Politics

8, September 2016

Libreville: Gabon’s new strong woman takes command ⁰

Denise Mekamne has replaced Seraphin Moundounga at the Ministry of Justice. The information was made public on Wednesday night on the airwaves of the national television by Prime Minister Daniel Ona Ondo.

In all President Ali Bongo made just three ministerial changes in the government. Former Justice Minister Seraphin Moundounga was a close ally to the former President of the National Assembly and it is rumoured that they could create a political party.

Désiré Guedon, Minister in charge of Town Planning and Housing replaced Alexis Boutamba Mbina.

By Chi Prudence Asong

7, September 2016

German Chancellor Merkel defends her stance on allowing asylum seekers into Germany ⁰

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has once again defended her stance on allowing asylum seekers into Germany despite her party’s loss at local elections apparently over the government’s refugee policy. “I consider the fundamental decisions as right, but there is much to be done to win back trust and the topic of integration will play a huge role, as well as the repatriation of those who don’t gain residency rights,” Merkel said during a speech in the lower house of the German parliament in the capital Berlin on Wednesday.

The remarks came just three days after a stunning defeat suffered by her party, the Christian Democratic Party (CDU), from an anti-refugee party in regional elections. On Sunday, Merkel’s CDU party fell to third place after the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in her home state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) gained the first place in the contest, according to exit polls.

Merkel said her government has expedited integration measures for those refugees who are granted asylum, including by raising school funding to help their education and by trying to find solutions for local problems through working with cities and states. “The situation today is many times better than a year ago, but there remains a lot to do,” she said. Merkel has been under fire at home since last year, when she opened the country’s borders to the massive influx of asylum seekers, mostly fleeing violence in Middle Eastern and African states.

Presstv

6, September 2016

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan agrees to the deployment of 4,000 additional UN troops ⁰

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has agreed to the deployment of 4,000 additional UN peacekeepers after initially rejecting the regional protection force as a breach of its sovereignty. Kiir made the announcement on Sunday following a meeting with the UN Security Council in the capital Juba.

“The transitional government of national unity gives its consent for the deployment of the regional force,” read a joint statement released by the UN and the government. Juba initially rejected the proposal, which was offered earlier in the month, stating that it lends the United Nations the ability to govern and “seriously undermines” South Sudan’s sovereignty.

South Sudan has witnessed a new wave of conflict since July 8, when gunfire erupted near the state house in Juba as Kiir and then Vice President Riek Machar were holding a meeting. More than 300 people were killed in the clashes. The country gained independence from Sudan in 2011. It has gone through turmoil ever since.

The US envoy to the UNSC, Samantha Power, praised the additional deployment but noted that it was now time for action. “What we need to do now is move from those very important high-level commitments into working up the modalities in an operational way,” she said.

The conflict in South Sudan has exposed deep ethnic divisions. It erupted after a power struggle between President Kiir, a member of the Dinka ethnic group, and rebel leader Machar, a member of the Nuer ethnic group. “Fundamentally, it’s going to be the tribes themselves and the political leadership of this country that are going to have to come together,” added Power.

Presstv

3, September 2016

Donald Trump leads Hillary Clinton in terms of national support ⁰

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has finally overtaken his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in terms of national support, after trailing the former secretary of state for weeks, a new poll shows. The Rasmussen poll, released on Friday, put Trump ahead of Clinton by a tiny 1-point lead, 40 percent to 39 percent.

Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson grabbed 7 percent support, trumping the other third-party ticket Green Party nominee Jill Steins, who only scored 3 percent. This marks a significant change from the survey’s last week edition, where Clinton led the New York businessman by 4 points, 42 percent to 38 percent.

In August, shortly after the Democratic National Convention, Clinton had scored 44 percent in the poll, her highest ever since. Clinton had dominated nearly all presidential polls over the recent weeks, following several missteps by the Republican nominee.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (AFP photo)

However, more recent polls have been showing a tightening race between the two candidates, with Trump managing to cut the former First Lady’s double digit lead in half.

A Reuters/Ipsospoll released last Friday, gave Clinton a 5-point lead over Trump, 41 percent to 36 percent, a 7-point drop for the Democratic ticket from the poll’s previous edition. Moreover, the RealClearPolitics average of polls showed Friday that Clinton was leading Trump by only 4 percent nationally.

Trump has been trying to refocus his campaign over the past weeks, laying out in detail his immigration plans and economic policies. He has also directed fierce attacks against Clinton regarding an email fiasco, as well as her allegedly declining health.

Clinton, on the other hand, has been trying to fend off criticism about the lack of clarity surrounding the Clinton foundation. Trump’s campaign has accused her of engaging in “pay-for-play” with the family foundation’s donors.

The organization has come under bipartisan fire for its foreign funding and the suspicious nature of its activities over the past years. In early August, newly released emails from Clinton’s time as the former secretary of state raised questions about possible links between the department and the Clinton Foundation.

