As a result of John McGinn’s outstanding 30-yard goal, Aston Villa defeated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, dropping Chelsea into the bottom half of the Premier League standings and increasing the pressure on Graham Potter.
In front of an irate home crowd, the Villa captain scored 10 minutes after halftime to increase his team’s lead.
The Blues supporters had high expectations after four games during which they went undefeated in all competitions.
However, fans voiced their displeasure when Ollie Watkins stunned Potter’s team in the first half by capitalizing on an error by Marc Cucurella.
During the final siren, boos reverberated across the stadium as some fans yelled for Potter to be substituted as Chelsea’s goal-scoring woes raised their ugly heads once more.
Yet it could have been so different for the hosts had they tucked away an early gift.
Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez rolled the ball short to Boubacar Kamara, who dithered in possession and allowed Mykhailo Mudryk to nick it.
The home crowd sensed a first Chelsea goal for the Ukrainian but Martinez managed to divert his shot to safety.
Great 3 points away, against a good team, focused on the next game Tuesday. amazing fan for support 😍❤️👏🏻😃 pic.twitter.com/oBk8QdNI5B
Joao Felix showed quick, delicate feet inside the box to make space for a shot that Martinez did well to beat behind at his near post as the hosts rallied.
Mudryk’s moment finally appeared to have arrived soon after when he found space.
But he shot too early and the weak effort was easily gathered by Martinez.
Soon Chelsea’s pressure was relentless.
Ben Chilwell came close when he pulled away from McGinn down the left and struck a post, before Felix shot wide following a goalmouth scramble.
Martinez was required again, this time diving low to his left to keep out Kai Havertz’s clipped effort towards the bottom corner.
Potter’s team were on top but plenty of chances resulted in nothing more than frustration come the break.
McGinn’s goal after 55 minutes deepened their woes.
His whipped effort was hit crisply as Chelsea failed to clear a corner.
The blue shirts that flung themselves in front to try and block the shot did so in vain and the ball dropped beyond Arrizabalaga’s dive.
From there, Chelsea kept toiling, applying busy, urgent pressure, without any real penetration.
N’Golo Kante emerged from the bench to play his first minutes under Potter but there was to be no denying Unai Emery’s men.
To make matters worse for Potter, the result saw the Villans leapfrog his side as Chelsea slipped to 11th, a point behind Fulham following their defeat at Bournemouth.
According to the BBC, the World Bank’s president is worried about some of the loans China has been providing to developing nations in Africa.
The terms and conditions need to be “more transparent,” according to David Malpass.
It happens amid concerns that some nations, including Ghana and Zambia, are having trouble paying back their debts to China.
According to China, all such lending complies with international laws.
Developing nations frequently take out loans from foreign countries or multilateral organizations to fund economic growth-oriented industries like infrastructure, education, and agriculture.
However steep increases in interest rates in the US and other major economies over the last year are making loan repayments more expensive because lots of that borrowing is done in foreign currencies such as US dollars or euros.
It is a particularly acute problem for developing economies who can struggle to find the extra money that is required as the relative value of their own currency falls.
China refutes suggestions that it is exploiting other countries with its financial support.
At a press conference this week Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said China “respects the will of relevant countries, has never forced any party to borrow money, has never forced any country to pay, will not attach any political conditions to loan agreements, and does not seek any political self-interest”.
Image caption,Ghana’s Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta travelled to Beijing this month for talks on restructuring its debt repayments. The country also got $3bn from the IMF in December.
Mr Malpass said the problems were not unique to Chinese financing but things were improving.
“If you think of the history of Western lending, sometimes it’s not for the full benefit of the people in the countries [being lent to]. Even World Bank loans haven’t always been for the best that could have been done in a country.”
“So what we’re trying to do, and I think everyone should be trying to do, is improve the quality of the lending.
“One of the techniques is to unbundle the loan, meaning if there’s an investment project, let’s say you’re building a train, describe the project and what the cost will be. And then separately, arrange the financing.
“If you bundle them together, it makes it very hard to know, am I getting a good deal on the train or on the financing.”
Food and energy concerns
The outgoing World Bank president is also concerned that higher food, fertiliser and energy prices, as a result of the war in Ukraine, are sapping government budgets in poorer countries. While that could deepen the economic challenges they face there is relief that price rises are now starting to ease.
“The immediate crisis is over but one thing that’s been left is that countries didn’t use enough fertiliser, so their soil is depleted. So the yields are expected to be lower next year than normal.”
“So a farmer that was just making ends meet, she didn’t get fertiliser, and now her land is not as productive. And so where’s the food going to come from for the family and for the community? That’s the big immediate problem. What we’re trying to do is help countries directly with fertiliser [and] with food.”
Image caption,Many of the world’s poorest economies have been hit hard by higher food prices as a result of the war in Ukraine
The World Bank is concerned that these challenges will worsen a first-ever increase in the global extreme poverty rate – people getting by on less than $1.90 per day. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic it rose from 8.4% to 9.3%.
The planet’s leading development body hopes that its upcoming showpiece joint Spring Meetings with the IMF in Washington will help it raise more money to tackle its key mission.
“The ambition is there,” says Mr Malpass, “but the needs are much bigger than the amount of flows” of money coming in.
It is a “double whammy and it means that [economic] growth is going to be slower”, says Mr Malpass.
US-China rivalry
Tackling that challenge and its consequences was one of the main reasons for this week’s visit by US Vice-President Kamala Harris to three African countries. It is a visit that comes with big commitments of financial support to Tanzania and Ghana.
There is a growing rivalry with China for influence in the continent, whose abundance of natural resources include the metals, such as nickel, crucial for the batteries needed for technology such as electric cars.
Speaking in Ghana’s capital, Accra, she said “America will be guided not by what we can do for our African partners, but what we can do with our African partners”.
While highlighting a new nickel processing facility in Tanzania Ms Harris said the project would be supplying the US and other markets by 2026 and that it would “help address the climate crisis, build resilient global supply chains, and create new industries and jobs”.
Image caption,US Vice-President Kamala Harris was warmly welcomed in Ghana’s capital, Accra, by Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia as she sought to strengthen economic ties
That collaborative approach was praised by Mr Malpass who said the competition between the world’s two biggest economies was “maybe healthy for developing countries” as it provided different options.
“What I encourage strongly is that they be transparent in their contracts. That’s been one of the problems; if you write a contract and say ‘but don’t show it to anybody else’, that’s a minus. So get away from that.”
There was also a warning that “for governments in Africa, they shouldn’t be offering collateral as an inducement to make a loan, because it locks it up for generations. That’s been happening with China.”
Beijing has become one of the biggest sources for loans to developing economies in recent years. A new study led by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows that globally China lent $185bn (£150bn) in bailouts to 22 countries between 2016 and 2021.
Following his loss against Robeisy Ramirez for the WBO featherweight championship, Ghanaian fighter Isaac Dogboe has apologized.
Before the battle was over, the Cuban boxer had defeated Dogboe (25-3, 16 KOs), who had entered it with the intention of becoming a two-division world champion.
The 28-year-old had little chance of dominating Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs), who had the advantage over the Ghanaian from the outset.
After the battle, Dogboe called out his flaws.
“I’ll like to apologise to my coaches and to the people out there who wished me well. We didn’t get the result we wanted. But we’ll definitely be back,” he said.
“I fell short tonight. Congratulations to Robeisy Ramirez, he’s a terrific fighter. He’s a great guy. I was the aggressor [but] I guess I wasn’t aggressive enough.
“I guess I couldn’t push enough as we all would have loved me to push but I’ll be back.”
Taking command in the early stages, Ramirez delivered a hot uppercut that forced Dogboe to clinch in the second round, while the Ghanaian fighter was caught by a succession of precise left hands in the sixth round.
Dogboe dug deep in round eight, lashing back with body shots, but Ramirez kept him at bay with straight left hands before this potent punch knocked his opponent to the canvas in the closing round.
Following 12 rounds of action, the judges were unanimous in their decision, scoring it 117-110, 118-109, 119-108 all in favour of the Cuban, who now claims the vacant WBO featherweight title.
In order to celebrate Easter, Parliament has been suspended sine die.
This came after parliament passed three revenue laws that the government had submitted in an effort to increase domestic revenue mobilization.
Alban Bagbin, Speaker of the House, advised the MPs to avoid making decisions that would undermine the proceedings of the house at the following meeting in his concluding remarks to the chamber.
Mr. Bagbin said, “In spite of the shock we had during this meeting, I urge all to still continue to give thanks to almighty God because that is his will.”
“We have really endeared ourselves particularly the leaders, my deputies to try and build more consensus. But we have had some rather sometimes inexplicable U-turns. And that sometimes saddens me. I hope we will not go through this experience in the next meeting. You have shown that Friday you all came prepared to work hard. So are some of the ministers,” he said.
The Speaker expressed his appreciation to the leadership of both sides and the clerks.
“My gratitude goes to the two deputy speakers for always stepping in to preside anytime I’m not around. And my appreciation goes to the leadership of both sides we tried many times to come to a consensus before Parliament starts. Sometimes we will not be able to carry through. But I pray and hope that w will improve on it. I want to thank the clerk and his deputies and all MPs for what we have achieved so far,” he said.
He advised the MPs to take good care of themselves as they journey to their various constituencies.
“I wish you travelling mercies as you go to your constituencies. What happened on Friday was an accident. Value yourselves so make sure that we all come back to meet in great hope. I declare Parliament adjourned sine die,” the Speaker stated.
Parliament on Friday, March 31, passed the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill, 2022, the Ghana Revenue Authority Bill 2022 and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022.
The financial bills presented to Parliament by the government seek to rake in about 4 billion Ghana Cedis annually as part of domestic revenue mobilisation.
The bills are also crucial to aid the government’s quest to facilitate the Board Approval for the $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme staff-level agreement.
The Minority in Parliament earlier communicated its opposition to the bills.
The Member of Parliament for Nanton, Mohammed Hardi Tuferi was involved in an accident ahead of the crucial vote on the new revenue bills on Friday.
The MP who is a member of the Majority Caucus was however sent to Parliament via an ambulance to report to the leadership of the House and later sent to the hospital.
But the Speaker said nothing untoward was done in the passage of the controversial revenue bills despite the absence of the Member of Parliament for Nanton.
Following a string of tornadoes that tore through towns and cities in the South and Midwest of the United States, at least 26 people have died.
