Renowned culinary expert Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, has unveiled that she attempted to join the Big Brother Naija reality show on five separate occasions but was not chosen.
She expressed her intention to participate in the reality show with the aim of gaining fame before organizing her cooking challenge.
During her appearance on Cool FM Nigeria’s show “The Big Friday Show,” hosted by reality TV personality Tacha, Hilda Baci, the Guinness World Record holder, shared this information.
She said, “I actually tried to get on Big Brother [Naija] for a while. I think I auditioned about four or five times.
“The plan for the cook-a-thorn was still in the pipeline, so my goal was to go to Big Brother and then come out and do the cook-a-thorn.”
Recall that Hilda Baci achieved recognition from Guinness World Records for becoming the latest record holder for the longest individual cooking marathon.
The Greek fireservice says they have found eighteen dead bodies in a forested part of northern Greece that has been affected by wildfires for the past four days.
Preliminary information indicates that the people who passed away could have been immigrants. A coroner and a team of investigators are going to the Dadia forest to look into something.
The area called Evros in northeastern Greece, which is close to the border with Turkey, has been badly damaged by fires.
Patients had to leave the hospital because the fires came close to Alexandroupolis.
The fire reached the area around the city’s hospital. Newborn babies and patients needing special care were moved to a boat at the city’s port.
Another person, who was also thought to be a migrant, had died earlier in a nearby village close to Alexandroupolis. The emergency services sent text messages to the surrounding areas, telling people to evacuate.
The Dadia national park is a big forested place north of Alexandroupolis, and fires have been spreading there quickly since Monday.
According to a spokesperson for the fire service named Yiannis Artopoios, they are looking into the possibility that the 18 people who were found dead on Tuesday might have entered Greece without permission because there were no reports of anyone missing.
The Evros region has become a common path for Syrian and Asian migrants to enter the European Union by crossing the River Evros from Turkey.
Instructions have been issued by the Ministry of Finance for the payment of the initial matured coupons of bonds within the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
In February of this year, the government effectively restructured about GHC 87.76 billion worth of existing bonds into 16 fresh bonds featuring diverse maturity dates spanning from August 2027 to August 2038. The new bonds offer varying interest rates, ranging between 5% and 15%, with payments scheduled semi-annually.
Announcing the update via a Twitter post on Tuesday, August 22nd, the Finance Ministry conveyed that the disbursement aligns with the integrity of Ghana’s management of domestic debt.
“In line with government’s commitment to the continued success and credibility of Ghana’s domestic debt operations, instructions have gone out for the settlement of the GHC 2.4 billion first coupon payment of the DDEP, due today,” MoF tweeted.
In all, the government is expected to settle nearly GHS 2.5 billion to bondholders by the close of today, Tuesday 22 August 2023.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCo), Hanan Abdul-Wahab, has revealed that the government has cleared 85% of the outstanding payments owed to food suppliers.
He indicated that the government disbursed GHc100 million on July 17th and further disbursed an extra GHC80 million this August for settlement.
Consequently, a sum of less than GHC30 million remains outstanding in terms of the arrears, and this remaining balance is slated to be settled by the conclusion of August 2023. Abdul-Wahab shared this information during a press briefing held by the minister in Accra on Monday.
NAFCo had received GHC2.7 billion from the government between 2017 and 2022, which was used to pay business transactions NAFCo entered with licensed food suppliers, he said.
The CEO of NAFCo gave the assurance that the company would perform its mandate of ensuring there were sufficient food items for 700 boarding senior high schools to ensure 1.2 million students under the Free SHS Policy were fed adequately.
Some food suppliers last month picketed at the premises of NAFCo in Accra, demanding payment of GHC275 million arrears owed them by the government for food items supplied to schools. The picketing created lots of media frenzy, leading the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong to visit them.
Some members of the Minority Caucus in Parliament also visited the picketers at the premises of NAFCo to ascertain the cause of the delay in paying their arrears.
The move by the Minority Caucus did not go down well with some government officials, sparking a verbal confrontation between the sector minister and some NDC MPs who were at the premises of NAFCo.
The CEO of NAFCo, in his earlier presentation, highlighted various policy interventions and programmes the Company had been implementing over the past six years to prevent post-harvest losses as well as ensure fair prices for food items purchased from food suppliers.
Some of the programmes included the 1 District,1 Warehouse, intended to construct 80 of 1000 metric tonnes (MT) capacity warehouses in each district,
Abdul-Wahab said 60 of those warehouses had been completed under the first phase of the project, he stated.
He also mentioned the rehabilitation of other warehouses across the country such as the 5,000 MT capacity warehouse in Duase, 2,500 MT warehouse capacity in Sunyani, 1,300 MT warehouse in Wenchi and 2,500 MT at Yendi.
Abdul-Wahab stated NAFCo was the only institution mandated by the government to supply 18 different food items to the 700 boarding senior high schools.
The food items include maize, beans, peanuts, millet, soya beans and rice as well as locally processed food items like gari, edible palm oil, Tom Brown, tin tomatoes and processed cocoa powder.
He expressed NAFCo’s commitment to contribute its quota to the development of agricultural business value chain from harvesting, transportation, processing, storage and distribution.
He said NAFCo would continue to explore opportunities in the agricultural value chain to ensure the benefits of establishing it were fully realised.
Leader of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) and Founder of Life Assembly Worship Centre, Christian Kwabena Andrews, widely recognised as Osofo Kyiri Abosom, has expressed that assigning blame to the Electoral Commission for revealing its intention to conduct the forthcoming limited registration at district offices is unjustified.
A collective of minority political parties has submitted a petition to Jean Adukwei Mensa, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), urging her to reconsider the Commission’s choice of conducting the limited voter registration exclusively at district offices.
The Commission anticipates the involvement of approximately 1.5 million individuals who will be casting their votes for the first time during the exercise.
However, the Minority parties caution that this decision by the EC has the potential to deprive thousands of voters of their voting rights.
Speaking on GHOne TV’s State of Affairs with Lantam Papanko, Kyiri Abosom stated that Ghanaians should not be quick to condemn the EC without knowing the reason for its actions.
“I know it’s not their fault, it is the money that they requested, the budget. We need this to do and if you go and the government says I can’t give you five but I will give two that what are you going to do? You just sit down and put up certain things, something to represent something.”
“So if EC has the money, if the total budget was approved for them to come out and do this, I don’t think they will do the limited registration in that manner by saying that go to your district and register. But because maybe the amount,” Kyiri Abosom stated.
He continued: “So sometimes because we are not in their shoes, sometimes we should limit the condemnation, we condemn them, speak against them and the others. For that, I know much about what is happening at the EC.”
As the discourse over the impending district voter registration conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC) reaches a crescendo, the People’s National Convention (PNC) has distanced itself from a press conference convened by some political parties in the countries.
The political parties, numbering about seven (7), at the conference registered their displeasure over the Electoral Commission’s planned voter registration exercise which is intended to be restricted to only the districts.
General Secretary for the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Frederick Ato Dadzie, during the press conference held on Monday, 21 August 2023, indicated that the EC’s intended action would exclude certain potential voters.
“Some Civil Society members present also opined that to ensure the electoral process is participatory and decentralised, it should include, if not all, some electoral areas in a cluster form as done in the past”.
“At least, if the EC cannot do more than 1,500 registration centres as done in 2019, they should maintain the status quo”, he contended.
“We, therefore, suggested that the EC can use 7 days to do the registration exercise at the electoral areas and use another 7 days to do a mop-up exercise at their district offices to even save them time and cost”, he told journalists on behalf of the seven parties,” he said on behalf of the groups.
He further noted that: “The Electoral Commissioners informed us that they have taken our concerns and ‘will get back to us’, a phrase we are well-accustomed to and, so, pushed further for timelines, and they indicated by close of day Monday.”
“Most of us were, therefore, taken aback when we only heard and saw on radio and TV that the Electoral Commission has set a date for the registration exercise and will use only their district offices as registration centres”.
“In conclusion, we also want to publicly call on the Electoral Commission through its Chair, Jean Mensa, to rescind their decision and make the process more accessible and painless to enable the average Ghanaian who is eligible to exercise their right and entitlement to be registered as a voter.”
“This will reflect in the EC’s commitment in building a solid and credible institution to protect the strong and enviable record of Ghana as a beacon of democracy that will continue to be worthy of emulation across the continent,” he noted.
The PNC, however, has indicated that it does not share in the views of this group.
“While the PNC, indeed, holds reservations concerning the aforementioned decision made by the Electoral Commission, it is imperative to clarify that the party did not provide its endorsement for the said press conference conducted by the other minority political parties”. “Therefore, the PNC seeks to explicitly distance itself from the content and implications of the press release issued during the event”.
Meanwhile, the EC has scheduled the exercise to commence from September 12, to October 2, 2023. EC Chairperson Jean Mensa announced that the exercise would be held in all the 268 district offices of the EC across the country.
Lewis Hall has signed a contract to play for Newcastle for one year. He is currently loaned from Chelsea, but there is a possibility for him to have a permanent contract with Newcastle in the future.
The teams have been talking about a contract for the 18-year-old player since last week. Eddie Howe’s team made the first offer of £28 million.
Hall signed a new contract to stay at Stamford Bridge for six years in August. However, Chelsea has decided to let Hall go to Newcastle because they are interested in him. Hall played 11 times for the first team last season, including nine times in the Premier League.
Hall, who has always supported Newcastle since he was a child, expressed his happiness and pride after achieving his dream move. My family and I are fans of the Newcastle football team. As my brother and I were growing up, we were made to believe that we were dedicated supporters of Newcastle. It’s a large group and I’m excited to begin.
Last year, I gained a lot of experience playing in important games. I felt proud of how much I improved as a player and as a person. I am happy and proud to be at Newcastle, the team I have loved since I was young. Wearing their shirt means a lot to me.
Pochettino is reacting to his first loss as the boss of Chelsea after their 3-1 defeat against West Ham.
This is really thrilling. When you think about how the team played last season, not just the results but how they played, it was really impressive.
There are many skilled players on our team. We now have the Champions League too, which means we have different competitions to participate in and do well. Hopefully, we can win one or two trophies as well.
Newcastle United’s manager, Eddie Howe, who has already signed Lewis Hall’s former teammate Tino Livramento earlier in the transfer window, expressed his happiness at having Lewis join the team.
‘We have been closely watching him because he is a talented player. Many other teams have also been interested in him, so we are happy to have signed him. He brings a lot to our team with his skills, adaptability, and potential. ‘
I want to express my gratitude to everyone involved for their hard work in recruiting the players we have.
‘A transfer window takes a lot of time, hard work and resources, but we have a strong sense of unity at all levels here and I value that teamwork and support. ‘
Anthony Hamilton has had a good beginning to his 33rd season as a snooker player, but he is thinking about retiring and excited for it.
The Pottingham Sheriff is now 52 years old, but he is still considered as the 36th best in the world. He started his latest challenge by winning his first group in the Championship League, and he also won in both the European Masters and British Open qualifiers.
Hamilton is still very good at what he does, but he is getting ready for the end of his career. He believes this will happen in the next three years.
Although he still likes playing matches and some of his practice sessions, injuries have been a constant problem for him for a long time. He is eagerly anticipating leaving behind the hard work and preparation for tournaments.
When asked if he took a break from playing snooker during the summer, Hamilton replied, “Oh yes, definitely. I try to take as long of a break as possible. ”
After I stop working, I won’t play anymore. That’s the end because if you take a break now and come back, it feels really bad because you’ve lost your ability. If I have to do that for a whole year, it would be the worst thing ever.
When I am around 70 years old and haven’t played for a long time, I will go to the nearby place and have two glasses of Guinness beer with my friend while playing five matches. That would be good, instead of taking a cautious shot, score a low amount of points and be satisfied with two Guinness beers during lunchtime. That’s okay, that sounds enjoyable. Doing something different from that feels like unnecessary suffering.
I really like playing games, they’re so exciting. I like the process of practicing, but I need something to motivate me to practice. Playing without a carrot would be a waste of a day. I don’t want to do that, I prefer being outdoors and going on many trips. You are always inside your house because you don’t have a choice. It’s a pleasant idea to think about what you would do next without worrying too much. I believe I will be happier.
I’m really looking forward to retiring. I have a small plan. I plan to continue playing until I reach the age of 55. After paying off some debts, I can live with very little money for a while and then transition into coaching. That’s the idea.
If I can continue playing for three more seasons, I will retire from the tour even if I’m still part of it. I’m tired of feeling sick and in pain all the time. And I have to deal with the overly complicated snooker that I am playing too. I am doing it in order to earn money and continue being part of the tour, but it is not very pleasant. So basically, retirement means not having to fear it, I’m really excited for it.
