China has strongly rejected US criticism of its human rights record, accusing American politicians of corruption and hypocrisy. China’s State Council Information Office, in a report entitled “The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2016” and released on Thursday, scoffed at Washington’s repeated pose as “the judge of human rights.”

The report stated that the United States continues to wield “the baton of human rights” and criticize many countries for the human rights situation while it takes no heed of its own “terrible human rights problems.” It added that “the self-proclaimed human rights advocate has exposed its human rights myth” with “the gunshots lingering in people’s ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics and power-for-money deals.”

“Waves of boycotts and protests fully exposed the hypocritical nature of US democracy,” the report pointed out. The United States had the second highest prisoner rate last year, with 693 prisoners per 100,000 of the national population. Gun-related crimes also reached a high level, according to the report. There were a total of 58,125 gun violence incidents, including 385 mass shootings, in the United States in 2016, leaving 15,039 killed and 30,589 injured, the report cited figures from a report by the Gun Violence Archive.

Moreover, US social polarization worsened in 2016 and the proportion of adults who had full-time jobs hit a new low since 1983, income gaps continued to grow, the size of middle class began to shrink, and living conditions of the lower class deteriorated, the report added.

The percentage of Americans who said they were in the middle or upper-middle class dropped by 10 percentage points, from an average of 61 percent between 2000 and 2008 to 51 percent in 2016. That descent meant 25 million people in the United States fared much worse in economic terms, the report highlighted.

It added that race relations continued to deteriorate in the US last year, and the wage gap between blacks and whites was the worst in nearly four decades. The report came in response to “The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016” issued by the US State Department on March 3. Washington’s report accused China of “repression and coercion” of civil society groups, and claimed that Beijing is impinging on people’s liberties in Hong Kong and Macau.

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US Democratic lawmakers have denounced as “ridiculous” President Donald Trump’s claims that his predecessor, Barack Obama, wiretapped his telephones during the 2016 presidential campaign. On Monday, senators of the Democratic Party vehemently criticized the new president over the baseless claims he had made two days earlier, describing Trump’s accusations as an attempt to distract officials and the public from renewed scrutiny of his senior aides and allies’ alleged ties to Russia and the interference of Moscow in the last year election.

Senator Bernie Sanders slammed Trump’s claims in a tweet, saying, “President Trump cannot continue to lie, lie, lie,” adding that, “It diminishes the office of the president and our standing in the world.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that the president was trying to create a distraction and referred to Trump as a “deflector-in-chief.” “That’s just ridiculous for President Trump to say that President Obama would ever order any wiretap of an American citizen, any president,” Pelosi said. “It’s the tool of an authoritarian to have them always be talking about what you want to be talking about.”

In an interview with NBC News, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said Obama had “flatly denied that he has done this,” adding that the claims by Trump showed that “the president’s in trouble.” “It’s beneath the dignity of the presidency. It is something that really hurts people’s view of government,” Schumer noted. “If he falsely spread this kind of misinformation, that is so wrong.”

Chris Coons, the Democratic Senator from Delaware, called the allegations made by Trump “remarkable,” saying that, “I think another attempt by President Trump to change the subject.” Coons (pictured below) noted that he does not think any president should ever “directly order an intercept or wiretap of an American citizen.”

The Democratic Senator raised the possibilities that either Trump “inappropriately released classified information and was himself the subject of a court-ordered wiretap” or there was “inappropriate actions by the previous administration.” “It ought to be worked out in a full, fair, prompt and thorough investigation, whether by the Senate Intelligence Committee, if they can get to the bottom of this, or by a special prosecutor,” Coons noted.

The comments are made as Obama’s intelligence chief, James Clapper, has rejected the claims and a spokesman for Obama dismissed the accusation as “simply false.” FBI Director James Comey has reportedly asked the Justice Department to publicly reject Trump’s claim because it falsely insinuates that the agency broke the law.

According to officials, the move has potential risks for the president, particularly if the House and Senate intelligence committees unearth damaging information about Trump, his aides or his associates.

The new unsubstantiated claims by Trump and the continued political wrangling over ties with Russia will likely heighten the seemingly-unending tensions and controversies that have thrown the new administration into disarray and chaos.

