3, August 2020

FIFA: Infantino to ‘respect’ any ethics committee decision ⁰

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will “respect any decision by the ethics committee”, world football’s governing body said Monday after Swiss authorities opened criminal proceedings against him last week.

A Swiss special prosecutor has launched proceedings against Infantino, as part of an investigation into suspected collusion with the country’s attorney general, Michael Lauber. Both have denied any wrongdoing.

“I’ve no doubt that Gianni Infantino would respect any decision by the ethics commission,” FIFA deputy secretary general Alasdair Bell told a video news conference. “We don’t see any evidence of criminal or unethical behaviour,” he said.

FIFA on Sunday insisted Infantino would continue to fulfil his duties as president and blasted the Swiss probe.

It gave no indication on Monday whether or not its ethics committee had instigated proceedings against Infantino.

“The ethics committee will have to come to its own conclusion… In every case, it needs to be tested, if there’s something serious, there’s a case for suspension,” said Bell.

Questioned about Infantino’s absence during Monday’s video conference, Bell said the FIFA chief “will be available and will speak in order to clear his name.”

He added: “FIFA and Gianni Infantino have absolutely nothing to hide, we want to be transparent. There’s no factual basis for this criminal procedure.”

Infantino and Lauber are said to have held a series of meetings in 2016 and 2017.

Two such meetings were initially exposed in 2018 by “Football Leaks”, a cross-border investigation by several European news organisations.

In a statement Thursday, Swiss authorities said special prosecutor Stefan Keller “has reached the conclusion that…there are indications of criminal conduct” in relation to meetings between Infantino, Lauber and another official, Rinaldo Arnold.

“This concerns abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders and incitement to these acts,” the authorities said.

Lauber, who offered his resignation on July 24, was in charge of Switzerland’s probe into the towering corruption scandal that exploded at the heart of Zurich-based FIFA in 2015.

But he was forced to recuse himself from the investigation in June 2019, following media revelations that he had held several undeclared meetings with Infantino during the probe.

Switzerland has pursued a number of cases since a raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich in May 2015 led to the arrests of a several FIFA executives and exposed an allegedly corrupt underbelly in world football.

In total, more than 20 FIFA proceedings have been opened in Switzerland over the past five years into allegations of corruption and vote-buying, and allegations over the awarding of television rights contracts.

Source: AFP

3, August 2020

Amba Crisis: US Assistant Secretary of State Tibor insists Anglophones desire control over their own affairs ⁰

Tibor Peter Nagy Jr., the United States Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State, says the UNDP-backed Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions (PPRD-NW/SW) may only succeed if government understands the “keen desire” of the people.

The U.S. diplomat was speaking Thursday, July 30, 2020, during a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Nagy’s comments came as Congress listened to an update on the COVID-19 pandemic response in Africa.

“Anything having to do with Cameroon has to be overweighed with the problem of the conflict that is going on,” Nagy said, referring to the on-going socio-political unrest in Cameroon’s North West and South West Regions where state forces are battling armed separatists who seek to create a breakaway state called Ambazonia.

Ambassador Nagy added that: “For example, now the Cameroonian government is talking about a new UN development program for the North West and the South West. Unfortunately, there is just no way to implement that.

“And the Cameroonian government seems to forget that the number one desire of the people of the North West and South West is to have a say over their affairs. It is one thing to talk about development. But at the heart of it, is their keen desire to have control over their own lives. Until the Cameroonian government understands that, all these plans are going to come and they are not going to succeed.”

The SUN recalls that on May 18, 2020, Nagy took to twitter calling on the belligerents in the conflict to “stop [the] violence and start talking.”

He said the killing of civilians is inexcusable, citing the killings in Ngarbuh attributed to state forces and the killing of the Mayor of Mamfe by armed separatists.

His words: “Government killing of civilians in Cameroon is inexcusable. I urge follow-through on Ngarbuh investigation and many other incidents of this nature. I also condemn separatist attacks on local officials such as the murder of Mamfe’s mayor. Stop the violence, start talking.”

Paul Tasong and Donatus Njong were, in April, respectively installed National Coordinator and Deputy National Coordinator of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions, PPRD-NW/SW.

