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21, June 2024

Biya is aging disgracefully ⁰

Aging gracefully is not about trying to look like a 16 or a 20-something — it’s about living your best life and having the physical and mental health to enjoy it.

But when you are over ninety years and you have been in power for forty-two years and there is nothing to show for such a long stay in office. When your incompetence is legendary and when you have used intimidation and trickery to keep your people in utter silence. At 92, it is evidently clear that you are aging disgracefully. This is the story of Paul Biya, the Cameroonian dictator.

Cameroon’s per capita income is dwindling at catastrophic rapidity and President Biya’s personal clock is ticking away at lightning speed, yet no one in Yaoundé is speaking of an adequate plan for a peaceful transition of power.

Paul Biya is already 92, he is still the President of the Republic and his acolytes are pushing for him to continue beyond 2025. Biya’s seniority makes King Charles of Great Britain and the UN secretary-general António Guterres look middle-aged at 75.

Many in Yaoundé are now questioning Biya’s sanity and quips about him being compos mentis are intensifying deep within his ruling party the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM).

In his 42 years as president of the republic, Biya has been undeniably, over the hill and far away from the Cameroonian people.

Take a look at his record: Cameroon’s economy is on life support. Almost every sector has been hit hard by the corruption which has become the government’s hallmark.

Unemployment has hit its apex, leaving many young Cameroonians desperate. Many have found solace in alcohol and drugs.

The country is bereft of all forms of infrastructure. Thousands of Cameroonians die each year on what passes off as roads.

The country’s lone air career, CAMER-Co, has only one airliner and most of its staffs are hardly sure of the next paycheck.

Camrail, the railway network which once brought goods and people to nearly every town and city, is today a shadow of its former self.

The architects of Cameroon Airlines’ demise, who are still in power, displayed the same mindset and destroyed Camship-Cameroon Shipping Company, Cameroon Bank, BIAO Meridian Bank and FONADER Bank.

The price of beer and other bottled concoctions are determined by decrees issued by Mr. Biya whose cardinal objective even at 92 is to die in power.

The country’s police and military have been tribalized. Once ordered to operate in other regions of the country, the military goes crazy, killing and maiming anything with flesh and blood. Most senior officials of the country’s military are from the president’s region, making it hard for any coup d’état to be planned.

There is an inherent fear in electing young leaders in the ruling CPDM party at a time and age when leaders in this critical sphere of human life should be in a position to represent the interests of the major cohort of their citizenry.

On state radio and television, Biya loyalists have repeatedly said life begins at 70 for CPDM politicians. The one million dollar question is with more than half of Cameroon’s population under the age of 30, how can they possibly relate to this massive proportion of their citizenry?

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said: “Politics is weird because it’s the only business where you give a really important position to someone with no qualifications.”

If it were not for politics, what would Biya and his gang turn to for an income in a Cameroon devoid of economic opportunities? What useful skills do Biya and his Beti-Bulu gang possess? What are they actually qualified to do, outside of politics? The answer is simple-nothing.

The fact that young Cameroonians girls have been reduced to prostitutes by hunger and poverty under his watchful eyes, we of the Concord Group have come to the conclusion that Biya is aging disgracefully.

By staff lady Besong Eunice Nchong

20, June 2024

Euro 2024: “German team is truly exceptional. Just imagine if there were only white players” ⁰

A senior German politician has apologised for the way she worded a comment about the skin colour of members of the country’s football team, in which she praised them and asked what it would be like if there were only white players.

Green MP Katrin Göring-Eckardt, who is also the deputy leader of the German federal parliament, appeared to be referring to a recent survey that found 21% of respondents would prefer to see more white people in Germany’s squad.

“This team is truly exceptional. Just imagine if there were only white German players,” she wrote after Germany beat Hungary 2-0 in the Euro 2024 tournament. She also added three rainbow emojis.

But after criticism on social media, including from fellow MPs, Ms Göring-Eckardt deleted the post and apologised for the way it was phrased.

She later took to X, formerly Twitter, again to explain herself.

“It upset me that 21% of Germans would prefer it if there were more “whites” in the national team,” Ms Göring-Eckardt wrote.

