An alarming situation is emerging as a result of recent developments arising from the Niger coup, including the shutting down of borders by countries sharing territories with Niger.
Reports reveal that a staggering amount of approximately GHC 45 million worth of onions remain stranded and rotting at the border. This is due to the fact that over 100 trucks carrying bags of the commodity have all been locked up in Malanville, the border town between Benin and Niger.
It started with the ruling National Council for the Protection of the Country (Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie, CNSP) announcing the closure of Niger’s airspace to all aircraft until further notice on Aug. 6, 2023, citing the threat of military intervention from neighboring countries.
The move came amid the expiration of a deadline imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that demanded that the country’s junta step down and release and reappoint deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
While ECOWAS had reportedly considered military intervention in Niger if the CNSP did not comply with their demands by the Aug. 6 deadline, the regional bloc’s next planned steps were not immediately clear following the deadline’s expiration.
Before the Aug. 6 declaration, the coup leaders had announced the reopening of land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, and Chad from Aug. 1; the borders with Benin and Nigeria have remained officially closed.
Over a week ago, leaders of ECOWAS, a 15-member regional bloc, and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) decided to impose economic and financial sanctions to Niger in response to the unconstitutional power change.
Benin has insisted that diplomacy is the preferred solution to managing the crisis caused by the military coup in Niger.
The country’s foreign minister, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, told reporters his country was demanding the immediate release and reinstatement of President Bazoum.
Bakari also pledged his full support for efforts by the west African bloc ECOWAS to resolve the ongoing crisis, as result, Benin has also initiated a border closer to Niger.
The blockade has been going on for over a week, with Benin having closed its border with Niger in accordance with one of the decisions taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
This development has largely impacted various activities, especially trade activities on the bloc. Countries are reporting huge losses and businesses are crying out as the disruptions in supply chains and trade channels reverberate across the global economic landscape. Transporters in the border town are also lamenting that they have been hard hit.
One of the traders confessed to selling a bag of onion which on a usual day would be sold at GHC1,500, for GHC200.
“We can’t do anything. If nothing is done about the situation, we will lose our capital and we will have to go in for a loan,” he lamented.
The traders are therefore appealing to ECOWAS to rescind their decision and reopen the border.
One of Col. Assimi Gota’s five such aides, who overthrew Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the elected president, in 2020, is the singer-songwriter who is well-known around the world.
The edict is silent on the specifics of his new position.
The 73-year-old musician, known as the Golden Voice of Africa, has endorsed the junta’s claim to national sovereignty and called for the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces. He is a supporter of the junta.
He made his resignation from a junta-appointed legislature public last week.
Driven by her expansive dreams, Ciara Princess Wilson popularly known as Ciara, an American singer, has made an indelible impact on the world of global music, propelling her trajectory from her initial breakthrough into the realm of international music. With a string of hit releases, she solidified her position as one of the foremost female vocalists.
Having always had big dreams, Ciara has transformed herself into a successful businesswoman and philanthropist. According to Forbes, she is behind Dare To Roam, which makes travel accessories, R&C Fragrances, Lita by Ciara Clothing, and The House of LR&C, which combines the Good Man Brand, LITA by Ciara clothing and the Human Nation collections.
“The House of LR&C stands for love, respect, and care. So, there’s always a give-back component to what we do. We give back 3 percent of our sales,” she told Forbes. “We give that back first before we make anything. We support organizations like Friends of the Children, the Why Not You Academy in Seattle, that we started, and we’ve also been a big part of pediatric cancer as well.”
Ciara is also behind Ten To One Rum, a spirit brand she had always dreamt of owning. She gives credit to Marc Farrell, the founder, for his incredible vision and the product. While strategizing on how to compete with the tequilas or the gins of the world, Ciara said her vision is to elevate how one envisages rum.
With Ten To One Rum, Ciara ventured into an industry where Blacks have been underrepresented. Blacks represent 12% of the drinkers, 7.8% of the workforce, and 2% of the executives and account for none of the acquisitions in the space, Forbes reported in 2022.
Ciara launched the skincare line OAM Skin that year, and it came with various products including a foaming cleanser, brightening pads, a vitamin C serum, an eye cream, and a moisturizer.
The singer also has several endorsement deals with brands such as Verizon, Revlon, Rocawear, and Adidas. She is also a part owner of Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.
Ciara is also an activist. She has gotten involved in various activist causes with her most recent being the Cerving Confidence campaign, which encouraged women to get tested for cervical cancer. As a philanthropist, the singer has been involved in various philanthropic efforts since the beginning of 2009, including the ‘Do Something 101 campaign,’ which raises money to help get school supplies to students in need. In 2020, she and her husband donated $1.75 million in funding to rebrand a Seattle-area charter school.
Its new destination, Osu will host thousands of revellers from Ghana and across the world.
There will be wonderful sights and sounds within a three-mile radius extending from the Court Complex to Independence Square through to the Osu township.
Activities such as photo exhibitions, street painting, graffiti murals, interactive installations, street boxing, movie screenings, and processions of cultures, just to mention a few, will line the streets.
According to the Director of the Chalewote Street Art Festival, Mantse Aryeequaye, the new location will give the street carnival a wider space to showcase its rich African heritage.
He made this revelation at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Multimedia Group, the new media partners for this year’s event.
“We’ve relocated to Osu. From Independence Square all the way into the Osu township, we’re talking about where the High Court Complex is, down to the Independence Square, into the Osu Castle, into the Osu community, all the way down to Oxford Street, and all up to the Osu Cemetery traffic light coming towards Accra Sports Stadium, rounding it back into Independence Square,” he said.
This year’s event is slated to take place from Monday, August 21 to August 27, 2023.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of Joy Brands, Fiifi Koomson, expressed delight about the partnership, adding that the Chale Wote Festival falls in line with the company’s plans to use its platforms to sell Ghana.
He further indicated that the media conglomerate will leverage its platforms to promote Ghanaian identity and culture. “This is an opportunity for Multimedia and the team from Chale Wote Festival to showcase our music, dance, and art in general. I think that this is an opportunity for artistic self-expression, showcasing our tradition the best way we can, and at Multimedia Group, we are very excited about this, knowing that we’re able to even promote this event, and I believe it’s not just going to be an event but a series of them,” Mr. Koomson stated.
The Joy FM, Joy Prime, Hitz FM, and other MGL brands of the Multimedia Group will be the reliable platforms for creating unforgettable memories for this year’s Chalewote Street Art Festival.
It will be replicated on all social media platforms of the various Joy Brands.
According to reports, the meeting is to talk about a potential intervention in Niger, where a junta staged a coup last month.
For technical reasons, this meeting had already been postponed.
Currently, regional democracies are open to discussing military intervention in Niger, which critics warn might destabilise a region that is already unstable.
After a meeting between the leader of the junta, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, and a number of powerful Islamic clerics over the weekend, there was some optimism for a diplomatic settlement to the problem in Niger.
The coup’s planners changed their tone the following day, alleging that democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum had committed crimes of treason and asserting that they had sufficient evidence to bring charges against him.
The UN and ECOWAS both criticised the action.
A more stable Sahel would result from a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Niger, according to the leader of neighbouring Mali’s interim military administration. Mr. Putin stressed the importance of this to him during their phone conversation.
Amnesty International is urging Tanzania to free three people who were detained for objecting to a deal the country’s government negotiated with the United Arab Emirates to manage all of its ports.
Over the weekend, authorities detained opposition activists Mdude Nyagali and Boniface Mwabukusi as well as former ambassador and opposition leader Willibrod Slaa.
A court petition was spearheaded by Mr. Mwabukusi, who claimed that the agreement threatened national security, sovereignty, and the constitution. After holding a news conference in Dar es Salaam to criticise the port agreement, Mr. Mwabukusi and Mr. Nyagali were detained.
According to their solicitors, all three men have been denied bail and were informed they would be prosecuted with treason, a crime that carries a mandatory death sentence. The accusations have received no public comments from the authorities.
Amnesty International has called on the authorities to “immediately and unconditionally release these activists,” saying that “the authorities must stop arbitrarily detaining activists simply for peacefully expressing their views.”
It requests that the court issue an injunction mandating the preservation of data gathered from Kenyans between 19 April and 8 August by the cryptocurrency initiative.
Before an investigation into Worldcoin’s actions in Kenya is finished, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner seeks to prevent the information from being altered.
Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency that US AI entrepreneur Sam Altman recently launched, was told earlier this month to stop adding new users while an investigation is ongoing.
Due to its dubious data collection methods, which include offering people digital currency in exchange for an eyeball scan, the initiative has aroused international controversy.
According to reports, it used facial and iris recognition to gather sensitive personal information from more than 350,000 Kenyans.
According to its website, Worldcoin uses cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence to become the greatest human identification and financial network in the world.
Three people who are allegedly Russian spies in the UK have reportedly been apprehended and prosecuted as part of a large national security probe, according to the BBC.
The defendants, who are all Bulgarian nationals, have been incarcerated since their detention in February.
They are accused of possessing these while knowing they were fake and of doing so with “improper intent.”
The documents are from the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic. They also include passports, identity cards, and other paperwork.
Five persons were detained in February on suspicion of violating the Official Secrets Act, including the trio.
They are scheduled to return in September to answer police bail after being detained by counterterrorism detectives from the Metropolitan Police, which is in charge of national policing of espionage.
Later in February, three of them were accused of violating the Identity Documents Act.
Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, of Harrow, north-west London
Katrin Ivanova, 31, of the same Harrow address
They are still being held and will next be seen at the Old Bailey.
The trio has been residing in the UK for many years, holding a range of jobs, and residing in several suburban homes.
Mr. Roussev has previously conducted business in Russia.
He relocated to the UK in 2009 and worked three years in a technical capacity in the financial services industry.
His eventual ownership of a company engaged in signals intelligence, which entails the interception of communications or electronic signals, is noted on his online LinkedIn page.
Mr. Roussev claims he had served as an adviser to the Bulgarian ministry of energy. His most recent address is a coastal hostel in Great Yarmouth.
Former neighbours in Harrow called Mr. Dzhambazov and Ms. Ivanova a couple.
Ms. Ivanova defines herself as a laboratory assistant for a private health company on her online LinkedIn profile, while Mr. Dzhambazov sees himself as a chauffeur for hospitals.
The two, who immigrated to the UK some ten years ago, established a community initiative that assisted Bulgarians by introducing them to the “culture and norms of British society.”
Online state records for Bulgaria show that they also worked for electoral commissions in London that made it easier for nationals of other countries to participate in Bulgarian elections.
Speaking to the BBC, neighbours at two homes that the couple previously called home claimed they left gifts of round pies and cakes.
Neighbours claimed investigators spent a lot of time searching their most recent Harrow property, and there was a noticeable police presence there for more than a week.
At the Old Bailey in London, the three accused are scheduled to stand trial in January. They have not yet pleaded guilty to the accusations.
Counterterrorism police have openly discussed the growing amount of time devoted to investigating alleged state threats and espionage, particularly with regard to Russia.
Their worry stems from well-known occurrences involving Russian intelligence operations in the UK in recent years.
In Salisbury, Wiltshire, in 2018, Russian agents made an attempt to kill ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia by using the lethal nerve chemical Novichok. The two were hospitalised for treatment and at risk of passing away, along with responding detective Nick Bailey.
Dawn Sturgess, a local resident and unrelated to the Skripals, passed away later that year after being exposed to the nerve toxin that had been put in a perfume bottle in Wiltshire.
Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian intelligence officer, died in London in 2006 after being poisoned by assassins employed by the Russian government.
The Ayawaso West Wuogon branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has leveled allegations against Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the current Member of Parliament for the constituency, asserting that she has utilized the common fund of the district assembly to finance her political undertakings.
According to the party, the intended purpose of the fund, which is aimed at tackling developmental issues within the constituency’s regions, is not being adhered to.
In a conversation with Citi News, Bismark Aborbi Aryitey, the NDC’s chairman in Ayawaso West Wuogon, mentioned that Alhassan has not provided a clear record of the common fund’s usage.
“Definitely, she has the common fund that she has not accounted for. I am a stakeholder in this constituency. There is no occasion where Lydia Alhassan has even met the Landlord Association to tell them that the common fund that came, I believe this gutter is worrying you, so let me fix it for you.”
“So, it is the common fund that is being spread in the constituency, especially spent on NPP members. However, Ghanaian voters are now discerning.”
Meanwhile, the leadership of the NDC at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency has endorsed the candidature of actor-turned-farmer, John Dumelo, ahead of the 2024 general elections.
In a statement signed by the constituency chairman, Bismark Aborbi-Ayitey, the party disclosed that the other two aspirants in the race, Fred Nuamah and Kojo Adu Owusu, have agreed to step down to allow Dumelo to represent the NDC in next year’s elections.
One of the aspirants, Fred Nuamah withdrew from the race on August 8 and pledged his unflinching support for Mr. Dumelo.
The party also called on the general public and supporters of the NDC to rally behind Dumelo to snatch the seat from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 polls.
According to a research group, the UK has “let down” many Afghan refugees, some of whom have been living in hotels for up to two years and are now in danger of being evicted.
Lessons must be learnt, according to More in Common, to better assist refugees in the future.
It occurs on August 15, 2021, the anniversary of both the UK’s evacuation plan and the Taliban’s capture of Kabul.
Minister Johnny Mercer acknowledged “challenges” but declared he was committed to making Afghan plans succeed.
During Operation Pitting, the UK airlifted approximately 15,000 individuals out of Kabul, including British nationals, UK employees in Afghanistan, and their families.
Those who didn’t have a place to dwell were put up in motels paid for by the government. In spite of the fact that this was meant to be a temporary arrangement, by the end of March, there were still about 8,800 Afghans living in hotels.
The government has given Afghans until the end of August to leave hotels, but authorities have warned that some may end up homeless because they are unable to find other places to live.
132 Afghans living in the UK were polled by More In Common, a group established in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.
It was reported that there had been breakdowns in housing-related communication between local governments and the Home Office, that rental applications had been frequently denied, and that unsuitable properties had been offered, sometimes hundreds of miles away.
One instance included a refugee who was given permanent housing in Northern Ireland while residing in temporary housing in Bristol, where they had family.
Amir Hussain Ibrahimi has been residing in a hotel in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, ever since the UK evacuated him from Afghanistan two years ago.
The 24-year-old Afghan journalist and photographer claimed that after being captured and attacked by the Taliban, he was forced to leave his family behind.
“The first days when I was in the hotel we had a lot of promises – the government told us that you’re going to stay three months, four months, or five months,” he said to BBC News.
It is challenging since you are unsure about your life’s next move.
He remarked, “Sometimes you want to feel a place is like a home,” and he has experienced depression on occasion since moving to the UK.
After being turned down by more than ten landlords, Mr. Ibrahimi said he was delighted the council had finally given him a permanent home. He is currently anticipating whether this landlord will approve him as a tenant.
He claimed to know numerous other families who had been unsuccessful in finding housing, though.
Mr. Ibrahimi admitted that there were difficulties because many Afghans had huge families and had never worked in the UK. He did note that additional assistance was required from the government.
It was admitted that “things could have always been done differently” and that Afghan families had been housed in hotels “for far too long” by Cabinet Office minister Mr. Mercer, who served in Afghanistan during his time in the military and is in charge of the resettlement programme.
The deadline for guests to check out of hotels by the end of August, he told the PA news agency, had been “a controversial move,” but it had been made “with compassion in mind.”
“I couldn’t have generated that momentum without putting that hard deadline in there,” he claimed, adding that 440 Afghans had been matched to homes in the previous week.
According to the government, it has already assisted more than 10,500 Afghans in making the transition from hotels to long-term housing with financing totaling £285 million.
A representative for the Local Government Association claimed that despite facing difficulties such as a housing scarcity, councils have worked “incredibly hard” to support Afghan families.
It acknowledged that there were lessons to be learnt but accused the government of creating a lot of confusion by delaying financing and providing instructions.
When Kabul fell to the Taliban, Sir Laurie Bristow, the British ambassador there, remarked that the UK owed a debt of gratitude to its employees.
“There are people who worked for us and worked with us in Afghanistan and in refugee camps, and whose lives are in danger as a result of doing so,” he said on Radio 4’s Today programme.
Sir Laurie asserted that while the question of whether or not to negotiate with the Taliban is still up for dispute, doing so successfully might help to address the reasons why Afghans were migrating to the UK.
However, organisations have attacked relocation programmes for being too slow and for keeping many Afghans who want to immigrate to the UK stranded there.
Up until the end of March, only 40 refugees who had fled Afghanistan to nearby countries had been resettled in the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), while only 14 members of at-risk groups had been resettled directly from Afghanistan since the original evacuation.
11,398 Afghans have been transported to the UK via a programme for those who worked for or with the UK government, while 9,059 more Operation Pitting immigrants have also been placed under the ACRS.
While others have chosen riskier routes, like travelling across the English Channel in small boats, Afghans have been the most frequent nationality to arrive this way so far this year.
The programmes, according to the human rights charity Justice, were characterised by “significant delays, a lack of transparency, and a lack of consistency.”
It demanded more efficient applicant communication and speedier processing times.
Mr. Mercer confirmed that once the Taliban took control, some people were left behind and were still not taken to safety.
Nevertheless, he declared that he was committed to making resettlement programmes “work properly” and that the UK should be “proud” of its efforts to save people.
According to a representative for the Home Office, there is “no need for Afghans to risk their lives by taking dangerous and illegal journeys” because the UK has “one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan.”
Following the rouble’s decline to its lowest level in 16 months, Russia raised interest rates to 12%.
On Monday, the ruble crossed the 100-dollar mark, causing Russia’s central bank to call an urgent meeting.
The Bank of Russia said that it had increased interest rates from their previous level of 8.5% in order to combat August’s 4.4% inflation rate.
The Russian economy is under increasing pressure as a result of increased imports that are outpacing exports and escalating military expenditures related to the conflict in Ukraine.
The Bank of Russia stated in a statement that “steady growth in domestic demand exceeding the capacity to expand output amplifies the underlying inflationary pressure and has impact on the rouble’s exchange rate dynamics through elevated demand for imports.”
The bank claimed that although “inflationary pressure” was increasing, its goal was to reduce inflation—the rate at which prices rise—to 4% by 2024.
Western nations have imposed sanctions on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
After the war initially started, the rouble fell, but was later supported by capital controls and oil and gas exports.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, it has, however, lost approximately a quarter of its value relative to the US dollar, and this week, more than 100 roubles were required to purchase one dollar.
The currency somewhat strengthened on Tuesday to 98 roubles to the dollar, although it is still far weaker than it was a year ago.
The Bank of Russia has a history of aggressively raising interest rates. The bank increased interest rates from 9.5% to 20% when Russia first attacked Ukraine, but soon started lowering them.
According to Capital Economics’ senior emerging markets economist Liam Peach, the most recent boost will only be temporarily felt.
Sanctions will make it difficult for Russia to draw in capital, he claimed.
According to analysts, one of the main causes of the rouble’s depreciation was the impact of Western sanctions on Russia’s economy and commerce.
Since the start of the war, many EU nations that relied on Russian oil and gas have vowed to gradually reduce their imports and find substitute supplies.
Russia has also been cut off from Swift, a global payment system used by hundreds of financial institutions, as part of an EU proposal to reduce the amount it can make from oil exports.
Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana was set ablaze on Monday, August 15, as a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Frances Essiam, took aim at Beatrice Annan, a member of the opposing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mrs Essiam’s response was in reaction to a claim made against the NPP as well as some astute members of the party by Beatrice which the former deemed very inappropriate.
Beatrice, while making her submission on the show, described the NPP as a ‘criminal’ party, and further attempted to claim that the Bank of Ghana working in concert with the Economic Management Team of Government were lawless resulting in the GHC 60.8 billion loss the Bank of Ghana (BoG) made in the 2022 financial year.
She had explained that the Finance Minister and the Governor knowingly breached the public financial management act by spending beyond legal limits and working to write off the debts of the Government without parliamentary approval.
However, the comments struck Mrs Esiam who could not hold back her furry over the claims.
This provoked a seething Essiam even further: “…What do you do for Ghana for you to open your mouth and spew garbage? What do you mean?… You come and sit here with your full checks, bright face and begin to insult people?
“She (Beatrice Annan) is a criminal…When you impugn a criminal to a whole political party?… It’s so offensive to call a group of people lawless. Are you their classmates?
“Are you their pedigree? To be calling Ken Ofori-Atta lawless? She’s spewing baseless propaganda. You don’t have even one basis point,” she interjected.
The interventions of the host, Annie Ampofo failed to restore order and while a shocked Beatrice Annan remained quiet, she continued:
“But for you a small girl to be sitting down and calling people lawless? As a lawyer what proof do you have? Strict proof?” She shouted.
In reaction, a rather well-composed Beatrice stated that she had taken note of her insults but had no reply except to say that she was not going to allow her to use her to revive her political career.
“She can’t use me to revive her dead political career. That I won’t allow,” Beatrice Annan stressed.
This reply angered Frances Essiam even further so retorted that she had no dead career and was not interested in any elective position in the NPP.
The show continued and Ms Essiam continued to heckle and invectives as and when she desired.
Media personality Nana Ama McBrown has once again stunned netizens with yet another photo shoot with her impeccable fashion choices as she turns 46 years old today.
Nana Ama McBrown has a special ability to capture attention and inspire trends. She is known for consistently stunning her audience with her fashion choices. However, it is on her birthday that she truly unleashes her creative prowess, leaving her fans in awe with each passing year.
The host of “Onua Showtime” exuded an angelic aura on her 46th birthday in stunning different outfits setting the internet ablaze.
The annual birthday photo shoot for Nana Ama McBrown goes beyond simple celebration; it serves as proof of her status as a style icon.
Beyond the outward appearances, her ability to consistently reinvent her style appeals to her fans deeply. Her transition from the screen to becoming a powerful force in fashion is evidence of her influence and range of skills.
Nearly $6 million (£4.7 million) in cash was seized at the main airport in the country of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
Additionally taken into custody were five pistols, seven magazines, 126 rounds of ammo, 602 suspected gold pieces totalling 127kg, and gold measuring tools.
According to the organization’s director general Nason Banda, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) was tipped off that a chartered plane carrying hazardous materials had landed at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on Sunday night.
The Global Express T7-WW on which the aforementioned things were discovered as well as another King Air B190-made aircraft belonging to a local carrier have since been seized by the Commission.The 10 suspects, one of whom is from Zambia, have been arrested pending additional inquiries, he stated in a press release.
Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah, has urged the government to take disciplinary action against individuals affiliated with the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) for participating in an illegal strike.
Since August 1, members of CETAG from all 46 training colleges have been engaged in a strike, citing the government’s non-compliance with the National Labour Commission’s Arbitral Award and the negotiated terms of service established since May 2, 2023.
