Headline News

24, July 2020

The End of an Era: Cameroon’s National Treasury on Fire (Video) ⁰

As the end of the Biya government draws to a catastrophic end, members of the crime syndicates inner circle are gradually erasing any incriminating evidence through massive destruction of files and electronic systems.

After having siphoned off millions of taxpayers’ money abroad for personal purposes, the Betis Mafia that has lots of skeletons in its cupboard has resorted to burning down institutions that will clearly reveal the scope and depth of the corruption that has characterised the Biya regime for close to 40 years.

The national treasury, which has become Mr. Biya’s ATM, has been set ablaze on Friday, July 24, 2020 at an ungodly hour to ensure that even firefighters do not intervene to put out the fire.

The inferno has affected mostly the floors that host IT equipment and key files that contain information on the financial corruption that has transformed the country into an Augean Stable.

A source in the country’s Treasury and the Ministry of Finance has just informed the Cameroon Concord News Group that many Cameroonians of Beti extraction have been expressing grave concerns about their future when Mr. Biya, the architect of the massive corruption in the country, would be dead and gone.

The source added that the pressure and tension are palpable and many Cameroonians are concerned about the country’s future, especially as it is becoming obvious that civil servants might soon go without a salary for months.

“A lot of financial malfeasance has taken place in the country, but the mess playing out in the ministry of finance and the national treasury will take decades to be cleaned out,” the source said.

“The country’s wealth and riches are in the hands of a few people who are either members of Mr. Biya’s ethnic group or members of the ruling CPDM which is holding the country’s treasury under its armpit,” the source added.

“Cameroonians have been reduced to beggars in their own country by a bunch of people who have placed their interest above national interest,” he regretted.

“When you see Cameroonians gravitating towards the CPDM, it is not because the party has a good ideology that can result in any development. The CPDM is keeping the National Treasury and all Cameroonians are hungry. If they must eat, then they must praise Mr. Biya and his crime syndicate. These folks have been sharing our money to Cameroonians as if they are distributing candy to children,” he lamented.

“The way the country has been run over the last 40 years really leaves much to be desired. There is no difference between the ruling party and the state. Cameroonians have been dehumanized. From every indication, it is clear that the ruling party’s objective is to pauperize the population in order to bring it under control,” our source added.

“The most painful thing is that this fire will only trigger the creation of multiple commissions for the investigation of what has happened and after those investigations, no heads will roll and it will be business as usual. This is the most outrageous way of ruling a country,” the source lamented.

“I am certain that this fire is the handiwork work of people who have something to hide. Once the dust will settle, most of them will be given promotions and very soon, you will see them on TV praising the president for his great leadership and vision,” the source said.

“This has been their modus operandi for decades and those praises seem to be music to Mr. Biya’s ears. He hardly sanctions anybody and this has created impunity in the country. If he sanctions anybody, know that the person has been set up by another group because at this time, there are lots of succession battles taking place in Yaounde. His era is coming to an end, so many people are flexing their muscles to take over. However, those who have openly demonstrated their ambition have ended up at the Yaounde Maximum Security Prison known as Kondengui,” the source said.

“This country needs change. Cameroon needs divine intervention. Everything is going down the drain. This government has set the country back by at least a century. Cameroonians are helpless. Poverty has emasculated them. Many have lost their voices. Besides, the intimidation from government officials and their surrogates has robbed the population of its voice and dignity. We all are really looking forward to the day that change will come,” he concluded.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

24, July 2020

French Cameroun students in Morocco ‘abandoned’ as Biya regime stops grants ⁰

Cameroonian students studying in Morocco on government grants have been demonstrating, saying they have been “abandoned for years” because the government has stopped paying their rentals and other expenses it should cover.

The students set up camp outside the Cameroonian embassy in Rabat, reported Camer.be, which quoted sources from the union of Cameroon students (UGEC) that said the students were ‘angry’.

Stephane N, a protesting student, told Camer.be that students were having to “sleep out in the open because the Cameroon government, which should have been paying their rent and other expenses relevant to their grants since 16 August 2018”, had stopped responding to their demands.

