Glamorous VMA Awards fail to disappoint

The MTV Video Music Awards  are one of the most coveted awards in the music industry.

They are one of the few awards whereby artists are given accolades on basis of the quality of their videos.

VMAs are not without their fair share of drama, one of the most memorable being the Taylor Swift-Kanye West drama in the 2010 VMAs and also the Miley Cyrus twerking.

Miley bagged video of the year in 2014 and she hosted in 2015.

It ain't a VMA without the awkward happening.

Beyonce, Tayor Swift and  Ed Sheeran dominated this year's nominations, but who took home the much coveted statues?

Irony is Taylor Swift handed to Kanye West who stole her winning moment in 2009.

Nicki Minaj kinda dissed Miley Cyrus live on stage.

Miley was asked in an interview about  Nicki's beef on Taylor Swift and it looked like Miley was playing for Swift's team.

FYI Justin Bieber is back thanks to the concluded VMAs!

He did his Skrillex and Diplo collabo.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Rock Video: Fall Out Boy, "Uma Thurman"
Best Pop Video: Taylor Swift, "Blank Space"
Best Male Video: Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"
Best Hip-Hop Video: Nicki Minaj, "Anaconda"
Best Female Video: Taylor Swift, "Blank Space"
Best Video With a Social Message: Big Sean featuring Kanye West & John Legend, "One Man Can Change the World"
Song of the Summer: 5 Seconds of Summer, "She's Kinda Hot"
Best Collaboration: Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar, "Bad Blood"
Best Direction: Kendrick Lamar, "Alright" (Colin Tilley & the Little Homies)
Best Choreography: OK Go, "I Won’t Let You Down" (OK Go, air:man and Mori Harano)
Best Cinematography: Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Never Catch Me" (Larkin Sieple)
Best Art Direction: Snoop Dogg, "So Many Pros" (François Rousselet, Jason Fijal)
Best Editing: Beyoncé, "7/11" (Beyoncé, Ed Burke, Jonathan Wing)
Best Visual Effects: Skrillex and Diplo feat. Justin Bieber, "Where Are U Now" (Brewer, Gloria FX, and Max Chyzhevskyy)
Artist to Watch: Fetty Wap
Video of the Year: Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar, "Bad Blood"

Obama loves his Justin Timberlake and Bob Marley

When you see a sitting president all matters official come to mind.

Ever thought a president would have a playlist, or rather would it ever come to mind that they even listen to music?

Well we have a president with a human side that everyone can relate to.

The President of the United States of America Barack Obama recently released his playlist via Twitter!

Interesting!

Expect that from the president who trace his roots back to East Africa, Kenya to be precise.

His playlist includes singles from Justin Timberlake, Bob Marley and even John Legend.

Here goes the full playlist.

• "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by The Temptations
• "Live It Up" by Isley Brothers
• "Memories Live" by Talib Kweli and Hi Tek
• "Tombstone Blues" by Bob Dylan
• "So Much Trouble in the World" by Bob Marley
• "Paradise" by Coldplay
• "Tengo Un Trato (Remix)" by Mala Rodriguez
• "Wang Dang Doodle" by Howlin Wolf
• "Another Star" by Stevie Wonder
• "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Boozophilia" by Low Cut Connie
• "Wherever Is Your Heart" by Brandi Carlile
• "Good Day" by Nappy Roots
• "Green Light" by John Legend
• "Gimme Shelter" by Rolling Stones
• "Rock Steady" by Aretha Franklin
• "Down Down the Deep River" by Okkervil River
• "Pusher Love Girl" by Justin Timberlake
• "Shake It Out" by Florence + The Machine
• "La Salsa La Traigo Yo" by Sonora Carruseles

Way to go POTUS.

This is a powerful personality with a fun side .

They all need to emulate this from you.

BARCLAYS BANK FORTUNES INCREASE IN ITS HALF YEAR FINANCIAL RESULTS

Barclays bank has recorded an 8% increase profits after tax in its half year trading period ending June 2015.

The bank's net profit rose from 4.2 billion shillings in June 2014 to 4.6 billion shillings as of June 2015.