Despite multiple notifications conveyed to the Ministry of Finance, the mutually agreed-upon negotiations have not been put into effect, resulting in an ongoing deadlock.
In an interview on Eyewitness News, Mr Asamoah opined that CETAG members must be penalized for embarking on illegal strikes, and lambasted them for failing to rescind their decision when they were advised to do so.
“The Commission has told you, don’t go, and you went, and it says stop what you are doing, and you say you won’t. Defying the orders of the Commission is an unlawful act. The Commission will have to resort to the court to compel them to go back to the classrooms if they still proceed on the strike. And then their employers will also have the right to punish them for proceeding with this illegal strike. Two wrongs do not make a right. The fact that the employer was in default doesn’t mean that you should also do that,” he told sit-in host of Eyewitness News, Selorm Adonoo.
The Deputy Minister of Education in Charge of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Gifty Twum Ampofo, has made a passionate appeal to CETAG to reconsider their ongoing strike action and engage in meaningful negotiations with the government to resolve their concerns.
CETAG and NLC are expected to engage on August 16.
Ghanaian socialite and media personality Diamond Michelle Gbagonah, popularly known as Michy, has opened up on her understanding of love, saying she thought she had fallen in love when she was young until she later found out that it was lust.
Talking about the concept of love in an interview with Kwame Dadzie, the former girlfriend of dancehall artiste Shatta Wale said real love thrives in the wake of challenges.
She said that sometimes people may believe they are in love but eventually come to realise they are not.
“I feel I have [fallen in love before] but I was young. And from my perception today I can say it was more a duty of care and probably lust.
We have to be real with ourselves. I feel a lot of people are in sexual relationships and they are hooked but when it comes to the actual scandals and crisis of the relationship, they can’t stand but love withstands those things. So are we in love with each other or we are just enjoying the coitus,” she said.
When she was seventeen (17), Michy began dating the dancehall artist Shatta Wale, with whom she later had Majesty.
However, a few years later, their union started to crumble.
She recalls that despite their breakup, she still believes that Shatta Wale and she would be better off as friends or business associates.
“The relationship I have with Shatta Wale, it’s gonna be difficult to create that kind of relationship with another person. We are more like best friends. He is like my brother,” she told Delay in an interview 7 years ago.
Michy had also admitted to Delay that it was Shatta Wale’s wild and contentious persona that drew her to him. She even sneaked away from home to go live with the dancehall musician for several weeks when she first met him.
She claimed that when she was a child, her mother was very strict with her. Even the first boy she dated was arrested by her.
The “Hustle” singer is currently looking for a partner who will support her through life’s ups and downs and who will understand her.
The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has forecasted a potential 5.7% increase in fuel prices during the upcoming second pricing window of August 2023, which is set to commence within the next 48 hours.
The current selling price of the product at fuel stations averages around GHC12.45 per liter.
According to COPEC, there will be an anticipated 11.9% rise in the price of LPG during the same timeframe.
The Chamber indicated that the projected retail prices for the various petroleum products will take effect on Wednesday, August 16, with petrol to be sold at GHC12.97 per liter, diesel GHC13.43 and the mean price for petrol and diesel GHC13.20 per liter while LPG will go for GHC12.30 kilogram.
The Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah in a statement said: “The Second pricing window of the month of August, 2023 is set to commence by the next 48 hours. Indications are that pump prices of Petrol and Diesel are likely to increase averagely by about 5.7% over the current mean price of GH¢12.45/L across the country whilst LPG prices increase by about 11.9%.”
“The following basic information forms the basis of projections for the coming window, that; prices of finished products on the international market have shot up averagely around 11% for both petrol and diesel whiles Crude price has been increased by 6.79% from the mean price of $80.67/barrel to $86.15/barrel, even though the forex or Dollar exchance rate has relatively decreased from a previous average of GHS11.7185 to GHS11.4538 (-2.26%) per $1”.
Read below the full statement by COPEC
CHAMBER OF PETROLEUM CONSUMERS – (COPEC) ACCRA 14 August 2023
FUEL PRICES SET TO GO UP BY ABOUT 5.7% FOR THE SECOND WINDOW OF AUGUST 2023.
The Second pricing window of the Month of August, 2023 is set to commence by the next 48 hours.
Indications are that pump prices of Petrol and Diesel are likely to increase averagely by about 5.7% over the current mean price of GHS12.45/L across the country whilst LPG prices increase by about 11.9%.
The following basic information forms the basis of projections for the coming window, that; prices of finished products on the international market has shot up averagely around 11% for both petrol and diesel whiles Crude price has been increased by 6.79% from the mean price of $80.67/barrel to $86.15/barrel, even though the forex or Dollar exchance rate has relatively decreased from a previous average of GHS11.7185 to GHS11.4538 (-2.26%) per $1.
The following shall likely be the projected retail figures for Petroleum products starting from Wednesday the 16th of August 2023.
Petrol .. GHS12.97/L Diesel .. GHS13.43/L The Mean Price for Petrol and Diesel..GHS13.20/L
LPG.. GHS12.30/kg
Thus for a 14.5 kg LPG cylinder, is expected to be selling at GHS178.36 within the window.
All Pump Prices are expected to be within (±5%) error margin of COPEC’s prediction.
Find below the details of the projections for the window.
Petrol With the international price increasing from $898.55/MT to $965.58/MT (7.46%), the retail price works up to GHS12.97/L
Thus, Petrol is expected to increase by 4.37% of the current mean Pump retail price of GHS12.40/L, to close selling between GHS12.32/L and GHS13.62/L within ±5% of COPEC’s prediction.
Diesel With the International benchmark prices increasing from $786.73/MT to $902.15/MT (14.67%), the expected mean retail pump price for the next window shall be GHS13.43/L
Thus, Diesel is expected to increase by about 7.0% of the current Mean Pump retail price of GHS12.49/L to be selling between GHS12.76/L and GHS14.10/L within ±5% of COPEC’s projection.
Mean Price of Petrol and Diesel The Mean price of Petrol and Diesel for the coming window per the numbers shall be 13.20/L with mean pump retail price range of GHS12.54/L and GHS13.86/L, within ±5% of COPEC’s prediction.
LPG With the international benchmark price increasing from $423.75/MT to $547.79/MT (29.27%) the projected retail price of LPG is expected to be selling averagely at GHS12.30/kg.
Thus, within ±5% error, LPG is expected to be sold between GHS11.69/kg and GHS12.92/kg
Remarks: 1. Government is still encouraged to do all it can to reduce taxes on LPG or to subsidise the price of LPG to promote or encourage its nationwide accessibility and usage which will eventually help save the environment.
2. In addition, currently, the total taxes and levies is about 25% of the retail prices of Petrol and Diesel.
COPEC is by this advocating for reduction or to take off some of the fuel taxes to lessen the burden on consumers.
Russian missile attacks in the Volyn region of northwest Ukraine have reportedly killed three persons, according to local authorities.
According to the regional manager Yuriy Poguliaiko, a plant in Lutsk was attacked, inflicting several injuries.
Buildings in the western part of Lviv were also damaged by airstrikes, although no one was killed, according to the mayor of the city.
The air defence troops of Ukraine reported that they had shot down 16 of at least 28 Russian missiles launched overnight.
In Lviv and Volyn, air raid sirens sounded for two hours.
The strikes affected a plant run by a Swedish corporation in Lutsk, the capital of the Volyn area.
Carl Bjernstam, spokesman at SKF, said, “We are very sad to confirm that three of our colleagues have been killed.”
Homes looked to have been hit in the city, and according to local authorities, missile interceptor debris caused the most of the damage.
According to the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, more than 100 buildings were destroyed as a result of the attacks over night.
According to Mr. Sadovyi, a rocket struck a playground in the city and produced a crater that was 20 metres (65 feet 5 inches) wide and 9 metres (29 feet 5) deep.
Four people were hurt, he continued, although none of their injuries were life-threatening.
Local neighbour Dmytro Ivaschyshyn described the incident to Reuters, saying: “The kids hid in the restroom… They were shaking and inconsolable.
Oleksiy Kuleba, the deputy head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reported that two farm buildings in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk were also destroyed by rocket debris.
A business building was struck overnight in the south-eastern part of Dnipropetrovsk, which is closer to the front line.
According to a statement from the city council, two individuals were killed and another was hurt in Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region.
He continued by saying that attacks also attacked communities in the Zaporizhzhia and Cherkasy districts, hitting a school, a housing complex, and a hospital.
In February 2022, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Following the passing of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, three people are still being sought out globally.
Sara, whose corpse was discovered unattended in the early hours of Thursday at her Woking, Surrey, home after a call for her wellbeing, will have a post-mortem examination later.
According to Surrey Police, the three individuals it was looking for departed the country the day before.
To find them, the force is collaborating with foreign law enforcement.
The neighbourhood was shocked by her death, according to the local imam.
Imam of the Shah Jahan Mosque Hafiz Hashmi claimed he has been unable to sleep lately.
“We are incredibly shocked and saddened,” he said on BBC Radio Surrey. Can’t believe such a thing could happen to such a good kid.
We pray for the girl’s soul to find peace because we don’t know the details of her death. We hope that we can uncover the facts about how she died so that the girl’s kin may bury her.
People are startled and unable to comprehend how this could occur to such a defenceless infant. To find them, the force is collaborating with foreign law enforcement.
In addition, a nearby church was made available for neighbourhood people to visit for “prayer, reflection, or comfort,” and flowers were put outside the house as a mark of respect.
The semi-detached home on Hammond Road had a significant police presence last week, and neighbours told reporters a Pakistani family with six “very young” children had moved in in April.
A neighbour who preferred to remain anonymous stated of Sara that she “appeared to help look after her younger brothers and sisters, and especially the baby” after the body of Sara was found.
They said that they “seemed a happy family who cared for all their children”.
On August 10, at around 02:50 BST, Sara’s body was discovered at the unoccupied residence.
Investigators are still on the scene at the Hammond Road property, and formal identification has not yet taken place.
The multi-talented actress, songstress, and skitmaker, Efia Odo, hosted a lavish black-themed party over the weekend that attracted a variety of high-class slay queens, notable actors, and friends from the world of showbiz.
The gathering of personalities at the event, which took place at the prestigious Garage location, was drawn together by the allure of Efia Odo’s celebration.
Efia Odo’s black party resonated as a bold statement of her journey of self-discovery and her rising prominence within the industry, despite the fact that the reason for the extravaganza’s existence is still unknown.
Efia Odo and Ras Nene made quite the entrance when they arrived at the party in style. They did so by stepping out of a specially designed yellow limousine.
Their innovative teamwork gave the event a fascinating new twist that aroused interest and sparked conversations among attendees.
Efia Odo and Ras Nene undoubtedly attracted the attention of their fellow partygoers throughout the evening, shining in the spotlight.
Despite being unexpected, the duo’s presence has already generated a lot of buzz.
On Monday, a military helicopter from Nigeria that had been dispatched to the central Niger state to rescue wounded soldiers after a devastating attack had been shot at by robbers.
According to reports, an ambush in the region where the army has been battling armed groups claimed the lives of over a dozen soldiers.
At least 26 members of the Nigerian security forces were killed and eight were injured in the attack on Sunday, according to military officials cited by the AFP news agency.
However, local media in Nigeria said that the ambush had claimed at least 13 lives of soldiers.
The rescue chopper was carrying 11 of the deceased and seven of the injured when it crashed, according to the AFP news agency.