“Not being able to pay the grant-holders’ expenses under the Cameroon-Moroccan cooperation agreement, the Moroccan authorities found themselves having to throw us out into the street,” he told Camer.be.

Maxime Petnga, a Cameroon student in Oujda, said: “On average, we need 1,800,000 francs [US$3,160] a year, that’s 150,000 francs a month, to live decently. For former grant-holders Morocco paid its share each end of the month but, on the Cameroon side, there’s nothing,” reported Camer.be.

Camer.be reported that the problem for Cameroonian students on government grants abroad was becoming increasingly common, for example in China, Russia and Italy.

Camer.be said that nobody at the Cameroonian embassy in Rabat would comment on the situation. – Compiled by Jane Marshall.

Culled from University World News

24, July 2020

EU calls on US to lift tariffs in plane dispute ⁰

The EU called Friday on the United States to lift tariffs imposed in a long-running dispute over aircraft subsidies after Airbus said it had brought itself into compliance with World Trade Organization rulings.

The billions of dollars in tariffs, which apply to a wide range of food and agricultural goods in addition to planes, have been even more burdensome due to the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Airbus said Friday it had reached agreement with the French and Spanish governments that raises the interest rates on funds provided to help develop its long-haul A350 jet to levels the WTO considers appropriate.

The European Commission said this removes any grounds for the US to maintain tariffs imposed on EU exports under WTO rulings as well as making a strong case for a rapid settlement of the dispute.

“Unjustified tariffs on European products are not acceptable and, arising from the compliance in the Airbus case, we insist that the United States lifts these unjustified tariffs immediately,” EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan said in a statement.

– Epic legal battle –

An epic legal battle between Airbus and Boeing at the WTO began in 2004 when Washington accused Britain, France, Germany and Spain of providing illegal subsidies and grants to support the production of a range of Airbus products.

A year later, the EU alleged that Boeing had received $19.1 billion worth of prohibited subsidies from 1989 to 2006 from various branches of the US government.

The two cases were then tangled up in a legal quagmire, with each side being given partial vindication after a long series of appeals and counter appeals.

In 2019 the WTO authorised the US to impose up to 100 percent in taxes on $7.5 billion of European goods, its biggest ever penalty.

Washington then slapped 25 percent tariffs on a number of EU goods including wine, cheese and olives.

A 10 percent tariff on Airbus planes was increased to 15 percent in March, which also affects US airlines which buy Airbus aircraft, as the manufacturer points out.

In June the US threatened to levy tariffs on another $3.1 billion in EU goods as it has been authorised to do under a WTO ruling.

– Resolution in ‘mutual interest’ –

Airbus said the impact of those tariffs plus the coronavirus pandemic were the reason it was making the effort to resolve the dispute.

“The tariffs imposed by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) are currently harming all targeted industry sectors, including US airlines, and are adding to a very difficult environment as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis,” the firm said.

Airbus said Friday that it “considers itself in complete compliance with all WTO rulings” after increasing the interest rate paid on the government funds it received.

The low interest rates on these funds were one of the arguments the US made that the EU was improperly subsidising Airbus.

“After 16 years of litigation at the World Trade Organization, this is the final step to stop the long-standing dispute and removes any justification for US tariffs,” said Airbus.

In addition to there no longer being a justification for the tariffs, the EU believes that in light of the global recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic it makes sense to resolve the dispute.

“Especially under the current economic circumstances, the EU believes that it is in the mutual interest of the EU and the US to discontinue damaging tariffs that unnecessarily burden our industries and agricultural sectors,” the Commission statement said.

Hogan noted a WTO decision is expected soon that could give the EU the right to impose tariffs against the United States.

“In the absence of a settlement, the EU will be ready to fully avail itself of its own sanction rights,” he warned.

Source: AFP

24, July 2020

Biya regime instigating North West/South West Divide: Secretary Milton Takam ⁰

The 87 year old French Cameroun dictator and his Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaoundé are currently instigating a North West/South West Divide war by sending pro Yaoundé Southern Cameroons army soldiers to Ambazonia towns and villages to crack down on the resistance.