Storms devastated multiple states, destroying homes and leaving people without electricity.
The Washington Post reported that there were more than 60 tornado reports.
Weather-related fatalities have been reported in Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, among other states.
One storm tore into Wynne, Arkansas, a town located about 100 miles (170 km) east of Little Rock, the state capital.
Image caption,Wynne, Arkansas saw several deaths due to Friday’s tornado
Ashley Macmillan said she, her husband and their children huddled with their dogs in a small bathroom as a tornado passed, “praying and saying goodbye to each other, because we thought we were dead”.
A falling tree seriously damaged their home, but they were unhurt.
She told the AP news agency: “We could feel the house shaking, we could hear loud noises, dishes rattling. And then it just got calm.”
Lisa Worden, a teacher at Wynne High School, said a decision to send pupils home early was critical.
“We got out at 1:30, which was such a God blessing from our superintendent, because otherwise kids would have been on busses and teachers would have still been here. And so that would have been even more devastating,” she told Reuters news agency.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency in the state of Arkansas on Friday, with the national guard activated to help with recovery efforts.
Image caption,Wynne’s high school suffered heavy damage from the tornado
She said she had spoken to President Joe Biden about the situation, who promised federal aid.
Friday’s storms also led to the collapse of a theatre roof at a packed heavy metal gig in Belvidere, Illinois state, leading to one death and 28 injuries.
As storms continue to work their way east, hundreds of thousands of people are without power across several states.
Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania are the worst affected, according to the US PowerOutage website.
In a bulletin, the Storm Prediction Center warned some of the projected tornadoes could track across the ground for long distances.
Image caption,Investigators look over the Apollo Theater following a tornado in Belvidere, Illinois
The deadly tornadoes come a week after a rare, long-track twister killed 26 people in Mississippi.
The Mississippi tornado last week travelled 59 miles (94km) and lasted about an hour and 10 minutes – an unusually long period of time for a storm to sustain itself. It damaged about 2,000 homes, officials said.
President Biden visited the state on Friday to pay his condolences.
Ghana’s Isaac Dogboe was unsuccessful in his bid to win the WBO Featherweight world title after losing to Cuban Robeisy Ramirez.
Ramirez rocked Dogboe in the opening rounds of their highly contested battle in Tulsa, Oklahoma, early on Sunday morning. As a result, Dogboe was never in control of the bout.
The judges reached a unanimous verdict after 12 rounds of exhausting combat, awarding the Cuban the vacant WBO featherweight title with scores of 117-110, 118-109, and 119-108.
The first sign of a long night in store for Dogboe came midway through round two. Ramirez landed a left hand around the high and tight guard of Dogboe, later followed by a left uppercut at close quarters. Dogboe was visibly affected by the shot, missing wildly with a reactionary right hand after which he wisely clinched to avoid further punishment.
Ramirez used more movement in round three. The Cuban southpaw constantly circled Dogboe and potshotted with left hands and right hooks. Dogboe enjoyed his best moment of the fight to that point when a right hand landed to the body after Ramirez overcommitted on a straight left.
🇬🇭Isaac Dogboe misses an opportunity to become WBO featherweight Champion after losing to 🇨🇺Ramirez via Unanimous Decision.
Momentum quickly shifted back in favor of Ramirez early in round four. Dogboe was well short with his power shots while Ramirez fought behind the jab before landing a flurry of punches upstairs. Dogboe briefly caught Ramirez with a right hand and later launched a series of power shots beginning at the one-minute mark of round four, though all were picked off by Ramirez’s gloves during the sequence. Ramirez landed a jab and a straight left in the closing seconds, while Dogboe missed with a right hand.
Dogboe was urged by head trainer Barry Hunter to cease showing Ramirez more respect than necessary. Dogboe did his best to carry out those marching orders but couldn’t manage more than a couple of right hands early in round five. Ramirez kept everything tight down the middle, and even rode out and picked off a late flurry by Dogboe before the bell.
Ramirez continued to land the more potent blows and at the higher clip in round six. Dogboe walked in a straight line in an effort to land his right hand. He would eventually get through but not before he would get picked apart by straight lefts by Ramirez, who landed a startling 21-of-35 power punches in the round.
Dogboe connected with an overhand right that briefly froze Ramirez in place in the seventh. Ramirez recovered but offered a more defensively responsible approach throughout the rest of the frame. Dogboe switched to southpaw inside the final minute but it didn’t produce any favorable results.
— JCalderonBoxingTalk (@Jcalderonboxing) April 2, 2023
Ramirez was momentarily forced to fight in reverse as Dogboe targeted the body in round eight. Ramirez settled down and landed a straight left to put Dogboe on his heels midway through the round.
The same trend developed for Dogboe in round ten. The squat former titlist began with good intentions but without landing anything of note. Ramirez simply moved to his left and positioned himself for straight left hands and the occasional combination straight down the middle. Dogboe picked up the pace late in the round but was mostly catching gloves or air.
Ramirez added to his lead in the proverbial championship rounds. Dogboe stood directly in front of the taller Ramirez, who slammed home a one-two down the middle. Dogboe remained upright, though it wasn’t the case in the twelfth and final round. A left hand by Ramirez produced the bout’s lone knockdown, which came at a point when he was seemingly well ahead on the scorecards.
Dogboe was forced to show mettle as the fight was badly out of reach. Ramirez landed a head-snapping left hand as he slickly dodged Dogboe’s power shots as the bout trickled toward the finish line.
Dogboe fell to 24-3 (15KOs) with the loss, his first since moving up to featherweight on the other side of the pandemic. All three defeats have come at the title level, though his past three wins all came down to majority or split decisions versus fringe contenders.
The charismatic Ghanaian has yet to recapture the magic that came with his brief yet explosive WBO junior featherweight title run. It remains to be seen where his career heads beyond Saturday evening, though there is concern that he has hit his ceiling at featherweight.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has denied claims made by clients of the now-defunct Blackshield/Gold Coast Fund Management Company that the regulator is withholding their money from them even though it has been authorized by Parliament.
Although certain funds have been approved by parliament, according to the SEC, they are not only intended to be used to compensate the clients of the long-gone Gold Coast Fund Management Company.
“The purported release of ¢5.5 billion approved by Parliament was for all investors of the 47 companies that had claimed by investors and not for Blackshield/Gold Coast investors only”, a statement issued by SEC said.
It added that all investors with validated claims have been contacted by Amalgamated Fund and GCB Capital Ltd., the entities managing the implementation of the Bailout.
The statement explained that government is yet to release the full ¢5.5 billion to the implementing agencies of the Bailout.
“The update received by the SEC from the implementing agencies of the Bailout is that so far, ¢ 4.6 billion has been allocated as follows: ¢ 3.1 billion to Amalgamated Fund Tier 1 payments and ¢1.45 billion assigned to Amalgamated Fund Tier 2 payments”.
Providing more details, the SEC said the disbursement includes the partial bailout programme which entailed the payment of a sum of up to ¢50,000 to clients of Blackshield/Gold Coast and other companies who had not received Winding up orders from the Court by October 2020 but whose claims had been validated.
The total amount paid to Blackshield clients in the partial bailout is ¢1.34 billion covering a total of 73,541 investors. Out of this amount, a total amount of ¢757,539,141 has been used to fully settle 61,734 customers of Blackshield.
The statement pointed out that the decision to disburse bailout funds after validation of claims and an Official Winding-up order by the Court was to ensure that all claims are verified, and the assets and liabilities of the companies are transferred to the Registrar of Companies.
“In compliance with the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Act, 2020 (Act 1015), as amended by the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring (Amendment) Act 2020 (Act 1031), an Official Winding-up order can only be granted by a Court hence the ongoing court process between the Office of the Registrar of Companies and Blackshield/ Gold Coast. The SEC has complied fully with Blackshield/Gold Coast request for documents and is not delaying the court process”.
It stated that the Office of the Registrar of Companies has been granted 44 Official Winding-up orders by the Court and only 2 are outstanding, namely Blackshield Fund Management Company (formerly Gold Coast) and Kron Capital Ltd.
“The SEC has therefore cooperated with the court process to date and will continue to do so. The SEC wishes to inform clients of Blackshield that the firm’s lawyers were granted access to all documents when Blackshield appealed the revocation decision in November 2019. The server with critical information for Blackshield/Gold Coast was in the custody of Blackshield/Gold Coast from the date of revocation 8th November 2019 until SEC sought the help of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to retrieve the server in August 2020”.
“It is erroneous to accuse the SEC of delaying a process that it has cooperated with in good faith. The SEC wishes to appeal to all affected clients to remain calm and rely only on information provided by the SEC and the Official Liquidator”.
Inusah Fuseini, a former chairman of the Law Constitutional Committee of Parliament, is advocating for the repeal of Article 71 in the 1992 constitution.
Speaking on JoyNews, he noted that the conditions stated in Article 71 created room for discrimination against some public officers.
According to him, Article 71 officeholders are also public officers, and the provisions of Article 71 enabled the Article 71 officeholders to receive preferential treatment.
This, he pointed out, contradicted Article 17 of the Constitution, which spells out that there must be equality before the law, thus his advocating for the removal of Article 71.
“Article 71 should be deleted in its entirety because it appears to me to be it is inconsistent with article 17 of the constitution, which deals with non-discrimination,” he said.
“All officers under article 71 are public officers, and so there should not be discrimination between the Article 71 office holders and all other office holders,” he added.
Additionally, Mr Fuseini stated that he believed that the Independent Emolument Committee has been recommended by the constitution review committee for Article 71 to be examined and substituted with a different arrangement.
Article 71 of the Ghanaian Constitution notes that the President must decide on the wages and benefits of those holding Article 71 offices based on the recommendations of a committee of no more than five people that he has appointed and that acts on the Council of State’s advise.
The President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House, Chief Justice, and Justices of the Supreme Court are all members of the Article 71 offices.
The Japanese government says it intends to impose limits on some exports of components used to make computer chips following similar actions by the US and the Netherlands.
23 different types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment will be affected by the regulations.
The US and China are embroiled in a nasty trade war over semiconductors, which power everything from mobile phones to military weapons.
As a result of export restrictions put in place by Washington, China has frequently referred to the US as a “tech hegemony.”
China or the US were not mentioned in the trade and industry ministry of Japan’s statement from Friday.
