Politics

23, June 2017

Spain: MPs vote down Catalan independence plebiscite ⁰

Spanish lawmakers on Thursday as expected threw out a Catalan bid to hold an independence referendum which a court had already ruled illegal. Pro-separatist regional president Carles Puigdemont presented a bill calling on Madrid to “respect” the wealthy northeastern region’s attempt to hold a vote in October.

But 250 out of 350 lawmakers, led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservatives and backed by the main opposition Socialists and centrist Ciudadanos, voted down the move. Regionalist and pro-independence parties as well as the far-left Podemos group cast 92 votes in favor of a referendum.

Backed by a majority of pro-separatists in the Catalan regional assembly, Puigdemont wants to hold a referendum asking voters if they want their region, population 7.5 million, to be an independent republic.

Madrid has rejected the move as unconstitutional. Catalans appear divided on the issue, with 48.5 percent against and 44.3 percent in favor according to latest polls, although some three-quarters back holding a referendum.

(Source: AFP)

22, June 2017

UK: Queen lays out May’s policies amid tumult ⁰

UK Queen Elizabeth II has presented Prime Minister Theresa May’s policies to the new Parliament, at a tumultuous time for Britain and as May’s future in power remain uncertain. The queen took to Westminster on Wednesday to read out a list of the government’s intentions for the lawmakers on their first day in office, following the June 8 snap general election that saw May’s Conservative Party lose its narrow majority.

The legislative program that the monarch laid out on behalf of May was a pared-down version of her party manifesto for the election and dropped some key promises to instead focus on Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU). “My government’s priority is to secure the best possible deal as the country leaves the European Union,” said Elizabeth II. “My ministers are committed to working with Parliament, the devolved administrations, business and others to build the widest possible consensus on the country’s future outside the European Union.”

Eight of the 27 bills that were included in the agenda revolved around Brexit, while the rest were focused on other issues such as the recent wave of terror attacks that hit Britain as well as the deadly apartment block fire in Grenfell Tower last week. Absent on the list, however, were May’s manifesto pledges to tax the elderly more heavily for their own care and slash free lunches for schoolchildren, the very unpopular policies that were blamed for May’s uninspiring election performance.

Faced with growing calls to step down since the vote, May has been struggling to save her reign by striking a deal for a minority government with the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The deal plunged into new jeopardy on Wednesday after the DUP handed in an expensive £2 billion list of demands to the Tories, including £1 billion pumped into the health service in Northern Ireland and a similar figure for infrastructure projects, according to the BBC.

If true, this would make it impossible to get a deal on Thursday, the new deadline that was announced after a series of similar delays. Notwithstanding the uncertain future she faces, May has decided to press ahead with the previous schedule for the EU talks. UK Brexit Secretary David Davis held the first round of talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday. Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who managed to win many seats for his party in the election against all odds, took the opportunity on Wednesday to attack May and pitch himself as her replacement.

The opposition leader, who refused to bow to the queen, said at the beginning of the parliamentary session that the government has “apparently run out of ideas altogether.” While noting that Labour was “a government in waiting,” Corbyn said people in many traditionally Tory areas had chosen “hope over fear” by voting for his party. The so-called Queen’s Speech was marred by “Day of Rage” protests outside Westminster, where hundreds of Londoners had gathered to call for May’s resignation.

Source: Presstv

21, June 2017

Saudi Arabia: King relieves Nayef as crown prince ⁰

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has replaced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with his own son, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the deputy crown prince and defense minister.

According to a royal decree, Mohammed bin Salman, 31, was also named deputy prime minister, and shall maintain his post as defense minister, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

Saudi media say King Salman has called for a public pledge of allegiance to the new crown prince in the holy city of Mecca on Wednesday night.

The SPA also confirmed that 31 out of 34 members of Saudi Arabia’s succession committee chose Mohammed bin Salman as the crown prince.

Just days ago, the Saudi king stripped Nayef of his powers overseeing criminal investigations and designated a new public prosecution office to function directly under the king’s authority.

In a similar move back in 2015, the Saudi king had appointed his nephew, then deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef as the heir to the throne after removing his own half-brother Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud from the position.

Under the new decree, King Salman further relieved Mohammed bin Nayef of his duties as the interior minister. He appointed Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef as the new interior minister and Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Salem as deputy interior minister.

Mohammed bin Salman is already in charge of a vast portfolio as chief of the House of Saud royal court and chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, which is tasked with overhauling the country’s economy.

