French nun Sister Andre, 118, claims title of world’s oldest person

25, April 2022

French nun Sister Andre, 118, claims title of world’s oldest person 0

A French nun who recently celebrated her 118th birthday with her traditional port-and-chocolate cocktail is now the world’s oldest known person, following the death announced Monday of a Japanese woman one year her senior.

Lucile Randon, known as Sister Andre, was born in southern France on February 11, 1904, when World War I was still a decade away.

She now lives at a nursing home in Toulon along the Mediterranean coast, beginning every day with breakfast and then a morning mass, though her eyes can no longer see.

“She’s happy, she likes very much this attention,” said the home’s communications director David Tavella, adding that a short press conference would be held Tuesday morning.

“But it’s just another step, because her real goal is to overtake Jeanne Calment,” a French woman who was reportedly 122-years-old when she died in 1997.

This year Sister Andre got a handwritten New Year’s greeting from President Emmanuel Macron, among the many letters and boxes of chocolates sent by well-wishers.

“I was always admired for my wisdom and intelligence, but now people could care less because I’m stubborn,” she jokingly told an AFP in an interview for her 118th tour around the sun.

“I’m thinking of getting out of this business but they won’t let me,” she said.

She worked as a governess in Paris — a period she once called the happiest time of her life — before taking her religious vows with the Daughters of Charity.

Previously the person deemed the world’s oldest by the International Database on Longevity (IDL) and Guinness World Records was Kane Tanaka, whose death in Japan on April 19 was announced Monday.

With her death, “Sister Andre indeed becomes the oldest, and by far, since the next oldest is a Polish woman who is 115,” said Laurent Toussaint, a computer scientist and amateur tracker for the IDL as well as the French institute of demographic studies (INED).

Most centenarians are found in the world’s so-called blue zones, where people live longer than average, such as Okinawa in Japan or on the Italian island of Sardinia.

But France, while not considered a blue zone, nonetheless has 30,000 centenarians, according to statistics institute Insee, with around 40 of them 110 or older.

Source: AFP

Bishops of Cameroon re-consecrate the country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

25, April 2022

Bishops of Cameroon re-consecrate the country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary 0

On Divine Mercy Sunday, 24 April, Bishops of Cameroon led thousands of Cameroon’s Catholic faithful in re-consecrating the conflict-torn nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The overnight weekend pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Marienberg culminated in the consecration on Sunday morning.

Pope Francis’ appeal for peace in Cameroon

In his Regina Coeli appeal on Sunday, Pope Francis not only appealed for peace in Ukraine but also threw his support behind the national pilgrimage in Cameroon.

“The Bishops and faithful of Cameroon today are making a pilgrimage to re-consecrate their nation to the Mother of God and entrust it to her protection,” said Pope Francis. He added that Catholics in Cameroon were praying for “the return of peace in their country, which has been wounded by violence in several regions for five years,” the Holy Father said.

Bishop Abraham Boualo Kome of Bafang Diocese, in his role as President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, presided over the Eucharist on Sunday. The Archbishop of Bamenda Archdiocese and Apostolic Administrator of Mamfe Diocese, Andrew Nkea Fuanya, preached at the Divine Sunday Mass.

Be apostles of reconciliation and peace

Archbishop Nkea said the Catholic faithful in Cameroon needed to become apostles of justice and peace if the country was to return to peaceful co-existence it once had. The pilgrimage, he said, had only one scope: To implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for reconciliation and peace in Cameroon.

Speaking earlier, when the Marienberg national pilgrimage and prayer vigil was announced, Bishop Kome told journalists, “The National Pilgrimage and Prayer for Peace to take place in Marienberg is an expression of solidarity of all our brothers and sisters towards the people of the troubled regions of our country that suffer in a visible way,” he said.

Cameroon’s five-year war that no one is winning

There are hardly any headlines about the conflict in Cameroon. In fact, there are several conflicts happening in the country.

According to crisisgroup.org, “Cameroon is beset with two major violent conflicts but also faces rising ethno-political tensions on and offline. The bigger conflict between the government and separatists from the English-speaking minority started in 2017 and has killed over 6 000 people. It has displaced 765 000 people, of whom over 70 000 are refugees in Nigeria. According to the UN, 2.2 million of the Anglophone regions’ four million people need humanitarian support. At the same time, about 600 000 children have been deprived of effective schooling because of the conflict. The country also faces a reinvigorated jihadist insurgency with deadly attacks in the Lake Chad area. The war with Boko Haram, centred in the Far North, has killed over 3 000 Cameroonians, displaced about 250 000 and triggered the rise of vigilante self-defence groups. Nascent ethnic clashes along the border with Chad have displaced thousands too. Elsewhere, and particularly following the October 2018 presidential election, ethnic discourse is heightening political tensions on and offline.”

