Author: Abigail Ampofo

  • The story behind Sekondis oldest Brass band

    For 14 years Nothing Late band has brought joy to millions of people in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis from their traditional to the creative hip-life blend using brass instruments. The band plays to an extremely high standard spurred on by the continual occasions and competitions they take part in. The band continues to thrive all over Sekondi-Takoradi today and for many, brass banding is a way of life.

    Nothing Late brass band was established in the year 2008 and has performed marvelously well since its establishment. The motto of the band is “Ɛbɛ tse ne dɛw”: it is a term in our
    local dialect which simply means you will feel the groove or you will enjoy the groove of the band. The band is the first youth-dominating brass band that came up. This was intended to clear the misconception that brass musicians are school dropouts and drunkards. The band has been Nominated 3 times for the western music awards and has also won the Essikado y3wo adze oye band competition 2 consecutive times.

    In 2019, the band in collaboration with Westline Consult, the organizers for western music awards, launched its 1st album which contained recorded brass music versions of popular Ghanaian gospel and highlife songs.

    In 2020, the band Saw it needful and very necessary to rejuvenate and revamp the band after years of operation. In view of this, a new Logo was introduced. This logo depicts the characteristics and dynamics of the band. The logo bears symbols and colours which has a peculiar meaning. Below are the symbols and colours you can find in the logo of Nothing late brass band and what each represents.

     

    • The color wine: This happens to be the official colour of the band. Wine is a color that is linked to red which represents passion, energy, strength, and love at a very deep level. This shows the Passion, energy, strength, and enthusiastic spirit the band possess and exhibits when on the instruments. Love is always expressed at a very deep level and this keeps the band moving together as brothers.

    • The Gold Circles Around the NLB symbol: The color gold is related to the color yellow and the color brown, and is also associated with, love, compassion, courage, passion, magic, and wisdom. Gold is a precious metal that is associated with wealth, grandeur, and prosperity, as well as sparkle, glitz, and glamour, and this indicates the richness and sweetness of the band.

    • The Circle represents Unity: the band believes in unity as unity is strength. The circle represents the unity that dwells in the band.

    • The Letters NLB: the letters NLB in the logo represent the name of the band. Each letter is the abbreviation of the band’s name Nothing is Late, meaning in this Life there is absolutely nothing that is late. Everything happens for a reason and in its own appointed time. So no matter the time your success may come it is never Late.

    • The trumpet on the bar of the letter B: The trumpet is a unique and powerful instrument. This power symbolism is particularly closely related to wars and rulers. The sound of the trumpet has always denoted military strength, and it is used as a signaling instrument in battle or in a military band. This represents the strength and power of the band and all the instruments we play.

    The band since its establishment has had the opportunity to participate in diverse events. Some of such events are;

    1. Essikado y3wo adze oye band competition organized by Hon. Joe Ghartey the MP for essikado ketan constituency.

    2. Melody FM’s football gala for drivers.

    3. May day bash at vision Beach Resort

    4. Black Friday promotion bash at Anaji Choice Lounge

    5. YFM’s Yclash of the DJ’s the band participated in both the Takoradi version and the main edition which involved all the 3 YFM branches, just recently.
    among other important functions.

    The band has had the opportunity to organize wonderful events such as;

    1. Street Praise (10th-anniversary lunch) which took place in April 2018 at the score taven road in Sekondi with other bands like Evergreen movement band and freedom and justice bands gracing the event.

    2. In December 2018 the band organized a mega event dubbed street choral night where other bands like Evergreen, supersonic, Golden squad, freedom, and justice bands performed respectively.

    3. Virtual Concert; the band never ceased to entertain its fans. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nothing late band had a Black lives matter virtual concert via their Facebook page to entertain its fans.

    Nothing Late brass band will be celebrating its 15 years anniversary next year (2023). Anticipate nostalgic highlife tunes composed by the band.

    You can follow Nothing late band on all social media platforms.

    Facebook: Nothing Late Band
    Twitter: @Nothing_late_band
    IG: @the_climax_band_nlb
    YouTube: Nothing Late Band
    Ticktock: Nothing_late_Band

    For further inquiries and bookings contact the manager Mr. Thony Knight-Cobbinah on 0241524327 or 0201564994

    Nothing late band
    #3b3 tse ne d3w 💥

  • Mona 4Reall, Fancy Gadam collaborate on latest single Missima

    Mona 4Reall has joined Ghanaian Afropop, dancehall, and reggae music artiste Fancy for his new single “missima”. This will be her first feature of the year alongside her brother from the North, Fancy Gadam.

    She chose to be on a song with a sibling and basically in a local dialect that speaks to the northern setting. This song essentially discusses love, long-distance relationships, and how couples miss each other.

    Speaking about her feature, she said that after a few songs since entering the music industry, she felt the desire to delight her audience, and joining fancy’s missima couldn’t have come at a worse time. Everything North is unmatched, and I’m delighted to be a part of it, Mona said.

    She promised her Northern fellows a good release hopefully, this Christmas.

    This will be the first collaboration with a Northerner.

    Mona 4Reall known in private life as Mona Faiz Montrage is a Beauty/Style/brand Influencer with over 4 million followers. Mona is the CEO of Mona 4Reall Limited, 4Reall Entertainment. Her music and celebrity lifestyle and unique fashion sense have made her a well-known name across the African continent.

    She fully started her music career in the year 2020 and Mona4reall is the fastest rising female act currently.
    Born and bred in Tamale Mona has 11 songs to her credit in less than 2years of her music career with the best collaborations ever, 16 awards nominations locally and internationally, and 2 wins.

     

  • I “Beef” to tackle issues and not for relevance – Lyrical Joe

    Regnant Best Rapper of the Year, Lyrical Joe, says having lyrical exchanges often regarded as “beef” is not to keep him relevant, but rather to address issues raised by an opposing rapper.

    Lyrical and his colleague rapper Amerado have been engaged in a heated rap battle for the past few days churning out rebuttals.

    Speaking in an interview with GNA Entertainment, Lyrical Joe stated that beef could have a positive or negative impact on the career of an artiste depending on how he/she handles it.

    “Beef can be productive and can keep you relevant if you know how to go about it, but I personally don’t jump into beef for relevance’s sake.

    “I do it because there are issues I need to tackle, especially with my opponent coming after me and I have to defend my crown.

    “If I was chasing relevance, I would have been beefing all year, but it is just addressing issues at some particular moments,” he said.


    He, however, stated that had to be healthy, especially avoiding any form of physical contact, but noted that it all depends on the lyrics being churned out by the opposing side.

    Speaking about his next track, “Superman”, Lyrical Joe revealed that he would feature a surprise artiste on the project, which would be released in the coming days.

  • Salman Rushdie’s attack :Suspect claims has read only two pages’ of Satanic Verses

    Hadi Matar,  the man accused of stabbing Sir Salman Rushdie has reportedly said he has only read two pages of the author’s controversial novel The Satanic Verses.

    In relation to the assault that happened at a gathering in New York last week, Hadi Matar, 24, has entered a not guilty plea.
    Mr. Matar described Sir Salman as “someone who attacked Islam” in a prison interview with the New York Post.
    He did not, however, affirm that a 1980s-era Iranian fatwa was the motivation behind his purported conduct.
    The Chautauqua County Jail in New York is where Mr. Matar is now detained.
    Sir Salman published his famous and controversial novel The Satanic Verses in 1988, sparking outrage among some Muslims, who considered its content to be blasphemous.
    The book’s release prompted the Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa, or edict, calling for the writer’s death in 1989.

    Mr. Matar told the New York Post he had only read “a couple of pages” of the book and did not say whether the fatwa had inspired him.

    “I respect the Ayatollah. I think he’s a great person. That’s as far as I will say about that,” he said.

    Mr. Matar also told the newspaper he was “surprised” to hear that Sir Salman had survived the attack.

    “I don’t like the person. I don’t think he’s a very good person. I don’t like him very much,” Mr. Matar said, according to the paper. “He’s someone who attacked Islam, he attacked their beliefs, the belief systems.”

    Earlier this week, Mr. Matar’s mother said she had disowned her son after his alleged behavior. “I’m done with him,” Silvana Fardos said on Monday, adding: “I have nothing to say to him.”

    Sir Salman suffered a damaged liver as well as severed nerves in an arm and eye injuries in the attack but was taken off a ventilator on Saturday.

    Despite his “life-changing” injuries, the Booker Prize-winning author has retained his “usual feisty and defiant sense of humour”, his family said earlier this week.

    On Friday, a number of literary figures will read from his works on the steps of New York’s public library to show solidarity with the novelist.

    Tina Brown, Paul Auster, Kiran Desai, Andrea Elliott, Hari Kunzru, and Gay Talese will be among those taking part in Stand With Salman: Defend the Freedom to Write.

  • COVID-19: For your own safety, get vaccinated – Dr Nyarko

    Since the coronavirus disease outbreak, the Akatsi Municipal Director of Health Services says that the municipality has documented three fatalities and 61 cases.

    He claimed that at one point, the cases appeared to be decreasing until a fresh case was reported in the municipality on Tuesday, August 9.

    Dr. Nyarko made this statement during a meeting of the Municipal Health Committee in the Akatsi South Municipal Assembly Hall.

    The Health Director said that 5,081 persons had received all of their vaccinations, compared to 21,213 who only received one dosage.

    Further adding, he indicated that roughly 70,563 local inhabitants have not yet received their vaccinations.

    For their safety, he recommended people take the immunizations without hesitation.

    He appealed to traditional authorities and religious leaders to revive public education on the relevance of taking the vaccines.

    Municipal Director of Health Services, the Akatsi South Municipal Coordinating Director, also appealed to individuals to disregard all political attempts and misconceptions targeted at discouraging others from taking the vaccines.

  • Fight against Galamsey: Operation Halt confiscates and burns 838 Changfan Machines

    The Operation Halt II team has seized and burned a total of 838 Changfan machines and other pieces of mining machinery being used by unlicensed miners on the Offin River in the Western Region.

    In a three-day operation against galamsey in water bodies, the military task force impounded and burned the equipment.

    The Operation Halt II team was sent to the area last Sunday to halt illegal mining operations in the Offin and four other rivers through ongoing patrols of those waterways.
    The military deployment followed a video that went viral on social media about galamsey activities in the Offin River.

    The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, George Mireku Duker, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi, led a team from the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry to the area yesterday[August 16, 2022], and observed that the illegal miners had heavily polluted the Offin River.

    Some of the floating platforms and equipment mounted in various sections of the river had been decommissioned and destroyed or burnt.

    The Minister emphasized that the operation that has been carried out by the Operation Halt II team was just a foretaste of what was to come, saying the team would be ruthless in eliminating recalcitrant galamsey operators.

    “We want to remind everyone about the government’s uncompromising and unshakeable stance against illegal mining. Those who are stubborn and will not pay heed to any warnings should be prepared because we will keep coming at them,” he stressed.

    He assured the public that the current operation would remain in force until all waterbodies in the country regained their health.

    He called on residents of mining communities to rally around the government to ensure that “these recalcitrant and greedy people who are destroying our heritage and future of this country are dealt with”.

    Mr. Duker commended the military team for the good work done and urged them to go all out to clear the galamsey operators from the system.

    The Commander of the military team, Brigadier Amoah Ayisi, said since the team commenced the operation last Sunday, the illegal miners had been cleared off the water bodies.

    He said Changfan machines and other equipment up to nearly 900 had been burnt.

    Brigadier Ayisi said the team was committed to discharging their responsibility in the national interest.

    Background

    The team of security men was deployed last Sunday to clamp down on illegal mining activities on six major river bodies that had come under heavy attack by illegal miners.

    The security men, working with five-speed boats, are currently patrolling the Offin, Pra, Birim, Ankobra and Black Volta rivers.

    They were tasked to arrest all persons found mining in water bodies and clear the rivers of all mining equipment.

    Since 2017, the government has rolled out a gamut of interventions to curb illegal mining.

    In an effort to effectively deal with illegal mining in water bodies, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resourcesh, Samuel Abu Jinapor, recently commissioned five speed boats to help the Ghana Navy patrol the Ankobra, Pra, Offin, and Birim rivers and the Black Volta.

    (more…)

  • Some popular stars from TV3 mentor and their current state

    As most Ghanaians watched it back then, Tv3 Mentor was one of the most recognizable talent shows. The program was one of Ghana’s first reality television programs with a music theme. In Ghana, the first Mentor program was launched in 2006 and uncovered some amazing talent. The last of the show’s nine editions was in 2020. Unfortunately, a lot of well-known musicians who became renowned thanks to the program have been absent from the public eye for years, causing many Ghanaians to wonder where they are right now.

    1. Isaac The Showboy

    Isaac became famous when he was featured on the maiden edition of Tv3 Mentor. The singer wowed Ghanaians with his unique voice and impressive stagecraft. Although he did not win the show, Isaac had lots of fans and gained a lot of attention after the show. He signed onto Ahmed Banda’s Bandex Music label. He enjoyed success for a while, releasing some songs with Gospel musician Great Ampong and fellow Mentor star Cee. Isaac, for some personal reasons, left Bandex and has since been missing from the limelight.

