14 daring individuals who made the decision to test their thirst for exploration and adventure had to take a risk.
They left Accra, the capital of Ghana, and travelled through 11 countries in just 16 days to reach London.
In total, 13 gentlemen and one female took 5 vehicles and set off.
Participants who were confirmed to have taken part included Kwabena Peprah, Saka, Fred Papa Kwofie, Richard, Kwame Peprah, Kofi Peprah, Kwadwo Prakah-Asante, Franklin Peters and his son Quincy, Joseph, Cyprian Ed, Kwabena Ayirebi and his brother Kojo, and Serwa the Shecanic, the only female in the pack.
According to them, they sought for vehicle sponsors by contacting auto marketing companies who they hoped would provide vehicles and get promotions in return. In doing this, they approached every major car dealer in Ghana including Kantanka which produces ‘Made in Ghana’ vehicles but were ignored.
In the end, they decided to use their own vehicles; 2 Landcruisers, a Raptor, a Defender, a G63 and an RX350.
In a recent post, one participant of the trip; Wanderlust Ghana while showing pictures of the vehicles used, sought to suggest that deliberations are being made about whether or not the vehicles should be auctioned in London or be shipped to Ghana for auctioning later.
Below are pictures of the said vehicles:
Meanwhile,the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kantanka Automobile, Nana Kojo Safo Jnr, has stated that he is unaware of the recent journey that a group of Ghanaians took from Accra to London.
He wrote “Was never contacted ooo. Hmm. A few heads will roll since it’s a Monday. This is something I would have loved to be part of.”
For molesting 11 children in Myanmar in 2016, Christopher Behn, 68, of Colchester, is already serving a nine-year prison sentence.
The fresh accusations centred on the maltreatment of boys in Vietnam, ages six to eleven.
Next month, Behn—whom authorities called a “committed and prolific transnational child sex offender”—will receive his punishment.
By using a video link, the retired engineer appeared in person at Chelmsford Crown Court from HMP Albany on the Isle of Wight.
Behn was recognised by investigators from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Europol, and Dutch police as a member of a network operating across Europe that travelled together to abuse children all over the world.
He was detained at Gatwick Airport in February 2020 when detectives noticed him in photos with a Dutch national who had been found guilty in his home country.
Officers stopped Behn from boarding a plane bound for Vietnam.
From encrypted electronic devices, photos taken by Behn showing him molesting children were retrieved.
According to the NCA, he has travelled to Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, India, and Myanmar in addition to Vietnam 18 times since 2006.
Additionally, the abuse that he and the Dutch national had perpetrated together on numerous of these excursions was recounted in graphic detail in their journals.
The NCA claimed that Christopher Behn and his network “conspired via encrypted chats in the hope of concealing their horrific offending.”
Behn was additionally charged in June of this year with 23 charges of inducing a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual abuse between the years of 2008 and 2018.
Two of the charges, which he rejected, will not be the subject of a trial.
Behn was described as “a committed and prolific transnational child sex offender, who dedicated years of his life to this criminal network” by Phil Eccles, NCA operations manager.
“Behn and his like-minded friends conspired together via encrypted chats in the hope of concealing their horrific offending from law enforcement,” he added. “Behn and his like-minded friends conducted their offending in remote parts of the world.”
The agency reported that investigations were still going on in several European nations and that it has identified an additional five males who were based in the UK and thought to have connections to the network.
Ghana has incurred a loss of $8.3 million due to its failure to impose penalties on surface rentals.
This is according to a recently released Auditor General’s report.
The Auditor General attributed the development to sanction companies defaulting on their payments as stipulated by the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815), Section 3.
As outlined in the Act, organisations that do not make timely payments should incur an extra fine equivalent to either five percent of the initial sum for each day of delay or the rate prescribed by alternate legislation, whichever happens to be greater.
This formed part of the Auditor-General‘s assessment of the management of petroleum funds during the time frame spanning from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022.
The report revealed that surface rentals were due to reach $2.8 million by the end of 2022, making up 80 percent of the expected income for the year.
Significantly, four contractors, whose Petroleum Agreements were canceled by the Minister of Energy, owed a notable portion of the outstanding amount, specifically $1.8 million.
The Auditor-General suggested that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) should take steps to guarantee prompt payment of surface rentals. These steps include obtaining bank guarantees from exploration firms and conducting comprehensive due diligence and Know Your Client (KYC) assessments for companies engaged in oil-related operations.
In addition, the report recommended that both the Petroleum Commission and GRA should apply additional fees to companies that fail to meet their obligations, following the guidelines outlined in Section 3 of the PRMA 2011 (Act 815).
Reacting to the report’s conclusions, the GRA affirmed that it had commenced enforcement actions, such as sending Demand Notices to companies that had failed to meet their obligations.
Conversely, the Petroleum Commission indicated that it had refrained from granting specific approvals to contractors who were not in compliance, and it committed to supporting the GRA in evaluating and recovering penalty fees.
Ghana’s major opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is mounting pressure on the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison to resign from post.
Speaking at a press brief conveyed in Accra on August 8, 2023, the party leveled a series of allegations against Mr Addison, including claims that his actions and inactions have amounted to substantial mismanagement within the Central Bank.
The NDC asserted that this has contributed to the institution’s financial distress, leading to its purported bankruptcy and potential insolvency.
Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for the Ajumako Enyan Esiam, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, who addressed the press said: “The Bank of Ghana, which is our Central Bank and lender of last resort, has been dealt a catastrophic blow by the reckless, clueless and criminally-minded NPP mis-managers of our economy and this has necessitated an urgent call for action to Save Our Central Bank.
“We in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the red flags and have consistently warned of the mismanagement of the financial sector by the Governor of the Central Bank and his team of incompetent deputies,” he said, adding that their caution was not headed to, leading to the current poor state of affairs at the Apex Bank.
The press conference follows the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Bank of Ghana which was released last week.
Dr Ernest Addison
The report revealed that the Bank of Ghana the Bank of Ghana (BoG) incurred a loss of GH¢60.8 billion from its audited financial statement for the 2022 fiscal year. This loss according to the BoG is largely due to the government’s debt restructuring activities.
Speaking on GBC’s Talking Point programme, the Finance Minister affirmed the claims made by the central bank.
“You can call it a sort of technical loss. It is not money that was given that will never be paid”, he said. “The issue of debt exchange in which certain interests were expected to be paid had been cut, resulting in those types of losses. Then you’ll have to impair the balance sheet because of expected revenue that was coming that will not come so that is what is happening”, he further explained.
However, the NDC asserts that the loss is unjustified.
“GH¢60.8 billion, is equivalent to $6 billion. This is twice the amount we are to receive from our recent IMF bailout. This means the recklessness and mismanagement of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana has cost the nation twice what we are struggling and sacrificing to receive from the IMF amid major conditionalities,” he lamented.
He further noted that: “It is however our position that those who have so recklessly mismanaged the Central Bank and brought it to its knees cannot remain at the helm of affairs of the bank without being held accountable.”
“We in the NDC will continue to explore ways of rescuing this country to prevent it from the doom that has befallen several West African countries. The March to Ensure accountability will begin in 21 days if the Governor of the Bank of Ghana does not do the needful and pack bag and baggage out of that sacred institution that he has so desecrated.
“Dr Ernest Addisson Must Go! There has to be an end to impunity and it is NOW!” Dr Forson noted.
She stated at a news conference on Tuesday that the city’s use of the legislation had been “executed and implemented incorrectly” and that “it doesn’t exist” under current laws.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) had previously called for a week-long strike. Drivers who participated in the strike did so in protest of what they saw as “heavy-handed tactics” by police enforcement.
Taxi drivers and owners complained that their cars were being detained for infractions as simple as failing to buckle up or using the emergency lane improperly, while other drivers received only penalties for the same violations.
The taxi drivers’ strike has grown more aggressive over the past few days. On Monday, while burning buses, private cars, and government vehicles, two people were shot and killed.
After the strike was identified as posing a serious security risk to UK visitors to South Africa, the UK issued a travel advisory.
A new national monument that will protect a huge area of land surrounding the Grand Canyon in Arizona is scheduled to be announced by US President Joe Biden.
Thousands of indigenous cultural sites can be found within the 404,700-hectare (almost 1 million acres) Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.
The designation substantially restricts the area’s ability to mine.
Five national monuments have already been named by Mr. Biden since taking office.
For several tribal groups in the US Southwest, including the Hopi, Navajo, and Yavapai-Apache peoples, the region—also known as the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument—is important culturally.
Many Republican lawmakers and leaders of the mining sector have opposed calls by indigenous advocacy organisations and environmental organisations for the area to be protected, claiming that mining there is crucial to the US economy and national security.
According to officials, 1.3% of all US uranium reserves are located in the vicinity of the monument.
A previous effort to designate the region as a national monument under President Barack Obama was unsuccessful because Mr. Obama withdrew in the face of vehement opposition from the state’s two senators and then-Gov. Doug Ducey.
Among those pleading with Mr. Biden to exercise his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the region a national monument was the state’s current governor, Katie Hobbs.
According to National Public Radio, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the nation’s first Native American cabinet secretary, the proclamation was “historic”.
Ms. Hobbs’ office has “heard from people across the political spectrum including sporting groups, faith leaders, outdoor recreation businesses, conservation groups and others from a broad array of interests that support this monument designation,” she stated in a statement in May.
She claimed that it would aid in preserving areas that many tribes referred to as their “eternal home,” a site of healing, and a source of spiritual sustenance. “It will ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to utilise these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting and gathering of plants, medicines, and other materials, including some found nowhere else on the earth,”
For the sake of tribes, the general public, and future generations, Ms. Haaland concluded that it would safeguard historic and scientifically significant items.
Only two authorised mining operations will be permitted to operate inside the boundaries of the national monument as a result of its declaration. It will also be possible to keep claims that were made before the mining embargo that was announced in 2012.
18 US presidents have declared national monuments at geographically or historically significant sites across the nation since the Antiquities Act was passed in 1906.
During his time in office, Mr. Biden has established four additional national monuments, most recently the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi.
A slew of arson attacks on military recruitment sites have been attributed to Ukraine by Russia, which claims that callers from that country are enticing elderlyRussians into committing such crimes.
There is no evidence to support the assertion.
According to the prosecutor general’s office, Ukrainian agents called Russians under the guise of police or creditors and encouraged them to attack the centre in exchange for promises to pay off debts.
According to reports, some Russians were promised the return of their stolen savings.
In that allegedly fraudulent scheme, the victims were informed that thieves had obtained access to their savings but that if they attacked a job facility, they would receive their money back.
The victims were occasionally also told that the attack would aid in catching the offenders.
The mass-produced phone calls, according to the prosecution, were made as Russia advanced on the Ukrainian front.
The Russian interior ministry emphasised in its statement on the suspected frauds that assaults on military recruitment centres are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
According to BBC Europe analyst Alexander Schlichter, if accurate, Russia’s accusations paradoxically read as a huge tribute to the skill of Ukrainian intelligence personnel.
The Russian charge has not yet received a response from Ukrainian officials.
There have been numerous similar arson assaults in Russia since February 2022, when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, they have grown recently, concomitant with a fresh push for widespread recruitment that involved a significant official advertising campaign.
According to Sergei Mironov, a hardline nationalist lawmaker, 25 attempts to destroy the centres were made merely on August 1 and 2.
The Ukrainian contact centres mentioned in the schemes, according to Mr. Mironov’s letter to Sergei Shoigu, are now acceptable targets for the Russian military.
