18, September 2016

Bangui: Militant raid leaves 26 villagers dead in the worst instance of bloodshed in recent months ⁰

A militant raid on a village in the Central African Republic (CAR) has left 26 villagers dead in the worst instance of bloodshed in recent months, an official says. Militants from the Seleka group attacked the village of Ndomete, near the town of Kaga-Bandoro, about 350 km (220 miles) north of the capital, Bangui, on Friday. Reports of the attack, however, emerged on Saturday.

“There were 26 victims… the village chief was among the victims,” Albert Mokpeme, a spokesman for the presidency, said on Saturday. “It was a massacre,” he emphasized. Officials are concerned that the incident could revitalize the dormant acts of vendetta between the mainly Muslim Seleka militants and rival Christian anti-Balaka militias. In early 2013, Seleka toppled the then-President Francois Bozize, who was replaced by Michel Am-Nondokro Djotodia, the first Muslim to hold the presidency in the CAR.

Christian militias reacted by engaging in large-scale attacks against the minority Muslims. A fifth of the population was forced to flee to safer regions as the impoverished nation was plunged into violence along ethnic and religious fault lines. Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the resource-rich country, as it suffered its biggest crisis in its half-century of independence during the period of violence in 2013 and 2014.

This file photo, taken on January 2, 2016, shows United Nations peacekeepers patrolling outside a vote-counting center for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Bangui. (By AFP)

In 2014, some 11,000 peacekeepers were deployed by the United Nations (UN) to the country as part of the established United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

“MINUSCA regrets the loss of human life and the wounded that were recorded and also denounces attacks against the humanitarian community and United Nations personnel,” the UN said following the Friday bloodshed.

On July 23, 2014, Seleka and anti-Balaka representatives signed a ceasefire agreement in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, but the country has not yet emerged from its bloody past.

Presstv

17, September 2016

Yaounde: CEDIC stands shoulder-to-shoulder with orphans ⁰

CEDIC an association grouping the wives of Cameroonian diplomats have organized a one day handicraft exhibition in Yaounde. The event was to show case their solidarity principally destined to orphans and the less privilege. The women displayed natural beverages products, pastries and cosmetics to the watchful eyes of their husbands, children, well-wishers and above all some state dignitaries.

The Secretary General at the Ministry of External Relations, Felix Mbayu praised the spirit of entrepreneurship in the women saying that it was necessary to foster development and unity. The president of the association, Micheline Atanga used the event to encourage the wives of diplomats both at home and abroad to step up the spirit of entrepreneurship. She also expressed the need to attract new members into the club so to register a sporadic growth. The Honorary President of CEDIC, Mageret Mbella Mbella was also present to cheer the women’s initiative.

CRTV

17, September 2016

Ouagadougou: Former Burkinabe Prime Minister arrested ⁰

Former Burkinabe Prime Minister, Luc-Adolphe Tiao was arrested on Friday and detained at a prison in Ouagadougou. Luc-Adolphe Tiao who served as the last Prime Minister to ousted dictator, Blaise Compaore is accused of having signed a requisition order, authorizing the use of weapons during the repression of the popular uprising of the 30th and 31^st of October 2014.

Mr. Tiao returned to Burkina Faso after more than a year in exile in the Ivory Coast and was arrested after a very intensive interrogation by the gendarmerie in Ouagadougou. He is accused, along with all the 32 ministers of the last Compaore government of assault, murder and complicity following attempts by the Cabinet via a bill to amend the Constitution which would have allowed Blaise Compaore, to stay in power.

Ten other former cabinet ministers of the ancien regime have already been questioned by the police, but all went Scot-free after their hearings.

By Chi Prudence Asong

17, September 2016

Trump admits President Obama was born American citizen ⁰

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has finally acknowledged that President Barack Obama was born in the United States, as he sought to end his longstanding attempt to discredit the nation’s first African-American president.

“President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period,” Trump said on Friday at a campaign event in Washington, DC. Trump also falsely accused his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of starting the so-called birther controversy in 2008. There is no evidence to link Clinton to the birthers. “Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it,” Trump said.

