Irina Shayk celebrates turning 30 with sexy bikini selfie

The Russian supermodel who previously dated Cristiano Ronaldo and is currently dating Bradley Cooper took to Instagram today to share a photo of herself rocking an extremely tiny red bikini while hanging out at home. Posing in front of her bathroom mirror, the now-30-year-old Russian beauty flaunted her slim figure and model pout with the sexy selfie, and captioned the photo, "2016 lets go."

OMG! See what a woman did to her 9 year old housemaid in Lagos

9 year old Chinwendu Precious is currently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Lagos after her madam, 26 year old Ifeoma Mbakwe poured hot water on her for failing to carry out an instruction at their Alagbado residence in Lagos on December 27th 2015. PM News reports that Mbakwe who hails from Anambra state has been arrested and is currently in police custody.

Kylie Jenner's secret hobby revealed

Kylie Jenner revealed one of her hobbies in a new Snapchat on Thursday. Kylie shared the controversial video, which was then uploaded on Instagram, showing her seductively puffing on a vaporizer.

In the video, she showed her prowess at blowing smoke rings during the short clip. Some of her fans argued that she was smoking weed while others argued that she was smoking a cigarette. More photos after the cut...

Man runs naked through St Peter's Basilica as horrified Vatican visitors look on

A video captured the moment a man ran through St Peter's Basilica naked in front of horrified churchgoers. Wearing nothing but a backpack, the naked man ran through the congregation shouting and waving his arms as members of security attempt to grab hold of his backpack.
The man in the footage was identified as Luis Carlos Giampoli, a 44-year-old nurse from Brazil.

In the footage, he waves his arms in the air and reportedly shouts "Dear brothers and sisters, I'm from Brazil!"

According to Ruptly TV, the man was detained by Vatican gendarmerie before later being admitted to a psychiatric ward in Rome's Santo Spirito hospital.

Reports from Italy suggest he entered the church fully dressed, before stripping his clothes off in a quiet corner and proceeding to walk around naked.



Source: UK Mirror

Kribi Seaport Has Become a Reality, Limbe Deep Sea Port Remains a Plan 24yrs. After – SWELA Scribe Laments

Moki Etukeni, SWELA Secretary General

Cameroon Journal, Buea – Joseph Moki Etukeni, Secretary General of the South West Elite Association (SWELA) has bared his mind on burning issues affecting the very existence of the country.

The SWELA scribe in a media chat with media professionals at the Buea Council Hall on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 bemoaned the second class treatment that Anglophones are given in the country.

In very hard words, Etukeni joined his voice to that of Anglophone Lawyers, South West Chiefs and Media professionals to call for a return to federalism and that development and political appointments ought to respect the national character of the country.

To him, SWELA supports a return to either a two state federation or a ten-state federation where the geographical boundaries of the existing regions and administrative units will not be altered. Top on the list of his demands is the tarring of roads in the South West Region. He announced that there is a strong lobby to see to it that some roads in the region get government attention.

“We want that the various administrative units be linked up with tarred roads. We want that roads in major towns be tarred and certain areas disenclaved with construction of earth roads as a major fulcrum for development,” the SWELA chief stated.

Etukeni faulted President Paul Biya for not living up to promises made to the South West. He recalled that while on a visit to the region on September 27 and 28, 1991, the Head of State promised to personally ensure that the Limbe Deep Seaport is constructed and made functional.

“24 years is gone and we see the Kribi Seaport becoming a reality which by then was not even conceptualised. The Limbe Deep Seaport which is highly rated by international experts as feasible and best for Cameroon has never received due attention and funding for its take-off. The realisation of this project will not only create jobs, it will make Cameroon a proud, great economic and maritime hub for the Central and West African Regions,” Etukeni said.
He observed that reception of signals of the Cameroon Radio Television in the South West is generally very poor especially in most parts of Ndian, Manyu, Meme, Lebialem, Kupe Muanenguba Divisions and even Idenau subdivision in Fako Division.

He acknowledged efforts made by CRTV officials to fix the problem, but said emergency measures are necessary.
Moki Etukeni announced the imminent construction of a SWELA Plaza on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) scheme. The plaza upon completion will host the SWELA secretariat and will generate income to sustain the pressure group.

