Headline News

7, July 2020

HIV patient ‘first in remission’ without transplant ⁰

A HIV-positive man in remission may be the first patient effectively cured of the illness without needing a bone marrow transplant, researchers said Tuesday in a potential breakthrough.

HIV affects tens of millions of people globally and while the disease is no longer the automatic death sentence it once was, patients need to take medication for life.

In recent years two men — known as the “Berlin” and “London” patients — appear to have been cured of the disease after undergoing high-risk stem cell bone marrow transplants to treat cancer.

Now an international team of researchers believe they may have a third patient who no longer shows sign of infection after undergoing a different medicine regimen.

The patient, a 34-year-old Brazilian who has not been named, was diagnosed with HIV in 2012.

As part of the study, he was given several potent antiviral drugs, including maraviroc and dolutegravir, to see if they could help him rid the virus from his body.

He has now gone more than 57 weeks with no HIV treatment and he continues to test negative for HIV antibodies.

Ricardo Diaz, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Sao Paulo, said the patient could be considered to be free of the disease.

“The significance for me is that we had a patient that was on treatment and he is now controlling the virus without treatment,” he told AFP.

“We’re not able to detect the virus and he’s losing the specific response to the virus — if you don’t have antibodies then you don’t have antigens.”

– ‘Provocative’ findings –

Diaz’s findings were released as part of the first-ever all-virtual International AIDS Conference, held online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The United Nations said Monday that 1.7 million people contracted HIV last year and there are now more than 40 million people living with it.

Diaz said his team’s treatment method, which needs further research, was a more ethical avenue for gravely ill HIV sufferers than the bone-marrow transplant route.

“They come with a high mortality rate, there have been a series of patients who have either died from the procedures or it didn’t work,” he said.

Sharon Lewin, co-Chair of the International AIDS Society Initiative Towards an HIV Cure and director of the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, said Diaz’s findings were “very interesting”.

She struck a note of caution however, due to the study’s limitations.

She noted that the Brazil patients’ antibody test had gotten weaker over time — suggesting a diminishing immune response.

“This is very unusual to see in someone off antivirals,” she said.

“The Berlin and London Patients may be the only exceptions. This very provocative data needs more in-depth analysis.”

Source: AFP

7, July 2020

Rejecting peace talks an act of aggression against Southern Cameroonians ⁰

The leadership of the Ambazonia Interim Government has censured French Cameroun government’s statement by Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi as an act of continues aggression against the people of Southern Cameroons. The Biya Francophone government said via its Minister of Information that it is not in any talks with President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides’ as widely reported last week.

Vice President Dabney Yerima speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News London Bureau Chief, Isong Asu called for a solid and united front against the criminal regime in Yaoundé. Comrade Yerima highlighted the serious dangers posed by unnecessary division and unhealthy rivalry among front line leaders to the Ambazonian cause.

“We should have been approaching Buea by now because the Ambazonia people are capable of confronting the French Cameroun army! So I am calling on Southern Cameroonians particularly those in the diaspora to quickly move to stop French Cameroun’s continuous aggression against Southern Cameroonians by investing in the Amba Bonds Project” he added.

The story about the Yaoundé meeting came from credible sources and Cameroon Concord News Group chief correspondent was among the people in the know. However, the Group’s editorial team simply kept things under wraps, waiting for the right moment to fill the population in.

According to a well-placed source in Yaoundé, the Francophone government made a dramatic u turn after its military announced it had taken control of the main road leading to Kumbo in the Bui County.

Dabney Yerima however pointed out that the Ambazonia Security Council had ordered Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces to withdraw from the area. The Vice President reiterated the Interim Government’s unified stance against all French Cameroun plot and stressed that all conspiracies against the Southern Cameroons revolution and quest for independence would be thwarted.

Ever since the war started four years ago, thousands of Southern Cameroonians have become “roving Jews” of Africa, with many travelling to distant lands just to seek peace and stability.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in London

7, July 2020

Barcelona president: ‘We have obligation to re-sign Messi’ ⁰

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu responded to a storm of speculation by saying on Tuesday that the club had “an obligation to re-sign” Lionel Messi, calling him “the best player in history”.

“Normally we do not explain the discussions with players but it is evident that we have the obligation to re-sign him”, Bartomeu told Catalan radio station Rac1. “He is the best player in history. He has many years of football left.”

Bartomeu also said Barca coach Quique Setien would keep his job despite a run of unconvincing form since La Liga’s restart that has seen the reigning champions lose top spot to Real Madrid.