The Communications Secretary of the Ambazonia Interim Government, Milton Takam appeared on a televised show on Wednesday to decry the French Cameroun regime’s crackdown on Southern Cameroonians seeking the restoration of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Secretary Milton Takam observed that Biya and his French Cameroun army want to have the people of the Northern Zone fighting Ambazonians of the Southern Zone “So he can get up and tell the international community that Southern Cameroonians are not yet ready for independence.”

Sharing his thoughts with a senior Southern Cameroons citizen based in South Africa, Comrade Patrick Ayuk on SCBC TV, Milton Takam also stated that “The French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé is playing to the fears, to the insecurity animus that exists among Ambazonian communities, and Biya is doing everything and anything because of his so-called one and indivisible Cameroon idea.”

With the poor response to the covid-19 pandemic in the two Cameroons and its economic fallout, Biya appears to be placating the French Cameroun political elites and his French backers by showing a tough response to Southern Cameroonians.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

24, July 2020

John Fru Nsoh: an empty suit, running and talking on empty should shut up! ⁰

There is a saying that when you have been in slavery for too long, and you suddenly face the prospects of freedom, you become scared and cling to slavery. That’s why I pity the growing army of sycophantic blacklegs who are making frenetic efforts to discredit President Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, with the invidious intention of torpedoing the Ambazonia struggle to restore its independence. These mendicants have been living in the dark for too long and want to continue living in darkness because light hurts them.

The latest poster child of this pre-bendal nihilism is a certain dunder-head scum lawyer who goes by the name John Fru Nsoh. In his frustration, this wretched piece of misery called John Fru Nsoh suffers from delusions of grandeur. To raise his nuisance value and make himself relevant to the Ambazonia struggle, Nsoh has taken to social media platforms to attack President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and the NERA-10; casting banal and vituperative aspersions, ornamented with provocative and insulting grandiloquence. In a video outburst circulating on social media, the mentally-retarded septuagenarian Nsoh, who is tottering on the borders of senile decay, described President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe – a man who rose to the pinnacle of his professional career through solid, academic and personal achievements – as a “capital fool.”

Even if one concedes Nsoh’s right to free speech and his own opinion, one must marvel at a situation where a lawyer who failed to stage a spirited defence of his clients despite pocketing millions of francs to do so, will be so ungrateful as to shamefacedly defame his own clients simply because he was sacked as principal counsel for the NERA-10 because of his poor and unsatisfactory performance. Nsoh, a man wanting in competence, was hired to represent the NERA-10 in Yaoundé and paid handsomely for his unsatisfactory exploits by the Interim Government of Ambazonia. Nsoh’s catastrophic mismanagement of the financial resources of his clients led to major fractures with other members of the defence team. His ignominious sack and subsequent mutation to a social media activist and anti-NERA-10 crusader has confounded even his most ardent supporters. Except for those who would prefer to negotiate the evidence, the verdict is that Nsoh is an empty suit with a loose tongue, running and talking on empty.

In an interview with Equinoxe TV which went viral on social media, Nsoh vindicated his credentials as a dotard by trying to be clever by half and tried unsuccessfully to make a distinction without a difference. He came across as uncivil, arrogant, ill-mannered, pompous, unaccountable, pretentious, full of avarice, hypocritically petulant, cunningly petty and astonishingly trivial. But it is not difficult for discerning Ambazonians to see through the braggadocio and self-aggrandizing posturing as he came across lamely as a bitter and cantankerous man; angry with himself and motivated by the desire for revenge and out to gain cheap publicity. He has lost the respect of many.

Being old and ignorant is bad. Adding financial insufficiency and dishonesty to self-elected amnesia is unacceptably depressing. As one grows older, wisdom should be one of our most dependable and requisite companions. Nsoh’s moral squalor has embarrassed Ambazonians on both sides of the intellectual and moral spectrum. His refusal to engage in the truth and facts in any shape or form is astonishing to discerning Ambazonians. The climax of the drama of his life which has now become a personal circus was his decision to seek political asylum in the United States of America, where he is now a familiar face in the bootleg joints in the Washington DC area; where solicits free achu and booze. Quite predictably, he has offered himself to be used as cannon fodder by Pastors Sako Ikome and Chris Anu in their campaign to destabilize the Amba revolution with tele-guided attacks directed at President Ayuk Tabe and the NERA-10. His first-division factory-made defamation on Sisiku- a man with a superior intellect and better professional record – are now tenacious and repugnant.