The duo is expected to ensure “the rehabilitation of about 350 schools, 115 health centers, 40 bridges, 400 power points, 500 KM of Low tension power points, 600KM of rural roads, 45 markets, 12000 houses, 25000hectares of farmland, livestock lost by grazers, the reestablishment of close to 3000 personal documents lost.”

Tasong and his team were in the two regions from Monday, June 22 to Friday, July 3, 2020, for what they said was an “Awareness and Sensitization Mission.”

Corporate demands by Common Law Lawyers and Anglophone Teachers led to protests in November 2016. The street demonstrations later morphed into ongoing running gun battles between state forces and armed separatist fighters in the predominantly English-speaking regions, leading to untold destruction of human lives, their habitats, and livelihoods.

Source: Cameroon Info.Net

3, August 2020

Vatican: Benedict XVI ‘extremely frail’ ⁰

Former pope Benedict XVI became seriously ill himself after visiting his sick brother in Germany in June and is “extremely frail”, according to a report in the Monday edition of the German Passauer Neue Presse newspaper.

Benedict, 93, is suffering from erysipelas of the face, a virus that causes a facial rash and episodes of severe pain, the newspaper reported, citing the former pope’s biographer Peter Seewald.

“According to Seewald, the Pope emeritus is now extremely frail,” the report says. “His thinking and his memory are quick, but his voice is hardly audible at the moment.”

Seewald reportedly visited Benedict in Rome on Saturday to present him with his biography.

“At the meeting the emeritus Pope, despite his illness, was optimistic and declared that if his strength increased again he would possibly take up his pen again,” the paper said.

Benedict visited his sick brother Georg in Germany in June, marking his first trip out of Italy since his shock resignation in 2013.

Georg Ratzinger died just two weeks later, aged 96.

The former pontiff, whose original name is Joseph Ratzinger, now lives in a small former monastery inside the Vatican.

He has largely stayed out of the public eye since he became the first pope in 600 years to resign, citing health reasons.

A traditionalist in the Catholic Church, he was replaced by the reformist Pope Francis.

Source:AFP

3, August 2020

Global coronavirus cases top 18 million as WHO warns of ‘response fatigue’ ⁰

The number of coronavirus cases recorded worldwide passed the 18-million mark on Monday, with the World Health Organization warning that the effects of the pandemic “will be felt for decades to come”.

The virus that causes Covid-19 has killed more than 687,000 people since it first emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

Fresh clusters have been reported in countries that had previously brought their outbreaks under control, forcing governments to reimpose lockdown measures despite worries over further economic fallout.

Australia’s Victoria state imposed fresh, sweeping restrictions on Sunday, including a curfew in Melbourne for the next six weeks, a ban on wedding gatherings, and an order that schools and universities go back online in the coming days.

“Anything short of this will see it drag on for months and months and months,” Victoria premier Daniel Andrews said of the outbreak.

Despite a lockdown, Melbourne has continued to report hundreds of new cases daily even as other states in Australia have reported zero or a small number.

Many other parts of the world are struggling with much bigger outbreaks.

Health authorities in South Africa, where a surge in cases had been expected after the gradual loosening of a strict lockdown, reported that infections exceeded the half-million mark.

The nation is by far the hardest-hit in Africa, accounting for more than half of diagnosed infections, although President Cyril Ramaphosa said the fatality rate is lower than the global average.

Latin America and the Caribbean passed another milestone on Sunday as fatalities in the region climbed to more than 200,000, with Brazil and Mexico accounting for nearly three-quarters.

Iran — battling the Middle East’s deadliest outbreak — reported its highest single-day infection count in nearly a month, warning that most of its provinces have been hit by a resurgence of the disease.

With infections and deaths still surging six months after it declared a global health emergency, the World Health Organization has warned of possible “response fatigue”.

“The WHO continues to assess the global risk level of COVID-19 to be very high,” the UN health agency said, adding that the effects of the pandemic “will be felt for decades to come.”

Europe case numbers creep up again

The deadly pandemic has spurred a race for a vaccine with several Chinese companies at the forefront, while Russia has set a target date of September to roll out its own prophylactic.

