NBA player Dion Waiters has recently revealed his struggle with depression, expressing a strong desire for another opportunity to return to professional basketball.
During an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report, Dion Waiters, a former NBA champion, candidly discussed the challenging period he faced after his last NBA appearance and how he confronted his personal struggles to emerge with renewed strength. The 31-year-old athlete disclosed that his circumstances had deteriorated to such an extent that he sought the assistance of a therapist to navigate through his difficulties.
“I went through some shit,” Waiters said. “Depression, anxiety, and just not knowing my future. It got serious, bro. I had to get a therapist. It became overwhelming and too much to bear. I now talk to a therapist every Wednesday.”
Waiters also described how his depression affected his daily life. He developed suicidal thoughts but chose not to act on them as he would rather “be miserable” for the rest of his life than leave his children without a father. He was also tired of people always coming to him for something, as he was always the backbone for family and friends.
“I just wasn’t having fun,” he said. “Shit was dark. Some days, I’d sleep in the bed all day. I had nothing to look forward to. I wasn’t working out. It’s a mental battle.”
He continued, “I never understood what depression was until the last few years. I realized I’ve been enduring this pain since I was a kid. My dad even fought depression. He had a bad attitude coming up. He would tell me how he tried to hurt himself, but that was something I couldn’t understand until I saw a therapist. I felt all alone.”
Seeking a therapist was a good idea for Waiters, as he stated he’s now on the right track and focusing on returning to the NBA to finish what he started. According to Waiters, he’s “healthy” and wants an opportunity to “show I’m not who I once was.”
“I still got that love. I still got that itch,” he said about returning to the league. “I know I can still help a team win at the highest level on the court and even in the locker room as a veteran presence. So why not just give it a go and just see what happens? You never know.”
Waiters last stepped on an NBA court in the 2019-2020 season, where he played 10 games, splitting time between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, winning an NBA title with the latter. In his most recent campaign, Waiters was suspended three different times while playing for the Heat.
The first suspension was for the season opener after he complained on social media about his role on the team. The second one happened three weeks later, when he received a 10-game suspension after consuming edibles that caused him to have a panic attack on the team plane.
The last suspension came a month later, when he was suspended for six games after posting a picture celebrating his birthday on a boat after calling in sick. Miami had enough and traded him to Memphis Grizzlies, where he was waived.
Minaj collaborated with Lil Baby on the track “Do We Have A Problem?” off her first greatest hits album, ‘Queen Radio: Volume 1,’ released in August 2022.
Lil Baby has crowned Nicki Minaj the greatest woman rapper of all time while also claiming her fellow women artists are taking over hip-hop at the moment.
During a conversation on Complex’s Goat Talk, Baby sat with his artist Rylo Rodriguez to reveal their “best of” choices in various categories. One of the questions that came up was “GOAT female rapper,” and Baby had to contemplate who deserved that title.
While he was thinking, Rylo revealed he had no idea that GOAT meant “greatest of all time” until Baby said the acronym aloud. The Atlanta rap star couldn’t believe Rylo was lost on the acronym, and couldn’t hold in his laughter. Eventually, he got it together and picked Nicki Minaj as the greatest woman rapper ever.
After crowning Nicki, Lil Baby said there’s a “crazy” number of women rappers who are “running the game right now.”
The “We Paid” rapper calling Nicki Minaj the GOAT should come as no surprise. She became a force to be reckoned with thanks to her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty, and from there, she established herself as the modern-day Queen of rap with a catalog that’s sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Minaj collaborated with Lil Baby on the track “Do We Have A Problem?” off her first greatest hits album, Queen Radio: Volume 1, released in August 2022. The 40-year-old will also be making her official comeback this year with the arrival of her fifth studio album.
Last month, Nicki revealed the album was pushed back from its original date of October 20 to November 17, while also announcing its title, Pink Friday 2.
An eight-year-old boy in Montgomery, Alabama has been arrested after he robbed a car at gunpoint and then got into a chase with police.
Per WSFA, Maj. Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department said officers responded to reports of a car theft earlier this week. Following a police chase that ended with the child crashing into another vehicle and fleeing on foot, the unidentified minor was taken into custody at the Montgomery County Youth Detention Facility.
He has been charged with first-degree robbery, attempting to elude, and firearm possession. Coleman said the firearm used in the carjacking was recovered by officers at the scene. No injuries were reported, but the child apparently refused to pull over for police during the chase.
“Whenever I realized it was a little boy, I knew I had to follow them and make sure no one got hit and that he got caught because don’t want him driving all over Montgomery, causing more accidents or hurting himself or hurting other people,” said witness Snake Knapp, who noted he saw the child pick up two adults at one point during the incident. “I think parents just really need to know where their kids are, what their kids are doing, and just talk to them about these kinds of things.”
The news comes less than two months after a 10-year-old stole an SUV and got involved in a car chase with the Michigan State Police. According to authorities in that case, the child took the vehicle in an effort to drive to Detroit to see their mother. When they were pulled over by officers, they attempted to flee on foot before being taken into custody.
Famous musician 2face Idibia tells detractors to stop thinking of him and his wife Annie Idibia as the ideal couple while telling them to “enjoy their flawless lives.”
This comes weeks after the singer was trailed with unending backlashes following his statement on Young Rich and Famous, ‘Men are wired to cheat.’
In a recent Instagram post, 2Face Idibia gushed over his wife, Annie in a collection of video clips showcasing her and their children. While at it, he encouraged critics to redirect their attention to their own seemingly perfect lives.
He further reaffirmed his commitment to his wife, to love his beloved ‘African queen’ until his last breath and care for his children. 2Face Idibia concluded by praying to God for divine guidance on his marriage.
“And STILLLLLLL!! LYTID #ONELOVERELIGION #WARRIORS. Fuck what u heard. Abeg as una too perfect make una feel free to cancel us as couple goals. Make una enjoy una perfect lives. We no fit vex for una. May Allah guide and protect all of us ???????????????? I dey,” the singer wrote.
A lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Shein, alleging the fast fashion retailer runs an elaborate operation that seeks out and steals the intellectual property of designers, big and small, while also utilizing a “confusing” corporate structure that allows the company to circumvent allegations of theft with minimal legal consequence.
Independent designers Krista Perry, Larissa Martinez, and Jay Baron accuse Shein of “produc[ing], distribut[ing], and selling exact copies of their creative works,” claiming its actions are “part and parcel of Shein’s ‘design’ process and organizational DNA,” according to The Fashion Law.
The suit claims Shein utilizes a “secretive algorithm” that is meant to identify growing fashion trends and purposely produces a small amount of an allegedly stolen item in the event of an infringement allegation. If the company is accused of stealing a design, Shein is able to quickly resolve the matter.
“When Shein copies a small or independent designer, the most likely outcome (without brand protection specialists and specialized software on the lookout) is that the infringement will go unnoticed,” the complaint reads. If demand for the item remains high, Shein will allegedly produce more, as long as the threat of infringement doesn’t exist.
In the event of a cease and desist or lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim Shein relies upon a “multiplicity of entities and [outwardly] decentralization structure…aid in its efforts to avoid liability for intellectual property infringement.” The suit alleges the retailer would place the blame on an independent company when in actuality, the entities subjected to these accusations are connected to Shein.
The suit alleges Shein has “knowingly committed criminal copyright infringement, [and] played its role with full knowledge of the overarching criminal copyright infringement it participates in,” which is where the RICO claim comes in.
The plaintiffs claim Shein’s alleged coordinated efforts to thwart infringement lawsuits are, per The Fashion Law, “committed not by a single entity, but by a de-facto association of entities. And just as intended by Congress, the same decentralization that facilitates Shein’s criminal infringement and other racketeering activity, renders individual components of the enterprise, such as Defendants, liable under civil RICO.”
This was stated in a press release that was issued on July 13, 2023.
“Today this office is a shadow with no action against piracy which was what put Ghana on the world map with regular action including the establishment of collecting societies that we struggled to establish independently but are all on their knees today,” parts of the statement read.
“We can only conclude that the Copyright Office under Madam Yaa Attafah as Acting Administrator for the past 10 years has been a disaster and a complete failure.”
Below is the statement.
Copyright Office is a Complete failure under Madam Yaa Attafua – Focap
The Copyright Office of Ghana is the mandated agency like any ministry arm of government that leads the activities of copyright in the country.
Among others, it advises, coordinates, and facilitates the general copyright ecosystem which includes the work of Collective organisations like Ghamro, ARSOG, and Copy Ghana.
Indeed, the fact is that the existence, operation and regulation of these Societies is upon the expertise, advice and oversight of the Copyright office.
The question however is that what is the state of the Copyright systems and particularly the Collective Management Societies in Ghana today. Partly the sum of all the issues of the industry, lack of direction, regulation and structure is the failure and abysmal performance of the copyright office.
Today this office is a shadow with no action against piracy which was what put Ghana on the world map with regular action including the establishment of Collecting Societies that we struggled to establish independently but are all on their knees today.
We can only conclude that the Copyright Office under Madam Yaa Attafah as Acting Administrator for the past 10 years has been a disaster and a complete failure.
Against all that we have struggled for, today Music and audiovisual works are freely being used without license due to the incompetence and the lack of vision of Madam Attafuah and the Copyright Office in facilitating the activities of these Societies.
She has been the Acting Copyright Administrator for over 10 years and although she was due for Pension in the year 2020, for some strange reason She continued in the Acting Position under some kind of Contract.
Focap is aware that as of May this year 2023 that contract had ended yet she is still parading in the corridors of the Copyright office.
Once a new Officer, Mr. Boadu has been brought to replace her, we believe it’s time She exits with her incompetence and lack of vision for that sector.
It’s just right that Madam goes home to rest and play with her grandchildren since She has been lawfully retired.
We would also like to caution her not to go for any assistance from her school friend at the solicitor general for another contract in fact the Copyright Office have had enough of her and it’s time She takes her leave.
It’s really sad to note that even though she understands everything about these collecting societies, their history and setup, she has woefully supervised their total breakdown.
Again, these Societies have contributed with the deduction of 4% from the blank levy to help her office fight Piracy yet today the streets are full of pirated works with no record of any anti-piracy work. What then is the essence and purpose of the deductions?
It is becoming obvious unless there’s contrary proof that the existence and proper functioning of Ghamro, Arsog and Copyghana is a disincentive to the Copyright Office hence her attempt to supervise their demise but Focap will like to urge these Societies to exercise their legal rights and use every legal tool at their disposal to resist any machinations and abuse of power from the Copyright Office in order to restore and solidify the existence of the Collective Management Organisations so as to save the Royalties of the Authors and Publishers of the Creative Works in Ghana.
She has failed and must leave the Copyright Office with immediate effect since she has been officially notified.
Kojo Preko Dankwa President,FOCAP 0550077040
Enoch Agyepong Vice President, Research 024 471 2136
Though Tom Holland loves acting, he pretty much hates everything that comes with it.
“I really do not like Hollywood, it is not for me,” he told Jay Shetty on his On Purpose podcast.
“The business really scares me,” Holland continued. “I understand that I’m a part of that business, and I enjoy my kind of interactions with it. But, that said, I am always looking for ways to kind of remove myself from it, to kind of just live as normal a life as possible.”
Holland also told Shetty that appearing on his podcast is a “very rare thing for me to do.”
He shared that an “ongoing thought” he’s had during his career is, “don’t lose yourself.”
“I’ve seen so many people come before me and lose themselves, and I’ve had friends that I’ve grown up with that aren’t friends of mine anymore, because they’ve lost themselves to this business,” Holland added.
The Spider-Man star added that his main focuses are the things that make him happy: his family, friends, and interests like carpentry, golf, and his mother’s charity. “That’s the stuff that I should protect,” he said.
As for his relationship with Zendaya—that’s completely off-limits to the public.
“My relationship is the thing that I keep most sacred,” the 27-year-old said. “I don’t talk about it. I try my best to keep it as private as possible. We both feel very strongly that that is the healthiest way for us to move on as a couple. So I do try to keep as removed from [Hollywood] as possible. You’ll never see me at an award show that I don’t have to be at. I’m never going to a red carpet event that I’m not in the film of. I don’t want the attention when I don’t need it.”
Holland also discussed his sobriety with Shetty, explaining that he noticed he had a drinking problem after Christmas 202, when he did the dry January challenge. At that moment, he realized the grip that drinking had on him.
“I was really, really struggling. I started to really worry that maybe I had an alcohol problem,” he said. He continued to remain sober for another six months.
“By the time I had got to June 1st, I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. … I had such better mental clarity,” he said. “I felt healthier, I felt fitter. And I just sort of said to myself, like, ‘Why? Why am I enslaved to this drink? Why am I so obsessed by the idea of having this drink?’”
“Misogynist hiding in plain sight,” wrote Sarah Brady, on a post that featured an image of her and Jonah Hill. The former couple confirmed their romance in 2021, but split up a year later.
The former girlfriend of actor Jonah Hill, Sarah Brady, has openly discussed her relationship experience with an individual, presumably referring to the renowned actor, writer, and producer, through a series of Instagram Stories. In these posts, Brady accuses the person of exhibiting narcissistic behavior. While Brady initially refrained from explicitly mentioning Hill’s name, she did share screenshots of a purported conversation between them along with various other messages.
Brady, who was linked to Hill in 2021, remained relatively lowkey about their relationship on social media, save for the occasional picture of the two of them. She remained silent following their breakup in 2022, and Hill was eventually linked to Olivia Millar. Since then, the new couple welcomed a child in June and sparked engagement rumors after The Daily Mail posted paparazzi photos that appeared to show a ring on her finger.
