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12 European football clubs launch Super League despite wave of criticism

19, April 2021

12 European football clubs launch Super League despite wave of criticism 0

Twelve of Europe’s biggest clubs on Monday said they planned to launch a breakaway Super League, despite the threat of an international ban for them and their players.

The move sets up a rival to UEFA’s established Champions League competition and was condemned by football authorities and political leaders.

Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus are among the leading members of the new league but UEFA has threatened to ban them from domestic and international competition and vowed to fight the move.

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson both issued statements condemning a breakaway and supporting UEFA’s position.

As well as United, Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have signed up to the plans.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Spain join Real. AC Milan and Inter Milan make up the trio from Italy along with Juventus.

The Super League said that they aimed to have 15 founding members and a 20-team league with five other clubs qualifying each season.

The clubs would share a fund of €3.5 billion to spend on infrastructure projects and to deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The money would not be available to spend on players.

The League said they will make ‘solidarity payments’ to the rest of European football which will exceed those currently offered by UEFA and which “are expected to be in excess of €10 billion” over the 23-year commitment period the clubs have entered into.

“We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires,” said Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the first chairman of the Super League.

No German or French clubs have yet to be associated with the breakaway.

World soccer’s governing body FIFA expressed its “disapproval to a ‘closed European breakaway league’ outside of the international football structures”.

But noticeably there was no mention of a previous threat from FIFA to ban any players taking part in a breakaway from participating in World Cups.

The announcement came just hours before UEFA is due to sign off on its own plans for an expanded and restructured 36-team Champions League on Monday.

UEFA issued a strong statement jointly with English, Spanish and Italian leagues and football federations, saying they were ready to use “all measures” to confront any breakaway and saying any participating clubs would be banned from domestic leagues, such as the Premier League.

“The clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams,” UEFA said.

“We thank those clubs in other countries, especially the French and German clubs, who have refused to sign up to this. We call on all lovers of football, supporters and politicians, to join us in fighting against such a project if it were to be announced. This persistent self-interest of a few has been going on for too long. Enough is enough.”

‘Absolute disgrace’

The moves were condemned by football authorities across Europe and former players such as Manchester United’s ex-captain Gary Neville who called it “an absolute disgrace” and said the club owners were motivated by “pure greed”.

Reacting to an official Arsenal tweet saying: “We are one of 12 founding clubs of the European Super League,” Arsenal Supporters’ Trust wrote on Twitter: “The death of Arsenal as a sporting institution.”

Top French club PSG have not been reported to have signed up to the plan and Macron also raised his voice against the breakaway.

“The President of the Republic welcomes the position of French clubs to refuse to participate in a European football Super League project threatening the principle of solidarity and sporting merit,” the Élysée Palace said in a statement sent to Reuters.

“The French state will support all the steps taken by the LFP, FFF, UEFA and FIFA to protect the integrity of federal competitions, whether national or European,” the Élysée added, citing the national, European and global football governing bodies.

UK PM Johnson also opposed the move.

“Plans for a European Super League would be very damaging for football and we support football authorities in taking action,” Johnson tweeted.

“They would strike at the heart of the domestic game, and will concern fans across the country. The clubs involved must answer to their fans and the wider footballing community before taking any further steps.”

There have been reports of a breakaway for a number of years and they returned in January with several media reporting a document had been produced outlining the plans.

In October, then Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said the club had accepted a proposal to join a breakaway league.

Those reports led FIFA and UEFA to warn that they would ban any players involved in a breakaway from playing in the World Cup or European Championship.

UEFA has proposed major changes to its Champions League which had received support from many clubs and organisations.

The changes would see the competition increase to 36 from 32 teams, and an overhaul of the group stage into a single table rather than the current groups of four clubs.

Teams would play 10 matches each in the group stage rather than the six they currently play and a playoff round would also be introduced before the last 16.

