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25, November 2022

France: Macron denies being main target of campaign financing probe ⁰

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday denied being the main target of a judicial investigation into the government’s use of management consultants and their role in recent election campaigns.

The French financial crime prosecutor’s office revealed late Thursday that it had opened a probe which was thought to be focused on Macron and his 2017 and 2022 presidential campaigns.

“I’m not scared of anything,” the 44-year-old head of state told reporters during a trip to the town of Dijon.

“I believe that your servant is not at the heart of the investigation,” he added, referring to himself.

“It’s normal that the justice system does its work. It does it freely and will shine a light on this issue.”

The prosecutor’s statement did not name Macron or his election campaign, but said investigators were looking into allegations of favouritism and hidden campaign financing in relation to management consultancies.

The probe began after complaints following the publication of a Senate report in March which showed government spending on consultants had more than doubled during Macron’s first term from 2017-22.

The favouritism allegation could relate to US-based consultancy firm McKinsey, which was the biggest beneficiary of these contracts and reportedly provided staff to Macron’s 2017 campaign team for free.

KcKinseygate?

“I tell you, no,” Macron replied when asked about the allegation, adding that he had explained himself “hundreds of times” already.

The Senate’s revelations about spending on consultants — which reached a billion euros ($1.1 billion) last year — were seized on by Macron’s opponents during his campaign for a second term this April.

The scandal, dubbed “McKinseygate” by the French media, became a debating point, with many French people shocked by the use of expensive and foreign firms which specialise in strategic advice and IT services.

Macron has repeatedly defended the recourse to consultants.

“When you want to go very quickly and very strongly with a policy, you need to make use of outside contractors occasionally,” he told reporters in late March.

The investigation is significant because it could be the first that risks personally implicating the president.

Several of his allies, including his current chief of staff, face legal investigations over a range of charges.

‘Slow poison’

The most damaging incident involved his former bodyguard who was filmed beating up protesters in 2018 and was later convicted of assault.

“For the moment, this issue is going completely over the head of French people who are obsessed with economic, energy and social considerations,” Frederic Dabi, the director of polling group Ifop, told AFP.

“It remains to be seen if it will become a slow poison for Macron’s camp if there are a series of judicial developments,” he added.

France has strict rules on the financing of election campaigns and political parties, which have led to many convictions in recent decades.

Right-wing ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy received a one-year prison sentence in September 2021 for illegal financing of his 2012 re-election bid.

Judges concluded that Sarkozy spent nearly twice the legal limit on his doomed quest for a second term.

He has appealed.

“Let’s stop imagining that because an investigation has been opened that there’s something outrageous,” MP Sylvain Maillard, interim leader of Macron’s party in parliament, told Europe 1 on Friday.

Source: AFP

25, November 2022

Argentina greats pay tribute to Maradona on anniversary of death ⁰

Argentina football greats on Friday set off a day of World Cup tributes to the “immortal” Diego Maradona on the second anniversary of his death.

Fans unfurled Maradona flags on Doha’s seafront and gathered at a South American confederation (CONMEBOL) ceremony alongside former players including Argentina World Cup winners Mario Kempes and Alberto Tarantini.

Maradona died of a heart attack on November 25, 2020 at the age of 60, setting off a wave of deep mourning across the football world.

The Argentine played in four World Cups, lifting the trophy in 1986 when he scored his “Hand of God” goal against England but he was kicked out of the 1994 tournament after failing a drug test.

“His death is something Argentina has never got over,” said Daniel Luque, who unfurled a flag with Maradona’s portrait at the World Cup countdown clock early Friday.

“He was a player and a phenomenon. His troubles just made him even more a man of the people. If he had stood for president he would have won,” added the 47-year-old.

Some fans shouted “Viva Diego” as South American confederation president Alejandro Dominguez and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino paid their tributes at the CONMEBOL fan zone.

Dominguez and Infantino both called Maradona “immortal”. The FIFA boss said he would like a ceremony for the player at every World Cup.

“I am Italian and an Inter fanatic, so I am neither Argentinian nor from Napoli and Diego made Inter cry many times, Italy too, but we love him,” said Infantino.