I will try my best with the time I have left, but I don’t think my body will improve. It takes a lot of effort to prepare my body for a game. I have to do things like icing, heating, stretching, and exercising to stay fit. It’s a full-time job to stay healthy and avoid missing tournaments due to injuries.
It’s a good idea because you have the opportunity to play and have the chance to win. Winning a match now feels much better than winning five or six matches in a row when I was 30. I understand how much work it takes just to be present.
The Sheriff is experiencing a lot of injuries and health problems, especially with his back, neck, and eyes. When asked which one is bothering him the most, he said, “Everything. ”
My lower back hurts a lot right now. A few days ago, my back hurt so much that I had to lie down on the floor. It includes almost everything from the hips and above. The spine is injured, but everything is linked to it.
It’s just getting old, that’s what’s happening. This means that something is becoming older and less new. There is a reason why almost all athletes are younger than 50 years old.
Hamilton is being hard on himself when he calls his snooker boring. However, it is true that he takes longer to make his shots now compared to before. As a result, his matches tend to be longer.
“It’s never planned,” he said. The plan is to arrive, take out your cue stick, hit a red ball into a pocket that is far away, and score one hundred points. Do this every time. But as you keep going, you become deeply involved in whatever you have to do in order to succeed.
Sometimes, I cannot see or move well, so I end up playing music in a way that I don’t even recognize. It happens naturally without me realizing it.
I don’t intentionally make things difficult for players, I just don’t want to lose. So when you play your D, E, F game, your experience helps you make it difficult for other players. But I don’t want to play in that way, I want to score 80 points with every poke, that would be wonderful.
It may sound a little negative, but I actually feel very positive about it. You need to be strong because the situation is difficult. If I’m not feeling good about it, I might eventually decide to give up on everything.
‘But I do know that watching snooker is not exciting, unfortunately I’m not currently in the mood to entertain the audience. ‘ I am currently working hard to provide food for my family. I’m sorry if any players, now or later, have to endure it, but I’m only doing whatever it takes to win a game.
I don’t want anyone I care about to see it because it’s really bad. I enjoy being by myself because I can achieve small victories on my own without relying on others. I can save money and feel pleased that I haven’t upset anyone.
The Sheriff is really good at scoring a lot of points in a single turn in the game. He has already achieved this three times this season. However, he is also willing to work hard and face challenges in the game. He enjoys giving new players a tough competition like the old style of playing.
Chinese teenager Xing Zihao had his first match on the tour at the Championship League in July. He played against the Sheriff, who is an experienced player, and unfortunately lost 3-0. The Sheriff even won the last frame, even though he needed to get three snookers.
“That was his first professional match, and he must have been in 15 consecutive difficult situations. ” Hamilton explained ‘He probably thought, “What did I get myself into. ”
‘But he seems very talented. I saw him practicing earlier and he was really impressive. ‘ The young people from China are very smart, but they need to learn how to play the game. I hope someone is helping them because they have a lot of talent.
The previous champion of the German Masters has a lot of wise advice to give to younger players. However, he thinks that many young players make mistakes with basic things.
Hamilton believes that the main thing his younger opponents are doing wrong is not having enough experience. He also thinks that experience can’t be rushed. They can do simple things, like placing the white (object) on the side of the table that is most risky for escaping.
‘Simple safety shots are not actually that simple. If you observe players like Ronnie or Selby, or even sometimes me, you will notice that we always try to aim for the most difficult positions. ‘
Many players make the mistake of hitting the ball too hard and not considering the position for the next shot. This can lead to a difficult situation for them, as they leave an opportunity for their opponent to easily take a shot.
It means that it is not only about having experience, but also about having a mindset of making the most out of every opportunity. Many children only get happy when there is a long game on and an opportunity to participate and win points. Keep an eye on Selby, he’s working hard on a shot that doesn’t look important, but he knows that it will bring him benefits in three shots.
Another, simpler piece of advice for players and those in the professional game is to have fun or try to, because they are living a dream.
“He said that he’s not trying to be preachy and he would give the same advice to himself when he was 25. ” I really like watching the matches, and I am very interested in them.
I want the younger players to have fun because they have a really good job. That is one piece of advice you would give to the younger generation. It might sound very serious, but you should still find joy in it because we have achieved great success by doing it in the beginning.
‘It can be difficult to have fun in the moment because it’s tough to win against someone who is extremely strong, but if you make sure to enjoy the time after and look forward to the next match, you will gain something from it. But it can be tough to stay on tour, as everyone is competing fiercely. This can make things very stressful and sometimes you may even question where the fun went.
This season, people seem to be having more fun on tour because there are more chances to play, thanks to the Chinese events coming back. Hamilton is happy to see that players are feeling better after the tough times of the pandemic, even though it might not last a long time.
“He said that the players are mostly feeling positive about things. ” ‘There’s a lot of things available. ‘ We’ll have 13, 14, and 15 tournaments again. Isn’t that great.
No complaining It’s strange that players are not complaining, it’s like a rare event that rarely happens. But it is pleasant, it’s favorable.
The happy group of snooker players, including Hamilton, are going to Nuremberg this week for the European Masters. The Sheriff will challenge another skilled young player, Louis Heathcote, in the last 64 on Wednesday, August 23rd.
Carlos Alcaraz was seen crying after losing in the final of the Cincinnati Open in 2023 to Novak Djokovic. The match was very exciting and took place one week before the US Open.
The best tennis player in the world, Alcaraz, defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon championship recently. However, Djokovic, who is from Serbia and is a well-known player, got back at the young Spanish player in the Masters 1000 tournament.
Alcaraz was close to winning the championship in the second set and managed to save four points in the third set, but couldn’t prevent Djokovic from winning the trophy with a 5-7 7-6 7-6 victory.
Alcaraz, who won at Flushing Meadows last year for the first time, is now trying to win his third Grand Slam title after winning at Wimbledon.
Djokovic wants to win his 24th big trophy at the US Open. This would make him tie with Margaret Court for having the most trophies ever won.
The person who is 36 years old has won more Grand Slam men’s singles titles than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. They want to make sure that everyone agrees they are the best tennis player ever.
Some people thought that Djokovic’s loss to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final meant there was a change in the top players, but it seems like they will keep competing for Grand Slam titles and the top ranking in the future.
Alcaraz said that it would be difficult for him to speak at the moment, but he would do his best to try. Firstly, I want to say congratulations to Novak again.
It’s great to be on the same court as you, playing against you, and learning from you. This game was very intense, but I gained a lot of knowledge from a skilled winner like you, so congratulations to you and your team.
Djokovic, on the other hand, said: “Insane. ” Honestly, I don’t know how else to explain it, but this was definitely one of the most difficult matches I have ever played. It doesn’t matter if it was in a tournament, what type of match, or who the opponent was.
From start to finish, we have experienced a lot together. We have had many good times and bad times, including times when we felt very tired and times when we felt very motivated. This has been one of the most difficult and thrilling matches I have ever been a part of, and it is these moments in matches that I strive for and keep working towards.
‘I always believed I could give my best performance when it really counted. ‘
Popular radio host and musician Blakk Rasta has blasted Efya‘s mother for allegedly supporting her daughter’s reckless lifestyle.
In his opinion, it would be in the best interests of everyone if Madam Nana Adwoa Awindor admitted to her daughter that she needs help instead of hiding her acts.
In a previous interview with Joyprime, Mrs. Awindor bemoaned the fact that they had lost business because of the reputation her daughter had acquired as a “drug addict.”
She also addressed the naysayers who consistently criticise her daughter while disputing the false reports.
However, Blakk Rasta reacting to this, has called such claims a mere PR gimmick
He stressed that concealing Efya’s condition could send her to an early grave.
“Do you know how much your daughter disgraces herself night and day? She recently was in London, and we all heard what happened in London, but we kept it down because it is not in anybody’s interest to talk ill about anyone. What do we stand to gain from that?
“I believe that if I was part of the family, we would’ve tried to do something better rather than PR gimmicks that are so irresponsible. She is a drug addict. It is a condition that can be dealt with, but it doesn’t mean she is useless. Own up to it. This PR gimmick is so lame and useless. Very soon if you’re not careful we’re going to bury Efya and then you’re going to come crying. Please your daughter is sick. Find a way of dealing with it,” Blakk Rasta fumed during his show on 3FM.
Renowned Nollywood star Chinedu Ikedieze, popularly recognized as Aki, has shared his experience of facing perilous choices after a doctor informed him of his stunted growth.
During an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Aki revealed that he was on the brink of trying to end his own life when a doctor informed his mother about his struggles with stunted growth. This revelation came to light when he was just around 9 years old.
Aki disclosed that there was a period when he seriously contemplated leaping off the third mainland bridge due to overwhelming feelings of low self-esteem. This was exacerbated by the constant teasing and mockery he faced from his peers at school.
Both of them were resolute in their determination to achieve success as a duo in the film industry, and Aki recounted the story of his encounter with Osita Iheme, popularly known as Pawpaw.
Aki also mentioned how he met his coleague Osita Iheme better known as Pawpaw, and how the two of them were adamant on becoming successful as movie partners.
The actor claimed that because of their differing heights, people used to stare at them with interest and fascination.
He said: “I almost commit suicide when a doctor told my mom that I was suffering from stunted growth. I even thought of ending it all, third mainland bridge not far oo.
“When I met my partner, Osita, people used to look at us in the usual way because of our heights, but we had the determination to be successful together in Nollywood, and everything worked out for us.”
Martin Odegaard said that his successful penalty kick during pre-season made him confident in asking Bukayo Saka to take Arsenal’s important penalty in their victory against Crystal Palace last night.
The Gunners had to try really hard to keep winning all their games in the new Premier League season. They won the game because their captain stayed calm and scored a penalty kick.
Odegaard scored a penalty in the 53rd minute, tricking Sam Johnstone by shooting the opposite way, after Eddie Nketiah was tripped by the Palace goalkeeper.
Saka took all of Arsenal’s penalty kicks in the Premier League last season. Unfortunately, he famously missed an important penalty kick during a 2-2 draw against West Ham, which led to Arsenal’s downfall towards the end of the season.
The England player missed the goal in a match against Barcelona last month. Although he scored a goal in the Community Shield win against Manchester City, Odegaard decided to take control and take the penalty kick at Selhurst Park because he has been successful in previous games against teams like Manchester United, Monaco, and City.
Arteta says we should use a timer to prevent wasting time consistently after our victory at Palace. “We practiced a lot before the season started and I scored all of my shots. So, I asked Saka if I could take the responsibility of shooting, and he agreed. I am grateful to him for that. ”
Manager Mikel Arteta said he was surprised when Saka let Odegaard take the penalty kick instead.
I don’t know much, but it’s about players leading and deciding if it’s the right thing to do. Personally, I’m okay with it.
They need to make those choices during the game. I was really surprised, just like everyone else was, but he managed to score the goal, which was the most important thing, and because of that, we ended up winning the game.
Lizzo’s dancers have expressed support for her after a lawsuit was brought against the singer by three of her former tour members.
The “Big Grrl” and “Big Boiii” dance crews shared a letter on the group’s verified Instagram, writing that they “had the time of our lives on The Special Tour,” which Lizzo wrapped up this summer.
“We have been so honoured to share the stage with such an amazing talent,” their letter continued. “The commitment to character and culture taking precedence over every movement and moment has been one of the Greatest lessons and Blessings that we could possibly could ask for. THANK YOU to Lizzo for shattering limitations and kicking in the doorway for the Big Grrrl & Big Boiii Dancers to do what we love!”
Three of Lizzo’s former dancers filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month, obtained by CNN through an attorney for the plaintiffs, alleging that the three women were subjected to a hostile work environment and harassment while working for the Grammy-winning singer.
Lizzo’s production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT) and a “dance cast captain” are named as defendants in the complaint.
“These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing,” she said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed. “My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. Usually, I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”
Among the claims, one plaintiff said she felt pressured to “explain her weight gain and disclose intimate personal details about her life in order to keep her job” after the singer questioned her commitment to the dance team, according to the lawsuit.
“These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behaviour on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional,” Lizzo wrote in her response. “I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.”
In their letter this week, her dance crews expressed their appreciation to Lizzo for “breaking barriers” in “entertainment and beauty.”
“You have created a platform where we have been able to parallel our passion with a purpose! Not only for us, but for women and all people breaking barriers,” they wrote. “So grateful that the standards and existence of beauty in this team goes beyond the surface!”
Mikel Arteta was equally surprised as everyone else when Martin Odegaard chose to take the winning penalty for Arsenal in their 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The Gunners played really well and fought hard at Selhurst Park. They had opportunities to score, but Eddie Nketiah missed two great chances.