“The rumors are not true. I am engaged. But not to my girlfriend,” the actor wrote at the time. “I am engaged to your mom. I know this is shocking but please respect our privacy at this time.” He added: “Media stop writing fake stuff, it’s corny.”
A little over a year after her split with the actor, Brady took to social media to seemingly talk about her experience dating Hill, starting with a black-and-white photo posted to Instagram with the caption, “reviving a pic I took down by request of a misogynist narcissist.”
Brady also liked a comment left by a user which said, “I just want to say… that the type of man Jonah is, some of us think we can ‘save’ them in the sense that we can show them how worthy of love they are and outdo all of the trauma and harm in their life that caused them to be so insecure,” appearing to confirm the “misogynist narcissist” in question is allegedly her actor ex.
Over the course of several Instagram posts, Brady shared videos of people discussing their interactions with narcissists and mentioned the “residual trauma” she currently deals with. She also shared screenshots of conversations she had with people responding to her experiences. “I’ve kept so much to myself about my last relationship,” she said in one conversation. “Because he made me feel like I had to hide the intimate details of our relationship, sometimes he would get upset at me, venting to Family.”
In another screenshot, Brady said she used Google’s search option to look up narcissism signs because she thought she was one. “Like it’s common for the partner of a narcissistic person to believe they’re the narcissist,” she wrote.
According to Choosing Therapy, “Narcissistic abuse occurs when a narcissist progressively manipulates and mistreats people to gain control over them, creating a toxic environment full of emotional, psychological, financial, sexual, or physical harm.”
It adds, “Narcissists exploit those around them through gaslighting, sabotaging, love-bombing, lying, and twisting situations to suit their needs. As a result, victims can suffer long-term effects from their abuse.”
In the messages Complex viewed Brady does not accuse Hill of inflicting physical harm.
Brady dropped other hints that suggested she was referring to Hill, including a screenshot of her telling someone, “I thought, because my ex is a celebrity, [dating a narcissist] would be a hard situation to relate to.”
She shared snippets of her conversations with others that appear to point to Hill being the person she’s talking about, including an anecdote about emotionally supporting a person up until “he got his new chick pregnant,” possibly referring to Hill’s child with Millar.
Brady also claimed that Hill said she was using him for his money and clout and disapproved of her posting Instagram photos of her surfing in swimsuits, chalking it up to a “fucked up internal desire for male validation.”
While Hill’s presence was sparse on Brady’s socials, she did change the caption of a smiling snap she took with him at the premiere of his 2021 film, Don’t Look Up, to say: “a misogynist hiding in plain sight.”
In another screenshot, Brady shared an alleged text message exchange between the two in which Hill says that if she wants to surf “with men,” “to model,” “to post pictures of yourself in a bathing suit,” “to post sexual pictures,” and more he’s not the right partner for her.
Brady went on to share more alleged text exchanges with Hill, which you can view below.
Brady also wrote that “someone being an emotionally abusive partner doesn’t mean they’re a terrible person (often stems from their own trauma) and at the same time it doesn’t mean it’s ok.”
Hill has made headlines over the years after addressing his body image issues and mental health journey. Last year, he announced that he will no longer do press for his films due to the anxiety it brings him. Hill also directed the Netflix documentary, Stutz, which centers around his therapist.
While Hill has been a press darling for some time, he caught some flack in 2013 after being short with a Rolling Stone reporter during a press run for This Is The End, which coincided with the magazine’s Weed Issue. The reportedly awkward interview was riddled with quick, sometimes snarky answers from Hill.
Most recently, Hill has launched the “Meaningful Existence” brand that centers around his wellness guru alter ego, Ezekiel Profit.
Nene Kubatey Dosoo, a former producer for Class FM, has unexpectedly passed away!
An Instagram user named El Shepherd, who identified himself as his younger brother broke the news.
Taking to social media on Thursday morning, July 13th, El Shepherd wrote “I am very sad to announce the sudden death of my senior brother, William Kabutey Dosoo. REST WELL, NENE“
Currently, the cause of his death has not been revealed. However, friends and families of the deceased are absolutely heartbroken.
Some of them have since taken to social media to mourn him.
Nene Kubatey Dosoo was a former Class FM content producer.
Ghanaian actress Salma Mumin confidently says she has no remorse at all about getting cosmetic surgery, especially since she was constantly made fun of for her former appearance.
The actress, who is now curvy and described her decision as ideal, revealed in an Instagram post from yesterday (July 12) that she was constantly bullied for not having the ideal body type, which had a negative impact on her.
Hence, she will give no attention to undesirable comments about her new figure since she looks in the mirror and is pleased with what she sees.
“To all who think I need a refund from my surgeon. Look I have a mirror, I see my body first thing when I wake up. I know how I look, I don’t need anyone around me or on this app telling me how terrible my body looks. I saw my previous body that yall loved so much yet trolled me over. Till recent times I didn’t even know yall loved it with all your hearts.
“Yall called me names upon names but here today telling me that was the most beautiful body yall saw then. That makes you all “hypocrites. Shame!!! “I saw that body and still went for this meaning I love this,” she said.
According to the Passion and Soul actress, she will not hesitate for a second to go under the knife again if need be but at the moment, she and her partner are very okay with it.
“If I wake tomorrow and don’t like this one, I will change it and there is nothing none of you can do about it! Leave me alone wai. The one pressing it is not complaining neither am I complaining.
“I’m addressing it because I have grown out of worrying about your comments about my buttocks. Nothing yall say gets to me.
“Challey if you don’t like it and can’t keep mute go hang a transformer or jump into the sea. This is not an explanation because I don’t owe it to any of you. This is me setting the records straight and putting yall in your places.
“Looks like silence is not golden anymore. Yes!! I denied it in the beginning but I’m not god to not change my mind on my decisions. So yessss!!! I have enhanced my body, go into the world and spread the news n I am not any of you’s child (sic)”
Ghanaian actress Salma Mumin has retaliated against online haters who criticised her for undergoing plastic surgery for body enhancement.
Mumin stated openly that she is confident in her appearance and that she does not need anyone’s approval.
She added that no amount of negative comments or suggestions she seeks a refund would influence how she feels about her new look.
With a sense of self-assurance, Mumin declared that she possesses a mirror and is well aware of how she looks.
The actress acknowledged that some individuals had previously criticised her former appearance, which they now refer to as the most beautiful body they had ever seen.
“I know how I look, I don’t need anyone around me or on this app telling me how terrible my body looks. I saw my previous body that y’all loved so much yet trolled me over. Till recent times I didn’t even know y’all loved it with all your hearts.”
“I saw that body and still went for this meaning I love this. If I wake tomorrow and don’t like this one I will change it and there is nothing none of you can do about it! Leave me alone wai. The one pressing it is not complaining neither am I complaining,” she wrote.
In a firm tone, she advised those who dislike her enhanced figure and cannot refrain from expressing their opinions to direct their energy elsewhere.
“I’m addressing it because I have grown out of worrying about your comments about my buttocks. Nothing y’all say gets to me. Challey if you don’t like it and can’t keep mute go hang a transformer or jump into the sea.”
“This is not an explanation because I don’t owe it to any of you. This is me setting the records straight and putting y’all in your places,” she wrote.
Salma Mumin acknowledged that she had initially denied undergoing any enhancements, but highlighted that she has the freedom to change her mind about her decisions, just like any other individual.
“Looks like silence is not golden any more. Yes!! I denied it in the beginning, but I’m not God to not change my mind on my decisions. So yessss!!! I have enhanced my body, go into the world and spread the news. I am not any of you’s child,” she added.
Senior Russian General has been dismissed from post in Ukraine for revealing the truth about frontline situation.
Maj Gen Ivan Popov was the commander of the 58th Army, which has been fighting in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
In a voice message, Maj Gen Popov said he raised questions about high casualty rate and lack of artillery support.
“It was necessary either to keep quiet and be a coward or to say it the way it is,” he said.
“I had no right to lie in the name of you, in the name of my fallen comrades in arms, so I outlined all the problems which exist.”
The voice message was posted to telegram by Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov, who is a former military commander and frequent commentator on state TV. It is unclear when the message was recorded.
Among the issues Maj Gen Popov said he highlighted to his superiors were the lack of proper counter battery systems to help repel Ukrainian artillery attacks, as well as a lack of military intelligence.
The commander said his dismissal was demanded by senior commanders – who he accused of treason – and approved by the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu.
Russian military bloggers – often the most insightful form of information in the absence of official comment from Moscow – reported that the order to dismiss Maj Gen Popov had come from the head of Russia’s armed forces, Gen Valery Gerasimov.
They said Gen Gerasimov accused Maj Gen Popov of “alarmism and blackmailing senior management” after he highlighted the need to rotate soldiers who had been in the front line for a sustained period of time and had suffered significant losses.
“The senior chiefs apparently sensed some kind of danger from me and quickly concocted an order from the defence minister in just one day and got rid of me,” Maj Gen Popov said.
“The Ukrainian army could not break through our ranks at the front but our senior chief hit us from the rear, viciously beheading the army at the most difficult and intense moment.”
The Russian defence ministry has yet to comment on the dismissal.
However, a senior official of the pro-government United Russia party, of which Mr Gurulyov is a member, criticised the MP for making a “political show” out of Maj Gen Popov’s remarks.
“General Popov’s statement was not public and was posted on closed chats of the commanders and troops of the 58th Army,” Andrei Turchak wrote on telegram.
“Let the fact that… Gurulyov somehow got hold of this and made a political show out of it remain on his conscience,” he said, adding that Maj Gen Popov’s conscience was clear and the country could be proud of commanders like him.
Zaporizhzhia and the eastern Donetsk region have become the focus of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which was launched over a month ago, but has struggled to penetrate well established Russian defensive lines.
On Wednesday, another Russian MP said former Russian commander Gen Sergei Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since the Wagner mutiny, was “resting”.
Gen Surovikin was said to enjoy close relations with the former Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and there had been media reports that he had been arrested following the brief revolt.
There has been no official confirmation or comment about his whereabouts.
Meanwhile, another senior Russian general – Lt Gen Oleg Tsokov – is said to have been killed in a strike in Ukraine’s occupied south coast this week, although his death has not been officially confirmed by Russia’s defence ministry.
Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has informed Parliament that the highly anticipated Tamale International Airport is scheduled to commence operations by the end of this month.
The inauguration of the Tamale International Airport will provide air travelers in the northern region of Ghana with the convenience of direct flights abroad from Tamale, eliminating the need to travel to Accra as an intermediate step.
Answering questions on the Floor of the House on July 13, the Minister explained that all preparatory works have been concluded and all that is left is for government to formally open it to traffic.
“We want to inform this August House that having completed all these, the go live for operationalisation of the new terminal building is scheduled for July 31, 2023,” he said.
He added that the terminal was initially scheduled to be operational in December 2022, however, it was postponed to pave the way for the completion of all requisite training, side acceptance tests and systems integration.
According to the Transport Minister, phase 2 of the project was substantially completed in August 2022.
“Subsequently, operational readiness and transfer programme commenced in August 2022 to ensure that potential risk involved in the transition process from construction to the operational phase was carefully managed to avoid poor start-up that can negatively impact the image of the country,” he added.
It is time to find out if any of your favourite television programmes have recently received Emmy nominations.
The announcement of this year’s nominees for the 75th Annual Emmy Awards on Wednesday by Community actress Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy president Frank Scherma served as Succession’s final season’s victory lap. A total of 27 nominations were made for the popular HBO drama, including one each for Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, and Sarah Snook in the categories for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series. The Last of Us and The White Lotus, two other HBO programmes that received 24 and 23 nods respectively, came in second and third place, respectively.
And there was much to be celebrated about in a galaxy far, far away too. Star Wars series Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Mandalorian earned 22 nominations in total, including a coveted Outstanding Drama Series nod for Andor and an Outstanding Limited Series for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
In order to be eligible for this year’s awards, a television show, limited series, or made-for-TV film must have been released between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023. That timeframe includes previous Emmy winners like Succession and Ted Lasso, which both returned for their respective final seasons this year, as well as smash hits like The Bear, The Last of Us, Andor, and more.
The awards will be voted upon by the National Active members of the Television Academy. A final round of voting, which will be held from Aug. 18 through Aug. 28, will determine who takes home the hardware when the Emmys ceremony airs live on Monday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Fox.
Check out the full list of nominees below.
