Headline News

Ambazonia: Vice President Yerima vows continued support for Ground Zero

1, September 2019

Ambazonia: Vice President Yerima vows continued support for Ground Zero 0

Ambazonia Vice President Dabney Yerima has announced continued support for Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces fighting an array of Biya regime militias and the French Cameroun government army.

“Southern Cameroons Self-Defense Forces and other Ambazonia revolutionary groups including the diaspora will continue to work together to resist La Republique du Cameroun’s occupation and will do everything to bring an end to French Cameroun’s control of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia” the Southern Cameroons Vice President said late on Saturday.

Ever since the Ambazonia Interim President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe declared the independence of Southern Cameroons, the territory has been under constant attack from the Cameroon government army supported by several armed militias created by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji rooted in French Cameroun extremism that has killed thousands of Southern Cameroonians since 2017.

The Southern Cameroons Interim Government is also battling a crisis created by a sharp drop in financial donations in the West. “It is vital that the people of Ambazonia in the diaspora know that we have heard their cries of distress,” Dabney said.

The Ambazonia Interim Government is the largest administrative body grouping Southern Cameroonians involved in the resistance against French Cameroun’s brutal colonial rule.  The Ambazonia Vice President is scheduled to discuss the insecurity and La Republique Du Cameroun’s so-called back to school with other Southern Cameroons front line leaders this coming week.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

EU says won’t change Brexit deal agreed with UK

1, September 2019

EU says won’t change Brexit deal agreed with UK 0

The European Union (EU)’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Saturday the bloc will not change the divorce deal agreed with Britain and that he is “not optimistic” about avoiding a no-deal outcome.

Barnier said the most contentious element of the agreement, the so-called backstop mechanism aimed at keeping the Northern Irish border open in all circumstances, must remain.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who took power last month, has called for the provision to be scrapped in order to reach a new deal ahead of the country’s latest October 31 departure date.

Johnson has said he was encouraged in his bid to ax the backstop by recent meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who appeared to suggest an openness to alternatives.

But writing in Britain’s Sunday Telegraph, Barnier said Brussels remained unconvinced after “intense discussions with EU member states on the need to guarantee the integrity of the EU’s Single Market, while keeping that border fully open.”

“The backstop is the maximum amount of flexibility that the EU can offer to a non-member state,” he stated.

“I am not optimistic about avoiding a ‘no deal’ scenario, but I remain determined to explore all avenues that the UK government will present that are compatible with the withdrawal agreement,” Barnier added.

The EU negotiator also said discussions about alternatives to the backstop could not begin until Britain had approved the divorce deal struck with Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, late last year.

It was subsequently rejected three times by British MPs, leading Brexit to be delayed to October 31.

“We are ready to start this work immediately upon ratification of the withdrawal agreement, in parallel to finally creating clarity on our future relationship,” Barnier stated.

He added that if Britain left the EU without a deal, it would be London’s decision.

“Many people in the UK understand that and I would be surprised if they succumb to the idea that the EU is to blame for a difficult political situation in the UK.”

(Source: AFP)

US: Pelosi, Schumer, other Dems call for stricter gun laws after Texas mass shooting

1, September 2019

US: Pelosi, Schumer, other Dems call for stricter gun laws after Texas mass shooting 0

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi as well as a number of Democratic presidential candidates have called for stricter gun laws following a mass shooting on Saturday in Texas.

The shooting, which happened in the western city of Midland, reportedly left at least five people killed and more than 21 others injured.

A gunman opened fire, shooting randomly at bystanders at a Home Depot department store before moving on to a Movie theater in neighboring city of Odessa, where he was shot and killed by police.

Following the incident, Schumer and Pelosi took to Twitter, calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to introduce legislation that would expand background checks on gun purchases.

Chuck Schumer✔@SenSchumer

Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, & everyone injured in the shooting in Odessa & Midland, TX.

Thank you to the first responders who risked their lives to stop the threat.@senatemajldr should bring up H.R. 8 the week Congress returns. We must #endgunviolence.

Pelosi also said that McConnell should end Senate GOP “obstruction.”