He kicked the first ball against the post and then kicked the second ball up and over the bar from a short distance. But he made up for it when he dribbled the ball past Sam Johnstone but was then tackled by the Palace goalkeeper.
Surprisingly, Odegaard took the penalty kick instead of Saka, who missed his previous one against West Ham last season.
The Norwegian stayed calm while taking the penalty kick from 12 yards away. He tricked Johnstone into going in the wrong direction and smoothly rolled the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Odegaard’s goal was very important, and two not-so-serious yellow cards for Takehiro Tomiyasu caused him to be sent off in a somewhat controversial way. The Arsenal team, who were playing with only 10 players, had to work hard to win the game and get all three points.
When Arteta was asked if he purposely chose Odegaard to be the penalty taker instead of Saka, he said he had no role in deciding who takes the penalties and leaves it to the players.
Arteta recommends using a stopwatch to be consistent with managing time-wasting during a victory at Palace. When asked if Odegaard is now the main penalty taker for Arsenal, Arteta said he doesn’t know. It’s up to the players’ leadership and if they think it’s the right decision, I’m okay with it.
They have to make those choices during the game. I was just as surprised as everyone else, but he managed to score the goal, which was the important part, and as a result, we won the game.
Arteta also gave a lot of credit to Declan Rice, who was a really impressive player in the midfield position. He played a different role compared to the last game against Nottingham Forest.
When asked how he thought Rice played, Arteta said, “I think he did really well. ” He controlled the midfield and completely controlled the game. He had a lot of power and impact, and he was good at both attacking and defending.
Today, he played in a different spot than last week because we were expecting a certain strategy from the other team and we needed him to do something specific today. I think he did very well in his new position.
I really enjoyed it, I really really enjoyed it. It’s a very hard place to visit. We played the game the way we wanted to. We were in control and had many opportunities to score. Unfortunately, we missed two big chances to score, which is unusual for us. However, we never stopped trying.
‘We kept going the way we wanted to go. ‘ Eddie gave us permission to continue with his action. We successfully took the penalty shot. However, we had to play for 30 minutes with only 10 players, which was a problem we were not ready for.
Manchester City has made a deal with Rennes for £55. 5 million to replace Riyad Mahrez with Jeremy Doku as their winger.
The Belgian player will have a medical check-up in the north-west region in the next two days before officially signing a contract with City that lasts for five years.
Many Premier League teams were interested in the 21-year-old player because he had a very good season in Ligue 1 last year.
Doku scored six goals last season, and he scored again on the first day of this season. Pep Guardiola wants to bring Doku to his team because he likes how he plays and his skill of going against defenders alone.
He will be the third player to join City this summer, after Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol.
Guardiola still wants to get another midfielder because Kevin De Bruyne won’t be able to play for at least the next three months.
The city and West Ham have made an agreement for Lucas Paqueta, but it’s not clear if the city will actually go through with the transfer.
Russia says that a drone from Ukraine has hit a train station in the Kursk area, hurting five people.
It is being said that another drone has landed in the Rostov region. This region is near Ukraine, just like Kursk. Luckily, nobody got hurt.
Russia also announced that it stopped a flying robot that was going towards Moscow. The robot then fell down in a place where there were no people.
Accusations of drone attacks happening in Russia have been happening more often in the past few months.
Even though Ukraine hasn’t said that they were responsible for certain drone attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously mentioned that attacking Russian territory is something that will happen and is fair.
The BBC has confirmed that there are videos showing broken windows and a fire at the railway station in Kursk. Kursk is located approximately 150 km (93 miles) away from the Ukrainian border.
Five people got hurt by pieces of glass, according to Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency. The top part, outer area, and flat surface of the station were broken.
Maria Zakharova, who speaks for the ministry, said that Ukrainian nationalists have greatly harmed our shared history.
Russia’s defense ministry said that it stopped an attempted terrorist attack using drones on infrastructure in Moscow, by the Kyiv regime. This happened at around 4:00 am local time.
The drone heading towards Moscow was destroyed by electronic devices meant to disrupt its control. It lost control and crashed in an area where no people live, the ministry said.
Russia’s aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, has stated that flights to the Domodedovo and Vnukovo international airports are currently restricted for a temporary period of time.
On Saturday, a Russian missile hit a theatre in the city of Chernihiv in Ukraine, and seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed.
Officials said that 15 children and 148 other people were injured.
President Zelensky promised to take action against Russia as a response to the terrorist attack, and the action will be significant.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has shattered Usain Bolt‘s record by emerging as the most accomplished Jamaican athlete in the annals of the World Outdoor Athletics Championships.
Luck was not on Fraser-Pryce’s side in her bid to defend the women’s 100-meter title, as Sha’Carri Richardson astonished everyone by securing the gold in a thrilling race on August 21.
The American blazed through in the last 20 metres to deny Shericka Jackson and Fraser-Pryce another Jamaican sweep. Jackson settled for silver as the latter took bronze.
Richardson posted a world-leading time of 10.65 seconds, with Jackson recording 10.72 seconds. Fraser-Pryce clocked a season-best time of 10.77 seconds.
Fraser-Pryce’s third-place finish now sees her move above Usain Bolt to 15 medals in the World Championships. Bolt won 14 medals – 11 of them gold – during his illustrious career.
His compatriot is now second in the all-time list behind American great Allyson Felix, who leads the standings with 20 medals.
The 36-year-old has won 10 gold medals, including five in the 100m and four silver. Her third-place finish was her first-ever bronze medal in the World Championships.
Fraser-Pryce could medal again if she represents Jamaica in the 4 by 100m relays final on Sunday. She will not be participating in the 200m.
Why Fraser-Pryce wears colourful wigs
Sports Brief also reported that apart from her frightening pace whenever she takes off, the mother of one is always unmistakable when picking her out of the starting line-ups due to her colourful wigs.
Last year during the World Championships in Oregon, Fraser-Pryce had a different colourful wig for every day she stepped out on the track, from the heats to the semi-finals to the finals. The five-time World Champion has previously explained why she wears a wig on race days.
The Masakhane Research Foundation’s Kathleen Siminyu made clear that the billions of people who do not speak the most common languages, such as English, French, or Spanish, are unable to use widely used AI technologies like ChatGPT, a text generator, and voice-activated assistants like Siri. This highlights the requirement for increased diversity and representation in the field of language technology advancement.
“It doesn’t make sense to me that there are limited AI tools for African languages. Inclusion and representation in the advancement of language technology is not a patch you put at the end — it’s something you think about upfront,” Ms. Siminyu noted.
These specialised tools frequently use natural language processing, an area of artificial intelligence that enables computers to understand human languages. By recognising patterns in speech and text data, training enables computers to understand languages. However, the technology fails when there is a lack of data in a particular language, as is the case with African languages. The research team first pinpointed important players involved in the creation of African language tools in an effort to close this gap.
Language tool infrastructure is built on the experiences, motivations, focuses, and challenges of content creators like writers, editors, linguists, software engineers, and entrepreneurs. In-depth conversations with these stakeholders revealed four key principles to consider when creating African language tools.
The multilingual context of Africa must be addressed first in order to acknowledge the long-lasting effects of colonisation. Along with playing a crucial role in education, politics, and the economy, indigenous languages have a great deal of cultural significance. The second essential step is to encourage the production of African content. In order to do this, basic tools for African languages must be created, including dictionaries, spell checkers, and keyboards. Additionally, it entails removing administrative and financial barriers to translating official communications into various national languages, including African languages. Furthermore, fostering collaboration between linguistics and computer science is key, these fields intersect to yield human-centered innovative solutions.
Ethical practices and community involvement throughout data collection and utilization are equally important considerations. The next phase for the team involves addressing barriers that may impede people’s access to this technology. Their study aims to provide a roadmap for the development of various language tools, ranging from translation services to content moderators targeting misinformation.
“I would love for us to live in a world where Africans can have as good quality of life and access to information and opportunities as somebody fluent in English, French, Mandarin, or other languages,” says Siminyu.
“There is a growing number of organizations working in this space, and this study allows us to coordinate efforts in building impactful language tools. The findings highlight and articulate what the priorities are, in terms of time and financial investments.” Siminyu added.
Reports suggest that a very important Russian bomber plane was destroyed by a drone strike from Ukraine.
Pictures on social media that were studied by BBC Verify reveal a Tupolev Tu-22 plane engulfed in flames at the Soltsy-2 airbase, located in the southern part of St. Petersburg
Moscow stated that a drone was shot at with guns but was still able to “harm” an airplane. Ukraine has not said anything about it.
The Tu-22 is a fast plane that can fly really fast, twice as fast as sound. Russia has used this plane a lot to attack cities in Ukraine.
The Russian defense ministry reported that there was an attack using a drone helicopter around 10:00 am in Moscow on Saturday.
It said that Soltsy-2 is located at a military airfield in the Novgorod region.
The airfield’s lookout spotted the UAV and it was shot at with small guns, the ministry said.
One plane was harmed; nobody got hurt in the terrorist attack.
The report also mentioned that a fire started in the parking lot near the airfield but was put out quickly.
But, pictures on the social media app Telegram showed a big fire covering a jet with the unique front part called the nose cone of the Tu-22. The BBC Verify team looked at the pictures and thinks they are true.
While destroying one aircraft won’t significantly weaken the power of Moscow’s fleet of 60 planes, this operation shows that Kyiv is getting better at attacking targets far inside Russia.
Recently, Kyiv has been sending many unmanned aircraft to attack Moscow, which is a few hundred miles away. Soltsy-2 is about 400 miles (or 650 kilometers) away from the Ukraine border.
However, the Russian Ministry of Defense’s description of the drone as a “copter-type unmanned aerial vehicle” implies that it is a inexpensive and easily accessible device that can be launched over short distances.
The Tu-22 is an old war plane that can fly very fast and has wings that can move. It was called “Backfire” by Nato. This plane has been used a lot to attack cities in Ukraine.
Newer versions like the Tu-22M3 can go really fast, up to Mach 2, which is about 2,300 kilometers per hour or 1,430 miles per hour. They can also carry a lot of weapons, up to 24,000 kilograms, which can be regular bombs or missiles that can find their target on their own.
These weapons were used in fights in Syria, Chechnya, and Georgia and more recently in Ukraine.
According to lawyers in Kyiv, 30 people died when a missile launched from a Tu-22 plane hit a building in Dnipro in January.
They said that Russia’s 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment was responsible for the attack. The regiment is located at Soltsy-2.
BBC Verify was able to find out where the drone attack on Soltsy-2 in Ukraine happened by comparing what the aircraft and bays looked like to old satellite pictures of the airbase.
The weather conditions were rainy and cloudy at the time, which was similar to what was shown in the images and other photos taken by witnesses.
The parts of the airplane that can be seen in the video match those of a Tu-22M3.
Satellite pictures from the past were analyzed by BBC Verify. The pictures show that planes like this were kept at the base.
On Monday, a person who speaks for Ukraine’s defense intelligence service said that another military airplane was harmed in a drone attack in Russia’s Kaluga region.
The Russian media said there was an attack, but they said it didn’t cause any harm.
In spite of his strong affiliation with Methodism, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the Senior Presidential Advisor, has stated that he manages his household in a way that resembles the operation of a Presbyterian Mission House.
Elaborating on this, the senior statesman clarified that while he identifies as a Methodist, his upbringing and education were largely influenced by the Presbyterian tradition.
He further mentioned that his spouse, despite not being a Presbyterian, received substantial teachings from the Presbyterian denomination. This has led to a scenario where their household can be considered, in essence, as having a Presbyterian influence.
“I was baptized a Methodist, confirmed a Methodist, but trained by the Presbyterians. So, I always say that if I am what I am today, I owe it to the Presbyterians. It’s a fact. And to add insult to injury, my wife was not only trained by the Presbyterians, but she went to the famous Agogo Women Training College.
“So, my house is run like a Presbyterian Mission House,” he explained.
Yaw Osafo-Maafo said this when he delivered a keynote address at the 23rd General Meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Kwahu Abetifi in the Eastern Region on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
The defense ministry of Russia said it stopped a Ukrainian drone attack by shooting down two drones in the Moscow area.
Two more drones were stopped over the Bryansk area, which is in the northeast of the Ukrainian border.
Flights between Moscow’s airports were temporarily halted early on Tuesday, according to the ministry.
The area above Moscow has been closed a few times recently because drones have been causing problems.
The military ministry of Russia said that a Russian warplane destroyed a Ukrainian boat used for gathering information in the Black Sea. The boat had sailed close to Russian facilities that produce gas.