Outstanding Drama Series
Andor Better Call Saul The Crown House of the Dragon The Last of Us Succession The White Lotus Yellowjackets
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary Barry The Bear Jury Duty The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Only Murders in the Building Ted Lasso Wednesday
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man Brian Cox, Succession Kieran Culkin, Succession Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us Jeremy Strong, Succession
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us Keri Russell, The Diplomat Sarah Snook, Succession
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Bill Hader, Barry Jason Segel, Shrinking Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus Nicholas Braun, Succession Michael Imperioli, The White Lotus Theo James, The White Lotus Matthew Macfadyen, Succession Alan Ruck, Succession Will Sharp, The White Lotus Alexander Skarsgård, Succession
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus Sabrina Impacciatore, The White Lotus Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul J. Smith-Cameron, Succession Simona Tabasco, The White Lotus
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Carrigan, Barry Phil Dunster, Ted Lasso Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso James Marsden, Jury Duty Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary Henry Winkler, Barry
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Ayo Edebiri, The Bear Janelle James, Abbott Elementary Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary Juno Temple, Ted Lasso Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Beef Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Daisy Jones & the Six Fleishman Is in Trouble Obi-Wan Kenobi
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Taron Egerton, Blackbird Kumail Nanjiani, Welcome to Chippendales Evan Peters, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Daniel Radcliffe, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Michael Shannon, George & Tammy Steven Yeun, Beef
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Lizzy Caplan, Fleishman Is in Trouble Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy Dominique Fishback, Swarm Riley Keough, Daisy Jones & the Six Kathryn Hahn, Tiny Beautiful Things Ali Wong, Beef
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Murray Bartlett, Welcome to Chippendales Paul Walter Hauser, Blackbird Richard Jenkins, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Joseph Lee, Beef Ray Liotta, Blackbird Young Mazino, Beef Jesse Plemons, Love & Death
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Annaleigh Ashford, Welcome to Chippendales Maria Bello, Beef Claire Danes, Fleishman Is in Trouble Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales Camila Morrone, Daisy Jones & the Six Niecy Nash-Betts, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Merritt Wever, Tiny Beautiful Things
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Murray Bartlett, The Last of Us James Cromwell, Succession Lamar Johnson, The Last of Us Arian Moayed, Succession Nick Offerman, The Last of Us Keivonn Montreal Woodard, The Last of Us
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Hiam Abbass, Succession Cherry Jones, Succession Melanie Lynskey, The Last of Us Storm Reid, The Last of Us Anna Torv, The Last of Us Harriet Walter, Succession
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Becky Ann Baker, Ted Lasso Quinta Brunson, Saturday Night Live Taraji P. Henson, Abbott Elementary Judith Light, Poker Face Sarah Niles, Ted Lasso Harriet Walter, Ted Lasso
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Jon Bernthal, The Bear Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Nathan Lane, Only Murders in the Building Pedro Pascal, Saturday Night Live Oliver Platt, The Bear Sam Richardson, Ted Lasso
Outstanding Television Movie
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas Fire Island Hocus Pocus 2 Prey Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Outstanding Competition Program
The Amazing Race RuPaul’s Drag Race Survivor Top Chef The Voice
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program
Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye Nicole Byer, Nailed It Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph, Baking It RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Outstanding Host for a Game Show
Mayim Bialik, Jeopardy Steve Harvey, Family Feud Ken Jennings, Jeopardy Keke Palmer, Password Pat Sajak, Wheel of Fortune
Outstanding Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Jimmy Kimmel Live Late Night With Seth Meyers The Late Show With Stephen Colbert The Problem With Jon Stewart
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna Chris Rock: Selective Outrage Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium The Oscars 75th Annual Tony Awards
Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded)
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love John Mulaney: Baby J Lizzo: Live in Concert Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer
Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy Taste The Nation With Padma Lakshmi United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell
Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) has teamed up with the International Writers Lab (IWL) to promote the country’s film industry to major Hollywood studios and streaming platforms.
Launched in 2021, the International Writers Lab (IWL) aims to enhance opportunities for African film and television writers by facilitating Hollywood production of their stories. The initiative initially focused on Kenya before expanding its scope.
Created by PMF Media Group, VentureLift Africa and The Blackhouse Foundation, the IWL is a unique accelerator and fellowship program that combines a writers lab — facilitated by the award-winning American filmmaker, Matty Rich (Straight Out Of Brooklyn and Inkwell), mentorship from writers with Hollywood credits, career and business advice from Hollywood agents, studio executives, international sales agents, and talent management companies, and a pitch-fest to receive feedback and advice from distributors to refine the Fellows’ projects.
Ghana’s film industry has continued to play a significant role in African filmmaking. Despite its huge commercial and financial potential, the Ghanaian creative sector has long been a sleeping giant for economic development and job creation in Africa.
When compared to Africa’s top entertainment hubs, Nigeria and South Africa, resources supporting outstanding film and television writers have had less visibility than other sectors of the Ghanaian economy. The NFA seeks to change this dynamic and broaden the global networks of talented African writers.
CEO of the NFA, Ms. Juliet Asante, views the partnership as “an opportunity that opens an important door for scriptwriters in Ghana. Writers are the backbone and skeleton of the film industry and its related disciplines. A good story is the beginning of any successful project. Without a well-told story and script, no amount of magic on set will be magical.
It is for this reason that the National Film Authority of Ghana places a premium on building the craft as a key pillar in Ghana’s strategy to position itself as a film and content hub in the region.
Authentic, well-researched, well told and well-written stories that make impact, are the outcomes we expect from this partnership and magic always happens in films and real life when these come together”
According to Laure de Peretti of the StoryBoard Collective, a Swiss-based philanthropy which also supports African episodic writers through the AuthenticA Series Lab in partnership with the Realness Institute and a continuing partner of IWL, “engaging the Ghanaian creative ecosystem is exciting and has a huge potential with a dynamic local film industry.
IWL will benefit from very motivated talents who have the ambition to develop high quality productions. We are eager to see these authentic storylines developed into on-screen feature films by these three talented writers.”
Three fellows were selected for the Ghana Cohort to refine their scripts for film, including Ms. Anna Segbefia-Hanson, Mr. Elorm Adjaho and Mr. Fidaus Sulemana. The Fellows are experienced writers and emerging changemakers in the African and global creative ecosystems.
Pauline Fischer, Founder of PMF Media Group and visionary for the program, hopes that these “experienced and talented writers will emerge from the Lab with enhanced skills and broader networks to more successfully build their careers and expand their opportunities in Ghana, across the continent, and in the global entertainment industry”.
The 16-week program aims to culminate in a trip to an international film festival, where the Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in additional programs and further expand their professional network.
For Wilmot Allen, Founder of VentureLift Africa, the IWL serves as a catalyst for leaving a stronger African imprint on the world.
“We are hopeful to facilitate a deeper ecosystem of talented writers across the continent so that the world will come to understand Africa better in all of its diversity, creativity and originality.”
The IWL intends to expand its programming to include animation and gaming across the continent in the coming months.
Rihanna is always full of surprises. But when the Primetime Emmy nominations were announced and her name was read out, it was RiRi who was left gobsmacked.
Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performance scored five Emmy nominations, including outstanding variety special (live), which she shares with executive producer Jay-Z
The occasion wasn’t lost on the “Umbrella” singer, who dug out her red Super Bowl outfit for a social post. “Pull up breed up 2 d bashment,” reads the accompanying comments. “5 EMMY NOMZ is craaaaazzzyyy!!! Im so grateful for every single person involved in creating these memories!”
RiRi’s performance at foot
ball’s showpiece event in February 2022 was huge for several reasons. It represented her first major live performance following a lengthy absence from the spotlight. And she used the occasion to show off her baby bump, a moment that caused the Internet to (nearly) melt down.
The billionaire businesswoman and mom recently became the first female artist to have 10 songs reach one billion streams on Spotify.
Rihanna’s billion-streams club songs on Spotify are “Diamonds,” “We Found Love” (with Calvin Harris), “Love on the Brain,” “Stay” (with Mikky Ekko), “This Is What You Came For” (with Calvin Harris), “Needed Me,” “Four Five Seconds” (with Kanye West & Paul McCartney), “Work” (with Drake), “Umbrella” (with Jay-Z) and “Love the Way You Lie” (with Eminem).
Expect that collection to grow when the Barbadian artist releases the follow-up to her last studio album, 2016’s Billboard 200-topping Anti.
As her list of hits builds, so too does her family. Earlier this week, the 35-year-old musician, mogul and expecting mom showed off her third-trimester baby bump while premiering a coral Savage X Fenty bra and panties set. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky already have a baby son, RZA.
Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has announced that his caucus intends to intensify their opposition to the ongoing criminal trial of James Gyakye Quayson, the Member of Parliament for Assin North, in the near future.
In a move that aims to disrupt the government’s parliamentary proceedings, Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have made the decision to boycott legislative sessions whenever the embattled Assin North legislator, James Gyakye Quayson, is slated to attend his ongoing trial.
The MPs have accused the government of targeting their party members and are demanding the dismissal of Quayson’s trial. This action is anticipated to impede the government’s legislative agenda in parliament.
Dr Ato Forson, in an interview on JoyNews, on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, said that they would do more than just boycott sittings of the House starting from next week.
He said that if the government wants its business to continue, it should stop prosecuting Gyakye Quayson on a daily basis.
“If we sit unconcerned for government to pick our members one by one and persecute them like the way they are doing to our colleague James Gyakye Quayson, they will come after every one of us.
“We have decided as a caucus to ensure that every day or any day that our colleague will be invited to go to court, we will go with him. They (the government) will have to contend with that. If they want him to be in the courtroom on a daily basis, we will also be there on a daily basis.
“The government will have to choose government business against Gyakye Quayson’s appearance on a daily basis. If they want us to assist the government to run, then they will have to choose wisely… This is our first activity that we are doing. We may escalate to signal our displeasure to the government and there are so many other things we are going to do in the coming days,” he said.
Ato Forson, the MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, refuted the assertion that his caucus is hurting Ghanaians with the decision they have taken.
He said that it is the “insensitive” Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government that is making the people of Ghana suffer.
A former Managing Director (MD) of Earlbeam Co. Ltd has been formally charged with theft by the Accra High Court. The charges come in response to alleged incidents of misappropriation during the MD’s tenure at the company.
He is facing allegations of embezzling £2,400.00 and GH¢60,000 from the company, according to sources.
According to a Newspaper Report by the Chronicle dated July 13, 2023, the accused committed the crime as a retaliation for his dismissal by the company.
The accused whose name is given as Alfred Danso Darkwa, 39 years old was arraigned before the Accra High Court on two counts of stealing, but failed to appear in court on Monday, July 10, 2023.
The brief fact as presented to the court named Micheal Danso Darkwah an Operational Manager of the company as the complainant and Alfred Dankwa who is the former MD of the company but is now a Businessman and lives at Cantonments in Accra as the accused.
The company in the case; Earlbeam Company Limited is headquartered in Dzorwulu, Accra.
According to the brief, on June 9, 2023, the company, through its Board Chairman, wrote a letter to terminate the appointment of then Managing Director, Alfred Danso Darkwa. However, the accused objected to his appointment being terminated and took the case to a civil court, where it is still pending.
Despite the ongoing court case, on June 14, 2023, the accused went to the company and forcefully collected cash in the sum of £ 2,400 from one of the clients through its accountant. Similarly, on June 20, 2023, the accused again went to a restaurant owned by the company, changed the Point of Sale (POS) system, and used the new system to receive GH¢60,00 from clients of the company.
A report was made to the police and the accused was apprehended. The accused, Alfred, admitted to collecting the stated amount from the company. However, he said they were monies owed to him by the company.
The police after investigation, charged him with the offences accordingly.
The court presided over by His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah issued a bench warrant for the re-arrest of the accused and adjourned the case to July 31, 2023.
Mr. Aboagye, better known online as Fameye Jnr, is a devoted supporter of Fameye, a multi-award-winning Ghanaian singer and songwriter.
As a symbol of his steadfast admiration for Fameye’s music and persona, Mr. Aboagye gave his newborn son the name Peter Fameye Aboagye.
The decision to name his son after him is a testament to the significant influence Fameye has had on his life.
The story of Fameye’s ascent to fame is nothing short of extraordinary. He has captured the hearts of many people and others with his distinctive fusion of Afrobeats and highlife music.
People from all walks of life can relate to him because his songs frequently discuss struggles that people face every day and the pursuit of success.
Fameye took time out of his hectic schedule earlier this week to surprise this fan with some items to help with the child’s upbringing.
The actor Kevin Spacey testified in his own defence during his sexual assault trial, telling the jury that touching his accuser was “in my mind romantic.”
Appearing at London’s Southwark Crown Court, the two-time Oscar-winning actor said he had developed a “flirtatious” relationship with an accuser.
He told the jury he and the complainant had been “somewhat intimate”, but denied assaulting him.
The 63-year-old faces 12 sexual offence charges, all of which he denies.
The court heard the complainant alleges the incident happened as he drove Spacey to a showbiz party in the early 2000s.
When asked if he caused the accuser to “come off the road” when he grabbed the man, the actor replied: “That never happened. I was not on a suicide mission on any of those years.”
Giving evidence, Mr Spacey told the court he had developed a “flirtatious” relationship over time with the accuser, and that he touched the man in “romantic” and “intimate” ways.
“Yeah, I am a big flirt,” he told the court.
Speaking about touching the man, he continued: “It did not happen in a violent, aggressive, painful way.
“It was gentle… and it was, in my mind, romantic.”
Mr Spacey said the complainant said things like “this is new for me”.
He explained the touching did not progress because the alleged victim “made it clear that he did not want to go any further”.
Asked by his barrister Patrick Gibbs KC for his reaction to the allegations by the complainant, he said: “I was crushed. I never thought the (name of man) I knew over 20 years later would stab me in the back.”
‘Never happened’
Addressing accusations by another complainant who alleged Mr Spacey had grabbed his crotch “like a cobra” after using a “vile comment”, the actor said he had never done that to anyone in his life.
Mr Spacey told the jury that allegations made by the man – that he allegedly met at a theatre in the mid-2000s – were “madness” because “it never happened”.
“I never said any of the things that he claims I said to him and wouldn’t and never have to anyone in my life,” he told the court.
Speaking of allegations from another complainant, Mr Spacey said he did not recognise the accuser by name or appearance and his records showed he was not in the UK in August 2008, when the man claims the incident took place.
Mr Spacey said watching a video of the complainant who mentioned he was on a bus had sparked a memory of a sexual encounter he had with someone in his flat.