Nancy Pelosi✔@SpeakerPelosi

Enough is enough. Every day, the gun violence epidemic inflicts a devastating toll in communities across America, this time
in West Texas. The @SenateGOP must end its obstruction & finally pass House-approved legislation to #EndGunViolence. https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/83119 Pelosi Statement on Shooting in Midland and Odessa, Texas“America’s heart is broken by the senseless and horrific mass shooting tonight in Texas.speaker.gov7,4692:27 AM – Sep 1, 2019

Meanwhile, several presidential contenders from the Democratic Party condemned the shooting.

“We do know that this is f-cked up. We know that this has to stop in our country,” Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) said at a campaign stop in Virginia.

Former Vice President Joe Biden also tweeted that “we must end this epidemic.”

Joe Biden✔@JoeBiden

I’m heartbroken, sickened, & angry. Weeks after the horror in El Paso, another community in Texas has been terrorized by gun violence. Enough. We must end this epidemic.@DrBiden & I send our thoughts to those affected & thank our law enforcement who responded at great risk.5,7302:02 AM – Sep 1, 2019

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Twitter called on Congress to take action to stop gun violence.

“We’ve already lost far too many to gun violence—Congress must act now.”

It is not yet clear what motivated the carnage and whether the incident was racially motivated as was the case in a massacre a month earlier the Texas city of El Paso, where a white young male targeted mostly native Mexican residents, killing 22 and wounding nearly 30 more.

PressTV-20 shot dead in El Paso in possible ‘hate crime’: Police

Meanwhile, in another shooting in Alabama, a 17-year-old reportedly shot 10 teenagers – ranging in age from 15 to 18 — following a high school football game in the city of Mobile.

The shooting victims were taken to a local hospital Saturday morning as Mobile Police Department spokesman Laderrick Dubose identified the teenage shooter as Deangelo Parnell, further declaring that there were no fatalities as the result of the incident.

Source: Presstv

US: Texas mass shooting kills 5, injures 21 as Alabama school shooting wounds 10 teens

1, September 2019

US: Texas mass shooting kills 5, injures 21 as Alabama school shooting wounds 10 teens 0

Another mass shooting in the US state of Texas has reportedly left at least five people killed and more than 21 others injured while an earlier shooting incident at a high school football game in the southeastern state of Alabama left 10 teenagers wounded.

The Texas shooting began in the western city of Midland Saturday afternoon, where up to three suspects were seen shooting randomly at bystanders at a Home Depot department store before moving on to a Movie theater in neighboring city of Odessa, where one of the shooters was reported shot and killed by police.

“It has been confirmed that the active shooter was shot and killed at the Cinergy in Odessa,” the Midland Police Department declared in a Facebook post, adding: “There is no active shooter at this time. All agencies are investigating reports of possible suspects.”

“We believe there are two shooters in two separate vehicles. One suspect is believed to be at the Cinergy [theater] in Midland and the other is believed to be driving on Loop 250 in Midland. The two vehicles in question are: gold/white small Toyota truck and a USPS Postal Van. Please stay away from these areas and stay indoors,” the police statement further said.

Moreover, Midland’s Mayor Jerry Morales was also cited in local press reports as saying that two suspects and a possible third shooter were firing randomly at passersby, initially adding: “We have two fatalities and up to 20 injuries.”

Morales further stated that one of the suspected shooters was shot and wounded by police, saying: “One suspect is in custody. I’m not sure if he is alive.” However, later reports said the suspect was killed by police, identifying him as 30-year-old white man.

It is not yet clear what motivated the mass carnage and whether the incident was racially motivated as was the case in a massacre a month earlier the Texas city of El Paso, where a white young male targeted mostly native Mexican residents, killing 22 and wounding nearly 30 more.

PressTV-20 shot dead in El Paso in possible ‘hate crime’: Police

Alabama high school shooting injures 10 teenagers

In the Alabama shooting, a 17-year-old was apprehended by police officers after 10 teenagers – ranging in age from 15 to 18 — were shot following a high school football game in the city of Mobile.

At least 10 teenagers were reported injured in a shooting at a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama. (File photo)

The shooting victims were taken to a local hospital Saturday morning as Mobile Police Department spokesman Laderrick Dubose identified the teenage shooter as Deangelo Parnell, further declaring that there were no fatalities as the result of the incident.