An air force spokesman said that rescue efforts and inquiries were in progress but made no mention of crash victims.
According to Edward Gabkwet, the plane had left Zungeru Primary School for Kaduna but was subsequently found to have crashed close to Chukuba Village in Niger State’s Shiroro Local Government Area.
Armed gangs are widespread in central and northwestern Nigeria, where they regularly commit robberies and kidnappings for ransom. In recent years, thousands of people have been slain in these operations.
Broadcaster with the Media General Group, Johnny Hughes has sent a passionate appeal to the President to rescind his intentions to name the University of Ghana after Dr J.B Danquah.
He made the plea on TV3’s popular segment on the morning show, Johnnies Bite.
“As for the renaming ceremony of the University of Ghana, we beg you to leave it alone,” he said.
#JohnniesBite: As for the renaming ceremony of the University of Ghana, we beg you to leave it alone. You can name the National Cathedral after J.B Danquah if you like but please leave this one alone – @hughes_onair to the President#TV3NewDaypic.twitter.com/lkN8cwdbjL
He entreated the President to construct a university in Kyebi, the President’s hometown and name it after Dr J.B Danquah, otherwise, complete the National Cathedral project and name it after the statesman.
“You can name the National Cathedral after J.B Danquah if you like but please leave this one alone,” he added.
Former US President Donald Trump has been accused of trying to rig the Georgia election in order to reverse his loss there in 2020.
This is his fourth criminal prosecution in as many months.
Along with 18 other allies, Mr. Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, was charged.
All 13 of the allegations against him, which include interfering in elections and racketeering, are denied. They are politically motivated, according to him.
In February 2021, Georgia’s Fani Willis initially opened an inquiry into claims that Mr. Trump and his allies had interfered with elections.
Prosecutors filed a 98-page indictment against the 19 defendants, which was made public late on Monday.
Defendants had until Friday, August 25, noon to voluntarily surrender, according to Ms. Willis’ announcement. She stated that all 19 defendants would be tried concurrently.
Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House top of staff Mark Meadows, and former White House attorney John Eastman are on the list of alleged co-conspirators.
Others include Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis, two Trump attorneys who emphasised unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, as well as Jeffrey Clark, a former justice department employee.
The defendants “knowingly and willfully participated in a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favour of Trump,” according to the indictment.
The former president is charged with several felonies, including
Violating Georgia’s racketeering act
Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer
Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer
Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree
False statements and writings and filing false documents
The defendants are referred to in the indictment as a “criminal organisation,” and they are charged with witness tampering, computer trespass, theft, and perjury, among other offences.
Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (RICO Act), the most serious charge, carries a possible 20-year jail sentence.
The statute, which was created to aid in the dismantling of organised criminal syndicates like the mafia, aids prosecutors in establishing a causal link between subordinates who breached the law and those who gave them commands.
The Trump campaign said in a statement that the district attorney was a “rabid partisan” who had brought “these bogus indictments” in an effort to sway the 2024 presidential election and “damage the dominant Trump campaign”.
The statement read, “This latest coordinated attack by a biassed prosecutor in a predominately Democratic jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes the true motivation driving their manufactured accusations.”
He is the only former US president ever to be charged with a crime.
In February 2021, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis began an inquiry.
Before the grand jury voted to return an indictment, a list of criminal charges against Mr. Trump posted on a Fulton County website earlier on Monday, causing uncertainty.
According to the document, Donald Trump was accused of racketeering, conspiring to commit fraud, and making false statements.
The document was described as “fictitious” by a Ms. Willis representative, who did not, however, explain how it wound up on the court’s website.
The apparent clerical error was used by Mr. Trump and his friends as evidence that the system was biassed.
Federal prosecutors in Washington, DC, charged Mr. Trump earlier this month with plotting to rig the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat President Joe Biden.
The operations of the Trump campaign in Georgia received a good deal of attention in that charge sheet. In that instance, Mr. Trump entered a not guilty plea.
Georgia is the centre of Ms. Willis’ inquiry, a crucial state in the race for the US presidency that Mr. Trump just missed winning.
On a discussion with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021, Mr. Trump was overheard pleading with him to “find” the 11,780 votes he would have needed to defeat Mr. Biden in that state.
An alleged plan to tamper with voting equipment in one Georgia county and steal data is described in the indictment.
It also refers to an alleged plan to submit erroneous lists of electors, the people who decide who becomes president and vice president through the Electoral College.
State charges, like those in Georgia, have important distinctions from federal ones. Notably, Mr. Trump would not be able to exonerate himself of state accusations if he were to win the presidency again in 2024.
Ghanaian musician Koby Symple has revealed that despite spending more than a year sleeping in his studio, Kaywa never signed him.
In an interview with Property FM in Cape Coast, the singer said he felt Kaywa did not take him seriously, and as a result, he had to move on after realising that he was not a part of his plans.
Koby Symple told Amansan Krakye in an interview, “I don’t know whatever happened between Kaywa and all the signees that left his label but with me there was no proper signing of a contract. We started with Highly Spiritual and we were learning to become a record label so in the beginning we did things and I was there when Kurl Songx was brought on board.
“I felt like maybe they didn’t take me seriously and that stubborn ego made me feel that I needed to go out there and do my own thing. I used to sleep in Kaywa’s studio and one day I told him I’ve got a room at Spintex so I wanted to move there because I’ve been sleeping at the studio for over a year but it seems I wasn’t part of his plans.”
Koby added that although he has departed from Kaywa, no bad blood exists between them.
“So we’ve been there and I know it was the will of God because my presence was needed at that time so there was no bad blood between me and Kaywa.
Director of Local Government Services at the Office of the President, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has disclosed that the government’s outreach to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for assistance was confined to the years 2020 and 2022.
Speaking in an interview, he noted that this move represented a strategic approach to addressing specific financial challenges during those periods, until COVID-19 hit the shores of the country.
“Whatever is happening today stems from issues arising from 2020 till date as earlier stated by the government.
“Government did not borrow from the bank in 2017, 2018, 2019, it was in 2020 during COVID that the government sought assistance from the Apex Bank. In 2021, the government did not go there but in 2022, the government went there.
He further stressed that this confirms the government’s claim that Ghana’s economy was doing well until COVID-19 struck.
“And this basically comes to confirm the long standing position of the government that Ghana’s Economy was doing very very well and was on a growth path between 2017 and 2019 until COVID arrived,” he added.
Ecuador has experienced the assassination of a local party leader, making two politicians in a week.
At his residence in the northern Esmeraldas province, Pedro Briones was fatally shot by motorcycle-riding assailants.
Only five days had passed since presidential contender Fernando Villavicencio was shot and killed in Quito.
As local gangs formed partnerships with global crime cartels, the murder rate in Ecuador increased.
The assassinations of leaders have shook the nation ahead of the impromptu presidential elections on August 20.
In Esmeraldas, Mr. Briones was the chairman of the left-leaning Citizen Revolution Party. Party members sent their sympathies to the man’s family.
Luisa González, the party’s presidential candidate, claimed that Ecuador was experiencing “its bloodiest period.”
The Citizen Revolution Party was created by former president Rafael Correa, who wrote: “They killed another of our compatriots in Esmeraldas. “I’ve had enough!”
Although the police have not yet made an official statement regarding the slaying, local media outlets claimed that the two shooters left on a motorbike after killing Mr Briones in San Mateo, a city south of Esmeraldas.
What the motivation might have been is still a mystery.
One of the worst affected provinces by the nationwide wave of violence is Esmeraldas, which shares a border with Colombia.
Drug traffickers who transport cocaine from Colombia via Ecuador to the US and Europe find the region attractive due to its porous border with Colombia and its location on the Pacific coast.
However, Esmeraldas has not been the only victim of the violence. The mayor of the port city of Manta in the province of Manab was assassinated last month while visiting a public works project.
Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken journalist who exposed corruption scandals and criticised connections between organised crime and public authorities, has been the most well-known casualty to date.
Six males, all citizens of Colombia, have been detained in relation to his murder.
Sunday saw the arrival of FBI officers from the US, who are working with Ecuadorean authorities to look into the death of Fernando Villavicencio.
The lady at the centre of a suspected mushroom poisoning case that claimed the lives of three people in Australia claims in a statement to the police that she bought the ingredients from two different stores, according to national broadcaster ABC.
ABC said on Monday that Erin Patterson, 48, told police she wanted to “clear up the record” because she had grown “extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths” of her loved ones.
According to Victoria Police, on July 29, Patterson had Don and Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson, and Ian Wilkinson as guests at her home in the small town of Leongatha.
According to authorities, three of the four relatives who attended lunch with them passed away after exhibiting signs of “death cap” mushroom poisoning. One patient’s status in the hospital remained critical.
In order to help them figure out the specifics of the case, Victoria Police’s homicide squad advised people to avoid eating wild mushrooms and to only consume those that are sold in grocery stores.
Patterson, however, asserts that she recently purchased button mushrooms from a supermarket chain and recently purchased dried mushrooms from an Asian store in Melbourne.
According to Patterson’s statement, which was cited by ABC, she said that both sets of mushrooms were utilised in the beef wellington she prepared and served for the family supper.
“I’m hoping this statement can be of some assistance. In the report, Patterson was reported as saying, “I think if people understood the context more, they would not be so eager to rush to judgement.
“I am now horrified to consider that these mushrooms could have had a role in my loved ones’ illnesses. I truly want to stress that I had no justification for harming these people, who I loved.
In relation to the fatalities, Patterson has not been detained or charged.
Patterson earlier denied any wrongdoing in an emotional conversation with local media outside her home last week.
It is unknown what exactly Patterson told Victoria Police. The Age newspaper later acquired it and published a piece that corroborated ABC’s reporting.
In response to the statement, Victoria Police declined to comment.
According to authorities, there has been no more development in the investigation, and at this time, we won’t be commenting on certain aspects of it, CNN said on Tuesday.
A long tenderloin is wrapped in dough and filled with pâté or mushrooms to make beef wellington, a baked meal.
Police first claimed last week that Patterson’s two kids attended the family lunch in late July but did not partake in the meal.
However, Patterson’s statement claimed that the kids were gone at the movies, according to ABC’s reporting. The leftovers were served to the kids the following night, but she removed the mushrooms because they don’t like them.
Police claimed to have searched Patterson’s house on Saturday and taken several items for forensic analysis. The inquiry is still ongoing, according to police, who say they are maintaining an open mind about what occurred.
Ghana is set to welcome 967 athletes and officials for the maiden edition of the African Para Games scheduled for September this year.
President, African Paralympic Committee, Samson Deen, during an interaction with host of Peace FM’s morning show, Kokrokoo, said facilities to host the participants and their officials are ready.
“We have made arrangements with about 18 hotels in Accra to host our participants as well as officials,” he said.
About the African Para Games
The African Para Games aims to provide African para-athletes with a world-class, multi-sport event on the African continent.
General Assembly of the African Paralympic Committee (AfPC) in 2021 in Rabat, Morocco, elected and endorsed the Republic of Ghana to host and organize the first African Para Games. Pursuance to the decision in 2017 by the AfPC General Assembly to have a stand-alone multi-para sports event for persons with disabilities and an impairment in Africa.
The African Para Games is aimed at providing African Para Athletes with the opportunity to experience a world-class multi-sporting event on the African continent, serve as a catalyst for further development and promotion of para-sports in Africa, increasing qualification opportunities for our athletes towards Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, promote inclusion further and become a prominent part of our rich African cultural heritage and diversity transforming into a formidable arena for celebrating our exceptional African Para athletes’ sporting excellence to inspire a better Africa and sports diplomacy.