The young prince was little known both at home and abroad before Salman became king in January 2015.

However, King Salman has significantly increased the powers of Mohammed, with observers describing the prince as the real power behind his father’s throne.

Power struggle in the House of Saud

There had long been speculations that Mohammed’s rise to power under his father’s reign might also accelerate his ascension to the throne.

On Wednesday, a well-known Saudi online activist, known on Twitter as @mujtahidd, predicted that King Salman would renounce power in favor of his son.

The whistleblower has already leaked documents indicating high-level corruption inside the Saudi royal family.

The power struggle inside the House of Saud came to light earlier this year when the Saudi king began to overhaul the government and offered positions of influence to a number of family members.

In two royal decrees in April, the Saudi king named two of his other sons, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Prince Khaled bin Salman, as state minister for energy affairs and ambassador to the United States, respectively.

Mastermind of brutal, futile war

As the defense minister, Mohammed bin Salman has faced strong international criticism for the bloody military campaign he launched against neighboring Yemen in 2015 amid his rivalry with bin Nayef, the then powerful interior minister.

The file photo shows Mohammed bin Salman attending a military briefing.

The campaign was launched with the aim of restoring the former Yemeni government, a close Riyadh ally, and crushing the country’s Houthi Ansarullah movement. On the domestic political stage, the offensive was also viewed as an attempt by Mohammed bin Salman to steal the show and sideline the then crown prince.

However, despite spending billions of petrodollars, the Riyadh regime has achieved none of its goals during the campaign, which has killed over 12,000 civilians, left much of Yemen in ruins and empowered the Takfiri terror groups operating there.

On the economic front, Mohammed has been a key backer of the kingdom’s so-called Vision 2030 program, under which the Saudi leaders seek to reduce reliance on oil exports.

The plan is known as the most extensive and jarring economic shake-up of the country in decades, with economy experts describing it as too ambitious.

Mohammed bin Salman, according to analysts, appears to have orchestrated the Persian Gulf diplomatic crisis, which has seen a Saudi-led bloc of countries cutting ties with Qatar and imposed an economic siege on the country.

The diplomatic spat broke out days after a summit in Riyadh attended by US President Donald Trump, a staunch supporter of Saudi rulers and, in particular, Mohammed bin Salman.

Culled from Presstv

21, June 2017

UK: May talks with DUP to stay in power not going as expected ⁰

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s negotiations on staying in power with the support of the Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have not proceeded as expected. “Talks are ongoing with the DUP and we continue to work towards a confidence and supply arrangement,” a Conservative source told Reuters on Tuesday.
“As we have said, both parties are committed to strengthening the Union (between the UK’s member nations), combating terrorism, delivering Brexit and delivering prosperity across the whole United Kingdom.” “While our discussions continue it is important the government gets on with its business.” DUP sources also complained of the lack of “negotiating experience” on the Conservative side, a day after the separate Brexit talks also got underway. “The negotiations haven’t proceeded in a way that DUP would have expected,” a source told Sky News.

May had called for a snap election in April in hopes of getting an increased parliamentary majority that could have strengthened her position before going into two years of intense negotiations with the European Union about Britain’s departure from the bloc. However, May’s election gamble spectacularly backfired. British voters dealt her a devastating blow last Thursday, wiping out her parliamentary majority and throwing the country into political turmoil.

Now, the premier has been trying to save herself by forming a coalition government with the DUP, which won 10 seats. May and DUP leader Arlene Foster have met to discuss a plan to form the government. The DUP has been urging May’s government to give “greater focus” to the negotiations and that the DUP “can’t be taken for granted.” May’s office announced on Saturday that the DUP had agreed to support her government on the basis of a “confidence and supply” arrangement in parliament.

The so-called confidence and supply agreement means that the supporting party will back the government in motions of confidence by either voting in favor or abstaining, while retaining the right to vote otherwise in matters of conscience. “Supply”, on the other hand, refers to bills required for a minority government to receive funds to allow it to enact its policies.

Tory MPs have threatened they would object to a formal coalition, citing the DUP’s position on abortion, climate change and gay rights. A total of 326 seats is needed for a majority in the Commons, as efforts to run a minority government are usually doomed to fail because of the inability to get any legislation through the parliament, which means that an arrangement with another political party is essential.

