The UN in Nigeria said it “strongly condemns the brutal attacks on worshippers”, according to a statement by the UN secretary general’s spokesman on behalf of the UN’s Resident Coordinator for Nigeria, Mattias Schmale.
Mr Schmale appealed for calm and called for the attack perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The attack overshadowed a meeting of Nigeria’s governing party, which has begun the process of choosing a candidate for next year’s presidential election.
President Muhammadu Buhari cannot run again, having served two terms.
Some parts of Accra will experience power outage as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) undertakes planned maintenance works today.
The power distribution company in a circular noted that the maintenance work will commence from 9am to 4pm.
The areas to be affected are; Pantang, Bola, Abokobi, Akpoman, Boiman, Sesemi, Adjagonte and Ofankor.
The exercise, according to the power distribution company, is to improve service delivery in the aforementioned areas.
Meanwhile, the Electricity Company of Ghana has apologised to Ghanaians living in the affected areas for the inconvenience that will arise out of this exercise.
The Dominican Republic’s minister of environment and natural resources has been shot and killed in his office by a close personal friend, officials say.
Orlando Jorge Mera, 55, was holding a meeting at the time of the attack. At least six shots were heard.
A presidential spokesman identified the assailant as Miguel Cruz, describing him as a childhood friend of the minister.
He is now in custody. The motive for the shooting remains unclear.
In a statement, Mr Jorge Mera’s family said he had been shot multiple times by a man he was friends with since childhood.
“Our family forgives the person who did this. One of Orlando’s greatest legacies was to not hold grudges,” they added.
Image source, The Presidency of the Dominican Republic
Mr Jorge Mera had served in incumbent President Luis Abinader’s administration since it swept to power in July 2020.
In a tweet, President Abinader expressed his sincere condolences to Mr Jorge Mera’s family and said that he deeply regretted the death of his good friend.
Former Fulham defender John Paintsil has lauded Black Stars right back Denis Odoi for his recent senior national team performance.
He switched to represent Ghana in 2022 and played his first game in a 0-0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match with Nigeria on 25 March 2022.
Paintsil praised the 34-year-old defender for adding his wealth of experience and leadership to the team’sback four in an interview with Graphic Sports.
â€He is a good player; I knew him four years ago when he played for Fulham and I must say he is a good player with a good character,” he said.
â€I am happy we have found a player like that because he is a great guy, a quality player and a good addition to the national team,†Paintsil added.
Odoi did not play in Ghana’s 1-1 draw against Central African Republic in Angola yesterday; he will play against Japan in the Kirin Cup on Friday at the Misaki Park Stadium.
Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Erling Haaland are the most valuable players in the world, according to research group CIES Football Observatory.
Mbappe, 23, who rejected a move to Real Madrid to stay at Paris St-German, tops the list with an estimated transfer value of 205.6m euros (£175.7m).
Real Madrid’s Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr, who scored the winner in the Champions League final against Liverpool, is second at £158.3m, with Norway’s Manchester City-bound striker Haaland third (£130.4m).
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham (£114.1m) is the most valuable English player on the list in fifth place, ahead of England team-mate and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden in sixth (£105.9m).
Premier League clubs dominate the list with 41 representatives in the top 100.
The CIES uses a range of variables including a player’s age, performances, economic value of their club and inflation to work out estimated transfer values.
France striker Mbappe signed a new three-year contact with PSG last month as he chose to stay in Paris rather than move to La Liga and Champions League winners Real Madrid.
The World Cup winner scored 28 goals in Ligue 1 to help PSG win the 2021-22 title.
Haaland, 21, is joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund after City activated his 60m euro (£51.2m) release clause. His new City team-mate Ruben Dias is the most valuable defender in ninth (£93.6m).
The Premier League player of the season, Manchester City’s 30-year-old Kevin de Bruyne, is the oldest player in the top 100 (£48.9m) and Barcelona’s 17-year-old Gavi (£49.9m) is the youngest.
Meanwhile, PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, who won the European Championship with Italy, is the most valuable goalkeeper at 41st in the rankings (£62.9m).
This season’s Premier League and Champions League runners-up, Liverpool, are represented in the top 10 by January signing Luis Diaz (£94m).
Barcelona trio Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, who has been linked with Manchester United, and Ferran Torres all feature in the top 10.
England internationals Jadon Sancho (£88.1m), Mason Mount (£85.7m) and Bukayo Saka (£85.6m) are ranked 13th, 14th and 15th respectively.
Darwin Nunez, who has been heavily linked with a move from Benfica, has the highest valuation (£59.9m) for players outside of Europe’s top five leagues.
Top 10 most valuable players in world football (CIES Football Observatory)
Two brothers from the wealthy Gupta family have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates, the South African government has announced.
Atul and Rajesh Gupta are accused in South Africa of profiting from their close links with former president Jacob Zuma and exerting unfair influence.
Extradition talks are taking place with the UAE, South African officials say.
The brothers fled South Africa after a judicial commission began probing their involvement in corruption in 2018.
They are accused of paying financial bribes in order to win lucrative state contracts and influence powerful government appointments.
The family moved from India to South Africa in 1993. They also face accusations of money laundering in India, where tax officials raided properties belonging to them in 2018 in multiple cities, including their company office in capital Delhi.
Many of the most serious corruption allegations levelled against the Indian-born brothers focus on their relationship with Jacob Zuma, who was president of South Africa from 2009 until he was forced to step down amid a storm of corruption allegations nine years later.
The Gupta family is accused of using their close links with Mr Zuma to wield enormous political power across all levels of South African government – winning business contracts, influencing high-profile government appointments and misappropriating state funds.
Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny any wrongdoing.
After the brothers fled the country, South Africa negotiated an extradition treaty with the UAE in 2021.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has said it hoped the agreement would lead to the return of the Guptas to face charges, but it was not immediately clear following the arrests whether the brothers will return to South Africa.
The Gupta family became so closely linked with Mr Zuma that a joint term was even coined for them – the Zuptas.
One of Mr Zuma’s wives, as well as a son and daughter, had positions working in senior roles for Gupta-controlled companies.
Many of the companies in the Gupta portfolio profited from lucrative contracts with government departments and state-owned corporations – where public officials say they were directly instructed by the family to take decisions that would advance the brothers’ business interests.
It is alleged that compliance was rewarded with money and promotion, while disobedience was punished with dismissal.
The list of public bodies accused of having been “captured” is extensive – the ministries of finance, natural resources and public enterprises, as well as agencies responsible for tax collection and communications, the national broadcaster SABC, the national carrier, South African Airways, the state-owned rail-freight operator and the energy giant Eskom – one of the largest utility companies on the planet.
A four-year investigation later published by the country’s top judge concluded that the wealthy brothers had become deeply embedded in the highest levels of government and Mr Zuma’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.
Reports published this year by investigators accuse the brothers of being linked to racketeering activity through the procurement of rail, ports and pipeline infrastructure.
Its authors also concluded that Mr Zuma “would do anything that the Guptas wanted him to do for them”.
Last year Mr Zuma was imprisoned for 15 months for refusing to testify before the same investigators. He was released on parole after serving two months of his sentence in jail.
Who are the Gupta brothers?
Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta moved to South Africa from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1993, just as white-minority rule was ending.
It is said that when Atul arrived to set up the family business Sahara Computers, he was amazed by the lack of red tape.
They grew the company to employ more than 10,000 people in South Africa, also developing financial interests in the mining, air travel, energy, technology and media sectors.
Atul Gupta said he met Mr Zuma before he became president “when he was a guest in one of Sahara’s annual functions”.
Image source, South African governmentImage caption, South African President Jacob Zuma sits with Atul Gupta in 2012Source: BBC
Russia’s UN ambassador has stormed out of a UN Security Council meeting after the European Council president blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for causing a global food crisis.
Charles Michel said Russia was using food supplies as a “stealth missile” against the developing world, forcing people into poverty.
The Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia accused Mr Michel of spreading lies.
Ukraine is a large exporter of cooking oil as well as cereals such as maize and wheat. Russia also exports vast amounts of grains as well as fertiliser. The lack of these exports has caused the price of alternatives to soar.
“Mr Ambassador of the Russian Federation, let’s be honest, the Kremlin is using food supplies as a stealth missile against developing countries,” Mr Michel said during the Security Council meeting in New York.
“The dramatic consequences of Russia’s war are spilling over across the globe, and this is driving up food prices, pushing people into poverty, and destabilising entire regions.
“Russia is solely responsible for this food crisis.”
He added that he had seen for himself the millions of tons of grain stuck in the Ukrainian port of Odesa because of a naval blockade enforced by Russia.
Mr Michel also accused Russia of stealing grain and preventing crop planting and harvesting in Ukraine because of its military activities there.
His comments led to Mr Nebenzia storming out. As he left, Mr Michel addressed him directly: “You may leave the room, maybe it’s easier not to listen to the truth”.
Mr Nebenzia told Reuters he couldn’t stay because of “the lies that Charles Michel came here to distribute”.
In a separate meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Russia was preventing Ukrainian grain exports from leaving the country and accused Russian forces of destroying Ukrainian agricultural infrastructure.
Speaking during a virtual roundtable with philanthropists, non-governmental organisations and private sector entities, Mr Blinken said: “There’s somewhere around 20 million tons of wheat that’s trapped in silos near Odesa, and in ships literally filled with grain that are stuck in the Odesa port because of this Russian blockade.”
Like Mr Michel, he said there were credible reports that Russia was “pilfering” Ukraine’s grain to sell for its own profit.
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called on the government to not relent on its quest to achieving head immunization in Ghana.
Dr. Titus Beyuo, the General Secretary of GMA stated that government should intensify Covid-19 education and encourage Ghanaians to get vaccinated.
Speaking to Citinews, he stated that the number of Covid-19 active cases are on the rise, hence it is essential to be vaccinated and adhere to the Covid-19 safety protocols to avert the spread of the virus.
 “There must be educational campaigns as the cases begin to rise to get people to volunteer to take the vaccines. At least, people have received the vaccines for well over a year and nothing has happened to them. That should give enough confidence to be vaccinated now.â€Â
His comment follows a revelation by the Ghana Health Service indicating that COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, with Greater Accra recording the highest cases.Â
The GHS in its latest report, revealed that the case count has started going up, with 370 active cases and a record of 62 new cases as of June 2, 2022.
The total confirmed cases are 161,795, with 159,980 recoveries/discharge, and 1,445 deaths.
The current surge of Covid-19 in the country, according to the Director of Public Health at the GHS, Dr. Asiedu-Bekoe, is testament that the virus still persists, thus, the citizenry should not let down their guard and observe the safety protocols.
“COVID is not over yet. The public should not have that misconception unless the World Health Organization declares it over.â€
Dr Aseidu-Bekoe indicated that less than 10% of Ghanaians have been vaccinated.
He fears Ghanaians stand at risk should there be another wave of the virus.
Meanwhile, GHS has revealed that it is going to intensify its campaign to get more people vaccinated in the coming days.
“There will be one this week, between the 8th and 12th, and another between the 23rd and 27th of this month.â€
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has urged the general public to treat as false and mischief the social media circulation suggesting that the Lands Commission has released 614.629 acres of Achimota forest land to one Charles Owusu.
