Monthly Archives: June 2017

Massive fire engulfs tower block in west London, deaths reported

14, June 2017

Massive fire engulfs tower block in west London, deaths reported 0

A massive fire, which has engulfed a high-rise apartment block in west London, has left “a number” of people dead and several others injured, fire officials say.

The fire broke out in the 27-story Lancaster West Estate tower in the early hours of Wednesday when most of the residents would have still been in bed.

The fire brigade said 45 fire engines and 200 firefighters as well as 20 ambulances were sent to the building which has 120 flats and was built in 1974, but recently underwent a major refurbishment. “Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire,” London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Dan Daly said.

“This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances,” he said. Several people are trapped inside the building with reports that it might collapse. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said a “major incident” had been declared. A witness told CNN that he saw people jumping from the building.

Police officials said that they had started an evacuation of the block and the neighboring buildings, adding some people were being treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. At least 50 people have been taken to hospital so far, according to officials.

“We have now taken over 50 patients to five hospitals across London,” London Ambulance Service Assistant Director of Operations, Stuart Crichton, said. London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said, “I am very sad to confirm that there have been a number of fatalities.”

“I cannot confirm the number at this time due to the size and complexity of this building and it would clearly be wrong for me to speculate further,” Cotton added. “Equally, the cause of this fire is not known at this stage.”

Emergency personnel near Grenfell Tower. (Photo via The New York Times)

The streets around the tower have been sealed off and there is a chaos there with “people in night clothes, no shoes, crying, looking for family.”

George Clarke, the presenter of Channel 4 TV program Amazing Spaces, told Radio 5 Live, “I’m 100 meters away and I’m absolutely covered in ash.” “It’s so heartbreaking, I’ve seen someone flashing their torches at the top level and they obviously can’t get out.”

“People can be seen at the windows, including one man waving a blanket from the window,” a witness told The Guardian.  “Some shouting “put your head out the window” or calling the man with the blanket to shout his flat numbers so they can guide the fire services to him.”

Source: Presstv

Cristiano Ronaldo charged with tax fraud

13, June 2017

Cristiano Ronaldo charged with tax fraud 0

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was on Tuesday accused of evading 14.7 million euros in tax through offshore companies, the latest footballer to fall foul of fiscal authorities in Spain.

The 32-year-old — the world’s highest paid athlete according to Forbes magazine — follows in the steps of FC Barcelona forward and Argentina star Lionel Messi, who was found guilty of the same offence last year although the sums involved were allegedly smaller.

The issue of tax evasion has caused anger in a country only just emerging from a damaging economic crisis that has seen countless people lose their jobs and inequalities rise.

Ronaldo is accused of “four crimes against the public treasury between 2011-14 … which involves tax fraud of 14,768,897 euros ($16.5m, £12.9m)”, prosecutors said in a statement.

“The accused took advantage of a company structure created in 2010 to hide income generated in Spain from his image rights from tax authorities, which is a ‘voluntary’ and ‘conscious’ breach of his fiscal obligations in Spain,” they said.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League final football match between Juventus and Real Madrid at The Principality Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on June 3, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Prosecutors accuse the Portugal international of evading tax via a shell company based in the British Virgin Islands and another in Ireland, known for its low corporate tax rate.

In addition, they say he only declared 11.5 million euros of Spanish-related income from 2011 to 2014, while what he really earned during that time was close to 43 million euros.

And finally, they accuse him of “voluntarily” refusing to include 28.4 million euros in income linked to the sale of his image rights for the 2015 to 2020 period to a Spanish company.

(Source: AFP)

Political GCE in Southern Cameroon: Bamenda under high security, Soldiers transporting exam papers

13, June 2017

Political GCE in Southern Cameroon: Bamenda under high security, Soldiers transporting exam papers 0

The examination centers for the political GCE that started yesterday in West Cameroon are reportedly under very strong security presence in Bamenda with a little more than 36,000 candidates in the seven divisions of the North West region  participating.