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US President Donald Trump has offered a more moderate tone on immigration policy, telling lawmakers in Congress that he was open to immigration reform. Addressing the country during his first speech to Congress on Tuesday, Trump shifted from the harsh rhetoric that he had expressed over illegal immigration during his election campaign and first month in the White House.

The president’s wide-ranging speech was long on promises but short on specifics on how to achieve the pledges he made in his election campaign. Trump was seeking to regain the confidence of Americans that are rattled by his leadership thus far.

On immigration, the new president took a more measured tone, appealing to Republicans and Democrats to work together on immigration reform. Trump also said immigration to the US should be based on a merit system, rather than relying on lower-skilled immigrants.

“I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation’s security, and to restore respect for our laws”, Trump said in a conciliatory tone.

However, the US president reiterated his pledge to build a wall along the border with Mexico. “We want all Americans to succeed — but that can’t happen in an environment of lawless chaos. We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders. For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border,” he said.

Trump built a base of support behind his presidential campaign by vowing to fight illegal immigration. Building a wall on the US-Mexico border to stop the influx of refugees and undocumented migrants coming from Central and Latin America was a hallmark of Trump’s presidential campaign. During his campaign, Trump also characterized Mexican migrants living in the US as murderers and rapists and pledged to build a wall that he said Mexico would pay for.

Since his inauguration, Trump has faced nearly non-stop protests and rallies condemning his divisive rhetoric and controversial immigration policy. Trump’s first month in office was dominated by a battle over his temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries and harsh personal criticism of federal judges who blocked his immigration order.

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US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to a new low at 38 percent, a new poll shows. According to the Quinnipiac University survey released on Wednesday, only 38 percent of Americans approve of the New York billionaire, while 55 percent disapprove of him. The poll also indicated a strong partisan divide, with 83 percent of Republicans backing him and 91 percent of Democrats opposing him.

A previous version of the poll showed a 41 percent support for the Republican president and a 51 percent disapproval rating. The 17-point difference in the latest survey means the new president’s “popularity is sinking like a rock,” according to Tim Malloy, the assistant director of the poll.

“He gets slammed on honesty, empathy, level headedness and the ability to unite. And two of his strong points, leadership and intelligence, are sinking to new lows. This is a terrible survey one month in,” Malloy added.

According to a RealClearPolitics average of recent polls, the real estate tycoon enjoys a 44.5 percent support for his job performance, while he is disapproved by 50.5 percent others. The most conservative poll considered in the average is conducted by Rasmussen Reports, which shows a 51 percent approval and a 49 percent disapproval rating for the commander-in-chief.

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A growing number of Democrats are openly saying that Donald Trump may not be mentally fit to serve as the president of the United States. Mental health professionals have already warned that President Trump is showing “classic signs” of mental illness, including “malignant narcissism.” A Washington, DC-based newspaper, The Hill, reported on Friday that several Democratic lawmakers are also now questioning President Trump’s mental health.

In a floor speech this week, Earl Blumenauer, a Representative from Oregon, demanded a review of the Constitution’s procedures for removing a president if he is mentally unstable. The Congressman said the 25th Amendment of the Constitution falls short when it comes to mental or emotional fitness for the office of the president.

Senator Al Franken from Minnesota told CNN during a weekend interview that Trump’s mental health is a source of great concern for some of his Republican colleagues as well. Asked by the host if it is “true that Republican colleagues of yours express concerns about President Trump’s mental health,” Franken replied, “A few… There’s not a majority of them.”

Meanwhile, a Representative from California, Ted Lieu, is set to introduce a bill that would require the presence of a psychiatrist or psychologist in the White House to check on the president. The Democrats argue that Trump’s habit of making demonstrably false claims show that something is wrong with him.  President Trump at a press conference on Thursday claimed that he had the biggest Electoral College victory since former Republican President Ronald Reagan, for example, while his margin was lower than either of President Barack Obama’s wins.

