30, January 2020

Coronavirus: Chaos in China’s sporting calendar ⁰

China suspended all football in the country Thursday, hours after the World Indoor Athletics Championships and World Cup skiing were postponed, adding to a long list of sports events hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

The world’s most populous country has become an increasing powerhouse in hosting international sport in recent years but has had its 2020 sporting calendar thrown into chaos.

Here, AFP Sport lists the events already affected and those potentially under threat:

Cancelled, postponed or moved

— Football: China on Thursday suspended all domestic football and postponed indefinitely the top-flight Chinese Super League season kick-off due on February 22 in order to “carry out prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic,” said the Chinese Football Association.

— Athletics: The World Indoor Championships, scheduled for Nanjing from March 13-15, were postponed for a year. “It is with regret that we have agreed with the organisers … to postpone the event to March 2021,” the sport’s governing body said in a statement Wednesday.

— Football: The Asian Football Confederation announced Wednesday that home Champions League group stage games featuring four Chinese clubs would be switched to away fixtures for the first three match days in February and March. A decision on venues for each club’s three home group matches will be made at a later date.

— Women’s football: A women’s Olympics qualifying event between China, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia scheduled from February 3-9 in Wuhan, the disease epicentre, was moved initially to Nanjing then to Sydney. The China women’s football team were quarantined in a Brisbane hotel on Wednesday after arriving in Australia for the tournament.

— Boxing: A qualification event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics initially scheduled from February 3-14 in Wuhan was rescheduled for Amman in Jordan from March 3-11.

— Women’s basketball: Another Olympic qualifying tournament, a four-team battle for three Tokyo places between China, Great Britain, Spain and South Korea was moved on Monday from Foshan, in southern China, to Belgrade where it will run alongside another four-team group on February 6-9.

— Aquatics: The Chinese leg of the Diving World Series, scheduled for March 7-9 in Beijing, “has been cancelled,” Cornel Marculescu, president of the international swimming federation, told AFP on Monday. He said the World Series of synchronised swimming, scheduled for Suzhou from April 23-25, was also in question.

— Cycling: The Tour of Hainan, due to be promoted to the second-tier ProSeries this year, was scheduled from February 23 to March 1 on the southern island of Hainan. It has been cancelled “due to the health situation in the country”, the International Cycling Union said on Monday but could be rescheduled later in 2020.

Under threat

— Formula One: The Chinese Grand Prix race weekend is scheduled for Shanghai from April 17-19, an event which attracts tens of thousands of fans.

“We are monitoring the situation in close collaboration with F1, the promoter and with the Federation of Automobile Sports in China, which is our conduit on the ground in China,” governing body FIA said in a statement.

“We are all monitoring it together. At this stage not much we can do except watch the situation and react if necessary, if recommendations are made by the relevant authorities.”

— Formula E: The electric car racing series is also due to stage a race in China, on March 21 on the southern island of Hainan.

A Formula E statement read: “Given the current health concerns, we are continuing to closely monitor the situation as it develops on a daily basis. We have requested that our regional partner works together with the local motorsport federation, to liaise with the relevant authorities in Hainan province to further analyse and assess the situation and provide recommendations on preparations for the race.”

— Football: China is due to host the Maldives in a World Cup qualifying match on March 26 and travel to Guam for another on March 31 and said despite the postponement of all domestic football any decision on international fixtures would be made at a later date.

“The CFA will continue to maintain close communication with national authorities, and decide each event’s timing separately based on the actual development of the epidemic situation in each locality,” a statement said.

— Wrestling: The Asian Olympic qualifying tournament scheduled for March 27-29 in Xi’an could be cancelled. “We are following the situation closely and we are in close contact with the Chinese federation and local authorities,” Nenad Lalovic, president of the International Wrestling Federation, told AFP on Monday. “We will take a decision within 15 days.”

— Sport conference: The SportAccord annual convention, which brings together the presidents of the major international sports federations and the heads of the Olympic movement, including IOC President Thomas Bach, is due to take place in Beijing from April 19-24.

