24, July 2017

Biya regime to ban Amnesty International ⁰

The regime in Yaounde has accused Amnesty International of supporting the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram and of hostility towards the Cameroonian nation. The Cameroon government has also revealed that military experts were studying Amnesty’s latest report, with a view to considering either prosecution or banning the NGO on Cameroonian territory.

In its latest report, “Chambers of Secret Torture in Cameroon: Human Rights Violations and War Crimes in the Fight against Boko Haram,” the NGO published satellite images and observed that war crimes were being committed by the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime. “Cameroon security forces continued to arbitrarily arrest individuals accused of supporting Boko Haram, often with little or no evidence, and detained them in inhumane, often life-threatening conditions. Hundreds of suspects were held in unofficial detention centres, such as military bases or premises belonging to the national intelligence agencies, without access to a lawyer or their families. The security forces continued to use “cordon and search” operations, leading to mass arrests,” noted the Amnesty report.

The much respected NGO further pointed out that, “Dozens of men, women and children accused of supporting Boko Haram were tortured by members of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), an elite army unit, at the military base known as Salak, near Maroua, and by officers of the General Directorate of External Research (DGRE), an intelligence service, in premises in the capital, Yaoundé. Some of them died as a result of torture; others disappeared.”

A frustrated minister of communication and so-called government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma reacted during a recent press briefing in Yaounde that “Amnesty International is continuing its logic of protecting terrorist interests and is trying to discourage the support and cooperation that armies of friendly countries bring to Cameroon.” Amnesty has also made public satellite images of Cameroon military’s operational bases with GPS wartime data.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News

24, July 2017

Frustration rising against Trump, ruling class ⁰

US President Donald Trump’s historically low approval ratings is leading to a growing movement against his administration and the ruling class in America, says Daniel Shaw, an analyst in New York. Trump has set a new record low for second quarter job approval rating, becoming the least popular president early in a White House term since World War ll, according to a Gallup poll.

He averaged 38.8 percent job approval during his second quarter in office, which spanned from April 20 through July 19, Gallup’s daily tracking average shows. “You can really feel these low approval ratings playing out across the United States as the American people are extremely displeased with his attacks on healthcare,” Shaw, a university lecturer, told Press TV on Sunday. “He is trying to gut every social program that exists.”

That is why, the analyst argued, a “movement” is taking shape against Trump and the way the country is being run. “Trump is an individual who personally is worth $4 billion, so he is not representative in any way of the electorate who voted for him,” Shaw added.

No other president has had a worse second-quarter average approval since Gallup began assessing approval ratings in 1945. Former US President Bill Clinton’s second quarter approval rating was 44 percent, the only other president aside from Trump whose approval fell below 50 percent early in his administration.

The average approval rating for US presidents in their second quarter is 62 percent, meaning Trump’s support is 23 percentage points below the historical norm, Gallup said. Shaw said the low 55 percent voter turnout — the lowest in the past two decades– played a key role in Trump’s rise to the presidency.

Trump was able to defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton through Electoral College votes, despite losing the popular vote to Clinton. However, the analyst said the mainstream media should also take some of the credit.

“The media that represents the most powerful sections of this country and this ruling class comes out against the president,” he noted, pointing to examples of anti-Trump media headlines that revolve around his unpopular policies as well as his alleged “collusion” with Russia. Shaw said the “resistant movement” against Trump was separate from the “fake” one led by Clinton and aimed at fighting racist, Islamophobic and other divisive policies.

Source: Presstv

24, July 2017

BBC top female presenters revolt over pay ⁰

As top female presenters at the state-funded BBC decry gender pay gap at the corporation, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says the broadcaster must “look very hard at itself.” Forty female presenters signed an open letter to the director general, Tony Hall, on Sunday, complaining about inequality in men’s and women’s pay. The women included Newsnight presenters Emily Maitlis and Kirsty Wark, presenters Clare Balding and Angela Rippon and One Show host Alex Jones.

Coordinated by Woman’s Hour host Jane Garvey, the effort seeks to fix the pay gap. According to an unprecedented list of top earners published by the corporation on Wednesday, the BBC’s best-paid employee, Chris Evans, collected at least £2.2 million in the last financial year, while Claudia Winkleman (pictured below), the best-paid female employee, was paid between £450,000 and £500,000, a fifth of that.

“The pay details released in the annual report showed what many of us have suspected for many years … that women at the BBC are being paid less than men for the same work,” read the letter. “Compared to many women and men, we are very well compensated and fortunate. However, this is an age of equality and the BBC is an organization that prides itself on its values. You have said that you will ‘sort’ the gender pay gap by 2020, but the BBC has known about the pay disparity for years. We all want to go on the record to call upon you to act now.”

At least 400 BBC employees earn less than one hundredth of what Evans makes there, according to figures revealed by broadcasting union Bectu last week, as cited by The Guardian. The revelations have also triggered reaction from the leader of the Labour party, who said he would add his name to the letter. “We’d also look at a 20:1 ratio between the chief executive and the lowest-paid staff in every public sector organization,” Corbyn said, calling for a pay audit of organizations.

Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening also reacted to the reports, noting on Sky News that it is “impossible not to be shocked.” “I think it has already kicked off a debate for the BBC about these differentials and the steps they will now need to look at taking to close them, but it is very hard to justify some of the big gaps that we saw,” said Greening . A BBC spokesperson vowed of “significant progress,” in the figures next year, arguing that paying men and women equally “is complex and cannot be done overnight.”

The BBC said it was confident that rapid changes would be made. “The BBC’s workforce has been hired over generations and this is complex and cannot be done overnight,” the spokesperson said. “We are, however, confident that when these figures are published again next year, they will show significant progress towards that goal. Tony Hall meets staff all the time and will of course meet individuals to hear their thoughts as we work to accelerate change.”

Appearing on his show Sunday, BBC presenter Andrew Mar defended his salary of up to £499,999, asserting that women are less likely to have long careers at the corporation and that is evident from “a real lack of older women on the screen.” “I’m a bit grizzled, going a bit weird around the edges,” he said. “But if I had been born Audrey Marr rather than Andrew Marr, I would have been out 10 years ago. There’s a real lack of older women on the screen.”

Source: Presstv

23, July 2017

Biya Computer Donation: Nemesis of the Yang Philemon administration ⁰

The anti Anglophone Minister for Higher Education, Fame Ndongo has once again revisited the President Biya laptop computer controversy. This time around, the so-called cabinet minister noted that the distribution of the computers promised by the President of the Republic could start at the end of 2017.

Jacques Fame Ndongo (to use his three names) said that the first set of the computers will be received in Shenzhen, China, before being sent to Cameroon. Many political commentators have still not been able to understand the manufacturing and delivery process of the Biya computers.

Fame Ndongo was speaking after a brief meeting on July 17, 2017 with Mr. Zhu Wendli, Deputy General Manager of Sichuan Telecom Construction and Engeneering Co., a company involved in the manufacturing process of the computers in question.

The explanation recently given to the press by the Francophone minister was even more confusing and misleading. Fame Ndongo said the computer project has already entered its production phase. 30% of the total amount has already been released.

One year after the announcement of the presidential “donation”, the eligibility criteria for students remain unknown. Jacques Fame Ndongo has constantly been calling on regularly enrolled students in the private and public universities in the country to update their data for inclusion in the Biya scheme.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News

23, July 2017

Will Cameroon be ready to host a bigger Africa Cup of Nations? ⁰

We reported earlier about the decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to expand the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) from 16 to 24 teams and moving the competition to June/July.

Implementing the changes for the next tournament, less than two years away, heaps more pressure on the hosts of Afcon 2019 Cameroon.

Caf say they’ll go on an inspection tour in September to check on progress, with the country already facing questions over its preparations. The 50% increase in participants intensifies that.

Cameroon sports minister Ismael Bidoung told Reuters news agency:

I would like to reassure the national and international opinion that the government is fully committed to fulfilling the Caf’s specifications and to date, no Caf mission has reported any delay in preparations.”

Meanwhile Morocco have made it clear they would be prepared to step in if needed.

Source: BBC

23, July 2017

DR Congo: One fifth of mining revenue ‘goes missing’ ⁰

Anti-corruption campaign group Global Witness says 20% of mining revenue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, $750m (£576m) over the last three years, has failed to reach the country’s treasury.

“For years revenues have leaked from Congo’s mining sector into offshore shell companies. Now we can see that even revenues paid to government bodies in Congo are going missing before they reach the treasury,” says Global Witness Senior Campaigner Pete Jones.

Global Witness says this the money is going missing due to corruption and mismanagement.

The government has previously denied allegations of corruption in its mining sector.

Despite being Africa’s top copper producer and the world’s largest supplier of cobalt, DR Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Source: BBC

23, July 2017

Nigerian camp hit by air strike ‘was not marked on maps’ ⁰

Nigeria’s air force accidentally attacked a refugee camp in January because the site was not marked in its maps, the military told the Reuters news agency.

Reuters adds that the investigation into the mistake found that the air force saw people gatehring in the area on satellite footage and assumed they were Boko Haram Islamist militants.

An official told the BBC at the time that 115 people were killed by the air attack on the camp in Rann which the army mistook for a base for Boko Haram militants.

All humanitarian sites should be marked on military maps in future, the investigators said.

Source: BBC

23, July 2017

Bakassi Peninsula: Here is how to lay claim to another Cameroon island ⁰

A leader of the Bakassi community has accused the Nigerian government of failing to relocate residents of the peninsula to a new island he said was recently discovered. The paramount ruler of Bakassi Local Government Area, Cross River State, Etim Edet, said the government was “foot-dragging” on the matter. He said the island, called Dayspring, was good for the habitation of the mainly fishing Bakassi population, displaced after the peninsula was ceded to Cameroon in 2008.

But he said the government had abandoned the Bakassi people. Mr. Edet, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, said the people of Bakassi were forced to live at the mercy of the Cameroonian government because of the neglect by the Nigerian government. “We are a forgotten people,” he said.

