Headline News

Trump seeks Obamacare dismantling with executive order

12, October 2017

Trump seeks Obamacare dismantling with executive order 0

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that he claims will bring affordable health insurance to millions, taking his first concrete step in dismantling Obamacare.

The executive order would give “millions of Americans with Obamacare relief,” Trump said on Thursday.

The order, which tasks the administration with developing policies to increase health care quality and lower prices, is aimed at letting small businesses band together across the country to buy cheaper, less regulated health plans for their employees.

The new plan would “cost the United States government virtually nothing and people will have great great health care. And when I say people, I mean by the millions and millions,” Trump said.

Trump resorted to using presidential powers to dismantle Obamacare after fellow Republicans in Congress had failed to repeal the 2010 law.

During the last year election campaign, Trump promised to dismantle  Obamacare, former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader,  accused Trump of using the executive order as a wrecking ball to single-highhandedly tear down and sabotage Obamacare after he failed to repeal the law in Congress.

“Having failed to repeal the #ACA in Congress, @POTUS is using a wrecking ball to singlehandedly rip apart & sabotage our healthcare system,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, tweeted.

Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act failed after analyses of the GOP replacement plans showed the number of Americans without insurance would increase by more than 20 million people, as compared to current law.

Culled from Presstv


US to withdraw from UNESCO over ‘anti-Israel bias’

12, October 2017

US to withdraw from UNESCO over ‘anti-Israel bias’ 0

The United States has announced that it will withdraw from the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), accusing the UN’s cultural organization of “anti-Israel bias.”

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Thursday that Washington would establish an “observer mission” to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency.

“This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,” the statement said.

“US withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2018. The United States will remain a full member of UNESCO until that time,” it added.

UNESCO, which has 195 member states, is known for designating world heritage sites such as Syria’s Palmyra, the Grand Canyon in the US state of Arizona and twenty-two sites in Iran.

The head of UNESCO Irina Bokova voiced “profound regret” over the US decision, calling it a “loss to multilateralism.”

“I wish to express profound regret at the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO,” Bokova said in a statement.

The US also withdrew from the organization in 1984 during the administration of former US President Ronald Regan, claiming it was biased in favor of the former Soviet Union.

Former US President George W. Bush rejoined UNESCO in 2002. The US stopped funding the body in 2011, after the organization accepted Palestine as a member.

US President Donald Trump is also reportedly considering withdrawing the United States from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which his administration accuses of being biased against Israel.

 

Source: Presstv


Kofi Annan to brief UN Security Council on Myanmar

12, October 2017

Kofi Annan to brief UN Security Council on Myanmar 0

On Friday 13 October Mr Kofi Annan, Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, will brief UN Member States on the Advisory Commission’s main findings and recommendations for Myanmar’s troubled western state of Rakhine.

In his capacity as Chair of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Mr Annan presented the Commission’s report “Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine” in Yangon in August 2017. The report puts forward recommendations to surmount the political, socioeconomic and humanitarian challenges that have long existed in Rakhine State and have contributed to the current crisis.

The Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, which was disbanded following the completion of its mandate in September 2017, focused on long-term solutions for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine State. Its final report addresses many of the root causes that underlie the humanitarian crisis.

“Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine” and the recommendations it contains have been endorsed by the Government of Myanmar and widely welcomed by the international community.

In his briefing to Council Members and other Member States, Mr Annan will present the main recommendations of the report and discuss their implementation in the context of the violence and displacement that has taken place since the Commission’s report was published.

Mr Annan will urge stakeholders to use the report as a roadmap to peace and development in Rakhine State.

Mr Annan will stress the need to quickly end security operations, facilitate humanitarian access to affected populations and ensure protection of civilians.

The briefing will begin at 15:00 EST. It will be held under the Arria-formula to allow for participation from all United Nations Member States and accredited non-governmental organisations.

Mr. Annan’s statement will be made public at the time of the briefing.

About the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State

At the behest of the Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and in collaboration with the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State was established in September 2016 as a neutral and impartial body to propose concrete measures for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine state. It was disbanded following the completion of its mandate in September 2017.