But while there has been a broad consensus about those reforms, the big clubs made a late push to have changes to the governance and control of the competition before making Sunday’s dramatic move.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

Cameroon: As the cabinet reshuffle looms large on the horizon

18, April 2021

Cameroon: As the cabinet reshuffle looms large on the horizon 0

There have been rumors about a cabinet reshuffle in Cameroon for a long time now, but the “monarch” neither seems to be under pressure to change his collaborators nor willing to reverse the current unfortunate trend of events.

The monarch is used to functioning as a typical government machinery which needs to be jolted into action by external factors and this has been the trend for some four decades and this could account for some of the sluggishness in the civil service, in particular, and the country, in general.

As the president’s collaborators age, it is imperative for him to replace them with some experienced and humble hands that have been working quietly and honestly in the system.

Cameroonians need youthful, energetic and selfless hands to ensure the country weathers the many storms many around the world have said will hit Cameroon like a ton of bricks after the current president, Paul Biya, bows to the inevitable.

Of course, age is just a number, but when age is accompanied by illnesses, the actors must be humble and courageous enough to exit the political scene in a very honorable manner.

Age has a way of robbing humans of their vitality. It deprives them of that enthusiasm that is a characteristic of many young people and it is that enthusiasm and energy which drive young people and spur them to achieve a lot for their families and country.

It is, therefore, not an error when many Cameroonians hold that a new political class should emerge in Cameroon if the country has to be prepared for a future that will be very challenging for people who are showing signs of senile decay.

Of course, there are many young, determined and ambitious Cameroonians who are willing and ready to put their time and energy at the service of their country, but many argue that the current political dispensation makes it hard for them to jump into the political arena where they can demonstrate that they have what it takes to help put Cameroon on the right track to prosperity and sustainable development.

But even within the ruling CPDM that has been indicted of so many crimes and sins, there are still some young, competent and hardworking Cameroonians who have kept their noses to the grindstone and if given the opportunity, they could make their country proud.

As a cabinet reshuffle looms large on the Cameroonian horizon, many forces of evil are at work to ensure that the good and competent young men do not make the president’s list of ministers.

The Cameroon Concord News Group has noticed that some shady characters, working under the cover of darkness, are at work and they are using all the tools available to them to sling mud at anybody who has made hard work his hallmark.

A voice note recently sent to the Cameroon Concord News Group London office has been indicting the Assistant Secretary General at the Presidency, Elung Paul Che, of crimes that have never been reported or documented.

Through its Yaoundé correspondent and other sources, the Cameroon Concord News Group have conducted a thorough investigation of the allegations and it has not found any evidence of such malfeasance.

The Cameroon Concord News Group is not just a platform that reports negative things. It also brings out the hidden good news when it finds it and Elung Paul Che’s honesty is worth reporting.

Before being appointed in 2015 as the Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Finance, Elung Paul Che had held numerous positions and interviews with those who worked with him revealed that he always demonstrated a rare form of honesty that kept many wondering, especially as corruption spreads across the country like wildlife.

Not many Cameroonians will see money and be indifferent to it. But Paul Elung Che shocked many people in the Southwest region when he was the Assistant paymaster in the Southwest treasury in Buea. He exhibited the same discipline and rigor when he was the paymaster general for the Northwest region in Bamenda and the Southwest region.

Many Cameroonians are honest people, especially when money is not involved. Bring money where Cameroonians are working and their discipline takes French leave of them. But Elung Paul is different and has always demonstrated that state property is not his property and that it must be properly managed and this has earned him great admiration and promotions.

After having served without blemish as the paymaster general in both the northwest and southwest regions, he was promoted as the Acting Director of the Treasury in Yaoundé, and later as the Director of Treasury.

Hard work pays off and Elung Paul knows this only too well. After having distinguished himself at the state treasury, he was appointed Director General of the Treasury, Finance and Cooperation in the Ministry of Finance; a post he held till 2009.

Four years later, he was appointed as the Director General of the Hydrocarbons Prices Stabilization Fund (CSPH) in 2013. From CSPH, he became a Minister in 2015, while still serving as the Director General of CSPH.

