Despite missing necessary supplies and weaponry, the chief general of Ukraine claims that its soldiers are moving forward “500 metres every day.”
The commander-in-chief of the AFU, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, voiced displeasure over criticisms of Ukraine’s sluggish progress on the front lines and claimed the ongoing counteroffensive is “not a show.”
In an interview with the Washington Post, Zaluzhnyi said, “Every day, every metre is given by blood.”
Complaining about the slow delivery of weapons promised by the West, Zaluzhny said Kyiv’s Western allies would not themselves launch an offensive without air superiority, but expect Ukraine to do so despite failing to deliver F-16 fighters promised to the country on time.
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi says Ukraine’s counteroffensive is ‘not a show’ for global audiences (Picture: AP)
‘I do not need 120 planes. I’m not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough,’ he told the newspaper.
Ukraine started its long-awaited counteroffensive on June 8, with the bulk of fighting so far taking place in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
But unlike last autumn’s offensive, which saw Ukraine take back swathes of territory in Kharkiv and Kherson, battlefield gains have been much more modest this time around.
‘Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all,’ Zaluzhnyi told the Post. ‘But they are being carried out. Yes, maybe not as fast as the participants, the observers, would like, but that is their problem.’
However, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on June 28 that the main Ukraine’s attack is still yet to come.
Zaluzhnyi also mentioned that his forces are being outshelled by the Russians by a rate of ten to one, and that he is in constant contact with Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley to coordinate ammo and munitions supplies.
‘We have an agreement: 24/7, we’re in touch. So, sometimes I can call up and say, “If I don’t get 100,000 shells in a week, 1,000 people will die. Step into my shoes,”’ he told the Washington Post.
‘It’s just that while that decision is being made, in the obvious situation, a lot of people die every day – a lot. Just because no decision has been made yet,’ he said.
‘This is not a show,’ he added. ‘It’s not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every metre is given by blood.’
According to a report from US-based think tank The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces conducted counteroffensive operations along at least three sectors of the front line yesterday.
The operations continued in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, while troops achieved ‘partial success’ on the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia and north of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, the ISW added.
According to Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar, troops are ‘confidently advancing’ on Bakhmut’s flanks and Russian forces have transferred a large number of troops to the area.
She added that Ukrainian forces are advancing with varying degrees of success in southern Ukraine, and that the counteroffensive should be evaluated by ‘a lot of different military tasks.’
Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy also ordered security to be beefed up at his country’s border with Belarus, where fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner have been offered exile after their attempted coup on Moscow’s military leaders last weekend.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development recently held a vibrant ceremony to mark the beginning of this year’s ‘ The close season is scheduled to run from Saturday, July 1, to Tuesday, August 31. The event took place in Elmina, located in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality of the Central Region.
While canoe and inshore fishers will observe the closed season from Saturday, July 1 to Monday, August 31, industrial trawlers would observe it from July 1 to Thursday, August 31.
The term “closed season” also known as “biological rest period”, refers to the stopping of fishing activities during the spawning period to help replenish the stock.
Closed season is observed as a way of reducing fishing pressure on stocks when they are most productive, in terms of allowing the fish a chance to lay their eggs to replace the lost population due to fishing and other natural causes.
Globally, closed seasons are considered one of the key fisheries management procedures to help protect fish stocks and increase their population.
For the first time since Ghana started implementing the Closed Season in 2016, the country is doing it together with Cote d’Ivoire and Togo while Benin will join in 2024.
Placing the one-month ban on fishing expeditions, Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson the sector minister said, she was particularly filled with joy and satisfaction for the two countries’ participation because it was an indication that her working visits to those countries was yielding results.
To her, Elmina is not only known for its rich culture and historical structures such as the Elmina Castle but most significantly, as an important fishing community.
Therefore, hosting the official closure ceremony in Elmina was part of activities to highlight the importance of Elmina in the fisheries sector, following the commissioning of the Elmina Fishing Port Rehabilitation and Expansion Project on Friday, May 26.
For the Close Season, she acknowledged the contributions of scientific working bodies both national and international, the academia, development partners, and Civil Society Organizations in making the Closed Seasons a success.
“Our gallant fishermen and fish processors work tirelessly to ensure that we have fish in our diets to meet our protein requirements.”
She also recognized the contributions of the Ghana Navy, Fisheries Enforcement Unit, Security Agencies, and the Attorney-General’s Department in law enforcement and prosecution of offenders during and after the Closed Fishing Season.
She attested to the fact that the marine subsector had experienced a decline in fish stock levels and sizes due to activities of overexploitation and Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported fishing, among others.
The livelihoods of the over 3,000,000 people and 187 coastal fishing communities that depend on fisheries resources are being threatened by the depletion or decline of fish stocks.
The Scientific community, including the works of academia and FAO Scientific Working Group, recommended the implementation of fisheries management measures, including closed fishing seasons to ensure recovery and rebuilding of depleted fish stocks to avoid the collapse of the fishing industry.
Accordingly, the Ministry and the Fisheries Commission in 2016 have been implementing the closed fishing season as a fish stock recovery and replenishing strategy by Section 84 of the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625).
The continuous closure of the sea for the past seven years for the industrial fleet and four years for the artisanal and inshore fleet had shown a significant positive impact on fish stock recovery.
Buttressing that, she said, “The result of a biological survey conducted in 2022 indicated that, canoe landings were higher after the closure period than before the closure. The result also revealed that bigger fishers were caught in 2022 than in 2021.
“All these are signs of replenishing of fish stocks and increase in the growth of fish population over time. It is also an indication that the closed fishing season needs to be implemented for many years for us to attain the long-term objective of rebuilding the depleted fish stocks and replenishing dwindling stocks.”
In addition to that, she said the Ministry and the Fisheries Commission had undertaken series of broad stakeholder consultative meetings to engage and sensitize fishermen, fish processors, and the public on the implementation of the 2023 closed season.
Koomson assured that the government was fully aware of the short-term economic impact of the Closed Fishing Season on fishers and processors.
Therefore, she said the Ministry would continue to provide relief items in the form of rice and cooking oil to support fishers and fish processors during the closure period.
As a way of reducing pressure on the fisheries resources, the Ministry and its partners, including the Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity has launched alternative livelihood training support for fishers starting with 1350 fishers.
The beneficiaries will be trained in masonry, carpentry, dressmaking, hairdressing, electronics and auto-engineering among others in selected communities along the coast.
“This training would be scaled up to cover 8,350 fishers and after the training, trainees would be supported to set up to ensure that they earn incomes from their trade. I take this opportunity to encourage fishers, especially the youth, to embrace this opportunity and enroll on the programme.”
“We thank the Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives, as well as, Development Partners like the Ghana Fishery Recovery Activity for their continuous support.
After the ban, she said the enforcement authorities would commence full surveillance and enforcement activities to ensure compliance with the Closed Fishing Season and prosecute offenders accordingly. I therefore humbly appeal to fishers to desist from fishing and comply with the closure.
“On this note, I declare the season closed for artisanal canoes and inshore vessels from 1st to 31st July 2023 and for the trawl vessels from 1st July to 31st August 2023,” she stated.
Under the auspices of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), joint fishing patrol operations will be undertaken by the Navy of the two countries to ensure, among others, compliance with the Closed Fishing Season in both countries.
Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, commended the government for the innovations brought to redeem the sector from decline.
He thanked the government for the establishment of the fishing harbour to create employment for the youth.
Blakk Rasta, a popular radio personality, believes that Yvonne Nelson is a woman who is currently struggling with mental health issues. He expresses the opinion that Yvonne Nelson deserves support and understanding due to the challenging circumstances she has faced.
It is important to approach discussions about mental health with empathy, sensitivity, and respect for individuals’ privacy. Mental health is a serious matter that affects many people, and it is crucial to promote understanding, offer support, and encourage individuals to seek appropriate professional help if needed.
“What I see anytime I read this book is that Yvonne Nelson is a woman who is suffering from mental issues,” he said on Accra-based United Television.
On Sarkodie, Blakk Rasta indicated that the rapper’s response was out of place and an affront to womanhood.
“She picked on Sarkodie and if you read the book, you’ll infer correctly that this was the very first abortion she had. When you read the book you’ll realize that she said her mother opened her legs during her teens to check her hymen and said the next time she opens and doesn’t find the hymen she will deal with her,” he stated on United Showbiz hosted by MzGee.
“She said she was so naive and Sarkodie wasn’t the first person she dated but, she lost her guard with him probably because she saw a certain future in Sarkodie. You can meet a lady for the first day and she will give in to you. I won’t take them for cheap, it’s just the aura around you. Sometimes it’s what you bring to the table. But some men are immature on think the women are cheap,” Blakk Rasta added.
Cops say they aren’t currently seeking any other suspects in connection with the child’s death.
Superintendent Jane Topping said: ‘We are still looking to establish the exact circumstances leading to the death of this child.
‘Our initial enquiries are underway and these will continue over the weekend. Clearly, such a discovery is extremely distressing for everyone concerned.
‘We’d ask people not to speculate on social media as to the identity of the child or to the circumstances surrounding her death.
‘A highly visible presence of officers is likely to continue in the area for the next few days with reassurance patrols.
‘These officers are available to speak to concerned members of the community.
‘This is a fast-moving investigation and we are appealing to the local community for any information which may aid this investigation.’
Anita Brown, the pregnant American mistress of Davido, has announced that she has ceased dragging the singer on social media.
According to her, she has aired all her views concerning Davido and there is nothing more left.
She said she is now focused on her pregnancy and how to raise her unborn child singlehandedly.
The American Onlyfan star made this known via her Twitter page on Saturday when she wrote, “I’m past David now I told you after today I’m done I said all I have to say regarding him I’m onto the GLORY The haters still bashing me I’m over here thinking about how to fulfill my pregnancy & how to make this world a better place.”
Ivana Bay, a French model who also claimed to be pregnant for Davido had earlier cautioned her American counterpart, Anita Brown, to restrain from defaming the singer.
She said the singer is a “good man after all”, adding that Anita was being “mean.”
Millennials help us see the power that side chicks have over men, a power that main chicks may never be able to match. Or will they?
What is it about a side chick that draws a man who already has a girlfriend, fiancée, or worse, a wife and children of his own, so much attention?
The side chick is not unknown in modern relationships, or in relationships of previous eras for that matter. She is the mistress, the other woman, the one who never comes home, the hidden one that no one knows, the force behind the scenes that the man cannot resist. The side chick is the babe over whom the man is willing to risk it all.
From the university undergraduate to the grandma traveling abroad to care for her grandkids, women of all ages are pretty familiar with her. Only a few have been fortunate [or is it unfortunate?] to see her face or come in contact with her, but her legend can’t be missed nor can her looming shadow over a relationship or marriage be denied.
Most times after this great encounter or discovery, the question that women find themselves asking, either rhetorically in the darkness and still silence of their empty beds or to the man’s face when he quietly tiptoes through the front door late in the night is; ‘what is special about her?!’
Some phrase theirs as ‘what does she have that I don’t?’ and ‘what does she give you that I don’t?’ but the essence of those questions remains the same all the time. Women want to know what it is about the side chick that makes her a better woman than they are.
And young Nigerian men in their mid-twenties and mid-thirties are dishing out reasons why that other woman gets their attention over the woman they should be giving that attention to.
What does a side chick offer that a main chick doesn’t?
In a frank, no-holds-barred response to a question posted on Instagram by user @macshayn on August 22, another user, @odlanky says the ability of the side chick to offer wild sex and be less problematic is the edge she has over the main chick.
“Less drama…unexplainable sex positions…” he comments.
@iamn_oloh and @gboyin.esq agree that these two are the strongest pull with which the side chick draws the man in. “No drama…. Just benefits!” says the former. “Less wahala, steady knacks,” says the latter.
While the question was posted majorly due to a desire to understand how the male mind works when it comes to the issue of side chicks, women didn’t mind dropping their two cents, too.
@hormo_tee says a man is drawn to a side chick due to the “peace of mind” she gives him, As far as @inemudodiong is concerned, some men can hardly say no to the chance to put in “less commitment” than normal, escape from the stress and pressure their woman mounts on them, while likely enjoying “more sex.” These are offers too juicy to resist for men, according to the Instagram user.
Ntianu Obiora, an Editor at Pulse says that in her opinion, are drawn to the side chick because with her, men experience “no stress or less stress.”