OPINION: If Education is the Cure for Poverty, then How do we Make the Antidote?

The United Nations recently claimed that the Millennium Development Goal that focused on primary education increased global enrolment from 83% to 91%. Despite these gains, today it is estimated that 124 million children do not attend school and 757 million adults are illiterate.

The nearly one billion people without a proper education is distressing as a good education is a proven foundation for alleviating poverty, sustainable economic progress, healthier lifestyle and enhanced social development. Inexplicably, the international community continues to fail the global poor by not creating access to legitimate education programs that allow them to conquer poverty.

The UN’s Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) on education may have achieved some progress but overall it was ineffective as it concentrated more on the quantity of children attending classes rather than the quality of education at every age group.

Substandard education was highlighted in an UNESCO report that stated over 29 million children dropped out of school in Sub-Sahara Africa each year. The reason can be attributed to the children not receiving a high level of education as in most cases classroom sizes are too big and teachers are unpaid, inexperienced or have no training.

As a result, of the poor quality of education, an uneducated parent is more focused on their short-term needs and neglects the long-term benefits of education and thus pulls their children out of school to work. This can be seen as a result of the UN not making great gains in improving adult education. Since the parents have not personally experienced education better their quality of life, they miss the advantages for their children and thus remain trapped in the cycle of poverty.

Brad L. Brasseur explores the current problems in creating good education for the poor in developing nations and looks at some of the solutions.

Other education problems include; ineffective, outdated, or irrelevant curriculum that does not teach students the most essential skills for success where they live. Plus, many children have the impossible task of concentrating without having the correct nutrition to properly think as schools lack funding for food programs. Such food programs can also be an added incentive for parents to enroll their children, as they will receive free food.

Fixing Education in the Developing World

In September 2015, the UN announced that one of the new Sustainable Development Goals (the new MDGs) would be improving the ‘Quality’ of global education. This time around the new goal is more broadly focused on all levels of education and aims to eliminate gender and wealth inequalities.
While this is a step in the right direction, ultimately achieving quality education, will involve increased investment in infrastructure, teacher training, curriculum development, classroom materials, technology, food programs and lowering schools fees. Most importantly the ultimate goal should be ensuring any program is focused on learning and not just attendance.

Today no universal education model will work for every country, as each education system must be adapted to the local and cultural dynamics that exist in every unique location. This means that national governments should give local leaders, parents and teachers greater educational autonomy, including increased input in setting the curriculum in their region.

More emphasis needs to be put on teaching skills that are applicable for obtaining jobs in each specific region. For example, a place like Palawan Island in the Philippines, which was voted the most beautiful island in the world but is also one of its poorest regions in the country, should focus more on tourism skillsets, such as learning languages. Mineral rich countries like Peru or the Democratic Republic of the Congo should put more value into teaching skills aimed at securing legitimate jobs in industries by developing better math, science or geography programs that can produce engineers or geologists (one of Peru’s highest paid professions).

Education Innovations Can Be part of the Solution

There is hope for improving global education as successful innovative ideas are being used by many organizations, such as One Laptop per Child, who have developed and distributed millions of durable, economical, low powered laptops that allows rural children to digitally access updated textbooks, classes and information.

Also, isolated rural areas Internet problems have been solved by Alphabet’s Loon project (Google’s holding company) as they have developed technology that can supply Wi-Fi access to isolated rural areas by launching balloons into the sky. In fact, India is attempting such a project to combat their low Internet user rate and fight their weak education level.

Plus, Bangladeshi based NGO BRAC, has been successfully providing quality education to the poor with their non-formal primary education program, which has a dropout out rate of less than 5%. In addition they have a thriving adult education program that puts emphasis on women by teaching them to read, write, and share their resources so they so can successfully run businesses.

Another great innovator is The Economist 2015 innovation award winner Bridge International, who has developed a low cost model for building nurseries and primary schools that delivers high quality education in East Africa.

These innovations can advance global education but need to be combined with increased global investment into the education sector. Corruption and the lack of knowledge of the importance of education means that governments are not investing enough money into their education sector and sometimes even spend more on their military.

