Founder and president of the policy think tank IMANI Centre for Policy and Education (Imani Africa), Franklin Cudjoe, expressed surprise over a tax deduction known as “Disinfection Fee” on imported vehicles and questioned when such a tax was introduced.
He bemoaned the fact that there are simply too many levies on imported cars.
“Ah. Where from this GHS disinfection tax of GH¢140 cedis on each imported vehicle? When was this announced? There are just too many taxes feeding on each vehicle imported,” he complained onsocial media.
According to Mr. Cudjoe, the tax, or disinfection fee, on a 2023 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV was GH 143.38. On each imported automobile, there are over twenty additional taxes paid.
To the dismay of those who import vehicles, the government has subsequently initiated the collection of the Disinfection Fee even though there hasn’t been a formal notice about it in the public realm.
Due to the numerous taxes and levies imposed on each imported vehicle, the price of vehicles has dramatically increased. Despite calls for a reduction in the amount of taxes, it seems as though more will be introduced.
Bank of Ghana’s Interbank forex rates on July 13, 2023, indicates that the Ghana Cedi is currently being traded against the US Dollar at a buying price of 10.9961 and a selling price of 11.0071.
In Accra’s Forex bureau, the Dollar is being bought at a rate of 11.50 Cedis and sold at a rate of 11.90 Cedis.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is being traded at a buying price of 14.2839 and a selling price of 14.2993.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the Pound Sterling is being bought at a rate of 14.70 Cedis and sold at a rate of 15.40 Cedis.
The Euro is being traded at a buying price of 12.2263 and a selling price of 12.2373.
In Accra’s forex bureau, the Euro is being bought at a rate of 12.30 Cedis and sold at a rate of 12.90 Cedis.
The South African Rand is currently being traded at a buying price of 0.6045 and a selling price of 0.6050.
In Accra’s forex bureau, the South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.30 Cedis and sold at a rate of 0.90 Cedis.
The Nigerian Naira is being traded at a buying price of 71.0860 and a selling price of 71.1406.
In Accra’s forex bureau, the Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 13.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 19.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi.
For the CFA Franc, it is being traded at a buying price of 53.6031 and a selling price of 53.6513.
In Accra’s forex bureau, the CFA Franc is being bought at a rate of 17.00 CFA for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 21.00 CFA for every 1 Cedi.
Note that these rates may be different at a forex bureau near you. Our forex bureau rates are provided by Afriswap Bureau De Change in Osu, Accra.
Our forex bureau rates are provided by Afriswap Bureau De Change in Osu, Accra.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is facing a coalition of nine candidates in the flagbearership race of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
This is according to a presidential staffer Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, who is known to be a pro-Bawumia person, selling his message especially on social media.
“9 against 1,” he wrote on Facebook before describing the nine other contenders as “The coalition of the defeated even before the battle begins. Do not swim against the tide,” he added.
The Greater Accra Region has so far been covered by Bawumia’s campaign, which is currently in the NPP stronghold of the Ashanti Region.
On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the New Patriotic Party approved each of the 10 candidates that submitted applications to run for flagbearer.
Before the party’s main convention on November 4, 2023, the ten, which includes Kennedy Agyapong, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, and John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, will be put through a process called a super delegates congress where the number would be cut to five.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has called upon Ghana to cease the expulsion of refugees from Burkina Faso.
Expressing concern over reports of hundreds of Burkinabè citizens, particularly women and children, being deported from Ghana after seeking refuge from violence in their own country, the UNHCR emphasized the importance of halting such actions.
The UNHCR has also expressed its readiness to offer additional support to Ghana in addressing the needs of the refugees.
The ongoing Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso, which extends across multiple countries in Africa’s Sahel region, has resulted in over two million people being displaced from their homes.
A prospective flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has charged the ruling party with treating one of its major donors, Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, unfairly.
Kennedy Agyapong asserts that Miss Asomah-Hinneh’s Labianca Company did not fail as a result of some party members’ lack of gratitude, but rather as a result of the agony and serious anguish that they caused her.
“There is an ex-police officer in Berekum whose wife operates a cold store at Tema. It was the woman who paid duty for the clearance of 80 pick up cars… But do you know something… today it is her turn, but tomorrow it may be your turn,” Kennedy Agyapong told NPP delegates in Berekum during a campaign stop.
He pointed out that Miss Asomah-Hinneh has endured so much suffering that she reacts with amazement when a certain minister from the Ashanti Region is mentioned.
“A young minister from Ashanti Region and I am not saying this to disgrace the woman but whenever the woman mentions his name, she goes on to say ‘Ken, let me visit the loo and come.’
“I swear to God. You can hear her pain for all the financing she did for the party and how NPP has repaid her; very ungrateful human beings,” he stated.
Kennedy Agyapong proceeded to accuse certain party members and government officials aligned with a specific candidate of demonstrating the same ingratitude towards him.
As a result, he cautioned the delegates to exercise caution when casting their votes, as they could also face similar mistreatment in the future.
On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the New Patriotic Party granted approval to all ten candidates who submitted their candidacy for the flagbearership race.
These ten candidates, including Kennedy Agyapong, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, and John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, will go through a super delegates congress, where the number will be reduced to five, prior to the party’s main congress scheduled for November 4, 2023.
In relation to the plot by some senior Ghana Police Service personnel to oust Inspector-General of Police George Akuffo-Dampare before the general election of 2024, more damning information is now coming to light.
The removal of Dr. Dampare from office was allegedly planned with a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), according to a secret audio made public by GhanaWeb on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
A 50-minute audio recording of the police officers’ agenda from a meeting with an Alhaji, a member of the NPP, was included with the initial publishing.
The initial report was accompanied by a 50-minute audio recording that revealed the intentions of certain police officers during a meeting with an individual referred to as Alhaji, who is associated with the NPP.
However, more incriminating evidence in the form of video recordings has emerged, shedding further light on the conspiracy.
In one of the videos, a Superintendent of Police named Asare passionately advocates for the agenda of a group during another meeting with a senior NPP member.
In his attempt to discredit the current IGP with various allegations, including accusations of being anti-NPP, Superintendent Asare responds by stating, “because he [Dr. Dampare] is naturally born bad.”
In the audio recording published by the media, a Commissioner-ranked senior police officer can be heard lobbying for political support in their campaign to remove Dr. Dampare.
Identified as Mensah in the audio, the Commissioner of Police argues that Dr. Dampare’s leadership style poses a threat to the New Patriotic Party’s chances of retaining power in 2024.
He further presents himself as a suitable candidate for the IGP position, emphasizing that he would serve the interests of the NPP and would be content with Dr. Dampare’s removal as long as he is replaced by a pro-NPP officer.
According to a source from the media, the evidence, including videos implicating these senior officers, is extensive and some of it touches upon national security issues and their potential consequences.
The managing editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jr, has blasted the putative police commissioner shown in a leaked recording in which efforts are purportedly being made to remove Inspector-General of Police George Akuffo Dampare before the 2024 elections.
On July 12, 2023, while speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana program, he compared the alleged commissioner—who in the audio only identified himself as Mensah—to a potential coup plotter.
Kwesi Pratt asserts that the commissioner would have planned a coup against the government if he had control over any division of the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
“If we have such demented people in positions, what do you think will happen, look; if people like this are in the army, they are materials for staging coup d’etat. Do you know that? People who think that the will of the people doesn’t matter, the constitution doesn’t matter, if this man has control over any section of the armed forces, what do you think would have happened? I you win an election and you are not NPP, they will make a coup against you.”
If people like these are in the army, they'd be a materials for coup d'etats – Kwesi Pratt fumes at person purported to be the commissioner of police in leaked audio#GoodMorningGhana#MetroTVpic.twitter.com/Qwpy3qUa0D
A cop who calls himself “Mensah” and a politician who is allegedly a regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are both heard on the recording. Their discussion centers on their plans to remove the IGP because they believe he would be too rigid during the 2024 elections and would prevent any potential rigging.
The IGP’s administration of the Assin North by-election is expressly cited by the Commissioner as evidence of his dedication to ensuring free and fair elections.
No serving military officer or Inspector General of Police in the nation is allowed to influence the results of elections, according to Patrick Yaw Boamah, the member of parliament representing Okaikwei Central Constituency.
The MP made this statement today, July 12, 2023, when discussions about the leaked tape that revealed a plot by some top New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Ghana Police Service officials to unseat the current Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, ahead of the 2024 elections began to take place in the house.
He wants to dispel any myths about the IGP’s impact on election outcomes.
“Mr Speaker let me put it on record that, no IGP, no serving military officer can determine an election in the country,” he said.
The MP for Tamale Central, Haruna Iddrisu, stated that the President and the Minister of the Interior’s first responsibility is to protect the safety and security of the populace.
He underlined the significance of undertaking a forensic audit into the leaked tape in order to determine its contents and uphold the IGP’s ethical standards.
Haruna Iddrisu, a former minority leader, also pushed for the creation of a separate police commission to investigate police misconduct.
“The primary duty and the responsibility of the president and by extension the minister of interior is the safety and security of its citizen which is vested right in the hands of the IGP and by extension to preserve our democracy.”
“We want to preserve this democracy; this house must take interest in conducting a thorough forensic audit into the leaked tape in order to establish what is contained in that tape and more importantly to preserve the professional integrity of the IGP,” Haruna continued.
Authorities in Zanzibar are forcibly banning males from wearing their hair in braids, telling the BBC that doing so violates the law, local customs, and people’s morals.
“We find it dangerous to our future generations”, says Zanzibar’s Culture Executive Secretary Omar Adam. “This is one form of immorality in Zanzibar, it is a culture which is adopted from outside Zanzibar.”
He has allayed worries that the decision was made to specifically target the LGBTQ community on the islands, where same-sex relationships are forbidden.
Although the rule prohibiting males from braiding their hair dates back to 2015, it has only just begun to be enforced by the police.
Anyone with braided hair who enters or resides in Zanzibar faces a fine of more than $400, six months in jail, or both.
The officials claim that the enforcement will be applied equally to tourists even though Zanzibar is one of the most popular tourist destinations.
16 book titles and the usage of rainbow colors in classrooms were outlawed by the Zanzibari authorities two months ago under the pretext that they supported LGBTQ rights.
Education in many parts of Africa predominantly relies on post-colonial Eurocentric or American curricula, which offer limited insights into African history and culture. Moreover, the existing curriculum often presents a distorted view of African heritage.
However, there is a noteworthy exception in Kenya known as Children in Freedom School. This institution takes a distinct approach to learning by adopting an Afrocentric curriculum. Its primary goal is to guide children in embracing their identities and embracing their African heritage.
“We’ll tell them, for example, about Mali emperor Mansa Musa who has been dead for roughly 700 or 800 years and yet is still the richest man that has ever lived,” said founder Dr Utheri Kanayo.
The idea for the school was sparked when Dr Kanayo decided to focus on the education of children after a brief teaching stint, at the University of Cambridge in the UK, saw her base her educational research on the African continent.
In 2013, Dr Kanayo and her husband quit their jobs in the UK and moved to Kenya.
The school originally started as a charity but slowly morphed into a scholarship and mentorship programme. Now, they focus on teaching African history, culture and literature alongside basic education like mathematics.
“If we can start teaching children from when they are small, then we don’t have to decolonize minds in the future,” Dr Kanayo.
They were recently shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prize, putting them among the top 10 schools worldwide in the Overcoming Adversity category.