The actor said that when he returned from the bathroom “it was like everything had changed”, adding: “The person I had had this intimate moment with was suddenly awkward and fumbling.”
Asked whether he met the individual again, Mr Spacey said he did not have a strong memory of it “but my instinct tells me that we may have seen each other again”.
“I believe I performed [a sex act] on him,” Mr Spacey told the court.
After breaking for lunch, the court heard Mr Spacey’s defence against accusations from another complainant who claims he came into contact with the actor while he was working in a pub.
Mr Spacey said on the evening in question everyone was drinking and “pretty much everyone” smoked cannabis.
The actor said he remembered some of the details after seeing the complainant’s interview video, but did not have a clear memory about conversations which took place.
Discussing the alleged incident, Mr Spacey said he “made a pass and I am only happy that he testified that the moment he told me he wasn’t interested, I stopped”.
He told the court he did not remember going back to the pub where the complainant worked the next day, but accepted he did based on witness testimony and said it was probably to apologise.
‘I lost everything’
Asked what happened when the first accusations were made against him, Mr Spacey said: “My world exploded.
“I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.”
Speaking about his decision to come out as gay, Mr Spacey said he had been pressured to do so, and members of the LGBT community were “upset” that he came out while responding to an allegation.
“It wasn’t that this story suddenly made me want to come out… I thought in the face of this terrible accusation [I could do something positive].”
The prosecution finished their evidence against the Hollywood star on Wednesday after the jury heard accounts from his four alleged victims.
During their evidence, they variously described him as a “vile sexual predator”, “slippery” and “atrocious, despicable, disgusting”.
Jurors heard of alleged “aggressive” crotch grabs against three men, while a fourth complainant accused Mr Spacey of having drugged him and performing a sex act on him while he was asleep.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Shauna Ritchie said Mr Spacey told police he was “baffled” by the claims by one man and did not recognise the others.
The actor said he may have made a “clumsy pass” at his final alleged victim but denied deliberately attacking him.
Mr Spacey is accused of sex offences against four men between 2001 and 2013.
He pleaded not guilty in January to three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
He also denies four further charges of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
All four accusers are entitled to lifelong anonymity under the law.
The Hollywood star won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2000 for American Beauty as well as Emmy nominations for his role in House of Cards.
Communication Officer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, and Deputy Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Maleek Basintale, were involved in a physical altercation on the microblogging platform Twitter.
The dispute arose following a critical attack launched by the NDC Deputy Communication Officer on the character of the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during a panel discussion on TV3 Newday.
During a live broadcast of the TV3 Newday show on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the Deputy Communication Officer of the NDC, Maleek Basintale, clashed with a member of the NPP’s communication team, Benjamin Gyewu Appiah.
The NDC deputy national communication officer had described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a corrupt president during a discussion on the leaked tape of an alleged plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, on TV3’s ‘The Big Issue’ programme.
In reaction to this, the Communication Officer of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah in a tweet described the actions of Basintale on the show as reckless and unrelated.
“I have just finished watching TV3 New Day and wish to describe the attempt by the communicator to tag President Akufo-Addo with corruption as unrelated, reckless, and beyond the pale. The said claims are false political rumours and should not be repeated. Communicators must be mindful of their utterances because making or repeating these false claims could be costly. Kind regards to Mr. Roland Walker,” Ahiagbah tweeted.
This tweet did not sit well with Basintale, who replied that instead of defending the NPP on Twitter, Richard Ahiagbah should move to a studio to do it just like the NDC’s Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi does.
“Dear @RAahiagbah, My name is Malik Basintale, an elected DNCO. Instead of spewing vain and desolate threats here, learn to wake up at 5 am, drive to a studio by 7 am and defend your party. At least learn from my boss @SammyGyamfi_ NPP appointed you and not @elonmusk,” Basintale also added. A leaked audio recording, allegedly involving a Police Commissioner and a politician discussing a plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, has ignited public outrage.
The recording features an officer who identifies himself as “Mensah” and a politician who is reportedly a regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Their conversation revolves around plans to remove the IGP from office due to fears that he would be too firm during the 2024 elections and prevent any potential rigging.
The Commissioner of Police also specifically identifies the IGP’s handling of the Assin North by-election as evidence of his commitment to ensuring free and fair elections.
Head of Nephrology at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof Vincent Bioma, has drawn attention to the concerning prevalence of kidney diseases among Ghanaians aged 20 to 50.
The professor expressed concern over the impact of this health challenge on Ghana’s economically productive segment of society.
“The burden in our part of the world is almost three to four times that of high-income countries. In Africa for instance, the burden is about 15% but in sub-Saharan Africa we have as much as about 14%. In Ghana, the prevalence has been pegged at around 13.1%. So, as you can see compared to the global average of between 12-13%, the burden is high in Africa and high in Ghana as well.
“Sadly enough, this affects our youth most of them between the ages of 20-50 years of age. These represent the economically productive group of society who should be out there working but are being afflicted by this disease,” he lamented.
Highlighting the challenges faced in combating kidney diseases, Professor Bioma emphasized the importance of prevention.
However, he noted that most patients seeking treatment arrive at hospitals during advanced stages of the disease, due to the silent nature of most kidney-related diseases.
Due to this nature, Prof Vincent said that late detection prevents many from seeking early detection and prevention.
“If you think about it carefully, prevention would have been the best thing but what we see mostly in our hospitals is that most of them come very late needing a kidney form of therapy in the forms of dialysis or kidney transplant and this is largely because the disease is very silent. So, you don’t know until it’s very late. And most of them, because they are not sick, when you tell them to go and check, they don’t see the need for them to go and check. Until they keep coming in that state of needing dialysis or kidney transplant,” he added.
Professor Bioma further emphasized that a kidney transplant is the ultimate treatment for chronic disease, offering better long-term survival rates and enhanced quality of life compared to dialysis.
“Between dialysis and kidney transplant, kidney transplant is the ultimate treatment for the development of chronic kidney disease. And thus, it is important, especially for our youth who are afflicted to get transplants,” he stated.
The Head of Nephrology again stressed the significant financial advantages kidney transplants have over dialysis.
The Professor also expressed satisfaction with the availability of kidney transplant treatment in Ghana, which has brought hope and improved the lives of young individuals affected by kidney diseases.
“Their survival can be better in the long term because it’s better with transplant compared to dialysis. A transplant is going to put you back at work and increase your quality of life and at the same time make you a better person. It is more convenient for work and schooling as well. Long-term survival is better, and it is more cost-effective.
“Imagine you continue paying dialysis for the next twenty years, compare that cost to paying for a transplant now and see the benefit. So, to say transplant is the best treatment is even understating it. It is the ultimate treatment, and we are happy that this treatment has come to put smiles on the faces of these young people who are afflicted daily by this kidney disease and have been pinned down by the disease and losing time at work. And, not having a good quality of life and not surviving longer in the long term compared to when they have their own native kidneys,” he added.
Background
A team of health professionals at Ghana’s Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) successfully performed the country’s first-ever kidney transplants.
The local team, consisting of specialist doctors, nurses, and anaesthetists, carried out the procedures on July 4 and 5, 2023.
Both male patients who received the transplants are currently in recovery at the facility, while their female donors have been discharged and are doing well.
To boost confidence in the local team, two foreign experts—a theatre technician and a transplant surgeon—were present during the surgeries.
The estimated cost of each procedure is $21,000, and the surgeries were generously sponsored by First Sky Group, a Ghanaian private company.
The company’s support aims to make these life-saving procedures more accessible and affordable to patients who previously had to seek treatment abroad, often costing over $250,000.
During a media briefing, Professor Mathew Kyei, a urologist at KBTH, revealed that the hospital’s capacity assessment determined it could perform three kidney transplant surgeries monthly.
Therefore, although six individuals were prepared for surgery, only three will be undertaken next month.
Presently, around 1,000 people across various hospitals in Ghana are reliant on dialysis.
KBTH, with sponsorship from the First Sky Group, supports 250 patients who undergo dialysis three times a week.
Providing an update on the two patients, Professor James Edward Mensah, Head of the Department of Surgery at KBTH, expressed satisfaction with their progress.
He noted that both patients’ bodies had responded positively to the transplants.
Within 24 hours of the first surgery, the patient began producing urine, indicating successful alignment with the new kidney.
To ensure ethical practices and avoid legal complications, an ethical committee comprising surgeons, lawyers, and professionals has been established. The committee will develop guidelines for counselling donors and ensure there is no financial coercion involved.
Executive Chairman of the First Sky Group, Eric Seddy Kutortse, highlighted his company’s ongoing support for kidney patients.
Since 2016, the group has sponsored dialysis treatments at KBTH, investing approximately GH¢30 million in this cause.
Kutortse mentioned that the group had previously sponsored three patients to undergo kidney transplants in India, costing $250,000 per patient and their respective donors. Due to the high cost, the First Sky Group decided to collaborate with KBTH to conduct local kidney transplants, thereby reducing expenses and expanding access to free kidney transplants.
Furthermore, Mr. Kutortse assured that the First Sky Group would continue offering free dialysis to beneficiaries at KBTH and provide free kidney transplants to eligible individuals meeting the hospital’s criteria. The group, in partnership with KBTH, has initiated plans for an ultra-modern kidney transplant centre that will be fully funded by the company.
Discussing the advantages of renal transplant, Professor Vincent Boima, Head of Nephrology at KBTH, revealed that Ghana carried a high burden of kidney diseases within sub-Saharan Africa. The youth, particularly those aged 20 to 50, were the most affected demographic. Prof. Boima emphasized that kidney failure was largely preventable and often caused by lifestyle and environmental factors.
Transplantation offered cost-effective solutions, allowing patients to resume their normal lives.
However, since the procedure could not be performed locally, patients incurred significant expenses travelling abroad with their donors.
The ultimate goal of KBTH is to ensure that no patient has to travel outside the country for a kidney or any other transplant. CEO of KBTH, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, acknowledged the facility’s highly qualified human resources but mentioned the resource constraints that have led many professionals to seek opportunities abroad.
Dr. Ampomah advocated for the development of a legal framework for organ donation and harvesting to provide a solid foundation for transplantation services. Currently, KBTH imports corneas for transplantation, but a legislative framework would address this issue.
Dr. Ampomah praised the First Sky Group for its unwavering support to KBTH in assisting kidney patients, highlighting that only a few patients could afford the surgery independently.
Rapper Yaw Tog has spoken candidly about his choice to leave the Asaakaa Boys, the group with which he burst onto the music scene.
Yaw Tog revealed on Hitz FM that the Asakaa Boys had plans to collaborate with him after the success of his hit song “Sore,” which included all of the group’s members.
He said the group asked him to sign with their label so they could continue working together and have his label represent him.
However, Yaw Tog noted that he and his manager raised concerns over the deal Asakaa Boys were offering him.
“The contract wasn’t going straight, it was kind of like just working, nothing (in return). So my manager was like we can’t sign this deal,” the rapper told the host Andy Dosty.
Despite his decision to not sign with Life Living Records, Yaw Tog stated that he was available to collaborate with Asaaka Boys whenever they needed him.
“But they said if not they can’t work with us,” he said adding that their decision was reached amicably.
“It wasn’t a big issue like that. I was just trying to find a way. There wasn’t any fight or argument or money issue” that caused a rift, the rapper noted.
He added that “I can’t work and not get anything or have my money go to someone else first when it can come to me directly.”
National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) data indicates a noteworthy decline in road crash fatalities during the first half of 2023. Comparing with the same period last year, there were 214 fewer deaths, reflecting a 16% decrease.
According to the statistics provided by the NSA, most indicators of road crashes witnessed an average reduction of 11%, excluding injuries, which saw a decrease of 2.5%.
According to a newspaper report by Daily Graphic dated July 13, 2023, the total number of vehicles involved in road crashes dropped from 13,248 in the first half of 2022 to 11,763 this year.
Additionally, incidents of pedestrian knockdowns decreased from 1,356 last year to 1,205 this year.
While acknowledging the reduced road crash numbers, the Director-General of the NRSA, David Osafo Adonteng, emphasized the need for collaborative efforts among all stakeholders to further reduce these incidents.
Adonteng stressed that collective responsibility and a positive attitude from the public are crucial to achieving a significant reduction in road crashes, injuries, and fatalities.
He expressed appreciation to stakeholders such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, and the media for their respective roles in law enforcement and public education, which have contributed to the improved road safety situation in the country.
According to the NRSA boss, his outfit will intensify its existing initiatives, particularly the ‘Stay Alive’ campaign, to address road safety challenges. He urged drivers to prioritize passenger safety by strictly adhering to road traffic regulations and ensuring the proper maintenance of their vehicles.
Analyzing the statistics further, private vehicles accounted for the largest proportion of vehicles involved in crashes, representing 46 percent. Commercial vehicles followed at 32 percent, while motorcycles had the lowest proportion at 22 percent.
The data also revealed that the proportions of commercial, private, and motorcycle crashes decreased by 15.02 percent, 7.53 percent, and 6.95 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year (2022).
Regarding the regional distribution of crashes and fatalities, the Greater Accra Region recorded the highest number of crashes (2,886) and fatalities (231). The Ashanti Region followed with 1,619 crashes and 194 deaths.
Although the Eastern Region ranked third in the number of crashes with 711 incidents, it ranked second in terms of fatalities with 196 deaths. The Upper East, Bono East, and Western regions experienced an increase in deaths during the first half of 2023, with percentages of 75 percent, 20.3 percent, and 14.8 percent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2022.
