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Madonna, Shakira, BTS to headline first FIFA World Cup final half-time show

14, May 2026

Madonna, Shakira, BTS to headline first FIFA World Cup final half-time show 0

Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the show, which is a first for a football World Cup final but has raised concerns about how long the game’s halftime break will be.

The biggest-ever World Cup, with 48 teams, kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Madonna, Shakira and BTS are global icons whose music transcends borders and generations, and we are proud to welcome them to the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a statement.

The show, which will also feature characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets, will support FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup.

No details have yet been released on the length of the show to be performed by a trio of co-headliners, though Shakira confirmed she will perform the tournament’s official song, “Dai Dai.”

Madonna described the concert in support of expanding global education as “deeply meaningful to me.”

“Music is the universal language of hope and harmony, and we’re honored to celebrate that power at the World Cup by connecting with millions of viewers around the world in support of children’s education,” added BTS, in a joint statement.

‘Biggest sporting event’

Infantino had announced last year that there would be a first-ever halftime show “befitting the biggest sporting event in the world” at the World Cup final.

A halftime show was trialed at last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium. It stretched the break in excess of the regulation 15 minutes.

Shakira also performed at halftime during the final of the 2024 Copa America in Miami.

The singer — who has a long association with the World Cup, having created the 2010 tournament’s anthem “Waka Waka” — teased “Dai Dai” last week in a brief video of the track filmed at Brazil’s iconic Maracana Stadium.

In the 67-second video, Shakira appears on the pitch at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, where she performed in a free concert at the city’s Copacabana Beach before two million people.

Holding the “Trionda”, the official match ball of the 2026 World Cup, Shakira performed excerpts of the song in English, joined by dancers dressed in the colors of teams including the United States and Colombia.

The song was produced with Nigerian artist Burna Boy and is set for official release on Thursday. The clip, also shared by the FIFA World Cup account, ends with the message: “We’re ready!”

The World Cup will feature three separate opening ceremonies — one in each of its host countries — starting with Mexico on June 11, followed by Canada and the US the following day.

Global music stars including Katy Perry, Future, Alanis Morissette, Michael Buble, J Balvin and Lisa will feature across those three concerts.

Infantino has also said that FIFA plans to “take over” New York’s Times Square on the final weekend of the World Cup.

Source: AFP

Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum: Cameroon mourns a guardian of national pride

13, May 2026

Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum: Cameroon mourns a guardian of national pride 0

The President of the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Cameroon is no more! Retired Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum died today in Yaoundé, the nation’s capital. No details have been released regarding the circumstances of his passing. But family sources have hinted that his funeral is scheduled to take place in a few hours at the Etoudi Mosque in Yaoundé. The nation is not mourning only a sports administrator but a builder of dreams, a guardian of national pride and a giant of African sport who has travelled to the land of his ancestors aged 76.

Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum was a gentleman par excellence who believed in the Anglo-Saxon tradition of integrity and he carried the Olympic spirit not as a title but as a calling. To be sure, he stood at the crossroads of discipline and vision, blending the firmness of a Cameroonian soldier with the heart of a mentor. Under Colonel Hamad Kalkaba’s leadership, Africa’s sporting movements found not only integrity and dignity but also direction. He believed and fervently too that sport could unite tribes, generations and nations and he dedicated his whole life to making that belief real.

From stadiums in Douala, Buea, Bamenda, Garoua and Yaoundé to international Olympic assemblies, Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum’s voice carried the hopes of African athletes. Kalkaba fought endlessly for the recognition of African sport on the world stage, ensuring that the dreams born on dusty training grounds could shine beneath Olympic lights.

But far beyond the medals, the international congresses and the titles, Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum will be remembered for something deeper: his unwavering faith in the Cameroonian youth.

Colonel Kalkaba saw potential where everyone saw limitation.

Colonel Kalkaba inspired courage where others saw obstacles.

Colonel Kalkaba reminded the world that excellence belongs to Africa too.

Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum left something behind that is very difficult to describe but the world is very much aware!