Elon Musk finally unveiled the team of engineers from the major American technology companies who will be working on his long-promised artificial intelligence startup xAI on Wednesday. He aims to use this team to compete with ChatGPT.
Musk, the owner of Twitter and CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O), will serve as the company’s chief executive. Musk has previously stated that the development of AI should be put on hold and that the industry requires oversight.
“Announcing formation of @xAI to understand reality,” Musk said in a tweet on Wednesday.
The website said xAI will hold a Twitter Spaces event on July 14.
Igor Babuschkin, a former DeepMind engineer, Tony Wu, a former Google (GOOGL.O) research scientist, Christian Szegedy, a former Microsoft research scientist, and Greg Yang make up the xAI team.
According to a state filing, Musk registered X.AI Corp, a Nevada-incorporated company, in March.
Musk is listed as the company’s only director while Jared Birchall, the family office’s managing director, is listed as the secretary.
The billionaire had said in April that he would launch TruthGPT or a maximum truth-seeking AI to rival Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) Bing AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe.
Generative AI caught the limelight with OpenAI’s launch of popular chatbot ChatGPT, which came in November last year, ahead of the launch of Bard and Bing AI.
Dan Hendrycks, who will advise the xAI team, currently serves as the director of the Center for AI Safety and his work revolves around the risks of AI.
Musk’s new company is separate from X Corp, but will work closely with Twitter, Tesla, and other companies, according to the website.
xAI said it is recruiting experienced engineers and researchers in the Bay Area.
Reporting by Akash Sriram, Chavi Mehta, Yuvraj Malik and Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber.
South African justice ministry, former Mozambique finance minister Manuel Chang has been extradited from South Africa to the United States on Wednesday to face prosecution for his alleged involvement in a $2 billion debt scam.
Chang, who has consistently maintained his innocence, has been held captive in South Africa since 2018 after being seized there at the US government’s request on suspicion of money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud.
Later, Mozambique also asked for his extradition, and the two nations engaged in a legal and political battle over Chang’s ownership. In a final ruling issued in May, the constitutional court of South Africa refused Mozambique permission to appeal.
“The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirms that the Republic of South Africa’s law enforcement agencies successfully surrendered Mr Manuel Chang to the United States of America on July 12, 2023,” a ministry statement said.
The U.S. allegations concern loans from Credit Suisse and Russia’s VTB bank that were approved by Chang while he served as Mozambique’s finance minister from 2005 to 2015. The loans were guaranteed by the Mozambique government.
A large portion of the funds disappeared, and the projects for which the loans were purportedly intended never materialized. According to U.S. investigators, the projects, which included shipyard development, maritime security, and tuna fishing, were a front for a complex bribery and kickback operation.
When the true scale of the borrowing was made public in 2016, donors including the International Monetary Fund withdrew their support for Mozambique, which led to the collapse of the local currency and a debt default.
The health watchdog has advised testing for vitamin B12 insufficiency in older persons who are experiencing mental fog.
Experts have cautioned that vitamin deficiencies could affect up to one in 20 persons over the age of 60 and one in ten people over the age of 75, with total numbers rising due to the growth in veganism.
The vitamin is mostly absent from plants but is present in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products.
It can be challenging to detect the deficit because of symptoms like exhaustion, confusion, fuzzy vision, and mental health issues like anxiety and sadness.
To increase the rate of diagnosis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has just released new recommendations for physicians.
Treatment options for those who have been diagnosed with a B12 shortage include dietary adjustments, intramuscular injections, and oral supplements.
The new guidance means that if doctors detect even one potential symptom, plus one “risk factor”, they should offer a blood test.
A risk factor could be the patient’s age, particularly if they are 65 or over, or a family history of B12 deficiency, but it could also include adherence to a plant-based diet.
Older people are particularly at risk of the condition because the body becomes less good at absorbing B12 from their diet as they age.
Untreated, the deficiency can result in anaemia, serious eyesight problems, mobility issues such as impaired balance, and delirium.
Nice has now launched a consultation on the guidance and said it believed 46,000 people would benefit from it.
Prof Martin Warren, a B12 expert and the chief scientific officer at the Quadram Institute, said: “It is clear that B12 deficiency is more common than most clinicians appreciate, and that the diagnosis is often missed since the symptoms can be quite general.
“There has been poor education about nutrition and micronutrition deficiency in the past.
“These new guidelines are very important and represent a step in the right direction to improve B12 deficiency awareness, and also to promote the development of improved approaches to get the correct diagnosis.”
Common serum blood test ‘inaccurate’
Prof Warren added that the common serum blood test used to detect the deficiency was notoriously inaccurate, with some estimates putting the proportion of missed cases at two-thirds.
Nice said that while some patients may need only one blood test, if initial testing is inconclusive, then a methylmalonic acid test should be used.
It said initial blood tests may be particularly unreliable in the cases of black people, meaning treatment should be considered even if the results are indeterminate.
B12 helps maintain a healthy nervous system and reduces tiredness and fatigue.
The body needs the vitamin to manufacture red blood cells, allowing oxygen to be provided to body tissue.
As well as diet or malabsorption, some prescription medicines such as proton pump inhibitors can cause a deficiency.
Nice said that previous gastrointestinal surgery is also considered a risk factor.
Preventing wrong diagnoses
Prof Warren said that as well as addressing the burden of undiagnosed deficiency, improved practice would reduce wrong diagnoses.
He said: “These cognition issues are a real problem. A lot of elderly people who suffer with B12 absorption are wrongly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, rather than B12 deficiency.”
Experts said that because the vitamin is water soluble, and therefore easily flushed out of the body through urine, overdosing on supplements is unlikely.
According to the Vegan Society, the “only reliable” vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12, including some plant milks, some soy products and breakfast cereals, and B12 supplements.
The group’s website said: “Most vegans consume enough B12 to avoid anaemia and nervous system damage, but many do not get enough to minimise potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.”
Most business owners think about rebranding as a stage in their quest for expansion and improvement. But when should this be taken into account? In this article, brand experts inform DAMILOLA AINA
Kingsley Okonkwo, popularly known as Kcee, a Nigerian artist, recently presented a revamped appearance for his musical career with the distinctive cover of a mask over his face to conceal his identity.
The prominent afrobeat musician Lagbaja’s fashion sense was cited by the Limpopo crooner as inspiration for his decision to wear a mask, explaining that it is part of a strategy to project a fresh image of himself.
“Me wearing my mask, I’m all masked up. It’s just a new Kcee. It’s a new season and I just decided to cover my face.
“You guys have been seeing my face for almost 24/25 years. This time around I chose to cover it up and just give it some Lagbaja 2.0, Kcee 2.0,” he said in an interview.
It can be exciting to start a new business, but in Nigeria it takes work, vigor, and unwavering commitment to keep one afloat.
While business owners frequently concentrate on developing original goods, exceptional services, and alluring marketing strategies, rebranding might increase awareness and aid in the restoration of a unique selling proposition.
Forbes claims that changing your company’s brand is a natural part of any business’s life cycle. Even the most prosperous companies occasionally consider rebranding, but it’s not always a simple decision. Many business owners miss the warning signs until it is too late because they don’t know when the moment is right.
A sign that you should consider rebranding your business is when you notice that your brand is outdated. “Outdated” in this sense can mean two things: You need a refresh to stay on trend, or you’re not staying up to date with customer preferences.
“At every stage in business, you understand when you need a new phase, a new look, new tone or voice and sometimes it comes at a stage when a company has attained a certain growth. And at that time, you want the new growth or current state of the company to speak some sort of language and perception to its audience,” a brand communication expert, Seyi Olaniyan, told our correspondent.
Olaniyan, who is the founder of a tourism company, Yellow Lyfe, said image renewal helps a company to be in vogue while communicating what your target audience listens to, and want to hear.
“Rebranding is not only about changing a logo or design, it could be from your brand’s voice and how you communicate your products, making it different from how you used to do it before. It could be a font size or a change of objective or vision.
“It helps to make your brand trendy and evolving with time. It also makes your brand unique and relevant in the market because over time you can see the effect. Rebranding makes your brand more intentional, makes the outlook better and it gives you a better perception and a loud voice in the market.
“For instance, if a business was built on shoes and you want to introduce a clothing line, you would have to rebrand to form a unique name that cuts across the new system to be introduced,” Seyi explained.
Additionally, when customer preferences change, this can also make your brand look and feel outdated, hence getting feedback from your customers to tap into their current wants and needs is a way to ensure you’re still hitting their preferences.
One sign you should consider rebranding your business is if you know your target audience has an incorrect or negative perception of your brand.
Sometimes your brand image will shift due to circumstances beyond your control. Whether it’s a scandal, changes in society’s views, poor marketing or just a bad business decision, if it doesn’t align with your values, rebranding your business can help correct the problem.
Another critical sign that it’s time to consider rebranding your business is when your customers can’t tell the difference between your brand and the competition.
Communicating what differentiates you from the competition is key to growth and success. Rebranding your business can help you define and market your differences to give you a competitive advantage. This way, your audience knows what sets you apart and why they should care about your product.
“How you communicate your product matters, so if there is a contradiction between a brand message and the brand objective then you have to consider rebranding because non-compliance will confuse their audience.
“At a stage where your message is not clear enough and the target audience is too wide, not getting results and your brand objectives are not achieved, then there should be a good consideration for rebranding,” a brand professional, Deborah Odeniyi, stated while highlighting factors that necessitate rebranding.
She adds that a contradiction between a brand message and the brand objective, expansion into new markets and clarity of business objectives, are factors that drive thirst for rebranding.
Speaking in a telephone interview, she said, “For small-scale business, rebranding should be considered when there is clarity on what the business wants, that is they have scaled through the survival stage and possibly want to achieve global reach.
“Also, when businesses want to penetrate a global market, they start considering rebranding and hiring a strategist to change their customer perception and psychology concerning their brand. For instance, a popular beverage company recently changed the colour of its chocolate wrappings and added a message that can be used to win hearts, so that goes beyond just selling but passing a message of love.
“Also, when you looking to expand into new markets, perhaps you have a company in another country like the United Arab Emirates, you have to do a lot of analysis to fit in their market, which may include rebranding occasioned by the peculiarity of the country.”
On other factors to be considered before making such an important decision, Seyi notes that business owners must self-reflect on several questions.
He queried, “Why do you want to rebrand in the first place, what do you want to gain from that venture? Branding is perfection and how you want people to perceive you and the new perception you want to create for your brand the moment you get this right.
“What is the brand voice you want to have and how do you want to be perceived in your market, why do you want to be unique? What is your why for rebranding? Evaluate your unique selling point and what channels are you going to put this effort into.”
In conclusion, the more established your business and brand, the more you have to lose from a rebrand. If your business is more mature, a partial rebrand can help you retain the brand loyalty you’ve built, while refreshing your image to keep up with changing times.
Think of a partial rebrand as an adjustment focused on your visual brand identity to suit new offerings or markets as opposed to a complete identity crisis.
However, if you’re undergoing a complete identity shift and your company’s mission, vision, and values are changing, a total rebrand might be in order.
This option is typically suited to situations like mergers, product overhauls, and other similarly foundational shifts. Here, everything is on the table, from your name to your purpose, your market, or your brand identity.
If a partial rebrand is a quick touch-up, the total rebrand is a complete makeover.
The Federal Government has expressed worry about Nigeria’s Value Added Tax, which is the lowest in the region of West Africa.