The Ministry in a statement on Monday said the document purporting to suggest that the Lands Commission has released portions of the Achimota forest lands does not relate to the said area.
“The said assertion or allegation is false…The Ministry calls on the general public to disregard these allegations as they are palpably false,†the statement read.
The Ministry explained that the said land is rather a 0.22 acre land at Adenta and is less than half of an acre.
The statement further noted that the first recital of the lease in the document establishes the root of title of the area in question and does not relate to 614.629 acres of Achimota forest land.
“The said lease in circulation, dated 15th April 2021 and stamped as LVDGAST198264852021, is a subject matter of a 0.22 of an acre of land or one residential plot at Adenta. The said plot is less than half of an acre.
“The first recital as captured in paragraph 1 of the lease establishes the Root of Title of the area in question and does not release 614.629 acres as is being alleged. This is the source of misconception and or mischief as the case may be,†the Ministry explained in the statement.
Elon Muskhas threatened to walk away from his $44bn takeover of Twitter, accusing the social media company of “thwarting” his requests to learn more about its user base.
In a letter filed with regulators, Mr Musk said he was entitled to do his own measurement of spam accounts.
The letter formalises a dispute that has simmered for weeks after Mr Musk declared the deal “on hold” pending further information.
Twitter has defended its estimates.
But Mr Musk has said he believes spam and fake accounts represent a far greater share than the less than 5% of daily users that Twitter reports publicly.
“As Twitter’s prospective owner, Mr Musk is clearly entitled to the requested data to enable him to prepare for transitioning Twitter’s business to his ownership and to facilitate his transaction financing. To do both, he must have a complete and accurate understanding of the very core of Twitter’s business model – its active user base,” lawyer Mike Ringler wrote in the letter.
“Based on Twitter’s behaviour to date, and the company’s latest correspondence in particular, Mr Musk believes the company is actively resisting and thwarting his information rights,” the letter said.
“This is a clear material breach of Twitter’s obligations under the merger agreement and Mr Musk reserves all rights resulting therefrom, including his right not to consummate the transaction and his right to terminate the merger agreement.”
The dispute has raised more doubts about the future of the takeover, which Twitter’s board approved in April.
“Twitter has and will continue to cooperatively share information with Musk to consummate the transaction in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement,” the company said in a statement.
Twitter, which has said Mr Musk waived typical rights to due diligence in his eagerness to clinch the deal, added that it intended to complete the takeover at the agreed price and terms.
Mr Musk, who faces a $1bn break-up fee and possible lawsuit if he opts out, first raised the issue of the spam accounts on social media last month, saying the deal was on hold but he remained committed to the acquisition.
Analysts have said the Tesla boss might be using the issue to try to renegotiate the price or even walk away. They said Mr Musk’s decision to raise the issue on social media was unconventional, making it difficult to establish how serious he was.
When Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal defended the company’s process in a series of tweets, Mr Musk responded with a poo emoji.
Mr Musk has said he believes that bots could account for 20% or more of Twitter users. The letter, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, confirms that the two sides have gone back and forth on the issue since early May.
It says Mr Musk merits “reasonable cooperation” as he tries to line up financing for the deal.
“Twitter’s latest offer to simply provide additional details regarding the company’s own testing methodologies, whether through written materials or verbal explanations, is tantamount to refusing Mr Musk’s data requests,” the letter says.
“Twitter’s effort to characterize it otherwise is merely an attempt to obfuscate and confuse the issue.”
Mr Musk’s plans for the company have drawn intense scrutiny from regulators around the world, while raising some alarm among investors of electric car company Tesla and rocket firm SpaceX, which Mr Musk also leads.
He has lined up outside investors to help pay for the takeover and is also using equity and loans backed by his Tesla shares, which have been hit in recent weeks as market turmoil wipes billions from the values of companies including Tesla.
The decline has also made Mr Musk’s offer of $54.20 per share for Twitter look even more generous. On Monday, Twitter shares were trading below $39, down 3%. They have yet to return to the highs they hit last month shortly after Mr Musk revealed he had purchased about 9% of the firm’s shares.
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the letter marked the “strongest signal yet that the Tesla founder is prepared to walk away”.
“This is a move Twitter investors have for weeks been steeling themselves for: the moment when Elon Musk’s haphazard ruminations in tweets have been distilled into an official letter to regulators,” she said. “However, given the added volatility which has hit the tech sector since Mr Musk made his offer, it’s highly likely he’s after a cheaper price even if Twitter does provide the data requested in support of its initial analysis.”
A senior Tory source tells the PA Media agency PM Boris Johnson took five questions at the meeting with MPs, two of which were “hostile” – while the other three were not.
The source said Sir Charles Walker, the MP for Broxbourne, told the PM “at times you’ve driven me absolutely wild”, which drew “a big laugh”.
Sir Charles was said to have added that he accepted Johnson’s apology – and warned colleagues that “defenestrating a PM is a brutal, bloody, shocking, horrible, terrible thing”.
But former Conservative chief whip Mark Harper said if Johnson stayed he would be asking MPs to “defend the indefensible”.
The prime minister rejected this “very, very aggressively”, PA was told.
Number of public Johnson supporters up to 131
The BBC’s political research unit places the number of Conservative MPs pledging publicly to support Boris Johnson in the confidence vote at 131.
The prime minister needs 180 votes to get over the line – if every MP votes.
The ballot, taking place in one of Parliament’s committee rooms between 18:00 and 20:00 BST, will be a secret one. And we’ll know the outcome at 21:00.
Why is a vote happening?
Some Conservative MPs have handed in letters calling for Mr Johnson to resign.
Pressure on the prime minister has grown following the publication of details of Downing Street parties which broke Covid rules.
A report, by senior civil servant Sue Gray, said many of the gatherings “should not have been allowed”.
What is a no confidence vote?
An attempt by Conservative MPs to remove their leader is known as a vote of confidence.
For a vote to be held, at least 15% of Conservative MPs have to write a letter saying they no longer support their leader. At the moment this works out as 54 MPs (out of 359).
Their letters are sent to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of a group called the 1922 Committee, which represents them.
On Monday he said there were enough letters for a vote to take place.
How does a no confidence vote work?
To win, Mr Johnson needs more Tory MPs to vote for him to continue, rather than be replaced.
So, if every Conservative MP takes part, Mr Johnson needs 180 votes (half his MPs, plus one).
Tory MPs won’t have to say how they vote, but some will choose to do so.
One Tory MP has been told to stay away from Parliament, after being accused of rape and sexual assault. However, as he has not been suspended from the Conservative Party, he can take part if another MP agrees to vote on his behalf (known as a proxy vote).
What happens if Mr Johnson wins?
If he wins, Mr Johnson can continue as Conservative Party leader and prime minister.
Under current rules, Tory MPs would not be allowed to hold another no confidence vote for a year.
However, there has been speculation some could try to change the rules, to hold another vote sooner. When asked about it, Mr Brady said “technically, it’s possible”.
It is also possible that if Mr Johnson won by only a few votes, he could be persuaded to think twice about whether he had enough support to continue.
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) Dr Kwaku Afriyie has said it will be very difficult to ban the use of plastics in the countryimmediately.
According to Dr Afriyie, the current state of plastics management in the country requires an intense public campaign to engage citizens, businesses, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to cultivate a positive attitude toward the fight against plastic pollution.
He said this yesterday in Accra, when Ghana joined the world to commemorate the World Environment Day 2022, which was held under the global theme “Only one earth,” with Ghana adopting the slogan, “Only One Earth”, Beat Plastic Pollution”.
The United Nations, during the Stockholm Conference in 1972, proclaimed June as the World Environment Day to highlight and create regular public awareness and education on emerging environmental issues.
The day will also serve as a platform to engage people, communities, and governments worldwide and stimulate actions on critical environmental challenges facing the planet.
According to Dr Afriyie, Ghana’s major problem was the collection of single-use plastics, also known as the under 20 microns plastics, and their improper disposal.
He said over 30,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated every day, with only 14 per cent collected, 38 per cent dumped in open spaces, and 9 per cent dumped indiscriminately.
Dr Afriyie said plastic wastes were becoming a major socio-economic developmental and environmental challenge that gravely impacts biodiversity, tourism, infrastructure, fisheries, lands, and livelihoods.
“As a result of this situation, landscapes are immensely littered with plastic waste, including nose masks, grocery store plastic bags, disposable plastic cups and takeout containers, while beaches and oceans are equally polluted, chemical uptake in both plants and animals due to indiscriminate disposal methods,” he said.
He said to ensure Ghana wins the fight against plastic pollution, the ministry, in collaboration with key stakeholder institutions and its private sector partners, would delineate the country into grades for proper collection, storage and recycling of plastics.
He also mentioned that it would assign public and private collectors to collect and store plastic waste and implement a grid system to monitor the collection and storing of the plastics.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, said taking action on plastic waste was the only option to improve the country’s waste management issues.
He came out with solutions to address the plastic menace and made a call for action by all stakeholders in the plastic main value chain to reduce the use of plastic materials, especially single-use plastics.
Dr Kokofu called for the use of re-usable plastic materials to reduce the plastic waste load in the environment, recover plastic waste for value addition and educate households on waste segregation for recycling.
“We have to punish those who litter the environment with waste, especially plastic waste, stop open burning of plastic waste which releases toxic chemicals into the environment and reuse them for other purposes,” he added.
A lecturer at the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences of the University of Ghana, Dr. Joseph Amoako, has indicated that it is not unnatural for persons to be struck by lightning during a thunderstorm.
He explained that lightning requires a conductor of heat as a medium and since humans are good conductors of heat, they are likely to be struck if unprotected during a storm.
“The storm produces electrical charges, when the atmosphere heats up, it leads to the louder thunder and lightning. Lightning can strike a person as far as 32 kilometers, it needs a conductor of heat in order to shock you in order to kill youâ€.
He made the comment to shed light on the death of 17-year-old Emmanuel Doli, a student of the Sokode Senior High School, who was struck by lightning.
Emmanuel was selling coconut by the roadside when he met his untimely death.
People who chanced upon the incident attributed his death to a spiritual cause.
“These things are spiritual and it happens only when someone is behind it and the victim might have had issues with someone who decided to go the spiritual way,†an eyewitness said.
But Dr. Joseph Amoako says there is nothing spiritual about the incident.
According to Dr Amoako, there are over 40,000 thunderstorms recorded daily and persons found within 32 kilometers of a storm could be struck by lightning.
He therefore urged Ghanaians to stay indoors during thunderstorms as conductors of heat are likely to be struck by lightning.
“Metal umbrellas should be avoided or used properly, and it is advisable to lie flat on the floor when one is under a tree and a rainstorm hits,†he added.
Since it was believed that Emmanuel Doli died of spiritual causes his remains were left untouched until his family consulted the gods of Nogokpo.
Nogokpo gods in the Volta Region are regarded as Ghana’s most powerful deity, per reports.
It is said that Nogokpo is a just deity who punishes only wrongdoers.
Ghana Football Association [GFA] president, Kurt Okraku has hinted at Mohammed Salisu’s decision on playing for the Black Stars.
The Southampton center-back has grabbed the headlines for turning down a chance to feature for the country.
The former Real Valladolid defender turned down chances during CK Akonnor and Milovan Rajevac’s reign as head coaches.
