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Race for the White House: Top Republicans are racing to disavow Donald Trump
Senior Republicans are racing to disavow GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump for a video showing Trump engaged in a lewd conversation about groping and seducing women. The recording, released on Friday by The Washington Post, has forced Trump to apologize as Republicans warn about the demise of his presidential race.
The embarrassing audio was recorded in 2005 while Trump was on a bus with former “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush. The business mogul can be heard talking about his failed attempt to seduce a “married” woman. “I moved on her and I failed. I’ll admit it. She was married. And I moved on her very heavily.”
He also says, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful” women. “I just start kissing them,” he says. “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.” Late Friday, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, said he has cancelled a “unity appearance” with Trump that had been scheduled for Saturday in Wisconsin.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said that Trump’s remarks “are repugnant and unacceptable in any circumstance” and the nominee “needs to apologize directly to women and girls everywhere.” McConnell made the condemnation despite the fact that he has generally avoided commenting on Trump’s controversial statements in the past.
Representative Jason Chaffetz, a top Republican from Utah, announced that he was retracting his endorsement of Trump. Gary Herbert, the governor of Utah, followed suit, saying he cannot vote for Trump either. US Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, who was one of Trump’s GOP rivals earlier in the presidential race before dropping out, denounced the comments as well.
Senator John McCain also voiced his condemnation for Trump’s comments. “There are no excuses for Donald Trump’s offensive and demeaning comments,” the Arizona senator said in a statement. “No woman should ever be victimized by this kind of inappropriate behavior. He alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences.” Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, tweeted that “this is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president.”
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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic prevented the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh from creating a “state” in Iraq and Syria
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic prevented the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh from creating a “state” in Iraq and Syria. “If it were not for Iran’s assistance and role, you would not be seeing [just] a group named Daesh, [rather] you would be seeing a large Daeshstate in Syria and Iraq, and the region would be facing a big endless war,” President Rouhani said, addressing a group of Malaysian intellectuals and media people in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
Such a war, he said, could have even turned into an international one. The Islamic Republic has been providing advisory assistance to the militaries of Iraq and Syria in their fight against Daesh on requests from the governments of the two Arab countries. Daesh started ravaging Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Rouhani said Iran’s regional policy was predicated on the four principles of “fighting Takfiri terrorism on the ground,” “effective contribution to peace, ceasefire, and humanitarian assistance,” and “the non-disintegration of countries and preservation of geographical borders,” and “recourse to electoral processes and the rule of people.”
Urging ceasefires in Yemen, Syria
The Iranian president also said, “There had to be a ceasefire in Yemen and Syria and the people there had to be expeditiously supplied with humanitarian aid.” The region’s geographical borders must stay the same, President Rouhani said, adding that the disintegration of countries is dangerous and can compound problems and fan regional wars.
“Governments cannot be selected for the people of the region from outside, and anyone who assumes power through people’s vote should be respected by all,” he said. The Iranian president also warned against attempts to cause sectarian rifts between Shias and Sunnis.
He voiced satisfaction with the discourse used by a large part of the Muslim world, including Iran and Malaysia, concerning the Islamic culture was marked by “moderation.”
Rouhani is on a three-leg tour of Southeast Asia, which started out in Vietnam and will finally take him to Thailand. Separately, the Iranian president had met with Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, the current speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He has also met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
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Russian President Putin awarded newly-created peace prize
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has awarded Russian President Vladimir Putin a newly-created peace prize, which is named in honor of the Latin American nation’s late leader Hugo Chavez.
“I’ve decided to create the Hugo Chavez Prize for Peace and Sovereignty,” said Maduro during the unveiling ceremony of a statue of Chavez designed by a Russian artist on Friday. “I think President Vladimir Putin deserves this Hugo Chavez award,” he further said, describing the Russian leader as a “fighter for peace.” Maduro added that winners of the annual accolade would receive a miniature replica of the statue.
Elsewhere in his televised speech, the Venezuelan president also said that the prize would be offered to national and international figures “who have excelled in the struggle for peace,” adding that he chose Putin as the first recipient of the award since he has been an ally of Venezuela.
The announcement came on the same day that the Norwegian Nobel committee awarded Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to seal a landmark peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after 52 years of bloodshed.
Chavez, who ruled Venezuela for 14 years before giving in to cancer in March 2013 after a long fight, challenged Washington’s hegemony in the region while seeking and establishing alliances with its traditional adversaries, including Russia and China.
Maduro, however, has faced frequent protests led by his critics since 2014 over major setbacks in the country’s economy. The Venezuelan president blames the problems on an “economic war,” which he says the opposition has waged with a helping hand from the United States in an attempt to bring about a coup d’état in the oil-rich country.
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Biya given 48 hours to leave the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva or face severe consequences
A consortium of Cameroonian democratic forces in the diaspora has given President Biya an ultimatum to quit the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva before midnight today the 7th of October or face severe consequences. A statement made public by the London chapter of the movement noted that Biya has 48 hours beginning today to leave Geneva and return to Cameroon.
