Canada: One dead, four taken to hospital after shooting near Toronto

30, May 2021

Canada: One dead, four taken to hospital after shooting near Toronto 0

Police in the Peel region near Toronto said on Saturday one person was killed and four were transported to hospitals in the Toronto area “in various conditions” after a shooting.

Police said in a statement on Twitter they had no information on suspects in the shooting, adding that the homicide bureau would take over the investigation. There were no further details.

Local reports said the shooting took place inside Chicken Land, a family-run take-out restaurant in a small strip mall.

(Source: Reuters)

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Atanga Nji agents are sending threatening text to Vice President Yerima

30, May 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Atanga Nji agents are sending threatening text to Vice President Yerima 0

A report from the Ambazonia Interim Government says Cameroon government secret service officers working for Minister Paul Atanga Nji have been recently sending threatening text messages to Vice President Dabney Yerima warning him and other members of his war cabinet.

An IG statement that was addressed to Southern Cameroons Self Defense Groups in Ground Zero also pointed out that, Paul Atanga Nji and his French Cameroun gang held that burning the homes of the poor and innocent Ambazonian people will cause the population to discontinue its support to the Southern Cameroons Interim Government.

“From every indication, it is very clear that the Paul Biya-Atanga Nji policy has not worked and the situation in Southern Cameroons is now so tense due to the hostile treatment of Southern Cameroonians by French Cameroun troops and Francophone civil administrators” Vice President Yerima added.

Minister Atanga Nji Boys are attacking civilians and committing crimes in both the Northern and Southern zones of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia while top officials of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government in Europe and the US are receiving regular threatening text over the past two weeks.

The text messages are viewed by many Ambazonian exiles as an attempt to deter Southern Cameroonians from supporting the struggle against the French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé.

Dr Patrick Ayuk, a senior Yerima aide told Cameroon Concord News that he received a threatening text thrice late last week.

“I reported the issue to the Vice President, and then I realized he had it too,” Dr Patrick Ayuk said.

By Asu Vera Eyere

Polisario leader in court in Spain: what we know

30, May 2021

Polisario leader in court in Spain: what we know 0

The leader of Western Sahara’s independence movement, whose presence in Spain has angered the Moroccan government, will appear before a Spanish court Tuesday to answer allegations of torture and genocide.

Madrid’s decision to allow Brahim Ghali, who heads the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, into Spain in mid-April to be treated for Covid-19 has angered Rabat.

A month later, Spain was caught off guard as up to 10,000 people surged into its tiny north African enclave of Ceuta as Moroccan border guards looked the other way in what was widely seen as a punitive political gesture.

Here is what we know so far:

– Who is Ghali?

Since 2016, Ghali has been head of the Polisario Front and president of the Sahrawi Democratic Arab Republic, a self-declared state since 1976.

Ghali is 71, the movement says, although other sources give a different age.

The Polisario Front has long fought for the independence of Western Sahara, a desert region bigger than Britain which was a Spanish colony until 1975.

Morocco controls 80 percent of the territory, while the rest — an area bordering Mauritania that is almost totally landlocked — is run by the Polisario Front.

A disputed territory, the UN refers to Western Sahara as a “non-self-governing territory” whose people “have not yet attained a full measure of self-government”.

After 16 years of war, Rabat and the Polisario signed a ceasefire in 1991, but a UN-backed referendum on self-determination has been constantly postponed.

Hostilities resumed in November when the Polisario, which is backed by Algeria, declared the ceasefire to be over after Morocco sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone to reopen a key road.

– Why is Ghali in Spain? –

Ghali’s hospitalisation in Spain was shrouded in secrecy.

It was first revealed by French pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique then confirmed by the Polisario and Spain’s foreign ministry, which called it a “humanitarian gesture”.

Citing diplomatic sources, Spain’s El Pais newspaper said Ghali was “critically ill” when he arrived on a medicalised Algerian government plane on April 18, bearing a diplomatic passport.

It said he was admitted to a hospital in northern Spain with a fake identity for “security reasons”.

Madrid agreed to receive Ghali as a favour to Algeria, its main supplier of natural gas, El Pais said.