SportAccord is “closely monitoring the situation” and “is following the recommendations of the Chinese authorities and the WHO concerning travel to and from China,” a spokesman told AFP on Monday.

Source: AFP

30, January 2020

US: White House threatens to ban Bolton’s book over ‘security concerns’ ⁰

The White House has warned former national security adviser John Bolton not to publish his book containing evidence about President Donald Trump’s attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival.

National Security Council officials sent a letter to Bolton’s lawyer, saying the unpublished book “appears to contain significant amounts of classified information” and couldn’t be published as written.

The “top secret” information “reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security,” the letter read.

Bolton has reportedly written in his book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” that Trump demanded Ukraine investigate political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, in exchange for millions of dollars in military assistance to the European nation, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Trump denies telling Bolton Ukraine aid was tied to investigations

Under the commencement Bolton made when he accepted the job as Trump’s national security adviser, “the manuscript may not be published or otherwise disclosed without the deletion of this classified information,” according to the letter.

The manuscript was sent to the Nationals Security Council (NSC) a month ago for a standard review.

The Trump administration officials said the president and his legal team have not seen the manuscript and did not participate in the review.

Bolton’s attorney Charles Cooper disputed the claim about “top secret” information, saying that “any of that information could reasonable be considered classified.”

The NSC, however, said it would work with Bolton on revisions to the book.

Trump panics at Bolton’s potential testimony at Senate impeachment trial

The dispute between the White House and Bolton comes as the news of the book prompted demands for Bolton’s testimony in the Senate impeachment trial.

Bolton said he would be willing to testify in the Senate trial if subpoenaed.

Trump, however, has threatened to assert executive privilege and block Bolton’s testimony, if necessary.

In a Twitter message on Wednesday, Trump attacked Bolton’s reputation as a military hawk, describing the book as “nasty and untrue.”

Trump fired Bolton in September last year, over what he said had been “disagreements with many of his suggestions.”

Source: Presstv

29, January 2020

European Parliament gives final approval to Brexit deal ⁰

Britain’s departure from the European Union was set in law Wednesday as, amid emotional scenes, the bloc’s parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers.

After half a century of sometimes awkward membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday.

MEPs voted by 621 votes to 49 to pass the withdrawal agreement, which sees Britain leave the EU institutions but remain under most EU rules during a transition until the end of the year.

Following the vote, MEPs burst into a chorus of “Auld Lang Syne”, a traditional Scottish song of farewell.

The transition will see Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government try to negotiate an ambitious—unprecedented in the timeframe—free trade agreement with his 27 former partners remaining in the bloc.

“Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depth of love,” EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the chamber, quoting British author George Eliot.

“We will always love you and we will never be far. Long live Europe.”

In other words, as French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: “The hardest part lies ahead… we’re going to get down to brass tacks now.”

In the Brussels parliament, many MEPs made it clear that they were voting for the withdrawal deal not out of any support for Brexit, but to avoid the disruption of a chaotic no deal divorce.

Some expressed real anguish and regret, and pointed to Britain’s role not only in the development of the European unification project but also to its historic battles against tyranny on the continent.

“If we could stop Brexit by voting ‘no’ today I would be the first to recommend it,” former Belgian premier and chairman of the parliament’s Brexit steering group Guy Verhofstadt said.

“It is indeed a sad issue,” he said, turning to the World Wars of the first half of he last century. “We’re sad to see a country leaving that twice liberated us, twice has given its blood to liberate Europe.”

The day began with Britain’s permanent representative to the EU Tim Barrow—from Saturday to be its ambassador—handing back the withdrawal agreement signed by Johnson, to be stored in Brussels.

“This step ensures that the UK has fulfilled its legal obligations regarding our exit from the EU,” the British mission said.

Leaving the church

But it was still an emotional day in the European Parliament in Brussels, steeped in a mixture of nostalgia, political carnival and historical metaphor.

Nigel Farage, veteran MEP and leader of Britain’s Brexit Party, was in triumphant mood after two decades as a thorn in Brussels’ side.

