They asserted that the launch occurred just hours after the USS Annapolis, a nuclear-powered US submarine, docked at Jeju Island, the largest island in South Korea.
The US has steadily increased its presence in the waters east of the Korean peninsula, part of its own show of force amid signs of Pyongyang’s growing willingness to conduct nuclear attacks.
Just last week, a nuclear-armed submarine, the USS Kentucky, became the first such vessel to come to South Korea in more than forty years.
North Korea responded in much the same way, again test-firing ballistic and cruise missiles in an apparent attempt to demonstrate its capacity to strike both the US vessels and South Korean territory.
The tests were accompanied by strong words from despotic leader Kim Jong-un, who warned such increased presence would likely meet the hermit kingdom’s criteria for a nuclear attack.
Both Korean nations have continued to ramp up military drills in recent months.
Experts have warned that further proof-testing of new missile designs within North Korean territory also risks contaminating the country’s water supply.
Dr Olli Heinonen, formerly director general of nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency, previously said: ‘Water from melting snow and rain can enter in through cracks and wash out fission products and plutonium.
‘It can transport it with the groundwater, into a small river passing the [test] site, and on to agricultural sites and towns downstream.’
He added: ‘Such contamination could enter into food chains and accumulate in agriculture products, fish, meat and eventually in people.’
In the 1990s, a devastating famine is estimated to have killed as many as three million people in North Korea.
According to testimony from people living under the Kim regime, the situation is now almost as dire as it was then, following the government’s decision to seal its borders in 2020, cutting off vital supplies.
Nuclear contamination would further exacerbate food shortages in a country where, due to the government’s strict informational policing, an unknown portion of some 26 million people are likely facing starvation.
The Housing Secretary has refuted claims that the government has been hesitant to act in regards to Greece by announcing that he will be vacationing on a Greek island next week.
Even though the opposition has urged the Foreign Office to issue a “do not travel” warning due to the ongoing wildfires, Michael Gove has refuted that claim.
He has argued that tourists can travel freely in the nation, and he has even declared his intention to travel to the Greek island of Evia the next week.
He said: ‘I’m due to go on holiday, God willing, to Greece in just over a week’s time, not to Rhodes but to another island and I’m looking forward to going.
‘Greece is a wonderful country, a wonderful place to holiday and we do need to support the Greek government in dealing with the situation in Rhodes.
‘My heart goes out to those who are affected but the advice is clear, if you follow the Foreign Office advice it is safe.’
Currently, the advice for Brit holidaymakers in Greece have been advised to check with their tour operator or airline before travelling.
Michael Gove is still planning to jet to Greece next week (Picture: PA)Firefighters have been trying to tackle the fires for days (Picture: REUTERS)
Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran believes a ‘do not travel’ warning needs to be issued as soon as possible – particularly for the island of Rhodes, which is among the worst-affected areas.
She said: ‘As wildfires blaze and thousands are evacuated, it is staggering that the Foreign Office travel guidance for Rhodes does not advise against all but essential travel.
‘Thanks to Conservative ministers’ inaction, many families are unable to make a claim against their insurance, leaving them paying the penalty for deciding not to fly out to the island.
‘The government urgently needs to get a grip and help holiday makers who have been impacted by these terrible scenes.’
A new law in Russia that outlaws gender-affirming medical operations has been signed by the president.
Vladimir Putin’s efforts to defend “traditional values” have dealt yet another devastating blow to Russia’s LGBTQ+ population with the passage of the new measure, which was unanimously passed by both houses of parliament.
It prohibits changing one’s gender on official documents or in the public record, as well as any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person.”
The only exception to the ban would be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies, and only licenced clinics linked to the Russian Health Ministry can make decisions about these treatments.
The bill also annuls marriages where one person has changed gender, and bans transgender people from fostering or adopting children.
Legislators say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against ‘Western anti-family ideology’, with some describing gender transitioning as ‘pure satanism’.
When the ban passed through Russia’s lower house of parliament earlier this month, Badma Bashenkaev, chair of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection, said: ‘We have our Russian families, and the liberalization of such phenomena can be the first step on the road to hell.’
Putin has been cracking down on the LGBTQ+ community for a decade. His declaration to focus on ‘traditional family values’ was supported by the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 2013 the Kremlin adopted a new law which banned public endorsement of ‘nontraditional sexual relations’ between minors.
Same-sex marriage was banned in 2020, and last year Putin signed a law banning ‘propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations’ among adults.
More than 2,000 people legally changed their sex in Russia while the practice was legal between 2018 and 2022, the country’s deputy health minister said.
As wildfires blaze throughout Algeria, at least 25 people have perished, including 10 troops.
Since many days ago, there have been fires burning all throughout the nation, some of which have been fueled by strong winds and have expanded to woods and agricultural areas in 16 different regions.
In a well-known vacation spot close to the nation’s capital of Algiers, the 10 troops perished while attempting to put out fires. There were 25 additional wounded soldiers.
Algeria’s interior ministry announced 15 civilians have died and 24 have been injured so far – though it’s not yet clear when the deaths happened.
The firefighting effort is taking place at the same time as strong winds and heatwaves have triggered vicious wildfires in Greece.
Attempts to tamp down the fires included 7,500 firefighters and 350 fire engines on the ground, as well as air support.
At least 1,500 people have been evacuated, but the government didn’t provide any details about where they were moved from.
The largest and deadliest fires ravaged parts of Bejaia and Jijel – in the Kabyle region east of Algiers – and Bouira, about 60 miles south-east of Algiers.
Fires have been burning for several days (Picture: FETHI BELAID/AFP)At least 25 people have died (Picture: FETHI BELAID/AFP)
Last August at least 37 people were killed when wildfires burned near Algeria’s border with Tunisia.
And in 2021 dozens were killed in fires – including soldiers who were called in to help tackle the wildfires in the country’s mountainous Kabyle region.
The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced on Monday that basketball player Kyle Anderson, who was born in the US but now holds Chinese citizenship, will represent China at the FIBA World Cup taking place next month.
The 29-year-old forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose Chinese name is Li Kaier, qualified for Chinese citizenship through his great-grandfather on his mother’s side.
Greetings, Anderson! Li Kaier met with Yao Ming, chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, and was granted Chinese citizenship this morning, according to a Weibo post by the nation’s basketball governing body that also included a picture of Anderson and NBA great Yao.
Anderson is China’s first naturalized basketball player and his addition to the national team roster is considered a huge coup.
Anderson confirmed the news in a video posted to his official Weibo account.
“Hello fans in China, this is Li Kaier, I am so happy to announce that I will be representing China in the World Cup. Really proud and honored to wear the Team China jersey,” he said.
It is unclear whether 6-foot-9 (2.06 meters) Anderson had to renounce his US passport in the process. China does not recognize dual nationality.
While a first in basketball, China has acquired a handful of elite athletes with and without Chinese roots through naturalization.
Most notable is US-born freestyle ski sensation Eileen Gu, who won two golds and a silver for China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Her mother is a first-generation Chinese immigrant.
Gu announced her “incredibly tough decision” to switch from Team USA to China in 2019. She has never publicly shared whether she has renounced her US passport, but eyebrows were raised when she applied for the US Presidential Scholars Program in 2021 – a scheme only open to US citizens or permanent residents.
Gu has dodged questions regarding her citizenship.
“When I’m in China, I’m Chinese. When I’m in the US, I’m American,” she has previously said.
The Chinese government likewise treads carefully around questions on Gu’s nationality and the issue of dual nationality among star athletes remains controversial.
Other naturalized Chinese athletes include Canada-born heptathlete Nina Schultz – also known as Zheng Ninali. She became China’s first naturalized Olympic athlete at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
China’s Beijing 2022 men’s ice hockey team’s 25-man roster famously included only six homegrown players, while a handful of naturalized soccer stars play in the Chinese Super League.
Anderson, who was born in Fairview, New Jersey, averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game with the Timberwolves last season.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup begins August 25, joint-hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. China faces Serbia in their opening game on August 26.
Early on Monday, drone attacks were carried out in Moscow by Ukrainian forces, a Kyiv official told CNN.
The representative from Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, a division of the country’s Ministry of Defence, said that the organisation was in charge of the operation that Russia referred to as a “terrorist attack of the Kiev regime,” using the spelling for the country’s capital that is used in Russia.
Due to lack of permission to discuss the incident in public, the official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The attack was also claimed by Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation. Mykhailo Fedorov, whose ministry is in charge of implementing his nation’s “Army of Drones” acquisition strategy, predicted additional strikes.
The drones struck two non-residential buildings in the Russian capital – including one near the Ministry of Defense headquarters – in Monday’s early hours, according to Russian authorities, who said they had “thwarted” the attack.
The strikes caused no serious damage or casualties, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram Monday – but the incident will serve as a reminder of the range of Kyiv’s drones, as Ukraine seeks to bring the war closer to home for Russians.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that two drones were “suppressed by electronic warfare means and crashed.”
“On the morning of July 24, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to launch a terrorist attack using two unmanned aerial vehicles against facilities on the territory of the city of Moscow was thwarted,” the ministry said on Telegram.
Social media footage of the aftermath, verified by CNN, showed damage to the Russian defense ministry complex.
One of the buildings seen damaged in footage geolocated by CNN houses the ministry’s military orchestra. It was not immediately clear if that had been caused by the drones.
The area also houses the Russian Foreign Military Intelligence, known as GRU, 26165 unit, which carries out cyber activities, according to multiple Western sources. It’s also in the vicinity of the Ministry of Defense’s National Defense Management Center.
Later Monday morning, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Russian air defenses had worked successfully.
“All the drones have been neutralized today, and measures are being taken,” Peskov said. “As for the development of the defense system, ensuring its more intensive work, this is a question for the Ministry of Defense.”
According to Russian state media outlet TASS, a drone hit a high-rise business center on Likhacheva Avenue in Moscow, causing drone debris to fall on Komsomolsky Avenue.
Law enforcement agencies and emergency services are currently working on the scene, and traffic on Komsomolsky Avenue from the center of the city towards the affected region has been blocked off, according to TASS, citing the Department of Transportation and Road Infrastructure Development of Moscow. CNN could not independently verify the reports.
A resident who was the area at the time of the attack told Reuters she was asleep and woken by an explosion.
“Everything started to shake. It felt like the whole building had come down. I looked out of the window, I live (in the neighboring building) on the side where there’s less damage. And it felt strange – the damage was so minor,” the resident, who gave her name as Polina, said.
“It sounded worse than it looked, as it seemed like the whole mall had exploded,” she added.
A second resident, who identified themselves to Reuters as Sergei, said he heard a bang “and then nothing.”
“We did not see anything flying, even though the windows were open… and we should have heard the sound (of something flying), but no, nothing,” he said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense also on Monday accused Ukraine of launching 17 drones towards Russian-occupied Crimea overnight. The drones had been downed by its air defenses, with no casualties, the ministry said.
The reported attacks come after Russian missiles badly damaged a historic Orthodox cathedral in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, sparking outrage and prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to vow retaliation.
See what remains of this UNESCO World Heritage site after missile attacks
The Odesa strikes killed at least one person and injured several others, Ukrainian officials said, the latest in a wave of attacks on the port city. The attacks also destroyed other historic buildings, Ukraine’s culture ministry said.
Kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks that have taken place on Russian soil or in Russian-occupied territoriesduring the course of the war, which Moscow began when it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Ukraine denied direct involvement in a drone attack on Moscow in May, which damaged two buildings and injured two people.
Earlier this month, Russia said it “destroyed or neutralized” five Ukrainian drones in what it also described as a “terrorist” attack.
Meanwhile, Russian drones attacked Ukraine’s port infrastructure on the Danube river overnight Monday, targeting Ukrainian grain stocks, according to the Ukrainian Army.
Six people were injured in the attack, Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian Army also said a hangar with grain was destroyed while storage tanks for other types of cargo were damaged.
Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister, declares that Ukraine will keep attacking the Russian-occupied Crimea and the Kerch Bridge that connects it to the Russian mainland while simultaneously acknowledging that the plan for Ukraine’s lethargic counteroffensive is running late.
Ukraine has kept up its airstrikes within Crimea while Russia has pounded the southern port city of Odesa and the surrounding area over the past week. A week after seaborne drones hit the Kerch bridge, Ukrainian drones bombed an ammo stockpile on Tuesday.
According to Reznikov in an interview with CNN, “all these targets are official targets because it will lessen their ability to fight against us (and) will help to save the lives of Ukrainians.”
Asked if Ukraine’s goal is to permanently disable the bridge, Reznikov responded: “It’s normal tactics to ruin the logistic lines of your enemy to stop the options to get more ammunition, to get more fuel, to get more food, etcetera. That’s why we will use these tactics against them.”
Reznikov also accused Russia of operating as “a terrorist state.”
The fifth night of Russian strikes in Odesa badly damaged more than two dozen landmarks in the historic city center. Drones meanwhile pounded the region’s port infrastructure, targeting crucial grain stocks days.
The barrage comes after Moscow withdrew from a crucial grain deal that allowed for the safe export of Ukrainian wheat to international markets, exacerbating a global food crisis.
“This approach is absurd, but it’s real and that’s why it’s new evidence they are a terrorist state,” Reznikov told CNN’s Alex Marquardt on Saturday.
Senior Russian officials have said the spike in attacks is a response to a deadly explosion on the strategic Kerch bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea earlier this month.
“(Russia) tried to explain that it’s a response for some explosions in their territories, but they are fighting with the civilians,” Reznikov said. “That’s why I call them looters, rapists and murderers.”
Asked if Ukraine plans to ramp up attacks against Russian ships in the Black Sea in retaliation, he said, “We have capacity. We have weapons as we did with the cruiser Moskva and if they threaten us in the Black Sea, we’ll have to respond.”
The pride of Russia’s fleet, guided-missile cruiser Moskva, sank in the Black Sea in April, in an attack claimed by Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian air defense forces have struggled to counter Russia’s renewed attacks on Odesa in recent weeks, as Kyiv attempts to break Moscow’s tight defenses in the southeastern regions.
