Daily Archives: June 27, 2019


Archbishop Describes Kidnapping by Separatist Fighters in Cameroon

Separatists in Cameroon’s restive English-speaking regions have freed a prominent Catholic archbishop they kidnapped Tuesday.  Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua says he was abducted by separatist fighters in a locality called Njinikejem while on a trip to preach peace in regions where a separatist war has raged for the past two years. “The road was blocked,” he said. “I stood there for sometime, some boys came in and said, ‘No, you cannot go, you should go back.’ They gave me the number of a certain general [commander of separatist fighters]. They …


Tunisia’s Aging President Hospitalized With Serious Illness

Tunisia’s 92-year-old president has been taken to a military hospital after falling seriously ill.   President Beji Caid Essebsi’s office announced the hospitalization on Thursday. Essebsi had been briefly hospitalized last week as well.   Tunisia’s first freely elected president, Essebsi won office in 2014. He recently announced he wouldn’t run again in elections this November, saying a younger person should lead the country.   … From: MeNeedIt


Key Quotes From the First Democratic Presidential Debate

The first group of 10 Democratic candidates running for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination gathered on stage in Miami, Florida for a two hour debate Wednesday.  As is typical in many debates of this kind, each candidate hoped to break through the crowded filed with a memorable phrase or lengthy quote that would resonate with both voters and political commentators.  VOA’s Richard Green has some key quotes on a variety of issues from each of the candidates.   … From: MeNeedIt


Twin Suicide Attacks Targeting Security Forces Strike Tunisia’s Capital

Twin suicide attacks targeting security forces struck Tunisia’s capital on Thursday, killing a patrol officer and injuring at least eight people. One attacker detonated explosives in a busy commercial district near the French embassy shortly before 11 a.m., apparently targeting a police patrol. One of the officers died from his injuries, and another was injured along with three bystanders. At nearly the same time, a second bomber struck at an entrance to the anti-terrorism brigade on the outskirts of the city. Four officers were hospitalized with injuries. Tunisia has been …


Germany’s Merkel Seen Shaking Again at Berlin Event

German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared unsteady and was seen shaking for the second time in just over a week at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Merkel, 64, folded her arms across her chest while her body trembled for around two minutes as she stood alongside President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at an indoor event where Germany’s new justice minister was being formally appointed.   The chancellor was handed a glass of water but rejected it. She appeared fine when she arrived in parliament half an hour later.   Merkel set off …


California Adopts New Racing Rules After Deaths of 30 Horses

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Wednesday giving state officials authority to suspend or shut down horse races with little notice after 30 horses died this year at Santa Anita track. “Business as usual has resulted in too many horse deaths,” Newsom said as he signed the bill that state lawmakers passed unanimously. The new law expands the authority of the California Horse Racing Board, which can now act in emergency cases instead of being forced to give public notice first. Newson had already created a state panel that would …