She continues: “There are issues in relationships that ultimately put a strain on [men].
“[Issues] like money, stuff to do with kids, rent, [and the expectation of] a [certain] level of accountability.
“…In general a main chick, rightly so, puts certain expectations on her man. A side chick doesn’t have to expect anything except trips and sex.”
For Chidumga Izuzu, a Lagos-based movie critic and Editor at Pulse, men are attracted to the side-chick simply “because they are scum.”
Justification for cheating?
With all the opinions popularly expressed above, it is easy to get the feeling that having a side chick is justifiable, provided that the man doesn’t get peace of mind with the woman, gets overly pressured, gets pestered for a level of commitment he’s incapable of giving, or in the instance where he feels the sex isn’t enough.
Do women need to give men more peace of mind in relationships? Can they be blamed for men cheating on them?
The most potent military organisation in Iran has been branded a terrorist group by a lady whose mother was killed by 167 shotgun rounds.
Mahsa (Jina) Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish lady accused of wearing her hijab inappropriately, died while in police prison in September 2022, and that is when everything began.
Three days later, Minoo Majidi joined demonstrations in Kermanshah, in the western part of the Middle Eastern nation, when she was shot and killed by security agents riding motorcycles.
Her eldest daughter, also named Mahsa, says the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) – which controls Iran’s elite armed and intelligence forces – was behind her mother’s death.
Mahsa (left) and Roya (right) Pirai with a picture of their mother (Picture: Mahsa Pirai)
‘I cannot help but feel that because my name is Mahsa and this has happened to Mahsa Amini, my mother joined the protests,’ she told Metro.co.uk.
‘Her last words to my father were “If I don’t go and you don’t go, then the youth will, and they will be killed.”‘
Often compared to ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, the IRGC has been held responsible for global terrorist attacks and hostage-taking on foreign soil, including the UK, as well as human rights violations in Iran.
Most recently, the US Department for Justice disclosed a plot to kidnap Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad.
Since 2015, there has been a surge in activity across the West, while MI5 detailed 15 attempted assassinations and abductions on British soil in 2022.
Following advice from the Metropolitan Police, Iran International TV was forced to close its London studios after state-backed threats.
In January, MPs unanimously voted for a motion that urges the government to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation – but nothing has been announced since then.
The Foreign Office did not respond to Metro’s enquiries about the move, which campaigners believe will send a clear message to the clerical regime in Iran that its terrorism and militancy will not be tolerated.
Activists have for years feared the the IRGC’s reign of terror and its attempts to silence them, but many in the UK continue to campaign for formal proscription.
Its reach extends far beyond Iran’s borders, and Mahsa, who is herself a mother of two girls, knows what the repercussions of speaking out could be for her and her family.
Her younger sister, Roya, cut off all her hair in response to their mother’s killing. She later shared a picture of herself standing next to her grave, holding her locks, and without a head covering, on Instagram.
Fearing the IRGC would then target her sister, Mahsa helped her move to England where they now live together.
‘Any time we leave the house we worry,’ Mahsa said. ‘We are not afraid but we do always look behind our shoulder.’
Speaking to the press has taken even more bravery, but she is determined to be her ‘mother’s voice’. ‘It is the only way I can continue living,’ Mahsa added.
Almost a year after her mother’s death, there are still no official figures about the number of protesters gunned down by Iranian security agents.
Some international organisations suggest it is in the hundreds, while others fear it’s in the thousands.
Metro caught up with Alireza Akhondi – an MP in Sweden who successfully campaigned to have his government proscribe the IRGC – during the 15th Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in Geneva.
Born in Iran, he emigrated to the Scandinavian country in 1992, and was elected for the Center Party in 2018.
For years, the politician has worked with governments to proscribe the IRGC, and has become a target for the regime, receiving death threats as a result.
‘There are rumours the US has been pressuring the UK,’ Alireza said about Rishi Sunak’s government dragging its feet when it comes to the sanction.
‘I have not seen any proof of that, but democracy is slow and one needs to have respect for the process.’
He remains in contact with a number of MPs to continue pushing for proscription, and has been meeting with campaigners in the UK regularly.
After leaving Iran aged 11, Alireza still has family there, but their contact is limited because his Farsi was ‘really terrible’ until a few months ago.
‘Every struggle, every fight has casualties,’ he said about the regime targeting those closest to him.
‘If I am going to become a victim, fine. I really believe in freedom and I want to do the best with the cards I have been dealt, so that when I am lying on my deathbed I do not have any regrets.’
Just before his interview, he had flown in from Washington where he had been preparing a lawsuit to put the US designation into action, so that it is not ‘just for show’ and puts policies against the IRGC in place.
‘The US designated the IRGC in 2019, but the follow-ups have not been there, and that is why I visited,’ the politician told us.
Like Russia and North Korea, the organisation relies heavily on crypto currencies, so Alireza stressed this is one weak spot any policies must target.
Another is sanctioning European banks that allow the movement of money from the IRGC, as it was done with Russian oligarchs following the Ukraine invasion.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Builsa South seat in the Upper East region, Dr. Clement Apaak, has repaired 43 broken boreholes in the area.
Dr. Apaak noted that boreholes would help alleviate the water challenges facing his constituency.
He said he was elected to serve his people, not the other way around.
According to the vociferous MP, the entire cost of the project was calculated at GHS 103,100.
The Al-Shaa Company first repaired 38 of the 43 boreholes at a cost of GHS 99,200, while Akanbongnaaba restored the remaining five (5) at GHS 3,900.
The Builsa South MP promised to be there for his constituents either in parliament or out of parliament.
‘’My first duty as an MP is to see to the welfare of my people, and that is exactly what I am doing’’, he said.
Phase one of the project witnessed the completion of 29 boreholes for GHS 54,800.
Meanwhile, a KG Block has been completed, and two are ongoing.
The military took over Mali last year and brought in mercenaries from the Wagner group from Russia, forcing France to withdraw its troops.
How come the UN dispatched a peacekeeping mission to Mali?
After Islamist fighters and rebels from the south of Mali united and took control of the region in 2013, the UN sent a mission there. A distinct state was what they aimed to establish.
The UN peacekeepers arrived after 5,000 French troops, who were sent to try and put down the uprising.
The threat from Islamist militants, who have killed several thousand people and forced tens of thousands from their homes, has continued over the years.
While the UN force in Mali has a wider brief to protect civilians and contain the jihadist threat, it is not intended to go on the offensive against militants.
In Mali and across the wider region attacks have been carried out by Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and an al-Qaeda affiliate called Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin.
Another jihadist group, Ansaroul Islam, is active in Burkina Faso, and Boko Haram is active in countries around Lake Chad.
Has the UN mission been successful?
Despite the presence of UN peacekeepers and French troops, who led counter-terror operations, the number of terror attacks in Mali steadily increased, as did the number of Malians joining insurgent groups.
Over the past decade, more than 300 UN peacekeepers have been killed. It has been described as the deadliest peacekeeping mission in the world.
Russia and China has criticised the mission at the UN, and countries such as the UK and Sweden have refused to provide troops.
Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would withdraw French forces.
He was angry that military leaders – who seized power in 2021 – delayed plans to hold democratic elections. They also invited the Russian mercenary group Wagner to provide an estimated 1,000 fighters to provide security.
At the moment it is unclear whether the recent mutiny by Wagner fighters in Russia will have a bearing on its operations in Mali.
Why does Mali want the UN peacekeepers to leave?
The UN’s mandate in Mali is due to expire on 30 June.
The UN’s Secretary General, António Guterres, had recommended extending their stay in Mali for another year.
However, Mali’s Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, rejected this, saying the UN force had failed to respond effectively to security challenges.
UN commanders have complained that the Malian government has often interfered with their operations.
Mr Diop also accused the UN mission of “making serious allegations which are detrimental to peace, reconciliation and natural cohesion in Mali”.
In May, the UN released a report alleging that during an anti-jihadist operation in central Mali in March 2022, Malian army troops and foreign mercenaries killed 500 civilians.
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council voted to withdraw the peacekeepers over the next six months.
Leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has celebrated the manner in which Ghana’s democracy is working.
Citing the two recent by-elections – Assin North and Kumawu – Gabby concluded that “Democracy, indeed, works in Ghana.”
He congratulated the National Democratic Congress for winning the Assin North seat and the NPP for retaining the Kumawu seat in May following the death of an MP.
Gabby observed in a tweet dated June 29 that everything from the two by-elections pointed to the fact that the 2024 general elections were going to be very competitive.
He called on political parties to allow people make their choice freely at the polls and that they should have faith in key institutions of state tasked with conducting the pols – the Electoral Commission, security agencies and the judiciary.
The Assin North by-election
In the case of the June 27 by-election in Assin North, the Electoral Commission’s announced the NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson as winner having garnered a total of 17,245 votes, representing 57.56% of the total votes cast.
His closest contender, Charles Opoku of the NPP received 12,630 votes, accounting for 42.15% of the votes.
Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party Ghana (LPG) secured 87 votes, which represented 0.29% of the overall tally.
The by-election in Assin North was held to fill the parliamentary seat left vacant following a legal battle that questioned Quayson’s eligibility to hold office due to dual citizenship concerns.
Read Gabby’s full post below:
Democracy, indeed, works in Ghana. Congratulations to the National Democratic Congress!
Last May, the ruling New Patriotic Party won and retained the Kumawu parliamentary seat in a by-election necessitated by the death of the MP.
Congratulations to the NPP!
Yesterday, the NDC won and retained the Assin North seat, necessitated by a court decision. Both by-elections registered very high voter turnouts. Both parties performed better in their respective by-election victories than they did in the 2020 parliamentary contests there.
NPP won the 2023 Kumawu by-election with a much bigger margin than they did in the 2020 parliamentary race there. NDC also did much better yesterday in Assin North than in 2020.
This shows the strengths and readiness of both parties as we approach Dec 2024. The campaigns were of very high intensity, but the tensions were manageable and managed.
I see 2024 being very competitive. Let the nation approach the 2024 general elections demanding nothing but respect for our democracy from the political parties and their activists.
Let them treat the general election with some reasonable level of trust, confidence and mutual respect in the institutions of state, EC, security agencies, judiciary, etc.
Every election will be won and lost! Allow the rules to work. Let the people decide. Let their choices be respected. Let us believe in our institutions and in our democracy. Ghana wins! Eid Mubarak!
The decision to terminate what has been the deadliest of all such UN operations across the world was the only one left to them after Friday’s UN Security Council vote on the future of the peacekeeping force in Mali.
Over the course of its more than 10-year deployment, 187 peacekeepers have died.
The UN is leaving Mali, but not because of the number of casualties. Despite a dire security situation that shows no signs of abating, the nation’s military administration is certain that the 12,000 foreign troops must leave.
Once the UN peacekeepers have departed, Mali will be even more dependent on the Russian mercenary Wagner group, which is thought to have 1,000 fighters in the country, for security back-up.
Across northern and central regions of Mali, a vast country that extends from tropical West Africa deep into the Sahara Desert, jihadist armed groups stage regular attacks.
Despite Wagner’s fearsome reputation, there must be questions about its effectiveness in fighting the militants, even if manpower is boosted with extra fighters redeployed from the war in Ukraine.
The recent falling out between Russia President Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary outfit, may raise questions about the exact arrangements under which these forces are deployed.
For Russia’s president their presence is a useful way of needling France and the US and bolstering the Russian footprint in West Africa.
Image caption, The presence of Russia’s Wagner forces has been welcomed by some Malians
But Wagner will not have the scale of air-strike power, armoured units and logistical support, backed up with US satellite intelligence, that was at the disposal of the French force Barkhane – which pulled out last year after the breakdown of trust between Mali and the former colonial power.
Wagner units seem more likely to prioritise the holding of a few key bases, from where they may venture out on raids and patrols, rather than an overall strategic push.
The 11 months during which Mali has relied on Wagner rather than French support have seen jihadist groups intensify their activities and extend their reach.
Once the UN has also left, that trend could accelerate, while the mercenaries’ hard-line approach could further alienate Tuareg and Peulh (also known as Fulani) pastoralist communities.
Tensions between farming and livestock herding communities have already added fuel to the violence in parts of central Mali, where the fertile inland delta of the River Niger should be West Africa’s rice basket.
Amidst the insecurity, more than 1,500 schools are closed and local economic life is badly disrupted. The Malian state and basic public administration and essential services are entirely absent from many parts of the north.
