Monthly Archives: July 2017

25, July 2017

Turkish diplomacy ends in Persian Gulf without results ⁰

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has wrapped up a tour of Arab countries involved in a dispute but has failed to help bring the feuding sides closer to one another. Erdogan arrived in Qatar on Monday on the last leg of a tour that had also taken him to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

In Qatar, he met with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha. Qatari state news agency QNA said the two sides discussed joint efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, reviewed defense and economic cooperation, and praised Kuwait’s mediation role in the crisis. During the talks, Sheikh Tamim “reviewed regional developments, specifically the [Persian] Gulf crisis and efforts to contain it and to resolve it through diplomatic means,” according to the QNA.

But it was unclear how Erdogan had sought to contribute to a resolution of the dispute beyond calling on the leaders he met to try and ease the tensions. It was also improbable that he conveyed any messages from Saudi Arabia — the country leading a diplomatic and economic war on Qatar — to the leadership in Doha. Turkey has firmly taken Qatar’s side, to the displeasure of Doha’s adversaries, and is thus not looked upon as a trusted go-between.

The dispute has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar and blocking their transit routes to the country. They have accused Doha of “supporting terrorism” — a charge that the blockading countries face themselves. Qatar has denied the accusation and has said it is being targeted because of its independent foreign policies.

The UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash seemed to display the Saudi-led side’s unhappiness with Ankara on Monday when he said in effect that Erdogan’s regional tour had been useless. “The Turkish president’s visit did not carry anything new, and the hasty stand his country had taken made neutrality as the best option for Ankara. A Qatari review will achieve more than repeated visits,” Gargash wrote on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

When Erdogan left Saudi Arabia, where he had met with King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed, it was unclear what, if anything, he had achieved diplomatically. The official Saudi news agency did not report much about the meetings except that they had taken place. In addition to Erdogan, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and representatives from Europe have toured the region in recent weeks in a bid to soothe the tensions between the Arab states in the Persian Gulf, all to no avail.

Qatar has said the dispute is likely to linger. More recently, the Qatari emir said that the blockade by the Saudi-led bloc had been “a pre-planned smearing campaign.” While in Qatar, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was accompanying Erdogan in the regional tour, said that Ankara was trying to organize direct talks between Qatar and the Saudi-led bloc.

“The most appropriate way is to sit together around the table and [have] direct talks. This is the main obstacle in front of us and I hope there will be an opportunity for such format soon,” he said. Also on Monday, Russia expressed its own readiness to help mediate in the dispute if requested to do so.

“We are interested in this crisis being overcome, taking into account mutual concerns and finding solutions which will be acceptable for all participants of this process,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Kurdish television channel Rudaw.

Source: Presstv

25, July 2017

Will Donald Trump serve entire term as president? ⁰

Just a quarter of the US population is sure President Donald Trump will manage to stay in the White House by the end of his term, a new poll shows. Conducted by USA Today and iMediaEthics, the poll found that 27 percent of the people believe he “definitely will complete” the four-year term as the president of the United State.

The percentage includes 1 in 10 Republicans, among those who took part in the online poll. Another 30 percent also think that he “probably will,” while 23 percent of the adults maintain that he“probably won’t” finish his term. Thirteen percent believe that he “definitely won’t” manage.

The majority of those polled, 51 percent, said they were dissatisfied with the president while 44 percent approved of his performance. The poll showed that the nation is equally divided on whether Trump should be impeached with 42 percent on each side of the dispute. An investigation has been launched to find out whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump’s associates during the 2016 campaign and transition.

Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman has formally introduced an article of impeachment against Trump, accusing him of obstructing justice during the federal investigation of Russia’s role in 2016 election. A majority vote in the US House of Representatives, currently controlled by Republicans, is required to impeach a president, which means the measure is unlikely for now.

Source: Presstv

24, July 2017

Bombers attack two camps in Nigeria, kill 8 ⁰

A civilian self-defense group says at least eight people are dead after female bombers attacked two displaced persons camps in northeastern Nigeria’s main city.

Spokesman Bello Danbatta tells The Associated Press that the attack started late Sunday night in Maiduguri and left another 15 people wounded.

The Nigeria-based extremist group Boko Haram often targets the city with bombers and increasingly has been using female ones.

Danbatta says one bomber sneaked into the Dalori camp and detonated, and two other attackers exploded on or near the camp’s perimeter fence.

Boko Haram’s eight-year militancy has killed more than 20,000 people, spilled into neighboring countries and created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

(Source: AP)

24, July 2017

Biya regime to ban Amnesty International ⁰

The regime in Yaounde has accused Amnesty International of supporting the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram and of hostility towards the Cameroonian nation. The Cameroon government has also revealed that military experts were studying Amnesty’s latest report, with a view to considering either prosecution or banning the NGO on Cameroonian territory.