Russia’s maximum conscription age was raised by three years last month, expanding the pool of males eligible for conscription.
Prior to the modification, Russia’s mandatory military service requirement for all healthy men between the ages of 18 and 27 was one year. The maximum age is now 30.
According to estimates from the military ministry, 231,000 more soldiers were enlisted between 1 January and 3 August, according to the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
President Vladimir Putin started a “partial” national mobilisation in September, which scared many Russians and led to the emigration of thousands of eligible males.
According to Russian media, recent arson attacks on recruitment centres have included the following:
A 76-year-old pensioner attempted to set fire to an army recruitment centre on July 29 in Severodvinsk, in Russia’s Arctic region, but his Molotov cocktail hit the wall without lighting. A retired doctor handed a huge sum of money to a con artist posing as a Federal Security Service (FSB) official on the same day in Kazan, a Volga River city east of Moscow. The conman then instructed her to set fire to a recruitment office, stating that if she did not, he would kill her daughter. A Molotov cocktail was thrown into a recruitment centre in Feodosia, Crimea, on July 30, leading to the arrest of a 51-year-old school teacher. Crimea is currently under Russian occupation. She said that a contact on the Telegram messaging app had given her instructions.
A recruitment centre in Podolsk, a city south of Moscow, was twice attacked by arsonists on July 31: first, a 76-year-old man and his 50-year-old son who had allegedly been victimised by fraudsters in a phone call, and then a 22-year-old catering manager who had allegedly also been the target of phone scammers promising to return stolen money.
A severe storm that tore through the eastern US on Monday claimed the lives of at least two persons, one of whom was struck by lightning and the other by a fallen tree.
From New York to Alabama, nearly a million homes and businesses lost power, and thousands of flights were cancelled.
Over a thousand flights were delayed on Tuesday morning and power had still not been restored to over 250,000 residences.
A tree struck and killed 15-year-old Evan Christopher Kinley as he got out of his car to go to his grandparents’ house in Anderson, South Carolina, during the storm, the city’s fire chief told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Police in Florence, Alabama reported that a 28-year-old male was murdered in a parking lot after being struck by lightning.
According to the National Weather Service, being killed by lightning is extremely uncommon; on average, only 20 people a year in the US die from lightning strikes.
Along the whole eastern seaboard, the storm brought down trees and electrical lines.
Power has still not been restored for 100,000 residents in North Carolina, 95,000 in Pennsylvania, and 64,000 in Maryland as of Tuesday morning.
The New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington, DC airports received several ground stops from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday.
Over 1,000 flights were delayed as of Tuesday morning, according to FlightAware, and thousands of flights were cancelled.
Due to the catastrophic weather anticipated, government employees in the Washington, DC metro region were sent home early.
In a Facebook live briefing, Chris Strong, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said, “This does look to be one of the most impactful severe weather events across the mid-Atlantic that we have had in some time.”
According to CBS News, 33 people and 14 children were stuck in their automobiles for several hours in Westminster, Maryland, which is located about 30 miles north of Baltimore, when powerful winds toppled more than 30 utility poles.
In the area, wind gusts reached 60 mph, and emergency personnel had to save scores from flash flooding.
Officials report that a Russian missile attack on homes in the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk has resulted in at least seven fatalities.
As rescuers were looking for victims of the first rocket, two missiles struck the town.
Police officers and rescuers were among the numerous injured. Over 30 individuals, including two children, were injured.
Rescue efforts are still going on.
Pokrovsk is located around 70 kilometres (43 miles) north-west of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. It had a population of about 60,000 before the war.
The leader of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Krylenko, said that a member of the emergency services was killed in the second strike and that five people were murdered in the first strike. Additionally, a military employee perished.
He said, “High-rise buildings, private houses, administrative buildings, catering establishments, [and] a hotel” were among the “destroyed and damaged” structures.
“Russia is a state that sponsors terrorism. And she ought to pay for her sins!” he continued in a Telegram post.
Other Ukrainian officials claim that the second missile, which landed 40 minutes after the first, killed and injured rescuers who were looking for survivors in the rubble of what Mr Zelensky called a “ordinary residential building,” killing and injuring them in the process.
He released a video showing the top floor of a five-story building being destroyed.
It showed individuals helping one another into ambulances and clearing away debris amidst scenes of general mayhem and uncertainty.
A local who was hurt in the initial strike, Kateryna, told the news agency Reuters that she was at home when the missile struck.
“My eyes were filled with flame. I stumbled and hit the ground and floor. Only the shrapnel in my neck is hurting me; otherwise, I’m fine.
At least two civilians were also killed, according to Andriy Yermak, chief of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, when Russian guided bombs struck “private houses” in the Kharkiv Region on Monday night.
He said that five persons were hurt in the attacks.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has opened up on his decision to remain at post Finance Minister despite the clarion of call by majority go Ghanaians including lawmakers from both NPP and NDC for him to step down.
According the minister, the calls for his removal from office were valid within the context of the nation’s democratic structure.
In an interview with GTV over the weekend, Mr. Ofori-Atta emphasized that, as a public figure, people possess the right to voice their demand for his dismissal.
However, he noted that he was incapable of abandoning the country when it mattered most.
“In the period of censure, in which Parliament then voted against it, but more importantly, you were in a situation where you were battered and broken. [But] you do not leave a ship at that time. And given the urgency of ensuring the IMF programme goes through, for me, it was a duty to serve, and there was no running away from it,… and really we serve at the president’s pleasure” the Finance Minister said.
In 2022, the Finance Minister encountered criticism, with certain members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) advocating for his removal, holding him accountable for the country’s economic difficulties.
Furthermore, the National Democratic Congress presented a censure motion aimed at his expulsion, citing reasons such as significant incompetence and potential conflicts of interest.
The MPs cited the following reasons as justification to revoke Ken Ofori-Atta’s appointment:
Despicable conflict of Interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantage. particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang.
Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral;
Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution;
Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament
Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst performing currency in the world;
Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and on excruciating cost of living crisis;
Gross mismanagement of the economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship.
Amid the vote to remove the Finance Minister from his position, the Majority staged a walkout, preventing the Minority from forming the quorum needed for Mr Ofori-Atta to be removed from office.
The proponents of the motion needed the votes of 183 legislators to have the motion passed against Mr. Ofori-Atta.
A whopping $250 million is being expended by the Bank of Ghana to construct a new Headquarters in the heart of Ghana’s Capital, Accra.
The project, which is a 21-story facility, is specifically in Ridge in the Greater Accra Region, adjacent to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge.
Currently under construction, the project, which is reportedly 50% complete, was awarded to De Simone Limited
Meanwhile, the Bank of Ghana recorded a loss of ¢60.8 Billion Ghana cedis in 2022, its Annual Report and Financial Statements has revealed.
The Central Bank’s record loss comes after it posted a ¢1.2 billion profit in 2021.
According to the Annual Report and Financial Statements, the loss is attributed to a decline in the Group’s net worth position due to the impact of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) and the impairment of some assets.
Again, its total liabilities and subsidiaries exceeded its total assets by ¢54.52 billion.
In 2021, the Central Bank recorded a surplus of ¢5.72 billion.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu, has made what could be best described as an outrageous confession, after revealing publicly that she is living impoverished life because she chose to be in the legal profession.
The former Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat stunned law students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), when she told them bluntly that she is poor because she opted to become a lawyer. Being conscious of the indigent nature of the profession, Mrs. Betty Mould said she never encouraged any of her relatives to study law as future career. “I must tell you for a fact that I am very poor, and that is probably the reason why I did not allow any of my children to take law as a profession”, the soft spoken Attorney General stated much to the astonishment of the entire students.
In a country where legal practitioners are highly-respected and viewed as affluent people, Mrs. Betty Moulds shocking revelation may be considered by some people as either cynical or outrageous. Addressing student of the KNUST Law Faculty during the Official Opening Ceremony of the 7th Annual Law Week celebration, the Attorney-General further revealed her frustration over what she described as unfair criticisms by the public on her outfit, anytime the government loses a case against individuals.
When we win cases, no one hears about it, but if we lose just one, all hell breaks loose; they will say the Attorney-General is not competent, forgetting that we are dealing with justice system”, she lamented. She noted that her job as the State’s Chief Prosecutor puts her in a tight corner because she is expected to pursue the agenda of the nation and also make sure justice is given to every citizen of this country. “I am under constant pressure to appease all forms of people including NDC, NPP and all manners of citizens.
She however attributed the unjustifiable criticisms by the public to clear case of misconception, stressing that her office deals with several cases on daily basis and has been winning a lot of legal battles ranging from economic to social crimes.
The GBA President also advised the law students to take a multi-faceted approach to education by upgrading themselves information technology in order to make versatile contribution to the new democratic society where probity and accountability are expected of all public officials in the performance of their duties.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED IN MARCH 2013
African Heads of state are expecting former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen to get the nod as Director General of the World Trade Organization, according to President Mahama who just returned from the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government meeting.
President Mills was the first to have lobbied for Mr. Kyeremateng to take up the post. President Mahama did same when he assumed office. The President told newsmen on arrival that Alan Kyeremanten deserves to get the nod ahead of his competitors.
“Several countries have come up with candidates and we are doing everything possible to support him [Mr. Kyerematen] to win” President Mahama said.
He added that “we had a solidified position before but Kenya came up with a candidate contrary to the position Africa had taken and got ECA [East Africa Community] to endorse their candidate but we are doing possible for Kyeremanten to emerge as winner”.
The president also said it was appropriate that Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni was endorsed as the candidate to serve the unexpired term of Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas as Secretary General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the National Cathedral project is accumulating debts even though construction work on the project has been halted due to a lack of funds.
During an appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show, Ablakwa clarified that the accumulations by early August 2023 had reached a total of $52 million.
He advised individuals asserting that the project was gradually fading away that their stance was inaccurate, as it was still incurring expenses for taxpayers. He highlighted that those suggesting harm had already been inflicted and asserting that the project had been at a standstill for 17 months, potentially succumbing to a natural cessation were not accurate in their assessment.
“I want to avert the minds of people who may be thinking that way to the fact that the contract which has been signed, a very very terrible contract per experts, even though work is not going on, there are accruals. There is something in the contract called suspension claims,” he submitted on August 5, 2023.
“So, even though the government has suspended work, every month, Ghana is paying US$500,000. Every month, so it is accruing, as we speak, the accruals alone have come to US$52 million,” he revealed.
He reminded that US$58 million had been spent already before going on to give a break down of the accruals as follows:
a. US$29m certified claim from Ribade, after the company stopped work and laid off staff in March 2022
b. Interest claim on the US$29 million is US$13 million that is what contractors are saying
c. Suspension of work so far has accrued debt of US$10m
Last month, China‘s imports and exports decreased more drastically than anticipated as lower global demand jeopardised the chances of the world’s second-largest economy recovering.
According to official data, imports decreased by 12.4% in July compared to the same month last year while exports plummeted by 14.5%.
The dismal trade numbers increase worries that the nation’s economic development may slow down much more this year.
Beijing will be under more pressure to speed up the post-pandemic recovery.
The poorest export numbers since February 2020 point to a possible impact on China’s post-pandemic recovery from the growing cost of living and more expensive borrowing in other areas of the world by lowering demand for its goods.
Demand has also lagged behind expectations in China, where the economy has not recovered despite three years of harsh lockdowns and restrictions meant to stop the coronavirus from spreading.
Due to its status as the largest exporter and greatest importer in the world, China’s slow trade performance is expected to have an impact on the global economy.