    2. Odarky De Andy

    Andy was one of the favourites to win Mentor 1 and was the first runner-up. He was very popular and loved by Ghanaians. He enjoyed success too after the show and released songs like ‘Fanta Di Hi,’ ‘Sweetie’, and ‘Kokonsa.’

    According to the musician, his fame was cut short after his handlers deceived him into making some decisions that killed his career. Andy took a long break from music and bounced back but could not catapult himself to the heights he once reached. He has since been missing from the music scene.

    3. Cee Cynthia Appiah-Kubi, popularly known as Cee, was one of the brightest sparks from Mentor 2 as she wowed folks with her angelic and soothing voice. The musician did well after the show as her songs got lots of airplay. She did numerous songs with Great Ampong and Isaac. Although her music career went quiet after some years, Cee seems to be doing well for herself and is now based in the United States and still does music. Cee is now a mother and has three kids.

    4. Okrasini Samuel Okrasini Samuel was featured on the maiden edition of Tv3 Mentor and was loved by fans and the judges. He did well during and after the show as he signed to Okraku Mantey’s Slip Music. Songs he did while signed to the label did quite well and propelled his career to good heights. He released songs like ‘Serwaa Akoto and ‘Dabi Dabi.’ Samuel later left the label, and his career went downhill after. He, however, seems to be doing well for himself regardless.

     

  • Celestine Donkor shares story of her life before fame

    Celestine Donkor, a gospel musician from Ghana, has shocked many internet users by sharing some information about her life before fame. She spoke about her trials as a young woman and the difficulties life threw her in an interview with Rainbow Radio.

    Making ends meet was a challenge for Celestine and her family because, in her own words, she hailed from a low-income family.

    As a stay-in househelp, a young Celestine was forced to live with others. The musician claimed that some of the people she stayed with were considerate. While she was being treated horribly by others.

    She said” Some of the people I stayed with were very good to me. They took me in as their own daughter. There was no feeling like an outcast. And there were others who made me like rejected and less human, She further mentioned that one woman she stayed with would deny her food when she was hungry and would demand she does unimaginable acts before she feeds her.

    The gospel star shared the painful details of her life struggles to encourage the youth not to give up when they face hurdles that may cross their path. Celestine is now one of the biggest Ghanaian gospel stars and is doing very well for herself.

  • Breathtaking images as Kafui Danku marks 39 years of life

    Kafui Danku marks 39 years of life with beautiful and dazzling pictures.

    She had a cake placed on the table and decorated with some sliced fruits and flowers to announce her new age to her devoted admirers.

    The candles for the numbers three and eight on the cake were lighted and already on fire. She then took away the right and put a nine in its place to show that she is now 39 instead of 38.

    Kafui Danku, Ghanaian movie actress

    For her birthday shoot, she wore a star-studded red dress. It was an all-red affair as she wore shiny red lipgloss on her lips to create a statement.

    She wore a corset dress that has beautiful sparkling elements attached to the cleavage area and the skirt area to create a striking pattern in her look.

    Her hair was short and hang over her shoulders as she beamed with smiles and excitement for her big day.

    Captioning one of the posts on her officially verified Instagram page, she wrote that ” she is fearfully and wonderfully made

  • Nana McBrown birthday party : She is moved to tears as elderly fan prays for her

    As an elderly fan blessed her on her birthday, star actress Nana Ama McBrown was brought to tears.

    McBrown turned 45 years old on Monday, August 15, 2022. She celebrated with a party with her family and friends in her house in Kumasi.

    For her birthday celebration, McBrown invited a large number of her friends and coworkers over to her home.

    Matilda Asare, Kwame A-Plus, Samuel Nyamekye, Kwame Adinkra, and Victoria Sarfo were among the celebrities seen in party videos.

    The gospel singer Victoria Sarfo attended the event with her 90-year-old mother, who is known to be a fan of McBrown.

    In one of the videos from the party which has been shared on Instagram, the 90-year-old is seen singing praises to God for adding another year to the life of the actress.

    Dressed in colorful cloth, the woman sang the popular gospel song Nea W’aye (Nea Wode Me Abeduru) by Moses O.K. so cheerfully that it got McBrown emotional.

    After doing the singing, the old lady said a powerful prayer asking God to bless McBrown with long life and protection. During the prayer, McBrown who was almost moved to tears knelt down before the woman. Her daughter, Baby Maxin, joined her in kneeling.

    Baby Maxin who is only three years old led a group of her friends to sing and pray for her mother in a video.

    The gesture impressed the actress and TV personality who was left astonished and excited at the time.

  • Mobi readies to release first EP

    Mobi Obiora, a budding Nigerian artist and songwriter, will be heard by Ghanaians on the Extended Play (EP) titled “Live life hundred percent.”

    The singer of “Feeling You” is prepared to release his debut EP. Songs with titles like Superwoman (Remix), No Give Up, Never Stop, H Money (AfroFranco), and H Money are among the many songs on the eagerly awaited EP.

    On the other side, the EP includes the musical talents of Mmzy, Camido, and Javada.

    Mobi shared the artwork for this next project and his fans have reacted massively. The anticipation is high as he announced that the EP will be released as soon as possible.

    ‘Waiting patiently for the next one, a fan identified as Victor Learned who is anticipating the yet-to-be-released EP took to the comment section to tell Mobi.

    ‘Keep moving forward blood’, another fan through the comment section motivated the diligent and vibrant musician.

    Meanwhile, Mobi Obiora already has two released songs dubbed ‘Feeling you’ and Dubai has been able to feature Maccasio, Javada, and Zelda Black, just to mention a few of his songs.

  • YOLO: Stars feature in season two of ‘Consternation’ sitcom

    Season two of the action-packed, Ghanaian teenage TV series “Consternation” has been released with some intriguing new cast members.

    The stars of the well-liked YOLO TV series, John Peasah, and Kojo Little, once again put on masterful performances in the recently uploaded series on the KL Productions YouTube Page.

    The show exposes various weird occurrences and secrecy in society, including relationships, while portraying concerns in contemporary Ghanaian society.

    In an interview, Kojo Little, Director of the series, said the success of the first season triggered the need for a second season that, according to him, comes along with thrills and chills.

    “I am incredibly excited to finally unveil the second season of the project, which comes along with quality visuals.

    “It is a fascinating piece and I hope movie lovers will be thrilled with what they see, especially with our new cast additions,” he said.

    Ghanaian comedian Waris has also been featured in the series as he delivers some hilarious moments in the movie that brings to bear some happening in the Ghanaian youth setting.

  • African Channel Afro Sini HD: HD+ embraces new channel for African movies

    SES HD PLUS Ghana, the nation’s top-tier high-definition (HD) satellite broadcast service provider, is launching a new, exclusive channel named Afro Sini HD on HD+ channel 115 as part of its commitment to provide a wider variety of programming in HD quality channels available to more satellite TV homes in Ghana.

    Afro Sini HD was introduced in response to significant demand from HD+ members for a dedicated African Movie channel. Customers of HD+ with a valid subscription can now access Afro Sini HD, a 24-hour channel that is a part of XYZ Broadcasting. The channel caters to fans of high-quality Ghanaian and African films, television programs, musical performances, and reality shows appropriate for family viewing at no additional cost to current HD+ subscribers with an ongoing subscription.

    Bernie Anti, CEO of XYZ Broadcasting detailed, “Growing up, the local word “sini” always brought extra excitement to our otherwise routine lifestyles and this is exactly what we intend to bring to the typical Ghanaian home and every HD+ subscriber. Afro Sini is a full-blown buffet of high-definition African movie content interspersed with sweet, complimentary Afrocentric music. We intend to introduce equally exciting industry-related programming and competitions within the shortest possible time.”

    Commenting on this new value offer, Theodore Asampong, CEO of HD PLUS Ghana, said, “HD+ is the first TV service in Ghana to introduce the Afro Sini HD channel and we are excited about the impact it will make in Ghanaian homes, especially for HD+ subscribers who are looking for premium local Ghanaian and African content in HD quality.”

    The HD+ Decoder offers features that give viewers control over their TV viewing moments such as the ability to pause, record and rewind live TV where viewers can watch TV on the go via the My HD PLUS app on mobile phones and tablets with free data that is provided every month. HD+ Decoders can be purchased at all Multi TV dealers and Electroland outlets across the country and activated on any mobile network by dialing *879# to unlock the HD viewing experience. Existing HD+ subscribers can continue to enjoy the HD+ FeeliFeeli Experience by subscribing to a package via the HD+ USSD code for GHS25 a month. Customers who opt for quarterly and yearly payments will be able to enjoy further discounts from the standard monthly package, using the same USSD short code.
  • Russian tourists’ access to visas is restricted in Finland

    Finland has announced a limitation on tourist visas for Russians.The decision, according to the Finnish foreign minister, was made in response to an increase of Russian visitors utilizing Finland as a jumping-off point for trips to other European countries.

    As a result of growing unease over Russian tourism in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine, Finland will limit the number of visas granted to Russians to 10% of the existing amount beginning on September 1.

    “Tourist visas will not stop completely, but their number will be significantly reduced, ” Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Tuesday in Helsinki, amid a rush of Russian visitors bound for Europe.

    Haavisto said the decision had come as an influx of Russian tourists began using Finland and its Helsinki-Vantaa airport as a gateway to European holiday destinations, after Russia lifted pandemic-related border restrictions a month ago.

    Tourist visas from neighboring Russia will be limited by restricting the allotted opening hours for tourism visa applications, as an outright ban based on nationality is not possible, Haavisto said.

    “This means that other types of visas visits relatives, family contacts, work, study will be given preference and more time,” the minister explained.

    Currently, Finland processes approximately 1,000 Russian visa applications a day, Haavisto told public broadcaster Yle separately.

    Finland will also look into establishing a specific humanitarian visa category, which the country lacks.

    “This could make the situation in certain circumstances much easier for journalists or NGO workers”, Haavisto said.

    Just days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Finland joined a string of Western countries in closing their airspace to Russian planes in response, making it difficult for Russians to travel to Europe.

    The foreign minister also announced that Finland and the Baltics would together propose that the European Union discontinue a visa facilitation agreement with Russia. This would increase the price of tourist visas from 35 euros to 80 (from $35 to $81).

    Currently, Finland processes approximately 1,000 Russian visa applications a day, Haavisto told public broadcaster Yle separately.

    Finland will also look into establishing a specific humanitarian visa category, which the country lacks.

    “This could make the situation in certain circumstances much easier for journalists or NGO workers”, Haavisto said.

    Just days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Finland joined a string of Western countries in closing their airspace to Russian planes in response, making it difficult for Russians to travel to Europe.

    The foreign minister also announced that Finland and the Baltics would together propose that the European Union discontinue a visa facilitation agreement with Russia. This would increase the price of tourist visas from 35 euros to 80 (from $35 to $81).

  • We must contest Chinese missiles over Taiwan- US commander

    A senior US military officer has stated that China’s decision to launch missiles over Taiwan must be disputed.

    Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, commander of the Seventh Fleet, described China’s actions as “a gorilla in the room” if they weren’t stopped.

    This month, Beijing conducted military exercises around the autonomous island, though it did not confirm whether any missiles actually flew over it.

    After US lawmaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, tensions skyrocketed.

    Beijing, which asserts sovereignty over the island, was incensed by her high-profile visit.

    Tuesday’s comments by Vice Admiral Thomas are significant, Based in Yokosuka, Japan, the Seventh Fleet is the largest forward-­deployed fleet in the US Navy, with some 50 to 70 vessels and submarines – and is a key part of its military presence in the region.

    “It’s very important that we contest this type of thing. I know that the gorilla in the room is launching missiles over Taiwan,” Vice Admiral Thomas told reporters in Singapore. “It’s irresponsible to launch missiles over Taiwan into international waters.

    “If you don’t challenge it… all of a sudden it can become just like the islands in the South China Sea [that] have now become military outposts. They now are full functioning military outposts that have missiles on them, large runways, hangers, radars, listening posts.”

    China’s decision to conduct nearly a week of military drills in the waters around Taiwan disrupted major shipping and aerial routes – a move the island said effectively amounted to a blockade. It also accused Beijing of using the drills as practice for an invasion.

    Taiwan said the missiles China fired flew high into the atmosphere and posed no threat. Its defense ministry did not disclose the trajectory of the missiles, citing intelligence concerns.

    The Japanese embassy in Washington said it believed four missiles fired by China had passed over Taiwan’s capital Taipei.

    The US and other allies have stepped up naval crossings in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, another area of strategic importance to Beijing, to emphasize that these are international waters.
    While the US has official diplomatic relations with China and not Taiwan, it maintains a special relationship with the island, which includes selling weapons for defense – an arrangement that has long troubled China.

    In recent years it has also become yet another flashpoint between Washington and Beijing as tensions between the two soured.

  • A$AP Rapper Rocky is accused of shooting in Hollywood

    A$AP Rocky, a rapper, has been accused of assault with a handgun in relation to a shooting that occurred in Hollywood the previous year.

