24, June 2024

Seven, including children, killed as over 100 abducted in gunmen attack in Nigeria ⁰

Gunmen have attacked a village in northwestern Nigeria, killing at least seven people and abducting more than 100 others, residents and police say.

The attack took place in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state on Saturday night, residents and police said.

According to residents, gunmen on motorbikes arrived in Maidabino village in the Danmusa local government area of Katsina, and began firing sporadically, forcing residents to flee.

Hassan Aliyu, one of the residents, told Reuters by phone that the attack took residents by surprise and dozens of women and children were confirmed missing.

“They killed seven people, including burning two children,” he said, adding, “They spent more than six hours destroying our properties.”

Auwalu Ismail, another resident, said the gunmen first blocked all roads leading to the village before the attack.

“They burned down our shops, vehicles, and took away our livestock. They also kidnapped my wife and more than 100 women and children,” he said.

State police spokesperson Abubakar Aliyu Sadiq confirmed the attack and the seven deaths. But he refrained from commenting on the news of missing people, saying investigations are underway.

“The remaining men who did not flee are living in fear … and waiting to hear news about their abducted loved ones,” Muhammad Sani, whose sister was kidnapped, said.

Nigeria’s northwest and central regions have seen the largest mass abductions for ransoms in recent years.

In March, Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped more than 250 school children, including at least 100 children aged 12 or under, after raiding a school in a town in the northwestern state of Kaduna.

Last year, gunmen took over 80 students in a raid on a school in the northwestern state of Kebbi.

Source: Presstv

24, June 2024

Rapper Julio Foolio shot dead in Florida ⁰

Florida rapper Julio Foolio has been killed in a shooting in Tampa, his lawyer says.

Police said four people were hit with gunfire in a hotel car park early on Sunday. One person died, whom they believed to be Foolio pending a medical examination.

The 26-year-old victim, whose legal name was Charles Jones, was identified in a statement by a law firm that represented him.

Foolio had been celebrating his birthday when the incident occurred, said the lawyer, Lewis Fusco.

The musician was “reportedly ambushed” in the hotel car park, Mr Fusco said in a statement, quoted by a local affiliate of the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.

He had been forced to relocate after being asked by authorities to leave an Airbnb property when he and his guests exceeded occupancy limits.

The rapper had been posting material to his Instagram account about the celebrations, writing that police had “shut us down”.

Two cars were hit in the shooting that took place at about 04:40 EDT (09:40 BST), police said. The three others who were injured were taken to hospital, where their condition was described as stable.

Foolio has nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify, where his top-played track is Voo Doo.

As recently as April, he wrote in an Instagram post that recent months had been “tragic”, citing “multiple attempts on my life”.

He is said to have been open about his gang affiliations, according to local media.

Police have urged the public to provide any information that may help them with their investigation.

Source: BBC

24, June 2024

Vice President Yerima’s statement on the burning of taxis in Ambazonia ⁰

The recent incidents of taxis being burned on our streets are deeply troubling. Taxis represent not just a mode of transportation but a vital source of livelihood for many in our communities in Ambazonia. These acts of destruction do not advance the cause of liberation or justice; instead, they harm the very people we seek to uplift and support. The very people we are fighting to liberate from black-on-black colonialism, invasion, looting of our natural resources, rape, torture and crimes against humanity committed by Paul Biya, his government and the military of French Cameroun.

As stakeholders in the revolution, we must desist from, and be accountable to attitudes and actions that ignite and cause more harm and add grave pains to our already suffering masses on the ground. The unfortunate and insipid attitudes and actions towards our own taxi drivers have resulted in the burning of taxis and other forms of destructions, with negative ramifications on the core ideals that inspired us to rise up as a people and defend ourselves against an oppressive and repugnant French Cameroun regime.

Our fight for the liberation of our country must be rooted in principles of dignity, respect, and unity. Violence and the destruction of property belonging to those whom we claim are our own, only serve to divide us and undermine our collective efforts. The burning of taxis is a direct attack on the hardworking individuals who rely on these vehicles to support their families and contribute to our economy.

We condemn these heinous acts in the strongest possible terms. We are committed to ensuring the safety and security of all Ambazonians, and we will not tolerate any form of violence or intimidation against our own people. These criminal gangs seek to create fear and chaos, but we stand united in our resolve to fight back and redirect our focus of the revolution against the principal enemy, French Cameroun.