In its latest report, “Chambers of Secret Torture in Cameroon: Human Rights Violations and War Crimes in the Fight against Boko Haram,” the NGO published satellite images and observed that war crimes were being committed by the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime. “Cameroon security forces continued to arbitrarily arrest individuals accused of supporting Boko Haram, often with little or no evidence, and detained them in inhumane, often life-threatening conditions. Hundreds of suspects were held in unofficial detention centres, such as military bases or premises belonging to the national intelligence agencies, without access to a lawyer or their families. The security forces continued to use “cordon and search” operations, leading to mass arrests,” noted the Amnesty report.

The much respected NGO further pointed out that, “Dozens of men, women and children accused of supporting Boko Haram were tortured by members of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), an elite army unit, at the military base known as Salak, near Maroua, and by officers of the General Directorate of External Research (DGRE), an intelligence service, in premises in the capital, Yaoundé. Some of them died as a result of torture; others disappeared.”

A frustrated minister of communication and so-called government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma reacted during a recent press briefing in Yaounde that “Amnesty International is continuing its logic of protecting terrorist interests and is trying to discourage the support and cooperation that armies of friendly countries bring to Cameroon.” Amnesty has also made public satellite images of Cameroon military’s operational bases with GPS wartime data.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News

24, July 2017

Frustration rising against Trump, ruling class ⁰

US President Donald Trump’s historically low approval ratings is leading to a growing movement against his administration and the ruling class in America, says Daniel Shaw, an analyst in New York. Trump has set a new record low for second quarter job approval rating, becoming the least popular president early in a White House term since World War ll, according to a Gallup poll.

He averaged 38.8 percent job approval during his second quarter in office, which spanned from April 20 through July 19, Gallup’s daily tracking average shows. “You can really feel these low approval ratings playing out across the United States as the American people are extremely displeased with his attacks on healthcare,” Shaw, a university lecturer, told Press TV on Sunday. “He is trying to gut every social program that exists.”

That is why, the analyst argued, a “movement” is taking shape against Trump and the way the country is being run. “Trump is an individual who personally is worth $4 billion, so he is not representative in any way of the electorate who voted for him,” Shaw added.

No other president has had a worse second-quarter average approval since Gallup began assessing approval ratings in 1945. Former US President Bill Clinton’s second quarter approval rating was 44 percent, the only other president aside from Trump whose approval fell below 50 percent early in his administration.

The average approval rating for US presidents in their second quarter is 62 percent, meaning Trump’s support is 23 percentage points below the historical norm, Gallup said. Shaw said the low 55 percent voter turnout — the lowest in the past two decades– played a key role in Trump’s rise to the presidency.

Trump was able to defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton through Electoral College votes, despite losing the popular vote to Clinton. However, the analyst said the mainstream media should also take some of the credit.

“The media that represents the most powerful sections of this country and this ruling class comes out against the president,” he noted, pointing to examples of anti-Trump media headlines that revolve around his unpopular policies as well as his alleged “collusion” with Russia. Shaw said the “resistant movement” against Trump was separate from the “fake” one led by Clinton and aimed at fighting racist, Islamophobic and other divisive policies.

Source: Presstv

24, July 2017

BBC top female presenters revolt over pay ⁰

As top female presenters at the state-funded BBC decry gender pay gap at the corporation, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says the broadcaster must “look very hard at itself.” Forty female presenters signed an open letter to the director general, Tony Hall, on Sunday, complaining about inequality in men’s and women’s pay. The women included Newsnight presenters Emily Maitlis and Kirsty Wark, presenters Clare Balding and Angela Rippon and One Show host Alex Jones.

Coordinated by Woman’s Hour host Jane Garvey, the effort seeks to fix the pay gap. According to an unprecedented list of top earners published by the corporation on Wednesday, the BBC’s best-paid employee, Chris Evans, collected at least £2.2 million in the last financial year, while Claudia Winkleman (pictured below), the best-paid female employee, was paid between £450,000 and £500,000, a fifth of that.

“The pay details released in the annual report showed what many of us have suspected for many years … that women at the BBC are being paid less than men for the same work,” read the letter. “Compared to many women and men, we are very well compensated and fortunate. However, this is an age of equality and the BBC is an organization that prides itself on its values. You have said that you will ‘sort’ the gender pay gap by 2020, but the BBC has known about the pay disparity for years. We all want to go on the record to call upon you to act now.”