However, US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said it was unlikely the United States would use any vaccine developed in either nation.

As part of its “Operation Warp Speed”, the US government will pay pharmaceutical giants Sanofi and GSK up to $2.1 billion for the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, the two companies have said.

The US has now tallied more than 4.6 million cases and 154,793 deaths, while neighbouring Mexico has overtaken Britain to become the third-hardest-hit country in virus deaths — after Brazil and the US — with more than 46,600 fatal cases.

In Europe, where many countries had hoped their outbreaks had been brought under control, Norway recorded its first virus death in two weeks and Switzerland reported its case numbers had crept up again.

Despite the resurgence, Europe has seen demonstrations against coronavirus curbs.

Thousands protested in Berlin over the weekend urging “a day of freedom” from the restrictions, with some demonstrators dubbing the pandemic “the biggest conspiracy theory”.

The protests, in which many demonstrators failed to wear masks or respect social distancing rules, triggered calls for tougher penalties against those who violate curbs.

At least 45 police officers were injured and more than 130 people were arrested.

The pandemic has also continued to cause mayhem in the travel, sports, cultural and tourism sectors, with more airlines announcing mass job cuts and major festivals and cultural events scaling back.

Latin America’s biggest airline, the Brazilian-Chilean group LATAM, said it would lay off at least 2,700 crew, and British Airways pilots overwhelmingly voted to accept a deal cutting wages by 20 percent, with 270 jobs lost.

Austria’s month-long Salzburg festival celebrates its 100th anniversary, but now with a reduced programme and strict safety measures, including masks for spectators until they are seated.

The 80,000 tickets for the event — down from the usual 230,000 — have been personalised to enable contact-tracing.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

2, August 2020

Charity Groups Protest Abuse of Mental Health Patients ⁰

Seven leading mental health charities in Cameroon on Saturday led protests in the central African state’s capital, Yaoundé, against harsh treatment some African healers give people with mental illness. Some psychiatric patients undergo several forms of torture from healers who believe mental illness is divine punishment for wrongdoing.

The protests were provoked by the chaining, detention and torture of a man believed to have epilepsy, frequently leading to memory loss.

Juniour Lawan, 24, said when he had a series of epileptic seizures four years ago, his parents said he was a fool and stopped him from going to college. He said he finds it very difficult convincing his family and friends that he temporarily suffers from memory loss but insists that he is not a fool as they claim.

Lawan said after three years of hardship, he escaped from the home of a healer in the town of Ntui, about 80 kilometers north of Yaoundé. He said while there he was forced to look at the sun for three minutes every day as a form of healing. He was also beaten and given some concoctions to drink as part of what the healer said was a cleansing from evil spirits.

Unfortunately, Lawan said he did not find peace at the Yaoundé residence of his older brother, Diedonne Sadi. Sadi said he did not want his brother, who he knows is under an evil spell for wrongdoing, to live with him.

Sadi asked his neighbors to chain Lawan’s feet and hands to stop him from destroying the roof of his house. According to Sadi, Lawan escaped from the healer’s care because Lawan is not only mad but possessed by evil spirits. He plans to take Lawan to exorcist priests for deliverance.

Lawan told the police, where he was taken for safety, that he struggled to escape through the roof because of the pain from beatings.

His story spread like wildfire and on social media platforms, attracting the attention of mental health charity groups.

Dr. Nchouat Lyonga Kharim Charles, who treats psychiatric patients in Yaoundé, said the charities organizex the protests in Yaoundé to inform people that mental illness can be treated at hospitals. He said the burden on families who find it difficult to take care of mental patients will be reduced if they simply take them to psychiatric hospitals.

“It will reduce the stigma, the pain and the harm caused on these patients, like stigmatizing and insulting them on their predicament,” he said. “Giving them over to traditional healers, where they are abandoned to themselves and left at the mercy of these healers. Where people suggest sex as a channel of healing because they consider these diseases to be spiritual or at worst they are even abandoned to the streets.”

Traditionally it is believed in Cameroon that generational curses, God`s punishment for wrongdoing, and witchcraft or spiritual possession are responsible for mental illness.