Cameroon Concord News understands the examination is under close surveillance. Victor Mombakued, the Regional Delegate for Secondary Education, reassured national opinion on the security measures taken in the various “safe examination centers”.  He said to prevent pyromaniacs from attacking examination centers; the regional delegation of Secondary Education has been working in close collaboration with the staff of the Governor.

The army has been involved in the transportation and distribution of examination materials since most of the candidates are Francophone Cameroonians. Delegate Victor Mombakued was heard calling on parents to send their children to take part in the political GCE.

It should be noted that all seven divisions in the North West Region are home to GCE Writing Centers. They are Bui, Boyo, Donga Mantung, Mezam, Menchum, Momo, Ngoketunjia. The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium had declared the GCE null and void and Anglophone parents have been warned to keep their children away from those bogus GCE centers created by the Francophone regime in Yaoundé.

By Fru James

Cameroon Concord News

UK: Pound slips further as election debacle fuels uncertainty

13, June 2017

UK: Pound slips further as election debacle fuels uncertainty 0

The pound wallowed around two-month lows Tuesday, unable to bounce back from last week’s shock election that saw Britain’s ruling Conservatives lose their majority, throwing the country into uncertainty, days before key Brexit talks.

While Prime Minister Theresa May looked to counter anger within her party by apologizing and telling MPs “I got us into this mess, and I’m going to get us out”, there are doubts about her future in Downing Street.

May had called the vote in a bid to strengthen her majority, and her bargaining power, before going into the EU exit talks set for June 19. Now she must rely on the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party.

Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader, said: “The political uncertainty is unhelpful given Brexit talks are about to begin in the next week.”

He added that “sterling came under renewed pressure as a result” of the newly formed government’s refusal to soften its approach to the discussions. “Why the government wouldn’t use the election for a reset I just don’t know.”

In early Asian trade the pound slipped to $1.2650.

The currency’s “near-term direction will continue to be driven by the post-election fallout, but the prospects look increasingly gloomy as the possibility of another Tory leadership vacuum enters the picture at precisely the wrong time for the UK,” said Stephen Innes, senior trader at OANDA.

Fed, Sessions in view

On equity markets, technology firms struggled to recover from the previous day’s sell-off that was sparked by a rout in the sector on Wall Street Friday. Sony and Sharp were well down in Tokyo while Tencent was marginally up in Hong Kong after Monday’s tumble. Samsung was also lower in Seoul.

The losses came after the Nasdaq suffered another slump, extending Friday’s losses, as Apple and Amazon took a beating, with analysts wondering whether the selling is down to profit-taking or the start of a broad retreat after all US indices hit records last week.

Broader markets fared slightly better after Monday’s steep losses. Tokyo ended the morning session at a loss while Shanghai was down 0.1 percent. Wellington and Manila also eased slightly.

But Hong Kong added 0.1 percent, Sydney gained 0.6 percent and Seoul gained 0.5 percent.

Traders are now awaiting the end of the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting. While another interest rate hike is widely expected, the bank’s post-meeting statement will be scanned for some forward guidance and clues about future movements.

Also, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions is due to testify Tuesday to the Senate Intelligence Committee as it probes Russian meddling in last year’s election and Moscow’s links to under-fire President Donald Trump.

Attention has focused on Sessions as reports swirl that he may have had more meetings with Russian officials during the campaign last year than the two he has informed authorities of.

Key figures around 0230 GMT

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 19,885.72 (break)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng: UP 0.1 percent at 25,764.00

Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,183.22

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1193 from $1.1203 at 2040 GMT

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2650 from $1.2657

Dollar/yen: UP at 110.06 yen from 109.93 yen

Oil – West Texas Intermediate: UP 13 cents at $46.21 per barrel

Oil – Brent North Sea: UP 14 cents at $48.43

New York – Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 21,235.67 (close)

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,511.87 (close)

(Source: AFP)

Ambazonia ghost town campaign boosts hopes for independence

12, June 2017

Ambazonia ghost town campaign boosts hopes for independence 0

The civil disobedience campaign that was staged today Monday the 12th of June across the thirteen counties in Southern Cameroon has reportedly been a huge success. Cameroon Concord News sources say ghost town operations frustrated the political GCE currently going on in West Cameroon. There were more soldiers and police officers on the streets today than students writing the General Certificate of Education examination.