The Northeast Region remained unchanged, while the remaining regions witnessed decreases in road crash fatalities, with the Oti Region reporting the highest percentage decrease of 60 percent.
A 24-year-old individual who assaulted a student at the University of Ghana has been given a 36-year prison sentence with hard labor by an Accra Circuit Court.
According to a newspaper report by the Chronicle Newspaper dated July 13, 2023, the presiding judge, Ellen Ofei-Ayeh, who delivered the sentence yesterday, July 12, 2023, slapped the accused now convict with 18 years each for conspiracy to commit a crime and robbery. The sentences will run concurrently.
Despite pleading not guilty, the convict underwent a full trial before being found guilty of the crime.
The unemployed convict, before the sentence he was pronounced with, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, as he had a five-year-old daughter and a sick mother under his care as the breadwinner.
He also shared a background of growing up in a broken home and never having the opportunity to go to school beyond primary ‘4’
The court considered the gravitas of the offence and the completion of the full trial before reaching the verdict of guilt.
The two other accomplices, who were charged with the convict; Frank Attah Kwame Agyekum and Kofi Kwarteng alias Kofi Adwoumor, were acquitted, and discharged for lack of evidence.
The court established that Amaning conspired with Evans Kwabena Nyarko; a storekeeper who is currently at large, the perpetrator of the crime.
The prosecuting officer of the case, Chief Inspector Moses Mensah Soagede, named Joshua Asante Tuah as the complainant and a student at the University of Ghana, who lives in Haatso with his family.
According to the prosecution, on September 15, 2019, at about 2:00 am the convict and his accomplices, armed with a locally manufactured pistol, a cutlass, and a screwdriver, broke into the complainant’s house while he and his family were asleep.
The convict and his associates managed to steal Tuah’s belongings, including an HP laptop computer valued at GH₵1,800.00, a Samsung J4 mobile phone valued at GH₵710.00, and a Samsung ACC mobile phone valued at GH₵300.00 (totalling GH₵2,810.00).
The complainant was also robbed of his school certificates, ID cards and other documents.
The complainant out of fear shouted for help and was heard by his neighbours, who called the Police Information Room for assistance.
The robbers were apprehended at the scene and handed over to a Police Patrol Team who came there.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Amaning and his gang devised the plan on September 14, 2019, at 10:00 pm in Agbogbloshie. They armed themselves and proceeded to the complainant’s house, jumping the fence wall and entering through the kitchen door to carry out the robbery.
On October 10, 2019, the Accra Regional Police received information from the Nkawkaw Police about the arrest of Frank Attah Kwame Agyekum and Evans Kwabena Nyarko in connection with another robbery. They were subsequently brought to the Accra Regional CID for further investigation.
In their respective statements, Agyekum and Nyarko admitted to being accomplices of Amaning and Kofi Kwarteng (alias Kofi Adwoumor), who was still at large at the time.
On October 22, 2020, Kwarteng was arrested in Agbogbloshie, Accra, following police surveillance.
In their statements during the investigation, all four individuals admitted to being involved in the robbery at the complainant’s house on September 15, 2019, at approximately 2:00 am.
European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has been designed to incentivize cleaner manufacturing practices in countries from which it imports goods.
Starting in October on a temporary basis, the CBAM will implement a carbon tax on exports bound for the European Union.
But the measure has elicited concern in Africa which counts Europe as a major export market.
A study carried out by the African Climate Foundation and the London School of Economics suggests that the CBAM’s economic repercussions will be ‘far-reaching’ and most strongly felt in Africa.
Their modelling based on €87 per ton suggests that the CBAM would lead to around $25 billion in losses based on 2021 GDP levels, nearly four times higher than what the EU gave to Africa in development assistance in 2021.
Products such as iron and steel, cement, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen, and electricity – which make up a significant portion of Africa’s exports to Europe, will be the first victims of the mechanism.
After 2026, the CBAM’s scope will extend to other products, potentially leading to bigger economic loss.
Experts say the measure is punitive, and dramatically reduces the space for developing countries to achieve growth and to create jobs.
Our guest this week is Faten Aggad, the senior advisor climate diplomacy and geopolitics at the African Climate Foundation.
Uganda mulls zero tax on electric cars
Uganda is racing to switch to e-mobility despite having limited infrastructure in the country. Authorities say waiving tax on electric vehicle imports will encourage mass adoption.
The goal is to reduce pollution and to improve Kampala’s green credentials.
East Africa sees record growth in FDI
East African countries defied economic turbulence in 2022 to post a 17 percent growth in foreign direct investment, with South Sudan and Kenya seeing the highest percentage increases.
On the contrary, Inflows fell in Southern, western and central Africa.
The son of a well-known Kumawood actor, Bob Santo, has expressed his displeasure with Abusuapanin Judas, his late dad’s best friend.
Santo’s son, who goes by the name Richard Bosompem, has explained how Abusuapanin Judas failed to at least make contact with the family of his best friend after Bob Santo passed away.
In an interview with ZionFelix, Richard described how Abusuapanin Judas spent most of the time with his [Santo’s] family in the days following his father’s untimely death to check on them and do other things, but that after the burial, the man abruptly disappeared from their lives.
“I am very disappointed in Abusuapanin Judas because if for nothing, you knew the man had children including a little child. If it was the adults you would want to neglect, that is fine by me, but he shouldn’t have turned his back on the little child. Till now, I don’t even know when he left Ghana to stay outside the country.
“There was a time I asked my brother about his whereabouts and he told me Judas has traveled abroad. After the burial of my father, he was around but since then, I haven’t had any encounter with him until today when I am mature. I haven’t also received a phone call from him”, he explained.
Santo’s son went on to describe how, as a youngster, he had a good relationship with Abusuapanin Judas.
He added that they had a close relationship back then and was surprised Judas had not contacted him.
“When I was a child, he liked me. He had a son but he never joked with me. So, I want him to reach out to me. Even if it’s through a phone call, I would assume it is my father who has called me. So, he should let me hear from him”.
John Evans Kwadwo Bosompem, famously known as Bob Santo was a remarkable Kumawood actor. He was known for partaking in films like ‘Banker to Banker’, ‘Efiewura’ and ‘Key Soap Concert Party’.
After suffering from jaundice, the actor passed away on May 30, 2002, leaving behind two wives and three kids.
A man has confessed to “intentionally” setting the South African Parliament ablaze.
He is currently facing terrorism charges over the fire that badly damaged South Africa‘s Parliament building last year said in a courtroom outburst on Thursday that he “burned it intentionally.”
Shouting and pointing his finger, Zandile Mafe said he was going to “burn it more” if the Parliament was not moved from Cape Town to either the city of Bloemfontein or Pretoria.
The huge blaze badly damaged the historic Parliament complex in January last year as it ripped through various buildings, including the main chamber where lawmakers sit. It hasn’t been fully repaired, with estimates saying it will cost around $120 million and take at least three years.
Mafe was arrested in the Parliament precinct soon after the fire started. He was charged with breaking and entering, arson and terrorism, but his case has been held up after a judge ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
The judge overseeing Thursday’s court appearance allowed Mafe to finish his rant, saying he didn’t want to “exacerbate” his “mental condition,” according to South African media reports.
Judge Nathan Erasmus then said an expert report indicated that Mafe was not able to understand the wrongfulness of the acts he is accused of, although a final decision on whether there will be a criminal trial was postponed until next month.
Mafe had also challenged the court to give him a sentence of 25 years to life, which is what he could face if his trial goes ahead.
“I’m not afraid of a life sentence,” he shouted.
The fire at the seat of South Africa’s democracy raised criticism of the security procedures in place at the Parliament whose members were on a break and the buildings were largely empty. No one was hurt.
Mafe has said he is angry at various issues in South Africa. He has called the opposition political party that runs the Cape Town municipality racist against Black people and has also accused the government of failing to help the poor.
In the midst of concerns about Hajia4Reall’s trial in the US, we examine the precise charges she is currently facing in court and what they entail.
The well-known Ghanaian socialite has been charged with a total of seven counts of fraud, theft, and money laundering, the most serious of which is a felony.
Kofi Adoma Nwawani, who was given the necessary documentation, revealed this.
After being arrested in the UK and extradited to the US, where her alleged victims live, Hajia4Reall has been appearing in court ever since.
According to reports, she has been granted bail with strict conditions but none of the offences have been terminated.
Let’s take a look at the offences below:
Attempt and conspiracy to commit wire fraud
According to the United States’ department of justice, where a scheme and artifice to defraud is shared by two or more, it becomes a conspiracy to defraud. The essential elements of conspiracy to commit mail fraud or wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, are (1) an agreement between two or more persons; (2) to commit mail fraud or wire fraud; and (3) an overt act committed by one of the conspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy.
Conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud is usually tried at the federal level. Unfortunately, this means that those who are convicted of federal conspiracy to commit fraud face much harsher punishments, as a convicted defendant could be required to pay fines of up to $250,000 and spend up to 20 years in prison.
Fraud by wire, radio or television
According to the US Department of Justice, wire fraud involves an electronic communication of some kind, such as an interstate phone call. It is very similar to mail fraud, in that, there must be interstate communication and an intention to acquire money from someone else via false pretenses. This could conceivably involve running ads via television or radio encouraging individuals to buy into a scheme that turns out to be fraudulent.
Persons found guilty shall be fined or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.
Money laundering, fraud and other conspiracy
Money laundering occurs whenever funds derived from criminal conduct are deposited into the banking system, utilized to make a purchase, or exchanged in any way. Virtually every criminal offense that derives a monetary gain can be subject to money laundering charges.
Conspiracy occurs whenever two or more people agree to commit a crime and perform two or more overt acts towards the agreed upon crime. A charge of conspiracy is premised upon the agreement, rather than the actual performance, of the criminal act.
Money laundering, fraud and others
This is similar to the previous point, but has ‘other’ charges linked with it.
Conspiracy to receive stolen money
Whoever receives, possesses, conceals, stores, barters, sells, or disposes of any goods knowing it is stolen, commits the crime of ‘receiving stolen money’, according to the US constitution. One count of receipt of stolen money, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Sale or receipt of stolen goods, securities money and so on
Sale of stolen goods worth more than $5000 is a type of felony, especially, where the stolen goods have crossed a state or the United States boundary and are known to be stolen.
Felony
The highest among the charges Hajia4Reall has been hit with is felony.
It is a crime that has a greater punishment imposed by statute than that imposed on a misdemeanor. In some states, a felony is a federal crime that is punished by a death sentence.
Renowned actor Adjetey Anang in his autobiography, “A Story of Faith, Imperfections, and Resilience,” revealed that he firmly believed in leaving a lasting legacy for his students to adhere to and improve upon.
The actor said that his standards were never compromised. He mainly talked about how to get over his own shyness.
He affirmed, “The core belief over my years of lecturing has been to leave a lasting legacy for my students to follow and improve upon. My standards never diminished, and I endeavored to do that every single chance I got.”
He said that the stimulating nature of lecturing gave him a great deal of satisfaction, and he was proud of the impact he had on so many people.
Reflecting on his journey, he shared, “Lecturing was stimulating, and I was happy about the level of impact I had on a number of people and the lessons I left with them.”
One of the most critical lessons he imparted was that of continuous improvement and appreciation of the impact of the craft on society as a whole.
However, lecturing was not without its challenges, as Anang admitted that, as a reserved individual, standing in front of a large audience to teach it was quite daunting for him.
He candidly revealed, “First of all, I was reserved, so you can imagine how it felt like to stand in front of so many people and teach. It was a different encounter from the start, and the attention from day one was something I needed to keep under control.”
Navigating the delicate balance between practical knowledge and theory posed another obstacle for Anang
He emphasized, “Many times, the transition from practical to theory and vice versa could be very tricky. What happened on the ground was not always found in the textbooks, so I had to maintain a healthy balance between the two. It was easy to become swayed because I was already in the industry.”
Moreover, lecturing demanded a significant investment of time, as he pointed out and recognized the challenge.
“Therefore, I had to carefully plan in order not to cause any unfortunate lapses in other areas of my life.
As such, making time for it out of my already busy schedule was tough, but the rewards had been excellent thus far,” he explained.
He added that the administrative tasks associated with lecturing, such as marking scripts, preparing lessons, and setting exam questions, presented yet another hurdle for him.
“The final challenge would be marking scripts, preparing lessons, and setting exam questions! For an actor whose work was mainly practical, the administrative part of my lecturing job really took a toll on me!” he confessed.
Maintaining a delicate balance between his acting career, lecturing, marriage, and family life proved to be a formidable challenge for him as a family man.
He aptly described it as “like carefully selecting and blending a variety of fruits together to create a perfect balance of flavours, none overpowering the others, in a signature fruit salad.”
This, he said, required considerable skill and dedication to ensure that each aspect of his life received the attention it deserved despite the challenges he faced.
Adjetey Anang’s unwavering commitment to leaving a lasting legacy through lecturing shone through his dedication was reflected in his words as he stated, “My standards never diminished, and I endeavoured to do that every single chance I got.”
After a year of engagement, producer Darren Genet and actress Kat Graham of The Vampire Diaries have called it quits. Since 2017, the couple had been living together.
It turns out that Kat Graham and Darren Genet’s relationship was not everlasting.
The producer and Kat called it quits a year after they announced their engagement, the Vampire Diaries alum revealed on July 12.
“After many years together, Darren and I have chosen to no longer be together,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories. “The engagement ended a few months ago. He’s a great guy and we wish each other nothing but the most happy and beautiful life.”