Ahead of Ghana’s 2022 World Cup playoff against Nigeria in March, the centre back turned down a chance when Otto Addo and his technical team handed him a call-up, citing he needs more time.
He has subsequently left out of the Black Stars squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] qualifiers against Madagascar and the Central African Republic [CAR].
However, a post by Kurt Okraku on his official Facebook page indicated that Salisu is ready to feature for the country.
“Great seeing you with that big smile,” Okraku wrote.
“Proud son of the land who is proud to give back what football has given him…Ready to serve and looking forward to our common future with all the positive energy in you.
“God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong,†he added.
Cristiano Ronaldoscored twice as Portugal thrashed Switzerland to move top of their Nations League group.
William Carvalho opened the scoring when he pounced after Ronaldo’s free-kick was only parried by Gregor Kobel.
Ronaldo smashed in from 12 yards after being teed up by Diogo Jota, who then played a part in the third as his shot was saved and Ronaldo reacted quickest.
Joao Cancelo completed the rout when he scored from 20 yards after Kobel raced out and failed to clear a through ball.
A late equaliser for Spain, who snatched a 2-2 draw in the Czech Republic,means Portugal go to the top of Group A2, above the Czechs on goal difference.
Those two sides meet in Portugal on Thursday, with the hosts having drawn 1-1 with Spain in their opening fixture.
Portugal were the winners of the inaugural Nations League in 2019 and will be hopeful of repeating that feat after making such a strong start to this season’s competition.
While this was a memorable night for Ronaldo, it was also an eventful evening for his fierce rival Lionel Messi, who scored five times for Argentina in a 5-0 friendly win over Estonia.
That takes Messi’s tally to 86 international goals – 31 behind Ronaldo’s record of 117.
Lionel Messi scored all five of Argentina’s goals as they continued their fine form by thrashing Estonia in a friendly in Pamplona, Spain.
The Argentines swept aside Italy 3-0 in the Finalissima – a game between the champions of Europe and South America – on Wednesday.
Messiprovided two assists in that game and he was once again in vintage form.
He opened the scoring with a penalty and his fourth moved him above Ferenc Puskas who scored 84 goals for Hungary.
Messi is now the fourth highest-scorer in men’s international football, behind only Malaysia’s Mokhtar Dahari (89), Iran’s Ali Daei (109) and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (117).
It is the first time the 34-year-old has scored five in a game for his country. In fact, he has only ever achieved the feat once before in his career, in a 7-1 win for Barcelona over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League in 2012.
He would have been closer still to Ronaldo, but the Portuguese scored twice in his country’s Nations League win against Switzerland on Sunday.
Messi’s goals in Pamplona demonstrated his vast array of skills.
He put Lionel Scaloni’s team ahead with a calm penalty after eight minutes, then doubled the lead with a powerful side-footed effort into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
His third was a predatory finish, showing his trademark precision to direct Nahuel Molina’s right-wing cross into the bottom corner from 12 yards.
His fourth owed much to his alertness. As other players stopped and anticipated a free-kick award that never came, Messi picked up a loose ball, drove into the box, produced a dummy which left the Estonia keeper and a defender lying on the ground and rolled the ball into the empty net.
He concluded his remarkable performance when he was again quickest to react to a loose ball and slotted in a low finish from next to the penalty spot with 14 minutes remaining.
While Estonia did not provide the sternest of tests, this result – coupled with the victory over Italy, their unbeaten World Cup qualifying campaign and last year’s Copa America triumph – suggests Messi could yet have a great chance of winning the World Cup, the one trophy that has eluded him in his glittering career.
The President of Egypt has promised to provide 30 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to African countries, in coordination with the African Union.
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi made the announcement at the first pan-African health conference, which is being held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
Around 400 health officials, along with medical companies working in more than 100 countries, are attending the event.
President Sisi said that although Egypt had limited resources like other African countries, it was ready to cooperate with them all.
Uganda Covid cases on the rise again
Uganda’s health minister says the country’s Covid-19 cases have risen to levels last witnessed in June 2021 when the Delta variant was prevalent.
In a tweet, Minister Jane Aceng did not reveal the latest figures on confirmed cases, but said the country was “well prepared to respond and save lives than before”.
She also ruled out travel restrictions or lockdowns in any parts of the country under the current circumstances.
“We will optimise the existing control and mitigation tools at personal and community levels.
“These measures include: vaccination for all individuals, wearing of face masks at all times especially for the vulnerable population and hand washing,” she said.
Uganda fully reopened the economy in January after imposing one of the world’s strictest lockdowns during the pandemic, which saw schools remain closed for almost two years.
Mali has expressed disappointment at the decision by the West Africa regional group, Ecowas, to maintain crippling economic sanctions on the Sahel country.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told state-owned ORTM that he hoped the Ecowas would revisit the issue at its summit next month.
Ecowas deferred its decision on proposedtransitional periods in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso to 3 July after its summit of heads of state in Accra, Ghana, on Saturday.
French public radio RFI reported that Ecowas leaders had differed over the proposed transitional periods in the three countries.
It reported that the traditional consensus was not reached between states over the 24 months of transition proposed by the Malian junta.
Regarding Burkina Faso, Ecowas leaders rejected a proposed 36-month transition, which they have considered too long.
Russian state media has confirmed the death of one of Moscow’s top generals during heavy fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
Maj Gen Roman Kutuzov was killed leading an assault on a Ukrainian settlement in the region, a reporter with the state-owned Rossiya 1 said.
Alexander Sladkov said Gen Kutuzov had been commanding troops from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.
Russia’s defence ministry has not commented on the reports.
“The general had led soldiers into attack, as if there are not enough colonels,” Mr Sladkov wrote on the Telegram social media app. “On the other hand, Roman was the same commander as everyone else, albeit a higher rank.”
Ukraine’s military also confirmed the killing of Gen Kutuzov, without offering further details about the circumstances.
His death comes as rumours circulated on social media that a second senior officer, Lt Gen Roman Berdnikov, commander of the 29th Army, was also killed in fighting over the weekend. The BBC cannot independently verify the claims.
Russian commanders have been increasingly forced to the front in an attempt to drive forward the invasion and Moscow has confirmed the deaths of three senior generals.
Kyiv claims to have killed 12 generals and Western intelligence officials say at least seven senior commanders have been killed.
But there has been confusion over reports of the deaths of several other Russian officers. Three generals that Ukrainian forces claimed to have killed have subsequently been reported to be alive.
In March, Ukrainian forces said Maj Gen Vitaly Gerasimov had been killed outside the country’s second city of Kharkiv. However, on 23 May Russian state media said he had been awarded a state honour and dismissed reports of his death.
Another commander, Maj Gen Magomed Tushaev, also appeared to be still alive and periodically appears in videos posted to social media.
And on 18 March, Kyiv alleged that Lt Gen Andrey Mordvichev had been killed in an airstrike in the Kherson region. However, he later appeared in a video meeting with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and on 30 May BBC Russia confirmed that he was still alive.
The deaths of generals are rarely officially acknowledged in Russia. In the case of Maj Gen Vladimir Frolov, no information about his death had appeared in state media prior to his funeral in St Petersburg in April.
Russia lists military deaths as state secrets even in times of peace and has not updated its official casualty figures in Ukraine since 25 March, when it said that 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed since President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
In March, an official within President Volodymyr Zelensky’s inner circle told the Wall Street journal that a team of Ukrainian military intelligence officers had been tasked with locating and targeting Russia’s officer class.
“They look for high profile generals, pilots, artillery commanders,” the official said. They added that the officers were then targeted either with sniper fire or artillery.
Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev was reportedly killed by a Ukrainian strike on the Chornobaivka airbase near the city of Kherson.
He was promoted to lieutenant general last year, and was commander of the 49th combined army of Russia’s southern military district.
He is said to have taken part in Russia’s military operation in Syria.
Maj Gen Oleg Mityaev reportedly died somewhere near the city of Mariupol, a city in south-east Ukraine which was the scene of a protracted Russian siege.
The nationalist Azov regiment claimed to have killed him.
He was a commander of the Russian army’s 150th motorised rifle division, a relatively new unit formed in 2016, and based in the Rostov region close to the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine claims that the unit was created in order to take part in the conflict in separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, although Russia denies that its military was involved in fighting there.
Maj Gen Andrei Kolesnikov, of the 29th combined army, was killed in fighting on 11 March, according to official Ukrainian sources.
The circumstances of his death were not given.
After Kolesnikov became the third Russian general reportedly killed in Ukraine, one western official told the Press Association that the Russian army may be suffering from low morale, which is why high-ranking military officers are moving closer to the front line.
Maj Gen Andrey Sukhovetsky, a deputy commander at the same unit as Gerasimov, was reportedly killed by a sniper on 3 March.
Like Gerasimov, Sukhovetsky was part of Russia’s military operations in Crimea and in Syria.
Unlike the other generals, Sukhovetsky’s death was reported in the Russian media and Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed in a speech that a general had died in Ukraine.
Ghana remains top of Group E of the standings of the qualifiers for the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament despite drawing 1-1 against Central African Republic on Sunday.
The Black Stars played against the Wild Beast in Luanda, Angola this afternoon to clear the second game of Group E in the qualifiers.
Aftet dominating the early parts of the first half, Ghana deservedly took the lead through poster boy Mohammed Kudus in the 17th minute.
Police found him at the scene with severe burns and took him to hospital, but he died of his injuries.
BBC Abuja reporter Chris Ewokor says there appears to be a rise in mob violence in Nigeria.
Two weeks ago, at least five people were killed in violent clashes between commercial motorbike operators and traders in a suburb of Abuja.
A few days earlier, mob violence led to the death of a 38-year-old sound engineer in the country’s commercial hub, Lagos.
Human rights campaigners say the frequent cases of mob violence are fuelled by deep-rooted impunity and a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system.
Gunmen have killed worshippers in a Catholic church in Ondo, south-west Nigeria, the state’s governor has said.
Rotimi Akeredolu called it a “vile and satanic attack” on innocent people.
The armed men entered St Francis church in the town of Owo during a Sunday service. They fired into the congregation and then kidnapped a priest as well as some other church-goers, witnesses said.
Nigeria has experienced an upsurge in violence in recent months.
Kidnappings and attacks have been reported across the vast country.
No figures for the numbers killed or abducted in Sunday’s attack have been confirmed.
But a doctor at a local hospital, quoted by the Reuters news agency, said that “several worshippers were brought in dead”.
In a series of tweets, Governor Akeredolu appealed for calm and said people should not “take laws into your hands”.
“We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay,” he added.
No-one has said that they were behind this attack, but Nigeria is facing worsening violence by armed groups, the BBC’s Chris Ewokor in the capital, Abuja, says.
Exactly a week ago the head of the Methodist Church in Nigeria was abducted along with two other clerics in the south-east of the country.
The Methodist prelate said he paid $240,000 (£190,000) to be freed with his companions.
Two weeks ago, two Catholic priests were kidnapped in Katsina, President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state in the north of the country. They have not been released.
In March, gunmen targeted the vital rail link between Abuja and the northern city of Kaduna killing at least nine people and kidnapping dozens of others, many of whom are still being held.