Mr. Edet was reacting to the reported maltreatment and killing of Nigerians in the Bakassi Peninsula by Cameroonian Gendarmes. Ninety-seven Nigerians were said to have been killed recently by the gendarmes because of a dispute over N100, 000 boat levy. But Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said Wednesday that there was no evidence of such killings.

“Nigeria isn’t protecting her citizens,” said the paramount ruler in an angry tone. “This thing cannot happen to American citizens…. I consider it a national scandal. “It’s not fair. It is wrong the way Nigeria is treating us.” Mr. Edet said some of the people in former Bakassi, including himself, hurriedly left Cameroon in 2006 despite the Greentree Agreement because “we knew this was going to happen”.

The Greentree Agreement, which paved way for a smooth transfer of sovereignty of the peninsula from Nigeria to Cameroon, states that “Cameroon shall not levy in any discriminatory manner any taxes and other dues on Nigerian nationals living in the Zone”. The agreement, signed in 2006, also states that Cameroon shall respect the right of Nigerians living in the peninsula to continue with their agricultural and fishing activities.

Mr. Edet confirmed that the N100, 000 that the people of former Bakassi were asked to pay as levy was responsible for the current crisis in the area. “They agreed to pay on condition that they would be allowed to fish freely,” he said. “They are not used to paying such exorbitant taxes.” On the number of casualties, the paramount ruler said, “One or two people died, so the rest decided to run away.

“About 189 arrived Ikang in Cross River. Some ran to the coastal communities in Akwa Ibom.” He said the problem of Bakassi could only be solved if the people are resettled properly in such a way that their means of livelihood is guaranteed. He said he and his people had discovered an island – Dayspring Island – that is suitable for their habitation, but that the Nigerian government was foot-dragging on resettling the people.

“My people have been in camps under dehumanising conditions for more than 10 years now,” the paramount ruler said. “We are victims of a reckless political game.” A former senator from the state, Florence Ita-Giwa, also spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on the latest development in the former Bakassi. She said the Bakassi issue remained unsolved because the Cross River State government and the people were not united on it.

“Those gangsters in Cross River State keep using people’s lives for politics. If they had developed a place for them, those people would have come back from Cameroon since,” the former senator said. “They wouldn’t have stayed long enough in Cameroon for them to be sacked. “For 10 years we’ve been crying. I am now vindicated.” Mrs. Ita-Giwa said she was reluctant to come home to help her people because of the threat to her life. She said she was however hopeful the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would do something about the Bakassi situation.

Source: Premium Times

22, July 2017

China donates meteorological systems to Cameroon ⁰

The Government of Cameroon is now equipped with 23 new weather stations worth over CFA one billion. The meteorological equipment is a donation from the Chinese Government. Receiving the package on behalf of Government on the 21st of July 2017, the Minister of Transport, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o lauded the excellent relations between Cameroon and China.

He opined that the weather stations will be helpful in various sectors of the country including livestock, agriculture, air and land transport including environment and defense. The Director of Meteorology at the Ministry of Transport, Philippe Richard detailed the content of the package as having 15 manual and 8 automatic meteorological systems.

Philippe Richard observed that the equipment were excellent in data collection and will be used for forecasts. This, he noted, will help inform on natural disasters like floods and drought which are frequent in some parts of the country.

Philippe Richard added that the 23 weather stations will be spread across 23 divisions in the country to ascertain better weather forecasts. The Ambassador of China to Cameroon, Wei Wenhua was present during the ceremony at the Ministry of Transport.

Source: CRTV

22, July 2017

Putin says ‘undecided’ on standing for president in 2018 vote ⁰

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has not yet decided whether to stand for re-election in 2018, promising not to change the constitution so as to allow him to keep on running for Russia’s political leadership indefinitely.

“I have not decided yet if I should continue my work in this capacity. I will see. The election will take place in 2018. There is still time ahead of the election race. We will see,” Putin said during a Q&A session with school children at a school in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday.

The 64-year-old Russian leader first became president in 2000, before most of the audience in the Friday program was even born. In 2008, he concluded his second term in office after winning another term in the 2004 election, and became Russia’s prime minister for a second time under President Dmitry Medvedev from 2008 to 2012.

Presidential terms were extended from four to six years in 2011, only a year before Putin emerged victorious in the presidential race. The next election is scheduled to be held in March 2018, and the Russian leader, who has dominated Russia’s political landscape for the past 17 years and boasts massive popularity ratings, is widely expected to seek to secure another six-year term in office.

Putin stepped down in 2008 as the president of the Russian Federation in order to avoid a constitutional ban on running for a third consecutive term. Some political commentators at the time suggested that he could change the constitution so as to allow himself to stay on as president for a third consecutive term. Some still say he might pursue changing the constitution to run for another term after 2024. The Russian leader, however, has ruled out the possibility.

“I had an opportunity, I was even asked to change the constitution at some time. I did not do it, and I don’t intend to do it in the future. Everything is written in the constitution,” Putin said.Back in December last year, Forbes named Putin the most powerful man on the planet for the fourth consecutive year.

Source: Presstv