Our correspondent in the Fako constituency hinted that not a single student took part in the GCE in Muyuka. We also gathered that some few Francophone students who showed up at the GBHS and CCAS Kumba centers were given snake beatings by members of a group calling for an independent state of Ambazonia. Our Kumba informant revealed that some 100 students guarded by approximately 200 soldiers participated in today’s GCE in Meme Division.

In Mamfe the chief town in Manyu Division, troops were deployed by the controversial SDO to the GBHS campus to provide security for some 40 Francophone students. There was also a huge police presence in GBHS Muea and Lycee Molyko for some few Francophones students. Many Francophone GCE candidates deserted GHS Buea campus for fear of a second bee attack.

By Sama Ernest

Cameroon Concord News

 

Senator John McCain says America was better under Obama

12, June 2017

Senator John McCain says America was better under Obama 0

Republican Senator John McCain has said American leadership was stronger under President Barack Obama, according to a report. McCain made the remarks in an interview with The Guardian published on Sunday while responding to a question.

Asked if America’s stance on the global stage was better during the Obama administration, McCain responded, “As far as American leadership is concerned, yes.”

McCain, the chairman on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has often harshly criticized the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.

Nearly a month after Trump was sworn in as president on January 20, McCain said “in many respects this administration is in disarray and they’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Former US President Barack Obama

In March, McCain denounced Trump’s claim that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower, saying either he has to retract it or provide evidence of the allegation.

But McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election, had also been very critical of the Obama administration’s foreign policy agenda.

The Guardian described the Arizona senator as “visibly irked” when he was asked about Trump’s recent Twitter assault  on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, which came shortly after a deadly attack that left eight dead and dozens injured in the heart of the British capital.

“What do you think the message is? The message is that America doesn’t want to lead,” McCain said. “They are not sure of American leadership, whether it be in Siberia or whether it be in Antarctica.”

US President Donald Trump (R) and London Mayor Sadiq Khan

Trump accused Khan, the first Muslim mayor of the city, of offering a “pathetic excuse” for remarks that the US president misinterpreted about policing in response to the attack that left several people dead.

Trump tweeted that Khan had to “think fast” to excuse comments that Londoners need not be alarmed after the deadly attack.

The US president’s provocative comments caused outrage among top British officials. Even British Prime Minister Theresa May, a Conservative, expressed her support for the mayor, a member of the Labour Party.

Source: Presstv

Congo Kinshasa: Gunmen raid prison, 900 escape, 11 die in exchange of fire

12, June 2017

Congo Kinshasa: Gunmen raid prison, 900 escape, 11 die in exchange of fire 0

Eleven people were killed and more than 900 inmates escaped Sunday after unidentified assailants attacked a jail in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s restive east, an official said. “The Kangwayi prison in Beni was attacked at 3:30 pm (1330 GMT) by assailants whose identity is not yet known,” Julien Paluku, the governor of North Kivu Province, told reporters.

“In the exchange of fire between security forces and the attackers, authorities have (counted) 11 dead including eight members of the security forces,” Paluku said, adding, “For the moment, out of 966 prisoners, there are only 30 left in the prison.” Paluku said the Beni area and the neighboring town of Butembo had been put under curfew from 6:30 pm. “Only police officers and soldiers should be out from this time,” he said.

The attack came a day after the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked a police station and a prosecutor’s office in the capital, Kinshasa, killing a police officer and seriously injuring four others after a series of similar strikes over the past three weeks. It also comes after two jailbreaks in the vast, unstable central African nation in the past month.

The violence has erupted as the Democratic Republic of the Congo is mired in a deep political crisis tied to President Joseph Kabila’s hold on power. Tension has been mounting across the vast mineral-rich nation of 71 million people since December last year, when Kabila’s second and final term officially ended.

