South Africa, Russia, and China have praised Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa for winning the election, despite some controversy surrounding it.
Additionally, the United States, along with other countries, voiced their disapproval of the recent general election, claimed to be dishonest by the opposition. The government of the United States said that there was a consistent unfairness against the opposition and pointed out trust worthy reports that showed election monitors were made to change certain result forms. The electoral commission said that these claims were not true.
A message from the government of South Africa
South Africa knew that the elections happened during a tough economic situation due to sanctions against Zimbabwe.
It also agreed with worries from independent election watchers about how real the outcome is.
Some people who watch over things said that the survey didn’t meet the rules of the whole world or Zimbabwe’s own laws.
Zimbabwe has important trade relationships with South Africa, Russia, and China. These countries supporting the poll is important because Zimbabwe may face more isolation and penalties from Western countries due to criticism of the poll.
The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change is currently counting their own results and hasn’t yet made a final decision on the next steps they will take. But the messages of congratulations to President Mnangagwa show that Zimbabwe’s main supporters are willing to move forward and agree with the outcomes.
Director of Legal Affairs for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has mentioned that the NDC’s Legal Directorate is contemplating the possibility of using legal methods to question the legitimacy of the Electoral Commission‘s choice to conduct the upcoming restricted voter registration at its district offices.
Last week, the Commission declared the start of a restricted voter registration process intended for qualified Ghanaians who reached the age of 18 subsequent to the 2020 registration event, as well as other qualified voters. This registration period is scheduled to take place from September 12, 2023, to October 2, 2023.
The NDC contends that should the EC proceed according to its proposed strategy, a significant number of the new voters will be denied the right to vote.
Mr. Tamakloe says his team will challenge the legality of the exercise.
“The EC is applying the same law to only limit the registration to the district offices. We will explore all the available legal channels to ensure that we will get an outcome that will allow the elections to be more decentralized. We want to ensure that all our MPs are duly protected within the confines of our law, and we will definitely do that,” the Director of Legal Affairs for the NDC said.
Seven political parties in the country on August 21 were unhappy with the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) to restrict the upcoming voter registration exercise to its district offices.
According to the political parties, such a move would disenfranchise a number of Ghanaians who have attained the voting age.
They want the commission to instead open up the process for the exercise to be conducted at the electoral areas.
The seven political parties have thus promised not to rest until the EC registers every eligible Ghanaian who has attained the voting age.
According to the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, the exercise would be held at all the 268 district offices of the EC across the country.
Ghanaian musician Fameye has released his latest exciting project, a video to the hit song ‘Not God.’
Directed by Andy Madjitey, the video weaves storytelling with breathtaking visuals to take audiences on an immersive journey.
Starring alongside Fameye is the renowned Austrian musician RoseMay Alaba, adding an international flair to the production.
Fameye’s ‘Not God’ has not only solidified his place in the music industry but also showcased his exceptional music traits and prowess as a gifted storyteller.
The song strikes a deep chord with listeners as it explores the challenges and victories faced by common people as they pursue success while also touching on themes of grit, hope, and confidence.
RoseMay Alaba, a gifted Austrian singer, songwriter, and recording artist, is introduced in the video’s opening scene.
RoseMay Alaba, whose 2016 single “Love Me Right” topped the charts, graces the screen with her alluring presence.
The seamless collaboration between Fameye and RoseMay Alaba adds a unique dynamic to the video, bridging cultures and musical influences.
Fameye’s “Not God” video is evidence of his dedication to producing memorable and relatable content for his audience. The song’s essence is beautifully captured in the video, and RoseMay Alaba’s inclusion gives it a universal appeal that cuts across national boundaries.
Speaking about the collaboration, Fameye expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with RoseMay Alaba and the entire production team.
“Creating this video has been an incredible journey. Collaborating with RoseMay Alaba was an honor, and I believe that our combined efforts have resulted in something truly special. ‘Not God’ is more than just a song; it’s a reflection of life’s challenges and victories,” said Fameye.
The video for ‘Not God’ is now available for viewing on major platforms, including YouTube and streaming services.
The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer candidate, Mr. Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko has refuted media reports that he had withdrawn from the Party’s presidential primary runoff.
After receiving nine votes, Mr. Boakye and Mr. Francis Addai-Nimo tied for fifth place in the NPP’s Special Delegates Congress on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
On Saturday, September 2, a run-off will determine which candidate will compete with the other four for the position of Party flagbearer on November 4.
However, early Monday morning media reports indicated that the former Energy Minister had dropped out of the run-off election and had endorsed Mr. Addai-Nimo.
Mr Boakye, in a press statement issued, urged the public to disregard the reports.
“I have not made any such pronouncements with anyone or any media house, I am ready for the upcoming run-off scheduled for Saturday, September 2, 2023,” he said.
The November 4 Congress will have five candidates.
A prospective presidential candidate who did not secure a place in the top five contenders for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primary on November 4, 2023, has mentioned that certain aspirants have been engaged in conversations regarding which candidate to endorse for the upcoming November 4, 2023, election.
Kwadwo Poku has noted that several discussions took place regarding this matter, but the choice for defeated aspirants to back a candidate is an individual decision.
He stated that “meetings had taken place, and that except for the establishment candidate, some of us resolved to back a candidate from among us who would perform well.
But it is a personal decision, and the five of her candidates who were unable to attend would have to select who to endorse”.
“We have completed the super delegates conference, and the five candidates who did not make it to the November 4 election will have to decide who they will support. We can all support the same candidate, or we might each support a different one. In any case, we must protect the party’s democracy.
Personally, in the next two weeks, I will speak with my followers and ask which of the candidates they believe is a potential winner of the process and will undoubtedly win the 2024 election, so that we can support the individual,” he added.
Legal representatives of Eminem have issued a letter to Vivek Ramaswamy, a prospective Republican presidential candidate, requesting that he stop rapping to Eminem’s songs.
The letter was written more than a week after the biotech businessman spontaneously performed “Lose Yourself” at the Iowa State Fair.
The letter, dated August 23, was delivered by BMI, Eminem’s record label.
Donald Trump, who is expected to be the Republican nominee in 2024, is being challenged by Mr. Ramaswamy.
A representative for Mr. Ramaswamy stated that he will abide by Eminem’s request. Eminem’s real name is Marshall Mathers III.
The company allegedly “received a communication from” Eminem protesting the Republican’s use of his “musical compositions,” according to the letter.
“BMI will consider any performance of the Eminem works by the Vivek 2024 campaign from this date forward to be a material breach” of its licence, it adds.
Campaign spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin quoted a line from an Eminem song to the US media, “Vivek just got on the stage and cut loose.”
“To the American people’s chagrin, we will have to leave the rapping to the real slim shady.”
Mr Ramaswamy posted on X, formally known as Twitter, to make light of the situation.
“Will The REAL Slim Shady Please Stand Up? He didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?” he wrote.
Following a strong showing at last week’s Republican debate, the 38-year-old political newcomer is now regarded as a rising star in the race.
He has positioned himself as an outsider willing to advance the “America First” policies of the former president Trump.
In American politics, it has become somewhat customary to send cease and desist letters to politicians who choose certain campaign songs.
Numerous musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Queen, Adele, and Pharrell Williams, wrote to Mr. Trump informing him that he did not have permission to use their music at campaign and presidential events.
In 2008, the Foo Fighters spoke out against Republican John McCain for using their tune My Hero during his presidential run and Jackson Browne filed suit against the campaign to force it stop using the song “Running on Empty”.
Former chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Northern region, Daniel Bugri Naabu, has stated that when he consulted three members of the Police Council, they dismissed the accusations made by certain senior officers against the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
“ I called some members of the police council, about three of them, about what they have said about the IGP, and they all said it is not true so I decided to let the President know about.
“ I was also surprised someone who was going on retirement wanted to be IGP. So I told him that he leadership is by God so he should go and see the chief Imam or Asantehene so they can pray for him,” Bugri Naabu told a parliamentary committee probing the leaked the tape in which some police officers were heard plotting the removal of the IGP.
Meanwhile, Mr Bugri Naabu has said he forwarded the recording he had to President Akufo-Addo.
Responding to questions during Parliament’s seven member committee investigating the leaked tape Mr. Bugri Naabu he shared the tape recording with President Akufo-Addo so he can listen for himself.
“Commander Asare and COP Mensah said currently all the Commissioners at the Police Headquarters are all NDC and we will see whether we will win this election and we lost it. So that alone I was a bit worried,” he narrated.
When asked whether he was not scared with the discussions on the IGP’s relationship with the army, Mr. Naabu said “that was the reason why I did the tape and gave the President the tape. So that he will also hear directly and not from me, which I did,” he added.
An alleged thief was electrocuted while attempting to break into a mechanic shop in Fiapre, Sunyani West Municipality.
According to reports, the thief went to the area at night with three other colleagues to engage in the crime.
The deceased, only known as Frimpong, alias “Akalin,” entered the shop through a small hole under it while the other accomplices were standing outside, according to Madam Akua Asamoah, a local resident who spoke to the GNA.
According to her, Frimpong stole some electrical wires from the store, but when he attempted to leave via the same entrance, he stepped on a live wire and was fatally electrocuted.
His loud shout caused his fellow thieves to flee, leaving him to his fate.
Mad. Asamoah claimed that when some neighbours heard the shout early in the morning, they went to the scene and discovered only one of the deceased’s hands sticking out of the store, while the other hand was holding a large number of wires.
She said they called the shop owner to inform him and when he came to open the shop, the thief was found dead on the floor surrounded by items.
Mad. Asamoah stated that the incident was reported to the Police, who then transported the body to the mortuary after taking some photos at the scene for investigations.
The gathering of BRICS country leaders in Johannesburg last week depicted China’s efforts in establishing a fresh global arrangement through their united photo session.
At the front and center was Xi Jinping, the strong leader of China. He stood on a stage with leaders from developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The summit was the biggest meeting ever for the BRICS countries. More than 60 countries came to the meeting, including the member nations Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Next to the BRICS leaders, there were also leaders from Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, who were recently invited to join the club.
This is a big win for Xi, who wanted to make the group bigger and more influential. Even though some members like India and Brazil had doubts, he was able to make it happen.
The group is getting bigger and it will have more than twice as many members as before. This will make the group have a bigger influence around the world, especially in the Middle East.
“China is the obvious winner,” said Steve Tsang, who is the director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London. “Adding six new members is a big step in the way it wants to go. ”
Beijing and Moscow want to expand their economic group to be a powerful force against the West and Western organizations like the G7.
That goal has become more important in the past year because China and the United States are in a growing rivalry, and the Ukraine war has also caused China to become more distant from the Western countries because of its support for Moscow.
The BRICS expansion and the long waiting list to join show that many countries in the Global South are interested in Xi’s offer of a different world order. These countries feel left out in the current international system, which they believe is controlled by the US and its wealthy allies.
The BRICS leaders want emerging markets and developing countries to have more power and influence in international organizations like the United Nations, the IMF, and the World Bank.
Xi, who criticized the dominance of the US in his speeches at the summit, expressed positive feelings about the expansion, calling it a significant moment and the beginning of a new phase for cooperation among BRICS countries.
Happymon Jacob, a professor who studies international affairs at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said that the expansion shows a change in global political borders.
He said that if China becomes a leader in non-Western forums and the Global South, they will be able to challenge the US and the world order that is controlled by the US.
BRICS group, which consists of five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), has invited six other nations, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, to become members.