With such a brilliant career and experience, it is worth mentioning that Mr. Elung Paul Che could be one of those young, competent and hardworking ruling party members who still inspire hope.

It is, indeed, rare to find such civil servants in the country’s current civil service. The Cameroon Concord News Group investigation has proven that Elung Paul Che has never been linked with any corruption scandal.

The investigation has also proven that he has many enemies in the system because of his carefulness and honesty. He is being fought by many regime insiders who accuse him of seeking to be a “clean fish in a dirty ocean”.

A source in the Ministry of Finance hinted the Cameroon Concord News Group correspondent in Yaoundé that many people in the finance ministry fought him so hard when it was rumored that President Biya wanted to appoint him as the Minister of Finance; battles which have left him psychologically bruised. However, he remains unbowed and determined to make his contribution to the country’s development without disappointing his friends and family.

The source added that his detractors did all they could to ensure that he did not become the country’s finance minister, adding that “a good player will never lack a team and Elung Paul was appointed to other duties.”

Many people at the finance ministry accuse him of being too strict and too ‘clean’ for their liking. Yet, regardless of how murky the Cameroon waters may be, those who place themselves above the corruption that has become the country’s cancer, will always be noticed and it was because of his clean records that many Cameroonians, especially the francophones the Cameroon Concord News Group talked to, thought that in addition to his dynamism, he could one day be a good Prime Minister for the country.

By Joachim Arrey in Canada and Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in the United Kingdom

Messi scores twice as Barcelona crush Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in Copa del Rey final

18, April 2021

Messi scores twice as Barcelona crush Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in Copa del Rey final 0

Lionel Messi scored twice, including a stunning solo goal, as Barcelona blew away Athletic Bilbao to win the Copa del Rey on Saturday, consigning their opponents to a second final defeat in two weeks.

The cup was won and lost in a whirlwind 12 minutes in Seville, which saw Barca score four times to clinch an emphatic 4-0 victory, with Messi at his devastating best.

It remains to be seen if his seventh Copa del Rey triumph is the last trophy Messi lifts in Barcelona colours but if this was to be a final flourish, the 33-year-old crafted a fitting farewell.

“It’s very special to be captain of this team where I have spent my whole life and very special to be able to lift this cup,” Messi said.

His first goal, and Barca’s third, started with the Argentinian in his own half before a charging run down the right and a surge forward into the penalty area gave him the chance for a simple finish.

With the club’s new president Joan Laporta in the crowd, Ronald Koeman’s first title as Barcelona coach should also significantly boost his chances of remaining in charge beyond the summer.

“To win a title is important for me,” Koeman admitted afterwards.

Yet Laporta was noticeably evasive when asked about Koeman’s future.

“He is doing well,” he said.

Koeman took over a team at rock bottom, humiliated by an historic loss to Bayern Munich and wounded by the attempts of Messi to leave the club for free.

But this 31st Copa del Rey success for the club is a testament to progress made and Koeman will hope it not only helps convince Messi to stay but gives Barca momentum now in a neck-and-neck title race in La Liga.

“Despite the changes at the club and the young players, at Barca you have to always fight for trophies,” Koeman said.

“We have the first one and now we are going to fight to the last game in La Liga.”

‘Turned it around’

Gerard Pique said it felt like the club had been “reset”.

“Sometimes you fall down and you have to get up,” Pique said. “It has been a difficult year but the team has turned it around.”

Messi was sent off when Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona, also at the La Cartuja, in January to win the Spanish Super Cup but they never looked like pulling off a repeat.

After Athletic lost to their Basque rivals Real Sociedad in last year’s postponed final only two weeks ago, lifting themselves for another showpiece in the same stadium and against a tougher opponent was always going to be a big ask.

“In both finals we played well below the level that we’re capable of,” said Athletic coach Marcelino Garcia Toral.

Barcelona were almost ahead after four minutes as Sergio Busquets played in Messi, who rolled back for Frenkie de Jong but his sidefooted finish came back off the far post.