The monitoring group Acled reports that 1,576 people were killed in 682 incidents so far this year.
Conditions are particularly bad in the north-east, where thousands of civilian villagers have now taken refuge in camps surrounding the small desert town of Ménaka. It is communities up north that are more likely to suffer from the UN mission’s withdrawal.
The army claims some recent successes but in reality is struggling to cope. Even the fringes of Bamako, the capital, hundreds of miles to the south, have been attacked.
Mali’s military ruler Colonel Assimi Goïta – who seized power in a coup in August 2020 – has been demanding that the UN force, known as Minusma, take on a much more aggressive anti-terrorist role, in support of the national army.
But the UN troops have had a peacekeeping mandate – to shield civilians from militant attack, support basic public services and humanitarian relief and underpin a 2015 agreement. Under that deal, ethnic Tuareg separatists in the north agreed to remain within a united Mali – in return for decentralisation of power to the local level.
Image caption, It is communities up north that are more likely to suffer from the UN mission’s withdrawal
Aggressive anti-terrorist fighting was in fact the job of France’s Barkhane unit, whose departure last August was largely blamed on Mali’s decision to invite Wagner into the country.
Yet still frustrated at Minusma’s reluctance to back its muscular agenda, Mali has now decided that the UN force must also now get out “without delay”, although the UN Security Council says it will aim to do so within six months.
But there is more to this wrangle. Col Goïta is also upset that the UN troops will not fall into line in support of his determination to reassert the national sovereignty of the central government and his lack of interest in properly implementing the decentralisation promised under a 2015 peace agreement with northern Tuareg rebels who had been fighting for Azawad, an independent homeland in the Sahara.
Moreover, relations with not just the UN but several Western governments and also many of Mali’s regional neighbours have been soured by mistrust and resentment for the past two years.
In September 2021 Prime Minister Choguel Maïga accused France at the UN General Assembly of abandoning the country “in mid-air”, even as French troops continued to die in the campaign against the jihadists. Within months the government had turned instead to Wagner.
Fellow members of the regional body, Ecowas, already exasperated by Col Goïta’s procrastination over a timetable for restoring democracy, condemned the presence of the mercenaries as a threat to the security of the whole region.
Then over the course of the next 18 months, the government imposed progressively more impediments to the operation of the UN force by, for example, delaying permission for troop rotations and by limiting the UN’s rights to fly – seemingly to prevent oversight of the areas where Wagner’s men were active, and even where the lives of injured troops were at risk.
Moreover, once the French combat troops had gone, the peacekeepers were also more vulnerable to attack.
Last July, amidst a continuing dispute with Ecowas over the transition timeframe, Mali arrested 49 soldiers from Ivory Coast who had arrived to guard UN premises under a longstanding arrangement and accused them of spying. All but three remained in detention until January, when they were finally freed after long, drawn-out negotiations.
As operating conditions for the UN force became progressively more difficult, Ivory Coast, Germany, the UK and Sweden announced plans to withdraw their contingents.
But the final breakdown in relations came with the publication this May of a UN investigation into the killing of civilians at the village of Moura in central Mali in March 2022.
Although the junta refused to let Minusma visit the site, the UN force managed to reach nearby communities, interview survivors and obtain proof of the identity of 238 victims.
Its verdict was damning: more than 500 people had been killed in Moura in March 2022 by the army and allied “foreign” fighters – a clear allusion to Wagner.
The government responded with fury, threatening a judicial enquiry against the members of the investigation team. It accused them of spying, plotting and threatening state security.
After this, its demand for the rapid winding-up of the UN force could hardly come as a total surprise.
Image caption, The vast majority of those working with the UN force are from Africa
Moreover, anti-Minusma opinion had been mobilising for months.
“It is the entire Malian nation together that is rediscovering itself,” said one contributor to a recent TV discussion show.
The TV show presenter himself described the campaign to press for the departure of the UN force – the bulk of which is made up of African soldiers – as “yet another battle against the oppressor and the West”.
Col Goïta has just secured the backing in a referendum for a new constitution strengthening presidential power and authorising military leaders to run in elections planned for next year. With the UN out of the way, he will have a freer hand to drive forward with his agenda.
However, ordinary Malians, particularly in the fragile centre and north, may miss the UN force. While it proved unable to halt jihadist attacks, it did provide a level of containment, ensuring an essential minimum of calm and stability in key towns, so that basic services, administration and welfare could operate.
And its presence at least kept alive the deal with northern groups who have lost all faith in the military government.
With the UN peacekeepers gone, parts of the north where the army and Wagner struggle to make themselves felt may actually drift even further towards de facto autonomy.
Far from Bamako’s heated city politics, everyday life for many communities will probably just get even more difficult.
Paul Melly is a consulting fellow with the Africa Programme at Chatham House in London.
When your girlfriend or partner starts exhibiting signs of frustration or dissatisfaction in the relationship, it is natural to question what might have gone wrong. If she begins giving you attitude, here are five potential reasons that could be contributing to the change:
You stopped being the guy she fell for
Not many things are as annoying and tiring for women as inconsistency. If you blew hot at the beginning of the relationship, you should keep that up. Don’t switch up on her negatively when the relationship finally begins.
Keep being sweet to her, keep communicating, keep being supportive, keep looking out for her, keep being the driven, passionate guy… because if you stop being the partner she met and fell for, don’t be surprised if she no longer wants anything to do with you.
You’re cheating on her
Obviously, cheating is a game-changer. If you are a serial, unrepentant cheat, your partner would surely want to get out.
No woman deserves the emotional imbalance of dealing with a fornicating, no-holds-barred cheat.
And to be honest, that’d be the right thing to do.
Your priorities changed
Do you still show her she’s special? Do you still hold her in high esteem and make it obvious in the things you do and the decisions you take?
If the answer to that is no, she may seek a way out. No one wants to play second fiddle or be placed so low on the list of priorities and what you hold dear.
If your friends, job and pretty much everything comes before your woman all the time, it won’t be long before she gets fed up.
Bad sex
If your sex game is not A1, there’s every chance that the dissatisfaction will brew over at some point and cause her to seek a way out of the relationship.
Not many women want to be tied for life to men who are capable of only mediocre sex. If they can avoid it, they will. And your babe looking for a way out could be as a result of this, too.
Respect
Did you stop respecting her as a person? Do you throw her opinions back in her face or don’t bother asking for her input on issues that affect you both? Do you try to control her life and dismiss her own opinions on matters that concern her?
Then surely you deserve to be tossed in the bin. And it may be only a matter of time
American economist Prof. Steve Hanke has predicted the fate of poor countries highly indebted to the IMF.
He avers that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gets ‘hostages’ by way of poor countries that become heavily indepted to it.
His view was to dispute one advanced by Kenyan president William Ruto that the IMF had become a ‘hostage’ to rich nations.
Ruto restated a view he has recently advanced that international creditors like the IMF and World Bank were hostage to rich nations hence his call for a new multilateral lender to address climate crisis.
“Kenya’s president William Ruto says the IMF is “hostage” to rich nations. He’s got it wrong. Poor nations who become heavily indebted to the IMF become “hostages”,” he stated in reaction to Ruto’s comments as carried by the Financial Times newspaper.
A number of African countries, citing the impact of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war have applied for and received bailouts from the Washington-based lender.
Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast are West African countries currently under IMF programme as well as Zambia.
A suspected poisoning is being treated in a hospital for South Africa‘s Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, according to his traditional prime minister.
According to Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the monarch chose Eswatini for his medical care because he feels uncomfortable receiving care in South Africa.
This comes after the untimely passing of one of his top advisers who also died of suspected poisoning, according to Chief Buthelezi.
Thousands of his subjects witnessed the coronation of King Misuzulu in October.
But a vicious power struggle has been raging within the royal family over the 48-year-old’s accession.
The Zulu king does not have formal political power and the monarch’s role within broader South African society is largely ceremonial, but he remains hugely influential with a yearly government-funded budget of several million dollars.
A faction within the family is challenging his claim to the throne in court, insisting that he is not the rightful heir of his late father, King Goodwill Zwelithini.
They insist that another son of the late king, Prince Simakade, should be the monarch.
King Zwelithini had six wives and at least 26 children.
King Zwelithini’s will has also been challenged in court by his first wife, Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu, and her two daughters.
A court dismissed their case last year, but they said they would appeal against the ruling.
There is no suggestion that any members of the royal family are behind King Misuzulu’s suspected poisoning.
The South African police have not yet commented on the claims.
In his statement, Chief Buthelezi said a senior aide of King Misuzulu, who stayed with him, “passed on quite suddenly and that there are suspicions that he was poisoned”.
“When His Majesty began to feel unwell, he suspected that he too may have been poisoned.
“He immediately sought out medical treatment in Eswatini. I am informed that His Majesty felt uncomfortable seeking treatment in South Africa, as his parents had both received treatment in South Africa and subsequently died,” Chief Buthelezi said.
Chief Buthelezi added that while the king had recently appointed a head of communications in his office, he, as the traditional prime minister, had an obligation to inform the Zulu nation of “this worrying situation”.
“Our immediate concern is the King’s wellbeing. We as the Zulu nation pray for His Majesty’s full and swift recovery.
“Should there be any reason for further investigations, that will be attended to by the authorities,” Chief Buthelezi said.
King Misuzulu’s accession was sudden and unexpected.
His father died during the Covid pandemic in March 2021 of diabetes-related complications.
He was the Zulu nation’s longest-reigning monarch, having served on the throne for almost 50 years.
King Misuzulu’s mother, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, then became the regent, but she died a month later.
She was the sister of Eswatini’s King Mswati III – Africa’s only absolute monarch.
At the time, Chief Buthelezi dismissed rumours that she had been poisoned.
He had backed King Misuzulu’s accession to the throne, but recent reports suggested that differences had emerged between the two.
It followed a dispute over the chairmanship of the Ingonyama Trust Board, which manages vast tracts of land controlled by the monarch.
The king appointed Chief Thanduyise Mzimela as its chairman, but this was opposed by Chief Buthelezi who felt he was inexperienced for the post, according to local media.
Radio personality and Reggae musician, Blakk Rasta,holds the opinion that celebrating MOG’s admission into the GRAMMY Academy is a mediocre achievement.
MOGmusic has become the first-ever Gospel Artiste from Ghana to be admitted into the prestigious Grammy Academy.
The Grammy Board recently approved his application, granting him membership in the renowned institution.
MOGmusic, also known as Pastor Nana Yaw Boakye, expressed his elation upon receiving the news, describing it as a dream come true.
“This is the pinnacle every musician wishes to get to,” he told TV3. “I am glad to be putting Ghana on the map once again.”
But reacting to the news on Accra-based UTV, Blakk Rasta believes that it’s time Ghanaians stop celebrating mediocrity.
To him, it is no achievement and should not be given the coverage it was given.
“In Ghana, we celebrate a lot of mediocrity and it hurts me very much. You joined the academy so what? What is the achievement? The Academy is even encouraging Jamaicans to join so it is no achievement that you now have voting rights. It could be an achievement in some sense but listen, your artiste are in Portugal Afronation and are miming.”
“I know MOG and he wrote melodies for me on one of my songs so we called him melodies master so this is not personal. When I saw what they were celebrating I asked myself what is this?” Blakk Rasta said on United SHowbiz hosted by MzGee.
A truck hauling a shipping container went off the road and crashed into multiple vehicles on Friday evening in Londiani, western Kenya, killing at least 48 people, according to police and witnesses.
Local television stations published footage of the accident’s aftermath, which showed minibuses, lorries, and cars and motorcycles in twisted ruins.
Tom Odera, the regional police chief, reported that as of Friday night, 48 people had died.
“I saw a speeding oncoming trailer. I swerved and escaped hitting him head-on. The person who was behind me thought I wanted to buy something. He overtook me and that is when he was hit. The trailer went off the road and hit other vehicles,” said Peter Otieno, a driver.
“I saw about 20 bodies with my own eyes. There were other bodies that were under the vehicle.”
The Kenya Red Cross said the lorry rammed more than six vehicles and ran over pedestrians. More than 20 casualties were taken to local hospitals, the Red Cross said.
“The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones in a horrific road accident in Londiani,” Kenyan President William Ruto wrote in a tweet.
“It is distressing that some of the fatalities are young people with a promising future and business people who were on their daily chores.”
The accident is one of the most deadly on Kenya’s roads in recent years. Last year 34 people died in central Kenya when their bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a river valley.