On Tuesday, Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Russian defense systems had successfully destroyed two flying robotic devices to the west of the city, in the areas called Krasnogorsk and Shastsy.
No one got hurt in the attacks, and Ukraine has not said anything about them.
Despite not taking direct responsibility, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed that attacking Russian territory with drones is a justified and expected action.
According to reports, on Saturday, a very important Russian bomber plane was destroyed by a drone attack in Ukraine.
Pictures shared on social media and examined by BBC Verify reveal a Tupolev Tu-22 aircraft burning at Soltsy-2 airbase, which is located south of St Petersburg.
Moscow stated that a drone was shot at by guns but still managed to “harm” a plane.
The Russian Tu-22 bomber, which was destroyed, can go very fast and has been used a lot by Russia to attack cities in Ukraine.
The defense ministry of Moscow said that there was an attack at around 10:00 in the morning on Saturday. The attack was carried out by a drone that had a copter-like design.
The text says that Soltsy-2 is located in a military airfield in the Novgorod region.
The small aircraft was spotted by the airfield’s watchtower and was shot at with guns, according to the ministry.
One plane got damaged, but thankfully no one was hurt in the terrorist attack.
The report also mentioned that a fire started in the parking lot of the airfield but was put out quickly.
But, pictures on Telegram showed a big fire covering a jet with the special front part of the Tu-22. The company BBC Verify looked at the pictures and thinks they are trustworthy.
In the past few months, many small planes without pilots have been flying and attacking the capital of Russia.
Moscow has said that Kyiv is responsible for the attacks. Ukraine hardly admits fault for events or attacks that happen in Russia.
Ghanaian dancehall singer Shatta Wale has belittled Ghanaian music after Nigerian musician Asake made a successful debut at the 02 Arena on Sunday night.
In his opinion, Nigerian musicians have had greater success than Ghanaian musicians.
He said the Ghanaian music industry is like a “feeding bottle” compared to the Nigerian industry, which he described as a “Hennessy bottle”.
Shatta Wale made this statement while congratulating Asake, a young Nigerian musician who recently sold out the 20,000-seat O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.
On his Twitter handle, he wrote; “Nigerians are making Ghana music look like feeding bottle compared to Hennessy bottle. Congrats to Asake meeenn!!!
“You guys deh run tooo fast …F*ck
“PS: Some Ghana man say how do they do it?
“Me: when you stop judging people here like you are angels,I think we can get the formula.
“Naija is winning BIG TIME !!! My people.”
On Sunday night, Ahmed Oloade, also known as Asake, made history by becoming the first Nigerian newcomer to sell out the 20,000-seat O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.
Asake’s entrance for his latest show at the 02 was one of the major highlights of the concert as the singer was seen arriving on stage for the show from a helicopter in the middle of the auditorium.
He gave a medley performance consisting of songs from both his debut album, “Mr. Money With The Vibe,” and his sophomore album, “Work Of Art.”
He also invited Fireboy DML, Lil Kesh, and a number of other artists from the YBNL record label.
Many patients have been transferred from a hospital in northeastern Greece because of wildfires that have been burning for four days near Alexandroupolis city.
The fire came closer to the university hospital and many people who had to leave were brought to a boat near the port.
Some babies that were just born and patients needing special care were moved.
The hospital area experienced explosions which were said to be caused by oxygen bottles exploding.
Alexandroupolis is a big port near the border of Greece and Turkey. Greece is facing wildfires in several areas, including Alexandroupolis, due to strong winds and high temperatures that will reach 39C (102F) on Tuesday.
There are big fires happening in other places – on the island of Evia and in Boeotia in central Greece. People have had to leave their homes in several villages.
One person has died from the fires near Alexandroupolis.
Greek officials told a group of ambulances and buses to take around 115 patients from the university hospital on the outer edge of the city.
According to reports, fire reached the hospital area during a surgery and the hospital was covered in heavy smoke and ash.
There was a bright red light at night on the edge of Alexandroupolis and pictures from space showed that many parts of Greece had a lot of smoke.
Some patients went to different hospitals in the city, but around 90 of them went on a ferry called the Adamantios Korais. The ferry was made into a special place for taking care of very sick patients and new babies.
Patients who needed oxygen had to lie on mattresses on the ship converted into a hospital. Some of them were welcomed on the shore with tents set up for them.
At night, people in eight nearby villages were told to leave their houses and go to a safe place in Alexandroupolis.
Fires are happening far away from the city in Rhodope and Kavala.
France, Cyprus, and Romania have sent additional assistance to support the firefighters in Greece.
In Greece, we often have wildfires during the summer. Scientists have found that the more frequent and intense extreme weather events, like heatwaves, are connected to climate change.
Last month, many people had to run away from fires on the Greek island of Rhodes and in different areas of the country.
“Greece had a very bad July when it comes to wildfires. It was the worst July since 2008,” said Janez Lenarčič, the EU’s Commissioner for Crisis Management, on Monday.
“The area that has been burned is larger, and the fires are stronger and more forceful, resulting in the burning of a larger area than previously. “
Ioannis Artophios, a spokesperson for the Greek fire service, mentioned that they were dealing with very unusual events and that it was important for everyone to adjust to this challenging situation.
Greece, along with other European countries, is in great danger of wildfires right now, as stated by the EU’s climate monitoring service, Copernicus.
Firefighters have been working to put out a fire on the island of Tenerife in Spain for nearly a week, but the authorities think the hardest part is over now.
The fire has destroyed a lot of land and made over 12,000 people leave their homes, according to the local government.
Some areas in southern France might have very hot weather soon, and it might break previous temperature records. The Rhone valley and other places will have temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius.
North Korea‘s main airline has completed its first flight to another country since the covid pandemic began.
The plane called JS151 from Air Koryo took off from Pyongyang on Tuesday morning and landed at Beijing Capital Airport at 09:16 local time (01:16 GMT), according to information from the flight tracking service Flightradar24.
We do not know who was on the JS151 flight or how many passengers were on board.
The travel agency, Koryo Tours, mentioned that the route between Pyongyang and Beijing has been reopened so that North Koreans can return home.
Flightradar24 says that flight JS151 was flown on a Tupolev Tu-204 plane that can hold up to 210 people.
It is not clear how many people were on the plane that was supposed to leave for Pyongyang from the Chinese capital at 13:05.
However, Kyodo News stated that the check-in counter of Air Koryo at Beijing airport was very crowded with passengers who were wearing pins of the North Korean flag on their clothes and were pushing trolleys filled with bags.
The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Monday that they have given permission for Air Koryo flights to Beijing to start again. These flights were stopped over three and a half years ago because of Covid border closures.
Pyongyang has recently started allowing a small number of people to travel internationally again.
A few North Korean athletes went to China last week. They were on their way to the Taekwondo world championships in Kazakhstan.
Russian and Chinese representatives also traveled to North Korea’s capital in July to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire. They were the first foreign groups known to have been invited to the country since 2020.
Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osafo Maafo lamented that corruption in the country is getting worse rather than better, which necessitates reflection on the part of the church and the government in order to identify workable solutions to lessen the scourge.
Yaw Osafo-Maafo questioned whether the Church had a positive moral influence on the 70% of Ghanaians who identify as Christians.
“If there is that much decay in our body politics,the Christian community has a role to play. 70% of the population is Christianity so what kind of message do we continuously give to that population of the country, what kind of moral lesson are we able to put through this huge percentage. If we are not able to do anything to make certain changes then Christianity itself has a problem in terms of making our words work.”
According to Yaw Osafo-Maafo, stakeholders, specifically the government and church, need to take a fresh approach to the graft menace.
“I think we need to go back and visit the drawing board to see what we should do as a Christian group to influence the behavior of the system. Is it that your moral lessons are now not effective? We should ask a few questions, if indeed 70% of us are Christians and corruption begins to go from bad to worse, what is really happening? We need to do some retrospection and, as a country, together with the government, take certain actions to redeem the nation from corruption.”
He said practical actions are required beyond admonishing corruption.
“We can’t allow to just talk about it and continue to talk about it and not do anything about it.”
He said this when addressing the 23rd General Meeting of Presbyterian Church of Ghana at Kwahu Abetifi in the Eastern Region on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
Yaw Osafo -Maafo said, the fight against the illegal mining menace which is another manifestation of corruption, has gone beyond the deployment of the army, rather requires moral resetting of the country.
“Look at what Galamsey is doing to the land. Should we allow the money a few people want to make to even destroy the places of water we need to drink? There are areas where we can’t even purify the water, and where you can, we are spending about three times what we used to spend to purify the water. How do we go that way and is this not happening in the direct eyes of our chiefs, don’t they give these lands for the galamsey, are they not connected, are we doing the galamsey outside or inside Ghana, if it is inside Ghana are people not seeing it going on “
“People see it, people condone because the beneficiaries are many and varied. The President who once said that he is putting his presidency on the line so what is happening .It is not something that you need the army to solve it is a moral problem and therefore Christianity comes in what morals are we teaching” Yaw Osafo Maafo said.
Donald Trump wants to go to court in Georgia to deal with accusations of interfering in the election. He will do this on Thursday.
A judge in Atlanta has decided that the former president can be released from custody if he pays $200,000.
The agreement states that Mr. Trump can stay out of jail until his trial as long as he doesn’t try to scare or bully the people who will be giving evidence.
He and the other 18 people accused in this case were told to come to the Fulton County Jail by Friday at noon so they could be processed.
The sheriff in the county said that everyone, including Mr. Trump, will be treated the same way as other people accused of a crime. This means that Mr. Trump might have to give his fingerprints and have his picture taken.
Before he stated on social media that he would give himself up on Thursday, a document was made public that explained the conditions of his agreement to be released on bond.
“The person accused must not do anything to scare or threaten anyone who is also accused or being called as a witness in this case, or try to make it harder for justice to be served,” stated the message.
“The above also includes, but is not limited to, messages on social media or sharing someone else’s messages on social media,” the order states.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and lawyers representing Mr. Trump both signed it.
Later on Monday, Mr. Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, “Can you believe it. I will be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be arrested by a District Attorney named Fani Willis, who leans towards the Radical Left. ”
“He said that she campaigned, and continues to campaign, and raise money on, this witch hunt. ” “This is closely connected to dishonest Joe Biden’s Department of Justice. “
Willis has requested the judge to set a date for when the defendant will be informed about the charges and asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. This date is intended to be scheduled for 5 September.
She has also suggested that the trial should start in March. Both the time when the suspect is formally charged with a crime and the stage where their case is heard before a judge or jury, might be shown on television.
When Trump decides to give up, the area nearby will be closed off and barriers have already been put up outside the court.
Last week, Mr. Trump and his co-defendants were accused of trying to interfere in Georgia’s election results after he lost to Joe Biden in 2020.
The ex-president talked to Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on the phone and tried to influence him to find enough votes to change the election results.
The first former or current US president who has been charged with a crime, he is also dealing with three other criminal cases.
Mr Trump says he did nothing wrong and believes the accusations are unfair because they are driven by politics.
At the moment, he is in the lead of the Republican race to choose their next candidate for the White House. This candidate will then go up against the Democratic nominee, most likely Mr. Biden, in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Mr Trump has already announced that he will not participate in the first Republican televised debate on Wednesday evening.
“I am well-known to the public and they are aware of my successful time as President,” stated Mr. Trump on Truth Social this Sunday. “I have decided not to participate in the debates. ”
People who are close to Mr. Trump say that he didn’t do an interview with Oprah. Instead, he did an interview with Tucker Carlson, who used to work at Fox News.
State-by-state primaries, which are elections for Republican voters to decide who will represent their party, are scheduled to start on January 15, 2024.
A married Nigerian man has attempted to end his life due to the prevailing economic challenges, in the heartbreaking footage.
The incident took place on Lagos’ Third Mainland Bridge.
In the heartbreaking video, the man can be seen perilously perched on the edge of the bridge, ready to leap into the water below while wearing a brown Lacoste shirt.
He was clearly in pain, his face displaying the desperation his current financial struggles have caused.
He was swiftly saved by some witnesses just as he was about to jump into the bride.
The incident has sparked a flurry of conversations online, with netizens expressing their empathy and heartbreak over the man’s plight.
Watch the video below to know more…
Below are some of the emotional comments gathered under the sad video…
@Priscilla Oluchi – Life is hard really. Behind that smiling picture lies a bleeding heart, only if we could see through a picture. Phew!!!
At this point, he feels nothing makes sense anymore!
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Before you do it, think of the reason(s)you have stayed this long. I wish I can render help tò everyone’s challenges but pls don’t do it!!!