Prices in China, in contrast to most of the rest of the world, seem to be declining as businesses and consumers emerge from the zero-growth period unwilling to spend and with big inventories of items to sell.
However, officials in China have so far resisted taking any significant steps to revive the economy in the face of soaring youth unemployment and a housing industry in crisis.
One of China’s largest markets, the US, saw a 23.1% year-over-year decline in exports.
Additionally, the European Union imported 20.6% less from China. Due to a dispute between the EU and China over semiconductor chips, some of the important raw materials used to build computer chips are now subject to more stringent export controls from China.
Some of the strictest coronavirus regulations in the world were in place in China. Shanghai, China’s financial centre and home to some 25 million people, was placed under total lockdown beginning in March 2022. The government sent food parcels to inhabitants who were confined to their homes during this time.
Residents of the two largest cities in the Amhara region ofEthiopia—the state capital Bahir Dar and the famed Gondar—have said that, fierce fighting between local militias and government forces has resumed on Tuesday and that the violence is showing no signs of stopping.
Residents report that heavy armament has been fired during the clashes, creating worries for the safety of citizens. Residents in Bahir Dar reported that the state-run radio station has ceased broadcasting.
In addition, fighting has persisted in Debrebirhan, an industrial city 130 km (80 miles) north of Addis Abeba, where locals have reported seeing hovering drones.
Although activists associated with the militias assert that they are in control of several small towns and villages.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the Ethiopian leader of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has voiced worries about the violence that is still occurring.
Dr. Tedros posted on his social media pages that communication was difficult because of the internet outage and that access to humanitarian aid was difficult because of the blocked roads.
A journalist was recently detained in Addis Ababa, where arrests have reportedly continued to occur. The founder of Alpha Media, Bekal Alamirew, was also detained during the Tigray war last year.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has labeled President Akufo-Addo as a “sound bite President,” alleging that the President’s speeches contradict his actions.
In a scathing assessment of the Akufo-Addo-led administration, Sam George did not mince words in expressing his dissatisfaction with what he perceives as a lack of substantial progress under President Akufo-Addo’s leadership.
During an interaction with host of the AM Show, Benjamin Akapko, Mr George remarked that “Akufo-Addo is all talk and no action . He’s a soundbite president. He says the things that will give him all these citations but he doesn’t do anything.”
The legislator’s comment was in reaction to a medal of merit in leadership award conferred on President Akufo-Addo by the African Bar Association.
The award, according to the President of the Association, Hannibal Egbe Uwaifo, was conferred on President Akufo-Addo because he is “a pan Africanist, Anti-Corruption Crusader, a rare democratic leader in the field of good governance, a true African Statesman whose legacies present African leaders must emulate, and we are minded to say will stand the test of time.”
However, in a reaction, Mr Nartey George said the African Bar Association has lost its credibility for giving the award to Mr Akufo-Addo on the aforementioned grounds.
“Akufo- Addo is not a respector of democratic freedoms, he’s not diplomatic, he fights media men, leading journalists have had to run away because Akufo-Addo could not stand them. So how do you tell me that such a person is a respecter of democratic freedoms?” he said.
He further accused the President of fighting against institutions and individuals assisting in the fight against corruption. He cited for instance that the killers of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale remain unpunished while the President touts himself as a democratic leader.
“He’s not just fighting media houses, he even summoned the diplomatic Corps to Peduase and warned them to stop talking about the problems of Ghana…That’s how intelligent our President is,” Mr George added.
Imran Khan, a former prime minister, was detained over the weekend on suspicion of corruption, but there was hardly a peep of protest.
No significant protests were reported anywhere in the nation.
In contrast, on May 9, 2016, the 70-year-old was detained and removed from an Islamabad court building. It spurred demonstrations around the nation, some of which became violent as Mr. Khan’s followers fought with law enforcement. A few demonstrators broke into military facilities and even ransacked the residence of the top military official in Lahore.
However, this time, when Mr. Khan was condemned and then sent to a prison in Attock city, officials were prepared. According to rumours, there were several decoy convoys to trick the media, and his location was kept a mystery. In all major cities, police and the military were on high alert, and scores of people were preemptively detained.
The lack of outrage over Mr. Khan’s incarceration, according to Pakistan‘s ruling party and the army, is evidence that the populace no longer supports the former prime minister. However, his Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) party and followers claim that a quick crackdown has silenced them. The BBC is aware that after the May demonstrations, media outlets were instructed not to report on PTI activities or even mention Mr. Khan by name.
Since May, thousands of Mr. Khan’s followers have been detained. Human rights organisations have claimed that the army’s plan to have them tried in military courts violates international law. The PTI has also been brutally destroyed, with many party members and leaders being detained or being charged. About 200 cases still remain for Mr. Khan. Since then, a number of PTI members have defected or given up on politics entirely.
Senior political analyst Ali Akbar argued that this is why Mr. Khan’s appeals for a protest this time were ignored: not only did workers and supporters fear detention, but they also found it difficult to rally support due to the PTI’s lack of leadership.
A PTI fan who prefers to go by Fatima said police actions against party officials had scared her into quiet, even online.
I used to continue to support the party on Twitter, but one day I got a call from an unknown number advising me not to make such messages. I became afraid, and my parents also suggested that I erase my Twitter account because they claimed that if I were caught, nobody would be able to assist me.
Another member of the party claimed that given the police’s apparent readiness to detain anyone who approached to protest, he did not want to place himself in an uncomfortable situation.
The identity of the housewife, Naheed, who lives in the traditionally conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area in northwest Pakistan, has been changed on request. “After so many of their leaders and workers were arrested, my family members are not even allowing me to meet other lady workers of the party,” she adds.
She claims that following their overthrow in April of last year, she started backing Imran Khan and the PTI. However, she continues, because to the severity of the police response to party employees, she is now unable to even leave her residence.
Another group of supporters said that, they did not want to demonstrate this time. Unidentified man stated that while he supported peaceful rallies, he was discouraged when the May protests descended into violence: “I don’t know who was behind it but I cannot support such violence and destruction.”
However, a lot of people also claimed that even if they did not officially support Mr. Khan and the PTI, they still did. This “silent support”‘s” strength is still apparent. Recently, and by a sizable majority, the PTI won a by-election in a region where it had lost the previous year.
Irfan Khan, a political analyst, claims that anti-establishment viewpoints swiftly gain popularity in Pakistan.
“Earlier, when the PTI was in power and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) took an anti-establishment stance, the PML won by-elections at many seats even in PTI strongholds,” the guy claimed.
When he came to power in 2018, Mr. Khan himself was regarded as an ally of the establishment, and it is widely assumed that he was removed after the alliance deteriorated.
Fatima is one of many PTI fans who promises to continue supporting Mr. Khan and his party in the upcoming general election, which is anticipated to take place later this year.
The PTI will receive Naheed’s vote, she adds, adding, “These activities will not cause us to leave the PTI. We shall keep supporting Imran Khan and the party because they have our undying devotion.
A former separatist fighter who recently turned himself up to police claimed that the five government employees had been killed and buried after being abducted in the unrest-ridden South-West region of Cameroon in 2021. This information prompted the exhumation of the bodies in a far-off village.
They were then exhumed from their grave after he led security personnel there.
The officials’ burial was discovered after security personnel spent several hours searching a forest in the Ndian administrative area. Their carcasses had already begun to rot, making it difficult to distinguish each one of them.
In June 2021, after being abducted by separatists while performing their official duties, the local delegates who oversaw the administration of government in the Ndian division were killed. Their whereabouts remained a mystery for two years.
Six delegates were abducted in total, but according to rumours, one corpse was transported to a nearby city in 2021. The bodies of the remaining five were brought to the town for a time of grief.
Since 2017, when English-speaking separatist fighters took up guns and demanded a breakaway nation, Cameroon‘s two Anglophone regions have been embroiled in a war.
They have been charged with egregious human rights breaches like kidnapping, torturing, and murder. Additionally, government forces have been charged with significant crimes and atrocities.
Jamie Foxx has addressed a misunderstanding that arose from a now-deleted social media post, which faced criticism for being perceived as antisemitic.
In a text post shared to his Instagram on Saturday, the Oscar-winning actor wrote, “I want to apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post. I now know my choice of words have caused offense and I’m sorry. That was never my intent.”
Foxx’s message was in reference to a prior post, no longer found on his feed, which read, “They killed this dude named Jesus… What do you think they’ll do to you???!” He ended the post with the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove
Critics of the post interpreted “they” as the Jewish people, and historically antisemitism has been linked to the belief Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus.
In his message on Saturday, he continued, “To clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and that’s what I meant with ‘they’ not anything more. I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apologies to anyone who was offended.”
The posts come after Foxx experienced a still undisclosed “medical complication” that landed him in the hospital this past spring.
Earlier this week, the “Ray” star credited his sister Deidra Dixon with saving his life as part of a birthday tribute video he filmed for her.
The son of renowned Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre has been accused of killing and dismembering a man in Thailand and is facing murder charges.
In a Thai court on Monday, Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, entered a plea of guilty to the murder of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, 44.
Last week, Koh Phangan, an island in the south of Thailand, has a landfill where pieces of Arrieta’s body were found by police.
According to Mr. Sancho, Arrieta held him “hostage” because she was fixated on him.
According to local media, the YouTube chef went to a police station in Koh Phangan on Thursday to report that Colombian surgeon Arrieta was gone. Popular beach resort Koh Phangan is well-known for its wild “full moon” celebrations.
Mr. Sancho submitted the report soon after trash collectors found human remains that morning; additional human remains were found at the same location the following day.
Police identified the remains as those of Arrieta through DNA testing. When questioned once more on Friday, Mr. Sancho acknowledged killing the man.
On Sunday, he allegedly dumped the victim’s dismembered body parts in plastic bags at seven different locations, leading police there.
According to local media, investigations revealed that Mr. Sancho had purchased a knife, rubber gloves, and a bottle of cleaning solution among other items last Tuesday, prompting police to believe that he had made preparations to kill Arrieta.
Mr. Sancho comes from a distinguished Spanish acting family. His grandfather was the late actor Félix ngel Sancho Gracia, and his mother is the actress Silvia Bronchalo.
In a statement posted on Sunday, Mr. Sancho’s family pleaded for “maximum respect, both for Daniel Sancho himself and for the whole family, in these delicate moments of maximum confusion.”
He has been refused bail and is presently being kept in a prison on the island of Koh Samui as authorities look into the murder, which they claim was premeditated.
Arrieta’s remaining remains are still being sought after.
Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, is under intense domestic pressure because he threatened to use military force to put an end to the coup in neighbouring Niger.
Despite the Senate being under the authority of Mr. Tinubu’s party, local media reports that there was substantial opposition to military action at a session on Saturday.
However, there has also been widespread national opposition of the threat of war. This was especially true among MPs from states near the more than 1,500km (930 mile) long border with Niger.
The West African regional bloc Ecowas gave the junta until Sunday to relinquish power or face potential military action.
Since Mr. Tinubu currently serves as Ecowas’ chairman and Nigeria is its most powerful member, the choice was widely regarded as being his.
Despite the fact that the junta disregarded the ultimatum, Ecowas did not send troops right away in response. Many Nigerians, who seek a diplomatic solution to the problem, were relieved to hear this.
Given that Nigeria and other nations must obtain parliamentary approval before sending the military, some people dispute whether a seven-day timetable was reasonable.
Many people are also horrified that President Tinubu‘s instructions to cut off electricity to Niger resulted in blackouts in Niger’s capital city of Niamey and other areas.