At least 400 BBC employees earn less than one hundredth of what Evans makes there, according to figures revealed by broadcasting union Bectu last week, as cited by The Guardian. The revelations have also triggered reaction from the leader of the Labour party, who said he would add his name to the letter. “We’d also look at a 20:1 ratio between the chief executive and the lowest-paid staff in every public sector organization,” Corbyn said, calling for a pay audit of organizations.

Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening also reacted to the reports, noting on Sky News that it is “impossible not to be shocked.” “I think it has already kicked off a debate for the BBC about these differentials and the steps they will now need to look at taking to close them, but it is very hard to justify some of the big gaps that we saw,” said Greening . A BBC spokesperson vowed of “significant progress,” in the figures next year, arguing that paying men and women equally “is complex and cannot be done overnight.”

The BBC said it was confident that rapid changes would be made. “The BBC’s workforce has been hired over generations and this is complex and cannot be done overnight,” the spokesperson said. “We are, however, confident that when these figures are published again next year, they will show significant progress towards that goal. Tony Hall meets staff all the time and will of course meet individuals to hear their thoughts as we work to accelerate change.”

Appearing on his show Sunday, BBC presenter Andrew Mar defended his salary of up to £499,999, asserting that women are less likely to have long careers at the corporation and that is evident from “a real lack of older women on the screen.” “I’m a bit grizzled, going a bit weird around the edges,” he said. “But if I had been born Audrey Marr rather than Andrew Marr, I would have been out 10 years ago. There’s a real lack of older women on the screen.”

Source: Presstv

23, July 2017

Biya Computer Donation: Nemesis of the Yang Philemon administration ⁰

The anti Anglophone Minister for Higher Education, Fame Ndongo has once again revisited the President Biya laptop computer controversy. This time around, the so-called cabinet minister noted that the distribution of the computers promised by the President of the Republic could start at the end of 2017.

Jacques Fame Ndongo (to use his three names) said that the first set of the computers will be received in Shenzhen, China, before being sent to Cameroon. Many political commentators have still not been able to understand the manufacturing and delivery process of the Biya computers.

Fame Ndongo was speaking after a brief meeting on July 17, 2017 with Mr. Zhu Wendli, Deputy General Manager of Sichuan Telecom Construction and Engeneering Co., a company involved in the manufacturing process of the computers in question.

The explanation recently given to the press by the Francophone minister was even more confusing and misleading. Fame Ndongo said the computer project has already entered its production phase. 30% of the total amount has already been released.

One year after the announcement of the presidential “donation”, the eligibility criteria for students remain unknown. Jacques Fame Ndongo has constantly been calling on regularly enrolled students in the private and public universities in the country to update their data for inclusion in the Biya scheme.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News

23, July 2017

Will Cameroon be ready to host a bigger Africa Cup of Nations? ⁰

We reported earlier about the decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to expand the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) from 16 to 24 teams and moving the competition to June/July.

Implementing the changes for the next tournament, less than two years away, heaps more pressure on the hosts of Afcon 2019 Cameroon.

Caf say they’ll go on an inspection tour in September to check on progress, with the country already facing questions over its preparations. The 50% increase in participants intensifies that.

Cameroon sports minister Ismael Bidoung told Reuters news agency:

I would like to reassure the national and international opinion that the government is fully committed to fulfilling the Caf’s specifications and to date, no Caf mission has reported any delay in preparations.”

Meanwhile Morocco have made it clear they would be prepared to step in if needed.

Source: BBC

23, July 2017

DR Congo: One fifth of mining revenue ‘goes missing’ ⁰

Anti-corruption campaign group Global Witness says 20% of mining revenue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, $750m (£576m) over the last three years, has failed to reach the country’s treasury.

“For years revenues have leaked from Congo’s mining sector into offshore shell companies. Now we can see that even revenues paid to government bodies in Congo are going missing before they reach the treasury,” says Global Witness Senior Campaigner Pete Jones.

Global Witness says this the money is going missing due to corruption and mismanagement.

The government has previously denied allegations of corruption in its mining sector.

Despite being Africa’s top copper producer and the world’s largest supplier of cobalt, DR Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Source: BBC

23, July 2017

Nigerian camp hit by air strike ‘was not marked on maps’ ⁰

Nigeria’s air force accidentally attacked a refugee camp in January because the site was not marked in its maps, the military told the Reuters news agency.

Reuters adds that the investigation into the mistake found that the air force saw people gatehring in the area on satellite footage and assumed they were Boko Haram Islamist militants.

An official told the BBC at the time that 115 people were killed by the air attack on the camp in Rann which the army mistook for a base for Boko Haram militants.

All humanitarian sites should be marked on military maps in future, the investigators said.

Source: BBC