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25, February 2025

Gold toilet worth £4.8m ‘stolen in five minutes’ ⁰

Thieves stole a £4.8m solid gold toilet from Blenheim Palace in an “audacious raid” which took just five minutes, a court has heard.

The toilet was plumbed in and fully functioning as part of an art exhibition at the Oxfordshire stately home in September 2019.

Michael Jones, 39, from Divinity Road, Oxford denies a charge of burglary. Fred Doe, previously known as Frederick Sines, 36, from Windsor, and 41-year-old Bora Guccuk, from west London, have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to transfer criminal property.

Their trial at Oxford Crown Court was told the toilet was most likely broken up and was never recovered.

The toilet was part of an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace

Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC told the court that a gang of five in two vehicles drove through locked gates of Blenheim Palace in the early hours of 14 September 2019 and smashed their way into the building with sledgehammers.

The court heard that the sledgehammers were left at the scene.

A photograph was taken about 17 hours before the toilet was stolen and Mr Christopher told the court that Mr Jones had taken it while he was “there as part of the reconnaissance for the burglary”.

Mr Christopher told the court the raid took just five minutes.

He added: “The work of art was never recovered. It appears to have been split up into smaller amounts of gold and never recovered.”

A fourth man, James Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, pleaded guilty to burglary, transferring criminal property and conspiracy to do the same in April 2024, jurors were told.

Entitled America, the 18-carat gold toilet was part of an exhibition by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan.

It weighed 98kg and was insured for $6m. Gold prices at the time would have seen the gold alone worth £2.8m in September 2019, the court was told.

The prosecutor said a series of messages, voice notes and screengrabs discovered on Mr Sheen, Mr Doe and Mr Guccuk’s phones showed the trio negotiated a price of £25,632 per kilo for around 20kg of the stolen gold.

It was claimed Mr Guccuk, who ran the jewellers Pacha of London in Hatton Garden, would make a profit of about £3,000 for every kilo he sold on.

The palace is a Unesco World Heritage Site and was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

The trial continues.

Source: BBC

25, February 2025

Rev Father Nixon Mullah, S.S.J., dies at 51 ⁰

A memorial Mass for Josephite Father Nixon Mullah will be offered Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at St. Luke in Washington, D.C.

Father Mullah, who earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, died Feb. 18 in his native Cameroon following a battle with cancer that lasted several years. He was 51.

Father Mullah was ordained to the priesthood in 2005 for the Archdiocese of Urbino, Italy. Attracted to the ministry of the Josephites, he joined the Baltimore-based Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 2007.

He served as an associate pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Baltimore (2007-10) and was vice rector of St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, D.C.; rector of St. Martin de Porres House of Studies in Ibadan, Nigeria, and pastor of Holy Family in Baytown, Texas, before being appointed rector of St. Joseph Seminary in 2019.

Source: Catholic Review

24, February 2025

7,000+ killed in eastern DR Congo since January ⁰

More than 7,000 people, many of them civilians, have been killed in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo since January, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said on Monday.

Armed members of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, who have seized large swathes of the mineral-rich eastern DRC, including the main eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu, have met with the limited resistance of the fleeing Congolese armed forces.

“The security situation in eastern DRC has reached alarming levels,” Tuluka warned, addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

She said the fatalities include “more than 2,500 bodies buried without being identified” and 1,500 bodies were still in the morgue.

The prime minister said “for the moment… we have not yet been able to identify all of these people.” She noted, however, that “there is a significant mass of civilians who are part of these dead.”

According to UN reports, the rebels, backed by some 4,000 Rwandan troops, have made rapid advances, sending thousands of people fleeing from the region.

Protesters have attacked the embassies of the United States and France in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The rebel forces took control of the South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu recently, after first capturing Goma, the capital city of North Kivu province.

Congo’s prime minister said more than 3,000 people had been killed in Goma alone.

The M23 is the most potent of the many armed groups vying for a foothold in Congo’s east, which has trillions of dollars of mostly untapped mineral wealth such as lithium, which is used in technology for batteries in devices such as mobile phones and laptops.

In related news, Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said Congo’s territorial integrity was “non-negotiable.”

The EU’s top diplomat said Brussels defense consultations with Rwanda have been suspended while their memorandum of understanding (MOU) on critical raw materials production is under review.

The EU and Rwanda had signed the MOU to “nurture sustainable and resilient value chains for critical raw materials,” she said.

