25, February 2022

Putin ready to send delegation for talks with Ukraine ⁰

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is ready to dispatch a high-level delegation for talks with Ukraine in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, the Kremlin says, as the Russian military campaign in Ukraine enters its second day.

On Friday, Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was ready to “send a delegation at the level of representatives of Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and Presidential Administration to Minsk for negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation.”

Minsk hosted previous peace negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis.

Peskov’s statement came as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called for direct talks with Putin in a video message earlier on Friday.

China’s Foreign Ministry also said that Putin had told his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a phone call on Friday that his country was willing to “conduct high-level negotiations” with Ukraine. The ministry also cited the Russian leader as saying that the United States and NATO had long turned a blind eye to Russia’s legitimate security concerns, repeatedly failed to honor their commitments, and continued to expand military deployments in Eastern Europe, near Russian borders, challenging Russia’s key red line.

Xi reiterated his country’s support for a solution to the crisis through dialog, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website. Xi also urged all parties to respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries and form a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security mechanism through talks.

Source: Presstv

25, February 2022

Paris replaces St Petersburg as Champions League final venue ⁰

PARIS has been confirmed as the replacement for St Petersburg for the 2022 Champions League final.

Uefa convened for a meeting this morning and made the announcement after pressure from major Champions League sponsors.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked a backlash against European football’s governing body, who are sponsored by gas supplier Gazprom, whose name is also on the 64,000-capacity stadium in the Russian city.

Chelsea are on the verge of losing experienced defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen for FREE this summer.

However, the West London outfit are reportedly interested in a move for Wolves defender Max Kilman, following his impressive performances this season.

Kilman is a boyhood Blues fan and could be open to the move if he hears the club are in for him.

Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappe is said to have been offered whopping £1m-a-week wages to stay with PSG.

The Frenchman has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid, who he scored a winner in the Champions League against last week.

Source: The Irish Sun

25, February 2022

French Cameroun: Three killed in Boko Haram raids in the Far North ⁰

At least three people died after terror group Boko Haram raided a locality in Cameroon’s Far North region overnight into Thursday, according to local and security sources.

Militants of the group raided Ziler locality of the region, killing a blacksmith, a mason and a septuagenarian.

“The terrorists also kidnapped a member of local vigilante group and torched so many houses and looted,” a military official who asked not to be named said.

The army has deployed troops to the localities to reinforce security.

Boko Haram has multiplied attacks on the civilian population in the region since January, according to security reports.

Source: Xinhaunet

25, February 2022

Biden nominates Kentanji Brown Jackson to serve on US Supreme Court ⁰

President Joe Biden has selected federal appellate judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, the White House said on Friday, setting the stage for a confirmation battle in the closely divided Senate.

Biden picked Jackson, 51, for a lifetime job on the nation’s top judicial body to succeed retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, who at 83 is the court’s oldest member. Of the 115 people who have ever served on the Supreme Court, only two have been Black and both of those were men.

The timing of Biden’s announcement had been in flux because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character and unwavering dedication to the rule of law,” the White House said in a statement.

“He also sought a nominee – much like Justice Breyer – who is wise, pragmatic and has a deep understanding of the Constitution as an enduring charter of liberty,” the White House said of Biden’s selection process. “And the president sought an individual who is committed to equal justice under the law and who understands the profound impact that the Supreme Court’s decisions have on the lives of the American people.”

Jackson, if confirmed by the Senate, would become the sixth woman ever to serve on the court, which currently has three female justices. She would join the liberal bloc on an increasingly assertive court that has a 6-3 conservative majority including three justices appointed by Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump.

Other contenders for the nomination were J. Michelle Childs, a district court judge in South Carolina and Leondra Kruger, a justice on the California Supreme Court.

The Senate voted 53-44 last year to confirm Jackson after Biden nominated her to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, with three Republican senators backing her. At Jackson’s confirmation hearing last year, Republicans questioned her on whether race plays a role in her approach to deciding cases. She said it did not. The Senate previously confirmed her as a federal district judge, a job she held for eight years.