    The actor, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused of pointing the gun after an argument with a former buddy in November.

    He allegedly fired the handgun twice more after that, striking the victim, who was just slightly hurt.

    If found guilty, the 33-year-old, who has had two US number one albums, could spend up to nine years behind bars.

    The rapper, who had a baby with singer Rihanna in May, is due to appear in court on Wednesday to answer two charges of assault with a semi-automatic firearm with allegations of personally using a firearm.

    His lawyer had no immediate comment on the charges.

    Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said: “Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences, not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood.

    “My office conducted a thorough review of the evidence in this case and determined that the addition of a special firearm allegation was warranted.”

    A$AP Rocky and RihannaIMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
    Image caption,

    A$AP Rocky and Rihanna welcomed their first child, a boy, in May this year

    News of the shooting broke in April when the star was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as he returned from a holiday with Rihanna. He was released three hours later after posting bail of $550,000 (£421,000).

    Police found multiple firearms at Mr. Mayers’ home while serving a search warrant following his arrest.

    Terell Ephron, who is part of the A$AP Mob hip-hop collective, identified himself as the victim and sued his former friend last week, alleging assault and battery, negligence, and emotional distress.

    Mr. Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, alleged that Mr. Mayers had “lured” him to an obscure location in Hollywood to discuss a disagreement.

    The lawsuit claims that, after a verbal altercation, Mr. Mayers “pulled out a handgun and purposefully pointed it in the direction of [Mr. Ephron] and fired multiple shots”.

    Mr. Ephron was “struck by bullet projectile/fragments” in his left hand and required medical attention, according to the court papers. He is seeking at least $25,000 (£20,750) in damages.

    Mr. Mayers was previously given a two-year suspended sentence for his role in a brawl in Stockholm in August 2019.

    As A$AP Rocky, he was one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2010s, earning eight platinum singles in the US including Wild For The Night, Everyday, LSD, and A$AP Forever.

    He rose to fame after being championed by Drake and has worked with artists including Alicia Keys, Lana Del Rey, Skepta, Selena Gomez, and Kendrick Lamar.

    Last year, he confirmed he was in a relationship with Rihanna, calling her the “love of my life” and “the one”.

  • Kenya election 2022: Raila Odinga rejects William Ruto’s victor

    The results of Kenya’s presidential election have been disputed by Raila Odinga, who claimed that the figures released on Monday were “null and void.”

    The official results show that Mr. Odinga fell short against Deputy President William Ruto.

    The head of the election board was charged by Mr. Odinga with “blatant contempt for the constitution.”

    “We totally without reservation reject the presidential election results,” he said.

    Making his remarks in front of supporters in the capital, Nairobi, he said that there was “neither a legally elected winner nor a president-elect”.

    The 77-year-old long-time opposition leader was running for president for the fifth time. He has challenged the results in the previous two elections, including successfully in 2017.

    This time around, the chairman of the electoral body Wafula Chebukat said he got 48.8% of the vote in last Tuesday’s election compared to Mr. Ruto’s 50.5%.

    Mr. Odinga accused Mr. Chebukati of “gross impunity” saying his team will pursue all legal options. He called his declaration “a major setback” to Kenya’s democracy that could trigger a political crisis.

    He said that Mr. Chebukati went against the law by announcing the result without the backing of his fellow commissioners. But an ally of Mr. Ruto, Musalia Mudavadi, told BBC Focus on Africa radio that commissioners are required to collate the results but do not determine the result.

    This is a legal point that may in the end have to be tested in court.

    Minutes before Mr. Odinga spoke, four of seven electoral commissioners who refused to approve Monday’s results, held a press conference to give their reasons.

    They accused Mr. Chebukati of side-lining them and of announcing results that were full of “mathematic absurdity and defied logic”.

    Juliana Cherera, the vice-chairperson of the commission, said that if you added the percentages as announced by the chairperson of the commission the sum came to 100.01%.

    But the BBC’s Reality Check team says that this was down to a rounding error and is not suspicious.

    Mr. Odinga has however commended the four commissioners for their “heroism”.

    “The majority of (the electoral commission) – who stood up to the bullying and illegal conduct of Mr. Chebukati, we are proud of them and ask them not to fear anything. Kenyans are with them,” he said.

    On Monday, Mr. Ruto described the objections of the commissioners as a “side-show”, but said he would respect a legal process. He also called for unity, saying he wanted to be a president for all, and for the country to focus on the future.

    Last week’s election was largely peaceful. The electoral commission was widely praised for conducting a transparent process by posting on its website results from more than 46,000 polling stations and encouraging anyone to conduct their own tally.

    However, scuffles broke out at the counting center on Monday after Mr. Odinga’s supporters accused the electoral commission of tampering with votes and attempted to block Mr. Chebukati from announcing the final results. At least three poll officials were injured in the melee.

    Calm has been restored in the country after a mixture of celebrations and violent protests followed the official declaration of the presidential results.

    Thousands of supporters, clad in yellow, Mr. Ruto’s party colors, poured onto the streets of Eldoret in the Rift Valley. In contrast in the western city of Kisumu, Mr. Odinga’s supporters blocked roads and lit bonfires. Similar scenes played out in several towns and in the capital, Nairobi.

    Generally ,there is a sense of relief that the counting process is over because the election season often means that life grinds to a halt.

    But people will be paying attention to Mr. Odinga’s plans to file a case at the Supreme Court.

  • Photos from 2022 Homowo celebrations at Ga Mashie

    For the Ga people, Saturday, August 13, 2022, was another historic day as they lavishly celebrated the Homowo celebration.

    It was a proud occasion for the chiefs, leaders, families, and residents of Ga Mashie as well as for the visitors from all walks of life who had come to see one of Ghana’s most well-known festivals being celebrated.

    The Homowo celebration for this year began with drumming, pomp, and pageantry.

    In accordance with tradition, Your Majesty, Nii Dr Ayi Bonte II, Gbese Mantse, sprinkled the first “kpokpoi” to signal the start of the hooting at hungry for the other chiefs to follow.

    The British High Commissioner, Naa Okaitoo Nrami I, Gbese Noyaa Manye was actively involved in the celebrations. Harriet Thompson who is the Development queen-mother of Gbese gleefully took part in all activities as she walked the principal street with Nii Dr Ayi Bonte II.

    The Gbese Mantse sprinkled the traditional food -‘Kpokpoi’- along the principal streets of Accra which included Ussher Fort and its environs, which used to be the ancestral home before the arrival of the colonial masters.

    It was a beautiful day as the traditional leaders painted the capital with their colourful red regalia and warrior attires, with the indigenes, including visitors in red attire.

    The streets were busy at around with people, mainly young men and women moving from house to house and street to street to meet family members and friends.

    The Gbese Mantse was honoured with the visitation of former President H.E John Dramani Mahama as well as vice-president H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to his Palace.

    Check out photos from the Homowo celebrations

     

    Source : ghanaweb.com

  • Pornography in schools: Hearing impaired students smuggle phones to watch pornography

    The management of Senior High Technical School for the Deaf at Akuapem-Mampong in the Eastern Region is disturbed about the increase in hearing impaired students bringing mobile phones to class to watch pornography, gamble, and stake lotteries.

    The subject has been repeatedly brought up at general PTA meetings in recent months by school officials, who are threatening to violently seize cell phones discovered with students.

    At a recent PTA meeting, management said “It realized that students bring to school expensive phones. Some videos show their nakedness or their sexual acts and these videos sometimes get onto their platforms. Parents were advised to always take wards phones before they come to school since seized phones are never returned to owners.

    “Parents must be mindful of their wards at home and the kind of friends they visit and keep as some are betting and staking lotto,” the management said.

    Meanwhile, parents are being encouraged to pay the PTA levy of GHC 20 per student approved by the government to support development in the school.

    A portion of the amount accrued will be used to pay a monthly allowance to a retired driver to transport the students until the government posts a new driver.

    “Students are shuttled between the two campuses every day and so there is a need for drivers in the school. One of the two drivers of the school is retiring next month. But posting of drivers to school is on hold from the Ghana Education Service and the absence of one driver for the school is going to be a very big challenge as a result of our specialty” management added.

  • New Zealand: A suitcase purchased at an auction contained human remains

    Police in New Zealand is looking into the matter after a family discovered human remains inside bags they had bought at an auction from a storage facility.

    After unloading their purchases at home, the residents of a South Auckland home discovered the horrifying discovery.

    Police have opened a homicide investigation and are looking for the remains’ identity.

    It is assumed that the family was not a part of the incident.

    It is believed that the family visited the storage facility last Thursday and bought a trailer-load of belongings, which included the luggage, from a nearby storage business.

    The discovery was made after the residents brought the property back to their home, detective inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said.

    Several neighbors of the family also reported a “wicked smell” emanating from the property before police arrived, according to Stuff.

    One neighbor – a former worker at a crematorium – said the smell was immediately recognizable.

    “I knew straight away and I thought, where is that coming from?” he said, referring to the residents’ property.

    Another neighbor said her son had spotted a suitcase being offloaded from the trailer before being placed in a forensic tent that had been erected around the premises.

    Footage published on New Zealand news outlet Stuff showed a trailer parked on the front driveway of the property, located in the suburban area of Clendon Park, as police carried out their investigations.

    Police officials have said their priority is to “confirm the identification of the deceased so that we can establish the full circumstances behind the discovery”.

    They added given the “nature of the discovery”, it would take time for the next of kin to be informed.

  • Opinion: I saw the terrifying attack on Salman Rushdie, a man who lives with danger and chooses to thrive

    Friday, August 12, 10:40 a.m. I park my bike in a gravel patch near the Chautauqua Amphitheater, wedging a rock beneath the kickstand so it will not fall. The woman who checks my ticket at the gate is accompanied today by a state trooper and a police dog — not usual for this rural arts community, but warranted: today’s speaker, Salman Rushdie, has lived under threat since his book, “The Satanic Verses,” was published over three decades ago. I zigzag my way down steep stairs to the floor, noticing another trooper standing guard.

     

    Minutes later, Rushdie and Henry Reese walk onstage, set to discuss the US as an asylum for writers and other artists in exile as part of the Chautauqua Lecture Series. The audience rises, clapping.
    I realize Rushdie will be seated with his back to me, so I move to get a better view, starting down the middle aisle to an empty seat in the third row just as the two take their seats.
    Before I take mine, however, a man leaps onstage, hate on two feet, storming Rushdie with lightning speed. The author rises and steps back to evade him, but his black suit and polished shoes are unprepared for the youth in trainers, head wrapped like a ninja, a cyclone of anonymous fury.
    Rushdie bends and twists away but the knife is unrelenting, arm raising and falling over and over and over, evading the author’s hands and those attempting to intervene. The crowd gathered at a stage where civil discourse has been practiced for over 130 years, stands watching, frozen not with fear but with shock.
    After what seems like ages but I later learn was just seconds, the attacker is taken down by a few men and a state trooper. Rushdie and Reese have both fallen. Blood pools on the stage. A man runs by me, filming the chaos on his phone.

    Freedom in retreat

     

    “These are not good days for liberty. If you look around the world, you see that the idea of freedom, freedom which contains a sense of carefree-ness, seems everywhere in retreat, hounded by guns and bombs,” Mr. Rushdie told an audience at Emory University in 2015.
    How ironic, that his attacker moved through tree-lined streets where children run free until peals from a bell tower remind them it is time for dinner, where bicycles are not locked and wallets are often returned with cash intact. This is a place where people let down their guard, only too easily. That is part of the charm, but in the days to come, we will surely grapple with that.
    The crowd is mostly silent, except for the jagged cries some cannot, do not, still. The attacker is finally subdued, and the police dog stands over him. I wonder if it’s ghoulish to take a picture of the stage at this moment. But the ghoul is already here, I decide.
    Rushdie lies still on his back; someone has removed his shoes from his feet and lined them neatly beside him, waiting for him to fill them again. No one else can.
    I cannot get back on my bike for shaking, so I walk home. Sirens wail.
    By around noon, The New York Times has reported Rushdie was stabbed in the neck, with another witness saying he still had a pulse before he was airlifted to a hospital. I am astounded and relieved that he survived. When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the supreme leader of Iran, issued a call for his death in 1989, the author went into hiding but continued to write his intricate and zany books.
    He says he must write to survive, or his dreams become increasingly crazy. Waiting for news, I wonder how much crazier a dream can get than this, more nightmare than a fairy tale.
    Texts pour in: “Are you there?” “Is it true?” A friend tells me she attended a dinner with Rushdie in February and remembers him saying he was fairly certain someone, somewhere, would get him. Who knew this could happen in this utopian summer community, which tries to combat the dissension in the world with conversation? Words were no match today.
    Later in the afternoon, Andrew Wylie, Rushdie’s agent, reports he is in surgery but has no other updates.
    DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
  • Dual-strain Covid vaccine: UK first country to approve

    The UK has become the first country to approve a dual vaccine that protects against both the older Omicron version and the original Covid virus.