The administration emphasized the need for a shift in policy while labeling the situation as alarming, saying that the country’s VAT rate was less than 1% of Gross Domestic Product.
During the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop on the harmonization of Nigeria’s VAT Act with ECOWAS guidelines, Basheer Abdulkadir, Director of Tax Policy in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, voiced his concern.
The initiative was put together by the ECOWAS Commission as part of the support program for West Africa’s tax transition.
The PATF sought to achieve better coordination in the ECOWAS and West African Economic and Monetary Union areas as well as improved management of local revenue.
In order for poor households to benefit from the VAT policy, Abdulkadir, who claimed that Nigeria’s VAT exemptions did not line up with those of ECOWAS, urged for the exemption of a select few items and services from VAT.
The news that “love rat” actor Andrew Buchan had been taken back by Amy Nuttall, the wife he left in January for another woman, was the topic of conversation last week. Since then, it has been the most talked-about topic around water coolers — topping Meghan’s hat and shorts ensemble, rude lousy Australians, and “What is the weather doing?” — not because of the happy ending but rather because of Nuttall’s extensive list of requirements for returning Buchan. And one particular requirement has caught our attention: that the couple follow the 777 Rule moving forward.
The 777 Rule states that you should go out on a date every seven days, take a night away every seven weeks, and take a romantic vacation together every seven months. Although it may sound a little prescriptive and having an à deux vacation almost twice a year may be excessive, we understand the objective. The wheels could come off if you don’t perform the routine maintenance, and you would regret the resulting auto accident.
Nevertheless, you don’t have need to be mending a relationship to embrace the 777 Rule; you might just want to keep it going or you might want to use it in other aspects of your life.
Relationship maintenance
Every seven days you change out of your WFH uniform into something less loose and comfy. Every seven weeks you do something about your upper lip and toenails. Every seven months you book a table for two in the pub and make a note not to mention one of the seven banned topics. These will vary a bit but will generally include: why you listened to Porky Burlington about the mortgage and not Us; and why are we going to your third cousin’s wedding in Stornaway when we could have been staying with the Whatsits in Greece?
Friendship maintenance
Every seven days you send a text. Every seven weeks you make a plan. Every seven months you meet up. (If you’re doing this with 12 friends you’re reasonably busy).
Diet
Every seven days you weigh yourself (any more frequently and the week is ruined). Every seven weeks you ban carbs and aim not to eat anything before midday. Every seven months you go for a long stretch of being practically vegetarian and eating fermented foods, or whatever the latest advice is (could be eat meat only and skip the veg). Then repeat.
Drinking
Every seven days you take a day off. Every seven weeks you have four alcohol-free days (even if this has been precipitated by a very heavy weekend with the Whatsits). Every seven months you do Dry January/June – Whatever, or make a really good stab at it.
Exercise
You stretch your calves at your workstation once every seven hours. You attend Pilates or a similar class once every seven days. Every seven weeks, you make a list of the sessions you have missed and why (drinking during Dry June), and you commit to a weekly schedule by signing up with a dependable partner or by making a large upfront payment. The former is more secure.
Parenting young adults
Every seven days you send a “Just checking in” message. Every seven weeks you send a Fam Whatsapp message announcing you are definitely organising a family holiday and asking for dates. Every seven months you panic and book them all non-refundable tickets to Cornwall and a theatre performance featuring Jodie Comer/Paul Mescal (aka actors they will show up for).
Work
You change from idle state to full engine firing every seven days. Every seven weeks, you arrive at work before anyone else and are already seated at your desk, typing furiously. Every seven months, you put on your best outfit and carry yourself with confidence to give the impression that you are interviewing for a job, and they shouldn’t be taking you for granted.
The police has reported that three guys opened fire in a home’s yard in South Africa, killing six people and injuring four more.
The shootings took place on Tuesday night in the Eastern Cape province’s KwaNobuhle settlement, which is close to Kariega.
Police said on Wednesday that a search was ongoing and that no arrests had been made of the accused.
According to official crime figures, South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and at least 2,629 people were shot to death in the first three months of this year. 30 people every day is a sobering pace for the 60 million-person nation.
In South Africa, there has also been an increase in celebrity-targeted killings and kidnappings for ransom.
Authorities said that a woman was among the wounded in the shooting on Tuesday that left five males and a woman dead.
“It is alleged that three unknown males entered the yard and opened fire at people who were in the property or nearby to the house,” said police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu. “Two females were shot at the gate. One female succumbed to her injuries while the other sustained gunshot wounds.”
The security service is still trying to identify the cause of the shooting.
In South Africa, there have been several large-scale shootings recently, including at least three this year.
16 people were killed in Soweto, a slum in Johannesburg, last year as a result of many shooters shooting at patrons at a bar.
At a birthday celebration in the same Eastern Cape area in January, eight people were shot and killed.
Ten members of the same family were killed at a home in April, including a youngster.
A statement released by DPO Pay on July 11 2023, the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) has approved the company’s application to operate as a payment service provider in Tanzania.
The local company One Payment Tanzania Limited is the DPO’s registered name.
The business has obtained a license in accordance with the National Payment System Act of 2015, which stipulates that in order to offer payment services in Tanzania, Payment Service Providers (PSPs) must go through a rigorous application process.
The license, according to DPO Pay’s managing director Judy Waruiru, highlights the company’s dedication to regulatory and compliance requirements.
“This milestone demonstrates our dedication to driving financial inclusion and economic growth in Tanzania, empowering businesses of all sizes to thrive in the digital era.
“We will continue to prioritise the security of transactions, adhering to stringent data protection protocols and industry best practices,” Ms Waruiru said in the statement.
According to DPO Pay, which has been effectively functioning throughout Africa since 2006, Network International, a key enabler of digital commerce throughout the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, just bought the company.
In order to provide secure and continuous services to its partners and merchants, it has closely collaborated with regulators across the continent to get new licenses.
With its considerable experience in the travel and tourist industry, DPO Pay has attracted the attention and trust of major companies across a variety of industries, including hotels and resorts in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar.
The company, the statement said, has established itself as the preferred payment solution for major merchants in the region, including industries such as Airlines, Hotels, online retailers and logistic companies.
With a firm focus on expanding its network, DPO Pay continues to seek collaboration with top-tier businesses and brands, and cater to the diverse needs of merchants across various industries.
The company’s robust security systems ensure that merchants and consumers can transact with confidence, safeguarding their sensitive information and maintaining the highest standards of integrity. With the recently updated DPO Pay Mobile app, merchants are able to collect and receive payments anywhere and anytime.
DPO Pay provides efficient payment solutions enabling businesses and individuals across the continent to accept both local and international payment options.
It has developed integrated payments technology to support businesses of all sizes in over 20 countries and accept payments securely and swiftly in multiple currencies and through diverse payment methods including cards, mobile money, bank transfers, USSD, and EFT.
Customers and businesses may interact with confidence because to the company’s strong security measures, which protect sensitive data and uphold the highest standards of integrity. The recently upgraded DPO Pay Mobile software allows businesses to accept payments anywhere at any time.
Businesses and people across the continent can accept both domestic and foreign payment methods thanks to DPO Pay’s effective payment solutions.
In order to help businesses of all sizes in more than 20 countries, it has developed integrated payments technology. This technology enables them to securely and quickly accept payments in numerous currencies using a variety of payment methods, including cards, mobile money, bank transfers, USSD, and EFT.
Dr. Jessica Gold was exhausted after working another weekend shift, so she gave in to the impulse to watch TV and sleep for the majority of the day when she got home.
She was bed rotting, as Generation Z would say.
A lot of TikTok users, including Gold, have commented on the most recent self-care trend, in which people share videos of themselves curled up under several blankets, frequently with a phone or snack in hand.
According to Gold, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the expression refers to purposefully remaining in bed all day and “rotting” there.
“I think it is OK to do if you need it,” she said, “and I have let myself do it, as long as you understand why you are doing it and turn to other coping skills as well.”
Similar to spending a leisurely day, bed rotting is “more of an immobile term, with less activity,” according to Gold.
She said that even on a lazy day, you can still enjoy yourself and relax while maybe spending time with friends and family.
According to psychologist Simon A. Rego, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, chief of psychology, and director of psychology training at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, there are probably many benefits to taking time to rest, recharge, and reset.
But he added that balance is crucial for wellbeing. According to several studies, being in bed for too long can affect your mood and raise stress.
“Be mindful and avoid overdoing it, no matter how good it may feel in the moment,” he said.
Lounging in bed for more than a day or two is concerning and could point to different mental health issues, Gold said.
“The urge to rot in bed all day, especially if it happens more and more, is likely about something more than just catching up on sleep or needing a day to do nothing, but avoiding the feelings, stress or pain of being awake,” she said.
This sort of behavior has been linked to symptoms of depression and anxiety, among other mental health illnesses, Gold added.
Bed rotting could be affecting more than just your mental health — it could also have a negative impact on your sleep.
From a sleep science perspective, “bed rotting is exactly the opposite of what we want people to do,” said Kelly Glazer Baron, associate professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
The bed should only be used for sleep and intimacy, not for activities such as watching television, working or eating, she said.
As a general guideline, if you are not asleep within 30 minutes of getting into bed or are awake for more than 20 minutes during the night, you should get out of bed, Baron said.
If you want to relax somewhere comfortable, opt for a couch or comfy chair, she recommended.
“Having fatigue after a long day is normal, but if it is interfering with your work, social life or other important activities, then it is a good idea to discuss your symptoms with a doctor,” she said.
Bed rotting can allow you to isolate yourself, ignore your feelings, and possibly prevent you from participating in self-care activities that can help you, Gold said.
Recharging activities can energize us and “better prepare us for the inevitable stressors we face daily,” Rego said.
But don’t feel pressured to participate in an activity that someone else finds relaxing, he said, because one person’s “activity may be a chore to another.” Instead, learn coping skills that you want to do and think of them like hobbies, Gold said.
She listed some alternatives like hanging out with friends, working out, or engaging in mindfulness exercises.
Try reading a book or keeping a journal if you don’t want to leave the house, said Gold.
Speaking with a therapist might also be helpful, she added. According to Gold, therapy can assist you in developing new coping mechanisms, identifying the source of your bed rotting, and figuring out whether you are experiencing any mental health problems.
Premier online financial services firm, Fido, which prides itself in allowing individuals and entrepreneurs to exploit possibilities in the country, has reiterated its position as one of the top approved online lending apps in Ghana.
Fido has an enviable history of offering secure, cutting-edge, inclusive, and simple access to loans. The company is licensed by the Bank of Ghana and has received certification from the Data Protection Commission of Ghana.
n addition to providing advise and direction on how to choose a loan partner, Fido joins the Bank of Ghana and the Data Protection Commission of Ghana in warning the public against using unregulated lending applications.
“As Fido remains committed to fostering financial literacy and responsible lending practices, Fido is excited to announce the upcoming second edition of Fido Money Matters, an initiative aimed at improving financial literacy.
“This edition will focus on the rights of borrowers as well as how to protect personal information,” said Solomon Agbemenya, Head of Business Development.
“We also want to share key considerations before applying for an online Loan. This includes researching on whether a potential lender is licensed by the Bank of Ghana, reading the terms and conditions of the financial service provider, and having a clear understanding of their interest and fees.”
“In addition, customers should find out if a lender has strong data protection and security measures like a privacy policy that spells out how their data will be used; be on the lookout for lenders who ask you money before giving out loans and also read reviews and customer experiences about reputation, customer service and overall experiences.”