In the press release, the leaders wondered aloud that they were at a loss to see that Mr Biya returned to Switzerland in his lavish suite at the Intercontinental Hotel, where he is with his whole family ever since he left the UN general assembly meeting.
The group decried the fact that while all the other leaders from around the world went home to care for their respective countries, Paul Biya instead headed to his cosy Intercontinental hotel from where he has been appointing and dismissing top government officials.
The diaspora movement also revealed that since the beginning of 2016, Paul Biya has stayed at least 3 times in Geneva reported to the Cameroonian people as “short private stay” which ends up being long, expensive and unnecessary. The communique also stated that Paul Biya is president of Cameroon and not of Switzerland, and as such, he must direct Cameroon from Unity Palace in Yaounde, not the Intercontinental hotel in Geneva.
Cameroon Intelligence Report understands the fortune squandered for his pleasures in Geneva and his monarchical lifestyle are not compatible with the state of despair in the Cameroonian nation. The signatories of the document also made it clear that If President Biya so much love Switzerland at the expense of Cameroon, he must assert his rights to retire and settle there. Massive demonstrations in front of the hotel have been planned and a law firm in Swiss has been contacted to evict President Biya soonest from the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva.
By Chi Prudence Asong
War on Corruption: All is now set for the Mendo Ze embezzlement trial
18,364,546,702 FCFA is the sum that the former general manager of the Cameroon State Radio and Television, Gervais Mendo Ze has been accused of embezzling during his time as head of the corporation from 1988 to 2005. This was revealed by the public prosecutor during a submission at the Special Criminal Court on Thursday.
The presentation of the Attorney General was well implacable, precise and circumscribed and related to the alleged misappropriation of audio-visual royalties. The Attorney General has now referred Gervais Mendo Ze and his gang to the panel of judges to be tried for embezzlement and coercion of misappropriation of public funds amounting to 18,364,546,702 FCFA.
It is vital to include in this report that a 1981 order had created a tax called ‘audiovisual contribution’ known popularly as TV license and abbreviated in Cameroon as ‘RAD’. Correspondingly, a CRTV-RAD account was opened at the general treasury in Yaounde. One of Mendo Ze’s co-accused was responsible for collecting the TV license payments from all regional financial districts.
By some strange happenstance, a protocol agreement was signed between the Tax Director and the General Manager of CRTV and payments now had to be made through an account opened for this purpose in a local bank with a 10% increment.
Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered that the prosecution has established beyond reasonable doubts that the 10% sampling protocol agreement was illegal and was never provided for by the ordinance or any organic text. The fictional swelling of the TV License payments enabled Mendo Ze and others to provide bonuses and other undue benefits to their criminal gang at CRTV.
The matter has been set for November 1, 2016 for observations of the civil party and possibly the option of the accused defense reasons. Former Minister Delegate to the Minister of Communication, Mendo Ze was arrested and remanded in custody at the Yaounde Central Prison since November 12, 2014.
By Ebong Kingsley with files from Cameroon-info.net
Suspected Boko Haram militants attack Sagmé gendarmerie post in the Fotokol district
The national gendarmerie brigade at Sagmé in the Fotokol district in the Logon and Chari Division came under heavy gun fire on the night of the 6th to 7th of October 2016 by suspected Boko Haram militants from Nigeria. Cameroon government sources have confirmed that an admiral known as maréchal de logis-chef was killed during the attack and five other officers were seriously wounded. A sister publication, Cameroon-info.net reported that one of the attackers was also killed during the raids.
We gathered that the Sagmé gendarmerie brigade was completely ransacked by militants who came aboard motorcycles. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Cameroon security sources say it carries the footprints of members of the Nigerian terrorist group, Boko Haram. In recent days, Boko Haram terrorists have targeted Cameroon military installations in the Far North.
The Nigerian Islamic sect on October the 1st attacked a Cameroonian navy post in the town of Dambore Ardebe in Logon and Chari constituency. The terrorists killed a sailor and injured two others. Several arms and ammunition were carried away and the military base was completely burnt by the attackers. Our chief intelligence officer in Maroua who contributed to this report hinted that Boko Haram is now in need of weapons and ammunition to revive its activities since their arms importation corridor from Libya via the Lake Chad is now closed.
By Rita Akana
Manyu’s Queen Oben Ayamo laid to rest
“His Royal Highness, the Paramount Chief of Mamfe and members of the royal family announce with very great sadness the death of Queen REGINA AYAMO OBEN,” a statement from the Mamfe royal palace” had said. The nation gave her a befitting burial on Saturday the 1st of October 2016. An educationist and a devout Roman Catholic had passed to eternity.
Born REGINA AYAMO, she was the widow of the patriarch of Mamfe, the late Thomas Njang Oben of the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC and reigned until her sudden death on Monday the 5th of September 2016. A Mamfe royal statement said she died in Yaounde. The Paramount Chief of Mamfe, His Royal Highness Chief Godson Oben said Mamfe would remember a great woman who will forever be part of the history of the Manyu nation while, Prof, Ephraim Ngwafor observed that the South West region would now mourn her passing. Indeed a page in our country’s education and tourism history has turned.