Jackson, who was raised in Miami and attended Harvard Law School, has a varied legal resume including earlier in her career representing criminal defendants who could not afford a lawyer. She was part of a three-judge panel that ruled in December against Republican former President Donald Trump’s bid to prevent White House records from being handed over to a congressional panel investigating last year’s Capitol attack.

Democrats are eager to move forward with the confirmation process while they control the Senate. Breyer, who has served since 1994, announced in January his intention to step down when the court completes its current term, likely by the end of June.

While Biden’s appointee will not change the court’s ideological balance – Jackson would be replacing a fellow liberal – her addition does enable Biden to refresh its liberal wing with a much younger jurist who could serve for decades, just as Trump’s three relatively young appointees are in a position to do.

The nomination also gives Biden a chance to shore up political support among women, minorities and liberals ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections in which Democrats are fighting to retain control of both chambers of Congress. Biden’s strength among suburban women, seen as a key reason for his victory over Trump, has eroded since taking office last year, worrying his political aides.

Confirmation process

The Senate confirmation process includes hearings before the Judiciary Committee, whose chairman is Democrat Dick Durbin and whose top Republican is Chuck Grassley. Democrats control the evenly split 100-member Senate because of the ability of Vice President Kamala Harris to break a tie. Biden made history in 2020 when he made Harris the first Black vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket.

Biden, a former Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, studied the case records of the candidates he was considering and consulted legal experts, the White House said.

Illustrating the precarious nature of the Democrats’ control of the Senate, they currently lack a working majority after Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan had a stroke. He is expected to recover in time to vote on the nomination.

Because of a rules change spearheaded by Republicans to ease the confirmation of Trump’s first nominee Neil Gorsuch in 2017 amid Democratic opposition, only a simple Senate majority vote is needed to confirm Biden’s pick.

Democrats have said they plan to move Biden’s nomination on a quick timetable, similar to the single month that Republicans used for Trump’s third appointee Justice Amy Coney Barrett in 2020.

The White House has signaled it will fight back vigorously against Republican attempts to discredit the nominee. Some Republicans have accused Biden of discrimination for pledging to name a Black woman to the post without considering any men or non-Black women. Biden said in January a Black woman serving on the Supreme Court was long overdue.

The Supreme Court continues to play an integral role in American life and has moved rightward thanks to Trump’s three appointees. It is due to rule in the coming months in cases that could curb abortion rights and expand gun rights. In its term beginning next October the court is due to hear cases concerning race issues that could end affirmative action policies used by colleges and universities to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students.

Source: REUTERS

25, February 2022

The Longest Serving African Leaders in 2022 ⁰

The new decade has brought about a series of seismic changes in the African political system. There has been an increase of the number of coups across the continent that has seen long standing head of states lose power. Despite this, there still remains a number of African leaders who have continued to consolidate their power through constitutional changes and have constructed legal dictatorships.

Here are the 10 longest serving African leaders in 2022:

10. Alassane Ouattara

Alassane Ouattara has been the president of Ivory Coast since 2010. Prior to his presidency, he was the Prime Minister of Ivory Coast and worked as an economist for the IMF and the Central Bank of West African States. He recently won a 5-year term in 2020 in what can be considered a constitutional coup.

Ouattara assumed his position after a bloody power struggle with then incumbent President, Laurent Gbagbo, after a stalemate in the 2010 elections. With the aid of France and the US, Ouattara’s military forces arrested Gbagbo and he became de facto leader

Ouattara has continued his repressive streak as his government is known for corruption, cronyism, and human right abuses. The state of Ivory Coast is nuanced. Economic growth has been around 7% since he took over. The government has invested heavily in telecommuting, electricity and roads but poverty, education and healthcare remain a huge challenge.

9. Faure Gnassingbe

Faure Gnassingbe has been the President of Togo since 2005. After the sudden death of his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, he was installed by the military has head of state which resulted in international and domestic backlash. After resigning and winning the hotly contested elections of 2005, he has become a mainstay. Gnassingbe won his fourth term in 2020 after removing presidential term limits amidst of allegations of rigging the elections.