Over the course of its operations in Ghana, Fido has given out roughly 3 million loans and served over 500,000 customers.
Fido’s financial platform and distinctive machine learning model, which are built on cutting-edge technology that offers quick, easy access to financial services, generate prompt credit judgments even for customers with no financial history while lowering operating expenses.
The company recently introduced Fido Score, which shifts power back to customers by empowering them to build and maintain a digital financial track record. The score helps individuals and entrepreneurs take control of their finances and adopt smart financial habits.
Getting the Fido App is very easy. Just download the Fido App from the Google Play or Apple store, register your details to create your account and follow all the needed guidelines to successfully apply for your first loan.
Fido emphasizes that it will not request money from customers before granting a loan, does not ask customers to call any phone number to apply for loans, and highlights that the official Fido Facebook and Twitter pages are verified.
Additionally, Fido clarifies that it is not present on Telegram, does not send WhatsApp messages, and establishes that *998# is the official Fido shortcode.
These measures aim to ensure that everyone is safe and doesn’t fall for scammers who pretend to be Fido.
Government statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, has counseled decision-makers to critically examine the issues causing the rise in food inflation.
He emphasized that compared to non-food inflation, food inflation has regularly increased by around 20 percentage points.
Speaking to journalists after revealing that June’s inflation rate jumped slightly to 42.5 percent from 42.2 percent in May, Prof. Annim stated that prices for everyday staple foods like vegetables and seafood have been rising over the past few months.
“At the minimum we see a widening of the gap between food and non-food inflation. We need to focus on why we see food inflation going up.
We have seen about a 20 percentage point change between food inflation and non-food inflation”, he said.
He mentioned that the price of food had risen by 54.2 percent more than the national average, with imports rising by 43.8 percent and domestically produced goods rising by 36.2 percent.
It’s time to add these justifications for exercising to your list: New research suggests that staying active can reduce the chance of dying from the flu and pneumonia.
The risk of dying from influenza and pneumonia is reduced by 48% when physical activity guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity are met, according to a study published on Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise and two or more days of moderate muscle-strengthening exercises per week.
More than 570,000 people’s survey responses from the US National Health Interview Survey from 1998 to 2018 were included in the study. The study divided participants into groups based on how well they met the advised amount of exercise after asking about their physical activity habits.
After the first survey, the participants were followed up with on average for nine years. During that time, 1,516 people died from the flu or pneumonia.
Meeting only the aerobic exercise objective was associated with a 36% decreased risk, but meeting both recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity practically cut the risk associated with flu or pneumonia death in half.
The results are significant, according to lead study author Dr. Bryant Webber, an epidemiologist with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, as influenza and pneumonia are both among the leading causes of death in the US and around the world.
“Readers may appreciate the importance of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination. This study might encourage them that physical activity may be another powerful tool for protecting themselves against influenza and pneumonia death,” he said.
The results make sense given existing knowledge, and the benefits may extend to other conditions, said Dr. Robert Sallis, director of the sports medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente FontanaMedical Center, and clinical professor of family medicine at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicinein California. He was not involved in the study.
“This study is also consistent with the various studies showing that regular exercise dramatically lowered the risk of COVID-19 related death in similar fashion,” Sallis said in an email.
But even if you can’t reach the recommended amount, some activity can still provide more protection than none, according to the study.
“We also found that any level of aerobic physical activity, even at amounts below the recommended level, lowered the risk of influenza and pneumonia death, as compared to doing no aerobic activity,” Webber said.
Getting 10to 149 minutes a week of aerobic physical activity was associated with a 21% decreased risk of flu and pneumonia death, the study showed.
“Our overarching advice for everyone — regardless of age or perceived physical fitness level — is to ‘move more and sit less,’” Webber said in an email.“Readers who do not get any physical activity should be encouraged that doing any is better than none.”
That being said, no additional benefit was seen for people who got more than 600 minutes a week of aerobic activity, the study showed.
And in the case of muscle strengthening, there is such a thing as too much, the study showed.
Meeting the target of two or more sessions lowered the mortality risk significantly, but getting seven or more sessions was associated with a 41% increased risk of death by flu or pneumonia, the study showed.
However, this was an observational study, the researchers noted, which means that the study can’t make claims about what causes or prevents the deaths — just what factors were associated with a level of risk.
The increased risk could be related to a range of factors, including the cardiovascular impacts of frequent muscle-strengthening activity or inaccurate responses to the survey, the study said.
Even though there are limitations in the design, researchers often rely on these studies when it is impossible to randomize people into different lifestyles, Sallis said.
Aerobic activity — or cardio, as it’s often called — doesn’t have to mean getting yourself to the gym regularly, the study said. This type of movement is anything that gets your heart rate and sweat glands going, including speed walking, swimming, biking, running or stair climbing.
Exercises such as lifting weights, squats, lunges or even heavy gardening can count as your muscle-strengthening activity, the study added.
A megastudy published in December 2021 showed that the best exercise programs include planning when you work out, getting reminders, offering incentives and discouraging missing more than one planned workout in a row.
“If people are hoping to boost their physical activity or change their health behaviors, there are very low-cost behavioral insights that can be built into programs to help them achieve greater success,” said that study’s lead author Katy Milkman, the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of “How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.”
You can start small, said Dana Santas, a CNN fitness contributor and mind-body coach for professional athletes, in a 2022 CNN article.
“Fitting in ten minutes of exercise every day is so much easier than people think. Consider how fast ten minutes goes by when you’re mindlessly scrolling social media or watching your favorite TV show,” Santas said in an email. “It’s not a big time investment, but it can deliver big health benefits.”
The World Health Organization, has said that a heart disease is the top cause of death for both men and women globally, but there are steps you can do to drastically lower your risk.
A nutritious diet is a crucial component in preventing heart disease, along with regular exercise and quitting smoking. But which diet best complies with the American Heart Association’s nutritional recommendations?
Leading nutrition experts have ranked 10 popular diets according to how well they can adhere to the AHA’s evidence-based dietary recommendations for heart health, which will be released in 2021, in a new scientific statement.
The winner? The DASH diet, which was 100% aligned with AHA goals for heart-healthy eating. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; high blood pressure is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke.
The pescatarian diet, which allows dairy, eggs, fish and other seafood but no meat or poultry, was 92% aligned with the AHA guidelines. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which allows dairy and eggs, and variations that include one or the other, were 86% aligned.
The award-winning Mediterranean diet was 89% aligned with the AHA dietary recommendations. The popular diet came in third mostly because it recommends a small glass of red wine each day and doesn’t limit salt, said lead author Christopher Gardner, a research professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center in Californiawho directs its Nutrition Studies Research Group.
“The American Heart Association says no one should drink alcohol if they haven’t started,” Gardner said. “And if they do drink, to do so minimally.”
According to research, eating a Mediterranean-style diet can lower your risk of developing diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression, and breast cancer, in addition to helping you lose weight and live a longer, healthier life.
But all of these diets share so much in common they can really be grouped together as a top “tier” of eating patterns, Gardner said.
“We basically were trying to say a diet doesn’t have to be 100 to be good,” he said. “All of the diets in the top tier are plant-based, and if they are off base a bit aren’t hard to fix. Paleo and keto, however, really can’t be fixed. You’d have to completely overhaul them.”
Due to their concentration on red meat, entire dairy products, and saturated fats as well as their low intake of fruits and vegetables, very low-carb diets like Atkins and different ketogenic diets like the well-formulated ketogenic diet, or WFKD, were in the bottom tier of heart-healthy eating patterns.
The second category included low-fat diets like volumetrics and vegan diets with more than 10% fat; both of them satisfied 78% of the AHA dietary recommendations.
The third tier of diets consisted of less well-aligned low-carb regimens like South Beach, Zone, and the low-glycemic index (64%) and extremely low-fat diets with less than 10% fat (72%), which apply to some vegan lifestyles…. life.
While people concerned with heart health can and should use the new AHA ranking of the 10 diets, the scientific statement was written for physicians, Gardner said. The goal is to get doctors up to speed, since nutrition is not often prioritized in medical school.
“It’s a cheat sheet for doctors,” Gardner said. “When they do ask about diet — which I don’t think is all that often — and a patient says, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m paleo. I’m vegan. I’m keto or I’m DASH,’ I don’t think they really know what that means.”
That’s absolutely true, said preventivecardiologist Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health, a hospital in Denver.
“We surveyed 1,000 cardiologists five or six years ago, and it turns out about 90% of us know almost nothing about nutrition,” said Freeman, who was not involved with developing the AHA statement.
Yet patients need their doctors to be discussing nutrition with them during regular checkups, Freeman added.
“If you asked me in my heart of hearts do I think we should have been banging the drum about nutrition for the last 100 years? Yes. So every time we can bang the drum a little more, I’m always in favor,” he said.
Now, with a color-coded chart in hand, doctors will be better informed to discuss the foods on those diets and which to emphasize, limit or avoid, Gardner said. Instead of talking about the benefits of specific heart-healthy nutrients and foods, advice should focus on a overall pattern of eating.
“When it was a single heart-healthy nutrient, you could just inject that nutrient into food and claim it’s healthy food, which it wasn’t,” he said. “Or if there’s a superfood like chia seeds, you could take a really unhealthy food and sprinkle chia seeds on it and say, ‘Ah, I’m now protected.’ No, it needs to be part of an overall healthy pattern of foods.”
To that point, Gardner stressed that each diet in the rankings was evaluated as it was intended to be eaten, not as people might actually do in real life. The new statement provides information on how doctors might counsel patients who are not eating as optimally as possible, either due to cost, lack of time or other stresses.
However, fixing those concerns may take more than individual willpower, Freeman said.
“It’s hard to adhere to a diet in a society which allows ultraprocessed comfort foods like bacon-on-a-stick to be the norm, and asking society to change a major tenant of everyday living is going to be very challenging,” he said.
“But I would also tell you the plant-based food movement is the fastest-growing food movement in the country,” he said. “So there’s hope.”
In Ghana, a divorce can be requested after two years of marriage, according to Ghanaian attorney Richard Sena Hotor.
He claims that while a couple can seek for divorce two years after getting married, they can only have their marriage annulled one year after getting hitched.
In an interview with Joy News, Mr. Hotor discussed the legal requirements for starting a divorce in the nation.
“If it is something that you’re going to annul, it must be within one year. But if you have just married, it must take at least 2 years before you can bring a divorce petition,” he said.
When both spouses mutually consent to the divorce, the process is made simpler.
However, if there is a disagreement between the parties, it is recommended that one of them retain legal representation before filing the petition in the desired court.
He said, “It’s advisable that you get a lawyer who will first listen to your story and then situate it within the seven facts proving that the marriage has broken down beyond reconciliation.”
The other spouse must submit an answer after the petition has been filed. When a side doesn’t file, the attorney pursues other possible solutions to the issue.
“Once the petition is filed, it is the beginning of the end,” the legal practitioner added.
Mr. Sena said that the length of time needed to resolve a divorce case depends on how intricate the circumstances are.
Further appeals can be made to the court, he added, if a person thinks the court’s decision was unfair.
A recent study, has shown that people with type 2 diabetes should exercise in the afternoon rather than the morning to control their blood sugar.
“In this study, we (have) shown that adults with type 2 diabetes had the greatest improvement in glucose control when they were most active in the afternoon,” co-corresponding author Dr. Jingyi Qian, from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Massachusetts’ Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a statement.