Her Majesty, Regina Ayamo Oben was an iron lady. When her husband passed away, only two of her offspring: Charles and Victor Oben had graduated from University and returned home. She withdrew from the public eye after the death of her husband in 1987 and concentrated on the Victoria Guest House-a family business she and her husband had established. To have kept the Sacrament of Matrimony since 1987 and successfully raised up a cream of prominent Manyu elites is something our nation will never forget.
The imposing Roman Catholic Cathedral hosted the requiem mass that was celebrated on October 1, 2016. Queen REGINA AYAMO OBEN aka, Mami Victoria Guest House was laid to rest at the Mamfe royal cemetery in Coconut Island in Small Mamfe. She produced children that Cameroon as a nation cannot ignore:
Charles Oben: A senior graduate from the University of Sunderland with an MA from the University College London. Was head of Procurement at Pectain Cameroon before moving to Shell petroleum in Holland in same capacity. He joined the United Bank of Africa as Head of Corporate Services and was very instrumental in setting up the bank’s branch portfolios in Francophone Africa. He is presently a management consultant resident in Lagos, Nigeria.
Barrister Victor Oben: UK trained barrister. He worked with Guinness Cameroon legal services and moved to Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon as Head of Human Resource. He was also the company secretary at the time former Prime Minister, Chief Inoni was board Chair. He is presently in charge of Finance and Human Resources at MTN Cameroon. He is married to Tricia Oben a long standing Cameroonian journalist.
Dr. Belinda Assam: US trained pharmacist, running a successful private practice in Douala and married to senior medical practitioner, Dr George Assam.
Professor Julius Oben: US and UK trained Bio-Medical scientist. Senior lectural at the University of Yaounde 1 with various international patents around weight loss, respected world-wide. Married to Diplomat, Anne Oben Nee Tarh, the Princess of the Awanchie-Betieku clan.
Dr.Felix Oben: A medical doctor from the Yaounde University Teaching Hospital, CUSS, now running a private practice in the USA.
By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Ako Abunaw in Mamfe
IMF says global debt has risen to an all-time high
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the global debt has risen to an all-time high of around $152 trillion, warning that this could trigger a new financial crisis. “At 225 percent of world GDP, the global debt …is currently at an all-time high. Two-thirds, amounting to about $100 trillion, consists of liabilities of the private sector which can carry great risks when they reach excessive levels,” the IMF said.
In 2002, global debt stood at 200 percent of the global GDP. “The sheer size of debt could set the stage for an unprecedented private deleveraging process that could thwart the fragile economic recovery,” Russia Today has quoted the Washington-based fund as announcing.
The IMF emphasized that levels of private debt are now high in both developed economies and a few large emerging markets such as China and Brazil. “On average, private debt ratios in advanced economies reached a turning point in 2012, with the largest reductions since then registered in those countries that entered the crisis with high debt levels. In some cases, however, private debt has continued to accumulate at a fast pace-notably, Australia, Canada, and Singapore,” RT.com further quoted the IMF as saying.
There’s no unanimity on what levels of debt-to-GDP should be considered as a threat to the global financial stability, the fund added. At the same time, financial crises are associated with excessive private debt in both advanced and emerging economies, it added.
The IMF also concluded that high debt leads to weaker growth in the end even without a crisis. “Excessive private debt is a major headwind against the global recovery and a risk to financial stability. Financial recessions are longer and deeper than normal recessions,” IMF Fiscal Affairs Director Vitor Gaspar told a news conference.
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UN: Security Council gives green light for former Portuguese premier to be next Secretary General
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously supported former Portuguese premier, Antonio Guterres, to be the next secretary general of the world body. During a closed-door meeting on Thursday, the 15-member council adopted a resolution formally recommending that the UN General Assembly appoint Guterres for a five-year term from January 1, 2017. The 67-year-old socialist politician will take over from Ban Ki-moon of South Korea, who will step down at the end of 2016 after serving two terms.
UNSC’s unanimous backing for Guterres on Thursday followed an informal vote the previous day during which 13 of the 15 members supported his candidacy. A vote by the General Assembly’s 193 member states to endorse Guterres is expected to be held next week, probably on Thursday.
“I have two words to describe what I’m feeling now: gratitude and humility,” Guterres said in a statement in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, adding, “Humility (is what I feel) about the huge challenges ahead of us, the terrible complexity of the modern world. But it is also humility that is required to serve the most vulnerable victims of conflicts, of terrorism, rights violations, poverty and injustices of this world.”
Speaking in Rome, Ban also hailed Guterres as a “superb choice,” noting that the Portuguese politician’s “wide knowledge of world affairs and lively intellect will serve him well in leading the UN in a critical period.”
Guterres served as the Portuguese prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015. He will be the first former head of government to become the UN chief.
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