Sergino Dest dragged wide while Inigo Martinez had Athletic’s best chance but as he stretched for the bouncing ball, he could only poke over.

Athletic seemed to have played their way into the match before half-time but Barcelona came out with renewed vigour, with Unai Simon making two brilliant saves to deny Antoine Griezmann and then Busquets, both from close range.

But when the resistance gave way, it became a collapse, with goals scored in the 60th, 63rd, 68th and 72nd minutes to leave Athletic’s hopes in tatters.

First, Messi slipped in Dest down the right and his cross was diverted in by Griezmann before the second came from the opposite flank, Jordi Alba curled in a cross for De Jong to nod in.

The third was a spectacular from Messi, who started the move in his own half, leaping over one challenge and dodging another.

He took the ball back from Dest and drove down the right wing, away from three opponents and inside.

Messi twice played off De Jong, the second time after motoring forward into the penalty area, where he darted between two last Athletic defenders and slid the finish into the far corner.

His second, and Barca’s fourth, was more straight-forward, Alba pulling a cross back for the Argentinian to tuck under a weak right hand from Simon and inside the post. For Athletic, there was no way back.

(AFP)

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Nigeria’s hospitality to Ambazonians is remarkable

18, April 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Nigeria’s hospitality to Ambazonians is remarkable 0

Two nonprofit organizations, Community Refugee Relief Initiative,CRRI and The Fomunyoh Foundation , TFF have asserted that Nigeria’s hospitality towards Cameroonians who were currently taking refuge in the country was remarkable and rare gesture.

Vanguard learned the Over 80,000 Cameroonian refugee were taking refuge in different states in the Country including Cross River, Taraba, Benue ,Akwa Ibom amongst others. Speaking separately to Vanguard weekend, shortly after the tour and distribution of food items including rice,noodles,fruit juice amongst others to refugees in various camps across the Country and Cross River in particular , Dr. Celestine Atangcho and Christopher Famoyouh ,Chairman ,BOD of CRRI and President /Founder TFF said they were impressed with the hospitality Nigeria and her people have given to Cameroonian Refugees now living in Nigeria .

Fomunyoh said : “We want to put in a word of appreciation and thanks, genuine, sincere gratitude to the people of Nigeria, to the ordinary citizens of Nigeria for what they are doing to the Cameroonian refugees, for having open their hearts and their minds and their houses and their neighborhoods to Cameroonian refugees. “We have been very touched by that and I see the love that Nigerians show towards these refugees. It’s remarkable, it’s truly brotherly love. “We want to thank the authorities of the states that are harboring the refugees, notably, Cross River state, Akwa Ibom state, Benue state, Taraba state and all of the other states in which there may be a couple of refugees, including the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, there’s a refugee camp settlement in Abuja,” he said .

On his part Dr Atangcho lauded the Federal Government of Nigeria for the attention they’re paying to refugees during this period. “We really appreciate the government of Nigeria for their attention during this crisis and for the appeals they’ve continued to make for the international community’s to address the root causes of the conflict, to bring the conflict to an end so that these refugees can return to their homes. “It is a strong reminder that as Africans, we have to look out for each other because we’re each other’s keeper. I have been so touched by that and I want to use this opportunity to sincerely thank them for what they’re doing, it’s been noticed, it’s being appreciated at all levels and we remain very grateful and I think that people will always be grateful for that. Vanguard learned that the two organization visited and distributed food items to Refugee camps both in rural ,urban areas as well as major cities including Calabar ,Oban,,Akor ,Adagom I &III ,Okende ,Ajasor ,Basua all in Cross River ,Ikyogen in Benue and Abuja .

Source: vanguardngr.com

Cuba: Castro resigns from ruling party to hand power to younger generation

17, April 2021

Cuba: Castro resigns from ruling party to hand power to younger generation 0

Former Cuban President Raul Castro has announced his resignation as the head of the country’s ruling Communist Party, the most powerful position in the Caribbean island nation.