Trump did not apologize to Obama for his leading role in the birther movement and didn’t explain what caused him to change his view. The celebrity businessman has sought to improve his negative image among minority voters and moderate Republicans in recent months, many of whom see birtherism as racially motivated and an insult to Obama.

Analysts say that although the birther issue has not been a major one in this campaign, it continues to irritate black voters, who see it as an attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the country’s first African American president.

In a speech in Washington just ahead of Trump’s, Clinton said Trump had led the birther movement for five years and had founded his campaign on “this outrageous lie”. “There is no erasing it,” she said. “Imagine a person in the Oval Office who traffics in conspiracy theories – who distorts the truth to fit a very narrow view of the world,” she added.

Some reports suggest the birther issue was circulated in 2008 by loyal supporters of Clinton as it became clear that she was not going to win the Democratic nomination against Obama. However there is no evidence that Clinton or her then campaign was directly linked to it.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday, Clinton held a 4-point lead over the New York businessman, 42 percent to 38 percent. However, one out of every five likely voters said they do not support Clinton or Trump for president, the poll found.

Presstv

17, September 2016

Biya deified in Kribi ⁰

In Cameroon, whenever a man or woman is appointed to any senior management position, a grandiose celebration follows showing widespread gratitude to the Head of State through numerous motions of support. This was the situation on Friday September 16, 2016 in Kribi in the Ocean Division in the South Region.

Militants of the ruling CPDM party had been summoned to deify President Paul Biya on the appointments of Charles Ndongo as general manager of the state owned radio and television and Patrice Melom as the CEO of the Autonomous Port of Kribi. The ruling elite, mobilized militants of the ruling party and some citizens of the South region, to say “Thank you” to the head of state, for the appointment of their “sons”.

By Rita Akana

16, September 2016

President Biya en route to New York ⁰

The Head of State, Paul Biya and First Lady, Chantal Biya have left the country for New York in the United States to attend the 71st regular session of the UN General Assembly. The solemn opening of the 71st session was held on Tuesday, September 13, 2016.

The UN General Assembly offers every year to the member states the opportunity to express their views on major international issues.

The theme of the general debate of the 71st session will be sustainable development goals: universal force of transformation of the world, as proposed by the new President of the Assembly, Peter Thomson (Fiji), after his election 13 June 2016.

By Rita Akana

16, September 2016

German Chancellor Merkel says European Union is in a critical situation ⁰

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has acknowledged that the European Union (EU) is in a “critical situation,” as it is struggling to find a way forward without the United Kingdom. Upon her arrival for a summit in the Slovakian capital of Bratislavato on Friday, Merkel said the EU has been facing so many problems that cannot be resolved at one meeting.

“The point is not to simply expect a solution to Europe’s problems from one summit — we are in a critical situation — but rather it is about showing through actions that we can be better,” she told reporters. The leaders of the union, minus those of Britain, have gathered in Bratislavato to discuss the EU’s post-Brexit future.

“I hope that today we can show that we can work together in the EU and that we can solve problems,” Merkel said. “Protecting Europe’s outside borders will also be discussed, but this will all be decided in the coming months, we can then also take concrete steps,” she added.

EU leaders attend a summit in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, September 16, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

Merkel further said that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker “showed in his speech that the European Commission has similar plans.” Juncker earlier warned that the union faces an “existential crisis.”

On the eve of the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk also warned that the remaining 27-member states should not “let this crisis go to waste.” “After the vote in the UK the only thing that makes sense is to have a sober and brutally honest assessment of the situation,” Tusk said in Bratislava.

The leaders, however, are not expected to discuss Britain’s departure from the bloc in any detail in Bratislavato. Tusk formerly called on British Premier Theresa May to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty– the step required to officially begin the withdrawal.May, however, said her government will not begin the negotiation this year. Starting the negotiations would begin a two-year countdown for the UK to separate itself from Brussels.

