Politics

28, January 2017

President Rouhani of Iran says today is not the age of building walls between countries ¹

“Today is not the time of wall-raising between nations. Have they forgotten that the Berlin Wall collapsed years ago?” President Rouhani said in an apparent reference to US government officials, who have been planning to build a wall on the Mexican border.

“[Even] if there is a wall between nations, it has to be removed,” the Iranian chief executive said. He was speaking during the 17th World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations Convention in the capital, Tehran, on Saturday. Figures from some 40 countries have gathered for the conference.

“Today’s world is not a world where one can create distances between the nations and peoples of different territories. Today is a day of neighborhood. We have become neighbors in cultural, scientific, and civilizational terms, and also, the world of communications and communications technology have shrunk distances,” President Rouhani said. “No one can fight globalization today.”

“Iran has, in recent years, shown and said it loud and clear to the whole world that it is a country of peace and friendship,” he said. “We favor and take pride in peace, reconciliation, brotherhood, and peaceful coexistence.” He said that the scourge of terrorism was doing irreversible damage to both humanity and the relics of ancient civilization. Iran provided assistance to Iraq and Syria, Rouhani said, to help them eradicate terrorism.

Presstv

27, January 2017

New Gambian president returns home ⁰

The Gambia’s newly-elected President Adama Barrow has returned to the nation after his predecessor finally agreed to cede power under international pressure and went into exile. On Thursday, Barrow arrived in Banjul from Senegal, where he had sought refuge in mid-January after his predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, refused to concede defeat in the presidential election and stand down.

Barrow won in the national election late last year, but Jammah’s clinging to power threw The Gambia’s political scene into turmoil. Upon arrival, the new head of state was welcomed by military officials and senior members of his coalition government.

Barrow’s supporters had gathered along the capital’s streets to welcome the president home. “We also hope that if he (Barrow) comes as a president, there will be some changes,” said a supporter. Barrow was inaugurated as president in neighboring Senegal on January 19.

Over two decades of Jammeh’s rule came to an end last week after he fled to Equatorial Guinea as thousands of soldiers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were deployed to the country to force him out of office.

A United Nations official announced earlier in the day that Barrow had asked the 7,000-strong ECOWAS military contingent to remain in the country for six months. Barrow requested the forces sent by ECOWAS to remain in Gambia for six months, said Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the United Nations’ most senior official in West Africa. In the meantime, the ECOWAS contingent in Gambia is carrying out a sweep operation to neutralize possible security threats against the new head of state.

Presstv

25, January 2017

Germany: Ex-European Parliament head to run against Merkel ⁰

Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) has nominated Martin Schulz as its candidate to compete against conservative Angela Merkel for the post of chancellor in this year’s federal election. SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel announced on Tuesday at a press conference at the party headquarters in Berlin that the SPD committee had unanimously made the decision.

“Martin Schulz will be the SPD chancellor candidate for the 2017 federal elections. That is our unanimous party committee decision,” said Gabriel. Gabriel said Schulz “will also be the party chairman,” adding that the SPD is expected to confirm both his candidacy as well as his party leadership at a meeting on Sunday.

Following the announcement, Schulz said “it is an extraordinary honor that I, with pride and also with a natural humbleness, accept it and I will try and make the best out of it for our country.” Schulz also slammed Merkel austerity policies, which he said “have no doubt contributed to the deep crises in the EU since 2008, to the isolation of a dominant German government.”

Schulz, 61, a former president of the European Parliament, will run against Chancellor Merkel, 62, from the rival Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who will be running for a fourth term in the federal election slated for September 24.

The SPD and the CDU are the two main parties in the German parliament, known as the Bundestag.The SPD’s decision comes as opinion polls indicate Schulz is far more popular than Gabriel; however, other surveys suggest he still faces an extremely tough race against Merkel.

Presstv

22, January 2017

Gambia: Yahya Jammeh relinquish the mantle of leadership under increasing international pressure ⁰

The Gambia’s former leader, Yahya Jammeh, has left the country after finally conceding defeat in an election under increasing international pressure. Jammeh lost the presidential election in December last year to Adama Barrow but said he would not relinquish power, claiming that there had been irregularities in the vote and pushing the country to the edge of war.