“We’ve known that physical activity is beneficial, but what our study adds is a new understanding that timing of activity may be important too,” Qian added.
More than 2,400 people with type 2 diabetes who were overweight and wore waist accelerometers to record their physical activity were studied by a team of researchers from Brigham and Joslin Diabetes Center. The accelerometers measure vibration or acceleration of motion.
After reviewing data from the first year of the study, researchers found that those who did “moderate-to-vigorous” physical activity in the afternoon had the greatest reduction in blood glucose levels.
According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, examples of “moderate” activity include brisk walking, mowing the lawn with a power mower and playing badminton recreationally, while “vigorous” activity includes hiking, fast jogging, a basketball or soccer game or cycling at 14-16 miles per hour.
You can tell if you are exercising at a moderate aerobic level if you’re able to talk but not sing your favorite song, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When looking at data from the fourth year of the study, the team found that those who exercised in the afternoon maintained a reduction in blood glucose levels, and had the highest chance of being able to stop taking glucose-lowering diabetes medication.
According to the World Health Organization, type 2 diabetes, which is the most prevalent variety of the disease, develops when the body either stops producing enough insulin or becomes resistant to it.
It is primarily found in adults and is linked to advanced age, obesity, familial history, inactivity, and race/ethnicity.
Diabetes patients run the risk of developing consequences like nerve damage, eye and hearing issues, kidney disease, heart disease, and early death.
The study’s authors note that the observational study does come with limitations, as it didn’t measure sleep or diet.
“Timing does seem to matter,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Roeland Middelbeek, assistant investigator at Joslin Diabetes Center. “Going forward, we may have more data and experimental evidence for patients to give more personalized recommendations.”
Dr. Lucy Chambers, Head of Research Communications at Diabetes UK, said of the study: “Keeping physically active can help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels and reduce their risk of developing serious diabetes-related complications such as heart disease and kidney failure, as well as improving their overall wellbeing.
Chambers, who was not involved with the study, emphasized the need for people to exercise where they can.
“This new research found that regular ‘moderate-to-vigorous’ physical activity – whether in the morning, midday, afternoon or evening – was associated with lower average blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Afternoon exercise was linked with the greatest benefits but the reasons for this are unclear and current evidence on optimal times for exercising is mixed.
“If you’re living with type 2 diabetes, the most important thing is to find an exercise you enjoy and that you can incorporate into your routine in the long-term – whether it’s before work, on your lunch break, or in the evening,” she added.
Although everyone poops, it turns out that not everyone needs to poop every day.
That is incorrect, according to gastroenterologist Dr. Folasade May, an associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles’ David Geffen School of Medicine.
“I even have people who try and make appointments, because they say, ‘Oh, I stopped having a bowel movement every single day a few years ago,’” May said. “And I have to remind people that there’s really not a fixed or normal number of bowel movements.”
That notion probably stems from a Victorian-era belief that having a bowel movement daily makes you healthier, said Dr. Michael Camilleri, a consultant and professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Not necessarily. “Most people will have anywhere between a bowel movement up to three times a day to three times per week,” May added. “Anywhere in that range, we consider normal.”
Frequency is merely one crucial aspect when using bowel movements as a health indicator. Diet, hydration, stress, age, medication use, social conditions, and stress all have an impact on how frequently we poop, according to Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Harvard Medical School lecturer of medicine.
It’s helpful to know what your poop looks like in addition to just how often you poop.
“The stool form, appearance or consistency of the bowel movement is actually a much better criterion than the simple numbers to frequency,” Camilleri said.
Using a chart that divides stools into seven groups, the Bristol Stool Chart is used by medical experts to evaluate the quality of stools. The three and four varieties of stools—sausage-shaped with fissures on the surface or snake-shaped and smooth—are the healthiest.
If your quality of life hasn’t changed and you’re pooping three times per week, it can be okay, according to Pasricha, if the consistency is firm or pebble-like. However, if you feel like you haven’t completely emptied your bowels or are straining excessively when trying to defecate, you may need to make changes to either poop more frequently or have healthier stool quality, according to specialists.
Putting your feet on a toilet stool — or even a stack of books — could help. Doing so raises your knees above your hips, relaxing the pelvic floor muscles that support your bowel and allowing poop to pass through more easily, Pasricha said.
“We did not evolve to have our bowel movements sitting with our hips at 90 degrees on a chair, which is what we do now. We used to all have bowel movements squatting,” she said. “Sitting at that sort of upright, 90-degree angle actually closes off the passageway.”
Just like we need to make good choices to get restful sleep, we need to make wise food and drink choices to keep our bowels healthy.
Eating enough fiber from vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts can help prevent constipation, experts said. Total fiber intake should be at least 25 grams daily, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.
Some studies have found kiwis and prunes can be especially helpful for relieving constipation, experts said. But don’t eat too much fiber, as that has been linked with abdominal bloating or loose stools, experts said.
Being sufficiently hydrated softens the stool so you can pass it without straining, May said.
“Coffee, or caffeinated beverages, have also been shown to stimulate the contractions of the colon,” Camilleri said, noting they can induce bowel movements.
A high-fat diet, on the other hand, can slow your digestive system down, May added.
Movement also matters. Many people in the US live sedentary lifestyles, May said, but exercising helps your digestive tract massage and move food, promoting the passage of stool.
How fast or slow food moves through the digestive tract can also depend on genetics, May said, and our digestive systems tend to slow down as we age.
Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bowel disease or ulcerative colitis can affect regularity, as well as some medications, such as opioids and antidepressants. Having a baby or gaining and losing a lot of weight can also cause pelvic floor dysfunction, making poop difficult to expel, May said.
Stress can also affect our bowel movements. When we eat our stomachs stretch, sending a message from there to the brain then down the spinal cord, the nerves of which induce colon contractions, Camilleri said — resulting in a bowel movement. But if we’re stressed, hormones and nervous system changes can prevent poop from moving toward the rectum, resulting in constipation. Some people experience the other extreme — diarrhea — when stressed.
Bowel regularity can also be influenced by not responding to urges to poop due to not having easy or private access to bathrooms, experts said. Some people might feel embarrassed to poop around others at work or school.
But don’t delay — the right time to poop is when you’re feeling the urge to do so, experts said.
If you have to sit on the toilet for more than five to 10 minutes, you should discuss the issue with your doctor, Camilleri said. Bloating or abdominal distension or pain are other signs that your bowel movement frequency is negatively affecting your health.
But if you’re taking too long on the toilet because you’re using your phone, stop letting that distract you, Camilleri said.
If lifestyle changes don’t work, a doctor would be able to prescribe medications, supplements or laxatives that can aid in regularity.
Have you ever questioned whether your relationship is healthy or unhealthy? Is my man only egotistical and domineering, or is this how guys are in general? Here’s how you find out, though:
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines narcissism as a pattern of grandiosity, a persistent craving for adulation, and a lack of empathy.
These requirements must be met in at least five instances: an overinflated perception of self; obsession with illusions of unending success, beauty, or ideal love; a conviction that they are unique and special and that they should associate with or be understood by other elite or highly-regarded individuals or groups; a desire for unwarranted admiration; and a feeling of entitlement.
Apart from the diagnostic definition of a narcissist, what should you look out for?
1. Manipulation
Your partner will employ slightly threatening words throughout the relationship. Even if they don’t express it directly, you will understand that there will be consequences if you don’t give in to what they want. Even if you don’t really concur with what they’re asking for, it’s sometimes simpler to merely comply. They employ this method to influence and hold their partners under control so they can get what they
2. Constant criticism that causes self doubt
Despite all that you’ve accomplished in your life, you still feel inadequate. This is because your partner frequently criticizes you or expresses disapproval with what you do. Nothing you do or accomplish is good enough.
Your partner constantly criticizes the way you look, what you wear, and how you present yourself. They ridicule and degrade you; this may occur in front of you, behind your back, or in the presence of your friends and acquaintances. This is because they put others down to prop up their own egos.
3. Lack of responsibility
A sincere apology from a narcissist is almost impossible. Most likely, your narcissistic partner always places the blame for their behavior on you. No matter how badly they act, it’s always your fault. It seems logical that saying sorry would be out of the question for narcissists because they don’t view other people as an equal, and even if they apologize, they will make excuses about how you made them act out of character and not that their actions are wrong.
4. Isolation
A common tactic used by narcissistic people to alienate their partners is saying negative things about their friends and family, which results in guilt and the feeling that they need to change their friends or avoid their family.
They might remind you of fights with your friends and tell you how they are not good for you, or they might insist you spend time with them when you make plans with your friends or family. They always put you in a challenging situation where you have to choose between them and your friends to show you love them.
5. They have a charming but deceptive personality
You find yourself interacting with someone who is entirely different from what everyone else sees. Your man appears to be a lovely, assured, and accomplished person; in short, that’s why you fell in love with him. Everyone loves them, but the only reason they appear this way is because they are so good at masking their true selves publicly. When you first met them, they charmed you, but the moment you’re alone with your lover, everything changes and they act so cruel towards you.
Finally, narcissists are huge gaslighters, they will make you question yourself and make you wonder whether you’re being too sensitive, you constantly blame yourself when something goes wrong and, you apologize a lot. Even if you can’t put your finger on what’s wrong, you know something isn’t right. You frequently ponder whether your responses to your partner are appropriate because you don’t want to offend him and you try to explain his actions.
Ghanaian musician, S3fa, has her opinion on abortion and the hypocrisy that surrounds it.
The talented singer told the media in an interview that many people who publicly oppose the practice have probably also had abortions but have chosen to keep quiet about their experiences.
S3fa’s remarks became public after actress Yvonne Nelson revealed in her biography, “I am Not Yvonne Nelson,” that she had an abortion 13 years prior.
S3fa exposes the apparent social injustice by contesting the pervasive stigma in Ghana associated with abortion.
She underlines that many people in the nation have had the treatment, but they are quick to criticize those who are willing to share their experiences in public. By shedding light on this subject, S3fa hopes to promote a more candid and compassionate discussion on abortion.
The singer has a firm and unwavering position on abortion. S3fa firmly responded that it would not be a huge matter for her to directly confess having an abortion, despite the stigma it carries in Ghanaian society.
She affirms that if she were to write her memoir now, she would without hesitation disclose every detail of her life, including any individual experiences with abortion.
S3fa’s courage to speak candidly on such a delicate subject illustrates her dedication to dismantling society taboos and inspiring people to embrace their truths.
S3fa’s outspoken stance on abortion presents a chance for fruitful discussion within Ghanaian culture.
She desires to foster an atmosphere where people feel at ease expressing their tales without worrying about being judged by doing so by standing up for honesty and acceptance.
The musician thinks that having open discussions about delicate subjects like abortion can increase empathy, understanding, and support for individuals who have gone through similar experiences.
Ghana’s minister of finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has voiced confidence in Ghana’s capacity to obtain the second installment of the $3 billion IMF loan in November 2023.
Ofori-Atta expressed his confidence that Ghana will fulfill the requirements for the upcoming transfer of $600 million.
Following the IMF staff’s recent working visit to Ghana, he made the remarks.
“Between cabinet and parliament, so far, we’ve gone through the qualitative performance criteria. So, we expect that the review will go well in September to get a Staff-Level Agreement. We’ll go to the Board in November and we’re sure we can get it,” the Minister told journalists on July 11, 2023.