Moving Forward

Developed countries can also take some of the blame as Kevin Watkins from Overseas Development Initiative has previously stated that only two percent of yearly international global aid given to developing countries is invested into education. To combat this, countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia and EU countries must put stricter conditions on their aid and make sure that it is invested effectively in the education sectors of developing countries.

Obviously, education is not the only solution to achieve sustainable human and economic development, but it is undoubtedly the foundation for true progress. In the next decades, with the help of increased investment and utilizing advances in technology, we have a great opportunity to give the world’s poor a quality education and with it the tools to alleviate poverty.
We can use South Korea as an example, as in the 1960s, they were a poor country with a horrendous education system and today they have transformed into an economic powerhouse by having one of the best education systems in the world.

Health Official Blames Pathetic State of Medical Labs on Obsolete Laws

By Amindeh Blaise Atabong, January 8, 2016

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Cameroon Journal, Yaounde – Dr. Ateba Etoundi Aristide Otto, Director of Pharmacy, Medicine and Laboratories in the Ministry of Public Health has said the 1990 decree on the formation of medical laboratories in the country is obsolete and is to blame for the chaos that exists in the sector.

According to the director, the problem of laboratories in Cameroon is on the same level as that of fake drugs sold on roadsides and in markets.

Ateba was speaking in an interview he recently granted the national bilingual daily, Cameroon Tribune.

“The situation is a matter of great concern to the Ministry of Public Health. The regulations are obsolete – dating back to 1990. So, there are many things that need to be reviewed. Some laboratories do not have the appropriate staff and equipment and don’t even know the standard operational procedures to respect. In most cases, the results are not accurate and therefore not reliable. If you investigate, you will even find out that the authorisation they have is not correct,” Ateba said. He added that fake test results they produce lead to wrong diagnoses and prescriptions; thus the treatment might even be worse.

However, the official noted that they are working hard to control the situation, though he admitted that no matter how much they combat it, it will still persist.

The Cameroon Journal gathered that apart from the specific documents required for opening medical laboratories, the applicant is first of all supposed to be a medical biologist. But this is hardly respected.

The director said that practitioners supposed to be periodically obliged to go for refresher courses but the current decree does not oblige them to do so. “You can have somebody who graduated in the 1980s and is still practising with methods that have been forgotten. He doesn’t know and does not have the appropriate equipment; so he gives out wrong results,” Ateba said.

Time for Anglophones to Occupy the Presidency for at Least 20years- Dr. Susungi

Share the post "Time for Anglophones to Occupy the Presidency for at Least 20years- Dr. Susungi"

Dr. Nfor N. Susungi

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Cameroon Journal, Yaounde – Nfor N. Susungi, renowned economist turned politician, who is has publicised plans to run for President in the 2018 presidential elections has said that it is the turn of Anglophones to occupy Etoudi for at least 20years. The former SDF baron is also warning that Cameroon might split in halves if the Biya regime refuses to acknowledge the fact that Francophones have ruled for too long and give way for Anglophones to lead.

In an online interview with our reporter, the presidential hopeful says “It starts with the fact that reunification was a tontine and not a marriage. I have decided to use metaphors (tontine, otherwise known as njangi) which all Cameroonians can connect with. If you are in a union which is not backed by a legal agreement which was ratified and sent to the UN Secretariat in conformity with article 102 of the UN Charter, then it is a tontine.”

Susungi who said he did change the name of the country to Republic of Kameroon under the platform of UNIKAM, compares the current Republic of Cameroon to a tontine, which he says is a binding association between people not bound by any legal instrument.
“It is bound by the principle of rotation. The Francophones have chopped the tontine for 55 years. I have maintained that in 2004 Biya was supposed to hand over to an Anglophone to take their turn; but he did not” he said, adding that “he decided to hang on in violation of the rules of the tontine. Now is the time to hand over to an Anglophone. For how long? At least 20 years. It cannot remain with the Francophones because that will mean that the tontine has broken down. If that happens everyone knows what the consequences will be.”

Susungi pointed out that he has coined “powerful political metaphors” to enable Cameroonians understand the challenges facing them in the coming years.

