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According to the 8:30pm news bulletin on state media, the President of the Republic of Cameroon Paul Biya has STOPED money transfer agencies from sending and receiving money internationally.

The news which was relay on Wednesday January 11th 2017, over state own radio CRTV, said hence all money transactions will be done nationally.
Those who send and receive money from abroad know that for the last six months it'd become impossible to send money out of Cameroon via the likes of Western Union..

It's the government's way of combating money laundering and terrorism with all the growing security threats.... Cameroonians would have to get used to this just like Ethiopians have done in the past.

The decision has already suffered some criticism as many think it is a very hasty and unwise decision considering that the amount of money Africans living abroad send back to Africa as remittance far outweighs the amount regimes in fragile and failed states receive as international aid. Revenues hardly ever trickle down to its hungry citizens. Citizens living abroad have always been the saviors.

Details: Peter Nsoesie; 12.Jan.2017; Hits: 4975

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CHICAGO — President Obama, delivering a farewell address in the city that launched his political career, declared on Tuesday his continued confidence in the American experiment. But he warned, in the wake of a toxic presidential election, that economic inequity, racism and closed-mindedness threatened to shred the nation’s democratic fabric.

“We weaken those ties when we define some of us as more American than others,” Mr. Obama said, “when we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt, and when we sit back and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them.”

Speaking to a rapturous crowd that recalled the excitement of his path-breaking campaign in 2008, Mr. Obama said he believed even the deepest ideological divides could be bridged. His words were nevertheless etched with frustration — a blunt coda to a remarkable day that laid bare many of the racial crosscurrents in the country.

And here, in the cavernous convention hall where Mr. Obama celebrated his re-election in 2012, the nation’s first black president — still popular, still optimistic — bade America goodbye 10 days before turning over his office to President-elect Donald J. Trump, who ran what his critics labeled a racist campaign.

Mr. Obama pledged again to support his successor. But his speech was a thinly veiled rebuke of several of the positions Mr. Trump staked out during the campaign, from climate change and barring Muslims from entering the country to repealing his landmark health care law.

“If every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and undeserving minorities,” Mr. Obama said, “then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclave.”

“If we decline to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we diminish the prospects of our own children — because those brown kids will represent a larger share of America’s work force,” he added.

In giving a farewell address, Mr. Obama invoked a privilege of presidents going back to George Washington. He staked his claim as the leader who steered the nation through the storms of the Great Recession to a growing economy and job market. He claimed credit for reducing the rate of uninsured Americans to record lows, while keeping a cap on health care costs.

In a pointed reference to Republicans determined to repeal the health care bill that was one of the signature accomplishments of his presidency, Mr. Obama said, “If anyone can put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we’ve made to our health care system — that covers as many people at less cost — I will publicly support it.”

There were also nostalgic moments, as well. He recalled the 2008 campaign that started him on his improbable journey to the White House. He thanked the army of volunteers and staff members who swept him into the Oval Office, ending with the iconic chant, “Yes, we can.” And reflecting on all they had accomplished, he added, “Yes, we did.”

“It has been the honor of my life to serve you,” Mr. Obama said. “I won’t stop; in fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my remaining days.”

He drew some of the most thunderous applause of the night when he paid tribute to his wife, Michelle — “my best friend” — and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — “a brother.” As the crowd of 18,000 clapped and stamped their feet, Mr. Obama dabbed his eyes.

Afterward, Mrs. Obama and her elder daughter, Malia, appeared onstage with the president, along with Mr. Biden and his wife, Jill. The Obamas’ younger daughter, Sasha, stayed in Washington because she has an exam in school on Wednesday morning, the White House said.

But Mr. Obama clearly wanted to use his last major turn on the national stage to send a message. Americans, he said, should not take their democracy for granted. Lamenting the perennially low voter turnout rates, Mr. Obama urged people to become involved. “If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the internet,” he said, “try to talk with one in real life.”

“America is not a fragile thing,” the president said. “But the gains of our long journey to freedom are not assured.”