Under a power-sharing agreement brokered by the influential Catholic Church on New Year’s Eve, Kabila is due to remain in office until elections at the end of 2017. However, Kabila earlier this month seemed to back away from the deal to hold a vote this year.

“I have not promised anything at all,” he told the German weekly Der Spiegel in a rare media interview. “I wish to organize elections as soon as possible.”

(Source: AFP)

Yaounde CPDM man arrested for selling the same piece of land to three different people

11, June 2017

Yaounde CPDM man arrested for selling the same piece of land to three different people 0

The Yaoundé judicial police arrested a Francophone CPDM man for selling the same piece of land to three different people. The police said Ngono Antione, 50, was charged with two counts of felony theft by fraud and one count of a misdemeanor probation violation.

Ngono Antoine of Akak, a town in the district of Soa, Mefou-et-Afamba Division was accused by three persons including his brother-in-law for collecting millions of FCFA via fictitious sale agreements on a plot estimated at about 1,000 square meters.

The first buyer paid for the land in 2012 but decided to start construction some 5 years after purchase only to find a house already built and inhabited by a family, whose members informed him that they had acquired the land from Ngono Antoine. The first purchaser then decided to complain to the traditional ruler. An investigation was conducted and it revealed that there was a third buyer, who lives in France.

The judicial police in Yaoundé detained the seller who was later transferred to Kondengui prison. Police say they want to fight the phenomenon of resale of the same plot of land to several different individuals.

By Rita Akana

Cameroon Concord News

Eight refugees drown as boat sinks off Libya’s coast

11, June 2017

Eight refugees drown as boat sinks off Libya’s coast 0

At least eight refugees have drowned when their Europe-bound boat sank off Libya’s coast, a coastguard official says. The eight bodies were on an inflatable craft that can carry up to 120 passengers, said Colonel Fathi al-Rayani, head of the coastguard in Garabulli, 60 kilometers east of Tripoli.

He estimated that “at least 100” refugees were missing. The boat was spotted deflated off Garabulli, and the coastguard found the bodies inside, AFP reported. Conflict-ravaged Libya has long been a stepping stone for refugees seeking a better life in Europe.

The UN says around 61,250 refugees have reached Italy since the start of the year after crossing the Mediterranean, while 1,778 more are dead or missing. The Italian coastguard has said that more than 900 refugees were rescued off Libya on Thursday and Friday.

Libyan navy spokesman, General Ayoub Qassem, meanwhile told AFP that coastguards patrolling off Zawiya west of Tripoli on Friday intercepted five inflatables and two wooden boats with more than 570 refugees on board.

He said the boats were being escorted by five Libyans on a jet ski and two outboards, and that three of the men were apprehended. “The migrants are Africans, Bangladeshis, Egyptians, Moroccans … and were delivered to the detention center in Zawia,” Qassem said.

Intercepted or rescued refugees are often held in detention centers before being repatriated. People traffickers have exploited the chaos in Libya since the 2011 uprising deposed and killed former dictator Muammar Ghaddafi to boost their lucrative but deadly trade.

(Source: AFP)

French Cameroun Football: Aboubakar wins with early goal against Morocco

11, June 2017

French Cameroun Football: Aboubakar wins with early goal against Morocco 0

The Indomitable Lions recorded a successful start in their campaign for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation to be hosted in Cameroon. The lads dominated a solid Moroccan side on Saturday at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé but scored just a goal.

The only goal of the game was scored by striker Vincent Aboubakar, in the 28th minute of play, wonderfully served after a destabilization of the Moroccan defense. Throughout the game, the Cameroonians showed a physical freshness already demonstrated at the last African cup of Nation 2017 in Gabon.

However, some bad news tarnished the victory. Defender Oyongo Bitolo was seriously injured and he left the match at the 17th minute. Cameroon Concord News sources say he will be unavailable for 7 months.

By Sonne Peter

Cameroon Concord News

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