Source: Presstv

20, June 2017

Brexit: UK accepts EU’s timetable for negotiations ⁰

The UK has started the marathon negotiations for its exit from the European Union (EU) by giving in to the bloc’s demands on how the talks should be held. Hours after arriving in Brussels to kick off the first day of the talks on Monday, UK Brexit Secretary David Davis agreed to settle the divorce terms before getting to the details about future relations with the EU.

This is a stark retreat from Davis’ core demands before the talks, where he had called for parallel talks on both aspects of the process. The British minister raised the issue once again yesterday only to be shut down by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who said the European Council would only proceed to future ties when “sufficient progress has been made” in other areas.

The EU has demanded an early agreement on three issues: the rights of EU nationals living in the UK; the UK’s “exit” payment to the EU; and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Davis, who had warned the EU’s timetable would risk an early collapse of the talks, said after meeting Barnier that backtracking on London’s preferences was not a sign of “weakness.” “It’s not when it starts, it’s how it finishes that matters,” he argued, noting that the timetable was “completely consistent” with what the government of Prime Minister Theresa May had aimed for.

Asked if he had made any concessions to the UK in exchange, Barnier said the talks were not about “punishment” or “revenge” and the two sides had to simply accept the “responsibility and the consequences” that came with their decisions.

“I am not in a frame of mind to make concessions, or ask for concessions,” he said. “Basically, we are implementing the decision taken by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, and unravel 43 years of patiently-built relations,” he added, referring to the last June EU referendum in the England, where 52 percent voted in favor of Brexit.

The two sides agreed to initially hold a week of negotiations every month until a new structure is defined. They also agreed to set up working groups of “senior experts” to work on the three key issues. Davis said there was already “much common ground” on citizens’ rights. Some 3.5 million EU nationals live in the UK compared to 1.2 million Britons spread around the continent.

The UK has also dismissed an ultimatum by the EU to pay a “divorce bill” of around £60 billion before sitting at the negotiating table. May expects the process to be completed by March 2019 but the EU has warned that the two sides should reach a deal before October 2018.

Source: Presstv

19, June 2017

Anglophone Uprising: The 10 most important points to remember for every Ambazonian ⁰

1. Only united among our own rows we can defeat our common enemy, which is our annexor, occupant and neo-colonialist exploiter, the puppet regime of illegitimate dictator Paul Biya backed up by puppet-holder France and its XAF = CFA currency system captured inside BEAC and the French National Bank in Paris.

2. With an enemy, which exploited, marginalized and mal-treated us for decades, there is no begging, petitioning, negotiating or federalizing. Only a clear cut with these puppets and crooks in power in Yaounde, Paris & Geneva can solve problems. Only full independence from our rapist La “Republique” du Cameroun can save our health. We say the final good-bye to LRC and Françafrique! There is no way back! Foreward ever backward never!

3. To claim a) the unconditional release of all political prisoners, b) the restoration of our statehood, and c) the withdrawal of all occupants from our Ambazonian territory is non-negotiable. Every Ambazonian must claim full independence now and all collaborators with LRC must face serious consequences. CPDM is a terrorist organization and all governmental offices, facilities or money sources of our occupant on our territory will e made inaccessible for him. And we don’t only claim, we take back.

4. Independence means independence. All Ambazonians are independent from all other powers in the world, especially neo-colonial powers. We are not dependent on any mercy of any country or organization to “give” us independence. We are not dependent on any UN document proving us anything. We are an independent people of Ambazonians and act independently and take everything we need for exercising our already God-given independence. We name ourselves and our state independently as we want, by referendum of our people or by decree. Our people are not Cameroonians. We are Ambazonians. Our own leaders and peoples decide what is good for us, not foreign ones.

5. The world media still does not know or does not want to know the truth about Ambazonia (former “Southern Cameroons”). We stopped calling us “Cameroonians” because the world does not understand the difference between southern Cameroonians and Cameroonians. We are not southern or western or whatever Cameroonians or just “Anglophones in their territory” as they say. All Ambazonians will tell the truth about Ambazonian = SC’s history and identity to any journalist, politician and organization in the world methodically, periodically, persistently, until the present narrative that the “Anglophones in the west of Cameroon” would be a “problem” has disappeared. We are not a problem, we are the solution!