Even in death, Colonel Kalkaba’s legacy lives on:

in every Cameroonian athlete who dares to dream,

in every African flag raised in international competition,

and in every young sportsman or woman who now believes the world stage is within reach. Colonel Kalkaba did not merely lead institutions. Kalkaba shaped destinies.

May Yaoundé remember Colonel Kalkaba’s footsteps.

May Cameroon honour Colonel Kalkaba’s sacrifice.

May Africa never forget his service.

And may his soul find eternal peace among the champions he inspired.

Born on November 11, 1950 in Kawadji near Kousséri, he served as President of the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Cameroon since 1998, President of the African Athletics Confederation (CAA), and Vice President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) since August 2015.

He replaced Lamine Diack following the death of Primo Nebiolo and lost the presidency of the International Military Sports Council in 2014. In 2024, he was elected President of the African Olympic Sports Confederation.

Rest well, Colonel!  Your race was long, your finish was honorable and your legacy is immortal.

To this I put my name

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

FECAFOOT new headquarters and the CPDM ribbon-cutting republic

13, May 2026

FECAFOOT new headquarters and the CPDM ribbon-cutting republic 0

Yaoundé, the nation’s capital where potholes have tenure, blackouts arrive more regularly and more reliably than ambulances and the entire population can name football clubs in Europe, North America and in the Gulf States before they can name a functioning public establishment, the Biya led regime today demonstrated once more its unmatched mastery of ceremony-the inauguration of the new building to host the Cameroon Football Federation.

The event can best be described as a source of shame attended with the gravity usually reserved for May 20 celebrations, Indomitable Lions victory parades or the discovery of potable tap water in the Far North Region.

The building seen here on the photo attached to this editorial will house the entire governing body of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) – a very noble achievement for a country that has participated in six FIFA World Cup finals.

Today’s ceremony in Yaoundé clearly reveals that the missing ingredient in our Francophone dominated Cameroonian football is not youth investment, honest and transparent administration, functioning local championships or unpaid players and coaching staffs. No. It is buildings. Magnificent ultra-modern buildings!

All of Cameroon except the 92-year-old President Biya was involved in today’s FECAFOOT new office party.

The presidency of the republic in the words of artist Maxi Manorh was “fully represented”! Cabinet ministers answered present. Deputy cabinet ministers came. Ministers delegated by ministers from the presidency and the prime minister’s office attended. Traditional rulers arrived. Barons of the ruling CPDM party were visible. Security entourages multiplied around the vicinity like unpaid invoices in the Ministry of Finance. Somewhere in the convoy was Ahmad Ahmad former president of the African Football Confederation who ousted the late Issa Hayatou.

The ceremony was planned with the sole and ill-disguised intention of making Cameroonians to put behind them the painful failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada-USA with the organizers insisting that the national anthem must be delivered in English. (See copy of program).

As usual, speeches flowed including that of CAF President Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe with the usual high-tempo soccer match enthusiasm for obvious facts. In one of the dirtiest capital cities in the world, the FECAFOOT building represents progress. Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe whose kinsmen have been slaughtering hundreds of black African migrants in his native South Africa praised the vision of modern football governance in Cameroon while seated beneath an air conditioner likely more efficient than FECAFOOT itself.

Every speaker on the public address system praised the leadership of Samuel Eto’o because in Biya’s Cameroon, no public staircase can simply be a staircase. It must symbolize emergence 2036, corruption, Special Criminal Court, resilience, appointments, decentralization and probably a big thank you to the Head of State.

Just outside the so-called new FECAFOOT building, ordinary Cameroonians watched the show with the weary expertise of citizens who have seen too many ribbon-cutting in Biya’s continued stay in power and zero outcomes. Ever since Biya took office, buildings are opened with fireworks and abandoned with silence.