But Ukraine’s grueling counteroffensive has not resulted in any significant breakthroughs, despite Western allies donating billions of dollars worth of aid to bolster Kyiv’s military might and putting hundreds of soldiers through training.
Reznikov however insisted the operation is “going to plan,” saying: “Our generals, our commanders, they see the real situation on the battlefield. And again, I have to repeat the main value for us is life of for our soldiers.”
But asked if the plan is behind schedule, he acknowledged that it is.
If Ukrainian forces can successfully puncture Moscow’s sizeable defense lines along Ukraine Sea of Azov coastline that links Crimea to Donbas, Reznikov said it would be “a good result” for Kyiv.
“We have to do it thinking about the lives of our soldiers instead of Russians. They’re using the soldiers as cannon fodder.
“It’s a war and I think that we will show to the world again that we will win this war,” he said, referring to Ukraine taking back territory in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions.
Reznikov said that F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots will begin in August, adding that if Kyiv had the fighter jets now they would “certainly” have helped make more progress in the counteroffensive.
Reznikov also said he would share a report with the United States about the use of controversial US-supplied cluster munitions in Ukraine this week, “probably Monday or Tuesday.”
Highly destructive cluster munitions are outlawed by the UK, France, Germany and other key US allies, but the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban, nor is Russia.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shifted the security landscape in Europe, triggering Western allies to rethink their national security strategy and reigniting calls from Kyiv to join NATO.
The NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius in July kicked off with heightened pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to invite Ukraine into the bloc, despite resistance from allies amid Kyiv’s war with Russia.
In his interview with CNN, Reznikov acknowledged that Ukraine will likely only be able to join the alliance once the war is over, referencing Article 5, which requires members to come to the defense of any fellow member under attack.
“”After the victory, after then, it will be in the interest of NATO because we became a real eastern shield of NATO or eastern shield of Europe,” he said.
Ukraine has gained “real combat experience – how to deter Russians, to defeat them, to beat them with using NATO standard weaponry,” he added.
He predicted that Ukraine’s membership bid will be accepted in July 2024, when the NATO summit is scheduled to take place in Washington to mark the 75th anniversary of the alliance.
Asked if he thought the war would be over by next summer, he quickly answered, “Yes. We will win this war.”
The Supreme Court‘s ability to overturn government decisions was taken away by a statute that was passed by the Israeli parliament on Monday. This was the first step in a planned judicial overhaul that has polarised Israeli society and attracted vehement criticism from the White House.
The Knesset voted 64-0 to pass the contentious bill. The entire governing coalition supported the legislation, while all of the opposition politicians left the chamber during the vote.
Angry protesters gathered in sizable groups outside and tried to barricade the building’s entrance. Barbed wire and water cannons were used to stop them, and at least 19 people were taken into custody, according to Israel Police.
Thousands of military reservists – including more than 1,100 Air Force officers – said even before the bill passed that they would refuse to volunteer for duty if it did.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he would file a petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday to block the law and has urged the military reservists not to refuse to serve until the court delivers its ruling.
The so-called reasonableness law takes away the Supreme Court’s power to block government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. Its passing could trigger a constitutional crisis – if the court declares the law itself is unreasonable.
The Movement for Quality Government, an Israeli NGO, filed a petition with the Supreme Court immediately after the vote took place, asking the court to declare the law illegal on the grounds that it changes the basic structure of Israeli democracy, and requesting that it block its implementation until the court has ruled on it.
In pictures: Israelis protest as lawmakers plan judicial overhaul
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who left hospital on Monday morning after having been fitted with a pacemaker, pushed the bill through despite Israel’s most important ally, the United States, issuing increasingly forceful warnings not to do so.
He later said the passage of the law was a necessary “democratic move” and he was “fulfilling the will of the voter” during an address to the nation. He also urged reservists to not refuse to serve. “The call for refusal harms the security of all citizens of the country,” he said.
In a highly unusual step, the US President Joe Biden weighed in on the policy and warned that rushing the changes through without a broad consensus amounts to an erosion of democratic institutions and could undermine US-Israel relations.
“Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this – the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” Biden said in a statement provided to CNN on Sunday.
Biden raised concerns directly with Netanyahu during a phone call last week and then called New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to the Oval Office to make clear his stance on the judicial overhaul.
Speaking after the Knesset passed the bill on Monday, the White House said it was “unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority.”
The Israeli stock market dropped after the vote, its main index, the TA-35, trading more than 2% lower. The Israeli Shekel was also weaker against the dollar, dropping just under 1%.
The fierce debate over the planned judicial overhaul has turned into a battle over the soul of the Israeli state. It has pitted a coalition of right-wing and religious groups against the secular, liberal parts of Israeli society and sparked the longest and largest protests in the country’s 75-year history.
The fight is happening against the backdrop of some of the worst violence in many years. The number of Palestinians, militants and civilians, killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces is at its highest in nearly two decades. The same is true of Israelis and foreigners – most of them civilians – killed in Palestinian attacks.
Israel, which has no written constitution and no upper chamber of the parliament, has had a relatively powerful Supreme Court, which supporters of the changes argue is problematic. At the same time, the Supreme Court is the only check on the power of the Knesset and the government, since the executive and legislative branches are always controlled by the same governing coalition.
Netanyahu and his allies call the measures “reforms” and say they are required to rebalance powers between the courts, lawmakers and the government. Other parts of the planned overhaul which are yet to be voted on by the Knesset would give Netanyahu’s coalition more control over the appointment of judges, and would remove independent legal advisers from government ministries.
Opponents of the plan call it a “coup” and say it threatens to turn Israel into a dictatorship by removing the most significant checks on government actions.
Netanyahu was forced to pause the legislative process earlier this year, but resumed it earlier this month. He has argued that the Supreme Court has become an insular, elitist group that does not represent the Israeli people.
But critics say Netanyahu is pushing the overhaul forward in part to protect himself from his own corruption trial, where he faces charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing.
Another bill, already voted through in March, makes it more difficult for a sitting prime minister to be declared unfit for office, restricting the reasons to physical or mental incapacity and requiring either the prime minister themselves, or two-thirds of the cabinet, to vote for such a declaration.
Despite his victory on Monday, Netanyahu is likely to face more pressure over the reforms.
The mass protests that have engulfed Israel since the reforms were first announced in January and are unlikely to stop now. After hearing the law has passed, protesters outside the Knesset began marching around, chanting “We will not give up. We will not give up until it’s better here.”
The Israel Bar Association is already preparing a legal challenge to the bill, the lawyers’ group said Sunday. The Bar is also warning it will shut down “as an act of protest against the anti-democratic legislative process,” the statement said. That means the Bar Association would not provide professional services to its members, not that lawyers would go on strike.
The Israel Medical Association said it would go on strike on Tuesday in response to the law passing, its chairman Zion Hagi announced Monday.” The strike will not affect Jerusalem in light of the protests taking place there, the IMA said, and activities such as dialysis and cancer treatments will continue during the strike.
The law “will have serious consequences for the health system, patients and doctors,” the IMA added.
Israel’s umbrella labor union, the Histadrut, warned moments after the government passed the reasonableness bill that if the government continued to legislate unilaterally, there would be serious consequences.
The law still needs to be rubber stamped by Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, a formality under Israel’s political system.
Daniel Duggan, a former Marine, used to fly Harrier jets for the United States during international missions as a member of Marine Attack Squadron 214, located in Yuma, Arizona.
Despite the fact that this occurred more than 20 years ago, a US indictment alleges that he utilised his expertise to instruct Chinese pilots on how to land planes on aircraft carriers. He vigorously disputes these allegations.
Duggan, 54, has been detained in a high-security facility in a rural area of Australia since last October while his attorneys fight an extradition order that the Australian attorney general approved to send him back to the US to stand trial on charges including money laundering and conspiring to export US defence services.
On Tuesday, Duggan’s lawyers argued for a stay of extradition while Australia’s Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) investigates claims of improper action by Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), including that Duggan was “lured” from China, where he was living, to Australia, where the US had legal reach to arrest him.
The case comes as the US and its allies seek to unite against China in the Indo-Pacific, where Beijing has been fortifying islands with military installations that they fear may one day be used in a regional conflict.
From Lithgow Correctional Centre, where he’s being held, Duggan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he was “living a nightmare.” “I strenuously reject the indictment in its entirety,” he said.
Duggan’s wife Saffrine wants Australian officials to block his extradition, and on Tuesday she and some of their six children stood outside court, holding signs calling for him to be freed.
“We’re horrified that something like this could happen, not only to us, but to anyone,” Saffrine Duggan told her supporters.
“I would never have thought this could ever happen in Australia, let alone to our family. My family is brave and strong and so are our friends, and so is my husband, but we are all terribly torn apart.”
After completing his final mission as a Major with the US Marines, Duggan moved to Australia in 2002. He met Saffrine in 2011, and a year later he became an Australian citizen, renounced his US citizenship, and the family moved to China.
Saffrine and the children moved back to Australia in 2018, and Duggan joined them in September 2022, after receiving Australian security clearance for an aviation licence,his supporters say.
But within weeks, that clearance was revoked and he was taken into custody.
The charges relate to a period between November 2009 and November 2012, when Duggan– then a US citizen – was alleged to have trained Chinese military pilots in China, according to a 2017 indictment that was unsealed last December.
The indictment said that “as early as 2008,” Duggan received an email from the US State Department telling him he was required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and apply for permission to train a foreign air force.
Instead, it claims he conspired with others – including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) – to export defense services in violation of an arms embargo on China.
In a statement to CNN, TFASA said it complies with the laws of every jurisdiction in which it operates.
The statement said Duggan undertook one test pilot contract for the company in South Africa between November and December 2012, and “never worked for TFASA on any of its training mandates in China.”
The indictment alleges Duggan negotiated directly with a Chinese firm to provide other defense services for a fee, including “the evaluation of pilot trainees, testing of naval aviation related equipment, instruction on tactics, techniques, and procedures for launching planes from, and landing on, a naval aircraft carrier.”
Duggan told the ABC that none of the training involved the disclosure of secret or proprietary information. “It’s all public domain, open-source information that anybody, if they’re interested in, could Google it or look it up on Wikipedia,” he said.
The training offered by TFASA allegedly involved the use of a T-2 Buckeye, a twin-engine, straight-wing airplane, purchased in the US and exported to South Africa, without authorization from the US.
In its statement to CNN, TFASA said it only leased the plane from a business associate in South Africa, and never attempted to purchase it. Duggan flew the T-2, among other planes, during his contract, but the company ceased using the aircraft when approached by officials from the US Embassy in South Africa, TFASA added.
Duggan doesn’t deny training Chinese pilots, but he maintains they were civilians – plane enthusiasts seeking to improve their skills or prospective members of China’s then rapidly expanding aviation industry.
Glenn Kolomeitz, a former member of the Australian Defence Force and lawyer, who is advocating for the family, told CNN that it is “very, very common for people to leave the military and go work overseas.”
“Dan was just an instructor, just a pilot trainer. That’s it,” he told CNN.
“He wasn’t a part of the company (TFASA), he wasn’t in any way involved in any of the administration, the management, and how could he possibly have thought, or have even considered that there would be any illegality in this, when there are so many people, including high levels from the RAF, the British air force, involved in this training.”
On October 18, three days before Duggan was arrested in Australia, the UK Defence Ministry issued a statement warning that it was taking “decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former UK Armed Forces pilots.”
The next day, Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said he had asked his department to investigate reports that former Australian military pilots had also been recruited by TFASA to work in China. And a spokesperson for New Zealand’s Defence Force confirmed to Reuters that four of its former military pilots had been recruited by the company.
Two days after that, Duggan was taken into custody near his home in rural New South Wales, and only learned of the allegations against him 62 days later, Saffrine said. He faces up to 65 years in prison if found guilty.
“It has been devastating. The kids and I distraught. It’s just a struggle. It’s a daily struggle. The kids have lots of questions. Constant tears. I mean, it’s horrific,” she told CNN.
Since Duggan’s arrest, the UK and Australia have moved to tighten laws for former service members who train foreign forces.
“The new legislation being developed will remove any doubts about the application of these laws to the full breadth of our defence secrets,” said a spokesperson for Marles.
In a speech in February, Mike Burgess, Australia’s director-general of security and the head of ASIO, said a “small but concerning” number of Australian veterans were willing to put “cash before country.”
“These individuals are lackeys, more ‘top tools’ than ‘top guns.’ Selling our warfighting skills is no different to selling our secrets – especially when the training and tactics are being transferred to countries that will use them to close capability gaps, and could use them against us or our allies at some time in the future,” he said.
News of Duggan’s arrest has spread through the ranks of former US Marines, says Ben Hancock, a retired colonel who served a rank above Duggan in the late ’90s when he was forward deployed on missions that took him to the Persian Gulf and around Asia, with a final stop in Townsville, Australia.
“He was what we called a weapons and tactics instructor, which is the highest instructor qualification you can get in the Marine Corps,” he said.
“It’s a very expensive course, you have to be hand-picked to be sent to it. And then once you return, you become the training guru for everybody else in the squadron,” he said. “He was top-notch. I trusted him with my life.”
Hancock said Duggan left the service as an “honorable Marine,” and while he hadn’t spoken to him since his arrest, they had kept in touch by email sporadically over the years.
Hancock said the T-2 Buckeye was used for many generations by US Navy and Marine Corps pilots to learn maneuvers on a ship – how to catapult off and trap aircraft as well as make arrested landings.
He said it was “unusual” to see a T-2 Buckeye at a civilian flight school, because most of them had been “mothballed,” but described it as a great introductory aircraft for military training.
“It’s great aerobatic airplane if you want to teach a guy to fly a twin-engine jet, how to handle jets, the speed of jet over propeller airplanes, and then do aerobatics and stall series … It’s a great airplane to train anybody in extreme flying environments that allow you to recover the airplane safely,” he said.
He said he hasn’t seen the evidence against Duggan, but questions why no one else has been charged and says the vast majority of Duggan’s experience was piloting Harriers that take off and land vertically, which requires a different approach.
“As Harrier pilots, all our time at sea, we did short takeoffs using the Harrier’s capability, not a catapult. We’d pick up under own power and then we did every landing was a vertical landing. And the Chinese don’t have in those kinds of jets,” he said. “So Dan didn’t have the expertise, in my opinion, to be training guys for that. It’s the wrong type of approach and landing.”
