Headline News

4, January 2018

Trump dissolves voter fraud commission ⁰

US President Donald Trump has dissolved a special commission which was established to investigate widespread voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election.

The White House announced in a statement on Wednesday that Trump decided to break up the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity led by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach after several states did not cooperate with the panel.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that “rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense,” Trump abolished the commission made up of Republicans and Democrats.

The commission was created in May last year after Trump claimed that 3 to 5 million immigrants voted illegally in 2016, depriving him of a popular-vote victory against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

In June, the commission’s vice chair, Kris Kobach, an advocate of tougher laws on immigration and voter identification, demanded that states turn over voter information, including names, addresses, birth dates and the final four digits of social security numbers.

Over 20 states refused to do so and others said they needed to study whether they could give the data.

The Republican billionaire, who was inaugurated last year as the 45th president of the US, scored about 3 million votes less than Clinton in their November 8, 2016 face-off. However, he was able to seal the victory by winning the Electoral College vote, 304-227.

In the run-up to the presidential election, Trump repeatedly accused the mainstream media of bias for not covering “a large-scale voter fraud” underway during early voting across the country. In addition, he called the election process rigged, and said the media was colluding with Clinton in order to beat him.

According to Trump, there were “serious voter fraud” issues in three US states — Virginia, New Hampshire and California — during the election, but the mainstream American media ignored it.

“The claim of widespread voter fraud in the United States is in fact, fraud. The demise of this commission should put this issue to rest,” said Michael Waldman, president of the liberal Brennan Center for Justice.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) hailed the dissolution of the panel, calling it a “front to suppress the vote, perpetrate dangerous and baseless claims” that “was ridiculed from one end of the country to the other.”

Source: Presstv

4, January 2018

The Ambazonia War: Biya calls them terrorists to justify their assassination and genocide ⁰

Cameroon Concord News has identified two groups of French Cameroun political elites seeking efforts towards providing an alternative solution to the ongoing crisis in Southern Cameroons or better still the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. They are the pro President Biya minority following and persons seeking political power under the French neo-colonial state and those genuinely for a one and indivisible Cameroon. We understand they are fundamentally different in significant ways.

On ideological basis, the Biya supporters are a group of political activists championing the philosophy within a neo-colonial political, economic and cultural construct. They are agitating to share in the spoils circumscribed within a neo-colonial criminal power syndicate acquired on the blood of Southern Cameroons martyrs whom they invariably called ” terrorists” to justify their assassination and genocide.

There is the liberation ideology that emphasis freedom and total emancipation of people. Very few French Cameroun political elites are a product of the people revolutionary base. They identify with Um Nyobe and Ernest Ouandie as the ideological leaders of this base and have been appealing to peoples of Africa origin far beyond Cameroun. That is why, their appeal to Southern Cameroons leaders was from the very beginning of the revolution trusted until political activists within the ruling CPDM clan affirmed and represented by President Biya infiltrated and derail the train of freedom.

The difference between these two groups of French Cameroun political elites is that the Southern Cameroons crisis has provided an opportunity for the Francophone CPDM gang to make advances to their common ideological base with Biya and the French government to forge and define an ideological basis to justify the genocide which has been ongoing for 56 years. They have no alternative solution for the problem which has justified and sustained their illegal claim to political power.

On the contrary, those of the liberation ideology have firmly articulated and publicly stated their firm conviction on how to resolve this conflict. They are guided by the fact that the consultations and discussion which the late Um Nyobe commended in Kumba in 1952 was prematurely subverted and high jacked to serve a neo-colonial agenda. The bastardisation of the process sowed the seeds of the annexation and military takeover of the Southern Cameroons under a French military cooperation treaty.

We of this publication are not surprised that there are major splits within the Francophone political structure. It was to be expected. The Beti Ewondo French surrogates long built a political base led by Andre Fouda and then the Patriarch of Beti had previously defined the Southern Cameroons as the enemy in the house. The Beti Ewondo groups headed by President Biya have moved the hate literature further by providing the definition within the context of an armed conflict making Biya the first person to define the enemy in ethnic terms, thus providing an ideological perspective to the crimes making them genocide.