Castro made the announcement during a speech Friday on the first day of the party’s eighth congress, saying he is handing over power to a younger generation that is “full of passion and anti-imperialist spirit.”

“I believe fervently in the strength and exemplary nature and comprehension of my compatriots, and as long as I live, I will be ready with my foot in the stirrups to defend the fatherland, the revolution and socialism,” he told party delegates at the closed-door meeting at a convention center in Havana.

Castro underlined that he was retiring with the sense of having “fulfilled his mission and confident in the future of the fatherland.”

He is expected to formally step down on April 19, the last day of the congress, when the party’s new leadership will be elected.

The 89-year-old was elected to the top position in 2011, succeeding his older brother and ex-president Fidel Castro, who had held that position since the founding of Cuba’s Communist Party in 1965.

Raul Castro announced in 2018 that he expected incumbent President Miguel Diaz-Canel to replace him after his retirement in 2021. The 60-year-old represents a new generation and has been serving the first of two five-year terms as president.

Castro’s retirement comes as Cuba is facing multiple challenges exacerbated by US-led sanctions against the Caribbean island nation as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuba’s economy shrank 11 percent last year due to the deadly viral pathogen and tightened US sanctions which have caused a decline in aid from its ally, Venezuela.

Moreover, the US returned Havana to its so-called list of “state sponsors of terrorism” just nine days before Republican President Donald Trump left office.

The then US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said Cuba was being blacklisted for “repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism,” and cited Cuba’s security support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Source: Presstv

Britain’s Prince Philip, the Queen’s ‘strength and stay’ for seven decades

17, April 2021

Britain’s Prince Philip, the Queen’s ‘strength and stay’ for seven decades 0

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died peacefully at Windsor Castle on April 9 at the age of 99 after seven decades at the heart of public life as consort to Queen Elizabeth II.

“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

A charismatic figure famed for his deep sense of public duty, Prince Philip was the longest-serving consort of any British monarch after his marriage to Her Majesty in 1947 and her accession to the throne in 1952.

Philip was seen as an embodiment of British culture. But as with many nineteenth- and twentieth-century British royals, his family origins were a largely continental mix.

He was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921 to Andrew, Prince of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenburg, a royal from the ancient German principality of Hesse and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

A war hero of continental origins

Philip considered himself Danish first and foremost – but also showed pride in his Russian as well as German and Greek roots. As a descendant of the Romanov dynasty, Philip gave in 1993 a DNA sample that identified the bodies of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and five children in an unmarked Siberian grave – dispelling the legend that the young Grand Duchess Anastasia had escaped the Bolshevik firing squad in the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Philip’s family left Greece as a baby when the royal family was exiled in 1922, as his uncle King Constantine I was blamed for the country’s defeat in the Greco-Turkish War. He was then educated in France and Germany. “If you couldn’t think of a word in one language, you tended to go off in another,” he later told The Independent of his polyglot family life.

He was at boarding school in Germany when Adolf Hitler took power in 1933. The school’s Jewish headmaster fled to the UK, where he founded the boarding school Gordonstoun in Scotland. The young Philip went with him.

On the advice of his uncle, Greece’s King George II, Philip pursued his training in the Royal Navy upon leaving Gordonstoun in 1939, as the spectre of Nazism menaced Europe. He served with bravery throughout the Second World War – principally in the Mediterranean theatre, where he was commended for his role alongside Greek forces in the 1941 Battle of Crete.

But Philip’s greatest moment of the war came during the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily, a year after he was made first lieutenant of HMS Wallace. A Luftwaffe bombing campaign mercilessly attacked the ship, determined to destroy it, until Philip hatched a plan to set off smoke flares, fooling the German bombers into thinking they had already sunken the boat. Without Philip’s actions, those aboard would have had “little chance of survival”, one veteran recounted sixty years later.

During the war Philip corresponded with the then Princess Elizabeth. They had met in 1939 when he escorted the future Queen and her sister Margaret during their father King George VI’s visit to the Royal Naval College, where Philip was training. The 13-year-old Elizabeth fell in love with 18-year-old Philip and decided she wanted to marry him.