Meanwhile, Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste admonished young people for “bringing their beefs that they have with each other in their neighborhoods” into public settings and “putting people in harm’s way.”

“Why are young people bringing this type of violence to public events?” Battiste said at a news conference. “We’re gonna have to be more aggressive on our end as a city as to how we hold these individuals accountable.”

The incident “may have been a directed threat at one or two individuals and other people just happened to fall prey to their carelessness,” he further added.

In yet another recent US mass shooting in early August nine people were killed and 17 others were left wounded in Dayton, Ohio.

Source: Presstv

Sudan’s Bashir charged with corruption, holding illicit foreign currency

31, August 2019

Sudan’s Bashir charged with corruption, holding illicit foreign currency 0

A Sudanese court on Saturday charged ousted president Omar al-Bashir, on trial for corruption, with illegal acquisition and use of foreign funds.

Judge Al-Sadiq Abdelrahman said at the third session of Bashir’s trial that foreign funds of multiple currencies were found at his home.

Authorities had “seized 6.9 million euros, $351,770 and 5.7 million Sudanese pounds at (Bashir’s) home which he acquired and used illegally,” the judge said.

Asked about the source, Bashir, 75, admitted to receiving funds from Saudi royals.

“My office manager… received a call from the office of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman saying he has a ‘message’ that will be sent on a private jet,” Bashir said during the trial.

“We were told that the crown prince did not want his name to appear (linked to the transaction), and if the funds were deposited with Sudan’s bank or the finance ministry, the source would have to be identified,” he said.

The photo, taken on August 31, 2019, shows a view of the trial of Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir at a court in the capital Khartoum. (Photo by AFP)

The judge said illegal acquisition of wealth was punishable by up to 10 years in jail, while illicit use of foreign funds carried up to three years.

An investigator had previously told the court that Bashir received $90 million in cash from Saudi royals.

The trial was adjourned until September 7, said an AFP correspondent who attended the session.

Bashir was ousted in April after mass protests against his three-decade rule rocked Sudan for months.

Sudan has embarked on a transition to civilian rule following a power-sharing deal signed on August 17 by protest leaders and the generals who ousted Bashir.

(Source: AFP)

Will 6,000 more Ambazonians die to show that Biya can no longer rule over Southern Cameroons?

31, August 2019

Will 6,000 more Ambazonians die to show that Biya can no longer rule over Southern Cameroons? 0

It is evidently clear that regional and international leaders are not involved in the crisis in Southern Cameroons and the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations have proven to be either terribly insensitive or outright psychopaths. To be accurate, the international community clearly doesn’t care how their policies harm ordinary Southern Cameroonians.

The international community’s choice was clear from the outset: kick out Biya to save the so-called one and indivisible Cameroun, or sacrifice the Republic of Cameroon to save Biya. The ruling CPDM party embraced the latter to preserve itself and more than 4,000 Southern Cameroonians have died in the on-going process. No regrets from Yaoundé and pro Biya Southern Cameroons criminals such as Atanga Nji, Peter Mafany Musonge, Victor Mengot, Paul Tasong and Dion Ngute.

When the French Cameroun army failed to crush the Ambazonian Self-Defense Forces, the Southern Cameroons Interim Government and the Southern Cameroons diaspora stepped in to protect the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, and in the process another 2,000 or more were killed. Again, no worry! no sorry! None!

As that effort also failed following the arrest and forced extradition of the Southern Cameroons leader and his top aides from Abuja to Yaoundé and the election of disgraced Dr Ikome Sako at the head of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, the jailed leadership stepped in again stating that the complete independence for Southern Cameroons is the only way forward.

So, will 6,000 more Southern Cameroonians die to show that the 86 years old President Biya can no longer rule over Southern Cameroons?

Ever since the United Nations Security Council decided to back off from the threat to hit the Biya regime with sanctions following its refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue, the West has argued, rather poorly, that it was in the best interest for La Republique du Cameroun to manage the deteriorating situation in Southern Cameroons and that outside involvement was no remedy for the war.