The couple largely kept their six-year relationship a secret from the public, but when they made their red carpet debut in December 2021, four years into their relationship, they gave fans a rare glimpse into their love. Later that month, Kat gave the Muse director a sneak preview of her holiday celebration. Diaries alum revealed on July 12.
“Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!” the 33-year-old captioned a shot of her kissing Darren, which has since been deleted. “Wishing you the most beautiful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa! However you celebrate, we hope your days are filled with love and happiness.”
By May of 2022 Darren popped the question to the actress while the two were vacationing in Mexico for his birthday.
And now, she’s looking ahead and focused on her future projects.
“Super excited to announce my first book everrrrr,” she wrote June 7 alongside a picture of herself posing next to her book. “Thank you @clarksonpotter @penguinrandomhouse for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to help guide, heal and grow thru the Seasons of You journal. Excited for everyone to discover themselves in a deeper, more loving, and more forgiving way.”
Ghanaian young star Yaw Tog has explained why he chose music over education. According to the rapper, he chose to put his education on hold because has to work harder to support his family since he is the breadwinner of the family.
The 20-year-old in an interview with Andy Dosty said he is the only son in his family, hence he has a responsibility of taking care of his family.
“School is waiting at the moment. Where I am from I am the breadwinner. I need to go hard for the family to secure everything for them before I continue school,” he explained.
The ‘Sore’ hitmaker further explains that because his parents are separated, he has automatically assumed the role of the man of the house.
He also shared that he still has a cool relationship with his father who also lives in Kumasi.
“My mom and dad are separated so I feel like I am the man of the house now. My dad also lives with us in Kumasi and we are cool.”
Yaw Tog added that aside from music, he runs other businesses with the support of his family and brother-in-law who also doubles as his manager.
“The cash comes in ‘small small’. Through shows and other small businesses,” he said.
The My Ex rapper believes that with his current grades from Senior High School, he could gain admission to any university.
“I had good grades in high school. Anytime I pick my school results any school will give me admission and that’s why I am not worried about school,” he said.
Thorsten Owusu Gyimah, popularly known as Yaw Tog, is a Ghanaian rapper who majors in drill music, known in Ghana as Asakaa.
He is best known for his viral song, Sore, which featured O’Kenneth, City Boy, Reggie & Jay Bahd.
He is currently promoting his latest single, Obra, which features South African rapper, Roii.
A herdsman and a trader have connived to steal 114 bags of maize from a farmer‘s storehouse. The herdsman is said to have been working for the farmer.
The farmer whose name is given as Mohammed Latif Michael indicated that each bag of maize weighed 50 kilogrammes, and the estimated value of the total 114 bags is about GHC37,050.00.
According to a newspaper report by the Chronicle dated July 13, 2023, the herdsman, whose name is given as Richmond Anan and the trader who is also referred to as Sarah Mensah, were dragged before an Accra Circuit Court on Monday, July 10, 2023, for stealing and abetment respectively.
Both pleaded not guilty before the court, presided over by Isaac Oheneba Kuffour and were granted bail in the sum of GHC50,000.00 each with sureties each.
The prosecuting officer, Chief Inspector Michael Vuvor, who represented the fact brief to the court named the farmer, Mohammed Latif Michael as the complainant and Richmond, one of the accused was taking care of his livestock and living in the house with him.
According to the prosecutor, on February 7, 2023, the complainant asked Richmond to assist him in finding customers to buy his maize.
He promised to do so and asked to inspect the maize’s quality and storage location.
On February 25, 2023, the complainant travelled, and Richmond secretly opened the storeroom, allowing Sarah to steal 114 bags of maize worth GH¢ 37.050.00.
The prosecution added that Sarah sold all 114 bags of maize to unknown customers. When the complainant returned from his trip and discovered the maize had been stolen, he suspected Richmond.
The complainant on realizing the crime committed, reported the case to the Baatsonaa Divisional Police command.
The court was not told how Sarah was arrested in connection with the theft case at this time, but it was learned that during investigations, the accused admitted to the crime but failed to assist the police in tracing the alleged customers who purchased the stolen maize.
The prosecution went on to say that all efforts by the police to recover the money from the accused had also failed. Following an investigation, the accused were charged with the offences and brought before the court.
Traditional priestess turned pastor Nana Agradaa has been warned by Apostle Frank Gago, also known as Apostle Ekasto, that her church will eventually become a bar.
Apostle Ekasto expressed his opinion on the recent social media ranting about Agradaa and her husband, saying that once someone offends God, He has a way of punishing them.
“Agradaa has no church members, but has people who are desperately in need of money and God has directed them to go to her so-called church and collect all the money she lured people to give her in the past,” he said on Akoma FM
“When she finishes sharing the money, her members will stop going to the church and she wouldn’t get back her money in any other form like she has assumed and that will leave her with no other option than to turn her church into a drinking bar,” Apostle Ekasto predicted.
Apostle Ekasto believes that Agradaa didn’t have to lead a church at this time.
Perhaps, he said, she should have started with evangelism, then after several years of being mentored by other men of God, she could establish a church or lead one.
Millions of public sector employees will see wage increases of at least 6%, according to the government.
In an effort to resolve protracted industrial action, Prime Minister Rishi Sunank announced that teachers will receive a 6.5% pay increase, while junior doctors will also receive a 6% increase.
With a 7% increase, police officers will get the greatest boost.
Military troops will receive raises ranging from 5 to 6 percent.
It means the PM has accepted the recommendations of all the independent pay review bodies despite concerns that raises could fuel inflation.
The government has said it will not borrow more to fund the raises, meaning departments face a £3 billion squeeze on their budgets.
Treasury minister John Glen said the government is taking steps to ‘deliver sound money while providing a fair pay deal to public sector workers’.
He told MPs: ‘Today I can announce that the Government has accepted the headline recommendations of the independent pay review bodies in full.
‘We are doing this whilst abiding by sound money which, as the Chancellor said at Mansion House on Monday this week, is our number one focus.’
He told the Commons: ‘There will be no new borrowing or spending to fund the awards. Because more borrowing would simply add more pressure on inflation at exactly the wrong time, risking higher interest rates and higher mortgage rates.
‘Instead, the awards will be funded through a combination of the significant provision for pay that was made at the last spending review, greater efficiency and reprioritisation.
‘Departments will be reprioritising within existing budgets, and driving further efficiencies to focus where it delivers the greatest value.
‘We will also take sound choices to maximise income.’
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan issued a joint statement on pay alongside the general secretaries of the four education unions – Mary Bousted, Kevin Courtney, Geoff Barton, Paul Whiteman and Patrick Roach – as well as the general secretary elect of the NEU, Daniel Kebede.
‘This is the largest ever recommendation from the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB),’ it said.
‘A 6.5% increase for teachers and school leaders recognises the vital role that teachers play in our country and ensures that teaching will continue to be an attractive profession. The Government has accepted the STRB’s recommendation and has agreed to bring forward wider reforms to reduce teacher and leader workload in partnership with all four unions.
‘Importantly, the Government’s offer is properly funded for schools. The Government has committed that all schools will receive additional funding above what was proposed in March, building on the additional £2 billion given to schools in the Autumn Statement.
‘The Government will also provide a hardship fund of up to £40 million to support those schools facing the greatest financial challenges.
‘ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU will now put this deal to members, with a recommendation to accept the STRB recommendation. This deal will allow teachers and school leaders to call off strike action and resume normal relations with Government.’
Rishi told the press conference in Downing Street: ‘Those (pay review) bodies have considered a range of evidence about where to set this year’s pay. And their recommendations to Government are for public sector pay rises to go up by a significant amount.
‘Now clearly, this will cost all of you as taxpayers more than we had budgeted for.
‘That’s why the decision has been difficult, and why it has taken time to decide the right course of action.
‘I can confirm today that we are accepting the headline recommendations of the pay review bodies in full, but we will not fund them by borrowing more or increasing your taxes.’
He offered a warning to trade unions and workers still involved in strikes and industrial action.
Mr Sunak said the new pay offer is ‘final’.
He added: ‘Now there’s a clear message here. There are always choices. Budgets are not infinite. When some ask for higher pay, that will always create pressures elsewhere,’ he said.
‘It is now clear momentum across our public services is shifting. The vast majority who just want to get on with their life’s calling of serving others are now returning to work.
‘Today’s offer is final. There will be no more talks on pay. We will not negotiate again on this year’s settlements and no amount of strikes will change our decision.’
He said the accepted recommendations were a ‘fair deal for the British taxpayer’.
Ministers are said to accept that there is a ‘tacit’ agreement to give their personnel the recommended pay rises as they are unable to strike.
Jeremy Hunt earlier said the Government would take ‘difficult but responsible’ decisions on pay against a backdrop of a doctors’ strike, a weak economy and persistent high inflation.
The Treasury has ruled out increasing borrowing to pay for wage rises, meaning any extra cash for workers may have to come from raiding existing departmental budges, potentially meaning cuts to services.
The current level of CPI inflation is running at 8.7% and Mr Sunak – who has promised to cut it to around 5.3% by the end of the year – wants to avoid pay increases which could fuel a wage-price spiral.
Mr Hunt told MPs on Thursday that ‘it is important to deliver on the Prime Minister’s priority to get debt falling and to control borrowing to avoid adding inflationary pressures and risk prolonging higher inflation’.
‘That means taking difficult but responsible decisions on the public finances, including public sector pay, because more borrowing is itself inflationary.’
The wider economic challenge facing the Chancellor and Prime Minister was illustrated by official figures showing the UK economy contracted in May.
Disruption to thousands of planned appointments is expected as junior doctors in England on Thursday started their longest walkout yet in protest over pay.
The strike started at 7am and ends at the same time on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, teachers from the NASUWT union in England plan to stage continuous action short of strikes starting in September, although its members could still walk out in the autumn if the row continues.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner refused to say whether her party would back the pay review body proposals for public sector workers, saying she does not have access to the Treasury books.
Speaking at the Institute for Government, she said: ‘I haven’t seen the books that the Government have got. We don’t have access to the Treasury and where they’re up to now.’
She added: ‘We would obviously look at what the pay review bodies have said and what their recommendations are and we’d look at how we negotiate that and get a settlement on it. And that’s the best I can give you at the moment.’
Ghanaian rapper and songwriter Eldeezy has unveiled his latest single, “Target.” Released today, July 13, the song represents Eldeezy’s venture into contemporary sounds, highlighting the themes of steadfast love and loyalty.
“Target” is a captivating afro-fusion track that immerses listeners in a romantic odyssey. It expresses profound affection for a supportive woman who stood by Eldeezy throughout difficult moments, emphasizing their bond and appreciation for her unwavering presence.
The singer’s heartfelt melodies effortlessly capture the strength of their bond. He expresses his admiration for her and his longing to build a lasting relationship.
The track infuses traditional African sounds with contemporary elements to create a mesmerizing blend that captivates audiences.
Eldeezy’s profound songwriting skills, combined with the masterful production by renowned producer Sevensnare, result in an irresistible track that celebrates the resilience of love.
‘Target’ represents a departure from Eldeezy’s previous hip-hop fusion style as he explores contemporary sounds to add fresh dimensions to his musical repertoire.
This artistic evolution demonstrates Eldeezy’s willingness to step out of his comfort zone and embrace new influences, creating a unique blend that resonates with listeners.
With ‘Target’, Eldeezy delivers a soulful and captivating experience that showcases his growth and evolution as an artist.
The diverse musical influences and heartfelt storytelling ensures a memorable and engaging song for fans and music enthusiasts.
Kanayo O. Kanayo, a renowned Nollywood actor and lawyer, has firmly disapproved of the prevalent trend of Brazilian butt lift (BBL) surgery among young individuals today.
The actor’s remarks came shortly after Nigerian controversial crossdresser Bobrisky and former BB Naija housemate Nina Ivy publicly disclosed their recent successful Brazilian butt lift (BBL) surgeries.
Bobrisky’s revelation came three days after Big Brother Naija’s ex-housemate Nina Ivy shared news about her second BBL surgery on July 2023.
The famous American women’s fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar, says BBL starts with liposuction, where a surgeon sucks the fat out of areas in the body, processes and re-injects it into the buttocks and hips.
The platform notes that it has become one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures—but it’s also the deadliest. Even so, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the BBL continues to increase in popularity.
However, Kanayo O. Kanayo wondered why women would subject themselves to such pain in the name of beauty.
Via a video posted on his official Instagram page, the 61-year-old actor cum lawyer said, “Anybody in the name of boyfriend who would cause my daughter to do bum bum enlargement holy Ghost thunder. May Amadioha from Igbo land combine with Ogun from Ijebu Ode to kill the person.”
“If Bum Bum enlargement was profitable, why are husbands not giving their wives money to do it? Bum Bum enlargement is not profitable. Not up to the three per cent of women who do it for their boyfriends end in marriage. Sadly, this Bum thing, many ladies do not end as wives.’’
While expressing his anger, the actor narrated a story of a man who convinced his girlfriend to do a BBL surgery.
Kanayo noted that things took another turn when she contracted an infection from the procedure and lost her life.
He said, “I am angry physically and spiritually…She had an infection, and her boyfriend, who caused her to do the surgery, came into the ward. The next thing he did was to react that the place was smelling. He said it smelled and stinks and he ran out. A few days later, the girl died from an infection.”
The father of four advised Nigerians, saying, “My brothers and sisters, a word is enough for the wise. It is not worth it,’’ he said.