    The vaccination, according to ministers, will now be a part of the autumn booster program.

    26 million people are eligible for some version of the booster, but Moderna estimates that just 13 million doses of its new vaccine will be made accessible this year.

    According to health officials, people should receive any booster that is recommended because all vaccinations offer protection.

    The initial pandemic vaccines were created to prepare the body to combat the virus’s first version, which appeared in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019.

    The Covid virus has since mutated substantially, with a stream of new variants emerging that can dodge some of our immune defenses. They have caused large surges in cases around the world.

    The original vaccines still provide strong protection against becoming severely ill or dying, but companies are tweaking them to match the virus as it evolves.

    Cases of coronavirus are currently falling in the UK. In mid-to-late July, around 2.5 million people tested positive for coronavirus.

    ‘Sharpened tool’

    Moderna’s latest vaccine targets both the original strain and the first Omicron variant (BA.1), which emerged last winter. It is known as a bivalent vaccine as it takes aim at two forms of Covid.

    The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has considered the evidence and given the vaccine approved for use in adults.

    Dr. June Raine, the regulator’s chief executive, said: “What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armory to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.”

    Experiments on 437 people showed the updated vaccine was safe and gave better immune protection against newer variants.

    Levels of antibodies that were able to stick to and disable Omicron (BA.1) were 1.7 times higher in people given the new vaccine. Tests against more recent Omicron variants (BA.4 and BA.5), which are causing the UK’s current wave, also showed higher levels of protection with the updated vaccine.

    However, it is far from clear what that means in terms of preventing someone from becoming seriously ill.

    Additionally, it is uncertain what variants we will be facing in the coming months and exactly how well the updated vaccine will perform against them.

    Stéphane Bancel, the chief executive officer of Moderna, said he was “delighted” the vaccine had been approved.

    “This represents the first authorization of an Omicron-containing bivalent vaccine; this bivalent vaccine has an important role to play in protecting people in the UK from Covid-19 as we enter the winter months,” he said.

    The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), which advises governments in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, has confirmed the following groups should be offered some form of booster in the autumn:

    • health and social care staff
    • everyone aged 50 and over
    • carers who are over the age of 16
    • people over five whose health puts them at greater risk, this includes pregnant women
    • people over five who share a house with somebody with a weakened immune system

    Prof Wei Shen Lim, from the JCVI, said: “It is important that everyone who is eligible takes up a booster this autumn, whichever vaccine is on offer.”

    Originally those aged 50-65 were not going to be jabbed. However, the immunization campaign has been expanded because of the rapid spread of variants, uncertainty about how the virus will mutate, and the expectation that we will are likely to be more social – and therefore give the virus a helping hand this winter – including at Christmas.

    However, most people under 50 will not be boosted in the coming months. The focus remains on preventing those most at risk from becoming seriously ill, rather than stopping the young from passing the virus on to older relatives.

    Moderna is not the only company updating its vaccines. Pfizer has also been developing vaccines that can target Omicron. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, however, is not being updated.

    Health ministers have officially given the go-ahead for the bivalent vaccines. In England, Steve Barclay said “vaccines remain our best defense against Covid” and said the rollout would begin in September. In Wales, Eluned Morgan said vaccines “have saved countless lives” and urged everyone who was eligible to come forward.

  • Kenya polls: William Ruto wins presidential race

    In the midst of emotional moments, the chairman of the electoral commission has announced that Deputy President William Ruto has won Kenya’s presidential election.

    With 50.4% of the vote, he barely defeated Raila Odinga as his opponent.

    The announcement was delayed amid scuffles and allegations of vote-rigging by Mr. Odinga‘s campaign.

    Due to disputes and claims of vote manipulation by Mr. Odinga’s team, the declaration was postponed.

    Four of the seven members of the electoral commission refused to endorse the announcement, saying the results were “opaque”.

    “We cannot take ownership of the result that is going to be announced because of the opaque nature of this last phase of the general election,” said Juliana Cherera, the vice-chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

    “We are going to give a comprehensive statement… and again we urge Kenyans to keep calm. There is an open door that people can go to court and the rule of law will prevail,” she said.

    Mr. Odinga’s party agent earlier alleged that there were “irregularities” and “mismanagement” in the election.

    This was the first time Mr. Ruto, 55, had run for president. He has served as deputy president for 10 years but fell out with President Uhuru Kenyatta, who backed Mr. Odinga to succeed him.

     

  • Asia sees rise in market ,China records a decline

    The majority of Asian markets increased on Monday as investors cheered evidence of declining US inflation; however, Hong Kong and Shanghai declined as statistics indicated that China’s economy was suffering due to the Covid-19 limitations.

    The markets have been worried that additional hikes of a comparable magnitude could stifle economic recovery after two straight increases in borrowing costs by the Federal Reserve of three-quarters of a percentage point.

    Last week’s indicators of improved inflation statistics have sparked discussion about whether the Fed may change course more rapidly from its current stance of moving aggressively to raise interest rates.

    “We’re definitely heading in a better direction,” Kristina Hooper, Invesco chief global market strategist, told Bloomberg Television.

    “It looks like we are passed peak for inflation. The problem is inflation is still very, very high.”

    Wall Street ended Friday on a positive note after consumer and producer price data indicated a meaningful cooling in inflation.

    The optimistic mood carried over to Asia, with Tokyo climbing one percent as GDP data showed the Japanese economy recovering after the government lifted Covid-19 curbs on businesses.

    Sydney rose 0.5 percent and Taipei was up 0.7 percent. Wellington, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur also saw gains. Seoul and Mumbai were closed for holidays.

    Among the few losers, Hong Kong and Shanghai fell as Chinese economic figures came in weaker than analysts’ expectations.

    China unexpectedly cut key interest rates as a raft of data released Monday indicated the world’s second-largest economy was struggling with virus restrictions and a slumping property market.

    The figures showed China’s industrial production and retail sales growth for July came in lower than expected. Industrial production was up 3.8 percent year-on-year, but down from 3.9 percent in June and below Bloomberg economists’ forecasts of a 4.3 percent increase.

    “The risk of stagflation in the world economy is rising, and the foundation for domestic economic recovery is not yet solid,” China’s National Bureau of Statistics warned.

    Beijing’s rigid adherence to a zero-Covid strategy has held back economic recovery as snap lockdowns and long quarantines batter business activity and a recovery in consumption.

    “July’s economic data is very alarming,” Raymond Yeung, Greater China economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group, told Bloomberg.

    “The Covid-zero policy continues to hit the service sector and dampen household consumption.”

    Oil was lower in Asian trade, with WTI down one percent at $91.20 while Brent was off 0.9 percent at $97.25.

  • 50 dead others displaced in northern Nigeria flooding

    Recent torrential rain has caused flooding in Northern Nigeria and has killed about fifty people and displaced many, according to reports from the executive secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for Jigawa State, Sani Yusuf.

    According to Sani Yusuf, executive secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)  for Jigawa State, at least 50 people have died, and “many” have been relocated as a result of recent severe rains that triggered floods in northern Nigeria.

    “When you go around [Jigawa State], we lost about 50 people to the flood,” Yusuf told reporters on camera Sunday from the city of Dutse, which was broadcast by local media.
    Yusuf said at least 237 homes had been damaged in the area of Balangu alone, forcing people into temporary camps. Eleven temporary camps have been set up for those displaced, he said.
    Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Sadiya Farouq also visited Jigawa State recently to distribute relief materials, the federal ministry tweeted.
    “This incident is particularly sad because it has become perennial. This is causing serious damage to schools, houses, and the livelihood of the people,” Farouq told reporters on camera.
    Farouq said Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to activate National Emergency Management Agency to provide the necessary support to those affected by the floods.
    The floods come after days of severe thunderstorms which have prompted flash flooding warnings from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
    Many parts of Jigawa are vulnerable to flooding after rainstorms. Earlier in August, around seven people died and dozens of buildings were destroyed following flooding from heavy rains in seven districts in the northeastern Nigerian state.
    Last year, more than 120 families were displaced in the state’s Guri district when their homes were submerged by floods after a heavy downpour.

    ‘No quick solution’

    Water resources minister, Suleiman Adamu, who is also from Jigawa told local media two years ago there were no quick solutions to the state’s flooding problem, and not even funding could curb it.
    “Desilting a river is not a solution to flooding, it’s a temporary solution, it takes a lot of money. If all the budgets of the federal government and Jigawa State are combined to desilt River Hadejia, we cannot achieve it,” Adamu said, adding that: “There are no short-term measures to stop flooding but we can mitigate and do early warning.”
  • Checkout Photos of the Sturgeon Supermoon from Around the World

    Full moon
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    Kosice, Slovakia

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    Berlin, Germany

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    Dresden, Germany

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    Paris, France

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    Liverpool, England

    Full moon
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    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Full moon
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    London, England

    Full moon
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    Northumberland, England

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    New York, New York

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    Albuquerque, New Mexico

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    Washington, D.C.

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    Source : people.com

  • Climate change : Leaders make a fifth attempt to pass UN Oceans Treaty

    More discussions to protect the world‘s oceans from overexploitation will take place later when world leaders gather at the UN in New York.

    Despite ten years of discussions, the UN High Seas Treaty is still not in force.

    By 2030, 30% of the oceans in the globe would be protected if they were to be adopted.

    Aiming to safeguard marine life from overfishing and other human activities, campaigners seek to achieve this.

    Two-thirds of the world’s oceans are currently considered international waters, which means all countries have a right to fish, ship, and do research there. But only 1.2% of these high seas, as they are referred to, are protected.

    This leaves the marine life living there at risk of exploitation from the increasing threats of climate change, overfishing, and shipping traffic.

    And with ecosystems on the high seas poorly documented, there is concern among conservationists that creatures could become extinct before they are discovered.

    Research published earlier this year, and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, suggests that between 10% and 15% of marine species are already at risk of extinction.

    The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has said at previous negotiations that the “traditional fragmented nature of ocean governance” has prevented the effective protection of the high seas.

    Men walk amongst tuna laid out at market in JapanIMAGE SOURCE, LEISA TYLER/ GETTY IMAGES

    The treaty would place parts of the world’s oceans into a network of Marine Protected Areas. Environmental impact assessments would be carried out before allowing commercial activities like deep-sea mining to go ahead.

    Deep-sea mining is when minerals are taken from the sea bed that is 200m or more below the surface. These minerals include cobalt which is used for electronics, but the process could also be toxic for marine life, according to the IUCN.

    As of March 2022, the International Seabed Authority, which regulates these activities, had issued 31 contracts to explore the deep sea for minerals.

    Countries are also looking to include measures in the treaty that give developing and landlocked nations more equal access to Marine Genetic Resources (MGR).

    MGR is biological materials from plants and animals in the ocean that can have benefits for society such as pharmaceuticals, industrial processes, and food.

    But progress has been slow due to Covid-19 preventing countries’ meetings. Disagreement over what should be included in the legal treaty also delayed it.

    Some nations such as Russia and Iceland want fisheries to be excluded.

    In March, countries agreed to have a final fifth session to try and sign the Treaty – with a deadline set for the end of the year.

    Should this not happen, an EU spokesperson told the BBC it was still committed to the issue: “The EU will insist on the quick continuation of the negotiations.”

    “Action is needed to ensure the conservation and the sustainable use of the Ocean for current and future generations,” they added.

    At the end of the last round of failed negotiations, conference president Rena Lee said: “I believe that with continued commitment, determination and dedication, we will be able to build bridges and close the remaining gaps.”

    Protecting the world’s oceans is also important for human populations as so many people rely on the seas for food, income, and leisure activities.

    It is estimated that global marine ecosystems are worth more than £41 trillion, according to researchers at Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

  • Pennsylvanian woman celebrates 100th great-birth grandchild’s before 100th birthday

     A Pennsylvania woman, Marguerite Koller, of Blue Bell, recently celebrated the birth of her 100th great-grandchild, Koller William, according to NBC Philadelphia. The 99-year-old got a chance to meet the baby boy shortly before her 100th birthday. She is marking two major milestones in just a matter of months.

    “I’m just thinking about how lucky I am,” she said while holding her newest great-grandkid, who is named after her and her late husband, William.

    Marguerite has credited William with convincing her to ditch plans to become a nun.

    “I actually applied when I was a junior in high school but he talked me out of it,” she told ABC station WPVI-TV in 2015.

    Marguerite is the mother of 11 children and has 56 grandchildren, leading to her now-100 great-grandchildren, NBC Philadelphia reported.

    Originally, the new baby was supposed to be her 99th great-grandchild, but the little one claimed the special title after being born more than a week after his predicted due date.

    Christine Balster, Marguerite’s granddaughter and mother of the 100th great-grandchild, said she and her husband Patrick wanted to honor both of her grandparents with their son’s name.

    “My husband liked the name Kole, and it felt very natural to name him Koller and William as the middle name,” she told NBC Philadelphia.

    William died in 2008, according to the 2015 report from WPVI-TV.

    Baby Koller now joins multiple generations descending from his great-grandmother Marguerite, whom Christine described as a “lovely, sweet [and] strong lady.”