“I’m proud of this team and hope that we can convince the 21% too.”

Ms Göring-Eckardt’s original post was quickly criticised, with some accusing her of racism despite the fact she was praising the team’s diversity.

“I find it really worrying when people in Germany are judged by the colour of their skin,” said Wolfgang Kubicki, the deputy leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is part of Germany’s coalition government alongside the Greens.

Manuel Ostermann from the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party also commented.

“Are you judging people based on their appearance? According to your own definition, that would be racist,” he said.

The survey Ms Göring-Eckardt was responding to was commissioned by Sport Inside, which airs on German public broadcaster WDR.

It was part of a documentary on racial diversity within the national team and how it is viewed by the public.

Player Joshua Kimmich described the survey as “racist” when it was first reported earlier this month, while coach Julian Nagelsmann said it was “insane”.

“We play a Euro for everyone in the country and whoever plays top football is invited to be a national team member,” Mr Nagelsmann said.

“I hope I never have to read such crap polls again.”

Source: BBC

20, June 2024

President Putin in Vietnam, vows deeper ties in visit criticised by US ⁰

The leaders of Vietnam and Russia have said they want to boost ties as the pair met in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

Vietnamese President To Lam was full of praise for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his recent re-election.

Mr Putin, in return, said strengthening a strategic partnership with the south-east Asian country was one of Russia’s priorities.

His trip to Vietnam, which comes on the heels of his lavish visit to North Korea, is being interpreted as a demonstration of the diplomatic support Russia still enjoys in the region.

“Congratulations to our comrade for receiving overwhelming support during the recent presidential election, underlining the confidence of the Russian people,” President Lam said after Mr Putin was given a red carpet welcome.

The United States has criticised the visit for giving a platform for President Putin to promote his war of aggression in Ukraine.

Vietnam still values the historic ties it has with Russia even as it works to improve its relationship with Europe and the US.

Looming over a small park in Ba Dinh, Hanoi’s political quarter, a five-meter high statue of Lenin depicts the Russian revolutionary in heroic pose. On his birthday every year a delegation of senior Vietnamese officials solemnly lay flowers and bow their heads before the statue, a gift from Russia when it was still the Soviet Union.

Vietnam’s ties to Russia are close and go back many decades, to the vital military, economic and diplomatic support given by the Soviet Union to the new communist state in North Vietnam in the 1950s.

Vietnam has described their relationship as “filled with loyalty and gratitude”. After Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978 to throw out the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, it was isolated and sanctioned by China and the West, and depended heavily on Soviet assistance. Many older Vietnamese, including the powerful communist party secretary-general Nguyen Phu Trong, studied in Russia and learned the language.

Today Vietnam’s economy has been transformed by its integration into global markets. Russia has fallen far behind China, Asia, the US and Europe as a trading partner. But Vietnam still uses mainly Russian-made military equipment, and relies on partnerships with Russian oil companies for oil exploration in the South China Sea.

The invasion of Ukraine presented Vietnam with a diplomatic challenge, but one it has so far managed to meet. It has chosen to abstain on the various resolutions at the United Nations condemning Russia’s actions, yet maintained good relations with Ukraine and even sent some aid to Kyiv. They also share a legacy from the Soviet era; thousands of Vietnamese have worked and studied in Ukraine.

This is all in keeping with Vietnam’s long-held foreign policy principles of being friends with everyone but avoiding all formal alliances – what the communist party leadership now calls ‘bamboo diplomacy’, bending with the buffeting winds of great power rivalry without being forced to take sides.

It is why Vietnam has so readily upgraded its relations with the US, a country against which its older leaders fought a long and destructive war, in the interests of seeking lucrative markets for Vietnamese exports and balancing its close ties with its giant neighbour China.

The US has objected to President Putin’s official visit to Vietnam on the grounds that it undermines international efforts to isolate him, but it can hardly be surprised. Aside from the special historical links with Russia, public sentiment in Vietnam on the war in Ukraine is more ambivalent than in Europe.

