3, June 2016
Arnold Schwarzenegger got chased by an elephant while on a trip to South Africa. The actor shared the experience on social media, imploring people to stop killing the animals for ivory and “take a photo, not a shot”.
BBC News
3, June 2016
Germany says it is too early to discuss lifting the European Union’s economic sanctions against Russia over Moscow’s alleged interference in the Ukraine crisis. “I think the discussion about lifting of sanctions has come far too early. We are not anywhere close to having Minsk implemented,” said Christoph Heusgen, a foreign policy adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on Thursday. Heusgen added it was difficult to imagine the sanctions would not be extended for another half year given the ongoing fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The EU imposed a series of sanctions on Russia in 2014 over allegations that Moscow played a role in the separation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and its reunification with Russia, which took place through a local referendum. However, Moscow has repeatedly rejected the claims. The remarks came as a number of EU states have suggested easing anti-Russia sanctions, which will expire in July, in order to defuse tension with Moscow even though a peace deal struck at Minsk early last year has not ended the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The EU members will decide about extending the bans against Moscow during a summit later this month. Any decision for the roll-over of sanctions needs unanimity. EU Ambassador to Russia Vygaudas Usackas said also on Thursday that the 28-nation bloc will lift the sanctions “entirely” when the Minsk agreements are fulfilled. Meanwhile, Kremlin has been engaged in diplomatic efforts over the past few weeks to influence the EU decision and relax the restrictions on its economy.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Greece, one of the supporters of lifting sanctions. The visit came days after Moscow freed Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko in a prisoner swap that is viewed as a measure to ease diplomatic tension between the two countries. Differences remain within the EU over the issue of extending sanctions. France and Germany, the former staunch supporters of the sanctions, are calling for a rethink of the decision.
Germany is reportedly considering options such as removing restrictions on Russian lawmakers’ travel, reducing the period of sanctions from six months to three or even easing sanctions in return for Moscow’s support for holding elections in Ukraine’s troubled east. Earlier this week, German businesses signed deals with Russia’s Kaluga and Kaliningrad regions worth €600 million in Munich to invest in farm equipment production in Russia. Since 2007, German companies have invested some €2 billion in production facilities of Kaluga, said Kaluga governor Anatoly Artamonov during a visit to Germany.
Presstv
3, June 2016
Amnesty International has strongly denounced a recently-signed agreement between the European Union and Turkey to curb the flow of asylum seekers to Europe. The UK-based rights group said in a 35-page briefing on Friday that the EU-Turkey deal is “illegal” and “reckless,” urging the 28-nation bloc to stop plans to return asylum seekers to Turkey.
The rights body added that Ankara lacks the capacity to process asylum applications and cannot be considered “a safe third country.” The international rights group noted that the March deal is unlawful because refugees and asylum seekers do not have “effective protection” in Turkey. Turkey does not accord full refugee status, and most refugees in the country do not receive support from the Ankara government, Amnesty said.
The report also touched on the issue of forced returns, asserting that Syrians in Turkey are at risk of being forcibly sent back to their country. This comes as a number of rights activists and institutions, including the United Nations Refugee Agency, have voiced concern about the deal. Rights groups say the accord could lead to the collective expulsions of people fleeing war and violence, and is in violation of international law.
John Dalhuisen, Amnesty’s director for Europe and Central Asia, also took a swipe at the EU-Turkey deal on refugees, saying the bloc has misrepresented the realities on the ground. “In its relentless efforts to prevent irregular migrants to Europe, the EU has willfully misrepresented what is actually happening on the ground in Turkey.” Under the deal, Ankara is obliged to take back all refugees deported from Greece. In return, Ankara was promised financial aid, the acceleration of visa liberalization talks and progress in its EU membership negotiations.
The EU leaders are insisting that Turkey meet 72 conditions before the visa exemption is approved, including an end to prosecuting academics and journalists. Granting visa waiver to Turkey, a country of nearly 80 million, is highly controversial among EU states where some fear it would open the way for more refugees to the bloc already struggling with its worst migration crisis in decades. Europe is now concerned that the continent would face another refugee influx as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned that Turkey would allow the refugees to enter Europe if it failed to meet its commitments.
Presstv
3, June 2016
The battle for leadership will hit a higher gear this weekend as the championship enters the second and most decisive phase with matches counting for the 19th day of play scheduled to take place in stadiums across the country. Four teams, separated by barely three points are engaged in the contention for the league title this year namely, UMS, Unisport, Yong Sport and Union of Douala in order of appearance on the point tally sheet.