We call on all members of our communities on ground zero to channel their frustrations and energies into constructive actions that build, rather than destroy. Let us engage in peaceful dialogue amongst us, especially those on the ground that are affected the most; organized advocacy, and community-driven initiatives that reflect our shared values and aspirations for a better future for us and generations to come.

Our path to liberation requires resilience, solidarity, and a commitment to non-violence against our already suffering and impoverished masses. Let us stand together, protect our sources of livelihood, and work towards meaningful change that benefits all our people. We stand with our people on ground Zero and we will continue to work hard to defend our interests and aspirations of a free and prosperous homeland. God bless Ambazonia.

Dabney Yerima

Vice President

Federal Republic of Ambazonia

23, June 2024

Malian singer Rokia Traore detained in Italy over child custody case ⁰

Malian singer Rokia Traore has been arrested in Italy over an outstanding two-year prison sentence in Belgium handed down in a child custody dispute, prosectors in Brussels said Sunday.

The singer and guitarist was sentenced in absentia in October on charges of parental abduction, after fleeing France in 2020 when she was due to be handed over to Belgian authorities.

Italian media reported that the award-winning musician was arrested at Fiumicino airport in Rome on Friday after she flew into the country for a concert.

A spokesperson for the airport told AFP that border police had confirmed her arrest. There was no official confirmation from the Italian authorities.

Prosecutors in Brussels told AFP that “Ms Traore’s arrest in Italy follows a decision by the Brussels Criminal Court on October 18, 2023, which sentenced her in absentia to two years imprisonment for failing to hand over a child to the person entitled to custody”.

Traore had been arrested in Paris in March 2020 on a European arrest warrant over a Belgian court ruling ordering her to return her daughter, now aged nine, to the child’s Belgian father.

She later defied a ban on leaving France and flew home to Mali several months later, before she could be sent to Belgium.

A lawyer for the child’s father said he had not had any contact with his daughter, who lives in Mali, since she turned four.

The lawyer said the father had offered to draw up a new custody agreement with Traore, validated by Malian and Belgian courts, to “find a way out of this nightmare and guarantee their child a future with two parents”.

Beyond her feted music career, Traore is also known for her advocacy work for refugees, and was made a UN ambassador for refugees in 2015.

Source: AFP

23, June 2024

Russia: Deadly attacks on Dagestan synagogue and churches ⁰

Gunmen in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan have killed six police officers in a series of attacks, security officials say.

Twelve other officers were wounded in the attacks, which targeted a synagogue and churches in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala.

A Russian Orthodox priest has also been killed and two attackers shot dead, state media report, quoting the local Interior Ministry. Footage on social media shows buildings on fire.

The assailants have not been identified, but Dagestan has in the past been the scene of Islamist attacks.

An unofficial channel on the Telegram messaging app, Mash, said gunmen were barricaded in a building in Derbent.

Source: BBC

21, June 2024

Malawi: Top comedian sworn in as vice-president ⁰

Top comedian-turned-politician Micheal Usi has been sworn as Malawi’s vice-president at a ceremony held in parliament in the capital, Lilongwe.

The 55-year-old replaces Saulos Chilima, who died in a plane crash earlier this month, along with eight other people.

Dr Usi received a standing ovation when he spoke after his inauguration, saying he accepted the role with a mixture of sadness and gratitude.

He promised to honour his predecessor’s memory and thanked President Lazarus Chakwera for believing in him as he takes up his position as vice-president in the power-sharing government.

His appointment has certainly left Malawians divided.

Some have been sharing clips of his acting career on social media and questioning whether he is serious enough to take up such a senior role.

Others however have praised President Chakwera for appointing Chilima’s party deputy and honouring the spirit of the alliance between their two parties.

Dr Usi is no stranger to controversy given his acting career. He is popularly known as “Manganya”, the name of a mischievous character he still plays in popular TV sitcom Tikuferanji.

His aide told the BBC on Friday that he was filming an episode as recently as last week.

He has been a staple on national radio and television for more than two decades making him one of the most recognisable local celebrities.

Dr Usi has also been a passionate advocate for developing and promoting Malawi’s film industry in which it is difficult to make a living.