The Vice President of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Marketers Association, Gabriel Kumi,has provided confirmation that certain filling stations are now experiencing a scarcity of LPG due to an ongoing strike carried out by tanker drivers. This strike has resulted in a disruption of the supply chain, leading to the insufficient availability of LPG at these filling stations.
He has, therefore, warned that if care is not taken, the shortage of LPG will be massive and could affect the Ghanaian economy.
“I will urge the Government to pay attention to this because where it has gotten to, it is very slippery. There are some gas filling stations which dont have gas as of now . For those who have it, the prodcuts will finish by close of day today and tomorrow through to the weekend, Ghanaians will suffer for it,” he said.
He said this on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ama Gyenfa Ofosu Darkwa.
The Tanker Drivers have been on strike since Monday, June 26, 2023, over bad roads in the petroleum enclave of Tema, Takoradi, Kumasi and Buipe.
According to them, all efforts to get the government to address their issue have proved futile.
Speaking on issues, Mr Gabriel Kumi said the Drivers want to see a commitment from the government before they return to work.
Despite the calls on the Government to fix the roads, he said the Government had not shown any commitment towards that, adding that the problem has persisted since 2017.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Kumi said two ministries, the Ministry for Roads and Highways and Ministry for Finance must be blamed for what is happening now.
He noted that the Roads Minister, Hon. Kwasi Amoako-Attah has arranged a meeting with the drivers.
However, He also admitted that due to the strike, there will be a shortage of petroleum gas of which Ghanaians will suffer the consequences.
“We saw what happened at Assin North, if the Government channels that same attention to these roads that give the Government money, gives the country huge sums of money, I feel the issue can be settled,” he said.
He continued, “We are aware that the Minister can promptly order the contractors to hit the road. The drivers are not requesting that the government fix all the roads before they go to work, as that would be an unreasonable request given that we know it takes months to repair roads. However, we want to see commitment, they want to see some commitment, and we want to see that the government is doing something so that we can tell the drivers that the government has done its part and have the strength to convince our men to go to work. It’s been nearly a week since this began last Friday, and I’m still not seeing any commitment from the government.”
A man has been accused of the stabbing death of a 15-year-old boy in Lancashire.
On Thursday night, Dylan Bragger was slain in Skelmersdale, a town six miles west of Wigan.
The same town’s 28-year-old Felipe Figueiredo made an appearance at Preston Magistrates’ Court on Saturday charged with murder. The city’s crown court will hear his case next on Tuesday.
Dylan’s family said in a statement provided by the police: “Our boy had a heart of gold, he was a gentle giant and was loved by so many.”
‘As a family we have no words to explain how we are feeling at this heart-breaking time.
‘Dylan had such an infectious smile that would light up any room and he could cheer anyone up with one of his big bear hugs.
‘Our boy didn’t deserve any of this, he was just a 15-year-old lad working towards being a car mechanic, with his whole life ahead of him.
‘We’ve got a hole in our heart that will never heal and no amount of words will ever take our pain away. We love you always and forever.’
Officers were called at around 9pm on Thursday to Digmoor Road following a report a teenage boy had been stabbed.
Emergency services tried to save Dylan but he died at the scene.
Anyone with information about the incident should call police on 101, quoting log 1526 of June 29.
As per a statement, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has granted approval for an $11 million equity investment in BluePeak Private Capital Fund, which aims to reach its final close target of $155 million.
AfDB said the investment advances the Bank’s goal of supporting mid-size firms, including in the pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, manufacturing, and logistics sectors, across Africa.
BluePeak, a flagship private capital fund domiciled in Luxembourg, will provide growth capital to middle-sized companies with the potential to become pan-African market leaders.
The Fund will target adding value to portfolio companies by enabling their expansion, recapitalization, and deleveraging. It is expected to make at least eight investments of $8 million to $25 million in companies with established cash flow generation.
BluePeak’s current pipeline of investments comprises 22% agri-business, 22% manufacturing and packaging, 12% pharmaceuticals, 12% fintech and financial services, and 11% each in information technology and telecommunication, logistics, and commercial real estate. BluePeak is expected to attract investment from other development finance institutions.
Walid Cherif, co-founder of BluePeak Private Capital, said, “The commitment of the African Development Bank to our flagship fund is a strong sign of confidence in our strategy of supporting impactful businesses in Africa.
“SMEs in Africa are still facing financing challenges as a result of several macroeconomic setbacks. BluePeak was founded to fill part of this financing gap.”
The African Development Bank’s equity investment promises several benefits. It will ensure the fund’s adherence to the best standards. By investing in BluePeak, the African Development Bank will support an indigenous fund manager with a strong knowledge of African markets to invest in underserved small and mid-size companies.
Fund managers have identified investment opportunities across Africa, covering over 15 countries.
The African Development Bank’s equity investment is expected to contribute to the creation of 1,142 full-time jobs. It will support the construction of 6,400 telecommunication towers and an increase in the production of malaria drugs from 33 million units in 2022 to 75 million units in 2027.
As seven of the portfolio firms operate in rural areas, the investment will also serve women and other vulnerable members of communities, particularly in agribusiness.
The BluePeak Fund investment strategy is aligned with the African Development Bank’s High 5 priorities, particularly to: industrialise Africa, improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa, and feed Africa.
Makhosazane Twala, also known as Khosi, the winner of Big Brother Titans Season 1 reality show, has expressed her belief that abortion, despite involving the termination of life, should not be considered as murder.
According to her, she is “pro-life”, but she respects people’s decisions.
She said she is never the one to judge anyone.
The 25-year-old South African journalist stated this while featuring as a guest on the latest episode of Doyin’s Corner audiovisual podcast hosted by ex-Big Brother Naija reality star, Doyinsola Anuoluwapo David.
The host asked: “Do you think abortion is murder? Because there are people that said it’s killing of a child; that’s a life. There are also people that argued, it’s not a life yet. So, do you think it’s murder?”
After dilly-dallying, Khosi replied: “Honestly, I don’t want to be technical. But I wouldn’t say murder but it is definitely killing a life.”
The reality star added that she wouldn’t call an abortionist a murderer.
Elon Musk has announced that there would be a temporary cap set on the number of tweets users may read per day on Twitter after hundreds of users experienced access issues.
The chairman of the social networking site tweeted that verified accounts are only allowed to read 6,000 messages every day.
He said that new unverified accounts are only allowed to read 300 posts per day, while unverified accounts can only read 600 posts per day.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said Twitter had imposed the ‘temporary limit’ to ‘address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation’.
In a later tweet, the billionaire added: ‘Rate limits increasing soon to 8,000 for verified, 800 for unverified & 400 for new unverified.’
It comes after Twitter announced users will be required to have an account on the site to view tweets, a move he called a ‘temporary emergency measure’.
Musk has said hundreds of organisations or more were scraping Twitter data ‘extremely aggressively’, impacting user experience.
He had earlier expressed displeasure with artificial intelligence firms like OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, for using the platform’s data to train their large language models.
In the UK, a peak of 5,126 people complained of problems accessing the site at 4.12pm on Saturday after reported outages started coming in at 12pm, according to the website Downdetector – which tracks online outages.
In the US, some 7,461 people complained of issues as of 4.15pm UK time, the site notes.
#Twitterdown and RIP Twitter began trending as frustrated users were faced with a message saying ‘Rate limit exceeded. Please wait a few moments then try again’.
It comes after another outage in February, when many users were not able to tweet, follow accounts or access their direct messages as the platform was plagued by widespread technical problems.
After taking over Twitter, Mr Musk laid off some 80% of its 8,000 global staff – and admitted it resulted in the platform losing a large amount of its functionality.
He also oversaw the scrapping of legacy ‘blue ticks’, which verified a user’s identity and were replaced by a paid-for subscription called Twitter Blue.
High-profile figures and celebrities said the move leaves the platform open to imposters and disinformation.
Users who pay £9.60 a month, or £115.20 annually, receive the blue tick and can make longer tweets up to 10,000 characters.
Other select features available only to subscribers include non-fungible token (NFT) profile pictures, making changes to published tweets and seeing around 50% fewer ads.
Twitter has said that the service ‘elevates quality conversations’.
Entrepreneur Mr Musk, prior to buying the platform, revealed plans to turn it into ‘X, the everything app’.
In December, just weeks after the takeover, Mr Musk tweeted: ‘I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job.’
The pledge came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in a poll Mr Musk created and promised to abide by.
In May, Mr Musk confirmed that advertising executive Linda Yaccarino, formerly of NBCUniversal, was replacing him as Twitter’s chief executive.
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress(NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah is of the belief that the wrath of the people was visited on the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Assin North during the just-ended by-elections.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the Assin North by-election after the Supreme Court had declared the seat vacant because the sitting Member of Parliament was not qualified to contest.
Gyakye Quayson contested the seat again and won massively regardless of all the efforts put in by the NPP to snatch the seat.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Okay Fm monitored by MyNewsGh.com after the election, Asiedu Nketiah who leads the NDC as its Chairman said, “It is the Grace of God,”.
He continued,
“When Ghanaians get angry, you can’t control it. They are slow to anger and you may even think that they are not sensible people. But with time, you cannot stop them. That’s what happened in Assin North. The people are fed up with the NPP”.
“I also believe that our spirit has been rejuvenated as a political party. Our Members of Parliament came in their numbers to support massively to ensure that we win. Our MPs did not even have money donated to support the election. Even those who the media claimed were angry with the party were all available. So I think the unity and the support and togetherness did the magic for us,” he said.
The Dutch king apologised for his country’s complicity in slavery, claiming he was “personally and intensely” moved by the experience.
The 160th anniversary of the legal abolition of slavery in the Netherlands was celebrated on Saturday with a ceremony at which King Willem-Alexander gave a speech.
Additionally, he noted that racism still exists in Dutch society and begged for pardon for “this crime against humanity.”
He also said he asks forgiveness ‘for this crime against humanity’, and added that racism still remains in Dutch society, Al Jazeera reports.
The Netherlands funded its so-called Golden Age of their empire in the 16th and 17th centuries by shipping about 600,000 African people as part of the slave trade.
Most of the victims were sent to South America and the Caribbean – former Dutch colonies were located there, and there are still three constituent countries: Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten.
A Dutch study released in June found the royal family earned 545 million euros (£468.6 million) in today’s terms between 1675 and 1770 from the colonies, where slavery was widespread.
The current king’s ancestors, Willem III, Willem IV and Willem V, were among the biggest earners from what the report called the Dutch state’s ‘deliberate, structural and long-term involvement’ in slavery.
Willem-Alexander said: ‘I’m standing here in front of you as your king and as part of the government. Today I am apologising myself.
‘On this day we remember the Dutch history of slavery, I ask forgiveness for this crime against humanity.’
The apology follows Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying sorry on behalf of the Dutch state in September.
The king acknowledged Mr Rutte’s apology, saying ‘a start has been made’, but added there is ‘still a long way to go’.
During his speech which was also broadcast live on television, Willem-Alexander asked for forgiveness and said while nothing had been done about slavery for a long time, ‘at some point, one feels the moral duty to act’.
‘The chains have truly been broken’, he added.
Last year Willem-Alexander announced he would no longer use the royal Golden Coach which used to transport him on state occasions because it had images of slavery on its sides.
Other European leaders have declined to apologise for their country’s colonial past.
In January French President Emannuel Macron said he won’t ‘ask forgiveness’ from Algeria, but hoped to keep working towards reconciliation.
And Rishi Sunak similarly rejected calls to apologise and offer reparations to victims of the British slave trade and imperialism, saying the attempt to ‘unpick our history’ was not something the government would ‘focus its energy on’.
Sarkodie’s response to Yvonne Nelson, in the opinion of music and entertainment commentator Mr. Logic, was unnecessary.
He believes that Sarkodie should have been empathetic towards Yvonne Nelson considering her story.
To him, Sarkodie could have let sleeping dogs lie.
“The attacks, the response was needless. If he wanted to cash out like Yvonne then fine. However, I’m of the view that Sarkodie could have stopped his response,” he said.
However, Mr Logic quizzed whether Sarkodie was the only man to have made Yvonne Nelson pregnant in her lifetime and caused her to commit an abortion because if he’s not the only one, then her picking on Sarkodie was not worth it.
Sarkodie’s response to Yvonne Nelson that caused a stir online
Sarkodie has released a track titled ‘Try Me’, which is a response to Yvonne Nelson’s allegations.
