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21, October 2016

US elections are rigged in favour of the billionaires and the millionaires ⁰

During the final US presidential debate with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night, Republican nominee Donald Trump declared that he might not accept the results of the November 8 presidential election if there is evidence it was rigged.

Press TV has asked two political analysts whether they thought the upcoming election in the US would be rigged as Trump has predicted. Richard Becker, with the ANSWER Coalition from San Francisco, said the election system in the United States is not based on who wins the popular vote. “It’s who wins the election in enough states to win the electoral votes of that state and the electoral votes are very unbalanced,” he said on Thursday night.

Becker agreed that the US elections are usually rigged, but thought that would happen in Trump’s favour this time around. “The elections are rigged but in his (Trump’s) favor, in favor of the billionaires and the millionaires” or “those who could garner the support of billionaires and millionaires,” he said.

He also touched on the Republican nominee’s allegations about a biased media coverage of the election campaign in the United States. “The mass media is supporting Clinton to a large degree now but it’s been estimated that at least two billion maybe as much as three billion dollars in free media coverage came Trump’s way,” Becker said.

Brent Budowsky, a columnist at the top US political website The Hill, said he supports a direct election of the president by voters, and not the Electoral College. Budowsky, however, ruled out the claim that the 2016 presidential race would be rigged, saying Trump was resorting to “conspiracy theory” to justify his defeat in the upcoming election.

20, October 2016

The presidential elections in the United States have never resembled a true democracy ¹

The presidential elections in the United States have never resembled a true democracy and the nation requires a political revolution to be able o function as a republic, according to an American scholar. “US presidential elections have absolutely nothing to do with anything that resemble democracy,” said Kevin Barrett, an author and political commentator based in Madison, Wisconsin.

“Americans need to wake up and see that their nation has become a criminal empire rather than a republic as was setup the founding fathers,” Barrett told Press TV on Thursday. Republican and Democratic nominees, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, facef off in the last one-on-one debate on Wednesday in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has challenged the legitimacy of American democracy, declaring that he might not accept the results of the November 8 presidential election if there is evidence it was rigged. “I will look at it at the time. I’m not looking at anything now,” Trump said during his final presidential debate.

Barrett cited several examples that show American elections have been rigged since the 1940s. “I don’t know if Trump is the man to lead the second American revolution, I think he isn’t, but if he can continue to speak these unspeakable truths and destroy Americans’ misplaced faith and the big lies of their almost infinitely corrupt system, then we will get that much closer to second American revolution which is what this country needs,” Barrett stated.

Over the last week, Trump has intensified his criticism of the American electoral system. He called the election process rigged, and said the media is colluding with Clinton in order to beat him. He has strongly questioned the legitimacy of the US elections, saying that he believed the vote was already being “rigged” at many polling places. According to a new poll released on Monday, 41 percent of American voters are saying the 2016 election could be “stolen” from Trump due to widespread voter fraud.

Presstv

20, October 2016

Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium may smile again ⁰

Renovation works going on at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium that will host the opening and final game of the 2016 Women Africa Cup of Nations is almost completed. Even with finishing still pending, government sources say every aspect of the stadium will be ready soonest.

The new national stadium has very little resemblance with the old structure but for the fact that, it is found on the same spot. Some remarkable transformations in the facility include; the presidential lounge that has been created from the old presidential tribune that existed, a new press lodge with a technical control room for television and radio live broadcast and well adapted dressing rooms.

Journalists from the state radio and television who recently visited the site reported that it has an up-to-date security system boosted by surveillance cameras, an electronic command gate constructed to manage the large crowds, three high power standby generators that guarantee autonomy in water and energy supply and a Wi-Fi and internet services.

Some big men in Yaounde call the ministers have opined that renovation work in the stadium will be completed in the days ahead.

CRTV

20, October 2016

European Investment Bank’s Central Africa regional office opens ⁰

The Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Pim Van Ballekom has inaugurated the bank’s regional office for the Central Africa Sub Region in Yaounde. Today’s ceremony was attended by the Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella and the European Union Ambassador to Cameroon, Francoise Collet.

Minister Mbella Mbella and Vice President Van Ballekom held intensive discussions prior to the inauguration ceremony. Cameroon Concord News gathered that both men examined the long standing relations between Cameroon and the European Investment Bank and identified new avenues for further cooperation.

The European Union Ambassador, Francoise Collet noted during a press briefing that there would be a massive increase in the volume and nature of financial assistance from the European Investment Bank to public and private establishments in the Central African sub region.

CRTV

20, October 2016

Clinton leads, Trump rejects poll ⁰

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton holds a 9-point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump nationally, a new poll shows. The former secretary of state has the support of 47 percent of likely voters, while the billionaire businessman has 38 percent support, found the Bloomberg Politics poll, released on Wednesday. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has 8 percent support among likely voters, while Green Party nominee Jill Stein has 3 percent support. Clinton keeps her 9-point lead over Trump, 50 to 41 percent, in a head-to-head matchup.