In fact, he first funded his acting career by working as a hospital clinician. He has a qualification in clinical medicine – most patients in Malawi will be seen by a clinician as the country has a shortage of doctors.

This fuelled his passion to improve the lot of poor communities and for many years he worked at Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra), a Christian non-governmental organisation.

He served there in various capacities, including heading the organisation as its country director – and through him Adra funded various soaps on radio and TV that also aimed to educate people about HIV and other social issues.

The new vice-president, who is married with two daughters, also holds a PhD in youth development from the University of Bedfordshire in the UK.

Despite his position at Adra, his acting career never took a backseat – and he was participating in various productions, mostly in the local Chichewa language.

Such was his popularity as a comedian that when he founded a political movement around seven years ago – many people just thought it was a prank.

This is because he had a reputation as a trickster – his most famous ruse was fooling people into believing that he had been a good boxer at high school and was looking to return to the ring.

He organised a non-title bout against a leading local boxer. A huge crowd turned up for what they thought was a real boxing match, only to discover it was a scene in one of his television plays.

However, it turned out his political ambitions were real. His movement was called Odya zake alibe Mulandu, which loosely translates as “he who does not take what belongs to others but only eats what’s his is a free man”.

It soon became part of a newly formed political party, the UTM, headed by Dr Chilima.

This was ahead of the 2019 elections – and Dr Usi and Dr Chilima started addressing rallies together.

Both being highly eloquent speakers, their meetings often drew huge crowds and in February 2019, Chilima named his new political associate as his running mate for the vote.

The pair came third, but the results were then nullified by the high court because of irregularities.

In fresh elections that were held in 2020, the UTM joined eight other opposition political parties to form an electoral alliance, which picked Dr Chakwera as presidential candidate with Dr Chilima as the running mate, which went on to victory.

Dr Usi, was by this stage Chilima’s deputy and was named in cabinet as minister of tourism, culture and wildlife, a position he held between July 2020 and February 2023.

He later moved to become the minister of natural resources and climate change, his role until his elevation to vice-president.

Some senior members of the UTM were notable by their absence at his inauguration on Friday – signalling division in the party over his appointment.

Dr Usi did not evade the issue at his swearing-in, promising to get the party together so that they could heal and honour the legacy of Chilima, who was regarded as a magnetic politician with a special connection with people, especially the youth.

Source: BBC

21, June 2024

Armenia officially recognizes Palestinian state ⁰

Armenia has announced its recognition of the State of Palestine, becoming the latest country to take the measure during the ruthless Israeli ground and aerial invasion of Gaza.

“Reaffirming its commitment to international law, the principles of equality, sovereignty and peaceful coexistence of peoples, the Republic of Armenia recognizes the State of Palestine,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

It deplored the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the ongoing military invasion as one of the primary issues on the international political agenda that requires resolution.

“The Republic of Armenia categorically rejects the [Israeli] targeting of civilian infrastructures, and violence against the civilian population,” the ministry noted.

It added that Armenia earlier supported the UN General Assembly resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The statement said Yerevan is “genuinely interested in establishing long-term peace and stability” in West Asia.

Ireland, Norway and Spain have formally recognized Palestinian state, irrespective of strong opposition from Israeli authorities to the move.

The ministry emphasized that Armenia has always advocated a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian question on various international platforms.

Responding to Yerevan’s move, the Israeli regime’s foreign ministry summoned the Armenian envoy.

In recent weeks, Slovenia and Malta have indicated they plan to formally recognize the state of Palestine.

Last month, Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized the Palestinian state, joining over 140 UN member states that have recognized its statehood over the past four decades.

Source: Presstv

21, June 2024

Biya is aging disgracefully ⁰

Aging gracefully is not about trying to look like a 16 or a 20-something — it’s about living your best life and having the physical and mental health to enjoy it.

But when you are over ninety years and you have been in power for forty-two years and there is nothing to show for such a long stay in office. When your incompetence is legendary and when you have used intimidation and trickery to keep your people in utter silence. At 92, it is evidently clear that you are aging disgracefully. This is the story of Paul Biya, the Cameroonian dictator.