Presstv

16, September 2016

Commercial Bank-Cameroon: Business as usual ⁰

The atmosphere at the headquarters of the Commercial Bank-Cameroon is reportedly calm, serene and busy. Attention was drawn to the renowned financial establishment following an announcement that the mandate accorded the provisional administrators had come to an end.

The nation’s national daily, Cameroon Tribune revealed that customers were withdrawing their desired amounts or saving without any stress. Some who were gunning for school loans had them on time. Rumour earlier circulated that with the end of the mandate of the Provisional Administrators mindful of the crisis that rocked the bank some years ago, services were going to be affected or weakened.

Some customers recently noted that the fervency of services has signaled that the bank stands a better chance of attracting more potential clients. Payment and savings counters, as well as the automated teller machines have been busy. Affiliated services such as money transfer via Western Union are all impressively patronized.

Cameroon Tribune

16, September 2016

Money transfers from the diaspora to Cameroon hits 1.2 billion dollars ²

It has been revealed that the amount of money transfers from the diaspora to Cameroon is 1.2 billion dollars or nearly 585 billion FCFA. The figures were released by the British company, World Remit, considered the world leader in digital money transfer. Statistically speaking, this means that the diaspora contributed 33% in the Public Investment Budget (PIB) of Cameroon in 2016.

Some financial experts have opined that the figure also an equivalence of over 60% of the necessary funding needed for the implementation of the so called Biya emergency plan or nearly 120% of the funding sought for the construction of the Nachtigal dam.

World Remit also reported that money transfers from the Cameroonian Diaspora have doubled over a two year period. Generally, these funds are used primarily for the basic needs of families back home. World Remit however emphasized that “remittances from abroad play an important role in the economy of Cameroon.”

By Sama Ernest with files from CIN

15, September 2016

Hillary Clinton returns to the campaign trail ⁰

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has returned to the campaign trail as polls show she is locked in a tight contest against Republican rival Donald Trump. Clinton took the stage in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday, four days after she almost fainted during a ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Clinton described her being off of the campaign fray as a moment that reminded her why she’s running for the White House.

“I certainly feel lucky — when I am under the weather, I can afford to take a few days off. Millions of Americans can’t. They either go to work sick or they lose a paycheck,” she said. Clinton said her break from the campaign trail helped her to ponder and “reconnect with what this whole campaign is about.” “I have met so many people living on a razor’s edge, one illness away from losing their job, one paycheck away from losing their job,” she said. “That goes against everything we stand for as Americans, because some things should not come down to luck.”

The 68-year-old former First Lady was forced to abruptly leave a 9/11 memorial in New York on Sunday due to a medical episode, stirring speculations about her well-being. The candidate’s physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack, released a statement via the campaign and said she had pneumonia.

On Thursday, she acknowledged to the Greensboro, North Carolina, crowd that she was forced to stay at home following her pneumonia diagnosis. “As you may know, I recently had a cough that turned out to be pneumonia. I tried to power through it but even I had to admit that maybe a few days of rest would do me good,” she said.

Meanwhile, according to a new poll, Trump and Clinton are tied among likely voters in a four-way race for the White House. The CBS News/New York Times poll, released on Thursday, shows both Trump and Clinton have support of 42 percent. Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson has 8 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein has 4 percent.

Among registered voters in that scenario, Clinton has a 2 points lead over Trump, 41 to 39 percent, with Johnson earning 22 percent and Stein only 5 percent. In a two-way race, Clinton also leads Trump among likely voters by 2 points, 46 to 44 percent. She has a 5-point lead over Trump among registered voters, 46 to 41 percent. The poll was conducted from September 9 to 13 among a national sample of 1,433 registered voters. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.

Recent polls have shown that the race between Clinton and Trump is tightening at both the state and national levels before the November election. Clinton’s growing unpopularity follows renewed focus on her use of a private email server while she served as secretary of state, as well as alleged conflicts of interest over her connections to the Clinton Foundation fundraising. She is also facing criticism over the delayed release of her pneumonia diagnosis.

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