Briefsfromshittu

Friday, October 21, 2016

Dozens killed as passenger train derails in Cameroon

At least 55 people have been killed and almost 600 injured after a packed passenger train derailed in Cameroon.

Passengers in the front of the train reported seeing the carriages behind swing off the tracks moments before the crash.

"There was a loud noise. I looked back and the wagons behind us left the rails and started rolling over and over. There was a lot of smoke," said a Reuters journalist travelling in a wagon near the front of the train.

At least 14 people are still feared to be trapped under the debris of the train, which is strewn across adjacent rail tracks.

The accident occurred around 120km (75 miles) west of the capital Yaounde while the Camrail inter-city train was en route to the port city of Douala, Cameroon's transport minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o said.

"The cause of the accident is not yet clear," he said, adding that several of the injured were in very serious condition.

"There are the bodies of women, children. There are many," said one employee of Camrail, which is operated by France's Bollore, adding that three of his colleagues were among the victims.

The train is said to have been crammed with people due to road traffic disruption between Yaounde and Douala.

According to the Reuters journalist at the scene, a rail employee said additional carriages had been added to the train to accommodate people who were unable to made the journey by road.

It is unclear, however, whether that played a role in the accident.

Camrail has expressed its condolences to the victims' families in a post on Facebook.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

South Africa 'to withdraw from war crimes court'

South Africa has formally begun the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), media reports say.

They say diplomats have notified the UN of the move, accusing the ICC of bias against African countries.

Last year, South Africa refused to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the ICC on charges of genocide and war crimes.

He was attending an African Union summit in Johannesburg.

Mr Bashir denies allegations he committed atrocities in Sudan's troubled western Darfur region.

What is the International Criminal Court?

Several media outlets say they have obtained a copy of the "Instrument of Withdrawal", signed by South Africa's foreign minister.

"The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court," the document says.

Neither South Africa nor the UN have officially confirmed the media reports.

There are also conflicting legal opinions as to whether South Africa can leave the ICC without parliamentary approval.

'Runaway train'

Human Rights Watch criticised the reported move.

"South Africa's proposed withdrawal from the International Criminal Court shows startling disregard for justice from a country long seen as a global leader on accountability for victims of the gravest crimes," said Dewa Mavhinga, the NGO's Africa division senior researcher.

"It's important both for South Africa and the region that this runaway train be slowed down and South Africa's hard-won legacy of standing with victims of mass atrocities be restored," Mr Mavhinga said.

Last year, South African warned it might leave the ICC.

The reported move to leave comes a week after the South African President Jacob Zuma visited Kenya, a country that has been highly critical of the ICC ever since the prosecutor charged its President Uhuru Kenyatta with crimes against humanity.

He denied the charges, and the trial later collapsed due to lack of evidence.

Two weeks ago Burundi became the first country to express its intent to pull out of the ICC - a decision described by the court as "a setback in the fight against impunity".

Previously, the African Union has urged member states not to co-operate with the ICC, accusing it of bias against Africa.

The 124-member ICC opened in 2002. It is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

US election: Clinton and Trump trade barbs at Al Smith dinner

White House rivals Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have poked fun at each other at a charity dinner, a day after their bitter duel on the debate stage.

She laughed as Mr Trump joked about her well-paid speeches and the FBI investigation into her private email.

But he was booed when he joked that she hated Catholics.

The annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York is a white-tie gala that every four years features the presidential candidates.

There is a tradition that the rivals stand up and make jokes about each other, but this year it comes after one of the most rancorous campaigns in memory.

On Wednesday night in Las Vegas at their final debate, Mr Trump called his Democratic rival a "nasty woman" and they both interrupted each other throughout. They refused to shake hands before or after.

His nickname for her is "Crooked Hillary" and he has threatened to appoint a special prosecutor to have her jailed if he becomes president.

Mrs Clinton has said her Republican rival is running a "hateful, divisive campaign" and is unfit to take the highest office.

But at the New York event, they briefly put their differences aside and sat just one seat apart, with Cardinal Timothy Dolan between them.

When they entered and took their seats, they did not shake hands or make eye contact, but when Mr Trump stood up to speak, he gave her a friendly double-pat on her shoulder.

He joked that this crowd - of about 1,500 people - was her biggest audience yet, and in a dig at her Wall St connections, he said it would be unusual for her to be with so many corporate leaders and not get paid.

But when he said she was so corrupt she got booted off the Watergate commission, boos rang out.

And they resurfaced when, in a reference to emails hacked within her campaign team, he said she was "pretending not to hate Catholics". It was one of the few occasions when the smile left Mrs Clinton's face.

Perhaps his best line was when he referred in jest to his wife Melania's plagiarised speech in July, which borrowed from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Then Mrs Clinton stood up and had her chance. "We'll either have the first female president or the first president who started a Twitter war with Cher," she said.