Just a few moments before, Russian cruise missiles had slammed into two sites in the east of the city. Dramatic video on social media showed a number of explosions. The man filming cursed the Russians as he ducked for cover.
At the site of one of the strikes, normal life continued. The factory itself was sealed off, but families nearby went about their business, and buses dropped off passengers. One man came and rather angrily demanded we stop filming.
Moscow claimed it was targeting a delivery of tanks and armoured vehicles sent in by Ukraine’s eastern European allies. Kyiv denied this, saying it was a train repair plant dealing with “gondola cars and grain trucks”.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
The strike damaged a building in the Darnitsky district of Kyiv
It comes as Russia’s advances into the eastern Donbas region seem to be stalling, with one Ukrainian politician saying the attack on Kyiv was revenge for Moscow’s frustrations.
Some of the fiercest fighting is currently in the city of Severodonetsk – one of the few parts of Luhansk region not fully under Russian control. Luhansk is one of two regions which makes up the Donbas.
Speaking to the BBC, Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai said there was street-fighting in Severodonetsk and that it was still possible for Ukrainian forces to retake it.
“Russians understand that if there is a stable supply of ammunition to Ukrainians, they will not be able to hold the city.”
Severodonetsk lies across the river from the city of Lysychansk, which remains under Ukrainian control. Mr Haidai said it held more strategic value.
“Lysychansk is much more important because it is located on the hill. It is easier for the military to defend and strike,” he said.
Ukrainian forces are also hoping that more advanced rocket systems promised by the US will arrive soon, tipping the balance in their favour.
But speaking on Russian television on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if the West carried through with its promises of sending the weapons to Ukraine, he would hit “new targets they had not attacked before”.
It wasn’t clear what he meant by that, but it would most likely mean more nights for Kyiv like the one it has just endured.
At least three people are dead in Philadelphia and nearly a dozen other victims have been injured during a shooting incident Saturday evening, according to multiple reports.
Authorities responded to the scene in the South Street neighborhood just before midnight, where they found multiple shooters, with one firing into a crowd of people, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Philadelphia Police Department Inspector D.F. Pace said 14 people had been shot, including three who died, per the outlet.
“You can imagine there were hundreds of individuals enjoying South Street, as they do every single weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Pace said, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
According to the report, a Philadelphia police officer fired their own weapon at least once toward the suspect before the individual fled.
Philadelphia shooting spree (Citizen app)
The suspect was reportedly struck in the arm, but it is not immediately clear if the suspect was hit by the officers’ gunfire amid the chaotic situation.
Eric Walsh, an employee of the nearby O’Neals Pub, said he heard gunshots around 11:30 p.m. and acted swiftly to usher those in and around the bar to seek shelter, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“People were coming off the street with blood splatters on white sneakers and skinned knees and skinned elbows,” Walsh said per the report. “We literally just were balling up napkins and wetting them and handing them to people… it was chaos.”
The approximate location of a mass shooting in Philadelphia in the overnight hours between June 4 and June 5, 2022. (Mapbox/OpenStreetMap/Citizen app)
One shooter reportedly dropped a handgun with an extended magazine, which was recovered by police, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Officers recovered a second firearm early Sunday.
No arrests were made at the scene though police said the first suspect is a woman, Fox 29 reported. She was last seen in a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas with the NJ license plate K88-EUL, according to the report.
A fire and a huge explosion have killed at least 49 people and injured hundreds more at a storage depot near the city of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Hundreds of people had arrived to tackle the fire when a number of shipping containers exploded at the site in Sitakunda.
It is thought that chemicals were stored in some of the containers.
Industrial fires are common in Bangladesh, and are often blamed on poor safety regulations.
Many of the injured are said to be in a critical condition and the number of people killed is expected to rise.
Hospitals in the area are overwhelmed, with crowds of people waiting in hallways for treatment. Medics have appealed for blood donations and some of the injured have been airlifted to the capital, Dhaka.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Parts of the depot were still on fire on Sunday
The fire broke out at around 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Saturday and hundreds of firefighters, police and volunteers quickly arrived on the scene.
As they tried to extinguish the blaze a huge explosion rocked the site, engulfing many of the rescuers in flames and throwing debris and people into the air.
“The explosion just threw me some 10 metres from where I was standing. My hands and legs are burnt,” lorry driver Tofael Ahmed told AFP news agency.
Volunteers, some wearing only sandals on their feet, continued to bring bodies from the smouldering wreckage on Sunday morning.
Pictures of the aftermath showed the twisted remains of metal shipping containers and the collapsed roof of a warehouse. A local journalist told the BBC that there was a pungent odour in the air.
At least five firefighters were killed in the blast and several more were injured. Many people are still missing, including journalists who were reporting on the fire before the explosion.
The blast was so large it was heard several kilometres away and shattered the windows of nearby buildings. One local shopkeeper told reporters that a piece of debris had flown half a kilometre and landed in his pond. He described seeing “fireballs falling like rain” after the explosion.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Bodies were still being taken from the scene on Sunday
Many people in Bangladesh are comparing the explosion to the huge blast that hit Beirut in 2020, said the BBC’s Akbar Hossain in Dhaka. He said people have reported hearing the blast from 30-40km (19-25 miles) away.
Firefighters were still struggling to put out the fire on Sunday, with continued explosions making it more difficult, according to fire officials.
The army has deployed sandbags to prevent chemicals flowing into the Indian Ocean.
Around 4,000 containers were stored at the depot in Sitakunda, which is 40km (25 miles) from Chittagong – Bangladesh’s main sea port and second-largest city. Sitakunda acts as a transit point for goods travelling through the port.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption, The storage site held around 4,000 containers
A regional government official said the depot contained millions of dollars of garments waiting to be exported to Western retailers.
Bangladesh is a major supplier of clothing to the West and has prospered over the past decade to become the world’s second largest exporter of garments.
But safety regulations are often ignored or poorly enforced, and there have been several large fires and other incidents at factories in recent years.
On Sunday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper published a list of 12 industrial disasters – including fires, building collapses and chemical leaks – that have killed over 1,000 people since 2005.
Over 2,220 mental health recovered patients have been reunited with their families and communities.
The 2,220 persons were among the 2,850 admitted to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Pantang Hospital and Ankaful Hospital.
The Accra Psychiatric Hospital facilitated the reintegration of 1,650 patients, Pantang Hospital reconciled 320 patients and Ankaful Hospital reintegrated 250 patients.
The reintegration is in line with a new psychiatric regime designed under the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846).
To ensure a successful reintegration, community psychiatric units work in partnership with the Social Welfare Departments (SWDs) across districts in the country.
Professor Akwasi Osei, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mental Health Authority (MHA), says psychiatric health care has evolved over the years and now, there is the community-care approach.
Interacting with the Daily Graphic, he indicated that recovering patients are no longer locked up for a long period but taken back into their respective communities for care with proper supervision.
“Mental health care has gone through various evolutions. Now the current evolution is the recognition that persons with mental health care can be treated in their communities and not necessarily at the institutions.
“Those days when people were kept so long at the psychiatric institutions are long gone; now the focus is on community care.â€
According to him, inbuilt psychiatric units have been established by the government in all regional and district hospitals in the country, where psychiatric nurses liaise with personnel with social welfare to provide the services needed.
Regarding decongestion of psychiatric wards, Professor Akwasi Osei said the Accra Psychiatric Hospital has been downsized to 350 patients.Â
The CEO noted that the hospital previously used to house over 2,000 patients.
He continued: “Pantang Hospital also used to have a huge number, but has reduced it to between 200 and 150 patients. Ankaful Hospital previously had 350, but has reduced it to about 100 patients recently.â€Â
Cindy Boadu, a trader at Madina Market, is among the many who have been reintegrated into society after being admitted to the Pantang Hospital between December 18, 2019, and July 12, 2020.
While expressing thanks to the management of the hospital, she assured that her condition would not deteriorate since “I take my medications regularly.â€
Meanwhile, Dr Frank Baning, a Medical Director of Pantang Hospital, indicates that the community-care approach has been instituted to ensure persons admitted at Pantang Hospital are not abandoned by their families.
He stated the approach is part of processes families must agree to before their loved ones are admitted.
“So, when families go through the psychiatric units across the districts in the country, the units establish where to find the family or a contact person to ensure that recovered patients could go back home.Â
And after treatment, when we realize the person is getting better, the social welfare unit at the hospital starts tracking the community psychiatric unit within the communities where the patient originally resides and the process of reintegration continues from there.â€
Not all recovered patients have been able to reunite with their families.
One, Samuel Kofi Agyemang, has been employed as a cleaner at the Pantang Hospital, after it was discovered that members of his family who could identify him have all passed away.
Samuel Kofi Agyemang, also known as Wofa, is said to hail from Bekwai in the Ashanti region.
Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, the Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), has won the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) Presidential position.
Agyemang-Prempeh takes over from Bismark Inkum, his predecessor.
Mr. Agyemang-Prempeh had to beat four contenders including Bismark Inkum to emerge victorious.
The elections were held from June 1 to 3.
He, together with the other executives, were sworn-in after the results were declared.
20 members of NALAG contested for the various positions in the Association.
The positions include the President, 1st Vice, 2nd Vice, Trustee, Treasurer and the Women Caucus Representative.
Over 1300 delegates comprising Metropolitan, Municipal and District Cheif Executives, Assembly Members and government appointees converged at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to partake in the election.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Agyemang-Prempeh assured of his commitment to stop the building of structures on waterways which causes flooding whenever there is a downpour.
He also noted that he will ensure the welfare of the various assembly members.
“I wish to assure all here and the nation at large of my quick implementation of the repositioning agenda.
“Next is to develop a proper welfare scheme for all assembly members in the country.
“I will set up a committee from NALAG which will engage the Ministry of Works and Housing, NADMO and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, civil society organisation, among others to ensure a maximum human face is applied during the implementation phase.â€
The Ashanti Regional Fire Command in collaboration with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) embarked on a simulation exercise to ascertain the level of preparedness of institutions in the event of a fire outbreak.
The unannounced simulation exercise saw SSNIT workers evacuate the edifice swiftly following the sound of the alarm.
Speaking to Citinews, the Ashanti Regional Fire Commander, ACFO 1 Henry Giwah stated that although fire outbreak in the region is currently on the low, there is the need to prepare institutions.
He cited the possible terrorist attacks in Ghana as another reason for the exercise.Â
Institutions’ preparedness, he said, will help reduce the number of casualties.
“When we wake up, we hear terrorists left and right. So, if we also don’t get ready for them, it will take us unaware. So we need to make sure we are ready. The security will try to prevent it but should it happen, can we also respond to it?”
He therefore urged other institutions to carry out such exercise.
“So everybody should make sure they do some of these things so if it happens in your building, you can also be safe.”
On his part, Adum Branch Manager for SSNIT, John Boateng, lauded the Regional Fire Service Command for initiative.
According to him, the officers were swift and professional.
“We expected them to do a professional work and to be frank with you, I really appreciate the way they conducted themselves. The time we called them, they were here within minutes.”
He indicated that the simulation also showed how protected the edifice is as all firearm equipment triggered.
In the early part of the year, more fire incidents were being recorded in the Ashanti Region.
The Ashanti Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service said in January, 260 cases were recorded.