There is some admiration for Putin as a strongman who defies the West, and scepticism, fuelled partly by social media commentary, of the US and European claims to be upholding international law.

This is also true in other Asian countries, where the Ukraine war is seen as a faraway crisis. In Thailand, for example, a historic military ally of the US which was on the opposite side to Russia during the Cold War, public opinion is just as divided as in Vietnam. Thais too value the even older links between its monarchy and the pre-revolutionary Tsars of Russia, and the Thai government maintains close ties with Russia today, valuing the contribution millions of Russians make to its tourist industry.

How long Vietnam maintains its camaraderie with Vladimir Putin is less clear. It is already seeking alternative sources of military equipment, but ending its current dependence on Russia will take years.

A series of high-level resignations inside the communist party recently suggest intense internal rivalries over the next generation of leaders, and, potentially, over which direction the country will take. But there is no talk yet of abandoning the ambition of being friends to all, and enemies of none.

Source: BBC

20, June 2024

Thousands of young Kenyans protest tax hikes ⁰

Thousands of mostly young demonstrators took to the streets across Kenya on Thursday to protest tax hikes, blowing whistles and chanting slogans in a vivid show of anger by Gen-Z protesters against the government.

Police in the capital Nairobi fired tear gas and water cannon against groups of protesters near parliament, but apart from isolated scuffles earlier in the day, the action — dubbed “Occupy Parliament” — remained mostly peaceful.

Led largely by young Kenyans, the demonstrations began in Nairobi on Tuesday before spreading nationwide on Thursday.

They have galvanised widespread discontent over President William Ruto’s economic policies in a country already grappling with a cost-of-living crisis.

Hours after Tuesday’s demonstrations, which saw hundreds of youth face off against the police, the cash-strapped government agreed to make concessions, rolling back several of the tax hikes laid out in a new bill.

But the government still intends to go ahead with some tax increases and has defended the proposed levies as necessary for filling its coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing.

On Thursday, protests were held across Kenya, with thousands assembling across Nairobi, the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa, the Rift Valley city of Nakuru and the opposition bastion of Kisumu, according to AFP reporters and images broadcast on TV.

Isolated scuffles broke out in Nairobi between protesters and police, who used tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators gathering near the parliament, which began debating the bill on Wednesday.

Despite a heavy police presence and roadblocks erected along several roads leading to parliament, hundreds of protesters gathered in groups, blowing whistles and vuvuzelas, waving placards and chanting: “Ruto must go”.

Ivy, a 26-year-old job seeker dressed in a T-shirt and leggings, told AFP she was prompted to protest for the first time on Thursday because she was “scared” for her future.

“This bill cannot pass. This bill is going to finish us. We don’t have jobs… we can’t even open businesses, we can’t do anything in this country,” she said.

Another first-time protester, Bella, said she had showed up “to make sure the finance bill is rejected.”

The 22-year-old university graduate told AFP she was “not impressed” with the government’s concessions earlier this week.

‘Lying to us’

The presidency on Tuesday announced the removal of proposed levies on bread purchases, car ownership as well as financial and mobile services, prompting a warning from the treasury of a 200-billion-shilling shortfall as a result of the budget cuts.

The government has now targeted an increase in fuel prices and export taxes to fill the void left by the changes, a move critics say will make life more expensive in a country already battling high inflation.

“They are just trying to lie to us, the taxes that they have removed on bread they have added somewhere else,” Bella said, describing it as a tactic to “blindfold” citizens.

A parliament source told AFP that a vote on the proposals was expected on June 27, three days before the deadline for passing the bill.

The taxes were projected to raise 346.7 billion shillings ($2.7 billion), equivalent to 1.9 percent of GDP, and reduce the budget deficit from 5.7 percent to 3.3 percent of GDP.

High inflation

The protest in Nairobi on Tuesday saw black-clad protesters forced into cat-and-mouse chases with police who fired volleys of teargas.

At least 335 people were arrested, according to a consortium of lobby groups including the human rights commission, KNCHR, and Amnesty Kenya.