Like his father, Gnassingbe rules the country with an iron fist. He ordered the arrest of his half brother and former defence minister on suspicion of planning a coup attempt in 2009. The constitutional changes he proposed in 2017 to allow him to continue to stand for election were heavily protested by opposition leaders and the people of Togo. The resistance was harshly squashed as the military used live bullets, teargas and internet blackouts.

8. Paul Kagame

Paul Kagame is the current president of Rwanda and has been since 2000. He has won three terms. He rose to power after defeating the Rwandan National Army to end the genocidal war that broke out in Rwanda in 1994 as the leader of the RPF rebel forces.

In his current 22-year long reign, Kagame has been lauded for his efforts that have stabilized the economy and promoted economic growth, but he is also known for his tyrannical streak. It said that Kagame has defence agency networks dedicated to assassinating, imprisoning, and exiling his critics.

Rwanda has somewhat benefitted from leadership as he has been able to procure vast amounts of foreign aid that has helped the country greatly. Government reports claim to have lifted 1 million people out of poverty between 2008 and 2012 and that the country’s economy has grown by a steady 8% in the same time frame.

7. Ismali Omar Gulleh

Ismali Omar Gulleh has ruled over Djibouti since 1999. He succeeded his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, after being in his cabinet as head of national security and chief of staff for more than 20 years.

Known by many as a dictator, Guelleh has been in power for 22 years and 5 terms. In the latest election, held in 2021, He beat his only opponent, Zakaria Farah, by winning over 97% of the votes. The lead up to the alleged rigged elections was marked by street protests by the people of the country as they have grown tired of Guelleh’s suppressive reign.

Guelleh’s regime has been characterized by inequality, corruption, poverty, unemployment, restriction of free press, rampant malnutrition, and poor healthcare systems. The country is not poor by any means, but Guelleh has turned it into a commercial state-city controlled by one man.

6. Isaias Afwerki

Isaias Afwerki has held the office of the President of Eritrea since the country gained its independence in 1991. As a revolutionary, he led the Eritrean Liberation Front to victory, ending the country’s 30-year long war for independence. He continues to lead both the country and the only legitimate party in the country.

Afwerki’s reign has been marked by the lack of elections, constitution, parliament or independent judiciary. The president is an authoritarian who uses his considerable power to eliminate rivals and free press. He has gone as far as aiding Islamist extremist groups in Somalia in order to destabilize neighbouring Ethiopia.

Eritrea remains one of the world’s poorest countries. Poverty rates are exacerbated by war and drought. The country is plagued by homelessness, disease and a lack of water, educational and healthcare systems.

5. King Mswati III

King Mswati III is the last absolute monarch in Africa and has reigned over Swaziland since 1986. The king assumed power as he turned 18 after receiving an education at Sherbone School in England. He routinely appoints his own cabinet, parliament and fills key governmental positions with allies and CEO’s.

The king has ruled with a ruthlessness and his methods have become more violent. The monarch’s security forces are known for extra judicial killings, unfounded arrests, detentions, and torture. This was evident in the 2021 pro-democracy protests that took over the country. Security forces enacted a dusk to dawn curfew, shut off the internet and murdered 50 people.

The king uses Swaziland’s resources as his own personal line of credit. He is listed as one of the richest monarchs and leads an extravagant lifestyle. Meanwhile, Swaziland’s unemployment rate stands at more than 46% and 65% of the people live on less than $1.25 a day.

4. Youweri Museveni

Youweri Museveni is Uganda’s 9th President and has ruled over the country since 1986. He led the rebel forces that toppled former Ugandan Presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin and recently won his sixth term in 2021.

Like so many of his authoritarian counterparts, Museveni has scrapped term limits, rigged elections, and suppressed opponents. Museveni’s regime is a display of wide-reaching corruption and an intolerance for minority groups.

Uganda is primarily plagued by rising youth employment, lack of electricity and limited infrastructure as the country lacks sufficient road and railway systems.