After his final speech in parliament, in which he described Brexit as a victory for populism over “globalism”, Farage and his MEPs brandished British flags, in contravention of the rules, then left.

“We’re going to wave you goodbye,” he declared, as deputy speaker Mairead McGuinness cut his microphone.

“If you disobey the rules, you’ll get cut off,” she retorted.

At an earlier news conference, Farage said he had loved playing the “pantomime villain” in the Strasbourg assembly, feeding opposition to Europe at home with theatrical YouTube clips.

But he insisted on the seriousness of Brexit, comparing its significance to king Henry VIII taking Britain out of the Catholic church in 1534.

“He took us out of the Church of Rome, and we are leaving the Treaty of Rome,” he said, referring to the EU’s 1957 founding document.

Later in the day, Farage’s fellow MEPs gathered for the historic vote to incorporate the withdrawal agreement into EU law.

This was the last legislative act of the 73 remaining British MEPs, and departure was hard for some.

Bagpipe serenade

Iratxe Garcia Perez, the Spanish leader of the Socialist group, choked back tears as she said farewell to her British Labour Party comrades.

After Brexit the United Kingdom will be what the EU calls a “third country”, outside the union, but the political and economic drama will continue.

Britain and Europe will apply EU rules on trade and free movement of citizens until the end of the year, while negotiating a free trade agreement.

In the face of scepticism in EU capitals, Johnson insists he is optimistic that a comprehensive free trade deal can be done before the next cliff-edge.

But negotiations between the world’s sixth biggest economy and a 27-nation single market with a population of 450 million will be tricky

Fishing rights, residency and working rights for citizens, tariff free trade, access to Europe for Britain’s huge services sector: all will be on the table.

“We are considering a free trade agreement with zero tariffs and zero quotas. This would be unique. No other free trade agreement offers such access to our single market,” von der Leyen said.

“But the pre-condition is that European and British businesses continue to compete on a level playing field. We will not expose our companies to unfair competition,” she warned, to applause.

UK goes solo

Johnson’s government hopes more trade with the United States and Asian powers can help offset the costs of Brexit.

But the British premier was facing difficult talks on Wednesday with President Donald Trump’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

Trump backed Brexit, but Washington opposed Johnson’s decision to allow Chinese telecoms giant to work on Britain’s 5G telecoms network despite security fears.

(AFP)

29, January 2020

Nigeria: President Buhari surprised by Boko Haram resurgence ⁰

Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari says he is baffled by the resurgence of the terrorist group, Boko Haram who have recently carried out attacks against civilian and military establishments.

‘‘I was taken aback by what is happening in the north-west and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising.,’‘ Buhari said, according to local media portal, Vanguard.

“It is not ethnicity or religion, rather it is one evil plan against the country.”

Buhari’s government has repeatedly claimed to have defeated Boko Haram, a key pledge that was made to the Nigerian people in the 2015 and 2019 elections.

“We have to be harder on them. One of the responsibilities of government is to provide security. If we don’t secure the country, we will not be able to manage the economy properly,” Buhari said.

Boko Harm has intensified attacks in the Northeast region, especially the Maiduguri – Damaturu that has been described as a death trap.

Source: Africa News

29, January 2020

Coronavirus: Cameroonians in China write to Paul Biya ⁰

To His Excellency Mr. Paul BIYA,

President of the Republic of Cameroon

Your Excellency,

We your compatriots schooling and working in Wuhan~ Hubei Province in China, bring our warm wishes for the year 2020. We pray for good health, happiness and peace in our fatherland.

Your excellency,

We are writing to you directly, because the situation forces us to do so outside the established protocol.

Indeed we are Cameroonian nationals residing in the People’s Republic of China where for the most part we are students and workers.

We are here to steal the flame of knowledge in order to come and help our country overcome the challenges of development.

Your Excellency, we are about three hundred (300) Cameroonian residents in Hubei Province which happens to be the epicenter of the Coronavirus 2019-nCov epidemic that is currently affecting our host country and others.