But the move angered Rabat which has demanded a “transparent investigation” over his arrival in Spain “with forged documents and a fake identity”.

– What is Ghali accused of? –

Now “out of danger” but still in hospital, Ghali will testify by video conference in two separate investigations.

One relates to allegations of torture at Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, a town in western Algeria. The accusations were made by Polisario dissident Fadel Breika, who also holds Spanish nationality.

The second probe relates to allegations of genocide, murder, terrorism, torture and disappearances made by the Sahrawi Association for the Defence of Human Rights (ASADEDH), which is based in Spain.

Given there were no “clear indications of his involvement”, a Spanish judge refused to impose any precautionary measures such as seizing Ghali’s passport, court documents showed.

– What is the link with Ceuta? –

With Ghali considered a “war criminal” by Rabat, the Moroccan government decided to turn a blind eye at its shared border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where up to 10,000 people crossed unhindered early last week.

“The real cause of the crisis is Madrid’s welcoming of the separatist leader of the Polisario militia, under a false identity,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said.

Madrid has accused Rabat of “blackmail” and summoned its ambassador, who has been recalled to Morocco for consultations where she will stay “for the duration of the crisis,” the minister said.

Source: AFP

Football: Chelsea has now completed a treble of victories over Manchester City

29, May 2021

Football: Chelsea has now completed a treble of victories over Manchester City 0

A self-confessed admirer of Pep Guardiola, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel got the better of his mentor as the Blues kept Manchester City waiting for Champions League glory by winning Saturday’s final 1-0.

Victory in Porto rounded off a rollercoaster five months for the German, who was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain on Christmas Eve and handed the chance to revive Chelsea’s fortunes less than a month later.

Chelsea were languishing ninth in the Premier League table at the time with owner Roman Abramovich seeing little return on his £220 million ($312 million) outlay on new players last summer under Frank Lampard.

Kai Havertz was the most expensive purchase of that splurge after his £71 million move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Getting the best out of Havertz was one of Tuchel’s major tasks and the 21-year-old came good on the biggest stage of all with the only goal three minutes before half-time.

Unlike Guardiola, Tuchel did not have a glittering playing career. A series of knee injuries forced him to retire at 25 and take up a job as a waiter, while he began his coaching career in the youth ranks of Stuttgart.

From afar he watched and was inspired as Guardiola won 14 trophies in four years at Barcelona before joining him in Germany where they battled for Bundesliga supremacy in charge of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

During Tuchel’s first meeting with Guardiola the two football obsessives talked long into the night using glasses and salt and pepper shakers to mimic formations.

“It’s easier to demonstrate a position or defending a position or building some gaps you can play through, and it’s easier to do this when you have some glasses and salt and pepper on the table,” Tuchel said this week.

“I was such a huge admirer of Pep when he was a player and then when he became a coach it was like learning on the job for me. I was an academy coach and then in the Bundesliga with Mainz, but I don’t think I missed a game because there was so much to learn.

“There was a lot of tactical talking and discussions and it was so interesting to hear his beliefs, his self-confidence and also the doubts in what he’s doing.”

The Catalan’s confidence will be shaken when he comes face-to-face with Tuchel again in the Premier League next season.

Tuchel did not win any of the first five clashes between the pair during his time at Mainz and Dortmund against Guardiola’s dominant Bayern side.

But he has now won three in the past six weeks as Chelsea completed a treble of victories over the English champions after wins in the FA Cup semi-final and Premier League.

– Tactical battle –

Guardiola spoke glowingly ahead of the game on how Tuchel has revived Chelsea’s fortunes by changing to a 3-4-3 formation that denied City’s abundance of creative midfielders space between the lines.

That allowed Tuchel to arguably win the tactical battle before a ball had even been kicked.

Often accused of overly tinkering with his line-ups when the pressure is ramped up in the final stages of the Champions League, Guardiola’s bold call to start without a recognised holding midfielder backfired.

Tuchel was dismissed by PSG despite leading the French giants to their own first Champions League final in August.

That time he had to suffer the pain of a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, but his desire not to leave Portugal empty-handed again was in evidence as he prowled the touchline, constantly cajoling his players and whipping up the Chelsea fans into a frenzy.