Critics assert that this violates a deal that allowed Nigeria to construct a dam on the River Niger, while Mr. Tinubu’s supporters assert that the power outages are intended to put pressure on the junta to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum’s rule without resorting to force.
Strong linkages exist between Nigeria and Niger on the racial, economic, and cultural levels, and any military action against Niger would have an impact on northern Nigeria, which already faces significant security issues.
Mr. Tinubu should not “rush into an avoidable conflict with a neighbour at the behest of global politics,” according to a powerful group of Muslim clerics in northern Nigeria.
Mr. Bazoum was a crucial friend of the West and permitted the US and former colonial powers France to maintain military bases there to aid in the war against militant Islamists wreaking havoc throughout much of West Africa.
If Ecowas does deploy force, the military juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso have threatened to support the coup leaders in Niger, perhaps igniting a huge regional confrontation.
Currently, Mr. Tinubu is the centre of attention. He has been the most outspoken in denouncing military coups in West Africa and claimed last month that Ecowas cannot consist of “toothless bulldogs.”
“We must be adamantly pro-democracy. Without democracy, there can be no government, freedom, or rule of law. Soon after assuming control of the regional organisation, Mr. Tinubu remarked, “We won’t accept coup after coup in West Africa again.
According to the constitution of Nigeria, the National Assembly, which is made up of both the upper and lower chambers of parliament, must provide its consent before the president can send out troops.
Given the opposition Mr. Tinubu is up against, it is uncertain whether he will win their support.
Prof. Khalifa Dikwa, a professor at the University of Maiduguri and a prominent elder in northern Nigeria, declared, “Ecowas wentof, the Nigerian president also wentof.”
The Senate’s leader, Godswill Akpabio, challenged the Ecowas parliament to offer “solutions to resolve this logjam as soon as possible” in a cautious statement following Saturday’s closed-door meeting.
President Tinubu’s stern stance against coups may have its roots in his personal history. Early in the 1990s, he served as an MP for just over a year until elections were thrown out, parliament was dissolved, and Gen. Sani Abacha took over.
He became a part of the pro-democracy movement, which fought for the restoration of civilian authority, putting him in the sights of the military, which ultimately drove him into exile. After the passing of Gen. Abacha, one of Nigeria’s most ruthless and corrupt military leaders, he returned in 1998.
However, many Nigerians believe that President Tinubu did not consider the internal repercussions of deploying force, and that Ecowas was hasty in delivering an ultimatum to the junta.
“Up until the Berlin Conference [in 1884–1885], when foreign powers established Africa’s current borders, Niger was a continuation of the northern half of Nigeria. You anticipate that the North will start a war with itself?
President Tinubu, like his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, and his national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, a former policeman, neither have military backgrounds.
Last week, Ecowas army chiefs released a statement of their own, stating that they saw military involvement as a “last resort” in most cases.
Critics accuse Mr. Tinubu of rushing through important choices in the past, citing the fact that he abruptly ended a decades-long gasoline subsidy in May during his first speech as president, causing pandemonium.
On Thursday, Ecowas leaders will meet in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, to choose their course of action.
It is difficult to imagine other West African nations joining any military involvement without Nigeria, even though some have pledged to do so. If the National Assembly does not support them, it is unlikely that they will.
Mr. Tinubu is both the president of Nigeria and the chairman of Ecowas. Acting in the regional interest and in defence of democracy is necessary for the one, but it could be highly expensive for the other party.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram constituency, Sam George, has taken a subtle jibe at Nogokpo, a traditional shrine in Ghana, following their issuance of a 14-day ultimatum to Archbishop Charles Agyinasare.
The ultimatum required the renowned pastor to retract statements deemed offensive to Nogokpo and honour a summon by traditional authorities in Nogokpo. However, the renowned Pastor disregarded the 14-day ultimatum and did not turn himself in to the traditional rulers who threatened to show the pastor who controls the cosmic if he fails to show up.
Over sixty (60) days down the line, the Pastor is in shape despite not honouring the summons. Known for his outspoken nature, Sam George seized the opportunity to mock Nogokpo’s assertion of power, suggesting that the cosmic realm had shown its true ruler.
“We were told that we would see who rules the cosmic and we have seen who rules the cosmic realm. There’s one God. Somebody threw a challenge; he gave our leader a 14-day ultimatum to submit to their oracle because he said our leader has offended the oracle and we will see who rules the oracle and if he fails to show up after 14-days.
“Today is I think the 64th or 65th day and we are seeing that Agyinasare is there. I mean we are not taunting anyone. It was a challenge and the challenge has been met,” the MP, further revealing that authorities at Nogokpo issued another 7-day ultimatum after which they said they would take the matter to court.
Asked what the church intends to do to resolve this issue to prevent it from escalating into a deadlock, he said the church intends to thank God for keeping their pastor safe.
Founder of the Perez Chapel International, Archbishop Charles Agyinasare has also mocked the 14-day ultimatum given to him by cult members of a shrine atNogokpo.
During a sermon titled “Who Rules the Cosmic Realm: Dominating the Cosmic Realm,” the televangelist boldly proclaimed that as a child of God, the lesser gods have no power over him.
“That history can never be erased because it was done publicly. All the TV stations took it, social media took it that the gods of thunder and the ancestors will show Agyinasare who controls the cosmic realm and after 60 days we are still here,” Agyinasare said to a loud applause from congregants.
He confidently stated, “I am an example that if you are a child of God and they pour libation and they give you 14 days to live, after 60 days you will still be dancing,” as he danced joyfully in front of his congregants.
Archbishop Agyinasare further taunted Nogokpo by expressing that despite the threats and hullabaloo surrounding his comments about the revered thunder deity in the Volta Region town, he remains unharmed.
He emphasized that his divine mission is not yet complete, and he will live many more years to come.
In June, the chiefs and residents of Nogokpo issued the 14-day ultimatum to the Archbishop to engage in peace talks after he referred to Nogokpo as the “demonic headquarters of the Volta Region.”
However, he has not honored the ultimatums and continues to stand by his statements.
It’s worth noting that the paramount chief of the traditional area that encompasses Nogokpo has distanced himself from the ultimatum, stating that the comments were directed at the Nogokpo shrine, not the Nogokpo people.
He clarified that the shrine is called Gbakadza, not Nogokpo as some have misconstrued.
Musician Nana Agyeman is a staunch advocate of Highlife music, expressing concern that the newer generation of artists is not representing it accurately.
He is urging experienced musicians from the Highlife genre to unite and guide the younger generation in preserving its essence.
According to the Slow Motion hitmaker, the current musical endeavors of young artists lean more towards Afrobeats and R&B rather than authentic Highlife. He believes it’s essential for veteran musicians to step in and educate them about the genuine elements of Highlife music.
“A lot goes into making a Highlife song. For the beats, we should hear the guitars, the percussion, bass and other elements. The style of singing is even different. You cannot sound like a Nigerian doing Afrobeats and call it Highlife. Most of the songs being released lately by our young musicians are not Highlife.
“The young ones have a lot to learn from the likes of Amakye Dede, Daddy Lumba, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Amandzeba, Ben Brako, Oheneba Kissi, Kojo Antwi and myself. We are more than willing to teach them all they need to know about Highlife because it is what defines us as Ghanaian musicians,” he told the Daily Graphic.
Nana Agyeman suggested workshops by engaging the older musicians to train the young ones. He explained that the older musicians had all the information to pass on to the young ones.
“If such forums are done on a regular basis with funding from the government, I believe our Highlife music can bounce back on its feet.
“Highlife is not dead to me just that we now have only a few musicians doing it and that is not the best to me. I can mention the likes of Kofi Kinaata, Akwaboah and just a few others doing Highlife. We should encourage more young musicians to get involved,” Naa Agyeman said.
Born to Mr Kwasi Anane and Madam Ama Serwaa in Boamang Soko in the Ashanti Region, Naa Agyeman started his music career about two decades ago. He released his first album, Araba, in 2000. He followed it with Mr Ode in 2002. In 2004, he came out with Kwame Ahe, and 2006, he released Kwahu Bepoe.
Nana Agyeman took a long break after Kwahu Bepoe to take care of other businesses and finally came out with Mmbaa Pe in 2019.
Anticipation for the 11th edition of the Ghana DJ Awards has reached a peak, with organizers announcing Guinness Ghana as the event’s headline sponsor. The event will now be known as the ‘Guinness Ghana DJ Awards’ powered by Smirnoff.
The collaboration with Guinness Ghana, well-known for producing and importing globally recognized brands (under its parent company, Diageo), has generated significant excitement for the forthcoming festivities.
The CEO of Merqury Republic Africa, the driving creative force behind the event, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Today marks a thrilling milestone in the Ghana DJ Awards’ history as we introduce Guinness Ghana as our esteemed title sponsor. Their steadfast backing holds the potential to take the 11th edition to unprecedented levels, empowering our skilled DJ community and pushing the music industry in Ghana towards new frontiers. We are genuinely excited about the limitless opportunities this collaboration presents and are eager to witness the remarkable moments that will unfold at the Guinness Ghana DJ Awards.”
In addition to Guinness Ghana’s title sponsorship, organizers also indicated that Smirnoff, which is a unique product of Guinness will fuel the excitement by powering the festival’s various activities, especially the Pubfest national tour which kicks off from Sunyani.
The Ghana DJ Awards, an annual event that celebrates and recognizes the exceptional talents of DJs across various genres, has become a staple in the Ghanaian entertainment calendar. With Guinness as the new title sponsor, the event is set to reach new heights, providing a platform for DJs to showcase their skills and contribute to the vibrant music culture of the nation.
Fans and industry players around the world have been eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the title sponsor, and the announcement of Guinness Ghana’s involvement has generated immense excitement across social media platforms.
As eminent figures within the industry, celebrated DJs, and influential personalities, both from Ghana and beyond, gear up to unite, the 11th-year anniversary of the festival guarantees an extravagant commemoration of skill, innovation, and commitment.
As Guinness Ghana takes the lead in the 2023 festivities, excitement grows for an exceptional revelry highlighting music and the exceptional DJs who mold the rhythm of Ghana’s music landscape.
Following the coup last month, a top US diplomat met in person with the leaders of the Niger’s military.
The chats had been “extremely frank and at times quite difficult,” according to acting deputy secretary of state Victoria Nuland.
President Mohamed Bazoum can yet be restored diplomatically, according to Washington, which has frozen aid payments in the meanwhile.
On Thursday, a meeting of West African nations is scheduled to discuss the problem.
The leaders of the junta in Niger were given till Sunday at 23:00 GMT to disband and reinstate the elected president. Ecowas is a commercial association of 15 West African republics.
The coup leaders blocked Niger’s airspace in response to a military threat from the bloc.
Speaking to reporters from Niamey, the capital, Ms. Nuland revealed that the US had offered its assistance after more than two hours of negotiations, “if there is a desire on the part of the people who are responsible for this to return to the constitutional order.”
She said, “I wouldn’t say that we took up that offer in any way.
General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the self-declared new leader of Niger, and Mr. Bazoum, according to Ms. Nuland, were not present when she met with the new military chief of staff, Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou.
Despite having previously spoken over the phone with US officials, Mr. Bazoum is still being held.
Concerns about accusations that the coup leaders had requested aid from the Russian mercenary organisation Wagner in order to preserve power in the nation were also raised, according to Ms. Nuland.
“The people who have taken this action here understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in,” she remarked.
On July 26, Gen. Tchiani, a former head of Mr. Bazoum’s presidential guard, seized over. He claimed he wanted to stop “the gradual and inevitable demise” of Niger.