He added that “We had an IMF Staff visit about three weeks ago which went very well and we’re expecting that review in September.”
In May 2023, Ghana got the first installment of the IMF loan after obtaining board clearance.
The nation had satisfied the basic requirements for program approval, which included receiving financial guarantees from outside creditors and having a successful domestic debt swap scheme.
With the rapid devaluation of the cedi and rising inflation rates in mind, the $3 billion lending facility is anticipated to aid in restoring macroeconomic stability to the nation.
Ghana now has higher interest rates than Egypt and 15 other nations in Africa.
With 24.39% and 26.03% for the 91-day and 182-day treasury bills, respectively, Ghana outperformed Egypt in the Weekly Fixed Income Update compiled by several investment firms, making it the highest among the top 15 African economies.
Egypt, on the other hand, came in second place among the top 15 African nations with rates for 91-day and 182-day Treasury bills of 23.41% and 24.02%, respectively.
Interest rates in Ghana drastically decreased when the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) was finished in March 2023. Since that time, the prices have consistently increased to roughly 30% (364-day bill).
The 91-day T-bill and 182-day T-bill also had declines of 10.97% and 9.95%, respectively, during the same time period in March.
Despite this, Ghana now has the highest interest rates in the world, with an average lending rate of almost 38%, making it one of the most expensive countries in Africa.
Since then, several economists and market observers have issued warnings about a potential rise in interest rates, particularly at a time when the government is looking for more money to fund its initiatives.
The Bank of Ghana’s Monetary Policy Committee will meet for the 113th time on the appointed date to decide the next policy rate from the present 29.5 percent in order to reduce inflationary pressures.
Over 420 alleged loan app operators have been detained as a result of a joint operation by the Cyber Security Authority, the Bank of Ghana, and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO).
Authorities in Accra conducted a raid at some of the suspected locations of online lending app operators.
“The three collaborating institutions launched a swoop in the early hours of Monday, July 10, 2023, as part of a Joint Cybersecurity Committee operation which resulted in the arrest of over 420 suspects”, a statement from the authority mentioned.
From the place of Central Bank, the surge in loan applications is in violation of Act 930 of 2016, which is the law governing banks and specialized deposit-taking institutions.
The bank claimed that it has noticed the continued functioning of unlicensed organizations that are involved in offering loans to the people of Ghana via mobile applications.
The Bank emphasized that these organizations’ actions gravely violate laws governing customer data and privacy as well as standards and regulations for consumer protection, with negative repercussions for the honesty and welfare of their clients.
In order to promote the integrity of financial service delivery, the Bank of Ghana will continue to take action against these organizations in coordination with pertinent governmental agencies.
The Bank of Ghana’s interbank exchange rate shows that the Ghana Cedi is now trading against the dollar at a purchasing price of 10.9961 and a selling price of 11.0071 as of today, July 12, 2023.
The exchange rate for buying and selling the dollar in Accra at a Forex bureau is 11.50 to 11.90.
The Cedi is now trading with a purchasing price of 14.1795 and a selling price of 14.1948 versus the British pound.
Exchange rate for buying and selling the pound sterling in Accra is 14.70 and 15.40, respectively.
The purchasing and selling prices for the euro are respectively 12.0892 and 12.1002.
Euro is being bought at a rate of 12.30 and sold at a rate of 12.90 at a forex bureau in Accra.
The buying and selling prices for the South African Rand are 0.5925 and 0.5929 respectively.
South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.30 and sold at a rate of 0.90 at a forex bureau in Accra.
Trading prices for the Nigerian Naira are 68.9900 for purchases and 69.0672 for sales.
Nigerian Naira is being purchased and sold at a forex bureau in Accra at a cost of 13.00 and 19.00 respectively for every Cedi.
The purchase price and the selling price for the CFA are both 54.2104.
Buying CFA costs 17 CFA for every 1 Cedi, and selling CFA costs 21 CFA for every 1 Cedi at a forex bureau in Accra.
Note that these rates may be different at a forex bureau near you. Our forex bureau rates are provided by Afriswap Bureau De Change in Osu, Accra.
Our forex bureau rates are provided by Afriswap Bureau De Change in Osu, Accra.
Residents of the Emena Constituency in the Ashanti Region are threatening turmoil if the police do not free three people who were detained for allegedly trying to stop a private developer from building a road through a cemetery. Tensions are rising in the area.
The young man said that the aforementioned construction had led to the exhumation of ancestors’ remains and the destruction of several cemeteries.
The residents of the town protested the road project’s damage to the cemetery in an effort to protect the burial grounds, which led to their arrest, according to a report filed by UTV. As a result, the private developer began building a road leading to his residence, directing it through the town cemetery.
In an interview with UTV, an assemblyman from the Emena Boadi Appiahdu Kokoben electoral district, Kenneth Owusu Bediako, offered his support for the young people, noting his own observation of three tombs that had been destroyed. He highlighted that it is forbidden to exhume grave remains.
“For me, I heard on Friday that they have brought grader to demolish our graves which has resulted in some graves of our fathers being exposed, so, I went to the police station to discuss with them, for myself I have witnessed about three graves that have been demolished…so, I support the steps that the youths have taken because it is a great taboo to exhume our grandfathers’ grave with a grader.”
Several residents voiced their concerns over the issue. One resident lamented, “What is painful is that someone has taken the law into his hands to exhume our graves, believing that his son, a Circuit Court Judge, will deliver justice on his behalf, disregarding the feelings of the community.”
Several residents voiced their concerns over the issue. One resident lamented, “What is painful is that someone has taken the law into his hands to exhume our graves, believing that his son, a Circuit Court Judge, will deliver justice on his behalf, disregarding the feelings of the community.”
Additionally, from another resident, “My father Kwaku Mensah’s grave is now exposed. We implore our leaders to intervene and protect our cemetery.”
On Tuesday, July 11, American citizen Caleb Boateng, 24, made an appearance before a Central District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts.
It was his first court appearance since a 13-hour confrontation with police last Friday (July 7) that resulted in gunshot wounds for his mother and sibling.
Six accusations were read to Caleb for the first time after they noticed his black designer T-shirt and messy hair.
They involved, among others, two counts of assault to murder (armed), two counts of assault and battery with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, among other charges.
The local news portal Telegram reported that on his first appearance, the following major incidents happened.
Title: Caleb Boateng held without bail in shooting of mother and brother on Colby Ave. in Worcester
In Central District Court on Tuesday, Caleb Boateng was charged with shooting his mother and brother at their Colby Avenue home on Friday.
Boateng, 24, fired at police officers who arrived on the scene after receiving a shooting report. Boateng then trapped himself inside the home at 51 Colby Avenue for a 13-hour confrontation.
Boateng made his first court appearance Tuesday around 3 p.m. after being hospitalized in the days following his arrest.
He faces accusations for illegally possessing a handgun, firing a gun within 500 feet of a home, two counts of armed assault with the intent to kill, two counts of armed assault and battery, and more.
He submitted not-guilty pleas, and Judge Janet J. McGuiggan ordered him to be imprisoned without bail.
Boateng is suspected of shooting both his brother, Obed O. Boateng, and his mother, Philomena Boateng, after an altercation on Friday at 8:30 a.m. According to court documents, the sibling was shot in the abdomen and left hand, while the mother was hit in the right arm and right thigh. Both were taken to a hospital.
Pilomena Boateng was still in the hospital Tuesday afternoon, Assistant District Attorney Karen Bell said. When asked by McGuiggan if Obed Boateng was still in the hospital, Bell said she did not know.
Meantime, Philomena and Obed have been granted restraining orders against Caleb, according to court records.
When asked by the judge if he wanted a court-appointed attorney, Caleb Boateng, who was wearing a black designer T-shirt and was sporting stitches and a bruise on his upper-right forehead, politely answered, “Yes, Ma’am,”
Caleb Boateng is not licensed to possess a firearm and/or ammunition, according to court records.
Sean M. McGinty is the defendant’s court-appointed lawyer.
Caleb Boateng is being held without the right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Monday in Courtroom 23.
Political opinions are not prohibited for civil officials considering the positions they hold, but it is not expected that their political connections will be made public.
Top government officials have a history of quitting their jobs before entering politics in their post-service lives.
Two high-ranking government employees have recently come under fire for allegedly being secretly politicians, despite the accusers’ public statements to the contrary.
The two are the Dormaahene Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II and Inspector-General of Police George Akuffo Dampare.
In the instance of Dr. Dampare, he was identified as a member of the NDC in a leaked audio clip where a senior New Patriotic Party (NPP) official and a commissioner of police are heard debating the necessity of his removal.
“I know there are others who are also good for this position, if I don’t get and this man is changed and those people that we think are our men get,” the policeman is heard saying. “(It is okay)”
“Because we need to break this 8. That is important, we need to break the 8… Because I wouldn’t want doctor to become the flagbearer and then we lose the elections… ” the policeman said.
The senior officer expressed vehement criticism of Dr. Dampare’s security plan, pointing out how it was biased against the NPP and using the recent by-election in Assin North as evidence.
He said that Dr. Dampare is an NDC member who had advancements under NDC administrations and worked as the late President John Evans Atta Mills’ aide-de-camp.
In the instance of the Dormaahene, Kobina Tahir Hammond (NPP MP for Adansi Asokwa), who took aim at the paramount chief for breaking the laws prohibiting chiefs engaging in politics in accordance with the constitution, leveled the accusation against him.
He claimed that he spoke excessively and was unable to serve on the bench. The Dormaahene is a High Court judge in Accra right now. In a case involving an NDC MP, he requested a nolle prosequi, which is what led to KT Hammond’s criticism of him.
The MP who also serves as the trades minister stated in an interview with Oyerepa FM:
“Just pay attention to all he has said. One person only. Take a moment to hear what he has to say about the Supreme Court. It follows that no one is seeking to punish him. Why? Does he not realize that what he is doing could cause him trouble?”
The host of the Metro TV program Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere, has responded to the leaked recording in which a politician and a senior police officer are purportedly heard discussing how to remove Inspector General of Police George Akuffo Dampare.
Adom-Otchere’s name and his program were mentioned in the audio, as the police officer makes reference to an episode in which he identified Dampare as a potential vice-presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in his analysis.
Dampare was cited as an outsider who might complement either an NDC or the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) ticket, according to Adom-Otchere, rather than as a politician.
He added that Dampare might be a liability for the NPP if Dr. Bawumia is selected as the party’s nominee.
“We do not know whether Dr. Dampare is NDC, as a matter of public record, we threw in the ticket of Dampare as running mate to John Mahama and also as Dampare as running mate to the NPP candidate if it is Dr Bawumia.
“If it is Dr. Bawumia, then Dampare’s ticket is being talked about by some people and that is true. People in both NDC and NPP have thought about the Dampare ticket, not as a partisan ticket but a ticket which brings in an outsider of sorts,” he stressed.
The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) leadership visited President Akufo-Addo at Jubilee House on August 19, 2021.
It’s easy to assume what could be the main topic of discusion, corruption. The President is quite knowledgeable about the topic, which helped him win in 2016 in part. His campaign was based mostly on accusations of mismanagement and corruption against the previous John Mahama administration.
However, many Ghanaians believe that, after six years in office, President Akufo-Addo’s high rhetoric on combating corruption, including assertions that he had adopted Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s approach, was nothing more than empty platitudes. Even more concerning, many individuals believe that corruption has gotten worse under his administration, according to Transparency International’s corruption perception index.