The Marienberg weekend vigil

 Cameroon’s Marienberg Shrine is a remote location that sits on the outskirts of Edea, Littoral Region, in Cameroon.

The weekend’s pilgrimage started on Saturday, 23 April, with the arrival of various delegations from various dioceses of Cameroon. Most of Saturday afternoon was centred around the recitation of the rosary, meditation, confessions, silence, personal prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

In the evening, at 20.30, the overnight prayer vigil commenced and continued right up to early morning, in time for people to prepare for the procession and Sunday Mass.

The vigil comprised prayers animated by various devotional groups and teaching on what consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary means.

Source: Vatican News

Europe hails Macron victory as French rivals vow fight over June legislative vote

25, April 2022

Europe hails Macron victory as French rivals vow fight over June legislative vote 0

Emmanuel Macron was re-elected as the president of France on Sunday with more than 58 percent of the vote. As international leaders offered their congratulations, rival political parties say they are preparing to do battle ahead of French parliamentary elections in June.

European Council chief Charles Michel, as well as the prime ministers of Belgium and Luxembourg, were among the first to congratulate Macron, followed by many of the bloc’s 27 leaders. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said French voters “have sent a strong vote of confidence in Europe today,” adding: “I am happy that we will continue our cooperation.”

Political parties in France led by La France Insoumise (France Unbowed or LFI) and Rassemblement National (National Rally or RN) are preparing to battle it out in legislative elections on June 12 and 19.

Polls open across France as Macron and Le Pen vie for French presidency

24, April 2022

Polls open across France as Macron and Le Pen vie for French presidency 0

French voters head to the polls on Sunday in the second and final round of the country’s presidential election, with President Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen facing off in a rematch of their 2017 duel.

Macron, 44, topped the first round of the election on April 10 with 27.8% of votes cast. The pro-European incumbent is aiming to become the first president to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002.

Le Pen, who took 23.1% of the first-round vote, is making her third run for the presidency. The 53-year-old nationalist leader is hoping to become the first woman to hold the job.

First exit polls are expected at 8pm Paris time (GMT+2) when the last polling stations close in Paris and other cities. Until then, French media are barred from quoting candidates or publishing polls to ensure they don’t influence voters.

Some 48.7 million are registered to vote, though pollsters have warned that turnout could be lower than in the first round, when one in four abstained from voting.

Source: France 24

Football: Didier Drogba loses bid to become Ivorian federation president

24, April 2022

Football: Didier Drogba loses bid to become Ivorian federation president 0

Didier Drogba lost a controversial bid to become president of the Ivory Coast Football Federation when he was eliminated after the first round of voting at Saturday’s elective congress.

The former Chelsea star polled only 21 votes in a three-way race, with the two other candidates, Yacine Idriss Diallo (59) and Sory Diabate (50) polling more than double his tally. Diallo won a second round to decide the presidency of the federation.

Drogba’s candidacy had been disputed last year when he first attempted to stand for election but did not receive the required support from clubs and other interest groups, such as the players’ union and coaches’ association, whose nominations he needed to get on the ballot.

FIFA then stepped in to dissolve the federation, putting the control of Ivorian football under a ‘normalisation committee’ while the statutes and electoral code were rewritten.

It allowed Drogba, 44, to stand but while he received much public encouragement, he garnered little support inside the Ivorian football community.

Earlier this week he was accused of pulling out of a live television debate with the other two candidates hours before it was due to be aired on television, according to a statement released by the state broadcaster. The debate went ahead without him.

The Ivory Coast hosts next year’s Africa Cup of Nations final.

Source: REUTERS

Mali army discovers mass grave near former French base

23, April 2022

Mali army discovers mass grave near former French base 0

Malian troops have discovered a mass grave close to military base French forces handed back to the Malian army just days ago in Gossi.

The Gossi military base in the north of the country was handed over to the Forces Armées Maliennes (FAMa) on Tuesday as part of the French forces’ planned exit from the country.

Paris plans to end its failed almost decade-long military operation under the pretext of eradicating terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the Sahel country.