Correspondingly, instead of putting the UN and the Commonwealth’s weight behind a political solution, UN and the Commonwealth including the African Union chief diplomats have all chosen to start a long-term campaign of receiving gifts of gold from President Biya. In the process, the Southern Cameroons crisis has become an alibi for international civil servants and diplomats to interfere in La Republique Du Cameroun as long as they steered away from the Biya regime.

Thanks to the US ambassador to Cameroon, the regime in Yaoundé failed to paint the Southern Cameroons crisis as a new landscape for a renewed so-called war on terror. As we write, no one is coordinating any action to pave the way for a political solution in Southern Cameroons.

By Asu Isong in London

Lukaku hits back at critics of his weight

31, August 2019

Lukaku hits back at critics of his weight 0

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku defended his professionalism in the wake of criticism over his weight towards the end of his time at Manchester United.

The Belgian joined Inter in a 65 million euro ($73 million) move earlier this month after two years at Old Trafford.

Lukaku scored 42 goals for the Red Devils, but just 15 of them came last season as he fell down the pecking order once Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho.

And former Manchester United captain Gary Neville was among those to criticise Lukaku’s physical condition, claiming he weighed over 100 kilogrammes.

“He (Neville) can talk about my fitness but he should never say anything about my professionalism, that I don’t work hard enough,” Lukaku told the BBC.

“That is something he cannot say. All the coaches I have had say the same thing about me.

“What did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer say when I was on the training ground? What did he say? That I always work hard and always do my best to try and improve myself. Same with Jose Mourinho and (Belgium and former Everton manager) Roberto Martinez. Now (Inter coach) Antonio Conte will say it.

“Last year was just a bad year. It happens in football. You just have to move on. I am not going to sit here and react in a negative way.”

Hopes were high that Lukaku could spearhead a new era for United when he joined from Everton for £75 million ($91 million) in 2017, but he left Manchester having failed to win a trophy.

“For me, the Manchester United experience is one I am grateful for – not a good one because we didn’t win and I wanted to win with the club – but they gave me a chance,” added Lukaku.

“I got to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I will always be respectful to them. At the end, I thought it was better for me to move on and try different things.”

Lukaku was particularly complimentary on the way Solskjaer handled his exit.

“Me and Ole tried to work together but at one point I had to be honest with him. He was also honest with me. We found an agreement. I wanted to go. He understood why I wanted to go.

“It is something I will always be grateful to him for. We had a conversation man to man. I told him how I felt and he understood. He will always get massive respect from me and massive protection.”

Alexis Sanchez followed Lukaku’s path by also leaving United to join Inter on a season-long loan deal this week.

United will still pay a large chunk of the Chilean’s reported £400,000 a week wages so keen were they to cut their losses on a disastrous signing.

Sanchez has scored just five times in 45 appearances since joining from Arsenal in 2018, but Lukaku believes the two can form a potent partnership in Serie A.

“He has had a difficult time at Manchester United. Coming here was the right move, in a good dressing room, where the manager wants winners who can really help the team. He is going to be part of that,” said Lukaku.

“He is going to add a lot of competition to the squad we already have. Now it is up to him to show it. I really believe he is going to do well for us.”

AFP

Sudanese demand info about those missing after military crackdown in June

31, August 2019

Sudanese demand info about those missing after military crackdown in June 0

Hundreds of Sudanese take to the streets in the capital to demand authorities provide information about almost a dozen demonstrators who went missing during the military crackdown on a sit-in protest in Khartoum in June.

Protesters gathered in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Friday, carrying pictures of those missing.

“We also want an independent investigation into their cases,” said a protester.

Thousands of Sudanese protesters, demanding civilian rule, were violently dispersed by armed men in military fatigues outside the Defense Ministry compound, in the capital on June 3. According to doctors linked to the protest movement, more than 100 people were killed that day.

The crackdown triggered global condemnation, with international organizations and several countries calling for an independent probe into the killings.

At least 11 people were reported missing after the crackdown, according to lawyers linked to the protest movement.

Other protesters may also have gone missing, but their cases would need further documentation, they said.

The sit-in outside the military headquarters began on April 6, after a brief pause in the more than three months of protests triggered by a deepening economic crisis blamed on long-time President Omar al-Bashir.

Sudan’s military toppled and then arrested Bashir, putting an end to his nearly 30-year rule. It also formed a transitional military council to run the country.