With shopping centers, markets, and transportation at a standstill, we are therefore very anxious about the future of events. Wuhan has been in quarantine since 23 January 2020 Mr President. Despite our many approaches (phone calls and correspondences) to the Cameroonian Embassy in Beijing, we remain without news or official answers to reassure us or give humanitarian instructions.

Your Excellency,

The Chinese government is working to contain this virus but however, it continues to gain ground and psychosis too.

Our frustration is even greater when our colleagues from neighbouring countries receive both moral and physical support from their hierarchy. We refuse to believe that we have been abandoned, which is why we want to seize this opportunity to cry out for help from you.

We wish to suggest that we be provided with a Hotline or Emergency number for all Cameroonians in China via the Embassy.

Above all, Your Excellency, we pray to be provided with the most urgent necessities at this time of crisis: masks, disinfectants and food. Most shops have been emptied and many of us have already exhausted our reserves and are completely stranded.

We know as our father, you cannot see your children being confronted with such an unfortunate situation without being moved. Help us, Your Excellency, we pray you.

We would have loved to be evacuated from here, but understand that circumstances may not permit, and so kindly pray to be assisted with the basic necessities that can sustain us here till things get back to normal.

We are confident, Mr. President, that this message will reach you in good faith.

May God continue to bless, protect and guide you.

Signed:

Members of the Executive Bureau,

Cameroonian Community in Hubei, China-

1. Dr. Pisso Nseke

2. Jum Francis

3. Christian Manga

29, January 2020

Biya and the February twin poll: Reshuffling in CPDM ⁰

While the crisis in Anglophone Cameroon shows no real signs of letting up, on February 9th Cameroonians will nonetheless head to the polls for legislative and municipal elections. The international community’s weak commitment to mediation, the factionalization of the Anglophone movement, and the government’s scorched earth tactics have perpetuated a slow-burning conflict that shows little signs of letting up. The most important Anglophone groups boycotted a Major National Dialogue held in October. The recent legislation of a “special status” for Northwest and Southwest regions has failed to attract support from the most prominent Anglophone groups, who now see federalism as the negotiating starting point.

Nonetheless, Paul Biya is pushing ahead. At stake are 180 seats in the National Assembly and 374 local government councils. The exercise is entirely devoid of sincere democratic meaning. Maurice Kamto and the MRC – only recently released from lengthy detentions following the contentious events of 2018’s presidential election – have boycotted. The SDF’s decision to participate has fractured the party and led to violent threats against their candidates. The UPC’s entire legislative slate was temporarily deemed ineligible to run by the electoral management body. Other parties have lamented the severe security restrictions placed on the electoral process, while separatist groups have threatened to disrupt any attempt to hold an election.

What is the point if the outcome is not in doubt and no credible election can be held? The election will reveal very little about how popular Paul Biya is, and no international observer could sincerely believe that the election will be free and fair. 2020 will be yet another year Cameroon’s long history of authoritarianism.

Scholars increasingly identify such elections as opportunities for autocrats to replenish internal support and build a more compliant political elite. Burgeoning literature has identified legislatures as key institutions that help perpetuate authoritarian rule. Authoritarian legislatures generally lack the capacity to actually legislate and are subservient to the presidency. Therefore, rather than joining the legislature to pursuit policy aims, the legislature offers elites institutionalized access to a steady stream of formal and informal material benefits. In exchange for this access, members of parliament (MPs) are expected to mobilize electoral support and demonstrate loyalty to the regime in public forums. Nomination on the ruling party’s ticket usually means that an MP will win the general election, so all the drama occurs behind the scenes during the candidate selection process.

But, selecting people to serve in the legislature is tricky. To mobilize support, especially in poor countries like Cameroon, MPs must expend significant resources on campaigning. Once in office, MPs are also expected to divert the state budget to the benefit of their constituents, and to themselves spend money to meet constituent demands. Across Africa, this quality of elections has led to a dramatic increase in the number of business elites who have entered the legislature. In authoritarian settings, this is often referred to as “competitive clientelism.” The problem for autocrats is that business elites are not always vetted by a credible selection process. Under certain circumstances, business elites could simply be the highest bidders rather than true regime loyalists.