3. Dennis Sassou Nguesso

Dennis Nguesso has been Congo’s head of state for more than 37 years. He served his first term as president from 1979 to 1990 but was stripped of executive power and subsequently lost the 1991 presidential elections. He returned to power in 2002 after leading his rebel forces during the Congo civil war in which they ousted President Lissouba. In 2021, he won his fifth term which will see him stay in power until 2026.

Nguesso rules like a true totalitarian. Political opponents have either been jailed, exiled or are dead. Elections are routinely rigged, and dissidence is violently quelled. The population of Congo doesn’t enjoy any civic freedoms. Nguesso is well known for decades of gross corruption

Although, Congo is an oil rich country and generates huge revenues, it remains one the poorest countries. Nguesso and his allies use state resources for personal enrichment. Half the population live below the poverty line, the economy’s stagnant, civil servants go mouths without wages and hospitals rarely have the capacity to treat people.

2. Paul Biya

Paul Biya has been the president of Cameroon since 1982. He has been in office for 40 years after the resignation of President Ahmadou Ahidjo. He has won seven terms, the latest in 2018.

Biya’s presidency become more repressive with each passing year and intensified after an attempted coup in 1984. Since then, elections are often fraudulent, political opponents disappear and free speech is restricted. His French-backed regime has often targeted the Anglophone people of Cameroon resulting in a deadly crisis.

Due to widespread corruption, Cameroon is in a dire state. 40% of Cameroonians live below the poverty line. Another 6.2 million are in need of humanitarian aid. The economy is on the brink of collapse and the national currency has been devalued.

1.Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo

Teodoro Obiang is the longest serving African leader. He took office of the President of Equatorial Guinea in 1979 after orchestrating a military coup against his uncle, Franciso Macias Nguema. Since then, Equatorial Guinea is has one party system and the constitution of the country grants Obiang virtually all the power.

Like previous African strongmen, Obiang’s regime is characterized by unlawful kidnappings, murders, and torture of anyone who dares to criticize it. The only media outlets allowed to operate in the country are those owned by his allies. Local activists often face intimidations, harassment, and reprisals.

Equatorial Guinea is one of the leading oil producing countries in Africa and has one the highest adult literacy rates. Despite this, wealth inequality is rife due to corruption. About three quarters of the population live below the poverty line and are without access to healthcare, infrastructure or drinking water.

Source: The African Exponent

25, February 2022

Ukraine rues being ‘left alone’ by West, offers neutrality; Russia calls for surrender ⁰

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continued for the second day, with explosions reported in Kiev as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rued being “left alone” by the West and announced readiness to declare neutrality.

Russia’s forces pressed deep into Ukraine as deadly battles reached the outskirts of Kiev.

They captured Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea, where 82 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered to them, Russia’s defense ministry said. Ukrainian authorities said intense fighting was underway in the city of Sumy in the country’s northeast.

The Interfax-Ukraine news agency said two explosions were heard in Kiev. Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior ministry, said they emanated from the sounds of air defenses firing at an aircraft that was downed.

Kiev municipal authorities said at least eight people were injured when the aircraft crashed into an apartment block and set it on fire. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kiev had come under “horrific Russian rocket strikes.”

Ukraine’s nuclear agency said it was recording increased radiation levels from the site of the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Experts at the agency did not provide exact radiation levels but said the change was due to the movement of heavy military equipment in the area lifting radioactive dust into the air.

A spokesman for Russia’s defense ministry said Moscow will deploy paratroopers to help guard the nuclear power plant near Ukraine’s capital.

Radiation levels at the plant are normal, the spokesman told a briefing. Russian troops have destroyed 118 Ukrainian military infrastructure sites, he said.

Meanwhile, the governor of Russia’s southern Belgorod province said that seven residential buildings in the region had been damaged by shelling from Ukraine.

Kremlin: Russia willing to negotiate Ukraine’s surrender

In a statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia would come to the negotiating table on the condition that Ukraine promised to be neutral, not aspire to be a NATO member and also not keep any Western weaponry on its territory.

Peskov underlined that discussions over the terms of surrender would generally involve “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.