West African nations, which had been peacefully trying to convince him to leave, gradually turned to the idea of removing him militarily and put a regional force on standby as the official end of Jammeh’s mandate approached. On Saturday, some two days after the expiration of his mandate, Jammeh finally announced a decision “to relinquish the mantle of leadership” and, now with his exit from The Gambia, the way was paved for President Adama Barrow to return home from neighboring Senegal, where he was inaugurated on Thursday.

Jammeh, who had taken power in a 1994 coup, demanded from the negotiators that he be given amnesty and safe passage out of The Gambia and that his political party be recognized. But no deal on amnesty was finalized with the negotiators and Jammeh was forced to go into exile.

Regional leaders did escort him into a plane, however, seeing him off into exile in Equatorial Guinea. His family and aides were to depart on a separate plane. The fate of his party was not immediately clear. During Jammeh’s reign, his government was accused of harsh treatment of opponents.

Presstv

22, January 2017

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law to be White House adviser ⁰

US President Donald Trump’s hiring of his son-in-law Jared Kushner will not violate any anti-nepotism laws and can go forward, says an official with the US Justice Department (DOJ). “In choosing his personal staff, the president enjoys an unusual degree of freedom, which Congress found suitable to the demands of his office,” said deputy assistant attorney general in the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), Daniel Koffsky, as reported by CNN. He made the statement amid concerns that hiring Ivanka Trump’s husband could violate federal anti-nepotism laws or make the situation harder for Palestinians, given the close ties Kushner maintains with the Israeli ruling Likud party.

“A President wanting a relative’s advice on governmental matters therefore has a choice: to seek that advice on an unofficial, ad hoc basis without conferring the status and imposing the responsibilities that accompany formal White House positions; or to appoint his relative to the White House under title 3 and subject him to substantial restrictions against conflicts of interest,” Koffsky stated. “We believe that the president’s special hiring authority in 3 U.S.C. § 105(a) permits him to make appointments to the White House Office that the anti-nepotism statute might otherwise forbid.”

Since his victory on November 8, Trump has insisted that Kushner should be present during daily presidential briefings, despite not having security clearances necessary. The presence of Ksuhner and his wife at a meeting of Trump with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drew criticism from political experts as they both lack the security clearance needed to attend a meeting with a world official.

His appointment could potentially violate the 1967 anti-nepotism law, which bans federal authorities from giving government positions to civilian relatives in agencies under their control. Kushner was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in New Jersey and studied as an honors student in a private yeshiva high school in 1999. According to Tampa-based investigative journalist Wayne Madsen, Ivanka’s husband “has very close links with the Likud party of Israel.”

Presstv

19, January 2017

Gambia: Adama Barrow sworn in as new President ⁰

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously approved a resolution endorsing efforts by some West African countries to ensure the respect of “the will of the people” in The Gambia. The 15-member body on Thursday approved a Senegal-drafted resolution expressing “full support” to Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow and calling on ex-leader Yahya Jammeh to step down. The resolution calls on the council to give “its full support” to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure that Barrow’s election victory on December 1 is respected by “political means first.” Senegal presented the draft resolution to the council on Wednesday, requesting UN approval for ECOWAS to take “all necessary measures” to force Jammeh to cede power to Barrow.

The harsh language of the resolution was dropped during negotiations late Wednesday because some UNSC members objected to backing military action, according to diplomats. The vote came shortly after Barrow was sworn in as Gambia’s new president. Barrow, 51, was sworn in inside Gambia’s embassy in neighboring Senegal, where he had been remaining after Jammeh refused to endorse the results of the presidential election. “This is a victory of the Gambian nation. Our flag will now fly high among those of the most democratic nations of the world,” Barrow said, waving to crowds in Senegal’s capital Dakar.