The point of interest will be to find out if UMS of Loum will continue maintaining her lead on the championship when they take on the Benjamin of the championship, Cosmos in the second encounter at the municipal stadium in Mfou on Sunday. The runners-up, Unisport will also be out to catch up with the leaders when they play host to visiting Astres of Douala at the municipal stadium in Bafang. Third-placed Yong Sport with 31 points as Unisport but outsmarted on goal difference, will also be out to maintain their good form when they take on Apejes in Mfou.
Union in the fourth position with 30 points and Coton sport in the fifth position with 29 points are equally not left out of the contention for leadership. Union will be slotting it out with Eding Sport at the Reunification stadium in Douala while the colossus from the North, Coton Sport will knock horns with Panthere in their stronghold in Garoua.
While the top quartet or quintet will be jostling for leadership, teams below the relegation line will be fighting for survival in the elite championship by hopping out of the danger zone. This is the case with teams like Dragon, Lion Blessé, Botafogo and Cosmos. While all hopes can be said to have been lost for Cosmos and Botafogo who have so far earned only 14 points and 16 points respectively in 18 outings and Botafogo, Dragon mathematically can still salvage their season but with the poor form shown by the team from Yaounde since the beginning of the championship, it is unlikely that Dragon can accomplish such a super human feat.
Dragon will embark on a perilous journey to Bafoussam to challenge local side Racing while Botafogo will also be travelling to Mbalmayo to slot it out with Canon. Teams in the middle of the table will be seeking to comfort their stay so as to be able to negotiate matches towards the end of the season when thing gets rough.
Cameroon Tribune
3, June 2016
The world’s most barbaric terrorist group, Boko Haram, is losing steam after carrying out attacks on civilian populations and Defence and Security Forces for about two years. While opening the Second Ordinary Session of the Senate yesterday, June 2, 2016, Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji extended Senators’ “warmest and heartiest” congratulations to Cameroon’s Defence and Security Forces as well as the “pride and gratitude” of the Senate for their vigilance and effectiveness.
“Boko Haram has been kept out of our borders and its logistical and operational capacities have been impaired,” he told the chamber, commending President Paul Biya for sparing no effort to give the Defence and Security Forces the best resources to bravely sustain the war against terrorism. While recommending the vigilance of the entire population, President Niat Njifenji praised Cameroonians for their resilient and mature spirit as they celebrated with patriotic fervour the 44thNational Day last May 20, 2016.
The Senate President also dwelled on the need for socio-economic development, urging government to ensure that it is enjoyed by the entire population. Senators, he promised, will stand by the Head of State for the implementation of relevant recommendations of the International Economic Conference that held in Yaounde from17th to 18th May, 2016.
The plenary sitting was attended by the President of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Roger Nkodo Dang, as well as cabinet ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and other State dignitaries.
Cameroon Tribune
3, June 2016
In Yaounde, it is common to find township taxis circulating with shattered head lights, door handles fastened with ropes to enable them open or close, worn-out tyres, cracked windscreens, unstable seats and at times, too dirty with cockroaches running on passengers. This unkempt state of cabs in Yaounde has not only left passengers disappointed as they break down in the course of transportation but has also left others injured due to the presence of exposed sharp objects.
Most passengers in Yaounde, can testify on the risk in boarding a cab while wearing a white dress or carrying something delicate. Rose Ebot is one of those who got into a cab and after alighting she could not continue her other activities for the day just because the back of her dress was not only dirty but wet. Rose explained “the moment I stepped out of the taxi, a passer-by called my attention to the fact that my dress was dirty behind. I quickly patted my palms over and moved on thinking it was okay. But later I was made to understand that I was dirty because there was this visible trace of wetness around the buttock region of my dress.” It is at this point that Rose realised that the taxi she had entered was not only dirty but had wet chairs.
There are those who have sustained bruises and wounds because they came in contact with sharp objects in the taxi either from the ramshackle nature of the taxi chair or the instruments the driver has used to either support an old door or the widescreen. Helene B narrates how she sustained a wound on one of her legs as she struggled to alight from a cab. The driver of that cab instead said “be careful not to dirty my car chairs with blood”. In spite of the worrying state of cabs in Yaounde, the appearance of the cab drivers leaves much to be desired. Most cab drivers are very unkempt especially in the morning.
Most passengers say it is unbearable to pick up a cab in the morning because of the odour from the driver who had not even brushed his teeth before leaving his home. Some of them do not even clean their faces talk less of putting on a clean dress, another passenger Ebenye M noted. Only the smell from some taxi driver and the bad state of their taxis has left many wondering. But many people say despite such, they have had no choice but to board such cabs especially when in a hurry. The current decision by the government to clear Cameroonian roads of such taxis as the country awaits the Female African Nations Cup is welcomed.
