DOMESTIC VIOLENCE NOT RECOGNISED AS CRIME IN CAMEROON

Domestic violence is not recognised as a specific crime in Cameroon and we don't have a legal definition of domestic violence. Cameroon does not have specific legislation by which domestic violence can be prosecuted; the criminal law is notoriously silent and victims are left to [rely] on the general law of assault. Thus, acts of domestic violence can be prosecuted using the Cameroon's penal code under the following articles:

Article 275 which punishes murder
Article 276 which punishes capital murder
Article 277 which punishes grievous harm
Article 278 which punishes assault occasioning death
Article 279 which punishes assault occasioning grievous harm Article 280 which punishes simple harm. Article 282 which punishes failure to assist women who have been abandoned by their spouses
Article 338 which punishes assault on woman with child whose aim is to protect pregnant women from assault.

Two sources indicate that spousal rape is not criminalized (US 11 Mar. 2010, Sec. 6; IPS 4 Nov. 2009). According to the Executive Secretary of CAWOLED, who is cited in the CRI Project country fact sheet, spousal rape is "generally" not considered an offence under customary law; it is rather understood that a married woman "consents to sexual intercourse with her husband at any time" (Nov. 2008, 7). An Inter Press Service (IPS) article also notes the following: Cameroon's penal code states that "whoever by force or moral ascendancy compels any female, whether above or below the age of puberty, to have sexual intercourse with him shall be punished with imprisonment for from five to 10 years." It further makes it illegal for a man to have sex with a woman under 16 years of age even if she consents to such intercourse. Despite these laws, few perpetrators of rape are ever prosecuted in Cameroon. Section 297 of the penal code, for instance, prevents prosecution for rape when marriage has been freely consented to by the parties involved, as long as the woman assaulted is over the age of puberty at the time of the offence.

Haven said all that progress is taking place. Counselling and advice are available to victims throughout Cameroon at social service centres provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs; social welfare services are available from the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family (Ministire de la Promotion de la Femme et de la Famille, MINPROFF), thus, Cameroon now has a call centers for abused women.

GERMANY DONATES €1m TO LIBYA TOWARDS KIDS IMMINIZATION

Germany is increasing its assistance to the United nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) towards expansion in the immunization of Libyan children.

This was disclosed after a meeting between the German Ambassador Christian Much and UNICEF Special Representative for Libya Ghassan Khalil after they signed an agreement to that effect on Monday (June 20)

The assistance would ensure a strengthening of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in Libya, where children constitute about 40% of the population.

SEVEN POLICEMEN KILLED DURING AN ATTACK AGAINST BOKO HARAM

Seven police constables were killed in a Thursday attack at the Nguagam camp hosting refugees and IDPs in southeastern Niger who are fleeing the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram.

“Seven policemen were killed. They were buried today (Friday),” a source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The attack took place shortly after the passing of a high ministerial delegation which included MPs and representatives of the UN and humanitarian personnel in the region.

“At around 5:30 p.m., three Boko Haram vehicles came to this area … They went to attack the police position making them abandon their posts. They took the vehicles and set fire to the police camp,” Al Hadj Kilibou, one of the displaced persons at the Nguagam camp told AFP.

“They (Boko Haram) were wearing gendarmes and policemen uniforms aboard vehicles. I saw them with my own eyes. They passed by me. They told me: Do not run, stay, we do not kill the civilians,” he added.

Al Hadj Kilibou had fled the town of Bosso, scene of a massive Boko Haram attack of June 3 where 26 Nigeriens and Nigerian soldiers and civilians were killed and 50,000 people displaced.

NIGERIA GOVERNMENT CALLS PARENTS TO BE EXTRA VIGILANT AGAINST ISIS APP

The Nigerian Information Minister in an exclusive interview with Africanews says an alert issued over an ISIS app was critical in the fight against jihadists.

“I think the whole world should be worried about it, because it is an app that is very attractive, with very bright images but they use guns as some form of games,” said Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Some young people according to the minister have fallen prey to these indoctrination on social media, raising fears that the app disguised in a form of a video game to indoctrinate young people into jihad could worsen the already fragile situation.

MTN APPOINTS NEW CEO. FORMER VODAFONE EUROPE HEAD

MTN, Africa’s biggest mobile- phone operator has appointed Rob Shuter as the group president and chief executive officer. Rob, a South African national ,joins the telecom from Vodafone Europe where he was the head.

The appointment is viewed as a step toward overhauling the company’s governance standards while looking for new revenue streams as the market becomes more competitive.

The news sent MTN shares rising to as high as 151.70 rand in early trading at the JSE , before settling at 143.30 rand.

Earlier this month, MTN agreed to pay a reduced fine of 330 billion naira an estimated $1.7 billion, in a settlement with Nigerian authorities, over failure to disconnect 5.1 million unregistered mobile phone users in the country.

However, Nigeria’s senate on Monday accused the government of short changing the country by reducing the fine. Nigeria is MTN biggest market with over 60 million subscribers.

 

Source Africanews

CELEBITY PROFILING: SUPER STAR SOLANGE YIJIKA GETS THE BLOGGER TREATMENT

Once people reach the minimun level of success and recognition you almost expect them to change. With so much attention, it can be easy to fall into the traps of arrogance and obnoxiousness. However, although there are plenty of stuck-up stars, there are also plenty who haven’t let the fame go to their heads. These people have managed to stay grounded in an industry that tries to force them to be otherwise. Whether it be donating to charity, spending time with fans, or just flat-out being a good person, these people seem to have a pretty good understanding of what’s really important in life. As a result, they have gained the love and respect of millions. One who falls in this category is the beautiful Solange Yijika.