‘This growth has been witnessed by dedicating our resources to improve our systems and processes. We have invested further in our infrastructure and sales capability as a way of getting new clientele.We are focused to execute strategies for sustainable growth,’ says Jeremy Awori the CEO for Barclays bank.

During the official release of the results Chief Financial Director Yusuf Omari confirmed a 10% growth in consumer banking.

‘This is as a result of the products we offer like lending of money and also emphasis we have made on mortgage and asset based financing’.

‘The launch of the Mortgage Centre in the first half year is already yielding positive results for the bank. As at June, the value of Mortgage applications recorded was almost double what the bank recorded during the whole of 2014. On its part Bancassurance shows promise and we expect it will be a major contributor of our non funded income line within the next 2-3 years,’ explains Awori.

The bank is also rolling out a robust SME strategy to enable it play a bigger role in the development of this important sector of the economy and the bank has set aside a 30 billion shillings kitty to lend to local enterprises.

The bank also witnesses a 10% growth in customer deposits which reached 163 billion shillings as compared to last year where the figures read 148 billion shillings.

The Barclays Bank Board recommends that there will be an interim payment of 20cents per every share purchased.

BARACK OBAMA MOST SEARCHED PERSONALITY IN KENYA

BARACK OBAMA TOPS GOOGLE TRENDS

The much anticipated visit by the 44th President of The United States
Barack Obama was the most searched item in Google.

The Obama fever seemed to have dominated its presence in Kenya's web
pages with the phrase 'Obama in Kenya' being the most sought after
topic in the month of July.

Searches related to Obama's visit who hosted the 6th Global
Enterpreneurship Summit (GES) in Nairobi secured 5 out of the top 10
trends in the previous month.

Kenyans then searched for more information about his half sister -
Auma, The Beast, POTUS - abbreviation for President of The United
States,  and Air Force one.

The Beast is Obama's official state car and it came second in the Google trends.

The 3rd trending topic was POTUS which means President of The United States.

POTUS is  the president's official Twitter handle and this  term rose
to prominence ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit prompting
Kenyans to find out its meaning and genesis on Google search.

History has it that Obama is who traces his roots back to Kenya is the
first ever sitting president of America to ever tour this country.


Dr. Auma Obama - half sister to U.S President Barack Obama came in
fourth after President Obama offered her a ride in ‘The Beast’ when
she received him at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA),
becoming the first Kenyan to ride in Obama's official car.

Auma also joked about how she went to pick his half brother at the
airport  decades ago with her battered car and here he was repaying
her with a ride on the beast.

Air Force One - the official aircraft that carries the US of America
also made it to top ten trending searches.

Other search terms that trended in July are: Barcelona FC forward,
Pedro Rodriguez, a 28-year-old spaniard who was transferred to English
Club Manchester United; Mzee Ojwang, also known as Benson Wanjau also
sent Kenyans online following his death while undergoing treatment at
the Kenyatta National Hospital; The Emirates Cup - a preseason
association football invitational competition hosted by English club
Arsenal at their home ground Emirates Stadium in London; Gatundu South
Member of Parliament Moses Kuria who was a trending search topic
throughout the month of July owing to his on-going High Court case
over the alleged incitement to violence; and Eid Mubarak - a
traditional Muslim greeting reserved for use during the celebration of
the festival of Eid as Kenyans joined more than billion Muslims
worldwide in celebrating the Islamic festival which marks the end of
Ramadan.

Trending searches

    Obama in Kenya

    The Beast

    POTUS

    Auma Obama

    Pedro Rodriguez

    Mzee Ojwang

    Emirates Cup

    Moses Kuria

    Eid Mubarak

    Air Force One

UN takes a historic step forward as conservationists accuse Hong Kong of propelling Illegal Trade in Ivory.

The United Nations Friday adopted a historical resolution on wildlife trafficking.

The UN General Assembly resolution calls on countries to harmonize national legislation and transnational cooperation on the illegal trafficking of wildlife.

It also recognizes the links between wildlife crime, international organized crime and the plight of local communities, whose livelihoods are impacted by the illicit trade.

Enforcing laws and regulations that protect wildlife both nationally and across borders is a moral obligation, a legal imperative and an economic necessity.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner termed the resolution as a historic step forward in the war against poaching.