Cameroon Tribune
3, June 2016
A senior military commander says Iran is ready for a “decisive and difficult confrontation” with the US after Hillary Clinton threatens Tehran with military action. Defining her hawkish foreign policy in a speech Thursday in San Diego, Clinton said the US could disarm Iran by military action if she became the president. “Although talk of all options being on the table against Iran is a propaganda show in the United States, the Islamic Iran is prepared for a decisive and difficult confrontation with any American option,” Brig. Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of Iran armed forces, said on Friday.
“Our nation and armed forces have never sought a war, but they have not neglected their defensive preparation for a moment,” the commander said. “In case the American military threats are implemented, they (Iranians) are ready to rid humanity of the evil of America’s warmongering and hegemonic policies in a real and direct battle,” he added. In her speech, Clinton took credit for a nuclear agreement that allows Iran to continue its peaceful nuclear program but keeps Clinton’s hypothetical war with Iran on the table.
“The world must understand that the United States will act decisively if necessary, including with military action, to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” Clinton said. “In particular, Israel’s security is non-negotiable. They’re our closest ally in the region and we have a moral obligation to defend them,” she added. The nuclear agreement was reached after the UN confirmed the peaceful nature of Iran’s program after years of inspections. A self-imposed ban under a fatwa issued by Iran’s top religious authority prohibits the country from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran’s biggest enemy in the region, Israel, is widely believed to possess the only arsenal of nuclear warheads in the Middle East.
Culled from Presstv
3, June 2016
British Prime Minister David Cameron has hit out at ‘Brexiters’ who grilled him during a live TV debate on the future of the United Kingdom in the European Union. The debate aired by Sky News shows Cameron criticizing UK’s possible exit from the EU as an act of “economic self-harm.” Audience in the debate, however, slammed Cameron, accusing him of scaremongering over the impact of quitting the 28-nation bloc.
On thorny issues such as immigration, Cameron said a Brexit was not the solution. “There are good ways of controlling migration and there are bad ways,” Cameron said. On economy, he lashed out at critics of Britain’s continued membership in the EU, saying, “It would be madness to try to do that by trashing our economy and pulling out of the single market.” Cameron conceded, however, that he often found dealings with the EU frustrating. “Sometimes this organization drives me crazy,” he said. “But do I sit there thinking Britain would be better off if we left? Are we quitters? Absolutely not.”
Britain will vote on June 23 on whether or not it should stay in the EU. The decision has far-reaching consequences for both the country and the bloc. Membership of the European Union has been a controversial issue in the UK since the country joined the then European Economic Community in 1973.Those in favor of remaining in the bloc argue that leaving it would risk the UK’s prosperity, diminish its influence over world affairs, and result in trade barriers between the UK and the EU.
On the spectrum, Britons who favor withdrawal believe that outside the bloc, the UK would be better off in conducting its own trade negotiations, better able to control immigration and free from what they believe to be excessive EU regulations and bureaucracy.
Presstv
3, June 2016
French President Francois Hollande has declared “natural disaster” in Paris amid torrential downpours which have caused River Seine in the capital to reach its highest level in three decades. Days of torrential rains raised the level of the River Seine in Paris to five meters above normal levels on Thursday, flooding the lower embankments and forcing the nearby Louvre Museum to close down.
Several roads in the capital were also severely hit by the flooding. Since records began in 1873, it is the first time that Paris experiences so much rain in the month of May. Thousands of people were evacuated in central and northeastern France due to deadly flooding in the country, which has forced the closure of Louvre, the world’s most visited museum. People were warned to stay away from banks of Seine, which is expected to reach a peak of six meters later on Friday.
Culled from Presstv
Pope Leo XIV in Cameroon-The “Ambazonia crisis” in Southern Cameroons 
New Testament pastors in the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon 
World Bank Group statement on the conflict in the Middle East 
Anglophone Vice President: a deeply counterproductive idea 
Ambazonia Crisis: latest on Sisiku Ayuk Tabe’s arrest, trial and conviction 
4 Anglophone detainees killed in Yaounde
Chantal Biya says she will return to Cameroon if General Ivo Yenwo, Martin Belinga Eboutou and Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh are sacked
The Anglophone Problem – When Facts don’t Lie
Anglophone Nationalism: Barrister Eyambe says “hidden plans are at work”
Largest wave of arrest by BIR in Bamenda
3, June 2016
Angola’s President appoints daughter as head of oil company 0
Angola’s President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has appointed his daughter as head of the state oil company Sonangol.
Isabel dos Santos, named by Forbes magazine as Africa’s richest woman, worth an estimated $3.3bn (£2.3bn), takes on the job after the entire board was sacked by her father in April.
Angola and Nigeria are Africa’s largest oil producers. Critics accuse President dos Santos, who has ruled since 1979, of being increasingly authoritarian.
BBC