Almost four years into the Ambazonia revolution, nothing has been robust enough to derail the coalition and bond that President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe has built with his people. The decapitation policy of Paul Biya and the French Cameroun regime didn’t work and not even the pathological lies and insults by Nsoh would succeed, where Biya failed. Ambazonians are desperate for coherent leadership and Nsoh and the gang of social media warlords, are embarrassments not leaders.

Unlike Mola Njoh Litumbe, who epitomized the Ambazonia struggle by staying in his home in Buea and leading the resistance from the front until he transitioned, John Fru Nsoh, a monument of absurdity, who has nothing to show, after practising law for over 50 years, is hiding in a basement in the US moonlighting as a social media warlord. What a disgrace! The intellectually questionable and morally deficient pensioner reflects the worst of the Amba revolution. Public intellectuals, elites and elders have been appalled by John Fru Nsoh’s scandal of stealing funds while representing the NERA-10. Now, he is associated with genuine calamity by being a regular trash contributor on the moribund ABC TV Facebook streams to disseminate junk, untruths and insults.

The breadth and depth of the anti-John Fru Nsoh alliance now in Ambaland is a remarkable testimony to his capacity to inspire disgust from his words, deceits and actions. The principal worry for many Ambazonians is how can a man in God’s waiting room be so thoughtless and infantile with the truth and integrity? One big positive for Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and the NERA-10 is that the old man’s attacks on men behind bars are fundamentally based on falsehoods and the people of Ambazonia know this. Shrewd and well-mannered humans don’t trust an old man with a running mouth. Ambazonians with brains feel loyalty towards people who have sacrificed their lives to fight for justice and liberation of their people.

The Ambazonian revolution urgently requires the silence and absence of John Fru Nsoh. In his head, he must know that. But he lacks the competence and decorum to reach such a decision. It is hard to sympathise with the pensioner after his persistent personal attacks on the integrity of man who can’t defend himself. The consensus seems to be that his emptiness and reliance on food stamps in the US for existence at his age might just be driving him to depression. John Fru Nsoh has demonstrated time without number, that he lacks the basic attributes of civility in public engagement and he should simply just shut up! John Fru Nsoh should not only be so clearly told, he should know he is fast becoming an embarrassment to Ambazonia and a national disgrace, and he should take his verbal diarrhea and empty grandstanding elsewhere.

At this time and in this matter as it concerns his attacks on the legitimate constituted authority representing the Ambazonian people, the adage that silence is golden does not at all apply. Rather than maintain a wooden silence, Nsoh is a clear and present danger to the Ambazonia struggle and must apologize to prove evidentially, beyond any reasonable doubt that he is indeed sorry. A failure to do this forthwith implies unapologetic arrogance. It is a matter of honor; if at all John Fru Nsoh has any left, that whatever accounts for his insulting impudence and offensive temerity, his insolence is one too many that would only stoke the embers of disunity and weaken the struggle. His shame is made more painful and pathetic because this is the time Ambazonia needs men and women of character. For a man of his age, becoming a public nuisance speaks to a mind, shallowly naïve and incapable of sound intellectual judgment. Certainly, John Fru Nsoh is one miscreant, Ambazonians can do without. He should shut up!

By Isong Asu

London Bureau Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

23, July 2020

French Cameroun: CPDM legislator dies in road crash ⁰

A newly-elected legislator died in a road mishap in Cameroon’s mountainous region of Adamawa early Wednesday, police said Thursday.

The deceased legislator named Harouna Abdoulaye Bougue belonged to Cameroon’s ruling party Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), and was elected from the Mayo-Louti constituency in the North region in this year’s legislative elections.

Another lawmaker, Ahmadou Mohamadou from the same constituency, who was driving in the same car with Bongue was injured, according to the police.