“We are fulfilling our responsibility as a technological nation to contribute to international peace and stability,” the ministry said.
The policy will be subject to public comment, with plans to implement it in July.
Japanese trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters that the move was not coordinated with US restrictions.
“If our exports are not being reappropriated for military use, we will continue exporting. We believe the impact on companies will be limited,” Mr Nishimura added.
The announcement came as Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was due to visit Beijing at the weekend.
Mr Hayashi said he will meet his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang for “an honest and frank discussion to create a constructive and stable relationship”.
Japan’s restrictions will apply to equipment supplied by major technology companies including Tokyo Electron and Nikon.
They will affect exports ranging from tools which are used to clean silicon wafers to immersion lithography machines.
Lithography machines use lasers to print miniscule patterns on silicon as part of the manufacturing process of microchips.
In October, Washington announced that it would require licences for companies exporting chips to China using US tools or software, no matter where they are made in the world.
The US had also called on the Netherlands and Japan to adopt similar restrictions.
This month, the Dutch government said it would put restrictions on the country’s “most advanced” microchip technology exports to protect national security.
Dutch trade minister Liesje Schreinemacher said the measures will affect “very specific technologies in the semiconductor production cycle”.
She added that the government had considered “the technological developments and geopolitical context,” without naming China or Dutch chip equipment maker ASML.
ASML is one of the most important firms in the global microchip supply chain. It makes machines that produce the world’s most advanced chips.
Manchester City overcame Erling Haaland’s absence to thrash rivals Liverpool 4-1, maintaining pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal.
In the start of the second half, City took a commanding lead thanks to goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan. Jack Grealish then sealed the victory in Saturday’s thrilling match at the Etihad Stadium.
Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool an early lead; they are accustomed to being City’s main rivals for the championship. Nevertheless, Julian Alvarez, who replaced Haaland, promptly equalized, and the visitors were fatigued after the half.
With champions City now 22 points ahead of the team who pushed them to the wire last season, the final score highlighted the distance that has grown between the clubs this season.
The prolific Haaland, who has scored 42 goals for City this season in all competitions, had received a lot of attention in the run-up to the game regarding his physical condition.
The Norwegian struggled to heal from a groin issue in time, but he undoubtedly watched from a private box with joy as his teammates succeeded in his absence.
Early on, the hosts made their intentions clear. Gundogan got into a fantastic position but mishandled a volley, Rodri shot at Alisson Becker, and Riyad Mahrez curled a free-kick just wide.
Yet Liverpool showed fight at first and, although Darwin Nunez was only deemed fit enough for a substitute role, were a danger on the break.
Salah served warning when he had a shot blocked and then made no mistake after another quick counter-attack in the 17th minute.
Trent Alexander-Arnold launched a ball to Diogo Jota from deep and the Portuguese held it up in the area for Salah to race onto and thump a shot into the top corner.
It could have quickly got worse for City but they survived another scare and then levelled after a brilliant, and game-changing, couple of minutes from Grealish.
irstly he was the only City player to get back as Salah broke clear again and he made a timely interception as the Egyptian looked to play in Jota.
Moments later Grealish was involved at the other end, this time laying off a neat first-time cross for World Cup-winner Alvarez to turn home at close range.
Tensions threatened to boil over in the closing stages of the first half after Rodri was booked for pulling back Jota but not for repeating the offence on Cody Gakpo. Manuel Akanji and Jordan Henderson also got involved in a running battle.
The interval brought a refocusing on the football and City were quickly into their stride as Mahrez found space on the right and centred for the inrushing De Bruyne to turn in.
Gakpo was brilliantly denied by Ederson at the other end but City were relentless and took a firm grip on the game by grabbing their third after 53 minutes.
Alexander-Arnold stretched to block Alvarez’s initial shot but the ball rolled to Gundogan and the German could hardly miss from close range.
The double blow took the wind out of Liverpool’s challenge and a dominant City eventually grabbed a fourth when Grealish combined with De Bruyne to slide home and cap a fine individual display.
It was a thoroughly professional performance by City from a potentially difficult fixture but they will hope the wounded Reds can rally against Arsenal next week.
Lawyer and Researcher, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, says the amendment of the current constitution must be a collective responsibility and not a project assigned to a few individuals.
According to Mr Barker-Vormawor, should the amendment of the constitution be left in the hands of a few, it would be brought back as constitution without a “soul”.
“When we call for a new Constitution, we are calling for something much more than gathering a few lawyers, a few article 71 office holders and a few friends of the regime who will huddle in a Kempinski Conference room; to produce for us another document without a soul, just like our current one.”
“A new Constitution is a process! Not an event. It is an opportunity to rebuild our society’s belief and desire for change from the ground up. We must knock on every door; we must engage every citizen and we must implant in all of us a new belief for change,” he added while speaking on JoyNews.
According to him, the rhetoric that the 1992 constitution is perfect and that Ghanaians are bad people should be entirely ignored and treated with the contempt it deserves.
“In all my life and that of those before, I have never seen any nation built out of angels and a people without blemish,” he said.
He noted that those who often advance this argument are people “whose palm kernels have been cracked by the benevolence of the gluttony that this era has enabled. They have made themselves rich from the profligacy of this era of greed, and now they shape-shift as intellectual apostles whose only aim and ambition is to preserve a status-quo that has dealt very well with them.”
He warned that their tactic is one to demoralize well-meaning Ghanaians seeking change to stray from their path and accept the status quo to their own detriment.
“Instead by making you doubt the urgency of your aspirations; by invalidating your dreams and your equal claim to re-imagining a better society; they succeed in preserving the status quo. Be wary of them,” he warned.
Despite rumors linking him to the open position of head coach for Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti has stated he wants to stay at Real Madrid but has also acknowledged “the future is unknown.”
Since previous coach Tite left after the 2022 World Cup, Ancelotti’s name has been closely associated with the Selecao, and some of his Brazilian players at Madrid have spoken candidly about it during the gap in international play.
Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), recently expressed interest in naming the former manager of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain as the future coach of the national team.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday ahead of Madrid’s LaLiga clash with Real Valladolid, Ancelotti seemed to pledge his allegiance to Los Blancos, though stopped short of confirming he would not ultimately take the Brazil role.
“The only thing that concerns me right now is to be successful with this club,” he said.
“I will remain here for as long as Real Madrid want me to. I feel affection from the president, from the players, from the fans.
“Also the atmosphere here is quite calm, quite good, and we have two months ahead in which we will try to win some titles and hopefully I will continue here as Real Madrid head coach.”
He added: “The truth is that the Brazil national team wants me, they are interested in me and I love that. But then you have to respect contracts and there’s a current contract with Real Madrid and I would like to continue here.”
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 1, 2023
The 63-year-old has a deal at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2024, but despite winning LaLiga, the Supercopa de Espana and the Champions League last season, has come under some pressure after falling away from Barcelona in the title race this time round.
“Everyone can think or say what they want, but reality is reality,” he said. “In this case it’s quite simple, I have a contract with Real Madrid and I want to continue here.
“I love this club and everything that can happen later, I don’t know. The future is unknown.”
Ancelotti also insisted the rumours about him and some of his players whose contract situations remain up in the air is not affecting preparations as the club aim to end the campaign strongly in the league, Copa del Rey and Champions League.
“We do not talk about these rumours in the dressing room, all we are focused on is Valladolid, Barcelona, Chelsea – all these big games coming up,” he said.
Following a Romanian judge’s decision, controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were transferred from detention to house arrest.
The most recent period of imprisonment, which was scheduled to end on April 29, has been replaced by the Court of Appeal’s decision in Bucharest.
Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu, two coworkers, are also getting their freedom.
Unless they obtain legal authority to leave, all four of them have been told to remain in the residences they currently occupy.
A spokeswoman for the Tate brothers told the BBC the brothers were “ecstatic”.
After being released, Andrew posted a video of himself pacing in a room while smoking a cigar, saying: “Since last year I’ve been in 24-hour lockdown. No yard time.
“Pacing a 3-metre cell with zero electronics or outside contact. Absolute clarity of mind. Real thoughts. Real plans. Vivid pain. One hour home and I can’t stand my phone.
“Some habits die hard. We must defeat Shaytan.”
Tristan, meanwhile, tweeted: “4 months without putting on a pair of alligator shoes. The struggle was real.”
The brothers have been detained since December. They are being investigated on allegations of rape, people trafficking and forming an organised crime group. Both have denied wrongdoing.
Lawyers for the Tates argued that keeping them in preventative custody was unnecessarily harsh, when other judicial options such as house arrest were available.
Leaked court documents, seen by the BBC, outlined testimony from alleged victims claiming to be forced to earn €10,000 (£8,800) a month on social media platforms, under the alleged threat of physical violence.
Court papers also described debts being used as “a form of psychological coercion”. Since investigations began last April, six women have been identified by prosecutors as victims.
However, no charges have been brought against the brothers or the two Romanian associates who were arrested alongside them.
In 2016, Andrew Tate, a British-American former kickboxer, was removed from British TV show Big Brother over a video which appeared to show him attacking a woman.
He went on to gain notoriety online, with Twitter banning him for saying women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. He has since been reinstated.
Despite social media bans, he gained popularity, particularly among young men, by promoting what he presented as a hyper-masculine, ultra-luxurious lifestyle.
The court hearing for Donald Trump has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Federal agents will be waiting to guard the former president as he flies in on his own jet from Florida to turn himself in.
In relation to a $130,000 (£105,000) payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, a grand jury has indicted Mr. Trump.
The allegations haven’t been made public yet, and Mr. Trump’s attorney claimed on Friday that he hasn’t even read the indictment.
According to a law enforcement source who spoke to CBS, Mr. Trump is anticipated to take his private jet to New York on Monday before turning himself in to authorities on Tuesday.
The process is likely to involve dozens or possibly hundreds of Secret Service agents, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Mr Trump will not be handcuffed, the official added, saying that shackles are typically only used on suspects who are thought to be a flight or safety risk.
The hearing is due to take place at 14:15 local time (19:15GMT).
Mr Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told ABC News that Mr Trump will “probably” appear in court on Tuesday, “but nothing is certain”.
Prosecutors “will try and get every ounce of publicity they can from this thing”, he said, adding “the president will not be put in handcuffs”.
“I understand they’re going to be closing off blocks around the courthouse, shutting down the courthouse,” he continued.
Security is being co-ordinated by the FBI, NYPD, Secret Service and New York City court officers.