Jammeh, who lost the votes by a slim margin to Barrow, first accepted the defeat but then changed his mind and said there were irregularities in a recount. Following the UN vote, Senegalese troops moved across the border into The Gambia. “They entered this afternoon,” army spokesman Colonel Abdoul Ndiaye told AFP. Troops from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria began building up along Gambia’s border with Senegal hours before Jammeh’s mandate was to expire by January 19.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Barrow called on members of Gambia’s small-size military to pledge loyalty to him as the commander in chief. “I command the chief of defense staff and officers of high command to demonstrate their loyalty to me as commander in chief without any delay,” Barrow said. “I command all members of the armed forces to remain in their barracks, those found wanting or in possession of firearms without my order will be considered rebels,” he added. Gambia’s army chief Ousman Badjie had said earlier on Thursday that his troops would not get involved in the country’s deepening “political dispute.” He also said that troops would not prevent foreign forces from entering The Gambia.

Presstv

19, January 2017

Kah Walla says Consortium leaders to be charged with treason, secession, terrorism ⁰

The only prominent female politician in Cameroon, Kah Walla has met with the detained leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium. Kah Walla issued a statement after the meeting which was sent to our London news desk some few hours ago. Below is the press release from Madam Kah Wall:

Very happy to report that we have seen Barrister Nkongho Felix Balla and Dr. Fontem Neba today. They are both well and in strong spirits. They report being literally kidnapped from the South West region on Tuesday 17 January and brought to Yaoundé by car, via Douala in the very early hours of Wednesday morning. They are being held at the SED (Sécretariat d’Etat à la Défense). Since their arrival there they have been treated humanely.

The charges brought against them are of extreme gravity including secession, treason, inciting rebellion and acts of terrorism. These charges require that we as Cameroonians mobilize and act swiftly, non-violently, but with mass determination, to ensure their IMMEDIATE RELEASE. If we do not mobilize quickly, efficiently and effectively, these leaders will pay a very heavy price.

Dr. Fontem Neba and Barrister Nkongho Balla have been part of the leadership of a movement that will forever change the perspective of how we determine the future of Cameroon. We must not let them pay the price of decades in prison or even their lives for these unfounded charges. The Deputy Secretary General of the Cameroon People’s Party and myself as President of the CPP joined a delegation of lawyers from the South West who had traveled to meet with Balla and Fontem.

We discussed the importance of mobilization with them. We are asking all political and civil society organizations and all citizens to follow the lead of the lawyers as they mobilize for the IMMEDIATE RELEASE of Dr. Fontem and Barrister Balla. We must not cede to the fear that the government is trying to instill in us. It is time to STAND UP! Stand Up for Nkongho Balla and Fontem Neba, Stand Up for all those who have sacrificed their lives in this movement. Stand Up for Bobga and Tassang, stand up for the many who stood in the streets of Buea, Bamenda, Kumba and throughout the SW and NW.

It is in the eye of the storm, that the strength of the people will be known. STAND UP, STAND UP, STAND UP! We must act without violence and with utmost determination to obtain freedom for these leaders! As we receive information on precise non-violent action to be taken, we will relay here.

Note: As we left the SED, we were informed that Mancho BBC had been brought there in the night. We were unable to see him, but will provide more information on his situation as we receive it.

18, January 2017

Southern Cameroons : Time to elect your new own Government is NOW! ⁰

DEAR AMBAZONIANS,

The ghost town strikes are a wonderful and effective way of resistance against an illegitimate occupation army which may not be much longer loyal to such a senile, untrustworthy embezzler like Mr. Biya. Even France will drop him soon for his incompetent and illegal actions. Nevertheless while the human rights violations and arrests of Ambazonian leaders are increasing still, the Ambazonian population should be aware, that no little scattered, lousy “army” of corrupt dictators has any chance against 8 million determined Ambazonians, and that Ambazonia can open its constituent assembly or government all the same right now, because it does not need any OK from foreign nations for that. And as soon as the occupation forces try to close any ministry of the (interim) Ambazonia Government, it can re-open that ministry immediately at just another location! Be tactical and confuse your enemy!