“Hopefully God is playing with him,” said Tarantini, a defender in the side that won the 1978 World Cup.

“We all keep remembering him on the pitch, but off the pitch he was better,” Tarantini, 66, told the ceremony.

Kempes, an attacking midfielder in the 1978 side, described Maradona as an “excellent” character who “destabilised you in all senses.”

“If you knew him you thought he would do one thing, but he would do completely the opposite — that is genius,” the 68-year-old told reporters.

Maradona fans planned an event at a fan zone devoted to the Argentine at Doha’s international airport later Friday.

Source: AFP

24, November 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first man to score in five World Cups ⁰

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score at five World Cups on Thursday after opening the scoring in Portugal’s World Cup clash with Ghana.

The 37-year-old set the record when he smashed home a penalty in the 65th minute at the 974 Stadium in Doha to give Portugal the lead in the Group H clash with the Black Stars.

He overtakes Pele and Germans Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose, who all scored in four World Cups.

Ronaldo also extended his own world record tally of international goals to 118.

He won the spot-kick himself when he was brought down by a clumsy challenge from Mohammed Salisu.

Manchester United announced this week that Ronaldo will leave with immediate effect after he criticised the club and manager Erik ten Hag in a TV interview, but he has showed no signs of strain from the bitter end to his time at Old Trafford.

Source: AFP

24, November 2022

Why Embolo didn’t celebrate his goal for Switzerland against the Indomitable Lions ⁰

Breel Embolo opened the scoring for Switzerland against Cameroon – his nation’s first goal of the tournament – but his celebration was muted.

WHAT HAPPENED? After a fairly tepid first 45 at the Al Janoub Stadium, the second half burst into life in favour of Switzerland. A well-worked Swiss move saw Shaqiri in space on the right, who found Embolo in even more space in the middle, with the striker making no mistake from just outside the six-yard box. In what would have been an unrivalled joyous moment, Embolo’s emotions were muted.

WHY DIDN’T EMBOLO CELEBRATE? Despite scoring his side’s first goal in Qatar and his first ever at a World Cup, Embolo’s celebrations were limited as the Switzerland international was actually born in Cameroon. The 25-year-old’s muted response to scoring was a sign of respect for his place of birth, as they fell to a 1-0 deficit early in the second half.

Culled from Goal.com

24, November 2022

Equatorial Guinea partially reopens border with Cameroon, Chad ⁰

Traders working on Cameroon’s border with Equatorial Guinea say Malabo has partially reopened border traffic a day after partial election results indicate Teodoro Obiang Nguema will extend his 43-year rule. The 80-year-old Nguema, the world’s longest-ruling head of state, came to power in a 1979 coup and has since ruled the west African nation with an iron fist.

Merchants from Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria say they were permitted to enter Equatorial Guinea Wednesday.

Equatorial Guinea closed its borders October 30 ahead of its November 20 elections and said it wanted to prevent what it called “infiltration of mercenaries who want to destabilize the elections.”

Cameroon-born building material exporter Pierre Marie Mihamle says several hundred traders entered Equatorial Guinea a day after the central African state’s government announced November 20 elections results.

He says the re-election of Obiang as president of Equatorial Guinea means the movement of goods and persons to the central African state will be frequently interrupted or meticulously controlled. Mihamle says foreign nationals who speak against Obiang will be chased from Equatorial Guinea.

Mihamle said Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo Brazzaville are members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, or CEMAC, but Obiang regularly orders the deportation of foreign citizens, citing national economic and security concerns.

Obiang’s ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea, or the PDGE, is winning over 98% of the vote in presidential, legislative, and municipal elections held Sunday, according to preliminary election results released this week by Equatorial Guinea’s interior minister, Clemente Engonga Nguema Onguene. The results indicate that Obiang’s challengers, Andrés Esono Ondo of the CPDS party and former ally Buenaventura Monsuy Asumu of the PCSD, got 1.34% and 0.35% of the vote.