We strongly suggest that the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia provide a strong military response to Yaoundé, warning them against the risk and consequences of their actions and by so doing discouraging against the perpetration of crimes against Southern Cameroons on the basis of ethnic/nationality identity.

We also encourage the Interim Government headed by His Excellency Sisiku Ayuk Tabe to continue to push ahead alternative solutions to this conflict. If Sisiku stop doing this, then persons who share his ideological perspective who are a silent majority in this so-called division within the struggle will again not be present at the negotiation table when Paul Biya will no longer be there.

To this I put my name

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Editor-in-Chief

Cameroon Concord News Group

4, January 2018

African Player of the Year: Joel Matip tips Reds pair for the top prize ⁰

Joel Matip believes Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane would both be worthy winners of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year award. The Reds duo are flying to Ghana to attend Thursday night’s ceremony in Accra. They will return to Merseyside on Friday morning ahead of the FA Cup clash with Everton at Anfield.

Salah and Mane are joined on the three-man shortlist by Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Liverpool’s 23-goal top scorer Salah, who also fired Egypt to the World Cup in Russia, is the favourite to lift the trophy.

Former Cameroon international Matip said: “I don’t know who will win but I hope it will be Mo or Sadio.

“They both had a great year. It’s a joy to watch them playing football. Liverpool’s record signing Virgil van Dijk pictured training with Reds for the first time

“It’s a great honour for Liverpool to have two of the three players who are on the shortlist for such a big award. “That says everything about the quality they bring and what they have achieved over the past 12 months.”

Source: The Echo

3, January 2018

Europe hit by storm Eleanor, causing disruptions ⁰

Winter storm Eleanor swept into France, Belgium and the Netherlands on Wednesday after tearing through England and Northern Ireland, cutting power to tens of thousands of people and forcing airports and train services to halt operations.

A skier was killed by a falling tree at Morillon in the French Alps while 15 others have been injured by the storm across the country, four of them seriously, civil defense spokesman Michael Bernier told AFP.

Another person was hurt by a falling tree in the southern Dutch village of Heesch.

Heavy winds led the airports in Strasbourg and Basel-Mulhouse on France’s border with Germany and Switzerland to close before they were reopened shortly after midday.

At Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport, 60 percent of departures were delayed Wednesday morning, as were a third of arrivals, while a handful of flights had to be rerouted before the winds eased back a bit.

The winds were also wreaking havoc with train services in several French regions.

About 200,000 homes across northern France were without electricity, while “particularly intense” flooding was expected on the Atlantic coasts.

The Eiffel Tower, which attracts six million visitors a year, was closed until at least Wednesday afternoon, while worries about falling tree branches prompted Paris officials to close all city parks for the day.

Eleanor barreled into continental Europe after whipping across England, Northern Ireland and Ireland, with the Thames Barrier, one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world, closed as a precautionary measure to protect London from swelling tides.

A woman takes photographs as waves crash over the tidal wall along the seafront in New Brighton, north west England, on January 3, 2018, as Storm Eleanor swept over the country. (Photo by AFP)

Gusts of 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph) were recorded at Great Dun Fell in Westmorland, northwest England, while overturned vehicles and trees caused closures of major motorways.

In Ireland, power supply company ESB said electricity had been restored to 123,000 customers, while 27,000 remained without power.

Belgium and parts of Spain were also put on “orange” alert, the third of four warning levels, with officials urging people to exercise caution when venturing out.

Although the winds eased toward midday, rescue workers in Brussels were kept busy with about 70 calls across the city, mainly after trees were knocked down, and several parks were closed.

In the Netherlands, 252 of about 1,200 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, a key European hub, as weather alerts were issued for several regions.

Several main roads and train lines were also closed as officials rushed to prepare flooding defenses.

Flights were also disrupted at Frankfurt’s airport in Germany, where the storm has been baptized Burglind, and at Zurich airport, as Swiss officials urged hikers to avoid forest walks.

RTS television reported that about 14,000 homes were without power in several Swiss cantons.

Eleanor is the fourth major storm to hit Europe since December.

The storm is now heading for the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, where meteorologists are warning of violent gusts that could reach 200 kilometers per hour.