Also the UN has granted Ambazonia independence since 1984 and the UN Convention for the LAW of the SEA grants Ambazonia full property of its oil and gas as well up to 200 miles from the shore, so Ambazonia can actually forbid Sonara and La Kleptocratique du Craboon the stealing of the oil. As soon as Ambazonia promises Exxon and British Petrol some higher share (without being pulled over the table!), the USA and UK and Nigeria and even may be Spain will support Ambazonia by allowing an own Ambazonia Army to defend from the French. And together with a new Constitution of Ambazonia, which guarantees that the revenues of the oil (taxes) and agricultural exports will flow back to the Ambazonian People, Ambazonia will become unbeatable and the admired pearl of Africa. And on top of that, the new Ambazonia Government can organize a referendum soon after, in which the many tribes can vote on a new name for the nation, which is not a colonizer’s name anymore, but a native languages name. How about “Baland”, the land of the many Ba Peoples, Ba-kossi, Banso, Bali, Bafaw, Balundu, Ba-ngwa, Ba-kweri, Bayangi, Bafut …. ?

Yet for now, the Ambazonian diaspora can get expertise from the UN and Norway on how to regain control over its resources and territory and transform oil into wealth, as well as from all BRIC countries on how to open the Ambazonia National Bank and issue a new currency by attracting its futures to foreign investors, and to force France / Switzerland this way to send Biya into permanent exile retirement and bring him before International Court for his human rights violations and embezzlements. Don’t hesitate, just do it! Overcome intertribal ditchfights before your common enemy and start teamworking! Elect your new own Government NOW!

By Christoph Messner

18, January 2017

European Parliament elects new president ⁰

Antonio Tajani of the European People’s Party (EPP) has been elected as the European Parliament’s new president. The 63-year-old Italian defeated another Italian, S&D socialist Gianni Pitella, on Tuesday and is set to replace Germany’s Martin Schulz.

In the past, Tajani served as the spokesman for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and as a European commissioner.

The battle among the two Italians was won by Tajani on a vote of 351-282 in the decisive final round, which only the top two candidates managed to enter.

Before voting began, the EEP, the largest group in the block’s legislature, formed a coalition with the ALDE liberals, that gave Tajani the required lead over Pittella.

Members of the European Parliament take part in a plenary session marking the election of the assembly’s new President in Strasbourg, eastern France, on January 17, 2016. (Photos by AFP)

“This was as democratic process and as I said today, I will be the president of all, I will respect all members of parliament and all groups,” said Tajani.

“We must devote our attention to all those who are in tough living conditions,” he added while giving a short acceptance speech, during which he also dedicated his victory to the victims of a deadly August earthquake in central Italy and all those injured by terrorism.

In a statement issued to congratulate Tajani, Pittella noted that it had been some time since the European Parliament had elected a president “in a fully transparent and open competition without any pre-arranged deals.”

“Today, the political landscape in the European Parliament is dramatically changed with the birth of a new conservative block. We will constructively oppose this block,” added Pittella.

Presstv

17, January 2017

“La Republique is attempting to drive the Anglophone resistance underground” ¹

Following the recent decision by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Rene Sadi Emmanuel banning the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium and the Southern Cameroons National Council including the subsequent arrest of the leaders of the Consortium, reactions have been pouring into our European news desk.

The Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the Cameroon Concord News Group, the Right Honorable Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai pointed out to our Dublin Bureau Chief, Diamond Ebs Esoh that “La Republique is attempting to drive the Anglophone resistance underground. That will fail.” Our Chairman observed.

Mr Agbaw-Ebai said “What is ongoing is a revolution and by banning the Consortium, Biya and his gang have just energized the revolution.”

With the Southern Cameroons National Council, the Anglophone media guru noted that “The SCNC is an international organization operating worldwide. It has a tremendous capacity to talk to Southern Cameroons and enforce its decision from any part of the world. It does not need Biya to operate.”

By Chi Prudence Asong in Dublin