“We have changed tack. Today we will be in colourful and defiant clothing to avoid a repeat of them arresting everyone in black,” said an organiser of the march, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

Overall inflation has remained stubbornly high, at an annual rate of 5.1 percent in May, while food and fuel inflation stood at 6.2 percent and 7.8 percent respectively, according to central bank data.

Source: AFP

20, June 2024

Israeli army in urgent need of troops amid rising casualties in Gaza ⁰

The head of the Israel Defence Forces said the army is facing troop shortages amid rising casualties in the war against Hamas in Gaza. Yet enlisting more troops is difficult due to rising public opposition to the war and an open conflict between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his defence minister.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) is facing increasing challenges as the war against Hamas enters its ninth month. On Monday, Israel lost eight soldiers in an explosion in Rafah, in what Israeli media called the “deadliest incident for IDF” in six months. The number might seem small in the context of the war in Gaza, but the number is far too high for Israeli public opinion.

A week before the explosion, Hamas claimed to have killed an unspecified number of Israeli soldiers after its fighters detonated a booby-trapped house in Rafah.

‘An exhausted army’

The losses underscored Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi’s warning in recent days about shortages in the military, saying it would prevent Israel from waging the war against Hamas with the same intensity.

Amid a shortage of troops, the army is also facing an unstable political landscape. The relationship between the army and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has deteriorated significantly, with Netanyahu reportedly criticising plans announced by the military to hold daily tactical pauses in fighting to facilitate the delivery of aid to the Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli army is also facing domestic pressure from a population shocked by the Palestinian death toll caused by the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Skirmishes erupted on Monday night between police and anti-government protesters who took to the streets of Jerusalem, before marching to Netanyahu’s private home in the city, to show their discontent over the handling of the war with Hamas in Gaza.

“The IDF is totally exhausted after more than eight months of war,” said Ahron Bregman, a political scientist and specialist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at King’s College London. “The IDF command, and the defence minister too, are desperate for a break to regroup.”

The Israeli army does not officially comment on the state of fatigue of its troops, but the signs are clear. “We are seeing examples of sooner-than-expected rotation of brigades and battalions,” said Steven Wagner, historian and lecturer in international security at Brunel University London. In other words, the soldiers need more frequent breaks.

Many experts say the October 7 attack on Israeli soil and the intensity of the response decided by Netanyahu’s government, which requires a long-term commitment, surprised an army that was “too small” for the task. Israeli military strategists thought that the era of major regional wars – such as the Six-Day War in 1967 or the Yom Kippur War in 1973 – was over, said Bregman. As a result, “the army disbanded six divisions over the last 20 years. Today it is missing approximately two entire divisions, or 10,000 additional soldiers”.

Finding more soldiers

The situation is complicated by increased fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, reported the US public radio NPR. An extension of the war in the north “would be catastrophic for both Lebanon and Israel”, said Bregman.

“In terms of soldiers, tanks and quality of equipment everything is fine on paper for a short war. But in terms of a long war with Hezbollah, no, Israel isn’t ready, and it’s mainly about morale,” said Omri Brinner, a Middle East analyst at the International Team for the Study of Security Verona (ITSS).

Despite this, the Israeli military on Tuesday said that “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated”. By Wednesday, the military said its warplanes had struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon overnight.

Under the circumstances, the priority of Israel’s defence ministry – as well as the army chief – is to increase troop numbers. “The easiest solution would be to mobilise the ultra-Orthodox, but this would be politically delicate for Netanyahu,” said Brinner.

The contribution to the army would be significant. In 2023, over 60,000 young men from the ultra-Orthodox community received an exemption from military service.

Scrapping this privilege authorised by Israeli law would infuriate the ultra-religious and far-right parties, which currently constitute the main source of support for Netanyahu’s government.

The government is therefore looking for other solutions for the manpower shortage. It is preparing to adopt a new bill delaying retirement for IDF reservists. The proposal would raise the exemption age for reserve military service from 40 to 41 for soldiers and from 45 to 46 for officers.

“It’s clearly a way to deal with the fatigue issue,” said Wagner. But using older reservists in high-risk areas would “bring the quality of the army down”, he warned.