The White House had meticulously planned this event, from the location to the tone and cadence of the speech, which clearly reached for the oratorical heights of his best-remembered addresses.

The president was still rewriting his remarks on Tuesday afternoon, one of his aides said, after being up very late Monday night scrawling edits on what was then already the fourth draft.

Mr. Obama’s chief speechwriter, Cody Keenan, pored over previous farewell addresses for inspiration. George Washington used the occasion to disclose he would not run for a third term and warned Americans to steer clear of foreign entanglements in Europe, while Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of the influence of the “military-industrial complex.”

Mr. Obama’s message recalled his final State of the Union address last year, as well as speeches he gave in Springfield, Ill.; at the commencement ceremonies at Howard University and Rutgers University; and during the Democratic National Convention.

Dozens of alumni from the White House and Mr. Obama’s political operation converged on Chicago to cheer their boss. With parties all over town, the atmosphere felt like a wistful version of 2012, or even more so, of 2008, when Mr. Obama’s election drew a quarter-million people to a jubilant victory celebration in nearby Grant Park.

There was, however, an undeniable tinge of sadness to Mr. Obama’s leave-taking — the dread among many in this crowd that his legacy will be undone by Mr. Trump, and the disappointment that, for all his political gifts, he was unable to hand over his office to his chosen successor, Hillary Clinton.

“Beers and tears,” said Ben LaBolt, who served as the national press secretary for Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign.

Many said they had waited hours in the cold to get tickets, like Ja-mese McGee, an elementary school teacher from the Chicago suburb Country Club Hills.

Those hours had a purpose. She wanted to demonstrate to her students that seeing Mr. Obama was worth the wait. “Better than waiting to shop on Black Friday. Better than waiting in line for gym shoes,” she said.

But Ms. McGee was troubled by Mr. Trump’s inauguration, and the damage it could do to Mr. Obama’s legacy. “There’s so much to say about him,” she said. “He maintained class, he maintained dignity. Honestly, I don’t want him to leave, but I’m sure it will be a load off his shoulders.”

Alvin Love, a Baptist minister, walked through the crowd holding the hand of his 6-year-old granddaughter, Bayleigh Love, who wore a red sequined party dress.

He and Mr. Obama go back 30 years, when the president was a young community organizer on the South Side. “It’s mixed emotions for me,” he said. “I’m sad to see it come to an end, but proud and happy to see the work that he’s done.”

Mr. Love said he believed Mr. Obama’s work could be sustained, even with the advent of a Trump presidency. “Any time right is done, it will sooner or later stand up again.”

NYT

Details: Rita Akana; 11.Jan.2017; Hits: 1393

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Classified documents that the heads of four U.S. intelligence agencies presented last week to President-elect Donald Trump included claims that Russian intelligence operatives have compromising information about him, two U.S. officials said Tuesday evening.

They told Reuters the claims, which one called "unsubstantiated," were contained in a two-page memo appended to a report on Russian interference in the 2016 election that U.S. intelligence officials presented to Trump and President Barack Obama last week.

Trump responded on Tuesday evening in a tweet calling the reports: "FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!" The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. One of the officials, both of whom requested anonymity to discuss classified matters, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other U.S. agencies are continuing to investigate the credibility and accuracy of the claims.

They are included in opposition research reports made available last year to Democrats and U.S. officials by a former British intelligence official, most of whose past work U.S. officials consider credible.

The official said investigators so far have been unable to confirm the material about Trump financial and personal entanglements with Russian businessmen and others whom U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded are Russian intelligence officers or working on behalf of Russian intelligence. Some material in the reports produced by the former British intelligence officer has proved to be erroneous, the official said.

The FBI declined comment.

SURFACED LAST YEAR

The charges that Russia attempted to compromise New York real estate businessman Trump were presented to the FBI and other U.S. government officials last summer and have been circulating for months.

The FBI initially took the material seriously, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, which was first reported by CNN.

However, the FBI failed to act on the material, and the former British intelligence officer broke off contact about three weeks before the November election, they said.

The warning of information about Russia's compromising claims follows growing U.S. intelligence and law enforcement concerns about what Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has called "multifaceted" Russian influence and espionage operations in Europe and the United States.