Sources tell CBS that they are bracing for possible scenarios that include attacks against Mr Trump, prosecutors, jurors or members of the public. The district attorney’s office has received “many threats”, the sources said.
Image caption,Members of law enforcement were seen discussing security near the courthouse on Friday
On Friday morning, the streets around the courthouse were calm but the barricades were going up in anticipation of what may come next week.
Police officers were on patrol and security plans were being put into place. Many expect the area to go into lockdown when the former president attends court.
The district attorney’s office had initially asked Mr Trump to surrender on Friday, according to Politico, but the request was rejected because more time was needed for security preparations.
Mr Trump, 76, denies wrongdoing. He is the first serving or former US president to face a criminal charge.
It is unclear how many charges are contained in the indictment, which is still sealed.
Media reports have said the ex-president faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud and Mr Tacopina said on Thursday he thought there would be 34. But on Friday, he said he did not know how many.
“We know what the subject matter is, we know the basis of the charges. We don’t know the exact counts or how they’re formulated,” he said.
On Friday Mr Trump began attacking the judge assigned to his case in an effort to undermine the credibility of the investigation and rally his base to his defence.
Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – have accused the Manhattan district attorney of weaponising the criminal justice system to influence next year’s presidential election. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who Mr Trump recently suggested should run for Senate, called on followers to protest and said she plans to be present in New York next week.
In response, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the charges had been brought by citizens of New York doing their civic duty – and neither the former president nor Congress could interfere with proceedings.
In Washington, the US Capitol Police, which are tasked with safeguarding lawmakers in Congress, said the force believes protests will take place across the country and have plans in place to increase security at the US Capitol.
In 2016 adult film star Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets offering to sell her account of what she said was an adulterous affair she had with Mr Trump in 2006 – the year after he married his current wife, Melania.
Mr Trump’s team got wind of this and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to Ms Daniels to keep quiet. This is not illegal.
However, when Mr Trump reimbursed Mr Cohen, the record for the payment says it was for legal fees. Prosecutors say this amounts to Mr Trump falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanour – a criminal offence – in New York.
Image caption,A Secret Service agent guards Mr Trump’s Florida home
President Joe Biden declined to comment on the indictment, despite being pressed on the issue by journalists as he left the White House on a trip to Mississippi.
Mr Tacopina said Mr Trump was being “pursued by a prosecutor who has obviously very diverse political views from the president. So it’s a very troubling case”.
He said the former president was “not worried at all” about the charges.
“He’s upset, angry. He’s being persecuted politically. That is clear to many people, not only on the Right but on the Left.”
Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici has resigned from his position while the club awaits the resolution of his appeal against a global football ban.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) suspended Paratici for 30 months in January, and FIFA confirmed on Wednesday that the ban would apply to all football worldwide.
Because of the abrupt timing of the notification, Spurs released a statement stating that they were “urgently seeking further clarification from FIFA” regarding Paratici’s predicament.
The 50-year-appeal old’s will be heard on April 19, but Tottenham said on Friday that he will take a leave of absence from his duties until then.
“In view of FIFA’s decision, Fabio has agreed with the club that he will take an immediate leave of absence pending the outcome of his appeal,” a Spurs statement read.
Paratici was one of 11 individuals banned by the FIGC in January after Juventus were found guilty of alleged breaches in relation to historical transfer dealings.
Juve were docked 15 points in Serie A as part of the punishment, with Paratici and the club denying any wrongdoing and lodging an appeal to the Italian Olympic Committee.
Then-chairman Andrea Agnelli and former director Pavel Nedved were hit with 24 and eight month bans respectively, which they are also appealing in April.
Paratici’s leave of absence comes at a time when the club are on the lookout for a new head coach following the sacking of Antonio Conte last week.
Iranian authorities have made it clear that they are determined to make the headscarf a requirement for women.
It happens following months of demonstrations calling for the prohibition to be lifted.
an absolute A member of parliament in Iran has given the judiciary 48 hours to develop methods to stop women from disobeying the laws governing headscarves.
The widespread protests that broke out in Iran in September have currently been largely put an end by force.
But some women still disobey the laws requiring them to cover their heads in public. Videos and images shared online demonstrate the pervasiveness of rage and discontent with the restrictions in Iranian society.
A video posted this week shows a man throwing a tub of yogurt in the face of an unveiled woman. His action was met with outrage by male and female bystanders.
Protests swept across the Islamic Republic following the death in September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman detained by morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”.
The interior ministry announced this week that there would be no retreat or tolerance on the issue. The statement said that the hijab remained an essential element of Islamic law and as such would remain one of the key principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The unyielding rhetoric echoed that of the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, who recently said that women who do not wear the head covering would be prosecuted without mercy.
Now, a hardline MP has said that legislative measures must be taken to enforce what he called the “divine decree” of the hijab.
Hossein Ali Haji Deligani said that if the judiciary did not provide such action within the next 48 hours, then MPs would put in motion a bill to fill the legal vacuum.
He said that it would be in line with a report by the parliamentary cultural commission on “chastity and the hijab”.
The protests widened to encompass calls for a complete overhaul of the Islamic Republic – but it remained rooted in the issue of the hijab.
The image of Mahsa Amini has remained the most potent symbol of the movement, which for a while was able to shake the foundations of the theocracy that has ruled Iran for more than 40 years.
Energy companies British Gas, Eon, and Scottish Power were unsuccessful in their court battle to prevent rival Octopus Energy from purchasing bankrupt supplier Bulb.
The greatest of more than 30 energy companies that failed in 2021 as a result of a steep increase in wholesale gas prices was Bulb, which had around 1.6 million clients.
After being bailed out by taxpayers, Bulb was sold to Octopus by the government.
Competing businesses claimed the sale was unjust, but the High Court rejected their claim.
Lord Justice Singh and Mr. Justice Foxton ruled on Friday that the rival suppliers’ claims were not “reasonably arguable.”
The judges said the government could lawfully conclude that the Bulb bidding process was “open, non-discriminatory and competitive”.
They added that ministers and officials could “treat the only bid which had emerged from the process as a fair reflection of the value which the market placed on Bulb’s business in the prevailing circumstances”.
The judges also said it was open to ministers to find that “other options were inferior to proceeding with the Octopus bid, involving significant execution risks and higher forecast costs”.
Following the ruling, Octopus said the High Court’s findings were “clear” in that the firm “paid a fair price for Bulb in an open and competitive process”.
“It’s clear that the case was a desperate attempt by those organisations to defend their waning market positions against a more efficient and customer-focused rival,” the company said.
“Fair play won. After more than a year of uncertainty, it’s a huge relief for Bulb’s employees and customers and good news for taxpayers,” added Octopus founder and chief executive Greg Jackson.
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, said the ruling was “disappointing”, while Eon chief executive Michael Lewis said the company remained “concerned about the amount of taxpayers’ money that has been used to subsidise the deal”.
The three major suppliers previously claimed the government’s handling of an “unfair sale process” led to decisions “to commit billions of pounds of taxpayer money to facilitate the acquisition of a failed business” by Octopus Energy. They also alleged the decision-making process was “flawed and unlawful”.
Both Centrica and Eon said they would consider their next steps, but it was reported that Scottish Power will not seek to appeal against the ruling.
A Department for Energy Security spokesperson welcomed the judgment.
“The court has confirmed the robustness and legality of the Secretary of State’s actions in respect of the sale and administration of Bulb,” they added.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) originally estimated that the rescue of Bulb could cost tax payers up to £6.5bn – making it the biggest bailout since the bank rescues during the 2008 financial crisis.
In March, the OBR revised this down to £3bn due to wholesale energy prices dropping, but this week a report from the National Audit Office, suggested the government may recoup the costs by Octopus paying back the cash it spent on buying energy for Bulb’s customers.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s historic appearance for Portugal was lavishly hailed by Al Nassr.
Given his unwavering dedication to his sport, Ronaldo might not have eaten the cake he was given on Friday.
Al Nassr was jubilant with the 38-year-old breaking the record for most men’s international appearances.
On March 23, when Ronaldo made his 197th appearance for Portugal, he scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Liechtenstein.
Al Nassr commemorated that accomplishment as well as Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s 25th birthday.
“Today, we celebrate a record and birthday,” the club tweeted. “The record of most capped player in international football [and] the birthday of a talented Saudi player.”
Publishers have filed a lawsuit against Google to recover $4.2 billion ($3.4 billion) in lost revenue.
Charles Arthur, a former technology editor for the Guardian, claims that Google illegally limited the amount of money publishers could make from internet advertisements by abusing its dominant position in the market.
Google declared that it will vehemently oppose the “speculative and opportunistic” action.
Following the filing of a related lawsuit in November, this is the second instance of its kind.
Claudio Pollack, a former director of Ofcom, filed the lawsuit and is suing the Internet giant for up to £13.6 billion in damages.
The cases concern advertising technology – adtech – that decides in a fraction of a second which online adverts consumers will see, how much they will cost, and how much publishers will earn.
Online display advertising is the main source of income for many websites.
The UK competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is also investigating Google’s dominance in advertising technology.
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday, Mr Arthur claims that because of Google’s abuse of its position, the prices of adtech services were inflated, and ad sales revenues of publishers were unlawfully reduced.
“The CMA is currently investigating Google’s anti-competitive conduct in adtech, but they don’t have the power to make Google compensate those who have lost out. We can only right that wrong through the courts, which is why I am bringing this claim,” he wrote.
On Tuesday, Google asked a court to dismiss the case – arguing that the US government had overstated its hold on the market.
In 2021 the French competition regulator, Autorité de la concurrence, fined Google €220m for favouring its own services in the online advertising sector.
While Jürgen Klopp tries to restore the struggling Premier League giants, Liverpool will be seeking to spend at the end of the current campaign.
Merseysiders are now in sixth place and out of all other competitions after finishing second in the league with 92 points previous season and making it to three cup finals, winning two of them.
Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund and Mason Mount of Chelsea, among others, have been linked to Liverpool, and it’s estimated that the two Englishmen may fetch up to £200 million in total.
When asked about specifics prior to his team’s trip to Manchester City, Klopp declined, although he did state that the club intends to be active when the transfer market reopens.
“I will not answer the question [about potentially spending nine figures on one player] because we never speak about these kind of things,” the Reds manager said.
