Headline News

12, September 2016

9/11: Saudi Arabia feeling the heat ⁰

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region have expressed dissatisfaction about recent legislation in the US that would enable the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks to lodge complaints against Riyadh and demand reparations over the kingdom’s alleged role. The group of the six Arab nations, known as the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), issued a statement on Monday, claiming that the legislation was against international law and posed risks to relations between countries.

The head of the six-nation group said the law was “contrary to the foundations and principles of relations between states and the principle of sovereign immunity enjoyed by states.” “Such laws will negatively affect the international efforts and international cooperation to combat terrorism,” Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani added and hoped that the US would cast aside the bill.

In separate statements, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, both members of the group, expressed concerns about the consequences of the congressional move on relations between the United State and other countries. The September 11 legislation was approved Friday in the US House of Representatives. It had initially gained the endorsement of the Senate. However, the White House has hinted that President Barack Obama may veto the move over concerns that it could prompt other countries to pursue similar lawsuits against the US.

Observers say, however, that Obama is more concerned about the economic impacts of the legislation as officials in oil-rich Saudi Arabia have previously threatened that any legal action against Riyadh over the 9/11 attacks would prompt them to rethink their future investment plans in the US. Sunday marked the 15th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001 which saw nearly 3,000 killed in hijacked plane attacks in New York, the Washington, D.C. area and Pennsylvania.

Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi nationals. In July, excerpts of a congressional report on 9/11 were released which found that some of the hijackers had ties to Saudi government officials. However, the allegations have never been substantiated by an official body in the US. The government in Riyadh has strongly denied any role in the incidents and has lobbied against the bill. The [P]GCC, a body which also includes Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, is strongly influenced by Saudi Arabia and has a record of obeying the official policy of Riyadh in dealing with regional and international developments.

Presstv

12, September 2016

UK: Former Prime Minister resigns as MP ⁰

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron announces his decision to resign as Conservative MP for Witney, Oxfordshire, triggering a by-election. According to ITV news, Cameron said that he had informed Theresa May of his decision on Monday to quit and said he did not want to be a “distraction” for her.

Cameron, who was the Conservative Prime Minister in 2010-2016, had said he would continue as an MP until the next general election. The 49-year-old said he would have to “build a life outside Westminster” and said “in my view, with modern politics, with the circumstances of my resignation it isn’t really possible to be a proper backbench MP as a former prime minister.” “I think everything you do will become a big distraction and a big diversion from what the government needs to do for our country.” “I hope I will continue to contribute in terms of public service.”

He complimented May, his former home secretary, saying she had been “very understanding” and that she had “got off to a cracking start” as prime minister. Asked about his legacy, he said he hoped his time would be remembered for a strong economy and “important social reforms” and that he had transformed a Conservative Party that was “in the doldrums” into a “modernizing force”.

In June, Cameron has announced his resignation after Britons voted to leave the European Union. Cameron said he could not lead the country in the process of UK’s separation from the bloc. Theresa May was swiftly appointed as head of the UK government soon after.

Presstv

12, September 2016

Book on the Albatross scandal released ⁰

Journalist and writer Boris Bertolt has released a book on the Albatross scandal entitled “The President’s Plane”. In the book, he takes us into the meanders of the acquisition process of a plane for President Paul Biya-the Albatros.

He revealed that billions of FCFA was swallowed and observed that in the end Paul Biya had neither the money nor his plane. The book is an exciting thriller published by Editions du Schabel Haman Mana since August 31, 2016.

12, September 2016

Cameroon: Basic Education Minister meets with 200 displaced pupils in Mora ⁰

The Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Hadidja Alim has made public assurances that the CPDM government will support some 200 displaced pupils in the Mayo Sava Division of the Far North Region.

During her visit to the Government Primary School Meme Group 1A at the outskirts of Mora, Minister Youssouf Hadidja Alim met with the 200 displaced victims of Boko Haram atrocities in the region.

We understand the children all hail from the border towns of Kolofata, Limani, kerawa, Ashigashia, and Tokomari. While transmitting government’s words of encouragement and constant support to their plight, the Minister reminded the pupils to overcome their challenges by working very hard.

She also saluted the efforts of stakeholders of Basic Education in the Mayo Sava Division and other affected areas of the Far North Region for their bravery in coping with the terrorists threats.