“This General Assembly resolution is an historic step forward, and one I believe will spark the firm and concerted international action needed to combat poaching and those who profit from it” Achim said

Dr Achim added that ” In calling for wildlife crime to be treated as a serious crime, both nationally and across borders, the resolution sends a clear signal to organized criminal networks involved in this illicit trafficking that their time will soon be up”.

The UN resolution comes as conservationists accuse Hong Kong and other countries from parts of eastern China of indirectly promoting illegal poaching of endangered wildlife species such as elephants and Rhinoceros.

Elephants’ killings have reportedly spiraled out of control in Africa especially Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique despite many efforts in eradicating illegal poaching.

Reports have revealed that a big chunk of illegal ivory ends up in the Asian markets especially parts of eastern China where they are used for trinkets, souvenirs and also in traditional medicines.

The conservationists squarely blame Hong Kong for hindering international efforts to eradicate illegal ivory trade as a way of preserving wildlife and biodiversity as stipulated in the Millennium Development Goals MDG set to be replaced by another universal agenda.

December 2015, is the deadline set for the UN member states to ensure Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are successfully achieved.

MDG number 7 seeks to reduce loss of biodiversity in order to sustain environmental resources which should be used for sustainable development in Africa, an effort being undermined by illegal Poaching.

‘It is difficult to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number 7 with the rate at which the elephant population is dwindling. This illegal trade is undermining the African environmental resources which should be used for sustainable development. It is not sustainable if you wipe out the elephant population out ‘says Iain Douglas-Hamilton, an Ivory trade expert.

A new survey shows Hong Kong as the main market for illegal ivory trade, with more pieces of Ivory on sale than anywhere else in the world.

In the report, other Ivory trade experts and conservationists  Lucy Vigne, Esmond Martin and Chryssee Martin say a  survey in Hong Kong’s retail outlets in late 2014 – early 2015 found 30, 856 pieces of ivory for sale.

‘This is a serious crisis. African elephants are in danger. 100,000 elephants have been killed in between 2010 -2012 for their tusks. Ivory trade should be halted in Hong Kong or these elephants’ survival will be threatened,’ says Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Founder of Save the Elephants.

However, Hong Kong authorities have made several seizures of Ivories in transit to China mainland.

‘In 2012, over 2000 kg of Ivories from Kenya were seized. In the same year 1000kg of ivory from Tanzania was intercepted. In 2013, another consignment that was 1300kg was seized. In the same year 2200kg of the commodity from Togo was captured. This is ironic as the country has almost no elephant population. The country has less than 100 jumbos. Massive corruption in this West African state has brought forth this situation” explains Esmond Martin the author of the new report.

Chinese Embassy in Kenya however, denied allegations involving Beijing with illegal ivory trade.

 In a statement the embassy says all efforts are being done to save elephants in Kenya.

‘The Chinese government also fully supports Kenya’s conservation and anti-smuggling efforts and has conducted bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Kenya and other African countries to tackle this menace,’ the statement continues.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Xi Jinping met in Beijing, China in August 2013 where the Chinese president emphasized the need to work together on issues of common concern.

The two countries signed a deal worth $5 billion for various projects that included wildlife protection in Kenya.

Meanwhile the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set to be launched in New York in August this year is expected to push for more concerted efforts in ending illegal poaching and ivory trade in Africa in a bid to promote the continent’s environmental sustainability.

The UN backed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are expected to push for the post 2015 Millennium development agenda in order to promote sustainable developments in different sectors of the economies across the globe.

Conservationists say they expect SDGs to push for an end to destruction of biodiversity.

‘It is sad that we see young men destroying their own environmental resources before they have even had a chance to utilize these resources and also let future generation enjoy nature,’ Lain Douglas-Hamilton concluded.

ICC: Côte d’Ivoire Case Highlights Court’s Missteps

ICC: Côte d’Ivoire Case Highlights Court’s Missteps
Gaps in Case Selection, Limited Outreach Undermined Impact

(The Hague, August 4, 2015) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) missed important opportunities to maximize the impact of its work in Côte d’Ivoire, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report offers wider lessons for the ICC’s work around the world, finding that to maximize the impact of its work, court officials need to engage a broader set of victims and local communities.