However, if more countries join BRICS, it may become less unified and less organized. This is because the current members of BRICS already have significant differences in their political systems, economic strength, and diplomatic objectives.
“I have doubts about how well the organization will work after it expands, and whether the expansion will actually make a significant impact,” said Yun Sun, who leads the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington.
The bigger the group, the more different interests the organization has to deal with and make everyone happy.
This is especially true for a group like BRICS, where decisions are only made if everyone agrees.
The new employees are a slightly different and varied group. There are two economies that are facing a lot of difficulties. Argentina has a history of not being able to pay back its debts and has faced problems with high prices and money issues. It borrows the most money from the IMF. Egypt has financial problems of its own, and it owes a lot of money to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is an organization that provides financial assistance to countries.
Ethiopia, a country in Africa with a lot of people, used to have a strong economy but is now suffering a lot because of a civil war that happened in the Tigray region. The war lasted for two years and ended in December. During the war, many people’s rights were violated.
The bigger group will also have three of the biggest countries that sell a lot of oil: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran.
In simpler words, both countries used to be very close friends with America, but now they are getting even closer to China. China has been increasing its presence in the area because it seems like the US isn’t as involved anymore.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are enemies who have been fighting each other for a long time. However, this year they made an agreement with the help of China to start talking to each other again.
This is very different from a more united group like the G7, which is made up of democracies that think similarly and have big developed economies.
Helena Legarda, a top analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin, said it is not clear how much the BRICS expansion will raise the worth and power of the group.
If BRICS doesn’t have a common belief and a clear main objective, it is possible that adding six new members will make the group more split or divided.
One big issue is that China and Russia are against the United States, and now Iran has joined them, making their agenda even stronger.
India and Brazil are worried that the bloc could become too against the West and controlled by China. Some of the new members may also have doubts about this.
Even though China has specific goals for the group, many other developing and emerging economies do not view BRICS as only about politics. She said that they are also driven by the chance to make money and get special advantages in the Chinese and other markets.
However, China is currently facing economic difficulties within its own country. These difficulties include a worsening situation with their real estate market, increasing debt among local governments, a high number of unemployed young people, and a population that is growing older. A lot of economists think that the world’s second largest economy is going to start growing much more slowly. This could have a big effect on the economy of the whole world.
The BRICS expansion may cause more competition and disagreements between China and India. China and India already have strained relations due to an ongoing border conflict.
Jacob in New Delhi said that the competition between China and India for leadership of the Global South is going to intensify even more, with China having a clear advantage.
India has good relationships with the new BRICS members. However, China has lots of money and power which allows them to have more influence in the Middle East and in the institution compared to India.
Sun, from the Stimson Center, said that because of the rivalry and tensions between China and India, as well as between Iran and Saudi Arabia, there will not be many important issues that they can agree on and work together on.
The expansion gives the impression that there is a larger group of countries working together against the West, but just having more countries in the group does not necessarily mean they will be more effective.
The Assistant Headmaster (Academics) of the Nkwatia Presby SHS, who is accused of assaulting a student, has been sacked by the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The incident was caught on camera, and it has since gained popularity on social media.
According to the video, the student is being slapped and physically assaulted by the Assistant Headmaster.
In a statement, the GES stated that the video had “disturbed” it and that it “unequivocally condemns the actions of the Assistant Headmaster.”
The GES stated that the student was receiving medical attention and counselling and that the Assistant Headmaster had been relieved of his duties.
The GES further stated that an investigation into the incident was being conducted by the Eastern Regional Director of Education in coordination with the relevant law enforcement agency and the school administration.
The GES gave the general public the reassurance that it was committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students across the country.
Meanwhile, social media users are outraged about the incident, and many are calling for the Assistant Headmaster to be detained and charged.
Paul Whelan, an American who has been detained in a Russian prison for more than four years, is featured in a recently released video.
The video, which was put out by a Russian news agency called Russia Today (RT), shows Whelan wearing a Russian prison uniform and doing various activities inside the prison. It includes footage of him using a sewing machine and eating in a cafeteria.
In the video, he tells a reporter from a media outlet supported by the Kremlin that he cannot do an interview. This means he cannot answer any questions.
Whelan, who has citizenship from the United States, Ireland, Britain, and Canada, was taken into custody by Russian authorities at a hotel in Moscow in December 2018. They accused him of being part of a spy mission.
The ex-Marine from the United States was found guilty of spying and has been given a jail term of 16 years, even though he strongly denies the accusation. He said to CNN in a special interview last year that he was taken into custody for a crime that didn’t actually happen. “I don’t get why I’m still here. ”
David Whelan, the brother of RT, said that he finally got to see what RT actually looks like for the first time since June 2020 after watching the released video.
David said that the RT crew went to the prison to film Whelan in May. He also stated that the prison staff did something to Whelan as revenge because he didn’t want to do an interview.
I want to see Paul in a better situation. However, it was nice to see him again and to see that he still has the determination in his eyes. “It’s good to know that Paul is still strong,” David said.
Earlier this month, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, talked to Whelan, who the US government believes has been wrongly kept in custody, as informed by a source familiar with the conversation.
The United States tried to set free Whelan by exchanging prisoners like they did with Trevor Reed in April and Brittney Griner in December, but they were not successful.
The Biden administration has suggested ideas for Whelan to be set free, but Russia has not given a clear response, according to two officials in the administration who spoke to CNN.
One important person in the US government said that because of the lack of a response and the unfair holding of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich earlier this year, the US has to keep looking for another offer to make. This is true even though the US still thinks its current proposal is still a good option.
The Biden government is searching worldwide for deals that might convince Russia to release the two Americans who are being held unfairly, as reported by CNN earlier this year. US officials, who used to work for the US government, have said that there are no important Russian spies currently being held by the US. This means that they have to ask other countries for assistance.
In May, during another special phone call with CNN, Whelan stated that he believes his case is important to the US government. However, he hopes that it can be resolved more quickly. He was worried that if the US helps Gershkovich get out, he might be left behind again.
The Bolgatanga division of Ghana’s Technical University Teachers’ Association (TUTAG) and Technical University Senior Administrators’ Association (TUSAAG) have initiated a service withdrawal.
TUTAG and TUSAAG branches in Bolgatanga have declared their intention to persist with their service withdrawal until their requests are fulfilled.
In an official communication, the two associations allege that the Vice Chancellor is attempting to alter sections of their approved “Conditions of Service (CoS),” as endorsed by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), by invoking ambiguities in the amended Technical Universities Act (2016), Act 922.
To this, the Bolgatanga branch of TUTAG and TUSAAG said, “We outright reject.”
According to the two associations, their strike is “based on misinterpretations of portions” of their CoS pertaining to the retirement benefit by the Vice Chancellor to their disadvantage”.
“We find Ghana Tertiary Education Commission’s (GTEC) decision to refer this matter to the Attorney General for interpretation as a time-wasting tactic since GTEC’s submission at the NLC on the 23rd of August 2023 indicated that the Attorney General’s interpretation was only to guide the commission regarding the “perceived” ambiguity and shall not be binding on any Technical University (TU).
“So if the essence of the Attorney General’s so-called interpretation of the Transitional Provisions is only to serve as a guide for GTEC, then we consider this whole exercise as delay tactics,” the Bolgatanga branch of TUTAG and TUSAAG noted.
They, therefore, demanded the immediate payment of the “internal component of the Online Teaching Support Allowance (OTSA) and its accrued arrears for teaching staff that have not paid since January 2022”.
A 39-year-old man without employment, Roland Chawey, is said to have committed suicide by jumping into a well situated in the Fofie Electoral Area within Asokore, near Koforidua in the Eastern Region’s New Juaben Municipality.
While the precise timing of the event remains uncertain, the lifeless body of the individual was recovered from the deep well during the early hours of Monday, August 28, 2023. It is suspected that he plunged into the well in what appears to be a deliberate act of suicide.
Information gathered by GhanaWeb indicated that in the early hours of the said day, a team of officers from the Municipal Secretariat, led by the Municipal Director, Helbert Danso, joined officers of the Asokore Zone after receiving a call from Isaac Osei, the Assemblyman for Fofie Electoral Area in Asokore that a man had drowned in the well.
Sources revealed that residents who visited the well to fetch water for their daily chores observed that a piece of walking stick used by Chaway and cloth belonging to the ailing mother of the deceased but worn by the deceased the previous day, lay by the well.
Some men taking the deceased body to the morgue
This aroused the suspicion of members of the community who mounted a search for him throughout the area but to no avail.
After a fruitless effort to find him, the attention of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and the police was drawn to the scene after fears intensified that Chaway may be underneath the water.
Personnel of the GNFS after mounting a ladder and searching the well discovered the remains of the deceased under the well.
Chaway’s remains were subsequently retrieved after personnel of the fire service flushed out the water from the well.
Though the motive behind the 39-year-old’s suspected act of ending his life remains unclear, some relatives attributed his action to his chronic alcoholism and drug abuse.
The family sources disclosed that Chaway who was recently taken ill, escaped from the health facility where he was undergoing treatment and continued with the alcoholism and drugs, leading to subsequent suicidal tendencies.
Security officers were at the scene to help normalise the situation and are conducting subsequent investigations into the incident.
Roland Chaway did not leave behind a wife or children.
The body has since been deposited at the morgue of the St. Joseph’s Hospital in Effiduase-Koforidua by the NADMO and officers of the Ghana Police Service officers, along with the family of the victim.
Members of the Ghana Police Service reportedly engaged in a gunfire exchange with certain individuals in Tamale, the main city of the Northern Region.
As per a Metro TV news report, the event occurred at a local court in Tamale on Monday, August 28, 2023.
The report highlighted that the situation unfolded as community members gathered at the court premises, with the intention of ensuring a fair trial for a drug dealer whose activities have been negatively impacting the youth of Tamale.
The members of the community accused the police of shielding the drug peddler and releasing him without proper trial any time he was arrested.
An altercation between the police and the youth, who have taken on the duty of fighting drug peddlers in Tamale, led to the exchange of gunshots, which according to the report, injured three police officers and several civilians.
A video of the incident shared by Metro TV showed people running for their lives as gunshots were being fired.
Member of Parliament for the Ejisu constituency, John Ampontuah Kumah, has declared that Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia‘s resounding triumph in the recently concluded super delegates conference held by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region, unequivocally signifies his suitability to lead the NPP in the upcoming 2024 period.
The Deputy Finance Minister has noted that Dr Bawumia’s decisive win in the Ashanti Region, which is considered the party’s stronghold, has validated previous assertions made by the party’s members and supporters that the vice president is currently the most appealing and marketable candidate among the ten contenders.
The Ejisu MP in an exclusive interview with OTEC News reporter, Jacob Agyenim Boateng on Saturday, August 26, 2023, said results from the super delegates conference particularly that of the Ashanti Region will set the tone for who the next flagbearer will be.
“One thing I was very sure of is that the Ashanti Region will lead the task to vote massively for the one they believe can lead the party to win the 2024 general polls, and the numbers will speak for themselves”, he said.
Super Delegates Conference in Ashanti Region
The vice president was overwhelmingly endorsed by delegates in the Ashanti region by amassing 97 votes out of the total 118 votes cast to beat his main rivals Alan Kyerematen and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong who had ten and six votes respectively.
Former minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Afriyie Akoto garnered five votes with the remaining six candidates getting nothing out of the total votes cast.