CRTV

11, September 2016

US: Trump closing in on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’ lead ¹

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is closing in on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’ lead in the race for the White House as a number of states are no longer considered likely wins for Clinton, according to a new poll. The Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project released on Saturday shows Trump has caught up to Clinton’s level of support in several states, including Florida and Ohio.

Clinton is still favored to win 17 states, but Trump would likely win 23 states, the poll found. The number of states that Clinton was projected to win in has dropped over the past few weeks. Ohio and Florida were considered likely wins for Clinton in late August, but now the candidates are about even in support in those states. Over the past few weeks, Clinton’s lead in national surveys has vanished, although polls tend to narrow as Election Day nears.

A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll of likely voters showed Clinton’s 8-point lead over Trump in late August has disappeared. Clinton’s growing unpopularity follows renewed focus on her use of a private email server while she served as secretary of state, as well as alleged conflicts of interest over her connections to the Clinton Foundation fundraising.

A CNN/ORC Poll released last week shows Trump has closed the gap with Clinton and leads her nationally in the race for the White House by two points. Like previous surveys in past several months, the CNN poll also shows that both candidates remain mostly unliked, with majorities saying they have an unfavorable view of each candidate. Polls taken in the past several months have shown that Clinton and Trump were ranked among the most unpopular presidential candidates in America’s history.

Presstv

11, September 2016

US Republicans preventing further return of Iranian money held since 1979 ⁰

US Republicans are pushing new bills through Congress to prevent further return of Iranian money held since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Those measures are in response to President Barack Obama’s cash payments to Iran this year following a nuclear accord which requires Washington to lift its sanctions on Tehran.

Iran reportedly received $400 million first in January and another $1.3 billion less than two months later. The total sum of $1.7 billion was related to an arms deal that Iran signed before 1979 but Washington was refusing to give back.

Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were reportedly flown into Iran in an unmarked cargo plane to cover the first $400 million, while the second payoff was likely made in cash since the US has no banking relationship with Tehran.

Republican lawmakers have now fielded new bills prohibiting any similar payments from the US, the country’s media reports say. A bill introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce to ban future payments to Iran has reportedly attracted 36 co-sponsors and got a date squeezed into the body’s calendar for a vote.

In the Senate, Sen. Marco Rubio has introduced a similar measure which has attracted 20 co-sponsors in just three days, reports said.

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio gives a thumbs up to members of Congress. (Photo by Getty Images)

In a statement, Rubio hit out at Obama’s “misguided policies,” accusing him of attempting “to appease our enemy with pallets of cash secretly delivered on an unmarked cargo plane.” The senator accused Iran of cheating on the nuclear deal even though the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) once again confirmed Tehran’s commitment to the accord in a report on Thursday.

Rubio’s bill is reportedly competing with another being pushed by Sen. Bob Corker, the GOP chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Corker’s bill expands sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile program as well as Iran’s support for resistance groups such as Hezbollah. It also requires new sanctions for the transfer of conventional weapons to and from Iran, among other penalties.

According to weekly magazine the Washington Examiner, lawmakers know there’s no chance that Obama will sign the bills into law in the waning days of his time in office but they want to force Democrats up for election in conservative states to take a tough vote on the measure.

The $1.7 billion returned to Iran constitutes a fraction of tens of billions of dollars of the Iranian assets which the US has blocked since the Islamic Revolution. With the nuclear accord reached in February, US courts have scrambled through several cases, allowing American families to claim Iranian assets as compensation for a number of attacks which Tehran says have nothing to do with the country.

In April, the US Supreme Court ruled that Iran’s $2 billion of assets held in an American bank be turned over to families of those killed in a 1983 bombing in Beirut and other attacks. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denounced the move as “highway robbery” and pledged that Iran would retrieve the sum anyway.

Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) in Vienna, July 14, 2015. (Photo by Reuters)

Top Iranian authorities have also rebuked the US for “deception” on the nuclear accord and failing to fulfill its commitments. While Washington has to lift sanctions on Tehran under the accord, it has imposed even more penalties under numerous pretexts.

Last month, Deputy Petroleum Minister for trade and international affairs Amir Hossein Zamaninia said the US was terrorizing the Europeans into shunning business with Iran despite the lifting of sanctions.

Presstv

11, September 2016

Cameroon: Finance Minister sends off French ambassador ⁰

The outgoing French ambassador to Cameroon Christine Robichon has described her three years diplomatic mission to Cameroon as successful with major achievements recorded. She made the revelation on Tuesday the 6^th of September 2016 in Yaounde after an audience Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey.