Austria is also in its path, where the avalanche risk was expected to be raised to four on a scale of five in several areas Wednesday afternoon.

(Source: AFP)

3, January 2018

Defiant Biya says Cameroon will be ready to host AFCON 2019 ⁰

Cameroon president Paul Biya has reiterated that his country will be ready to host the next African Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated for next year. Speaking in his End-of-Year address to the nation, Biya said he had personally made a commitment to that effect as that Cameroon will put its best foot forward come 2017.

“As you are aware, in 2019, our country will host the large continental football family on the occasion of the Africa Cup of Nations. Beyond the purely sporting aspect, this will avail us an opportunity to offer our guests Cameroon’s warm hospitality.

“I have no doubt that, like our athletes, our population will rise to the occasion and showcase Cameroon at its best. Our country will be ready for this grand celebration of friendship. I have made a commitment to that end,” he stressed.

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon – the national team – are the reigning AFCON champions having won their fifth trophy in February 2017 in Gabon.

The Confederation of African Football in December 2017 expressed misgivings about Cameroon’s preparedness to host the AFCON. CAF president Ahmad Ahmad said they will not hesitate to strip Cameroon of the rights if they fail to meet important deadlines.

“We leave the country to work with a private firm independent without influence or that whatsoever. It is up to them to provide us with the elements that will allow us after to say that Cameroon will be ready or that Cameroon will not be ready. But nothing will be negotiated,” Ahmad Ahmad said during a visit to Ivory Coast.

There was talk in August last year that Cameroon was “not ready”, generating an issue and a possible relocation of the tournament. Whereas Cameroon is able to host 16 teams as was the case with Gabon in 2017. The proposed expansion to 24 teams has been okayed by CAF at a symposium held in Morocco and it is due to be started with the 2019 tournament.

Source: Africa News

3, January 2018

Suicide blast on a mosque on Nigeria’s border with Cameroon kills 14 ⁰

Fourteen worshippers were killed Wednesday when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque on Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, civilian vigilantes told AFP. The suspected Boko Haram jihadist blew himself up amid worshippers inside the mosque in Gamboru around 5:00 am (0400 GMT), shortly before morning prayers. “Fourteen bodies have been pulled out of the rubble,” said Umar Kachalla, a civilian militiaman, who said the mosque had been completely destroyed. “Only the muezzin has survived and we believe more bodies are buried under the debris,” said Kachalla. “The death toll may likely rise.”

An hour earlier, a patrol of vigilantes spotted four suspected suicide bombers on the outskirts of the town and arrested one of them after a chase, said a second vigilante, Shehu Mada. “Two of them turned back and fled while the fourth disappeared into the darkness and we believe it was he who attacked the mosque,” Mada said. Boko Haram’s eight-year insurgency against the government of Nigeria has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, killing around 20,000 people and displacing more than 2.6 million. In August 2014, the group seized Gamboru, a trading hub along with neighbouring town of Ngala.

Nigerian troops retook both towns in September 2015 with the help of Chadian forces following months-long offensives. Despite the recapture of the area, Boko Haram fighters continue to launch sporadic attacks, laying ambush on troops and vehicles as well as attacking and abducting farmers. On Tuesday Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau released a video message claiming a series of attacks in the northeast including those in Gamboru.

Source: Vanguard

3, January 2018

9 killed in Cameroonian gold mine collapse ⁰

9 people have been killed following the collapse of a gold mine in the East region of French Cameroun. The tragedy occurred in Ngoura, a district in the Lom-and-Djerem Division headquartered in Bertoua.

The commune of Ngoura, bordering the Central African Republic is hosting a sea of gold prospectors mainly of Cameroonian and Central African nationalities.

According to the Francophone dominated security service in Bertoua, the bodies of the 9 victims were found, identified and handed over to their respective families. They will be buried in the coming days.

Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report

3, January 2018

Dangerously cold winter grips US, 12 dead ⁰

Dangerously cold temperatures have been blamed for at least a dozen deaths in the central and eastern United States.

The bitter cold prompted officials to shut down schools and local attractions in several regions on Tuesday out of safety concerns.

Warming centers were opened in the Deep South with authorities demanding that neighbors, especially those who are elderly, sick or who live alone be checked.