“We will spend in the summer, that’s what I can say, definitely. For who and how many and stuff like this, there is nothing to say about that really.”
Klopp is in the process of trying to create his next team at Anfield, having brought in Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo in the last two years, but with ageing stars – particularly in midfield – recognises the need for more work.
“It’s clear after a specific amount of time that you need to shuffle things and kind of start anew. That is completely normal,” he added.
“It’s just rare nowadays that it happens with the same manager because people realise when you sack a manager and bring in a new manager, things change and you readjust the squad.
“After seven years it was clear that we have to do it. There is a moment when you have to make changes.
“We are not where we want to be, where we should be and where we have to be.”
Three years after it formally left the European Union, the UK has agreed to join a trade agreement with 11 countries in Asia and the Pacific.
By lowering tariffs on products like cheese, vehicles, chocolate, machinery, gin, and whisky, joining the group will increase UK exports, according to the government.
But, according to the government’s own projections, joining the bloc will only increase the UK’s economy by 0.08%.
500 million people live in the market that is covered by the trading region.
Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam are participants in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, which was founded in 2018.
Membership of the CPTPP loosens restrictions on trade between members and reduce tariffs – a form of border tax – on goods.
Together, the 11 members account for about 13% of the world’s income and after 21 months of negotiations, the UK has become the first European country to join.
The government said the agreement was the UK’s “biggest trade deal since Brexit”.
However, the gains for the UK from joining are expected to be modest. The UK already has free trade deals with all of the members except Brunei and Malaysia, some of which were rolled over from its previous membership of the EU.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal demonstrated the “real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms”.
“As part of CPTPP, the UK is now in a prime position in the global economy to seize opportunities for new jobs, growth and innovation,” he said.
“British businesses will now enjoy unparalleled access to markets from Europe to the south Pacific.”
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the agreement was like “buying a start-up”.
“This is not to replace EU trade, this is in addition. We are still in a free trade agreement with the EU,” she told Radio 4’s Today programme.
“You wouldn’t buy a small company like that and expect it to be delivering on the day – we are thinking about the potential,” she said, adding that in seven years “40% of the world’s middle class is going to come from that region”.
Ms Badenoch denied there would be any hit to UK agriculture, saying the deal would “create new markets” for farmers.
Labour’s shadow international trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the UK joining the CPTPP was “encouraging”, but added that questions remain on “consumer safety, food safety, data protection and environmental protections”.
The government said other “benefits” of being in the bloc included, a boost to the services sector, by UK firms not being required to establish a local office or be resident to supply a service, meaning they will be on a par with local firms.
The government said it and CPTPP members would make the final legal and administrative steps required for the UK to formally sign in 2023.
At least four people were killed overall on Friday when a string of violent tornadoes tore through various US states.
As a storm in Illinois caused a theater’s roof to fall during a packed heavy metal concert, one person was murdered and numerous others were hurt.
According to the local fire brigade, some 260 people were inside the Apollo Theater in Belvidere when the roof collapsed at 19:55 local time (01:05 BST).
Five victims, according to fire chief Shawn Schadle, were in critical condition.
There have been reports of significant damage across the South and Midwest, and Arkansas and Missouri have both declared states of emergency as a result. Many were left without electricity.
A major tornado tore through the Arkansas state capital Little Rock, flipping cars, smashing roofs and toppling trees. Local officials said one person was killed and the city’s mayor reported that at least 24 people were injured.
The state’s governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, confirmed the deaths of two people in the town of Wynne, some 100 miles (170km) from Little Rock.
More than 40 tornado reports were made across six states on Friday night, according to the US government’s Storm Prediction Center.
Several flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport were delayed or cancelled as passengers were told to take shelter due to what it described as “severe weather”.
In Tennessee, Covington Mayor Jan Hensley pleaded with people not to “drive around” as power lines had been hit by storms.
The Covington Police Department described the city as “impassable” sharing photos of roads blocked by downed power poles and large trees toppled in front of homes.
Mrs Huckabee Sanders deployed the National Guard after what she described as “significant damage” in central Arkansas.
As of 20:30 local time, more than 70,000 in her state were without electricity, according to the US power outage website.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock said it was expecting at least 15-20 patients.
Baptist Health Medical Center, the state’s biggest hospital, said it had five patients in a critical condition.
The night of deadly tornadoes comes just one week after a rare, long-track twister killed 26 people in Mississippi.
President Joe Biden visited the state on Friday to pay his condolences and promise federal aid.
In a bulletin the Storm Prediction Center warned some of the projected tornadoes could track across the ground for long distances.
The Mississippi tornado last week travelled 59 miles (94km) and lasted about an hour and 10 minutes – an unusually long period of time for a storm to sustain itself. It damaged about 2,000 homes, officials said.
Image caption,Tornado damage in ArkansasImage caption,Debris strewn across a road in Little Rock, Arkansas
Pope Francis made light of his three-day hospital stay by joking that he is “still alive.”
He had trouble breathing when he was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Wednesday, and bronchitis was later determined to be the cause.
If the findings of his most recent test permitted it, the Vatican had earlier declared that the pontiff would be discharged on Saturday.
Before being transported away, the 86-year-old Pope told reporters outside the hospital, “I wasn’t frightened, I’m still alive.”
Before stepping out to address the crowd, he was spotted smiling and waving from the automobile. Afterwards, he started toward the Vatican.
Prior to the busiest week in the Christian calendar, which is Easter week, the Pope was admitted to the hospital.
Holy Week, as it is known, includes a busy schedule of events and services that can be physically demanding.
The Argentine pontiff, who marked 10 years as head of the Catholic Church earlier this month, has suffered a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21.
Speaking on JoyNews on Thursday, he said that “I say there are technical reasons, past and present why it is draconian. A measure that was in SMCD 5 (Supreme Military Council Decree 5) is being brought back in this day and electronic age.”
According to him, per the tax, “any business that does not declare profit in five years would have to pay a certain tax compulsorily.”
“Where are tax audits, where is the data? The tax audit is going to examine the records for this and if there is a reason they are not paying. Another one, minimum taxes are coming back where you are going to be paying a tax irrespective of business size, it is because of a lack of continuous investment in the domestic tax system,” he stated.
Mr. Terkper added that the above-mentioned are measures that were replaced under the economic recovery programme and Structural Adjustment Programme in Dr Botchway’s era.
He maintained that industry will struggle to operate should these measures receive parliamentary blessing.
According to the club’s vice president Rafael Yuste, Barcelona is in communication with Lionel Messi and would “love” for the Argentine star to make a long-awaited comeback to Camp Nou.
Messi, who joined Paris Saint-Germain after being forced to leave Barcelona in 2021 due to financial difficulties, is nearing the end of his two-year contract with the Ligue 1 powerhouse.
The World Cup winner has contributed 17 assists to his season’s total of 18 goals, but with PSG losing in the Champions League, questions have been raised about his future in the French city.
Inter Miami, controlled by David Beckham, is eager to get Messi to the MLS, but Barcelona has frequently been linked to a trade, and Yuste wouldn’t rule out a reunion on Friday.
“Of course we are in contact with Messi,” Yuste said on Friday. “Leo and his family know the affection I have for him, that we have them.
“I participated in the negotiations that did not come to fruition two years ago. I have that thorn stuck in me, and if we talk about La Masia, we talk about Leo.
“I would love for him to come back and I think the fans would too, because beautiful stories in life have to have a happy ending.
“We are in love with Messi and I think Messi is in love with Barca and the city of Barcelona.”
Any potential return for Messi may be dependent on Barca’s ability to cut their wage bill, with LaLiga president Javier Tebas claiming they must save €200million to meet the competition’s regulations for next season.
If the required savings can be made, Yuste believes a move for Messi is possible, adding: “Mateu [Alemany] and Jordi [Cruyff] have to present the viability and income plan to Tebas in two months.
“If all the conditions are given, we would explore that possibility. The president [Joan Laporta] was with Leo’s father recently and there is a good relationship.
“Of course, there is no attack plan because I do not want PSG to take it as that. If this happens, it will happen because destiny makes you go back to where you have to go back.
“If we could put all the conditions together and return Leo to Barcelona, it would be the perfect ending to a very happy story.”
Gen. Chol Thon Balok’s appointment as the next defense minister has been rejected by vice-president of South Sudan and head of the opposition SPLM-IO party, Riek Machar.
The general, who is a member of President Salva Kiir’s party, takes the position of Mr. Machar’s wife Angelina Teny, who was fired a few weeks ago.
The parties of Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar share cabinet positions under a peace agreement that put an end to a devastating five-year civil war.
The SPLM-IO has requested Mr. Kiir to withdraw Gen. Thon’s appointment, arguing that the president shouldn’t make such choices without consulting his deputy first.
The new developments pose a danger to the tenuous deal that was signed in 2018 and is meant to clear the way for elections the following year.
Despite Ukraine pleading with other council members to oppose the action, Russia has assumed the leadership of the UN Security Council.
On a rotating basis, each of the 15 council members has the presidency for one month.
In February 2022, when Russia last held the president, it started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It denotes that a nation whose president is wanted internationally for alleged war crimes is in charge of the Security Council.
The arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin was issued last month by the International Criminal Court, a non-UN body.
Notwithstanding UkraiUkraine receives Leopard tanks from Germanyne’s complaints, the US claimed it was powerless to prevent Russia, a permanent council member, from taking the helm.
The other permanent members of the council are the UK, US, France, and China.
The role is mostly procedural, but Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, told the Russian Tass news agency that he planned to oversee several debates, including one on arms control.
He said he would discuss a “new world order” that, he said, was coming to “replace the unipolar one”.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia’s presidency “the worst joke ever for April Fool’s Day” and a “stark reminder that something is wrong with the way international security architecture is functioning”.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhaylo Podolyak, said the move was “another rape of international law… an entity that wages an aggressive war, violates the norms of humanitarian and criminal law, destroys the UN Charter, neglects nuclear safety, can’t head the world’s key security body”.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called last year for the Security Council to reform or “dissolve altogether”, accusing it of failing to take enough action to prevent Russia’s invasion.
He has also called for Russia to be removed of its member status.
But the US has said its hands were tied as the UN charter does not allow for the removal of a permanent member.
“Unfortunately, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and no feasible international legal pathway exists to change that reality,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a news briefing this week.
She added the US expects Moscow “to continue to use its seat on the council to spread disinformation” and justify its actions in Ukraine.