Adum within the Central business district of Kumasi is among the many areas that was affected by a fire outbreak.
The fire destroyed a shop with items estimated at around millions of Ghana cedis.
ACFO 1 Henry Giwah blamed most of these fire incidents on negligence by residents.
The Konor of Manya Krobo Traditional Area, Nene Sakite II  has conferred Black Stars deputy captain Thomas Teye Partey with the title Mahefalor, for his immense contribution to the area and the national football team.
Mahefalor means “Defender of Krobo Traditional Area”.
Nene Sakite II presented Partey with a citation at the event which attracted a lot of people.
Specially mentioned in the citation was the classic goal he scored in Nigeria to qualify Ghana for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, Partey has missed out on Ghana’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] qualifiers against Madagascar and the away game against the Central African Republic [CAR] due to an injury he suffered against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
“He was playing an unbelievable tournament. I know how much he is fighting for a Grand Slam – he will win more than one. I wish him all the very best.
“It is difficult to say a lot of things in this situation. For me to be in the final of Roland Garros is a dream but at the same time to finish that way is not nice.
“I was in a small room with Sascha [in the treatment room off court] and to see him crying was a tough moment.”
On his 36th birthday, Nadal has become the second oldest men’s singles finalist in French Open history behind American Bill Tilden, who was 37 when he was runner-up in 1930.
Heartbreaking end to compelling match
Zverev’s fall was a dramatic and heartbreaking end to a semi-final battle that had been intriguing if not compelling.
The 25-year-old German had lost the first set after being unable to take any of four set points from a 6-2 lead in the tie-break.
After missing the chance to serve out the second set, producing three double faults at 5-3, Zverev showed resilience to regroup.
In a set full of suspense, if not quality, he was about to have the opportunity to level in another tie-break.
Instead his ambitions of becoming a Grand Slam champion – at least now – were ended in the cruellest manner.
The seriousness of the situation was immediately clear, with Zverev screaming and signalling for help as he lay on the ground.
Medics quickly arrived and it seemed obvious he would not be able to continue once the wheelchair was called for.
A sombre mood hung in the air as the 15,000 crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier waited for news and it came when Zverev returned on crutches to shake hands with umpire Renaud Lichtenstein.
Almost the entire stadium stood up to give Zverev a thunderous round of applause, the player responding by lifting one of his crutches into the air.
The unexpected ending brought an end to a scrappy match that had already lasted three hours and 13 minutes without the second set being concluded.
Nadal, who continues to battle a chronic foot injury, was far from his best in the opening set but showed his brilliance in the crucial moments to help win it.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion walked out to the match amid huge applause, before the crowd serenaded him with a rendition of ‘Joyeux Anniversaire’ – ‘Happy Birthday’ in French.
The party atmosphere quickly changed. Zverev broke Nadal’s serve in the opening game of the match, with Nadal struggling on the slower conditions in humid conditions under the Chatrier roof on a rainy Paris afternoon.
Zverev moved 4-2 ahead with a service hold to love, showing his high level of confidence with powerful winners.
But he got tight when serving at 4-3 and Nadal broke as part of a run of three successive games that left Zverev serving to stay in the opening set.
The German came under pressure again, fending off three set points which his errors had helped create. But he survived, although he was then unable to take either of two break points himself in the 11th game.
It was left to a tie-break to separate the pair, where Nadal produced two forehand winners at crucial times that were almost unworldly.
Nadal saved Zverev’s third set point with a whipped crosscourt forehand which left most in the crowd in awe and jubilantly celebrating, sealing the set at the sixth opportunity with a sensational forehand winner down the line.
A messy second set featured eight breaks of serve in the opening nine games. Nadal finally held serve for the first time in the set for 5-5 and another tie-break was necessary until agony struck for Zverev.
Ruud becomes first Norwegian into a Grand Slam singles final
Casper Ruud is eighth in the world rankings, while Marin Cilic is 23rd
In the second semi-final, Ruud fought back from a set down to beat Croatia’s Cilic and reach his first Grand Slam final.
Eighth seed Ruud, who becomes the first Norwegian to reach a singles final at a Slam, won 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-2 against the 2014 US Open champion.
Cilic, 33, was playing in his first major semi-final since losing in the 2018 Australian Open final and made a fine start as he gained the opening set against a nervous-looking Ruud.
But Ruud, 23, broke Cilic’s serve in the third game of the second set, although the Croat wasted three chances to get it back on serve in the 10th game of the set.
Cilic missed a number of overhead shots and started the third set badly, being broken in both of his two opening service games as Ruud took control.
In the sixth game of the third set, with Ruud 4-1 ahead, there was a 15-minute delay to the match after a protester got on to Court Philippe Chatrier and tied herself to the net.
When the match restarted, Ruud finished off the third set and then broke Cilic’s serve at the first available opportunity in the fourth on his way to the victory that sets up an encounter with Nadal.
“Rafa has been my idol all of my life,” said Ruud. “He is the last of the big three top players in the world that I’ve never played so it’s perfect timing to play him in a Grand Slam final and it will be a special moment for me.
“He is playing a student from his academy so it’s going to be a fun one. It’s something I’ve dreamed of.”
The husband of a top Nigerian gospel singer who died in April in Abuja has pleaded not guilty to all charges relating to her death and alleged abuse in their marriage.
Osinachi Nwachukwu’s death sparked outrage after her family alleged she was a domestic abuse victim.
She sang in the 2017 hit gospel song Ekwueme, which has 77 million YouTube views.
Peter Nwachukwu faces 23 charges in total.
Some of them relate to domestic violence, including emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, as well as culpable homicide – an offence that can be punished with the death penalty.
The high court in Abuja ordered that Mr Nwachukwu be remanded in prison.
He has been in detention while the police have been investigating the cause of her death.
Initial reports said the 42-year old music star had been sick with throat cancer, but her family denied it.
Many Nigerians, especially Christians, reacted with sorrow and anger to the news of her death.
Some went online to urge religious leaders not to advise church members to stay in abusive relationships.
The pastor at the church where she was the lead singer, Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, said as a faith group they had no tolerance of domestic abuse and that he did not know she was an alleged abuse victim.
An ex-top White House adviser has been charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to co-operate with the inquiry into last year’s US Capitol riot.
Peter Navarro is the second Trump aide to be arrested after defying a legal summons from the congressional committee investigating the attack.
In court, Mr Navarro, 72, accused prosecutors and the FBI of misconduct.
His indictment comes a week before the committee is due to begin televised hearings on its inquiry.
The US House of Representatives panel, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, has interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses.
Steve Bannon, who was chief strategist to former President Donald Trump, faced contempt of Congress charges last November after he too defied a subpoena.
Mr Navarro has been charged with refusing to provide testimony or documents to the committee investigating the riot at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
A China hawk who advised Mr Trump on trade issues and also served on the Covid task force, he did not enter a plea at his hearing on Friday in Washington DC.
Mr Navarro faces the possibility of up to two years in jail or a fine.
He condemned the manner of his arrest earlier in the day by FBI agents at a Washington airport as he was boarding a flight to Nashville, Tennessee.
“Who are these people? This is not America,” the former economics professor said in court, according to the Associated Press news agency. “I was a distinguished public servant for four years!”
Outside, Mr Navarro protested that he had been placed in handcuffs and leg irons as he was taken into custody, reports Fox News.
He said he would represent himself, because he was not willing to spend several hundred thousand dollars on legal counsel.
The former aide has already acknowledged in media interviews that he helped co-ordinate an effort – known as the “Green Bay Sweep” – to keep Mr Trump, a Republican, in power after he lost the November 2020 election to his Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
The House panel has also recommended contempt charges for Dan Scavino, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr Trump, and Mark Meadows, who was White House chief of staff.
But it emerged on Friday evening that the US Department of Justice will not act on those two referrals.
Mr Trump has urged his former associates not to co-operate with the Democratic-led investigation, deeming it politically motivated.
Mr Navarro has claimed his communications with the former president were protected under the legal principle of executive privilege.
Critics of the investigation have pointed out that in 2012, former US Attorney General Eric Holder was not criminally charged after he was found in contempt of Congress for refusing to co-operate with an inquiry.
Then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, had asserted executive privilege in that case.
African countries are innocent victims of the war in Ukraine and Russia should help ease their suffering, the head of the African Unionhas told Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Russia.
After talks in Sochi, Macky Sall said the Russian leader had promised to ease the export of cereals and fertiliser, but gave no details.
Mr Putin denied Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting grain.
Over 40% of wheat consumed in Africa usually comes from Russia and Ukraine.
But Ukraine’s ports in the Black Sea have been largely blocked for exports since the conflict began. Kyiv and its allies blame Moscow for blockading the ports, which Ukraine has mined to prevent a Russian amphibious assault.
“Failure to open those ports will result in famine,” the UN’s crisis coordinator Amin Awad said in Geneva.
The war has exacerbated already existing shortages in Africa caused by bad harvests and insecurity.
Food prices have shot up across the continent since Russia invaded Ukraine 100 days ago, pushing huge numbers towards hunger.
The head of the World Food Programme, Mike Dunford, said more than 80 million people were acutely food insecure, acutely hungry in Africa – up from about 50 million people this time last year.
Chad has declared a national food emergency. A third of the population needs food aid, according to the UN and the government has appealed for international assistance.
Mr Sall, who is Senegal’s president, told Mr Putin he should be “aware that our countries, even if they are far from the theatre [of action], are victims of this economic crisis”.
He said he was also pleading on behalf of other countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Mr Putin said Russia was ready to guarantee the safe export of Ukrainian grain via ports on the Azov and Black seas it controls. He said the best solution would be to lift sanctions on Belarus, a close Russian ally, so the grain could be shipped that way.
Some analysts argue the Kremlin is hoping that a looming food crisis will put political pressure on the West by provoking big new refugee flows towards Europe from food-insecure countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Before Friday’s meeting, Mr Putin said he was always on the side of Africa, but didn’t explicitly mention the continent’s food crisis.
Like many African countries, Senegal has avoided taking sides in the conflict and the Senegalese leader also said food supplies should be “outside” the West’s sanctions on Russia. He said he had made this point when he spoke to the European Council earlier in the week.
Last Friday, US President Joe Biden dismissed the idea that the West bore responsibility for the global price rises.
“This is a Putin price hike. Putin’s war has raised the price of food because Ukraine and Russia are two of the world’s major bread baskets for wheat and corn, the basic product for so many foods around the world,” he said.
Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, says the Ministry would not extend the set deadline for the nationwide SIM card registration exercise.
Consequently, she said all unregistered SIM cards would be deactivated by the end of July this year, and advised mobile phone users yet to register their SIM cards to do so.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful gave the caution during the climax of the Ahafo Regional celebration of the Girls-in-ICT Initiative held at Acherensua in the Asutifi South District on the theme “Access and safety.â€
The Girls-in-ICT initiative, one of the flagship programmes of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) was in line with the International Girls-in-ICT Day, an initiative introduced in 2012 and backed by all International Communications Unions (ITU) in the Member States.
It aimed at encouraging and empowering girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICT in the growing fields of ICTs, enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.