President Zelensky said he is not afraid of talking about neutrality as his request for NATO accession went unanswered by European leaders.

Russia: First day of military operation ‘successful’

Late on Thursday, Russia’s military said it had “successfully” achieved its goals outlined for the first day of conflict with Ukrainian troops over the Donbas region.

“All of the tasks assigned to the groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the day were successfully completed,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

Konashenkov added that the Russian military had eliminated Ukraine’s air defenses and was in control of the skies over the former Soviet republic.

Ukraine ‘left alone’

Zelensky said his country had been left on its own to fight Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics in eastern Ukraine.

“We have been left alone to defend our state,” Zelensky said in a post-midnight video address to the nation. “Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid.”

Zelensky said that 137 Ukrainians, both military personnel and civilians, had been killed since the beginning of the attack, and 316 more had been wounded.

He said Russian “sabotage groups” had entered Kiev, and urged locals to remain vigilant and observe a curfew.

The Ukrainian president said he and his family remained in the country, despite Russia identifying him as “target number one.”

The UN refugee agency said around 100,000 people had been internally displaced while several thousand more had left Ukraine since the fighting erupted.

Kiev has declared martial law. It claims to have killed 50 Russian troops and shot down six Russian aircraft, an allegation that has not been independently verified.

EU slaps ‘harshest’ sanctions on Russia

Early Friday, the European Union announced what it called “the harshest package of sanctions” on Moscow, targeting 70 percent of the Russian banking sector and key state-owned companies.

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, made the announcement in a press conference after an emergency meeting with leaders of the 27-member bloc.

She said the new round of sanctions “will impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its action, in close coordination with our partners and allies.”

Von der Leyen said Russian assets in the EU would be frozen and Russian banks’ access to Europe’s financial markets would also be blocked.

The package of massive and targeted sanctions approved tonight shows how united the EU is.

The EU, however, faced strong criticism from Kiev as European leaders decided against blocking Russia from an international payments system through which it receives foreign currency.

With casualties mounting, the Ukrainian foreign minister warned that the European and US politicians would have “blood on their hands” if they failed to impose the heaviest toll on Moscow by cutting Russia from the so-called Swift payments system.

“I will not be diplomatic on this,” Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “Everyone who now doubts whether Russia should be banned from Swift has to understand that the blood of innocent Ukrainian men, women, and children will be on their hands too. BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT.”

I will not be diplomatic on this. Everyone who now doubts whether Russia should be banned from SWIFT has to understand that the blood of innocent Ukrainian men, women and children will be on their hands too. BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT.

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 24, 2022

The United States announced a wave of new sanctions on Moscow on Thursday, targeting five major Russian banks.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced sanctions against some 60 individuals and entities. Australia and the UK have taken similar measures.

Macron: Useful to ‘leave the path open’ for dialogue

French President Emmanuel Macron, however, said Friday that “while condemning, while sanctioning” it remained useful “to leave this path open so that the day when the conditions can be fulfilled, we can obtain a cessation of hostilities.”

Macron was the only Western leader on Thursday to speak to Putin. The Kremlin said Putin held a “frank” conversation with the French leader.

“After having spoken with the Ukrainian president, and in coordination with him, the president (Macron) called Vladimir Putin to demand the immediate halt of Russian military operations, noting that Russia risked massive sanctions,” the Elysee said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, however, said the Russian leader needs to understand that NATO is a nuclear alliance even as he ruled out the alliance’s intervention to defend Ukraine.

Asked whether Putin’s threat of “such consequences that you have never encountered in your history” was tantamount to threatening Russian use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, Le Drian said it was indeed understood as such.

“Yes, I think that Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic alliance is a nuclear alliance. That is all I will say about this,” he said on French television TF1.

Le Drian also said Ukraine had made a list for weapons they needed and “we are studying that list in order to meet their requests as soon as possible”, but emphasized that Europe and NATO were not looking for a military intervention.

“Strangling Russia economically and financially will in the long run be stronger than any intervention,” he said.

On Friday, Macron said France was speeding up its deployment of troops to bolster NATO’s eastern flank in Romania.