The president said he was happy with the direction of the club and maintained he had been right to replace Ernesto Valverde in January.

Bartomeu also said Barcelona are trying to have the second leg of the Champions League second leg against Napoli played at the Camp Nou instead of at a neutral venue.

Last week, another radio station, Cadena Ser, reported that Messi had broken off negotiations on extending his contract, which runs until 2021, and was thinking of leaving Barcelona.

The report said Messi was frustrated with the club’s failure to build a winning squad and was tired of leaks from the club which paint him in a bad light. He was also reportedly upset at reports that the players had got Valverde fired.

But Bartomeu said: “I see a relaxed Leo… He has said many times that he wants to finish (his career) at Barca.”

– ‘ Win one and then the other’ –

Bartomeu, who must stand down in 2021, insisted that he sees Messi “retiring at Barca under another president because he will sign for another spell.”

Bartomeu said he spoke to his captain on Saturday.

“I talk to the players very often. Not only with Leo, but also with the group, especially with the captains. Besides, lately we have a lot of topics to talk about,” said Bartomeu.

Before beating Villarreal 4-1 on Sunday, Barcelona had drawn three of their previous four matches and slipped four points behind Real in the title race, putting Setien under pressure.

“Setien will continue, of course,” said Bartomeu. “I am quite happy with the development we are showing in the games despite the draws.

“I do not regret the change of Valverde. The team needed a boost. Setien knows our DNA, the model and he has brought fresh air and new ideas and is working hard,” said Bartomeu before adding that “coaches, evidently, need results.”

“If La Liga, which will be difficult, is not won then comes the Champions League in August. We have to try to win one and then the other,” said Bartomeu.

He said that Barca are trying to ensure home advantage for the second leg of the Champions League tie against Napoli. The clubs drew the first leg 1-1 in Naples on February 25 before the season was interrupted.

“We are fighting for the second leg of the round of 16 to be played at the Camp Nou. UEFA, if the situation is normal, knows that we would play here,” Bartomeu said

In Spain, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, one of the main outbreaks has been in an inland area of Catalonia, where regional authorities on Saturday announced the isolation of some 200,000 inhabitants in an area around the city of Lerida, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Barcelona.

Source: AFP

7, July 2020

La Liga: Barca wake from slumber to give glimmer of hope to Setien ⁰

“Barcelona haven’t thrown in the towel”, read the front page of Mundo Deportivo after a night that offered hope to the team and a lifeline for their coach Quique Setien.

Setien has been in charge for only three months of competitive football but looked likely to be out in the cold by next season, following Tuesday’s draw away at Atletico Madrid.

Three draws in four games, deteriorating performances and unrest in the dressing room were all stacking up against Barca’s new coach but the loudest alarm bell of all was rung by his captain.

Frustrated with the lack of direction at the club, Lionel Messi halted talks about extending his contract beyond 2021 and his current plan is now to leave, said Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.

Messi’s principal grievance is not with Setien but Barcelona’s board who, under president Josep Maria Bartomeu, have overseen a string of political blunders off the pitch and a period of decline on it.

With presidential elections to come next year, Messi’s hesitation may be aimed at undermining this regime to accelerate change, but Setien was undoubtedly caught in the crossfire.

Amid the chaos at Barcelona, he has increasingly looked like a bystander, “a passenger” according to Antoine Griezmann’s father, demonstrated all too literally by his lack of influence in team talks.

Messi ignored him and his number two Eder Sarabia during one water break and the contrast was unfortunate against Atletico, whose players huddled round, hanging on the every word of their coach Diego Simeone.

And yet the 4-1 victory over Villarreal on Sunday gave a glimpse of what this Barca could look like under Setien and what presumably the board were hoping for when they appointed him in January.

Free-flowing, dynamic, confident, it was the team’s best performance under Setien and perhaps their most complete all season.

Some complaints were answered too as Griezmann started, played well, scored a sensational chip and combined instinctively with Luis Suarez and Messi.

The passing was quicker and the chances more regular, a welcome improvement after a series of plodding displays in which possession too often came at the expense of end product.

And Setien was bold, dropping Messi back into a more central attacking position behind Griezmann and Suarez, who was then taken off after an hour with the result still not yet secure.

It was a morale-boosting win that will surely come too late for Barca’s title bid given Madrid’s four-point lead and a friendly looking run-in.

But it might renew some faith in Setien, from Bartomeu, who visited his house for discussions last week, and from Messi, whose approval is the one that really counts.