In its statement to CNN, TFASA denied teaching aircraft carrier approach and landing techniques to Chinese military pilots.
“TFASA provides training to test pilots, flight test engineers, and basic operational instructor pilots under closely controlled security conditions. All training aspects and material are strictly unclassified, and provided either from open source or the clients themselves. No training involves classified tactics or other information, nor any frontline activities,” the statement said.
Duggan’s supporters believe he’s been caught up in a hardened approach by Western allies towards China under leader Xi Jinping, who in recent years has expanded the military and expressed his intention to “reunify” the democratic island of Taiwan with the mainland, despite never having controlled it.
At the time Duggan was alleged to have been training Chinese military pilots, Xi was stepping out onto the international stage, visiting the US to meet then Vice President Joe Biden and proposing to strengthen their cooperation.
Several years later, under former President Donald Trump, relations deteriorated as both countries engaged in a trade war and ties remain deeply strained to this day.
Duggan’s arrest in 2022 came as the US, UK and Australia formed a stronger security bond under AUKUS, the deal they signed in 2021 to join forces in the Pacific to counter an increasingly assertive China.
Kolomeitz, the family’s supporter, says Duggan is being used to send a message to Beijing to back off from hiring its former military personnel.
“Don’t be recruiting Western former military people – that’s what it’s all about. Right?” he said. “It’s sending a message to China, and it’s helping to push through the legislative agendas of these agencies.”
The court is hearing arguments Tuesday, and will return its ruling at a later date on whether a stay will be granted.
Forecasters have issued a super typhoon warning for a major storm that is moving across the Pacific Ocean in the direction of the Philippines and might hit the country’s northern region before making landfall on mainland China later this week.
Doksuri, a super typhoon with gusts of about 150 mph (240 kph), is comparable to an Atlantic hurricane of category 4.
Within the next 24 hours, the storm is predicted to pass over or come within striking distance of the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines, where it is now travelling north-northwest at a speed of 9 mph (15 kph).
Along with the heavy winds, significant rainfall is also expected, especially across the Babuyan Islands and northern Luzon, the Philippines’ largest and most populous island. “Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are highly likely,” the bureau warned.
The threat for high storm surge is also expected, with maximum surge heights potentially exceeding 10 foot, the bureau added.
Doksuri, also known as Egay in the Philippines, is projected to continue northwest, passing close to the eastern side of Taiwan, where heavy rainfall is expected, and Hong Kong, before making landfall in southern China later this week.
China’s National Meteorological Center projects Doksuri will hit coastal regions in the eastern provinces of Fujian and Guangdong on Friday morning. Fujian province has upgraded its typhoon emergency warning to the third-highest level on Tuesday, and has asked fishing boats to return to port as soon as possible.
But the typhoon’s exact path is still uncertain, with the Hong Kong Observatory saying over the weekend there were several possible routes it could go.
The observatory said the typhoon’s final trajectory will be guided by a variety of factors, such as subtropical ridges that bring high atmospheric pressure, or monsoon troughs that bring low pressure.
Communities in the typhoon’s path are now bracing for impact, with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. suspending all public school classes and closing government offices in the capital region on Monday, except for those performing critical services. The suspension was also in part due to a 3-day strike by transport workers.
The Philippine also urged people living in “highly susceptible” areas to follow evacuation orders and other instructions from local officials.
The Hong Kong Observatory has asked the public to monitor weather announcements, warning the typhoon will bring high heat and thunderstorms ahead of its arrival. The city has just experienced another storm, Typhoon Talim, a week ago, which prompted authorities to close schools and the stock market.
Strong wind advisories have been issued for the southern portion of Taiwan, specifically the coastlines of Taitung and Pingtung counties. These will be strengthened as Doksuri continues to approach the island, with the main threats being heavy rainfall, landslides, high winds and storm surge.
In northeastern China on Sunday afternoon, a student volleyball team was practising when the ceiling of the school gymnasium collapsed, killing at least eleven individuals, according to local authorities.
State media on Monday cited local officials as saying that 19 persons, including two coaches and 17 members of the school’s women’s team, were present in the middle school gymnasium in Qiqihar city, Heilongjiang province, at the time of the incident.
Although local media sources mentioned interviews with team parents, two of whom stated that their children were 15 and 16 respectively, the reports did not specifically state the ages of the victims.
Preliminary investigations suggested the collapse may have been caused by construction materials left on the gym roof during construction work on an adjacent building.
The material, called perlite, gained weight after being soaked in water brought by rainfall and led to the collapse, officials said. Further investigation is on-going, with criminal proceedings against those involved in the construction pending, officials said during a briefing Monday.
The accident has sparked both grief and outrage among the local community and wider public.
Images circulating in local media showed a large crowd of people gathered outside the school Monday, where a front walkway was covered with flowers brought by mourners.
The incident, which joins a long line of safety related tragedies in China, has also generated backlash against its official handling, including accusations of a lag in the release of timely information.
“Their first reaction is to block the news. Who cares about your child when they are scared of losing their positions?” said one comment on social media, which garnered 18,000 likes.
Other social media users ironically circulated an official notice dated earlier this month lauding a recent government-led safety training in the city, in a tacit critique.
In a press briefing Monday evening, local officials said the incident exposed problems such as the “inadequate investigation of potential safety hazards” and “inadequate safety supervision.”
“We will reflect deeply and learn lessons and comprehensively and deeply carry out the ’2023 special action plan’ for investigating and rectifying major safety hazards,” the officials pledged, referring to a national safety campaign announced in May.
Safety incidents are not uncommon in China and the accident follows a string of tragedies that have been linked to lax safety standards in recent months.
Last month, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China left 31 dead and prompted official pledges of a nationwide campaign to promote workplace safety, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at that time calling on all regions to “screen for and rectify all types of risks and hidden dangers.”
That accident followed a coal mine collapse in Inner Mongolia in February that left 53 dead, while in April, the deadliest fire to hit Beijing in two decades killed 29 people in a hospital.
This week, a high-ranking Chinese government group is travelling to North Korea. This delegation is thought to be the most senior from Beijing to pay a visit to Pyongyang since the reclusive nation shut its borders during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Li Hongzhong, a member of the Chinese Communist Party‘s central policymaking committee and a leader in its rubber-stamp Parliament, will be in charge of leading the group.
According to a statement from Hu Zhaoming, the spokesperson for the Central Committee’s International Liaison Department, he will take part in festivities commemorating the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of the Korean War.
Li’s visit comes after an invitation from North Korea, the statement said.
“The visit will be significant for what it says about Beijing’s support of North Korea as well as Pyongyang’s willingness to relax pandemic-era border restrictions,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
North Korea sealed its borders during the coronavirus pandemic, deepening the isolation of a country that is already one of the most cut off places in the world.
Beijing is Pyongyang’s longtime ally.
In the fall of 1950, China sent a quarter million troops into the Korean Peninsula, supporting its North Korean ally and pushing back the combined forces of South Korea, the United States and other countries under the United Nations Command.
More than 180,000 Chinese troops died in the Korean War, or what Beijing calls the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
But Easley noted that South Korea is garnering a much larger show of international support for its armistice anniversary commemorations, with representatives from 22 countries expected to attend.
The Chinese visit, and the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting on the Korean Peninsula, comesamid simmeringtensions between North Korea and South Korea and its US ally.
Pyongyang has frequently tested missiles banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions, and on several occasions the US and South Korea have deployed military assets like nuclear-capable submarines and bombers.
North Koreacontinued its torrid pace of missile testing late Monday, when it fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from the Pyongyang area into the waters off the east coast of the peninsula, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The missiles were launched around 11:55 p.m. local time, flying for about five minutes or 400 kilometers (248 miles) before falling into the water, according to the JCS.
Earlier Monday, US Navy attack submarine USS Annapolis made a port call at Jeju Naval Base on the island off South Korea’s southern coast, according to South Korean Navy spokesperson Jang Do-young.
The sub was stopping at the island to replenish military supplies while on an operations mission, Jang said.
The Annapolis’ visit follows the much more provocative arrival of nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky at the southern South Korean port of Busan last week.
North Korea said the visit of the “boomer,” an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine which can carry up to 20 missiles and 80 nuclear warheads, to Busan crossed a “red line” and said such provocations could produce a drastic response by Pyongyang.
“I remind the US military of the fact that the ever-increasing visibility of the deployment of the strategic nuclear submarine and other strategic assets may fall under the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons specified in the DPRK law on the nuclear force policy,” a statement from North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam posted by state media said.
Relations have been further complicated by the decision of a US soldier to cross the border between North and South Korea last week in the demilitarized zone separating the two nations.
Pvt Travis King, who was facing disciplinary action and was meant to go back to the US the day before he bolted, is believed to be the first US soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982.
On Monday, the deputy commander of the United Nations Command (UNC), Gen. Andrew Harrison, said a “conversation has commenced” with North Korea over King.
Two US officials told CNN that North Korea had acknowledged receiving contact from the UNC, a multinational military force that includes the United States which fought on the side of South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War.
But Pyongyang does not seem to be responding to Washington directly.
The US State Department has not received a response to its messages on King, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said on Monday. He also said it was his understanding that the US military had not received a response.
On the UNC side, Miller said it was his understanding “that there have been no new communications since last week, communications that happened in the early days,” but that the North Korean government had acknowledged receipt of the message.
“I’m not aware of any new communications, other than those that happened in the very early hours, early days after he went across the border,” Miller said at a State Department briefing Monday.
King has not been publicly seen or heard from since he crossed into North Korea last Tuesday, and North Korea has also not said anything about the status or condition of the missing soldier.
His reasons for crossing the border into one of the world’s most authoritarian places – and a country which the US does not have diplomatic relations with – have so far remained a mystery.
Easley, the Ewha Womans University professor, said any quick response from Pyongyang on the status of King was unlikely, especially in light of the armistice commemorations.
“North Korea is unlikely to engage on Travis King’s case until his interrogation and quarantine are complete, and after the Kim regime celebrates its so-called Victory Day,” Easley said.
The High Court has ruled that the alleged Ga traditional customs, which prohibit left-handed (Leftees) individuals from holding family positions, are discriminatory and, therefore, unconstitutional.
As per the Court’s decision, the practice is deemed stereotypical and, therefore, not a justifiable restriction in a free and democratic society such as Ghana.
Justice Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, now a Justice of the Court of Appeal, delivered this judgement in the case filed by the members of the Ashia We Family of Teshie in contention for who was qualified to be Head of the Family in March 27, 2019.
The Plaintiffs in the matter who initiated that action were Nii Boye John, Nii Kormetteh Okang and Nii Kpewie Sowah.
Whilst the defendants of whom the action was against were Nii Boye Kumah, the 1s Defendants, Nii Kyle Adjei, the 2nd Defendant, Nii Agoe Laryea, Nii Laryea Alaska, the Asafoatse of Omrugu whose status was also challenged, Andrews Okai Laryea and NH Sowah Achia.
The plaintiffs were seeking the declaration that the substantive head of the family, Nii Boye Kumah was only appointed caretaker of the Ashia We family but not as its head.
As part of the Plaintiffs making their case in court through Nii Sowah Kpewie, told the Court that the substantive family head, “is a ‘leftee’ and by their custom, he cannot become even a caretaker.”
It was the case of the Plaintiffs that, the substantive head, Nii Boye Kumah had no right to enter the shrine because he is a ‘leftee’ and also since he is not a fetish priest.
The Plaintiffs further contended that the substantive family head had not got the right to pour libation for the gods.
They also testified that Nii Boye Kumah who is the 1st Defendant – the family head had been hiding the fact that he is a ‘leftee’ from them.
But, the 1st Defendant though admitted that he is a southpaw rebuffed the assertion from the Plaintiffs in the matter that, such was the case.
Justice Ackaah-Boafo, who delivered this judgment in March 27, 2019 when he was a Justice of the High Court (General Jurisdiction 6) said, the court established that no acceptable customary evidence was provided to support the Plaintiffs’ contention that a ‘leftee’ cannot be a family head.
Justice Ackaah-Boafo’s court held that such a customary belief is not only repugnant to good conscience but inconsistent with the provisions of the 1992 Constitution.
The Constitution provides under Article 17 as follows:
“(1) All persons shall be equal before the law. (2) A person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status.
(3) For the purposes of this article, “discriminate” means to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed, whereby persons of one description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another description are not made subject or are granted privileges or advantages which are not granted to persons of another description”.
It was the decision of the Court, such an invitation by the Plaintiffs is stereotypical thus promoting the view that those who are left-handed or have certain physical attributes are less worthy of recognition as members of the Ga society or Ghanaian Society generally and rejected the same.
The Court also dismissed the Plaintiffs’ objection that the substantive family head was not qualified because his ancestors were strangers and held the 1st defendant, Nii Boye Kumah as the substantive head of the Ashia We family.
Plaintiffs’ Argument
While making their case, Nii Sowah Kpewie’ one of the Plaintiffs in his evidence to the court said, the 1st Defendant is not qualified to be the Head of Family because “he is a leftee and by custom he cannot become even a caretaker.”
He also added that, the 1st Defendant has been in cells before and by custom he is not fit to hold any position.
According to him, he was once remanded for two weeks at Usher Fort and because of that he cannot hold any post and cannot therefore be the head of the family for Ahia We.
He told the Court that, when Bankadi Tetteh’s wife died, the 1st defendant went and locked the doors of Bankadi Tetteh and he was arrested and taken to the Nima Police Station.
He locked the door so that children of Bankadi will not be able to enter the room. 1st Defendant had no right to enter the shrine. First of all he is a leftee and he is not a fetish priest.
The shrine has its own fetish priest, 1st Defendant has not got the right to pour libation for the gods. He was hiding the fact that he was a leftee to us”.
The Plaintiffs also called Nuumo Sowah Obeney and it was also his evidence that the 1st Defendant is left-handed and therefore not qualified as the head of family of Ashia We.
According to him even though the 1st Defendant is not qualified to be the head of family he had also usurped the functions of the Osabu Wolomo, the deity of Ashia We and poured libation at the shrine and desecrated the shrine as a result.