One can recall that after narrating how the rapper impregnated her and denied responsibility, Yvonne Nelson, in her memoir, also detailed how he drove her to a health facility where she bled profusely in his absence.
In a chapter titled ‘Abortion’, in her book, ‘I Am Not Yvonne Nelson’, the actress disclosed how Sarkodie accompanied her to the Mamprobi Polyclinic for abortion and since never bothered to find out how the procedure went.
However, telling his side of the story in the single, ‘Try Me’, Sarkodie detailed that it was Yvonne’s sole decision to abort the pregnancy.
Although the rapper admitted that they had a relationship, he said Yvonne was only playing the victim and taking advantage of the fact that the world listens to women more than men.
Yvonne Nelson’s rants
After dissecting the contents of Sarkodie’s reply to her earlier allegations, Yvonne Nelson stormed Twitter with a series of rants targeted at the former.
She has tackled the lyrics and responded to the parts that hurt her the most.
As the demonstrations against Nahel Merzouk‘s killing began to die down, there were fewer arrests made yesterday night in France.
In contrast to the 1,300 arrests made on Friday, there were 719 made on Saturday night when large crowds had assembled for the funeral of Nahel, a 17-year-old.
The heaviest of the nocturnal battles occurred in Marseille, a city in southern France. However, in the Paris suburb of L’Ha-les-Roses, assailants struck the residence of the city mayor, injuring his wife as she fled with their two children.
Video shared online shows police using tear gas against people on La Canebière, Marseille’s main avenue, while large numbers of police were seen along the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Yesterday President Emmanuel Macron to cancel what would have been the first state visit by a French president to Germany in 23 years.
45,000 officers as well as armoured vehicles were deployed on both Friday and Saturday night to tackle the crisis – the worst in Macron’s leadership since the ‘Yellow Vest’ protests which paralysed the country in 2018.
Local authorities all over the country announced bans on demonstrations and ordered public transport to stop running in the evening.
Nahel, a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
Several hundred people lined the streets for his funeral at Nanterre’s grand mosque, which was guarded by volunteers in yellow vests, while a few dozen bystanders watched from across the street.
Marie, 60, said she had lived in Nanterre for 50 years and there had always been problems with the police. ‘This absolutely needs to stop. The government is completely disconnected from our reality,’ she said.
The shooting of the teenager, caught on video, has reignited longstanding complaints by poor and racially mixed urban communities of police violence and racism.
Hajia4Reall has officially confirmed the rumors surrounding her arrest in the UK, acknowledging that she was indeed fitted with a GPS tracking device on her ankle.
In a previous statement denying the rumors of her arrest, Hajia4Reall’s camp vehemently denied the existence of a tracking device on the socialite.
However, Hajia, who is currently facing trial in the U.S has been compelled to finally spill the beans in her latest court statement.
In the quest to gain the court’s trust and convince them to meet some demands she made, she said,
“When I was in the UK, I used to go out from 6am in the morning to 6pm. They granted me that opportunity because I had a GPS tracker on my ankle which enabled them monitor my movements. I had the tracker on for 6 months in London and they realized I am not a bad person, because I did not try to escape,” parts of the statement read by Kofi Adoma Nwawanni.
Meanwhile, unlike the flexible bail conditions in the UK, she has been confined in her apartment in New Jersey by the U.S court.
Background
Mona Faiz Montage, widely known as Hajia4Reall was extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom over alleged involvement in a $2 million romance scam targeting older, single Americans.
According to US federal prosecutors, the 30-year-old musician cum businesswoman appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday, May 15 for her alleged involvement in a series of romance schemes.
The news has since flooded social media, topping Twitter trends amidst massive reactions from netizens online.
Hajia’s jail requirements
‘Hajia4Reall’ has pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against her.
She is also said to have been released on home detention to her aunt’s New Jersey residence on a $500,000 bond with GPS tracking via an ankle monitor, her lawyer, and the prosecutor’s office had confirmed.
Russia is ‘technically ready,’ according to the president of Ukraine, to attack the power plant.
He declared on Saturday that there was a “serious threat” since Russia was technically prepared to produce a nearby explosion at the station, which might result in a radioactive spill.
He made no more statements but credited his intelligence operatives as the information’s source.
Zelensky urged world leaders to pay closer attention to the circumstances around Zaporizhzhia, the biggest nuclear reactor in Europe.
He also urged sanctions on Russia’s state nuclear company Rosatom.
The plant, located near the city of Enerhodar in southern Ukraine, has been occupied by Russia since early March last year, shortly after Moscow’s invasion.
Russia has previously denied Kyiv’s accusations that Russia was preparing an explosion at the plant. Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of shelling the vast facility.
Last week, authorities conducted renewed nuclear disaster response drills in the area.
Yuriy Malashko, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said they were intended to coordinate the response of all services to an ‘emergency situation’ at the plant.
Footage showed rescuers in yellow and white protective gear and gas masks, using dosimeters to check passenger cars and trucks for radiation levels and then cleaning wheels before vehicles underwent additional decontamination at specialised washing points.
A man on a stretcher was brought into a medical tent as sirens blared.
Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, suffered the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986, when clouds of radioactive material spread across much of Europe after an explosion and fire at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
At SummerJam, a highly esteemed music festival in Europe, Black Sherif wowed the enthusiastic crowd with an extraordinary performance, leaving them roaring with excitement.
Commencing on June 30, 2023, and running until July 2, the festival boasts an impressive lineup of artists spanning diverse genres.
With renowned acts such as Peter Fox, Jan Delay, The Skints, Groundation, Tanya Stephens, SOJA, Ky-Mani Marley, Alborosie, and Third World gracing the stage, SummerJam promises an unforgettable experience for music lovers.
The VGMA Artiste of the Year Black Sherif‘s presence on stage turned the festival into a grand celebration, with fans passionately singing along to every word of his songs.
The atmosphere reached its peak during his performance of his hit track “Kwaku the Traveller,” as the crowd echoed the lyrics, creating an exhilarating ambiance in multiple video clips shared on social media, particularly Twitter.
The Ghanaian artist showcased his talent and captivated the audience with his mesmerizing stage presence.
Black Sherif effortlessly commanded the stage, leaving the crowd hanging on to his every word. His ability to connect with his fans through his music was evident, solidifying his status as a sought-after music star globally.
SummerJam, known for its diverse lineup of international artists, continues to attract music lovers from around the world.
The festival offers a wide range of genres, including reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, and more. With performances from esteemed artists such as Peter Fox, Jan Delay, and Tanya Stephens, SummerJam delivers an immersive musical experience that caters to a variety of tastes.
A member of the national communications team of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Emmanuel Kojo Mensah, has admitted that the party engaged in vote-buying during the by-election held in the Assin North Constituency on June 27, 2023.
The by-election was conducted after the Supreme Court ruled that the previous election of Mr James Gyakye Quayson in 2020 was in violation of the law due to his dual citizenship.
Mr Mensah explained that while the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was openly sharing money, the NDC strategically addressed the needs of the people during the by-election.
He stated that the NDC focused on providing assistance to the people, particularly traditional farmers, instead of engaging in direct vote-buying.
During an interview on the Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM hosted by Odehyeeba Kofi Essuman, Mr Mensah, who is also a lawyer, revealed that the NDC supplied wellington boots to the farmers to support their farming activities.
He emphasised the importance of addressing the needs of the people who had been deprived of proper representation.
Additionally, Mr Mensah cautioned the members of the NDC against complacency after the victory in the by-election and urged them to work hard toward a resounding victory in the 2024 elections.
He dismissed the notion that the victory in Assin North was a guarantee of success in the next elections, emphasising the need for the party to remain focused and dedicated to achieving its goals.
In summary, Mr Mensah acknowledged the NDC’s involvement in addressing the needs of the people during the by-election, while criticising the NPP’s open vote-buying approach.
He called for continued hard work and determination from the NDC to secure a decisive victory over the NPP in the upcoming 2024 elections.
In response to the viral video and images circulating on social media, the University of Ghana (UG) has released a statement to address the situation, clarifying the misspelling of the word “University” on a UG-branded vehicle.
According to UG’s management, the incident was a result of a poor branding job carried out approximately one month ago.
The university explained that they had engaged the services of a reputable institution to refurbish the vehicle, which included re-spraying.
The statement which was signed by Dr. Elizier T. Ameyaw-Buronyah the director of public affairs further explained that during the re-spraying process, the original branding was removed, and a new one was applied and upon the delivery of the vehicle to the Cape Coast Learning Centre on May 25th, two significant errors were identified.
Firstly, the word “University” had been misspelled, appearing as “Unviversty.” Secondly, the UG logo had been mistakenly placed upside down.
“The attention of the University of Ghana has been drawn to a video circulating on social media about the wrong spelling of the word “University” in the branding on a vehicle belonging to the School of Continuing and Distance Education, Cape Coast Learning Centre.
“The poorly done branding was removed about a month ago.
“The facts of the matter are as follows:
“The University of Ghana (UG) contracted a reputable institution to refurbish the vehicle, including re-spraying.During the re-spraying, the original branding was removed and replaced with a new one.
“When the vehicle was delivered to the Cape Coast Learning Centre on May 25th, two major errors were identified: first, the word “University” had been misspelt; second, the UG logo had been turned upside down.”
The management added that, in response to the incident, UG’s Works Department of the Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD) was tasked with arranging for a new branding process to rectify the mistakes made.
Additionally, the UG emphasized that the video circulating on social media was taken at the premises of the sprayer and not at the University of Ghana itself. Therefore, they requested that the university community and the general public disregard the video in question.
“Subsequently, arrangements have been made with the Works Department of UG’s Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD) to have a new branding done.
“It must be pointed out that the video in circulation was taken at the premises of the sprayer and not at the University of Ghana. The University community should, therefore, disregard the video in circulation.”
Read the full statement below:
The attention of the University of Ghana has been drawn to a video circulating on social media about the wrong spelling of the word “University” in the branding on a vehicle belonging to the School of Continuing and Distance Education, Cape Coast Learning Centre.
The poorly done branding was removed about a month ago.
The facts of the matter are as follows:
The University of Ghana (UG) contracted a reputable institution to refurbish the vehicle, including re-spraying.
During the re-spraying, the original branding was removed and replaced with a new one. When the vehicle was delivered to the Cape Coast Learning Centre on May 25th, two major errors were identified: first, the word “University” had been misspelt; second, the UG logo had been turned upside down.
As a result, the vehicle was immediately returned for the entire branding to be removed.
Subsequently, arrangements have been made with the Works Department of UG’s Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD) to have a new branding done. It must be pointed out that the video in circulation was taken at the premises of the sprayer and not at the University of Ghana. The University community should, therefore, disregard the video in circulation.
Dr. Elizier T. Ameyaw-Buronyah DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS
As of now, 88 hospitals are being built as part of the government’s “Agenda 111,” according to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the information minister.
On August 17, 2021, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo initiated the construction of the facilities by breaking ground, pledging to accomplish the project within a span of 18 months.
The plan to construct the hospitals was first announced in the 8th COVID-19 national address, on April 26, 2020, by the President months after the Coronavirus pandemic hit Ghana.
It was initially “Agenda 88” but government later revised it to “Agenda 111.” The 23 additional facilities included, 13 more district hospitals bringing the total figure to 111.
The standard 100-bed facilities which will be in districts without hospitals will also have accommodation for staff.
Beneficiary regions and respective breakdown are Ashanti, 10, Volta, nine, Eastern, eight, Greater Accra, seven, Upper East, seven, Oti, five, Upper West, five, Bono, five, Western North, five, Savanna, three, Bono East, two, North East, two.
The remaining are six regional hospitals in the newly created regions, two specialised hospitals in the middle and northern belts, as well as a regional hospital in the Western Region and renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
Each unit is supposed to have facilities such as outpatient services, including consultation for medical and surgical cases, ophthalmology, dental and physiotherapy and imaging services.
At a press briefing yesterday at Trede, where the sod-cutting ceremony was held, the Information Minister said “the brief I have is that 88 are currently under construction and it is grouped into eight zones and in those eight zones, you will find 54 projects. We have visited 33 sites so far and we thought that coming to Trede, where it all began, it is important to showcase from Trede all that has gone on so far.”
He noted that some districts had faced challenges in acquiring land for construction, leading to doubts about the government’s commitment to the projects.