You matter. Your feelings matter. E go better I swear, it might not be immediately, but it will surely happen, trust me. I love you.
@Symply Betty – God please show yourself to each n everyone of us that’s seeking your face, hear our humble cry?? this is so disheartening
@Debrief_82- It is easy to say suicide is not an option, until you get to a point in life where prayers and fasting including all effort prove abortive. Life is vanity! But then this is when God usually come through believe me! I have been there! I am the one who cried for more than a year every night. I can tell how@my eyes are still intact because I cried every night for more than a year before God came through. From that point there’s no challenges that can come again because the worst has happened before even death came but Jesus rescued me! I am grateful Lord! ???if you are depress send me a dm my testimony is enough to heal you.
@Bishy Oyepemi – Suicide is never the answer, when you have life you have hope. Keep fighting and pushing.
@ojayyyy_ – You see you can never truly understand what depression means until you’re hit by it. There are so many reasons why people can no longer take it. To you, it may never make sense, but and until you be in that position. We’ve seen lots of ‘successful’ music artistes who has their lives looking so beautiful take their lives all of a sudden. It’s not about what you see, people smile through a lot. That’s why I don’t judge people cos I don’t know exactly what is helping them push through the struggle. Best you can do is be supportive. Don’t talk down on people when you don’t know half of what they may have been through, do your best to be kind and show love
NPP’s Deputy Director of Communication, Ernest Owusu-Bempah, has called upon the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to offer a comprehensive and improved clarification regarding both the matters concerning its upcoming headquarters construction and the GHC60.8 billion deficit it experienced in the previous year.
According to Mr. Owusu-Bempah’s perspective, these matters are evolving into significant challenges for the government, particularly for its communication team. As a result, he emphasizes the necessity for the central bank to provide a simplified explanation of the unfolding situations.
The Minority in Parliament has been asking the central bank to provide answers to questions relating to the new headquarters for the central bank.
The Minority is requesting, among other things, information on the processes involved in the procurement of the land for the construction of the new headquarters building.
They also want to know the names of consultants and project managers.
Speaking to journalists in Accra Monday, August 21, Mr Owusu-Bempah said “The whole brouhaha with the Bank of Ghana is becoming a problem for the government and party in power and so if they have anything to explain, they should. NPP as a political party we don’t condone wrongdoing, we don’t condone anything to do with alleged malfeasance or corruption.
“This particular issue is becoming an albatross around the neck of the government and the party in power. So they need to come out clean, the explanation that they are giving, we don’t get it so they should come out and explain better.
“The Governor of the Bank of Ghana needs to sit up and come clean so that the government will look good. This issue is becoming a danger for the political fortune in the 2024 elections. Financially, we are going through turbulence, but as a party, we have done a lot in managing the economy and then the next day you hear this scandal coming from the Bank of Ghana.
“As a spokesperson for the NPP, I want to tell the Bank of Ghana to come clean and let us know exactly what is going on. They cannot sit somewhere and be explaining things the way they want.
“There is an allegation of missing money and there is another allegation of building a $250million headquarters, this is a serious thing. Bank of Ghana is a big financial economic institution of the state that runs the whole economic activities of this country. So you cannot just come out and throw issues out there just like that and expect the ordinary Ghanaian to understand what is going on. So they need to come out clean and let the people of Ghana understand so that party communicators can go out there and explain the issues better,” he said.
It would be recalled that in a press statement issued by the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, who is also a private legal practitioner, he called on the Governor of Bank of Ghana to provide specific details on the project.
They have chosen Tuesday, September 5 as the date to march to the head office of the Bank of Ghana in an escalated action to force the Governor and his two deputies to resign.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) gave Dr Ernest Yedu Addison and the two Deputy Governors – Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi – 21 days to resign after they posted a GHC60.8 billion in 2022.
The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, on Monday, August 21 wrote to the Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service to notify them of the action to “occupy” the Bank of Ghana.
“The purpose of this protest is to express our revulsion against the illegal printing of money (about GHC80 billion) between 2021 and 2022 by BoG for the corrupt Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government which led to a hyper-inflation rate of 54.1% in December 2022,” the Minority indicated in its letter.
A Golden Retriever puppy named Chickie, who is one year and a half old has chewed up a man’s passport just days before his wedding in Italy, putting the couple’s wedding in jeopardy.
According to the New York Post, the man from South Boston, USA, Donato Frattaroli, disclosed that just days before their planned wedding on August 31, he and his fiance had visited city hall to fill out their marriage paperwork on Thursday.
They eventually made it back to their house, only to discover that Chickie had destroyed several pages of Frattoroli’s passport.
The groom-to-be said if he can not secure a passport before the flight, he will stay at home while his fiancé and their wedding guests go to Italy without him.
If he still can not get a passport in time for the wedding, he said he will just meet the wedding party when they return to the US. The couple are scheduled to fly out to Italy on Friday, August 25.
Minister in charge of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako Atta, has directed the detention of individuals behind seized excavator and transport trucks engaged in unauthorised mining activities within his electoral area.
He additionally facilitated the apprehension of two unauthorized miners and compelled them to cleanse mud along sections of the paved road stretching from Akrofufu to Twapease in the Atiwa West District of the Eastern region.
The illegal miners were carting excavators with low bed truck vehicles from their mining site near the roadside spreading mud on the tarred road and causing gridlock.
The Minister, who is also a Member of Parliament for the area, was in the company of some constituency executives of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) bumped into the gridlock while returning from a funeral at Twapease over the weekend.
The Minister, noticing the mess caused on the road by the illegal miners and destruction to the shoulders of the road, furiously ordered his police guard to arrest the illegal miners which two were arrested but others escaped.
The illegal miners were forced to wash mud on about one kilometer of the road.
“My party executives and I were at a funeral, and we came to meet this low bird trailer with a Galamsey excavator. Look at this distance, more than a kilometer of road has been destroyed -so muddy.
“The entire stretch of the tarred road has been muddied. So no car could cross. All the vehicles have parked at both. They have destroyed the shoulders of the road so I stopped and ordered my bodyguard to arrest them”.
He continued that the illegal miners arrested have been handed over to the police.
”Their galamsey activities are destroying the road constructed with a huge amount of the taxpayer’s monies. Look at the destruction”.
I have handed them over to the police for the law to take its cause. The police in their own wisdom will carry their own investigation”.
Hon. Amoako Atta declared what he calls “negative tolerance” to illegal mining in the area warning that henceforth, illegal miners will be clamped down in the district.
“I am the member of Parliament for this constituency, and I am going to work with my District Chief Executive who is head of DISEC to support the position of Government.
“The President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo has put his presidency on the line to fight Galamsey to protect the environment for posterity. We have to protect our water bodies, we have to protect our land.”
Here are some keywords to watch out for if you are having trouble believing someone because they have a history of lying:
Believe whatever you want
This statement usually comes after they have given you an explanation that didn’t make sense. Instead of explaining further, they tell you to believe whatever you want and end the discussion angrily.
This is to gaslight you to accept whatever they tell you and to stop them from ratting on themselves.
I don’t want to talk/argue about this
Yes, they don’t want to talk or argue because the truth will come out and they will be exposed so they will do their possible best to avoid the confrontation altogether. So yes, they won’t talk about it at all.
I won’t lie to you
This sentence comes before the lie, they will try to prepare your mind to believe their lies before they tell them. In conclusion, they will lie to you but then you will believe them.
I swear
Liars will go to any length to make themselves believable, even if it means swearing, if the person in question is a habitual liar swearing will come easily to them. They won’t hesitate to swear at every single question asked
To be honest
After they’ve been caught lying, they will use this statement to create another web of lies just so they won’t be caught. Ironically, they start the statement with ‘to be honest’ and hope that you will think that they will be honest.
It is important to know that though liars may use these phrases a lot, not everyone who uses them is a liar. Watch out for body language such as; avoiding eye contact, avoiding the conversation altogether, or getting angry when confronted. These actions usually mean they could be hiding something.
Over six weeks ago, 38 people who survived a boat accident near Cape Verde came back to Dakar, Senegal on Monday evening using a military plane, according to officials.
They are part of a group of 101 people who started their trip on July 10th with the goal of reaching the Canary Islands in Spain.
More than 60 people, mostly men from the fishing town of Fass Boye and nearby areas, are believed to have died after their boat drifted in the sea for more than a month.
People in this town are still feeling sad and angry because of the boat accident.
Some people, including family members, told the BBC that they were relieved to know that their loved ones were coming back home alive.
However, a lot of people think he has made an agreement that will prevent him from staying in prison for a long time.
He came in a special airplane called a private jet on Tuesday morning before a vote for the next Thai leader. The person who is most likely going to win is from his political party called Pheu Thai.
He was given a punishment of eight years in jail because of past crimes he believes were driven by political reasons.
Mr Thaksin, who was very successful as Thailand’s elected leader, has always worried conservative royalists. These royalists have supported military takeovers and controversial court cases to undermine his power.
However, the bold and power-seeking telecommunications magnate has returned, after being removed from power by a military takeover for many years. He arrived at Bangkok’s main airport and was greeted with cheers from many loyal followers who had waited overnight to see him. He stepped out of the airport with his two daughters and son. He briefly stopped to honor a painting of the king and queen.
The 74-year-old person was quickly brought to the Supreme Court because of three past crimes, and was then sent to Bangkok Remand Prison for eight years.
The prison officials claim that because he is old, he will be placed in a section of the prison that has special medical tools. He will have to stay in his room for the first five days of a 10-day quarantine, according to authorities.
According to those in charge of the prison, Thaksin is rumoured to be considering asking the monarch for pardon, and they claimed he can do it immediately while inside. The process typically takes between one and two months to finish.
On Tuesday morning, a sizable contingent of individuals wearing red shirts showed up at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to greet the former leader.
Samniang Kongpolparn is 63 years old and had been waiting to see Mr. Thaksin since Monday evening. She, like many others who support him, had traveled from Surin province in the northeast. This province has been a strong base for Mr. Thaksin’s party in the past.
He is the best person in charge of the government that we have ever had. “She said that even though she wouldn’t get to see him today, she still wanted to come and show him support. ” “I’m okay with them making peace with the pro-military government, otherwise we will be left with the senators. ” We do not want that.
The political party that Thaksin is part of is in a prominent position.
Mr Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party is likely to join a coalition government today, marking a complex process that has brought Thailand back to where it started in three months.
It all started with the excited hopes of a new beginning led by the young and radical Move Forward party. They won the most seats in the election that took place in May.
Move Forward initially joined forces with Pheu Thai but it is now clear that the coalition will include almost everyone except the reformers. This includes two parties led by former coup-makers, which is a surprising partnership as Pheu Thai promised they would not make.
Pheu Thai says that the two events are not related. Not many people think that.
Pheu Thai’s actions have been restricted by the unelected senate, a group of 250 people appointed by the military junta after a coup in 2014.
Pheu Thai didn’t do as well as expected in the election and lost many supporters to Move Forward. This made their negotiating power weaker and they were put in second place for the first time.
The senators, who were chosen by the military government, have the right to vote alongside the 500 elected MPs to choose the new prime minister. They aim to stop any party that could pose a risk to the current situation in Thailand, which is controlled by a combination of the monarchy, military, and big businesses. This control has been in place for many years now.
Not surprisingly, they said no to supporting the Move Forward-led coalition with Pheu Thai, even though it has a big majority in the lower house. When Pheu Thai had to negotiate a new coalition, they needed support from the senate. This meant they had to include some of their previous opponents in their group.
However, some politicians from the Pheu Thai party believe that they should have waited for a better agreement instead of joining a government with extremely conservative groups. A government that does not include the Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties would not last long, as the senators are not allowed to participate in important voting like decisions on the budget.
However, the Pheu Thai leaders did not want to wait. They even asked the ultra-royalist party United Thai Nation to join their group. In the past, the leaders of this party strongly criticized the Shinawatra family and their supporters. They also played a significant role in removing the last Pheu Thai government led by Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck. The fact that these two groups will now work together in the same government shows how much Thai politics has changed.
Finally, the ultra-royalists were more worried about Move Forward and the younger Thais who wanted to discuss the monarchy’s power and wealth than their ongoing dispute with the Shinawatra family.
The Shinawatras and the more business-focused members of the Pheu Thai party have been more concerned with returning to power and ensuring that Thaksin comes back, rather than worrying about the party’s image.
However, some people within the Pheu Thai group are really scared and upset about the sneaky practicality of this agreement. They are saying that the party will lose more of its dedicated supporters and the power it had in Thai politics for a long time.
The Tema Circuit Court A has placed Eric Gyimah and two others on remand after they tied Daniel Azure’s neck with a rope and robbed him of his Toyota Vitz taxi.