The UN Security Council is an international body responsible for maintaining peace.
Five nations are permanently represented on the Security Council. They reflect the post-war power structure that held sway when the council was formed.
Members of this group work alongside 10 non-permanent member countries.
Alhaji Mohammed Hardi Tufeirua, the Nanton Member of Parliament, is reported to have been involved in an accident on March 31, 2023.
Alhaji Mohammed Hardi Tufeirua
The accident is said to have happened while the MP who serves as the deputy minister for food and agriculture was traveling to Parliament to participate in business on Friday.
Nanton MP allegedly involved in an accident
The MP was reportedly taken to Parliament in an ambulance to participate in voting on the Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill, Excise Duty Amendment Bill, and Income Tax Amendment Bill.
He has been transported to a hospital for treatment in the interim.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso Central, Henry Quartey, has entreated the House to consider constructing a health facility purposely for legislators.
Mr Quartey made the “discriminatory” appeal when Parliament on Friday, March 31, 2023, paid tribute to the late MP for Kumawu, Philip Atta Basoah, who passed away on March 28, 2023.
According to him, the unexpected passing of Philip Atta Basoah has dawned on him that there is “pressure and stress” on Members of Parliament in the plenary, hence the need to cater for legislators.
“Mr Speaker, I sought Honourable Basoah a day before he passed. I was sitting by him when he had his usual kenkey. Little did I know that the following morning, he would be gone.”
“We have come too far as Parliamentarians not to have a hospital of our own. Maybe the time has come for Parliament as a whole to have a hospital built purposely for Members of Parliament. I know that may sound a bit discriminatory but it will be appropriate to have that. It would be for clerks too,” Mr Henry Quartey said.
Mr Quartey who doubles as the Greater Accra Minister also cited the death of Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko, MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, as a second reason for his request.
Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko died on Wednesday, November 21, 2018, in the United States of America after a long illness.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has called on the House to provide annual medical reviews for legislators.
“The work is sidentry, it is about 95 per cent sitting down and we sit for very long hours. So instead of asking members to produce their annual medical records when we are freshly elected, I want to suggest that now we have an annual medical review. So you are not medically reviewed every four years, like Parliament does,” he said.
Al Jazeera’s recent undercover report has revealed that Ghana serves as one of the many conduits used for money laundering by one ‘financial architect’.
The exposé dubbed “Gold Mafia” recorded Ewan Macmillan, a retired Zimbabwean businessman also known as “Mr Gold” in the shady business, recommending his Canadian colleague, Alistair Mathias, to the undercover reporters who sought his assistance to launder money.
“There is an opportunity, a hell of a big opportunity to wash money here. You want US dollars in a bank account which would be better to have a bank account in Dubai, US dollars. The best thing is to meet my partner from Dubai. He knows how we do things here. He can help you with how you can bring the money here, no problem. I can give my partner gold in Dubai and he can just pay you anywhere in the world.
I need him to come up with a plan of how to wash your money. And he’s clever. He washes money for the Russians,” Mr Macmillan said.
It was during the encounter with Mr Alistair Mathias, who is based in Dubai, that it was revealed that some African countries have been heavily utilised for close to 13 years for money laundering.
Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique are just a few regions Alistair Mathias exploits to launder money.
“I’ve been doing it for about 13 years now, 14 years. In Ghana I do one ton. I do $40 million every month out of Ghana,” Mr Mathias said.
Alistair Mathias’ posture as he engaged the undercover reporters
Mr Alistair Mathias, with the period given, has smuggled gold worth 6,720 billion out of Ghana.
“This region (Zimbabwe), I do probably about 500 to one ton again. I do roughly about $70 to $80 million every month. We can export from Zambia. I can export from South Africa,” he is recorded to have said.
The report does not provide additional information such as the mode in which he is able to launder money and the agents that aid this work.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has released the second episode of the four-part investigative series into gold smuggling in Africa.
Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has called on the House to provide annual medical reviews for legislators.
The MP made this request while speaking on the floor of the House on Friday when he paid tribute to the late Kumawu MP, Philip Atta Basoah.
Mr Dafeamekpor noted that the unexpected death of his colleague has compelled MPs to reconsider and make good health a priority while offering their service to the country.
“As members and as a House, we should have a relook or re-evaluate how we work on this house.
“The work is sidentry, it is about 95 per cent sitting down and we sit for very long hours. So instead of asking members to produce their annual medical records when we are freshly elected, I want to suggest that now we have an annual medical review. So you are not medically reviewed every four years, like Parliament does,” he said.
According to the South Dayi MP, the late Basoah was quiet and diligent in performing his duties.
“We will miss him a lot on the Public Affairs Committee because of how he carried himself and worked together. I still can’t believe Honourable Basoah I saw on Thursday night fell sick the next day and is no longer with us,” Mr Dafeamekpor added.
Philip Atta Basoah is reported to have passed away on Tuesday morning, March 28, 2023, while receiving treatment at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
While receiving treatment at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital was scheduled to be flown outside the country for further medical attention.
Philip Atta Basoah, however, passed away before much could be done. Mr Philip Basoah represented the people of Kumawu in Parliament since 2013.
He served on the Lands & Forestry and Committee on Selection before becoming the chairman of the Employment, Social Welfare and Public Enterprises.
As Tottenham travels to Everton on Monday, Hugo Lloris might play for the first time in nearly two months after recovering from a knee injury and returning to full training.
On February 5, following a 1-0 victory over Premier League champions Manchester City, Spurs captain Lloris suffered an injury that kept him out of the team’s last nine games.
During that time, which saw Spurs lose both the FA Cup and the Champions League, as well as cut ways with manager Antonio Conte following a 3-3 draw at Southampton just before the break, Fraser Forster has filled in as a replacement.
Emerson Royal, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, and Richarlison are all now on the injured list in addition to Lloris, giving interim head coach Cristian Stellini some encouragement.
“Hugo is training,” Stellini told Spurs’ website on Thursday. “It’s a week where he has trained with the team.
“We had a training match where we could let Hugo feel the pitch again. We will recover Hugo, but we have problems with other players.
“This is football. We have injured players, but we also believe in all the players.
“We have a big squad; we also have young players ready, and we trust in them, like we trusted Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp when they started to play. Young players are involved in our squad and if we need them, they are ready to play.”
Kenya’s President William Ruto is against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It has been a year since the war broke out, however, its impact on other countries remain ever potent.
Commodity prices of grain and fertilizers have skyrocketed in Kenya as a result.
Interacting with DW chief International Editor, Richard Walker, President Ruto reiterated his opposition to the ongoing war which has escalated in recent times.
He noted that as a signatory to the UN Charter which codifies the major principles of international relations, from sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use of force in international relations, Kenya automatically resents the ongoing war.
“Because we are great believers and signatories to the UN Charter, which speaks directly to a rules-based glove, you ensuring that there is respect for countries and their boundaries. Any violation of the UN Charter by anybody in whatever manner is a threat to violation of the same elsewhere, everywhere in the world.”
The UN Charter is an instrument of international law, and UN Member States are bound by it. Ukraine was among the first countries that signed the United Nations Charter, becoming a founding member of the United Nations among 51 countries.
Russia on the other hand is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a status Ukraine wants revoked.
According to Ruto, “our position has been: This can be resolved. We must be a rules-based globe. We must respect the UN Charter.”
“That’s the position of Kenya and not just the position of Kenya. That’s the position of the UN and any country that subscribes to the UN Charter,” he added.
Ruto believes the world must be eager to take into consideration the views of Africa on sensitive issues. He said Africa “is not the continent of disease and poverty anymore” but “the continent that has a future.”
“And as you say correctly, the world is realizing that Africa is an important destination, important because of what the future portends. You know this is the continent that has 30% of the world’s natural resources. And everybody, any reasonable leader anywhere in the world would want to know what Africa thinks and would want a partnership with the African continent.”
Currently, the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.
After a protest from an Indonesian official against Israel’s participation, FIFA has revoked Indonesia’s ability to host the Under-20 Men’s World Cup later this year.
“FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023,” FIFA said in a statement, without providing further clarification. “A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged.”
Sanctions could also be imposed on the Football Association of Indonseia (PSSI), according to the statement.
The youth competition was slated to take place in six Indonesian cities from May 20 to June 11 and feature a total of 24 teams. First time qualifiers are Israel.
Indonesia, a Muslim majority nation of more than 270 million people, does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel and supports the cause of the Palestinians.
Anti-Israeli sentiment runs high among conservative Muslims in Indonesia and earlier this month, protesters marched in the capital Jakarta demanding the government ban Israel from playing in the tournament.
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appealed to the public in a televised address on Monday, reiterating Indonesia’s support for the Palestinians but also stressing the country must follow FIFA regulations, according to state news agency Antara.
“Do not link sports issues with political affairs,” he reportedly said.
PSSI president Erick Thohir said he pleaded Indonesia’s case to FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, which included showing him a letter from the Indonesian President.
“I have tried my best. We must accept FIFA’s decision to cancel the holding of the event that we are both looking forward to,” Thohir said in the statement. “Because we are members and FIFA considers that the current situation cannot be continued, we must submit.”
FIFA said it will continue to work with Indonesia and the PSSI “in the transformation process of Indonesian football following the tragedy that occurred in October 2022,” referring to the East Java stadium disaster.
“A new meeting between the FIFA president and the PSSI president for further discussions will be scheduled shortly,” the statement said.
Under the Office of the President, a total number of 1,048 public officers and presidential staff have been employed.
This information was made public by the Presidency on its website after submitting to Parliament the Annual Report on the staffing position for the period 1 st January to 31st December, 2022, pursuant to section 11 of the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463).
The report covered three key areas, namely the number of Presidential Staff employed at the Office of the President during the period, the ranks and grades of these staff, and employees of other Public Services assigned to the Office of the President.
There were two (2) Ministers of State and forty-four (44) Senior Presidential Staffers at post during the reporting period.
At the Office of the President, other political appointees stood at 315, bringing the number of political appointees to 361.
These political appointees include Special Assistants, Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants to Ministers of State and Regional Ministers, employees in the Office of the Vice President, Aides and Assistants assigned to the First Lady and Second Lady.
The remaining are employees assigned to Government agencies under the Office of the President, such as NEIP, Free SHS Secretariat, MASLOC, Special Development Initiatives Secretariat, Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat, Zongo and Inner Cities Development Secretariat, amongst others.