The army general staff revealed in a statement that “bodies in a state of advanced putrefaction were discovered in a mass grave, not far from the camp formerly occupied by the French force Barkhane.”

“The state of advanced putrefaction of the bodies indicates that this mass grave existed well before the handover. Consequently, the responsibility for this act can in no way be attributed to the FAMa,” the statement said.

The defense ministry has been assigned to conduct an investigation into the mass killings.

France and the United States were quick to blame Russian forces deployed in Mali for the killings.

The French army claimed Russian fighters buried bodies near the Gossi base with the intention of framing the French for the killings, according to French and American news agencies.

Leaders of West Africa’s Sahel region have abandoned their hopes in purported counter-terrorism efforts by France and started negotiating with armed militants to bring peace to the restive region.

France’s exit from Mali came as swathes of territory remained under the control of rebel militants linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh.

The Sahel, a semi-arid stretch of land south of the Sahara desert, has been in turmoil since 2012, when a number of armed separatists started targeting the local population in Mali.

As a former colonial power seeking significant military presence in Africa, France decided to send thousands of soldiers in 2013 to try to prevent separatist forces from reaching Mali’s capital, Bamako.

France increased the number of its forces in the Sahel from 600 to 5,100 soldiers for its Operation Barkhane last year.

However, the military boost failed to bring the situation under control and the UN also deployed its peacekeeping forces to the region.

Militant groups with links to al-Qaeda and Daesh have strengthened their foothold across the region.

This has made the territory ungovernable, stoking ethnic violence, especially in neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso. The French Barkhane force is also involved in Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, and Mauritania.

Culled from Presstv

War in Ukraine: Latest developments

23, April 2022

War in Ukraine: Latest developments 0

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

Mariupol evacuation

Ukraine will make a new attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, the devastated port city now largely controlled by Russian forces, from noon on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says.

“Today we will again try to evacuate women, children and the elderly,” Vereshchuk says on Telegram.

UN chief to meet Putin, Zelensky

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine next week after a stop in Moscow to confer with President Vladimir Putin, UN says.

Guterres will see Zelensky and Ukraine’s foreign minister on Thursday, two days after visiting Moscow.

Russia breaks silence on sunken cruiser

Russia reveals that one crew member died and 27 were missing after the Moskva missile cruiser sank last week, Moscow’s first admission of the losses following the tragedy.

“As a result of a fire on April 13, the Moskva missile cruiser was seriously damaged due to the detonation of ammunition,” the defence ministry says in a statement.

Thales accusation

A senior Ukrainian official accuses French defence electronics company Thales of violating European sanctions and selling Russia equipment that was used to kill civilians fleeing recent fighting outside Kyiv, claims strongly denied by the company.

“A family was trying to escape but was killed by Russian murderers,” tweets presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak. “Killed, as it is now proved, with French weapons sold in circumvention of sanctions in 2015.”

Russia jails opposition leader

Russian authorities declare opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza a “foreign agent” and order his pre-trial detention for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian army amid its military campaign in Ukraine.

Moscow’s Basmanny district court orders that the 40-year-old Kremlin opponent be held in jail until June 12.

US meeting on Ukraine long-term security

The Pentagon invites 40 allies to meet in Germany next week to discuss Ukraine’s longer-term security needs.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says defence ministers and senior generals of 20 countries, NATO and non-NATO members, have already accepted the invitation for the Tuesday meeting in Germany.

Mariupol forces urged to surrender

Russia’s defence ministry says it is ready for a humanitarian ceasefire at the Azovstal steel plant if Kyiv’s soldiers holed up there surrender.

“All servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces, militants of the national battalions and foreign mercenaries who laid down their arms are guaranteed life, decent treatment in accordance with international law, and the provision of quality medical care,” Putin says, adding: “But the Kyiv regime is not allowing for this opportunity to be used.”

Source: AFP

Yaoundé-Moscow Military Deal: It shall not be long before one hears distress calls regarding Russia

21, April 2022

Yaoundé-Moscow Military Deal: It shall not be long before one hears distress calls regarding Russia 0

 It might interest our Anglo-Americanophobes and Russophiles that between 2015 and 2022 Russia has concluded military pacts with 73 states and one regional organization (ASEAN): 30 countries in Africa; 32 countries in Asia & Middle East; 5 countries in Latin America; 3 countries in Europe; and 3 countries in North America.