    The new mom also praised the “amazing legacy” her grandmother has built.

    In WPVI-TV’s 2015 report, Marguerite’s family described the matriarch as “an inspiration.”

    “And to be the age she is and still going about it every day,” said Greg Stokes, Koller’s grandson, “it’s unbelievable.”

  • Trapped Mexican miners at risk as water levels rise

    Attempts to rescue 10 men from a flooded mine in Mexico have been delayed after the water levels in three shafts rose suddenly on Sunday.

    The miners became trapped on 3 August when a wall in a tunnel collapsed and water from an adjacent chamber gushed into the three shafts.

    Officials say the water has to drop to a depth of 1.5m (5ft) to allow rescuers to enter the shafts safely.

    But on Sunday, it suddenly rose again to more than 20m.

    The governor of Coahuila state, where the coal mine is located, said the water was probably flowing into the shafts from a nearby disused mine. Governor Miguel Riquelme said engineers were trying to find the source of the leak so they can block it.

    More than 200 million liters have been pumped from the shafts so far, but the rescue work has been hampered by a number of setbacks.

    Last week, a special underwater drone carrying a camera was lowered into one of the shafts.

    Relatives of the miners had hoped the drone would provide them with long-awaited news on their loved ones, from whom there has been no sign of life since the accident 12 days ago.

    But the drone failed to reach the depth at which the miners are believed to have become trapped.

    “There are a great number of solid obstacles and turbulence in the water, which make visibility very limited,” a statement said.

    “These are not conditions in which we can send in search and rescue teams.”

    Relatives of the 10 trapped miners again expressed frustration and anger at the slow pace of the rescue effort and at what they said was a lack of communication.

    “We want them (authorities) to tell us what is happening: if they have identified the places where water is coming through and why,” a member of miner Sergio Cruz’s family told Reuters news agency.

    Priests in the area have been saying prayers for the miners’ rescue.

  • Kidney transplant : Changing kidney blood type may boost transplants

    In a breakthrough that could enhance the supply of organs for transplant, researchers have effectively changed the blood type of the donor’s kidneys.

    The discovery has special implications for underrepresented populations, for whom it is frequently more difficult to find a match.

    A blood type A person cannot donate their kidney to a type B person, and vice versa.

    However, making a kidney’s blood type the universal type O will enable it to be transplanted into any recipient.

    People from black and other ethnic minority groups often have to wait a year longer for a transplant than white patients because they are more likely to have the rarer B-type blood group.

    Rates of organ donation among those populations are also lower. In 2020/21, just over 9% of total organ donations came from black and other minority ethnic donors, while people from those communities make up 33% of the kidney transplant waiting list.

    Scientists at the University of Cambridge were able to use a normothermic perfusion machine – a device used to pass oxygenated blood through a kidney to help preserve it – to flush blood infused with an enzyme through a donor’s kidney.

    The enzyme removes the blood-type markers that line the blood vessels of the organ, effectively changing its blood type to type O. The process took a matter of hours when it was successfully performed on three donor kidneys.

    Serena MacMillan, a Ph.D. student who worked on the study, said it was “very exciting to think about how this could potentially impact so many lives”.

    The next step is to see how the kidneys react when given a normal supply of blood from their new blood group, something which can again be tested using a machine before the kidney is transplanted into a patient.

    The research, which is funded by the charity Kidney Research UK, is due to be published in the British Journal of Surgery in the coming months.

    Dr. Aisling McMahon, executive director of research at the charity, called the work “potentially game-changing”.

    This is a fascinating and compelling idea, but its impact on organ transplantation is still unproven.

    There are questions about the science and how much more it can increase the availability of organs for donation.

    It will take further tests to see how these tweaked organs perform when actually dealing with formerly mismatched blood. And to ensure their process does not damage the kidneys in any way.

    This will have to be tested in the laboratory and then in small numbers of patients.

    Also, the blood group is only one of three ways kidneys are matched before transplant and half the population is already either O positive or O negative (whose kidneys can be donated to anybody).

    Tissue matching and cross-matching (in which the blood of donor and recipient are mixed to see if there’s a reaction) will still be a factor, particularly in ethnic groups.

    For now, the best way of increasing the number of life-saving transplants remains more of us – from every community – becoming.
  • Harry and Meghan set to visit UK next month for charity events

    Next month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel to the UK to participate in charitable events “dear to their hearts.”

    On September 5, they will participate in the One Young World Summit in Manchester, which brings together young leaders from over 190 nations.

    Prince Harry and Meghan will also attend an Invictus Games event in Germany when they are there.

    The couple’s most recent visit to the UK was in June for the Platinum Jubilee festivities.

    The Sussexes, who stepped down as senior royals in January 2020, live in California.

    They kept a low-key presence during the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee – watching the Trooping the Colour parade in London from a window and not taking part in the carriage procession.

    A spokesperson for the couple said they are “delighted” to be visiting the UK.

    The Duchess, who will give a keynote address at the opening ceremony, is a counselor for One Young World, among others including Jamie Oliver, Sir Richard Branson, and Justin Trudeau.

    Prince Harry and Meghan will return to the UK on 8 September for the WellChild Awards in London where the duke will make a speech.

    Before that, they will attend the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year to Go event.

    The duke was inspired to set up the Invictus Games after seeing a similar event in the US were injured and retired service personnel competed.

    The first competition was held in London in 2014, with the following games being held in the US, Canada, and Australia.

    Prince Harry is currently involved in a legal battle with the Home Office over his security arrangements in the UK.

    He has asked for a review of the decision to not allow him to pay for police protection for himself and his family while in the country.

    The Platinum Jubilee was the first time the duke and duchess had made an appearance together at a royal engagement since 2020.

    The couple visited the Queen in April on their way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands.

    Before this, Prince Harry was last reported to be in the UK in the previous July, while Meghan was not thought to have been in the country since 2020.

  • Scott Morrison: Australia’s ex-PM ‘secretly held ministry portfolios’

    Australian PM Anthony Albanese says he will investigate reports that his predecessor, Scott Morrison, secretly assumed three roles in the ministry.

    Mr. Morrison became joint minister for the health, finance, and resources portfolios in the two years before he lost power in May, local media report.

    Mr. Albanese said he would seek legal advice about the decisions, calling them “unacceptable” and “just weird”.

    The former prime minister has declined to comment.

    On Monday, Governor-General David Hurley – the Queen’s representative in Australia – confirmed he had signed an “administrative instrument” that had allowed Mr. Morrison to secretly take on the portfolios. It was “consistent with section 64 of the constitution”, a spokesperson said.

    But Mr. Albanese, law experts, and Mr. Morrison’s former colleagues have criticized the secrecy surrounding it.

    Even some ministers were reportedly not aware they were sharing portfolios with the former prime minister.

    “This is the sort of ‘tin pot’ activity that we would ridicule if it was in a non-democratic country,” Mr. Albanese told reporters on Monday.

    Local media reported that former Health Minister Greg Hunt agreed in 2020 to share his portfolio in the event he became incapacitated from Covid.

    But then-Finance Minister Mathias Cormann – now head of the OECD – only learned last week that his role had been jointly held, said a report by local outlet News.com.au.

    Mr. Morrison was sworn in as a second resources minister – joining Keith Pitt – last year. Mr. Morrison used his powers to block a gas exploration license in New South Wales – a decision opposed by Mr. Pitt.

    Mr. Albanese said he would not speculate on forthcoming legal advice but accused his predecessor of having governed “in the shadows”.

    When asked to respond to Mr. Albanese’s comments, Mr. Morrison said he wasn’t aware of them. “Since leaving the job I haven’t engaged in any day-to-day politics,” he told Sky News Australia.

    Mr. Morrison’s deputy from June 2021, Barnaby Joyce, said he did not have prior knowledge of the appointments.

    “I found out about it, and I disagree with it. I believe in a cabinet system of government where ministers are responsible for their own portfolios. We don’t have a presidential form of government,” Mr. Joyce told Channel 7.

    The center-right coalition suffered a convincing defeat in May’s general election. It lost many seats in cities – where climate action and political integrity were seen as key issues.

    In July, Mr. Morrison drew controversy by telling churchgoers “don’t trust in governments” and “don’t trust in the United Nations” during a speech in Perth.

    This is “weird”.

    That’s what Mr. Albanese (and a number of constitutional experts) have said about the reports.

    There are so many questions and you’d be forgiven for being confused. No one is sure who knew what, when.

    It would be normal for a leader to make sure that someone can step up and do the job if a minister is incapacitated, especially at the height of the pandemic.

    But there are many ways of doing this. Why did it have to be him? And more crucially, why the secrecy?

    As it stands, nothing about these gels. But here’s why this could potentially be a big deal.

    For a leader of any country, let alone a democracy, to take over several portfolios without the public’s knowledge or the knowledge of his own colleagues, raises serious questions.

    If confirmed, this also means that the then-prime minister was potentially aiming to centralize power so that the decision-making would ultimately come down to him.

    Remember, this was happening at a time when Australia was in and out of lockdowns and when the Morrison government faced a lot of criticism for the way they handled the vaccination program.

    Confidence in the Morrison government was waning – but as the current prime minister put it, it seems that even Scott Morrison had no confidence in the Morrison government.

  • Salman Rushdie: Iran blames writer and supporters for stabbing

    Instead of placing the blame on the author Salman Rushdie, Iran has “categorically” rejected any connection with the assailant.

    During a performance in New York, Mr. Rushdie, 75, was stabbed on stage and suffered serious injuries. He can now breathe on his own.

    Because of his 1988 book The Satanic Verses, he has endured years of death threats.

    Earlier, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused Iran’s state media of gloating about the attack, calling its behavior “despicable”.

    Iranian media have extensively commented on the attack, calling it “divine retribution”.

    Iran’s state broadcaster daily Jaam-e Jam highlighted the news that Rushdie might lose an eye following the attack, saying “an eye of the Satan has been blinded”.

    As news emerged of Friday’s attack, eyes turned to Tehran where the fatwa – religious edict – calling for the writer’s assassination was first issued more than three decades ago.

    But on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani Tehran “categorically” denied any link, adding “no one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

    However, he said freedom of speech did not justify Mr. Rushdie’s insulting religion in his writing.

    “In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation,” the spokesman said during his weekly press conference in Tehran.

    “By insulting the sacred matters of Islam and crossing the red lines of more than 1.5 billion Muslims and all followers of the divine religions, Salman Rushdie has exposed himself to the anger and rage of the people.”

    Iran had no other information about Rushdie’s assailant except what has appeared in the media, he added.

    Mr. Blinken had earlier denounced Iran’s state institutions for inciting violence against the author.

    He said in a statement that Mr. Rushdie had “consistently stood up for the universal rights of freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of the press”.

    “While law enforcement officials continue to investigate the attack, I am reminded of the pernicious forces that seek to undermine these rights, including through hate speech and incitement to violence.

    “Specifically, Iranian state institutions have incited violence against Rushdie for generations, and state-affiliated media recently gloated about the attempt on his life. This is despicable.”

    Mr. Blinken added the US and its partners would use “every appropriate tool” at their disposal to stand up to what he called “these threats”.

    On Sunday, Mr. Rushdie’s son said the author was still in a critical condition: “Though his life-changing injuries are severe, his usual feisty and defiant sense of humor remains intact,” he said.

    The family was “extremely relieved” when Mr. Rushdie was taken off a ventilator on Saturday, he said, adding that his father was able to “say a few words”.

    The author’s agent Andrew Wylie said the celebrated novelist suffered severed nerves in one arm, damage to his liver, and would likely lose an eye.

    The man charged over Friday’s attack – named Hadi Matar, aged 24 – has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. He is accused of running onto the stage and stabbing Mr. Rushdie at least 10 times in the face, neck, and abdomen.

    The novelist was forced into hiding for nearly 10 years after The Satanic Verses was published in 1988. Many Muslims reacted with fury to it, arguing that the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad was a grave insult to their faith.

    Mr. Rushdie faced death threats and the then-Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa – or decree – calling for Mr. Rushdie’s assassination, placing a $3m (£2.5m) bounty on the author’s head.

    The fatwa remains active, and although Iran’s government has distanced itself from Mr. Khomeini’s decree, a quasi-official Iranian religious foundation added a further $500,000 to the reward in 2012.

  • Egypt church fire :18 children among dozens killed

    Hospital records were obtained by CNN and scores of parishioners gathered for Sunday morning mass at a church in Giza, greater Cairo, and it indicated that at least 18 youngsters perished in the fire.

    According to a statement from Egypt’s Coptic Church and health officials, there have been 41 fatalities and 14 injuries. According to hospital records, the kids ranged in age from 3 to 16.

    According to Egypt’s Interior Ministry, an electrical failure in an air conditioner on the second floor of the church caused the fire to start at around 9 a.m. local time. In the densely populated Imbaba area lies the modest church.

    Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by smoke inside church classrooms after the electrical failure, the ministry said in a Facebook post.
    At least two officers and three civil protection service members were injured responding to the fire, the ministry said.
    Church officials also believe the fire was accidental, said Coptic Church spokesperson Archpriest Moussa Ibrahim, adding a priest was among those killed.
    Egypt’s Coptic community and churches have been a target of religious-based violence and attacks historically, with persecution and discrimination spiking since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak’s regime in 2011.
    “We are in continuous contact with the local authorities and the Health Ministry,” the head of the Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, said, according to the church spokesperson.
    Youssef Islam, 16, who works at a bakery next door to the church said the worst of the flames were on the fourth floor. He said he ran into the church and intended to get water from the third floor to help put out flames on the floor above.
    But when he forced his way through a door, he saw children’s bodies piled on top of each other. “A horrible scene,” he said. “This was probably the nursery.”
    Mariam Malak, 23, told CNN that she left the church shortly before the fire broke out.
    “I left the church after Sunday mass and was on my way to work when my mom called me. She thought I was caught in the fire. I turned back and saw (the) church in flames. I just missed it by only a few minutes,” she said.
    “Everyone who was there went up to the heavens, including our father Abdel Masih, who led the prayers this morning, and a lot of our families and friends. We are trying to identify everyone now.”

    The fire broke out during a Sunday service at the Abu Sefein Coptic church.

    CNN also spoke to a family that was driving through the neighborhood looking for the body of their cousin after the fire subsided.
    “I can’t believe I won’t see you again, Irini. Why did you leave us so fast?” one of the women, Afaf, murmured to herself throughout the drive from one church to the other. Afaf’s sister Amany Marina held her hand and prayed in silence. Their cousin Amany cried silently in the front seat as her husband, Sameh, kept driving.
    It was almost sunset when they made it to the church in the Al-Warraq neighborhood where the prayer for the dead was held. The three women held hands as they walked through security.
    Hundreds of mourners flocked to the church waiting for the caskets to be brought in from the hospital. The small caskets of children were carried over the crowds through the church gate.
    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi tweeted his condolences to the victims of the fire.
    “I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims who moved to the side of their Lord in one of the houses of worship,” Sisi said.
    The Egyptian President said he is closely following developments of the “tragic accident” and that he has directed state agencies to take the necessary measures to immediately deal with the tragedy and provide care for the injured.
    Sisi has directed the Armed Forces Engineering Authority to repair the church, the spokesperson for the Coptic Orthodox Church announced, according to state news Ahram online.
    Chairman of the Egyptian Armed Forces Engineering Authority Hesham El Swefy told Pope Tawadros in a phone call about Sisi’s instructions to reconstruct the church, the state news agency said.
    Egyptian soccer player Mo Salah, who plays for Liverpool and captains the national team, also sent a message of support to those affected by the tragedy on Sunday, saying in a tweet: “My sincere condolences to the victims of the Abu Sefein Church, and my best wishes for a speedy recovery to all the injured.”
    A preliminary investigation into the fire “indicated that the blaze was caused by an electrical short circuit,” Egyptian state news reported, citing a statement from prosecutor-general Hamada El Sawy.
    El Sawy visited the site and said eyewitnesses told his team the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in a power generator, according to Egyptian state news.
    “The prosecution team has examined all of the victims’ bodies and found no visible injuries on the deceased bodies except suffocation signs,” El Sawy said.
    The public prosecution has questioned 14 of the injured and ordered the Public Administration for Criminal Evidence to collect evidence at the scene, according to the statement quoted.
  • BBC News Komla Dumor award : Zambia’s Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya wins

    Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya, a TV and radio host from Zambia, has won the 2022 BBC News Komla Dumor Award.

    Buyoya, who won the prize at age 25, is the youngest of the seven winners from southern Africa to date since it was established in 2015.

    He began working for Diamond Television in Zambia five years ago and is currently a TV host and reporter there.

    The honor was established to remember Komla Dumor, a BBC World News presenter who passed away unexpectedly in 2014 at the age of 41.

    Buyoya follows in the footsteps of Victoria Rubadiri, Solomon Serwanjja, Waihiga Mwaura, Amina Yuguda, Didi Akinyelure and Nancy Kacungira.

    The runner-up for this year’s prize is Ivory Coast’s Lindsay Aida Guei, who presents her own talk show on Canal+ Elles, an Africa-focused TV channel.

    The Zambian reporter will spend three months working with BBC News teams in London across TV, radio, and online. He will also receive training and be mentored by leading BBC journalists.

    As part of the placement, he will travel to a country in Africa to report on a story that will be broadcast to the BBC’s global audiences.

    “Finding out I’d won the BBC News Komla Dumor Award is one of the best things to have happened in my life,” Buyoya says.

    “I have a huge admiration for Komla’s prodigious work. I’ve always wanted to be a journalist and I’d watch back Komla’s news reports, inspired by his powerful storytelling and his dedication to covering Africa authentically.

    “I’m truly grateful to be part of Komla’s legacy.”

    The judges praised Buyoya for his journalism, his charisma, and his passion for sharing stories about the continent through digital platforms.

    “We’re looking forward to welcoming Buyoya to BBC News. We’re excited by his journalistic talent, and seeing him flourish during his BBC placement,” says BBC Africa head Juliet Njeri.

    “His dedication to ensuring important news stories from Africa are told in a compelling and engaging way, makes him ideal to help to continue Komla’s legacy – sharing nuanced and comprehensive stories about the continent.”

    The BBC’s Komla Dumor had a charismatic presenting style

  • As Shanghai Ikea is placed under lockdown, customers rush for the exits

    Customers at an Ikea branch in Shanghai fled in panic on Saturday after local health officials ordered the business to close down after a Covid-19 case’s close contact was found there.

    Multiple videos on social media showed customers yelling and pushing each other in an attempt to escape the building before the doors closed.
    CNN has reached out to Ikea’s press office in Shanghai for comment.
    In a press briefing Sunday, Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai Health Commission, said the “store and affected area” would be under “closed loop” management for two days. People inside the loop must undergo two days of quarantine and five days of health surveillance.
    On Monday, city health authorities reported six locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in Shanghai, of which five were asymptomatic.
    Shanghai, China’s financial capital and home to 25 million people, was locked down for two months earlier this year, leading to widespread public anger as residents reported difficulties in ordering daily essentials including food and medicine.
    The lockdown was imposed under China’s rigid zero-Covid policy, which relies on mass testing, extensive quarantines, and even confinement of entire cities to stamp out any resurgence of the virus.
    They came for a beach holiday. Now they’re trapped in China’s latest Covid lockdown
    Relying on mobile technology and big data, the Chinese government uses a color-based “health code” system to control people’s movements and curb the spread of the virus.
    People in many Chinese cities must present a green health QR code to ride public transport and enter venues including shopping malls, gyms, and restaurants. The system logs their whereabouts and whether they have been in contact with a confirmed Covid-19 case — those whose health codes turn red face almost certain confinement to quarantine facilities.
    Snap lockdowns have become common in the country, with the public growing increasingly frustrated with the stringent rules as the economy struggles to adapt to the disruption.
    Last week, more than 80,000 tourists were stranded on the popular resort island of Hainan island after authorities announced lockdown measures to stem an outbreak of the virus.
  • Kenya election results: a tense battle between Raila Odinga and William Ruto

    There is growing hope that the much-anticipated outcomes of last week’s presidential election in Kenya will be made public soon.

    The national tallying center is getting ready for the declaration as the desks utilized for the result verification procedure have been cleaned.

    According to the most recent results, Deputy President William Ruto has a slim advantage against former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

    The findings must be made public by 16 August in accordance with the Kenyan constitution.

    On Sunday, both Mr. Odinga and Mr. Ruto urged anxious Kenyans to be patient as they wait for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to determine which of them would be the country’s fifth president.

    There have also been calls for peace from several leaders and bodies including the Catholic church which asked for “patience and civility” and urged the main candidates to show “restraint and statesmanship”.

    Mr Ruto leads the official tally at 51% against Mr. Odinga’s 48%, according to local media. Verified results from 39 of the 290 constituencies are yet to be declared.

    Media organizations have also been releasing provisional tallies using official data from the 46,000 polling stations. They also show a tight race. About 14 million votes were cast – a turnout of 65%.

  • EU monitor : Warns of new wildfire record this year in Europe

    More than twice the size of Luxembourg has been burned down this year.

    This summer, most of Europe has been a tinderbox, making it easy for fires to spread. This is due to a combination of repeated heat waves, which are a result of a rising trend brought on by climate change, and a continuous lack of rainfall.

    The most recent report from the European Forest Fire Information System shows that since the start of 2022, flames have destroyed approximately 660,000 hectares of EU land, an area that is more than twice the size of Luxembourg (EFFIS).

    In 2017, the bloc’s worst wildfire year, about 420,000 hectares had been burnt by mid-August before a devastating October pushed it up to 988,087 hectares for the whole year. With the fire season far from over, the EFFIS warned that this year could set a new record.

    This year so far is “just below 2017,” EFFIS coordinator Jesús San-Miguel told Agence France-Presse on Sunday. “The situation in terms of drought and extremely high temperatures have affected all of Europe this year and the overall situation in the region is worrying, while we are still in the middle of the fire season.”

    Spain, Romania, and Portugal are the worst affected EU members. France has also been hit hard, with more than 60,000 hectares burnt as of this week, far surpassing the country’s previous record of 43,600 hectares for the entire year of 2019.

    French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with firefighters, farmers, EU emergency responders, and officials to discuss future strategies for wildfire prevention and response once the fires have died down, according to the president’s team cited in Le Journal du Dimanche on Sunday.

    Firefighters in France this weekend managed to halt the spread of a vast fire that ravaged 6,000 hectares of pine forest within 24 hours in the southwestern region of Gironde. Hundreds of firefighters from other EU countries had rushed to France’s aid over the past week to help contain the blaze.

    But with Europe heating up, wildfires are increasingly erupting farther north, too. The EFFIS‘s San Miguel said that since 2010, there had been a trend toward more fires in central and northern Europe.

    With this week’s heat wave subsiding and rain bringing some relief, EFFIS said on Sunday that the wildfire situation was improving. However, the risk remains high for the Iberian Peninsula and from eastern France across Belgium into Germany.

  • Rising inflation :Some Bulgarian companies adjust workers pay

    According to a survey conducted by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) among its members, half of the businesses in Bulgaria have modified their employees’ salaries to reflect the rising inflation.

    Between July 19 and July 29, a survey was conducted to investigate how inflation affects the labor market.

    Nearly 80% of entrepreneurs reported a serious increase in the prices of raw materials and energy products. One-third of the companies have postponed investments to be able to compensate for the inflation levels, and in over a quarter of the companies the turnover has increased but the amount of their profit has decreased. 21% of respondents saw a reduction in staff numbers. Others pointed out that, as a result of inflation, Bulgaria had lost some of its competitive advantages over other EU producers.

    53% of entrepreneurs have increased employee salaries in order to adjust them to the increased prices of goods and services.

    The data confirmed the concerns about the need to increase wages, expressed by 51% of Bulgarian business people in the June poll in the context of expectations of Bulgaria’s accession to the euro area.

    For half of the entrepreneurs, the wage increase was between 5% and 10%. 24% of the enterprises have increased wages ahead of inflation, above or at the rate of inflation as of June 2022, which is close to 17%. 9% say the increase was 3.3%, which is as much as inflation for 2021.

    Businesses express serious concerns about future inflation in Bulgaria and Europe. According to some, the crisis is only now beginning. 66% of entrepreneurs do not expect inflation to return to pre-crisis levels soon, and over 20% say they expect it to fall seriously when the political situation in the country stabilizes or when the war in Ukraine ends. Only 2% expect inflation to recover to tolerable levels by the end of the year.

  • Soludo suspends the LG Chairman on allegations of wife’s murder

    The transition committee chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, Hon Mbazulike Iloka, has been suspended by Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo due to the circumstances surrounding the death of his wife on Sunday morning.

    Chidiebere, Iloka’s wife, is reported to have slouched and passed away on Sunday morning after preparing her husband breakfast.

    People who are familiar with the pair, however, insist that the LG Chairman may have killed his wife since he has a history of repeatedly beating her.

    It is reported that a huge wound was discovered on her head as signs of violence were also found on her body. This has led to a public outcry over her death.

    In a letter of suspension, which was signed by Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affair, Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, the chairman was asked to hand it over to the head of Local Government administration, to avoid interfering in the investigation.

    The letter read: “Following the sad news of the death of your wife, late Mrs. Chidiebere Iloka on 7th August 2022, there has been a massive outcry over the circumstances leading to her death, including alleged possible homicide.

    “While you are presumed innocent until the completion of investigations, it has become imperative that you step aside to allow unfettered investigation and justice.

    “Consequently, you are directed to step aside and to hand over the affairs of the local government to the head of local government administration, not later than 12th August 2022, until further notice.”

    Iloka has only recently been appointed chairman of the local government. He has only been in office for about a week before his eventual removal.

  • Author Salman Rushdie stabbed in the neck at western New York event

    A celebrated author and winner of the world’s top literary prizes Salman Rushdie, whose writings have attracted death threats has been attacked and apparently stabbed in the neck on stage Friday before giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, State Police said.