They were married in Westminster Abbey in 1947, months after Philip renounced his Greek and Danish royal titles and became a British subject. On the morning of the wedding, George VI made him Duke of Edinburgh.

Philip continued his naval career, spending a year in charge of the frigate HMS Magpie – again in the Mediterranean, where much of the Royal Navy was stationed to deter the expansion of communism – until his career at sea ended in 1951. With George VI’s health failing, the Duke became a full-time consort to the future Queen.

‘Will you walk with me?’

On February 6, 1952, George VI died and Her Majesty ascended to the throne. Philip became renowned for his commitment to public service, completing more than 22,000 solo engagements over 65 years until retiring from public duty in 2017 at the age of 96.

The Duke was either president or patron of some 780 charities and organisations that promoted causes such as environmental conservation, science and technology and participation in sport.

He played an instrumental role in founding the World Wildlife Fund in 1961, serving as the first president of its UK branch, then serving as president of the global organisation from 1981 to 1996 – using the pomp and circumstance of British royalty to help make the WWF an influential environmentalist force across the globe.

Philip’s most famous charitable cause in the UK was the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a programme for young people he set up in Britain in 1956 before expanding to 144 countries. It remains popular: More than 400,000 young Britons are currently completing their DoE, as it is commonly known. The award develops people’s skills and boosts their well-being through requirements including rigorous training in sport or fitness, volunteering for charitable causes and – most famously – the planning and undertaking of a challenging expedition over natural terrain.

The Duke was also known for his gaffes. At his wife’s coronation with one of the Crown Jewels the year after her ascension to the throne, he asked Her Majesty: “Where did you get that hat?” To a group of young deaf people standing next to a very loud steel band in Cardiff in 1999, he said: “If you’re near there, no wonder you’re deaf.” In 2002, when Her Majesty asked a young army cadet blinded by an Irish nationalist bomb how much he could see, the Duke said: “Not a lot, judging by that tie.”

When a member of the public told Philip, “I’m sorry to hear you’re standing down” after his retirement was announced, the then 96-year-old responded: “Well, I can’t stand up for much longer.”

But Philip famously deployed his softer side in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death in 1997, one of the most difficult weeks of Her Majesty’s reign. The 15-year-old Prince William, who had grown very close to Philip during family holidays, was reluctant to walk behind the coffin at the state funeral, keen to mourn his mother as privately as possible. But the Duke persuaded him: “If you don’t walk, I think you’ll regret it later. If I walk, will you walk with me?” he said.

A few months later, at an event to mark their Golden Wedding anniversary, the Queen paid tribute to Prince Philip: “He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.” She echoed this upon her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, describing him as a source of “constant strength” throughout the course of their marriage.

Philip gave Her Majesty this support during her record-breaking reign as an immutable incarnation of the British nation – through dizzying change over an extraordinary timespan. Britons see her as their greatest ever monarch.

Given Prince Philip’s role in supporting their Queen over more than seven decades of marriage, his biographer Gyles Brandreth wrote, “the joint author of that success has been the Duke of Edinburgh”.

Source: France 24

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 2.7 million people face food insecurity in Cameroon

17, April 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: 2.7 million people face food insecurity in Cameroon 0

Some 2.7 million people in Cameroon face food insecurity due to conflicts and poor production, according to a report published by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Thursday.

Out of Cameroon’s 58 administrative divisions, 14 are facing food insecurity, 11 are in a minimal situation, and 31 are under pressure, said Maina Ahmadou, coordinator of the national food security monitoring and strengthening program.

“This is due to the problem of accessibility and availibity of production. Crises in certain localities in Cameroon have caused the displacement of population which has also aggravated the problem,” Ahmadou told journalists in the capital, Yaounde during a ceremony to officially present the report.

The government will adopt new policies and programs to alleviate the problem, officials said.