Protesters, however, remained in the streets, calling on the country’s military rulers running the country to hand over power to a civilian government.

Protest organizers say at least 250 people were killed in the unrest.

The military, which stands accused of ordering the massacre of peaceful protesters, formed an eleven-member sovereign council with the opposition earlier this month to rule the country over a three-year transition period.

The council, made up of five generals and six civilians, will initially be led by General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, who took over as Sudan’s leader following the ouster of Bashir in April.

A civilian leader appointed by the protest movement is to succeed him and rule for the remaining 18 months, after which elections will be held.

Source: Presstv

Supporters and opponents of Irish unity square off in Scotland

31, August 2019

Supporters and opponents of Irish unity square off in Scotland 0

The quest for Irish unity has now spread to Scotland, as demonstrated by Friday evening’s march in Glasgow’s Govan area. 

The lawful march, organised by the James Connolly Flute Band, was set to begin peacefully at Govan’s Elder Park at 18:30, on August 30, before it was forcefully countered by disruptive elements.

The authorities deployed in force with riot police, mounted officers, a police helicopter and dog units as part of a “proportionate” response to the agitation initiated by rival demonstrators.

The peaceful march by supporters of Irish unity was disrupted by “several hundred” counter-demonstrators made up of disparate Scotland-based loyalist groups.

According to the police, agitation by loyalist counter-demonstrators led to “significant disorder”, with the police blocking off Govan Road.

By all credible accounts, the pro-unity march – organised by locals sympathetic to the cause of Irish unity – was peaceful and the situation only became violent and chaotic when local loyalists tried to disrupt the march.

This version of events is corroborated by Police Scotland, whose divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Mark Hargreaves, described the chaotic scenes in the following manner: “Police Scotland has a duty to facilitate processions and any peaceful protest, but this kind of behaviour by persons demonstrating against the parade is utterly unacceptable”.

But in a sign of political manoeuvring, Glasgow City Council tried to pin the blame on both sides, including the originally peaceful pro-Irish unity marchers.

The council tweeted a statement calling the chaotic scenes in Govan “unacceptable”, before adding that the “overwhelming majority” of Glaswegians “want nothing” to do with “these marches or counter-protests”.

Glasgow City Council has historically been dominated by the Scottish Labour Party, who controlled it from 1980 to 2017. Currently no political party has overall control of the council, even though the council leader, Susan Aitken, is a leading member of the Scottish National Party.

The disturbances in Govan come at a critical time in Northern Ireland, where Irish nationalists are bitterly opposed to British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s quest for a hard Brexit.

In late July, the leader of the mainstream Irish Republican group, Sinn Fein, called for a poll on Irish unity following a no-deal Brexit.

Mary Lou McDonald told reporters that she informed the PM that: “In the longer term, we have advised him [Johnson] that constitutional change is in the air. He can’t say that he hasn’t been told”. 

Source: Presstv

Mass exodus in Ambazonia: Francophone governors say people leaving are holiday makers

31, August 2019

Mass exodus in Ambazonia: Francophone governors say people leaving are holiday makers 0

Government officials in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest on Wednesday denied reports that there is a mass exodus in the regions amid fears of a lockdown called by armed separatists.

“The people leaving are holiday makers who are returning to their regions of origin. It is a normal activity during this time of the year when schools are about to start,” Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of the Southwest region, told reporters after visiting the main motor park in the region’s chief town of Buea.

He said the figure of those leaving had been exaggerated.

“Most of those leaving the Northwest region are students who were on holiday and are returning to start school in September. Nobody is running away from the region because of the so-called lockdown. It is false,” Adolph Lele Lafrique, governor of Northwest, said during a visit in the region to reassure security.

A United Nations (UN) spokesman said Wednesday that more than 500,000 people have fled the two Anglophone regions in fear of increasing violence.

Separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation they call “Ambazonia.”

They called for a lockdown against the jailing of leaders of the separatist movement and for suspending school reopenings expected on Sept. 2.

According to local reports, the lockdown named “ghost city” began on Monday. On Tuesday, at least three civilians who defied rules of the lockdown were shot dead by separatists in the regions.

Source: Xinhuanet

«< 851 852 853 854 855 >»
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.