LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE AND THE QUEST FOR REVOLUTIONARY SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION; THE CALL OF HISTORY BY JAYE GASKIA

Let us begin with a poem by David Diop titled ‘The Vultures’. But first who was David Diop? He was a poet of the African independence movement era, born to a Senegalese father and a Cameroonian mother in France, the colonial master. He was educated in France and lived in France. He began writing poetry pretty early, and became one of the leading poets of the Negritude literary and political movement led by Leopold Sedar Senghor, who will go on to become Senegal’s first, and post independent president in 1960.

David Diop himself however did not live to see Senegal’s independence, nor did he live long, he had gone to Guinea in 1958 as part of the wave of influx of the African Diaspora into Guinea to support that country after that country gained independence from France in 1958 prompting the French to maliciously and precipitously withdraw all French expatriates and technocrats from Guinea in act of vengeful punishment for daring to vote for independence.

Debris from #EgyptAir flight has been found in Mediterranean Sea

*Debris from #EgyptAir flight has been found in Mediterranean

*Airliner ‘apparently’ brought down by terror attack – Russia’s security chief

BREAKING: Debris from #EgyptAir flight has been found in Mediterranean https://t.co/b5Q8U4600Y

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 19, 2016

REUTERS reports that a Greek frigate searching for a missing Egyptair aircraft discovered two large plastic floating objects in a sea area 230 miles south of the island of Crete on Thursday, Greek defence sources said.

How EgyptAir flight MS804 disappears from radar between Paris and Cairo

Airline says plane, which took off from France’s Charles de Gaulle airport late on Wednesday night, has gone missing with 66 people on board.

Flight MS804 has now been missing for four hours: last contact was at 02.45 local time. It is now 06.45 in Cairo, where it has been daylight for close to two hours.

An informed source at EGYPTAIR stated that Flight no MS804,which departed Paris at 23:09 (CEST),heading to Cairo has disappeared from radar.

— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 19, 2016

EGYPTAIR media centre will update as more information becomes available.

— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 19, 2016

An informed source at EGYPTAIR declared that its flight number MS804 had 56 passengers on board.

— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 19, 2016

including 1 child and 2 infants in addition to 3 EGYPTAIR security personnel and 7 cabin crew with a total of 66 persons on board.

— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 19, 2016

EgyptAir Flight 804 heading from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar with 66 people on board, the airline said.

War In Syria: France announces bid to host Syrian opposition groups meeting

France plans to invite ministers from countries who support Syrian opposition groups to a meeting in Paris on May 9 to seek ways to break the political and military deadlock in the country, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters that France had decided on such a step because there appeared no immediate prospect of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) convening to try to restore a ceasefire wrecked by an upsurge of fighting, which has seen nearly 300 people killed in the last 13 days, as well as the bombing of hospitals and civilian areas.

“We are fighting [to ensure] the ceasefire returns straight away and we would like the ISSG to meet. For now we have not got any agreement from the Americans or Russians who co-preside the group to hold this meeting,” Ayrault said.

Syria Conflict: Putin, Hollande Meet In Paris Amid Tension

Footage of Russia's bombing in Syria

The French and Russian presidents are set for talks on Friday amid fears Russia is carrying out “indiscriminate” air strikes on Syrian militants.

As the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine meet in Paris Friday to discuss Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart François Hollande are holding private talks amid rising tensions over Russian strikes in Syria.

The main summit, scheduled to negotiate a fragile peace deal in Ukraine, has been overshadowed by a refugee crisis spurred by the war in Syria and Russia’s dramatic military intervention there.

In Syria, French military, like the US, is targeting Islamic State (IS) fighters with air strikes. But the US says Russia is carrying out random strikes against the Syrian opposition.

CHIBOK!!! You Need To Understand That Jonathan Can't Go There

Poor Ebele Jonathan! All his demoralized people can see is the fact that he tucked his tail between his legs, did 440 away from Chibok, and ran into the comforting arms of Papa Francois Hollande in Paris. Now the people are saying that even the second arm of our conjugal diarchy, President Mrs Patience Jonathan, seems to be displaying a more robust testicular fortitude than our man who thought discretion was the better part of valour.