According to the witness the 1st Defendant was never elected as the Head of Family because “traditionally anytime a new head of family is elected, as the traditional priest of the family I have to perform the rite for the person and since the demise of the last head of family I have not performed any rite for any person as head of family”.
1st Defendant’s opposition
Opposing to the Plaintiffs’ contention, Nii Boye Kumah (1st Defendant) though admitted that he is left-handed, denied the existence of such a custom.
He however, insisted that there is no custom that precludes him from being the head of family on that account.
According to him the elders who appointed him knew that he was left-handed but they nevertheless appointed him.
By Court
Justice Ackaah-Boafo, now a Justice of the Court of Appeal, in his judgement said, it is clear from the above exchange that the Plaintiffs’ concede that the 1st Defendant’s ancestors and in particular his father and uncle held positions in the Ashia We Family despite the Plaintiffs contention that they were strangers and not qualified to hold responsible positions in the family.
“Based on the evidence heard at trial it is my holding that the Plaintiffs objection to the 1st Defendant that he is not qualified to be the head of family on the grounds that his ancestors were strangers is without basis and untenable. No cogent and/or properly acceptable evidence was proffered by the Plaintiffs to support the allegations. Rather, I am persuaded by the Defendant that he first acted as a caretaker and later confirmed by the elders. The exhibits tendered including photographs showing him perform the role as the head of family lead me to accept his version of the story as more reasonable and plausible.
“In coming to this conclusion, I reject the Plaintiff’s Counsel’s line of cross-examination and the submission that because no photograph of the 1st Defendant’s confirmation and outdooring by the elders was tendered at trial for instance the appointment and confirmation did not take place. To my mind the argument and submission are too simplistic.
“I wish to state that I have no difficulty in dismissing the Plaintiffs basis for challenging the 1st Defendant’s qualification as the head on family on the ground that he is left-handed. First no acceptable customary evidence was provided to the Court to support the contention and therefore the allegation remained unproven. Secondly, in my respectful view any such customary belief is not only repugnant to good conscience and common sense but would be inconsistent with the 1992 Constitution as the supreme law of the land and to the extent of the inconsistency is of no legal effect.
The Constitution provides under Article 17 as follows: “(1) All persons shall be equal before the law. (2) A person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status.(3) For the purposes of this article, “discriminate” means to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed, whereby persons of one description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another description are not made subject or are granted privileges or advantages which are not granted to persons of another description”.
Justice Ackaah-Boafo said, “applying the above Constitutional provisions to the facts of this case, I am of the view that the effect of the Plaintiffs’ position is to deny any citizen whose physical make-up includes being a left-handed person from participating and holding a family position such as a head of family.
Weird position
“To confirm their weird position the Plaintiffs are in Court to recruit the Court to participate in and give its imprimatur to their discriminatory enterprise.
“Sitting as a judge I cannot accept that invitation because it reflects stereotypical views of a group based upon their personal characteristics, thus promoting the view that those who are left-handed or have certain physical attributes are less worthy of recognition as members of the Ga society or Ghanaian Society generally.
“This is clearly not a reasonable limitation in a free and democratic society and I unequivocally reject same,” the Court stated.
“I also note that no evidence of conviction against the 1st Defendant was provided to the Court as basis for his disqualification.
“There is a record of conviction of any person once that conviction is entered against that individual. The fact that no record was tendered to confirm the so-called conviction of the 1st Defendant informs me that the allegation is not true.
“The Plaintiffs ought to know that there is a world of difference between a conviction and a police arrest.
“The fact that the 1st Defendant was arrested by the police or remanded in custody again cannot be the basis for the argument that he is not qualified to be the head of a family when no evidence was provided except the testimony of a witness whose credibility based on the proceedings is questionable.
“Therefore, based on all of the above I wholly reject the Plaintiffs protestations as without basis and hold that the 1st Defendant is the substantive head of the Ashia We family,” Justice Ackaah-Boafo affirmed the 1st Defendant as substantive head of family.
The Plaintiffs Reliefs & Claims
The Plaintiffs claim against the Defendants as per his Writ of Summons issued on November 11, 2011, is for the following reliefs:
a) Declaration that the Defendants are not indigenous members of the Ashia we family of Teshie having migrated from Mepe in the Volta Region near Bator (and the Monis) having migrated from Takoradi in the Western Region.
b) A Declaration that it is only the Badu Anuako Family and Osabu Adjei Kwao Family which constitutes Ashia We, and the head of Ashia-We comes from the two families.
c) A Declaration that there is no substantive head of Ashia We and the 1st Defendant Nii Boye Kumah, was appointed caretaker of Ashia We and not head of Ashia We.
d) A further Declaration that the 4th Defendant is not from the Badu Anuako Family from which Asafoatse Omrugu is installed and consequently he is not an Asafoatse and cannot hold himself out as Asafoatse Omrugu.
e) A further Declaration that Nii Boye Kumah is not the Wulomo of Ashia We as the incumbent Wulomo is Osabu Wulomo of Obene We.
f) An order upon Nii Boye Kumah to account for his stewardship from the date of his caretakership in 1991 to date.
g) An order to return the proverbial symbol Anuaku Sewahu made of gold and affixed on top of Ashia We Akatamanso.
h) A Declaration that the Defendants being stranger settlers adopted into Ashia We have no place of abode known as “Tsuianaa” at Ashia We but where the ancestors kept their fishing nets.
i) A Declaration that Ashia We belongs to the Plaintiffs and the Defendant cannot interfere with their occupation, possession, ownership and use of Ashia We.
j) Further or other relief as in the circumstances may be just including in particular perpetual injunction to restrain the 1st Defendant and the 4th Defendant from holding themselves out as the Head of Ashia We and Asafoatse Omrugu respectively and further order to restrain the Defendants, whether by themselves, their servants, agents, workmen, assigns whoever or otherwise howsoever from interfering with the Plaintiffs’ use, ownership. occupation and possession of Ashia We.
Defendants Counterclaim
The Defendants repeats paragraphs 1 up to 70 and including paragraph 70 of the Statement of Defence and Counterclaim and claims against the Plaintiffs as follows:
i. A declaration that 1st Defendant is the legitimate and the substantive Head and the custodian of the heritage, traditions and customs of the Nii Ashia We of Teshie.
ii. A declaration that 4th Defendant is the legitimate Nii Asafoatse Omrugu of Nii Ashia We of Teshie.
iii. A declaration that Nii Ashia We of Teshie is made up of four (4) Divisions namely: Nii Adjetey Monney, Nii Adjei Osabu Kwao, Nii Adjei Mepeh and Nii Badu Onuako respectively.
iv. A declaration that Nii Ashia We does not install Wulomo.
v. A declaration that the 1st and 3rd Plaintiffs are not true members of the Nii Ashia We and thus their continuous stay in the Family is subject to good behaviour and respect of all regulations put in place by the leadership of the said family.
vi. An Order by this Honourable Court directed at the Plaintiffs restraining them from interfering with the duties of the 1st Defendant in particular and the other Principal Elders in general.
vii. An Order for Plaintiffs to account for moneys collected during funeral ceremonies since November, 2010.
viii. An Order of Perpetual Injunction restraining the Plaintiffs, by themselves, their heirs, assigns, personal representatives, agents, servants and all other persons of whatever description claiming through or under them from disturbing Defendants’ quiet use occupation and enjoyment of the Nii Ashia We property.
ix. Any further Orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit. x. Cost”.
Member of Parliament for Bole, Yusif Sulemana, Yusif Sulemana, has described Cecilia Dapaah‘s resignation letter and President Akufo-Addo‘s response to it as “love letters.”
He expressed his concern that he does not perceive any seriousness in how the matter is being handled, therefore entreated the President to attach some seriousness to it.
He contended that Ghanaians expect serious investigations into the matter involving Madam Abena Dapaah.
“What we want to see is a very serious investigation. Not just that, we also expect the president to take this matter seriously.
“If you look at the kind of love letters that the two of them exchanged, for me it is worrisome. We were expecting the president to fire the woman, but he failed in doing that. The woman resigned and in her resignation letter, you could see the jovial nature of the content of the letter.
“This is an official letter, but you see her addressing the president as my dear and all of that.”
The OSP has placed the immediate past Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abana Dapaah under arrest on Monday, July 24.
She is being interrogated by officers of the OSP, a statement said.
“At 11:55 GMT on 24th July 2023, Cecilia Abena Dapaah who resigned from the position of Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources on 22nd July 2023 was placed under arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in respect of suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses regarding large amounts of money and valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence. Ms Dapaah is being questioned by authorized officers of the OSP,” the OSP said in the statement.
Madam Cecilia Dapaah tendered her resignation in a letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Saturday, July 22, barely 24 hours after news of some foreign cash stolen from her bedroom came to light.
“I intend to cooperate fully with all the state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts,” she assured in her letter.
“I have no doubt that at the end of the processes, it will be established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations,” she further said.
Madam Cecilia Dapaah was said to have kept $1 million, €300,000 and millions of undisclosed Ghana Cedis at home.
These monies were allegedly stolen by two house helps, for which they are standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court.
She had earlier indicated that there were inconsistencies with the facts and the public reports.
She, therefore, insisted in her resignation letter that the figures put out in the public domain do not correctly reflect what she and her husband submitted to the police in their statement.
The former lawmaker, however, admits she understands the import of such stories around someone of her stature.
“I am resigning, therefore, because I do not want such a matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time.”
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has declined to provide extensive comments on the matter of Cecilia Dapaah keeping huge sums of money, including one million dollars in her home.
Although Governor of the Central Bank, Ernest Addisson, condemned the move in no uncertain terms, he stated that his outfit will refrain from commenting on the matter since it is still in court.
Speaking at the 113th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) press conference in Accra on Monday, July 24, Dr Addison said “It is a worry to all of us but it is matter in court so there is not much to say about it.”
On Monday, July 24, Madam Abana Dapaah was arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
She is being interrogated by officers of the OSP, a statement said.
“At 11:55 GMT on 24th July 2023, Cecilia Abena Dapaah who resigned from the position of Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources on 22nd July 2023 was placed under arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in respect of suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses regarding large amounts of money and valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence. Ms Dapaah is being questioned by authorized officers of the OSP,” the OSP said in the statement.
In her resignation letter, Madam Dapaah said “I intend to cooperate fully with all the state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts.”
“I have no doubt that at the end of the processes it will be established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations,” she further said.
Madam Cecilia Dapaah was said to have kept $1 million, €300,000 and millions of undisclosed Ghana Cedis at home.
These monies were allegedly stolen by two house helps, for which they are standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court.
She had earlier indicated that there were inconsistencies with the facts and the public reports.
She, therefore, insisted in her resignation letter that the figures put out in the public domain do not correctly reflect what she and her husband submitted to the police in their statement.
The former lawmaker, however, admits she understands the import of such stories around someone of her stature.
“I am resigning, therefore, because I do not want such a matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time.”
Governance Expert Professor Baffuor Agyaman-Duahhas advised all commentators to be prudent and measured in their statements concerning the matters involving former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
Prof Agyeman-Dua emphasised that there is no evidence indicating that the money in question, which has sparked controversy, was acquired through theft or money laundering.
Madam Abena Dapaah submitted her resignation on Saturday, July 22, just one day after the public discussion regarding her allegedly stolen cash.
Accepting her resignation, President Akufo-Addo described the work done by the former Bantama Member of Parliament as “excellent and productive”.
“It is with considerable regret that I accept your resignation, and I applaud your loyalty to the image and standing of the government,” he wrote on Saturday.
“The work you undertook during your period in Government was excellent and productive, and I thank you for your wholehearted contribution and devotion to the progress of the Government and the nation.”
In her resignation, Madam Abena Dapaah assured of her availability and cooperation with all state agencies to look into her matter, which she concedes has become a “hindrance” to the government at this “crucial” time.
“I have no doubt that at the end of the processes it will be established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations,” she further stated in her resignation letter.
President Akufo-Addo also expressed confidence that “at the end of the day, your integrity, whilst in office, will be fully established”.
The matter of the stolen monies – $1 million, €300,000 and millions of undisclosed Ghana Cedis – is in court. It is scheduled to be recalled on Wednesday, August 2.
Commenting on this while speaking to the press on Monday, July 24, Prof Aheymang Duah said “If I were to be the president I would be a little more careful, the president rushed in commending her for the job she does for the government and the nation as a whole because truly, Madam Cecilia Dapaah has been working public service, there is no doubt at all but when the case of this nature emerges it is important for the processes to take place before we draw conclusions.
“That is why I will even caution all the public commentators to be a little bit circumspect because there is no evidence so far that it is stolen money, there is no evidence so far it is laundering money, we don’t have any evidence. All we know is that she sent some people to the Police for stealing her money. Of course, it is the amount of money that is causing this kind of public uproar.
“I think what we need to do is to ensure that the proper investigation processes take place. I think EOCO should be interested because there could be an angel of money laundering, I am not saying it is but it raises that question.”
He added, “for me, this would have been a wonderful opportunity to stand tall by taking a certain stand.”
Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has placed Cecilia Abena Dapaah under arrest on Monday, July 24.
She is being interrogated by officers of the OSP, a statement said.
“At 11:55 GMT on 24th July 2023, Cecilia Abena Dapaah who resigned from the position of Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources on 22nd July 2023 was placed under arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in respect of suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses regarding large amounts of money and valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence. Ms Dapaah is being questioned by authorized officers of the OSP,” the OSP said in the statement.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has called on education stakeholders to seize the opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance teaching, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
During the 75th Anniversary celebration of Ghana National College in Cape Coast, the Vice President highlighted that the initiative, if utilized effectively, could serve as a means to narrow the gap between developed and developing nations.
“If we are in agreement that the boys and girls in our schools today are being trained to compete on the global stage, there is every justification for our students to be given exposure to AI.
“Government’s ongoing digitalisation agenda is ample testimony of its appreciation of AI and the commitment to ensure that this country is not left behind. We have focused on pursuing digitalisation as part of our economic strategy because the Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we must be part of the modern world…
Hailing the impact Ghana National College has had on Ghana’s pre-and post colonial life, Vice President Bawumia said government was going to do its part in ensuring that AI becomes a key ingredient in providing education in Ghana.