What is laughable here is not that a new befitting FECAFOOT headquarters now exists in Yaoundé.  Every serious football federation needs one. The comedy is the large scale of the political pilgrimage surrounding today’s inauguration event involving Prime Minister Dion Ngute, Higher Education Minister Fame Ndongo, Minister of Sports and Physical Education Mouelle Kombi Narcisse and a former CAF president banned from football activities.  A country capable of mobilizing the political and administrative class to admire a building and the office furniture somehow still struggles to mobilize basic services with the same urgency. Perhaps Cameroon’s genuine national sport is not football but attendance. Name them: attendance at ceremonies, attendance at launches and attendance at commemorations of previous ceremonies. A CPDM MP or cabinet minister can miss parliamentary sessions, miss his or her children’s graduation ceremony; even miss family funeral rites but never the laying of a foundation stone as they often put it in their local parlance.

Meanwhile, on a playground some few meters away from the new FECAFOOT building producing the next generation of football talent, boys and girls are still playing on dusty environment with improvised goalposts and dreams larger than the budget for the inauguration refreshments.

But at least for now there is a FECAFOOT headquarters from which Samuel Eto’o and his progressive forces can discuss the condition of the dusty fields in the country.

A great leap forward.

To this I put my name

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Uganda: President Museveni sworn in for new 5-year term

13, May 2026

Uganda: President Museveni sworn in for new 5-year term 0

Ugandan President-elect Yoweri Museveni was sworn in on Tuesday for another five-year term at a ceremony in the capital, Kampala.

The ceremony was attended by several African heads of state, former presidents, and dozens of foreign delegations. It also featured an air show and a military parade showcasing various military equipment.

In his inaugural address, the 81-year-old president said his government would continue implementing wealth-creation programs to lift people out of poverty.

He also called on African countries to strengthen regional markets such as the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Museveni said Africa’s economy has remained underdeveloped over the past 70 years due to the export of raw materials, urging African countries to focus on value addition instead of exporting unprocessed or semi-processed products.

It is Museveni’s seventh five-year term since Uganda’s general elections in 1996. He was declared the winner of the January general election after securing more than 70 percent of the vote. ■

President Yoweri Museveni inspects the guard of honor after being sworn in at the presidential swearing-in ceremony in Kampala, Uganda, on May 12, 2026. Ugandan President-elect Yoweri Museveni was sworn in on Tuesday for another five-year term at a ceremony in the capital, Kampala.

President Yoweri Museveni delivers an inaugural address at the presidential swearing-in ceremony in Kampala, Uganda, on May 12, 2026. Ugandan President-elect Yoweri Museveni was sworn in on Tuesday for another five-year term at a ceremony in the capital, Kampala.

Culled from Xinhuanet

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 1 killed in clashes in Buea

13, May 2026

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 1 killed in clashes in Buea 0

Armed clashes broke out on Monday in Cameroon’s conflict-hit English-speaking Southwest Region, leaving one person dead, according to security sources and local residents.

The fighting erupted at about 7:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) in Buea, the regional capital, between government forces and suspected separatist fighters, a military official said.

“The separatist terrorists opened fire on civilians, killing one person and injuring several others. Our forces repelled and pushed them back,” the official, who requested anonymity, said.

Residents said that heavy gunfire was heard across the town, forcing many people to stay indoors and avoid going to work.

According to local police, Buea had experienced relative calm for nearly two years before Monday’s violence.

Cameroon has been grappling with an armed separatist conflict in its English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions since 2017, as separatist groups seek to establish an independent state.

Source: Xinhuanet

Football: Ousmane Dembélé is Ligue 1 player of the year

12, May 2026

Football: Ousmane Dembélé is Ligue 1 player of the year 0

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé was on Monday named the Ligue 1 player of the year for the second year running, after leading the club to the brink of a 14th French title and the Champions League final.

The 28-year-old becomes just the fifth player to win back-to-back awards, the last being Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2014.

Dembélé last year succeeded Kylian Mbappe who won the prize five times in a row before departing for Real Madrid.

“It’s an individual trophy but all the individual trophies I’ve won are thanks to this team,” Dembélé said.

The forward retained the honour despite having had an injury-plagued season.

He has started just nine matches in Ligue 1, notching up 960 minutes of gametime, compared to 20 starts and 1,736 minutes last season.

Despite the reduced time on the pitch, Dembélé has scored 10 goals and six assists – still down on the 21 and eight he achieved last year.