“It’s important that people look out for anyone in need of shelter,” St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson warned.

Temperatures in St. Louis have dipped 30 degrees below normal.

Freeze warnings were also issued for areas from South Texas to Canada and from Montana to Maine.

Tony Sampson, who received a blanket from Star of Hope’s Love in Action van, tries to warm up by a fire under the Eastex Freeway in Houston, January 2, 2018. (Photo by AP)

In Atlanta, Grady Memorial Hospital emergency room doctors were forced to raise a patient’s body temperature almost once a day or every other day using warm fluids, blankets or other measures.

“We have a group of patients who are coming in off the street who are looking to escape the cold — we have dozens and dozens of those every day,” Emergency Care Center assistant medical director Dr. Brooks Moore told the Associated Press.

“You thought you were cold last year. You thought you were cold last month. But you weren’t cold. Now you’re cold,” said Jeanne Rivera, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, who was in Chicago on Tuesday to visit an art exhibit. “It hurts. It hurts the face.”

Slippery roads have resulted in numerous car accidents with a crash, which involved more than a dozen vehicles, forcing the closure of the Schuylkill Expressway in Pennsylvania.

Commuters brave sub-zero temperatures as they make their way to work, January 2, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images)

In Indiana, the current freezing weather is unusual because of how long it has lasted, according to experts.

“It has just been relentlessly cold since Christmas,” said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private Weather Underground.

Source: Presstv

3, January 2018

Petit Pays to release new album ⁰

His US based manager, Eyong Eyong Ebot in a telephone conversation with our entertainment editor hinted that “it’s a two new singles”. Petit Pays has announced that he’s releasing a new album that exclusively consists of “Ndongo Le Piment with the group Sans Visas”. The album known as ‘Black and White, is a Moh Kukouri Production scheduled for the 30^th of January 2018.

It’ll be released in standard physical CD form as well as digital download – but it won’t be eligible for chart entry. Announcing the record in a press release late yesterday, his manager said: “It’s a collaboration of songs that I’m extremely proud of, they’re amazing.”

Petit Pays was quoted as saying that “Lots of great songs go missing when you’re at the apex of your career – here they are.”

He also recently expressed his worries over the happenings in Anglophone Cameroon. Last year he cancelled a concert that was planned for Buea in solidarity with the people of Southern Cameroons and has openly advocated for genuine dialogue to resolve the crisis.

By Odette Mbong

3, January 2018

Turkish President Erdogan to visit France, explore improvement of EU ties ⁰

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to visit France this week for talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to explore an improvement of ties with the European Union and discuss regional issues.

The two will meet at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday, with talks expected to cover a range of issues from bilateral and Turkish-EU ties and trade to the developments in Syria and Palestine.

Macron reportedly intends to raise the issue of the human rights situation in Turkey. Key EU member states have engaged in quarrels with Ankara during the past year and a half over Turkey’s crackdown on perceived putschists after a failed coup in July 2016.

Earlier in the week, Macron’s office released a statement on the upcoming visit, saying that the meeting between the two would be a follow-up to “regular conversations of recent months” and would include “a particular focus on the Syrian file” as well as Palestine.

Turkey has been involved in a peace initiative for Syria with Iran and Russia in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana. Another peace initiative, on the auspices of the United Nations, has been ongoing in Geneva. Some Western countries want the focus to be on the Geneva peace talks and away from the Astana negotiations, which has progressed comparatively better.

Separately, Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has described France as a “leading ally” ahead of the visit and expressed optimism that the upcoming talks would further boost their relationship.

Two EU member states, namely Germany and Austria, have had the most strained relationship with Turkey. Berlin and Vienna have most strongly criticized the large-scale crackdown following the abortive coup in Turkey. Austria has even called for an end to EU accession talks with the Turkish government.

Macron of France has, in contrast, underlined the need to “avoid ruptures” with Turkey, which he has described as an “essential partner.” Turkey is a NATO member state.

Erdogan recently praised Macron — as well as the German leadership — for supporting Muslim nations in denouncing a decision by the US to declare Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel.

“They (the French) did not leave us by ourselves on this issue (Jerusalem al-Quds),” Erdogan said last week.

Source: Presstv