She has a 4-point lead over Trump among likely voters without a college degree, 48 to 44 percent, while the billionaire trails by 13 points among whites with a college degree. The poll was conducted from October 14 to 17 among 1,006 likely voters. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Clinton and Trump were literally tied in the Bloomberg poll in September, with 46 percent apiece in a two-way race.

Trump appears to be in freefall after the release of a 2005 audiotape earlier this month of his lewd comments about touching and kissing women without their consent. “Donald Trump’s chances of winning this election have faded,” said Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates, which conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff and his firm Public Opinion Strategies.

Trump rejects polls

Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Grand Junction Regional Airport on October 18, 2016 in Grand Junction Colorado. (Photo by AFP)

However, Trump has rejected such claims and polls as fabricated by media outlets and organizations which want to elect Clinton as president at any cost.

Over the last week, Trump has intensified his criticism of the American electoral system. He called the election process rigged, and said the media is colluding with Clinton in order to beat him.

He has questioned the legitimacy of the US elections, saying that he believed the vote was already being “rigged” at many polling places.

Trump has stated that the November presidential election will determine whether America is a free nation, “or whether we have only the illusion of democracy, but are in fact controlled by a small handful of global special interests rigging the system.”

Presstv

20, October 2016

Mfoundi Memorandum: Patriarch Onambele says Minister Mbarga Mboa and Co. are not from Mfoundi constituency ⁰

The patriarch of Mfoundi, Emile Onambele Zibi has reacted to the crisis meeting held on Tuesday, October the 18^th, 2016 by four members of government from his native constituency over the alleged Memorandum against President Paul Biya. Emile Onambele Zibi openly attacked the main initiator of the crisis forum, Philippe Mbarga Mboa stating that their one year ban on him was inconsequential.

To Emile Onambele, Minister Philippe Mbarga Mboa who chaired the meeting is neither patriarch nor elite, or traditional leader, or anything in the Mfoundi Division. Onambele wondered aloud that, “In what capacity was Mbarga Mboa speaking? Emile Onambele added that among the four minister of the ruling CPDM party who endorsed the decision against him, there were some that hail from Soa in the Department of Méfou-et-Afamba and have no right to rant on Mfoundi affairs.

The Mfoundi patriarch even made fun of the venue chosen to host the crisis talks. He observed that the four ministers were no longer sure of being in government pending a cabinet reshuffle to be announced soon. Emile Onambele Zibi plans to organize a press conference to unpack everything about this Memorandum affair. He revealed that the Mfoundi community have never written a memorandum to the Head of State and that what is now being discussed never came from him or the Mfoundi elites.

On Tuesday, October 18 2016, some elites of Mfoundi including four members of government, gathered and took a stand against a Memorandum from Mfoundi Division addressed to President Biya. The document carried vitriolic charges against President Paul Biya and had the signature of Emile Onambele Zibi in his capacity as president of the indigenous people of Mfoundi.

After the meeting on Tuesday, the indigenous people of Mfoundi signed in return what they called “The Declaration of Mfoundi” and distanced themselves from their leader. They also decided to quarantine its presumed author, Emile Onambele Zibi for a period of one year. The four Ministers from Mfoundi who took part in the meeting were: Philippe Mbarga Mboa, Louis Mama Fouda, Laurent Serge Etoundi and Ngoa Seraphin.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

20, October 2016

Prof. Fidelis Cho-Ngwa tells Cameroon Tribune University of Buea is the first to install a DNA laboratory in Cameroon ⁰

Prof. Fidelis Cho-Ngwa, Head of DNA Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, has been speaking about the current process of certifying the Buea University DNA laboratory. In this interview with the nation’s national daily, Cameroon Tribune, Prof. Fidelis Cho-Ngwa hinted that UB DNA test will be cheaper

Cameroon Tribune: The University of Buea operates a DNA laboratory, a rare facility in Central Africa. How did it begin?

Fidelis Cho-Ngwa: We started research in 2014 and since then, we have been training Master’s degree students in Molecular Diagnostics. We have so far carried out 15 “peace of mind tests” on Cameroonians since 2015. The tests are so called because they were not ordered by any court. However, they enabled the clients to know whether they were biological parents or children of some people. I head the laboratory and have a number of people working with me, especially those who obtained the Master’s degree in Molecular Diagnostic Science the university runs. We have now changed the appellation of the degree to Molecular Epidemiology and Diagnostic Science, to broaden the scope.

Cameroon Tribune: Is the laboratory open to the public?

Fidelis Cho-Ngwa: We have not yet gone on a business scale. It’s still a research platform, but we provide some services to the public. For us to go business, we will need to first get the laboratory certified. For now, the DNA laboratory is certified for drug discovery for Onchocerciasis, a Pan-African ANDI Centre of Excellence, but not for Human Molecular Diagnostics. This is why we have not yet extended to the legal platform. In the months ahead, we hope to engage government and the university to get to the level whereby we can seek certification. If this is achieved, courts, social and immigration cases, and even identification of remains of accident and fire victims, etc, can be referred to us.