The taxi cab, which is worth Gh43,000, belongs to Rutherford N. A. Amarteifio.
After the accused entered a not guilty plea, the case was continued to August 28 of this year by the court, presided over by Ms. Agnes Opoku Banie.
According to the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Doe, the complainant, Azure, is a driver who lives in Kasoa Amanfrom in the Central Region, while Gyimah is a businessman and Agbodzahu Wobube works as a nurse at the government hospital in Sogakope.
Gyimah and Wobube both resided at Adidome in the Volta region, according to ASP Doe.
According to the prosecution, Azure was driving a light grey and yellow taxi cab on May 18, 2023, around 13:40.
The prosecution claims that Gyimah and two other men, who are still at large, hired him to drive them to a construction site in the Central University neighbourhood of Dawhenya so they could take pictures of the building as it was being built and send them to their brother who was living abroad. This was done at a location close to Coral Paint, a paint shop, in Accra.
Gyimah reportedly then sat in the front seat with the two other men in the back, according to the prosecution. Gyimah and his two companions instructed the complainant to turn left onto a rough road as soon as they reached the Aflao Highway, just after the Central University.
ASP Doe said that while they were on their way to the building site at a point, Gyimah asked the complainant to stop, which he obliged, and the three men alighted from the taxi.
They then told Azure to wait for them so that they could go and take pictures of the said building and come back. After a few minutes, they returned and sat again in their various seats in the taxi cab and asked the complainant to drive back towards Accra.
According to the prosecution, Azure turned the vehicle, and on their way, the two men seated behind him hooked his neck with a rope and pulled it against his seat, while Gyimah pulled out a knife on him.
ASP Doe said Azure held the knife, but Gyimah pulled it through his palm, and he sustained a cut in his right palm. Gyimah again used the knife to cut the leg of the Azure multiple times while the vehicle was still in motion, a situation that caused the car to move in a zigzag manner.
According to the prosecution, Gyimah then put off the engine of the taxi cab and forcefully took the ignition sensor, which was then hooked to Azure’s belt hole.
ASP Doe said Gyimah then came out of the front seat and pinned Azure down with the help of the other two men.
The three men managed to pull Azure out of the taxi cab and dump him in a pool of water on the road. Gyimah and the other two men sat in the taxi cab and drove away.
The prosecution said Azure staggered to his feet, proceeded to Dawhenya police station, and lodged a complaint the same day.
ASP Doe said Azure had his Samsung A11 mobile phone valued at Gh₵1,600.00 together with his A.M.A. licence and Driver’s licence in the car.
During investigations, the said taxi cab was spotted at a mechanic shop in Sogakope, having been embossed with a new number plate of GN5669-22.
According to the prosecution, Wobube was mentioned as the one who brought the taxi cab for repairs; thereafter, he was arrested, and upon investigation, he mentioned Gyimah as the one who sold the taxi cab to him for Gh₵30,000.00.
ASP Doe said Wobube led police to arrest Gyimah, who was identified by Azure as one of his attackers.
After investigations, Gyimah was charged with the offence and arraigned.
The highest court in the Central African Republic has given its approval for a decision made in July to increase the amount of time a president can serve to seven years and remove the limit on how many terms they can have.
The court said that 95% of people agreed with the vote, and about 57% of people participated.
The new law makes a few changes. First, it creates a new position called the vice-president, who is chosen by the president. Second, it gets rid of the senate and replaces it with a single parliament.
It also says that people who have citizenship in two countries cannot be president. And it makes the number of supreme court judges go up from nine to 11.
In simpler words: Last September, the highest court got rid of the group in charge of creating a new law. This happened before the court’s leader, Daniele Darlan, was made to leave against his will.
The main rival parties and non-governmental organizations in the country had suggested not supporting or participating in the law changes. They believed that the changes were made to help President Faustin-Archange Touadéra stay in power forever.
They said that the group in charge of going over the constitution was being told what to do by Russia.
President Touadera has support from Russian mercenaries called Wagner. More fighters came before the vote to keep things safe.
The country, which has a lot of diamonds and gold but is surrounded by land and doesn’t have any access to the sea, has been affected by fighting and problems with its government for a long time since it became independent from France in 1960.
Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has been jailed upon returning to the country after 15 years in exile.
But many believe he has struck a deal that will keep him from serving more than a short period in prison.
He arrived on Tuesday morning in a private jet, ahead of a vote for the next Thai leader – the frontrunner is from his Pheu Thai party.
He was then sentenced to eight years, on former criminal convictions he says were politically motivated.
Mr Thaksin, Thailand’s most successful elected leader, has long been feared by conservative royalists, who have backed military coups and contentious court cases to weaken him.
But now the brash, politically ambitious telecoms tycoon is back, years after he was deposed by a military coup.
He landed in Bangkok’s main airport to cheers from hundreds of loyal supporters who had gathered overnight to see him.
Flanked by his two daughters and son, he emerged briefly from the airport terminal and paid his respects to a portrait of the king and queen.
The 74-year-old was immediately taken to the Supreme Court where he was sentenced to eight years on three former convictions, and then to Bangkok Remand Prison.
Prison authorities there say he will be kept in a wing with specific medical equipment, given his advanced age. He will also immediately undergo a 10-day quarantine – the first five days of which he will be confined to his room, authorities said.
It has been speculated that Thaksin will seek a royal pardon, and prison authorities on Tuesday said he would be able to submit a petition from jail immediately. The process can take one to two months.
Mr Thaksin greets supporters after arriving in Bangkok
Hundreds of “red shirt” loyal supporters had gathered at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport on Tuesday morning to welcome the former leader’s return.
Samniang Kongpolparn, 63, had been waiting since Monday evening to see Mr Thaksin. She, like many of the other supporters, had travelled from Surin province in the northeast, the stronghold of Mr Thaksin’s party in past decades.
“He’s the best prime minister we’ve ever had. Even though I won’t get to see him today, I still wanted to come to show him support,” she said. “I’m ok with them reconciling with the pro-military government, or else we’re stuck with the senators. We don’t want that.”
Thaksin’s political party in the front seat
Mr Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party is expected later today to join a coalition government – a byzantine process which in three months has taken Thailand full circle.
It began with the heady hopes of a new dawn led by the radical young Move Forward party, which won the most seats in the May election.
Move Forward initially formed a partnership with Pheu Thai but it’s now certain that the coalition will include almost everyone but the reformers, including two parties led by former coup-makers – a deal with its sworn enemies that Pheu Thai vowed it would not do.
Pheu Thai insists the two developments are unconnected. Few people believe that.
It is true that Pheu Thai’s hands have been tied by the unelected senate, a 250-seat constitutional landmine planted in Thailand’s political landscape by the military junta which ruled for five years after a 2014 coup.
And Pheu Thai’s bargaining position was weakened by its poorer-then-expected performance in the election, when it lost a lot of support to Move Forward and for the first time was relegated to second place.
The senators, all appointed under the junta, are allowed to join the 500 elected MPs in voting for the new prime minister. Their thinly-disguised remit is to block any party which might threaten the status quo – the nexus of monarchy, military and big business which has dominated decision-making in Thailand for decades.
Unsurprisingly they refused to back the Move Forward-led coalition with Pheu Thai, despite its commanding majority in the lower house. When it was Pheu Thai’s turn to negotiate a new coalition, its need for senate support meant it had to take in some of its former opponents.
Many of the supporters had come from the northeast, a Thaksin stronghold
However some Pheu Thai politicians argue that the party should have held out for a better deal, by refusing to be in a government with the most hard-line conservative groups. Any minority administration formed without Pheu Thai and Move Forward would quickly collapse, because the senators cannot join normal parliamentary votes on issues like the budget.
But the Pheu Thai leadership was not willing to wait; it even invited the ultra-royalist party United Thai Nation to join the coalition, whose leaders have in the past been virulently critical of the Shinawatra family and their supporters, and were instrumental in ousting the last Pheu Thai government led by Thaksin’s sister Yingluck. That these two factions will now sit together in the same government is a mark of how far Thai politics has shifted.
In the end for the ultra-royalists the perceived threat posed by Move Forward, and by a younger generation of Thais demanding a conversation about the power and wealth of the monarchy, eclipsed their long feud with the Shinawatra family.
For the Shinawatras, and Pheu Thai’s more conservative, business-minded elements, getting into government again and guaranteeing the deal to bring Thaksin back, have been bigger priorities than worrying about the party’s reputation.
But there are those, even within Pheu Thai, who are horrified by the cynical pragmatism of this deal. They are warning that the party will lose even more of its once-passionate grass-roots supporters, and lose, perhaps forever, the dominance it held over electoral politics in Thailand for two decades.
Amidst the ongoing calls for accountability from those affected by his supposed Ponzi Scheme, Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as Nam 1, who served as the CEO of the now-defunct Menzgold company, has characterized himself as the foremost casualty in the midst of the entire dispute.
During a Twitter space session held on Sunday, July 20, 2023, NAM 1 expressed that he considers himself the most affected by the downfall of his company, stating that he no longer possesses any assets in his name as a result of the company’s collapse.
“If you want to crown the biggest loser in all of this thing, I am the one, because I lost everything: I lost all my properties and I don’t even have a car of my own in this country,” he stated.
Menzgold saga: I’ve lost everything, I don’t even own a car – NAM1
While victims of his alleged Ponzi Scheme continue to demand justice over their lost funds, the Chief Executive Officer of collapsed Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah alias NAM1 has described himself as the biggest in the entire episode.
Speaking on a Twitter space on Sunday, August 20, 2023, NAM1 said he has suffered the biggest loss due to the collapse of his company as he longer has any property to his name.
“If you want to crown the biggest loser in all of this thing, I am the one, because I lost everything: I lost all my properties and I don’t even have a car of my own in this country,” he stated.
The embattled CEO was reacting to some sentiments shared by his customers on the Twitter Space about a decision to charge them an amount of GHC650 for verification before payment of their locked-up funds.
The unhappy customers among other things described Nana Appiah Mensah as unempathetic, untruthful and a gas lighter.
Menzgold was shut down by the Securities and Exchange Commission in September 2108.
The gold dealership firm prior to its collapse was running an investment scheme that promised between 7-10 monthly returns to its customers.
According to the SEC, Menzgold was operating outside of its license.
Following the collapse of the company, NAM1 has been slapped with criminal charges, however, critics say that his trial which is yet to fully commence has dragged on for far too long.
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy has found no evidence of any losses from a deal between the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Genser Energy Ghana Limited (GEGL), concluding an investigation into unfounded claims of irregularities.
The investigation was initiated in response to claims made by the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and the IMANI Center for Policy and Education in July 2022 alleging incorrectly that the deal incurred a loss of $1.5 billion for the nation. The Committee’s report instead found benefits for Ghana far exceeding that sum.
If it were about math and not politics, the report would settle the matter.
But the Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee, the Honorable John Abdulai Jinapor, has expressed his disagreement with the Committee’s findings. He still believes the Gas Sales Agreement (GSA) between GNPC and Genser Energy will lead to significant losses for the State.
The ACEP and IMANI reports raised concerns over a Gas Sales Agreement (GSA) between GNPC and Genser Energy Ghana Limited (GEGL), asserting that Ghana stood to lose the “whopping and galactic sum of $1.5 billion” due to this arrangement.
The allegations raised by ACEP and IMANI claimed GNPC sold gas to Genser at significantly reduced rates compared to its purchase price, resulting in a perceived subsidy.
Following an 11-month-long investigation, the Parliamentary Committee has refuted the claims made by ACEP and IMANI, stating that the GSA is not a “sweetheart contract.”
The Committee found the computation methods used by ACEP and IMANI faulty. The CSOs calculated a hypothetical loss based on the contractual sum of $2.79/MMBtu. But that price reflects offsets from a capacity charge of $3.29/MMBtu.
The Committee found the arrangement much to the Nation’s benefit, presenting 11 key economic advantages associated with the deal ranging from energy security, to job creation; from the development of future industries to foreign direct investment.
All promoting economic growth for Ghana and Ghanaians.
Mr. Jinapor does not seem to agree with these benefits to the Nation. But the Honorable Ranking Member has yet to present alternative math calculations to substantiate his point specifically.
Key findings from the report [excerpts]:
● Make savings to the tune of US$1462 billion as GNPC will lose US$1.462billion if GEGL moved to WACoG Net Back
● GNPC/GEGL Gas Transmission Agreement’s savings to GNPC Is US$1.462 billion. If Ghana had borrowed, it would have cost US$ 1.625 billion.
● Reduction in transmission losses by US$480 millions once Ameri plant is relocated to Kumasi and made operational
● Export of NGLs using Takoradi Port would increase port revenue from cargo fees, port dues and other services.
