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It seems the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is backing out from a fight with Apple, but still arguing that it is no big deal for the company to help unlock the iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack.

On February 16, a federal judge ordered the giant tech company to assist the FBI in opening Syed Rizwan Farook’s phone.

In response, the Justice Department filed a motion seeking to force Apple to comply with the judge's order to unlock the encrypted iPhone, pushing back on the company's characterization of the request as a "back door" threatening the privacy of all iPhones.

FBI Director James Comey on Sunday night attempted to defend his agency's handling of the investigation into the San Bernardino shooting.

"We simply want the chance, with a search warrant, to try to guess the terrorist’s passcode without the phone essentially self-destructing and without it taking a decade to guess correctly. That’s it," Comey said in a statement.

"We don’t want to break anyone’s encryption or set a master key loose on the land," Comey insisted. "I hope thoughtful people will take the time to understand that."

Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were shot dead in a shootout with police hours after the massacre in a Department of Public Health training event and holiday party on December 2, 2015, which left 14 dead and 22 injured.

A senior Apple executive, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Friday that the US Congress is the right place for a debate over encryption not a courtroom.

The intensifying battle between the US government and America’s most valuable company has spread to the race for president, with Republican front-runner Donald Trump calling for a public boycott of Apple until it complied with the order.

Apple has argued that helping crack the phone in question would lead to less secure iPhones for all customers and that current law does not force the company to comply.

The Justice Department framed Apple’s refusal to comply as a "marketing strategy."

FBI experts fear losing the data on the phone after several failed attempts to enter the password, arguing only Apple can solve the problem.

A federal court hearing on the issue has been scheduled for March 22 in California.

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Ngwa Bertrand

22.Feb.2016

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African leaders and bankers have come together at an economic summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, vowing to push for more trade and investments on the continent. The Sharm el-Sheikh summit, which will continue over the next two days, brings together more than 1,200 delegates, including some heads of state, who plan to sign business agreements aimed at attracting private sector investment, AFP reported. The summit, which is organized by Egypt and the African Union, is attended by the presidents of Sudan, Nigeria, Togo, and Gabon, and dozens of African ministers and senior trade and investment officials. Organizers hope the "Africa 2016" conference will be able to build on a 26-nation free trade pact signed last year to create a common market on half of the continent. "Investments in infrastructure will unlock the true potential of Africa," said Sindiso Ngwenya, head of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), who added that trade and investments within COMESA have increased from USD 837 million in 2007 to USD 12 billion at the present time. 

Analysts believe that despite an economic growth rate of more than four percent, African countries still account for about only two percent of global trade. Addressing the opening ceremony, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the forum is aimed at "pushing forward trade and investment in our continent to strengthen Africa's place in the world economy." Sisi added that other goals of the conference included to present investment opportunities in Africa and "open a direct channel of communication and cooperation" between African businessmen and overseas investors. Conference organizers also seek to bring the focus on Egypt since the country’s economy remains sluggish after years of political turmoil following the ouster of the former dictator, Hosni Mubarak, in early 2011.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who is present at the event, said growing security concerns in Africa are absorbing huge resources, adding, "The new problem affecting investments is international terrorism... lot of resources that could be used for development are being diverted to address security issues." Meanwhile, President of Africa Development Bank Akinwumi Adesina was quoted by AFP as saying, "We plan to invest 12 billion dollars in the energy sector over the next five years ... so that people in Africa can have universal access to electricity." According to Adesina, Africa still has 645 million people without access to electricity, and the only way to address the issue is to widen private sector participation in the energy sector. Noting that Africa's economy is projected to grow by 4.4 percent this year and five percent in 2017, Adesina added, "Africa is doing well despite the challenges it is facing."

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Ngwa Bertrand

20.Feb.2016

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The city of Buea in the South West region and Garoua in the North region have been listed as the most expensive cities in Cameroon. Figures from the National Statistics Institute (INS) in 2016 indicates that all cities in Cameroon are experiencing inflationary pressures. Buea, the chief city in the South West region recorded the fastest increase in prices (4.3%) followed by Garoua (3.6%), Ebolowa (3.5%), Bamenda (2.9%), Yaoundé ( 2.9%), Douala (2.5%) and Bertoua (25%). 