Under the initiative, 1,000 girls from selected basic schools in the Region had the opportunity to undergo a one-week intensive training in ICT in basic computing including programming, coding, gaming, scratch typing and a mentorship programme.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said mobile phone subscribers and users in the country had been provided with enough time and opportunity to register their SIM cards saying, “there is no way we are going to extend the deadline again.â€
She explained that SIM card registration was essential because the exercise would greatly help the country in its efforts to prevent online and cybercrimes that had become more sophisticated.
Touching on the Girls-in-ICT initiative, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the Ministry was determined to sustain the initiative to create opportunities for more girls to benefit from ICT education.
She emphasised that ICT education was not reserved for only boys and men, but for girls and women as well, saying girls also needed ICT skills to provide them with the needed exposure in the digital space.
The OSP in a notice issued June 3, 2022, said Mr Coffie was wanted for corruption and corruption-related offences as well as the forgery of official document.
“The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has caused the issuance of a warrant of arrest for the underlisted person [Dela Coffie] whose pictorial representation appears above,” the notice signed by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng reads.
The notice further discloses that Mr Coffie “Claims To Be A Manager Of Political Communications”.
Reaction
Meanwhile, Mr Coffie has reacted to the summons on Facebook, stating that he will submit himself to any queries of law enforcement agencies as he has nothing to hide. He also shed some insight on the charges against him.
He posted: “Preliminarily, I want to state that I am available right here in Ghana and will submit myself to any queries of law enforcement agencies as I have nothing to hide.
“As regards context, my understanding is that the Special Prosecutor is linking me to a petitioner, who has lodged a petition before his office against former Minister Atta Akyea.
“However, let me state that the recklessness with which the Special Prosecutor will jump to issue an arrest warrant without any recourse to me as rules of engagement injunct his office to do, will be subjected to appropriate judicial review”.
Read Dela Coffie’s entire post below;
Re: Notice of Wanted Person My attention has been drawn to a warrant of arrest issued by Special Prosecutor against my person. Preliminarily, I want to state that I am available right here in Ghana and will submit myself to any queries of law enforcement agencies as I have nothing to hide. As regards context, my understanding is that the Special Prosecutor is linking me to a petitioner, who has lodged a petition before his office against former Minister Atta Akyea. However, let me state that the recklessness with which the Special Prosecutor will jump to issue an arrest warrant without any recourse to me as rules of engagement injunct his office to do, will be subjected to appropriate judicial review. My lawyers have taken the matter up and we will deal with the issues head-on. Dela Coffie is a law-abiding citizen and ready to fight any concocted allegations geared towards tarnishing my image in the estimation of right-thinking members of society. Issued by Dela Coffie 3rd June, 2022. Accra
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu MP, has claimed that an amount of GHS32million was paid to Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd for the National Cathedral project.
According to the MP, this amount was paid to the company by President Akufo-Addo in 2021 for its consultancy services.
Per the document referenced by Mr Ablakwa, Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd also interviewed contractors.
Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd designed the new National Cathedral.
This information comes barely 24hours after it was reported that the Akufo-Addo government has allocated an amount of GHS25 million for the National Cathedral project.
Documents from the Office of the President confirm that in 2021 alone, Prez Akufo-Addo authorized an astonishing GHS32million of taxpayer funds to be paid to Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd for consultancy on his National Cathedral project.
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 3, 2022
The North Tongu MP made this revelation. In the document sighted by The Independent Ghana and signed by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, it said that the Finance Ministry has given the National Cathedral Secretariat an extra GH25 million as seed money.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Mr Ablakwa described the allocation as shocking while hinting at the government’s misplaced priority.
“Considering the current debilitating economic crisis, why is the Akufo-Addo govt releasing a colossal GHS25million for the National Cathedral project? Shockingly, this is the same govt claiming lack of funds to pay NABCo trainees, School feeding caterers, service personnel.â€
Mr Ablakwa claims that so far, per his investigations, an amount of GHS57million has been spent on the project. He however believes that the government has engaged in more spending.
Meanwhile, the North Tongu MP says Parliament has not been informed about the procurement process that took place for the construction of the National Cathedral project.
“We as Members of Parliament have not approved all of these colossal sums of money that are being released to companies we are seeing for the first time.
“We are not even aware of the procurement processes that were followed for these companies and consultants who are today, at the receiving end of hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis.â€
On Saturday, June 4, a state burial will be held for the late Ramatu Aliu Mahama, who was betrothed to the late Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.
Government functionaries will be led by President Akufo-Addo to bid farewell and pay their last respect at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.
Traditional rulers, friends and family in Ghana, Nigeria and others are expected to be in attendance.
This comes after she was laid to reston April 9, 2022. At the Kalpohin Estate in Tamale, the Northern Region, Â Ramatu Aliu Mahama was laid next to her late husband.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife Samira Bawumia, Interior Minister; Ambrose Dery, Defence Minister; Dominic Ntiwul, Deputy Transport Minister; Hassan Tampuli, and Ibrahim Mahama were among the dignitaries who attended the burial service.
Ahead of the state burial, Farouk Aliu Mahama, the first son of the late Ramatu Aliu Mahama, has thanked the government for the love and honour shown to the Aliu family.
“It is important for us to be extremely grateful to the government of President Akufo-Addo for the unflinching support to us from the time our mum was unwell, during and after her demise.â€
“The government has supported well enough and we are grateful for giving our mother a befitting state burial and funeral rights,â€Â
Farouk Aliu Mahama is the Member of Parliament for Yendi.
Ramatu Aliu Mahama passed away on April 8, 2022, aged 70.Â
Following her passing, the Vice President among many others including Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, eulogized the late educationist.
The Vice President revealed that the late Ramatu Mahama was like a mother to him, one who inspired him in his many undertakings.
“Inaa lillah wa inaa ilaihi raji-un I have learnt with sadness the passing of H.E. Hajia Rahmatu Mahama, former 2nd Lady of the Republic. Hajia Rahmatu was a loving mother and a great source of inspiration to me. I will miss her dearly. May Allah grant her Jannatul Firdaus,†he wrote in a tweet.
Ricardo Horta struck on his first Portugal appearance in almost eight years as they drew with Spain in their Nations League opener in Seville.
Spain’s Alvaro Morata scored the opening goal, finishing off a slick move involving Gavi and Pablo Sarabia.
Braga’s Horta, who won a first cap as a teenager in 2014, came off the bench and tucked home Joao Cancelo’s cross.
It is almost 10 years since this fixture was won by either side, with the last five meetings all draws.
Jordi Alba should have won the game for Spain when he headed wide from eight yards out.
Spain’s Carlos Soler and Portugal forward Rafael Leao squandered two good opportunities each with the hosts ahead 1-0 through Morata’s 25th-minute effort.
The visitors, who won the 2019 tournament, brought on Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half but he was not involved in the 82nd-minute equaliser, which was Horta’s first international goal.
This is only the second time in nine games in all competitions that Spain have not won. The other was last year’s Nations League final defeat by France.
In the other game in Group A2, the Czech Republic beat Switzerland 2-1.
On Sunday, the Czechs host Spain and Portugal are at home to Switzerland.
Rafael Nadal will aim to reach a 14th French Open final on his 36th birthday on Friday – although it remains to be seen whether it could be his last.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion – a record 13-time winner in Paris – meets German third seed Alexander Zverev for a place in Sunday’s showpiece.
But the Spaniard is yet to find a “solution” to his chronic foot injury.
“The last three months and a half, for me, the only thing that I can say is they haven’t been easy,” Nadal said.
“If we are not able to find an improvement or a small solution, then it’s becoming super difficult for me. So that’s it,” added the world number five, whose encounter with Zverev is scheduled to start at 13:45 BST.
“It’s not the moment to talk about [what happens after the French Open]. We are going to talk about that when my tournament finishes.”
Nadal overcame defending champion and world number one Novak Djokovic in a thrilling four-set and four-hour encounter in Tuesday’s night session.
His 110th win at Roland Garros leaves him two victories away from moving another title clear of 20-time major winners Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Despite winning the Australian Open in January after returning from the foot problem that he feared may end his career, it is clear the injury is still causing issues.
“I am just enjoying every day that I have the chance to be here, and without thinking much about what can happen in the future,” Nadal said.
“Of course I’m going to keep fighting to find a solution, but for the moment, we haven’t.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen after here.”
Zverev eyes another shot at maiden Grand Slam
Alexander Zverev will contest the fifth Grand Slam semi-final of his career and aim to reach his second major final
Nadal has won six of his nine matches against Zverev – and four of their previous five meetings on clay.
The 25-year-old German’s wait for a maiden Grand Slam title continues but he did record his first victory over a top-10 opponent at a major with an impressive four-set win over talented Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
That display secured a second successive French Open semi-final for the 2020 US Open finalist – and victory against Nadal would set up his best chance yet of claiming a maiden Slam, against either Norwegian eighth seed Casper Ruud or Croatia’s Marin Cilic.
“I’m not 20 or 21 years old anymore. I’m 25. I am at the stage where I want to win, I’m at the stage where I’m supposed to win,” Zverev said.
“Yes, I have not beaten [Djokovic or Nadal] in majors, but I feel like I was very close,” he added.
“I feel like I have had very difficult and tough matches against them. But there is a big difference between having a tough match and beating them. Still a major difference.”
Ruud chases debut final against experienced Cilic
Marin Cilic (left) is a former world number three
World number 23 Cilic, edged a captivating four-hour match against Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev in a fifth-set tie-break to book his place in the final four at Roland Garros for the first time.
With that achievement, the experienced 33-year-old became the fifth active men’s player, after current world number one Djokovic and former top-ranked players Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray, to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams.
The 2014 US Open champion, who also reached finals at Wimbledon in 2017 and the Australian Open in 2018, meets a first-time major semi-finalist in Ruud – the first male Norwegian player to reach the last four at a Grand Slam.
Having ended unseeded 19-year-old Holger Rune’s run in the previous round, Ruud has recorded the most ATP clay-court wins since the start of 2020 with an impressive 65.
“These are the matches that you dream about playing, and hopefully of course even the final if it’s possible,” said Ruud.
“I have to be really focused and bring my A-game in the semi-final. Marin has played great all week, and it’s going to be another tough match.”
Their semi-final will follow the Nadal-Zverev match on Court Philippe Chatrier.
She’s one of the most photographed women in history and over the past 70 years has defined what it means to dress like a queen.
Not trendsetting or daring, but iconic.
She’s become famous for her brightly coloured dresses and coats paired with a matching hat, accessorised with her signature square handbag, a string of pearls and a jewelled brooch. It sounds simple but the Queen’s style has become a powerful formula.
It’s a style that has been honed and refined over seven decades, helped by the close relationships she has developed with trusted designers and dressers.
“Royal fashion is fun, powerful and steeped with meaning,” says author and royal fashion commentator Elizabeth Holmes.“Her image is a huge part of her legacy.”
Dazzling and intricate
The Queen has always had a very clear idea of what she wanted to look like, says historian Michael Pick.
“People have said she has no idea about clothes, but that is simply not true. She is very astute about what suits her,” Pick says.
When she was in her 20s, Princess Elizabeth began working with designer Norman Hartnell, a relationship she inherited from the Queen Mother. Full-skirted dresses with a nipped in waist, influenced by French couture, were paired with white fur stoles and diamond tiaras.