The travelling support from London were among a 14,000 crowd that contributed hugely to the spectacle after almost a full season of European football behind closed doors.

Chelsea fans showed they have not forgotten the club’s all-time record goalscorer with cries of “super Frank” in honour of Lampard’s part in getting the Blues into the top four last season to qualify, and through the group stages before his dismissal.

But this was Tuchel’s triumph.

Source: AFP

Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 to win Champions League

29, May 2021

Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 to win Champions League 0

Chelsea’s Kai Havertz repaid some of his huge transfer fee as his first-half goal sealed a 1-0 win for his side over Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday.

The German youngster, Chelsea’s record signing, latched on to Mason Mount’s pass and evaded City keeper Ederson before rolling the ball into an empty net in the 42nd minute.

Premier League champions City were favourites ahead of the final but suffered a desperately disappointing night in Porto in what was their first Champions League final.

Pep Guardiola’s side were never allowed to play their normal fluent game and could not respond as a disciplined Chelsea sealed a second Champions League triumph.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel won the tactical battle against his City counterpart Guardiola and his side could have won by more had Timo Werner converted two gilt-edged chances.

City laboured after the break searching for openings and their cause was not helped when playmaker Kevin de Bruyne went off injured after a clash of heads.

Chelsea survived seven minutes of stoppage time with Riyad Mahrez going agonisingly close for City before the celebrations from Chelsea’s travelling fans could begin.

Source: REUTERS

Ambazonia: Yerima issues statement saying there should be unity among self-defense forces

29, May 2021

Ambazonia: Yerima issues statement saying there should be unity among self-defense forces 0

IG STATEMENT ON AUDIO ORDERING MURDER AMONGST SELF-DEFENCE FORCES

Fellow Ambazonians,

There is an audio circulating on social media from an agent of darkness in the United States instructing Ambazonian self-defense forces to attack and kill one another. The Interim Government of Ambazonia strongly condemns this appalling and unacceptable request and calls on all self-defense forces to ignore this shocking appeal. The notion that Ambazonians should be encouraged to attack and exterminate one another is shameful, distasteful, outrageous, and unacceptable. And the perpetrators of these sorts of actions shall one day face the Southern Cameroons justice system.

Our self-defense forces are an essential component of our liberation struggle. Their sacrifices are worthy and have brought us this far. As leaders and the Diaspora, our role is to promote unity amongst them, not divide them. Unfortunately, last year, we witnessed the senseless killings of many self-defense forces by people who claimed to fight for our flag. These killings are unacceptable.

To Our Self-defense Forces

My dear restoration forces, you must STOP attacking each other! Our common enemy is La Republique du Cameroun.  Your task as self-defense forces in this struggle is to free our people and defend Ambazonia from grave danger. Your paramount loyalty is to the nation above any frontline movement or so-called leader in the Diaspora. We cannot aid and abet the enemy by fighting amongst ourselves. This war requires our sustained loyalty and self-restraint.

In this war for freedom, you have all chosen to bear the duty of self-defense. Yet, your actions must be guided by a vision of unity and collaboration on the battlefield of many dangers. Ambazonia cannot afford to lose any more lives in avoidable circumstances. Millions of Southern Cameroonians have confidence in you and are praying for you as you undertake this gigantic task to free our nation. Unity amongst you will be a decisive blow to the rogue advisers passing for leaders in the Diaspora. Ambazonia is watching you, and in you, her hope for victory lies. That trust is well placed, and you cannot afford to let your nation down with infighting.

There are difficult days ahead, yet we must remain strong. But above all, you at the forefront of this struggle must remain united. So, we must confront this dangerous enemy with unity and purpose. We must unite to defeat this evil of tyranny. Fellow Ambazonians, we will not fail. Instead, we will unite, persevere, and defeat this common enemy with all its collaborators in the Diaspora.