On Friday, 24th of February 2023, the Honorable Minister of Youth and Sports – Ghana formally inaugurated the African Para Games, Accra 2023 Local Organizing Committee (LOC) to oversee the organization and successful delivery of the Games. Following the inauguration, the LOC, in consultation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ghana and other key stakeholders, announced the 3rd to 12th September 2023 as the OFFICIAL DATES for hosting and organizing the First African Games, Accra 2023.
The Official Sports Programme for the African Para Games Accra 2023 for athletes, coaches, technical officials, and team officials from the over Forty-eight (48) National Paralympic Committees (NPCS) across Africa includes seven sports disciplines, namely: Amputee Football, Goalball, Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting, Para Volley, Wheelchair Basketball, and Wheelchair Tennis.
Mr Deen believed this is a big platform and area I look forward to Africa to use to increase our numbers to the Paralympic Games.
Director of Local Government Services at the Office of the President, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has asserted that President Akufo-Addo’s legacy will be etched into the consciousness of Ghanaians due to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic during his tenure.
He said despite various negative tags labeled against the President especially by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghanaians will forever be grateful to him for his remarkable feat in combatting the pandemic.
“The President said that we didn’t have resources for that situation so he admitted at one point that we needed help, we needed resources, and that he didn’t consider how much the nation would lose in terms of finances, because if he did, many people may die from the pandemic.
“He even stated that we know how to revive the economy and we don’t know how to revive a dead person and he knew very well that Ghana did not have a budget and resources for such emergency occurrences but he improvised and salvaged the situation in 2020,” Mr Aboagye noted.
He added that has earned an enviable reputation globally as one of the countries that effectively managed the COVID-19 pandemic due to the comprehensive measures implemented by Akufo-Addo to tackle the situation.
“Today the disease has been brought under control and so all of a sudden some people want to pretend as though nothing happened but the good news is that the Ghanaians that went through the situation know and they have not forgotten. So they can do all the politics and partisanship but Ghanaians who experienced the situation know that this government did well in managing COVID,” he added.
Popular Nigerian actor Chinwetalu Agu has described how several items were taken from his body after he was the victim of a spiritual attack.
In a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, he revealed how he was afflicted with a mysterious illness and revealed this.
Earlier this year, the 67-year-old actor posted on social media the bizarre items he claimed a prophet had removed from him.
The seasoned actor also displayed cowries, sea stones, pins, keys, bullets, and shattered mirrors among other things.
To shed more light on the incident, Chinwetalu Agu claimed that many people believed he was going to pass away when his body began to shrink. But when he went to see the minister, he took the strange things out of his body.
He expresses gratitude to God daily for saving him from the near-death experience.
His words, “People were looking at me as if I was dying, I was shrinking. These were deadly arrows. Pins were there, cowries were there, sea stones, fetish substance. Inside my body. And they’d scratch me, I’ll scratch.
“Then I’ll go to Prophet Ugo who is somewhere…there’s a place called ‘Maryland area’, he has his office there. He’s a man I’ll call my man. We all have seen this world from peculiar angles where your enemy, personal enemy, family enemy, would just use medicine. In Yoruba you call juju. You won’t know when they enter your body. But when you know is when they begin to scratch you, to give you hell, that is to pain you as if you’ll die the next moment, you know.
“But if you go to Prophet Ugo, he will bring his holy oil to treat you. If you say it’s here, he’ll bring the oil, rub here, rub it this way, and hold and feel it. If he feels the pin in your body, he’ll pull it. My place is not that far. But you saw the picture on Instagram. Otherwise, I’d have gone to bring them. They’re still there fresh. I’m keeping all of them for D-day. When I’ll say, ‘God, let me go and give special thanks to you’. I’ve been thanking God every morning is my prayer, but this one I’m going to do it for God.
“Even many who were vast in using ‘medicine’ to kill fellow human beings, they saw me when I survived some of their attempts and they marveled.”
In the southern Russian republic of Dagestan, an explosion at a petrol station resulted in at least 30 fatalities and more than 100 injuries, according to local authorities.
According to the emergency situations ministry of Russia, the fire broke out at a car repair shop on Monday night and subsequently spread to a nearby petrol station outside Makhachkal, the capital of Dagestan.
As of Tuesday morning, emergency personnel were still removing the debris and looking for potential survivors, according to state-run news agency TASS.
According to Sergey Melikov, the president of the Dagestan republic, several children were among the deceased, and TASS reported that at least three bodies had been found among the debris.
Putin “expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the explosion at a petrol station in Makhachkala and wished a speedy recovery to the victims,” according to a Kremlin statement.
Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov, the president of Dagestan, paid a visit to the tragedy site in Makhachkala on Tuesday.
According to TASS, the Dagestani government designated Tuesday a day of mourning.
All ongoing road projects for cocoa in the country will be finished, according to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
It also said no new project would be initiated due to the current Government financial bailout programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to COCOBOD’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, the careful, sustainable production of the EU and IMF programme allowed the continuation of ongoing projects.
Addressing journalists at a symposium to mark the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Cocoa Clinic.
The building of cocoa roads is intended to help resolve transportation issues relating to the delivery of agricultural inputs to cocoa farmers and to facilitate the evacuation of cocoa beans.
As a result of the roads, residents of cocoa-growing areas have easy access to healthcare and other essential social amenities.
“The EU sent a team last year to do due diligence on sustainable production and, a member of the delegation wanted to know why COCOBOD has been involved in cocoa roads construction because it is not a core business of COCOBOD, and the said member of delegation insisted that we take that venture out of our equation, and the IMF is also saying the same thing. They say that we can continue with what we are currently constructing and not start new ones,” Mr Boahen reportedly said.
According to Mr. Boahen, the opening of medical facilities in cocoa-growing areas will improve farmers’ access to healthcare and ease their travel burden.
“I have had the experience where a woman, who was in labour and couldn’t deliver in 2001 had to be carried in a hammock and travelled over 28 kilometers and couldn’t survive.
“When we look at the countryside to see how our cocoa farmers struggle to access health delivery, you will be touched to do something, that is why, as an institution, it is important to bring health services and facilities closer to these farmers as possible,” Mr Boahen stated.
In a meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on Monday.
He said “Today we also collectively agreed to place a total ban on the use of party paraphernalia during a festive period in the Greater Accra region. And that will be from Ada all the way to Bortianor,” he said.
Mr Quartey asserts that no traditional council or political party in the area should hoist any party decorations.
Additionally, the attendees at the meeting decided to limit the use of tricycles in a few particular local assemblies.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s Central Business District, Krowor, Korley Klottey, Tema Metropolitan Assembly, La Dadekotopon, La-Nkwantanang, and Madina are among the areas that were chosen.
However, he pointed out that the tricycles can be utilised in outlying areas.
Mr. Quartey noted that a statement to that effect will be released shortly.
In a related development, Mr Quartey publicly criticised a number of metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives for the level of squalor in the capital.
He expressed his profound dissatisfaction with the circumstances in the Greater Accra area as they stand at the moment.
He singled out a few MMDCEs who, in his opinion, had left their jurisdictions in disarray.
“Have you been seeing people working with ‘aboboyaa’ [Tricycle] still on our motorway? Can we say it is hardworking? Trotro is still loading around Accra Mall, is that hardworking? Korley Klottey – rubbish around Graphic Road – hardworking? AMA, Kinbu, Tudu everywhere rubbish – hardworking?” he quizzed.
In the midst of fierce combat between government forces and a local militia group, an explosion in the town of Finote Selam in northwest Ethiopia has claimed at least 26 lives.
According to Manaye Tenaw, CEO of the Finote Selam General Hospital, an additional 50 persons were hurt in the explosion on Sunday. There may have been more casualties, but these are just the patients being treated at the hospital.
Tenaw claimed to CNN that only one explosion, whose origin is unknown, was heard by witnesses.
He noted that in the days preceding the explosion, the hospital had previously cared for more than 160 patients as severe fighting broke out early this month throughout the Amhara region between government forces and a local militia known as Fano.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) expressed “grave concern” over the intense fighting that started on August 3 between the two factions “following months of tension and sporadic clashes,” it said in a statement on Monday.
After days of fighting, the Ethiopian government declared a six-month state of emergency in the Amhara region on August 4.
The government and the Fano militia were formerly allies in the violent two-year fight that ended in November, but relations have soured recently as a result of the militia’s opposition to a federal government initiative to dissolve regional forces.
Nationalists from the Amhara region claim that this will jeopardise local security.
According to the EHRC, there was “heavy fighting in and around cities and towns across the Amhara region, which involved the use of heavy artillery, resulting in the deaths and injuries of civilians.”
“EHRC has also received credible reports of strikes and shelling, including from Debre Birhan, Finote Selam, and Burie resulting in many civilian casualties and damage to residential areas and public spaces,” the organisation stated, noting that comparable reports had been compiled in the region’s two largest cities, Gondar and Bahir Dar.
In the nation’s capital, Addis Abeba, the panel also reported “widespread arrest of civilians who are of ethnic Amhara origin.”
Gondar and Bahir Dar inhabitants told CNN on Monday that the cities are now relatively calm. In a televised statement on Friday, a government spokesperson said that federal soldiers had “freed” cities in Amhara.
While intense conflict has decreased in major urban centres after August 9, 2023, it is still a serious issue in other sections of the region until a long-term solution is found, according to the EHRC.
Asserting that “previous states of emergency have been accompanied by violations of human rights,” the United Nations “called on all sides to respect human rights and take steps to deescalate the situation” in a statement released on Friday.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the governments of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America highlighted the civilian deaths and urged all parties to “protect civilians, respect human rights, and to work together to address complex issues in a peaceful manner.”
The federal administration, the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, and the Amhara regional government have all been contacted by CNN for comment.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in March that the country has publicly concluded that war crimes have been perpetrated by armed troops on all sides of the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
At a press conference for the release of the State Department’s 2022 Human Rights Report, Blinken stated, “After the department’s careful review of the law and the facts, I’ve determined that members of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Eritrean Defence Forces, Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces, and Amhara forces committed war crimes during the conflict in northern Ethiopia.”
Joseph Kumah Mackay, an aspirant New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Sene West, has stated his intention to unseat the area’s Member of Parliament (MP) in order to better the socioeconomic conditions of the constituents.
“In fact, I have not given up in contesting the parliamentary seat since 2012 because the constituents have not witnessed any significant improvement in their socio-economic livelihoods,” he said.
The current National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP, Mr. Twumasi Ampofo, has held the Sene West constituency parliamentary seat for some time.
The CEO of the Middle Belt Development Authority, Mr. Mackay, asserted that nothing would stop him from unseating the incumbent MP.
“Even the parliamentary primary is a done deal. What we are thinking about now is the best strategy to unseat the incumbent MP, and capture the parliamentary seat for the NPP,” he told the Ghana News Agency.
Mr. Mackay made this statement after submitting his nomination paperwork to the NPP’s constituency office in Kwame-Danso, the administrative centre of the Sene West District in the Bono East Region.
Politics, he explained, was meant for development, and “it is unfortunate the constituents here continue to wallow in abject poverty and thereby struggle to live on their little income”.
He acknowledged that many of the local rural communities lacked social services and pledged to see to it that the abandoned Bantama market project got back on track.
Other projects, which had been stalled for some years now, including the Kwame-Danso Community Centre, at the roofing level, would be completed while separate teachers’ quarters at Akyeremade and Drobe communities would also commence, Mr Mackey said.