The Super Delegates Conference was held on August 26, 2023, across the country to elect five out of the ten flagbearer aspirants for its national conference with the Ashanti Region holding the conference at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST.
Clear message
Some bigwigs in the party who before the super delegates conference predicted that the Ashanti Region would be the deciding factor in the November 4, conference said the results from the region show that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia would be leading the party.
The results from the party’s super delegates conference across the country have sparked optimism among party members, positioning the vice president of Ghana Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as a giant contender for the NPP’s flagbearer position.
A previous Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bugri Naabu, has verified the information contained within the leaked recording outlining a scheme to oust the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare.
The ex-NPP chairperson affirmed that he was the individual mentioned in the recording, engaged in conversation with certain senior members of the Ghana Police Service, discussing their desire to replace the IGP.
In the said tape, one of the police officers was heard saying, “This IGP won’t help us. He won’t, he wants everything to be done fairly and we don’t win elections that way. If we don’t remove him, we can’t break the 8. In politics we need machinations and this IGP won’t allow that.”
Speaking at a public hearing on the matter by a committee set up by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Monday, August 28, 2023, Naabu indicated that the officer who made the above remarks was one Commander Asare.
According to him, Commander Asare stated that the NPP would lose the Assin North by-election held on June 27, 2023, if IGP Dampare was to go there, and it happened.
“He (Commander Asare) even told me that this Assin North Elections, if we allow the IGP to go there, we would lose the elections and I become scared. The IGP is not going there to vote but if he can go there and we would lose the election, then my (sic).
“So, he begged me that I should wait and see… ‘If we go to Assin North, this IGP will make us lose the election’. We went and we actually lost the election. So, it means that maybe what he was saying was true. He said it – ‘if the IGP takes us to the 2024 elections, we would lose’,” Bugri Naabu said.
Background:
A leaked audio recording, allegedly involving a Police Commissioner and a politician discussing a plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, has ignited public outrage.
The recording features an officer who identifies himself as “Mensah” and a politician who is reportedly a regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Their conversation revolves around plans to remove the IGP from office due to fears that he would be too firm during the 2024 elections and prevent any potential rigging.
The Commissioner of Police also specifically identifies the IGP’s handling of the Assin North by-election as evidence of his commitment to ensuring free and fair elections.
The Parliament of Ghana has set up a 7-member committee to conduct a probe into the leaked tape after calls by the NDC Members of Parliament.
Proponents of the government have however stated that the allegations in the said tape should not be taken seriously because the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has no plans to change IGP Dr Geroge Akuffo Dampare.
The police are investigating a potential murder after finding some human remains at the bottom of a cliff near the coast in Bournemouth. An individual from the public discovered some remains near the Manor Steps Zig Zag, which is not too far from the well-known Boscombe Pier in the seaside town.
Police officers who specialize in investigating crimes and a small flying robot controlled by the police have been seen in the area. The area is still blocked off and nobody is allowed to enter.
Dorset Police are asking people to provide information that may assist in their investigation.
A police spokesperson said: ‘The police are investigating a murder after finding some parts of a person’s body in Boscombe. ‘
The police in Dorset got a call at 1. 10pm on Saturday August 26 2023 about someone finding what they thought might be pieces of a person near the Manor Steps Zig Zag, by Boscombe Overcliff Drive.
Detective Inspector Neil Third explained: ‘We are investigating this as a murder case and we are currently working on finding out who the person who died is and how they died.
I am asking anyone who knows anything about what happened or has seen anything strange near the Manor Steps Zig Zag in Boscombe in the past few days to please tell the police.
The police are looking for things in a big area of the Boscombe clifftops. Investigators have been examining the area of Boscombe Overcliff Drive. At the same time, the police have sent a flying robot and more people to help with the search. The parts of a body were found at a well-liked beach resort on a busy weekend in the summertime.
He said: ‘There is still a barrier at the location while we continue our investigation. I appreciate the public’s patience and understanding during this time. ‘
‘There will be more police in the area and people can talk to them about anything they know or are worried about. ’
A candidate aspiring for the Kwabre East parliamentary seat, Daniel Agyenim Boateng, has criticized the handlers of Kennedy Agyapong for the strong verbal reaction exhibited by the latter at the Super Delegates conference held on Saturday.
Mr Boateng, who is vying for the Kwabre East parliamentary seat, has reprimanded the individuals responsible for managing Kennedy Agyapong for the outspoken incident that occurred during the Super Delegates Conference on Saturday.
Mr Agyapong lost his cool on Saturday after learning that one of his operatives had been kicked out of a voting location.
In a widely circulated video, he can be seen threatening the two leaders over attacks on his agents.
He said, “President Akufo-Addo, I will give you a showdown in this country; I swear to God. Vice President, I will give you a showdown for chasing my agent away. I swear to God. You will hear what will happen here. I swear to God, I will challenge President Akufo-Addo big time.”
In response to the incident, Mr. Boateng stated that the MP’s outburst was unpleasant and needless, but he blamed his handlers.
“It was an emotional, disappointing, and unfortunate situation. I don’t really blame Kennedy Agyapong, nor do I blame the electoral committee. I’d rather blame his handlers. He is looking at the wider picture, which is the president, so your actions and approach should be viewed differently at all times and in all places. How can you threaten the president and his vice president with a showdown?” he quizzed.
He stated that, aside from Kennedy Agyapong’s resources, he had also decided to run for president and would not tolerate any type of rigging.
To resolve the difficulties, he proposed conducting a comprehensive inquiry into the case so that the events that led to the agent being chased out might be found.
He made the remarks in an interview with Kwabena Agyapong.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said it will refer Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong before the disciplinary committee over the threats and accusations he directed towards President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia during the Special Delegates Conference on Saturday.
A statement signed by the NPP General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, on Sunday said, “Emphasis must also be placed on the fact that Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, pursuant to the above-mentioned constitutional provisions, will also be summoned before the Disciplinary Committee of the Party to provide responses and further details to the accusations and threats he made against certain personalities in a video that has since gone viral on social media and mainstream media.”
The NHS investigation has discovered three additional suspicious deaths at the hospital where a nurse was apprehended on suspicion of poisoning a baby.
A review of Birmingham Children’s Hospital was initiated due to concerns from hospital staff over a child’s deteriorating health on May 18th of the previous year. A nurse, who is believed to be either 28 or 29 years old, was arrested the next day for suspected giving someone poison in order to harm them.
The hospital’s officials said the baby passed away on the same day.
She was let go while they checked if she did something wrong. However, she couldn’t go back to work.
The Sunday Times reported that she is still being investigated this weekend. She is not allowed to work and the regulator has also suspended her, which means she cannot work as a nurse anywhere else.
According to official records, the newspaper states that three children passed away with out warning or explanation.
The NHS trust told the police about the results and also told the families of the dead people.
A doctor from the trust said that a child in the intensive care unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital got worse very quickly and without warning in May 2022.
Because of the worsening situation, the trust took prompt action.
A staff member was sent home from work and later taken into custody by the police. Unfortunately, the child passed away and we are thinking of the family during this difficult time.
She said: ‘The trust followed the usual safety procedures for when a child dies unexpectedly, and the West Midlands Police were informed on the same day.
Doctors at the hospital have carefully studied and reviewed cases of children who have died or suddenly got worse while in the pediatric intensive care unit.
‘Other experts checked their findings and gave them to the police. ’
Ashanti regional Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, has described what it would mean if NPP flagbearer hopeful and former Agric Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, should he contest in the upcoming presidential primaries.
Speaking in an interview with Paul Adom Otchere after Saturday’s Super Delegates Conference, he noted that the outcome of the August 26 elections is a testament to his fate in the November 4, 2023, presidential primaries.
He acknowledged that Dr Afriyie Akoto has been in the party for long and congratulated him for taking the fourth spot, however, that’s not a guarantee for more votes in the primaries.
“He’s someone who has been in the system from 1998, 2007 and I know him very well and for ending up as the fourth candidate in the race, I congratulate him.
“He has done well but to me if you see his numbers and compare that with that of Dr Bawumia, if you’re not careful and you want to move further, it will be a political remedial or political school fees because what has happened now cuts across,” he noted.
Mr Wontumi’s comment follows the aftermath of the Super Delegates Conference, where Dr Afriyie Akoto took the fourth spot after the results were declared.
The Super Delegates Conference, a pivotal event in the NPP’s political calendar, provided a platform for candidates to showcase their appeal among the party’s influential members.
As the votes were tallied on the Saturday August 26, 2023, the numbers painted a challenging picture for Dr Afriyie Akoto, with his vote count falling short of expectations.
At the end of the race, he polled 36 out of the total votes cast.
It is in view of this that the Chairman has advised Dr Akoto to rescind his decision to contest in the November 4, 2023, elections.
“He’s someone who has been in the system from 1998, 2007 and I know him very well and for ending up as the fourth candidate in the race, I congratulate him. He has done well but to me if you see the numbers
After the elections Dr Mahamudu Bawumia emerged the candidate with the highest votes winning over 60%.
He amassed 629 total votes at the end of the election, representing 68.15% of the votes.
Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong came in second with 132 votes, or 14.30% while former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen placed third with 95 votes, or 10.29%.
The result is an indication that Mr Kyeremanten together with five other candidates qualified for the next round.
An unidentified parent has left their deformed baby at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
She departed from the premises without informing the attending nurses.
As per a report by TV3, the infant possesses solely one arm and one limb.
Following the birth, the mother informed the present healthcare staff that she was leaving momentarily to purchase an item, but she did not return to the premises.
Additionally, she supplied incorrect contact information to the facility, leaving the nurses perplexed regarding both her location and identity.
The nurses indicated that the deformity of the baby came about as a result of the mother’s failed attempted abortion.
The nurses then decided to give the abandoned baby the name Ransford Sakyi.
Meanwhile, another baby was brought to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital by a team of police officers who found him abandoned at a beach in Accra, malnourished with measles, TV3 reports.
The health workers at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital are calling on the parents to come for their babies otherwise they will be released to the social welfare department.
Ashanti regional Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, has described what it would mean if NPP flagbearer hopeful and former Agric Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, should he contest in the upcoming presidential primaries.
Speaking in an interview with Paul Adom Otchere after Saturday’s Super Delegates Conference, he noted that the outcome of the August 26 elections is a testament to his fate in the November 4, 2023, presidential primaries.
He acknowledged that Dr Afriyie Akoto has been in the party for long and congratulated him for taking the fourth spot, however, that’s not a guarantee for more votes in the primaries.
“He’s someone who has been in the system from 1998, 2007 and I know him very well and for ending up as the fourth candidate in the race, I congratulate him.
“He has done well but to me if you see his numbers and compare that with that of Dr Bawumia, if you’re not careful and you want to move further, it will be a political remedial or political school fees because what has happened now cuts across,” he noted.
Mr Wontumi’s comment follows the aftermath of the Super Delegates Conference, where Dr Afriyie Akoto took the fourth spot after the results were declared.
The Super Delegates Conference, a pivotal event in the NPP’s political calendar, provided a platform for candidates to showcase their appeal among the party’s influential members.
As the votes were tallied on the Saturday August 26, 2023, the numbers painted a challenging picture for Dr Afriyie Akoto, with his vote count falling short of expectations.
At the end of the race, he polled 36 out of the total votes cast.
It is in view of this that the Chairman has advised Dr Akoto to rescind his decision to contest in the November 4, 2023, elections.