Thank you, and may

God bless the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Dabney Yerima

Vice President, Federal Republic of Ambazonia

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Amba fighters kill two Cameroon gov’t soldiers in Ekondo Titi

29, May 2021

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Amba fighters kill two Cameroon gov’t soldiers in Ekondo Titi 0

The situation in Southern Cameroons is getting worse by the day as Southern Cameroonian fighters who started out with hunting rifles seem to be making significant progress in their procurement of sophisticated weapons.

From hunting rifles, they are slowly but surely acquiring sophisticated killing machines like AK-47s, making life in the territory unbearable. They have killed and maimed many Cameroon government army soldiers.

On Wednesday 26 May 2021, two soldiers were killed in the locality of Ekondo-Titi, in the South West region. The soldiers were blown up by a homemade mine installed by Ambazonia Restoration Forces, while they were conducting a sweep near the border between Cameroon and Nigeria.

In a correspondence to the Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé, the mayor of Ekondo-Titi confirmed the killings and stated that “The two soldiers who were part of a military unit in charge of conducting a combing operation along the border between Cameroon and Nigeria in search of separatist terrorist elements, were victims of an explosion of an improvised mine.”

A video posted online detailing that attack revealed that the Cameroon military vehicle ran over the mine and elements of the Ambazonia Restoration Forces opened fire on the soldiers killing two and wounding three.

These tragic deaths add to the long list of deaths recorded by the Cameroon defense forces engaged in this crisis that has almost paralyzed the entire Southern Cameroons. Earlier this week, 4 gendarmes were killed by the Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces in the locality of Lassin, Bui Divisions in the North West region.

By Fon Lawrence

Football: Neymar says Nike claim of split over sex assault probe an ‘absurd lie’

29, May 2021

Football: Neymar says Nike claim of split over sex assault probe an ‘absurd lie’ 0

Neymar said Friday that Nike’s claim it parted ways with him last year because he refused to cooperate with its internal investigation into an employee’s accusation he sexually assaulted her was an “absurd lie”.

“(To) state that my contract was terminated because I did not contribute in good faith to an investigation, is an absurd lie,” the Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star said in a statement on Instagram.

“I was not given the opportunity to defend myself. I was not given the opportunity to know who this person was that was allegedly offended. I don’t even know her. I’ve never had any kind of relationship or approach with this person.”

The statement came a day after Nike said it had ended its sponsorship deal with Neymar over the alleged 2016 incident – which was reported to the company in 2018 – and his failure to cooperate with its internal investigation.

Nike did not give a reason when it terminated the deal in August 2020.

The company had sponsored Neymar, 29, since he was a 13-year-old prodigy.

The superstar is now a poster boy for Puma. His deal with the German sportswear giant was announced in September 2020.

‘They did nothing’

The Nike employee accused Neymar of trying to force her to perform oral sex on him in a New York hotel room during a promotional trip for a new line of sneakers, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first broke the story.

Neymar denied the accusation, and said the US sportswear giant had nevertheless continued sending him on promotional tours.

“In 2017 I traveled again to the USA for another advertising campaign, with the same people, and nothing was told to me, nothing changed!” he wrote.

“In 2017, 2018, 2019 we made trips, advertising campaigns, countless shooting sections. And they told me nothing. Such a serious matter and they did nothing.”

In a previous statement, Neymar said he and Nike had split for commercial reasons.

The player’s father accused the company of “blackmail.”

“It’s all very strange” that the accusation only came to light years later, after Neymar left Nike, he told Brazil’s Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Tarnished star

Nike said in a statement it was prepared to investigate in 2018 when the woman first came forward, but “respected the employee’s initial desire to keep this matter confidential and avoid an investigation.”

The firm therefore didn’t share information with law enforcement or any other third party until 2019, when she expressed an interest in pursuing the matter.

Neymar is the world’s most expensive footballer. He left Barcelona for PSG in 2017 for a record transfer fee of 222 million euros ($270 million).

With his on-pitch exploits and huge following on social media, Neymar is one of the biggest names in sports.

But his shine has often been tarnished.

His image as an eternal spoiled child was revived late last year by rumors of a giant year-end party he organized in his native Brazil in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

A young woman also filed a complaint against him for rape in 2019.

He vehemently denied the accusation, and the case was eventually dropped.