    Police say a state trooper on the scene arrested the suspect.
    Rushdie was airlifted to a local hospital according to the police, but his current state is unknown.

    However, an interviewer also suffered a minor head injury, police said.

    An AP reporter who witnessed the attack revealed that a man on the stage was seen “punching or stabbing” the novelist before the event.
    Medical staff and police were called to the amphitheater, according to a Chautauqua spokesperson who would not elaborate or confirm details about the incident.

    Salman Rushdie's treatment of delicate political and religious subjects turned him into a controversial figure.

    A witness in the audience told CNN he saw Rushdie attack on stage.
    The witness could not confirm what was used in the attack, adding that he was 75 feet from the stage.
    The 75-year-old novelist — the son of a successful Muslim businessman in India — was educated in England, first at Rugby School and later at the University of Cambridge where he received an MA degree in history.
    After college, he began working as an advertising copywriter in London, before publishing his first novel, “Grimus” in 1975.
    Rushdie’s treatment of delicate political and religious subjects turned him into a controversial figure. But it was the publication of his fourth novel “The Satanic Verses” in 1988 that hounded him for more than three decades.
    Some Muslims found the book to be sacrilegious and it sparked public demonstrations. In 1989, the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called Rushdie a blasphemer and said “The Satanic Verses” was an insult to Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, and issued a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for his death.
    As a result, the Mumbai-born writer spent a decade under British protection before the Iranian government announced it would no longer seek to enforce the fatwa in 1998.
  • Police rescues suspected bank robber from tunnel near Vatican

    Police believe an Italian guy who was rescued from a collapsed tunnel close to the Vatican may have been trying to tunnel into a bank.

    After firefighters spent eight hours pulling him out from beneath a road, he is now recovering in a hospital.

    However, given that he and another guy were both detained by police for causing damage to public property, he may now need to save himself from even more trouble.

    Officers believe he may have been part of a gang trying to break into a bank.

    Two other men were arrested for “resisting a public official” after trying to escape from the site, Rai News reports.

    Three of the four men managed to escape before the tunnel collapsed, leaving the final man trapped six meters below.

    “We are still investigating, we do not exclude that they are thieves, it is one of the theories,” a police spokesman told the AFP news agency.

    The tunnel, which began in an empty, newly-rented shop, was in an area close to two banks.

    Local media believe the motive to be clear, noting that the tunnel was found near a bank shortly before the 15 August long weekend, when much of the city empties.

    “The hole gang,” read the headline in the Corriere della Sera daily.

    Michele, a resident who lives in the same building, said residents had no idea what was going on, adding: “We all thought that the people there were renovating the place.”

  • Ohio FBI office : Armed man shot dead

    An armed man wearing body armor was slain after attempting to “breach” an FBI headquarters in Ohio authorities report.

    The suspect fled the scene in Cincinnati and was shot by police after an hours-long standoff in a rural area.

    Authorities said they are investigating if the guy, identified by media as 42-year-old Ricky Shiffer, had any connections to far-right organizations.

    The head of the FBI said violence and threats against the agency “should be deeply concerning to all Americans”.

    Police have not formally identified the suspect killed in Ohio on Thursday, and did not comment on his motive during news briefings.

    Unnamed law enforcement officials told US media the suspect may have been present at the Capitol building in Washington on the day of last year’s riot by Trump supporters, although he was not charged with any crimes in connection to the disorder.

    The Ohio incident comes as US officials warn of increased threats against law enforcement after the FBI executed a search warrant on Monday at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

    Police said the suspect tried unsuccessfully to breach a visitor security screening area at the FBI office in Cincinnati at around 09:15 (13:15 GMT).

    He fled the area, but was spotted about 20 minutes later by a police officer, Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman Nathan Dennis told a news conference.

    FBI's Cincinnati officeIMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS

    A chase ensued until the suspect stopped and exchanged gunfire with officers before fleeing into a cornfield.

    After an hours-long standoff, he raised a weapon toward officers and was killed by police around 15:00 local time, said, Mr. Dennis. No police were injured in the shootout.

    According to NBC News, the man fired a nail gun at the FBI building and was also armed with a semi-automatic rifle.

    There are two social media accounts in the reported name of the suspect, according to the BBC’s disinformation reporter Shayan Sardarizadeh.

    Most of the tweets were about the 2020 election, saying it had been stolen from Mr. Trump. The posts also included calls for violence against Democrats, the FBI, and the Supreme Court.

    At least two posts on the Twitter account – including one saying “I was there” – suggest the person attended the Capitol riot.

    On Truth Social, the website owned by Mr. Trump, an account in the name of one Ricky Shiffer posted earlier on Thursday, calling for Americans to “be ready to combat”, adding: “I am proposing war.”

    One post appeared to have been made after the incident at the FBI office in Cincinnati.

    FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Mr. Trump in 2017, said in a statement that “unfounded attacks on the integrity of the FBI erode respect for the rule of law and are a grave disservice to the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect others.

    “Violence and threats against law enforcement, including the FBI, are dangerous and should be deeply concerning to all Americans.”

    In a speech to FBI field agents in the state of Nebraska on Wednesday, he called online threats to officials “deplorable and dangerous”, adding: “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with.”

  • Climate change : After months of rainfall parts of England officially fall into drought

    Authorities declared large portions of England officially to be in a drought on Friday, asking locals and businesses to save water during the driest summer in 50 years.

    Following the National Drought Group meeting, which was attended by water corporations, ministers, and other water authorities, the Environment Agency declared that England’s south, southwest, and southeast, together with the central and eastern regions, are experiencing drought conditions. London, the capital, is also affected in some areas.

    The UK has had five consecutive months of below-average rainfall and back-to-back heat waves, with temperatures expected to peak on Saturday as high as 37 Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts. Only two months since the start of 2021 have seen at least average rainfall.
    Southern England received just 17% of its average rainfall in July, according to the UK Met office.
    “We are currently experiencing a second heatwave after what was the driest July on record for parts of the country. Action is already being taken by the Government and other partners including the Environment Agency to manage the impacts,” the country’s Water Minister Steve Double said in a statement. “All water companies have reassured us that essential supplies are still safe, and we have made it clear it is their duty to maintain those supplies.”
    While the lack of rain and heat are driving this drought, around 3.1 billion liters of water are lost every day in England and Wales through leaks in the nation‘s aging infrastructure. Consumer groups and experts have called on water companies to do more to plug leaks.
    The Environment Agency said in its statement that the government expected water companies “to reduce leakage and fix leaking pipes as quickly as possible and take wider action alongside government policy.”
    Several rivers across England have been drying up in parts, including the Thames, which runs through London. Officials have been reoxygenating rivers and rescuing fish where levels are low. Water levels in reservoirs are also rapidly dropping.
    A car passes over a bridge over a dried up river bed where the River Thames usually flows, near Kemble in Gloucestershire.

    The drought declaration means water companies and governments should implement drought plans without seeking permission from ministers. Companies are likely to impose more hosepipe bans, which are already in place for millions of people, forcing them to water gardens and wash cars without hoses, and refrain from filling up paddling pools in the ongoing heat wave. Companies could also take more water out of rivers and other sources to ensure supplies.
    The announcement Friday puts the declared area under an amber drought alert, meaning several indicators — including rainfall, river levels and flows, reservoir storage, and groundwater levels — are very low.
    Thirteen rivers that the Environment Agency monitors as indicators of wider conditions are at their lowest levels ever recorded, while soil moisture is comparable to the end of the 1975-76 drought, one of the country’s most severe. That drought was also triggered by a combination of extreme heat and consecutive months of low rainfall.
    The amber alert is one tier below the more severe red alert and means that there is likely to be stress on water supply sources, reduced agricultural and crop yields, localized wildfires, and impacts on wildlife and their habitats, according to a previous report by the Environment Agency.
    The London Fire Brigade has also warned of “tinderbox dry” conditions this week and an “exceptional fire risk” across the capital as temperatures are expected to reach 36 Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday and as grass — from lawns to public parks and heaths — is bone dry and brown without the usual rainfall. Parts of the capital, including homes and parks, were hit by fires on July 19 during a record-breaking heat wave.

    Concerns grow over food security

    The UK does typically experience drought conditions every five to 10 years in some areas.
    The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has said that drought conditions could continue until at least October.
    The agency only looks a few months ahead, and climate scientists have warned that if this coming winter is also dry, like last winter, the UK’s food security could be at risk.
    Local residents use garden hoses to assist fire crews tackle a crop fire that swept over farmland and threatened local homes on August 11, 2022 in Skelton, England.

    Liz Bentley, CEO of the Royal Meteorological Society, said that there were already concerns about the impact of drought on food supplies and affordability.
    “There’s a number of crops that are really struggling due to either lack of rainfall, like the potato crop here relies on rainfall, they don’t usually take water from anywhere else to irrigate the fields. And even some of the other crops that do take water from rivers, for example, to irrigate fields, they’re really struggling at the moment,” Bentley told CNN.
    “Even in current conditions, yields are going to be down for a number of crops and the price of these things are going to go up, and obviously that’s due to a drought here in the UK. But there are other things going on across Europe.”
  • Rhine River in Germany suffers from drought: “We have 30 centimeters of water remaining”

    One of Europe’s largest rivers is drying up as the continent endures a long, hot summer, which is causing serious issues for the people and businesses who depend on it.

    Captain Andre Kimpel looks across the Rhine, where water levels have decreased dramatically over the past few days, with an experienced but uneasy eye.

    Although several ferries in and around the town of Kaub have been rendered inoperable, he is still ferrying passengers and their vehicles to the other bank for the time being.

    “It’s no joke,” he says as he navigates the water which sparkles in the summer sunshine. “We have 1.5m [5ft] of water and our boat sits 1.20m deep. So we have 30 centimeters of water left beneath us.”

    It’s not unusual for water levels to drop here but, Captain Kimpel says, it’s happening more frequently. “We used to have a lot of floods. Now we have a lot of low waters.”

    On the riverbank nearby, there’s an old measuring station. Any skipper wanting to enter the Upper Rhine will refer to the official water level recorded here.

    The current level hasn’t yet fallen below the lowest figure ever recorded here, in October of 2018. The measurement was 25cm (the measurement is taken from the same reference point in the water, not the deepest point on the river bed).

    It’s currently 42cm – but is forecast to fall further in the coming days.

    Captain Andre Kimpel on board his ferry
    Image caption,

    Captain Andre Kimpel who is still carrying people across the water to the opposite bank says “We have 30 centimeters of water left beneath us”

    Travel a little further upstream and the challenge is obvious.

    At the town of Bingen, great swathes of the riverbed are exposed, bleached stones powder dry in the baking sun. People from the nearby town pick their way over the rocks and take photographs. In normal times they’d be underwater. One man told me he’d never seen it like this.

    A few commercial vessels slowly navigate the channel of water that’s left here.

    The Rhine is one of Europe’s great working rivers and industry here relies on barges to fetch and carry raw materials and finished products to and from the power plants and factories that line the riverbank.

    The water’s already too low to allow some of the larger vessels through. Others have been forced to reduce their cargo, and lighten the load so that they sit higher in the water. And they’re keeping a close eye on the river levels.

    It’s likely that the Upper Rhine will be closed to traffic completely, says Martina Becker from HGK shipping. Low water happens every year, she tells us, but it’s not as extreme as this.

    “It’s quite extraordinary, particularly for this time of year. July and August are usually quite wet months with lots of rain and good water levels.”

    Low water normally happens later in the year, in October, she says.

    “This is an unusual situation for us and the question is what happens in October when the usually dry months arrive. We are already approaching the record low level we had in 2018. We could reach that level next week.”

    Experts have warned that the low water could significantly damage Germany’s economy.

    A barge at Duisburg carrying coal
    Image caption,

    Due to Russia reducing its gas supply to Germany, the country is relying more heavily on coal-fired power stations

    And there’s an extra worry for the government. Since Russia reduced its gas supply to Germany, the ministers are relying more heavily on coal-fired power stations. But much of the coal that feeds them is transported by barge. Some of the load is being shifted to the railway network but there’s limited capacity.

    There’s a far greater concern among those who live by or work on the river.

    The government agency which monitors the levels says that the current low water may just be part of a normal pattern. But, they note, that such events are becoming more intense as a result of climate change and they say the situation will worsen in the second half of this century.

    At Bingen, the water has fallen low enough to expose an old stone bridge that leads to a little island. People laugh as they make their way across the rocks, enjoying the novelty of being able to reach it on foot. But, for many, in this new landscape, it’s a warning.

  • Population decline :Hong Kong suffers biggest ever population drop as exodus accelerates

    Hong Kong has recorded its sharpest annual drop in population, with experts blaming the decline on strict Covid control measures and a political crackdown that has taken the shine off a financial hub long advertised as “Asia’s world city.”