“However, the government remains confident that all the hospitals will be completed before the end of President Akufo-Addo’s second term,” he assured.
Mr Nkrumah stated that some of the hospitals which were behind schedule had been terminated.
“We have provided you with the reports of the sites that we have visited so far, the majority of them that are doing well, the few of them that are behind schedule. We have also updated you on the ones that we have had to terminate because they are behind schedule,” he indicated.
Contributing, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, the Presidential advisor on Health, assured that there was sufficient funding available for the completion of the projects.
Additionally, he said upon completion, the hospitals would create employment opportunities for nurses and contribute to the overall economic growth of the country.
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, has stated that the recent by-elections at the Kumawu and Assin North constituencies should be a wakeup call on political parties to refrain from bastardising the election management body when polls do not go in their favour.
She said the two by-elections clearly revealed the inherent transparency, robustness and integrity in the systems the commission put in place for the 2020 elections.
Jean Mensa, who made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, said though during general elections people did not have the opportunity to scrutinise the systems, it was better they concentrated on polling stations and appreciated the work of the EC.
“Just like the general election, everything was done at the polling station. So, those allegations that somebody sits at the EC headquarters in Accra to manipulate figures to favour one party over the others must end.”
“The credibility and transparency of the elections are in the full glare for all to see, including party agents,” she added.
Mrs Mensa said the Kumawu and Assin North polls were characterised by orderly conduct, early start in all polling stations and that by 7 a.m., all the polling stations were opened while polls were manned by competent and well-trained professional staff.
She added that the EC used its robust verification equipment to ensure that all voters were verified and that the efficiency of the Biometric Verification Devices (BVD) ensured swift verification of voters, which eliminated long queues.
She added that by 1 p.m. on the voting day, most polling stations had recorded a 60 per cent turnout while collation processes were open, transparent and timely, saying that “all in all, the process was credible, fair and transparent”.
“Right from the setting up of the polling stations, arrangement of polling materials, voting, arrangement and counting of votes, as well as the declaration at the polling station, everything was in the full glare of the public, including observers.
“We call on the stakeholders, when it does not go in their favour, to accept the results and not bastardise the elections management body, because the processes are transparent and credible.
So if you win, you do that fair and square;ifyou lose, you do that fair and square,” she stressed.
Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, confidently declares his forthcoming triumph in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearership race.
Agyapong is seen by analysts as a frontrunner in the race, along with Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and former trade minister Alan Kyerematen.
“I am going to win the NPP presidential race,” the Ken City Media CEO tweeted on July 1, 2023.
Aside Ken, Bawumia and Alan; there are seven other aspirants in addition to the three. The party on June 30 inuagurated a committee led by former Speaker of Parliament, Mike Oquaye to vet the aspirants in the coming week.
It is largely expected that if all 10 aspirants pass the vetting stage, a preliminary election to whittle down the number to five will take place before the main election is held in November this year.
Kofi Binyam and a local plumber named Mensah have been allegedly detained in Lugni during a routine patrol because they were discovered to be in possession of firearms during the chieftaincy disputes.
They were subsequently arrested and detained.
Residents of Lugni, Nanumba South District, Northern Region, fled for their safety on Thursday after a chieftaincy dispute resulted in multiple gunshots.
The feud began when the regent of Lugni granted kola to a Konkomba leader for him to be enskinned as the chief of the Konkombas in Lugni. Another Konkombas clan, however, was opposed to the choice.
The Binyam and Naamuhi clans are at odds with one another.
While getting ready to install a new chief, the offended clan is said to have started shooting.
The Binyam clan is said to have assaulted the Naamuhi clan.
The Binyam clan objected to the Nanung chief of Lugni enskinning the Naamuhi clan as the Konkomba chief for Lugni, which sparked the shooting incident on Thursday night.
One of Ghana’s leading tertiary institutions, University of Ghana (UG) has reacted to a recent viral video and pictures circulating on social media, showing a UG-branded vehicle with the misspelled word “University.”
According to UG’s management, the incident was a result of a poor branding job carried out approximately one month ago.
The university explained that they had engaged the services of a reputable institution to refurbish the vehicle, which included re-spraying.
The statement which was signed by Dr. Elizier T. Ameyaw-Buronyah the director of public affairs further explained that during the re-spraying process, the original branding was removed, and a new one was applied and upon the delivery of the vehicle to the Cape Coast Learning Centre on May 25th, two significant errors were identified.
Firstly, the word “University” had been misspelled, appearing as “Unviversty.” Secondly, the UG logo had been mistakenly placed upside down.
“The attention of the University of Ghana has been drawn to a video circulating on social media about the wrong spelling of the word “University” in the branding on a vehicle belonging to the School of Continuing and Distance Education, Cape Coast Learning Centre.
“The poorly done branding was removed about a month ago.
“The facts of the matter are as follows:
“The University of Ghana (UG) contracted a reputable institution to refurbish the vehicle, including re-spraying.During the re-spraying, the original branding was removed and replaced with a new one.
“When the vehicle was delivered to the Cape Coast Learning Centre on May 25th, two major errors were identified: first, the word “University” had been misspelt; second, the UG logo had been turned upside down.”
The management added that, in response to the incident, UG’s Works Department of the Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD) was tasked with arranging for a new branding process to rectify the mistakes made.
Additionally, the UG emphasized that the video circulating on social media was taken at the premises of the sprayer and not at the University of Ghana itself. Therefore, they requested that the university community and the general public disregard the video in question.
“Subsequently, arrangements have been made with the Works Department of UG’s Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD) to have a new branding done.
“It must be pointed out that the video in circulation was taken at the premises of the sprayer and not at the University of Ghana. The University community should, therefore, disregard the video in circulation.”
Read the full statement below:
The attention of the University of Ghana has been drawn to a video circulating on social media about the wrong spelling of the word “University” in the branding on a vehicle belonging to the School of Continuing and Distance Education, Cape Coast Learning Centre.
The poorly done branding was removed about a month ago.
The facts of the matter are as follows:
The University of Ghana (UG) contracted a reputable institution to refurbish the vehicle, including re-spraying.
During the re-spraying, the original branding was removed and replaced with a new one.
When the vehicle was delivered to the Cape Coast Learning Centre on May 25th, two major errors were identified: first, the word “University” had been misspelt; second, the UG logo had been turned upside down.
As a result, the vehicle was immediately returned for the entire branding to be removed.
Subsequently, arrangements have been made with the Works Department of UG’s Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD) to have a new branding done.
It must be pointed out that the video in circulation was taken at the premises of the sprayer and not at the University of Ghana. The University community should, therefore, disregard the video in circulation.
In the current pricing window [July], the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has anticipated a slight increase in fuel prices.
The Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, has stated that petrol prices are projected to increase by approximately 2.6%, while diesel prices are expected to rise by approximately 2.4% at different fuel stations.
He however noted that the price of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) remains unchanged.
“The numbers we have in front of us for July are pointing to some 2.6% increase in petrol and 2.4% for diesel with LPG likely to be stable. As to whether they would factor what they could have done in the current window into the coming window, July will tell. But clearly, it is likely you will pay a little more for petrol and diesel next week,” Mr. Amoah told StarrNews.
He stated that the increase in petroleum products was due to the depreciation of the local currency – Cedi – against the major trading currency – dollar.
But the Institute for Energy Security (IES) has projected otherwise as the policy think-tank stated that the prices of diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas are expected to fall marginally in the first two weeks of July.
The IES attributed the marginal decrease to the various changes in the price of the commodities on the international fuel market which will reflect positively in the local market.
The Paramount Chief of the Somey Traditional Area, Torgbi Adamah III, who oversees Nogokpo, has announced the issuance of a fresh ultimatum by the traditional council to Archbishop Charles Agyinasare in response to his previous contentious statements regarding Nogokpo, thereby expressing the council’s dissatisfaction with the remarks made by the Archbishop several months ago.
Torgbi Adamah told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the one-week ultimatum is seeking an apology and withdrawal of the said comment from the clergyman.
He disclosed the development to the media after a meeting with the National Peace Council and the Somey Traditional Council, where it was agreed that an amicable solution will be found between the parties.
“We have communicated our position to the Peace Council, and have tasked the council to communicate that position to the Archbishop. The Somey Traditional Council is giving the Archbishop a week’s ultimatum to withdraw the controversial comment and render an unqualified apology to the people of Nogokpo, the Somey Traditional Area and the entire Volta region,” he is quoted to have said.
Torgbi Adamah stressed that the Traditional Council had asked its lawyers to officially write to the Archbishop of the council’s decision and position and that the new ultimatum starts when he receives the said communication.
He said should the Archbishop fail to heed the traditional council’s demand for an apology, “the Somey Traditional Council would advise itself accordingly.”
The Paramount Chief noted that there had always been a negative perception about the people of the Volta region.
“This should not have been an issue, but the fact that the people of the region have over the years been perceived as bad people, affecting our marriages to other tribes and job opportunities, the Archbishop should not have uttered those comments in the first place.
“He is a respected and experienced man of God who should be uniting people and not passing divisive comments. He must render an apology to bring this matter to rest – we are not happy with this at all,” Torgbi Adamah said.
An earlier 15-day ultimatum elapsed days ago with Agyinasare refusing to publicly apologize as requested by the Council.
He rather hit back by stating that they should be wary in seeking to attack a child of God that he is.
Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Winifred Hammond, took the podium and delivered an insightful speech during the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) held in Hunan Province, China, where this esteemed event served as an exceptional platform for highlighting the significant accomplishments and potential prospects arising from the collaboration between China and Africa across diverse industries, while also facilitating the establishment of fresh alliances and collaborations to further enhance the scope of cooperation between the two regions.
Under the theme “Common Development for a Shared Future,” Dr. Hammond expressed warm greetings and gratitude on behalf of the Ghanaian government, the Ghana Embassy in Beijing, and all citizens of Ghana residing in Hunan. He extended heartfelt appreciation to the organizers of the CAETE for providing this valuable opportunity.
Highlighting Ghana’s vision of building a prosperous and inclusive society that leaves no one behind, Dr. Hammond emphasized the importance of joining forces to foster resilient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly development models. These models should cater to the needs of the people and safeguard the planet, especially in the face of the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, conflicts, and climate change.
Dr. Hammond emphasized the need to deepen ties in the short, medium, and long term to enable Ghana to achieve total economic recovery and lay the foundation for stronger and more inclusive growth. He reaffirmed Ghana’s dedication to deepening economic and trade ties with China and fellow African nations through the CAETE platform.
Highlighting the longstanding friendship and partnership between Ghana and China, Dr. Hammond acknowledged China’s invaluable support in crucial areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, energy, digitalization, and industrialization.
He mentioned the Belt and Road Initiative as a visionary proposal by President Xi Jinping that has opened new avenues for cooperation between Ghana, China, and Africa as a whole. Various projects, including the Tema Port Expansion Project, the Jamestown Fishing Port Complex Project, and the Ghana-China Trade and Investment Promotion Park Project, have made remarkable progress under this framework.
Dr Hammond emphasized that China’s investments in Ghana have had positive impacts such as a reduction in the unemployment rate, improved infrastructure, and access to affordable Chinese goods and services. He highlighted Ghana’s exceptional investment opportunities, including a stable political environment, a substantial consumer base, a conducive business environment, abundant natural resources, and a diversified economy.
Addressing the importance of the agriculture sector, Dr Hammond stressed the need for an industry chain agricultural cooperation for development, including production, processing, improving market infrastructure, and deepening bilateral cooperation in areas such as agricultural machinery, irrigation, and water conservation facilities.
He shared his involvement as a senior official of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in assessing and certifying the Hybrid Rice Center in Changsha as a global Centre of Excellence. Dr Hammond also expressed the urgency of investment in hybrid rice seed production to reduce the dependence on imports from Ghana and other African countries.
The Embassy of Ghana in Beijing stressed its commitment to facilitating investments, partnerships, and collaborations between Ghana and China for mutual benefit and prosperity.
Several workers at the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital in Mampong Akuapem, Eastern Region, are expressing their discontent with the lack of basic medical supplies, such as gloves and gauges.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of victimization, some nurses and other health workers shared their concerns. They highlighted that despite the hospital undergoing significant renovations, they continue to face shortages of essential items needed to care for patients.
“Our safety is being compromised. It’s unimaginable to work without gloves, especially during a time when there are many communicable diseases,” revealed one nurse.