Christine Robichon and Finance minister Alamine held economic discourse on some issues of common interest for the two countries. After the brief meeting she received a gift from Alamine Ousmane Mey paid for by the Cameroon tax payer.

The outgoing ambassador was appointed to Cameroon on the 25^th of October 2013 after haven served in various capacities as a diplomat in Africa, the Middle East, United States of America and the United Nations.

CRTV

11, September 2016

Russia 2018: South African referee to handle duel between Cameroon and Algeria ⁰

FIFA through the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the identity of the arbitrator for the highly anticipated duel between two African football giants, Cameroon and Algeria.

The first leg that will be staged in Algiers will be handled by the South African, Daniel Bennett. The 40 year old, Daniel Bennett is an international referee since 2002.

By Rita Akana

11, September 2016

Donald Trump Foundation has been collecting donations from charities and using them to benefit other charities in his name ⁰

The Donald J. Trump Foundation, established by the US Republican presidential nominee, has reportedly been collecting donations from charities and using them to benefit other charities in his name.

In fact, Trump has not personally contributed to his own supposedly non-profit foundation since 2008, when he “donated” $30,000 to the organization – $5,000 less than what he paid it the previous year,The Washington Post reported Saturday citing its own investigation into the finances of the foundation.

Trump’s foundation is “a charity that allowed a rich man to be philanthropic for free,” concluded the influential liberal newspaper affiliated with the Democratic Party. In 2007, Trump used the foundation’s money to pay for a 6-foot painting of himself that his wife purchased at an auction, in violation of regulations by US tax authority, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which prohibits a charity’s officers from using the group’s funds to purchase things for their own benefit.

Last week, the Post also reported that Trump paid a $2,500 fine for using the foundation to make a political contribution to a PAC supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2013, whose office at the time was considering an investigation into Trump University.

The foundation also misrepresented donations it made in the past and four charities that the foundation claimed it had donated to said they had never received any money. The Trump campaign has declined to comment on the report.

The development came as Trump took in an estimated $3 million at a single fundraising event on a farm outside Cleveland, Ohio, earlier in the week “The fact that people came in from out of town to go to that, I think said something,” The Hill reported, citing a source close to Trump’s presidential campaign.

According to the report, the controversial Republican presidential nominee has been slower to charm the donor class than any Republican nominee in recent memory largely because the billionaire spent the entire primary campaign telling rich conservatives he did not want their cash.

However, sources at the highest levels of Trump’s fundraising operation have described a turning point recently with Trump drawing closer to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the polls. The fundraiser was held on the farm of renowned GOP donor Eddie Crawford and attended by wealthy Republicans from the battleground state, the source said.

Presstv

11, September 2016

The Hajj: Pilgrims celebrate Day of Arafat ⁰

About 1.5 million Muslims from across the world have started to observe the Day of Arafat, an occasion for repentance and supplication considered as the pinnacle of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. On Sunday, the worshipers began day-long prayers and recitals of the holy book of Qur’an on a rocky hill known as Mount Arafat, east of the Saudi city of Mecca, where Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) gave his last Hajj sermon.

The Day of Arafat falls on Dhu al-Hijjah 9, the final month in the Islamic calendar. It comes one day before Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice). After preliminary rituals this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the pilgrims moved eastwards on Saturday to Mina neighborhood and then several kilometers further to Mount Arafat. The worshipers are following in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad, who performed the same rituals about 1,400 years ago. Muslim pilgrims mark the Day of Arafat on Mount Arafat, east of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, September 11, 2016.

For the first time in more than three decades, Saudi Arabia’s radical Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh will not be delivering this year’s Hajj sermon. He preaches Wahhabism, a radical “ideology” that inspires Takfiri terrorists across the world.

Iranians are not attending the Hajj pilgrimage this year because of the failure of Saudi authorities to ensure the pilgrims’ safety following last year’s human crush during the rituals in Mina. The tragic incident took place when two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads during the symbolic ceremony of the stoning of Satan in Jamarat in September 2015.

Saudi Arabia claims that nearly 770 people were killed in the incident; however, Iran, which had the greatest number of deaths among foreign nationals, has put the death toll at about 4,700. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of the holy faith of Islam that every able-bodied and financially able Muslim is obliged to undertake during their lifetime.

Presstv