The African country “produces tin, tungsten, gold and niobium, and has potential for lithium and rare earth elements,” she said.

Source: Presstv

24, February 2025

2024 Cameroon Ballon d’Or: Nominees Set for Feb. 28 ⁰

The 2024 Cameroon Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on February 28 in Yaoundé, with the list of eight nominees revealed over the weekend. John Bosco Nchindo is widely seen as the favorite. The prolific striker was named best player of last season’s playoffs with Yong Sports Academy (YOSA) of Bamenda, which came close to winning the Cameroon championship. Nchindo is also one of the few players in the MTN Elite One league to have already received a call-up to the national team. However, his slow start with his new club, Coton Sport de Garoua, could play against him.

Like Nchindo, Wilfried Nathan Doualla of Victoria United has also made a strong impression. The winger caught the eye of former Indomitable Lions coach Rigobert Song, earning a spot in the squad for the last Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire. Since then, Doualla has cemented his status as one of the biggest stars of Cameroon’s domestic league. His teammate at Victoria United, René Donald Bitjick, is also in the running. The full-back is widely regarded as one of the best in his position and is committed to a professional career, having even put his studies on hold despite his parents’ wishes for him to attend university.

Colombe Sportive du Dja-et-Lobo, last season’s Cameroon Cup winners, has two representatives on the list. Team captain Randy Ntuwe Kwalar, a defensive midfielder known for his leadership and ability to recover and distribute the ball, is among the nominees. Off the pitch, he enjoys immense popularity among fans. Striker Yvan Mvondo Olama, also in contention, gained national recognition during the Cameroon Cup final, where he was named man of the match. His playing style has earned him the nickname “La Pulga,” a nod to Argentine football legend Lionel Messi.

Adrien Boris Mfoumou, AS Fortuna de Mfou’s forward, has a strong case as well. Last season’s top scorer, he has already earned a call-up to Cameroon’s A’ national team. Known for his elegance on the ball, he can also operate as a wide midfielder. Jules Armand Kooh, another prolific Elite One striker, is also a nominee. He previously played for Les Astres de Douala before moving to Europe at the end of last season.

Rounding out the list is Junior Trésor Bembong, hailed as the key figure in Aigle Royal de la Menoua’s survival in Elite One. However, his playing time has diminished since joining Fauve Azur.

The 2023 Ballon d’Or was won by Emmanuel Mahop, the former Canon Yaoundé and Coton Sport de Garoua striker. The year before, the award went to Marou Souaïbou, also a former Coton Sport forward.

Source: Business in Cameroon

24, February 2025

Buea: Usheni Hassan wins 30th Mount Cameroon Race of Hope ⁰

Usheni Hassan, 29, from Kumbo in the Northwest Region, won the 30th edition of Mount Cameroon Race of Hope on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

Hassan completed the over 4,000-meter altitude challenge in 4 hours and 40 minutes. He first competed in the race in 2019, describing his initial performance as “positive,” and reached the top podium spot six years later.

Ali Mohamadou finished second in 4 hours and 42 minutes, and Abdou Amadou took third place in 4 hours and 45 minutes. The winners received prizes of 10 million, 7 million, and 5 million CFA francs, respectively.

In the women’s category, Lisette Ngalim, also from Kumbo, won the gold medal, completing the course in 5 hours and 24 minutes. Ngalim returns to the top podium spot after victories in 2017 and 2024. Njeyang Sydony Bonwi finished second, and Tumi Macrina Yinyuy took third place.

Source: Business in Cameroon

24, February 2025

Southern Cameroons Crisis: At least six killed in Pinyin village ⁰

At least six people have been killed after gunmen attacked Pinyin village in the Northwest, local residents and security sources said on Monday.

Residents of the village interviewed said the gunmen raided the village on Sunday and shot six civilians, all male, at close range.

Separatist fighters have been active in the village since 2017 and villagers have recently asked them to leave, citing rampant kidnapping for ransom, said a security source in the region.

“The villagers have been complaining about atrocities committed by the separatists. So, last week they captured and killed two separatist fighters,” the source said, adding that the killing of the civilians on Sunday was apparently an act of revenge.

A separatist insurgency has been going on in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017. Separatists want to create an independent nation in the regions.

Source: Xinhuanet

24, February 2025

Pope Francis Critical Condition: Cardinals in Rome to pray rosary at St. Peter’s ⁰

With Pope Francis remaining in critical condition fighting a complex respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia, the cardinals and curial officials in Rome have organized a rosary and special Mass for the pontiff.