How do regimes cultivate a candidate base that can simultaneously mobilize electoral support while also ensuring loyalty to the regime?

In my research, I argue that Cameroon’s ruling party has banked on a steady stream of candidates from the civil service. The civil service in Cameroon has historically served as a main avenue for socioeconomic advancement. Cameroon’s first president encouraged the creation of prestigious grand ecoles, in particular a civil service training academy called ENAM, to recruit a new political class into the regime. Admission into these schools was informally based on ethnic quotas, and graduation generally ensured a promising career for aspiring elites. For an authoritarian regime like Cameroon’s, the civil service structured career paths provided a mechanism for monitoring that new elite and identifying those deserving of promotion to other institutions like the legislature. This tool was, arguably, particularly important in Cameroon, where the ruling party lacked cohesion and did not have a robust grassroots presence to recruit and vet candidates.

With the transition to multiparty election in 1992, the ruling CPDM began to use local primaries to select legislative candidates. The result was an explosion in candidacy and severe intra-party tensions over the selection process. Some of the criticisms were over the influx of cash into primaries, which benefitted the wealthiest candidates. Others claimed that local primaries helped entrench local ethnic groups in power. While the CPDM’s central committee ultimately endorsed the final candidate list, overturning local results proved equally problematic. In an effort to re-exert control, in 2013 the CPDM did away with primaries and began to adjudicate all electoral lists within the central committee. This same selection system was used at the end of 2019 to choose the 2020 legislative (and municipal) slate. In practice, local party members still have sway over the nomination process, and the CPDM at times encourages lists to merge for the sake of local solidarity.

In one of my research projects in Cameroon I track how the occupational backgrounds of MPs has evolved between 1972 and present day. I do this by tapping into difficult to access resumes and biographical records of over 800 MPs. Commensurate with expectations, since multipartyism the proportion of business elites has grown substantially. During the single-party era most legislative candidates came from a very narrow elite. These early MPs were primarily petty civil servants or public-school teachers. There was no business class to speak of. This changed dramatically in the 1990s with the liberalization of politics and the Cameroonian economy. By my estimate, business elites have risen from just 6% of the legislature to over 30%.

However, a second trend is the concurrent rise of MPs with government service backgrounds. This group of MPs primarily includes individuals who joined the civil service at a young age (often with degrees from ENAM) and worked in generic positions like Customs Official or Post and Telecommunications Engineer. MPs with government experience are once again the largest occupational category in the legislatures, at 48%. Notably, there was a big shift in 2013 when the CPDM changed its candidate selection process. Of the 51 regime MPs who were not renominated between 2007 and 2013, 43% were from the business community while just 29% came from government service. Their replacements were twice as likely to be former government workers than businesspeople. The below figure summarizes these trends. Note that the category “professional” includes business adjacent occupations like doctor or lawyer, while “other” is a residual category that captures occupations like “taxi driver” or “secretary.”

Why would a regime prefer candidates with civil service backgrounds? Given the historical role of the civil service in political recruitment it makes sense. As noted, civil service careers offer career ladders up which an eventual nominee must climb. Since the process is likely politicized, this provides an opportunity for aspiring elites to demonstrate their trustworthiness and partisan loyalty. Concurrently, government service provides eventual candidates with opportunities for wealth accumulation and provides them with familiarity with the bureaucratic workings of government. Consequently, once in office they can mobilize electoral support without all of the baggage that comes with a more independent business career. MPs with government service backgrounds can compete with business elites, while providing greater assurance to the regime.

The available data for 2020 reveals a similar story. While the occupational backgrounds of the new candidates are still unknown, we do know which MPs lost or retained their seats. The regime has stated that it was seeking to renew political blood in the legislature and encouraged the local party chapters to consider younger candidates. Indeed, more senior MPs were not renominated in 2019 than in 2013 (even though the overall age of the MPs retained is similar). Moreover, despite local competition, many long-serving MPs retained their seats, like the Speaker of the House Cavaye Djibril. Managing inter-generational tensions is another reason the regime has exercised more control over candidate selection, and another key function of this legislative exercise.