“We are also finalising modalities for the construction of a standard Astro-turf pitch at Kwame-Danso, while a contract for the reshaping of the worsened nature of the about six-kilometre Kwame-Danso-Akyeremade road would be awarded soon.”
“The Government has equally shared the few development projects in the constituency devoid of political biases, and if indeed the electorate wanted more of these projects, then they must rethink and change their voting pattern to vote for the NPP in the Election 2024,” he said.
This year’s Ghana Party in the Park event featured a surprise appearance by Ghanaian reggae and afro-dancehall musician Article Wan, who wowed the crowd with some incredible performances.
Last Saturday, the Grammy Award-winning sensational musician electrified the crowd at Trent Park in London by performing some of his top hits, including “That Thing,” “Hallelujah,” and “Solo.”
The most intriguing part of Article Wan’s performance was when rapper Quamina MP joined him on stage and they performed the brand-new song “Donow” for the delight of the audience.
As they sang along and danced to his contagious moves, the fans and Article Wan created a magical connection during his performance.
Article Wan recently delighted fans at the “Fameye Live in London” concert, where he supported his fellow musical act, Fameye, while on tour in the UK.
One of the largest Ghanaian musical concerts ever held in the UK, the Bizzle Entertainment-organized event featured outstanding performances.
She had “a lot of friends” when she was a student in Afghanistan.
She remarked, “We were happy together. We were studying, occasionally getting together, and riding bikes.
20-year-old Zahra no longer rides bicycles. Or visit friends who have left the nation, attend to school, or go outside without hiding her face. She claims that the only thing she can do is stay at home and fret about a future that is disintegrating in front of her.
“When I stand in front of the mirror, when I look at myself, I just see a different Zahra from two years ago,” she said. “I feel sad for my past.”
On Tuesday, the Taliban will have been in power in Afghanistan for two years. The Taliban took power during the chaotic and contentious American pullout from the country following nearly two decades of conflict.
Tuesday has been proclaimed a national holiday by the Taliban, who are not acknowledged by the majority of nations in the world. The day is “full of pride and honour for Afghans,” Taliban deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi told CNN.
Afghans were able to reclaim their nation, freedom, government, and will once the country was liberated from occupation. Pressure and force are not reasonable solutions; understanding and communication are the only options, he continued.
But as life under the Taliban regime becomes more oppressive and harsh, celebrating is the last thing many Afghan women like Zahra, who CNN is only identifying by her first name for safety reasons, want to do.
Activists caution that as the world turns its back on Afghanistan because it is weary of the country’s protracted battles and is too consumed with its own domestic problems, things could only grow worse. Millions of Afghans are suffering from disease, malnutrition, and drought in the midst of a crisis that the UN’s human rights experts warned this week is becoming worse.
Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan women’s rights advocate and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize finalist, declared that “women’s freedom” no longer exists.
The women of Afghanistan are gradually being eliminated from society, from daily life, from everything, including their voices, opinions, and whereabouts.
They are unable to attend school? Afghan woman upset over Taliban’s restriction on women attending universities
When the Taliban, a hardline Islamist organisation that had previously controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, came to power in 2021, it originally portrayed itself as a more moderate version of its former self and even made the promise that women would be permitted to pursue higher education.
But since then, it has stepped up its enforcement, closing girls’ secondary schools, prohibiting women from going to college and working for NGOs like the United Nations, restricting their freedom to travel without a chaperone, and barring them from public places like parks and gyms.
Since the Taliban shut down all beauty salons nationwide last month, women have lost access to the majority of professions. The sector had employed about 60,000 women, many of whom were the only wage earners in their homes, adding to the financial difficulties of already struggling families.
The abrupt disruption of daily life is especially upsetting to young women like Zahra as they mature and form goals for the future. She likes art and had hoped to become a designer or launch her own company, but neither of those things seem feasible in Afghanistan now.
She said, “I’m twenty years old, and it’s time for me to study, to get educated.” But I’m not permitted. I’m only at home. I’m only concerned about my future, the future of my sisters, and the future of all Afghan women.
She attempts to keep herself busy at home by drawing, reading, and enrolling in any accessible online classes because she is unable to spend much time outside. However, she claims that it seems confining, like being in jail.
I am having trouble focusing because I can see my sister and the other girls sitting in their homes. They are powerless to act.
According to a UN report last month, collected following a week-long visit to Afghanistan, it has also had a devastating impact on mental health, with widespread allegations of sadness and suicide, especially among adolescent females who have been stopped from pursuing an education.
According to the poll results, about 8% of respondents knew of a girl or woman who had tried suicide. According to the report, restrictions and economic difficulties have also contributed to an increase in domestic violence and girl forced marriages.
The Taliban has asserted time and time again that women are welcome to work in specific fields as long as they adhere to “Islamic values.”
Another Taliban representative, Zabiullah Mujahid, agreed that there was still a “problem regarding the girls’ education,” but stated that the group wished to “pave the ground for Islamic rules and regulations” and create a “safe environment for their education.”
Additionally, he asserted that “women are actively working in health, education, police departments, passport offices, airports, and so on.”
However, experts and nonprofit organisations assert that this is untrue, and the health care industry is one area where there is a glaring gap.
Women are only permitted to receive medical care from other women under Taliban regulations, but due to the ban on women’s higher education, no female medical students have been able to complete their degrees, which has led to a dearth of much-needed female doctors, midwives, and nurses.
Heather Barr, association director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch, cautioned that “(the Taliban) seem perfectly comfortable with the idea that women and girls are almost certainly already dying because of a lack of health care professionals, because of their policies.”
“I did nothing wrong,” Afghan girl: “I only want my right to education.”
The Taliban’s treatment of girls and women has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community, and last week the UN human rights body urged the group to implement reforms and respect women’s rights.
However, these messages haven’t done much to affect change, and the international spotlight has largely receded, leaving many Afghans to feel bitter and abandoned by the outside world.
According to Seraj, a women’s rights activist, “the young people of Afghanistan are screaming their lungs out, trying to bring the world’s attention to themselves and to the situation of the war, of the woman in Afghanistan.”
Zahra questioned why other nations appeared prepared to turn a blind eye. She remarked, “They are at ease; their daughters, sisters, and kids are in school. But there are girls and women in this area of the world who are helpless because they are disregarded by the rest of the population.
Following the Taliban takeover, the US and its allies cut off international assistance and frozen roughly $7 billion of the nation’s foreign funds. With millions of Afghans out of work, government employees going without pay, and the cost of food and medication increasing, the decision destroyed an economy that was already highly dependent on aid.
The US established a $3.5 billion economic assistance fund with the frozen assets last year, but officials said they won’t immediately give the funds to an institution in Afghanistan and will instead go through an external organisation that is independent of the Taliban and the nation’s central bank.
Following the Taliban’s restriction on women working for NGOs, humanitarian help has become even more scarce recently. Numerous organisations, including the UN, were forced to halt crucial operations or programmes in the nation.
Even though the Taliban is not generally seen as a legitimate administration and does not hold power over Afghanistan’s UN seat, advocates worry that it may gradually become more accepted on the international scene.
They’re getting on private aircraft to fly off to significant high-level meetings where people spread out the red carpet for them, and they’re posing for photos with beaming ambassadors, according to Barr. “They are being given permission to take over embassies in an increasing number of nations. So, in my opinion, things are going fairly well from their perspective.
According to the UN, the catastrophic situation has caused more than 1.6 million Afghans to leave their country since 2021. Even those refugees face an unclear future because many are still awaiting admission to the US and other Western countries, and some have waited for so long that they were forcibly deported back to Afghanistan and were forced to go into hiding.
Seraj, a women’s rights activist, stated, “The only reason I’m here Afghanistan and why I’m remaining here is to be next to my sisters and attempt to help them. “I haven’t given up on hope. But I can tell that it’s getting harder and harder with each decision and step along the way.
And it appears like escaping is the only way forward for young Afghans seeking to save what’s left of their future.
Naturally, everyone enjoys visiting their home country because it is where they were born and raised. However, I believe that staying here is the only option, said Zahra. “I must make a choice on my future. So leaving the nation is the greatest option.
Media personality Michy has revealed that to be a presenter, one has to be “scandalous” to keep their show competitive.
She claimed that she discovered this after accepting the challenge of hosting a television programme at Accra-based Wontumi TV in 2022.
In an interview on Showbiz A-Z, She was asked how it feels to be the interviewer after spending many years as a guest on various shows.
“If feels good,” she said. “At least you don’t get to ask me questions again.”
“The only painful part is some of my guests are so naughty. I’d ask a personal question, then they’ll refer me to my past,” she added, light-heartedly noting that this makes her wonder who exactly is the interviewer and otherwise.
Overall, “it’s fun,” she indicated. “It’s fun, it’s nice to be in that seat. It’s quite a task as well.”
Turning her attention to another challenge, she highlighted her speech impediment – she lisps.
“I have – I call it a deformity – with my speech. I speak on my tongue,” she said.
Dadzie remarked on her excellent articulation.
“I try,” she reacted. “I’ve learnt how to not make it so obvious.”
Her lisp was “one of my biggest insecurities,” she revealed, “especially facing the camera straight up like that – so this was an opportunity to overcome those insecurities”.
She, however, added she has a “little fan base” who are fond of watching her manage her lips.
Dadzie wondered if she now understood why TV and radio hosts push evasive guests to answer questions.
“I think I’ve learned that you have to be scandalous to be a presenter in Ghana,” TV personality Michy has said.
Here, she recalled an interview with Hiplife child star Fotocopy which “went left” based on some questions she asked.
According to her, she had taken for granted that not all children in Ghana are like her “confident child”.
She was so concerned about Fotocopy, she said she made calls to check on him after the interview.
That said, Michy concluded: “But that is how the game is. That’s how I’ve realised the game should be. Otherwise, your show will be [at] the bottom.”
A building collapsed in the Nyonyo Nasuan District of the North-East Region, killing one person and injuring another.
The survivor is currently receiving medical care at the regional hospital in Bolgatanga.
According to Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhassan John Kwaku flooding is getting worse and causing property damage.
Many homes in the area have been submerged by floodwaters.
However, because the flood is still causing more damage to other communities, residents have been given temporary housing.
“The situation is not too good because some of the areas are being cut off, with other buildings collapsing,” he said.
“Because of the nature of the rooms we have in this area, there was a situation where the building fell on somebody and he died, and there was another incident where he the person was injured,” he added.
He is therefore pleading with charitable organisations and individuals to provide aid for the impacted people.
According to Joy News’ Eliasu Tanko, the Regional Coordinating Council authorities are doing their best to reach out to residents in communities that have been cut off in order to offer them assistance.
The North-East Regional Minister, Yidana Zakaria, said his team would be visiting the areas that have been cut off to assess the extent of the flooding.
He said that their focus for Monday would be to reach accessible areas.
“Only four districts in the Nort-East region were initially affected. Now it appears that all of the districts in the North-East have been inundated, so if we mention figures now, we will be providing incorrect figures, but I believe we will be able to update our records by tomorrow [Tuesday].”
Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Richard A. Quayson, emphasized the need for collaborative efforts between governmental and non-governmental organizations to develop accountability and transparency approaches applicable to public, private, and non-profit entities.
He said this is to ensure a cohesive and synchronised approach in enhancing accountability and transparency standards across the diverse sectors of public administration, private enterprises, and non-profit organizations.