As she took on her new role as Queen, Hartnell helped her to dazzle her way through state banquets and royal tours in a host of tulle and satin gowns, intricately embellished with seed pearls, crystals and beads.
Hartnell also created two of the most important dresses she would ever wear – her wedding dress and the gown she wore for her coronation. He describes the process as a collaboration. “For her coronation dress Hartnell produced about eight designs and she chose elements from them all and made it her own,” Pick says.
For the Queen, working with the same people was not just about trust, but was also down to necessity.
Hartnell had the largest couture house in London along with the largest embroidery workroom, and for someone as busy as the Queen who needed hundreds of new outfits each year, it meant he had the capacity to design and produce what she needed.
Still, the scale of the job meant she also asked designer Hardy Amies to work with her, beginning with a wardrobe of looks for a tour of Canada in 1951.
Amies led the Queen into a slightly more crisp and understated look, with tailored day clothes and sleeker eveningwear. Then Ian Thomas took her through the 1970s and 1980s in a flurry of brightly coloured chiffon, floral prints and bows.
For the last 24 years her outfits have been designed and produced in-house by a small team of around 10 people, led by her personal dresser Angela Kelly.
Each item the Queen wears is bespoke, and before the pandemic she was attending more then 300 engagements a year. “It’s a huge amount of work,” Pick says. “You don’t want the monarch wearing something someone else is wearing. The public expects something different.
“Hartnell and Amies made her more individual, while Angela Kelly has been very clever and managed to take her individual style and make it sparkle.”
Hat, bag, shoes
When the Queen steps out in public every aspect of her appearance has been meticulously planned.
Fabrics are checked to see how they drape or might behave in a breeze. The bright colours, chosen for the season and occasion, give instant impact so that she stands out in a crowd. A hat gives her slight stature more height and highlights her face.
She wears sensible block-heeled shoes – handmade and worn in by Kelly herself to make sure they are comfortable – and there is always a clear umbrella with a colour-matched trim on standby, so even the unpredictable British weather won’t get in her way.
This uniform-way of dressing maximises her comfort on long days, but also helps define her role, says Elizabeth Holmes.
“Her job is to be a calm and consistent presence. Her clothes are a mix of knowing what to expect but also with an ability to surprise and delight.
“Even in the casual moments there is a sense of uniform, with her headscarf and wellies. It keeps the continuity and also shows she is never off duty.”
Arguably the most iconic part of the Queen’s look is the thing that has remained virtually unchanged throughout her reign: her famous shampoo and set is almost identical to the style she wore when she came to the throne in 1953.
But for the change in colour as she got older and embraced her natural grey, it has retained the two distinctive wave curls at the front and firm and structured curls around the back, formed perfectly to host a crown or hat.
The traditional style, set on rollers under a dryer, was the hairstyle of choice for many of Britain’s fashion conscious women in the post-war years but while trends have moved on the Queen has been loyal to it ever since.
“Her hair is quite conventional for a woman her age, but it is a strong look, softened by curls to give it a gentleness,” says royal and celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward. “I think her hair sums up what we all really value about her,” he says. “It is sensible, practical and elegant.”
Another of the Queen’s most iconic style points is the famous top-handled Launer handbag.
Unlike other classic designer bags such as the Hermes Birkin or the Chanel 2.55, which are popular with women aged from their 20s to their 70s, Launer is not as fashionable or desirable for younger women, says Charlotte Rogers, a luxury accessories expert.
But there is still a big market for them in other countries, especially the Middle East. The Queen’s royal seal of approval changes everything for a brand. “The fact the Queen still uses Launer bags is huge,” Rogers says. “Royals are the ultimate influencers.”
The handbags retail for around £1,500-£2,000, and the Queen is said to have a collection of over 200 in different colours and styles.
It seems in her Jubilee year the Queen has become more influential than ever, which is no mean feat for a woman in her 90s, says Rogers.
“She’s age appropriate, a style much like my grandmother used to wear for special occasions and I think she is influential to older ladies,” she says. “Pins and brooches were seen as so unfashionable and now I can’t buy enough of them. They sell so quickly.”
Royal influence
The Queen’s clothes are not just style choices but also brand statements, steeped with meaning and influence. Whether she’s wearing a jewelled gown or a tweed skirt every outfit says something about her and her role as an ambassador and figurehead.
“Her wardrobe is her communication,” says Matthew Storey, curator at Historic Royal Palaces.
She has to be prepared, reliable and traditional. But while walking the line of being accessible and reassuring her clothes also “have to be worthy of royalty,” Holmes says.
“It’s part of the bedazzling of the crown. With the Queen her clothes are bespoke. You can’t buy them but it means they can be seen and admired.”
There’s also a diplomatic role, subtle nods to a country or event shown in emblems or colours she wears.
“The subtle pink coloured dress she wore to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games was chosen because it was on none of the national flags. It stood out but it also wasn’t showing any allegiance,” Storey says.
Like other iconic brands she also means many different things to people.
“Like a work of art you interpret her in your own way,” says Jeetendr Sehdev, author and celebrity branding expert.
“Do we really know who she is? I’m not sure we do. But what we do know is what she means to us and the things she stands for – her strength, boldness and authenticity – remain relevant even among young people.”
Younger royals like Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are clearly inspired by her, but the Queen stands far and above, he says.
There’s great affection for how she looks, Holmes says. She has a signature style that will forever remind people of her.
“No-one else dresses like her,” she says. “That’s her job and it’s profound.”
The UK is having a four-day bank holiday weekend in June as part of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
In February, the Queen became the longest-serving British monarch, and the first to reach 70 years on the throne.
Queen Elizabeth II has been the UK’s head of state since 1952, when her father King George VI died. She is also the head of state for 15 Commonwealth countries.
But this could change. Last year Barbdos removed the Queen as its head of state and became a republic. Since then, six Caribbean nations have indicated they plan to follow suit: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, and St Kitts and Nevis.
What is the Queen’s Jubilee?
The Queen was born on 21 April 1926 but she celebrates two birthdays every year. The second is the day the official celebrations take place and is usually on the second Saturday in June.
This started with her great-grandfather Edward VII, who was born in November, to make it more likely that there would be good weather for a public celebration.
This year’s jubilee will be the Queen’s fourth – she celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, her Golden Jubilee in 2002 and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
There are several events planned throughout the year, but the main celebrations are during June’s four-day bank holiday weekend, and include a special Trooping of the Colour, a concert outside Buckingham Palace, and a pageant.
Thousands of street parties will be held across the country. Pubs, bars and nightclubs will also be able to stay open until 01:00 BST.
As part of the opening celebrations for the Jubilee, the Queen will be joined by members of her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on 2 June.
The Palace has confirmed that Prince Harry and Prince Andrew will not be present as it will only be for “members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties”.
Getty Images:Â Many street parties were held to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012
How popular is the monarchy?
A recent poll by YouGov suggested that 62% think the country should continue to have a monarchy, with 22% saying it should have an elected head of state instead.
Last year, two Ipsos Mori polls gave broadly similar results, with only one in five believing that abolishing the monarchy would be good for the UK.
However, the YouGov poll suggested that there had been a decline in those in favour of the monarchy in the past decade, from 75% in 2012, to 62% now.
While there was majority support for the monarchy among older age groups, the poll indicated this might not be true for younger people.
In 2011, when YouGov first started tracking the issue, 59% of 18 to 24-year-olds thought the monarchy should continue, compared with 33% today.
When was the Queen crowned and what happens at coronation?
When a monarch dies, the heir immediately becomes king or queen. The coronation is the ceremony at which the monarch is formally crowned. It takes place after a period of mourning for the previous sovereign.
Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June 1953. Her coronation was the first to be broadcast live on TV. More than 20 million people tuned in.
The central elements of the ceremony have barely changed for hundreds of years. The coronation is performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The monarch is anointed with “holy oil”, receives the orb and sceptre – symbols of royalty – and is crowned with the St Edward’s Crown, the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels.
PA Media:Â More than 20 million people watched the Queen’s coronation on television on 2 June, 1953.
How many children and grandchildren does the Queen have? And how does succession work?
The Queen was married to her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021, for more than 73 years. They had four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Prince Charles is her first-born, followed by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
The order of succession sets out which member of the Royal Family takes over as monarch when the existing one dies or abdicates. First in line – the heir to the throne – is the monarch’s first-born child.
Royal succession rules were amended in 2013 to ensure that sons no longer take precedence over their older sisters.
Prince Charles is the Queen’s heir. His eldest son, Prince William, is second in line, and William’s eldest child, Prince George, is third.
Prince Charles would act as “regent” if his mother was not able to perform due to ill-health. This means he would take on the role of the monarch, without officially taking the position.
Roaring crowds cheered the Queen as she joined other royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the first of four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Thousands flooded The Mall, waving flags in the brilliant sunshine to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign.
The 96-year-old watched a flypast with 17 other royals and was immediately flanked by Prince Charles and four-year old great-grandson Prince Louis.
The Queen looked delighted as she and Prince Louis chatted during the event.
But the noise of the 70-aircraft flypast was too much for the young prince, who was pictured covering his ears and tightly shutting his eyes.
The parade marked the start of a long bank holiday weekend of events celebrating the Queen’s reign – the longest by a British monarch.
Riding on horseback and wearing the Platinum Jubilee medal with his uniform, the Prince of Wales inspected the troops in his mother’s place.
The Queen, who was using a walking stick, has limited her appearances in recent months due to mobility issues.
As the soldiers marched towards Buckingham Palace at the end of the parade, the Queen emerged on to the balcony, accompanied by cheers from the crowd.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Princes George and Prince Louis with Princess Charlotte arrived by carriage with their mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption, Prince Charles and Prince William rode on horseback during the parade
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, A large crowd lined the Mall, some of whom had camped overnight for the best spot
More than 1,500 officers and soldiers along with 350 horses from the Household Division took part in Trooping the Colour, the first time the parade has been staged in full since the pandemic.
After the parade, more than 70 aircraft – including Spitfires from World War Two, Apache helicopters, Typhoons and the Red Arrows – took part in the flypast over Buckingham Palace.
Several jets flew in formation to form the number 70 in honour of the Queen’s long reign
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption, The Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, took up a position on the far right of the balcony, standing with his immediate family, meaning he was cropped out of many pictures seen on the day
Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – flanked the monarch on the balcony – the Royal Family’s first gathering there since 2019.
It had been decided only “working royals” would appear, which excluded the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the Queen’s son, the Duke of York.
Prince Andrew, whose royal titles were returned to the Crown amid a lawsuit in the US, did not attend. He had been due to attend Friday’s thanksgiving service, but on Thursday afternoon Buckingham Palace said he would miss it as he had tested positive for Covid.
Prince Harry and Meghan, who now live in the US, watched Trooping the Colour from a vantage point in the Duke of Wellington’s former office, overlooking Horse Guards Parade.
They travelled with their children Archie, three, and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday. Lilibet is the family nickname for the Queen.
IMAGE SOURCE, KELVIN BRUCE
Image caption, Meghan appeared at the window of the Major General’s office overlooking the Trooping of the Colour
IMAGE SOURCE, KELVIN BRUCE
Image caption, Prince Harry was also spotted with Savannah Phillips and Mia Tindall at the same window
For such a high-profile couple, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have maintained a remarkably low-key presence on the first day of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s travel over the Atlantic for the Jubilee weekend had been treated beforehand like some kind of unpredictable weather front approaching.