Instead of seeing the Statue of Liberty being a beacon of hope, Mr Trump rates her looks as a "four" or "maybe a five" if she loses the torch and tablet, and changes her hair, Mrs Clinton joked.

Some of her jokes...

"I've had to listen to Donald Trump for three full debates… I have now stood next to Donald Trump longer than any of his campaign managers."

"After listening to your speech, I will enjoy hearing [his running mate] Mike Pence deny that you ever gave it."

"I'm so flattered Donald thought I used some kind of performance enhancer [before the debate]. I did. It's called preparation"

And his...

"Last night, I called Hillary a nasty woman, but this stuff is all relative. After listening to Hillary rattle on and on and on, I don't think so badly of Rosie O'Donnell anymore."

"Now I'm told Hillary went to confession before tonight's event, but the priest was having a hard time when he asked her about her sins, and she said she couldn't remember 39 times."

More on the US election

David Cameron has been exposed as one of the worst Prime Ministers in modern history

David Cameron is today exposed as one of the worst Prime Ministers in modern history by political experts.

The former Tory boss was rated third from bottom in the table of post-war leaders - but would have been classed as the biggest failure based on rankings for only his second term.

Mr Cameron fared worse than Labour’s Gordon Brown , the premier he regularly mocked while opposition leader, in the survey of academics who specialise in politics and contemporary British history.

Only Sir Anthony Eden, whose reputation was left in tatters by his handling of the Suez crisis, and Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who only lasted a year, were ranked lower than Mr Cameron in the list of 13 PMs who have served since 1945.

Leeds University professor Kevin Theakston, who carried out the research, said: “For all his achievements as a successful coalition Prime Minister, David Cameron’s reputation and place in history seems destined to be defined by Brexit and his calling and losing the referendum.”

Nearly nine out of 10 said June’s European Union referendum was his greatest failure, with one claiming it was the worst defeat of any PM “since Lord North lost America”.

Pros Theakston added: “Academic opinion, as reflected in our survey, is currently pretty damning.

“But reputations can wax and wane as subsequent events, the passage of time and new evidence change perspectives.

“Depending on how Brexit works out, future historians and political scientists may come to a different verdict on Mr Cameron’s premiership and his place in the league table of prime ministers.”

The survey follows similar polls in 2004 and 2010.

Labour’s Clement Attlee was again judged the most successful PM, scoring 8.5. He was followed by Margaret Thatcher on 7.2 and Tony Blair on 6.7.

Winston Churchill received only 5.4 because the assessment is based on his 1950s government rather than his wartime leadership.

UK ministers blocked from wearing Apple Watches in Cabinet meetings - in case Russians hack them

Mr Brown was rated 4.6 while Sir Alec Douglas-Home scored 3.8 and Sir Anthony came bottom on 2.4.

Mr Cameron scored an embarrassing four - but when asked to rate his stints at No 10 separately he received 5.6 for the coalition years and just 2.1 for his Downing Street reign since his 2015 election victory.

Prof Theakston said: “This would place him at the bottom of the league table - as a worse prime minster than Anthony Eden, long seen as the biggest post-war failure in Number 10.”

Academics were also asked to rate the impact each of the last five prime ministers had on society, the economy, foreign policy and Britain’s role in the world, their political party, and democracy.

Mr Cameron was the only one to receive a negative rating in each area.

The latest blow to the ex-PM’s battered reputation came as he vowed to continue his flagship push for a “Big Society” in his first role after quitting politics.

He will help oversee the expansion of the National Citizen Service to help more teenagers gain life skills, as chairman of NCS Patrons.

Writing in the Telegraph, he said: “From industry to the arts, from sport to the media, from local communities to the wider public sector, we need everyone involved in a national mission to make NCS a normal part of growing up that can give every generation a greater sense of purpose, optimism and belonging.”

Conservatives hold Cameron's old seat in Witney by-election

The Tories have held David Cameron’s Witney constituency in a by-election, but with a majority slashed from more than 25,000 to just 5,702 in a dramatic Liberal Democrat comeback.

The result, on Theresa May's 100th day as Prime Minister, is a warning to the Conservatives that they are vulnerable to a potential backlash from voters against the Government's handling of Brexit negotiations.

The Lib Dems snatched second place from Labour, who were pushed into third place in a result that will re-open criticism of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Veteran Green Party activist Larry Sanders, brother of former US presidential Bernie, came fourth for the Greens and pushed UKIP into fifth place.

Jubilant Liberal Democrats claimed their party is "back in business".

Leader Tim Farron, who made five visits to the constituency during the campaign, will visit again later on Friday to congratulate his party's candidate, local councillor Liz Leffman.

The new MP is Robert Courts, 37, a barrister and deputy leader of West Oxfordshire council. He backed Leave in the EU referendum and supports Theresa May's controversial policy of bringing back grammar schools.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Courts paid tribute to his predecessor as a "great Prime Minster and a brilliant MP for West Oxfordshire".

