Headline News

27, October 2016

Cardinal Tumi honoured in Yaounde ⁰

Cardinal Christian Tumi, the former Archbishop Emeritus of Douala, age 86, has been made doctor honoris causa of the Catholic University of Yaoundé Central Africa (AFU).

The ceremony was held on Wednesday October the 26^th 2016 at the campus of the institution located in Nkolbisson neighbourhood in Yaounde.

The honorary doctorate is the third award for the famous retired Roman Catholic Cardinal, after the Integrity Award five years ago by Transparency International and the Cardinal Von Galen prize received in 2008 from Human Life International in recognition of nearly half a century of pastoral care for the family.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

27, October 2016

UK: May facing growing criticism over her comments about Brexit ⁰

British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing growing criticism over her comments about Brexit at a leaked private speech to Goldman Sachs. The premier, who has publicly made the case for a hard Brexit following a June referendum, speaks of the “benefits” of being an EU member in the hour-long session, whose audio file was leaked to the Guardian on Tuesday night, drawing harsh criticism on Wednesday.

“I think the economic arguments are clear. I think being part of a 500 million [population] trading bloc is significant for us. I think, as I was saying to you a little earlier, that one of the issues is that a lot of people will invest here in the UK because it is the UK in Europe,” she is heard saying. “If we were not in Europe, I think there would be firms and companies who would be looking to say, do they need to develop a mainland Europe presence rather than a UK presence? So I think there are definite benefits for us in economic terms.”

The leader of the rival Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, attacked the prime minister for having failed to address her own concerns about leaving the European Union. Corbyn has previously been calling on the Tory-held government for a clear plan to exit the bloc.

A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament’s Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) shows British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (R) as he responds during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons in London on October 12, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

“The prime minister has given her private views on Brexit to Goldman Sachs bankers, but refuses to give the British people a clear plan for negotiations,” said the Labour leader. “It shouldn’t take a leaked tape for the public to find out what she really thinks.”

The former Labour leader and leading member of the Open Britain campaign group, Ed Miliband, also reacted to the comments, saying, the leaked comments prove that May shares the concerns of all the Britons on Brexit. “If private warnings are to be matched by proper public debate, it is essential that the government is not allowed to hoard vital analysis of the impact on our economy of leaving the single market. This work is being done in government and it must now be published,” he said, asserting that May’s comments “demonstrated that the prime minister was just as worried privately as the rest of us are publicly about the economic impact of the hard, destructive Brexit her government seems set on.”

According to the Guardian, the audio file was leaked as May was “prioritizing cutting immigration over staying in the single market, while refusing to elaborate any further on her plans for taking the UK out of the EU.”

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson leaves the weekly cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on October 25, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

In an unpublished newspaper column written before the June 23 referendum for the Telegraph, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson, who is another Leave campaigner in the public, also defended remaining an EU member.

“This is a market on our doorstep, ready for further exploitation by British firms. The membership fee seems rather small for all that access. Why are we so determined to turn our back on it?” he wrote, calling the EU a “boon for the world and for Europe.”

Presstv

27, October 2016

Eseka train disaster: Protest held against keeping dead bodies of Muslims in mortuaries ⁰

The Eseka train accident almost took a religious twist following protest from some Muslims families that according to Islam, a corpse should not be kept in a mortuary. Some of the families were heard raising their voices in the morgue at the Yaounde Central Hospital.

One of the Muslim family head violently attacked some of the staffs that were on duty referring to the prohibition of Islam. However, Imam Hamed Bashir of the Biyem-Assi mosque condemned the Muslim families who created the noisy scenes at the Yaounde Central Hospital. The Imam observed that “if the Muslim victims had drowned, died in a plane crash or a natural disaster where it is almost impossible to find traces of the victims, who will they be attacking?”

Imam Bachir Hamed advised that since Cameroon is a secular state, the citizens and the government must first find a compromise with the team that handles any disaster. Imam Bachir Hamed added that in times like this, Muslim families should remain close to the government in order to dialogue and to assist in the identification of victims with dignity and to organize the funerals.

It should be noted Islamic rules stipulates that a deceased person be buried as soon as possible. If the death occurred in the night, the individual is buried before sunrise. If it’s in the morning it is done before sunset.

By Sonne Peter

26, October 2016

Earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale hits Italy ⁰

An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale has hit central Italy, including the capital Rome. Italy’s national geophysics institute said the quake struck at a depth of nine kilometers in the Macerata area of the central region of Marche on Wednesday.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the magnitude, saying the epicenter was seven kilometers south-southwest of Visso village in Macerata. There was no information immediately available about potential casualties or damage caused by the quake, which was felt in the towns of Pescara, Ancone and L’Aquila, which was jolted by a 6.3-magnitude quake in 2009 that killed over 300 people.

Wednesday’s quake rattled windows and doors in the capital of Rome. The quake comes about two months after nearly 300 people were killed as a strong earthquake hit central Italy. On August 24, a powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit Italy, and almost flattened scores of towns and villages in the central parts. The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, the strongest of which measured 4.2, rattling the already hit areas.

Presstv

26, October 2016

Biya to chair the 2016 edition of the Cup of Cameroon ⁰

The Cameroon Football Federation has announced that the 2016 edition of the Cup of Cameroon will be played on October the 30^that the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde. The FECAFOOT press release also stated that the match will kick off at exactly 3 pm and will be chaired by the Head of State President Biya.

The match will be staged by Apejes Mfou- a club in the Central Region and Bamboutos Mbouda in the West. For the records, the final of the Women’s Football Cup played on the 23^rd of October was won by Les Louves on penalties.