● 1.15m tons of carbon dioxide reduction per year as the UP01 and PP03 will reduce flaring and bring all flared gas to onshore for processing and utilisation as well as 0.225m tons of power generation in Kumasi saving about 40MW of transmission loss.
● 75% fuel cost reduction by substituting CNG for diesel for industry by 75%
● GEGL clients have extended the life of their mines by 10 years since engaging GEGL due to reliable and quality power
● Structuring of GEGL pipeline network around future industries would enable these industries to develop quickly.
● Over US$400m export revenue from NGL/LNG processing and export per year
● Over US$980m direct investment in Ghana with same amount of forex invested
● About 250 direct and 950 indirect jobs to be created from the business of GEGL
Usain Bolt’s record was broken by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is now the most successful Jamaican competitor in the World Outdoor Athletics Championships’ history.
Fraser-Pryce was unfortunate not to defend her women’s 100-meter title on August 21 after Sha’Carri Richardson shocked the field to win gold in an exciting race.
The American blazed through in the last 20 metres to deny Shericka Jackson and Fraser-Pryce another Jamaican sweep. Jackson settled for silver as the latter took bronze.
Richardson posted a world-leading time of 10.65 seconds, with Jackson recording 10.72 seconds. Fraser-Pryce clocked a season-best time of 10.77 seconds.
Fraser-Pryce’s third-place finish now sees her move above Usain Bolt to 15 medals in the World Championships. Bolt won 14 medals – 11 of them gold – during his illustrious career.
His compatriot is now second in the all-time list behind American great, Allyson Felix, who leads the standings with 20 medals.
The 36-year-old has won 10 gold medals, including five in the 100m and four silver. Her third-place finish was her first-ever bronze medal in the World Championships.
Fraser-Pryce could medal again if she represents Jamaica in the 4 by 100m relays final on Sunday. She will not be participating in the 200m.
PSG are trying to sell Verratti before the transfer window ends, and he has agreed in principle to join Al-Ahli.
However, the Saudi Pro League team has not agreed on a price to transfer with PSG. PSG wants at least €60 million (£51. 2m)
According to L’Equipe, Verratti would like to keep playing in Europe. United and Bayern Munich have both shown interest in him.
According to the report, it is possible that the player might join United, but so far the club has not officially contacted him.
Verratti has been at PSG for 11 seasons, but Luis Enrique has said that he does not want the 30-year-old to play this season.
The midfielder has not played in any of PSG’s games in Ligue 1 this season.
United is currently looking for a new central midfielder before the transfer window closes.
There are rumors that United have made an offer for Ryan Gravenberch, who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich. However, Liverpool is also interested in signing him.
A 19-year-old car washer has received a 17-year prison sentence from the Accra Circuit Court for a robbery offense on Monday.
According to the prosecution, the incident resulted in him robbing a woman and subsequently stabbing her, causing her to be hospitalized in a serious condition.
Christopher Amolee, pleaded guilty simpliciter on his first day in court to the charge of robbery contrary to section 149 of the Act 29/60.
He was then convicted on his own plea by the Court presided over by Her Honour Mrs Afia Owusuaa Appiah.
Amolee, was said to have committed the act on August 9, 2023, at Sakomono in the Greater Accra Region and made away with his victim’s cash of GHc976.00.
Before sentencing, Amolee who looked sober in the docket narrated what happened but told the court that he did not know what came over him to commit the act.
He also prayed the court to have mercy on him and for his master to forgive him and accept him back, since he had no place to go.
He also told the court that he does not have anybody- either a father or a mother, but only his master whom he had offended, before he was sentenced.
The convict who appeared without a legal representation after his conviction, had a lawyer who was acting as a friend to the court to pray the court to tamper justice with mercy and offer him the minimum punishment.
It was his case that, looking at the demeanor of the convict, and his explanation to the court, it appeared it was a stealing gone bad.
Prosecuting officer, Inspector Wisdom Alorwu urged the court to impose a punishment that will reflect the gravity of the offense bearing in mind the critical health condition of the victim.
Her Honour Mrs Appiah, in sentencing the convict said, she took into consideration the convict’s plea for mercy and leniency.
The court also said it took into account the age of the convict and the aggravating harm of the victim and the fact that, convict had a fiduciary relationship with complainant.
He was consequently jailed 17 years.
EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, who was in court reports that, the complainant, (husband of victim), was left in tears after the convict was sentenced.
Brief facts
Per the brief facts of the case as presented to the Court by Inspector Alorwu, were that, the Complainant Hisham Seidu is a farmer and resides at Regimanuel Estate Sakumono.
Whilst accused Christopher Amolee is a car washer who currently has no place of abode.
According to the Prosecution, on August 9, 2023 at about 3:30pm, the Sakumono police received a distress call that a thief had stabbed someone and made away with the victims handbag containing money and other belongings.
Inspector Alorwu said, Police team led by inspector Frank Sampana and two others proceeded to the scene and found the victim (Adiza Tinogah) who is the wife of the complainant lying in a pool of blood.
The Prosecutor said, victim was quickly rushed to the C&J Hospital by G/Sergeant Abraham Dwamena.
Inspector Alorwu said, the remaining police officers combed the area and arrested Christopher Amolee and upon a search on him, a pistol, lady’s handbag containing money and other belongings of the victim were retrieved.
The Prosecutor said, investigation was extended to the victim’s house where blood stains were found all over including a butcher’s knife with blood stains found lying in the garden of the house.
He said the Police extended investigations to the C&J Hospital and met the victim in a critical condition about to be transferred to the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
The Prosecutor said, the Accused admitted the offence in his caution statement. The crime scene has been preserved and the police crime scene team have been contacted to come and process the scene to enhance investigations.
Businesswoman, Diamond Appiah was rearrested immediately after the Circuit Court in Accra discharged her in an alleged fraudulent land transaction.
The charge against her was dismissed by the Office of the Attorney through a procedure that was approved by Mrs. Evelyn Keelson, a Chief State Attorney.
She was nonetheless taken away by the police shortly after leaving the courtroom.
Diamond Appiah was detained and charged on January 17 of this year for allegedly engaging in a $30 000 fraudulent land transaction.
After pleading not guilty to the charge, Appiah, who is accused of selling Ayisha Modi a plot of property in East Legon Hills for $30 000, was given a bail bond of GHC 300 000.
Earlier this year, on January 17, Diamond Appiah was arrested and charged for an alleged fraudulent land transaction involving an amount of $30, 000.
Appiah who is said to have sold a portion of land at East Legon Hills to Ayisha Modi for $30, 0000 was then granted bail in the sum of GHc300k after she pleaded not guilty to the charge.
However in Court on Monday, August 21, 2023, the Prosecutor, DSP Evans Kesse, told the court that, the docket was referred to the AG’s office for advice.
He said through that, a process was filed to withdraw the case.
DSP Kesse consequently, said the case “shall not continue” per the process filed by Mrs Evelyn Keelson.
Counsel for the accused for his part said, the Prosecution had no case against his client and it was not for anything that the law is used to fight justice.
While intimating that, the law is meant for justice said, the action against his client was incompetent.
The Court presided over by His Honour Mr Isaac Addo after listening to the arguments, acknowledged that, such a process was filed and signed by a Chief State Attorney.
He said, when such a process was filed the accused person is entitled to be discharged.
It was, however, not immediately clear why Diamond Appiah who was beaming was rearrested after being discharged.
Ayisha Modi, who was the complainant in the matter was present in court.
Background
The brief facts of the case as presented to the Court by the DSP Evans Kesse said Complainant Ayisha Modi is a Businesswoman and lives at Adjiringanor, Accra.
The accused Diamond Appiah he said is also a Businesswoman and stays at East Legon.
According to the Prosecutor DSP Kesse, in 2020, the complainant needed a plot of land to purchase for a building purpose and was discussing it with one Johnson, a witness in this case.
He said, the accused who overheard the conversation, jumped in and said she had a plot of land lying at East Legon Hills and could sell same to the complainant at a cheaper price.
The Prosecutor said the accused demanded and collected cash, the sum of US3$30,000.00 from the complainant under the pretext of selling her one parcel of land lying at East Legon Hills.
DSP Kesse said, the accused took the complainant to a land at East Legon Hills and when the complainant later went to the land, she met one Gustav who claimed ownership of the land.
The Prosecutor said, the complainant made several attempts to retrieve her money from the accused person but she failed and made a report to the Police and accused was arrested.
He told the court that during investigation, it was established that, the accused did not have any land at that location before she swindled the complainant.
“In her investigation cautioned statement, she admitted the offence. After investigation, she was charged with the offence and brought before this Honourable Court,” the Prosecutor told the court.
Greenwood’s time at Old Trafford is over because the club and the player have decided to end their relationship.
The 21-year-old person was stopped from playing for United since January 2022. This happened because they got arrested and charged by Manchester Police for trying to rape someone, controlling their actions, and physically harming them.
In February, all the accusations against Greenwood were dismissed. The Crown Prosecution Service said that they couldn’t realistically conviction many more because important witnesses withdrew and new evidence came up.
After that, United looked into Greenwood’s actions themselves. Reports last week said that the club was getting ready to bring Greenwood back to Erik ten Hag’s team.
But on Monday, United’s CEO Richard Arnold wrote a letter to Red Devils fans confirming that Greenwood would be leaving.
Former Manchester United player Gary Neville was asked if he thought his old club made the right decision. He replied on Sky Sports,saying,”Yes, they have. ” They eventually arrived.
It was clear from the beginning that he would never play for Manchester United again. They arrived at their destination, but their journey has been really bad.
‘I believe that Manchester United needs strong and authoritative leaders to make important and tough decisions. These leaders must come from the highest level of the organization. ’
Manchester United does not have that. When it comes to problems like domestic abuse and hurting women, it is important to have freedom and not rely on others.
Manchester United should not have the power to make all decisions on an important matter that affects not only themselves, but also the entire game.
People say that [it] affects how people think about Manchester United, but it also affects the Premier League. In my opinion,when it comes to important and serious matters, they should be handled separately by a group of experts.
It is evident that Manchester United hasn’t been capable of handling this situation well. The task has been much more difficult than what they are used to and capable of.
The Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) Governor, Dr. Ernest Addison, believes it is critical for Ghanaians to understand the central banks’ function as public policy institutions that serve the country’s welfare rather than their own financial interests.
According to him, the Bank could still implement effective policy for managing the nation’s economy even with a negative equity position.
The Central Bank’s credibility, according to the Governor, should be determined by its capacity to carry out its primary mandate of enacting policies that would have a positive impact on the balance of payments, the condition of the public finances, and the overall growth of the country’s economy.
“It is important that we place the Central Bank’s policy mandate ahead of profits,” he added during a press briefing on Monday in response to a GHS55 billion losses incurred by the Bank.
In order to estimate expected credit losses over the tenor of the Government debt held by Bank of Ghana, he said that the losses reported were technical and resulted from the haircut and application of accounting standards.
“It is not money lost by the Bank of Ghana through its operations in 2022. Rather, one should look at this as a reflection of the total cost of the economic and social crisis the country faced over the years and an attempt to resolve a major structural problem of the Ghanaian economy,” he said.
Dr Addison observed that anytime the economy faced major challenges, the Bank of Ghana balance sheet suffered, with the equity position moving into negative territories.
He noted that during the early years of structural adjustment, very large exchange rate depreciations led to revaluation losses that drove the Bank into negative equity.
“You will recall that in 2017 and 2018, the Bank of Ghana incurred similar negative equity from the impairment of legacy liquidity support loans granted in 2015 and 2016 to insolvent banks, which our external auditors impaired due to the doubtful prospects of recovering from those insolvent banks.
“The Bank of Ghana, however, recovered, and generated profits throughout the period 2019 to 2021, ” he said.
The BoG reported profits of GHS1.6 billion in 2019, GHS1.5 billion in 2020 and GHS1.4 billion in 2021.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, BoG provided additional financing support through the purchase of GHS10 billion of the Government’s Covid-19 bonds, which helped to close the exceptional financing gap.
Mr Addison noted that the eventual loss of access to the international capital market for new financing triggered a liquidity crisis for Government, which the Bank had to mitigate with critical external payments.
That, he noted, led to the Bank losing US$500 million in external reserves in just two months, with no new inflows of foreign currency from the usual annual Eurobond issuance by Government to replenish its reserves.
He said the Bank also extended additional overdraft to the Government to address auction failures, prevent domestic default and enable the Government to meet domestic debt obligations and other critical payments.
“Throughout the first half of 2022, there was no new foreign financing until July when the Afrexim Bank stepped in to support with US$750 million,” he said.