“He’s someone who has been in the system from 1998, 2007 and I know him very well and for ending up as the fourth candidate in the race, I congratulate him. He has done well but to me if you see the numbers
After the elections Dr Mahamudu Bawumia emerged the candidate with the highest votes winning over 60%.
He amassed 629 total votes at the end of the election, representing 68.15% of the votes.
Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong came in second with 132 votes, or 14.30% while former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen placed third with 95 votes, or 10.29%.
The result is an indication that Mr Kyeremanten together with five other candidates qualified for the next round.
In the event of Yevgeny Prigozhin‘s demise in a plane crash, the Wagner Group could potentially continue operating under a leadership team that is not clearly defined.
According to an intelligence analyst, other important people might join the efforts of the Kremlin to bring the formation under its control.
The large size of the group’s violent operations in the Middle East and Africa might make it hard to fully control or stop the group.
Vladimir Putin seems to have gotten back at Prigozhin after the leader’s personal plane crashed near the city of Tver, north of Moscow, on Wednesday night. Sadly, everyone on the plane died in the accident.
The leader of the hired soldiers seemed to have died two months after his private army, which the US considered a criminal group that operates across multiple countries, failed in a planned attack on the capital. The leader of Russia called the group’s disobedience a “rebellion” and a “betrayal”.
The situation leading up to the rebellion involved the Russian government’s efforts to bring private military contractors (PMCs) under the control of the regular military. This required the PMCs to transfer their authority, a process that is believed to be ongoing.
Alec Bertina, who works as an analyst at the Grey Dynamics private intelligence firm, believes that even though Wagner has lost some important leaders or influence, it still exists and operates in different regions like Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
“He said that there are other important leaders from the Wagner Group who are still alive, or at least their death has not been confirmed. ”
We are discussing senior commander Andrei Troshev and people with nicknames like Ratibor, Zombie, and Lotus.
I think that even though a big part of Wagner is gone, there are still enough things left to keep the organization running.
It is believed that Prigozhin’s company airplane, with two other people on board, exploded near Tver, which is halfway between Moscow and St Petersburg.
Other Russian private military companies (PMCs), similar to Wagner, who have been responsible for committing atrocities and potentially war crimes, may take advantage of Putin’s catastrophic full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But older members of the Wagnernites group can still have an impact, and this includes skilled individuals like Lotus, who was a commander in the Russian army named Anton Yelizarov. Another person is Alexander Kuznetsov, also known as Ratibor, who used to be in a special military group and received honors for it. However, he was also sent to jail in the past for committing the crimes of kidnapping and robbery.
‘Bertina said that in the future, there may be other groups without government backing who want to fight for a portion of Wagner’s resources. ’ However, none of them are as skilled as Wagner and it will take a long time for them to reach his level. It’s not only about giving money to other groups to help them grow. It’s also about having experience and knowledge, which takes time to acquire.
Right now, it looks like the Wagner circles are not getting too worked up and are waiting to hear what the commanders have to say.
‘They might say that they want to ensure that the Kremlin doesn’t escape punishment, or, more likely, that it’s a fight not worth engaging in. ‘
‘They had a good chance to remove Putin from power when they were about to go towards Moscow, and I think Putin was more prepared than some people thought. ’ The most recent picture of Prigozhin shows him by himself, carrying a type of gun used for attacking, in a dry and sandy place, possibly in Africa.
The group has made its presence known in Libya, Mali, Sudan, and the Central African Republic, as well as the Middle East and Europe.
Ivan Aleksandrovitch Maslov, who is claimed to have presided over a slaughter in Mali, is among a number of relatively low-profile people who appear on a list of sanctioned Wagnerites that the UK published this month.
“The signing-over process of fighters to the MoD [Ministry of Defence] was already underway, but it was having problems transferring a sizable number of people,” said Bertina.
It has been challenging to recruit those folks because the majority of Wagner’s members left the MoD because they were dissatisfied with it.
Dmitry Valeryevich Utkin, the Wagner leader, is one of the facilitators of the organisation who has received UK sanctions.
While the Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU, started controlling Wagner’s activities in Syria, the group continued its operations in Africa even after the rebellion.
The Wagner mercenaries were saying that everything was happening normally.
There could be a possibility of things changing soon. There are two questions to consider. One is about how much they can work without help from the Ministry of Defense, and the other is about how much control the Ministry of Defense has over them.
Many people think Putin might have planned the crash. Some people believe that the plane was brought down by a bomb that was hidden in a box of wine. The president of Russia said sorry yesterday to the families of the 10 people who died, including three crew members.
Bertina thinks that Prigozhin, who used to work for Putin and is now known as his former chef, was able to travel easily to other countries after behaving defiantly because the Kremlin’s powerful security system stayed hidden and waited for the right moment.
“He said that the Russian government and security services might have spent two months preparing to remove the leaders of the Wagner group and fooled Prigozhin into feeling safe. ” This could mean handling the consequences of getting rid of him and making backup plans.
Bertina says that information from Prigozhin’s social media accounts might suggest that the Kremlin is behind the attack.
He said that the accounts created by Wagner’s troll factories have become useful for the Russian government since Prigozhin’s death, which means they may have been taken control of by someone else. ‘They are accusing the Western countries of being responsible for the murder. This accusation started right after Prigozhin died, implying that the murder might have been premeditated. ‘
Emily Ferris, from the Royal United Services Institute, believes that Africa is an important place for the mercenaries group after Prigozhin’s supposed murder.
The Research Fellow said ‘If this is true, it is a setback for Wagner’s top leaders and has the biggest impact on its activities in Africa.
The Wagner soldiers are either working with the MoD or waiting in Belarus since the rebellion. They haven’t been active for two months. The Kremlin cares a lot about the Africa branch of Wagner because it helps them with their foreign policy. They will probably try to make changes to the group and keep it going.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said today that the claims that the Kremlin ordered Prigozhin’s death are completely untrue.
He said that many people were guessing about the crash and he didn’t believe the Western idea that Putin caused it.
The president of Russia has stated that a complete investigation will be conducted regarding the incident, and it will be pursued until the very end.
Due to printing equipment failure, nearly 60,000 Kenyans who applied for passports since March have been left without them. The government has now declared that it will borrow machines from private companies to reduce the backlog.
Kithure Kindiki, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, claims that the issue extends beyond the state of the nation’s present passport production equipment. Additionally, dishonest individuals demand bribes from applicants.
He promised last week to overhaul Kenya’s immigration department, and on Monday it was revealed that daily passport printing would increase to 5,000.
Kenyans have become increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied in recent months as a result of delays in the issuance of identity cards, driver’s licences, birth certificates, and police clearance certificates due to administrative inefficiencies.
The annexation of Crimea has been used as testing ground for a “new, completely modern” weapon that Ukraine has boasted of constructing.
An explosion at a Russian S-400 missile complex close to the Tarkhankut peninsula settlement of Olenivka was captured on camera and provided by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) last week.
Initial theories suggested that the army had deployed a Storm Shadow missile supplied by the British or French with precise accuracy to level the storehouse.
A “super missile” from Ukraine hits a missile depot in the seized Crimea.
“The missile was brand new and very advanced,” he said, complimenting its perfect performance.
At the same time, Ukrainian TV highlighted that it is not clear if the missile is completely new or just changed from an existing one.
One idea is that the Neptune missile, which flew close to the ground and slower than the speed of sound, and sank the Moskva ship, may have been changed.
More information about this new and innovative missile has not been shared yet, but it seems to be made to attack targets on the ground.
In the past, Ukraine has hinted at the possibility of using new weapons to attack Crimea from a far distance.
Ukrainian intelligence says that all of Russia’s S-400 air defence system was destroyed.
The system can hit things in the air, on the ground, and in the ocean. It can hit things that are up to 250 miles away in the sky.
According to Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko, the explosion caused complete destruction to the installation, missiles, and the people on it.
A prominent figure in the political landscape affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bugri Naabu, during a Parliamentary Adhoc committee hearing on the leaked plot to oust the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, raised concerns over what he perceived as a lack of proper address by a member of the Adhoc Committee investigating his leaked tape.
Mr Naabu subtly lamented over James Agalga, a member of the Committee’s failure to address him as a chief during the hearing.
This happened while Mr Agalga referred to Mr Naabu as “a seasoned politician” and “a close confidant of the President” among other titles, while interrogating.
His attention was immediately drawn by Atta Akyea, Chairman of the Committee that Mr Naabu never said he was a confidant of the President. It was at this juncture that Mr Naabu entered the conversation, contradicting the assertion.
“I didn’t tell you that,” he responded to Mr Agalga’s earlier assertion. This sparked an amiable exchange that saw Mr Agalga playfully reminiscing and taking him down memory lane.
During this banter, Mr Agalga reminded Mr Naabu of some cherished moments when he had served as Mr Naabu’s legal representative.
“I know him but he’s forgotten about me. I’ve acted as a lawyer for him before in the past,” he said. In response, Mr Naabu stated that this was the reason his chiefs were displeased with Mr Agalga.
“That’s why my chiefs are angry with you,” he remarked. Obviously surprised by the statement, Mr Agalga remarked: “Oh, for asking my former client questions?” It was then that Bugri Naabu referred him to an incident which happened previously on a radio station: “How you addressed me on the radio yesterday.”
Mr. Agalga did not appear to grasp the occurrence, prompting Mr Atta to step in and provide clarification.
“Let me tell you his simple complaint. To be very fair to him, I never knew you have been enskinned but but he’s telling me you know so you should have prompted the committee to address him as chief,” Mr Atta-Akyea said.
Mr Agalga immediately accepted his error and apologised. “I should have made the disclosure much much earlier,” he noted.
Rwanda and Germany‘s top football club, FC Bayern Munich, have made an agreement to support local football and tourism. However,some people are criticizing this deal, claiming it is an attempt to distract attention from Rwanda’s bad human rights situation.
The “Visit Rwanda” logo will be shown at the German team’s big stadium with 75,000 seats during matches as part of a five-year agreement made for an unknown amount of money.
Approximately 30 gifted children in Rwanda will be given the chance to enhance their abilities and receive education at a newly established FC Bayern youth academy, as announced by the government. This opportunity is also a chance for Germany’s top team to get involved in Africa and learn important things, says its chief executive, Jan-Christian Dreesen.
Kigali has agreements with Arsenal and Paris St-Germain for sponsorship, but Rwandan football teams have not done well in regional and continental competitions.
Critics say that these deals are a waste of valuable resources for wealthy European clubs, especially when many Rwandans are living in poverty.
On Sunday, the Niger Delta region witnessed the Nigerian air force‘s bombing of unauthorized oil refining sites. The illegal oil refining sites in the Niger Delta area were targeted and bombed by the Nigerian air force on Sunday. The Niger Delta region saw the Nigerian air force carry out airstrikes on illegal oil refining sites on Sunday.
The police force said they had shut down many illegal websites in the state of Rivers, which has a lot of oil.
Additionally, their target was a vessel carrying a substantial amount of unrefined petroleum, heading in the direction of the sea. Nigeria is taking strong action against people who steal oil in the Niger Delta. They are burning ships and small refineries that illegally process crude oil, but they don’t of ten use aerial bombings.
Many illegal oil refineries are found in remote areas, away from towns and cities. However, environmentalists strongly disapprove of the ongoing practice of burning these refineries.
Authorities have burned illegal ships that were previously captured by a private security company. The ships still had the crude oil on them when they were burned.