“Whilst Government will do its part by leading the charting of a pathway to the deployment of meaningful AI in our national life, I expect our educational authorities to devise and deploy innovative teaching strategies that factor in ICT as a key ingredient,” he indicated.
From the world of music brings an exciting partnership, Ghanaian sensation Medikal enters the Indian market. You Will Know (Afro-mix), featuring Nobby Singh and Medikal, was recently released by DC Studioz and Ziiki Media.
A mesmerising fusion of musical genres is created by this exceptional collaboration between the talents of an Indian and a Ghanaian artist. Nobby Singh, a Ziiki Media label artist known for his soulful voice, has achieved enormous success in the Punjabi music industry by bridging linguistic divides to appeal to a wide audience.
The Ghanaian hip-hop musician Medikal is praised for his fast-paced rap style and clever wordplay, incorporating Pidgin English and Ghanaian slangs to add a distinctive flavor to his music. As a result of his partnership with Ziiki Media, Medikal has already left a lasting impression on the music industry, expanding his reach even further.
The song ‘You Will Know’ narrates two intriguing perspectives.
Nobby’s verse tells a story of a boy in a relationship, expressing that the girl is yet to fully understand his true self and personality. He assures her that with time, she will come to understand him better.
Medikal’s verse takes listeners on his journey of financial success and the attention he receives from admirers after achieving fame. He embraces his individuality and lives life on his own terms.
Originally released in 2022 as part of Nobby Singh’s debut EP, #PB31, ‘You Will Know’ gained immense popularity. In celebration of its success, the team decided to introduce an Afro version, blending different musical influences to create an even more captivating rendition. The team is confident that this version will receive equal love and appreciation from the audience.
Ziiki Media takes pride in the remarkable success of its artists. Nobby Singh’s hit tracks, such as ‘Mere Jehi’, ‘Dream Girl’, ‘Tere Supne’, ‘Hit ‘n’ run’, ‘Jatt Flok’, and ‘Fikar’, have struck chords with the audience, as evidenced by their impressive view counts on YouTube.
Similarly, Medikal’s chart-topping hits, including ‘Ayekoo’ with 5.2 million views, ‘Omo Ada’ with 4.5 million views, and ‘La Hustle’ with 2.9 million views, have captivated millions of fans worldwide.
The collaboration between two diverse musical styles and culture shows how music can bring people together.
The High Court Judge presiding over the galamsey trial of galamsey queen Aisha Huang, Justice Osei Marfo, has warned her against crying in court.
Aisha Huang broke down in court when the Director of Public Prosecution, Yvonne Attakorah Obuobisa, accused her of intentionally returning to Ghana without the Comptroller General’s consent after her deportation for illegal mining offenses.
Aisha Huang informed the court that she was not given any information about when she could return to the country after her deportation, so she made the decision to come back to Ghana after spending several years in China.
With tears welled up in her eyes, she began to cry hysterically in open court but was cut short by Justice Osei Marfo.
“Stop the interjection with the tears. It doesn’t do anything to me. The question is harmless, just answer and go.
“Today should be the last time you’re crying in my court. If you want to cry, cry in prison before you come to my court. If she cries again it is deliberate. So I don’t expect her to cry again,” Justice Lydia Osei Marfo ordered.
The cross examination of Aisha Huang is still ongoing.
A Senior Political Science lecturer, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has shown admiration for Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, after she chose to step down from her position.
Professor Ransford Gyampo praised Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah’s courage in resigning from her position, despite recognizing that keeping a significant amount of money at home as a public officer is unacceptable. He commended her for taking such a bold and commendable step, encouraging others to follow suit.
He stated, “I applaud her for taking the initiative to resign. In our country, it is not common for public officers to do so, making her decision even more significant. By resigning, she has shown courage and done well.” He told Omanhene Kwabena Asante on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Monday.
However, he also expressed his concern about President Nana Akufo-Addo’s response to her resignation, stating that the president should have accepted it without being judgmental.
The political science lecturer emphasised the importance of allowing the investigative body to carry out its work, stating: “Let us allow the investigative body to do their work if we are serious as a nation. We need to tackle things from the roots.”
Regarding the arrest of Madam Dapaah by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Professor Gyampo noted that it was a consequence of suspicions surrounding corruption and corruption-related offenses, specifically related to the alleged theft of substantial amounts of money and valuable items from her residence in Accra.
In light of recent events, Professor Gyampo suggested a reevaluation of the structure of her former ministry.
He proposed: “Her ministry should be realigned. It is unnecessary to appoint a new minister to replace her. Cutting down the number of ministers is important.”
The arrest of the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources has triggered series of investigations into the reported theft, causing shock and concern among the public.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has released the resolutions of the National Council following their meeting last week concerning the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential primaries.
In a press release dated July 24, 2023, issued by the General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the party clarified that all Presidential aspirants must sign an agreement with the party, pledging their support to the eventual winner of the party’s Presidential Candidate election/selection, in the event that they are not elected/selected themselves.
It reiterated that the Special Electoral College scheduled for August 26, 2023, shall be held at each of the 16 Regional Capitals and that each delegate shall be entitled to one vote, and shall cast his/her vote by secret ballot for only one Candidate.
“All Aspiring Presidential Candidates shall be given the validated Album for the Special Electoral College at least one month to the date of the Congress (i.e. not later than July 26, 2023),” it added.
Unhealthy comments
The National Council said it took a serious view of some unhealthy comments and utterances from some aspiring presidential candidates and their supporters, which do not auger well for the unity and cohesion of the Party.
“Accordingly, the Council, by this statement, reinforces compliance with the Code of Conduct for Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of the Party.”
“Any Aspiring Presidential Candidate, or his supporters, and party executives at all levels who act in contravention of the Code of Conduct, moving forward, shall be dealt with in accordance with the guidelines thereof and the Party Constitution.
It said all aspiring presidential candidates shall campaign on issues and refrain from levelling unsubstantiated allegations, personal attacks and vilifications against their opponents and that no aspiring presidential candidate shall undertake any activity that will polarize the Party along tribal, religious, and other factional lines.
It added that all aspiring presidential candidates should impress upon their supporters not to engage in any of the activities stated above.
An aspiring presidential candidate shall sign an undertaking with the party, committing himself to supporting whoever is eventually elected/selected as the party’s Presidential Candidate after the election/selection process in the event that he is not elected/selected.
Below is a copy of the press statement:
For Immediate Release
July 24, 2023
DECISIONS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY ON PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), at its meeting held on Thursday, July 20, 2023, considered the guidelines for the conduct of the Party’s presidential, and parliamentary primaries in constituencies where the Party has sitting Members of Parliament.
After extensive deliberations, the Council arrived at the following decisions and resolutions:
1) Regional and Constituency Party executives who wish to contest in the primaries in Constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament shall resign from their respective positions not later than September 20, 2023. All such executives shall tender in their resignation letters to their respective Regional Party Secretariats not later than September 20, 2023.
2) Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Constituencies where the Party has sitting Members of Parliament are not eligible to contest in the parliamentary primaries for those Constituencies.
3) The Recommendations of the Vetting Committee clearing all the ten Aspiring Presidential Candidates to contest in the primaries were approved by the National Council. The approved candidates are:
a) Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen
b) Mr. Kwadwo Poku
c) Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
d) Boakye Kyerematen Agyarko
e) Kwabena Agyei Agyepong
f) Kennedy Ohene Agyapong
g) Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku
h) Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto
i) Joe Ghartey
j) Francis Addai-Nimoh
4) The Special Electoral College scheduled for August 26, 2023, shall be held at each of the 16 Regional Capitals.
5) Each delegate shall be entitled to one vote, and shall cast his/her vote by secret ballot for only one Candidate.
6) All Aspiring Presidential Candidates shall be given the validated Album for the Special Electoral College at least one month to the date of the Congress (i.e. not later than July 26, 2023).
7) The Electoral Commission of Ghana shall conduct the Special Electoral College elections.
8) An Elections Committee has been constituted to supervise the conduct of the Special Electoral College and the National Congress respectively. The Committee is composed as follows:
NAMES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS 1. Rt. Rev. Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Aaron Ocquaye -Chairman 2. Mr. Abankwa Yeboah -Vice Chairman
9) The National Council took a serious view of some unhealthy comments and utterances from some aspiring Presidential Candidates and their supporters, which do not auger well for the unity and cohesion of the Party.
Accordingly, the Council, by this statement, reinforces compliance with the Code of Conduct for Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of the Party.
Any Aspiring Presidential Candidate, or his supporters, and party executives at all levels who act in contravention of the Code of Conduct, moving forward, shall be dealt with in accordance with the guidelines thereof and the Party Constitution.
10) For the avoidance of doubt, the relevant portions of the guidelines dealing with the expected standards of conduct include the following:
a) All Aspiring Presidential Candidates shall campaign on issues and refrain from levelling unsubstantiated allegations, personal attacks and vilifications against their opponents.
b) No Aspiring Presidential Candidate shall undertake any activity that will polarize the Party along tribal, religious, and other factional lines.
c) All Aspiring Presidential Candidates shall impress upon their supporters not to engage in any of the activities stated above.
11) An Aspiring Presidential Candidate shall sign an undertaking with the party, committing himself to supporting whoever is eventually elected/selected as the party’s Presidential Candidate after the election/selection process in the event that he is not elected/selected.
He shall also undertake not to contest as an Independent Presidential Candidate or as a Candidate on the ticket of any other political party, and that, the NPP reserves the right to restrain him should he decide otherwise.
12) The photo Album/Register that was used to elect the Constituency Executives between April 22, 2022, and May 2, 2023, shall be the same album that will be made available to the Electoral Commission of Ghana for the conduct of the presidential primaries.
13) Any delegate who appoints a proxy shall apply to the National Secretariat three weeks before the conduct of the presidential primaries. However, persons appointed as proxies must be delegates to the conference.
The Party wishes to reiterate that any Aspiring Presidential Candidate who flouts any of the above guidelines and modalities, or conducts himself in a manner that brings the Party’s name into disrepute shall be deemed to be in breach of the Party Constitution and will, accordingly, be sanctioned including being disqualified from contesting in the Primaries.
Finally, while the Party wishes all its Aspiring Presidential Candidates the best of luck in the primaries, it anticipates that these rules and regulations shall be strictly complied with by all stakeholders, particularly the candidates and their supporters in the supreme interest of the party. Thanks.
A man believed to be in his 30s is in the grips of police in the Central Region over the gruesome murder of his girlfriend.
According to reports, the incident occurred after the young lady, whose identity has not been disclosed, requested a breakup.
The details of the incident are still emerging as investigations continue, however, footage making rounds on social media indicates that the man has been arrested.
A man believed to be in his 30s has been arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Dunkwa On-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East municipality of the central region.
This incident contributes to the growing number of cases involving men who have killed their girlfriends recently.
In April this year, there were reports of a police man killing his girlfriend.
26-year-old Victoria Dapaah also known as Maa Adwoa was allegedly shot by her boyfriend, Inspector Ahmed Twumasi on April 20, 2023, at Adum, a few meters away from her house.
The suspect during his first court appearance, confessed to committing the act but insisted that it was not intentional. But on his second appearance in court, Inspector Ahmed Twumasi has been formally charged with murder as the prosecution has received advice from the office of the Attorney General.
Additionally, an 18-year-old student of the New Nsutam Senior High Technical School in the Abuakwa-North District of the Eastern Region was also reported dead after visiting her boyfriend.
She was allegedly stabbed to death by her boyfriend. Abigail Asare, a form two student of the school and resident of Accra on the morning of Friday, June 2, 2023, around 9am, visited her boyfriend, Emeka, said to be a Togolese soon after leaving school for the mid-term holidays which began on Friday.
Not long after, Emeka is said to have left the shop without his girlfriend.
Minutes later, a customer who came to the shop for a haircut, saw the lifeless body of the victim on the floor soaked in blood from knife wounds. It was unclear what may have triggered the circumstances leading to the murder.
Completion of the initial phase of constructing 124 housing units for the victims of Appiatse, a town in the Western Region that suffered from an explosion, is fast approaching, authorities have confirmed.
The housing units consist of a total of 41 one-bedroom apartments, 35 two-bedroom apartments, 25 three-bedroom apartments, 15 four-bedroom apartments, eight five-bedroom apartments, one six-bedroom apartment, and one seven-bedroom apartment.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the progress of work done so far, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Appiatse Reconstruction Committee, Mr Thywill Quarshie, revealed that most of the buildings had been roofed.
He said external works such as electrical, plastering, painting among others would begin soon, adding the drainage system had been completed and the road network in the area was being constructed.
“The slightly affected houses which only needed roofing and other petty renovations were gradually going bad due to the continuous rains. Weeds have taken over these structures and the owners are not happy,
“If immediate steps are not taken, phase two of the project will affect the beauty of the good work done in phase one” he lamented.
Mr Quarshie added that “working during the rainy season was difficult but I am really impressed with the kind of work done so far by the six contractors handling the project”.
Touching on the welfare of the people of Appiatse, he said,” the health of those severely injured kept deteriorating week by week. We have 23 injured people on our list seeking medical attention but paying their bills is a challenge because we do not have funds.
“We have asked the victims to foot their own medical bills with the hope of refunding when we get support from the public.
“Our warehouse is also empty, feeding the people of Appiatse is a major worry. School children who lost their parents in the incident are out of school” he continued;
According to him, “now our only hope is that next academic year, we have to go for the US $10,000 donated by the workers of Future Global Resources Bogoso Prestea Mine to the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Assembly as seed money to set up an endowment fund to cater for the educational needs of children of parents or guardians whose livelihoods were affected by the Appiatse explosion”
He expressed appreciation to the government, organizations, philanthropists, and individuals for helping them to restore the lives of the victims of Appiatse.
Mr Quarshie appealed to the public to continue to support the people of Appiatse as they were in tough times.
The explosion that occurred on January 20, 2022, at Appiatse, near Bogoso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality has so far claimed sixteen lives.