The Commission was composed of six local and three international experts and chaired by Kofi Annan. It released an interim report in March 2017 and its final report in August 2017. The reports considered and provided recommendations on humanitarian and developmental issues, access to basic services, legal questions including citizenship and the assurance of basic rights, security to all people in all communities and other issues central to building lasting peace.

 

Source:  Kofi Annan Foundation


Is Barrister Agbor Balla the new Judas Iscariot of Southern Cameroons?

12, October 2017

Is Barrister Agbor Balla the new Judas Iscariot of Southern Cameroons? 0

The evidence is finally here:  Agbor Balla Nkongho is actually  working tirelessly to frustrate the struggle armed with staggering sums of money from LRC.  At this very moment he is living large in Hotel des Deputes in Yaoundé after covering thousands of kilometres recruiting and bribing Southern Cameroonians to join his evil enterprise.

Meanwhile Dr Fontem Neba, a man who was jailed alongside with him has had his ID confiscated and bank account frozen. Fontem cannot travel while Balla has not only an ID but even a passport and the resources to travel abroad as evidenced by his most recent trip across Africa.

So why is Fontem being punished and Balla rewarded ?

Why are they refusing to return the ID of Fontem but Balla has an ID and a passport ? Why is Fontem’s account frozen while Balla is overflowing with cash ? What was the excuse given by Balla when the prison guards found 6.5 million cfa on him?

Is it even credible that someone would give an inmate 6.5 million to buy a vehicle when the inmate doesn’t even know when he will be released ? Why did one of the interrogators in Nkondengui tell Fontem that HE, Fontem was the ONLY hard nut to crack implying that Balla was more understanding?

Is the offer that was tabled to Balla, Fontem and the others still available ? Who are the people who came from the presidency 2 days ago to coerce Fontem in Buea? Why did they not make a similar move towards Balla?

Why is Fontem not ousting Balla even though it is clear that both men see things differently ? Is Fontem safe? What is Balla planning ? What has he told LRC about Fontem ? We are living in dangerous times…Agbor Balla must be stopped

 

NB: This write-up was sent to our editorial desk by an anonymous source. We decided to publish it for the simple fact that Barrister Agbor Balla is no longer talking about BBC Mancho and the many other Southern Cameroons detainees.


George Weah wins Liberia presidential polls

12, October 2017

George Weah wins Liberia presidential polls 0

Football icon, George Weah has emerged as the newly elected president of Liberia to succeed Elen Johnson Sirleaf.

Weah defeated his closest rival, Joseph Boakai who is also the incumbent Vice President.

Others include longtime opposition figure Charles Brumskine and former Coca-Cola executive Alexander Cummings.

This item is still developing



Southern Cameroons Crisis: Francophone Defense Minister expected in Buea County today

12, October 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Francophone Defense Minister expected in Buea County today 0

The Francophone Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo is expected this Thursday, October 12, 2017 in the Buea County in Southern Cameroons. Information has filtered that Etoudi wants the defense boss to personally conduct an assessment of the security situation in West Cameroon as instructed by the UN Secretary General.

This is the content of a press release issued on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 by the presidency of the republic. “The meeting will scrutinize the security situation and assess the functioning of the various devices on the ground to adapt them where necessary in the light of compliance with law and order,” the press release said.

French Cameroun security forces have carried out arbitrary arrests, illegal searches of homes, murders and other abuses in Southern Cameroons under the watchful eyes of the African Union and the United Nations. This trip by Minister Assomo has been interpreted by the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council has a mission to cover up facts.

Joseph Beti Assomo will meet with senior officials of the central and territorial defense and security forces and the French Cameroun governors of the Northwest and Southwest regions.

By Rita Akana, CCN


Trump threatens to revoke TV network licenses over ‘fake news’

12, October 2017

Trump threatens to revoke TV network licenses over ‘fake news’ 0

US President Donald Trump has threatened to shut down NBC and other American TV networks by revoking their media licenses, claiming they broadcast “fake news” and are “bad” for the country.