“We must all collectively move away from the talk, talk and act on issues of corruption, we must report an incident of corruption from our workplaces,” Quayson stated during engagement at the Ghana News Agency Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform.
Speaking on “Is the fight against corruption a mirage or a reality 30 years in the fourth republic,” the Deputy CHRAJ Commission said the commission’s doors were open wide for anybody ‘smelling’ corrupt practices at the workplace or any public institution to walk in and report.
“It is only when we all open our eyes wide and other sense against corrupt practices only then can we fight it,” he said.
Quayson explained that “it is time to infuse fearless honesty into the national behaviour and ignite collective sustained action with coordinated efforts, as well as the judicious application of resources of stakeholders to combat corruption.”
He said the anti-corruption noose tightening measures which were a roll-over from the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) sought to strengthen public capacity to condemn and fight corruption and make its practice a high-risk, low-gain activity.
The CHRAJ Deputy Commissioner also said the fight hinged on institutionalised efficiency, accountability, and transparency in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors; engage individuals, media and civil society organisations in the report and combat of corruption; and conduct effective investigations and prosecution of corrupt conduct.
“Amidst growing perceptions of corruption, the public has become increasingly cynical about the official commitment to effectively tackle the menace. “Confidence in the integrity of public office is fast eroding due to inadequate appreciation of the complex mix of factors implicated in corruption; lack of
public participation in the development and implementation of the anti-corruption measures; and failure to foster local ownership in the formulation and implementation of the various strategies.
“Lack of effective and sustained coordination in the implementation of anti-corruption measures; and lackadaisical government commitment to, and limited support for, the implementation of anti-corruption strategies,” he noted.
Quayson noted that corruption in Ghana was nurtured and influenced by the patrimonial character of the society where informal relations, family connections and social reciprocity are reflected in levels of favouritism, cronyism, and nepotism.
“Social and economic structures in Ghana exhibit a complex interplay between the traditional and the modern,” he observed.
He said cultural factors also played a key role in shaping social and economic structures… “the culture of gift-giving and gift-taking, used in our culture to cement social and economic relationships, is perceived to create conditions for corruption.
“The patronage system also fundamentally influences the formal system and creates contradictions between how institutions are intended to operate in principle and how informal practices supplant formal structures in reality.
“As a result, public administration and political competition often appear to be driven more by personal ties than formal rules”.
Tuesday, New Zealand lifted the last of its Covid restrictions, putting an end to one of the tightest pandemic regulations in history. The government noted that the country had a much lower fatality rate than many other countries.
According to the health minister, Ayesha Verrall, the island nation would no longer require masks in medical institutions or the final seven days of required isolation for those who test positive for the coronavirus.
When the coronavirus first appeared in 2020, New Zealand served as something of a model for how countries may effectively fend it off by implementing early lockdowns and stringent border controls.
The coronavirus outbreak’s initial effects were greatly diminished by the early zero-Covid approach, sparing New Zealand the widespread mortality and overburdened healthcare systems observed in many parts of the world, notably the United States.
However, as the restrictions dragged on and had a negative impact on the economy, it also kept the island nation isolated globally and made it more and more unpopular.
Verrall said in a statement on Monday that it had been a long road, but New Zealand’s COVID-19 method had transitioned from an emergency response to sustainable long-term management.
The health minister continued, “While our case counts will continue to fluctuate, we have not observed the spectacular peaks that characterised COVID-19 rates last year.
According to the government, Covid has significantly lessened the strain on the healthcare system this winter in New Zealand, with cases making up just 2.2% of recent hospital admissions.
According to Cabinet and I, we are in a position to safely remove the remaining COVID-19 criteria because of this and the population’s immunity levels, Verrall stated.
She added, however, that anyone who are “ill” or “have tested positive for Covid-19” should stay at home for five days.
She also emphasised that using face masks is still an effective way to stop the spread of respiratory infections in hospitals and centres for people with disabilities.
The action was referred to as a “significant milestone” by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
During a press conference on Monday, he added, “The unity of the Kiwi response, and the sacrifices that were all commonplace all contributed to the many thousands of lives that were saved.”
5.1 million people in New Zealand, according to Hipkins, were affected by the coronavirus, resulting in 3,249 deaths.
“We would be reporting about 15,000 deaths from Covid if New Zealand had had a similar rate of Covid-19 mortality as the United States,” he asserted.
The Labour Party, which is currently in power in New Zealand, paid a political price for the severe rules.
His predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, was responsible for the initial success. However, as the stringent limitations persisted, the people grew increasingly frustrated with their effects, which included the months-long separation of families and the exclusion of almost all foreigners.
Last March, during a time when the country was experiencing economic unrest and rising living expenses, protesters camped out in front of the Parliament for weeks and set fire to tents, mattresses, and chairs. This was a result of the protracted Covid lockdowns and mandates.
Support for Ardern and the Labour Party plummeted in 2022, just before she abruptly announced her resignation in January, citing a lack of energy.
Hipkins had a strong connection to the zero-Covid regulations because he served as health minister for a large portion of the epidemic.
The center-right opposition National Party is posing a serious threat to Labour in New Zealand’s next elections.
Gradually throughout 2022, the nation’s borders were reopened, restoring the strict controls put in place in March 2020 to keep immigrants at away and restrict places for citizens to return.
It implemented a five-step plan, allowing locals to return home before welcoming a large-scale tourism recovery.
It has shared hosting duties for the 2023 Women’s World Cup with Australia for the past three weeks.
Petrol is expected to cost GH$12.97 a liter and diesel is expected to cost GH$13.43 a liter.
The mean (average) price of gasoline and diesel is anticipated to be GHC 13.20 per litre and GHC 12.30 per kilogramme, respectively. Within the window, a 14.5 kg LPG cylinder is anticipated to sell for GH 178.36.
“All Pump Prices are expected to be within (±5%) error margin of COPEC’s prediction.”
A statement signed by the Executive Secretary, Duncan Amoah noted that “Indications are that pump prices of Petrol and Diesel are likely to increase averagely by about 5.7% over the current mean price of GH₵12.45/L across the country whilst LPG prices increase by about 11.9%.”
According to the press release, the increase is due to finished product prices on the global market, which have increased by an average of 11% for both gasoline and diesel.
It added that Crude price has also been increased by 6.79% from the mean price of $80.67/barrel to $86.15/barrel even though the forex or Dollar exchange rate has relatively decreased from a previous average of GH₵11.7185 to GH ₵11.4538 (-2.26%) per $1.
Find below details of the projections for the window:
Petrol
The international price rose from $898.55/MT to $965.58/MT (7.46%), bringing the retail price to GH12.97/L.
In order to close selling between GH12.32/L and GH13.62/L within 5% of COPEC’s prediction, gasoline is predicted to increase by 4.37% from the current mean Pump retail price of GH12.40/L.
Diesel
The anticipated mean retail pump price for the upcoming window will be GHS13.43/L due to the increase in international benchmark prices from $786.73/MT to $902.15/MT (14.67%).
Thus, Diesel is expected to increase by about 7.0% of the current Mean Pump retail price of GH₵12.49/L to be selling between GH₵12.76/L and GH₵14.10/L within ±5% of COPEC’s projection.
Mean Price of Petrol and Diesel
The Mean price of Petrol and Diesel for the coming window per the numbers shall be 13.20/L with mean pump retail price range of GH₵12.54/L and GH₵13.86/L, within ±5% of COPEC’s prediction.
LPG
With the international benchmark price increasing from $423.75/MT to $547.79/MT (29.27%) the projected retail price of LPG is expected to be selling averagely at GH₵12.30/kg.
Thus, within ±5% error, LPG is expected to be sold between GH₵11.69/kg and GH₵12.92/kg
A courageous action by an entrepreneur Daniel Anane resulted in the revelation of an impersonator posing as a military officer and an individual suspected of engaging in drug peddling within a shared commercial vehicle, commonly referred to as a trotro.
The occurrence transpired while traveling from Cape Coast to Twifo Praso, where Anane promptly responded by alerting the Twifo Hemang police station about the situation.
Originally from Wassa Ateiku located in the Western Region’s Wassa East District, Daniel Anane narrated the series of incidents to Eric Annan of Sompa News.
Anane described how a male passenger began assaulting another passenger while on the journey, prompting concern from fellow travelers.
The assailant identified himself as a military officer and claimed to have discovered illegal drugs on the victim as justification for his actions.
Doubting the legitimacy of the supposed military officer, Daniel Anane pressed for evidence of identity, but the individual couldn’t provide any substantial proof.
Unconvinced, Anane requested that the driver of the vehicle drive directly to the Twifo Hemang police station, where both individuals were held.
Upon conducting a thorough search, the police discovered two parcels suspected to contain “wee” (marijuana) on the passenger who had been subjected to the beating by the fake soldier.
In a surprising turn, a subsequent search of the imposter soldier revealed needles and other injectable substances.
Anane persisted, urging the police to extend their search to the fake soldier, leading to the discovery of needles and injectable concoctions.
During interrogation, the fake soldier made shifting claims, initially claiming to be a radio presenter and later a veterinary doctor. However, he failed to provide any identification to validate these professions.
The case now rests with the Twifo Hemang police command as investigations into the matter begin.
Tuesday will see Poland perform its greatest military display in decades, flexing its defensive muscles as tensions build along its border with Belarus, a crucial ally of Russia.
The Polish Defence Ministry announced that 200 pieces of Polish and foreign military hardware, 92 aircraft, and 2,000 service members would be on display to commemorate Polish Army Day on Tuesday.
Some of the most modern weapons Poland has in its arsenal will be displayed during the parade, including US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks, South Korean K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers, HIMARS rocket launchers, Krab self-propelled howitzers, and US-made Patriot missile batteries systems, which are a component of the Polish “WIS-A” air defence system.
Following Russia’s decision to invade the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014, Poland has recently emerged as one of Europe’s top military forces after investing billions on new hardware. In the wake of the crucial role it has played in assisting Ukraine since Moscow’s all-out assault, Warsaw’s diplomatic influence has also increased.
As worries about the presence of Russian Wagner mercenary forces in Belarus grow, Poland last week announced the deployment of hundreds more soldiers to its eastern border.
Poland has borders with Russia’s semi-exclave of Kaliningrad in addition to Ukraine and Belarus. According to experts, Warsaw is sending a message to Russia and Belarus by organising a major display of might on Tuesday.
It has an almost Soviet feel about it. On May 8, Russia celebrates, along with Belarusians, North Korea, and Iran. It somewhat mimics the way they speak. According to Edward Arnold, a research fellow at the British security think tank RUSI, the opponent states view them [parades] as a show of power, so Poland will respond with a show of force.
In addition to demonstrating its capabilities to Russia and its allies, Arnold stated that Poland’s government is also attempting to reassure its own citizens that it is dedicated to security two months before significant elections.
A third consecutive term in office for the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party would be unprecedented in post-Communist Poland. However, it has so far been unable to decisively edge over the opposition Civic Platform coalition.
Since a war is raging on Poland’s border, security concerns rank high alongside the economy and living standards, according to Aleks Szczerbiak, a professor and the chair of the politics department at the University of Sussex in England, who spoke to CNN. “Demonstrating their competence on security is absolutely critical to the government’s reelection,” he added, noting that the problem crosses all political lines.
Nobody will argue that military security is unimportant or that we shouldn’t be bolstering the armed forces. Although they won’t suggest that strengthening the Polish military is unimportant, [the opposition] will claim that the government is staging this parade as a sort of election show.