6. The core of the problem with Cameroon is that its dictatorial government has sold itself to foreign neo-colonizers who steal the profits from the resources of Ambazonia into foreign accounts and do not reinvest these profits into Ambazonia. The whole thing is not a Francophone/Anglophone problem. It is a problem of robbing and stealing done by the French etc. and their puppet regimes in Africa. And all Ambazonians will tell this truth to the world consistently now until the world gets it. Additionally there will be massive demonstrations in Paris and Brussels in the middle of July 2017 which will ignite the “Second French Revolution” which means the end of France”s neocolonialism in Africa. On top of that there will be a Million Men&Women March on the government building in Buea on October 1st 2017, where we will hoist the Ambazonian flag. Our unarmed, peaceful marchers will be safeguarded by our hidden Ambazonian guerilla and all soldiers of the enemy will know that if they fire one single shot on innocent, marching people, full international media coverage will prove to the world that Biya is the terrorist not us.

7. Self-defense from violent occupation and human rights violations is fully legal according to international law. But the defeat and chase out of occupants can only be started, after SCACUF has achieved to successfully teach the international media that the Ambazonian freedom fighters are not what Yaounde’s CRTV says but the Biya regime and its occupying troops are violators of international law and terrorists. Ambazonia will not tell the occupant when its defense and guerilla forces will chase him out. They are ready. The occupant better leaves now or it will become a very bloody experience for him.

8. Sufficient finance, equipment and training of the own army, which will hold all own territory against all potential enemies forever, comes from supportive powers which oppose Camerounese-French mismanagement and which know very well that Ambazonia needs to give only a small percentage of its resources to finance sufficient self-defense. Parallel, the new, democratically elected government of Ambazonia will swear an oath to the new Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ambazonia (=SC), which has strictest anti-corruption-laws of the world and sets much higher standards of law than any French type constitution.

9. Ambazonian citizens started to register as citizen of Ambazonia online and will contribute each at least 10% of their wealth to the further liberation and modernization of Ambazonia. Better 90% left than 100% dead under the rule of the illegal French occupant. Those who refuse to give taxes to Ambazonia will feel disadvantages or dispossessions later. Big donors on the other hand will be have reduced taxes.

10. After Ambazonia has fully liberated itself and regained full control over all its territory and resources, it will also start to help the Camerounese as well to get rid of the incompetent, senile Biya regime and Françafrique’s system of corruption, exploitation and neocolonialism. After both sovereign countries Ambazonia and Cameroun have got a completely new constitution and a totally different, democratic government, both may form a Confederation, if both peoples would agree in two separate referenda.
LONG LIVE AMBAZONIA!
By Christoph Messner

19, June 2017

France: Macron’s party wins strong parliamentary majority ⁰

French President Emmanuel Macron’s newly established party has won a majority in parliamentary elections despite a record-low turnout. Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) and its Modem allies won 351 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, media reported on Monday.
The Republicans and their allies would form the opposition, while the Socialist Party, in power for the past five years, won its lowest number of seats in the postwar Fifth Republic. Due to the low turnout, 90 seats remained undecided, still giving LREM a majority.
“This is an opportunity for France. One year ago, no one would have imagined such a political renewal,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in a statement following the second-round vote on Sunday. Nina Halimi, a student activist, said, “This is a very good result, when Macron was not long ago predicted that he would be unable to win a majority in the Assembly.”
Macron plans to pursue his social and economic policies, including a change in labor laws, downsizing the public sector, and investing in job training and renewable energy.
Source: Presstv

17, June 2017

Hundreds of top jobs sit unfilled nearly 150 days into Trump’s term ⁰

The administration of US President Donald Trump is way behind on filling key positions as hundreds of top jobs sit unfilled nearly 150 days into his term, ABC News reported. Trump has complained that the process of confirming his nominees in Congress is “record-setting long” and has blamed Democratic lawmakers for stalling the process.

However, while the Senate has taken longer to confirm Trump’s nominees than it took with nominees of the previous several presidents, the real problem may be the president’s disorganized and chaotic transition. The groundwork of lining up potential nominees for a new administration usually begins well before Election Day with candidates beginning early to identify people they would want in the executive branch.

But with the Trump election campaign and later the Trump presidential transition almost none of that preparation took place. Previous incoming presidents identified a large group of potential nominees either during the campaign or the transition. But the Trump transition was well behind schedule compared to other recent presidents in lining up candidates for key roles.

