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Togo was the only African country to support the US’ decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

About 30 other African countries including Ghana, however voted in favour of the resolution supporting the longstanding international consensus that the status of Jerusalem – which is claimed as a capital by both Israel and the Palestinians – can only be settled as an agreed final issue in a peace deal.Benin, Cameroon, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda, however refrained from voting.

 The voting was done amidst heightened tension as the US had threatened some member countries over voting against the US’s position.

The US was expectant that member countries backed it recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but that did not turn out as it expected.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, ahead of the votes threatened that the US will remember which countries that “disrespected” it by voting against it.

The US government had also threatened to cut funding to countries that did not back its position.

She said the US “would be taking names…When we make generous contributions to the UN, we also have expectation that we will be respected…What’s more, we are being asked to pay for the dubious privileges of being disrespected.”

“If our investment fails, we have an obligation to spend our investment in other ways… The United States will remember this day,” she said.

Donald Trump, while speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, said “Let them vote against us… We’ll save a lot. We don’t care. But this isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars…We’re not going to be taken advantage of any longer.”

The warning appeared largely aimed at UN members in Africa, Asia and Latin America, who are regarded as more vulnerable to US pressure.

Egypt, which is named among the countries that voted against the US’ position last year alone benefited from over $1 Billion in aid from the US.

Countries that voted in favour of the resolution

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Luxembourg.

Others are Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Countries that voted in favour of the decision

Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo, United States

Countries that refrained from voting

Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Haiti, Hungary, Jamaica, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu.

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Rita Akana

22.Dec.2017

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Following an administrative investigation conducted on 14,134 presumed fictitious civil servants, Michel Ange Angouing, Cameroon’s minister for the civil service, has just published a list of 2,817 civil servants whose salaries have been stopped since January 2016.

According to the minister, those servants are yet to respond to the numerous formal notices sent to them. So, he gives them 30 days (till January 18, 2018) to come to the ministry, division of discipline and litigation, "else, they will be purely and simply deregistered from the list of civil servants, in accordance with the legislation in force".

The cleaning of Cameroon’s civil service registry results from the physical count operation, instructed by Paul Biya, in a circular related to the preparation of the country’s budget for 2018. With this physical count, the government wants to mitigate the phenomena of fictitious civil servants or the one of civil servants who have left their posts, but, still, unduly, receive wages and other entitlements from the public treasury. 

BIC

 

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Rita Akana

22.Dec.2017

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The first consignment consisting of 40.000 laptops of President Biya's promised computers arrived Yaounde Nsimalen airport early this morning  Friday 22.12.2017.  A second consignment of the same number  is expected on Sunday, December 24 2017.

Mr Biya made the promise to offer 500,000 computers to students of higher institutions of learning for the 2016/2017 academic year in July 2016.

The press release read on state broadcaster Crtv adds that another 100,000 computers are being fabricated, since December 18.

The last consignment is expected latest in Juin next year, he has concluded.

Reports going round say each of the laptops carries the initials of Paul Biya's name (PB).


If proven true, it gives more credibility to allegations that the offer is a political move meant to win more support for the president, especially in the upcoming presidential election.

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Rita Akana

22.Dec.2017

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The secretary general of the Commonwealth of Nations is reportedly in Buea where she will address the people.


Patricia Scotland is highly expected to make a speech at the Buea City Hall on Friday.

The visiting secretary general held talks on Thursday with main opposition leader John Fru Ndi , outlawed consortium leader Barrister Agbor Nkongho, and others.

She has also met with President Biya, who has reportedly fed her with 'very biased information.'

Some Ambazonians believe that her visit to Buea would be meaningless if she doesn't hold talks with Chief Justice Ayah Paul Abine, Honorable Joseph Wirba, and Mola Njoh Litumbe.


It's thanks to Southern Cameroons that La Republique du Cameroun is a member of the Commonwealth.

It would have been a complete waste of time for Patricia Scotland to leave Cameroon without visiting Ambaland, especially with the prevailing unrest therein.

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Rita Akana

22.Dec.2017

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An enquiry into the controversy surrounding the case of  a dead man who passed  entrance exams into ENAM  has been opened by Prime Minister Philemon Yang.

The name of Ndjomo Milsaints Claude appeared on the final list of successful candidates into the National School of Administration and Magistracy earlier this month.

He had reportedly died before the final phase of the exams.

But he took the first place in his department with an average of 14/20, reports say.

Biya's two children, Brenda and Junior Biya, are among the successful candidates for this session of the exams.

According to La Nouvelle Expression, the commission of enquiry includes people from the PM's Office, Ministry of Public Service, ENAM...

This session of the exams is one of the most controversial, with names added to the initial list by the minister of public service after the publication of results by the director of the institution.

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Rita Akana

21.Dec.2017

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The general assembly of the United Nations Organization has voted overwhelmingly against any decision by any nation to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

This comes after a recent decision by US President Trump to recognize the highly disputed city as Israel's capital.

Jerusalem is highly valued by both Israel and Palestine.

President Trump promised during his campaign speech last year to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A move that has been widely criticised across the world.

Mr Trump's recent declaration has sparked further violence in the area, with several cases of death being reported.

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Rita Akana

21.Dec.2017

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