The 88-page report, “Making Justice Count: Lessons from the ICC’s Work in Côte d’Ivoire,” draws on interviews with activists, journalists, and ICC staff in Abidjan and The Hague to assess whether the ICC has done what it can to ensure that its proceedings are relevant, meaningful, and accessible to Ivorians. Human Rights Watch found that the prosecution’s decision to limit its initial investigations to one side of the country’s 2010-2011 post-election crisis was a misstep, compounded when other court staff adopted the same narrow focus in their efforts to engage Ivorians in the court’s work. This lessened the court’s potential impact in the country.

“The ICC acts on a global stage, but the heart of its mandate is delivering justice to communities affected by mass atrocities,” said Elizabeth Evenson, senior international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch. “ICC officials need to make sure that what the court does resonates in those communities.”

The ICC prosecution opened investigations in Côte d’Ivoire in October 2011. But it has only opened cases into crimes allegedly committed by forces allied with former President Laurent Gbagbo, despite findings by national and United Nations commissions of inquiry implicating both pro-Gbagbo forces and those allied with the current president, Alassane Ouattara, in atrocities. The ICC’s cases have also focused on alleged crimes in the country’s economic capital, Abidjan, even though some of the worst abuses were in the western part of the country.

The ICC prosecutor has brought cases against Laurent Gbagbo; his wife, Simone Gbagbo; and Charles Blé Goudé, Laurent Gbagbo’s former youth minister and close ally who was the longtime leader of a violent, pro-Gbagbo militia group. The trial of Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé is scheduled to begin in November 2015, while Simone Gbagbo remains in Côte d’Ivoire after authorities there refused to surrender her to the court.

The ICC prosecution has said that it will expand its investigations in Côte d’Ivoire before the end of 2015 to all sides to the violence and has cited resource constraints to explain delays in bringing additional cases.

“Additional ICC investigations are necessary, but the focus so far on pro-Ggbabo forces has deeply polarized opinion within Côte d’Ivoire about the ICC,” Evenson said. “Many victims feel that the court has ignored their suffering.”

Perceptions of bias generated by the prosecution’s choice of cases posed a challenge for the ICC’s Outreach Unit, a body within the court’s registry, to deliver neutral information about court proceedings in Côte d’Ivoire. But, lacking the resources to deploy a full-time staff member to the country until October 2014, the Outreach Unit focused on disseminating information to victims of the specific incidents contained in the prosecution’s charges through a network of civil society organizations. A separate registry unit that helps victims access their rights before the ICC had a staff member in Côte d’Ivoire, but nonetheless needed at times to have a similar focus.

It is essential to provide information to victims of the specific crimes pursued by the prosecution, especially because these victims have particular rights before the ICC. But when that approach comes at the expense of broader contact with affected communities, it narrows the court’s footprint, lessening its potential impact, Human Rights Watch said.

“The pitfalls to the ICC’s impact of a one-sided approach have been on full display in Côte d’Ivoire,” said Evenson. “The effect is multiplied given that outreach and victim strategies focused for the most part on individuals directly affected by the cases, doubling down on the prosecution’s overly selective approach.”

Lessons from Côte d’Ivoire should be incorporated into a policy on selecting and prioritizing cases that the ICC prosecutor’s office is drafting. In Kenya and its most recent investigations in the Central African Republic, the prosecutor has investigated all parties simultaneously instead of sequentially as in Côte d’Ivoire. The prosecutor should consult more with victims to make sure the choice of cases responds to their experiences, and take a broad geographic approach to identify cases that reflect underlying patterns of crimes, Human Rights Watch said.

The registry should develop improved strategies to deepen the court’s outreach and victim assistance activities, including carrying out planned reforms for the court’s field offices. The registry will need to ensure that the offices have sufficient staff for broad outreach, alongside specialized efforts to inform victims of their rights.

As demands for accountability have mounted on the ICC, which is conducting investigations in eight countries and considering whether to open investigations in several others, it has become more and more difficult for the court to keep up. But that does not lessen the importance of ensuring that where the court does act, it reaches the communities affected by the crimes.

“Strengthening the court’s impact on the ground shouldn’t be an afterthought,” Evenson said. “ICC member countries should ensure the court has sufficient resources to make justice count locally.”


Via HRW