In addition to hacking computer networks and spreading propaganda and fake news, it includes efforts to cultivate business and political leaders and find compromising personal, financial and other information on persons of interest, U.S. intelligence officials said.

Details: Rita Akana; 11.Jan.2017; Hits: 1219

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Gambia's Supreme Court was expected to rule on Tuesday over whether the December 2016 presidential election was manipulated or not. A West African delegation is on its way to Banjul to meet President Jammeh.

After initially accepting the results of the December 1 election, incumbent President Yahya Jammeh and his party filed legal complaints against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), alleging manipulation of ballot counting and intimidation of his supporters.

Jammeh lost the elections to opposition candidate Adama Barrow.

No judges on the panel

There may be obstacles in the way of a Supreme Court ruling.

"There is a problem of getting judges to sit on [the case]," Dr Jibrin Ibrahim, director of the Center for Democracy and Governance in Abuja told DW. "They have had lots of problems trying to illegally recruit judges."

The court has been dormant since May 2015 after several judges were fired for commuting death sentences of former military officers to life in prison. Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle, a Nigerian, is the lone sitting judge on the panel. Even if additional judges were installed, Ibrahim believes that whatever decisions they make "would have no credibility."

Meanwhile, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is to lead a delegation of West African leaders to Gambia in an effort to convince President Jammeh to step down.

The mandate for Jammeh's five-year term expires on January 18, after which president-elect Adama Barrow is due to take power. If Jammeh refuses to step aside by that date, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) may order a military intervention.

"Violence should be avoided but nothing is ruled out," said Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama.

Buhari is to join Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in the Gambian capital of Banjul on Wednesday. They are to "discuss with President Jammeh the imperative to respect the constitution," Onyeama said.

Not backing down

"In the absence of a court and the pure impossibility of the parties being served in time to appear and enter a response, it seems that an adjournment of the case will be the most likely outcome," Gambian legal expert Aziz Bensouda told French news agency AFP.

Details: DW.com; 10.Jan.2017; Hits: 1354

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Reports say government has released all youths who were arrested in connection to the deadly riots of December 8, 2016. They were arrested for supposedly supporting teachers and lawyers long-drawn-out strike which turned deadly after security officers opened fire on protesters, killing four and injuring several others.Their release is being touted as a fulfillment of one of the conditions demanded by the Teachers and Lawyers for any dialogue to hold.

Early last week,government modified the list of gov’t’s ad-hoc committee members put in placeto find solutions to the problems raised by teachers of the Anglo-Saxon sub system of education in Cameroon.

This was also one of the prerequisites set by the teachers.At the same time that gov’t is pretending to resolve the impasse, it is trying to by pass leaders of teacher’s trade unions by dealing directly with teachers and asking that they resume work this Monday January 9.

While Ernest Behene, Minister of Secondary Education was holding a meeting with leaders of the on-going sit-down strike in Bamenda, Philip Ngole Ngwesse, Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Paul Elung Che, Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Finance and other government officials were in their divisions of origin to convince and in some cases coerce teachers to go back toschool on Monday despite the fact that government is yet to find solutions to their problems.

Reports abound of cases where these officials have given out huge sums of money to proprietors of private schools and principals of government schools in abid to have them go back to class.Secondary Education Minister is also on asix-day tour in the North West region to ensure effective resumption of classes. He was booed and jeered in Ndop when he started reading his speech in French.

Cameroontoday

Details: Rita Akana; 10.Jan.2017; Hits: 2440

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Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world's best player at the inaugural Best Fifa Football Awards in Zurich.

Real Madrid and Portugal forward Ronaldo, 31, beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to the prize.

Ronaldo also won the Ballon d'Or in December, with both honours recognition for success in the Champions League with Real and Euro 2016 with Portugal.

Carli Lloyd of the United States was named the world's best female player.

Leicester's Claudio Ranieri was named best men's coach, ex-Germany boss Silvia Neid won the female coach award, while Penang's Mohd Faiz Subri received the Puskas award for the best goal of 2016.