INS says the rise in the general price level in 2015 stems from soaring prices for transport, goods and services. There was also a rise in prices of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics all placed at 5.9%. The report released on Tuesday February 16, 2016 noted that prices of food products rose 1.9% in 2015 against 1.0% in 2014. Between the first and second semester, food prices rose 1.9%. The rise in prices in 2015 was mainly due to the increase in prices of fruits (6.0%), vegetables (4.9%), fish and seafood (4.3%) and dairy products and eggs (2.5%).

Sugar, honey and chocolate jam (1.7%) also did witness a price increase. The INS attributes the 4.3% increase in the fish and seafood sectors to the sharp increase in prices observed in smoked fish (11.7%). fresh fish prices increase by 0.7% those of frozen fish by 0.5%. The price of meat increased by 1.1%. The price of sheep is experiencing a 3.2% increase from the 2.2% in 2014. The price of pork rose to 2.1%.

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Ngwa Bertrand

18.Feb.2016

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The national carrier has six flights to Douala per week. Four flights to Douala every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday go via Douala and culminate in Cameroon’s capital Younde Nsimalen International Airport which will now be direct to Yaoundé. Authorities in Cameroon issued a NOTAM announcing the closure of the airport for repairs between March 1st and March 21, 2016.

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Ngwa Bertrand

17.Feb.2016

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Last night, a California court ordered Apple to assist the FBI in hacking an iPhone. It’s an unprecedented request, one with potentially huge repercussions for the privacy and security of every Apple customer. This morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted an impassioned defense of encryption, and signaled the legal battles to come.

The iPhone at hand belonged to one of the San Bernadino shooters, the couple who took 14 lives in an attack last December. But the open letter to Apple customers posted on Apple’s website early Wednesday morning is significant in that it doesn’t just respond to this court order and incident, specifically, but to the importance of encryption at large.

“For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe,” writes cook in the lengthy response. “We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business.” 

lemented with iOS 8, which ensures has no way to access your files. They’re protected by an encryption key tied to your password. That Apple is just as blind to your photos and texts as the FBI is also helps explain the unique nature of the court request. Rather than impel Apple to unlock the phone, the FBI wants Apple to help it develop a way to “bruteforce” the password—guess until it finds a match—without triggering a mechanism that deletes the key that decrypts the data. Currently, 10 wrong password tries will make the iPhone’s data inaccessible forever. The FBI would like to lift that restriction, along with the mandatory delays between password attempts that will slow their progress considerably.

While this isn’t a “backdoor” in the traditional sense, Cook argues that it amounts to one.

“The FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation,” says Cook. “In the wrong hands, this software—which does not exist today—would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession. The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. ”

(CBS)

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Ngwa Bertrand

17.Feb.2016

Hits: 2731

Last night, a California court ordered Apple to assist the FBI in hacking an iPhone. It’s an unprecedented request, one with potentially huge repercussions for the privacy and security of every Apple customer. This morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted an impassioned defense of encryption, and signaled the legal battles to come.

The iPhone at hand belonged to one of the San Bernadino shooters, the couple who took 14 lives in an attack last December. But the open letter to Apple customers posted on Apple’s website early Wednesday morning is significant in that it doesn’t just respond to this court order and incident, specifically, but to the importance of encryption at large.

“For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe,” writes cook in the lengthy response. “We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business.” 

lemented with iOS 8, which ensures has no way to access your files. They’re protected by an encryption key tied to your password. That Apple is just as blind to your photos and texts as the FBI is also helps explain the unique nature of the court request. Rather than impel Apple to unlock the phone, the FBI wants Apple to help it develop a way to “bruteforce” the password—guess until it finds a match—without triggering a mechanism that deletes the key that decrypts the data. Currently, 10 wrong password tries will make the iPhone’s data inaccessible forever. The FBI would like to lift that restriction, along with the mandatory delays between password attempts that will slow their progress considerably.

While this isn’t a “backdoor” in the traditional sense, Cook argues that it amounts to one.

“The FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation,” says Cook. “In the wrong hands, this software—which does not exist today—would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession. The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. ”

(CBS)

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Ngwa Bertrand

17.Feb.2016

Hits: 1853