France, a former colonial power, was forced to issue a warning to its nationals on Monday about travelling to the Sahel region and cautioning those who are already there due to anti-French sentiment. This was because of the region’s escalating insecurity.
The foreign ministry issued a statement that said it was crucial for people to reduce their travel to a minimum, avoid large gatherings, and stay continuously informed of the situation.
Following news that the military leaders in Ecowas had created a comprehensive strategy for the use of force, the junta in Niger declared on Sunday that it had evidence indicating that “a foreign power” was getting ready to strike the nation.
Abdel-Fatau Musah, Ecowas’ commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, earlier stated that the organisation wanted “diplomacy to work” despite “all the elements” of a “eventual intervention” having been worked out.
After President Bola Tinubu wrote to the Nigerian Senate about the Ecowas resolutions imposing sanctions and the potential use of military force, the Senate spent the weekend debating the situation in Niger.
According to local media, there was fierce resistance to military intervention, particularly from senators from states close to the two countries’ extensive border.
President Tinubu has been particularly outspoken in calling for the Niger military to step down and has warned to use force if they do not; however, he requires National Assembly consent before sending in foreign troops.
Numerous thousands of the coup leaders’ supporters gathered angrily on Sunday in a stadium in the nation’s capital, Niamey, as they appear unwilling to give up control.
Under Mr. Bazoum, Niger was an important Western ally in the conflict with Islamist extremists in West Africa’s Sahel area. Niger is a significant producer of uranium, a fuel essential for nuclear power.
In Portugal, thousands of hectares of wildfires are burning, and firefighters are struggling to put them out despite the extreme heat.
Over 1,400 people had to be evacuated due to a fire that was near the southern town of Odemira overnight on Monday.
Injuries sustained while fighting the fires total at least nine firemen.
Much of the Iberian peninsula is likely to experience temperatures above 40C (104F) this week.
Although three large fires that charred hundreds of hectares of land in Spain over the weekend have been put out, weather alerts are still in effect for much of the nation.
The highest recorded temperature of the year so far for Portugal was 46.4C (116F) on Monday in Santarém.
Strong winds caused the fire at Odemira to spread southward into the steep heart of the Algarve, Portugal’s most popular tourist destination, on Saturday.
About 6,700 hectares (16,600 acres) of land have been damaged so far, and 19 towns, four hotels, and a campground have all been evacuated.
Helder Guerreiro, the mayor of the municipality, has described the situation as “critical, difficult, and complex.”
Other significant fires in the country’s middle forced the closure of various sections of highway, notably the A1 between Lisbon and Porto.
To assist with fighting fires in the two areas, sixteen waterbombing aircraft have been sent.
More than 120 municipalities in Portugal have been classified as having the highest wildfire danger by the authorities.
On Saturday and Sunday, fires in Spain charred more than 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) of land near the southern Spanish coastal cities of Cadiz and Huelva as well as in the northern Catalonia region.
The heatwave that will hit the Iberian peninsula this week will be the third to do so this summer.
It was brought on by a significant body of hot, dry air from North Africa, according to Ruben del Campo of Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, and would be “generally more intense, more widespread, and a little longer-lasting” than the two that struck in July.
The likelihood of hot, dry weather, which is prone to start wildfires, is increasing due to climate change.
Since the start of the industrial age, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.
A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in prison by an Accra Circuit Court for forging a Bank of Ghana (BoG) license to operate a microfinance company in Suhum, Eastern region, and nearby areas.
The man, known as Kofi Asante or Davis, admitted guilt to engaging in deposit-taking without a license, leading to a four-year prison term. He also pleaded guilty to forgery of an official document, resulting in an additional eight-year prison sentence.
The court, presided over by Joojo Amoah Hagan, ordered that the sentences should be served concurrently. The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah, explained that the police received information that the now-convicted individual had set up microfinance business centers under the names KM Community Bank and Prym Capital in the Suhum area and its surroundings.
It said the convict, after establishing the business, went ahead to collect deposits from people without license.
The prosecution said intelligence indicated that the KM Community Bank had branches in Anum Apapam, Akorabo, and Amanase, while Prym Capital had its headquarters in Suhum.
The prosecution said on June 30, 2023, Asante was arrested for investigations and when his offices were searched, copies of documents purported to be issued by the Bank of Ghana in the name of KM Community Bank were found and retrieved for investigations.
It said investigations revealed that Asante had forged the Bank of Ghana License between April and January 2023 and had about 24 youths working as representatives within Suhum and its environs.
During this timeframe, Asante managed to persuade approximately 950 individuals to deposit a daily total of GHc56,000 into his business.
According to the prosecution, during questioning, Asante acknowledged that both KM Community Bank and PRYM Capital were not registered with the Office of the Registrar of Companies nor licensed by the Bank of Ghana to engage in deposit-taking activities.
Asante admitted to forging the Bank of Ghana license, which was found in his office.
Félicien Kabuga, a suspect in the Rwandan genocide, has been ordered to be urgently assessed for release, and the war crimes trial against him has been temporarily halted by UN appeal judges.
Although Mr. Kabuga’s dementia rendered him unsuitable to stand trial in June, judges at a UN war crimes court recommended that alternate processes be used instead.
Judges in the appeals court now reject this proposition.
The judges claim that the UN war crimes tribunal committed “an error of law” in June when it decided that Mr. Kabuga should be tried using a different, more straightforward method despite his condition.
Additionally, a lower trial chamber has been instructed to begin working on his release.
The 80-year-old businessman and owner of a radio station was one of the final suspects pursued by the tribunal investigating crimes committed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
He is accused of inspiring the assassins who slaughtered more than 800,000 people in just 100 days and inciting hatred through his radio programme.
After 20 years on the run, Mr. Kabuga was captured in Paris in 2020 and entered a not guilty plea.
The court acknowledged that this most recent ruling will be upsetting to the genocide victims and survivors, but added that justice could only be carried out with the utmost respect for the rights of the accused.
The debate was started by Gaurav Gogoi, a legislator from the Congress party who had introduced the motion on July 26.
After the discussion is over on Thursday, lawmakers will vote on the proposal.
Given that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies hold a majority in parliament, Mr. Modi’s government won’t lose the vote.
But according to opposition leaders, the discussion will compel Mr. Modi to address the current ethnic tensions in the state of Manipur.
Mr. Gogoi stated in front of the chamber that the opposition had introduced the resolution in an effort to “break Mr. Modi’s silence” regarding Manipur. He inquired as to why Mr. Modi had not yet made a trip to the state.
Opposition politicians have protested during the current legislative session, which got underway on July 20. They have demanded that Mr. Modi speak to the house about the violence in Manipur.
Since the beginning of May, when ethnic violence between the Meitei majority group and the tribal Kuki minority group erupted, more than 150 people have killed and tens of thousands have been displaced in Manipur.
Amit Shah, the federal home minister, stated that the government was willing to talk about the matter and accused the opposition of “running away.”
Despite the unrest and protests, certain important measures were passed with little discussion.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, who was re-instated as a lawmaker on Monday, was scheduled to start the opposition’s debate in parliament on Tuesday. He will reportedly talk at a later time today.
Since taking office in 2014, Mr. Modi’s administration has faced a motion of no confidence twice. A resolution to grant Andhra Pradesh state special category status was made by a politician in 2018. After a 12-hour argument, it was lost.
The no-confidence vote will be an opportunity for INDIA, a freshly established opposition alliance of 26 parties, to show their cohesion. The coalition, which was established in July, intends to challenge Mr. Modi’s BJP in the upcoming general election.
On Thursday, Mr. Modi is anticipated to respond to the discussion.
Actor turned politician, Fred Nuamah, has sent an official letter to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) formally retracting his candidacy for the party’s parliamentary seat in the upcoming 2024 elections.
In this withdrawal statement, Nuamah also declared his endorsement and backing for his former political competitor in the race for the Ayawaso West Wuogon parliamentary position within the party, John Settor Dumelo.
According to Daily Graphic, the letter of withdrawal was directed to the NDC’s General Secretary and the chairman of the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.
“I firmly believe that the NDC must present a unified front for the 2024 general elections. As a dedicated member of the NDC, I prioritize the party’s unity and the President John Mahama project aimed at rescuing our country.
“I wholeheartedly endorse and throw my support behind my good friend and brother, Mr. John Dumelo, to be the parliamentary candidate for the NDC in the Ayawaso West-Wuogon constituency,” the letter stated in part.
Even though Nuamah and Dumelo were both colleagues in the showbiz industry, they engaged in a heated political argument. This occurred when Dumelo, an NDC candidate in the 2020 elections, accused Nuamah of betraying him by choosing to compete against him in the party’s primaries.
The Ayawaso West Wuogon primary was one among several that the party postponed in order to address internal conflicts before conducting the primaries.
During a confrontational exchange on UTV, Dumelo stated that their friendship had ended due to this situation. In response, Nuamah firmly declared that he would not withdraw from his inaugural attempt at a political role. This exchange highlighted the tensions between the two individuals as they navigated their political ambitions.
Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has responded to the ongoing controversy surrounding the disappearance of a significant amount of money from the residence of former sanitation minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
The MP, who previously referred to the former minister as a ‘mother’ during her tenure as Bantama MP, expressed that he was initially hesitant to accept the news when he first heard about it.
Despite being presented with a charge sheet, he inquired if the document had not been altered or fabricated, only becoming convinced of its authenticity afterwards.
“Initially when I heard it, I didn’t believe it, I thought it was the usual thing that we do to each other, just tell lies and escalate and exaggerate them until someone was showing me a court document,” he told Bridget Otoo on the August 7 edition of the On-On-One show.
“And I was like, are you really sure? … I still had my doubt that Hon Cecilia Dapaah, my former colleague, remember she represented Bantama and we were all in this chamber and I called her mother because we were all in the Ashanti Caucus, we respect each other.”
Muntaka stressed that as a minister, her committee always complained of lack of funds but that it was contradictory that she was keeping as much money in her house.
“When she comes into this House, sometimes her committee complains that there is nothing, there is nothing, there is nothing. Will all this there is nothing and there is this thing in your house, it looks contradictory for me, seriously,” he stressed.
He posed questions relative to the risks that came with keeping such monies in the house before taking a swipe at some of the politicians who were criticizing the embattled former MP.
“Why do you keep such large chunks of money in the house? Let’s assume without admitting that these monies are genuinely and sincerely acquired. What if that house got burnt, what if armed robbers came into the house… is it not safer in the bank?
“Let me admit, a lot of people who are equally screaming and saying things…you will be shocked that they are equally keeping the same kind of monies in their homes,” he added.
The Chronicle Newspaper on June 20 broke the news of missing monies and other valuables from the home of Cecilia Dapaah.
Spokesperson for Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Gideon Boako, has urged critics to cease attributing the nation’s economic difficulties to the Vice President.
Dr Boako highlighted that even though Dr Bawumia leads the Economic Management Team, he is not responsible for the challenges faced by Ghana.
According to him, Dr. Bawumia has demonstrated significant competence and dedication to Ghana’s development since joining the New Patriotic Party and assuming the role of Vice President of the country.
“This government has built interchanges than any government since 1992, we should say Bawumia did that. This government has built railways than any government since 1992, let’s say Bawumia did that. This government has installed more rural telephonists than any government since 1992, we should credit Bawumia for doing that.