“With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!” Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Trump has repeatedly used the term “fake news” to cast doubt on critical media reports about his administration, often without providing any evidence to support his case that the reports are false.

NBC News has reported on tensions between Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

NBC said last week that Trump sought a dramatic increase in the US nuclear arsenal during a meeting in July with national security advisers in July.

NBC reported Tillerson made his “moron” comment after that meeting and was on the verge of resigning amid mounting policy disputes with the White House.

“Fake @NBCNews made up a story that I wanted a ‘tenfold’ increase in our US nuclear arsenal. Pure fiction, made up to demean. NBC = CNN!,” Trump once again tweeted against the media on Wednesday.

This is not the first time Trump has attacked NBC. Trump wrote on Twitter on October 4 that “NBC news is #FakeNews and more dishonest than even CNN. They are a disgrace to good reporting. No wonder their news ratings are way down!”

Trump’s willingness to potentially challenge the broadcast licenses of a media he disapproves, marks an escalation in Trump’s anti-media rhetoric.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not license broadcast networks, but issues them to individual broadcast stations. The agency does not issue similar licenses for cable networks like CNN and MSNBC, or regulate internet news or other websites.

The FCC has said the First Amendment “expressly prohibits the commission from censoring broadcast matter” and that its role “in overseeing program content is very limited.”

As a candidate, Trump had pursued the same anti-media rhetoric threatening to “open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.”



Arrest warrants issued for Southern Cameroons activists in the UK

11, October 2017

Arrest warrants issued for Southern Cameroons activists in the UK 0

A top French Cameroun judge in Yaounde has issued arrest warrants for the organizers of the massive Southern Cameroons protest that held recently in London precisely at Holland Park.  The Biya Francophone regime says Southern Cameroonians in the UK and the USA were responsible for  the controversial  independence day celebration on October 1 that claimed the lives of dozens of British Southern Cameroons citizens.

A French Cameroun Supreme Court  spokesperson told Cameroon Concord News on Wednesday that the warrants had been issued for Barrister Alex Ndive, Kum Engelbert, Tua Fesse Fesse and Kongeh Joseph Wab. We gathered the kangaroo court ruled that the four Southern Cameroonians organized the demonstrations in front of the Cameroon embassy in London  in contravention of a ruling by the nation’s higher judicial council which had found the activities of the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council unconstitutional and banned its activities.

The Francophone dominated government said on Monday that it  has evidence from mobile phone operators that implicates the Cameroon Concord News UK bureau chief, Chi Prudence Asong and Tua Fesse Fesse in the happenings in Buea and Bamenda.  The development came a day after  10 Southern Cameroons citizens arrived the Douala International airport from the US and were detained by plain cloth police officers.

The so-called French Cameroun government spokesman and Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary  said that the independence day celebration was ruthlessly crushed and severely dealt with by troops loyal to the Biya regime. Human Rights groups including Amnesty International say more than a hundred people were killed.

Sesekou Ayuk Tabe, the head of the Southern Cameroons Governing Council noted that the the October 1 celebration has opened a new chapter in British Southern Cameroons history. During a recent interview in London, Chairman Ayuk Tabe said the Southern Cameroons Governing Council is not seeking confrontation with the French Cameroon government but reiterated the governing council’s position that there was an urgent need for a Southern Cameroons army.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai, CCN


Kenya: Parliament passes controversial election law

11, October 2017

Kenya: Parliament passes controversial election law 0

The Kenyan parliament has passed an amendment to the country’s electoral laws under which a presidential candidate would automatically win a re-run vote if the other one drops out of the race.

The amendment, which had been proposed by the ruling party, was passed on Wednesday, a day after the country’s opposition leader said he was withdrawing from the “unfair” race.

Once incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta signs the law, it will take immediate effect, according to parliamentary spokesman Martin Mutua.

The controversial law was harshly criticized by opposition lawmakers, who had boycotted the vote on Wednesday.

Last month, Kenya’s Supreme Court ordered a repeat presidential race to be held on October 26 between Odinga and Kenyatta. It annulled the result of an earlier poll, on August 8, after finding “irregularities.” Kenyatta had been declared the winner of that election.