Since taking office as president, Akufo-Addo has been observed to be lowering his vociferous rhetoric on the issue of corruption. Fact-Check The Fourth Estate, a sister investigative journalism source in Ghana, discovered that during the president’s two consecutive State of the Nation Addresses (in January 2021 and March 2021) he avoided mentioning corruption. In reality, Akufo-Addo avoided using any words related to corruption or graft in a combined speech from the two speeches that was approximately 13,000 words long. It was the first time a president had done that in 13 years.
The argument that President Akufo-Addo has funded accountability or anti-corruption agencies more than any other government will undoubtedly come up whenever he decides to discuss corruption.
He reiterated that when he spoke to the GACC’s leadership on the Jubilee House floor.
“I don’t think that any government has mobilised resources to give the opportunity for anti-corruption agencies of the state to function as efficiently as this government has done. It is a matter of record,” Akufo-Addo said.
This assertion has been Akufo-Addo’s defense against criticism that he made greater promises in the battle against corruption but delivered worse results for more than six years. After a year in office, he first stated this at the 2018 State of the Nation Addresses (SONA):
“I believe it bears repeating here that, thanks to these boring figures, for the first time in a long while, we have been able to provide better budgetary support to the constitutionally-mandated institutions that hold government accountable, i.e. Auditor-General, Parliament, Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Police,” he said
In both the 2019 and 2020 SONAs, President Akufo-Addo reiterated the assertion. He said that in 2021, his government had more than doubled the funding expenditures to anti-corruption organizations.
“That is why, within two years of being in office, we more than doubled funding for accountability institutions of state, like CHRAJ, EOCO, the Judiciary and the Auditor General,” Akufo-Addo said.
A project being implemented by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization has prompted the member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to reveal that he has petitioned the World Bank.
Ablakwa said last week that Ursula Owusu Ekuful, the sector minister, had awarded a contract worth US$48 million without PPA permission using documents from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
He provided more information, which the minister disregarded as an instance of moving the goal posts on the matter.
On July 12, 2023; the lawmaker published a formal petition he had submitted to the World Bank a day prior seeking a probe into the “irregularities, misrepresentation, insider dealing & conflict of interest,” around the US$48million Ascend Scandal.
He captioned his tweet thus: “Yesterday I petitioned @WorldBank to launch investigations into the litany of irregularities, misrepresentation, insider dealing & conflict of interest relating to the US$48million Ascend Scandal & how that was used to fraudulently secure a US$49.5m WB funded eTransform project.”
The senior investigator for the World Bank in Washington, Ms. Maria C. Mallo, was the recipient of the eight-page petition. According to Ablakwa, the anti-corruption policies of the bank served as the foundation for his plea.
Yesterday I petitioned @WorldBank to launch investigations into the litany of irregularities, misrepresentation, insider dealing & conflict of interest relating to the US$48million Ascend Scandal & how that was used to fraudulently secure a US$49.5m WB funded eTransform project. pic.twitter.com/7kvxeIPKNz
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) July 12, 2023
An immediate crackdown on the unlawful sale and use of nitrous oxide, often known as laughing gas, has been ordered by Nigeria’s drug law enforcement agency.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s, NDLEA’s, Gen. Mohamed Marwa said in a statement on their website that the tough decision “follows analysis of the effects on those who abuse the substance”
Nitrous oxide is commonly used as an anaesthetic in medicine and dentistry, and in whipped cream cannisters.
The gas can make the user relaxed, giggly, light-headed or dizzy.
However, there are some serious health effects associated with the continued use of the gas such as headaches and in more serious cases fainting.
The organization warned parents and guardians that failing to watch over their children’s behavior “poses threats to their mental and general wellbeing.”
Tuesday’s claim by Cuban authorities that the United States recently had a nuclear-powered submarine at its military installation at Guantanamo Bay was described as a “provocative escalation” of tensions after Washington claimed that the island was home to a Chinese spy station.
Cuba’s foreign ministry released a statement in which it stated that “the presence of a nuclear submarine there at this time makes it imperative to wonder what is the military reason behind this action in this peaceful region of the world.” That a submarine was stationed at the naval outpost was not confirmed by Washington.
The submarine may or may not have been armed, according to the ministry. It stated that from July 5 to July 8, it was at the base.
The American State Department refused to provide details regarding the movements of military equipment.
It claimed that Cuba was attempting to divert attention away from the two-year anniversary of the country’s largest public demonstrations since Fidel Castro’s revolution of 1959. Cuba has charged the United States with stirring up the turmoil on Monday.
Kenya’s security minister says the deaths of more than 300 people linked to a doomsday cult in the Shakahola forest is the worst security breach in the country’s history.
Ten more bodies were exhumed from the forest on Tuesday raising the death toll to 360.
Appearing before a Senate committee, the minister, Prof Kithure Kindiki, further said that the suspected cult leader, Paul Mackenzie Nthenge’s activities, were reported from as early as 2020.
“A report was filed at the Langobaya police station. No action was taken. Some of the officers and judicial officers must answer that question,” he said.
It is estimated that at least 339 members of the Good News International Church either starved to death, were brutally beaten, or were strangled in the Shakahola forest in southeast Kenya.
Mr. Mackenzie, the cult leader, allegedly persuaded his members to starve to death so they might see Jesus while preaching that the world was going to end.
Mr. Mackenzie is not currently officially charged.
The rand gained momentum on Tuesday as a result of increased local industrial output and a weaker dollar brought on by predictions that rate hikes in the U.S. will come to a halt.
At 14:43 GMT, the rand was trading at 18.53 against the dollar, up 1.3% from the previous close.
The South African athlete Caster Semenya’s case against the world athletics governing organization was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
The judge ruled that the requirement that she artificially lower her naturally high testosterone levels in order to participate in women’s races constituted discrimination.
Semenya is a two-time Olympian in the 800-meter race, but she has been prohibited from participating at this distance since 2019 because she refused to get her hormone levels reduced.
She had stated that despite being legally recognized as female at birth and always identifying as female, the limits imposed by World Athletics violated her freedom to freely compete in women’s sports.
From a recent security assessment, attacks took place across Nigeria in June 2023 and left more than 800 people dead.
Beacon Consulting, a security risk management and intelligence organization, produced a report that included 460 occurrences, including 239 kidnappings.
The attacks reportedly took place in 234 local government areas throughout Nigeria’s 36 states, including Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Although President Bola Tinubu pledged to give national security first priority, the country has already seen a significant number of attacks in the first month of his government.
Despite the hiring of new security chiefs, the government is still unable to stop attacks by Islamist organizations, bandits, and other criminal gangs.
In separate assaults on towns in central Benue and Plateau states on Saturday, almost to 40 people were slain.
More bodies are continually being found, the police in Benue state informed the BBC.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) has been unblocked by FIFA, and an interim committee has been formed to run the organization for the next 12 months.
Zimbabwe will be included in the draw for the African nations who will compete in the 2026 World Cup thanks to the decision of the body that governs world football.
“I want to assure Zimbabwe that you have the complete support of Fifa and of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) in ensuring that Zimbabwean football reaches the heights we’ve all desired,” Solomon Mudege, Fifa’s head of development in Africa, said at a news conference in Harare on Tuesday.
In February 2022, Zimbabwe was expelled from FIFA after Zifa was suspended by the nation’s government-appointed Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
Fifa forbids outsiders from meddling with a football association’s operations.
As a result, Zimbabwe was disqualified from the qualifying rounds for the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, among other tournaments, and Zifa’s Fifa financing was suspended.
The SRC became involved due to suspicions of fraud inside Zimbabwean football’s ruling body as well as reported sexual harassment of female referees by Zifa technical employees.
Obert Zhoya, a former Zifa official, was placed on five years of administrative leave in September 2022 after Fifa found that he had harassed three female referees.
‘Worth the small window of pain’
Many countries take swift action to reverse any Fifa ban but Zimbabwe has proven unusual in that the SRC was prepared to take as much time as it deemed necessary to address serious concerns within Zifa.
National sports minister Kirsty Coventry, who is Africa’s most decorated Olympian thanks to her seven swimming medals, says that it has been worth delaying any return, given the seriousness of the issues which caused it.
“I know many judged us very harshly for the decision we took, but the way in which our football was running was heavily dependent on what the administrators wanted and was only for their benefit,” said Coventry.
“We have an opportunity to build and rebuild a solid foundation that sees all of the stakeholders thriving – our fans, youth players, women’s and men’s players, coming together, uniting.
“It was hard, but it was worth it, to have a way forward that’s going to benefit us as a country – 110% it was worth it.
Former Olympic gold medallist Kirsty Coventry has been Zimbabwe’s sports minister since 2018
“When we are winning tournaments, we will all be saying that it was worth that small window of pain.”
Zimbabwe has never won a Nations Cup – at any level, nor in any category – but has won several regional titles, with the last coming when they won the Cosafa Cup, contested by southern African countries, in 2018.
In a letter signed by secretary general Fatma Samoura, Fifa says that all of the conditions for lifting the suspension have been met.
Having previously insisted on the reinstatement of the Zifa board, led by Felton Kamambo, since the four-year mandate of the board expired last December, Fifa has ruled that “from a legal standpoint it is no longer possible for Kamambo” and his fellow officials to resume their position of leadership.
Fifa had also objected to the SRC appointing a restructuring committee, but since the latter ceased to exist in December, that objection is also moot.
With Zimbabwe back in the international fold, concerns will now mount over the country having no stadium approved to host international football.
Minister Coventry insisted there are plans for the National Sports Stadium in Harare to be renovated to meet international standards, which is a requirement for Caf to allow the capital to stage matches again.
The normalisation committee will be led by former Dynamos FC chairman Lincoln Mutasa, former Highlanders player Sikhumbuzo Ndebele, former national women’s team coach and captain Rosemary Mugadza, and lawyer Nyasha Tashinga Sanyamandwe.
The committee, whose personnel are determined by both Fifa and Caf, must follow strict procedures to access much-needed funds from Fifa’s Forward programme, which can dispense up to $2m a year to member associations.
“During the term of the normalisation committee, Fifa Forward funds will be paid in monthly instalments and upon receipt of a budget, monthly reporting and other supporting documents such as bank statements,” Samoura stated.
“In addition, a forensic audit of Zifa’s accounts will be carried out as soon as possible.”
The freshly replaced airfield lighting systems at the domestic runway 18/36L of Murtala Muhammad Airport are purportedly gone.
The PUNCH learned that the security situation at Nigeria’s largest airports has deteriorated due to the removal of the approach lighting systems.
A source who requested anonymity said those who removed the lighting systems profited from the runway being closed for more than three months.
According to the report, several FAAN employees colluded with outsiders to steal the airport lighting equipment.
“The criminal took advantage of the closure to commit the crime. I cannot give the actual worth of the theft, but almost all the lighting was removed. The permanent secretary came around to see for himself the huge damage done. A lot of FAAN officials have been suspended,” the source confirmed.
According to information obtained by The PUNCH, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, ordered the suspension of some FAAN department heads due to missing lighting equipment.
The insider also said that inquiries had started in order to identify people in charge of the missing safety equipment.
The insider claims that a syndicate made up of some agency employees with access to the restricted areas and collaborators from the outside often breaches airport security and steals safety components.
A senior FAAN employee who did not want his name published claimed that Mr. Kabir Yusuf, the agency’s managing director, was unhappy with the development.
The FAAN MD, according to him, also ordered the suspension of the security staff in charge of manning the most important airport facilities.