“This government has built classrooms more than any other government since 1992, let’s say Bawumia did that. This government has created 2.1 million jobs more than any other government has provided jobs to Ghanaians since 1992, let’s say Bawumia did that…If you say Bawumia should be blamed for anything bad about this government, then equally you should praise Bawumia for all the good things as well,” he said on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’.
To him, the blames on Bawumia are because he is contesting to become NPP Presidential candidate for the 2024 elections, so the critics think “we should give the dog a bad name and hang it”, stressing this behavior towards the Veep “is not proper”.
Dr Gideon Boako also swooped down on those wondering why Ghana still imports food products and argue that Dr. Bawumia who they believe as Head of the Economic Management Team should have installed economic strategies to stop importation.
“Rice importation is an agricultural issue. Bawumia is not the Minister for Agric…Why do you want to leave the person in charge of rice cultivation matters and blame Bawumia because he holds a title as the Head of Economic Management Team?”, he questioned.
He further emphasized that despite the “weaknesses and shortfalls” of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration, this government is far better than the opposition National Democratic Congress.
Following the coup on July 26, the commander of the Niger junta, Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, appointed a former finance minister to the position of prime minister.
Mahamadou Ouhoumoudou is replaced by Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine since he was in Europe at the time of the coup.
From 2001 until the army overthrew the late former President Mamadou Tandja in 2010, Mr. Zeine, who is believed to be in his 50s, served as cabinet director and finance minister.
A junta spokeswoman delivered a statement announcing his appointment on the public television network Télé Sahel on Monday night.
According to the privately owned ActuNiger news website, Mr. Zeine has recently worked for the African Development Bank in Gabon, Ivory Coast, and Chad.
Along with appointing Brig. Gen. Amadou Didilli as the nation’s High Authority for Peace Consolidation (HACP) leader and Brig. Gen. Abou Tague Mahamadou as the inspector general of the army and national gendarmerie, the junta made these appointments on Monday.
It designated Lt Col Habibou Assoumane as the commander of the presidential guard and Col Ibro Amadou Bachirou as the junta leader’s personal chief of staff.
Tensions escalate at Agogo South Hospital as Dr Oheneba Owusu-Danso‘s reengagement sparks controversy.
The hospital, also known as Agogo hospital, serves as the Ashanti regional hospital in Kumasi.
Dr. Owusu-Danso, the former CEO of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), was reappointed after initially being appointed as acting CEO in 2017 by President Nana Akufo Addo.
His tenure extended for four years and an additional two years until 2022. Upon his retirement, Prof. Dr Ochere Addai Mensah, former Dean of Students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, was appointed by the government.
This move has sparked tension among Agogo South Hospital’s staff, leading to potential protests.
National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has classified President Akufo-Addo‘s government as being more unfavorable than certain historical military regimes in Ghana’s history.
As per Asiedu Nketiah, he has reached the determination that President Akufo-Addo has deceived the citizens of Ghana.
“From 1992 onwards, we were on course making improvements over the previous year every new year. But Nana Addo’s term has sent us back in terms of our politics and governance and I feel pained by that.
“The reason why I am pained is that I’ve had some crisscrossing with Nana Addo… when we rose to fight against the military governments of Acheampong and Akuffo, we were very active in those days as students.
“As students we were very active in the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice led by the likes Nana Akufo-Addo. So at that time we saw Akufo-Addo as a hero who was going to exhibit democracy if God gave him an opportunity to become president,” he told Captain Smart when he appeared on Onua TV’s morning show.
Although he previously held a particular belief about Nana Addo, Asiedu Nketiah asserted that he has demonstrated himself to be even more inadequate in his governance role.
“So down the line that he finally became president, even though we are not in the same party we all thought he will at least not cross some lines. But it has come to a point where looking at his performance in government he has performed worse than the Acheampong and Akuffo regimes that we were fighting against in terms of governance.
“So I am pained because he has fooled us… It makes me think we were all just being foolish by following him because it has turned out that the true democracy he was leading us to fight for was just him seeking for an opportunity to enrich himself and his family. It means he has fooled us and when I sleep and think about it, I feel pained,” he said.
Asiedu Nketiah said Akufo-Addo’s administration has been characterised by undermining Ghana’s democracy through subversion of key state institutions including the media, judiciary and traditional leaders as well as electoral processes.
In China’s main grain-producing region in the northeast, days of torrential rain have resulted in severe flooding that has killed 14 people and raised questions about food security as floodwaters flooded farmlands.
Since late July, typhoon Doksuri’s aftermath has pounded northern China, forcing more than a million people to flee their homes and killing at least 30 people in the Hebei province and Beijing’s suburbs.
Another 14 fatalities were recorded on Sunday in the city of Shulan in the province of Jilin as the storm advanced further north.
Three local officials, including the deputy mayor of the city, were among the deceased after being swept away by floodwater during last week’s rescue efforts, according to a statement from Shulan authorities. It noted that there was still a missing official.
Shulan has been cleared for evacuation, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.
State media said that rivers in Heilongjiang, a neighbouring province, that water its fertile farmlands overflowed, burying rice fields, ruining vegetable greenhouses, and harming enterprises.
According to Heilongjiang authorities, 25 rivers in the province have reached warning levels and are in danger of overflowing.
The third most urgent level in a four-tier emergency response system, Level 3 was declared on Sunday by China’s Ministry of Water Resources for the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang.
According to People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, over 162,000 people had to be evacuated from Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang, and over 90,000 hectares of crops were destroyed by floodwater.
The biggest rainfall Shangzhi has seen in more than 60 years caused the destruction of more than 42,575 hectares of crops, according to Xinhua.
Authorities in the city of Wuchang, another important rice-producing metropolis in Heilongjiang, are still calculating the damage after numerous villages and substantial tracts of farmland were also inundated there.
As extreme weather events linked to climate change pose growing dangers to China’s agricultural and food resources, concerns about the possible effects on food security in the second-largest economy in the world have increased.
The three northeastern most provinces, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning, are referred to as China’s granary since they produce more than one fifth of the nation’s grain production due to the area’s fertile black soil. The main crops grown there are rice, maize and soybeans.
Typhoons Khanun and Doksuri brought heavy rainstorms last week, which the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said would have a “severe impact” on China’s agricultural output.
The destruction of the rice fields in northeast China followed the flooding of Henan Province, another significant grain-growing region that supplies nearly a third of the nation’s wheat, by severe rains in late May.
According to official media, the Henan authorities claimed that the flooding there was the region’s most disastrous rain event for wheat output in the previous ten years.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, those downpours, which occurred just before the harvest, caused a 0.9 percent decrease in China’s output of summer wheat this year, the first decrease in seven years.
Family saved in risky attempt from typhoon flood waters
According to authorities from the China Meteorological Administration, the subsequent heat waves that scorched much of northern China and broke temperature records in June brought droughts that impeded the growth of young crops like maize and soybeans.
These blows to China’s agriculture industry are anticipated to have a short-term impact on food prices, which had been largely stable in recent months. This is largely because deflationary risks have been growing in China’s economy, which contrasts sharply with the continuing struggle with inflation in much of the rest of the world.
China removed anti-dumping penalties on imports of Australian barley last week. These tariffs were put in place in 2020 during the height of diplomatic hostilities between the two nations.
During the summer of 2022, China endured its worst heat wave and drought in decades, which led to widespread power outages and disrupted the supply lines for food and industry.
Beijing has since increased its emphasis on food security. Agriculture, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, is the cornerstone ofnational security.
When agriculture experiences a problem, our bowls will be held in someone else’s hands, and we will be forced to rely on others for our food. In that case, how can modernization be accomplished? He made this statement in an article that appeared in the Communist Party’s primary theoretical journal, Qiushi, in March.
Ghanaian Highlife artist ‘Kwabena Kwabena’ dismisses gay allegations.
There have been speculations about the singer’s sexuality due to his fashion choices, including polished nails and outfits some consider feminine.
Kwabena Kwabena addressed these rumors on Asaase Radio, emphasizing that his clothing preferences don’t define his sexuality.
He defended his right to express himself through clothing, countering assumptions about his orientation.
This comes after he sparked discussion with an outfit at the recent VGMAs.
“We are a society we need a lot of education. I think illiteracy plays a lot in our minds, especially when it comes to these things. Sexuality can’t be determined by appearance. That is basic. And who said painting nails, manicures, and pedicures is for females? Who said that, who made that rule? Manicure and pedicure is for everybody, if you want to keep your nails clean.
“If you have a problem about something somebody does, I think the best way is to speak your mind or suggest what you think could have been done. Rather than you abusing people on the internet and saying all kinds of things”, he stated.
He added that the numerous criticisms will not deter him from living his best life.
“For me, it doesn’t really bother me because I’ll always do what I want to do and what makes me comfortable”, he said.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the National Cathedral of Ghana project is accumulating debts even though construction work on the project has been halted due to a lack of funds.
During an appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show, Ablakwa clarified that the accumulations by early August 2023 had reached a total of $52 million.
He advised individuals asserting that the project was gradually fading away that their stance was inaccurate, as it was still incurring expenses for taxpayers. He highlighted that those suggesting harm had already been inflicted and asserting that the project had been at a standstill for 17 months, potentially succumbing to a natural cessation were not accurate in their assessment.
“I want to avert the minds of people who may be thinking that way to the fact that the contract which has been signed, a very very terrible contract per experts, even though work is not going on, there are accruals. There is something in the contract called suspension claims,” he submitted on August 5, 2023.
“So, even though the government has suspended work, every month, Ghana is paying US$500,000. Every month, so it is accruing, as we speak, the accruals alone have come to US$52 million,” he revealed.
He reminded that US$58 million had been spent already before going on to give a break down of the accruals as follows:
a. US$29m certified claim from Ribade, after the company stopped work and laid off staff in March 2022
b. Interest claim on the US$29 million is US$13 million that is what contractors are saying
c. Suspension of work so far has accrued debt of US$10m
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) announced on Monday that a suspected Russian informant had been arrested in connection with a conspiracy to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to a statement from the SBU, the detained woman has not been officially identified but is from the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine.
She had allegedly been “gathering intelligence” regarding Zelensky’s anticipated trip to Mykolaiv at the end of July, according to the SBU, in preparation for a Russian airstrike to assassinate the president.
However, SBU agents discovered the “subversive activities of the suspect” and implemented additional security measures, thwarting the scheme.
According to the SBU, it arrested the woman “red-handed” while she “was trying to pass intelligence to the invaders.”
The SBU discovered through the monitoring of the woman’s conversations that she was also tasked with locating military ammunition storage facilities and electronic warfare equipment.
She purportedly roamed the district’s land and recorded the locations of Ukrainian artefacts.
The investigation revealed that the offender was an Ochakov resident from the Mykolaiv district who had previously worked as a salesperson in a military supply store.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Zelensky’s nation began in February 2022, there are multiple known attempts on his life. At the beginning of the conflict, the Ukrainian president was to be killed by Russian special troops.
In an article released in April 2022, TIME magazine detailed how Russian troops had parachuted into Kyiv on February 24, the day the conflict started, to kill or kidnap Zelensky and his family.
The presidential guard attempted to enclose the area using police barriers and heaps of plywood as Ukrainian and Russian forces engaged in combat in the streets of Kyiv, according to TIME.
Rifles and bulletproof vests, according to military intelligence veteran Oleksiy Arestovych, were given to Zelensky and approximately a dozen aides as Russian troops made two attempts to invade the presidential compound.
Arestovych told TIME, “It was an absolute madhouse.” “Everyone needs automatics.”
Zelensky rejected the British and American offers to evacuate him as well as the suggestion of his bodyguards to leave the property. I need ammo, not a ride, he famously said in response.