Blumenauer told The Hill he started talking about the review of the 25th Amendment because Trump has repeatedly made ludicrous claims, such as insisting that it wasn’t raining during his speech on Inauguration Day on January 20 at Capitol Hill when it was. “It’s not normal behavior. I don’t know anybody in a position of responsibility that doesn’t know if they’re being rained on. And nobody I work with serially offers up verifiably false statements on an ongoing basis,” he said.

For decades, psychologists and psychiatrists have kept silent about their diagnostic opinions of public figures in accordance with ethical rules set out by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). However, thousands of mental health professionals have signed a Change.org petition declaring the US president “is mentally ill and must be removed.”

Thirty-five psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers have sent a letter to The New York Times saying that “the grave emotional instability indicated by Mr. Trump’s speech and actions makes him incapable of serving safely as president.” Psychologists have also begun questioning Trump’s state of mind because of the type of temperament and behavior he has displayed during his public appearances. Most recently, John D. Gartner, a practicing psychotherapist who taught psychiatric residents at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, said Trump “is dangerously mentally ill and temperamentally incapable of being president,” according to The Independent.

Gartner believes Trump shows signs of “malignant narcissism,” which is defined as a combination of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression and sadism. But some other mental health professionals are concerned that political actors suggesting that their opponent has psychological problems risks stigmatizing people with actual mental illnesses. “I think the politicization is troubling,” said Joshua Miller, a psychologist at the University of Georgia whose research focuses on pathological personality traits and personality disorders. “We certainly wouldn’t want individuals to use mental illness as a weapon to harm others.”

Congressman Lieu however argued that the mental health of a person who is in control of the nation’s nuclear codes must be scrutinized. “I think it is a legitimate issue to raise. I am not a mental health professional, so I don’t know in terms of any sort of medical expertise on this. But I do see and hear the same things that other people see and hear, and a lot of people have concluded that what’s going on is not normal. So what do I do with that as a member of Congress?” he told The Hill. “Anyone who can launch 4,000 nuclear weapons in minutes absolutely should be questioned on any matter related to their physical and mental health,” he stated.

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US President Donald Trump’s mental health is a source of great concern for some of his Republican colleagues, says a senator. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker, made the comments on CNN’s “State of the Union” released on Sunday.

Asked by the host if it is “true that Republican colleagues of yours express concerns about President Trump’s mental health,” Franken replied, “A few… There’s not a majority of them.” Franken, who is a possible Democratic candidate for the US 2020 presidential candidate further outlined some of the “lies” that could prompt others to think so.

“We all have this suspicion that, you know, he lies a lot. He says things that aren’t true. That’s the same as lying, I guess,” Franken said. “You know, 3 [million] to 5 million people voted illegally,” added the Democraic senator, referring to Trump’s claims that he lost the popular vote against Hillary Clinton because of widespread voter fraud. His critics have on several occasions called for evidence of such fraud but to no avail. “That is not the norm for a president of the United States or actually for a human being,” Franken noted.

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1) On account of the incontrovertible documentary evidence establishing the responsibility of the Government of Cameroun, in perpetrating egregious acts of violence, kidnapping, militarization and the targeted disruptions of internet services on the peoples of the Southern Cameroons;

2) Cognizant of the fact that the state which is entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the populations against genocide, is deliberately precipitating the same, with the abrogation of common law system of justice and the trial of English-speaking members of the civil society in Military tribunals in French Cameroon where their rights to equal justice are systematically violated;

3) Aware that the 34-year old totalitarian government of Paul Biya who is 84, with a rapidly diminishing mental capacity, has manifestly failed to protect the populations of the Southern Cameroons;

4) Southern Cameroonians in the Diaspora, must take remedial action to urge the Secretary General of the United Nations to table the implementation of the responsibility to protect (A/63/677), before the General Assembly of the United Nations, as a matter of extreme urgency;

5) To this end, Southern Cameroons in the Diaspora cognizant of the incitement of ethnic hatred by government agents provocateurs against targeted sections of the Southern Cameroons population, for the purpose of sparking up ethnic cleansing, with the ongoing plans to arm gullible South West populations to attack and expel North westerners from towns and villages of the Southwest;

6) On account of the need for the Southern Cameroonian populations in the Diaspora to take timely and decisive action to forestall the Biya government’s genocidal plans, the convening of a Southern Cameroons parliament in exile has become imperative;

7) The denial of the right of genuine representation from the populations of the Southern Cameroons, due to the militarization and Gestapo tactics of mass intimidation, elimination and the incitement of terror, empower Southern Cameroons in the free world to provisionally takeover the responsibility to represent the interests of these occupied people until the attainment of self-rule;

8) The availability of modern means of instant communication by audio and video, facilitate the holding of parliamentary deliberations that will be representative and all inclusive.