He recalled reports of a French politician who came to Cameroon and declared an Anglophone can never be allowed to be president of the country. “He may have said this not knowing that we are in a tontine. He said that in order to prevent John Fru Ndi from aspiring to take over from Paul Biya in 1992. No problem. But things have now changed.” My generation has grown wise and that is why I am explaining things in very plain language today. If we fail to respect the rules of the tontine, then Cameroon should expect a very serious crisis which could lead to the breakup of the country;” he stressed.

To buttress his argument as to why an Anglophone must take over power following a principle of rotation, Susungi, opined: “In Nigeria the principle of rotation of power among the geopolitical zones is very important. In Cote d’Ivoire the arrival of Ouattara has enabled the North to take its turn in power. Even the UN understands that the position of SG must be rotated to different regions of the world.”

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Quizzed on how an Anglophone could become president when the Biya regime apparently does not think in that direction, he said “that is Paul Biya’s problem. My job is to stake a claim and I have done it in very plain language. Don’t imagine that what I am saying here is not worrying them and their own succession plans. They know that I am not John Fru Ndi.”

As to what he meant by not being John Fru Ndi, he said “I am not just sitting and hoping for the best like Chairman.” Susungi disclosed that he has written to President Biya. “Biya knows I want his job. I am coming out and staking a claim to the job very clearly. Now what is he and his entourage going to do?” he asked rhetorically.

Susungi was firm that there is no other political party in Cameroon which explains its plans and its positions as clearly as his UNIKAM. The manifesto and priorities of the party which, Susungi outlined include the opening of a judicial investigation into the Lake Nyos disaster of 1986, the massacre of the Bamelikes and Bassas between 1955-1966 as well as the 1984 attempted coup d’etat. 
UNIKAM will also want to introduce a national stability pact which will, among other things, facilitate the equitable distribution of national appointments. Susungi equally plans to change the celebration of the national day from May 20 to October 1, expand parliamentary seats to 250 while limiting consecutive terms for MPs and senators. Presidential terms shall be reduced to four 4 years, allowing for 3 consecutive terms, but with an age limit for presidents.

Francophone Student Teachers to No Longer Practise in Anglophone Schools

Wilfred Tassang, Executive Secretary of CATT

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Cameroon Journal, Bamenda – Francophone student teachers of the Higher Technical Teachers Training College (HTTTC) and Higher Teachers Training College (HTTC) Bambili of the University of Bamenda, have been barred from doing teaching practice in schools of the English sub-system in the North West and South West Regions.

The decision was taken after some crisis meetings on December 31, 2015 and January 2, 2016 chaired by North West Governor, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique. Leaders of the Cameroon Teachers’ Trade Union (CATTU) and Teachers Association of Cameroon (TAC), Union of Parent-Teachers’ Association (UPTA), Civil Society Organisations and Anglophone lawyers had mounted pressure on the authorities of the University of Bamenda calling for a stop on Francophone student teachers practicing on Anglophone school campuses.

Wilfred Tassang, Executive Secretary of CATTU disclosed that Higher Education Minister, Jacques Fame Ndongo endorsed the decision stopping Francophone student teachers from practising in Anglophone schools during another meeting held in Yaounde on January 4.

The decision came after the threat by the civil society groups announcing a strike action aimed at paralyzing the second term of the school year should their request not be granted. They also called for the withdrawal and redeployment of Francophone teachers posted to teach Anglophone subjects other than French language and Anglophone teachers posted to teach Francophone subjects other than English language.

“After about eight hours of wrangling, it was resolved that HTTTC and HTTC Bambili would put a pause on the teaching practice, withdraw the teachers already posted to some schools, sort out the Francophone teachers and cause them to practise on Francophone children in and out of the North West Region,” The Post bi-weekly newspaper quoted Tassang as saying.

He reiterated that the 1998 law on the orientation of national education states that there are two sub-systems- the English and the French. “And the first differentiation in the two sub-systems is the language of instruction,” he added.

The teachers’ trade unions and the Minister of Secondary Education, Tassang said, on the other hand, agreed that the deployment of teachers be examined.