He also said he looked forward to working with Prime Minister Theresa May and the Government to "help deliver a country that works for everyone and builds on the achievements that we have made since 2010."

His 17,313 votes amounted to 45% of the votes cast, a slump from the 60% won by Mr Cameron when he held the seat in the general election last year.

The Lib Dems' Liz Leffman won 11,611 votes, Labour's Duncan Enright 5,765, Mr Sanders 1,363 and UKIP's Dickie Bird was just behind on 1,354 votes.

Turnout was 47%, down from the 73% in the general election, but fairly typical for a mid-term by-election where one party is defending a big majority.

Despite the scale of the majority won by the former Prime Minister in 2015, all the main parties fought this by-election campaign as if the seat was a marginal.

Mr Cameron joined his successor, Mrs May, in campaigning for Mr Courts in the constituency at the weekend and Jeremy Corbyn spoke to a packed audience in Witney on Saturday, urging Labour supporters to "paint the town red".

But it was the Lib Dems, desperate to trigger a "Brexit backlash" in the by-election after the EU referendum, who put the biggest effort into the campaign and poured the most resources into it. And it paid off handsomely.

In a constituency that voted by 54% to 46% in favour of Remain in the EU referendum on June 23, the LibDems fought a strongly pro-EU anti-Brexit campaign, which appeared to resonate with many voters in this affluent Oxfordshire constituency.

Former leaders Nick Clegg, Menzies Campbell and Paddy Ashdown all made high-profile visits too and the party will feel its efforts have been vindicated as it fights to recover from the near wipeout it suffered at the hands of the Tories in the general election.

For Mr Corbyn, third place is a dismal result and Labour's candidate, Mr Enright, who came second to Mr Cameron in 2015, was among the party activists and former parliamentary candidates who called on Mr Corbyn to quit earlier this year.

Mr Sanders, whose brother Bernie, ran Hillary Clinton close in the race for the Democratic nomination in the US, came to Oxfordshire in the late 1960s and is a former county councillor and social worker.

Fifth place is a humiliation for UKIP after disastrous headlines about its leadership in disarray and MEPs fighting in Strasbourg. Its candidate, Army veteran Dickie Bird, lost his deposit.

The vote coincided with another by-election in Batley and Spen to replace MP Jo Cox who was killed in June.

Philippines' Duterte in China announces split with US

President Rodrigo Duterte has declared the Philippines' "separation" from long-standing ally the United States during a visit in Beijing as he rebalances his country's diplomacy towards China.

Duterte's comments came after he met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square on Thursday. The two also pledged to enhance trust and friendship and played down a maritime dispute in the South China Sea.

"I announce my separation from the United States, both in military but economics also," Duterte announced at a meeting of Filipino and Chinese businessmen in Beijing.

The two leaders strode side-by-side down a red carpet inspecting an honour guard with children cheering.

Duterte is in China on a four-day trip seen as confirming his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing's sphere of influence - and its deep pockets.

Xi called the two countries "neighbours across the sea" with "no reason for hostility or confrontation", the official Xinhua news agency said.

Mosul advance 'quicker' than expected, Iraqi PM says

The battle to oust Islamic State extremists from Mosul is going "more quickly than we thought", the Iraqi PM has said.

The comment by Haider al Abadi came as Iraqi special forces joined the campaign to retake Iraq's second-largest city and IS stronghold.

"Our forces have started to move forward to free this city which was taken by IS over two years ago," he said.

"The fighting forces are currently pushing forward toward the town more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign."

Mr Abadi said "pockets of resistance" remain but residents of the region have largely welcomed the advancing Iraqi forces.

The Iraqi army elite unit and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have started trying to take back villages north and east of Mosul.

The elite US-trained force, called Golden Division, said they entered the town of Bartella from the east after a heavy gun battle that saw IS militants unleash a number of suicide truck bombs.

The addition of the elite force marked a significant intensification of the fight. As they advanced, attack helicopters fired on the militants and heavy gunfire echoed across the plains.

Golden Division is expected to lead the charge into Mosul.

So far, the fighting has been concentrated in a cluster of towns and villages outside Mosul that are mostly uninhabited.

Islamic State militants have planted roadside bombs and dispatched suicide bombers, which has slowed down the campaign.

The Peshmerga announced a "large-scale operation" to the north and northeast of Mosul.

"The operation will be in three fronts," they said in a statement. It comes after recent gains by the Kurds to the east of Mosul and Iraqi security forces to the south.

The fight for Mosul is expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 US- led invasion, and will likely last weeks or months.

Around 1.5 million people still live in the city, and officials fear Islamic State militants are using civilians as human shields.

Mr Abadi, speaking in a video transmission to a diplomatic meeting about Mosul in Paris, promised to protect civilians displaced by the battle and respect the human rights of the region's diverse population.