On Sunday, there were attacks that happened at the same time as defense and oils leaders were visiting Rivers state. Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, mentioned that the country is losing 400,000 barrels of crude oil everyday because of thieves.
Ashanti Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, alias Chairman Wontumi has exposed the person who orchestrated the wrath of Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong during the party’s Super Delegates Conference on Saturday.
Agyapong in a viral video was seen angrily threatening to give a president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia a showdown, citing an attack on his agent in the Central Region during the August 26, 2023 super delegates conference.
Wontumi, in an interview with Metro TV revealed that it was Kwame Owusu, a former boss of the Ghana Maritime Authority, who called Kennedy to inform him about the said development.
“Something happened in the Northern Region and the people who were there just called Kennedy to tell him, it was specifically my uncle, Kwame Owusu… he called Kennedy and you know at a time like this his energy will be high.”And you are not there but called him to say this what has happened, meanwhile we have police and agents there, so, why do you have to talk?” he stressed.
He said Kwame Owusu, who was in Kumasi, was talking to Ken in intervals of five to 10 minutes in his capacity as a campaign lead for the Assin Central MP, giving updates from across the country.
A 22-year-old man has been thrust into the unforgiving grip of prison due to some posts he made on his WhatsApp status.
Richard Addy, prior to his incarceration, worked at a block factory. His life, however, was plunged into disarray following an alleged theft transpired at his workplace.
Richard was going about his usual duties when he made the decision to travel and visit his ailing father. Coincidentally, during this period, a total of GHC11,960 mysteriously disappeared from the premises.
Narrating his side of the story to the Crime Check Foundation, he said he was named the prime suspect in the theft case due to his absence from the workplace that moment.
“I was working with my boss, but on a particular day, I left to visit my father upon learning of his illness. When I came back, I opted to visit my stepmother and spend some time there. During my stay at her place, I received a call from a friend informing me of the robbery.
“He told me that my boss said he has been robbed and that I’m the prime suspect. I hadn’t received any call from my boss so I told him, I did not know anything about the case. Another guy from our workplace also called me to inform me about the matter and I told him I wasn’t aware but three days after my arrival at my stepmother’s house, a team from the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) came to arrest me,” he recalled.
His boss, however, gave a different narrative of the situation.
Speaking to his boss, he acknowledged that Richard traveled, however, the sum of GHC11,960 suddenly got missing, alongside a television set and a gun.
There were attempts to reach him for questions about the theft but he never answered any of his calls. This triggered his boss to cause the arrest of some of his co-workers but upon further observations, his suspicion was confirmed.
“We tried to reach Richard on various occasions but to no avail because he wasn’t answering any of his calls. But later, his friends showed me posts on his status suggesting he was having a good life, chilling at various luxurious hotels, etc. and this made me call for his arrest,” Richard’s former boss stated.
Richard as of the time of filing this report was sill in custody and is expected to serve a five year jail sentence for the offense.
Three gunmen who allegedly tried to assassinate the National Democratic Congress (NDC) chairman for Binduri constituency, Mr. Martin Ariku, at his residence have been killed by some brave residents, according to TV3.
The attackers reportedly surrounded the house of the NDC chairman and shot randomly, causing panic among the community members who came to the chairman’s rescue.
A shootout ensued between some residents and the attackers, resulting in the death of three of them. One of them died on the spot, while the other two escaped and later died from their injuries in different locations.
The TV3 report identified the deceased as Nashiru Razak, 32, Abdul Bashid, 23, and Muniru Bashiru, 22, who hailed from Sagabo, Patrame, and Pusum in the Bawku municipality.
Following the incident, the Upper East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Darko Offei Lomotey, and his team visited the crime scene in Bazwa to commence investigation.
In the process, DCOP Lomotey, urged the residents to be vigilant and support the police with relevant information to aid the investigation process.
“We also encourage you, all of you, if you have some information that you want to share with us. If you see something, you don’t say something, what will we do? You see something, you say something and we will do it all. All the security, military, police, immigration, prisons all of us will do something. So we are appealing to all of you and we want you to go to sleep without fear that somebody hiding somewhere will harm you,” he was quoted by TV3.
DCOP Lomotey also encouraged the residents to use the police hotlines for assistance and to report any suspicious activities.
“Because security is a shared responsibility, much of the work that we do is fuelled by information. Give us information, you give the information, we work on it and then the larger society will get the benefit,” he added.
According to a TV3 report, some residents who preferred to remain anonymous expressed their shock and concern about the targeting of prominent individuals in the area. They thus called for increased security surveillance in Bazwa
According to a TV3 report, this was not the first time that gunmen on motorbikes had attacked people in Bazwa. On August 21, 2023, unidentified gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on a group of people at Bazwa, killing two in the process
Meanwhile, security has been heightened in the town as investigations continue to fish out the perpetrators.
Three out of the seven assailants said to have attempted to attack the NDC constituency chairman for Binduri at his residence have been killed.
Social media users in China are urging the British Museum to return Chinese artifacts, which were taken following the theft of approximately 2,000 objects.
The demand became very popular on Weibo after an article in a nationalist newspaper that is controlled by the government.
The Global Times is asking the museum to return all Chinese cultural artifacts without asking for payment.
The BBC has contacted the British Museum for a reply, but has not yet received a response.
The museum is feeling stressed because about 2,000 things were said to be gone, taken or harmed two weeks ago.
An employee lost their job when the news was first announced. Last week, the person in charge, Hartwig Fischer, said he will leave his position.
In this article, Global Times said that the famous museum did not do a good job of taking care of cultural items from other countries.
The British Museum has been found to have big problems with how they manage and protect cultural objects. This scandal has shown that the claim that foreign cultural objects are safer in the British Museum is not true anymore.
The British Museum has a really large collection of old Chinese things in the Western world. According to their website, they have around 23,000 Chinese items. These items range from really old times to now.
These include many valuable things like art, jewels, and pottery. One very famous artwork is a copy of a long piece of paper called “Advice for the Ladies in the Royal Court”. It is an amazing artwork that is very important in the history of Chinese art.
Chinese people online have been asking the British Museum for a while now to give back the things they took, because a lot of Chinese people are feeling very proud of their country.
But more people are talking about the editorial on the theft this time.
The hashtag “The British Museum please give back Chinese old things” was the most popular topic on Weibo’s search list until noon on Monday. This has been seen over five hundred million times.
“Give back the things to the person who originally owned them,” says a comment that has been appreciated by over 32,000 people.
“Now that the country has a lot of money and the people are powerful, it is time to bring our valuable things back to our home,” another top comment says.
Many people agree with Global Times’ request, but some people were not as impressed.
“Why not visit the UK to see our amazing things. Just talking on Weibo in China is too careful and embarrassing,” a message that over 10,000 people liked says.
The Global Times, a newspaper that strongly supports aggressive actions, has been at the forefront of publishing critical articles in English against Western countries. This has been especially true in recent years, as China’s relationship with the West has gotten worse.
It is uncertain if the Chinese government will do anything after receiving the requests.
But the feeling of asking the museum to give back objects is not only felt by China.
After hearing about the theft, other countries have also stated that they no longer believe the British Museum can keep their ancient artifacts safe.
The Greek government has asked again for the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, to be returned.
Greece’s Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, said that the safety concerns about the missing objects strengthen Greece’s ongoing request for the Elgin marbles to be returned permanently.
Nigerian officials have asked the museum to give back the Benin Bronzes that were taken from the Benin kingdom and are now in its possession.
Tim Loughton, a politician from the Conservative Party who leads a group in Parliament for museums, has described these requests as “opportunistic”.
He said to the BBC that instead of taking advantage, other countries should come together to help bring back objects.
A seventeen-year-old boy, David Amenyedor, who raped a girl of similar age is in police custody.
The boy who prior to his arrest was a car spraying apprentice, has been remanded into police custody by the Agbozume District Court, Ketu South, on a provisional charge of allegedly raping a girl of the same age.
The accused, however, said in his caution statement, that the victim consented to the sexual intercourse.
Police Chief Inspector Esperance Agbo, prosecuting, told the Court, presided over by Mr Issah Iddrisu, that the accused was a car spraying apprentice living at Beat 13, a suburb of Aflao, while the victim lived at Beat 9, another suburb.
He said the two knew each other as they both completed the Aflao Border Preventive Basic School and attended the same church at Beat 13.
The complainant (victim’s mother) reported to the Aflao Police Station that at about 19:00 hours on July 3, 2023, the victim sought permission to attend a youth class in church and never returned, which was unusual, the prosecution said.
The complainant went searching for the victim until the next day, when she found the victim in the accused’s room at Beat 13 and “rescued her”, he said.
The victim narrated that while on her way to church, she met the accused close to his house, and he deceived her into accompanying him home so he could also dress up for church, which she obliged.
The accused then took advantage and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her and forced her to spend the night in his room.
Chief Inspector Agbo said that upon reporting the victim to the police, the victim was issued with a medical report form for treatment, which was duly endorsed by a medical officer.
The doctor gave the assessment “as good hygienic perineum with no obvious bleeding from the vagina, there are bruises at both lateral walls of the vagina, hymen is absent, suggestive of vaginal penetration.”
The accused was subsequently arrested on July 20, 2023, arraigned and remanded into police custody.
His plea was not taken, and he is expected to reappear on August 31, 2023.
The Ghana Police Service has officially announced the apprehension of an individual linked to the homicide of a 28-year-old individual in Ayiem, situated in the Western Region, on August 25, 2023.
The detention follows an incident in which the accused person, Emmanuel Quayco, along with five other accomplices who are currently evading capture, were featured in a widely circulated video showcasing their purported supernatural abilities. In the video, Quayco used a single-barrel firearm loaded with an AA cartridge to fatally shoot the victim, identified as Amoh Kwadwo, also known as Mallam.
POLICE ARREST ONE PERSON IN CONNECTION WITH MURDER CAPTURED IN VIRAL VIDEO AT AYIEM IN THE WESTERN REGION
The Police have arrested one suspect in connection with the killing of a 28-year-old man at Ayiem in the Western Region on 25th August 2023. pic.twitter.com/S6DtQZq8l0
In a statement released on Sunday, August 27, 2023, the Police reported that the apprehended individual is presently under police custody, cooperating with the ongoing investigation. Concurrently, endeavors are being made to apprehend the remaining five suspects in order to bring them to legal proceedings.
The Police however advised them to surrender to the nearest police station before the law catches up with them.
Police have stated that a Florida man fatally shot three individuals out of his intense hatred towards black individuals.
A 21-year-old named Ryan Christopher Palmeter shot 11 times at a woman sitting in her car in Jacksonville. Then, he went into a store and shot two more people.
Sheriff T K Waters said that he then shot himself with the gun.
Mayor Donna Deegan said that the attack happened because the person didn’t like people from different races and had strong hate towards them.
During a press conference on Sunday, Sheriff Waters said that the person who shot others did not have a criminal record before and had been living with their parents in Clay County.
The three people who were hurt are named Anolt Laguerre Jr, who is 19 years old, Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, who is 29 years old, and Angela Carr, who is 52 years old.
Mr Laguerre was employed at Dollar General, the store where the attack occurred, according to the company.
According to the police, he wrote messages expressing his strong dislike for black people.
In simple words, Sheriff Waters said that this shooting happened because the person who did it hated black people and had a strong racial bias.
He was aware of what he was doing. “He was completely clear and aware,” he said. Mr Waters said that the person who was carrying a gun was kept in custody for 72 hours in 2017 because of the Baker Act. This law allows someone to be held against their will for treatment of mental health issues.