Cameroon Tribune: Are there other DNA laboratories in Cameroon?

Fidelis Cho-Ngwa: I am not aware of any other DNA testing laboratory in the country. We know that people collect samples and send abroad and wait for results to give to their clients. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to install a DNA laboratory in Cameroon. Some other laboratories may have some of the machines, but not the technological know-how or trained personnel we boast. We collect samples and finish everything in the same laboratory. For now, we don’t use sophisticated machines since we don’t have them yet. We use robust, time-consuming manual methods to arrive at exactly the same results. We have been all over the world and have been teaching the science in the University of Buea. We have mastered the technology and now carry out research in Molecular Epidemiology and Diagnostic Science.

Cameroon Tribune: What is the cost of your services?

Fidelis Cho-Ngwa: We will not charge less than 200,000 FCFA for simple tests. Abroad, people pay between 300,000 FCFA and 500,000 FCFA for such tests; plus the cost of collecting, preparing and sending samples and money. Overall, our tests will be about 50 per cent cheaper. The other advantage is that you can do the test in person. The distance that samples have to be transported is eliminated and the trouble of handling them is avoided.

19, October 2016

New York Police kills 66-year-old schizophrenic black woman ⁰

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has come under fire for the officer-involved death of a 66-year-old African American woman, who was suffering from schizophrenia. NYPD officers shot dead Deborah Danner in the bedroom of her Bronx apartment on Tuesday, after she reportedly confronted them with scissors and a baseball bat.

According to police, Sergeant Hugh Barry had convinced the elderly woman to drop the scissors. However, when she charged to hit the officer with the bat, Barry fired two shots at her chest. She was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The NYPD admitted the excessive use of force in a statement, saying that the incident would undergo a full investigation since the officer could have subdued Danner by simply using his Taser.

“The sergeant was armed with a Taser. It was not deployed, and the reason it was not deployed will be part of the investigation and review,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen. The NYPD immediately put Barry on modified duty until the investigation was completed.

Danner’s shooting death was condemned by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “This elderly woman was known to the police department, yet the officer involved in this shooting failed to use discretion to either talk her down from her episode or, barring that, to use his stun gun,” he said in a statement.

According to Danner’s Twitter account, she was a keen supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, which seeks justice for unarmed African Americans killed by white cops. “The wound, RACISM, continues to fester. PRAY for healing,” she wrote in one tweet.

“Point of the Conversation: How’d U like to move about w/a TARGET on you because of the color of your skin? BLACK LIVES MATTER!” she wrote in another. The shooting occurred at a time when anti-police sentiment is already high across the US due to a surge of unjustified killings of unarmed African Americans over the past few months.

On Monday, Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), one of the largest police organizations in the US, issued a formal apology to minorities for the historical injustice and mistreatment by law enforcement agencies.

Presstv

19, October 2016

2016 Women Africa Cup of Nations: All is calm in Enow Ngatchu’s camp ⁰

The players and officials of the Cameroon’s national female football team are back to camp at the Centre Olympia Africa at Akono, in the Centre Region. The indomitable lionesses are in camp for the fifth time as part of preparations against the upcoming 2016 Women AFCON to kick-off in Cameroon from November 19.

The girls of Enow Ngatchu have just returned from Bamako, Mali where they played a friendly with the Malian female national team. During their stay in Mali, the Indomitable Lionesses staged two test matches recording one win and a draw.

The girls will leave for Niarobi, Kenya on the 21^st of October 2016 ahead of another friendly against Kenyan side on October 22. The Secretary General of the Cameroon Football Federation, Tombi a Roko Sidiki is in Europe to negotiate for the release of most of the country’s professional players from their clubs.

CRTV

19, October 2016

German language regional pedagogic inspectors meeting in Yaounde ⁰

Regional Pedagogic Inspectors for the German Language in Cameroon are meeting to learn improved methods of teaching the language in Secondary Schools. The three-day seminar opened at the Goethe Institute of Learning in Yaounde on the 18th of October 2016 prompted by poor teachings as revealed by the writings on the photo attached to this report by state-owned radio and television, CRTV.

The forum is holding under the theme, “the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of German Learners using Competent-based Approaches.” Organised by the Ministry of Secondary Education and the Goethe Institute, the seminar aims at providing teachers with new and better teaching techniques.

While chairing the opening ceremony, the Inspector Coordinator General in charge of Letters, Arts and Languages at the Ministry of Secondary Education, Charles Etoundi expressed the Ministry’s commitment to improve on the capacity of its teachers in order that goodbye will not be translated as goodbye in German but Auf Wiedersehen.

The Pedagogic Inspectors will also be introduced to a new international school exchange programme for teachers involved in the teaching of the German language. The programme is intended to create learning partnerships in a bid to improve pedagogic skills and create better working conditions for teachers. The session ends on 20th October 2016.

CRTV