    The city’s total population fell from 7.41 million people to 7.29 million, a 1.6% decrease, the Census and Statistics Department said Thursday.
    That’s the steepest decline since the government began tracking figures in 1961.
    Though authorities attributed some of that to a “natural” decrease — more deaths than births — experts said the figures also reflected an exodus that has accelerated in the past few years amid periods of massive social upheaval that have included anti-government protests and the coronavirus pandemic.
    Around 113,200 residents left Hong Kong over the past year, the department said, compared to 89,200 the year before. The figures include expatriates and other non-permanent residents.
    Throughout the pandemic, experts and industry leaders have warned that the city’s heavy-handed Covid-19 restrictions would drive away residents, travelers, and expatriates.
    Even as the rest of the world opened up, for months Hong Kong continued to close borders, suspend air routes and impose mandatory quarantines and social distancing measures such as caps on public gatherings and limits on restaurant services.
    Mask mandates remain in effect, while public spaces like beaches and gyms have faced long closures during periods of high case numbers.
    The measures have devastated businesses, with some of Hong Kong’s most famous sites — including the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant — shuttering in the past year.
    “More than two and a half years of Covid-19 restrictions are taking a heavy toll on businesses and the economy,” the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce said in a statement this month.
    The group’s CEO, George Leung, added that Hong Kong’s border closures were “stifling any prospect of economic recovery” and urged authorities to come up with a “concrete timetable to reopen Hong Kong.”
    The government has conceded the impact of its policies, saying on Thursday that flight restrictions — such as requiring all arrivals to be vaccinated, tested negative for Covid, and pay for quarantine in a hotel upon arrival — “had interrupted population inflow.”

    People wearing face masks walking in Hong Kong on July 12.

    This week the government eased the quarantine requirement, lowering the number of days arrivals must stay in a designated hotel from seven to three.
    The government said some Hong Kongers may have chosen to settle elsewhere during the pandemic.
    “Meanwhile, Hong Kong residents who had left Hong Kong before the pandemic may have chosen to reside in other places temporarily or were unable to return to Hong Kong. All these (factors) might have contributed to the net outflow of Hong Kong residents during the period,” said a government spokesperson.
    But the government downplayed the population drop and seemed to suggest Hong Kong was still a bustling finance hub.
    “Being an international city, Hong Kong’s population has always been mobile,” said the spokesperson. “During the past 10 years, net outflows of Hong Kong residents … were recorded for most of the years.”
    The spokesperson added that the problem of Covid-driven departures “could be resolved when the quarantine and social distancing measures relaxed,” and that numbers would rise due to government efforts to attract overseas talent.

    The political crackdown

    Covid aside, experts say another factor behind the exodus is Beijing’s political crackdown on the city.
    After Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy, anti-government protests, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law, under which the government has all but wiped out formal opposition.
    Authorities have raided and closed down newsrooms, jailed activists and protesters, unseated elected lawmakers, heightened censorship both online and in printed publications, and changed school curricula.
    After a decade in power, where is Xi Jinping taking China?
    After a decade in power, where is Xi Jinping taking China? 04:18
    Since the law was introduced, many former protesters and lawmakers have fled overseas, fearing prosecution. Many individuals and families have told CNN they too are considering leaving because they feel the city has been transformed beyond recognition.
    In the aftermath of the protests, a number of countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada opened new visa pathways for Hong Kongers looking to leave. Many former protesters and activists have also fled to the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan.
    The government has repeatedly defended the security law as restoring law and order to the city, claiming that Hong Kong’s freedoms of speech, press, and assembly remain intact.
    The security law “has swiftly and effectively restored stability and security,” the government said on July 29, adding that residents “are relieved and happy to see that Hong Kong now continues to be an open, safe, vibrant and business-friendly metropolis
  • Investigating Trump: Photos show handwritten notes that Trump tried to flush down toilet

    Newly revealed pictures reveal two occasions on which former President Donald Trump apparently flushed documents down the toilet.

    Maggie Haberman, a New York Times reporter, and CNN contributor are publishing the new images in her forthcoming book, “Confidence Man,” and the images were earlier posted by Axios. CNN has previously reported how Trump flouted presidential record-keeping laws and would often tear up documents, drafts, and memos after reading them.
    He periodically flushed papers down the toilet in the White House residence — only to be discovered later on when repairmen were summoned to fix the clogged toilets. Trump has denied the allegations, and in a statement given to Axios on Monday, a spokesman claimed that reporting about the practice was fabricated.
    In the images revealed on Monday, it’s unclear what the documents are in reference to — and who authored them — but they appear to be written in Trump’s handwriting in black marker. Haberman said one image is from a White House toilet and the other one is from an overseas trip that was provided to her by a Trump White House source.
    “Who knows what this paper was? Only he would know and presumably whoever was dealing with it, but the important point is about the records,” Haberman told CNN’s John Berman and Brianna Keilar on “New Day” Monday morning.
    Trump had a pattern of disregarding normal record preservation procedures. On one occasion, Trump asked if anyone wanted to put a copy of a speech he just delivered up for auction on eBay, during a mid-flight visit to the press cabin of Air Force One.
    In other instances, Trump would task aides with carrying boxes of unread memos, articles, and tweet drafts aboard the presidential aircraft for him to review and then tear to shreds.
    A former senior Trump administration official said a deputy from the Office of Staff Secretary would usually come in to pull things out of the trash and take them off Trump’s desk after he left a room.
    A former White House official recalled that while document preservation was a key responsibility of the staff secretary, the rest of Trump’s senior staffers lacked the sense of their obligation to maintain records of papers that moved through the West Wing.
    Trump’s haphazard record-keeping was the subject of a drawn-out fight earlier this year between him and the National Archives, and the Justice Department has been investigating the matter.
  • Zaporizhzhia nuclear workers: Russians are holding us at gunpoint

    Russian troops are using the captured Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station as a military camp, and employees there have told the BBC that they are being held at gunpoint.

    Since early March, occupying forces have been in control of the location, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Ukrainian technicians continue to run it, nevertheless.

    Moscow has recently been accused of using the plant “as a shield” while its troops launch rockets from there towards nearby locations.

    And on Thursday, more shelling was reported – and the head of the UN issued a new warning about fighting near the nuclear site “leading to disaster”.

    Now two workers have told the BBC about the daily threat of kidnap, as well as their fears of either “radioactive contamination of the wider region” or a nuclear catastrophe.

    The southern city of Nikopol is one of the most dangerous vantage points in Ukraine.

    On the banks of the Dnipro River, it’s possible to see the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant 10 miles across the water.

    It’s a place that has seen heavy shelling over the past couple of weeks, with up to 120 rockets being reported in a single night.

    They come from the direction of Enerhodar, the city where the plant is situated.

    In turn, Enerhodar – and the power station – have also come under heavy fire.

    The UN’s nuclear watchdog claims there’s a “real risk of nuclear disaster” unless the fighting stops and inspectors are allowed access.

    Ukraine and Russia blame each other. The picture is murky, but the risks are crystal clear.

    “My working day is a constant stress,” says Svitlana, who’s contacting us over text.

    She and fellow worker Mykola can only use Russian Sim cards now and the signal is very limited. We’re not using their real names for their safety.

    “I can’t work like I used to,” says Svitlana. “The last week I haven’t even been able to come to my workplace – it’s dangerous.

    On Saturday, there was the shelling of the nitrogen-oxygen station, which caused a fire. By some miracle, the people working there survived.”

    Another Enerhodar resident tells us that shop and pharmacy prices are now four times higher than in the territory that Ukraine still controls, as well as there is a shortage of doctors. Most ATMs are closed, too.

    Svitlana has worked at the plant for many years and says shells have been landing close to it every day.

    “The psychological situation is difficult,” she adds. “Soldiers are walking everywhere with weapons and everyone is actually kept at gunpoint.”

    Russia is accused of basing about 500 soldiers there. Recent footage has shown military vehicles being driven inside, and Svitlana is in no doubt it’s being used as a base.

    “Every day they drive back and forth in their military vehicles,” she says.

    “They positioned their military equipment right at the station buildings, to make it impossible for Ukrainian armed forces to strike.”

    A text comes in from Mykola: “The staff is now hostages of the Russians,” it reads.

    “They turned off the internet, left only landline phones, and food is available only in one single dining room. They turned the others into their bases.”

    Ukraine is concerned Russia has started shelling the area it occupies to try to create a false narrative, such as: “Ukraine is attacking you – so better vote to join Russia so we can take root and protect you.”

    Moscow-installed politicians for the Zaporizhzhia region have just signed an order for a referendum to be held soon. Russia has staged sham votes in the past, such as with Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

    Mykola continues: “Access to all roofs is prohibited, they made their observation points there. The training building also became their barracks.

    “Now, more and more often, staff are kidnapped just when leaving the shift at the security gate.”

    It’s not known why the kidnapping takes place – but residents paint a picture of intimidation as Russians look to lay down law.

    Svitlana and Mykola also describe
    by the Russians – but they say the staff is still able to monitor the reactor properly.

  • Nigeria attacks : 4 suspects arrested in June 5 deadly attack

    Nigerian security forces say they have arrested four suspects in the attack on a Catholic church in June that killed 40 people. Authorities blamed the massacre on the militant group Islamic State West Africa Province or ISWAP.

    Nigeria’s Defense Staff Chief Gen. Lucky Irabor disclosed the arrests on August 9 in Abuja during a media briefing.

    He said joint security agents on August 1 arrested four terrorists who allegedly took part in the June church shooting in the town of Owo, in southwest Nigeria. The suspects, including the alleged mastermind of the attack, were arrested in Kogi State, which is close to Nigeria’s capital.

    Men heavily armed with guns and explosives invaded the St. Francis Catholic Church on June 5, killing 40 worshippers and wounding 80.

    Irabor also said officials have arrested a high-profile militant who escaped from an Abuja prison last month during a jailbreak, for which ISWAP claimed responsibility.

    Irabor said the suspects could not be brought in front of reporters because of ongoing investigations.

    “We’ve done quite a lot, and it’s my pleasure to let you know that starting with the Owo church attack, we have arrested those behind that dastardly act,” Irabor said.

    The local governor in Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, said authorities are continuing to search for the remaining perpetrators.

    He responded to the announcement and said, “We have known for a while, but we needed not to come out with it because more work is still ongoing.”

    Abuja resident Jethro Titus hailed the police for catching the suspects.

    “Kudos to our security agency for being able to capture those people who killed innocent souls,” Titus said. “I think what should be done to them is … they should face the law.”

    FILE - Coffins are pictured during a June 17, 2022, memorial service for victims killed during an attack by gunmen during a June 5 mass at St. Francis Catholic Church, in Owo, Ondo, Nigeria.

    But Anthony Olajide, whose 74-year-old mother was killed in the church shooting, remained skeptical about the announcement and wants to see the suspects first.

    “I’m not going to follow what Irabor said. I know the country we’re in,” Olajide said. “Why were they not paraded? The fact that he’s chief of defense doesn’t mean whatever he says is the gospel truth.”

    Nigeria is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency in the northeast and a wave of criminal activity, especially kidnappings for ransom, mostly in the northwest.

    The church attack was the first large-scale killing blamed on a terror group in southwest Nigeria.

  • Somalia Drought : About 1 million people displaced

    The number of people displaced by the record-breaking drought in Somalia has topped one million, with the United Nations warning of widespread famine if emergency needs are not soon met.

    The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, said that during the month of July another 83,000 people were forced to flee their homes because of the drought, with the worst displacement coming in the Bay, Banadir and Gedo regions.

    Ishaku Mshelia, the deputy emergency coordinator for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, told VOA via telephone Wednesday that people are migrating in search of food and other assistance.

    He said the FAO is trying to help.

    “Our ability as [a] humanitarian community is to be able to reach the affected people in their communities and provide the services that they need so that they … don’t feel pushed to migrate,” Mshelia said. “Unfortunately, previous droughts, what we have seen is that a lot of mortalities have been reported where people that, unfortunately, died on their way to open areas in search of assistance.”

    FAO Somalia said it needs $130 million to fully fund its famine prevention plan, designed to help about a million people in rural areas.

    A statement issued by the FAO on Wednesday said that if the funding gap is not addressed, widespread famine may be inevitable.

    Drought-related malnutrition has killed 500 children, according to the U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

    Authorities in Somalia’s Gedo region also confirmed to VOA more than 50 deaths of children due to suspected drought-related illnesses. The deaths were reported in the towns of Bardere and Beledhawo, which border Kenya.

    Ali Yusuf Abdullahi, the Gedo regional administration spokesman, said that the region is witnessing a “catastrophic” situation due to drought.

    He said that people are fleeing in search of a better life and have gathered in major towns including Dolow, near the Ethiopian border.

    As of today, Abdullahi said, Dolow has received more than 50,000 displaced people and there are people who are coming from the Ethiopian side who were affected by the drought there and settling in IDP camps in Dolow. He said the town administrators are doing their best to provide relief, but that is not enough.

    Somalia’s federal government declared the three-year drought a national emergency last year. The drought, Somalia’s worst in more than 40 years, has affected more than 7 million people.

    According to the Somali prime minister‘s office, the drought has also killed more than two million livestock.