Cameroon’s per capita income is dwindling at catastrophic rapidity and President Biya’s personal clock is ticking away at lightning speed, yet no one in Yaoundé is speaking of an adequate plan for a peaceful transition of power.

Paul Biya is already 92, he is still the President of the Republic and his acolytes are pushing for him to continue beyond 2025. Biya’s seniority makes King Charles of Great Britain and the UN secretary-general António Guterres look middle-aged at 75.

Many in Yaoundé are now questioning Biya’s sanity and quips about him being compos mentis are intensifying deep within his ruling party the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM).

In his 42 years as president of the republic, Biya has been undeniably, over the hill and far away from the Cameroonian people.

Take a look at his record: Cameroon’s economy is on life support. Almost every sector has been hit hard by the corruption which has become the government’s hallmark.

Unemployment has hit its apex, leaving many young Cameroonians desperate. Many have found solace in alcohol and drugs.

The country is bereft of all forms of infrastructure. Thousands of Cameroonians die each year on what passes off as roads.

The country’s lone air career, CAMER-Co, has only one airliner and most of its staffs are hardly sure of the next paycheck.

Camrail, the railway network which once brought goods and people to nearly every town and city, is today a shadow of its former self.

The architects of Cameroon Airlines’ demise, who are still in power, displayed the same mindset and destroyed Camship-Cameroon Shipping Company, Cameroon Bank, BIAO Meridian Bank and FONADER Bank.

The price of beer and other bottled concoctions are determined by decrees issued by Mr. Biya whose cardinal objective even at 92 is to die in power.

The country’s police and military have been tribalized. Once ordered to operate in other regions of the country, the military goes crazy, killing and maiming anything with flesh and blood. Most senior officials of the country’s military are from the president’s region, making it hard for any coup d’état to be planned.

There is an inherent fear in electing young leaders in the ruling CPDM party at a time and age when leaders in this critical sphere of human life should be in a position to represent the interests of the major cohort of their citizenry.

On state radio and television, Biya loyalists have repeatedly said life begins at 70 for CPDM politicians. The one million dollar question is with more than half of Cameroon’s population under the age of 30, how can they possibly relate to this massive proportion of their citizenry?

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said: “Politics is weird because it’s the only business where you give a really important position to someone with no qualifications.”

If it were not for politics, what would Biya and his gang turn to for an income in a Cameroon devoid of economic opportunities? What useful skills do Biya and his Beti-Bulu gang possess? What are they actually qualified to do, outside of politics? The answer is simple-nothing.

The fact that young Cameroonians girls have been reduced to prostitutes by hunger and poverty under his watchful eyes, we of the Concord Group have come to the conclusion that Biya is aging disgracefully.

By staff lady Besong Eunice Nchong

20, June 2024

Euro 2024: “German team is truly exceptional. Just imagine if there were only white players” ⁰

A senior German politician has apologised for the way she worded a comment about the skin colour of members of the country’s football team, in which she praised them and asked what it would be like if there were only white players.

Green MP Katrin Göring-Eckardt, who is also the deputy leader of the German federal parliament, appeared to be referring to a recent survey that found 21% of respondents would prefer to see more white people in Germany’s squad.

“This team is truly exceptional. Just imagine if there were only white German players,” she wrote after Germany beat Hungary 2-0 in the Euro 2024 tournament. She also added three rainbow emojis.

But after criticism on social media, including from fellow MPs, Ms Göring-Eckardt deleted the post and apologised for the way it was phrased.

She later took to X, formerly Twitter, again to explain herself.

“It upset me that 21% of Germans would prefer it if there were more “whites” in the national team,” Ms Göring-Eckardt wrote.

“I’m proud of this team and hope that we can convince the 21% too.”

Ms Göring-Eckardt’s original post was quickly criticised, with some accusing her of racism despite the fact she was praising the team’s diversity.

“I find it really worrying when people in Germany are judged by the colour of their skin,” said Wolfgang Kubicki, the deputy leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is part of Germany’s coalition government alongside the Greens.

Manuel Ostermann from the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party also commented.

“Are you judging people based on their appearance? According to your own definition, that would be racist,” he said.

The survey Ms Göring-Eckardt was responding to was commissioned by Sport Inside, which airs on German public broadcaster WDR.

It was part of a documentary on racial diversity within the national team and how it is viewed by the public.