At Empower Success in Africa we want our stars to be STARS, all capital letters. Solange Yijika is someone who is known and recognised not only around Cameroon but Africa as a whole. She is a multiple award-winning actress, and a Box Office star; with films like DECODED staring along side Van Vicker; ROSE ON THE GRAVE staring along side Mega super star Lady Ponce, Syndy Emade and Epule Jeffery. Although she has traversed a vast range of different film types and roles, it is her latest incarnation as one of the promoter and ambassador of the CAMEROON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (side by side Ramsey Noah) that has truly thrust her into the African limelight.

Despite not having a proffessional acting background, Solange has managed to turn her life into an incredible atress success story. I don't think this boils down to just sheer good luck, attractive looks, or superior acting talent. I think that Solange has consistently managed to effectively leverage all her talents and capabilities through the years, and this boils down to sheer determination. If she needs to be charming, she can be. If she needs to be flirty or coquettish, she can be. If she needs to be aggressive or argumentative, she can be. If at any time she needs to hone her acting skills, she can. In fact, I think this is one of the traits that Solange has but that she plays down, and it may not be highly visible to the world. But if you evaluate all her personal, education and professional accomplishments, it becomes highly apparent that she is clearly a highly determined and motivated individual, it is really not all just down to sheer luck. She is approaching nearly 12 films and short videos to her credit. But, unlike other actresses or actors, if you take a look at the substantive content of her films, they are all very different to each other. From her earlier work to the recent, Solange Yijika has seemingly been determined to challenge herself to play very different characters in each role. Not only this, but in each role you can see that she was determined to portray the character as best as she could, and this shows on screen - she is not content to simply cash a pay cheque all the time.

Complete beauty; I am not referring to physical beauty here, which of course Solange has in overabundance, what I am talking about is what I call "complete beauty". For instance, some people may be physically beautiful, but I hate to say it, they may in reality be shallow or self-centred, or they may be arrogant or bitchy. For me, complete beauty is people just knowing that that person is just a completely beautiful person, inside and out, in everything they say or do, in the way they interact with people, or look after their own. They may not have started out like that, they may not even always be like that every second of every day, but at least most of the time they have become a person of complete beauty. This is not to say that they are completely perfect, but that they continually reflect high levels of positive human behavioural traits. Solange has slowly but surely managed to transcend herself from being a person of pure physical beauty, to someone who radiates complete beauty.

I think there is a great deal we can learn from her and who she is.

TALENT WITH HUMILITY

When talent is accompanied with humility, only an explosive recognition can be the possible outcome: beauty, classiness, a Clooney-esque desire to show case her talent by working extremely hard even if it means getting arrested by the worst comment from people who believe in their little minds that beauty alone is talent— perhaps the most important one is this: humility and authenticity.

At Empower Success in Africa we want our stars to be STARS, all capital letters and lit up in neon. But we also want them to be just like us. Humility is another word for humble. To be humble is to have a low opinion of oneself, especially when others have a higher opinion of one. There are talented people that are humble enough to think that everyone should live a good life. And one who fits into the category of humble talent is Reneta Nwonori Ndisang.

Knowing you has always been a great pleasure.  May the Lord all mighty grant your heart desire and nourish your creativity.

VICTIMS OF TOXIC WASTE SPILL SCANDAL IN IVORY COAST WON A HIGHT COURT CASE AGAINST BRITISH LAW FIRM.

The claimants complained that solicitors Leigh Day failed to ensure a compensation package of USD 8.6 million in damages reached them.

In 2009 the oil company had agreed to pay around $42.4 million to 30,000 people affected by the dumping of caustic soda and petroleum residues in the economic capital Abidjan in 2006.

I am extremely pleased for our clients, who have been waiting for seven years to get their compensation.

However, a group of 6,624 claimants received nothing from the settlement, after $8.6 million of the payout was fraudulently withdrawn.

Expert evidence showed that a health crisis ensued in which, according to official estimates, 15 people died and more than 100,000 sought medical attention after exposure to the waste fumes.

High Court judge Andrew Smith ruled on Thursday that the London-based legal firm Leigh Day, who represented the claimants, had been negligent in using an Ivorian bank account to park the lump sum, leaving it open to embezzlement.

“I am extremely pleased for our clients, who have been waiting for seven years to get their compensation,” the claimants’ lawyer Kalilou Fadiga, from legal firm Harding Mitchell, toldAFP after Thursday’s ruling.

AFRICA'S CHAMPIONS COFFEE MAKER PREFERS DR I KING TEA

It is no secret that Kenya is one of the hottest spots to grab a great coffee in Africa.

With the recent boom in roasteries and coffee shops there, more and more professional baristas are making an impression.

Standing out above the rest is 26-year-old Martin Shabaya, who recently won the Africa Barista Championships, and is now headed to Ireland to represent Kenya at the World Championships.

But despite all his successes, it turns out drinking coffee is not even his cup of tea.

KENYAN COURT DETAINS EIGHT LAWMAKERS OVER HATE SPEECH

Political tension continues in Kenya. Kenyan court has detained eight Members of Parliament for four days over charges of hate speech and incitement.

The court decision will allow further investigations into allegations of “hate speech” involving the eight MPs.

The development comes on the back of growing tensions in the country and weeks of violent protests with over a year to national elections in the east African country.

The Prosecution had pushed for a four-day detention, arguing that the period was sufficient for a forensic analysis of the statements by the MPs which were captured on video, in order to come up with foolproof charges to guarantee a conviction.

The eight MPs including four pro-government and four opposition members were picked up by police after they were alerted to remarks by the politicians said to be “laced with ethnic hatred, vilification and bordering on incitement”.