We also know that of the 56 regime candidates not renominated in 2019, 26% had professional backgrounds, 25% had business backgrounds, 20% had government backgrounds, 20% had educational backgrounds, and 9% came from other occupations. Once again, this indicates a slight preference for candidates with some form of government service. Categorizing the occupational backgrounds of their replacements is currently ongoing.

These legislative elections have been delayed for nearly two years. During that time the security situation in Northwest and Southwest regions have not improved. Yet, the pressure to gain access to the resources that a legislative seat conveys have not changed. Likewise, as the regime faces greater international scrutiny of its activities during this conflict, it needs strong allies to advocate for it in the public sphere. The 2020 legislative election primarily serves this function. It allows Paul Biya to reshuffle the political elite, use his control over candidate selection to position stronger allies, and present the illusion of a legitimate democratic process.

Culled from Presidential-power.net

29, January 2020

Chad: 6 soldiers killed in suspected Boko Haram attack ⁰

Six Chadian soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured in an ambush by suspected Boko Haram militants near Tetewa Island in the Lake Chad region on Monday, according to the army.

Chad’s army chief of staff Taher Erda said that the soldiers were on patrol when they were attacked by Boko Haram elements.

“Our forces were looking for Boko Haram elements when they were ambushed around Mandrari, a place with lots of tall grass,” a local official also told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The number of jihadist attacks around Lake Chad, which is shared by Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, has increased in recent months.

Just over a week ago, a female suicide bomber killed 9 civilians in Kaiga Kindjiria village near the lake.

In December, suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 50 people on an island on Lake Chad, bordering Cameroon and Chad, according to an official.

Earlier this month, Chad ended a months-long mission fighting Boko Haram in neighboring Nigeria and withdrew its 1,200-strong force across their common border.

Boko Haram began the insurrection in Nigeria a decade ago, leading to at least 35,000 deaths with violence spilling over into Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

A Boko Haram faction aligned with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) jihadists is highly active around Lake Chad where the group has training bases on the Niger border and regularly carries out raids on military bases and regional security forces.

Source: AFP

29, January 2020

China: Coronavirus death toll passes 130 as US considers flight ban ⁰

The death toll from a new coronavirus in China rose sharply to 132 on Wednesday with nearly 1,500 new cases, heaping pressure on Beijing to control the disease as U.S. officials said the White House was weighing whether to suspend all flights to the country.

The White House is holding daily meetings on the outbreak and monitoring China-U.S. flights as a likely source of infections, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters, though it had decided against suspending air traffic on Tuesday.

Two U.S. officials said the administration had not taken any options off the table, however, including a temporary ban on flights, if public health data supported the move.

Fears of the spreading virus have already pushed airlines around the world to reduce flights to China and global companies to restrict employee travel to the country, while sectors from mining to luxury goods have been shaken by concerns for global growth in the event of a worst-case pandemic.

China’s National Health Commission on Wednesday said the total number of deaths from the flu-like virus rose by 26 on Tuesday to 132, while the number of confirmed cases rose by 1,459 to a total of 5,974.

New cases were also reported around the world, including Germany where four people from the same company were infected after one of them contracted it from a colleague while visiting their workplace in China.

The German cases raise concerns about the human-to-human spread of the virus which can be transmitted in droplets from coughs and sneezes and has an incubation period of up to 14 days.

Known as “2019-nCoV”, the newly identified coronavirus emerged late last year in Wuhan, a major transportation hub and capital of central Hubei province with a population of 11 million people.

China has since moved to lock down most of Hubei province, with a population around the same as Italy, to contain the epidemic. Most of the confirmed deaths and patients from the outbreak are in Hubei.

Health authorities believe the virus originated from an animal and have pointed to a seafood market in Wuhan where wildlife was traded illegally.

The virus has spread to more than a dozen countries and cases such as those in Germany show it is spreading through human contact and not only through travellers from China.

Experts say it is too early to know what its death rate will be, since there are likely to be many cases of milder disease going undetected.

“The virus is a devil and we cannot let the devil hide,” state television quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Beijing on Tuesday.