Later, when Ukrainian soldiers fought Russians in the neighbouring streets, Zelensky left the facility to record a defiant video message on his phone.
In March of last year, Zelensky’s assistant to the Ukrainian president, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed that Zelensky had escaped more than a dozen murder attempts.
“External sources mention two or three tries. There have, in my opinion, been more than a dozen such attempts. According to Podolyak, who was mentioned in Ukrainska Pravda, “We are continuously receiving information that some reconnaissance organisations are attempting to access government buildings and other places of similar importance.
Zelensky was Putin’s primary objective when he attacked government buildings and made an effort to assassinate the nation’s important leader, according to Western intelligence, he continued.
Shortly before this alleged assassination attempt, Zelensky discussed living with the knowledge that his death is still a top target for Russian troops in an interview with CNN in July.
“I’ll be honest with you and say that I’ve decided to shut myself down if I continue to think about it nonstop. Very similar to Putin right now, who never leaves his bunker,” Zelensky remarked.
Zelensky added that he thinks it’s crucial for Ukrainians to understand that their president is also under peril as they struggle to stave off the Russian invasion.
“If I choose to isolate myself, I won’t be able to comprehend what is happening in the nation around me. I’ll get disconnected from civilization. We would lose our society if I lost this link. I’m certain that society must realise that, if they are in danger, their President is, too. We must all be in danger, he remarked.
They are aware that I have protection, etc., of course, but I must stand by my people. You are aware that you are capable of locking yourself in a cage like an animal and remaining there permanently while feeling like your life is in danger.
Zelensky claimed that by leaving his personal security “to the professionals,” he is able to “free (his) mind to resolve the strategic issues.”
He noted that critical sectors such as the financial industry, which serves as a vital component of any economy, were inadequately established before the pandemic emerged.
“He blames Covid and the Ukraine war for his mess, but the facts say otherwise. Long before Covid, in November 2019, when he presented the 2020 budget to Parliament, he prophesised a steady decline in GDP growth from 7.0% in 2019 to as low as 4.6% in 2022, followed by a weak recovery to 6.5% in 2023.
“This grim outlook reflected the consequences of his vindictive and ruinous policies since 2017, including the wanton destruction of the financial sector – the source of oxygen for any economy – which shrank by an average of nearly 12% per year, and the very dynamic construction sector, which declined by 6.5% by the end of 2019, fuelling unemployment. Growth in other sectors either slowed or also declined. The economy was heading for the doghouse long before the world heard of Covid,” Mr. Thompson has said in a statement.
The economic in reacting to the mid-year budget review read in Parliament by the Finance Minister said the Minister has steadily degraded the exercise into a comical display of incoherent biblical quotations.
“And whilst Covid did stagger the economy and put a strain on government finances for most of 2020, it also became a financial bonanza for the government, which raised nearly GH¢28 billion (not the GH¢21.8 billion in the Auditor-General’s report) to fight the pandemic. (The report omitted the GH¢5.8 billion, or US$1 billion, that the IMF gave the government in 2021, in addition to the US$1 billion (GH¢5.6 billion) given in 2020). (Combined tax revenue shortfall in 2020 and 2021 was GH¢5 billion).
“Of the GH¢28 billion, nearly GH¢12 billion (about 43%) “was spent on Covid-related activities”, according to the report, with the remainder going to the nebulously named “budget support,” which could mean anything.
“The positive impact on the economy – and the budget – of all that money is yet to be felt. Rather, the government has followed the IMF’s crazy advice and imposed more taxes and raised the rates for others, ostensibly to “revitalise” the economy and “mobilise revenue”. The woman roasting plantain by the roadside would tell you this is madness, and it is, as reflected in the minister’s gloomy economic prophecy for 2023.”
A woman in her 50s from Abura Asebu Kwamankese District of the Central Region was fatally shot by alleged armed robbers in Abura Dunkwa home.
According to information gathered by Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan, Adwoa Sarfoa, the victim, was asleep on Sunday, August 6, 2023 at midnight when she heard gunshots at the back of her home.
She allegedly heard dogs barking and stones falling on her roof. Curiosity drove her to step outside to investigate, but when she did, she was tragically shot through the window.
When the victim shouted for help, her neighbours heard her and came to her aid, taking her to the Abura Dunkwa government hospital where she received medical attention.
A day after a Chinese delegation took part in international negotiations to settle the conflict that included Kyiv but excluded Moscow, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi assured his Russian counterpart that Beijing continues to be “impartial” on the conflict in Ukraine.
Wang emphasised to Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, in a phone chat on Monday that China and Russia are “trustworthy and reliable good friends and partners.”
According to a readout of the call released by China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang stated, “On the Ukraine crisis, China will uphold an independent and impartial position, sound an objective and rational voice, actively promote peace talks, and strive to seek a political solution on any international multilateral occasion.”
The call came after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia, where nearly 40 countries, including important allies of Ukraine like the US, UK, and Germany, as well as India and several Middle Eastern countries, gathered to talk about resolving the conflict after Moscow’s invasion began almost 18 months ago.
In order to identify “common ground that will pave the way for peace,” the group concluded that it is crucial to engage in international conversation.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry’s readout of the call on Monday, Lavrov “appreciates and welcomes the constructive role played by China” towards a diplomatic resolution of the “Ukraine crisis.”
Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, referred to China’s participation in the discussions in Jeddah as “a super breakthrough and a historic victory.”
Xi Jinping, the leader of China and a self-described buddy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has long been seen as a potential mediator who may help drive Moscow towards peace, and this expectation has been shared by both Ukraine and its Western allies.
Putin and Xi both saw the other as a key ally in altering what they perceive to be an American-led international order that is antagonistic to their objectives.
Despite Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which Beijing has never denounced, China has continued to strengthen its economic, political, and security ties with Russia.
Despite making efforts in recent months to establish itself as a viable peace mediator in the crisis, it did not send a team to previous international negotiations in Denmark in June.
China’s involvement in the Jeddah meetings coincides with the country’s efforts to reignite its relationship with important European trading partners in the face of economic hardship and continued tension with the United States. China has also been stepping up its ties with Saudi Arabia.
Beijing’s backing of Russia has seriously hurt Beijing’s standing in Europe.
The mission was headed by Li Hui, China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, who “had extensive interaction and conversation with all sides on the political settlement of the Ukraine problem… carefully to various points of view and suggestions, furthering the development of global consensus,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to Reuters on Monday. The ministry has been contacted by CNN for comment.
However, China’s participation in the negotiations did not seem to change its own position on the dispute.
Following the meetings, the ministry told Reuters that Beijing would continue to strengthen the dialogue based on its 12-point position on a political resolution to the problem.
Beijing’s earlier-in-the-year plan called for negotiations to end the crisis. However, it differs considerably from Ukraine’s own vision for peace in that it advocates for a ceasefire without also urging the evacuation of Russian soldiers, which, according to detractors, would enable Moscow to cement its illegitimate military victories.
Despite the opposing side’s objections, Ukraine and Russia continue to officially support the conditions for direct dialogue.
The Chinese foreign ministry reports that Lavrov and Wang addressed China’s proposal during their phone discussion on Monday, with Lavrov reportedly stating that Russia “highly endorses” it.
Wang called for both parties to “work closely and strategically” to promote a “multi-polar world” and “democratisation of international relations” – terms they used to express their shared vision for a world order where Western countries hold less sway. This conversation also highlighted their alignment in the international arena more generally.
According to an official Russian account of the call, which was released by state-run news agency Tass, the two “once again confirmed unanimity or broad consonance of Moscow and Beijing’s approaches to world affairs.”
According to Tass, “They noted their rejection of the Western bloc’s confrontational policy towards Russia and China, as well as its attempts to stifle their growth through the use of sanctions and other illegal means.”
The two had not spoken since Wang’s surprise reappointment as China’s foreign minister in late July, following the abrupt replacement of Qin Gang, who had served in the position for barely six months.
Prior to being elevated to head the foreign affairs branch of the ruling Chinese Communist Party late last year, Wang served as foreign minister for approximately ten years. He now occupies both positions.
According to Tass, Lavrov wished his Chinese counterpart “great success in his new demanding role” and congratulated him on his appointment.
Rashid Anaata, a well-known beautician and wedding decorator in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region, has been arrested and is currently undergoing prosecution for the defilement of more than thirty girls in the area.
Most of the girls, aged between 10 and 13, shared similar accounts of how Anaata lured them into his room and forcibly assaulted them.
When three of the victims exposed the alleged pedophile in a viral social media video in May of this year, he went into hiding. Despite police efforts to locate him, he remained elusive. However, last week, the police, acting on a tip, successfully apprehended him in his hideout in the Upper West Region.
Anaata has been brought before the court and charged with defiling 12 children, who have undergone medical examination and are prepared to testify. The remaining 30 girls have not yet joined the prosecution, according to the State Attorney overseeing the case.
Anaata had initially been reported to the police for defiling a schoolgirl in 2016. However, the case was later dropped due to pressure on the victim’s mother.
In May 2023, Mr. Eliasu Baba Yussif, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bahass Foundation, reported him to the police again for the defilement of three girls. Although the police responded promptly, Anaata had already disappeared by that time.
More than two years after two FBI agents were assassinated while looking into an alleged global paedophile network, authorities in the US and Australia announced Tuesday that 98 people have been detained in connection with child sex abuse and 13 children have been saved from harm.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced in a news conference on Tuesday that the joint operation resulted in 19 men being detained in Australia and 79 arrests, 65 indictments, and 43 convictions in the US.
In 2021, while carrying out a search warrant for a computer programmer suspected of having child abuse materials, two FBI agents looking into the alleged ring were fatally shot, CNN previously reported.
According to Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider, the suspected child abuse ring was a “peer to peer network” with “some offenders committing offences for over 10 years.”
Schneider noted, “Some of the children were known to the men who were arrested,” but she would not elaborate.
The FBI provided information about Australian users of a peer-to-peer network who were allegedly distributing child abuse material on the dark web, which led to the start of the Australian police inquiry in 2022.
Nitiana Mann, the FBI’s legal attaché in Canberra, told reporters on Tuesday that “this operation was very complex.” No agency or nation can combat these dangers alone due to the complexity and anonymity of these platforms.
According to a statement from the police, the majority of the suspected Australian perpetrators held positions that needed extensive IT abilities.
In order to avoid law enforcement identification, members of the network allegedly utilised “software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards, and access websites within the network,” the statement continued.
The alleged culprits, according to AFP Commander Schneider, ran a “sophisticated network.”
The lengths this network went to escape detection “is an indication of just how dangerous they were,” she added. “Viewing, distributing, and producing child abuse material is a horrific crime.”
“The longer individuals like this go undetected, the longer the cycle of abuse persists.”
She continued that additional arrests could not be ruled out.
The collaborative effort resulted in the sending of more than 200 foreign leads to partner nations and the opening of more than 300 investigations, according to Mann.
On February 2, 2021, while serving a federal search warrant at an apartment complex in Sunrise, Florida, FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed in a gunfight.
The shooting suspect passed away at the scene, and three further agents were wounded.
When the shooting and deaths of Alfin and Schwartzenberger occurred, Miami FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro referred to it as “a very dark day for the FBI.”
The agents were well-known for their outstanding work in the field, which included investigating child abuse and warning students about the dangers of sex crimes.
Since November 2008, no FBI agent had been fatally shot while on the job before their deaths.
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that despite the suspension of work on the National Cathedral of Ghana project due to a lack of funds, the project’s debt continues to grow. As of early August 2023, the accumulated debt has reached a staggering US$52 million.