“There was also a special appeal we tabled that Anglophone Cameroonians of North West and South West extraction be given an opportunity in a special recruitment exercise to enter HTTC Bambili as well as HTTTC of Bambili and Kumba in large numbers to make up for what we call 50 years of neglect of training Anglophone teachers.”

Thirty Years After, 100 Million FCFA Slated to Resettle Lake Nyos Disaster Victims

FILE: Aftermath of 1986 Lake Nyos disaster

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Cameroon Journal, Bamenda – Absalom Monono Wolua, Secretary General at the North West Governor’s office has disclosed that of the 32,051,873,000 FCFA budgeted as 2016 Public Investment Budget, PIB, for the region, the Lake Nyos area in Menchum Division will gulp some 200 million FCFA.

The Secretary General made the disclosure in Bamenda, Thursday January 7, while launching the 2016 PIB for the region. Similar launchings took place at regional levels across the country same day.

Going by Absalom, 100 million FCFA would be used to resettle victims of the August 1986 Lake Nyos gas disaster. He also noted that the rest of the amount budgeted for the Lake Nyos area will be used for containing the persistent risk that abounds in the area.

In a bid to avert misappropriation of the designated funds, the civil administrator warned that stringent follow-up measures would be put in place. He indicated that those who are caught pinching the funds will be severely sanctioned as per laws in place.

It should be recalled that on August 21, 1986, an eruption took place in the Lake, located in Nyos, a small village in Menchum division and triggered the sudden release of tons of carbon dioxide. The gas spilled over the northern lip of the lake into a valley running roughly east-west from Cha to Subum, and then rushed down two valleys branching off to the north. It displaced natural air and suffocated some 1,700 people within 25 kilometers of the lake. Mostly villagers as well as 3,500 livestock perished.

Experts say the lake, however, remains a permanent threat as estimates of the rate of carbon dioxide entering the lake suggest that out-gassing could occur every 10–30 years, though a recent study shows that release of water from the lake, caused by erosion of the natural barrier that keeps in the lake’s water, could in turn reduce pressure on the lake’s carbon dioxide and cause a gas escape much sooner.

Entries Open for 2015 Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism

Share the post "Entries Open for 2015 Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Entries for the 2015 Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism are now open. The Awards are sponsored and organised by South Africa-based financial services group, Sanlam.

For the third consecutive year, the coveted African Growth Story category is up for grabs for journalists from across the continent whose work is published and/ or broadcast in Africa.

This category honours the journalist who best captures the growth story of the African continent, highlighting the economic awakening as well as the challenges and obstacles to growth.

In 2015, Kenya’s Business Daily journalist, Neville Otuki scooped the Best Newcomer award following his strong entry for the African Growth Story category. Otuki walked away with the R15 000 (KES105 997) prize money.

The Best Newcomer award, which is determined by the judging panel, goes to a journalist with less than three years’ experience who the judges believe will make a significant contribution to financial journalism in the future. It was the first time in the 40-year history of the Awards that this category was won by a non-South African journalist.

The annual Awards were established by Sanlam in 1974 as a platform to recognise and celebrate excellence in financial journalism as well as honour some of the finest financial journalists.

Sanlam Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ian Kirk, says that Sanlam is proud to continue its support for the Awards. “As a proudly Pan-African financial services company, we are pleased to once again sponsor this prestigious competition which acknowledges the hard work, dedication and impressive reporting skills of African journalists.

“In 2013, we introduced the African Growth Story category to recognise financial journalists from across Africa whose work focuses on telling the growth story of the continent in terms of investments and infrastructure developments, among others, including the related challenges. We hope these Awards contribute to encourage quality journalism that critically looks at and celebrates the continent’s growth. We believe Africa is home to some of the finest financial journalists and we encourage all eligible individuals to submit their entries and showcase their remarkable efforts.”

Entries will close on 29 February 2016, giving applicants more than two months to collate and submit their entries.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Johannesburg in 2016. The judging panel will use the following criteria to evaluate entries: news value, impact, rigour in reporting, analytical value, originality, integrity, specialist knowledge and story-telling.