The majority leader, who is the Member of Parliament for Suame, added that even though it might be ethically wrong for a minister to be keeping such an amount of money in her home, the laws of the country do not stop people from keeping money in their homes.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasised the importance of hearing the former minister’s perspective before passing any judgment.
“In Ghana now we are quick to condemn people as soon as their issues come up. We don’t listen to their side of the story. Doing this is not good for our governance process. We have to hear our sister’s side of the story before we make any judgment.
“There are some questions that have not been answered including whether she legitimately acquired the money; where the minister got the money from, and whether she has paid the required taxes.
“She has not violated any law of the country by not keeping the money in the bank if it is hers… there are no laws like that. But the government is working to create a cashless system so if a minister is keeping such an amount of money in her home, it would be like a pastor not living the gospel s/he preaches,” he said in Twi in a Neat FM interview.
Meanwhile, the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources has been arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
This was contained in a statement from the Office of the Special Prosecutor dated July 24, 2023.
This arrest comes in the wake of suspicions of corruption and corruption-related offences, revolving around the alleged theft of significant amounts of money and valuable items from her residence in Accra.
Dapaah’s resignation from her ministerial post, which occurred on July 22, 2023, set off a series of investigations into the reported theft that had caused shock and concern among the public.
Two of her house helps, Patience Botwe (18) and Sarah Agyei (30), were previously charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, following the alleged incidents between July and October 2022.
During this period, items including assorted clothes worth GHC95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewellery valued at $95,000 were said to have been stolen from the former Minister’s residence in the Abelemkpe area of Accra. Patience Botwe was also accused of stealing six sets of kente cloth worth GHC90,000 and six sets of men’s suits valued at $3,000, which belonged to Dapaah’s husband. Furthermore, three other individuals, including Botwe’s current and former boyfriends and her father, are also facing charges for allegedly being involved in dishonestly receiving GHC1 million, GHC180,000, and GHC50,000, respectively.
The arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor indicates the gravity of the situation and the determination of authorities to investigate the alleged corruption thoroughly.
As of now, the OSP indicated Cecilia Dapaah is undergoing questioning by authorized officers of the OSP to ascertain the facts surrounding the case.
The Bolgatanga High Court I has sentenced a 25-year-old school dropout to 10 years in prison for manslaughter.
As per the Ghanaian Times newspaper report on July 24, 2023, the case of the now convicted suspect Solomon Zina had been in progress for approximately five years.
Throughout the trial, he was on remand at the Navrongo prisons.
The conviction came following the decision of a seven-member jury, who found Zina guilty of manslaughter in the court presided over by Justice Charles Adjei Wilson.
He had originally been charged with murder, as per section 46 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Throughout the lengthy trial, the presiding judge, who is also the Supervising High Court Judge in Bolgatanga, carefully presented the facts, evidence, and legal aspects of both murder and manslaughter.
He instructed the jury to base their verdict solely on the evidence and not to let any biases or prejudices influence their decision.
“Don’t treat the accused with prejudice. Do not look at his tribe, religion, work, whatsoever. If you believe the accused killed him (the deceased) intentionally, return a verdict of murder.
“Also, upon deliberations, if you believe the accused did not commit the act intentionally, return a verdict of manslaughter.
“However, if there are doubts, acquit and discharge the accused. And remember that your verdict must be unanimous,” Justice Wilson told the seven-person jury.
After a 10-minute deliberation, the jury unanimously returned a verdict of manslaughter, leading to Zina’s conviction and subsequent incarceration.
After putting the facts and matter of law before the jurors, Justice Wilson asked them to retire to the chambers and peruse the facts, before returning their verdict on the offence.
After 10-minute deliberation at the chambers, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of manslaughter against the accused, and he was subsequently convicted and incarcerated accordingly.
Defence counsel of the convict, Mohammed Lawal of Legal Aid, argued that his client was only 20 years old when the offence occurred and should be sentenced under the Juvenile Justice Act, which imposes a maximum of 3-year jail term for young offenders.
However, the presiding judge, Justice Wilson rejected this argument, stating that Zina’s demeanor in court indicated that he was an adult at the time of the crime, and the Juvenile Justice Act wouldn’t be applicable in this case.
“Per the demeanour, and I mean the physical traits exhibited by the accused in the witness box, it shows that he (accused) is an adult and was more than the 20 years he chose to give to the police in his caution statement.”
Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has stated its determination to continue shutting down plants in regions affected by illegal mining if the turbidity levels of raw water exceed a critical threshold.
Managing Director of the utility company, Clifford Braimah, highlighted the significant effects of illegal mining on their operations and called for collaborative efforts to address this problem.
In a Public Accounts Committee hearing, he defended the company’s proposed 334% tariff increase, explaining that it aims to motivate Ghanaians to assume responsibility by deterring illegal mining activities within their communities.
“If I had my way, Ghanaians will go and chase away all the galamsayers out of their areas because once the turbidity goes up, we shut the plant. And if you have no alternative access to water, you will take the situation seriously because we stay with the people who pollute the water. And if we [GWCL] shut down, you will not even know where to go to get the water.”
“If you pollute the water and the cost of treatment goes up, why don’t you pay for it because you are making money in one breath polluting the water?”
Nigerian superstar David Adeleke, aka Davido, has finally deleted the short clip from the controversial video of his signee, Logos Olori’s new single ‘Jaye Lo’ which he shared on Twitter.
On Sunday, the singer came under backlash from many Muslims on social media for posting a 45-second trailer clip of his upcoming musical video on Twitter.
The video showed a group of men acting as if they were participating in a Muslim prayer session but instead were dancing and singing.
Many Muslims called him out for disrespecting them
After initially ignoring the criticisms, the DMW boss finally lifted the “offensive” video from his page.
A check on his verified Twitter handle @davido shows that the controversial video has been taken down.
However, the singer is yet to apologise to Muslims.
Nigerian afrobeat musician David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has come under backlash from many Muslims on social media for posting a 45-second trailer clip of his upcoming musical video on Twitter.
The video showed a group of men acting as if they were participating in a Muslim prayer session but instead were dancing and singing.
Reacting to the video, some Muslims have described the video as disrespectful. They have accused the “Unavailable” hitmaker of disrespecting Islam by mixing their religious rites and rituals with song and dance.
They have however called on him to delete the video and apologize.
Meanwhile, Davido has not yet responded to the accusations.
Below are some reactions from muslims
Bashir Ahmad @BashirAhmaad, a former aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, said: There are many reasons why every Muslim finds this content absolutely disrespectful, hurtful and offensive @davido. “I assume you all know that we Muslims don’t mix our religion with jokes in any way, especially Salah (prayer), which is sacred and the second of the five pillars of Islam.
“In Salah, Muslims remember our Lord, Allah, express our love and respect for Him and invoke and strive to express our gratitude towards Him. The notion is that the Salah activity brings the individual face-to-face with God.
“That is what we believe, and that is our faith. Please respect it. No Muslim will find it as an honor or acceptable.
@Abdul_a_Bello wrote: This is absolutely offensive to the Muslim Ummah. You all know Muslim doesn’t mix jokes and ridicule into religion but you keep finding a way to deride Islamic religious practice. You have millions of contents to make up for your video why most you bring Islam into it. This music video is all shades of WRONG!!!
@the_scholar1: The height of this ignorance and disrespect, is unacceptable to the Muslim community. Please take it down and have some respect for the Muslims.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has mandated its regional and constituency executives planning to run in the parliamentary primaries against incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) to step down from their current positions.
As per a party statement, the executives must resign from their positions by September 20, 2023, in order to qualify as candidates in the upcoming parliamentary primaries.
The directive also extends to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in constituencies where the party has sitting MPs. Those MMDCEs, according to the NPP, are not eligible to participate in the parliamentary primaries for those constituencies.
The directive, the NPP explained was borne out of a National Council meeting held on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
“Regional and Constituency Party executives who wish to contest in the primaries in Constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament shall resign from their respective positions not later than September 20, 2023. All such executives shall tender in their resignation letters to their respective Regional Party Secretariats not later than September 20, 2023.
“Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Constituencies where the Party has sitting Members of Parliament are not eligible to contest in the parliamentary primaries for those Constituencies,” the NPP’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said in a statement issued on July 24.
However, the party warned to deal with presidential aspirants who engage in unhealthy campaigns that will dent the image of the party.
“Any Aspiring Presidential Candidate, or his supporters, and party executives at all levels who act in contravention of the Code of Conduct, moving forward, shall be dealt with in accordance with the guidelines thereof and the Party Constitution. For the avoidance of doubt, the relevant portions of the guidelines dealing with the expected standards of conduct include the following: All Aspiring Presidential Candidates shall campaign on issues and refrain from levelling unsubstantiated allegations, personal attacks and vilifications against their opponents”.
Television host Shallie Abbiusi’s successful broadcasting career with GhOne TV is over.
Since 2022, the award-winning reality TV star from Belgium has hosted the weekly programme “Cheers” on GhOne TV. She has a fantastic connection with her viewers.
Shallie Abbiusi joined GhOne TV in 2012 after taking over the Saturday-only show “Cheers” from Nana Aba Anamoah.
Delivering her thank you note to the management of the television network as she exits, the reality star was very grateful for her experiences and journey with GhOne TV under its Chief Executive Officer, Bola Ray.
The screen goddess says she has learned a lot but with her contract expiring, she feels “ready for a new chapter and to explore new opportunities”.
The Belgian/Italian reality TV star doesn’t want to reveal much yet about her next step in her career, however, she is open and excited for new challenges.
Shallie has exited GhOne TV but not exited TV screens; she will definitely be seen again on your screens.
Profile
Shallie graduated in 2016 as a biomedical lab technician and worked in a medical lab for 5 years while building her social and modeling career.
She is signed to multiple agencies across the globe such as Bare Face in Dubai and Curve Models Agency in Belgium as a curve/plus size model.
Her modeling experience is as a result of her history as an international pageant queen.
She represented Belgium in multiple international pageants from 2011 to 2017 winning multiple titles and awards as Miss Exclusive 2013, Miss Top of the World in India, Miss Tourism Belgium and many more.
Her online brand is growing steadily and with her experience on social media and a successful career as an Influencer who has worked with giant brands such as Conrad, Radisson Blu, SHEIN, FashionNova and so forth, she launched a social media and digital marketing company called “The Online Empire” in 2021.
The Online Empire helps people and brands expand their online presence and boost their online income.
Her latest TV appearance was in the popular show “Temptation Island Belgium/Netherlands 2021”.
Shallie won an international award for her appearance on the show as “International TV Star of the Year” in 2022.
MP for Asutifi South, Collins Dauda, has asserted that the minority caucus of parliament will persist in their protest against the prosecution of their colleague, James Gyakye Quayson, who represents the Assin North Constituency.
He stated that the NDC MPs would maintain their boycott of parliamentary sessions as a display of solidarity with Quayson, emphasizing that ending the boycott would be seen as a form of betrayal.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South, Collins Dauda
“Gyakye Quayson was dragged to court on several occasions. The court said that he should be removed as an MP, and he was removed.
“Another election was conducted, and the people of Assin North voted for him massively. But still, they are trying him in court. So, those of us who love him—should we sit aloof as they are persecuting him?
“And so, anytime he is to appear before the court, we would accompany him to show him the love we have for him; we would go today and tomorrow,” he said in Twi, as he was addressing the media at a campaign event on Monday.
Collins Dauda, a former Minister for Works and Housing, added that it is amazing that the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC), which approved Quayson, has not been summoned by the court to explain their decision.
“The gatekeeper (the EC), who is supposed to ensure that only qualified people stand for the election, passed him (Quayson)… Why are they not asking the Electoral Commission why it passed Quayson?” he said.
He added that those saying that NDC MPs’ boycott of parliament was affecting the livelihood of Ghanaians are wrong because currently there are no urgent bills that the house is considering.
Ghanaian Afrobeat singer, Kelvyn Boy has released his last banger with his brand new single ‘Vero’.
In this most recent love story produced by Blakk Arm Entertainment in collaboration with international distribution company, ONErpm, Kelvyn expresses his abiding love for “Vero.”
On the infectious Master Maison produced Afropop beat, he emphasizes in storytelling melody on how Vero belongs to his heart.
This single is a precursor to Kelvyn Boy’s upcoming EP “For The Kulture (FTK)”, which promises to be packed with bangers just like ‘Vero’.
In the meantime, enjoy this latest offering from the talented singer who has quickly become one of Ghana’s top global Afrobeats exports.
Member of Parliament for Keta, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, has shared an inspiring and touching account of his tenacious pursuit of education during his early years. He narrated a heartwarming story of resilience and determination amidst the challenges he faced.
The Keta MP disclosed that during his childhood, he had to walk a distance of three miles without shoes every day for more than three years due to a lack of resources.
Recalling his humble beginnings, in an interview with GhanaWeb’s Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese, he revealed that he walked a gruelling three miles to school daily, facing the scorching heat under his bare feet, owing to the lack of sandals and vehicles in his rural community.
“Those days there was no electricity, no pipe-borne water, and you have to walk about three miles to school. Walking three hours, no vehicles, you have to walk barefooted, and on your way going, sometimes you have to get water in a bottle, so that when the sun is burning from the heat, you pour small, stand on it for some time, and continue the journey,” shared Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey.
The inspiring journey to attain education was not without its challenges, but his determination to learn and better his life kept him going. In an effort to ease the discomfort caused by the scorching ground, he carried water along, wetting his feet on the arduous walk to school.
The Keta MP’s early struggles did not deter him from striving for success. In addition to pursuing his education, he ventured into petty trading, taking up the responsibility of transporting crabs from Anloga Market to Afram Plains to sell.
His mother, a teacher, played a vital role in shaping his character, instilling the values of hard work and enterprise.
“I was going into even petty trading where I have to take crabs from Anloga Market all the way to Afram Plains in the 90s where my mom; though a teacher, would go into such trades, and I would follow her. And we would have to go to such places as Nkawkaw, Afram Plains, Kwesi Fante, Maame Krobo, those days… it was a good business,” shared the Keta MP.
Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey’s inspiring journey from walking barefoot to school as a pupil to becoming a Member of Parliament is a testament to the power of determination, hard work, and resilience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e06Xo3HY5HI
He is the Member of Parliament for the Keta constituency in the Volta Region of Ghana.
He joined parliament in 2021 has been reelected to represent the party ahead of the 2024 elections.
Ghanaian actress Joselyn Dumas unexpectedly rose to the top of the Twitter trends on the evening of Sunday, July 23, garnering attention for a highly unusual and fascinating cause.
Her fans and the online community debated whether the actress was really responsible for the pornographic tweets as a result of the unexpected occurrence, which raised many questions.
Some suspected that her account might have been hacked.
At 10.20 pm, Sunday, Joselyn Dumas confirmed that her account was indeed hacked but fortunately, she recovered it.
She expressed gratitude to the people who assisted her to retrieve her Twitter account as well as those who called her to inform her about the developemnt.
In a tweet, she said: “Guys guys ugh!!! my Twitter was hacked!!! Thanks to @qrsyth@bra_perruci & @blarneybejamin for working swiftly to help restore my account and many thank to everyone that called and showed concern on here. I appreciate you all. Thanks #LoveAbounds.”
She has since removed the pornographic content from her timeline.
Former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi made a surprise appearance in a video during National Patriotic Party presidential aspirant Ken Ohene Agyapong’s campaign tour in Jirapa, Upper West Region.
The video capturing Mr Agyapong’s campaign tour in Jirapa, surfaced over the weekend. Of significance, the video showed the presence of former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi among the party delegates.
The once-revered football administrator was spotted introducing himself in his local dialect. He publicly endorsed the Assin North MP as the most suitable candidate to lead Ghana in the 2024 elections, encouraging all voters to cast their ballots in favor of Ken Agyapong on Saturday, November 4, 2023.
Nyantakyi who doubles as a lawyer is a long-time confidant of the politician, who vehemently defended him after he was caught up in investigative journalism Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ exposé five years ago.
It will be recalled that in 2018, Nyantakyi was captured in Anas’ ‘Number 12’ exposé allegedly taking cash gifts and engaging in influence peddling.
This led to him resigning as GFA President, as well as losing his positions as FIFA Council Member and 1st Vice President of CAF.
Nyantakyi was subsequently handed a lifetime ban and fined 500,000 Swiss Francs by FIFA. He was also charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, and corruption by a public officer, but was later granted bail with some sureties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e06Xo3HY5HI
His lifetime ban was subsequently reduced to 15 years following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) three years ago.
Nyantakyi was in the company of Ken Ohene Agyapong when he filed his nomination form to contest for the NPP Presidential candidacy on Wednesday, June 21, 2023.
Former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah remains in the spotlight due to an alleged theft incident involving two of her maids.
The news coverage surrounding this matter continues to attract attention and public interest. The Minister on Sunday, July 23, 2023, tendered her resignation following the vast reports in the social and traditional media.
In her letter she stated that she was resigning because she does not ” want this matter to become a preoccupation of the government and a hindrance to the work of the government at such a crucial time.”
Although the Presidency has accepted the resignation, there have been further calls for an investigation into the matter.
Member of Parliament of Tema West constituency, Carlos Ahenkorah has waded into the discourse.
In an interview on United Television (UTV), the legislator contended that the former Sanitation Minister was not strategic about the situation. He believes the Minister should have refrained from taking the case to court, considering her public image.
“One thing I would love Auntie Ceci [the Minister] to provide clarification to is how this matter got to court. My point is that you’re a politician, and even if this money was attained on a legal basis, just for the sake of your image, you don’t allow this to happen to you; you don’t take it to court.
“[Because] Once you go to court, it is public. She was not political in this matter. If she had approached the matter strategically, just for her image and where she stands, this would not have happened. It’s obvious that given her position and her image, keeping this kind of amount in your house makes it wrong. So why do you lend yourself to the public?” he questioned.
Five individuals are facing charges for their alleged involvement in stealing millions of dollars and euros from the minister’s house at Abelemkpe, a suburb of Accra.
According to Madam Dapaah, the reported amounts of money stolen in the media is inconsistent with the original complaint she filed.
According to Madam Cecilia Dapaah, she decided to resign on July 23, 2023, to prevent this matter from becoming a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time.
She also assured of her willingness to cooperate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts.
The latest development as of Monday, July 24, 223, is that the Office of the Special Prosecutor has arrested her to assist with investigations regarding the matter.
Following a more than 18-hour delay, 200 individuals were left with little choice but to spend the night on the airport floor.
Everyone who was anticipating boarding the EZY8232 flight to London Gatwick was still waiting about 20 hours after it was scheduled to take off from Rhodes Airport at 9.10 p.m.
Londoners Charlie Johnson, 30, and Joshua White, 31, spent four nights on the Greek island to “get some sun and read their books.”
But like so many other tourists last week, their holiday has turned into a nightmare with wildfires raging through the area, leading to the evacuation of thousands.
Charlie and Joshua are two of the 200 Charlie estimates were left ‘stranded’, with ‘absolutely no communication’ from easyJet on Saturday night.
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘We were given a voucher for €4.50 which covers the cost of a Fanta. A coffee is €4.75 and the cheapest sandwich is €6.50 so it doesn’t even cover a meal.
‘There was no information, we were just left to sleep on the floor overnight and wait until we knew when we knew our flight was going to arrive. There are lots of young children, elderly people, disabled people all just being left to sit on the floor and fend for themselves and live off a €4.50 voucher.’
EasyJet told Metro.co.uk the situation was caused by ‘a large number of customers deciding on the inbound flight that they no longer wanted to travel to Rhodes’.
The airline said it could not offer hotel accommodation ‘due to the situation in Rhodes following the wildfires’.
It has since announced two repatriation flights will take place tomorrow, with a third on Tuesday.
Charlie said: ‘There aren’t any hotels left because they’re being used for people who have been evacuated because of the fires.’
She went on: ‘It is absolute carnage. We’re also stuck in the departure gate because we’ve gone through passport control so we now can’t leave the area.
‘So we’re limited to a very small part of the airport with only one restaurant that accepts our vouchers and only one bathroom and it is heaving. There are not enough seats.
‘There are people who have asked to just leave the airport and arrange their own alternative plans but we’re literally not allowed to leave – because our baggage is on the plane I think.’
An easyJet plane reportedly arrived at Rhodes Airport at around 8am this morning, which about 50 people were able to board, according to Ben Wright, who was also supposed to be on the flight.
He said children, families and the elderly were trapped in a 40°C cabin with no aircon and no news for half an hour, before they were informed the plane would actually not be flying.
EasyJet confirmed that the delay caused by having to re-board the inbound flight pushed the flight crew past the legal number of hours they are allowed to work.
The travellers were told the pilot would come and speak to them but footage posted on Twitter shows an airport worker announcing: ‘The captain has refused to come and speak to passengers.
‘We have no information from easyJet at this point with what is happening with your flight and we do apologise.’
Charlie said: ‘Everyone is really frustrated. Quite a low of people are upset. It would almost be better if easyJet just held their hands up “we screwed up” but we’ve just not heard anything from them.’
At around 4.20pm local time, easyJet started ‘some sort of boarding by reading out names one by one’ to determine who could get onto the plane, Charlie said.
Police were called to hold the crowd back as they tried to push to the front to ask for more information about who was being allowed to board.
Eventually, they were told families with children could go through.
‘It’s like the Titanic or The Hunger Planes,’ Charlie joked.
She added: ‘I obviously do feel really awful for the people who had to evacuate their hotels and stuff. We’re stuck in an airport which is obviously far better than being stuck on a beach – I’m not insensitive to what’s going on.’
When the couple got to the front of the queue, they were part of a group of between 20 and 25 who were told there were not enough seats for them, Charlie said.
About an hour later, Charlie said the plane had not left yet, ‘so they’re all sitting on a plane with no air con in 40°C temperatures’.
She has not been told ‘anything’ about when she and the remaining passengers are going to be able to leave. They have all been given another €4.50 voucher.
EasyJet said: ‘We are very sorry that Saturday evening’s flight from Rhodes to Gatwick was delayed due to a large number of customers deciding on the inbound flight that they no longer wanted to travel to Rhodes.
‘This meant all passengers needed to be re-boarded which caused a further delay which unfortunately led to the crew exceeding their maximum duty time and required the inbound aircraft from Gatwick to divert to Athens.
‘This meant that the flight from Rhodes to Gatwick had to be delayed overnight and operated by a replacement aircraft.’
The company added: ‘The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority. We would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused.’
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has spoken about the life and impact of the late former Ghanaian president, John Evans Atta Mills, referring to him as a person of utmost integrity.
On the 11th anniversary of the former president’s passing, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa praised John Evans Atta Mills for effectively utilizing his authority to advance Ghana’s progress and development.
“It’s been exactly 11 years since you left us to be with our Maker on July 24, 2012. The power of your example and the purity of your legacy continues to radiate brighter and brighter each passing day not only in our hearts but featuring prominently in the national discourse about how our exceptional qualities remain the only blueprint for the transformation of the country you loved so greatly.
“Here are my 11 reflections on the power of Prof. John Evans Atta Mills’ example and the purity of his legacy as we commemorate 11 years of his transition: Authentic God-fearing leadership; Genuine incorruptibility,” he wrote in a Twitter post.
John Evans Atta Mills was the sitting president of Ghana when he died on June 24, 2012.
Former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who has come under public scrutiny following an alleged theft at her residence involving two of her maids, has been arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the OSP on Monday, July 24, 2023.
The statement said the arrest was in “respect of suspected corruption and corruption related offences regarding large sums of money and other valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence.
“Mrs Dapaah is being questioned by authorised officers of the OSP,” the statement added.
The arrest comes after Cecilia Dapaah’s resignation and the wake of suspicions of corruption and corruption-related offences, revolving around the alleged theft of significant amounts of money and valuable items from her residence in Accra.
Five individuals are facing charges for their alleged involvement in stealing millions of dollars and euros from the minister’s house at Abelemkpe, a suburb of Accra.
According to Madam Dapaah, the reported amounts of money stolen in the media is inconsistent with the original complaint she filed.
According to Madam Cecilia Dapaah, she decided to resign on July 23, 2023, to prevent this matter from becoming a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time.
She also assured of her willingness to cooperate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts.
It is expected that investigation by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, will bring finality to the matter.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed confidence in the integrity of the former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
The Minister resigned from her position on Friday, July 22, after reports emerged that she had stashed huge sums of money in her home, part of which had been stolen by two house helps who are now facing prosecution alongside other accomplices.
In a letter accepting the Minister’s resignation, the President said “I am confident, like you, that, at the end of the day, your integrity, whilst in office, will be fully established. I wish you the very best in all your endeavours.”
It is unclear whether the President’s comment about the Minister’s integrity is in defence of her conduct in the midst of the allegations of possible wrongdoing, or that it was simply a parting comment after her years of public service.
Already, critics have accused the president of constantly shielding his appointees accused of corruption, to the point of earning the name tag “clearing agent.”
In her resignation letter addressed to the President, Madam Dapaah said she decided to step down because she did not want this matter “to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government.”
Without a direct comment on the incident that triggered the Minister’s resignation, the President praised her for her “excellent” service during her tenure in office.
“I have received your letter, dated Saturday, 22nd July 2023, resigning from office as Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and as a member of the Government.
“It is with considerable regret that I accept your resignation, and I applaud your loyalty to the image and standing of the Government.”
“The work you undertook during your period in Government was excellent and productive, and I thank you for your wholehearted contribution and devotion to the progress of the government and the nation,” he stated.
There have been several calls on the government to ensure that Madam Dapaah is duly investigated by relevant state institutions to establish how she came by that money.
The acting Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mary Awelana Addah, says President Akufo-Addo has an opportunity to redeem his image by taking a critical decision on the minister.
Ghanaian Playwright, Uncle Ebo Whyte and his wife Madam Florence are celebrating 40 years of being married.
To commemorate the occasion, the sensational author shared a post on his Facebook page.
“Marriage is God’s idea and by keeping Christ at the centre of our marriage we have gone 40 years!” He captioned a photo collage of him and Florence.
He also thanked her for loving and supporting his dreams.
“Florence, thank you for loving this South Suntreso boy, believing in and supporting my dreams. Thank you for trusting God with me. Cheers to many more years to come, happy 40th wedding anniversary to us!
“Marriage when done right, is medicine” – THE SECRET CODE OF WIVES play,” he added.
Uncle Ebo Whyte and Florence said I do to each other on this day, July 23 40 years ago.
The two have weathered the storm together, and although they do not have any biological children of their own, they have been wonderful parents too many.
In the early hours of Monday morning, a strike caused a tower next to Russia’s Defence Ministry to catch fire.
Authorities in Moscow claim that Ukraine launched a “terrorist attack” after drones struck two non-residential facilities there.
Video showed a high-rise’s top blazing, with grey smoke rising into the sky.
Mayor of the capital Sergei Sobyanin confirmed no one was injured in the incident as the military jammed both drones, forcing them to crash.
One fell on Komsomolsky Prospekt near the city centre, close to the main defence ministry building, Russian media reported.
Another hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting its upper floors, with residents nearby awoken by ‘everything shaking’.
But it is unclear if the drones hit the buildings when they were brought down, or whether they were targeting the buildings.
‘On the morning of July 24, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to launch a terrorist attack using two unmanned aerial vehicles against facilities on the territory of the city of Moscow was thwarted,’ the ministry said on Telegram.
‘Two Ukrainian UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) were suppressed by electronic warfare means and crashed.’
Christo Grozev, Bulgarian investigator at Bellingcat, stressed that if Ukraine hit the building, the ‘symbolic damage to MoD/GRU will be very significant’.
He shared a video on Twitter showing the defence building had suffered at least some damage, with windows appearing to be shot out.
Ukrainian authorities did not immediately claim responsibility for the strike, which was the second drone attack on the Russian capital this month.
Following the abandonment of a football game due to a hearse being driven onto the field, four men have been detained.
On Friday, a hearse and a Subaru drove onto the pitch and began performing donuts, ending the friendly match between the non-league teams Gateshead and Dunston.