Paris Saint-Germain effectively wrapped up another Ligue 1 title on Sunday as a 1-0 win over Brest left them six points clear of nearest rivals Lens.

With just two games remaining, Luis Enrique’s side also boast a superior goal difference.

PSG will be officially crowned French champions for the fifth season running, and the 12th time in the last 14 years, if they avoid defeat away to second-placed Lens on Wednesday.

PSG are also preparing for the Champions League final against Arsenal later this month after edging Bayern 6-5 on aggregate in their semi-final.

The award for best young player went to Dembélé’s teammate Desiré Doué, while Pierre Sage picked up the honours for best coach after establishing Lens as a direct challenge to PSG.

Source:  AFP

US: Cameroonian sentenced to life for 2022 deadly Atlanta shooting

12, May 2026

US: Cameroonian sentenced to life for 2022 deadly Atlanta shooting 0

A Cameroonian national, Raissa Kengne, has been sentenced to two life terms plus 50 years in prison after being found guilty in a deadly shooting in Atlanta, United States.

The verdict was delivered on May 4, 2026, by a Fulton County court, nearly four years after the incident that shook the Midtown area of the city.

Kengne was found “guilty but mentally ill” on all 14 counts brought against her a decision that means the jury held her criminally responsible while acknowledging that her mental state played a role in the events.

The case dates back to August 2022, when she opened fire in two separate locations in Midtown Atlanta. Prosecutors said the attack was targeted, with two men killed including her former employer and another person injured.

Investigators revealed that the shootings began at a residential condominium complex before continuing at an office building linked to her past employment. The incident triggered panic in one of Atlanta’s busiest districts, with a large-scale police response and a manhunt that ended with her arrest at the airport shortly after.

During the trial, the prosecution argued that Kengne acted out of intent and grievance, pointing to evidence that suggested she had targeted individuals she believed had wronged her. The defense, however, focused on her mental health, arguing that she was not in a stable state at the time of the attack.

Reports from earlier proceedings indicated that she had previously filed complaints and legal action against some of the victims, alleging harassment and conspiracy, which prosecutors say formed part of the motive.

Despite the mental health arguments, the court upheld her responsibility for the killings. She will now serve her sentence in the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Culled from Lebledparle.com

Cameroonian filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio dies!

12, May 2026

Cameroonian filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio dies! 0

The Cameroonian film industry is in mourning following the death of Bassek Ba Kobhio, a respected director and cultural promoter who played a key role in shaping modern African cinema.

A filmmaker, producer and cultural advocate, he was widely regarded as one of the architects of modern cinema in Central Africa. Over the years, he built a reputation not only through his films but also through his commitment to creating platforms for African voices.

His works, including Sango Malo and Le Grand Blanc de Lambaréné, tackled themes such as education, colonial legacy and African identity, earning him recognition beyond Cameroon.

Beyond directing, he played a major role in structuring the industry, notably through the creation of the Écrans Noirs festival, which became a key meeting point for filmmakers across Africa and beyond.

His passing has triggered tributes from across the continent, with many describing him as a pioneer who helped shape how African stories are told and distributed.

Bassek Ba Kobhio was born in Cameroon and developed an early passion for cinema and storytelling at a time when African film industries were still emerging.

He pursued formal training in filmmaking abroad, notably in Europe, where he studied cinema and audiovisual production. This exposure helped shape his narrative style, which blends African realities with strong cinematic structure.

He began his career in the 1980s, working first in television and audiovisual production before moving into feature filmmaking. His breakthrough came with Sango Malo (1991), an adaptation of a literary work that explored tensions within the education system and society. The film remains one of the most referenced works in Cameroonian cinema.

In 1995, he founded the Écrans Noirs festival in Yaoundé, at a time when African films had very limited visibility. The initiative grew into one of the most important film festivals in Central Africa, helping to launch and promote numerous African filmmakers.

His film Le Grand Blanc de Lambaréné (1995) revisited the life of Albert Schweitzer from an African perspective, sparking debate and international attention for its critical take on colonial narratives.

Throughout his career, he held several cultural and institutional roles, contributing to policy discussions around cinema and culture in Cameroon and Africa. He was also involved in training and mentoring young filmmakers, pushing for a stronger, more structured film industry.