Talking after an emergency summit with European Union leaders, Macron said he was “accelerating” the dispatch of forces.

Meanwhile, the United States said Thursday it was sending another 7,000 troops to Germany.

NATO is looking to establish battle groups in the southeast of the alliance, including in Romania. France has offered to lead the new deployment in that country.

Pelosi: US to provide $600mn for new Ukraine weapons

US House speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers want to provide Ukraine with $600 million for “lethal defense weapons”.

“What we’re doing with Ukraine is making sure that we have humanitarian assistance to help the people; that we have lethal defense weapons going into Ukraine to the tune of $600 million for them to fight their own fight,” she told reporters in San Francisco.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba earlier said he had spoken to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who told him about “plans to deliver new defensive weapons to help Ukraine defend itself.”

Culled from Press TV

25, February 2022

Ukraine army says Russian forces outside Kyiv as war enters second day ⁰

Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early Friday as Russian forces pressed on with a full-scale invasion that resulted in the deaths of at least 137 Ukrainians in the first day of fighting. The attack on Kyiv as the war entered its second day is part of what Western officials suspect is a brazen attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to dismantle the Ukrainian government and replace it with his own regime. Follow our liveblog for updates on the latest developments.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba condemned Russia for “horrific rocket strikes” that shook the capital Kyiv in the early hours of Friday morning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Friday that Russian “sabotage groups” have entered Kyiv and urged citizens to remain vigilant.

Zelensky declared a general mobilisation early Friday morning local time, calling up conscripts and reservists nationwide to fight invading Russian forces.

Zelensky said 137 Ukrainians, both military and civilian, were killed and 316 wounded in the first day of fighting.

Russian troops fought with Ukrainian forces Thursday for control of military installations across the country. The Russian army claimed to have destroyed 74 military facilities, including 11 airfields in Ukraine, while a Ukrainian official said Russian forces had captured the Chernobyl former nuclear power plant, just 90 km north of Kyiv.

Zelensky has promised to resist the invasion, saying a “new iron curtain” now separates Russia from the rest of the world.

Source: France 24

24, February 2022

Mass killings by Biya regime forces won’t make Ambazonians quit fighting ⁰

The Ambazonian Interim Government has condemned the recent killings of Southern Cameroons civilians by French Cameroun army soldiers, stressing that the trend will not make Ambazonians give up the fight against the occupying regime.

In a statement on Wednesday, the exiled leader Dabney Yerima denounced the murder of two Southern Cameroonians in the city of Bamenda and the arrest of dozens of Ambazonians by Francophone troops.

“These killings in both the Southern and the Northern zones of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia do not deter the Ambazonian people and its activists in the diaspora from continuing to resist and intensify the fight against the occupying army,” Vice President Dabney Yerima said.

Late on Wednesday, troops loyal to the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé killed two Southern Cameroonians including the CEO of Mawa Hotal in Bamenda and arrested dozens of innocent civilians in coordinated raids.

The Ambazonia Interim Government said these crimes were carried out in the context of the continuous aggression and organized repression of the French Cameroun occupiers against Africa’s newest nation-The Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Vice President Dabney Yerima added that these acts of aggression would not succeed in defeating the growing resistance of Southern Cameroonians and would not affect their determination to confront the occupiers.

By Isong Asu with files from Chi Prudence Asong

24, February 2022

Queen cancels virtual audiences due to Covid: palace ⁰

Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled two engagements on Thursday after she tested positive for coronavirus at the weekend, Buckingham Palace said.

“The two virtual audiences that had previously been scheduled to take place today will now be rescheduled for a later date,” a spokesman said.

Royal officials announced on Sunday that the 95-year-old head of state had tested positive and had “mild” Covid symptoms, but would continue with “light duties”.

Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, tested positive for the second time since early 2020 on February 10, two days after meeting his mother at Windsor Castle.

The Queen, who is in her record-breaking 70th year on the throne, cancelled similar virtual engagements planned for Tuesday but spoke to Prime Minister Boris Johnson Wednesday.