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga waves to supporters as he leaves the Supreme Court in Nairobi on September 1, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

 

Odinga, however, announced his withdrawal from the new election on Tuesday, saying the electoral commission must be changed. He claimed that the contest could not be free and fair.

He also added that there were indications that the upcoming repeat election would be worse than the previous one.

Odinga’s coalition party called for the new election to be cancelled as a result of his withdrawal. But Kenyatta said that they have “no problem going back to election. We are sure we will get more votes than the last time.”

“We are also telling him it is the people’s right to choose their leader. It is their sovereign right to choose their leader of choice,” said the incumbent president.

Meanwhile, thousands of people rallied through the capital, Nairobi, calling for changes at the electoral board. Kenyan police fired teargas to disperse the demonstrators.

Police also used tear gas against opposition supporters, who had gathered in Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold in the country’s west, on Wednesday.

Witnesses said the crowd had refused to disperse after being addressed by the county governor, Reuters reported.

The supporters of Kenyan opposition rally in the capital, Nairobi, October 11, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

 

In another development on Wednesday, Kenya’s High Court ruled that a minor opposition candidate, Ekuru Aukot — who had also ran in the August presidential election — could take part in this month’s re-run vote.

Justice John Mativo said he did not see any reason for Aukot to be barred from participating in the repeat election.

Auko, however, said that he had doubts about standing. He won about 27,000 votes of the more than 15 million cast in the August vote.

 

Source: Presstv


Oil and Gas: Tower prepares for 2018 drilling in Cameroon

11, October 2017

Oil and Gas: Tower prepares for 2018 drilling in Cameroon 0

Tower Resources plc (the “Company” or “Tower” (TRP.L, TRP LN)), the AIM-listed oil and gas company with a focus on Africa, is pleased to provide an update on the status of the Thali block in Cameroon.

Following a Technical Committee Meeting and Operating Committee Meeting between Tower, the Cameroon Ministry of Mines, Industry & Technological Development (“MINMIDT”) and the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (“SNH”) held in Douala on 3 October 2017, Tower, MINMIDT and SNH have agreed on the following next steps in support of the PSC work commitments:

  • To conduct reprocessing of the existing 3D seismic data and conduct specific specialist studies such as attribute analysis, including AVO and pore pressure prediction, and coherency cubes on that data;
  • To continue with the geological and geophysical interpretations, using that reprocessed data, to refine and high-grade the prospect inventory on the Thali PSC block, to mature the drillable prospects;
  • To investigate rig availability with appropriate technical specifications; and
  • Based on this work, Tower aims to provide SNH with a prospect inventory and prioritisation during Q2 2018, and will agree with SNH a location for the first new well on the block.
In respect of acquisition of new seismic data on the block, Tower, will continue to search for a suitable seismic contractor; it being understood that the actual acquisition of new data may need to be deferred.

The budget for the planned work activities for 2017 and 2018 has been agreed. Tower, SNH and MINMIDT have agreed to meet in six months to evaluate the progress of the operations. Based on this progress the parties may contemplate an eventual extension of the initial period of the Exploration Phase to allow the fulfilment of all contractual obligations for the period.

Jeremy Asher, Chairman & CEO, commented:

“We are very pleased to have confirmed our next steps on the Thali license, including the reprocessing of existing 3D data, with a view to finalising priorities for drilling in 2018. We are also grateful to SNH and MINMIDT for their flexibility and support. By deferring the acquisition of new 3D data in favour of reprocessing existing 3D data we can save time and money in the near term, and move faster towards sourcing a rig in the currently depressed rig market. This not only accelerates our progress towards a well, but also makes the cost of our work programme over the coming year much more affordable, even taking into consideration the last portion of the signature bonus which is now falling due. With contingent Oil-In-Place estimated at 39 million barrels (Pmean, gross) already discovered on the block, we are keen to take advantage of the low cost of rigs in the current market and to begin drilling to reach a commercial scale for development of this high-quality near-field block as soon as possible.”

Source: Oil and Gas News


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