Bassek Ba Kobhio is remembered not only for his films, but for his vision one that insisted Africa must tell its own stories, on its own terms.

His death leaves a significant void, but his influence continues through the institutions he built and the generations he inspired.

Source: Lebledparle.com

Yaoundé: EU envoy accuses Russia of using Cameroon- flagged vessels to evade oil sanctions

12, May 2026

Yaoundé: EU envoy accuses Russia of using Cameroon- flagged vessels to evade oil sanctions 0

The European Union’s ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea accused Russia on May 7 of using ships registered under Cameroon’s flag to help bypass Western sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine.

Speaking during Europe Day events in Yaoundé, Ambassador Jean-Marc Chataigner sharply criticized what he described as the misuse of Cameroon’s maritime registry by aging oil tankers operating outside international standards.

“Cameroon’s flag is being used illegally by too many uninsured, poorly maintained and aging tankers,” Chataigner said. “These ghost ships travel across the oceans without ever docking in Cameroon while helping finance attacks on Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

Although he did not mention Russia directly in that part of his speech, the comments clearly referred to Moscow, which he had discussed earlier.

Western governments have repeatedly accused Russia of relying on a so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers to bypass sanctions imposed on its energy exports since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Russian crude shipments remain under close scrutiny by Western countries, including when the vessels involved operate under foreign flags.

According to several observers, ships linked to Russian oil exports have registered under Cameroon’s flag in recent years. Cameroon is frequently cited internationally as a so-called flag-of-convenience country, where foreign-owned ships can register under less restrictive conditions.

The issue has reportedly led the European Union to increase pressure on Yaoundé to stop granting its flag to vessels suspected of helping Russia avoid Western sanctions.

Beyond maritime issues, Chataigner also addressed migration concerns and again accused Russia of exploiting vulnerable populations and weaknesses in international control systems.

“Those who wage war today do not hesitate to exploit the vulnerability of populations and weaknesses in oversight systems,” the ambassador said.

He then referred to Cameroonians who, according to him, leave for Russia after promises of better opportunities before later being recruited to fight in Ukraine.

“Some Cameroonians, tempted by risky adventures, leave for Russia with promises of a better future and later find themselves recruited and turned into cannon fodder in a conflict that is not theirs,” Chataigner said.

He referenced remarks previously made by President Paul Biya in February 2026 warning young people against pursuing dangerous opportunities abroad.

Chataigner concluded by contrasting those practices with what he described as a different vision of international cooperation.

He called for partnerships “that respect international law, national sovereignty and the aspirations of our peoples,” and said cooperation should rest on “trust, transparency and reciprocity.”

Source: Sbbc

EU approves new sanctions on Israeli settlers over West Bank violence

11, May 2026

EU approves new sanctions on Israeli settlers over West Bank violence 0

European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed new sanctions on Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians, as a change of government in Hungary ended months of blockage.

“It’s done. The European Union is sanctioning today the main Israeli organisations guilty of supporting the extremist and violent colonisation of the West Bank, as well as their leaders,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on social media.

“These most serious and intolerable acts must cease without delay.”

Israel responded by denouncing the planned EU sanctions as “arbitrary and political” and vowed to stand ‘”for the right of Jews” to settle in the West Bank.

The move in response to rising violence and settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank had been stalled by former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.

But the ouster of the nationalist leader and Israel ally, by rival Peter Magyar, now appears to have paved the way for the veto to be lifted.

EU officials said seven settlers or settler organisations would be blacklisted. The bloc also agreed to sanction representatives from Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The occupied West Bank has been gripped by almost daily violence since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, involving Israeli troops and settlers.

There has been a surge in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Iran war on February 28, Palestinian officials and the United Nations have said.

While the EU is moving ahead with the sanctions on Israeli settlers, there remains no consensus among member states to take further steps against Israel, such as curbing trade ties.

A number of countries are pushing to ban products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

“The work on trade measures for products coming from the illegal settlements moves forward,” an EU diplomat said.

Source: AFP

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