Source: Xinhuanet

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The world’s most neglected conflict

17, April 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: The world’s most neglected conflict 0

The central African nation of Cameroon is better known for football, but its bloody, under-reported conflict deserves our attention. The right of minorities to self-determination is at the heart of violence blighting the lives of millions of unarmed civilians.

The Vatican has been increasingly diplomatically engaged, encouraging the Cameroon government to participate in inclusive peace talks, mediated by a third party. A webinar, hosted by the Liberal Democrats, on 19 April 6.30 – 8pm explores these issues.

Cameroon has been ruled by President Paul Biya, age 88, since 1982. He continues to win elections that no international monitor considers free and fair, and his country is ranked among the world’s most corrupt and repressive by Transparency International and Freedom House, respectively.

In 2016, Biya’s Francophone-dominated regime tried to impose French-speaking judges and teachers on the English-speaking regions, representing 20% of the population. Peaceful Anglophone protests were crushed with what impartial human rights groups described as disproportionate force. The UN estimates 700,000 civilians (out of six million Anglophones) have fled to the bush and beyond. UNICEF says one million children are out of school. Local civil society groups believe 5,000 people have been killed. Meanwhile, hundreds of opposition figures are imprisoned without due process.

Armed militias have emerged, demanding a sovereign country called “The Federal Republic of Ambazonia,” and rights monitors believe all armed sides are behaving with impunity, with unarmed civilians caught in the middle. The former colonial powers, the UK and France, offer bland calls for the respect for international human rights law, but neither government will apply pressure on Cameroon to attend inclusive mediated peace talks offered by the Swiss and the Vatican. Cardinal Parolin, the Papal envoy, visited Cameroon in January, and rights monitors suggest that Pope Francis is the only world leader commanding the respect of President Biya.

The webinar will explore a cross section of views on the way forward. Speakers include Dr Chris Fomunyoh from the National Democratic Institute in Washington DC, and Juliette Paauwe of the Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect.

Source: Independent Catholic News

Yaoundé: ‘End of an era’ as Chief Dr Tabetah Ashu Tarkang James of Mbinjong village dies

16, April 2021

Yaoundé: ‘End of an era’ as Chief Dr Tabetah Ashu Tarkang James of Mbinjong village dies 0

The people of Mbinjong, Upper Bayang Sub Division in Manyu were yesterday mourning the death of legendary traditional ruler Chief Tabetah Ashu Tarkang who died at the extension of his palace in Yaounde on Thursday after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.

A family source hinted Cameroon Concord News that he died after visiting a private clinic in late afternoon yesterday. He was surrounded by his wife and some family members and he died very peacefully after a long illness that started last year.

His funeral is due to be held at his Mbinjong Village following directives from Minister Victor Mengot who also moonlights as senior elite from Mbinjong.

Cameroon Concord News Group Chairman Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, who wrote so many stories about the late Chief on the pages of the Herald newspaper, was amongst the first to pay tribute to the Manyu academic.

“It’s a very sad day and the end of an era,” he said. “I’ve known His Royal Highness Chief Dr Tabetah since the 90s and we had great days in MECA Yaounde and so many great moments in SWELA. He was a great mentor and a marvellous person to work with. We’ll miss him.”

Chief Tabetah was best-known as a peace maker in MECA Yaoundé particularly when the Agbor Tabi brothers were at daggers-drawn-positions.  

The onetime Special Adviser to Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge, whose wealth was believed to run into hundreds of millions of FCFA, also enjoyed something of a playboy image. He dated a string of beautiful women and finally got married to Sophie Besong Tabetah.

Chief Tabetah was credited with changing the face of Manyu politics with his calm approach to every political situation.

He remained one of the most prominent sword less patriotic Manyu soldier right up to his death, even though he had adopted a considerably lower profile in recent years.

Dr Tabetah Ashu Tarkang James was born in Mbinjong and was one of the Manyu children that the late Dr AD Mengot gave the opportunity of conquering education home and abroad.