“It is important to note that out of the 361 persons who are political appointees at the Office of the President, only 163 work physically at the Jubilee House. The others work in the offices to which they have been assigned,” a portion of the report read.
With regards to employees of Public Sector Organizations assigned to the Office, a total of 687 employees were appointed.
These categories of staff were from different classes, including Administrative, Executive/Clerical, Records, Secretarial, Budget, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Presidential Household, and staff from the Department of Parks and Gardens, Ghana Health Service, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, Ghana Audit Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Public Works Department (Prestige), and Ghana Postal Company.
According to the Presidency, this has been the practice of the Office of the President during previous governments.
For the Office of the President, the submission of this report is a clear indication of the President’s commitment to “transparency and accountability.”
Ghanaian journalist turned cement dealer, Bridget Otoo, has entreated Ghanaians to brace themselves for tougher conditions in the construction industry.
This comes after a notice by Kumasi Cement Ghana Limited (KCG) to the 31-year-old entrepreneur and other cement dealers indicating that effective Friday, March 31, 2023, the prices of cement bags would be adjusted by GHS12.
“Dear customers, as high inflation persists, the price of cement will be increased by 12 cedis on Friday 31sy March 2023. Cement bought at the old rate must be taken within a month. KCG counts your usual cooperation,” the notice read.
Cement prices in Ghana have risen on the back of rapid depreciation of the cedi against the dollar. The depreciation has triggered massive inflation, causing the price of cement to increase.
Ghana’s inflation rate according to the Statistical Service as of February 2023 stands at 52.8%.
As of January 2022, a 50kgbag of cement was going for GH¢50, but as it stands now, the price has almost doubled (GH¢ 95 – GH¢ 97). This means a 50kg bag of cement will not be going for less than GH¢100.
The cedi in January 2022 was trading at GH¢6 for a dollar but it is currently trading at about GHS12 at the forex. Since manufacturers have to import some of the raw materials at the current dollar rate, the rise in the cost of importation would have to be borne by the final consumer.
The yet-to-be realised development may impact the prices of houses in the short term and the personal budget of many individuals who are currently putting up houses in the country.
It could also affect the cost of ongoing construction projects.
Below are the current prices of cement bags sold by some cement manufacturing companies:
Price per 50Kg bag (Ghacem Super Strong 42.5R)- GH¢ 95 – GH¢ 97.
Price per 50Kg bag (Ghacem Super Rapid 32.5R) – GH¢ 87 – GH¢ 90.
Price per 50Kg bag (Ghacem Extra 42.5) – GH¢ 72 – GH¢ 95
According to Fitch Solutions, the restructuring of domestic debt would have a significant impact on banks in 2023.
The Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), according to the market and research firm, will have two significant effects on the banking industry.
First, it will dramatically reduce banks’ capital levels, with some banks likely to experience capital shortfalls.
“Banks are entering this phase with a mixed capital picture, with some banks very close to the minimum regulatory capital level of 13.0%”.
Again, based on industry level, capital buffers have fallen considerably in 2022, despite a sudden rise in December.
The fall, Fitch Solutions, said was largely driven by mark-to-market losses on investments and increases in risk weighted assets of banks, due to the depreciation of the cedi and growth in loans and advances.
However, capital levels narrowly avoided falling below the minimum requirement in December 2023, likely as a result of banks retaining more of their earnings, in preparation for expected losses in profits and capital in 2023.
“The debt restructuring and fall in capital could lead to higher funding costs for banks if they become less creditworthy, and could significantly impact the banking sector’s solvency and stability”, it pointed out.
Banks to be more selective regarding sectors to lend
Fitch Solutions said banks in Ghana will be more selective regarding the sectors they lend to in the coming years.
“Local banks will be more inclined to lend to industries with low non-performing loans (NPLs) ratios and positive outlook, especially since we expect to see a rise in NPLs in the coming quarters, given the challenging macro backdrop and slowdown in loan growth”.
“We think that the Mining & Quarrying sector stands out as it has a low NPL ratio of 4.0%, and as we forecast a positive outlook for gold mining in Ghana (which accounts for 95% of the country’s mineral revenue)”, it added.
In contrast, it said nearly one third of all construction loans are non-performing, which suggests that banks are unlikely to increase their exposure to this sector amid challenging economic conditions.
The Football Association has filed charges against members of the coaching staff of Arsenal and Aston Villa for an altercation that occurred during their Premier League matchup last month.
On February 18, the Gunners pulled off a spectacular 4-2 comeback at Villa Park, which was capped off by a thrilling own goal from their former goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The visitors had previously tied the score thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Gabriel Martinelli added a fourth goal in stoppage time.
Victor Manas, the head of performance analysis at Villa, and Miguel Molina, the technical analyst at Arsenal, got into a fight during the celebrations, and the FA has now charged both men.
“Aston Villa’s head of performance analysis, Victor Manas, and Arsenal’s technical analyst coach, Miguel Molina, have been charged following their Premier League game on Wednesday 18 February,” read a statement.
“It’s alleged that Miguel Molina’s behaviour and/or language during the 94th minute was improper and/or abusive and/or insulting, and that his behaviour in the tunnel after the final whistle was also improper.”
Manas and Molina have until Friday to provide a response to the FA.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is expected to release a schedule to guide citizens in parts of the country for a 14-day power cut period.
There will be erratic power supply as a result of a shutdown of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant in the Western Region.
The Ghana Gas Company Limited commenced a maintenance programme at the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant on March 25, 2023, according to a press statement released by the Ministry of Energy.
According to the statement dated March 29, “the shutdown will affect gas supply to some power plants and will ultimately result in interruption of power supply to some consumers”, thus warranting a schedule from the ECG.
On the matter, Director of communications with Ghana Gas, Ernest Owusu Bempah, stated that “the engineers thought it wise that we need to do some major maintenance hence the shutdown.”
As the Ghana Gas Company Limited works to address the situation at the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant, the Energy Ministry has pledged to procure additional gas, which will include Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and Light Crude Oil (LCO) “to complement available domestic gas for power generation.”
According to the Ministry, it is working assiduously with all stakeholders “to ensure that any adverse effects of this exercise are mitigated.”
Joel Embiid thinks it would be absurd if missing this week’s pivotal matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets had any impact on his MVP aspirations.
Superstar Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is dominating the NBA with a 33.2 point scoring average per game, surpassing his previous high of 30.6 from last season.
Moreover, he averages a respectable 10.2 rebounds per game, however this is his lowest season total since 2016–17.
Due to Embiid’s absence on account of a calf injury, Denver was able to defeat Denver 116-111 behind the play of Jokic, who scored 25 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and provided 12 assists.
The triple-double made Jokic just the third player in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season, sparking debate over whether it could be a key moment in the MVP race.
After that game, Jokic said the absent Embiid would be “remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league”.
Whether Embiid can deny Jokic a third straight MVP award remains to be seen, and recency bias may help to tilt it the way of the Nuggets star, who is averaging 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists.
Embiid’s message was a simple one – “I don’t care” – as he prioritises team success over individual glory.
The Nuggets head the Western Conference, with Philadelphia third in the East, so both main contenders for the MVP have done a lot of winning this season and will hope to do plenty more in the playoffs.
Embiid said: “If one game is going to hurt anybody’s chances, then I guess everybody should be out of it. We all have bad games. Guys miss matchups.
“That’s not the first time, and it’s not really a matchup about me and Nikola. He’s a great player, amazing player. He’s one of the best players in the league, and I’m a huge fan.
“So not playing against him was a huge bummer. But there’s a bigger goal in sight, and that’s to make sure we’re healthy for the playoffs.”
Embiid had a standout game against the Nuggets on January 28, outshining Jokic with 47 points and 18 rebounds in a Sixers win, so he is adamant there was no desire to duck another clash with Denver’s talisman.
He added on Wednesday, after returning to score 25 points in Philadelphia’s 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks: “I’ve got nothing to prove. The last matchup, we won, and I had whatever I had.
“To go out there and say that I’m scared after what I did the last time is kind of stupid. But, like I said, I don’t care if I win it or not. I’m just focused on trying to win a championship, and whatever happens, happens.”
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers supported Embiid’s stance, saying ahead of Wednesday’s game: “Joel’s body of work speaks for itself. You’re not judged for one game. You’re judged for the entire season of work and your team’s record and how you perform, and he’s been dominant all year.”
Looking at whether missing out last time out could harm Embiid’s MVP prospects, Rivers said it might have an impact, but he is baffled as to why that would be the case.
“Will that hurt him? I doubt it. But it could,” Rivers said. “I don’t know what people use for criteria. It seems like it changes weekly, what the real criteria is.
“Before, it was a bunch of numbers. Now, it’s wins. I’m like, ‘Well, it wasn’t wins last year’. You know what I’m saying? It just feels like, every year, it keeps changing.”
Jokic took MVP honours last season when the Nuggets finished sixth in the Western Conference.
Twenty counts of money laundering and stealing prepaid credits worth more than GH2.1 million have been brought against three workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and seven other people.
The workers are Anthony D. K. Quaye, a technician at the ECG district office in Kasoa, Grace Gardiner, the chief supervising cashier at the ICT Department at the Head Office, and Ali Nansii Shaibu, a computer programmer.
The remaining defendants include Ibrahim Baba Adamu, a technician at the Ghana Electrometer Company, as well as Muntari Adamu, Gariba Awudu Misbaw, Kwasi Appiah Donkor, Eric Yaw Kyei, and Augustina Laniyan, all of whom were independent contractors and sold the general public ECG pre-paid power credits.
ECG, in 2003, entered into a partnership agreement with various companies including Electrometer to provide pre-paid power distribution to customers across the country.
Private dealers were tasked to engage in the sale of the credits as well. Prosecutors say the first accused person (Ali Nansii Shaibu) travelled to Hohoe in 2016 to resolve a pre-paid connectivity challenge for the 7th accused person (Gariba Awudu Misbaw).
The two agreed that the software will be manipulated to enable pre-paid credits to be sent to Gariba without the knowledge of the Hohoe District Office of the ECG. The 7th accused person will then delete the transaction and share the proceeds among themselves.
Credits worth ¢199,351.60 transferred and sold under this scheme
Mr. Shaibu equally entered into this deal with other accused persons resulting in the theft of ¢1,203,249.26 worth of credits. Another set of transactions with other accused persons resulted in various amounts being stolen. Prosecutors say investigations put the total value of stolen credits under this scheme at 2,143,270.15.