Presstv

2, September 2016

US: New polls finds that supporters of both Trump and Clinton more motivated by fear ¹

Supporters of both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton are more motivated by fear about the other candidate getting elected as president than they are by excitement about their own candidate prevailing, a new poll finds.

The nationwide USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll found that 80 percent of Trump supporters and 62 percent of Clinton supporters say if the other candidate wins in November, they would feel “scared.” Only 29 percent of Trump supporters and 27 percent of Clinton supporters would feel “excited” if their candidate claims the White House, the survey found.

About 30 percent of Clinton supporters say they are mostly voting against Trump, not for her and about 40 percent of Trump supporters say they are voting mostly against Clinton, not for him.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at the American Legion Convention August 31, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (AFP photo)

“I believe the alternative of a Trump presidency would be disastrous, not just for our country but for the whole world,” says Carol Fisher, 56, a Clinton supporter and registered nurse from Teaneck, New Jersey. “I’ve never been so afraid of a Republican before,” said in a follow-up phone interview.

Noel Hartman, 64, a retired farmer and rancher Humboldt, Arizona, feels the same way about Clinton. “I know he [Trump] doesn’t say stuff right, but I’m so tired of being lied to,” Hartman says. “I’m hoping for change.” Unprecedented negative ratings for both candidates and fierce polarization between the two political parties highlights the challenges ahead for whichever candidate wins in November. The new president will face a significant number of voters who view his or her election as catastrophic for the country.

The poll also found that a majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of both Trump and Clinton. The former secretary of state is viewed negatively by 51 percent of voters and the celebrity billionaire by 59 percent. About 20 percent of likely voters say they don’t like either major-party nominee.

Presstv

1, September 2016

Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle calls for unity among Kupe Muanenguba citizens ⁰

Members and supporters of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) in Kupe Muanenguba Division of the South West Region have been urged to bury their differences and make the division a bastion of the CPDM. Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, CPDM Permanent Divisional Delegation Head for Kupe Muanenguba, made the appeal on August 27, 2016 in Bangem, while commissioning newly elected Section executives of Kupe Muanenguba I (Bangem), Kupe Muanenguba II (Nguti) and Kupe Muanenguba III (Tombel).

The event that took place in the presence of the SDO for Kupe Muanguba, Handerson Quetong Konge, was also the maiden visit of the recently appointed Central Committee Divisional Permanent Delegation. Addressing party adherents who converged on the Paul Biya stadium, Prof. Ngolle Ngolle underscored the importance of the Kupe Muanenguba permanent delegation which he said is made up of powerful people.

The Permanent delegation appointed by the CPDM National Chairman, Paul Biya, is not intended to take powers of the local party officials but rather to help in guiding and supporting them, he said. Prof. Ngolle Ngolle who is also member of the Central Committee and Coordinator of the CPDM Academy, emphasized the importance of working collectively in order to consolidate the party’s victories and win more supporters for the CPDM. “Together we are stronger”. “We should not allow enmity among ourselves because we are the party in power”, he stated. “What the National Chairman has put together, let no one put asunder”, he added.

The Kupe Muanenguba I Section President, Ambriose Mesumbe, in his welcome statement stated that the CPDM, WCPDM and YCPDM Section Presidents are determined to work as a team to consolidate the victories of the party as he counted the achievements of the New Deal. Party militants were also drilled on “the attributes of a good politician by Enongene Andrew Muabe during the CPDM get together that also saw the launching of Kupe Muanenguba Common Development Fund, with over 11 million raised in cash and pledges.

Cameroon Tribune

1, September 2016

UK: Prospects bright for Jeremy Corbyn to win Labour leadership election ⁰

A new poll shows Jeremy Corbyn is set to win the Labour leadership election in a landslide victory by an even bigger margin than last year. A YouGov survey for British paper The Times found that of all those entitled to vote in the Labour leader contest, 62 percent would vote for Corbyn and only 38 percent would vote for rival Owen Smith. In a major blow to Smith, this result would represent an increase in support for Corbyn compared to the results of the 2015 leadership election – where he won 59.5 percent of the vote.

This increase in supporters would be a significant achievement given the controversial move to charge a £25 fee for new pro-Corbyn voters. The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) ruled that only Labour members who signed up before January 12 are automatically eligible to vote. Those who joined afterwards or want a one-off vote will have to pay a fee of £25.

Corbyn has remained steadfast in staying as the party’s leader since being elected only a year ago. The 67-year-old socialist leader has been heavily criticized by the UK’s mainstream media throughout his tenure and overcame pressures to resign.

Labour has been engulfed in a bitter internal power struggle between Corbyn’s supporters in the grassroots membership and the party’s lawmakers, who overwhelmingly rejected his leadership after Britain’s vote to leave the EU. As a result, many of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet members resigned and publicly stated they had no confidence in his leadership.