After being hospitalized with a mysterious illness earlier this year, Jamie Foxx recently made one of his initial public appearances. He was spotted waving from the deck of a sizable boat during a cruise on the Chicago River on a Sunday afternoon, as captured in images obtained by TMZ.
In a brief video clip, Jamie Foxx was observed sitting near the boat’s front, waving, smiling, and flashing a peace sign. Nearby boaters shouted that they were celebrating a birthday, while Foxx remained seated and did not engage in conversation or stand up, as depicted in the short video.
Foxx was accompanied on the boat by several unnamed people and at press time the star had not made any additional comments about his recovery.
The cause of Foxx’s hospitalization has not yet been disclosed by his family or team, who have also not offered any updates on his condition or recovery in the months since.
Foxx’s daughter, Corinne, announced his hospitalisation on April 12.
Watch video
“We wanted to share that my father Jamie Foxx experienced a medical complication yesterday,” she wrote at the time.
“Luckily due to quick action and great care he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time.”
On May 3, Foxx broke his silence and thanked fans in a note for their support.
“Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed,” Foxx wrote.
The next day, friend Nick Cannon also gave an update on Foxx’s progress.
“I gotta tell you, there would be no Nick Cannon if it wasn’t for Jamie Foxx,” said Cannon, who has stepped in to fill Foxx’s shoes on the set of the Fox game show Beat Shazam.
“I love this brother and in a real family-type way, man. He looked out for me when I didn’t have a place to sleep as a teenager.
“This brother let me sleep on his couch…It was good times and those good times will continue ’cause I am expecting that my brother is gonna just recover fully.”
On the Isle of Man, a motorbike race claimed the lives of two persons.
The two people killed in last night’s incident included “two riders, a marshal, and a spectator,” according to the Southern 100 Road Races’ organisers.
No other information has yet been made public.
The event is held on the same track as the renowned Isle of Man TT.
In a statement, they stated: “A severe incident occurred tonight, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, during tonight’s qualifying session on the Billown Course in Castletown.
‘The incident involved two riders, a marshal and a spectator and it is with deep sadness that we regret to announce that this incident has resulted in two fatalities.
‘We pass on our deepest sympathy to the families, loved ones, and friends of those involved.
‘At this time, we are unable to provide any further details of those involved in the incident and the current focus is to support those involved.
After receiving a “credible threat” to staff and pupils, an east London primary school was placed on lockdown.
Parents at Redbridge Primary School were informed this morning that a threat had been made against the school and that lockdown protocols had been put in place.
In a statement, it was stated that “the school received a credible threat today, and we applied our lockdown procedures to ensure the safety of our children and staff under the advice of the police and local authority.”
After-school clubs were cancelled as well as a school play.
Redbridge Primary School has been put into lockdown this morning (Picture: Google)
Parents at Cranbrook Primary in Ilford just over a mile away were also told to expect a police presence.
The Met Police said: ‘You may have been made aware of a threatening email sent to schools.
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‘We can confirm that a male has been identified, located and arrested for malicious communications & taken to a London police station.’
‘This is a isolated incident with no suspects are outstanding.’
Hollywood writers have been striking for two months, and the possibility of actors joining them looms, potentially replacing the red carpet with picket lines.
The contract between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) expired at midnight on July 12th, after a deadline extension that postponed the potential mega-strike by nearly two weeks.
They would join the Writers Guild of America, which went on strike on 2 May after failing to reach a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an umbrella group representing studios like Disney, Netflix, Amazon and Apple.
Both SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP have said they will not comment while contract negotiations are ongoing.
It would be the first time that unions representing both writers and actors would strike at the same time since 1960, when future US President Ronald Reagan was president of the actors’ union.
(GETTY IMAGES) Actors like Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda have supported writers on the picket line – and may soon join the strike too
A third union, the Directors Guild of America, has already negotiated a contract and will not join the strike.
Dozens of productions have already been halted since the writers went on strike, including Stranger Things, Billions and Marvel’s Blade.
If there is an actors’ strike, there could be even more delays, and some shows may be cancelled altogether.
For audiences, that likely means the next series of your favourite TV show will be delayed, and many shows may disappear forever.
While some international productions will continue, it will be limited, because SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 performers around the world – like writer and actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who addressed the strike at the London premiere of the latest Indiana Jones movie.
“I really hope we can get this sorted. Writers are the most important people in this industry, I really believe that,” she said.
Like the writers already on strike, actors say that streaming services haven’t shared the wealth, even as they have led to an explosion of entertainment content. The never-ending quest for new subscribers is an unsustainable business model, they say, and studio executives are reaping huge salaries while many actors and writers can’t make a decent living.
Actors and writers used to make money from re-runs on network TV. They would get a cheque in the post every time a movie or show they worked on was re-broadcast and that allowed actors to survive between projects in the business, which has always been a feast-or-famine job.
But streaming services upended Hollywood, and now actors and writers get little or nothing when someone watches their work on a streaming service, which also traditionally pays less than network TV.
The negotiations are being conducted in secret so it’s not clear what might be the sticking points or if a deal is imminent. Members overwhelmingly voted in favour of a strike if a deal cannot be reached.
“If they could replace us, they would have done it many years ago,” writer and actor Adam Conover said while picketing outside Netflix.
“Are they going to replace you with reality TV? Or with YouTube stars? Well, they can try,” he said, adding that people around the world turn on the TV to watch shows like Stranger Things and sports.
Musician and actress Kim Gordon says she would never let her image be used for AI
In a surprise move, many of Hollywood’s A-list actors signed a letter to their union supporting a strike if they cannot get a “transformative” new contract from studios.
The letter – which has been widely circulated in Los Angeles – was signed by the likes of Meryl Streep, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Lawrence and Quinta Brunson – has more than 1,000 signatures now, according to industry publication Deadline.
Both the writers and actors are striking for not only better pay, but for restrictions on using artificial intelligence (AI) in productions, which they say is an “existential” threat.
Actors say AI could create a doomsday scenario where deep fakes and dead actors could be the stars of tomorrow through computer-generated faces and voices.
For many in the business, it’s a bleak thought – computer generated moviemaking without a camera crew, actor or writer involved.
Influential musician and artist Kim Gordon, the founder of Sonic Youth and a Screen Actors Guild member, said she’d never consider allowing an AI version of herself.
“It’s important to be worried about it,” Ms Gordon said while picketing outside Netflix. “But I feel like AI will never replace creativity.”
Nollywood actor Jim Iyke recently talked about his failed marriage, bringing awareness to a personal issue that not many people were aware of.
Jim Iyke explained that he emotionally cut himself off from his wife, who had given birth to their first son, during an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo. He also acknowledged responsibility for the breakdown of his marriage.
He confessed, “I have had a failed marriage, but nobody knows that. I have three kids. I caused my marriage to fail. I am not the type to blame anyone for my mistakes. There is a saying, ‘to boss up, own up.’ There is a part of me that would take the easier route out.”
The actor went on to reveal that whenever he made poor choices in life, it was often during times of heightened emotions, and he acknowledged his tendency to become mediocre when swayed by his emotions.
Jim Iyke added that he prided himself on being deliberate and strategic in his actions but acknowledged his vulnerability to emotional upheaval.
Delving into how the pain of his mother affected him, he mentioned that when she passed, no one in the family wanted to deliver the heartbreaking news of her passing to him due to the deep bond he shared with her.
He recounted the distressing experience, sharing, “When I lost my mother, I could not find my feet for years. There was a lifestyle and a spiritual connection that I lost. It took them 72 hours to tell me that I had lost my mother. I just got out of an interview in London.”
Discussing the impact of his mother’s death on his relationship with his wife and son, Iyke revealed, “Just when I was getting over it, my woman was pregnant with my first son. I had a quiet space; there was nobody around me to take care of me anymore. The grief hit me suddenly, and I couldn’t sleep for days. I was irritable and no longer the loving man she had met.”
Contrary to his public image as a prankster and someone who brings humour to serious situations, Iyke admitted that he lost his sense of humour, his inner strength, and his leadership qualities.
He became consumed by his grief, leaving his wife feeling neglected. Iyke explained, “I took all my love and attention and invested it in my son and left her behind. I was an excellent father and a woeful husband. They are white, they are not built like us.”
Over time, his wife expressed her dissatisfaction, claiming that she no longer recognized the man she married and as a result, they decided to part ways amicably.
“I am here, but I am not here. There is no presence here. I don’t know what it would take me to heal and bring myself back here, but if you want to wait for me, I will appreciate it, and if you can’t, I will understand.’ She said she can’t,” he disclosed.
A Greyhound bus collided with three vehicles on an Illinois highway, resulting in three fatalities and at least 14 injuries.
The huge intercity charter bus hit traffic just before 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police.
The bus collided with three commercial trucksthat were ‘parked on an exit ramp to Silver Lake rest area in Highland, Illinois,’ according to the police, who stated the collision happened on Interstate 70.
Footage from the scene shows that the vehicles were large semi-trailer trucks. None of the occupants of the other vehicles were injured.
All of the victims were onboard the bus at the time of the crash (Picture: AP)
Three people were killed in the accident, police said. At least fourteen more were injured, including the Greyhound’s driver.
Four of the injured passengers had to be airlifted to local hospitals by medevac helicopter.
The identities of the deceased passengers have not yet been released.
‘Multiple passengers, including our driver, have been transported to the hospital,’ the charter bus company said in a statement.’ Our primary concern is ensuring we care for our passengers and driver at this time. We are working closely with local authorities and a relief bus is on the way for passengers.’
Traffic on I-70 was reduced to a single lane as first responders rushed to the scene. As of 8.30am, the ramp to the rest area remains closed.
Greyhound confirmed that the bus was traveling route 1675, which runs from Indianapolis, Indiana to St Louis, Missouri. The bus was only about 25 miles from its destination when the crash occurred.
It is unclear how many passengers were on the bus when the accident happened.
The cause of the fatal crash has not been determined. Photos from the scene show much of the Greyhound destroyed, with a nearly completely caved-in roof.
He is not the only teenager to have become so enthralled by mobile phones that it impacts his relationship with his family.
But Nassir, aged 13, is a Western lowland gorilla and his behaviour so concerned Canadian zookeepers that they have put up signs around his enclosure asking visitors not to show him any more footage.
Videos and photos shown to apes on mobile phones “can be upsetting and affect their relationships and behaviour within the family”, the signs at Toronto Zoo read.
Zoo patrons have taken in recent years to showing gorillas videos on their phones and recording the reaction to share on social media.
But it has left some of the animals glued to mobiles. Toronto Zoo says that Nassir is the “the epitome of a teenager” who is “fascinated by videos and screen time would dominate his life if he had his way”.
“Nassir, in particular, was really interested in seeing different videos. I think, mostly, he was seeing videos of other animals. But, I think what is really important is that he’s able to just hang out with his brother and be a gorilla,” said Hollie Ross, a behavioural husbandry supervisor at the zoo.
Maria Franke, the zoo’s director of wildlife conservation and welfare, said Nassir “was just so enthralled with gadgets and phones and the videos” he was becoming distracted and not interacting with other gorillas.
The ape now appears to have grown out of his fascination with the devices after the ban, Ms Franke said.
She told the Toronto Star: “It’s like Nassir was a little boy, all he wanted to do was sit in the basement and play games on the computer”.
“I’m not really sure what the content of the videos was. Was it gorillas in the wild? I have no idea. Was it a cartoon? I have no idea. But obviously, there was something that was attracting him to it.”
It comes after a Chicago zoo was forced to install a rope line a few feet away from the glass partition between visitors and the apes after experts noted that apes distracted by phones had begun to show behavioural changes.
Lincoln Park Zoo employees were concerned gorilla Amare’s interest in the devices could see him become a target for bullying after the ape was “glued to a cell phone” when a fellow ape “rushed him”.
Stephen Ross, the director of the Lester E Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, said at the time: “It’s probably a cyclical phenomena, the more he shows interest, the more people want to engage in it.”
In San Diego last year, a monkey was seen attempting to use a phone after it was dropped into his enclosure.
CCTV recorded in China showed a monkey pick up a phone from the floor of an apartment and scroll through it. The phone’s owner told local media that the monkey had managed to empty her online shopping cart in one go.
Another viral clip showed a gorilla signalling to the person holding a phone near his enclosure to swipe to the next video, raising his finger each time he wanted to watch something new.
Toronto Zoo said it is committed to making sure the video issue does not become serious.
“When our guests come to the zoo, we want them to be able to see gorillas in a very natural state, and what they would be doing naturally – to sort of connect with them on that level,” Ms Ross said.
“We don’t really want our guests coming and showing them videos. We would rather have them see them do gorilla things,” Ms Ross said.
Amidst growing concerns over the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR)-Torenco deal, the Minority in Parliament in a bold move aimed at revitalising the nation’s energy sector, has asked government to reopen the procurement process to allow for the selection of a strategic partner for the management of the TOR.
The group insists that granting a fresh chance to select a strategic partner who will spearhead the efficient management and rejuvenation of this vital national asset, is the surest way to make the company relevant.
Speaking to journalists in Parliament, Minority Spokesperson on Energy, John Jinapor accused the current administration of sitting aloof and supervising the redundancy of the company and also insisted that urgent steps needed to be taken to revive the company.
“The Tema Oil Refinery is a strategic asset. It is the only state refinery capable of refining about 45 thousand barrels of oil a day. If Tema Oil Refinery is well positioned it will result in millions if not billions of savings when it comes to import substitution.