Player Joshua Kimmich described the survey as “racist” when it was first reported earlier this month, while coach Julian Nagelsmann said it was “insane”.

“We play a Euro for everyone in the country and whoever plays top football is invited to be a national team member,” Mr Nagelsmann said.

“I hope I never have to read such crap polls again.”

Source: BBC

20, June 2024

President Putin in Vietnam, vows deeper ties in visit criticised by US ⁰

The leaders of Vietnam and Russia have said they want to boost ties as the pair met in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

Vietnamese President To Lam was full of praise for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his recent re-election.

Mr Putin, in return, said strengthening a strategic partnership with the south-east Asian country was one of Russia’s priorities.

His trip to Vietnam, which comes on the heels of his lavish visit to North Korea, is being interpreted as a demonstration of the diplomatic support Russia still enjoys in the region.

“Congratulations to our comrade for receiving overwhelming support during the recent presidential election, underlining the confidence of the Russian people,” President Lam said after Mr Putin was given a red carpet welcome.

The United States has criticised the visit for giving a platform for President Putin to promote his war of aggression in Ukraine.

Vietnam still values the historic ties it has with Russia even as it works to improve its relationship with Europe and the US.

Looming over a small park in Ba Dinh, Hanoi’s political quarter, a five-meter high statue of Lenin depicts the Russian revolutionary in heroic pose. On his birthday every year a delegation of senior Vietnamese officials solemnly lay flowers and bow their heads before the statue, a gift from Russia when it was still the Soviet Union.

Vietnam’s ties to Russia are close and go back many decades, to the vital military, economic and diplomatic support given by the Soviet Union to the new communist state in North Vietnam in the 1950s.

Vietnam has described their relationship as “filled with loyalty and gratitude”. After Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978 to throw out the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, it was isolated and sanctioned by China and the West, and depended heavily on Soviet assistance. Many older Vietnamese, including the powerful communist party secretary-general Nguyen Phu Trong, studied in Russia and learned the language.

Today Vietnam’s economy has been transformed by its integration into global markets. Russia has fallen far behind China, Asia, the US and Europe as a trading partner. But Vietnam still uses mainly Russian-made military equipment, and relies on partnerships with Russian oil companies for oil exploration in the South China Sea.

The invasion of Ukraine presented Vietnam with a diplomatic challenge, but one it has so far managed to meet. It has chosen to abstain on the various resolutions at the United Nations condemning Russia’s actions, yet maintained good relations with Ukraine and even sent some aid to Kyiv. They also share a legacy from the Soviet era; thousands of Vietnamese have worked and studied in Ukraine.

This is all in keeping with Vietnam’s long-held foreign policy principles of being friends with everyone but avoiding all formal alliances – what the communist party leadership now calls ‘bamboo diplomacy’, bending with the buffeting winds of great power rivalry without being forced to take sides.

It is why Vietnam has so readily upgraded its relations with the US, a country against which its older leaders fought a long and destructive war, in the interests of seeking lucrative markets for Vietnamese exports and balancing its close ties with its giant neighbour China.

The US has objected to President Putin’s official visit to Vietnam on the grounds that it undermines international efforts to isolate him, but it can hardly be surprised. Aside from the special historical links with Russia, public sentiment in Vietnam on the war in Ukraine is more ambivalent than in Europe.

There is some admiration for Putin as a strongman who defies the West, and scepticism, fuelled partly by social media commentary, of the US and European claims to be upholding international law.

This is also true in other Asian countries, where the Ukraine war is seen as a faraway crisis. In Thailand, for example, a historic military ally of the US which was on the opposite side to Russia during the Cold War, public opinion is just as divided as in Vietnam. Thais too value the even older links between its monarchy and the pre-revolutionary Tsars of Russia, and the Thai government maintains close ties with Russia today, valuing the contribution millions of Russians make to its tourist industry.

How long Vietnam maintains its camaraderie with Vladimir Putin is less clear. It is already seeking alternative sources of military equipment, but ending its current dependence on Russia will take years.

A series of high-level resignations inside the communist party recently suggest intense internal rivalries over the next generation of leaders, and, potentially, over which direction the country will take. But there is no talk yet of abandoning the ambition of being friends to all, and enemies of none.

Source: BBC