However, the sheriff explained that the guns that the killer used were obtained legally, and he believed that the issue was not the accessibility of guns, but rather the fact that the killer was a bad person.
He told people not to try to understand a violent act that doesn’t make sense.
The police in Jacksonville showed a video at the news conference. The video showed the attacker going up to a car and killing the first woman. Then the video showed him going into the shop.
Mr Waters also said that the person with the gun allowed some people to leave the store without hurting them.
Why I’m not sure. “He said that some of them were white, but he also thinks that there were a few that were not. ”
On Sunday, US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the Justice Department is looking into this attack as both a hate crime and an act of violent extremism driven by racial motivations.
“He said that nobody in this country should have to be scared of violent acts driven by hate, and no family should have to be sad and mourn the death of someone they love due to prejudice and hate. ”
The attack took place very close to Edwards Waters University, which has a history of serving black students.
The person with a gun went to the university. A security officer asked him to tell his name, the university said. When he said no, they told him to go away.
The person went back to their car and left the school without any problems, the statement said.
Sheriff Waters said the person with the gun was then spotted putting on a special vest and mask to protect themselves before leaving the school grounds.
The university had to close and keep everyone inside because of the shooting.
Fulani herdsmen hurriedly fled for safety as Boti residents in the Eastern Region‘s Yilo Krobo Municipality took action to forcibly remove them from the community.
This action was prompted by grievances over the herders allowing their cattle to damage agricultural crops in the vicinity.
The inhabitants, armed with firearms, machetes, and cudgels, were joined by community leaders and local assembly representatives from Boti Electoral Area, Abraham Narh, and Akorwu-Bana Electoral Area, Michael Ahusa Tetteh. Together, they approached the herders who had established enclosures on a 24-acre parcel of rural land.
The herdsmen, who left their cows behind, were pursued by the angry farmers. The actions of the residents followed what they say were several failed attempts to stop the herdsmen and their animals from causing damage to their farmlands.
Over the weekend, the locals traced the herdsmen to the farms.
But the herdsmen who spotted the advancing group from a distance, fled into the bush for fear of their lives, leaving the cattle to disperse in all directions. The locals destroyed the ranches of cattle and set fire to some personal properties.
The unrelenting residents then embarked on a three-hour manhunt through the farms and bushes for the herdsmen and their 300 cattle to no avail.
Though some of the cattle were sighted, searches for their guides proved futile.
Eight of the herdsmen later emerged from their hideout in the bush to engage the angry locals and the leadership of the community.
Assemblyman for the Boti Electoral Area, Abraham Narh explained in an interview that the herdsmen, about six months ago, began occupying portions of the farmlands with their cattle. This resulted in the wanton destruction of the lands with many of the farmers expressing anger at the situation.
“People keep on coming to me… [complaining that] people are destroying our farms, our water bodies are being destroyed every now and then, our people are falling sick,” said the Assemblyman, adding that he reported the issue to the municipal environmental health officer for redress. However, this yielded no results.”
Left with no other option, he said the community was forced to resort to the use of force to drive away the animals and their owners.
He was convinced that the exercise achieved its objective of sending the strongest signal and the activities of the herdsmen would no longer be tolerated by the people of Boti.
Mr. Narh said they’ll go back to the table to determine their next line of action.
He warned that though the people are law-abiding, they’re not cowards and that nobody should hold any member of the community responsible should anything “untoward” happen if the pertinent issues are not addressed.
He called on various stakeholders to rise and call the herdsmen in order to maintain peace in the area.
Dadematse of Boti-Bornya, Stephen Osei in an interview with GhanaWeb said efforts to get the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly to act on the situation have proven futile, hence the action taken by the community.
According to him, though the community was ready to engage the owners of the cattle, they wouldn’t hesitate to use force to evict them if they failed to cooperate with them.
He commended the people for not harming the herdsmen even in the face of the destruction.
Some of the bitter farmers who spoke in an interview said crops such as yam, and maize, among others have been destroyed by the animals.
Leader of the Fulani herdsmen, Larib Amadu admitted that they led the animals beyond the piece of land they acquired for the purpose of rearing the cattle, resulting in the destruction of farms and the water source of their hosts.
He, however, insisted that they bought the land from its previous owner and did not intrude as alleged.
Though the residents insisted that they leave immediately, he asked for time to search for and gather their cattle which had scattered in all directions.
According to him, they have in the past adequately compensated farmers whose yields were destroyed by the cows.
A team of police personnel from the Asesewa District Police Command, led by Detective/Inspector Richmond Agyemang, later arrived at the scene to engage with members of the community and the herdsmen.
He said though he shared in the pain of the aggrieved farmers, they must nevertheless desist from taking the law into their own hands.
A meeting with the District Police Commander has been scheduled for next Tuesday to amicably resolve the impasse.
The life of Alexandra Paul, a Canadian athlete who participated in the Olympics as a figure skater, was cut short at 31 years old in a fatal car collision.
The police said that a truck crashed into some parked vehicles in Ontario on Tuesday and as a result, she lost her life.
Her baby, who was with her in the car, survived and went to the hospital to be treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
Skate Canada said that Ms. Paul was very talented and had a big impact on figure skating.
With her husband Mitchell Islam, she won many medals in international competitions before she stopped competing in 2016.
Skate Canada said in a statement that they are sad to announce the sudden death of a beloved member of our skating community, Alexandra Paul.
As we think about the things Alexandra did for the sport, we also think about how she showed friendship and fair play.
She was not just a skilled athlete but also someone who others looked up to as an example. She showed the importance of bouncing back from challenges, continuing to try when things get tough, and being fair and respectful in sports.
“Our hearts go out to Alexandra’s family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing her during this challenging time. ”
Sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Ms. Paul was very successful and talented.
Shares of Evergrande, the distressed Chinese real estate firm, have experienced a sharp decline of approximately 80% during their initial day of trading in Hong Kong following a span of 18 months.
The stocks have decreased in value by over 99% in the last three years because the government took action against real estate companies.
Evergrande is in the middle of a crisis affecting the real estate market, which is a big problem for the world’s second biggest economy.
This Sunday, the company announced that it had a loss of 33 billion yuan ($4. 5 billion; £36 billion) for the first half of this year.
However, it was better than the 66. 4 billion yuan loss that it reported for the same period last year.
The company’s bosses have made some changes to make sure the group has enough money and is financially stable, according to a document submitted to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by Evergrande.
The company said that its earnings for the first half of this year increased by 44% to 128. 2 billion yuan compared to the same time last year. However, the amount of money it has available decreased by 6. 3% during the same time.
Evergrande’s shares were not allowed to be bought or sold since March of last year.
According to Qian Wang, who is an economist at investment firm Vanguard, it is important for policymakers to stop the spread of financial problems and minimize its impact on the entire financial system. She said that policymakers will need to give more money and help with loans to the economy and the real estate industry.
Problems in China’s property market are making people worry about the recovery of the world’s second largest economy after the pandemic.
On Monday, China reduced a tax on stock trading by 50% in order to make the capital market more active and increase the trust of investors.
The decision was made a few days after the national bank lowered its important interest rate for the second time in three months. This move was taken because the country’s exports were declining and people were not spending much on products.
The value of the main stock markets in Hong Kong and China went up after the announcement.
Evergrande recently announced that they suffered a loss of 581. 9 billion yuan in both 2021 and 2022.
Country Garden, a big real estate company in China, recently announced that it might lose around $7. 6 billion in the first half of this year.
Moody’s gave the company a lower rating because they think there is a high risk of not having enough money and not being able to pay back loans.
China’s real estate industry was greatly affected when new regulations were introduced in 2020 to limit the amount of money that large real estate companies could borrow.
Evergrande, which used to be the most successful real estate developer in China, accumulated debts of over $300 billion as it grew rapidly to become one of the largest companies in the country.
The company didn’t pay the interest on some loans from other countries, which caused them to miss an important deadline in 2021.
Evergrande is trying to talk again with the people it owes money to because it couldn’t pay them back on time.
Earlier this month, the company asked a New York court for help with their financial problems by filing for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection.
Chapter 15 helps protect the American possessions of a company from another country while it tries to fix its financial problems.
Evergrande’s financial issues have caused problems for other property companies in the country. These companies are also unable to repay their debts and have halted construction on various projects across the nation.
Forty exporters from Ghana have communicated their willingness to export their goods to the markets of the European Union (EU), ensuring compliance with the stringent regulations necessary for conducting international trade.
Exporters, originating from small and medium-sized enterprises, underwent training by specialists regarding the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and its associated prerequisites.
The series of trainings were organised by Compete Ghana, with funding from the EU and in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry under its Enterprise Export Enhancement Programme (EEEP).
The exporters who were doing business through other markets, could now enjoy direct business with the EU, through mentoring by their assigned coaches on the EPA’s requirements.
At a validation workshop for assessment and action plans for proposed interventions of the EEEP in Accra, the exporters were excited for the opportunity and commended the EU, Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), and Compete Ghana for the initiative.
They raised issues with challenges associated with shipping and the difficulty in acquiring certifications that met the EU standards, as key areas that needed to be looked at.
Mr Nicholas Gebara, the Team Lead, Compete Ghana, said they were happy to facilitate the training to help the exporters to compete in the EU market effectively.
He indicated that the structuring of the EPA for Ghana would end in November and to ensure sustainability, Compete Ghana would be engaging GEPA and MOTI after building the capacity of the enterprises, to ensure the stability and capacity of companies to export.
“We strongly hope that GEPA and MOTI will take over as an institution to ensure sustainability and continuity of the programme,” he said.
Mr Raffaele Quarto, the Trade Counselor of the EU Delegation, said the Union’s market was a developed one, hence the need for exporters to know the requirements at such a level.
“You cannot simply export, because for packaging for instance, you cannot do simple packaging and send it to Europe, you need proper packaging, labelling and more importantly the quality of the products,” he added.
“The good thing is that once you have fulfilled the standards at the European level, then you can go anywhere in the world.”
Mr Gerald Nyarko-Mensah, an Expert on exports and marketing, Compete Ghana, said previous programmes dealt with groups and the sector levels, but this EEEP was centered on the individual enterprise level.
He said the emphasis was on understanding the characteristics of the individual enterprise, particularly their gaps as far as exporting to the EU was concerned.
Compete Ghana would be setting up a virtual Ghana Trade Centre (GTC), driven by an e-commerce platform and backed by a physical outsourced fulfilment centre, based on the targeted market, to create a closer relationship between exporters and their buyers, he said.
The platform would facilitate the transactions and supply process through aggregation and bulk shipment of products.
Mr Nyarko-Mensah noted that the GTC would provide information and intelligence on opportunities in the foreign markets, promote ‘Made-in- Ghana products, foster business-to-business linkages and follow up on shipments, to address post clearance issues.
He noted that market access through virtual means had become one of the fastest growing modes of entry and cost saving to enterprises, adding that variants of those had also been undertaken in areas such as Group Marketing and Group Shipment Schemes.
Forty exporters from Ghana have communicated their willingness to export their goods to the markets of the European Union (EU), ensuring compliance with the stringent regulations necessary for conducting international trade.
Exporters, originating from small and medium-sized enterprises, underwent training by specialists regarding the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and its associated prerequisites.
The series of trainings were organised by Compete Ghana, with funding from the EU and in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry under its Enterprise Export Enhancement Programme (EEEP).