“Unfortunately, the Akufo-Addo-led government has been sleeping on the job and has left the refinery to rot having failed to continue the progress made by the Mahama-led administration,” he said.
Further, he bemoaned the TOR-Torenco deal, stressing that it does not inure to the benefit of the country.
“They have decided to lease the Tema Oil Refinery to Torentco Asset Management and if you read the details of the contract they are supposed to refine just about 8 million barrels. That is woefully inadequate.
“We have become aware of attempts by the Akufo-Addo government to lease the Tema Oil Refinery for a six-year period to a company known as Torentco Asset Management company.
“Our checks have indicated that the company has no track record when it comes to the oil sector and its balance sheet does suggest that it cannot provide the needed support for the Tema Oil Refinery,” he said.
His comments follow the alleged leasing of the state refinery to Torentco Asset Management for at least the next six years.
Under the agreement, the Torentco Asset Management Group will pay $1 million in annual rent and an additional rent of $1.067 million per month. The group will also refine up to 8 million barrels annually.
Also, the board and management of TOR has justified the contract with Torentco with claims that although they had wished to deal directly with a major multinational company, TOR’s accrued debts made the refinery unattractive to many, hence the decision to settle on Torentco.
Management released a press statement comprising three pages to provide clarification regarding the partnership. In the document, it was explained that the collaboration would enable TOR to transition from being an entity that incurs annual losses to one that consistently generates a positive net cash flow throughout the duration of the lease, among other claims.
It also indicated that the transaction is already in its final stages of documentation and the company has an extensive list of ‘conditions precedent’ which Torentco must satisfy to demonstrate their ability to deliver all that is required in the transaction.
“If at any point they are unable to do so, the transaction will not become effective and TOR will be left to continue with its ongoing efforts to find a solution,” the report said.
Regardless, the deal is battling strong opposition, especially from the Minority in Parliament.
Adding his voice to the discourse, the Yapei-Kusawgu MP maintained that another partner ought to be selected through a more rigorous process.
“The refinery alone has seen about five different managements under the Akufo-Addo administration. It does appear like they are playing with the refinery.
“It appears there is no seriousness when it comes to the management and revitalization of the refinery, and so we call on government to immediately halt this lease agreement and ensure that we go through a transparent process that gives everybody a fair playing field and equal opportunity so that eventually we can identify a strategic partner that will not only ensure that the refinery is put to good use but it serves the overall interest of the nation.”
After being falsely accused of being an undercover agent who ignited the Capitol brawl, a Trump supporter sued Fox News and one of the network’s former hosts.
Ray Epps, who twice cast his ballot for the now-former President Donald Trump, filed a complaint, claiming that Fox News and its former anchor Tucker Carlson defamed him by spreading the “fantastical story” that he was a secret government agent who instigated the uprising on January 6.
The lawsuit, which was submitted on Wednesday in Delaware’s Superior Court, accuses Fox News of “creating and disseminating destructive conspiracy theories” in order to deflect responsibility for the 2021 assault from Trump and Republicans.
‘Just as Fox had focused on voting machine companies when falsely claiming a rigged election, Fox knew it needed a scapegoat for January 6th,’ states the complaint obtained by The New York Times.
‘It settled on Ray Epps and began promoting the lie that Epps was a federal agent who incited the attack on the Capitol.’
Carlson on his late-night show Tucker Carlson Tonight in July 2022 claimed without evidence that Epps was a ‘federal agent who helped stage-manage the insurrection’. The show also aired video footage of Epps urging fellow Trump fans to join him in breaching the US Capitol building.
Epps has said on 60 Minutes said that the conspiracy theory led to death threats against him and his wife Robyn and that they had to sell their business and home and move away from Arizona. He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
The Trump supporter’s lawsuit is the latest of numerous legal threats that have been lodged against Fox News.
Fox News and Carlson in April ‘agreed to part ways’ for nondisclosed reasons – less than a week after Fox News settled a lawsuit over its 2020 presidential election coverage.
The network agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems more than $787million and acknowledged that some of its reporting was incorrect, including segments that enabled some Trump allies to amplify false claims of election fraud.
It has 775 rooms, a cinema, pool, tennis court, secret doorways, 42 acres of gardens and a lake, so why has it fallen out of favour?
Each year, millions of tourists press their faces through the gates of Buckingham Palace just to marvel at its Portland stone facade and imagine the sumptuous interiors that lie beyond.
But, for all its majestic scale and appearance, admirably central location and extraordinary range of accommodation and facilities, none of those qualified seem keen to take up residence.
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had no affection for the place, and King Charles and Queen Camilla do not, by all accounts, relish the prospect of relocating there from Clarence House once current refurbishment work is completed. The late Queen signed off the ambitious £369 million project in 2017.
Earlier this month, a spokesman for the King said it was “currently the intention” that their majesties would move in when workmen move out in 2027. It was a long way short of saying they could not wait to live in the world’s most famous palace, and will do little to dampen speculation that the couple might never occupy it.
By the time the reservicing work is completed, the King and Queen will both be pushing 80 – not the sort of age at which most people are considering a house move. The King has lived at Clarence House for 20 years and made it his own with the help of interior designer Robert Kime, whereas the Palace’s interiors are preserved in aspic.
The grand White Drawing Room Credit: Getty
The truth is that Buckingham Palace is the least homely of the 12 residences that the King uses each year, so it is little wonder that it inspires so little affection.
Even his mother, the epitome of duty, was reluctant to move in when she became sovereign in 1952. According to legend, it was only when her prime minister, Winston Churchill, put his foot down that she gave up hope of staying in Clarence House.
“You are basically living above the office,” said one former servant, “so it doesn’t lend itself to privacy and it’s not an easy place to relax.”
Monarchs only stay at Buckingham Palace when they are working, meaning that for them it is a physical representation of the responsibilities that weigh heavily upon them, rather like the Downing Street flat is to the Prime Minister. Conversely Balmoral, Sandringham and Windsor (and Highgrove in the King’s case) represent a chance to get away from those duties, even if red boxes and prime ministerial visits continue.
Nor does the Palace compensate its occupants by offering them the sort of luxury living that those millions of tourists might imagine.
“Ironically, you couldn’t describe the Royal living quarters at Buckingham Palace as palatial,” says one former servant. “When private citizens buy a big house, they use all of it as their living space, but at Buckingham Palace they are confined to a small corner of quite a draughty building.
“You are talking about a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room, reception area and not much more than that.
Buckingham Palace’s State Dining Room has hosted many special events over the decades Credit: PA
“It has to be said that the King has always operated on the basis that he is happy with a bedroom, study and sitting room, but even Clarence House has more private living space, as the first and second floors are just for the King and Queen.”
Generations of Royal family members have found Palace life challenging. Edward VIII complained about “the gloom of Buckingham Palace” and how the family would “freeze up” as soon as they went inside. When the then Princess Elizabeth moved in with her family in 1937, the Palace had a full-time pest controller to dispose of mice, and her governess likened staying at the Palace to “camping in a museum”.
The mice were still in residence when the Obamas stayed at the Palace in 2011 (Barack Obama was terrified his wife, Michelle, who is frightened of mice, would find out), and the couple found themselves accommodated for the first and only time in a presidential guest suite that did not have an en-suite bathroom. The Obamas had to cross a corridor to clean their teeth and wash.
Queen Elizabeth II, US President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrive for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace Credit: Getty
The private apartments are contained at the back of the north wing – the rear right-hand corner when looking at the front of the building – with a view looking out onto Constitution Hill.
The majority of the 775 rooms are accounted for by the 188 staff bedrooms, 52 guest rooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 19 state rooms and various other service rooms, including kitchens, storage rooms and staff canteens.
Clarence House is also rather easier to heat. Throughout her life, the late Queen used a two-bar electric fire to heat rooms at Buckingham Palace in which enormous fireplaces were never lit. The King is so appalled at the energy bills for Buckingham Palace that he has ordered staff to set the thermostats at no higher than 19C (66F) in the winter, and when rooms are not being used they are turned down to 16C, with radiators turned off completely at weekends. He has also stopped heating the swimming pool. It has cut the carbon footprint and kept costs down, but adds to the impression of a building that has been mothballed.
The King likes his homes to be well ventilated anyway, but the Queen feels the cold, and friends of the couple say it is no secret that Her Majesty is even less keen on a move to Buckingham Palace than her husband.
“The King is very mindful of appearances and having the monarch living at monarchy HQ,” said one royal source. “He doesn’t view these things as a choice; he just views it as what is done.”
The King knows that staging balcony appearances in a vacated building would not be the same Credit: PA
Would all those millions of tourists still flock to Buckingham Palace come rain or shine if it were unoccupied?
Visit Britain says it has never asked that question in any tourist surveys, but the King does not want to risk finding out the answer. He knows that family appearances on the balcony, in particular, are a hugely important driver of public affection for the monarchy, and that staging such moments in a vacated building would never be the same.
Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, said last month that the Palace will remain “at the heart of Royal and national life” once the current refurbishments are complete, which have included rewiring and the installation of lifts to make the building more accessible.
He was at pains to point out that even with building work going on, the Palace hosted garden parties, receptions, lunches, investitures and formal dinners.
It will take 18 months to clear 70,000 objects from the north wing, which houses the royal apartments, followed by two years of construction work on the wing.
At the presentation of the Royal Household’s annual accounts last month, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “It is currently the intention that Their Majesties will occupy the private apartments of Her Late Majesty at the end of the reservicing programme. At this point, I’m not in a position to speculate about the future use of Clarence House.”
Part of the equivocation could be down to a realisation that as the King and Queen approach their 80s, their health could be a factor in any decision to upend their lives with a move to the Palace.
If for any reason they did not move in, it could mean that the late Queen was the last monarch to reside in the building.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother, at the Palace in 1948 Credit: Corbis/Getty
What, then, would become of it? One thing that is already guaranteed is that the Palace’s 10-week summer opening to tourists will be extended in order to maximise revenue (all of which goes towards running costs), and more parts of the Palace could be opened up to the paying public.
There has already been speculation that the whole building could be turned into a museum, enabling the Royal Collection Trust to display more of its million-object collection.
The drawback with that idea is that it would clash with set-piece events such as garden parties, investitures and state banquets, which cannot realistically be carried out at any other royal building in the capital.
There is also little appetite from the London Assembly for another art gallery in a city that already has the National Gallery, the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy, the Hayward Gallery and the Wallace Collection, among others.
So it seems likely that the King will have to become a reluctant resident in a home built for Georgian tastes and finances, embraced by Queen Victoria, but imperfect for the means and mores of a 21st-century monarch.
There is “no risk-free option,” according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, when it comes to providing Ukraine with long-term security guarantees.
His remarks followed a warning from the Kremlin that any such action would be “badly mistaken and potentially very dangerous.”
Despite Mr. Stoltenberg’s claim that Ukraine “is now closer to NATO than ever before,” the alliance once more refrained from issuing a formal invitation.
Instead, a group of G7 countries and other allies have promised to provide Kyiv with a security package to help ‘end the war’ and deter future aggression.
Asked if the move brings the West closer to direct war with Russia, Mr Stoltenberg told reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius ‘there is already a fully-fledged war going on in Europe’.
Standing beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he went on: ‘There is no risk-free option, no risk-free option for NATO allies either. But the biggest risk is if President Putin wins.
‘Because then the message is that when he uses military force, when he violates international law, when he invades a neighbour, then he gets what he wants.
‘That’s exactly why it is so important for NATO allies to support Ukraine. It will be a tragedy for Ukraine if President Putin wins, but it will be dangerous for us. It will make us more vulnerable.’
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposed security assurances were a mistake which Moscow would be forced to factor into its future decision-making.
‘We consider this move to be badly mistaken and potentially very dangerous,’ he told reporters.
‘Because by providing any kind of security guarantees for Ukraine, these countries would be ignoring the international principle on the indivisibility of security. By providing guarantees to Ukraine, they would be impinging on the security of the Russian Federation.’
Providing such assurances ‘is fraught with highly negative consequences in the medium, long and even short term’, Mr Peskov went on, adding: ‘By taking such a decision, these countries will make Europe much more dangerous for many, many years to come.’
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and deputy chair of the powerful security council, went a step further and warned: ‘World War Three is coming.’
Mr Stoltenberg said Ukraine ‘has the right to choose its own path and what kind of security arrangements it wants to be a part of’.
He said: ‘Russia has been against every enlargement of NATO. It’s for NATO allies and for Ukraine to decide when to become a member. Moscow doesn’t have a veto on that.’
The secretary general added: ‘The most urgent task is to of course ensure that Ukraine prevails, because unless Ukraine prevails then there is no membership issue to be discussed at all.
‘So, the message is that we stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes, and the urgent need is to provide the weapons they need.’
President Zelensky said the results of the summit have been good, but added an offer of membership would have been ‘ideal’.
Rishi Sunak said the G7 security agreement marked the ‘new high point in support’ for Ukraine but was not a ‘substitute’ for NATO membership.
In a readout of the meeting between the Prime Minister and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: ‘The Prime Minister welcomed the fact that the MAP (membership action plan) requirement for Ukraine had now been removed, smoothing the path to full Nato membership in the future.
‘The Prime Minister and the president agreed on the importance of the security arrangements to be announced by the G7 this afternoon.
‘They marked a new high point in support from the international community and would give Ukraine an even greater level of endurance against Russian aggression, the Prime Minister said.
‘Both agreed the arrangements will not be a substitute for NATO membership and looked forward to building on the new security framework as soon as possible.’
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