Cameroon’s government adds that trauma from the four-year separatist crisis in English-speaking regions and stress from Boko Haram terrorism in northern Cameroon have increased mental illness in the central African state.

Source: VOA

2, August 2020

Coronavirus pandemic will be with us for a long time, WHO warns ⁰

The World Health Organization on Saturday warned the coronavirus pandemic was likely to be “lengthy” after its emergency committee met to evaluate the crisis six months after sounding the international alarm.

The committee “highlighted the anticipated lengthy duration of this COVID-19 pandemic”, the WHO said in a statement, and warned of the risk of “response fatigue” given the socio-economic pressures on countries.

The panel gathered Friday for the fourth time over the coronavirus crisis, half a year on from its January 30 declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — the WHO’s highest level of alarm.

“WHO continues to assess the global risk level of COVID-19 to be very high,” said its latest statement.

“The committee highlighted the anticipated lengthy duration of this COVID-19 pandemic, noting the importance of sustained community, national, regional, and global response efforts.”

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 680,000 people and infected at least 17.6 million since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

Unsurprisingly, the panel, comprising 18 members and 12 advisers, unanimously agreed that the pandemic still constituted a PHEIC.

Crisis fatigue warning

Several countries around the world have imposed strict lockdowns in a bid to control the spread of the respiratory disease, plunging economies into sharp contraction.

The committee urged the WHO to provide nuanced, pragmatic guidance on COVID-19 reactions “to reduce the risk of response fatigue in the context of socio-economic pressures”.

The panel urged the WHO to support countries in preparing for the rollout of proven therapeutics and vaccines.

The committee also urged the agency to accelerate research into the remaining “critical unknowns” of the virus, such as the animal source and potential animal reservoirs.

It called for improved understanding of the epidemiology and severity of COVID-19, including its long-term health effects.

And the committee wanted more light shed on the dynamics of the virus, such as “modes of transmission, shedding, potential mutations; immunity and correlates of protection”.

The near six-hour gathering was hosted at the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, with some participants joining via video-link.

The committee will reconvene in three months’ time.

Effects ‘felt for decades’

Going into the meeting, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic’s effects would be long-lasting.

“It’s sobering to think that six months ago, when you recommended I declare a PHEIC, there were less than 100 cases and no deaths outside China,” he said Friday.

“The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come.”

The WHO has been sharply criticised for the length of time it took to declare an international emergency.

The United States, which accused the organisation of being too close to China, officially began its withdrawal from the organisation in July.

The agency has also been criticised for recommendations deemed late or contradictory, in particular on wearing masks, or the modes of transmission of the virus.

“Many scientific questions have been resolved; many remain to be answered,” Tedros said Friday.

“Most of the world’s people remain susceptible to this virus, even in areas that have experienced severe outbreaks.”

Source: AFP

2, August 2020

Southern Cameroons prisoner of conscience handcuffed on hospital bed ⁰

Thomas Tangem is a Southern Cameroons prisoner of conscience held by the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaoundé. He was recently handcuffed on a hospital bed at the Central Hospital in Yaoundé following directives from the superintendent of the Central Prison in Kondengui, Hamadou Modi despite him being seriously ill.

The extremely vulnerable Southern Cameroons citizen was handcuffed to a prison officer and transported in an old dusty prison van to the Central Hospital and later handcuffed on a hospital bed. Thomas Tangem was taken to hospital three times lately after he woke breathless, unable to move and without any feeling down the right side of his body.

Thomas Tangem is a prisoner of conscience and a member of the Southern Cameroons group of activists arrested by the Biya Francophone government for their role in peaceful protests four years ago.

The Ambazonia Interim Government collected testimony regarding his arbitrary arrest and torture late last year and despite the intervention of a legal defense team, the Cameroon government judiciary authorities have refused to release him.

Thomas Tangem was among the hundreds of Southern Cameroons detainees who joined the Ambazonia leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and his top aides in staging a hunger strike in protest at the collective punishment and acts of torture that French Cameroun police and military establishments inflicted upon Southern Cameroons prisoners in French Cameroun jails.