The final results of the one-round election will be announced November 26, according to Equatorial Guinea’s electoral laws. The 80-year-old Obiang is Africa’s longest serving leader. He took power from his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in an August 1979 coup.

Ngah Derrick is an international relations specialist at Cameroon’s National Institute of International Relations. He says Equatorial Guinea should not expect any changes from Obiang, who has ruled the country with an iron fist.

“Obiang has done everything to eternalize power,” said Derrick. “The reigning vice president of the country that is his son is the vice president of the Republic and it tells you that he is gradually grooming his son in order to be able to ascend to the highest office of magistracy of the state in Equatorial Guinea in case he [Obiang] becomes tired, sick or in case of death.”

Obiang’s son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, is Equatorial Guinea’s vice president. Equatorial Guinea’s political opposition says Obiang’s rule is marked by favoritism, persecution and torture of political opponents. Santiago Oliveira, who led Obiang’s election campaign in Cameroon, denies the charges. He says the long-serving central African state’s leader should be credited with bringing development to his country.

He says Obiang has transformed Equatorial Guinea from a very poor and heavily indebted country it was in 1980, to an emerging economy today.

Oliveira said Equatorial Guinea civilians who voted in Cameroon should wait for Malabo to declare election results. He said all civilians should rally behind Obiang as he continues managing affairs of the state in the country’s general interest.

The United Nations says Equatorial Guinea has an annual oil revenue of more than $3 billion, but most of its 1.5 million people live in abject poverty. The nation’s opposition parties say most of the wealth is in the hands of Obiang, his family and friends.

Source: VOA

24, November 2022

Embolo lifts Swiss to win over Indomitable Lions at World Cup ⁰

Breel Embolo scored against the country of his birth as Switzerland defeated Cameroon 1-0 to make a winning start to their World Cup campaign on Thursday.

Embolo struck three minutes into the second half at Al Janoub Stadium as Switzerland secured a vital three points in a group that includes tournament favourites Brazil and Serbia.

Cameroon have now lost their last eight World Cup matches going back to 2002.

Roger Milla was presented with an award before kick-off as the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, a reminder of past glories for Cameroon who have won just one game since reaching the quarter-finals 32 years ago.

Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, who played at four World Cups including with a 42-year-old Milla in 1994, opted for the in-form Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to lead the attack in place of usual captain Vincent Aboubakar.

African teams had made an encouraging start in Qatar after all five failed to get past the group stage in 2018, but Cameroon will regret not making more of a first half they controlled.

Bryan Mbeumo fired at Yann Sommer after a superb ball through from Martin Hongla before Karl Toko Ekambi lashed over the rebound.

Sommer then got down low to save from Choupo-Moting after he pinched the ball away from Manuel Akanji, although a questionable foul was given against the Bayern Munich striker.

Silvan Widmer made a vital challenge to stop Toko Ekambi turning in a cross from Collins Fai and Sommer pushed away a weak effort by Hongla.

Akanji glanced wide at a corner as Cameroon switched off on the stroke of half-time but there was no such escape when they were again caught napping at the start the second half.

Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler worked the ball out wide on the right to Xherdan Shaqiri whose low cross into the area was swept home by an unmarked Embolo, who chose not to celebrate against his birth country.

Choupo-Moting neatly weaved his way past a couple of defenders in the box but couldn’t beat Sommer from a tight angle.

Andre Onana kept Cameroon in the game with a brilliant stop to deny Ruben Vargas who found himself completely free in an almost carbon copy of Embolo’s goal.

Only a desperate block prevented Haris Seferovic from adding a late second.

Song said the rankings meant nothing coming into the tournament, but Cameroon’s eighth World Cup appearance risks being brief with games to come against Serbia and Brazil.

Source: AFP

24, November 2022

South Africa records over 7,000 murders between July and September ⁰

New police statistics show more than 7,000 people have been murdered by criminal gangs in a span of three months across South Africa.

On Wednesday, South Africa’s parliamentary portfolio committee on police heard details of the crime statistics, recording those crimes reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) from July 1 to September 30.