The road accident occurred along the Ngaoundere-Garoua highway. The two lawmakers were returning to their base after the June session of parliament, one of their colleagues said.

Police are still investigating circumstances that led to the tragedy but witnesses said the accident occurred when the driver tried to swerve the vehicle to avoid a heavy vehicle coming from the opposite direction and hit a road divider.

The legislator’s car toppled as an impact of the accident. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead.

The National Assembly is yet to react officially.

Source: Xinhuanet

23, July 2020

West African leaders, Mali crisis mediator Goodluck Jonathan in Bamako to ease country’s political crisis ⁰

West African leaders gathered in Bamako on Thursday in a fresh push to end an escalating political crisis in the fragile state of Mali amid fears it could undermine a regional fight against Islamist militants.

In an exceptional one-day summit, the presidents of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Niger were meeting with Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and leaders of a protest movement clamouring for his resignation.

The unrest deeply worries Mali’s neighbours and allies, who fear a country bloodied by a jihadist insurgency could slide into chaos.

A small group of demonstrators gathered outside the airport where Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, Senegal’s Macky Sall, Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari, Niger’s Mahamadou Issoufou and Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo were set to arrive for the summit.

“We’re here to demand IBK’s resignation and ensure our comrades who have been killed are not forgotten,” said Yaya Sylla, a young protester, using the acronym by which Mali’s leader is known.

The opposition umbrella group, “Movement of 5 June – Rally of Patriotic Forces” (M5-RPF), named after the date anti-government protests began, has tapped into deep anger over Keita’s perceived failure to tackle the dire economy, corruption and the eight-year jihadist revolt.

At least 14 protesters were killed this month in clashes with the police, according to the UN.

The M5-RFP, whose figurehead is Saudi-trained Muslim cleric Mahmoud Dicko, has said it will not quit until Keita steps down, raising concerns in neighbouring countries of a protracted crisis.

“M5-RFP demands the resignation of Keita or the satisfaction of our demands,” which include the establishment of a committee of inquiry into civilian deaths and a transitional government, the group’s spokesman Nouhoum Togo told reporters on Thursday.

‘The curtain will fall’

The summit comes on the heels of a five-day mediation mission from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which ended on Sunday without reconciling the two sides.

“It is this Thursday that the last act is played, the curtain will fall,” said a Malian opposition politician who declined to be named.

The West African leaders will weigh on proposed solutions that have been crafted in behind-the-scenes talks between the president and opposition this week.

Keita, who came to power in 2013, has come under increasing pressure to end Mali’s long-running jihadist conflict.

The impoverished nation of around 20 million people has been struggling to contain an insurgency that first emerged in the north in 2012 before spreading to its centre, as well as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have died in the conflict, and hundreds of thousands of people have been driven from their homes.

But much of the current tension was sparked in April, when the constitutional court tossed out 31 results from the parliamentary elections, benefiting Keita’s party and sparking protests.

Tensions then ratcheted up into a crisis on July 10 when an anti-Keita rally organised by the M5-RFP movement turned violent.

Protesters blocked bridges in Bamako, stormed the premises of the state broadcaster and attacked the parliament.

Seeking a way out, ECOWAS mediators suggested forming a new unity government including opposition members and appointing new constitutional court judges who could potentially re-examine disputed election results.

But Mali’s opposition movement has repeatedly rejected any outcome that did not involve Keita’s departure.

Possible compromise?

Despite the apparent failure of the ECOWAS mediators, the president’s camp and opposition figures have quietly been talking all week and the M5-RFP notably suspended protests ahead of the forthcoming Eid festival.

Brema Ely Dicko, a sociologist at the University of Bamako, suggested the opposition may be prepared to accept Prime Minister Boubou Cisse’s resignation instead of Keita’s.

“The M5-RFP is obliged to keep up the pressure to at least get something,” he said.

A European diplomat in Bamako who declined to be named said that the opposition may have overplayed its hand in demanding Keita’s departure.