Storms were feared. Royal officials feared the damage. But it’s been very low-profile for a couple who provoke such a high level of public attention.
They watched Trooping the Colour from a window, not part of the carriage procession or the family group allowed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
There’s no escaping their big box-office status, but here they were watching from the wings.
They also dodged any airport arrival photo-fest, with suggestions the Queen sent cars to collect them from a private airport. Everything stayed under the radar.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption, The Queen, it is suggested, sent cars to pick up Prince Harry and Meghan from a private airport
Such a low profile is not likely to be accidental, with Prince Harry and Meghan wanting to avoid any accusations of stealing the limelight.
This is the Queen’s big weekend, celebrating her 70 years as monarch, and there are likely to have been warnings about avoiding anything that could overshadow the Jubilee events.
So it’s likely that Prince Harry and Meghan will have been urged to stay on-message and remain in the background, part of the backing band rather than the centre of attention.
It might be seen as a way of building bridges. It’s the Sussexes back to take part in a big event in a way perhaps not seen since leaving their royal roles in 2020.
Their daughter Lilibet, aged one this weekend, until this week hadn’t met her great-grandmother the Queen.
This quieter approach, without appearances and interviews, might be a way of re-establishing family links and connections with home.
While limiting the Buckingham Palace balcony to “working royals” meant excluding Prince Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew, the two California-based royals were still part of the family group watching.
Covid is going to keep Prince Andrew away from the Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s on Friday – an announcement on Thursday afternoon that raised some eyebrows. But Prince Harry and Meghan will be there and it will be a further sign of inclusion.
If the ambition of Buckingham Palace is for Prince Harry and Meghan to be there but not to draw attention to themselves, it won’t be easy. Because there is no escaping how much public interest they generate and how easily they could start making headlines.
IMAGE SOURCE, GOFFPHOTOS
Image caption, Meghan Markle with Savannah Phillips and Mia Tindall watching Trooping the Colour
If many of the Jubilee events are rather worthy events like lighting beacons, Prince Harry and Meghan can generate media fireworks, touching on issues of race and representation, celebrity and wealth. They are a news tinderbox, even without trying.
They certainly divide opinion, provoking strong positive and negative responses. They attract and they irritate. And such interest drives media attention, not to say huge web traffic to news stories, like moths drawn to a digital light.
According to a survey from YouGov this week, young people are more likely to be supportive of Prince Harry and Meghan. But overall the couple have lost much public sympathy in the UK, with their popularity at its lowest recorded level. But everyone has an opinion.
As the Jubilee weekend progresses there will be more attention on the Sussexes.
There have been expectations they will meet the Queen, but it’s understood that any such meetings will be considered as private and any details will remain speculation.
If the appearances so far are any guide, it could be a case of cryptic smiles from a distance and a determined effort to say little. In PR terms, it might not be a bad tactic.
South Africa’s former spy chief has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of kidnapping and bribery in a case he has registered with the police.
Arthur Fraser said the case related to the alleged attempted theft of $4m (£3.2m) in 2020 at one of the president’s properties and the alleged efforts to conceal what happened.
Mr Ramaphosa said “there is no basis for the claims of criminal conduct”.
Mr Fraser is seen by some as an ally of former President Jacob Zuma.
Some believe the allegations could be linked to wrangles within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) ahead of a leadership race in December.
The police have confirmed that a case has been registered with them and that “due processes will follow”, which includes an initial investigation.
Mr Fraser, who ran the country’s State Security Agency (SSA) between 2016 and 2018, has said he has handed photographs, bank account details and video footage over to the police.
In a statement, he alleged that criminals broke into a farm in Limpopo province in February 2020 to steal more than $4m. They were then detained and interrogated on the property and paid to keep quiet about what had happened, the statement alleges.
In response, Mr Ramaphosa’s office confirmed that there was a robbery at his farm in Limpopo “in which proceeds from the sale of game were stolen”.
The president, who was out of the country at the time, reported the incident to the police’s presidential protection unit, the statement from his office said.
He “stands ready to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation of these matters”, it added.
After running the SSA, Mr Fraser went on to head the country’s prison service. Last September, he was responsible for ordering Zuma’s release on medical parole nearly two months into his 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court – a decision which was criticised by many South Africans.
He has also been accused of enabling graft while he was running the SSA by witnesses at an inquiry into corruption in the country during the Zuma presidency known as the Zondo commission. Mr Fraser has accused the witnesses of lying about him.
Mr Ramaphosa became president in February 2018 after Zuma resigned in the face of numerous corruption allegations, which he denied. The ANC remains divided between supporters of the two men. It is due to choose later this year who will be its presidential candidate for the 2024 elections.
The president has made combatting corruption a priority of his government. But his commitment to this has been questioned as the misuse of state funds, especially over money earmarked for fighting Covid-19, has continued during his presidency.
Before he became deputy president in 2014, Mr Ramaphosa was a prominent businessman with stakes in mining, telecoms, media, beverage and fast food companies.
In 2014, he declared to parliament that he owned $5m in shares as well as 30 townhouses. But it is widely believed that his wealth is greater than that.
The Queen will not attend Friday’s Jubilee service at St Paul’s Cathedral after experiencing discomfort while watching Thursday’s parade at Buckingham Palace.
The decision was made with “great reluctance” after considering the “journey and activity required”, the palace said.
However, she did take part in a beacon lighting ceremony on Thursday evening.
The 96-year-old monarch appeared twice on the Buckingham Palace balcony, flanked by other senior royals, as they watched a military parade and waved at thousands of well-wishers gathered on The Mall.
Hours after the ceremony, the palace confirmed she would not attend Friday’s thanksgiving service, but said she “would like to thank all those who made today such a memorable occasion”.
The next Jubilee event the Queen is due to attend is the derby at Epsom race course on Saturday, although it is yet not known whether she will still appear at the horse race.
Image caption, At dusk on Thursday the Queen took part in a beacon-lighting event, touching a symbolic globe to start the ceremony
The service at St Paul’s in central London will give thanks for the Queen’s seven decades as monarch.
Senior royals including the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will all attend, with Prince Charles officially representing the Queen.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who have flown over from California – will also join. It will be Prince Harry and Meghan’s first royal event together since leaving the UK two years ago.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption, The Queen set off a river of lights which lit the principal beacon, rounding off the first day of celebrations
However, Prince Andrew will be absent after testing positive for Covid.
The royals will be joined by more than 400 honours recipients, including NHS and key workers, public servants and representatives from charities and the Armed Forces.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give a reading from the New Testament, while the sermon will be given by the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tested positive for Covid-19.
IMAGE SOURCE, PA MEDIA
Image caption, The Platinum Jubilee beacon at Edinburgh Castle
The largest church bell in the UK, the 16-tonne Great Paul, will ring continuously for four hours after the service. The event begins at 11:30 BST on Friday, with coverage starting on BBC One from 09:15.
Other political attendees will include Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, cabinet members, former prime ministers and the leaders of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
IMAGE SOURCE, FLINTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Image caption, In Wales, a striking dragon-shaped beacon was lit in Bagillt, Flintshire
Young people representing countries where the Queen is head of state will lead an ‘Act of Commitment’ to celebrate her life and reign.
Thursday evening’s beacon lighting event saw the Queen symbolically touch a globe to begin the ceremony at Windsor Castle.
The head of state illuminated the globe, sending a chain of lights from her Windsor Castle home to Buckingham Palace, where Prince William watched as a sculpture, the Tree of Trees, was bathed in light.
Image caption, A beacon being lit at Enniskillen Castle in Northern Ireland
Thousands of beacons were also lit across the UK and the Commonwealth to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Beacons were visible around Scotland to mark the occasion, with tributes being lit at landmarks from Edinburgh Castle to Ben Nevis – Britain’s highest mountain.
One of the main flames to be lit in Wales was outside the Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay, where the evening’s celebrations were capped with a firework display over the water.
In Northern Ireland, 13 beacons were lit at Enniskillen Castle, while the building was illuminated purple and two beams of light were projected into the night sky.
The service is not the first engagement the Queen has had to miss in recent months because of health problems.
In May, she missed the State Opening of Parliament because of “episodic mobility problems” and in February she caught Covid, which she said left her feeling “very tired and exhausted”.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Image caption, While the Queen seemed delighted, the noise of the 70-aircraft flypast was too much for four-year-old Prince Louis
IMAGE SOURCE, EPA
Image caption, Thousands of people flocked to The Mall in the June sunshine to celebrate
It occurs mostly in remote areas, near tropical rainforests.
The country has had sporadic cases since an outbreak in 2017. The virus was found mainly in the south of the country but, since 2020, it has spread to central, eastern and northern areas, the World Health Organization says.
Out of the 21 confirmed cases this year, there has been one reported death of a person who had underlying conditions. But earlier this week the health authorities said “there has been no evidence of any new or unusual transmission of the virus, nor changes in its clinical manifestation documented”.
Scientists are struggling to explain a recent rise in monkeypox cases in Europe, which have not been linked to travel to the African countries where it is endemic. But there are suggestions the virus has been spreading from person to person for some time undetected.
Monkeypox can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth.
Those infected in the UK have been advised to avoid having sex while they have symptoms.
The animals that can pass on the virus are infected rodents, including rats and squirrels. According to health experts, this can happen if someone is bitten or touches an infected animal.
Bushmeat refers to any wild animal that is killed for consumption, including antelopes, chimpanzees, fruit bats, rats, porcupines and snakes.
In some remote areas of Nigeria it is a vital source of food, while in others it has become a delicacy.
There are many bushmeat markets in Nigeria and it is unclear how the ban will be implemented.
The ministry of agriculture also directed vets and its other officials to increase surveillance aimed at detecting any possible cases of monkeypox in animals.
Operators of zoos, parks, conservation areas and recreational centres were reminded to make sure there was no contact between animals and humans/
Chairman of the Public Affairs and Communications Sub-Committee of PIAC, Eric Defor, has noted that so far only 50% of recommendations made by PIAC in its latest report has been acted upon.
He observed that most of the challenges noted have been recurring, an indication that the recommendations have not been put into work.
“Some of them keep recurring. So, we will hope that the media will help us in our advocacy to get parliament who is empowered to take actions on the recommendation we made to be up and doing to ensure that we can cure some of these infractions in the utilization and management of the resources.
“I will say that we expect them [Parliament] to do better. If at this time, we are only 50% down the line in the implementation of recommendations, we will be happier if they do 80%. So, it means there is still a lot of work to be done by parliamentâ€, Mr. Defor stressed.
The Public Interest and Accountability (PIAC) in its Annual and Semi-Annual reports of management and utilization of petroleum funds indicated that the Ministry of Finance was misapplying petroleum funds.
In its 2021 Annual Report, it recommended that the Ministry of Finance provides a thorough breakdown of disbursements to the District Assembly Common Fund and PIAC.
It also wanted the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with relevant institutions to come up with appropriate guidelines on the utilization and reporting of ABFA disbursed to the DACF.
PIAC also observed that four of the 18 subsisting Petroleum Agreements have been closed by the Petroleum Commission in 2021 due to the non-performance of their minimum work obligations.