He came to the fore in the 90s as lecturer at the Higher Teachers Training College in Yaoundé and pushed for the CPDM government to adopt a considerably more political view of the admission process into the Higher Teachers Training College.

Chief Dr Tabetah Ashu Tarkang James was a chartered member of the ruling CPDM party and bon viveur.

By Isong Asu in London

Football: Arsenal, Man Utd, Roma and Villareal head to Europa League semifinals

16, April 2021

Football: Arsenal, Man Utd, Roma and Villareal head to Europa League semifinals 0

With their season on the line, Arsenal’s players produced a devastating first-half performance Thursday to beat Slavia Prague and reach the Europa League semifinals.

They’ll meet a familiar face there.

Arsenal’s 4-0 win in the Czech capital—secured courtesy of a three-goal burst in six minutes from the 18th—clinched a 5-1 aggregate victory and set up a last-four match against Villarreal, which is managed by Unai Emery.

The Spanish coach spent an underwhelming 18 months at Arsenal as Arsene Wenger’s replacement in 2018-19 and is rebuilding his managerial career at Villarreal, which beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 and advanced 3-1 on aggregate.

Manchester United and Roma complete the semifinal lineup.

United is back in the last four for a second straight season after beating Spanish team Granada 2-0 for a 4-0 aggregate win.

Roma drew 1-1 with Ajax to squeeze through 3-2 on aggregate.

Arsenal and Roma were under pressure to advance because the Europa League represents their only chance of winning a trophy this season and their only realistic route into next season’s Champions League, owing to their lowly current placing in their domestic leagues.

Arsenal is ninth in the Premier League and Roma seventh in Serie A.

The winner of the Europa League earns an automatic spot in the far more lucrative Champions League.

Sending a message

Arsenal sent a message before and during the win over Slavia.

The hosts learned the day before the game that their defender, Ondrej Kudela, had been banned for 10 games for racially abusing Rangers’ Glen Kamara during a round-of-16 game last month.

Before kickoff, as Slavia’s players stood in a line at the center circle, Arsenal’s players took a knee in a symbolic gesture in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, with Alexandre Lacazette doing so right in front of the Slavia team and staring at the players.

Arsenal responded to having an early goal by Emile Smith Rowe ruled out for offside by VAR by scoring three times in quick succession, first though Nicolas Pepe in the 18th and then Lacazette—from the penalty spot—and Bukayo Saka.

That meant Slavia, the runaway leader of the Czech league which hadn’t lost at home in nearly 18 months, needed to score four goals to qualify. By halftime, the hosts had essentially given up as they removed some of their key players to preserve their condition for the league.

Lacazette, continuing as striker with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sidelined after contracting malaria, added a fourth in the 77th minute.

“The boys were really at it from the start,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “It is a really important win in a crucial moment. We won in a convincing way.”

Arsenal lost to Chelsea in the Europa League final in 2019.

Villarreal’s goals were scored by Paco Alcacer and Gerard Moreno at the end of the first half, with Zagreb — the last-16 conqueror of Tottenham — grabbing a consolation through Mislav Orsic.

Villarreal is in the semifinals of the Europa League for the first time since 2016.

Cavani milestone

Edinson Cavani scored his 50th goal in European competition to lead United to victory over Granada at Old Trafford.

The 34-year-old Uruguay striker met a flicked header back into the middle of the area by Paul Pogba with a left-foot volley into the bottom corner in the sixth minute.

A 90th-minute own-goal by Jesus Vallejo completed a second straight 2-0 win over Granada.

United lost in the semifinals to Sevilla last season and has been defeated at that stage three other times — twice in the English League Cup and again in the FA Cup — under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Roma will look to inflict another last-four loss on United after surviving a scare against Ajax, which took the lead through Brian Brobbey’s lobbed finish in the 49th to tie the score on aggregate at 2-2.

Edin Dzeko equalized in the 72nd and Ajax couldn’t find the goal that would have taken the match to extra time.

Solskjaer was part of the United side that beat Roma 7-1 at Old Trafford in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2007.

Source: AP

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