Another healthcare worker stated, “Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital is a vital facility in this area, yet we lack fundamental resources like syringes and gloves. The facility’s management needs to take immediate action. Just look at the government’s expenditure on renovating the facility, but we still cannot obtain basic necessities for our work.”
“We are afraid to speak to the media about the situation here. From the outside, everything may appear fine due to the renovated facility, but things are far from well. The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, needs to be made aware that the facility is on the verge of collapse,” emphasized another worker.
Attempts to reach the hospital’s management for comment were unsuccessful.
Kwesi Arhin, the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Anyaa-Sowutuom constituency, has denied allegations of deception and extortion leveled against him by Janet Naa Ashong, a failed parliamentary aspirant in the NDC primaries.
Addressing the accusations made by Janet Ashong in a report filed by the Anchor newspaper, Kwesi Arhin clarified that while he did receive some money from her as a token, it was not given with the condition of assisting her win the primaries.
He emphasized that the total amount he received from Ashong was only GH₵3,500, contrary to the claim of GH₵20,000 being circulated by those he called his detractors with the intention of tarnishing his reputation.
In an interview with The Anchor on June 22, 2023, Chairman Arhin provided his side of the story, explaining that Janet Ashong gave him money on three different occasions. According to him, the first instance involved GH₵500 when she informed him of her intention to contest the primary and the second she presented GH₵1,000 to him at his residence, while the final sum of GH₵2,000 was given to him through Ashong’s driver on the election day.
The report further explained that Kwesi Arhin insisted that he never coerced Janet Ashong or any other aspirants into giving him money and stressed that the said gestures were voluntary contributions without any conditions attached. He then clarified that he accepted the money because other aspirants had also provided financial support, which he considered customary duties during the campaign period.
“I took the money on the premise that Allotey came, he gave me…I took it, Babangida came and gave, I took it. So, why will I reject her own?
“I was not the only person she gave the envelope. We were three, she gave this man an envelope, she gave the secretary an envelope and she never attached anywhere to it that this envelope I am giving you, do this A, B, C for me. Granted, she has told me that ok, this envelope I am giving you, you should use it for my winning, then I will be able to receive it or not. But she gave it to me like that, without stating any condition.”
“…so, I advised her to go and see the coordinators because they are the entrance to the branches. So, if you are going to see a coordinator and you give him GH₵200 or GH₵300 before you form a campaign team for me, is it a crime?”
“I never heard from this lady again until on the last day, they gave an accreditation to be given to the aspirants and their agents. So, I woke up early around 4:30 and I went to give it out. When I was even at the election centre, I was dozing off and I was there when somebody hinted me that the lady [Keturah] wanted to see me. I met her and she says, chairman, I have something for you. I asked what is it, and she sent her driver give me an envelope, I checked it and it was GH₵2,000. That was on the election day,” The Anchor quoted to have said during the interview.
It may be recalled that Janet Keturah Naa Ashong, reported that she has taken steps to seek justice from Nogokpo following her defeat in the party’s last primaries.
Janet alleged fraud and deception as her reason for seeking justice from the Nogokpo shrine in the Volta Region.
The report explained that Janet Keturah was alleged to have been manipulated into paying substantial sums of money to secure her victory in the primaries. She claimed that the constituency chairman, Kwesi Arhin, as well as other coordinators within the NDC caucus, demanded various payments to supposedly ensure she wins the slot, and that in addition, on the day of the primaries, she allegedly handed over an amount of GH₵20,000 to the chairman for different reasons.
In France‘s fourth night of unrest brought on by the fatal police shooting of a youngster, young rioters battled with police and looted stores.
The incidents put President Emmanuel Macron under even more pressure after he pleaded with parents to keep their kids off the streets and accused social media of inciting violence.
In order to put an end to the protests, more than 45,000 police officers were stationed around France. While the atmosphere appeared to be slightly calmer than on previous evenings, unrest erupted in various towns throughout the nation.
The ministry of the interior reported 994 arrests were made throughout France overnight, while 79 police and gendarmes were injured, 2,560 fires on public roads were recorded.
Demonstrations in Marseille and Lyon were said to be particularly chaotic, with protesters torching buildings and vehicles and looting nearby stores.
The average age of those arrested is said to be around 17, according to interior minister Gerard Darmanin.
Violence has also erupted in Brussels, which saw 100 arrests last night, and in some of France’s territories overseas.
Some 150 police officers were deployed on Friday night on the small Indian Ocean island of Reunion, authorities said, after protesters set garbage bins ablaze, threw projectiles at police and damaged cars and buildings.
In French Guiana, a 54-year-old was killed by a stray bullet on Thursday night when rioters fired at police in the capital, Cayenne, authorities said.
The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Brits travelling to France in the wake of the protests.
The Foreign Office urges travellers to ‘monitor the media, avoid protests, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities’.
Demonstrations first broke out on Tuesday after a 17-year-old boy named only as Nahel M was shot dead during a traffic stop in the suburb of Nanterre.
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French president Emmanuel Macron has cancelled a trip to Germany to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in order to deal with the ongoing situation at home.
‘Given the internal situation, the President of the Republic has indicated that he wishes to be able to stay in France for the next few days. The two presidents have therefore agreed to postpone the visit to Germany to a later date,’ local media reports.
On Friday, Macron was forced to return early from a European Council summit in Brussels in order to chair a crisis meeting in Paris.
Earlier this week, the president drew heavy criticism after he was spotted partying at an Elton John concert while the night’s riots were in full swing.
A gun shop in Marseille was looted last night, French media reports.
30 young people reportedly broke into the store and stole ‘five to eight’ hunting rifles but did not take any ammunition.
One person was later found carrying a firearm and apprehended, authorities confirmed.
A banner reading ‘Justice for Nahel’ has been spotted along the race route at the start of the 1st stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France, which kicks off in Bilbao, Spain today.
Organisers say they are ready to adapt to any situation when the three-week cycling race enters France on Monday.
The 2,115-mile race finishes in Paris on Sunday, 23 July.
Authorities in Marseille have announced that transport will stopped at 7pm local time in an effort to curb further unrest around the city.
Public events have also been cancelled or postponed, including the city’s Pride festival that was due to take place later today.
‘The police prefecture preferred to disengage from the security system to carry out other missions’, the organizers explained in a press release.
The funeral procession for Nahel M has officially begun.
Although his family wish to have a private service and have requested journalists stay away, people are already flocking to the funeral home to pay their respects
Although no public gatherings are planned to coincide with the funeral, spontaneous ones might occur.
A group of around 30 young men who stood guard at the entrance to the funeral parlour in Nanterre, asked people not to take pictures, a Reuters witness said.
‘We aren’t part of the family and didn’t know Nahel but we were very moved by what has happened in our town. So we wanted to express our condolences,’ one man among the mourners, who declined to give his name, told Reuters.
‘If you have the wrong skin colour, the police are much more dangerous to you,’ said a young man, who also declined to be named, adding that he was a friend of Nahel’s.
In Lille, five adults and a minor have been arrested in connection with an attack on the town hall, which was partly set on fire overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
The suspects, all male, were arrested at dawn on Saturday, Lille prosecutor Carole Etienne told AFP .
266 buildings, public and private, were damaged overnight, including 26 town halls, 24 schools and 5 justice establishments, French publication Ouest France reports.
The funeral of Nahel, the boy whose death sparked the current unrest after he was killed on Tuesday,, is set to take place early this afternoon.
It will take place in Nanterre, a suburb western Paris where the teenager was from, and will begin with a visitation, followed by a mosque ceremony and then burial, Associated Press reports.
Nahel’s family have urged journalists not to come to the funeral and appealed for calm.
The interior ministry has now confirmed that 1311 people were arrested across France last night.
French footballer Kylian Mbappé has called for an end to the ‘time of violence’ in a message on Twitter posted last night.
‘Violence solves nothing, especially when it inevitably turns against those who are expressing it,’ Mbappe posted on his Instagram story.
The PSG star also called for ‘peaceful and constructive’ protests.
Mbappe’s statement, apparently speaking on behalf of the France team, added: ‘Like all French people we were marked and shocked by the death of young Nahel.’
He added that the France players, many of whom come from working-class neighbourhoods like Nahel, share ‘the feelings of sadness and pain’ whicch have gripped the nation.
Despite the violence, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said last night’s riots were ‘calmer’ than those which had rocked the country in previous nights this week.
Mr Darmanin declared ‘it’s the republic that will win, not the rioters’ as he reported a ‘less intense’ evening in Paris but denounced ‘unacceptable violence in Lyon and Marseille’, which saw many arrests.
The minister also lamented the young age of many rioters, saying ’13-, 14-year-old kids … who obviously had better be at home rather than hanging out in the streets’.
He added that the government is ready to further increase its position of strength if ever things were to deteriorate, which was not the case last night.
Lyon and Grenoble were both subject to widespread looting last night, with a partial report stating 58 and 28 people were arrested in the two respective cities.
Violence was also reported in the Grenoble suburb of Echirolles.
Clashes between police and rioters reportedly continued late into the night, with gangs of young people often moving around or on scooters and firing dozens of mortars towards the police, who responded with tear gas canisters
Several vehicles were set on fire in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, where 17-year-old Nahel lived and was shot by police this week, triggering the riots.
Nahel’s funeral will take place later today.
The mayor of Nanterre, Patrick Jarry, said there was ‘great sadness and indignation’ at his death.
‘Today, the demand for justice dominates. The thousands of people who have expressed their anger want to be sure that justice will be done fairly,’ Mr Jarry told French outlet Le Monde.
‘We are faced with a particularly dramatic episode, a very difficult moment, which will force us to reflect on the conditions of intervention by the police… such as those which intervened on Tuesday morning by making use of their weapons against a teenager, in total violation of all legal provisions,’ he added.
The left-winger and former French Communist Party member also said ‘we must continue to surround’ Nahel’s mother.
France’s second-biggest city Marseille saw some of the most intense of last night’s action, with protestors and police attacking eachother with fireworks and tear-gas and a number of vehicles being torched.
88 people were arrested in the mediterrenean city and the Minister of the Interior has decided to send reinforcements, including a surveillance plane.
A major fire ‘linked to the riots’ also broke out in a supermarket, according to a police source.
‘In Marseille, the scenes of looting and rioting are unacceptable,’ city mayor Benoit Payan tweeted, calling on the state to send additional law enforcement.
Good morning and welcome to our fourth day of coverage of the rioting in Paris following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy by police. Here is a summary of the night’s events:
Nearly 1000 people were arrested and 80 officers injured following a fourth night of unrest throughout France, although officials claim the situation was calmer than previous nights this week.
45,000 police officers were deployed across the country to clamp down on protestors, with demonstrations in Marseille and Lyon being reported as particularly chaotic.
The riots have spilled over into Belgium and France’s iversea territories, with local media reporting 100 arrests in Brussels and demonstrations in French Guinea.
The government has called on regional authorities to shut down overnight bus and tram services nationwide.
Absa Bank has filed a civil action against a former employee in the Commercial Division of the Accra High Court, seeking to recover GH¢4.9 million allegedly obtained through fraud.
This was reported by Daily Graphic dated June 30, 2023.
According to the report, the suspect whose name is given as Joshua Akpaloo allegedly diverted the amount between 2011 and 2015 under the guise of payment for telephone bills while he worked for the bank then Barclays Bank.
The case suit was first filed in 2018 by the then-Barclays Bank and was later amended in 2021 with Absa Bank as the new plaintiff when the latter took over the former’s operations.
Aside from the money, the bank is also seeking interest on the GH4.9m at the current rate, beginning on July 23, 2015, when the defendant was fired by the bank.
In his defence, the defendant Akpaloo stated that he was not responsible for any loss to the bank and that he was a loyal employee who never committed any fraud.
He denied any wrongdoing and urged the court to dismiss the suit, claiming that the bank’s case was without merit.
Apart from stating that the bank not having a solid case against him, the defendant also stated that he was discharged in criminal proceedings relating to the same case on two occasions (May 30, 2017, and February 17, 2020) by the Accra Circuit court for lack of prosecution.
According to the suit, Akpaloo began working for Barclays on November 26, 2003, as an Operation Clerk and was later promoted to Clearing Officer in 2008.
Absa claims in its statement of claim that on July 3, 2015, the bank’s Finance Department reviewed its profit and loss cost lines and discovered that the telephone cost line and others were extremely high.