The exporters who were doing business through other markets, could now enjoy direct business with the EU, through mentoring by their assigned coaches on the EPA’s requirements.
At a validation workshop for assessment and action plans for proposed interventions of the EEEP in Accra, the exporters were excited for the opportunity and commended the EU, Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), and Compete Ghana for the initiative.
They raised issues with challenges associated with shipping and the difficulty in acquiring certifications that met the EU standards, as key areas that needed to be looked at.
Mr Nicholas Gebara, the Team Lead, Compete Ghana, said they were happy to facilitate the training to help the exporters to compete in the EU market effectively.
He indicated that the structuring of the EPA for Ghana would end in November and to ensure sustainability, Compete Ghana would be engaging GEPA and MOTI after building the capacity of the enterprises, to ensure the stability and capacity of companies to export.
“We strongly hope that GEPA and MOTI will take over as an institution to ensure sustainability and continuity of the programme,” he said.
Mr Raffaele Quarto, the Trade Counselor of the EU Delegation, said the Union’s market was a developed one, hence the need for exporters to know the requirements at such a level.
“You cannot simply export, because for packaging for instance, you cannot do simple packaging and send it to Europe, you need proper packaging, labelling and more importantly the quality of the products,” he added.
“The good thing is that once you have fulfilled the standards at the European level, then you can go anywhere in the world.”
Mr Gerald Nyarko-Mensah, an Expert on exports and marketing, Compete Ghana, said previous programmes dealt with groups and the sector levels, but this EEEP was centered on the individual enterprise level.
He said the emphasis was on understanding the characteristics of the individual enterprise, particularly their gaps as far as exporting to the EU was concerned.
Compete Ghana would be setting up a virtual Ghana Trade Centre (GTC), driven by an e-commerce platform and backed by a physical outsourced fulfilment centre, based on the targeted market, to create a closer relationship between exporters and their buyers, he said.
The platform would facilitate the transactions and supply process through aggregation and bulk shipment of products.
Mr Nyarko-Mensah noted that the GTC would provide information and intelligence on opportunities in the foreign markets, promote ‘Made-in- Ghana products, foster business-to-business linkages and follow up on shipments, to address post clearance issues.
He noted that market access through virtual means had become one of the fastest growing modes of entry and cost saving to enterprises, adding that variants of those had also been undertaken in areas such as Group Marketing and Group Shipment Schemes.
According to KCNA state media, North Korea plans to allow its citizens to return home after a nearly four-year absence due to pandemic-related border restrictions.
Medical professionals will monitor individuals who return for a week while they reside in a designated facility.
After the first flight from Pyongyang arrived in Beijing since 2020, this appears to be their latest move aimed at easing Covid regulations. China recently started allowing commercial flights between Beijing and Pyongyang once again.
North Korea is one of the few countries that still does that.
Chinese and Russian officials were the first visitors from other countries to go to North Korea in a longtime. They went to Pyongyang to watch a military parade.
Several weeks after, the country gave permission to a group of their athletes to join a taekwondo contest in Kazakhstan.
On Tuesday, an Air Koryo airplane from North Korea’s main airline arrived in China. This happened one day after the Chinese foreign ministry said it gave permission for commercial flights to start again between the two countries.
It was not clear who was on the flight back to Pyongyang, but Yonhap news said many North Koreans were waiting in line at Beijing International Airport.
A lot of North Korean students, workers, and diplomats have been unable to leave China for three and a half years.
People in the country can go back home, but we don’t know when foreign diplomats and aid workers will be allowed in.
North Korea, which likes to be alone, closed itself off in early 2020 to protect against the pandemic. However, they also disconnected from trade and diplomatic relationships, which means they stopped getting important things like food and medicine from other countries.
A lot of countries had to close their embassies in Pyongyang because they couldn’t change their staff or send supplies during most of the pandemic.
After that, North Korea has had problems getting enough food, which has become even worse because other countries have put strict rules on them because of their nuclear program.
But as North Korea starts to remove the last parts of its Covid-era restrictions, which it says matches the global pandemic situation, it has given hope that borders might reopen soon for foreign diplomats and aid.
However, the process is anticipated to be closely monitored and may still require a significant amount of time.
Upper West Regional Minister , Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, has announced the government’s plan to review one of it’s flagship policies, the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme (PFJ), to partner with the private sector.
Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) program is a flagship agricultural initiative introduced by the incumbent government in April 2017 to boost food production, create employment opportunities, and improve livelihoods in the country.
As a result of the planned review, the government has temporarily halted its subsidies on fertilisers and other agricultural inputs until the review process is finalised.
Dr Hafiz Bin Salih,made this revelation during the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council’s meeting in Wa with municipal and district chief executives, district coordinators, presiding members, heads of departments, institutions and agencies to discuss pertinent issues,especially the government’s interventions and their impact on the wellbeing of the people.
Government’s role according to Dr Hafiz in phase two of the PFJ programme would be geared towards the private sector to deliver farm inputs at subsidised prices to farmers.
Reports from the Regional Directorate of the Department of Food and Agriculture suggest that numerous farmers who cultivated large hectares of farmland were unable to finish their planting due to the unpredictable rainfall pattern and this unfortunate situation resulted in shortening the planting window for this year.
Noting that “As a result, the land size cultivated this year had reduced. However, from close observation of the performance of the crops, food security would be assured”.
The Upper West Regional Minister added that, over the last four years, a substantial number of agricultural extension officers were hired with the aim of enhancing the staffing conditions within the department.
These officers were subsequently dispatched to the fields to ensure that every farmer could access advisory services.
The Regional Coordinating Council per Article 255 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, mandates the House to meet at least twice yearly to share ideas, advise on issues and take the right and appropriate decisions that would benefit the people.
The various assemblies presented reports on infrastructural development, security and government’s social and economic interventions on the living conditions of the people in the communities.
Traders, who use the 14-kilometre Hohoe to Ve Koloenu stretch of the Eastern Corridor Road, have bitterly complained about the poor conditions of roads in the area.
According to them, the bad state of the segment is wreaking havoc on their businesses.
The Eastern Corridor Road, which has been under construction for a decade to open the eastern side linking it to the rest of the country, has its portions divided under various lots for construction firms.
However, the portion of the Road from Hohoe to Ve-Koloenu has deteriorated, forcing some drivers to use diverted routes through Ve-Golokuati to Fodome to Hohoe, which is 22 kilometres.
Some traders, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency, disclosed that the dusty nature of the road affected not only their businesses but also their health.
Madam Felicia Attuh, a trader, said her goods had been covered in dust forcing her to keep some of her products in sacks.
She said some of her products on sale had always been kept in polythene rubbers, adding that the diversion of the routes had also led to extra costs while travelling or buying goods.
Mr Daniel Akobiah, a drinking bar operator and dealer in electrical items, noted that he had to wipe the dust off all drinks in stock daily to keep them clean.
He lamented that drivers were not being careful while driving and mostly the cause of the excessive dust.
Mr Akobiah said the dust affected the prices of goods because most buyers felt the goods had been in stock for a long time and when he failed to reduce the price, the item would not be bought.
He said their worry was the dry season, which would set in soon and greatly affect businesses.
Madam Grace Asravor, a dealer in Kente fabrics, said recent rainfall failed to arrest the burgeoning season, adding the harmattan season would be a sorrowful sight.
She said her fabrics had to be covered with polythene rubbers to minimise the dust, while constantly wearing nose masks to keep her from inhaling the dust.
Madam Priscilla Korbli, a dealer in agro-inputs, said she had to dust products in her store frequently to prevent them from being engulfed with the dust.
These traders hope that there would be a face-lift of the portion of the Road to enhance their businesses and improve upon their health statuses.
Ghanaians have been entreated by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) to demand accountability from all governments, during and after their terms in office.
Speaking at the Ghana News Agency’s Boardroom Dialogue, an initiative of the Tema Regional office, Fundraising Manager for GII, Mr Michael Boadi, opined that this will help keep the government on its toes as well as reduce the loopholes that contribute to corrupt practices.
He emphasised that governments must be able to give account of their stewardship and their ability to fight against corruption.
“If this could begin before the 2024 elections, it would be extremely advantageous to the nation to ensure that political parties adhered to their manifesto promises when voted into office,” he said.
Additionally, he said the GII would also do its part in demanding accountability from governments by ensuring that the country’s resources are not abused.
He was particularly concerned about the lack of accountability by governments.
Speaking on the importance of the dialogue, Mr Francis Ameyibor, the Tema Regional Manager for GNA, said it served as a rallying point to assess the performance of anti-corruption institutions, both public and private, over the past 30 years.
“It provides the opportunity to identify the challenges, and adopt new measures for a pro-active fight against corruption as we move forward as a nation,” he said.
Mrs Petra deGraft-Johnson of the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre, GII, commended the Ghana News Agency for the initiative, which would leverage on the work of anti-corruption bodies to ensure efficiency.
Marketing strategist Prof Kobby Mensah has expressed his view that the decision of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reduce the number of candidates in the flagbearer contest was unnecessary.
According to him, a higher number of contenders would be beneficial for both the health of the country’s democracy and the cohesion of the party. He conveyed this perspective during an interview on “The Big Issue,” broadcasted on Citi TV on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
His remarks come in the aftermath of the recently concluded Super Delegates’ Conference of the NPP. This conference aimed to select presidential aspirants who will participate in the forthcoming party primaries scheduled for November 4, 2023.
“The party did not address the concerns of 2008 properly. There was a public outcry that almost 17 aspirants who were ministers at the time had filed in a very substantial amount of money, and people felt that they had used state resources. However, this is a democracy, and we encourage democracy and participation.
“So, if we have 17 aspirants participating, and they are genuine in their participation, and people don’t think that they actually had the funds from state coffers, then why should we have a problem with that? I personally believe that the more participation we have from people in the race, the more beneficial it is to our democratic process.”
He proceeded to criticize the party’s decision to allow a select few, designated as “super delegates,” to cast their votes to determine the candidates for November 4th.
“There was no need for this administrative decision by a few selected people to reduce the number of candidates if the process was genuine and people felt that the candidates actually relied on their own resources.”
In the 2008 New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer race, initially, 17 candidates expressed their intention to vie for the party’s presidential nomination.
However, apprehensions about internal competition within the NPP were rampant during that election period.
Nonetheless, at the end of the process, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo emerged as the NPP’s flagbearer for the 2008 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bawumia emerged as the frontrunner with the highest number of votes at the recently concluded Super Delegates Conference, held across all 17 voting centres nationwide.
Securing the second position was Kennedy Agyapong, the Assin Central MP, who obtained 132 votes, accounting for 14.30%.
Former Trade and Industry Minister Alan John Kyeremanteng came third with 95 votes, while former Food and Agriculture Minister Owusu Afriyie Akoto secured the fourth spot with 36 votes.
The fifth position was tied between former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko and former Member of Parliament for Mampong Francis Addai-Nimoh, who both received nine votes each.
On September 2, 2023, the NPP will hold a run-off election between Addai-Nimoh and Agyarko to decide who will join the other four candidates in the presidential primary’s final round. The run-off will take place at the party’s headquarters in Accra, and the same delegates who attended the congress will vote by simple majority to determine the winner.
Some passengers in the Oti Region travelling along the stretch from B-Zongo in Nkwanta South to the Nkwanta Municipal market were left stranded on Saturday after a downpour rendered the road impassable.