According to Jamie Shea, a former NATO official who is currently a professor of strategy and security at the University of Exeter in England and a fellow at Chatham House, Poland’s role within NATO has altered significantly over the past ten years.
Before Putin annexed Crimea and [started the invasion of] Ukraine, he said, “If you look at NATO ten years ago, its primary focus was mostly the Middle East, Afghanistan, and those kinds of missions, in which Poland participated, but to a small extent.” “But with NATO shifting back to focus on Central and Eastern Europe since 2014, Poland’s importance in the alliance has increased significantly,” the author writes.
Arnold claimed that there is a discernible power shift among NATO’s European members. “The leadership used to be the UK, Germany, France, and the US, and then together with the Quad, that group was the group that sort of decided things and that became NATO policy,” he said.
Poland has recognised its opportunity as the UK has left the European Union and Germany is still unwilling to take the lead on Ukraine.
“[They] are very vocal about defence and security issues, [have] excellent relationships with the Baltic states, and Russia has always been a serious threat,” So Warsaw seems like a solid option if you’re looking at this from a Washington perspective,” Arnold continued.
According to official NATO statistics, Poland has significantly boosted its defence spending in recent years, going from less than 2% of its GDP in 2014 to 4% this year. It surpasses the US to become the country with the largest share of GDP spent. Importantly, Poland invests more than 50% of its money in new technology and R&D.
They will become the EU’s and NATO’s European military powerhouse if all of these separate acquisition programmes are carried out as planned, according to Shea. According to one estimate, they will have more tanks than France, Germany, Italy, and the UK put together if they buy all of the US tanks, the Abrams tanks, the tanks they have bought from South Korea, and modernise what they already have.
Ukraine is now dependent on Poland, which leaves it open to attack. According to the United Nations, Poland is the country hosting 1.6 million Ukrainian refugees and receiving the majority of Western military supplies and other supplies into Ukraine.
Poland, according to Shea, is “the entire linchpin of the Western efforts to support Ukraine and keep it in the fight.” The majority of Ukrainian soldiers’ training is conducted in Poland, where the Poles have also established a number of maintenance facilities where the Leopard tanks may be rebuilt and returned. Additionally, many Ukrainian soldiers who sustain injuries receive treatment in Polish hospitals, he added.
The government is also prepared to put its constituents first. Shea cited Warsaw’s decision to impose a restriction on the import of grain and other food products from Ukraine after a boom in the availability of low-cost goods as evidence that “Law and Justice has shown that it is willing to upset Ukrainians big time where it feels that the alternative would be to alienate Polish farmers.” The ban is currently being extended by Warsaw.
Poland continues to struggle with the EU over issues like immigration and the rule of law, but Warsaw is making it clear to its partners that they need its military capabilities.
“The current government’s relationship with the EU is quite strained, especially when it comes to problems involving justice and home affairs as well as other concerns. However, Poland wants to downplay those opinions and sort of emphasise to the EU that [they] make a really large contribution to security and they don’t want to jeopardise it in any way, according to Arnold.
Recent developments in Belarus have demonstrated that Poland is actually at risk, not just speculating about it.
A Ukrainian missile defending against incoming Russian fire killed two persons in eastern Poland in November, around four miles (6.4 km) west of the Ukrainian border. Officials from Ukraine and Poland called the occurrence an accident and attributed the deaths of the victims to Russian aggression.
In February 2022, Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine using Belarus as a staging area. More recently, as part of an agreement to put a stop to the group’s armed uprising against the Kremlin, it was purportedly reported that thousands of Wagner mercenary warriors were transferred there last month.
The two troops conducted combined training exercises earlier this month close to the Polish border after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko requested the group to assist in educating his nation’s military. These exercises are when Warsaw claimed two Belarusian helicopters had violated Polish airspace.
Following the event, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced that 10,000 soldiers would be dispatched to the border, of which 4,000 would assist the border guard immediately and the rest 6,000 would be in support roles.
The border has previously been militarised by Belarus. As revenge for Europe’s sanctions against his government in 2021, Lukashenko was charged of creating a problem there by transporting migrants from the Middle East to Minsk and then sending them to the EU border.
Chief of Aduamoa and Nkonsonhene, Nana Osei Tiri Ababio, has been dethroned by His Royal Majesty Nana Otumfuo Osei Tutu, the Asantehene.
On Monday, August 14, 2023, the dethroning occurred at the Manhyia Palace Court. This action followed Nana Osei Tiri Ababio’s appearance before the Asantehene’s court, where he faced allegations of disregarding the Asantehene’s injunction concerning a contested land. The land’s legal case was already awaiting a resolution by Otumfuo.
Aduamoahene was also accused of using land guards to attack an interested party in the dsipute leading to injuries to an individual who was attacked with broken bottles and machetes.
Nana Osei Tiri Ababio during the trial initially denied being behind the attack however Otumfuo who happened to have been furnished with video and other evidence expressed disappointment in his behaviour.
”Before the demise of Kyeame Duah, I told you to release his portion of the land under dispute, didn’t I tell you? Wasn’t Atenehene there before you, why are you rushing like that. I have had enough of you. Because we were childhood friends who grew together here you have taken my leniency towards you as my weakness. Yaw Duah we all serve in my Manhyia together so why?” Otumfuo questioned.
“You have abandoned the traditional stools entrusted under your care at Kotei you don’t even go to perform traditional rites there you think I don’t know, I’m very aware of that. I wanted to help you to die on the stool but it’s clear that you don’t want to die on the stool so leave the stool’’ the King ordered.
Immediately after his order, the sandals of Nana Osei Tiri was removed in public to signify his official destoolment while the destoolment of his own son whom he had installed as Kyidomhene of Aduamoah Traditional Area followed suit.
The destoolment of Nana Osei Tiri happened barely 72 hours after the Asantehene ordered the destoolment of the Chief of Bekwai-Abodom, Nana Saforo Koto who was pressed with over 20 charges including abandonment of his stool and abuse of the environment through sale of lands for illegal mining.
There are currently multiple cases pending against several chiefs at the Otumfuo’s Court.
The cases including land tenure frauds are expected to lead to more destoolments as the Otumfuo continues his efforts to sanitise the conduct of Ashanti chiefs.
Drake’s son Adonis had a memorable Take Your Child to Work Day as he witnessed his father perform at the most recent stop of his It is All A Blur Tour.
At the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Drake warned concertgoers not to throw bras onto the stage because his 5-year-old son was there.
“Hey look to be honest with you, I can’t talk about titties tonight and I love you,” Drake told the crowd as seen in a video circulating on social media. “‘Cause my son is at the show for the first time ever.”
“So we are gonna keep it PG tonight, y’all, keep them bras on,” he added.
The woman who threw her bra on stage back in July became a viral celebrity. At that precise moment, Drake saw a 36G-sized bra fall on stage at a Drake concert at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York.
“36G?” Drake said as he got ahold of the bra. “Locate this woman immediately.”
A few days later, Veronica Correia, a 21-year-old woman, signed a content deal with Playboy.
“I know I can crush it and make meaningful income,” Correia told the New York Post in July. “Other Bunnies are making millions of dollars a year on Playboy, so I couldn’t be more excited to tap into that potential. I will be posting exclusive content for my fans and subscribers that makes me feel confident and beautiful.”
President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Dwumfour, has emphasised the association’s strong dedication to fostering professionalism among both practicing and aspiring journalists.
“We will continue to initiate programmes and explore opportunities for the professional development of members. And as we make such effort, we also encourage our members to live above reproach and always maintain high professional standards,” he said
Mr Dwumfour addressed attendees during the recent inauguration of the GJA Campus Chapter at the University of Education, Winneba, last Friday. The event’s central focus was on the role of the Ghana Journalists Association in promoting professionalism within the field of journalism.
“As journalists, our first obligation is to the truth and our first loyalty is to the citizens. It is only through good journalism that we can solve our societal problems. Therefore, the GJA will strive to empower its members to be independent, free and bold to serve the interest of citizens for our common good. It will also encourage professionalism and all times and push for zero tolerance for misinformation, fake news, misrepresentations, exaggerations, and stories that promote prejudices, misconceptions, hatred, violent conflicts, and defamation” he said
According to him, journalism thrives on credibility, and young media professionals must practice the profession with integrity.
“As we all know, journalism thrives on credibility, and to be considered a professional, a member of the media must possess the following characteristics: Integrity, upholding the ethics of journalism, Objectivity, Accuracy, Promoting development, and the need to upgrade oneself. The GJA always encourages young journalists to read more books and do more research to enrich their stories, features, documentaries, and general content,”
Greater Regional Minister Henry Quartey has publicly called out some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives over Accra’s filth.
Henry Quartey expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the situation in the Greater Accra region during a meeting with the MMDCEs on Monday, August 14.
He singled out a few MMDCEs who, in his opinion, had left their jurisdictions in disarray.
“Have you been seeing people working with ‘aboboyaa’ [Tricycle] still on our motorway? Can we say it is hardworking? Trotro is still loading around Accra Mall, is that hardworking? Korley Klottey – rubbish around graphic road – hardworking? AMA, Kinbu, Tudu everywhere rubbish – hardworking?” he quizzed.
“I want us to mark ourselves. Hon. Agbana, Agbogbloshie has been turned into a refuse dump. Is it hardworking? Are you aware that the place we cleared people are still dumping?
In response, Mr Agbana said that the place is no longer a refuse dump.
Mr Quartey, who was not enthused with his response asked whether he remembers when the clearing of the place was done and when it took him to prevent people from dumping at the site.
He continued that the ‘aboboyaa’ [Tricycles] are still plying the motorway although various conversations have been had on that.
Thus, in light of an anticipated ban on their movement, he asked the MMDCEs to adopt a tough stance on the movement of tricycles in the capital city.
Local authorities report that over 50 persons died on Monday in the Himachal Pradesh state of northern India as a result of heavy rainfall and landslides.
At least nine of those slain were among those who perished after water caused a temple to collapse in Shimla, the state capital and a well-liked tourist destination. During a Monday visit to the temple site, the state’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, told the Indian news agency ANI that the incident happened at around 8 a.m. local time.
The deceased’s remains have been found, and the “local administration is diligently working to clear the debris,” Sukhu wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday.
He noted that while rescue efforts are ongoing, between 20 to 25 individuals are still trapped. Five people have so far been saved.
Sukhu told ANI on Monday night that the death toll has surpassed 50 and might keep going up.
Amit Shah, India’s minister of home affairs, wrote on social media that the deaths were “extremely distressing.” National disaster response organisations are “participating in relief and rescue efforts alongside the local government.” I offer the families of the deceased my sincere sympathies,” he continued.
“We have directed the authorities to ensure all possible assistance and support to the affected families during this trying period,” Sukhu wrote in a Monday X post.
I urge people to stay inside and keep away from rivers and landslide-prone regions, the man stated.
Due to the continued heavy rain and the Indian Meteorological Department issuing a red advisory for the state, traffic police authorities have also advised the general population to stay home.
Social media posts and videos show demolished highways and downed trees, while water flowing down hillsides sends enormous rocks flying.
One of the states most severely impacted by the current monsoon season is Himachal Pradesh. across the month of July, landslides and flash floods across the state claimed the lives of over 30 people.
According to a statement released by Sukhu’s office on Monday, the state had experienced the most number of “cloudburst incidents,” or extremely sudden and damaging rainstorms, in the state in the previous 50 years.
According to some scientists, the chaotic and unpredictable monsoon season in India is being caused by the human-induced climate disaster.