It also stated that it discovered the anomaly in the bank’s Head Office Retail Banking Unit Telephone and Telex Account, with further investigation revealing two entries of Ghc 77,000 and Ghc 53,000, with no bills attached.
The bank added that the investigation on July 8, 2015, led to the payment team with Akpaloo’s name coming up.
“The plaintiff states that when the defendant [Akploo] was confronted with the issue, he promised to provide an explanation the following day but from that day the defendant vacated his post,” the statement of the case said.
Per the bank, the incident has been reported to the Africa Forensic Investigation and Whistleblowing team for further investigation.
“The investigation revealed that the defendant used duplicated customer telephone bills to raise vouchers to debit the Head Office RBU telephone and telex accounts and credited any of the following office accounts; Bank of Ghana (BoG) Cash account, E-Box inward BoG transfers and integrator-Voucher Processing Centre (VPC).
The defendant then debited the BoG account to credit the customer Gabbyborg Enterprise account with Barclays Bank Ghana Limited. Funds credited to the Gabbyborg Enterprise account were later transferred to Florence Dorothy Amartey’s (mother of the defendant) account at the Agriculture Development Bank via inward clearing. According to the statement of claim, she then transferred the funds to the defendant’s Fidelity Bank account.
In his defence, Mr Akpaloo stated that his job at the bank at the time entailed checking invoices generated by the front desk from Vodafone phone bills of employees.
“I am not responsible for the loss the plaintiff has suffered as there are enough checks and balances in the system in place at the plaintiff’s bank to either forestall such massive loss or prevent it altogether,” Mr Akpaloo contended.
The defendant also denied resigning when confronted with the investigations, claiming that he was suffering from a medical condition at the time, prompting him to seek medical attention.
“The defendant contends that the claimant’s case lacked merit and humbly prays the court to dismiss all the claims.” the defendant added.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Odotobri Constituency Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi has clarified why he ordered for the arrest of a serial caller over a prayer on live radio for a by-election in the area.
He indicates that the comment by the serial caller caused fear and panic in his life reason he ordered the police to apprehend him
40-year-old Mr Joseph Amoah known as Bashy was arrested by the Amansie Central Police Command after he prayed on live radio for a by-election in the Odotobri Constituency.
The lawmaker for Odotobri Constituency lodged an official complaint with the Amansie Central District Police Command to arrest Bashy over his by-election comment on Dompeace Radio in the constituency.
Hon. Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi explaining the rationale behind his action on Kumasi-based Angel Fm Breaking News Show hosted by Ali Baba Dankambary and monitored by MyNewsGh.com disclosed that “Bashy comment must be condemned because I think he is up to something that’s why I lodged an official complaint to the police for his arrest”
“Bashy supported my contender during the NPP parliamentary primaries in the constituency so for him to pray for a by-election, I don’t have to take that statement lightly. We shouldn’t pray for a by-election but rather we should wait for the 2024 general elections, then we decide who to lead our constituency. If I lose the 2024 general elections, I will gladly go home in peace, but calling for a by-election at this time is very dangerous”
According to him, he is determined to have the police conduct proper investigations to unearth the intent of the NPP activist for praying for a by-election.
“I want the police to conduct a proper investigation into this matter and find out from him why he made that statement against me. That Bashy guy organized a demonstration against me and they went to Jacobu cemetery to invoke curses on me so if this statement is coming from him, then I have to inform the police to invite him”, he stressed.
His family has been informed and is being supported by specially trained officers, the force said.
Three boys aged 14, 15 and 17 were arrested on Friday and remain in police custody.
Latest London news
Police have renewed appeals for information and witnesses to the killing, which is understood to have happened on the Grand Union towpath under Scrubs Lane.x
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie from the Specialist Crime Command is leading the investigation and said: ‘We are continuing to provide Victor’s family with support during this traumatic time and our thoughts remain with them.
‘We made three arrests as part of our investigation into Victor’s murder.
‘However I still need to hear from anyone who has information about what happened last Sunday.
‘Were you in the area of the Grand Union Canal towpath near the Scrubs Lane bridge, or travelling on Scrubs Lane, between 5.15pm and 6.15pm?
‘Did you see a fight or hear anything that may assist with the investigation?
‘If you were driving in the area and have a dash cam, please review your footage and contact us or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
‘My team will be in the vicinity of Scrubs Lane tomorrow, Sunday July 2, as part of a proactive appeal for information.’
The Ghana Private Roads and Transport Union (GPRTU) has issued a warning to drivers, particularly commercial drivers, regarding the deteriorating state of the Accra-Tema motorway, describing the same as a death trap.
It thus urged drivers to exercise caution while using it.
Samuel Kofi Amoah, the Greater Accra Regional Deputy Communication Director of GPRTU, expressed his concerns about the poor condition of the motorway during an interview with Class 91.3 FM’s Ashaiman correspondent on June 30, 2023.
He stated that the road is in a state beyond repair and emphasised the need for drivers to be extra careful when traveling on it.
According to Mr Amoah, the motorway is riddled with potholes that pose a significant risk to drivers and have tragically claimed innocent lives.
He specifically mentioned the lack of street lights on the motorway, which further compounds the safety concerns, especially during nighttime journeys.
Mr Amoah called on the government to prioritize repair works on the motorway and address the existing issues to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers.
The GPRTU’s warning serves as a reminder for all drivers to exercise caution and be aware of the challenging conditions on the Accra-Tema motorway.
An alligator sneaked into a couple’s home in the middle of the night, giving them the scare of their lives.
Yes, that is accurate. an iguana.
The five-foot-long monster entered the New Iberia, Louisiana, house of Don Schulz and his partner Jan while they slept through the dog door flap.
At 1.30 am, their family dog woke them up, and Jan informed Don that she believed she could hear someone inside the house.
Thinking it was a two-legged intruder who had broken in, Don grabbed his gun and wandered down the hallway, wearing just his underwear, to investigate.
He noticed something on the floor but couldn’t make out the shape of it at first.
But when he realised that it was a huge sharp-toothed reptile chilling a matter of inches away from his foot, he immediately stepped back.
Don, who had been standing no more than 12 inches from the jaws of the terrifying creature, called the Sherriff’s Office for help, who then notified the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to help remove the alligator.
After the incident last Saturday, Don said: ‘Panda, our Australian Cattledog, growled a bit in bed at 1.30 this morning.
‘Jan tapped me and said she thinks someone is in the house. I grabbed my pistol and in my underwear, I turned the corner into the hallway.
‘It was dark, but I stopped because I could see a shape on the edge of the rug. I couldn’t focus very good having just woke up.
‘But when the full shape registered in my brain I jumped back. My foot had only been about 12 inches away from its head.
‘I yelled to Jan that there was an alligator in the hallway. She thought I was full of s***, so I took a pic and showed her, then called the sheriff’s office.
‘The ‘gator was about five feet long and it came into the house through the dog door.’
Specialists from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries managed to capture and restrain the alligator before removing it from the property.
Once they were able to utter the words ‘see ya later, alligator’, experts told Don and Jan that it was simply looking for somewhere to keep cool in the hot weather – and had been drawn to their air conditioning unit.
Don added: ‘The expert thought that since it’s been so hot for the last couple of weeks, it felt the cool air seeping out from around the dog door and just followed it into the house.
‘I only run the a/c to the bedroom zones at night so it followed the cool breeze to the far end of the hallway and was lying right below the cold air return.’
American alligator’s are one of the largest reptiles found in North America, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
There are more than one million wild alligators living in Louisiana and while they are normally found in coastal marshes, they have been known to make their way into people’s houses in the past.
Or in some instances, they do like to take a stroll along a busy motorway.
They live up to 70 years and can also be found in ponds, lakes, canals, rivers and swamps – but not this guy, he fancied the comfort of Don and Jan’s hallway.
At least the alligator didn’t copy its close crocodile friend and take a dip in a swimming pool like this one in Florida did earlier this month.
Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, wants more funds to be allocated to addressing Ghana’s flooding problem.
He is lobbying for the allocation of a portion of the Roads Funds for the building of storm drains.
This, he said, will help lessen the impact of the country’s periodic floods in major cities.
In a statement to Parliament on Thursday, June 29, 2023, the Minister stated that the Ghana Hydrological Authority Act, 2022 (Act 1085), which was enacted with bipartisan support, provides for the establishment of a Hydrological Fund for that purpose.
As a result, he has asked Parliament to consider committing a portion of the Road Fund, given the impact of drains on road lifespan; the Sanitation Levy, given the impact of solid waste on drainage capacity; and the Common Fund, recognising the need for a comprehensive and efficient drainage system.
“The Ghana Hydrological Authority Act, 2022 (Act 1085), which was passed with support from both sides of the House makes provision for the establishment of a Hydrological Fund for that purpose” the Minister said.
He told the lawmakers that if the resources are released, we would be able to address the age-long challenge in a comprehensive manner in the face of continuous global climate change.
He declared unequivocally that the ministry has been hampered in its effort to combat the annual canker of floods due to a shortage of finances from the finance ministry.
Hon Asenso Boakye went on to say that drainages in the capital and other regions of the country had been neglected for years due to a lack of finances, resulting in frequent flooding whenever it rains.
He urged Ghanaians to refrain from engaging in activities that may clog our drainage systems.
He made this request in a statement to Parliament today about the recent flooding in parts of the country.
Although the government has committed approximately 450 million under the National Flood Control Programme (NFCP) in the last five years to mitigate perennial flooding, the Minister added that recent climate change-induced flooding incidences around the world are a warning that a dedicated source of funding is now imperative in ensuring that the country is resilient to the effects of climate change, now and in the future.
After entering a not guilty plea to accusations of cheating campaign contributors and squandering COVID-19 relief funds, embattled New York lawmaker and alleged fraudster George Santos appeared in court once more.
Indignant demonstrators who called him a “dog killer” met the humiliated lawmaker when he went to court on Friday.
Santos, a Republican who represents portions of Queens and Long Island in the House of Representatives, rose to fame after it was discovered that he had made up a significant portion of his biography and past.
In May, federal prosecutors charged Santos with seven counts of counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of lying to congress.
‘The allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself,’ said Breon Peace, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges, and called the investigation into his finances a ‘witch hunt.’
On Friday, he returned to court for another hearing for his trial’s discovery phase.
As he walked from his car into the courthouse, one protester shouted ‘dog killer!’ at the congressman.
The protester is believed to be Rich Osthoff, a disabled veteran who previously accused Santos of stealing money raised for his service dog’s veterinary care.
In the courtroom, Santos’s lawyers revealed they turned over more than 80,000 pages of documents during the discovery process.
Santos sat silently through the court proceedings. As he left the courtroom, he wished his prosecutors a ‘happy Fourth of July.’
The New York congressman is scheduled to return to court on September 7, just days before the next session of Congress begins.
Santos left the courthouse flanked by attorneys, carrying a miniature American flag. Osthoff could be heard in the distance again screaming: ‘You killed Sapphire George! You killed my dog!’
Santos did not acknowledge any of the protesters. He has not made any public statements since his appearance on Friday.
Santos continues to remain out of jail on bail.
He was released after his indictment when another party cosigned his $500,000 bond. Last week, the court publicly released his benefactors’ identities: his father, Gercino Dos Santos, and his aunt, Elma Santos Preven.
Safina Mohammed Adzizatu, who is accused of murdering her Canadian boyfriend, Frank Kofi Osei, the defendant has undergone DNA testing, yielding successful results. The DNA testing represents a crucial step in the investigation as authorities gather evidence and build their case against Adzizatu.
The outcome of the testing will likely play a pivotal role in determining the course of the trial and the ultimate verdict.
An Attorney General’s Department representative told an Adentan District Court that the Police were awaiting the DNA report, which is expected to be ready in two weeks’ time.
Receiving the DNA report would pave the way for committal proceedings at the District Court. Safina and her accomplice Michael Fiifi Ampofo Arku after the committal proceedings are expected to appear before an Accra High Court where the actual trial would kick start,
Safina, a first-year student at the University of Ghana, Legon, and Arku, a Technical Officer, have been charged with conspiracy and Murder of Frank Kofi Osei, a Canadian who was on vacation in Ghana.
Their pleas have been preserved by the District Court. Frank Kofi Osei was allegedly murdered in cold blood at Ashalley Botwe School Junction, Accra in July 2022, when he visited Safina.
Safina and Arku were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder. The two accused persons who are on bail are expected to reappear on July 11.