The Vicariate of Rome announced Monday that at 7 p.m. local time, the vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, will celebrate Mass for Pope Francis’s health at the Santa Maria Addolorata church in Buenos Aires square in Rome.

Reina, who celebrated a separate Mass for the pope’s health during a Feb. 23 Mass in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, will celebrate Monday’s Mass “in communion with the Argentinian community residing in Rome,” the statement said.

He has also invited all parish and religious communities to continue praying for Pope Francis, “so that his health is restored.”

After Monday’s Mass, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, will lead a rosary at 9 p.m. local time for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.

All cardinals residing in Rome and all curial officials and collaborators, and all collaborators and officials in the Diocese of Rome have been invited to attend the rosary to pray for the pope’s health.

In 2005, Pope John Paul II died while a rosary was being prayed for him in St. Peter’s Square, led by Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who at the time served as the sostituto, or substitute, of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, a position akin to a chief of staff.

On that occasion, the rosary also began at 9p.m. local time, and John Paul II died at 9:47p.m., with Sandri making the announcement publicly to those gathered in the square.

A medical bulletin published by the Vatican Sunday night said Pope Francis remained in “critical” condition after suffering “prolonged respiratory crisis” on Saturday, as well as an anemia that improved after he received two units of concentrated red blood cells.

The pope continues to suffer from thrombocytopenia, in which his blood platelet count is low, and continues to receive oxygen through his nose.

On Sunday doctors said he was also suffering from “initial, mild” signs of kidney failure, leading to concerns the pope could develop sepsis due to the nature of his complex infection he is fighting, and the large dose of medications he is receiving.

However, doctors said that the condition of his kidneys, for the time being, was “under control.”

In a Feb. 24 statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis “had a calm night,” that he slept well “and was resting,” but his prognosis remains unclear.

Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Feb. 14 for treatment of bronchitis and was later diagnosed with a polymicrobial respiratory infection with viral, bacterial and fungal elements, and he subsequently developed pneumonia in both lungs.

Doctors have said that the 88-year-old pontiff remains alert and aware, and is in “good humor” despite the severity of his condition.

Further information from the pope’s medical team on his current condition will be provided by the Vatican Monday evening.

Source: Crux

22, February 2025

Trump says Ukraine’s leaders ‘don’t have any cards’ in negotiations ⁰

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faced pressure on Friday to sign a deal to hand the United States preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits following harsh criticism from US President Donald Trump.

Trump wants Ukraine to give US companies access as compensation for the tens of billions of dollars of aid delivered under his predecessor Joe Biden.

But Ukraine is seeking security guarantees from the United States in exchange for signing away precious rights to vast amounts of its natural resources and critical minerals.

Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, on Friday predicted that Zelensky would sign the deal soon.

“Look, here’s the bottom line, President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term, and that is good for Ukraine,” Waltz told a conference on the outskirts of Washington.

Forbes Ukraine in April 2023 estimated that Ukraine’s mineral resources amounted to 111 billion tonnes, worth $14.8 trillion – mostly coal and iron ore.

But more than 70 percent of these resources were in Donetsk and Luhansk – regions partly controlled by Russia – and Dnipropetrovsk, where Moscow’s forces are approaching.

Trump’s top advisers have doubled down on their attacks on Zelensky in recent days, after Trump branded him a “dictator” and falsely claimed Ukraine had “started” the war with Russia.

Elections have been suspended in Ukraine since Zelensky declared martial law following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The war of words has stunned Kyiv and European capitals, a sign of just how rapidly Trump is overhauling Washington’s long-standing support for Ukraine as he opens talks with Moscow on a settlement to the conflict.

Trump told a gathering of US governors at the White House he had “very good talks” with his Russian counterpart, while adding Ukrainian leaders “don’t have any cards, but they play it tough”.

A senior Ukrainian official earlier Friday told AFP that despite the tensions between Zelensky and Trump, talks on a possible agreement were “ongoing”.

“There is a constant exchange of drafts, we sent another one yesterday,” the Kyiv source said, adding that Ukraine was now waiting for a US response.

Kyiv had rejected a first attempt by Trump’s team to strike a deal for Ukraine’s natural resources, saying the proposal did not include security guarantees for Kyiv – a move that infuriated Trump.

Three-year war

Ukraine is pressing for NATO membership or for the deployment of Western troops and masses of advanced equipment as part of any wider ceasefire agreement with Russia.