The judging panel, convened by Mr Peter Vundla, the chairman of AMB Capital, currently includes Mr Charles Naudé, a retired editor; Ms Caroline Southey, the editor of The Conversation Africa; Mr Franz Krüger, adjunct professor of journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Nixon Kariithi, founder of Tangaza Africa Media; Ms Maud Motanyane of Kagiso Media; Mr Ulrich Joubert, an independent economist; and Mr Jabulani Sikhakhane, formerly with National Treasury in South Africa and now deputy editor of The Conversation Africa.

For more information click http://bit.ly/SFJOY for the dedicated Awards website which provides full details about the Awards, including the entry forms.

Mum of two gets a shock when she looks at the pork loin she bought

A mum shopping for her Sunday roast got a shock when she came across this pork loin shaped like an eggplant.
Louise Watt, picked up the phallic meat on one of her regular visits to Sainsbury's in Northampton, Northamptonshire, on Sunday. It was only when she returned home to prepare the meal with her husband, Jack, that she noticed how the pork loin looked. So they took pictures of it.
Louise, 36, said:

"When you're shopping with a six-year-old and a two-year-old, you just want to get in and out of the supermarket.

"I checked to make sure it was a good colour and in date, but that was about it. I took no notice of the shape at the time.

"I took it out of the fridge later on and just burst out laughing. It's really quite rude. The colour certainly helps. It's pretty realistic.

"We don't normally have a traditional Sunday dinner so it was a bit of a treat for us.

"The kids looked a bit baffled that we were taking a picture of our dinner. I put it on my Facebook page and it attracted quite a reaction."

Louise said:

"Thankfully I didn't have to explain anything to the kids. It was lovely but I'll probably be a bit more picky next time I'm choosing. "It did look a bit gross but it gave everyone a laugh anyway."

UK Mirror

Caitlyn Jenner cancels speaking tour

Caitlyn Jenner has canceled her upcoming 5-city speaking tour. The tour was to begin in late February, stopping in Toronto, Vancouver, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle, but "those dates conflicted with another work commitment," her publicist, Alan Nierob, said.
In October, Unique Lives spokesman Howard Szigeti said Jenner's lectures would focus on "Caitlyn’s personal journey with an inspiration-message of acceptance towards the transgender community and what it takes to lead an authentic life, followed by a short, moderated, question-and-answer period."

As of Thursday, the webpage for Jenner's tour was no longer operable.

Bruce's speeches used to sell out on the regular. Maybe Caitlyn needs a few tips on how to fill the house like Bruce used to do.

Supermodels Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer reunite for Balmain campaign

The real Super Models....see more photos after the cut...

In the 90s with Fashion designer Valentino, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer

Kenya: Governors Reject Attempts to Extend Transitional Authority's Mandate

The Council of Governors (CoG) has resisted any attempts to extend the mandate of the Transition Authority arguing that any extension was a threat to devolution.

CoG Chairman Mr Peter Munya termed the move "unconstitutional" saying that Transition Authority (TA) had done its work and must be disbanded.

He argued that any remaining duty can be ably handled by the Inter-Governmental Relations Committee which he said was already in place.

The Meru County Governor said instead of extending the TA's period, the government should offer more financial support to the Inter-Governmental Relations Committee to carry out any spill over work.

ENOUGHT TIME

"They (TA) had enough time to do their work and we don't think giving them more time would serve any purpose and in any case the law does not allow (for the extension). We therefore ask Parliament not to extend the term of TA," said the Meru governor on Thursday.

Mr Munya was reacting to remarks by the Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mr Mwangi Kiunjuri who, hours earlier, had said that the term of TA, which is in charge of overseeing the transfer of devolved functions to counties, should be extended.

The TA's term is set to expire on March 4, 2016 but the authority had sought another three years, saying its work was not yet done.

But Mr Kiunjuri, during a meeting with the oversight body officials on Wednesday, suggested TA's term be extended by a year.

EXTEND PERIOD

Parliament will have the desertion to extend the period or reject the proposal.

"Parliament would be acting against the constitution if it extends the mandate of the Transition Authority," said Mr Munya during a press conference at the CoG offices in Nairobi on Thursday.

"The transition period comes to an end on March (2016) and we are asking the minister concerned to comply with the provisions of the constitution," added Mr Munya who also demanded that the national government hands over all devolved functions to counties.