Dr Addison also noted that an agreement was reached with the IMF for the Bank to continue to provide the necessary support to keep the economy running until a reform programme had been put into place to trigger IMF financing.
As part of corrective measures to restore the economy, he said the Minister for Finance wrote a proposed treatment to BoG of 50 per cent haircut on Bank of Ghana’s holdings of Government’s non-marketable debt.
“The debt included all the legacy debts of the Government of Ghana dating back to 1992 and included the accrued overdraft of 2022, overdraft to Cocobod, the Covid-19 Bond, and even BoG holdings of Telecom Malaysia (Ghana Telecom Bonds) Bonds and Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) bonds issued by Government. As of 2015, the accumulated claims on Government and Cocobod were about GHC13 billion.
“The debt, therefore, is not about recent debt alone. Almost all lending from the IMF, including the Extended Credit Facility and the Rapid Credit Facility during the Covid 19 pandemic, and all financial sector resolution bonds have all been added as Bank of Ghana lending to Government,” he said.
According to him, the Bank was forced to accept the idea after the IMF evaluated it and realised how essential it was to do so in order to obtain funding from the IMF.
Bawku Central Member of Parliament (MP), Mahama Ayariga, has labeled the explanation provided by Dr Ernest Addison, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), regarding the new headquarters project, as utterly absurd.
In his response to the reasoning that the existing Bank of Ghana (BoG) headquarters was no longer suitable, Mahama Ayariga expressed his views during an interview on Eyewitness News, a program on Citi FM, stating, “This is the most ridiculous and palpably unacceptable laughable explanation I can hear from a governor for spending such an amount of money when your country is facing the kind of challenges that we are facing today.”
“These are private banks who have their money and who are even using their money and who are even using their building as part of their marketing strategy…You really have no business using an iconic building to bolster your structure. Because your structure is established by law.”
Mr Ayariga said the governor had no basis to say that the central bank was doing well at any point in time under the current government.
“At no time during the tenure of Akufo-Addo’s government was Ghana doing so well that there was a justification to spend that colossal amount of money on the central bank’s head office building. It is after you have resolved the issue of hospital beds in the rural parts of your country, after you have extended electricity everywhere, after you have made sure that people have water to drink, after you have made sure that people have the basics in life…”
“So he has no basis for telling us that at any time during the tenure of President Akufo Addo Ghana was doing so well that we could afford the luxury of spending such a colossal amount of money on a central bank, something that in my opinion is so unnecessary,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Pressure group AriseGhana has announced its intention to join the Minority to picket outside the premises of the Bank of Ghana to demand the resignation of the Governor, Dr Ernest Addison, and his deputies.
The group’s decision is rooted in the controversy surrounding the construction of the Central Bank’s new headquarters, which is reported to have cost around $250 million.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) justified the construction of a new headquarters, insisting that its current head office, built in the 1960s, is no longer fit for purpose.
AriseGhana in a statement indicated that their decision to join the picketing is borne out of the mess committed by the central bank.
But Mr Addison has also emphatically stated that the institution did not breach any procurement laws in its pursuit of building a new headquarters for the Central Bank.
The response from the BoG comes in the wake of concerns raised by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, regarding the escalating cost of the new headquarters situated in Ridge, Accra.
According to him, the cost of the office rose “from an initial US$81.8 million to US$121 million & currently threatening to exceed US$250 million”.
He also alleged that a construction firm, selected through a single-source Public Procurement Authority (PPA) process for the project, is not even a registered entity within the country.
In response, Dr. Addison provided clarification on the timeline and rationale behind the decision to initiate the construction of the new head office. He revealed that the decision to proceed with the construction was made in 2019, driven by the Bank’s profits at that time.
While acknowledging the concerns voiced by the MP, Dr. Addison asserted that all actions taken were within the bounds of the law and aligned with due procedures.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has once again destooled another chief. Abuontemhene of Kumasi Traditional Council, Nana Kwaku Duah III the chief in question and has been destooled for illegally selling lands under his jurisdiction.
The announcement was made on Monday, August 21, during a meeting held at the Menhyia Palace by the Kumasi Traditional Council.
Accusations made by other subchiefs led to the decision to remove Nana Kwaku Duah III from his role as divisional chief.
The subchiefs accused him of selling lands while under investigation and having received a trespassing warning from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in addition to disobeying the instructions of the latter.
The subchiefs presented a series of allegations including claims that he used Otumfuo’s name to gain approval for his activities on the land in question, despite the ongoing investigation.
They further accused him of venturing into territory belonging to others and facilitating land sales without proper authorization.
In response to the allegations, Nana Kwaku Duah III denied the specific accusation of using Otumfuo’s name as leverage for his actions.
However, he acknowledged his presence on the land but asserted that he allowed others to work on it with his permission.
“With all due respect, Nana, I am not feeling well, I’m feeling dizzy now…but I am pleading because, to be honest, and to speak the truth, I have never stood anywhere before to claim that his Lordship has ruled over a matter in my favor, that is the exact truth I have never claimed that before, what I said to Nana Acheamfour is that, I permitted them to work on the land.”
During the proceedings, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II gave the subchiefs the opportunity to share their opinions on the matter. Unanimously, the subchiefs called for Nana Kwaku Duah III’s removal from his position due to his alleged disobedience and misconduct.
In response, Otumfuo announced the decision to destool Nana Kwaku Duah III, emphasizing that his actions had violated his authority and orders.
“For me saying that nobody should go to the said land and for you to go there, you have disrespected his lordship of which you can no longer remain a chief. Tell them for them to know that even sitting on that throne, you are not from the royal family,” Otumfuo said.
An immediate rescue mission is happening in Pakistan to save eight kids and two grown-ups who are stuck in a chairlift hanging 1,200 feet above a mountainous area in the northwest part of the country.
The kids were on their way to school in a place called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when one of the cables holding the chairlift broke at 9 in the morning. According to rescue official Bilal Ahmad Faizi, it was the time in the local area on Tuesday.
Tanveer Ur Rehman, who works in the Battagram district, said that rescue work is happening on the ground because the chairlift system is very high up.
“The chairlift is suspended 1,200 feet (365 meters) in the air,” he said. We can’t rescue people without a helicopter, and we need experienced rescue workers to make sure everything goes well.
The country’s organization in charge of dealing with disasters has asked for helicopters to help save the passengers who are stuck, as CNN has reported.
The chairlift connects two towns and moves with the help of two cables. One of the cables broke, according to Faizi.
Many kids who live far away in the mountains use cable cars to go to school and come back home. Some of these are not regularly taken care of and can be a dangerous way to travel.
This story is still being written and is not yet finished.
Japan is going to start putting treated radioactive water from Fukushima into the ocean soon, on Thursday. This was announced by officials on Tuesday. People have been worried and many nearby countries have also disagreed with this decision.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that if there are no problems, the release will happen on August 24. The government decided this after having a meeting to talk about the issue.
The powerful earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 made the water in the Fukushima nuclear plant dirty with very dangerous radioactive material. Since then, we have been pumping new water to cool down the fuel debris in the reactors. However, water from the ground and rain has been leaking in, which is making the wastewater more radioactive.
All the dirty water has been cleaned and kept in huge containers. However, there is not enough space, so they need to remove the water to safely shut down the plant. This is why they have a plan to release the water into the ocean, which has caused a lot of disagreement and debate.
In July, a group called the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved Japan’s plan because it meets global safety rules and would have very little harmful effect on people and the environment. They confirmed this again on Tuesday after the government’s announcement, stating that they had carefully studied the plan for two years.
But this has not made many of Japan’s neighboring countries feel better, as officials from China and the Pacific Islands are expressing worry and disagreement with the plan.
In South Korea, some people have protested on the streets against the release, but the country’s leaders have shown their support for Japan. On Tuesday, the main opposition party in South Korea criticized the government for its stance. They believed that releasing this would cause a lot of damage to all the countries near Japan.
Right now, fishing communities in Japan and South Korea are concerned that the release of wastewater could destroy their way of making a living. People in the region are already starting to avoid seafood from Japan and the waters nearby, and some governments are even prohibiting imported food from certain regions in Japan, like Fukushima.
On Monday, Kishida met with the head of a group that represents fishermen from all over the country. The chairman told the prime minister that the group is still against the plan. On Tuesday, a group of people gathered outside Kishida’s office to protest against the release. They held signs and banners to show their disagreement.
According to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), most of the dangerous elements in radioactive wastewater can be removed through different treatment processes.
The main problem is a hydrogen type called radioactive tritium that cannot be removed. Right now, there is no technology that can do that.
Officials say that the Fukushima wastewater will be mixed with a lot of clean water and let out little by little over many years. This means that the amount of tritium released will be very small and will follow the rules set by the international community.
Many other countries, like the United States, often let out water that has been cleaned but still contains a little bit of a radioactive substance called tritium from their nuclear power plants.
TEPCO, Japan’s government, and the IAEA say that tritium is found naturally in the environment, like rain and tap water, so releasing the wastewater should be okay.
But some experts think that there is a risk while others do not. Most experts believe that a little bit of tritium is not very harmful, but it could be dangerous if a lot of it is consumed.
Some scientists are concerned that making the wastewater less concentrated could hurt marine life. This could happen because harmful chemicals could build up in the weak ecosystem. A knowledgeable person, who assisted Pacific Island nations in evaluating the plan to release wastewater, told CNN that it was not a good idea and too early to do so.
Some people believe that there aren’t enough studies or data available yet to understand the long-term impact of being exposed to tritium.
The water with less salt will be let out from a tunnel underwater near the coast into the Pacific Ocean. Other organizations like the IAEA will watch over the release of the discharge both during and after it happens.
As anticipation mounts for the National Patriotic Party’s (NPP) forthcoming super delegates conference, leadership of the party has indicated that a total of 956 delegates are expected to participate in the elections.
With the event set to take place on August 26, the party is preparing for a momentous gathering of the 956 delegates, each holding a pivotal role in shaping the party’s course and future.
The super delegates conference, renowned for its significance in determining key decisions and selecting prominent leaders within the NPP, is poised to be an event of considerable influence.
Drawing together delegates from various regions and constituencies, the congress is a testament to the party’s commitment to participatory democracy and inclusivity.
In a statement, the NPP indicated that the delegates are expected to represent various constituencies from across the country.
“Nine hundred and fifty-six (956) delegates are expected to participate in this election. As per the NPP Constitution, the Special Electoral College comprises representatives from various Party entities, including: the National Council, the National Executive Committee, all Regional Executive Committees, all Members of the National Council of Elders, all the Party Members of Parliament, etc.” the statement said.
Touching on other significant matters, the party indicated that the elections would be supervised by the Electoral Commission, thus entreating all participants to comply with all guidelines provided by the EC and leadership of the party.
A Twitter Space, facilitated by broadcaster Serwaa Amihere and a user named Austine, with the objective of urging Nana Appiah Mensah (NAM1), the Chief Executive Officer of Menzgold Ghana Limited, to offer concrete clarifications on the situation of their frozen funds, concluded in a deeply emotional experience for numerous participants on the platform.
A significant portion of these users, who were directly affected by the Menzgold crisis, found it challenging to contain their disillusionment with NAM1. This was a result of his responses on the app falling below their anticipated answers to the numerous inquiries directed at him.
From being described as a fraudster to describing his business as a Ponzi scheme – which he had a difficulty providing answers for what exactly its model was, a number of the over 1000 people who actively joined the Space could not hold back on calling out the infamous Menzgold boss.
Among the things NAM1 said, he told the Twitter Space that while he regrets and feels sorry about the plights of the many people affected by the challenges his business has encountered since 2018, he is the biggest loser.
“If you want to crown the biggest loser in all of this thing, I am the one, because I lost everything: I lost all my properties and I don’t even have a car of my own in this country,” he said.
Incensed by such a comment, one of the users who joined the Twitter Space said the Menzgold boss was rather gas lighting them when he should rather have been pitying the situation he put them through.
Others described him as unempathetic, while some said that he was plainly untruthful and could not speak directly to issues.
One of the most outspoken users who joined the conversation, Derek Laryea, could just not understand why Nana Appiah Mensah was shifting the goal post on the things he was saying.
Without quoting them, here are some other descriptions that people gave of the Menzgold boss:
– NAM1 cannot speak the truth – He is running a Ponzi scheme – He is a fraudster – He is insensitive – He is unempathetic – He was only shifting the goalposts – He found a loophole in Ghana’s system and took advantage of it – He gave no direct answers to any of the questions asked him
It is worth noting that along the way, Austine, the co-host of the Twitter Space, urged that such name-callings be avoided on the platform.