The monarch and the prime minister hold regular weekly meetings in private. They were conducted by telephone rather than in person due to coronavirus restrictions.

Palace officials said there were no further engagements planned for this week. The latest cancellation will inevitably stoke further fears for her health, given her advanced age.

As a precaution, the Queen and her husband Prince Philip moved to Windsor, west of London, in March 2020 as the global pandemic hit Britain.

The couple, who were married for 73 years, self-isolated with a reduced number of household staff. Philip, 99, died in April 2021, and his funeral was held under virus curbs.

Elizabeth returned to official duties after his death and as restrictions were lifted. But she was forced to slow down on medical advice in October last year.

The palace was forced to confirm that she had an overnight stay in hospital after going in for unspecified tests. Since then her appearances have become rarer.

She held a public engagement at her Sandringham residence in eastern England on February 5 on the eve of the anniversary of her accession to the throne in 1952.

Source: AFP

24, February 2022

Oil prices soar, stock market slumps as Russia invades Ukraine ⁰

Oil prices broke above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014, stock markets slumped and the rouble hit a record low on Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine.

Markets displayed all the predictable reactions. Europe’s main stock markets opened 2.5%-4% lower and benchmark government bonds, the dollar, Swiss franc, Japanese yen and gold all rallied in a move to safety.

Putin said he had authorised what he called a special military operation and the Ukraine government accused Moscow of launching a full-scale invasion.

The United States and its allies will impose “severe sanctions” on Russia after the attacks, U.S. President Joe Biden said. Europe’s leaders said they would freeze assets and shut Russian banks out of its financial markets. Russian and Ukraine markets went in freefall.

The rouble weakened nearly 7% to an unprecedented 86.98 per dollar and there were 10% plus falls on the Moscow stock exchange when it opened after an initial suspension. The Russian central bank then ordered a ban on short selling and over-the-counter markets until further notice.

The equities rout had started with a 2.6% dive for pan-Asian indexes. Europe’s STOXX 600 index then fell 2.75% – hitting its lowest since May 2021 and 10% below a January record high.

The German DAX fell 3.7%, bearing the brunt of the sell-off due to heavy reliance on Russian energy supplies and the amounts its companies sell to Russia. The surge in oil prices helped limit losses on the UK’s commodity-heavy FTSE 100, although it still slumped 2.3% and futures markets pointed to similar falls for Wall Street later.

S&P 500 e-minis were down 2% and Nasdaq futures were 2.8% lower, which if it materialises, would confirm the tech-focused index it is in a so-called ‘bear’ market.

“In the past when you have had geopolitical flareups you tend to have a very volatile periods on markets then normalisation, but it’s difficult to assess when we will get that,” said LGIM portfolio manager Justin Onuekwusi.

The dollar index was up 0.5%, in the currency markets.

Assets have seen a sharp increase in volatility over the deepening crisis, with the Cboe Volatility Index, known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, up more than 55% over the past nine days.

Brent crude futures, jumped more than 3.5% to shoot past $100 a barrel for the first time since September 2014.

West Texas Intermediate leapt 4.6% to $96.22 per barrel, its highest since August 2014, while gold jumped more than 1.7% to hit its highest level since early January 2021.

That dive for safety also saw yields on Germany’s AAA-rated government bonds drop eight basis points to 1.139%, the lowest in three weeks.. the benchmark U.S. 10-year yield was down sharply too, going as low as 1.86% from its U.S. close of 1.977% before edging back up to 1.90%.

Investors have also been grappling with the prospect of imminent policy tightening by the U.S. Federal Reserve aimed at combating surging inflation. The question now is whether the conflict will give central bankers a reason to delay those moves or whether the further rise in energy priced could spur them on.

While expectations of an aggressive 50-basis-point hike at the Fed’s March meeting have eased, Fed funds futures continue to point to at least six rate hikes this year.

“Markets are now more adequately pricing in the risk of something horrific happening. That combined with the uncertainty is a horrible environment to be in. No one wants risk exposure when that’s floating around,” said Rob Carnell, head of Asia Pacific research at ING.

Source: REUTERS