By Ebong Kingsley

26, October 2016

Former OAU Secretary General William Eteki Mboumoua is no more ⁰

According to information relayed this morning by Radio Equinoxe from Douala, William Eteki Mboumoua died in the early hours of Wednesday in Yaoundé from an illness.

83 year old, William Eteki Mboumoua was still in active service as the boss of the Cameroon Red Cross. He was elected Secretary General of the OAU to replace the late Nzo Ekanghaki who had fallen out of favour with the Ugandan thug, Idi Amin Dada. He also served as Minister of Education.

By Sonne Peter

26, October 2016

Trump says President Barack Obama should be “investigated” over his role in Hillary Clinton’s private email scandal ⁰

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says President Barack Obama should be “investigated” over his role in Hillary Clinton’s private email scandal.

Trump said Tuesday that Obama knew about Clinton’s email arrangements while she served as secretary of state during the president’s first term in office from 2009 to 2013.

“That’s why he stuck up for Hillary, because he didn’t want to be dragged in. Because he knew all about her private server,” Trump told Reuters. “This means that he has to be investigated.”

The White House did not give any comments about Trump’s accusations, but Press Secretary Josh Earnest said earlier on Tuesday that Obama did not know where Clinton’s server had been located or other details, although he did have her personal email address.

Clinton has said her decision to use the private server installed at her home at Chappaqua, New York, for official government business was a mistake and has apologized.

Presstv

26, October 2016

Cameroon government spokesman says several bodies from the train crash not yet identified ⁰

Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has made public the CPDM death toll of the Eseka train crash incident. The Cameroon government spokesman reduced the tally to 76 and increased the number of wounded to 599 during a press conference on Tuesday the 25^th of October 2016 in Yaounde.

The minister of communication gave a breakdown of the distribution of those injured in different hospital units in the country. He observed that there were 473 persons at the Eséka District Hospital: 22 at the Mother Teresa; Mercy 25 and Urban health Centre: 79.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary also revealed that, 368 wounded continued their treatment in hospitals in Douala, Edea and Yaoundé. While 231 minor injuries returned to their families immediately after First Aid care in Eséka.

The Cameroon government spokesman added that a process has been developed on the identification and collection of bodies of victims. Said Tchiroma: “The applicants and other rights holders must bring original and photocopies of their identification and any official document that can link the family with the remains (marriage certificate at birth or other documents …)”

However, the minister noted that several other bodies have not yet been identified. Issa Tchiroma indicated that these bodies are subject to “an identification procedure in the presence of at least three members of the applicant family. For each body, the doctor in charge of the mortuary services deliver a kind of death certificate to the family, “he further informed.

The Centre for Health Emergencies of the Ministry of Health has mobilized to respond to all queries relating thereto. It responds to hotline: 1510.

By Sama Ernest

25, October 2016

Eseka train crash: Biya signs decree setting up commission of inquiry ²

President Biya has signed a decree setting up a commission of inquiry into the train derailment incident that happened in Eseka on Friday 21st October 2016. Alot of tongues are reportedly wagging already in Yaounde on the failure to include an independent personality in the commission-not even the Roman Catholic Arch Bishop of the Yaounde Diocese. Our Yaounde city reporter say there is also some under-the-table talk going on following the non-inclusion of the the all-powerful Minister of Transport, Edgar Alain Mebo Ngoo

The Commission as appointed by the 83 old leader will be headed by the Prime Minister Philemon Yang.

Its members include;

-The Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals

-The Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation

-The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of State Control

-The Secretary of State for Defense in charge of the Gendarmerie

-The Delegate General in charge of National Security

-The Permanent Secretary of the National Security Council.

The commission is expected to;

Determine the cause of the accident and propose ways of avoiding a similar occurrence
Identify those responsible for the accident
Assess the management of the catastrophe

The decree was signed today Tuesday 25th October 2016

25, October 2016

SDF North West Regional Elections: The Patriarch of Njinikom, Njong Evaristus still in charge ⁰

The Mayor of Belo, Ben Tosam has been defeated in the North West regional elections of the Social Democratic Front. Ben Tosam was humiliated by the incumbent Regional Chairman; Hon. Njong Evaristus Ndim of Njinikom. The SDF patriarch of Njinikom, Njong Evaristus scored 217 votes as against 192 for Mayor Ben Tosam.

Cameroon Concord News learned that the challenger ran a good campaign but unfortunately with militants who had left the SDF under controversial circumstances. Our senior political commentator in Bamenda observed that Fon Martin Yembe, deputy mayor of Ndu, a prominent member in the Mayor Ben Tosam Campaign was himself a Provincial Chairman who resigned from that position and also from the SDF.

Another chartered member of the Ben Tosam Campaign was Mrs Nyah Margaret, also a former Provincial Chair Lady who too had resigned from the SDF and joined Barrister Ben Muna’s AFP party. Chop Samuel who reportedly scripted most of the speeches delivered during the campaign season for Mayor Ben Tosam served as SDF Communication Secretary but later on resigned from the SDF and joined the ruling CPDM crime syndicate. We were also reliably informed that Nico Kubri, who moonlighted in the Ben Tosam team, had been on the communication desk of the SDF and faced out of the party for almost 20 years.

The SDF North West regional electorate saw the Ben Tosam team as CPDM mercenaries sent to destabilised the party if he won. The SDF-Boyo Division clash of the Titans is now over and Njong Evaristus Ndim has another deserving mandate. At the time of filing this report, our North West regional correspondent signalled that all those elected today were all in the Njong Evaristus list.

By Eyong Peter in Bamenda