Removing Setien this summer would be another admission of failure for Barca, who would have to pay compensation they cannot afford and find a replacement for a job that might prove difficult to promote.

This is a squad that needs renovating at a time when funds are no longer readily available while the prospect of presidential change next year would offer a new coach little long-term security.

Xavi Hernandez is waiting in the wings, with his new Al-Saad contract reportedly containing a break clause that allows him to join his former club at any time.

Setien, for another season at least, would be the easier option then but a failing team will not help Bartomeu and it will not bring comfort to Messi either.

At 33, every year for him is precious.

Barcelona have four games left and then the Champions League next month, with the chance to resuscitate one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory. Setien’s future depends on it.

Source: AFP

6, July 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Can the Government come down its high horse? ⁰

The news that Southern Cameroonian leaders met with officials of the Yaounde government in the presence of certain ambassadors brought a lot of happiness to many across the world and this news has been on many lips, especially among Cameroonians, who have been hankering for peace for close to four years.

Over the last four years, Cameroon has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The Southern Cameroons crisis has left the Yaounde government with a bloodshot eye and it has hit the country’s economy like a of ton bricks. Almost all state corporations in Southern Cameroons have been put out of business due to the violent fighting and thousands of families have been left jobless and desperate.

Many Cameroonians from the two English-speaking regions of the country have become the “roving Jews” of Africa, with many travelling to distant lands just to seek peace and stability. Cameroon, a country that was once the pride of the continent has simply joined the ranks of third world countries that cannot weave together the different tribes and linguistic blocs that make up the country into a harmonious, peaceful and prosperous society.

Cameroonians need peace and last week’s announcement that the government had decided to talk with those it had tagged as terrorists in the presence of third neutral parties was a welcome relief to the international community that has been pushing for a peaceful resolution of a conflict that has the potential to destabilize the entire sub-region.

As many stakeholders of the Southern Cameroons crisis prepare for real future talks in a neutral location to be agreed upon by all the parties, the Yaounde government came out with a press release whose objective was clearly to pour cold water on the enthusiasm that has been building up following the announcement that peace may soon return to Cameroon; a country many people around the world love and admire.

The government’s inconsistency about the situation in Southern Cameroons only makes it hard for its citizens to have faith in it. The story about the meeting came from credible sources and the Cameroon Concord News Group had been duly advised of the meeting by a source close to the government. The Group’s editorial team had simply kept things under wraps, waiting for the right moment to fill the population in.

The French and the Americans want peace to return to Cameroon and the Americans used last week’s informal talks to raise the possibility that a return to a federal system could address most of the issues that had triggered the carnage that had taken place in the country over the last four years.

Southern Cameroonian leaders were simply invited to this meeting and they had to honor the invitation. The international community has hailed the parties for the talks, as they offered them an opportunity to take the first important step towards narrowing their differences. Mr. Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the Secretary-General at the Presidency of the Republic led the government’s delegation and sources close to the Yaounde government have clearly indicated that the country’s Prime Minister, Dion Ngute, has been pushing for a moderate approach to the conflict.

The source added that Mr. Dion Ngute had been in total support of the informal talks that would pave the way for a greater forum that would enable both parties to share their perspectives on the issue that could tear the country apart. In the view of those who attended the informal talks, the government simply wanted to test the waters and the Nera 10 and under the able leadership of the people of Ambazonia, President, Julius Ayuk Tabe, rose to the challenge with courage and flexibility.

Mr. Ayuk Tabe knew that no firm decision could be taken in a circumstance where all Southern Cameroonians were not represented. He also understood that there were more stakeholders whose opinion must be given due consideration if the fighting in Southern Cameroons had to be ended. That explained why he and his team insisted that for genuine, frank and fruitful negotiations to take place, certain conditions must be met.

They therefore used the occasion to call for a ceasefire which would require the military to return to its barracks, making it possible for Southern Cameroonians to go about their business without fear of military violence and aggression.

The leaders also called for the unconditional release of all those who had been detained and imprisoned as a result of the crisis, as well as a declaration of general amnesty for all Southern Cameroonians in the Diaspora, making it possible for them to visit their homeland without any embarrassment from the Yaoundé authorities.

They also called on the Yaoundé government to participate in a genuine, open and inclusive dialogue without preconditions, with a timetable and venue, in the presence of an independent and impartial mediator acceptable to both parties.

Last week’s meeting was a response to a call by the United Nations Secretary-General for a ceasefire and these measures had been designed to build confidence with a view to creating an enabling environment for frank and fruitful discussions that would enable the country to return to the path of peace.