Ablakwa emphasized that even though construction activities are not currently ongoing, certain contractual obligations are responsible for the ongoing debts. Notably, a concept known as “suspension claims” requires the Ghanaian government to make monthly payments of US$500,000, even during the period of suspended construction. This practice has significantly contributed to the substantial debt that has accrued.
Breaking down the sources of the debt, Ablakwa provided the following information:
A certified claim of US$29 million from Ribade, the company responsible for the construction, arising from their decision to halt work and lay off staff in March 2022.
An interest claim amounting to US$13 million on the aforementioned US$29 million, as reported by the contractors.
An additional debt of US$10 million attributed to the suspension of work itself.
This information underscores the intricate financial challenges associated with managing large-scale infrastructure projects. It highlights the potential financial consequences that can persist even when construction activities are temporarily put on hold.
This situation raises pertinent questions about the financial oversight, contractual agreements, and overall management of the National Cathedral project. Transparent communication and accountability are crucial aspects that need to be emphasized in such endeavors to ensure that public funds are utilized with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
This article was written and first published in 2015
Former Executive Director of the Danquah Institute Gabby Asare Otchere Darko is imputing criminality in the contract awarded to West Blue Company by the presidency.
According to him, the presidency breached several sections of the procurement law in awarding the contract to the company.
In a new twist to the unfolding Destination Inspection Companies and Bankswitch scandal, it has emerged the presidency instructed the Finance Ministry to award a new contract to West Blue on sole sourcing.
Myjoyonline.com obtained a copy of a leaked letter in which the Chief of Staff, on the say so of president John Mahama, instructed the Finance Ministry to take steps in appointing West Blue Company as a new company to operate a national single window at the country’s ports.
The letter dated May 12, 2015, said: “In pursuant to his Excellency the president’s decision you are directed to formally engage West Blue Ghana Ltd to undertake the following services;
1. Software implementation and support activities to GRA and related agencies for takeover of functions of DICs on 1 September, 2015.
“…You should take the necessary steps to secure the Public Procurement Approval in order to engage West Blue on Single Source basis,” the letter said.
Myjoyonline.com can confirm that all five Destination Inspection Companies at the ports will not have their contracts renewed when it expires in August.
A National Single Window to be operated by West Blue Company will begin operations from September, 2015.
GCNet, a company within the ports, has written to the Trade Minister informing him about the possible breach of contract by government if it went ahead to give the Single Window contract to another company.
The company insists it is performing the same functions for which West Blue has been contracted.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko said the award of contracts to companies at the country’s ports have largely been influenced by corruption and not national interest.
According to him, the amount of money the five DICs made at the ports in a single year was $100 million which is one percent of the total revenue accrued from imports.
With the five DICs on their way out it means one company is likely to benefit from this largesse at the ports.
Copiously quoting portions of the Procurement Law, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko said the presidency has breached the law in appointing West Blue to takeover operations under a national single window.
“Act 663 of 2003, states in part that an entity may engage in single source procurement with the approval of the board:
(a) where goods, works or services are only available from a particular supplier.
(b) where there is an urgent need for the goods , works or service.
(c) where owing to a catastrophic event it is impractical to use other methods in procurement because of the time involved,” he quoted the law as saying.
He argued West Blue cannot be said to be the only company providing the services for which it has been contracted.
Indeed the five DICs and GCNet are performing the same function so under what condition was West Blue sole sourced to provide the services at the ports? he asked.
The former Editor of the Statesman newspaper also argued further that before a procurement can be sole sourced there has to be price quotations from a supplier or contractor. He does not understand how from the presidency, instructions will be given to the Finance Minister to, at all cost, give a contract to West Blue Ghana Limited when there has not been any price quotations.
He is convinced a breach of the procurement law is a criminal offence and the presidency must be guided.
Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, is actively addressing judicial frustrations and corruption within the court system. Her commitment to receiving and acting on public petitions, as well as her determination to apply the full rigors of the law to those involved in wrongdoing, demonstrates a dedication to maintaining a fair and just judicial process.
The establishment of a revamped Public Complaints Directorate and public complaints units at all courts is a positive step towards addressing concerns and grievances from the public. This initiative provides a platform for individuals who have experienced issues with court officials to report their concerns directly to the higher authorities, ensuring that transparency and accountability are upheld within the judicial system.
Justice Torkornoo acknowledges receiving and acting on at least 10 petitions daily, reassuring that she takes the concerns of the public seriously and is committed to addressing them promptly.
“Bring those people to our attention, and I will not hesitate to sack them, while they also face the full rigours of the law,” she said.
“There is a revamped Public Complaints Directorate with public complaints units at all courts…. My office accepts and acts on petitions daily. Every day, not less than 10 petitions arrive on my desk, and we act on all of them.” She explained.
Justice Torkornoo’s stance on dealing with court staff, including registrars, clerks, judges, and other officials, who engage in misconduct or demand bribes, showcases her dedication to maintaining the integrity of the judicial system in Ghana. By promising to take strong action, including possible dismissal and legal consequences, she sends a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated.
It’s also notable that Justice Torkornoo is the third female Chief Justice of Ghana, which reflects the progress being made in promoting gender diversity and inclusion within leadership roles in the country.
Overall, Justice Torkornoo’s approach and commitment to upholding the rule of law, transparency, and accountability within the Ghanaian judiciary are positive developments that can contribute to a more trustworthy and fair judicial system.
The topic of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) has dominated public discussions in Ghana for a considerable period of time. Numerous voices and discussions have added to this significant discourse. Yet, it’s evident that the majority of Ghanaians oppose any legal recognition of homosexuality. While the minority perspective is less prominent, some notable figures in Ghana hold this view.
Here are some Ghanaian celebrities who support the LGBTQ
Wanlov The Kubolor
Ghanaian-Romanian musician and director Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu is better known by his stage name Kubulor. Kubulor demonstrated support for Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community. He promoted arguments in support of their orientation on his social media platforms.
Kubulor flaunts himself on social media while donning women’s clothing, makeup, and a rainbow flag representing the LGBTQ+ movement.
Sister Derby
Ghanaian singer and model Debora Vannessa Owusu Bonsu expressed her support for the LGBTQ+ community, emphasizing the importance of embracing critics with love instead of hatred. She highlighted that people often fear what they are unfamiliar with.
Panji Anoff Panji Anoff is a Ghanaian music producer and artist manager, responsible for overseeing the careers of celebrities such as Kubulor, Yaa Poni, and Mensa, among others.
Panji asserts that identifying as gay or lesbian is not a criminal act, and thus individuals should be protected from harm in the country. He emphasizes that harboring hatred towards LGBTQ+ individuals infringes upon their basic human rights.
Shatta Wale
Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr., widely known as Shatta Wale, is a Ghanaian reggae-dancehall musician and entrepreneur. He also voices his support for LGBTQ+ rights in Ghana. Shatta Wale advocates for love over hatred, urging people not to judge or hate individuals based on their engagement with LGBTQ+. He emphasizes that what truly matters is the content of a person’s heart, rather than their sexual orientation.
Leila is a celebrated filmmaker who has earned awards for her work. Additionally, she is a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights in Ghana. Leila asserts that homosexuality has historical roots within African culture and should not be dismissed outright within the country.
She believes that recognizing LGBTQ+ individuals helps safeguard the youth against discrimination.
6. Lydia Forson
The outspoken actress and social activist, is not easily silenced. She has a notable history of confronting both political figures and individuals in religious leadership positions.
Identifying as a third-wave feminist, Forson aspires for equality across all genders, not just for women. Her stance encompasses supporting laws that safeguard individuals’ rights to choose their own identities.
7. Bridget Otoo
Bridget Otoo stands as perhaps the initial media personality to openly endorse the legalization of the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana.
Amidst the ongoing discourse on legalizing same-sex marriage in the country, she has emerged as a steadfast advocate for the LGBTQ+ cause, even in the face of criticism from her social media followers.
Lately, a significant portion of her Twitter posts has been dedicated to promoting and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in Ghana.
8. Juliet Ibrahim
In the Ghanaian film scene, both Ghallywood and Nollywood actress Juliet Ibrahim have voiced her backing for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Ghana.
On social media, she criticized Ghanaians who oppose the LGBTQ+ movement and went so far as to hint at exposing prominent figures in Ghana who are involved with the LGBTQ+ community.
10.Pappy Kojo
Pappy Kojo
Jason Gaisie, widely recognized as Pappy Kojo, stands as the sole musician from Takoradi who has openly expressed his endorsement for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Ghana.
11. Kwabena Kwabena
Kwabena Kwabena, another Ghanaian musician, has added his voice to those supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage in Ghana.
His focal point has been the disapproval he holds towards certain Ghanaians, particularly religious leaders, who propagate hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community within the country.
12. Efia Odo
The outspoken Ghanaian socialite explains that gays, just as any other living thing on earth, are created by God.
Sodom and Gomorrah was a slum located on the eastern banks of the Korle Lagoon in the Greater Accra Region.
The town largely comprises of squatters and settlers from all over West and East Africa.
The nearby Timber Market also attracts traders from all over Ghana, who partly live within the market to protect their goods, and dump waste into the Korle Lagoon.
During the first Rawlings civilian administration, the AMA wanted to build a new market for foodstuffs sellers, away from the nearby Makola Market and to stop encroachment on the Railway lines and Accra Brewery Limited properties.
That sprawling market which has now gone beyond the official market boundaries is the popular Agbogbloshie Market.
The eastern banks of the Korle Lagoon, between Agbogbloshie Market and Timber Market, the part of Old Fadama under discussion, now increasingly became a dumping ground for market waste, and was popularly called Sodom and Gomorrah in allusion to the continuous burning of rubbish and waste material there.
The name Sodom and Gomorrah also suggests that the settlers there are burning in fire and brimstone, in reference to the biblical passage in Genesis Chapter 18-19.
Indeed their plight is terrible.
Old Fadama is also part of Kwame Nkrumah’s “Industrial Area”, and has thus always attracted itinerant or migrant workers.
It is easy to see why the migrant workers from the railway station, Agbogbloshie, Makola and Timber Market, who cannot return home daily from nearby regions due to a dysfunctional railway service will erect structures at Sodom and Gomorrah, an area of about one square kilometre.
Those who lost housing and working places within the demolished Sodom and Gomorrah (or “temporary withdrawal”, the term preferred by the Accra mayor), will easily number 10,000.
It is quite a sorry sight to see young kayayei (female head porters) moving in droves with their pans, from Makola toward Sodom and Gomorrah after 6pm – going to bathe and sleep and return by 6am.
Around 2000, the Ga Mashie landowners offered free land in Adjen Kotoku, off the Accra-Nsawam road, but the settlers reportedly said they would only starve there because they got their livelihood from their gigs within the central business district of Accra, and consequently refused to move.
Millions of dollars have been spent in the past on dredging the lagoon, easily the most polluted water body in Ghana – all to no avail.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly itself has officially turned southern banks of the Korle, where just a highway separates the Lagoon from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, into a waste dump for Tuesday Market and residents of Kaneshie, Mamprobi, Dansoman, Korle Gonno and other western parts of the metropolis.
In its days of glory, the Korle Lagoon, which had a pristine mangrove swamp, was a beautiful site for watching birds, crabs and fishing, and there were yacht races in the 1930s.
May my mentor’s charge, “There is never a wrong time to do the right thing” strengthen our leaders to settle the squatters away from the Korle lagoon and its aquifers.