Quarterly crime statistics showed a rise in murder, rape and kidnapping figures compared with the same period last year. The murder rate rose 14 percent during the period, compared with the same timeframe in 2021, when 6,163 people were killed. Virtually 1,000 women and more than 550 children were among those murdered during the period.

More than 13,000 women were also victims of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and 1,277 women were victims of attempted murder.

Rapes, in a country notorious for sex assaults against women and children, also recorded a huge jump. Kidnappings doubled to more than 4,000 in the three months, compared to the same time last year.

Commenting on violence against women and children, Police Minister Bheki Cele said, “The rate at which women are abused, violated and some killed in South Africa remains worrying and unacceptable.”

“The crime statistics again show that we as communities continue to fail to protect some of the most vulnerable in society: our children,” Cele said.

Carjackings rose 24 percent to more than 6,000.

The police minister promised that 10,000 new recruits would be ready to join the police force before the Christmas and New Year period, when crime typically rises. Their deployment “will intensify police visibility during the festive season and beyond,” he said. “Nothing will replace fighting crime [better] than warm bodies.”

Andrew Whitfield, a lawmaker with the largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, however, called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Cele. “The bloodbath of violent crime remains out of control across the country with millions of people living in fear.”

Source: Presstv

23, November 2022

Japan stun wasteful Germany in dramatic World Cup comeback ⁰

Japan stunned Germany 2-1 in their World Cup opener on Wednesday, punishing the four-time champions for not taking their chances after they dominated the first half.

The German team covered their mouths for the team photo before the match in a powerful protest against FIFA’s decision to ban rainbow-themed armbands.

Hansi Flick’s team came to Qatar under huge pressure to avoid the disaster of 2018, when they failed to make it out of the group stage in Russia as holders.

They took the lead through a first-half penalty from Ilkay Gundogan and should have been out of sight after creating a host of chances.

But Japan hung on and equalised through substitute Ritsu Doan in the 75th minute.

Takuma Asano then completed a remarkable turnaround eight minutes later, smashing the ball home to send the boisterous Japanese fans wild.

Germany’s World Cup future is now on the line, with games to come in Group E against Spain and Costa Rica.

Japan are eyeing a place in the knockout round after a dramatic comeback that scarcely looked possible at the end of the first half.

The Blue Samurai made a positive start, with Daizen Maeda putting the ball in the net as early as the eighth minute only for the linesman to flag for offside.

German chances

But it was to prove a false dawn for Japan as Antonio Rudiger headed past the post from a corner, before Joshua Kimmich tested goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, with Gundogan blasting the rebound over the bar.

Gundogan peppered the Japan goal with shots, with Gonda keeping him out before Maya Yoshida threw his body in the way of another effort.

Gundogan put the Germans ahead after they were awarded a penalty when Gonda tripped David Raum, coolly slotting his kick down the middle.

Jamal Musiala give a glimpse of his immense talent when he turned and flashed a shot over the bar on the stroke of half-time.

There was just enough time for Kai Havertz to put the ball in the net before the interval, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside.

Musiala returned to torment Japan after the break, skipping through the defence before blazing over.

The 19-year-old then turned provider, laying the ball off for Gundogan to lash against the post.

Japan brought on livewire forwards Asano and Kaoru Mitoma to try to inject some energy into the four-times Asian champions.

But Germany kept up their pressure and only a string of last-ditch saves from Gonda prevented Japan from falling further behind.

Hiroki Sakai had a golden chance to equalise but blazed wildly over the bar after Manuel Neuer had parried the ball into his path.

Doan showed him how it was done just minutes later, converting after Neuer had palmed away Takumi Minamino’s effort.

Asano then put the Japanese fans in dreamland, racing away into the box before lashing home a shot that Neuer was powerless to stop.

Germany threw everyone forward in a desperate search for an equaliser but it was too little to late.

Source: AFP

23, November 2022

French Cameroun: Thousands displaced, lose homes in Boko Haram attacks ⁰

Karou Modou lived a happy life tilling her garden and rearing animals in her native Cherif-Moussari village at the foot of Mandara Mountains along the Cameroon-Nigeria border.

The 42-year-old mother of eight says her garden was all she had to provide and educate her children. But things changed in 2015.