Netanyahu vs Gallant

Even if the army found the resources to sufficiently increase its numbers, “strategic command problems at the highest level” will still exist, said Brinner.

Netanyahu’s dissolution of the war cabinet earlier this week has plunged the army into strategic limbo.

“Netanyahu is under intense pressure from his allies on the right,” said Brinner, noting that the Israeli leader’s reliance on the ultra-religious parties has reduced his ability to maneuver around the thorny issue of enlisting ultra-Orthodox members in the armed services.

The Israeli prime minister could theoretically rely on his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, but “the situation is unprecedented, with the two men cordially hating each other and ready to jump at each other’s throats at the slightest opportunity”, said Wagner.

At a time of serious challenges, the Israeli army needs troops as well as clear direction from above. While the army can hold out for a few more months, experts say the stated goals of destroying Hamas and freeing all the hostages are unattainable under the current circumstances.

Source: France 24

16, June 2024

Boko Haram: Cameroonian soldier killed, four others injured in Far North attack ⁰

At least one Cameroonian soldier was killed and four others were injured after terrorist group Boko Haram attacked a military outpost in the country’s Far North region, local and security sources said on Friday.

The attack occurred overnight into Friday in Tourou locality. The militants ambushed gendarmerie officers at the outpost, leading to a confrontation with government forces. However, the terrorists managed to burn four motorcycles and an ambulance, as well as steal weapons and ammunition, a military official in the region said on condition of anonymity.

The injured soldiers are currently receiving treatment at a local hospital, and additional troops have been deployed to the area for a manhunt.

Boko Haram has been active in the Far North region of Cameroon since 2014, and they continue to pose a threat by launching ambushes against both soldiers and civilians.

Source: Xinhuanet

15, June 2024

Revealed: Biya reopens Glencore corruption case with UK Fraud Office ⁰

President Paul Biya has authorized a legal procedure to involve the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the Glencore corruption case, local media outlet Eco Matin reported on June 14, 2024. A source at the Ministry of Finance confirmed the report but provided no further details.

The specifics of the request authorized by Biya remain unclear. However, the case, which was previously settled with the SFO in May 2022, saw the Swiss commodities trader Glencore plead guilty and agree to a nearly $400 million fine. Overall, Glencore committed to paying $1.5 billion to the governments of the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.

Moreover, Glencore agreed to various penalties in Switzerland and the Democratic Republic of Congo, totaling over $210 million. In Cameroon, the case drew significant media attention, with the National Anti-Corruption Commission closely monitoring developments.

The National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH), managing oil on behalf of Cameroon, stated in May 2022 that it did not recognize the allegations and had contacted US and UK authorities to understand the basis of these claims.

Glencore admitted that between 2006 and 2014, one of its subsidiaries used $21 million, at least in part, to bribe Cameroonian government officials in oil transactions involving public or semi-public entities, namely SNH and SONARA. The company acknowledged making a $67 million profit from these illicit transactions. Details on how the case has progressed within Cameroon’s justice system are scant. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) claimed to be handling the matter, and the Special Criminal Court, responsible for corruption and embezzlement cases involving public officials, was involved, but no public updates have been provided.

Between March 2017 and June 2019, Glencore purchased 8.1 million barrels of oil from Cameroon, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. In 2021, the company bought 137,808 barrels.

It remains uncertain whether President Biya’s decision aims to identify internal culprits or further investigate the extent of corruption beyond the periods acknowledged by Glencore. Future developments will shed more light on the case.

Source: ecofinagency

15, June 2024

World leaders meet at Swiss peace conference on Ukraine – without Russia ⁰

The presidents of Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Somalia will join many Western heads of state and government and other leaders at a conference this weekend aimed to plot out first steps toward peace in Ukraine – with Russia notably absent.

Swiss officials hosting the conference say more than 50 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will join the gathering at the Bürgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne. Some 100 delegations including European bodies and the United Nations will be on hand.

Who will show up – and who will not – has become one of the key stakes of a meeting that critics say will be useless without the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and is pushing ahead with the war.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to attend while Turkey and Saudi Arabia have dispatched their foreign ministers. Key developing countries like Brazil, an observer at the event, India and South Africa will be represented at lower levels.