(This is a draft motion tabled to the people of the Southern Cameroons, worldwide. Your reaction, comment, modification, clarification, opposition, will be highly appreciated).

By Larry Eyong

US President Donald Trump says “nothing is off the table” in terms of a response to Iran’s ballistic missile test. Trump made the comment on Thursday in response to a question by a reporter about whether he would consider military options to respond to Iran, a day after his national security adviser Michael Flynn put Tehran on “notice.”

The White House also said Thursday it would respond to Iran’s ballistic missile test. “We will have further updates for you on those additional actions, but clearly (Flynn) warned to make sure that Iran understood that they are on notice that this is not going unresponded to,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters.

The remarks about Iran by the new Republican president echoes the warnings made repeatedly by former President George W. Bush who on several occasions said he would not take the military option off the table. Former President Barack Obama also threatened military action against Iran before the nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers in 2015.

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“Today is not the time of wall-raising between nations. Have they forgotten that the Berlin Wall collapsed years ago?” President Rouhani said in an apparent reference to US government officials, who have been planning to build a wall on the Mexican border.

“[Even] if there is a wall between nations, it has to be removed,” the Iranian chief executive said. He was speaking during the 17th World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations Convention in the capital, Tehran, on Saturday. Figures from some 40 countries have gathered for the conference.

“Today’s world is not a world where one can create distances between the nations and peoples of different territories. Today is a day of neighborhood. We have become neighbors in cultural, scientific, and civilizational terms, and also, the world of communications and communications technology have shrunk distances,” President Rouhani said. “No one can fight globalization today.”

 “Iran has, in recent years, shown and said it loud and clear to the whole world that it is a country of peace and friendship,” he said. “We favor and take pride in peace, reconciliation, brotherhood, and peaceful coexistence.” He said that the scourge of terrorism was doing irreversible damage to both humanity and the relics of ancient civilization. Iran provided assistance to Iraq and Syria, Rouhani said, to help them eradicate terrorism.

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US President Donald Trump’s hiring of his son-in-law Jared Kushner will not violate any anti-nepotism laws and can go forward, says an official with the US Justice Department (DOJ). “In choosing his personal staff, the president enjoys an unusual degree of freedom, which Congress found suitable to the demands of his office,” said deputy assistant attorney general in the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), Daniel Koffsky, as reported by CNN. He made the statement amid concerns that hiring Ivanka Trump’s husband could violate federal anti-nepotism laws or make the situation harder for Palestinians, given the close ties Kushner maintains with the Israeli ruling Likud party.

“A President wanting a relative’s advice on governmental matters therefore has a choice: to seek that advice on an unofficial, ad hoc basis without conferring the status and imposing the responsibilities that accompany formal White House positions; or to appoint his relative to the White House under title 3 and subject him to substantial restrictions against conflicts of interest,” Koffsky stated. “We believe that the president’s special hiring authority in 3 U.S.C. § 105(a) permits him to make appointments to the White House Office that the anti-nepotism statute might otherwise forbid.”

Since his victory on November 8, Trump has insisted that Kushner should be present during daily presidential briefings, despite not having security clearances necessary. The presence of Ksuhner and his wife at a meeting of Trump with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drew criticism from political experts as they both lack the security clearance needed to attend a meeting with a world official.

His appointment could potentially violate the 1967 anti-nepotism law, which bans federal authorities from giving government positions to civilian relatives in agencies under their control. Kushner was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in New Jersey and studied as an honors student in a private yeshiva high school in 1999. According to Tampa-based investigative journalist Wayne Madsen, Ivanka’s husband “has very close links with the Likud party of Israel.”

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