Boko Haram terrorists attacked her village seven years ago, butchered her father and gunned down her son before abducting one of her daughters. The attackers, she says also burnt her harvest and went away with animals. In fear, Modou joined other villagers to flee for her dear life.

“It was difficult,” she remembers.

She narrates a laborious journey to safety passing through other villages like Nguetchewe and Koza before eventually finding solace in Zamai, 62km from Maroua, the Far North regional capital, joining other Cameroonian families who were also forcibly uprooted from their homes by the insurgency and were struggling to rebuild their lives in IDP sites.

Attacks on civilians

The Boko Haram insurgency began in Nigeria in 2009 before spreading across the Lake Chad basin countries, including Cameroon. They rapidly stepped up attacks on civilians in towns and villages, exacerbating security fears for a region that was already prone to banditry and trafficking.

According to an April 2021 UN report, the Boko Haram war in northern Cameroon has caused a major humanitarian crisis, with over 322,000 people displaced from their homes.

Of the displaced, Zamai is hosting nearly 4,000 in five sites, official figures showed.

Modou says integration and survival were an uphill task for her and the rest of the family members.

WFP initiative

The World Food Programme (WFP) has been helping the women rebuild their old livelihoods through an initiative Food Assistance For Assets Creation. It enables households to not only rely on WFP-donated food rations in the short term but also trains communities to support growing food and trade of produce between communities, according to Miguel Nzegang, WFP programme associate for Resilience and Livelihood Activities.

The UN Agency says it has created a water pond in the arid area to support agriculture and livestock activities and improve food security, secured land for community farms and erected a 150 metric ton capacity storage house for the community.

Nzegang told The EastAfrican that the project cannot take care of everyone in the community as a result of insufficient funding.

“Our biggest challenge is limited funding. For now, we are only able to reach 2,000 beneficiaries whereas the population of Zamai is over 30,000,” he said.

“We target the most vulnerable because we cannot reach out to everybody due to insufficient funding” he said.

“We need to provide them with full access to resources and opportunities so they can be effective contributors to food security and nutrition and efficient business and economic actors,” added Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, the WFP senior special adviser on Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition, after visiting the camp on November 2, 2022.

Hope turned into nightmare

Not everyone has been lucky like Modou though. Ali Aisha, 21, arrived at the IDP settlement more than a year ago but is still looking for bearing. She had been living with her uncle and schooling in neighbouring Borno State of Nigeria – the epicentre.

When she returned to Cameroon, her hope for a better life turned into nightmare. In 2019, they attacked her village, killing the men and kidnapped the women. The women are still missing.

“After fleeing, we just kept walking, wandering in the forest,” she explained, saying a military truck on patrol later rescued them. She hopes staying at the camp will help her get opportunities to train and be self-reliant.

Source: The East African

23, November 2022

After Ronaldo: Manchester United owners eye record football club sale ⁰

Manchester United would fetch a record amount for a football club should their American owners sell the English giants after 17 years at the helm, analysts said Wednesday.

The Premier League outfit announced late Tuesday they were considering “all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company”.

Analysts said the Glazer family could make around £5 billion ($6 billion) from the sale of a club it spent £790 million to buy, largely with debt, in 2005.

British billionaire and United fan Jim Ratcliffe is seen as a front runner for the club, which has fallen behind English rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in trophies won and stadium modernisation.

Ratcliffe, who owns the Ineos chemical group, expressed interest in buying United after his unsuccessful bid for another Premier League team, Chelsea, in May. The London club eventually went for a world-record £2.5 billion.

Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at SKEMA Business School, said interest would likely also come from outside the United Kingdom.

“I can imagine that billionaires in South East Asia, from Malaysia or Indonesia where United have a lot of supporters, would be interested. That or a consortium of US investors,” he told AFP.

Chadwick added that the Glazers may believe the club has reached its peak value after Europe’s elite teams failed to win support for a Super League, and with United needing big investment.

“The Super League discussion will continue to rumble on, until it either happens or doesn’t, but these are harsh economic times and football is a high-cost industry,” he said.

France 24