“Nobody wants to open the door to a period of political instability in Mali, which remains the epicentre of the Sahel security crisis,” he added.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)

23, July 2020

Southern Cameroonians must join hands to expel French Cameroun army soldiers ⁰

Southern Cameroons newly appointed Chief of Intelligence in Ground Zero says the insecurity in the Ambazonian homeland stems from the French Cameroun army and pro Yaoundé armed militia’s illegitimate presence and acts of terror.

The intelligence chief whose name the office of Vice President Dabney Yerima blatantly refused to disclose to the Cameroon Concord News Group, urged every Southern Cameroonian during a recent zoom meeting to make collective efforts in building a strong Ambazonia Defense Force including a very efficient intelligence unit that will compel the French Cameroun troops to withdraw from the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

In the zoom meeting with Vice President Yerima and members of the defense department on Wednesday, the new Intel chief welcomed the Interim Government’s diplomatic efforts towards establishing security in the villages and easing tensions among Amba fighters.

Referring to the kidnappings and rapes, Vice President Dabney Yerima who also shared his thoughts during the session, underlined the inevitable need for cooperation among Ambazonia Restoration Forces and the newly created intelligence department to accelerate the defeat of the evil French Cameroun army soldiers.

Vice President Dabney Yerima said the only solution to rid the Ambazonia homeland of French Cameroun insecurity and terrorism is unity among all Southern Cameroons groups and front line leaders.

Yerima pointed out that the Ambazonia Interim Government’s strategic policy is to defend the sovereignty of Southern Cameroons and develop all-out relations with the brotherly African nations and even beyond.

By Toto Roland Motuba

23, July 2020

Asamor’s “Dr. Coro Coro”, An Ode to Human Resilience ⁰

Music has been one of man’s most trusted companions throughout history. In times of adversity as in times of joy, in tranquility and in excitement, the human soul is always in search of a beat rhythm, or melody to connect with, synchronize and find orientation. It is not strange that in times of uncertainties as the world is facing now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, music becomes one of the most readily available agents used by humans to rationalize the grippling suffering.

Having contracted COVID-19 and gone into quarantine, Germany based Cameroonian artist, Asamor, refused to be beaten by the vermin. He fought against it with all his might and tools at his disposal. He was physically isolated from the rest of humanity. But he kept himself connected through the power of social media with daily updates on his Facebook page. Even while in quarantine, he had already envisioned the day he would emerge victoriously. Thus, he composed the song “Dr. Coro Coro” which was released soon after his recovery to critical acclaim and rave reviews.

The artist holds that the song is meant “to sensitize, sympathize, give courage, and bring joy and comfort to all loved ones during this challenging moment of total lockdown and after.” Indeed, one can only call it “An Ode to Human Resilience”.

Who is Asamor?

Born and raised in Fontem, Lebialem Division of the South West of Cameroon, Asamor’s romance with music began right from childhood. As a prince, he grew up already exposed to many of the traditional music and dance forms of his native Lebialem. In Lebialem, princes and princesses are known for their performance skills. It is then no doubt that Asamor is a consummate dancer and an adept player of various traditional instruments.

Though enrolled at the University of Bonn to study agricultural science, Asamor could not help responding to the musical rhythms hissing within his soul. He listened to his inner muse and began experimenting with a blend of his native Bangwa rhythms and the already established makossa music rhythms. This gave birth to a hybrid form of music that he called Abanda Kossa.

His first album was released in 2002. In 2004, Asamor released his second album which featured the prolific Cameroonian musician Petit Pays in the lead song. This collaboration was ground-breaking because it was the first act that Petit Pays had ever done with any musician other than the members of his Sans Visa band. In 2008 Asamor released his third album and subsequently had a string of singles (five in number) between 2013 and 2018.

Asamor has received the KAMA Award (Germany), the African Diaspora Living Legend Award, and twice voted among the 100 most influential Africans in Germany. Yet, during all those years, Asamor was doing music mostly as a pastime, even as he had returned to school and studied Sound Engineering and opened a recording studio.

Even though Asamor has not released many albums, he still a very prolific music maker. He has a collection of unreleased songs from which he has committed to releasing between three and five songs per annum.