Around 8.20 p.m., the event took place at Dunston’s UTS Stadium in Tyne and Wear.
Additionally, flyers were tossed from the cars and onto the pitch. At halftime, the game was halted.
Northumbria Police confirmed on Saturday that four people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Three men, two aged 19 and one aged 32, were arrested on suspicion of affray, while a fourth man, 41, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
All four are still in police custody.
A spokesman for the force said: ‘Disorder will not be tolerated in the community, and anyone found to be involved will be dealt with robustly.
‘Officers would like to thank members of the public who have come forward to assist the investigation to date.
‘People are also reminded to continue to avoid any speculation online and on social media as enquiries continue.
‘Police will remain in the area throughout the weekend – and those with concerns and information are encouraged to speak with an officer on duty.’
Anyone with information or footage of the incident is asked to get in touch with Northumbria Police.
A British mother spoke of feeling helpless as flames tore through the Greek island of Rhodes, leaving her family “stranded.”
Rhodes is a famous summer holiday destination for British tourists in Greece and is well-known for its sand beaches, historic temples, and nightlife.
However, authorities claim that roughly one in ten tourists have been touched by the flames, which have prompted thousands of residents to leave from seaside settlements.
Footage from Kiotari and Lardo resorts has shown sightseers against a murky orange sky dragging suitcases or fleeing hotels without their luggage at all.
Others have described waking up today to ash falling on them from above as wildfires raged for the sixth night.
Thousands of miles away, Brits like Debbie Antoine are watching the unfolding scenes and are terrified of what will happen to their families vacationing there.
Greek police say it’s the country’s largest-ever evacuation operation in response to a fire (Picture: AP)The wildfires have scorched southeastern beaches, officials sayNearly 20,000 people have been evacuated so far (Picture: Michael Stokes / SWNS)
Her daughter, Kelly Nicholls, who is staying at a five-star hotel along the upscale Kiotari beach strip, has lost ‘everything’.
‘My daughter Kell, her husband and two young children along with another family of four had to run for their lives from the Princess Andriana Resort & Spa,’ Debbie said, according to The Mirror.
‘They have walked for miles to escape and no one except local people have given them drinks,’ she said, adding that they have been sleeping on sun beds.
‘The hotel gave them towels and nothing else, no food or drink,’ Debbie added.
‘They are literally stranded and have lost everything as they ran in their swimwear.’
Eileen Mawton and her daughter Hannah Gormley and eight-year-old granddaughter Annabelle, also staying at the Princess Andriana Resort & Spa, said they had to run on foot in 40°C heat.
Some tourists have been hauled up in emergency shelters in stadiums (Picture: Reuters)
Friend Glynis Wall told The Mirror: ‘They said it was like images of a warzone.
‘Everyone around them was panicking. There were children and babies crying and mothers trying to protect them from the smoke.’
While Corinne Watson, 42, who is holidaying with her husband and two sons, said power outages at their hotel ’caused chaos’ but staff are ‘working exceptionally hard’.
‘For others, both tourists and locals, it is awful and terrifying,’ she told the PA news agency.
More than 19,000 people have been vacated so far in what police told local news outlet Ellada 24 is the largest fire evacuation operation ever carried out in the country.
Preliminary police data suggests 16,000 people have been evacuated over land and 3,000 by sea.
The wildfire has been burning since last week but was confined mainly to mountainous regions until winds and scorching temperatures pushed it eastside.
Orders to leave homes and hotels in Asklepiio and Kiotari and move to Gennadi were issued at 1:42pm yesterday, the Greek news agency ANA-MPA reported.
Holidaymaker David Woodhouse tweeted footage of him walking in a bathing suit alongside countless others from the TUI Plimmiri Hotel shortly after the alert.
Greece’s Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said the evacuation ‘took place without problem’ and ‘care has been taken for the accommodation of those who had to be removed’.
Nine people have been admitted to hospital with breathing problems, regional health officials said.
The British Embassy in Athens said it is ‘closely monitoring the wildfire in Rhodes’.
The Foreign Office’s travel advice for Greece adds: ‘If you are a British national affected by wildfires in Rhodes near Kiotari, Pefkoi, Lindos and the surrounding area, please follow the guidance from the emergency services.
‘If you are planning to travel to Rhodes, please check with your travel operator or hotel prior to travel that the area you plan to visit is not impacted by the current wildfires.’
It comes as at least 46 forest fires were ignited throughout Greece in the last 24 hours, the country’s fire brigade tweeted at about 6:20pm local time.
Greece’s fire service spokesman, Ioannis Artophios, told reporters yesterday evening: ‘An extreme risk of fire is predicted in Attica, Evia, Boeotia, Phocis, Fthiotida, Magnesia, Larissa, Argolis, Corinthia, Messinia, in areas of Achaia and Ilia, and in the islands of the Rhodes Regional Unit, while the risk remains very high in the rest of the country.
‘The new heat wave creates dangerous conditions for the occurrence and spread of fires.
‘In the extreme situation we are experiencing, the attention of all of us is required.’
The tinder-dry temperatures are set to continue in Rhodes today, with Greece’s national weather service predicting 32°C in the morning before rising to 40°C by midday.
Even in the evening, the mercury will only lower by eight degrees, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service.
Cleon, named by Greek weather officials after the Athenian general and otherwise known as Cerebrus, has engulfed Greece, igniting wildfires last week near Athens.
Dan Jones, a director of sports for a school football team in Torbay, England, tweeted that the Rhodes wildfires have been the ‘scariest moment in my entire life’.
He said he and his three children climbed on a fishing trawler to get to safety.
‘I don’t know how they’ll process this when the dust settles, but what brave boys,’ he said. ‘Family is everything.’
A real estate agent who attacked two homosexual men holding hands in Birmingham’s downtown was sentenced to prison.
In October 2021, Usman Murtza, age 31, confronted John-Paul Kesseler and Anthony Smith when he was standing next to his white Rolls Royce.
Not everyone wants to witness that, he informed the two.
Murtza then used a glass bottle to strike Mr. Kesseler in the face, severely gashing him.
He then wielded a metal bar at both of them before witnesses intervened and he drove away.
In a statement Mr Kesseler, a student, described his continuing anger at the fact he and his friend were attacked ‘because of who we are, queer men’.
He branded Murtza an ignorant homophobe and described the look on his face at the time as the ‘purest distillation of hatred I have ever seen’.
Mr Kesseler said his studies had suffered since the attack and said: ‘I am apoplectic someone had the freedom to spout hate because of their ignorance.’
He added: ‘The defendant saw us holding hands and couldn’t contain the hate he had for us. It was the purest distillation of hatred I have ever seen.’
Mr Smith said he no longer felt safe holding his current partner’s hand in public or leaving gay bars and clubs in Birmingham.
Murtza, from Victoria Road, Tipton, said he was ‘unreservedly sorry and ashamed’.
The married father told Birmingham Crown Court had gay friends himself, and said he could empathise with the victims because of the similar hostility which came with being Asian.
In a letter, Murtza said: ‘I would like to offer my very sincere apologies to John-Paul Kesseler and Anthony Smith for my stupid and dangerous behaviour.
‘I’m sorry you were the victims of my behaviour and I’m sorry you were injured as a result and you will remember everything that evening from the moment I interrupted you
‘I am not proud of what I did. My parents are struggling to show support. I am unreservedly sorry and ashamed.’
He admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating.
He was sentenced to 16 months in jail. The punishment had to be uplifted to account for the homophobic nature of the attack.
Recorder Paul McGrath concluded he would not suspend the sentence and said: ‘This was a persistent offence aggravated by the demonstration of hostility towards sexual orientation and it had a significant effect on two innocent victims.
‘I don’t feel appropriate punishment can be achieved with a suspended sentence.’
It’s expected that the wildfires raging throughout Corfu and Rhodes could worsen this week as high temperatures return to most of Europe.
Earlier this month, the Cerberus anticyclone system moved northward over the continent, causing sweltering temperatures and even a hazard to life alert in Italy due to the severe heat.
However, Charon, a second heatwave, has taken the place of Cerberus and could return temperatures to about 45°C across the continent, according to the MailOnline.
Thousands of tourists, including an estimated 7,000-10,000 Brits, have been forced to sleep on the floor of Rhodes International Airport this morning as they wait to be taken home amid expansive wildfires.
Others were left to sleep on sun beds as hotels in safer areas filled up with evacuating tourists.
Yesterday Corfu, a popular holiday destination, became the second Greek holiday hotspot to be devastated by wildfires.
Winds of up to 35mph have made it even harder for firefighters to put out the destructive fires.
With temperatures expected to hit 45°C, the Ministry for Civil Protection warned of a very high risk of wildfires in almost half of Greece.
A British couple have told of their ‘nightmare’ time on Rhodes while celebrating their wedding anniversary.
Laura and Marc Hall were supposed to fly back to the UK on Friday, and described ash falling in their drinks as they were told to stand by at their hotel.
The couple were evacuated to a basketball stadium and slept on the floor overnight.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mrs Hall said: ‘It’s been a nightmare, on Saturday night we were just having a drink and we knew that other places had been evacuated but we were just told to stand by.
‘There was ash falling in our drinks and we could just see a blaze in the distance and a load of smoke, we were told not to do anything and then all of a sudden we had alarms going off on our phone and the waiter was saying standby, shouting “mayday, mayday”.
‘So it was just a mad panic, we all started packing, we were just told to wait and we might have to evacuate, so we just stayed in our rooms and at 3am we get a call, we’ve got to go.’
Following the viral video of two women being forced to strip and sexually attacked by a crowd, thousands of women have participated in rallies across India.
The incident happened in the state of Manipur, where there has been a lot of ethnic conflict during the past two months.
On May 3, footage was captured of a group of men from the Hindu Meitei majority group leading the victims, who are from the Christian Kuki minority community, through a village.
The footage shows the pair being pushed around, dragged and groped by the men, one of whom threatened to ‘kill’ them, and were eventually led into a field.
Police believe one of the women was then gang-raped, and that a third woman, who is not seen in the video, was also forced to strip.
According to local media, the attack was part of a wave of violence sparked by fake news suggesting Kukis were responsible for the rape and murder of a Meitei woman.
On Friday, a group of women were pictured setting fire to a house said to belong to one of the men accused of being part of the mob.
Women set fire to one of the alleged attackers’ homes (Picture: AFP)
Hemant Pandey, a senior police official in the state capital Imphal, said: ‘Local women pelted stones and burnt some parts of the house belonging to the prime accused in a village.
‘We request women to protest peacefully as there is intense unease. We understand their rage.’
At least 130 people have died in deadly clashes in Manipur this summer, which has also been plagued by shootings, lootings of businesses and sexual assaults.
Members of India’s opposition party held a solidarity protest in India’s capital of New Delhi on Thursday (Picture: AFP)Protesters marched against widespread sexual violence suffered by Manipur’s women (Picture: AFP)Men from the party’s youth wing also turned up in large numbers (Picture: AFP)
An estimated 60,000 have lost their homes amid a push by members of each group for total social segregation.
The national government has deployed thousands of soldiers but has avoided directly confronting either group, possibly as many local officials are said to be wrapped up in the conflict.
One of the victims told The Indian Express newspaper: ‘The police were there with the mob which was attacking our village.
‘The police picked us up from near home, and took us a little away from the village and left us on the road with the mob.
India’s PM, Narendra Modi, was heavily criticised for staying silent on the violence until Thursday (Picture: EPA)
‘We were given to them by police.’
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, broke his silence on the conflict on Thursday, telling the national parliament ‘the entire country has been shamed’ by the incident.
He said: ‘I want to assure the nation, no guilty [people] will be spared.
‘Action will be taken according to the law. What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.
‘As I stand next to this temple of democracy, my heart is filled with pain and anger.’
India’s chief justice, Dhananjaya Chandrachud, appeared to criticise the government for failing to do more.
He said the Supreme Court would intervene if Modi and his ministers didn’t, stating: ‘I think it’s time that the government really steps in and takes action because this is simply unacceptable.’
Four men were arrested in Manipur shortly after an order from the Supreme Court of India.
Protests have erupted on and off for at least two months in Manipur, which borders Myanmar.
Members of Modi’s BJP party have stoked ethnic tensions by blaming problems on an influx of refugees from Myanmar who share ties with the Kukis.
The chief minister of Manipur, a Meitei who is also BJP member, gave a TV interview last months accusing Kukis and refugees of conspiring in ‘drugs business’ and ‘planting poppy’, a crop used to produce heroin.
He has repeatedly supported forced internet outages as the best measure to quell the violence.
It’s unlikely that the UK’s summer weather will get a little bit more summery in the upcoming days or weeks, according to experts.
Several flood advisories have been issued across England, the latest indication that people may need to bring an umbrella rather than a parasol when leaving the house.
With 14 each in Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and Yorkshire, the government-issued notices are primarily concentrated in the north of the nation.
They include one flood warning, which carries an extra level of seriousness beyond an alert, concerning the River Wyre near Catterall, north of Preston.
Flooding is also possible in parts of Middlesbrough, Leicestershire and Berkshire.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said ‘minor surface water flooding impacts’ were possible in those areas, but added that the overall flood risk for England and Wales is ‘very low’ for the next five days.
The Met Office said a large band of rain would sit across the central swathe of the UK, particularly northern England and Wales, for much of today.
Several festivals and sporting events have already been affected by the grim weather.
The fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford and the Open Championship at Hoylake are both being hampered by near-continuous heavy rain.
Meanwhile, the Bluedot Festival at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire has told Sunday day ticket holders that it is unable to accommodate them, as they announced wet conditions meant the programme could only go ahead ‘for people already here’.
Marco Petagna, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘Certainly localised flooding is quite possible. The rain warning we have out now until midnight certainly suggests the potential for standing water on the roads, so journey times could be impacted, and there could be some disruption for local bus and train services.’
The weather agency predicts we may be on course for the dullest July on record, with noticeably less sunshine than average for the month.
It comes straight after the UK’s hottest June ever – and while southern Europe is being battered by a number of brutal heatwaves.
Marco added more wet and windy weather was due to arrive from the west in the middle of next week, with the outlook ‘staying unsettled’ and thunderstorms and further flood risk possible.