Thomas Tangem is going through unimaginable torture and his medical conditions have deteriorated considerably as a result of his incarceration. Yaoundé prison and hospital authorities have denied him everything including physiotherapy and surgery. He is currently being held in solitary confinement in a windowless room in Central Hospital.

We of the Cameroon Concord News Group remind the Biya Francophone government of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and we call on the Yaounde authorities to release Thomas Tangem and all prisoners of conscience in French Cameroun jails and detention centers.

We further call on the international community, and in particular EU member states and the United States, to demand the release of the Southern Cameroons leader President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe and all Ambazonia detainees.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Group Chairman/Editor-In-Chief

1, August 2020

Formular 1: Hamilton grabs pole position for British Grand Prix ⁰

Lewis Hamilton smashed the track record twice on Saturday to grab a record seventh British Grand Prix pole position with a stunning performance in a tense qualifying session.

Hamilton, who on Sunday seeks a record-increasing seventh Silverstone victory, finished ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by more than three-tenths of a second after the Finn had been fastest in final practice and then again in both Q2 and Q3 when he also set lap records.

The defending six-time champion and current series leader bounced back from a ragged performance, including a spin, in the first parts of qualifying to claim his 65th pole with Mercedes and the record-increasing 91st of his career.

It was also a record eighth successive Mercedes pole success in Britain on a day when they were clear of their nearest rivals Red Bull by a full second, Max Verstappen taking third place on the grid ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Rising British star Lando Norris, 20, was fifth for McLaren ahead of Lance Stroll in Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’, Carlos Sainz in the second McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo and his Renault team-mate Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel, who was 10th for Ferrari.

“This track is awesome! But it is tough out there – with the winds, it is like juggling balls on a moving plate,” said a delighted Hamilton.

“I had a spin and as you know qualifying is all about confidence and I was struggling in the first sectors of every lap, but I took some deep breaths, composed myself and in Q3 I had a clear lap and the second one was even better!”

He added that it was strange to drive without any fans in the circuit. “Usually, it’s all sirens, flags and smoke and the atmosphere is buzzing – you get out of the car and have a different energy so I miss them, but I hope everyone is safe and happy at home.”

Source: AFP

1, August 2020

Cameroon star Bassogog hospitalised in China with coronavirus ⁰

Christian Bassogog, who starred in Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2017, became the second confirmed coronavirus case in the Chinese Super League on Friday.

The 24-year-old forward, who plays for Henan Jianye, is asymptomatic but is in hospital in Guangzhou, health authorities in the southern city said.

There is no health threat to the CSL, which started on July 25, because Bassogog has been in quarantine since arriving in China from Cameroon in mid-July.

Former Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini was previously the only confirmed coronavirus case in China’s top football league.

The 32-year-old Belgian spent three weeks in a Chinese hospital before being released in mid-April.

He was not seriously ill and bounced back to score a seven-minute hat-trick of headers in Shandong Luneng’s season-opener on Sunday.

Bassogog, who was named best player at the 2017 Cup of Nations, was tested upon arrival on July 15 and was negative for coronavirus, Guangzhou health authorities said.

However, during quarantine he was retested and twice returned a positive result.

Henan, beaten 4-3 by Jiangsu Suning in their first match of the virus-delayed season, wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo: “The tougher (the situation is) the farther you go!

“Come on Bassogog! We’re waiting for you!”

Source: News 24

1, August 2020

Biya and BIR cannot force Amba fighters to disarm ⁰

A senior Cameroon government official who hails from the Littoral Region says the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) deployed to Southern Cameroons four years ago are under some form of illusion that they can disarm Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

The chartered member of the Grand Sawa Movement whose name we are withholding hinted Cameroon Concord News that “It is almost four years now since Biya started the war in Anglophone Cameroon… I do not believe that the BIR soldiers can win this war against the Amba Boys. It is an illusion.”

The Yaoundé regime declared war against what President Biya described at the time as terrorists targeting English speaking Cameroonians.

Over the past four years, more than 6000 people have been killed and several villages destroyed by Cameroon government army soldiers. But the fighting is showing no signs of ending despite calls from the UN Security Council for a ceasefire due to the coronavirus pandemic.

By Fon Lawrence