But can the government meet the demands of the leaders? Mr. Ayuk Tabe and his team cannot decide for all Southern Cameroonians, so the government has to create the right environment for other factions to fully participate in any future talks and such talks can only take place out of Cameroon, as many Southern Cameroonians living out of the country cannot return to Cameroon at this time, especially as many have been informed that their names are on the government’s black list.

Besides, can the government come down its high horse to understand that making peace with your enemies or adversaries implies bending over backwards? From the look of things, the government is letting its ego to stand in the way of peace. The country’s authorities it must understand that the country’s progress and development depend entirely on the return of peace to that beautiful land. Peace will always be a pre-condition for development in any country in the world.

Currently, there is enormous pressure from the international community for a peaceful negotiation and the government has to demonstrate that it wants peace to return, especially as its reconstruction program of the two English-speaking regions of the country depends on development finance institutions which are still reluctant to pour money into a region of the country wherein killing is still a sport.

For many years, the government has held that taking a strong approach to the chaos in the two English-speaking regions would project it as a government that is consistent and tough. But such an approach clearly belongs to the past and it can only generate more conflict. Being tough is an attitude that will only stand in the way of talks and make it hard for the country to return to the path of growth.

Cameroon needs to reclaim its leadership role as the economic engine of the Central African Sub-region, and this requires it to clean up the mess that has given it a very bad name. Holding on to old ways will surely not help things and admitting that there are talks going on through unofficial channels does not take anything away from the government. On the contrary, the admission will only make the government to better respected and encouraged by an international community that is already tired of the government’s intransigence.

If the Yaounde government really wants peace, then it must come down its high horse. It must understand that its tough stance has eroded its credibility and in the eyes of the international community, it is not playing its role. There is strength and admiration in accepting to talk with those you disagree with, especially if such talks can help to silence the guns that have already killed thousands of your citizens.

Monday’s press release by the Minister of Communication, Rene Sadi, was absolutely not necessary. If anything, it did only underscore that it is hard to work with the Yaounde government that has lost its credibility around the world. Cameroon needs to regain its past glory and this requires the government to be open to its citizens and be willing to address those issues that have put its economic and social development on hold for four years.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey in Canada

6, July 2020

Covid-19 pushes US hospitals to the brink ⁰

Officials warned on Sunday that US hospitals were in danger of being overwhelmed by the upsurge in cases as countries around the world are battling surges in the coronavirus, with more than 11 million people now infected in 196 countries and territories.

The US has struggled to respond to the devastation wrought by the virus, with its national death toll rising to near 130,000 out of 2.8 million confirmed cases, and many states hit by increasing infections after lockdowns were eased.

Hospital beds are full in parts of Texas, while calls for fresh stay-at-home orders are growing. Some mayors say their cities reopened too early, as President Donald Trump tries to downplay the disease that has gripped much of the country.

Across the US, the annual July 4 holiday weekend was overshadowed by growing evidence that the country’s fractured response has exacted a heavy price across the south and west, after previous hotspots such as New York emerged from the worst of the virus.

“Our hospitals here in Harris County, Houston, and 33 other cities… they’re into surge capacities. So their operational beds are taken up,” said Lina Hidalgo, chief executive of Harris County, which includes Houston, Texas.

“Restaurants are still open. Indoor events can take place no matter the size,” she told the ABC TV channel. “What we need right now is to do what works, which is a stay-home order.”

Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, Texas, also expressed concern that the healthcare system could buckle as the disease spreads rapidly.

“If we don’t change the trajectory, then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun. And in our ICUs, I could be 10 days away from that,” he told CNN.

Phoenix city mayor Kate Gallego said, “We opened way too early in Arizona” state. She suggested that a new stay-at-home order should be issued.

The US is now recording 40,000 new cases a day, with a peak of 57,000 on Friday alone.

The pandemic has killed at least 531,789 people worldwide since it surfaced in China late last year, according to an AFP tally on Sunday based on official sources.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

6, July 2020

Bundesliga: Former Bayern doctor says he quit because Guardiola ‘knew better’ ⁰

German Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt has said he quit as Bayern Munich team doctor in 2015 amid a spat with Pep Guardiola because the Spaniard “knew better”.

“I couldn’t put up with the fact that a young coach (Guardiola) — who was very successful and who is probably one of the very, very big names — interfered in medical matters and knew everything better than I did,” Mueller-Wohlfahrt told broadcaster BR24.

The 77-year-old German has a reputation as one of the world’s top sports doctors, whose list of superstar clients included retired sprinter Usain Bolt.