“China will strengthen international cooperation and welcomes the WHO participation in virus prevention… China is confident of winning the battle against the virus.”

China’s assurances failed to calm investors, however, as and health authorities around the world continued to step up efforts to stop the virus from spreading on their shores.

The United States said it was expanding screening of arrivals from China from five to 20 airports and would consider imposing further travel curbs.

“All options for dealing with infectious disease spread have to be on the table, including travel restrictions,” said U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar.

From France to Japan, governments were organising evacuations, while Hong Kong – scene of anti-China unrest for months – planned to suspend rail and ferry links with the mainland. United Airlines said it was suspending some flights between the United States and China for a week from Feb. 1 due to a “significant decline in demand.”

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said a chartered plane would pick up its consular staff on Wednesday. The European Commission said it would help fund two aircraft to fly EU citizens home, with 250 French nationals leaving on the first flight.

(REUTERS)

29, January 2020

Kobe Bryant’s helicopter not equipped with vital warning system ⁰

The helicopter that crashed into a Los Angeles hillside killing NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others, was not equipped with vital software that alerts pilots when aircraft are too close to the ground, officials said.

The terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), which is designed to send a warning when a collision appears imminent, had not been installed on Bryant’s Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, the National Transport Safety Board’s (NTSB) Jennifer Homendy said.

“Certainly, TAWS could have helped,” NBC News reported Homendy as saying, adding that she could not conclude that its use would have prevented the crash.

The warning system is not mandatory on helicopters under Federal Aviation Administration regulations, despite the NTSB recommending that it be made so on all helicopters with six or more passenger seats, following a 2004 crash.

Medical examiners identified the body of Lakers star Bryant after recovering the remains of all nine of those who died in the crash near LA, officials said Tuesday.

Bryant’s body was officially identified along with three others using fingerprints, two days after their helicopter crashed into a rugged hillside northwest of the city.

Meanwhile federal investigators finished their inspection of the crash site, handing it over to local authorities.

Images showed investigators flying drones over the accident site and manually combing through twisted, charred wreckage, which was scattered over a wide area.

Officials also used drones to replicate the helicopter’s final, fateful flight path, Homendy said.

Earlier Tuesday, the coroner’s office confirmed all nine bodies have been retrieved from the site and “transported to the department’s forensic science center” for examination.

The bodies of pilot Ara Zobayan, baseball coach John Altobelli and Sarah Chester have also been identified.

The remaining five — including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna — have not yet been officially identified.

The death of Bryant — a five-time NBA champion for the LA Lakers and double Olympic gold medalist — has shocked the world, with tributes continuing to pour in Tuesday.

– ‘Pretty devastating’ –

Bryant, 41, was traveling with daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when the Sikorsky S-76 slammed into a hillside in thick fog.

The helicopter was headed to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where his daughter was set to play.

Homendy described the accident as a “high energy impact crash”.

Investigators have now airlifted the helicopter’s wreckage onto trucks, which then transported it to a secure location for further examination.

An iPad, cellphone and maintenance records were found among the wreckage, along with “everything we would expect would be on the aircraft,” said Homendy.

She told journalists that the probable cause for the accident may not be confirmed for 12-18 months, when a final report will be issued.

A preliminary, fact-based report is expected in 10 days.

– ‘Heartbroken and devastated’ –

The other passengers on the flight — who have not yet been officially identified — have been named as Altobelli’s wife Keri, and their daughter Alyssa, who played basketball at the same club as Gianna.

Christina Mauser, an assistant coach of the Mamba girls’ basketball team, was also killed along with Payton Chester, Sarah’s daughter.

Mourning fans Tuesday placed bouquets of flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the gated community in Newport Beach, south of Los Angeles, where the late NBA great lived.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said a tribute to Bryant would be included in next month’s Oscars ceremony.

The star, who won an Academy Award in 2018 for animated short film “Dear Basketball,” had been honored with a moment’s silence at the Oscars nominees’ luncheon on Monday.