Tourism Tour of President Jonathan to Chibok

The Nigerian President will today visit the now globally popular Borno Town of Chibok where over 200 secondary school girls were kidnapped by the dreaded Islamist Terrorists, Boko Haram.

With the the fame of the town (Chibo), President Goodluck Jonathan deserveed  to be there, though the hopes of the Chibok girls are still unknown and very uncertain in the hand of their Boko Haram abductors who are currently abusing them sexually and rapping them of their future too. Action and inaction of the presidency and the click of cultist ruling class of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is what Nigerians are paying for on daily basis.

200 School Girls: France President Francois Hollande to Send Troops for Rescue Operation

As the search for the Boko Haram abducted School Girls seem endless and hopeless on the part of the Federal Government of Nigeria, France on Wednesday offered to send security service agents to Nigeria to help recover more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist sects.

French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius made the disclosure that the Government President Francois Hollande is ready to offer assistants in the rescue operation of the abducted girls. Adding that with more than 4,000 troops operating between Mali to the west and Central African Republic to the east, Paris has a major interest in preventing Nigeria’s security situation from deteriorating, having previously voiced concerns that Boko Haram could spread further north into the Sahel.

Crimea Updates: Kerry, Lavrov meet in Paris today

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry changed course after a week of travel in the Mideast and arrived in Paris Saturday for talks with his Russian counterpart, Lavrov  on the Ukraine crisis. From Saudi Arabia, Kerry landed in Shannon, Ireland for a refueling stop, when he decided to turn his plane around and head to Paris. 

Mourinho Promises to make a big donation to charity if Chelsea win the Champions League

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, has downplayed his side’s chances in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain and added that he would make a donation to charity, if his team overcome the Ligue 1 champions and go on to win the trophy.

U.S. Secretary of State, Foreign Secretary and Ukraine Foreign Minister Meet in Paris

            Press Statement on the Budapest Memorandum Meeting

Diplomatic source confirmed that Kerry, Hague and eshchytsia hold direct talks on Ukraine crisis in Paris today and have issued a joint statement reminding the Russian Federation of the Budapest Memorandum, the 1994 agreement signed by the Governments of the U. S. A., the U. K. and Russia. 

 

 The joint statement reads:

Kardashian to wed Kanye West in ‘televised multi-million dollar wedding this June on the outskirts of Paris’ Palace Of Versailles

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is said to be planning a wedding extravaganza in France that will be televised for the show – and won’t cost her a cent. Kim, 33, persuaded her camera-shy fiance Kanye West to let the cameras in on their special day because E! will pay for most of the expenses, RadarOnline is reporting.

‘Kim and Kanye have narrowed down the wedding location, which is being kept a secret at this point. It will be on the outskirts of Paris.’ ‘We will be getting married this summer, hopefully, in Paris,’ Kim told Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday. ‘We love it there.’

The mother-of-one is being both romantic and practical, as E! staffers will also take of pesky issues such as security such as removing cell phones from guests and other logistics. 

This isn’t the first time the reality star has benefitted financially from a wedding – her August 2011 nuptials to second husband Kris Humphries became a four-hour, two-part special on E!, for which the couple reportedly were paid $15 million. 

‘Even though Kim’s marriage to Kris was a disaster, she was very happy with how the wedding and reception turned out,’ the source said.

Palace fit for a queen: The reality star really wanted to get married at the Palace Of Versailles on the outskirts of Paris but palace officials apparently told her no

‘Both Kim and Kanye have very high expectations for their wedding. It will be an over-the-top affair and there will be pre-wedding festivities leading up to the big day for their guests. It’ll be like a festival.’

Kim has yearned to have the ‘festival’ take place at the Palace Of Versailles, a symbol of absolute monarchy in France, not to mention the former home of Marie Antoinette.

‘Kim and Kanye really wanted to get married at Versailles and were both hoping to persuade officials during their visit there… ultimately it backfired. It was still a firm no.

‘The couple is looking for something grand, but something that can offer privacy and security.’