China, which backs Russia, is joining scores of countries that are sitting out the conference, many of whom have more pressing issues than the bloodiest conflict in far-away Europe since World War II. Beijing says any peace process needs to have the participation of both Russia and Ukraine, and has floated its own ideas for peace.

Russian troops who now control nearly a quarter of Ukrainian land in the east and south have made some territorial gains in recent months. When talk of a Swiss-hosted peace initiative began last summer, Ukrainian forces had recently regained large swaths of territory, notably near the cities of southern Kherson and northern Kharkiv.

Against the battlefield backdrop and diplomatic strategizing, summit organizers have presented three agenda items: nuclear safety, such as at the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia power plant; humanitarian assistance and exchange of prisoners of war; and global food security – which has been disrupted at times due to impeded shipments through the Black Sea.

That to-do list, encapsulating some of the least controversial issues, is well short of proposals and hopes laid out by Zelenskyy in a 10-point peace formula in late 2022.

Putin’s government, meanwhile, wants any peace deal to be built around a draft agreement negotiated in the early phases of the war that included provisions for Ukraine’s neutral status and limits on its armed forces, while delaying talks about Russia-occupied areas. Ukraine’s push over the years to join the NATO military alliance has rankled Moscow.

With much of the world’s focus recently on the war in Gaza and national elections in 2024, Ukraine’s backers want to return focus to Russia’s breach of international law and a restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

The International Crisis Group, an advisory firm that works to end conflict, wrote this week that “absent a major surprise on the Bürgenstock,” the event is “unlikely to deliver much of consequence.”

“Nonetheless, the Swiss summit is a chance for Ukraine and its allies to underline what the U.N. General Assembly recognised in 2022 and repeated in its February 2023 resolution on a just peace in Ukraine: Russia’s all-out aggression is a blatant violation of international law,” it said.

Source: AP

15, June 2024

Football: Ex-Arsenal and Everton striker Campbell dies aged 54 ⁰

Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell has died at the age of 54 after a short illness.

Campbell scored 148 goals in 542 appearances across spells with eight clubs during his career.

Everton said earlier this month he became ill in May and was “very unwell” in hospital.

“We are devastated to learn that our former striker Kevin Campbell has died after a short illness,” said Arsenal.

“Kevin was adored by everyone at the club. All of us are thinking of his friends and family at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Kevin.”

Everton said: “Everyone at Everton is deeply saddened by the death of our former striker Kevin Campbell at the age of just 54.

“Not just a true Goodison Park hero and icon of the English game, but an incredible person as well – as anyone who ever met him will know. RIP, Super Kev.”

Source: BBC

15, June 2024

Football: China fans send Singapore goalkeeper money as thank-you ⁰

Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny says he has received money from Chinese football fans after his 11 saves against Thailand in a World Cup qualifying match helped China reach the next round.

China’s hopes of making the final stage of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament were slim following a 1-0 defeat by South Korea in Seoul on Tuesday.

Thailand then needed to beat Singapore by three goals in Bangkok to move second in Group C above China, which would have resulted in China’s exit from the competition.

Thailand did defeat bottom side Singapore 3-1, but China progressed thanks to 40-year-old Hassan’s multiple saves.

Hassan told Singapore’s state broadcaster CNA a picture of a payment QR code from the food stall he runs has been circulated online which fans have then used to transfer money.

“I did enjoy it for a while. I was like, ‘oh OK, money coming in’,” he said on Thursday.

“But having said that, I was thinking, ‘when is this going to stop? Is this legal?'”

Hassan did not disclose how much money he had been sent but added: “I think we have to stop somewhere.”

His family’s stall, Dapur Hassan, which is located in the eastern suburbs of Singapore, has seen many Chinese fans visit since his heroics against Thailand, so much so that local reports said they ran out of food on Thursday.

“My family is obviously a bit shocked by all these messages,” said Hassan.

“Especially my daughters. They’re like, ‘why do I see your face everywhere?'”

Source: BBC