The African countries that have a military pact with Russia are: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Egypt, Eswatini (aka Swaziland),  Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

We see here the typical Africa mimicry, herd or sheep mentality. We saw that same mentality on display when China purported to offer ‘free money’ to African countries. Rulers of most of these countries hurriedly trooped to Beijing and lined up in a hall like school children with the beggar’s bowl to collect the money. None of them bothered to read the fine prints. Shortly afterwards they started complaining about China demanding its ‘pound of flesh’ or sovereign property in lieu. It shall not be long before one hears similar distress calls regarding Russia.

These are the only African countries (24) that have so far escaped the Russian snare: Namibia, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mauritania, Seychelles, Comoros, Somalia, South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Gabon, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Liberia, Algeria, Eritrea, Western Sahara, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, and Djibouti.

In recent days, Joseph Beti Assomo, Cameroon’s defense minister, made a discreet but remarkable visit to Moscow to sign a new military cooperation agreement between the two countries. This symbolic trip comes at a time when the Kremlin has relaunched its offensive in Ukraine.

On 12 April, Cameroon and Russia signed a new military cooperation agreement. Joseph Beti Assomo, the presidency’s minister delegate in charge of defense, had left Yaoundé the day before for Moscow, where he met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoogou. The latter, who is part of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, initialled the 13-page document on Russia’s behalf.

These frenetic Russian military pacts worldwide from 2015 to 2022 cannot be touted as a response to the claimed Western ‘imperialist’ conspiracy against Russia which uninformed minds advance as so-called ‘justification’ for Russian invasion (which Russia continues to deny), genocide, and the massive and wide destruction of Ukraine. Russia of course lost the UNGA vote formally designating it as aggressor, lost the UNGA vote suspending it from the Human Rights Council, and lost the ICJ case against it – all these diplomatic and legal defeats just within seven weeks.

By Prof Carlson Anyangwe, Cameroon Concord News and The Africa Report

Yaoundé signs Russian military deal

21, April 2022

Yaoundé signs Russian military deal 0

Cameroon has signed an agreement on April 12 with Russia for military cooperation.

According to security sources, this agreement is part of the continuation of military tie between the two countries for several years, with the emphasis recently on the revision of the military deal signed in 2015.

On the instructions of Cameroon’s Head of State Paul Biya and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo and his Russian counterpart, General Sergei Shoogou, inked the documents that define this new military cooperation.

In the 13 page document, the two countries agree to exchange opinions and information on defense policies and international security, development of relations in the areas of joint training, medicine, topography or military hydrography.

They also agree to exchange experiences, and interaction in peace support operations under the aegis of the United Nations.

The symbolic deal established in Moscow, comes as several countries around the world, withdraw ties with Kremlin, to impose sanctions.

Source: Africa News

More than one million African children protected by first malaria vaccine

21, April 2022

More than one million African children protected by first malaria vaccine 0

More than a million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have now received at least one dose of the first anti-malaria vaccine, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The “breakthrough” RTS,S vaccine was pioneered in Malawi in April 2019 and found to be safe and to substantially reduce severe cases of the disease, the WHO said in a statement ahead of World Malaria Day on April 25.

The WHO recommended the widespread deployment of the vaccine for children living in sub-Saharan Africa and areas at risk in October 2021, and said its pilot scheme could save the lives of between 40,000 and 80,000 children in Africa each year.

“This vaccine is not just a scientific breakthrough, it’s life-changing for families across Africa,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the statement.

“It demonstrates the power of science and innovation for health. Even so, there is an urgent need to develop more and better tools to save lives and drive progress towards a malaria-free world.”

More than $155 million (143 million euros) have been secured by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for the delivery of the vaccines, the statement added.

RTS,S, manufactured by British pharmaceutical giant GSK, acts against plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly mosquito-borne parasite around the world and the most prevalent in Africa.

It is a first-generation vaccine and could be complemented by others with similar or higher efficacy in the future, the WHO said.

The organisation welcomed progress in the development of other treatments, too, but said more funding was needed in the fight against malaria — an average of $851 million (785 million euros) per year over the period 2021-2030.

Malaria is an old disease and has been reported since antiquity. It results in fever, headaches and muscle pain before cycles of chills, fever and sweating. It can be fatal if it is not treated in time.

Around 90 percent of the world’s malaria cases are recorded in Africa, where 260,000 children die from the disease each year.

Source: AFP

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