Reacting to the latest development, a former Military Commandant at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (retd.), said, “This is not new at MMA. I wish the FAAN management could go back to 1990 when similar things happened in the airport. I was convinced that it was an ‘insiders threats’. What did I do? I positioned soldiers on the runways and ensured that no FAAN maintenance staff went near the runways for anything without my approval; otherwise, it was shoot at first sight. It stopped completely. Runway lightings were being stolen and my conclusion then was that runway lightings can only be useful for runways and not roads or houses.
“Those stolen were being sold to FAAN by the same workers. That is why I am not in support of the unions carrying the picketing of their employers to the airport’s security controlled areas.”
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Mr Yakubu Funtua, told The PUNCH stated that investigations had been launched and that the agency would do all within its powers to avoid a reoccurrence.
He said, “FAAN is doing all it can to get to the bottom of this. You are very aware that there are many agencies within the airport, including the different ones that are supposed to be taking care of security there. So, it would be unfair to put this (the theft) on our (members of) staff and I don’t think there is any FAAN (member of) staff that wants the agency to crash.
“Note that most of our revenue comes from Lagos. So, what kind of staff will ‘kill the goose that lays the egg?’ However, we can’t say exactly who did it, but we are doing all that we can to recover what is lost. We are going to recover it because we are going to find out those people who did it and then block all those loopholes.”
Due to a lack of airfield illumination, the domestic runway 18L at Lagos Airport was closed to night operations for 15 years.
Domestic aircraft were compelled to use runway 19 at the international airport, a longer route that uses more fuel.
The apparatus was built on the 2.7-kilometer runway in November and helps aircraft take off and land at the domestic airport during the night.
The former manager of a Keystone Bank branch in the Agege neighborhood of Lagos State, Tijani Saleh, is accused of making an unauthorized withdrawal of N5.9 million from his business account, which has made it impossible for account holder Bala Ibrahim to satisfy his financial obligations.
During a conversation with media correspondent, Ibrahim claimed that his attempts to get the bank to repay his money had failed.
PUNCH According to Metro, Ibrahim opened a business account with the bank and deposited N20 million into it.
Ibrahim stated shortly after the account was funded that he needed N5.9m to support some of the projects his business was undertaking but had not yet received a check to withdraw funds from the corporate account.
Ibrahim claimed that in an effort to withdraw the funds, he went to the bank manager for advice on the avenues to pursue. He added that the manager required his company’s letterhead paper in order to execute the request.
The businessman, however, claimed that things took an unexpected turn when the bank manager allegedly withdrew N5.9 million from his corporate account using letterhead paper without his permission.
Ibrahim stated that he raised the alarm when he requested his statement of accounts and that the bank fired the manager as a result of learning about the manager’s actions.
Although he was aware that the former manager was responsible for the unauthorized withdrawal, he pointed out that the bank had yet to reimburse him for his money.
An account holder with the Keystone Bank, Bala Ibrahim, has been finding it difficult to meet his financial needs after an erstwhile manager of a branch of the bank in the Agege area of Lagos State, Tijani Saleh, allegedly made an unauthorised withdrawal of N5.9m from his corporate account.
Ibrahim, while speaking with our correspondent, said efforts to get the bank to refund his money proved abortive.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Ibrahim opened a corporate account with the bank and funded the account with N20m.
Shortly after funding the account, Ibrahim said he was in need of N5.9m to fund some of the projects his company was doing but had yet to be given a cheque to withdraw money from the corporate account.
In a bid to get the money withdrawn, Ibrahim said he approached the bank manager to advise him on the options to explore to enable him to withdraw the money, adding that the manager demanded the letter-headed paper of his company to process the request.
The businessman, however, said things took another dimension when without his consent, the bank manager allegedly used the letter-headed paper to make an unauthorised withdrawal of N5.9m from his corporate account.
Upon discovering that the money had been withdrawn when he requested his statement of account, Ibrahim said he raised the alarm and the bank, after getting wind of the manager’s action, sacked him.
He, however, noted that the bank had yet to refund his money despite knowing that the erstwhile manager was responsible for the unauthorised withdrawal.
Ibrahim said, “I opened a N20m corporate account with the Keystone Bank. But when I needed some money to facilitate some projects in my company, I approached the bank manager. He told me to send the letter-headed paper of my company and I did.
“It was later on I realised he used the letter-headed paper to withdraw N5.9m from my account without my consent. The bank got wind of his action and sacked him. Since then I started begging them to return my money, but they refused.
“I then reported the matter to the EFCC but the matter was turned against me and I was charged to court. We spent over five years on the case before I was finally discharged and acquitted.”
Ibrahim said after the case was concluded, the EFCC failed to charge the bank to court or compel them to pay him the money.
“They accused me of withdrawing the money and yet claimed for a reversal. I wrote several letters to make them reverse the money. They have refused. I wrote the EFCC to charge them to court as they did to me but they refused. All I want is my money back,” he said.
Reacting, the spokesperson for Keystone Bank Plc, Edward Ettu, in an email sent to our correspondent, said a forensic report showed that Ibrahim withdrew the money through a counter cheque.
Ettu partly stated, “When the matter was reported to the police, they went further to investigate the N20m lodged into the account of the customer. The customer refused to allow his fingerprints, amongst others, to be taken but eventually, a forensic report showed that he was the one that withdrew the money through a counter cheque because his chequebook was not ready.
“That judgment neither said he had money with the bank nor that the bank debited his account legally. That did not come up in court at all. The same man that is asking about N5.9m filed a suit against the FG, EFCC, and the bank claiming damages to the tune of over N2 bn but did not make any claim of N5.9m against the bank.
“Up till now, there is no suit against the bank on N5.9m. Our record shows that he was the one that withdrew the money and the forensic examination conducted on his writing and signature proved that. It is not true that the bank debited his account illegally and no court order said so.”
Calls and text messages sent to the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, for a comment on the matter were yet to be responded to as of the time this report was filed.
The Army in Rwandan army, has said that it is “deeply saddened” by the death of one of its soldiers who was killed by “armed elements” while on patrol with UN forces in the Central African Republic (CAR).
According to a statement from the UN, the attack on the military took place on Monday in the Haute-Kotto region to the northeast of the CAR.
“Three armed elements were killed and one was captured,” the report reads.
The attack on the peacekeepers has been denounced as “outrageous” by Valentine Rugwabiza, the director of the UN mission in the Central African Republic.
Approximately 2,000 of the 17,000 UN forces in CAR are Rwandan.
Even though South Sudan is already 12 years old, the country’s independence day festivities may not be as boisterous as one may anticipate, And, since that historic referendum in 2011, the people of South Sudan have been waiting in line once more to elect their leaders after years of strife.
Previous attempts by the nation have failed, with security issues, a lack of funding, and other difficulties being cited. The most recent bid is scheduled for December 2024.
This week, President Salva Kiir promised that it will happen. “We are committed to implement the chapters in the Revitalised Peace Agreement as stated, and the election will take place in 2024,” President Kiir said on Monday, after his Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) endorsed him to run for president.
He did, however, acknowledge that it won’t be an easy journey to the polls.
Since the nation’s independence, he has served as its sole president; nevertheless, he has never been chosen. Since 2017, the nation has been unable to openly observe Independence Day due to financial restrictions brought on by a faltering economy. Some even questioned if the event was even necessary.
However, this anniversary comes at a moment when introspection is warranted: Will the nation be able to hold genuine elections in 17 months?
The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which helped bring together a coalition of President Kiir and former military leaders, is another issue that has to be addressed.
South Sudan’s permanent envoy to the African Union, James Morgan, predicts that Juba will prevail this time.
“South Sudan will hold its first democratic elections in 2024 bringing to an end the past years of political uncertainty, instability, and conflicts,” Mr. Morgan said.
The head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Hayson, expressed concern, however, that this year will be a “make-or-break” period for the country.
South Sudan must complete changes in the security sector, rehouse more than two million refugees in the surrounding nations, and create a permanent constitution in order to hold credible elections.
Maj-Gen (Rtd) Charles Gituai, the chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), stated to the UN Security Council on June 21 that the unification and redeployment of forces must be finished in order to provide election-related security; institutions involved with the preparation and conduct of elections, such as the Political Parties Council and the National Elections Commission must also be completed.
Completing a people-centered constitution to govern elections, implementing judicial reforms to strengthen the ability and independence of judicial institutions to handle election-related disputes, and enhancing the overall political and civic environment in which multiparty elections are held are the third and fourth requirements.
“The 2018 peace agreement legitimises the Transitional Government of National Unity and remains the most plausible blueprint for a peaceful transition. With prospects of elections looming only 18 months away, there is a need for our collective efforts to focus on South Sudan at this critical time and ensure that the Agreement is implemented in letter and spirit,” said Maj-Gen Gituai.
He added that over the past five years of the implementation of the agreement, South Sudan has enjoyed its longest period of relative peace and stability since its independence. However, the pace of implementation has been slow, as much of what was expected to have been implemented by the end of the stipulated 36 months of the transitional period was not achieved.
Consequently, the Revitalised Peace Agreement was extended for 24 months, from February 2023 to February 2025, to enable the completion of the unification of forces, the making of the permanent constitution, and to prepare for the conduct of credible, free, and fair elections in December 2024.
Overall, key achievements in the implementation include the fact that the parties have addressed the issues of governance with the executive and legislative arms of the transitional government having been established at both the national and state levels.
The dispute over the number of states was resolved, and the peace agreement was incorporated into the transitional constitution. Also, some crucial legal, judicial, and institutional reforms are ongoing.
There have also been security arrangements, with about 55,000 of the expected 83,000 unified have been trained.
These troops remain in their training areas awaiting deployment to their respective units. However, Phase 2 and the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process is yet to commence.
On humanitarian affairs, the opening of key humanitarian corridors has facilitated the return of some South Sudanese refugees and IDPs.
However, over 2 million South Sudan refugees are still stuck in neighbouring countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
Peter Biar Ajak, a South Sudanese peace activist, scholar, and former political prisoner says that over 80 percent desire that elections will be held so as to help South Sudan move forward. “But despite this excitement from the people of South Sudan to go to the ballot, many prerequisites remain outstanding and could hinder the conduct of free and fair elections,” he says.
Then there is the issue of the constitution which could take time.
The constitution will allow South Sudanese to debate and agree on critical issues of governance including: whether the country will have a presidential or a parliamentary system of governance; the nature of federal arrangement between the national government and sub-national units; term limits for executive and legislative posts; whether to adopt federalisms being agitated by holdout groups such as Gen Thomas Cirillo; the independence of judiciary and development of robust dispute resolution mechanisms.
Gen Gituai says that challenges abound. There is a trust deficit among the parties; a lack of adequate resources; a lack of capacity of some institutions relevant to the implementation of the peace agreement; persistent levels of inter-communal violence in the states; negative activities of the holdout groups, and natural calamities like floods.
“Without predictable and adequate funding, our assessment is that South Sudan will continue to struggle to adhere to the implementation schedule of the agreement Most recently, additional strain has been placed on humanitarian and other resources in South Sudan by the influx of refugees and returnees from the conflict in the Republic of Sudan,” said Gen Gituai.
The country needs at least $50 million for the National Election Commission (NEC) to conduct the general elections.
According to a new survey released by the UN Mission in South Sudan on June 21, the security situation in South Sudan declined in 2022 compared with 2021, with more than half of South Sudanese expressing concerns about their safety.