A petition for the NBA logo to be redesigned with Bryant’s likeness had reached two million signatures by Tuesday afternoon.

Basketball superstar LeBron James said he was “heartbroken and devastated” over Bryant’s death in an emotional Instagram post, while also vowing to continue his friend’s championship legacy with the Lakers.

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic donned a jersey bearing Bryant’s initials and shirt numbers at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.

With the crash site becoming a pilgrimage point for fans, police on horseback and all-terrain vehicles have been brought in to secure the area.

Source: AFP

29, January 2020

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Yaoundé government sets armed groups against each other ⁰

Noted for its manipulation and vindictiveness, the Yaoundé government, has succeeded to pit Southern Cameroonian armed groups against each other.

Over the last months, various armed groups that are supposed to be fighting against the Yaoundé government, have been at each other’s throat for reasons that are unclear to many observers.

The battles field of the northwest regions has become the graveyard of many young fighters because of internal conflicts and betrayals.

Southern Cameroonian armed groups have been infiltrated and the presence of huge amounts of money has triggered a lot of suspicion and enmity.

While Southern Cameroonians are clearly regretting what is happening, there is a group that is robbing its hand in glee – the Yaoundé government- as the bullets that were meant for army soldiers are now being wasted on fellow fighters due to disagreements and bloated egos.

The government’s plan is carefully being implemented by the country’s Territorial Administration minister, Paul Atanga Nji, who is doing everything in his power to demonstrate to his Yaoundé pay masters that he is up to the task.

The chaos playing out in the jungles of the northwest and southwest regions is hurting many and even some on the government side are not happy with the way Southern Cameroonians are currently conducting their war.

Speaking to a Cameroon Concord News Group correspondent in the Southwest regional capital of Buea on Monday, January 27, 2020, a gendarme officer who is aware of the tricks employed by the government said if the various armed groups did not clean up their mess, the revolution, which is a nightmare to the government, will fizzle out very soon.

The officer, who elected anonymity, said that he was surprised that Southern Cameroonians were not aware of the gimmicks the government was playing.

He stressed that the government was completely overwhelmed and if Southern Cameroonians could put their differences behind them and close ranks, the cash-strapped government would be obliged to head to the negotiating table.

He added that the Southern Cameroons crisis had delivered a massive blow to the government’s liver, making it hard for the desperate regime to be on its two legs.

He pointed out that the country’s economy had been serious hurt by the crisis, adding that the collapse of state corporations such CDC, PAMOL and SONARA which are located in Southern Cameroons had robbed the reckless government of vital resources.

He said Yaoundé and Douala were shadows of their former self, adding that it was still a miracle that civil servants were receiving their salaries.

He stressed that the months ahead would be challenging, as government revenues keep on drying up, while whatever was still available was being used to buy weapons and to pay desperate soldiers who are longing to go back home, safe and sound.

The gendarme officer added that the government was silently targeting Southern Cameroonian activists, stressing that there was a plan in place to arrest those who lived abroad in case they came to Cameroon.

He advised that activists living abroad should continue sensitizing the world to the humanitarian catastrophe and genocide that are playing out in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

He said that many young men were being recruited into the military and given a three- month training that was grossly adequate to face the fighters in Southern Cameroons.

He stressed that many of them were from the South region and were ill-equipped to deal with the challenge they are asked to overcome.

He said some 2,028 soldiers had lost their lives as a result of the senseless war, adding that the government was doing all it could to ensure that the real figures never get released as this could trigger a violent reaction in East Cameroon.

He urged Cameroon Concord News Group writers to continue doing their job, as it remained the main source of reliable information which was really causing the government a real headache.

“They are confused that the Cameroon Concord News Group is always publishing genuine and disturbing news,” he said, adding that “if they could lay hands on the writers and their senior staff, they would heap a sigh of relief.”

“Cameroon Concord News Group is a real thorn in their side. They dislike the news portal, but they are always heading there to find out what is really happening within government circles. Some of them are in the dark of what is happening both at the Unity Palace and at the Star Building. It is the Cameroon Concord News Group that actually brings them the latest news,” he concluded.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai