side went into the final game, against qualifying tournament hosts Cyprus, aware that a win would seal qualification while they could still make the finals in the event of a draw.

Ireland trailed 1-0 at half time, drew level on 62 minutes through Luke Kehir but fell behind again.

Shamrock Rovers man Naj Razi scored on 82 minutes to make it 2-2.

Okosun came on for Kehit in added time and scored in the 96th minute to give Ireland that 3-2 and a place in the finals, which will be held in Hungary from May 17th to June 2nd.

Source: Independent.ie

13, March 2023

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Voting underway in Senate elections ⁰

Voting for Senate elections is underway in Cameroon, officials said Sunday.

The voting, which began on Sunday morning in 198 polling stations in ten regions of the country, will continue until 6:00 p.m. local time.

“The atmosphere is calm and everything is moving on smoothly,” Gabriel Bihina Effila, a municipal councilor who voted in the capital, Yaoundé, said.

Municipal and regional councilors will elect 70 senators from ten political parties which are taking part in the elections, according to the country’s electoral body, Elections Cameroon (Elecam).

The Elecam said all the necessary facilities and security arrangements to ensure free and fair polling had been provided.

Cameroon Senate, or the Upper House of the Parliament, has 100 seats. The elections will be held for 70 seats as 30 senators will be appointed by President Paul Biya.

The senators will be elected for a five-year mandate. The central African nation held its first Senate elections in 2013.

Source: Xinhuanet

13, March 2023

Exit of a Cameroonian icon: ALPHONSE BÉNI dies aged 77 ⁰

The world of African cinema is in mourning with the disappearance of Alphonse Béni.

The Cameroonian director and actor died at the age of 77 following illness on Sunday. Born in 1946 in Nkongsamba, he left behind a cinematographic heritage marked by diversity and quality.

Alphonse Béni began his career in the 1970s as an actor. He notably played in French erotic comedies under the name of Alfons Beny and Chris Kelly. But it was as a director that he became known in Cameroon. He shot several auteur films, notably “The Choice of Akissi” in 1975 and “The Two Faces of Life” in 1981.

Alphonse Béni’s works were often marked by a reflection on the human condition and social injustices. He has also explored themes such as love, family, and cultural identity in his films. His work has been praised by many film fans and critics for its quality and originality.

Beyond his work as a director, Alphonse Béni was also a passionate teacher. He has taught cinema at several schools and universities in Africa, helping to train the next generation of African filmmakers.

The death of Alphonse Béni is a huge loss for the African film industry. His cinematographic achievements have influenced and inspired many African filmmakers. It has also paved the way for greater diversity of representation in cinema, thus contributing to the cultural enrichment of the continent.

The world of African cinema and cinema in general is losing a great artist and an important voice. Alphonse Béni will forever be remembered as a talented and committed filmmaker who left an indelible mark on the African film industry.

The disappearance of Alphonse Béni is a great loss for African cinema. He contributed to the creation of a unique cinematographic heritage and inspired many African filmmakers. His contribution to the film industry will never be forgotten, and his work will continue to inspire generations to come.

Source: archyde

13, March 2023

Football: Premier League clubs casting an eye over Cameroonian wonderkid Carlos Baleba ⁰

Newcastle United are among several Premier League clubs casting an eye over Lille’s 19-year-old wonderkid, Carlos Baleba who has been impressing in Ligue 1 this season.

A report in 90mins credits Newcastle amongst the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal as potential destinations for LOSC Lille‘s ‘in-demand’ midfielder after he burst onto the scene this season.

He’s so far made 12 appearances from the bench for Lille in Ligue 1 this season and has caught the eye of many clubs around Europe, with his own teammate, Jonathan David singling him out for praise saying: “Carlos is young, but he brings something different, which is very good for us. He is powerful, strong, he drives the ball very well”

Baleba is already in demand around Europe

The report mentions Newcastle along with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham and Leicester as the Premier League clubs who have despatched scouts to take a closer look at Baleba with a view to making their move in the summer.

AC Milan are said to have failed in an attempt to land the Cameroonian in January with Lille apparently seeing him as the ‘future’ of the club, but as Newcastle proved with Sven Botman, it doesn’t matter how highly Lille value a player, they have a price and can be bought.

With that being said, it’s believed that it would take a bid of around £30million to pique Lille’s interest, which given Baleba’s age and little experience could prove to be a step too far for many clubs. Of course if the delegation of scouts like what they see, then that price tag might seem justifiable.

Baleba could be another one for Ashworth’s revolution

With his reputation rising, Baleba will be pushing for more game time to prove what he can do, which can only benefit those interested clubs as the more they see of him the more of a feel they can get of his potential and where he needs to focus in training.

That kind of information will be vital to Dan Ashworth as he looks to build his youthful army to secure Newcastle’s future away from the constraints of FFP. By signing young players with bags of potential who can break into Newcastle’s first team, the feeling is they can take the roles that we’d otherwise have to spend big to fill.

Source: Geordie Boot Boys

13, March 2023

Armed groups bring terror to Douala-Yaoundé Highway ⁰

Some armed men attacked vehicles on Sunday, March 13, 2023 at 10pm along the Douala-Yaoundé road and eyewitnesses reported that there were some casualties.

According to a Cameroon Concord News source whose car had been riddled with bullets, the armed men were all Francophones and their motive was not necessarily money.

“The armed men are not after money. They just want to sow terror in the country and it is hard to characterize them at this time. However, they are either terrorists or armed robbers, but we will wait for the government to tell us who they are,” the source said.

He added that “going by what they were saying in French, it is obvious that they are sick and tired of the messy political situation in the country. If they really needed money, they would have asked us to hand them our belongings.

“They were shouting in French that the country was messy and that something must be done if Cameroon must be saved,” he said.

Our people are suffering and the government is not taking appropriate decisions. We are living in darkness as if we are in the dark ages. Where in the world would you find neighborhoods in a nation’s capital without water and lights for years?” the attackers said.

The attack, which occurred at 10 pm, sowed panic and chaos on the Yaoundé-Douala highway and many people traveling at that time had to make a U-Turn to avoid the attackers, who were visibly angry, the source said.

Meanwhile, an Amba fighter who called the Cameroon Concord News stated that if the armed Francophones needed weapons, then they should contact Amba fighters who had a massive warehouse of weapons which could help the “fighters of later days” to achieve their goal – unseating the Biya regime which has brought untold hardship to the people of Cameroon.

“If these attackers are really serious, they will contact us. We have an arsenal of deadly weapons lying idle. We can put that at their disposal for them to achieve their goal,” the Amba fighter said.

“Our weapons are effective and if anybody has doubts, he can check with the Cameroon army. Our bullets have already sent more than 3,000 army soldiers to an early grave and the government now lives in fear,” the angry Amba fighter pointed out.

“We are in the business of sending soldiers home in body bags and many Cameroonian soldiers do not want to come to the two English-speaking regions because they know what awaits them. We can help our Francophone brothers with our weapons. What are brothers for?” the Amba fighter said.

“We cannot fight in French Cameroon but if the armed Francophone fighters need any training, they can come to us for capacity building sessions,” he said.

“We will train them. The first session will transform them into butchers. I was trained to severe the heads of soldiers in a neat way and we did a good job in our first days to chop off heads and penises,” the Amba soldier who refused to give his name said over the phone.

Meanwhile, Cameroon Concord News has dispatched its correspondents to the venue of the mayhem and initial reports say government security forces are on the ground to reassure the population.

For now, those using the Yaoundé-Douala highway are in fear and they know they are strictly on their own as the Yaoundé government is still trying to figure out if it is a problem of banditry or terrorism.

However, something is happening in French Cameroon and this might be the beginning of a more complex and complicated situation.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

12, March 2023

UK Football and Politics: Match of the Day shortened and silenced in wake of Lineker row ⁰

The BBC’s flagship football highlights show Match of the Day was cut short on Saturday as pundits and commentators pulled out after presenter Gary Lineker was taken off air by the corporation.

Lineker was told to “step back” from the role he has held since 1999 on Friday after an impartiality row broke out over the former England striker’s comparison of the UK government’s rhetoric in tackling illegal immigration to Nazi-era Germany.

But the decision sparked a major backlash from BBC pundits and commentators, decimating the publicly-funded broadcaster’s sports schedule.

First broadcast in 1964, Match of the Day is the world’s longest-running football television programme and has grown into a cultural phenomenon in Britain.

For the first time it was broadcast without a presenter, pundits or even commentary with only crowd noise accompanying a 20-minute highlights package of six Premier League games, an hour less than scheduled.

The programme’s famous theme tune was even dropped for an introduction apologising to viewers for the curtailed show.

Source: AFP

12, March 2023

Biya regime says Amba attacks intensify to disrupt March 12 Senate Elections ⁰

Cameroon’s military says separatists in its North-West region have blocked roads and attacked military vehicles to disrupt Sunday’s Senate elections. Witnesses say several bodies were seen around the destroyed vehicles. The military has not confirmed any casualties and vowed to protect voting, despite the rebel blockade.

Cameroonian government troops exchange fire with separatist fighters in Tadu, a village in the central African state’s North-West region.

In the audio, extracted from a video shared on social media, a man identifying himself as separatist general Viper says fighters will chase out or kill government troops deployed to protect voters in Cameroon’s March 12 senatorial election.

Cameron’s Senate, the upper house of Parliament, has 100 seats. The election will be held for 70 seats. The other 30 will be appointed by President Paul Biya.

The military confirms that the video was taken in Tadu on Thursday. The military says besides Tadu village, government troops have fought gun battles with separatist fighters in several dozen locations, including Bamenda, Ndop, Wum, Jakiri, Oku, Bambili and Sabga in the North-West region and Manfe, Menji and Tiko in the South-West region.

The government says several military vehicles have been destroyed by improvised bombs planted by separatists in the Northwest.

Army captain and military spokesman Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo refused to comment on the number of troops killed but said about two dozen fighters have died in two weeks.

Civilians say bodies were seen around destroyed military vehicles.

Vanigansen Mochiggle is an opposition Social Democratic Front, or SDF, candidate. He says battles between Cameroon government troops and separatists are making it impossible for Senate candidates to campaign.

“The prevailing situation in the region is not propitious for an election. The conflict exacerbated,” said Vanigansen. “The separatists are all over the place. It is even very difficult for the candidates to move to their various divisional headquarters, so we have that challenge.”

A statement from the Roman Catholic Church in Kumbo and Ndop says transport buses and private vehicles are grounded and there has been no movement of people or goods in the past three days.

The government says civilians who disrespect separatist orders and move out of their homes are being abducted and tortured.

The SDF says candidates must send campaign messages through radio and TV, telephone calls and social media platforms, including WhatsApp and Facebook.

The SDF accuses Cameroon’s government of ordering the military to protect only candidates with the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, which the government denies.

Deben Tchoffo is the governor of the Northwest region.

Tchoffo says Biya has given instructions to the military to protect all civilians and make sure the March 12 senatorial elections are hitch-free. He says separatists who are attacking government troops and civilians to disrupt the elections will be killed if they do not surrender.

Tchoffo said despite the separatist threats Cameroon will prove to the world that it is a democratic state by organizing free, fair and transparent senatorial elections.

Separatists who have vowed to disrupt the elections in English-speaking western regions launched their rebellion in 2017 after what they said was years of discrimination by the country’s French-speaking majority.

The conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and displaced more than half a million, according to the United Nations.

Source: VOA

12, March 2023

What difference does Jesus Christ make? ⁰

It is not uncommon to find persons that have been Christian for much of their life relapse from the practice of the Christian faith. Life can be very challenging, especially in the face of pain, evil, injustice, misery and death. The Second Vatican Council in Gaudium et Spes fittingly explained the reality of death as that which the human condition is most shrouded in doubt. Following the logic of Aquinas as largely captured in questions 75 – 89 of the Summa, Ia – Treatise on Human Nature, the Council rightly pointed to that seed of immortality that we bear in us, what Aquinas terms the immortal soul, as the causal agency that mitigates against human mortality. In effect, we recoil from death because we are not make for death. We are made for life. It is reasonable to fear death because of the presence or reality of the human intellect, the soul, which is what gives life to the body, and thanks to unity of body (matter) and soul (form), a human person comes into existence.

Given that Aquinas, basing his thought on Scripture rightfully characterizes the soul as a subsistent substance, the soul survives death, which is the severing of soul (form) from body (matter). And because it is in the nature of the soul to be incarnate in body, in matter, the soul awaits the resurrection of the glorified body. It is this union of soul and glorified body that, to Aquinas, contemplates the beatific vision, the essence of God, in heaven. And this is the point I wanted to drive home with this allusion to Aquinas. The goal was not to offer a brief lecture on Thomistic anthropology – though of itself is not a bad idea. At the risk of oversimplification, the intention is to draw the reader to the beatific vision as the hermeneutical key to living in the here and now, living in the present moment. As I will seek to demonstrate, the difference that Jesus Christ makes in the life of every Christian boils down to this: the establishment of a new framework for living in the here and now.

Let me forthright with the reader: Jesus Christ did not solve the problem of human suffering in the world, if by suffering we mean erasing all suffering. Every front page of a newspaper can demonstrate that. I am also not a fan of the Gospel of Prosperity that argues in large part, – again, at the risk of generalization, that if only but I had enough faith, all the good things of life would have been accorded me by God. Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy convincingly demonstrates the transient and fleeting nature of all creatural reality, pleasures and delights. This in no way should translate to a trivialization of the necessity of living in a dignified manner. Christianity does not disdain the body. Jesus Christ is not Plato, and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John do not portray the same anthropology as Plato’s Phaedrus or The Republic. Jesus is shown as caring for the whole person, body and soul. Jesus feeds the hungry and heals the sick. He comforts the bereaved. Hence, matter is good, from the Book of Genesis till present. We must do all in our part to help people to truly live and enjoy the goodness of creation. And it only takes one who has bread to come to the consciousness that man does not live by bread alone. That is an a posteriori, inductive claim, to use a Kantian category.

That said, the question still remains: What then does Jesus bring into my life as a Christian, given all that I face daily? Could it be that Marx was right in asserting religion as the opium of the masses? If Jesus is who he claims to be, why not turn the stones of pain, disease and hardships my life into bread that can feed me? Why not do something about my life’s challenges. Even Aquinas saw this as legitimate objection to the existence of God: If God is all good and all powerful as we understand God to be, and yet God allows me to continue to struggle so much in order to make ends meet, then either God is all good but not all powerful as we suppose God to be; or God is all powerful but not all good as we imagine or conceive God to be. Why can God in Christ Jesus not simply turn these stones into bread, so that I can live a better life?

In fact, this is the central question of the Temptations of Jesus that Catholics read at Holy Mass on the First Sunday of Lent. To me, the most trenchant and engaging analysis of the Temptations that I will recommend to the reader are Dostoevsky’s The Grand Inquisitor and Joseph Ratzinger’s Jesus of Nazareth, Volume I, with the latter engaging and building on the former. For both the Russian Dostoevsky and the Bavarian Ratzinger, the Temptations of Jesus constitute a dramatic theological debate between Satan (the enemy of human nature – to use the favorite appellation of our beloved St. Ignatius of Loyola) and Jesus (the Savior of the world). Jesus has fasted forty days and is hungry, tired, exhausted. In fact, Jesus is in the state of struggling humanity. After his fast, he is type of all human beings that struggle with life, that have nothing to live for, that have been stripped of their dignity as persons. The words of Isaiah that the Church’s liturgy places before us during Holy Week – he had in him no comely state – already appears in figure of Jesus that we find in the desert.

In comes the Tempter, the enemy of human nature, who proposes to Jesus apparently convincing arguments in terms of paths that Jesus could employ to resolve, once and for all, the problem of evil and suffering in the world. If Dostoevsky and Ratzinger are right that at the heart of the Temptations stands a theological battle between Satan and Jesus, then it is legitimate to ask: What are the disputations? Or what is the nature of this dispute between Satan and Jesus all about? It has to do with the vision of God – and here, we begin to return to where we began with Aquinas. Between Satan and Jesus, who can claim to have the true vision of God? Let’s not forget that Satan was an angel before he became Satan, meaning that Satan had beheld the essence of God in the light of heavenly glory before his rebellion, his irrevocable sin of non serviam. So, returning to the understanding of the Temptations as a theological debate about the true vision of God, the central question becomes: What must the Savior of the world do and not do? In other words, Satan challenges Jesus to prove his credentials. He wants Jesus to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Jesus is who he claims to be, the Son of God. For, if you are the Son of God, then you should know who God is, you should be able tell us who God truly is, you should be able to demonstrate God’s power by bringing that power to bear on human suffering, pain and misery, which is captured in the very simple phrase, “he (Jesus) was hungry.”

In effect, Jesus must present to the human world of suffering and brokenness his CV that will prove to us that his claim to be the Son of God is true. In this light, Satan appears as the true spokesperson of suffering humanity, a sought of Minister of Communication of the Cabinet of the World State. Satan appears more sympathetic and understanding of human suffering and pain. Satan is interested in remedying the injustice of world. Turn these stones into bread and free the world of hunger, of pain and misery, if you are truly the Son of God! How can you claim to be the Son of God when you are unable to do something about human pain? Why are you unable to make a difference in my life, if you are truly the Son of God? Why can’t you save me from this suffering in all its modes and tenses? Why can’t you even liberate me from my inordinate attachment to sin? If you are the Son of God, do something about my human plight. Show your power. Don’t stand there indifferent to my suffering. Prove your goodness and power. Bring the power of God into the world so that heaven – the “realm” of plenty, can become our reality. Don’t only give us heavenly bread when what is most pressing now is earthly bread. Defend your CV as the Son of God! Prove that your transcript is true and not fake, and that you actually got the A’s written in that transcript from Harvard Divinity School, Satan says to Jesus. Prove that you have come from God, and that you have brought something utterly new into the world that is helpful to my life today. (To be continued).

By Maurice Agbaw-Ebai

11, March 2023

Yaoundé: Driver of Prado linked to killing of journalist Martinez Zogo arrested ⁰

The man widely believed to have been the driver of the black Prado used to kill the financial crime radio host Martinez Zogo has been arrested in Yaoundé, Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered from a well-placed source at the Secretariat for Defense.

Our source in the nation’s capital hinted that the yet to be identified getaway driver currently held under high security is already confirming evidence pointing to business tycoon Amougou Belinga as being the masterminded of the brutal murder of journalist Martinez Zogo.

Martinez Zogo, a household name in Cameroonian journalism was kidnapped, humiliated in the presence of Amougou Belinga and killed after he promised revealing a massive fraud scheme involving the disgraced so-called media guru.

This reporter contacted Amougou Belinga’s lawyer early this morning but he declined to make a statement saying his English is not too good.

Martinez Zogo became famous for reporting several fake financial transactions between the Amougou Belinga business empire and the ruling CPDM crime syndicate.

Pierre Amougou Belinga is on trial along with 22 other men for alleged involvement in a series of murders and attempted murders.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

10, March 2023

Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to re-establish relations after years of tensions ⁰

Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after years of tensions between the two countries, including a devastating attack on the heart of the kingdom’s oil production attributed to Tehran.

The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People’s Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a yearslong war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.

The two countries released a joint communique on the deal with Chinal, which apparently brokered the agreement. Chinese state media did not immediately report the agreement.

Iranian state media posted images and video it described as being taken in China of the meeting. It showed Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, with a Saudi official and Wang Yi, China’s most senior diplomat.

“After implementing of the decision, the foreign ministers of the both nations will meet to prepare for exchange of ambassadors,” Iranian state television said. It added that the talks had been held over four days.

The joint statement calls for the reestablishing of ties and the reopening of embassies to happen “within a maximum period of two months.”

In the footage aired by Iranian media, Wang could be heard offering “whole-hearted congratulations” on the two countries’ “wisdom.”

“Both sides have displayed sincerity,” he said. “China fully supports this agreement.”

China, which recently hosted Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, is also a top purchaser of Saudi oil. President Xi Jinping, just awarded a third five-year term as president earlier on Friday, visited Riyadh in December to attend meetings with oil-rich Gulf Arab nations crucial to China’s energy supplies.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Shamkhani as calling the talks “clear, transparent, comprehensive and constructive.”

“Removing misunderstandings and the future-oriented views in relations between Tehran and Riyadh will definitely lead to improving regional stability and security, as well as increasing cooperation among Persian Gulf nations and the world of Islam for managing current challenges,” Shamkhani was quoted as saying.

Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Shortly after the Iranian announcement, Saudi state media began publishing the same statement.

Tensions have been high between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The kingdom broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia days earlier had executed a prominent Shiite cleric, triggering the demonstrations.

In the years since, tensions have risen dramatically across the Middle East since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks in the time since, including one that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in 2019, temporarily halving the kingdom’s crude production.

Though Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels initially claimed the attack, Western nations and experts have blamed the attack on Tehran. Iran long has denied launching the attack. It has also denied carrying out other assaults later attributed to the Islamic Republic.

The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemen’s exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting has created a humanitarian disaster and pushed the Arab world’s poorest nation to the brink of famine.

A six-month cease-fire in Yemen’s war, the longest of the conflict, expired in October despite diplomatic efforts to renew it. That led to fears the war could again escalate. More than 150,000 people have been killed in Yemen during the fighting, including over 14,500 civilians.

In recent months, negotiations have been ongoing, including in Oman, a longtime interlocutor between Iran and the U.S. Some have hoped for an agreement ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which will begin later in March.

The U.S. Navy and its allies have seized a number of weapons shipments recently they describe as coming from Iran heading to Yemen. Iran denies arming the Houthis, despite weapons seized mirroring others seen on the battlefield in the rebels’ hands. A United Nations arms embargo bars nations from sending weapons to the Houthis.

It remains unclear, however, what this means for America. Though long viewed as guaranteeing Mideast energy security, regional leaders have grown increasingly wary of Washington’s intentions after its chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the announced deal.

Source: AP