Smith, a former shadow work and pension’s secretary, announced his decision to run in the Labour leadership election in June. He resigned earlier this year from Corbyn’s shadow cabinet before challenging for the leadership. Corbyn has until September 21 to appeal to voters and defeat Smith. The results will be announced in a Liverpool conference three days later.

Presstv

31, August 2016

Brazil: Heading for a long winter as Dilma Rousseff is removed from office ⁰

This is the day that 61 corrupt men threw away 54 million Brazilian votes in the garbage. Violence, unemployment and a very dark future for Brazil. Dilma Rousseff has been stripped of Brazil’s presidency following a Senate impeachment vote in Brasilia. Senators voted on Wednesday by a majority of 61 to 20 to remove Rousseff from office. She was convicted of breaking fiscal rules in her management of the 2014 federal budget.

The vote was enough to immediately remove Brazil’s first female president from office. Interim president, Michel Temer, who had run the country following the suspension of Rousseff in May, will be sworn in at about 4:00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in the Congress.

Temer is scheduled to complete Rousseff’s presidential term until the next scheduled elections in late 2018. The Senate had voted to suspend Rousseff in May. Following the Senate vote, Rousseff fired back by sending a tweet saying that “today is the day that 61 men, many of them charged and corrupt, threw 54 million Brazilian votes in the garbage.” Rousseff was alluding to her re-election in 2014, which she won with more than 54 million votes.

During a 12-hour trial session on August 29, Rousseff denied the allegations and called the impeachment a coup d’état. On Wednesday, senators held another vote on whether she will be deprived of public office for eight years after a ruling by Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, the magistrate overseeing her trial.

The majority of the senators voted against preventing the leftist president from holding any public office for the next eight years. Only 42 of the 81 members backed the move to bar Rousseff from holding public jobs. Under Brazil’s constitution, a sacked president loses political rights for eight years and should be banned from holding any public job for eight years.

Presstv

31, August 2016

Clinton and Trump: Two most unpopular presidential nominees in more than 30 years ⁰

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s unpopularity among American voters has reached a new high, according to a new poll, putting her on par with her Republican rival Donald Trump. The latest findings by the ABC News/Washington Post poll solidify Clinton and Trump’s positions as the two most unpopular presidential nominees in more than 30 years. Among all adults, 56 percent now have an unfavorable view of Clinton, an increase of 6 points in three weeks, compared to 63 percent who have the same view about Trump.

Among registered voters, the two nominees have near-identical unfavorable ratings — 59 percent for Clinton and 60 percent for Trump. 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.

The shift erases a gain in popularity for Clinton after the Democratic National Convention last month. Her favorable rating ticked up from 42 percent in July to 48 percent in early August, before dropping to 41 percent in this poll. Notably, Clinton’s unpopularity among women has rose from 43 percent to 52 percent during the last month, the first time in a year that most women have viewed her unfavorably.

Previous 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. Clinton and Trump’s historic low popularity raise uncertainties about voter turnout in the November election.

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Xfinity Arena in Everett, Washington on August 30, 2016. (AFP photo)

Trump, on the other hand, has not experienced a change in popularity overall, but some shifts among groups. Most notably, his favorability has dropped 6 points among men while increasing 7 points among women, perhaps a reflection of his recent attempts at “softening” some of his positions.

Trump’s campaign has been marked by controversy from the beginning, including disparaging remarks about women, Mexican immigrants and Muslims.

Presstv

26, August 2016

Hillary Clinton has maintained a strong lead over Trump ⁰

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has maintained a double-digit lead over her Republican rival, Donald Trump, in the run-up to the November election in a new national poll.The Quinnipiac University poll, released on Thursday, shows the former secretary of state has 51 percent of the votes as compared to the New York billionaire having only a 41percent support. Clinton has led Trump throughout most of the 2016 presidential campaign. But her lead in recent polls represents a stronger level of support than polls showed in recent editions of the poll.

In the previous polls, the former First Lady’s lead over the real estate tycoon ranged between 3 and 9. One poll — McClatchy/Marist survey – conducted early August, however, found Clinton 15 points ahead of Trump. Clinton’s lead over Trump slimmed in the Quinnipiac University poll in a four-way match-up that included Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. She received 45 percent to his 38 percent. In that scenario, Johnson earned 10 percent, while Stein bagged 4 percent.

The poll shows the billionaire with 29 percent support among millennials between the ages of 18 and 34, and 15 percent support among nonwhite voters. Trump leads Clinton among white male voters, 59 percent to 32 percent, and voters who are 50 years of age and older.

Meanwhile, the former First Lady leads by 24 percentage points among female voters, 60 percent to 36 percent, and those younger than 50 years of age. A majority of Americans hold a “strongly unfavorable” view of Trump, with 53 percent, while 46 percent saying the same about Clinton, showed the survey, which was conducted from August 18 to 24 among a national sample 1,498 likely voters. The poll has a 2.5 percentage point margin of error.

Presstv