The delayed start continues to plague the administration with only 151 nominations having been announced for the more than 500 critical jobs across the executive branch that require Senate confirmation. The Obama administration had announced 284 nominations by this point, and Bush had named 245, according to figures compiled by the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.

Trump has signed off on more than 350 nominees, which would mean that more than 200 of these people are currently undergoing a background review. The White House points to the long, behind-the-scenes process of shepherding each nominee from selection to confirmation as a key cause of the current backlog.

“Each nominee must pass a thorough background investigation before they can be officially nominated – everything from standard background checks to careful research and individual outreach to peers and colleagues,” White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters told ABC News.

Once a potential nominee is identified, it can take upwards of 45 days for that person to go through an FBI background check and a review by the Office of Government Ethics, all of which is typically done before the nominee’s name is sent to the Senate for confirmation. Trump’s nominees are taking 43 days on average to be confirmed, about 11 days longer for each person.

Culled from Presstv

16, June 2017

Trump to reverse Obama’s policy on Cuba ⁰

US President Donald Trump will announce a significant rollback of former President Barack Obama’s accord with Cuba by imposing travel and trade restrictions on the island nation, according to a new report. Trump will announce the changes to the Obama-era policies that improved US relations with Cuba in a speech in Miami, Florida, on Friday, POLITICO reported on Thursday.

The Trump administration had put the Cuba policy under review upon taking office earlier this year, the report said. The administration aims to reinforce certain aspects of about six-decade-old trade embargo in an attempt of preventing business dealings with companies controlled by the Cuban military, according to a draft version of the directive obtained by POLITICO.

“My administration’s policy will be guided by key US national security interests and solidarity with the Cuban people,” reads the draft. “I will seek to promote a stable, prosperous, and free country for the Cuban people. To that end, we must ensure that US funds are not channeled to a regime that has failed to meet the most basic requirements of a free and just society.”

During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump threatened to “terminate” deals that the Obama administration made with Cuba. “The policy the Trump administration is announcing regarding Cuba based on President Trump’s core conviction that what the Cuban exile community is asking for is right and just,” the White House said in a written statement to POLITICO.

Obama worked to enact several changes to Cuban policy during his tenure in the White House. He re-established diplomatic relations with Havana in 2015 and loosened some restrictions on doing business in the country. Obama also gave illegal immigrants from Cuba a path to legal status and opened travel to the island nation.

Despite Obama’s effort to improve ties, the Republican-dominated Congress has refused to lift Washington’s 57-year-old embargo against Havana, which makes it illegal for US corporations to do business with Cuba. The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 and placed an official embargo against the country in 1962. The two countries became ideological foes soon after the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power and their ties remained hostile even after the end of the Cold War.

Culled from Presstv

16, June 2017

Yaounde: Senators grill 5 Francophone members of government ⁰

Five Francophone government ministers have appeared before members of the Upper House of Parliament to respond to questions on issues concerning their ministerial departments during a question and answer session on Wednesday the 14th of June 2017.

Questions concerning the poor treatment of girls in search of jobs in countries in the Middle East, Water management problem caused by climate change, the problem of land ownership in the Grand North, and Vodafone mobile telephone company in Cameroon were among concerns raised by the so-called Senators.

External Relations minister, Lejeune Mbella Mbella was the first Francophone member of government to mount the rostrum. Senator Eno Emma Lafon addressed the issue of trafficking and poor treatment of youths mostly young girls in the middle East, Asia and Europe who are searching for jobs.

The Minister said that the Biya Francophone government through its embassies, has established contact with authorities in Quatar and Saudi Arabia to control those leaving the country. He also pointed out that most of those who spearheaded trafficking networks have been arrested.

The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation Magdalene Tchuente presented a submission on water shortage for Agricultural activities caused by climate change; a question that came from Senator V.E. Victor Mukete. She said her Ministry through IRAD has been handling the problem of water shortage and that research on new seeds used for Agriculture has been carried out.

The Vodafone Telecom network issue which some media reports have suggested was operating without a license was addressed to the Minister of Telecommunications, Minette Libom Lilikeng who simply revealed plans to put in place a stronger regulatory system.

The Grand North Region was also on the spot light where it has been reported that people acquire land without land titles. To this, the Minister of State Property and Land Tenure said efforts are being made to tackle the problem. The misappropriation of Public funds by Public accountants and efforts made by government to ensure that money is securely placed in State Treasury was handled by the Minister of Finance Alamine Ousmane Mey.

Culled from CRTV