Bolt dedicated his 2016 Olympic gold medal after the men’s 100m final to him for helping him overcome a calf injury.

Mueller-Wohlfahrt started working with Bayern in 1977, but resigned abruptly five years ago.

At the time, he said it was because then-Bayern coach Guardiola blamed the club’s medical department for a Champions League defeat at Porto.

Mueller-Wohlfahrt only returned to Bayern in 2017, after Guardiola had left to join present side Manchester City, and stepped down again as club doctor last month.

However, he refers to his time at Bayern under Guardiola as a “black spot”. Mueller-Wohlfahrt says the pair have since buried the hatchet.

“We have met since and talked things over. It’s over now,” he added.

Guardiola won the Bundesliga title in each of his three seasons at Bayern from 2013-16 and has since lifted the Premier League trophy twice with Man City.

As well as Bayern, Mueller-Wohlfahrt also worked with the Germany national team from 1995 until after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Source: AFP

6, July 2020

Ambazonia: Vice President Yerima says Sisiku Ayuk Tabe will spare no effort to fight off French Cameroun ⁰

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, Dabney Yerima has assured the people of Southern Cameroons-Ambazonia that as always, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe is carrying them along with him and will not forsake the duty of getting Ambazonians to Buea.

Dabney Yerima made the remarks to a cream of reporters late on Sunday in Holland. The exiled leader revealed that he was satisfied with the briefing he got from President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe immediately after the meeting with French Cameroun government officials in Yaoundé.

Yerima furthered that the Southern Cameroons Interim Government stays true to the struggle in line with the founding fathers of British Southern Cameroons and also in keeping with the value-based principles laid down for the Interim Government by the late Mola Njoh Litumbe.

Vice President Dabney Yerima also underscored the importance of strong communication among Southern Cameroons front line leaders and groups and on a humorous note he observed that “The meeting in Yaoundé with French Cameroun representatives was not to decide who controls My-Trip-To-Buea Funds but to put in place a mechanism that will foster dialogue to be chaired by the United Nation.”

By Chi Prudence Asong in Den Hague

5, July 2020

US Politics: Trump to hold outdoor campaign rally in New Hampshire ⁰

US President Donald Trump will host an outdoor campaign rally in New Hampshire, his team said Sunday, following a flopped rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma against the backdrop of COVID-19.

The “Make America Great Again” rally will take place on July 11 in Portsmouth, his campaign said in a statement.

“All attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear,” the rally announcement said.

The billionaire Republican, who is seeking reelection on November 3, had made his grand return to the campaign trail on June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

But images showed the stadium was filled to less than a third of its capacity, despite the president’s campaign boasting of huge interest ahead of time and more than a million ticket requests.

Pictures of Trump’s return to the White House in the middle of the night, with a worn-out air and his tie undone, cemented the image of a failed comeback.

With just four months left before election day, Trump — criticized for his response both to the coronavirus pandemic and to anti-racism protests — has been lagging for weeks in the polls behind his presumptive Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

While there have been calls for caution in interpreting the poll results, observers have noted that Biden’s lead over Trump is far greater than the one held by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at the same point in 2016.

Source: AFP

5, July 2020

Biya Regime: Making the Cameroonian poor poorer ⁰

Millions of French and Southern Cameroonians continue to become direct casualties of President Paul Biya’s misrule of the renowned United Republic of Cameroon. Today, the situation has become more intractable with the coming of the coronavirus.

For 37 years, the economy under Biya has grounded to a near standstill due to corruption, tribalism, nepotism imposed by the ruling CPDM crime syndicate. As a result, almost 10 million people in Cameroon have become unemployed with thousands migrating to neighboring countries.

Covid-19 has made thousands redundant overnight in Yaoundé, Maroua, Garoua, Edea and Bafoussam while thousands more have lost their livelihoods in the war ravaged Southern Cameroons and in the Douala metropolis.

President Biya’s failed policies had heralded many Cameroonian families into financial hardship before the pandemic hit. Now they have been pushed into abject poverty.

Cameroonian families are now struggling to provide just a meal a day for their children. Many now rely on their relations living in Europe; South Africa and North America.

From every indication, the economy will never pick up under Biya as many are still without work even after the Yaoundé Ali Baba launched the 2036 Emergence Program.

The threat posed by the secession war in Southern Cameroons and succession crisis in Yaoundé including a second wave of the coronavirus will only foster mass layoffs in Guinness, Dangote, and Brasseries groups.

By Isong Asu

Cameroon Concord News Group

United Kingdom