“Dr. Coro Coro” has become an Afrobeat anthem not just for its rhythms but also for the message. He sings about the danger and deadliness of COVID-19, its precautions, and protective measures.

The hundreds of social media impressions and dance sequences inspired by the song are testimony to the profound ways in which the audience has connected with the song. It is a sign that even as COVID-19 seems to have cornered humanity we shall surely emerge the winner.

Written by the manager

Asamor Music

23, July 2020

China launches first-ever mission to Mars in space race with US ⁰

China launched its most ambitious Mars mission ever on Thursday in a bold attempt to join the United States in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet.

The Tianwen-1 was launched on a Long March-5 carrier rocket from a launch site on Hainan Island.

It marked the second flight to Mars this week, after a United Arab Emirates orbiter blasted off on a rocket from Japan on Monday. And the U.S. is aiming to launch Perseverance, its most sophisticated Mars rover ever, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, next week.

China’s tandem spacecraft — with both an orbiter and a rover — will take seven months to reach Mars, like the others. If all goes well, Tianwen-1, or “quest for heavenly truth,” will look for underground water, if it’s present, as well as evidence of possible ancient life.

This isn’t China’s first attempt at Mars. In 2011, a Chinese orbiter accompanying a Russian mission was lost when the spacecraft failed to get out of Earth’s orbit after launching from Kazakhstan, eventually burning up in the atmosphere.

This time, China is going at it alone. It also is fast-tracking, launching an orbiter and rover on the same mission instead of stringing them out.

China’s secretive space program has developed rapidly in recent decades. Yang Liwei became the first Chinese astronaut in 2003, and last year, Chang’e-4 became the first spacecraft from any country to land on the far side of the moon.

Joining elite club

Conquering Mars would put China in an elite club.

“There is a whole lot of prestige riding on this,” said Dean Cheng, an expert on Chinese aerospace programs at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.

Landing on Mars is notoriously difficult. Only the U.S. has successfully landed a spacecraft on Martian soil, doing it eight times since 1976. NASA’s InSight and Curiosity rovers still operate today. Six other spacecraft are exploring Mars from orbit: three American, two European and one from India.

Unlike the two other Mars missions launching this month, China has tightly controlled information about the program — even withholding any name for its rover. National security concerns led the U.S. to curb cooperation between NASA and China’s space program.

In an article published earlier this month in Nature Astronomy, mission chief engineer Wan Weixing said Tianwen-1 would slip into orbit around Mars in February and look for a landing site on Utopia Planitia — a plain where NASA has detected possible evidence of underground ice. Wan died in May from cancer.

The landing would then be attempted in April or May, according to the article. If all goes well, the 240-kilogram (530-pound) golf cart-sized, solar-powered rover is expected to operate for about three months, and the orbiter for two years.

Though small compared to America’s hulking, car-sized 1,025-kilogram (2,260-pound) Perseverance, it’s almost twice as big as the two rovers China has sent to the moon in 2013 and 2019. Perseverance is expected to operate for at least two years.

Mars-launching season every 26 months

This Mars-launching season — which occurs every 26 months when Earth and Mars are at their closest — is especially busy.

The UAE spacecraft Amal, or Hope, which will orbit Mars but not land, is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. NASA’s Perseverance rover is up next.

“At no other time in our history have we seen anything like what is unfolding with these three unique missions to Mars. Each of them is a science and engineering marvel,” the Space Foundation’s chief executive officer Thomas Zelibor said in an online panel discussion earlier this week.

China’s road to Mars hit a few bumps: A Long March-5 rocket, nicknamed “Fat 5” because of its bulky shape, failed to launch earlier this year. The coronavirus pandemic forced scientists to work from home. In March, when instruments needed to be transported from Beijing to Shanghai, three team members drove 12 hours to deliver them.

While China is joining the U.S., Russia and Europe in creating a satellite-based global navigation system, experts say it isn’t trying to overtake the U.S. lead in space exploration.

Instead, Cheng of the Heritage Foundation said China is in a “slow race” with Japan and India to establish itself as Asia’s space power.

Source: AP