Source: AFP

Football: Edouard Mendy is first Senegalese goalkeeper in Champions League final

29, May 2021

Football: Edouard Mendy is first Senegalese goalkeeper in Champions League final 0

In 2015, Senegalese Edouard Mendy was in Le Havre, northern France, desperate to find a professional club. Six years later, he could be the first African goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final.

He is poised to follow in the footsteps of the heroic Zimbabwean goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, two times finalist in the European Champions Cup with Liverpool FC in the 80s’.

The Senegalese international goalkeeper, who has kept 24 clean sheets this season, becomes a master of his future when he will appear in Porto on Saturday for his first Champions League final against Manchester City.

It will be the crowning achievement of a journey entangled with difficulties for the 29-year-old goalkeeper, who had a promising start.

Born near Le Havre, he became a goalkeeper at the age of 10 years in his neighborhood and was quickly spotted by HAC Academy.

“He had a certain talent, explosiveness, a character that allowed him to have a certain presence in the goal but also in attitude even as a discreet boy,” Michel Courel, his former coach at the HAC Academy said. “He was very diligent and very serious and was a very motivated kid”, he added.

Mendy has been a key player in Chelsea’s squad this season, with 16 clean sheets in 31 EPL games.

The Senegalese goalkeeper has also shined in Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League run, making sure no shot went past him in 8 out of 11 European games.

He hadn’t even been the first-choice goalkeeper there – he spent much of his time on the bench – and he struggled to find another club, repeatedly let down by an agent who was unable to find Mendy a new team in France or in the third tier of England, as promised.

The phone call that changed everything came in 2015 when he was offered a trial at Marseille to become the southern team’s fourth-choice goalkeeper. His pregnant girlfriend stayed in Le Havre.

“When I went down there, it was a case of just giving my absolute everything to get the opportunity to join that club,” Mendy said.

Although he wasn’t the first choice at Marseille, his career was back up and running. He moved to Reims in France’s second division in 2016 and then to Rennes in 2019.

After one season, he had done enough to convince Chelsea’s technical director, Petr Cech – a former player for Rennes and then Chelsea – to bring him to England.

“Now it is up to me to repay their interest in me.”

He has made a good start. Tall and good with the ball at his feet, Mendy already looks a massive upgrade on the erratic Kepa. Crucially, Chelsea’s defenders appear more at ease with Mendy behind them.

Mendy will look to make it three shutouts in three games when Chelsea visits Manchester United on Saturday for the standout match of the Premier League’s sixth round.

Source: Africa News

Mali: Coup leader Col Goïta named as transitional president

29, May 2021

Mali: Coup leader Col Goïta named as transitional president 0

Mali’s constitutional court named Colonel Assimi Goïta as its transitional president on Friday.

It comes after Mali’s second coup in nine months.

Colonel Goïta had already declared himself the interim president on Wednesday.

On Monday President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, were detained by soldiers along with other leaders of the transitional government, hours after naming a new Cabinet that did not include two key military leaders.

On Thursday, they both resigned and were released. Their arrest led to an international uproar.

The new leader said on Friday his appointment is for security reasons during a meeting with the Malian political class.

“We had to choose between the stability of Mali and the chaos. We have chosen stability. In choosing between disorder and cohesion in the defence forces and security, we have chosen cohesion in the defence forces and security because it is in the nation’s best interests,” Goïta said on Friday.

“We have no hidden agenda”

Ndaw and Ouane had led a transitional government tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup last August that toppled Mali’s elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Keita was forced out by young army officers, led by Goïta, following mass protests over perceived corruption and his failure to quell a bloody jihadist insurgency.

Goïta, who led the junta calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, has served as Mali’s vice president in the transitional government formed last September.

He has held that position despite initial calls from the international community for an entirely civilian-led transition.

Diplomats told AFP Friday that the Economic Community of West African States would discuss the situation in Ghana’s capital Accra on Sunday.

The 15-nation bloc has also warned of reimposing sanctions on the country; as has the United States and former colonial master France.

There are nonetheless fears that sanctions will further destabilise the poverty-stricken nation of 19 million people, which has been battling a brutal jihadist insurgency since 2012.

Source: African News

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