The accused persons are said to have admitted to the offence and refunded an amount of 282,600.00 cedis. They all however pleaded not guilty when the charges were read against them in court. The hearing of the case will resume on April 27, 2023.
Julius Randle will be evaluated today after leaving the New York Knicks’ 101-92 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday due to a sprained left ankle.
With 2:40 left in the second quarter, Randle was hurt when his left leg landed on Heat center Bam Adebayo’s left foot when he was grabbing a rebound.
The Knicks forward was lifted up and initially continued to play, but he was clearly unable to continue and was declared out at halftime.
“It’ll be evaluated tomorrow,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. “It’s a sprain, that’s about the extent of it. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
Thibodeau was unable to clarify the extent of the injury when asked if trainers thought it was a high ankle sprain.
Randle will be a key part of the Knicks’ upcoming playoffs campaign, averaging 25.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season. The All-Star produced a career-best 57 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week.
Julius Randle (sprained left ankle) will not return.
Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Armiyawo Shiabu, has expressed concerns over President’s inability to unequivocally condemn LGBTQ activities in Ghana during a joint presser with US Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Monday, President Akufo-Addo stated that there is no LGBTQ legislation in Ghana yet, as the bill is currently before Parliament.
“The legislation is a legislation that is being proposed as a Private Members Bill. This is not an official legislation of the government but it is one that is being mooted by a handful of private members,” the President said.
According to Sheikh Armiyawo Shiabu, “the President was over cautions in trying to talk about it as if not wanting to offend a certain force that is coming from somewhere.”
He noted that this so “because I have heard the president speak fought rightly with strong tone about certain things like some of his encounter with Macron.”
For him, the president missed the opportunity to tell the world the stance of the majority of Ghana over the issue of LGBTQ.
“He has not been that spot right in indicating his personal position and a certain feeling about how in our national mindset as somebody who is also a man of faith coming up clearly on the note of even Christian revulsion action to say no this thing is not something that I will ever support and I think we should have heard something like this from him.”
He continued that “I was expecting that even on this particular case with is at the very core of the survival of the family system in both Christianity and Islam and Traditional I would have expected him to come up stronger and more definite on the issue.”
On the other hand, he lauded the Speaker of Parliament for maintaining his promise to the Chief Imam by asserting that he will see to the passing of the bill.
“I am very comfortable with the tone of the speaker and I support and commend him for that.
“I go strongly with the speaker since he has remained consistent with the tone with which he has spoken against this LGBTQ and also speaking in support of the passing of this anti-LGBTQ bill,” he said on JoyNews.
The spokesperson added that the push for the passage of the bill was not from that of human rights activists but that of a religious leader who had the mandate to ensure the continuity of the legacy of the family system.
“The issue we are dealing with is from the faith community level and as a nation, we are not doing it from a human rights angle but viewing it as something that undermines the very survival of the family.
“It is not so much of a human rights issue. The damage it does to the family and once you want to destroy a community you begin destroying the family and you succeed. That’s how God made it,” he added.
According to Speaker Alban Bagbin, it is undemocratic for the US to intervene in Ghana’s national issues.
A passenger ferry caught fire in the Philippines, killing at least 28 people.
About 230 people were saved. Officials claimed that it is unknown how the fire started on Wednesday night in the ship’s air-conditioned staterooms.
At least three children, including a baby who was six months old, were among the fatalities.
A precise passenger count wasn’t available, officials earlier stated, thus it was unclear how many individuals were missing. On a manifest, just 205 were mentioned.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, search and rescue efforts are still ongoing and the ship does not appear to be overloaded.
The initial death toll amounted to less than a dozen people – these were thought to have drowned as they jumped into the water without life jackets.
However authorities then discovered another 18 bodies on the vessel that were “totally burnt”, said Commodore Rejard Marfe of the Coast Guard.
He added that “chaos” resulted when the fire broke out, as most of the passengers were sleeping at the time.
The captain eventually ran the vessel aground so that it would be easier for those onboard to swim to shore.
Authorities said earlier that 14 people were injured and another seven missing.
The MV Lady Mary Joy 3 caught fire around 22:40 local time (14:40 GMT) off Baluk-baluk island in Basilan province. It had been travelling to another island.
Mayor Arsina Kahing-Nanoh told CNN Philippines that one of the rescued passengers said an explosion could be heard before the blaze broke out.
She added that more explosions were heard as the ship ran aground.
The coast guard said it would assist with an investigation and safety assessment, and check for oil spills.
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, has a poor maritime safety record.
Vessels are often overcrowded, with many ageing ships still in use.
Last May, at least seven people died after a fire in a high-speed ferry carrying 134 people.
In 1987, around 5,000 people perished in the world’s worst peacetime shipping disaster, when an overloaded passenger ferry collided with an oil tanker off Mindoro island.
A $160 million fine issued on Google by the nation’s antitrust agency in a case involving Android’s monopoly on the market has been maintained by an appeals court in India.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) conclusions were accurate, according to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), and Google was responsible for paying the penalties.
Nonetheless, it overturned four of the ten antitrust rules that the company was subject to.
Android is the operating system used by more than 95% of smartphones in India.
The CCI assessed the penalties for “unfair” business practices in October after accusing Google of abusing its dominating position.
It also asked Google to make several changes to the Android ecosystem. This included not forcing manufacturers to pre-install the entire suite of Google apps and allowing users to choose their default search engine.
The Android-related inquiry was started in 2019, following complaints by consumers of Android smartphones. The case was similar to the one Google faced in Europe, where regulators imposed a $5bn fine on the company, saying it used its Android operating system to gain unfair advantage in the market.
Google challenged the fine and the directives in India’s Supreme Court, saying “no other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes”.
It argued that the changes would force the company to alter arrangements with more than 1,100 device manufacturers and thousands of app developers.
The top court, however, refused to block the CCI directives and said that a lower court could continue hearing the appeal.
In January, Google agreed to co-operate with the watchdog and announced a series of changes to its Android system in India.
But the ruling by NCLAT means that the tech giant can stop users from removing its pre-installed apps from their phones.
Google can also continue to impose curbs on users downloading apps without using its app store and is free to block third-party app stores from its Play Store.
Four bankers who allowed a friend of Vladimir Putin to deposit huge sums in Swiss banks have been found guilty of lacking due diligence.
The former executives at the Zurich branch of Russia’s Gazprombank were given seven-month suspended sentences for helping musician Sergei Roldugin, nicknamed “Putin’s wallet”.
Mr Roldugin reportedly paid in $50m (£42m) between 2014 and 2016.
He gave no credible explanation of where the money had come from.
Under Swiss law, banks are required to reject or close accounts if they have doubts about the account holder or the source of the money. Mr Roldugin, a cellist, is godfather to President Putin’s eldest daughter, Maria.
Three of the convicted bankers are Russian and one is Swiss.
The men, who cannot be identified under Swiss reporting restrictions, said they would appeal against the Swiss court’s decision.
The judge in the Zurich court said it was beyond doubt that Mr Roldugin was not the true owner of the money that he deposited.
The four bankers who opened the accounts should have asked questions: Mr Roldugin had no apparent income, so where did the money come from?
They failed to do this – and have been found guilty of violating Switzerland’s due diligence laws.
Their sentences are mild, but this case has big implications. If the money wasn’t Mr Roldugin’s, whose was it?
The Russian president, now under Western sanctions, is rumoured to have vast wealth, some of it invested abroad.
Judges at the Supreme Court of England and Wales have begun considering a case that will determine whether or not almost 30,000 Nigerians can request compensation from the oil company Shell for land damage brought on by an oil spill in 2011.
Communities from Delta and Bayelsa State’s coastal regions said that the spill had severely harmed their land.
In a previous decision, the London Court of Appeal ruled that the complaint had been filed too soon after the leak had occurred.
According to English law, a complainant has six years from the claimed incidence to file a lawsuit for property damage.
The spill was about 120km (75 miles) off the coast of Nigeria and lasted several hours before the pipeline was closed and oil stopped.
At least 40,000 barrels leaked into the sea, making it one of the largest spills ever in Nigeria.
The Nigerian communities argue that the oil devastated their shoreline and has continued to cause widespread damage to their land and water supply and so they should be allowed to seek compensation.
A number of people are believed to have been killed after two US Army helicopters crashed in Kentucky.
The state’s Governor, Andy Beshear, said it was “tough news” with “early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected”.
Local news reports say the incident happened at about 21:35 local time (01:35 GMT), and as many as nine people may have been killed.
Local military confirmed their helicopters were involved in the crash.
It happened in the Trigg County area, close to the large Fort Campbell military base.
In a statement to the BBC, a Fort Campbell spokesperson said two HH60 Blackhawk helicopters had crashed during “a routine training mission”.
“The status of the crew members are unknown at this time,” they said.
“The command is currently focused on caring for the service members and their families.”
They added the incident was under investigation and more information would be released as it becomes available.
The Fort Campbell military base is located a short distance from Trigg County.
The helicopters involved are from the 101st Airborne Division, which is the only air assault division in the US Army and has been sent to conflict zones internationally.
Professor Godfred Bokpin, an economist, claims that Ghana’s massive budget deficit is the reason why the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund appears reluctant to approve the country’s $3 billion bailout.
He claims that the nation’s entire 2023 budget deficit will be $5 billion, $2 billion more than the IMF bailout.
The only reason Ghana was able to obtain a staff-level agreement, according to him, was presumably due to pressure from Washington as a result of Ghana’s recent courtship of the US in an effort to obtain an IMF bailout.
“And I think that in all of this it’s obvious now that the hole that has to be closed is so big, and it’s the reason why the IMF doesn’t want to approve the programme,” he said on JoyNews.
He explained that “if you pick the deficit in 2023 alone, in the budget as approved by the IMF in dollar terms, using Bank of Ghana’s official exchange rate, it’s more than $5 billion to close.
“Meanwhile, if you approve the programme this year, the gap in this year’s budget alone is more than what the IMF programme would bring over three years.
“So the IMF knows very well that without assurance, of either debt relief or fresh funding from Ghana’s multilateral and bilateral partners the programme can only achieve limited effect.”
&w=707&quality=100)
&w=707&quality=100)
&w=707&quality=100)
&w=707&quality=100)
&w=707&quality=100)