Zelensky said earlier this week he would not “sell” Ukraine in any deal with the United States.

The spat risks undermining Western support for Kyiv at a critical juncture in the conflict, ahead of the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Sunday.

Russia’s army on Friday said it had captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine.

Europe has also been left scrambling to respond, though Zelensky has held a flurry of calls in recent days with European leaders reiterating their support for Ukraine, including French President Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of Finland and Denmark.

Macron will travel to Washington next week where he will tell Trump: “You can’t be weak with President Putin,” he said in an address on Thursday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also visit Trump, as Paris and London seek to marshal Europe’s response to the Republican’s first month in office.

‘Despised’

Zelensky met this week in Kyiv with Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg whose description of meetings with Ukrainian officials came in stark contrast with rhetoric from his counterparts in Washington.

In a social media post Kellogg called Zelensky “the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war”.

Trump told Fox News on Friday that “I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings”, referring to Zelensky, adding “he makes it very hard to make deals”.

Tech tycoon and Trump backer Elon Musk weighed in on Thursday, saying Ukrainians “despised” their president and that the US leader was right to leave him out of talks with Russia.

“Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable,” Waltz said during a briefing at the White House.

In his most pointed criticism yet, Zelensky earlier this week said Trump had succumbed to Russian “disinformation” over the US president’s repetition of debunked Kremlin talking points on the conflict.

Source: AFP

22, February 2025

French Cameroun: 2 journalists attacked while reporting on businessman praised by Biya ⁰

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Cameroonian authorities to investigate and hold accountable those who attacked Equinoxe TV journalists Joseph Abena Abena and Augustin Ndongo while they were reporting in a village in Cameroon’s South Region on February 13.

“The attack on Joseph Abena Abena and Augustin Ndongo is yet another expression of the sense of impunity for those who intimidate and threaten journalists in Cameroon,” said Moussa Ngom, CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative. “Cameroonian authorities must investigate and hold accountable the assailants and ensure a safe working environment for journalists.”

Abena, a regional correspondent for privately owned Equinoxe TV, and Ndongo, a camera operator, were attacked when they went to investigate an agricultural facility owned by Samuel Tony Obam Bikoué, a controversial figure praised by President Paul Biya three days earlier for helping to create “an agricultural industry,” but whose involvement in the banana plantation sector has been criticized by a local prefect.

The journalists were attacked when they entered the facility, according to a statement from the National Union of Journalists of Cameroon and Abena, who told CPJ that one of the attackers asked him why he wanted to harm Bikoué’s business rather than investigating other officials’ interests.

Abena said that the assailants, some armed with clubs, snatched Ndongo’s camera, confiscated the two journalists’ phones, and forced them to sit on the ground while making lynching and death threats, according to Abena, who told CPJ that he had identified himself as a journalist and presented his press card.

“One of the attackers said he knew me before he said they were going to kill us,” Abena said.

The two journalists were released after a local official intervened, but Abena said that his computer was damaged and one of the attackers took the memory card from Ndongo’s damaged camera.

CPJ’s calls and messages to Bikoué and Denis Omgba Bomba, director of the media observatory at Cameroon’s Ministry of Communication, went unanswered

CPJ has documented several physical attacks and acts of intimidation against journalists in recent months in Cameroon, ahead of the country’s elections later this year.

Culled from CPJ

21, February 2025

Champions League: PSG draws to play Liverpool, Real Madrid Vs Atletico Madrid ⁰

Liverpool finished first in the 36-team league phase of the competition to qualify directly for this stage, while PSG had to come through a two-legged play-off tie in which they crushed fellow French side Brest 10-0 on aggregate.

The first leg will take place at the Parc des Princes in Paris on March 4 or 5, with the return at Anfield a week later.

The clubs last met in the Champions League in the group stage in 2018/19, when PSG won 2-1 at home after Liverpool triumphed 3-2 in England.

In another eye-catching tie, reigning champions Real Madrid will play city rivals Atletico Madrid in a repeat of the finals of 2014 and 2016, both of which were won by Los Blancos.

Bayern Munich will take on German rivals Bayer Leverkusen, while Arsenal face PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan take on Feyenoord, who are fresh from knocking out AC Milan in the play-offs.

Barcelona will face Benfica, who they defeated 5-4 away in Lisbon in the league phase last month.

Aston Villa will face Club Brugge, having already lost away to the Belgians in the league phase.

Last season’s beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund will take on French side Lille.

Source: AFP