Commercial drivers told the Ghana News Agency that the road had gotten to its worst state, which was becoming an annual ritual whenever it rained, forcing them to park their cars without working to make ends meet.
Mr K. Attagye, a driver, said the poor condition of the road was affecting his work because all his “daily sales” were spent on maintenance.
The rains have affected communities such as B-Zongo, Alukpatsa, Krachi-Akura, and Dayi-Kope all in the Nkwanta South Municipality.
“We have written many letters to the authorities in the Municipality including the Oti Regional Coordinating Council about the B-Zongo road, but nothing has been done,” he said.
“We are, therefore, pleading with the Government to listen to our cry because this is what we also do to survive.”
Madam Domelevo, a trader, said most of the fish sold at the Nkwanta market were brought from B-Zongo but the road had become a hindrance to their business.
Some farmers also complained that conveying farm produce to the market centre was a major challenge since drivers refused to ply that stretch for fear that their vehicles would break down.
Natkai, a 20-year-old Afghan student, explains that her only opportunity to pursue her studies further arose when the Taliban shut down women’s universities, leading her to seek a scholarship that would enable her to continue her education abroad.
Natkai has a different name now to keep her safe.
Women who express differing opinions are being subjected to severe treatment by the Taliban.
Despite the slim chances of attending university in her home country, Natkai persisted with her studies. She received a scholarship to study at a university in Dubai, UAE, from a rich businessman named Sheikh Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor.
In December 2022, scholarships were offered to Afghan women because the Taliban made it forbidden for women to attend university.
According to BBC report, 100 Afghan women have been able to get these scholarships. Some Afghan students who are currently living outside of Afghanistan have already gone to Dubai.
She received a scholarship to study at a university in Dubai, UAE, from a rich businessman named Sheikh Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor.
In December 2022, scholarships were offered to Afghan women because the Taliban made it forbidden for women to attend university.
The BBC knows that 100 Afghan women have been able to get these scholarships. Some Afghan students who are currently living outside of Afghanistan have already gone to Dubai.
On Wednesday 23 July, Natkai said bye to her family and left for the airport.
But her hopes were quickly crushed.
She said that when the Taliban officials saw our tickets and student visas, they told us that girls are not allowed to leave Afghanistan with student visas.
Prevented from going on a trip.
Natkai is one girl out of about 60 who were not allowed to enter the airport.
The pictures shown by the BBC display young girls wearing black hijabs or headscarves, standing beside their bags, feeling shocked and devastated.
The Taliban made a rule that women cannot travel alone. They can only go outside the country with their husbands or a male family member like a brother, uncle, or father. This person is known as a mahram, or a male escort.
But even that wasn’t sufficient.
“Natkai said there were three girls with a mahram on the plane. ” “But people from the ministry responsible for promoting good behavior and discouraging bad behavior removed them from the aircraft. ”
The other students were too scared to talk to the press.
Women have been removed from university banners
A young man named Shams Ahmad went to the airport with his sister and talked about how upset he was.
The scholarship gave my sister new hope when the universities were closed. “He says that she left her house feeling optimistic but came back crying. “She no longer has any rights. ”
MrAhmad says that some of the women had to borrow money to pay for a visa for a male friend or partner to go with them, but they were still not allowed to go.
Some of these girls are really in need and don’t have much. They do not have enough money (only £4; $5) to pay for the fee asked by the foreign affairs ministry to verify their documents.
The Taliban make it hard for women and girls to learn and make money by imposing many rules and constraints on them.
The University of Dubai and Mr. Al Habtoor said that the girls were prevented from doing something.
Mr Al Habtoor posted a video on X, which was previously called Twitter. In the text, he says that according to Islam, men and women should be treated equally and criticizes the Taliban for not doing so.
The video also has a message in English from an Afghan girl who was not allowed to go through the airport.
She says, “We are currently at the airport, but unfortunately, the government won’t let us go to Dubai. ” They do not allow people without a relative to enter. I’m not sure what to do. Please assist us.
The way other countries respond to something happening globally.
This recent action of the Taliban has made rights groups and diplomats very upset.
Despite the risks, Afghan women have organized many demonstrations but have been unsuccessful in changing the policy of the ruling Taliban.
Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch says that the Taliban are being even more cruel by not allowing girls and women to get an education. She thinks this is very important and worrying.
“They are being held captive to stop anyone else from assisting them with their studies. ”
The ex-youth representative from Afghanistan at the United Nations, Shkula Zadran, has sent a message asking the university to continue supporting girls.
The Taliban haven’t said anything or given any explanation.
A person who speaks for the Vice and Virtue ministry, Mohammad Sadiq Akif Muhajir, told the BBC that they did not know about the incident.
A top member of the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said he can’t give any information because he’s currently traveling.
Natkai is feeling really sad.
She finished high school and was getting ready for the university entrance exam when the Taliban gained control on August 15, 2021.
Natkai believed she had discovered a way to pursue her aspirations. She says she doesn’t want to talk to the Taliban because they don’t welcome or value women.
She is asking everyone to not leave Afghan girls or their education.
I didn’t get a chance in a country where being a girl is considered wrong. I feel really unhappy and I don’t know what I should do or what will happen to me in the future.
A Deputy Minister of Finance, Mrs Abena Osei-Asare has allayed the fears of parents who are afraid their wards may not be able to have Senior High School education should the government’s flagship programme, Free Senior High School (Free SHS), be cancelled.
She has emphatically stated that the programme will never be cancelled.
Speaking during a community engagement in selected areas in her Constituency, Mrs Osei-Asare, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East, noted that: “The Free SHS Policy is helping the Ghanaian vulnerable, poor and needy in society.
“President Nana Addo will not cancel it but rather do everything possible to sustain the policy, because of the great impact it is making in the lives of Ghanaian youth,” she said.
Free SHS is the government’s flagship programme in education, introduced with the purpose of providing free, quality and accessible education to students at the second cycle level.
Despite its immense contribution towards reducing the number of students who otherwise would drop out of school, there have been various concerns raised over the programme.
There have been calls for the government to also scrap it due to various challenges bedeviling it, such as complaints over poor infrastructure, poor quality of meals, etc. provided under the programme.
Some stakeholders including parents have also asked to government to open the programme up such that parents who can afford to pay the tuition of their wards and are willing to pay would be allowed to while the programme will be opened to the wards of those who can’t afford schools.
Recently, it was speculated that the programme will be canceled due to the government’s move to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for support. However, these claims have been dismissed by the Deputy Minister.
“I understand the economic challenges we are facing now, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and I want to assure everyone that the government is on its toes to make things better,” she said.
The four-day engagement enabled the MP to interact with some constituents in Fremponso, Darkokrom, Nanapa, Accra village, Moseaso, Adasawaso and Ehiawoanwu.
In addition to the interaction, residents received agrochemicals and cutlasses (for farmers), jerseys and footballs to the youth and streetlights to brighten the respective communities.
She further thanked the constituents for their steadfast support, prayers, and valuable advice that had helped in the development of the constituency.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has vowed to make Ghana an unattractive destination for economic criminals.
Mr Abdulai Bashiru Dapilah, Deputy Executive Director of Operations, EOCO, said the Office was repositioning itself and collaborating with its development partners and other law enforcement agencies to deal with economic and organised crime activities.
“We want to stay ahead of crime— and to make Ghana a hell for economic criminals. Ghana will not be an attractive destination for economic criminals,” Mr Dapilah told the Ghana News Agency.
He added: “Those seeing their colleagues in crime and thinking it is an easy way of making money, they better don’t go into it, because we are coming after them and whatever they would have acquired when we get them, we will deprive them of it and still send them to jail.”
Mr. Dapilah said the Office was collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Crime Agency, Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) – Nigeria, and GIZ, among others to achieve its targets.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) – Nigeria has done it. We have learnt from their experiences, we have exchanged ideas, shared intelligence and strategies, and we are collaborating to confront economic criminals wherever they may be in the two countries,” he said.
He said EOCO had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Bank of Ghana, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), BOST Company and others towards that aim.
Mr Dapilah said the Office was amending the EOCO Act to enable it to raise funds through recoveries of proceeds of crime, adding that, it would allow the Office to finance its activities and to be financially independent.
He cautioned the public against the purchase of stolen cars, saying EOCO was collaborating with the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on that.
“We have sent the Vehicle Identification Numbers of those vehicles to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) that anybody who brings any of such cars to register, the person should be arrested and the car detained so, that they inform us to come for them,” Mr Dapilah said.
He said EOCO had also frozen those vehicles and issued freezing orders, adding, “For the period of investigation, anybody who will not verify from us or do due diligence and buys any of such vehicles, does so at his or her own risk. ”
On Tuesday, April 18, EOCO issued a statement ordering persons possessing some 95 vehicles believed to have been stolen from the USA and Canada, to hand them over immediately.
The statement further provided details of the vehicles, including identification numbers, car models, and addresses of some individuals suspected of having the luxury vehicles smuggled into Ghana.
Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has joined calls for the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Ernest Addison and his two deputies to be removed from office.
He, thus, has declared his unflinching support for the planned protest of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in demand of the dismissal of the aforementioned three.
Over the past few months, the Minority has been mounting pressure on the Bank of Ghana Governor to resign, accusing him of failing to exercise monetary discipline in his dealings with the Finance Minister, leading to the central bank accruing a GH¢60.8 billion loss in 2022.
Commenting on the development, Martin Kpebu stated that the Minority’s decision to go on a protest is long overdue.
“Actually the Minority has slept for too long. Because the whole of last year, apart from the Arise Ghana demonstration and then my demonstration, the Minority didn’t do much. It was so painful. It looked like they had no balls. But if now they’re getting up, yeah, half a loaf is better than none.”
He added that the action is necessary as the governor, whom he described as ‘incompetent’ has lost the plot.
“So what the Minority is doing is what we have to do as citizens, because look, Governor Addison has lost the plot. He’s very, very incompetent. Addison’s problem is like the way Wampah was under their (NDC) regime. Addison and Wampah belong to one basket,” he said.
Central Regional Minister, Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, has charged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to collaborate with their Presiding Members (PM) to expedite development.
She said the work of MMDCEs would be made far easier if they respected and treated their PMs as deputies irrespective of their political affiliations.
“I have worked with several of them, not necessarily somebody from my party. Even when they were coming in, the perception was that they were in to disturb me.
“But I had it so smooth with them because of the relationship I got with them,” she encouraged.
The Minister made the admonition at the Central Regional Coordinating Council meeting (CRCC).
The meeting took stock of the state of affairs across various sectors, including education, security, health, agriculture, and road safety, and devised means of solving the identified challenges.
Mrs Assan intimated that the region was largely peaceful but urged the security agencies and traditional authorities to step up their roles in sustaining it.
She, however, observed that the region continued to grapple with illegal mining, chieftaincy disputes as well and some heinous crimes, particularly within the Assin enclave and Kasoa and its environs.
She appealed to the Regional House of Chiefs to intensify collaboration with the Regional Security Council to work in concert to mitigate the situation.
Mrs Assan also raised concerns about the poor sanitation situation in the region, cautioning that it did not augur well for tourism and investment in the Area and entreated the assemblies to dutifully follow the schedules prepared by the Regional Health Directorate to ensure proper sanitation.
The Regional Minister further expressed excitement about the discovery of Lithium in the region and stressed the need for the region to strategically position itself to reap the full benefit of the mineral.
She said the RCC would set up a committee of diverse experts to closely monitor the lithium project to ensure the region and the country were not short-changed.
