TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Agenda 111 is waste of the taxpayer’s money – Mintah Akandoh

    Agenda 111 is waste of the taxpayer’s money – Mintah Akandoh

    Member of Parliament for Juaboso, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has labeled the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagship health initiative, Agenda 111, as a waste of taxpayers’ money.

    Speaking to journalists after President Akufo-Addo delivered the 2024 State of the Nation Address, Mr Akandoh minced no words in expressing his disdain for the initiative, asserting that it is a failed project. 

    “Agenda 111 is a waste of the taxpayer’s money,” he said, adding that President Akufo-Addo was not bold enough to touch on the project because it has failed.

    MP for Juaboso, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh (Middle) speaking to the media

    He said the President touted the importance and urgency of the project, but “two years down the lane, there’s no single Agenda 111 facility that has been completed and commissioned.”

    He further accused the Akufo-Addo led administration of neglecting and failing to adequately address the needs of the health sector.

    Expressing his disappointment in the current administration, Mr Akando said despite President Akufo-Addo inheriting a lot of semi-completed health facilities across the country left behind by the Mahama administration, he has failed to complete them. “Now, not a single one has been commissioned,” Mr Akandoh emphasised.

    “The health sector has been crippled under the current administration. President Akufo-Addo inherited a lot of health facilities. Now seven years down the lane not a single one has been completed,” he said.

    “Let’s go to Komfo Anokye, it has taken Otumfuo himself to raise money to renovate Komfo Anokye. In Komfo Anokye, we had not less than eight dialysis machines under the Mahama regime but as I speak to you now, we have one dialysis machine at Komfo Anokye,” he said.

  • Nigeria levies annual fee on foreign employees

    Nigeria levies annual fee on foreign employees

    Nigeria has implemented a mandatory yearly fee for companies that employ foreign workers. The fee is $15,000 for a director and $10,000 for other workers.

    According to President Bola Tinubu, the objective of the action is to encourage international companies to increase their employment of Nigerian workers. People who work for embassies and government officials do not have to follow the same rules.

    However, President Bola Tinubu has said that the tax should not stop new investors.

    He talked about the Expatriate Employment Levy (EEL) handbook on Tuesday. He said that the government wants to make more money and promote local businesses.

    He said its goal was to make sure there are equal job chances for Nigerians and people from other countries.

    “He said the aim is to make sure that foreign workers and Nigerian workers are paid the same and that more Nigerians can get jobs at foreign companies in Nigeria. “

    He said he thought the plan should be easy to understand in order to reach its goals.

    According to local news,there are over 150,000 foreigner sliving in Nigeria.

    They mainly work in the oil and gas, construction, telecommunication, and hospitality industries.

    The decision is made because Nigeria is having its worst economic problem in a longtime. This has caused a lot of difficulty and upset for many people in the past few months.

    Workers and government employees marched to show they are not happy about having a hard time with money.

    Mr Tinubu said that he knows Nigerians are having a hard time.

    He said they are trying to make the country’s money better and make the economy bigger.

    The tax applies to people who work for at least 183 days in a year.

    The plan makes people or organizations pay money or go to jail for not following the rules,like not giving the right information.

    The Nigerian Immigration Service will make sure that the levy is obeyed.

    The Interior Minister said that the immigration service will work with the government and a private company to run the project.

  • Alexei Navalny to be laid to rest this Friday in Moscow

    Alexei Navalny to be laid to rest this Friday in Moscow

    Alexei Navalny will be laid to rest in a Moscow cemetery on Friday, a spokesperson has confirmed.

    According to leader of the dissenting group the event will take place at Borisovskoye Cemetery, following a ceremony to say goodbye to him in the Maryino area.

    The leader of the dissenting group mentioned on Tuesday that they were struggling to find a location for a funeral. Some places said no when they found out who it was for.

    Alexei Navalny died in a prison in the Arctic earlier this month.

    For a longtime, he was the most well-known person who criticized Vladimir Putin. Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Navalny, and many world leaders have said that the Russian president is directly responsible for his death.

    Navalny’s team planned to have the funeral on 29 February, but they couldn’t find anyone to dig the grave on that day. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, wrote about it.

    Mr Zhdanov suggested that the reason for this was because Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to give his yearly speech to the Federal Assembly on the same day.

    The Kremlin knows that nobody will listen to Putin’sspeech on the day of Alexei’s farewell.

    He also told people to come early so they can say goodbye to Alexei.

  • When you’re broke don’t you borrow? – KT Hammond justifies Ghana’s going to IMF

    When you’re broke don’t you borrow? – KT Hammond justifies Ghana’s going to IMF

    Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, KT Hammond, has justified Ghana’s decision to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Addressing Ghanaians in Parliament after President Akufo-Addo delivered the 2024 State of the Nation Address, he noted that the move was necessary given the country’s economic challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    Ghana’s engagement with the IMF has been a subject of debate, with proponents arguing that it is a necessary step to stabilize the economy and implement crucial reforms, while critics express reservations about the potential implications for national sovereignty and economic independence.

    Despite various promises made by President Akufo-Addo not to resort to IMF assistance during his tenure, Ghana ultimately found itself in a position where seeking external financial support became inevitable. 

    The decision sparked debates and raised questions about the government’s economic management strategies and its ability to fulfill electoral promises.

    However, KT Hammond is responding to such criticisms, arguing that going to the IMF was the responsible course of action to address Ghana’s economic challenges and ensure the country’s financial stability in the long term.

    “When you’re broke, don’t you borrow?” he asked. 

    He further acknowledged the economic hardships currently being experienced by Ghanaians under the current administration. However, he noted that these challenges largely resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Mamadou Oury Bah appointed as prime minister by the Guinean junta

    Mamadou Oury Bah appointed as prime minister by the Guinean junta

    The military leaders in Guinea have selected Mamadou Oury Bah, who previously opposed the government in Guinea, to be the new prime minister. This happened a week after they got rid of the previous government.

    His appointment came as a response to the increasing dissatisfaction with the military government.

    On Monday, two fatalities occurred as police and protesters clashed during a nationwide worker strike.
    Trade unions are asking for cheaper food because people in Guinea are finding it hard to afford the high cost of living.

    Mr Bah, who is well-known in Guinea as Bah Oury, has asked the unions to stop the strike and focus on finding solutions to the big problems together, little by little.

    The economist needs to create a new government and help improve the economy for many people in Guinea.

    The new prime minister was officially made the leader and interim President Mamady Doumbouya was there. He had led Guinea’s armed forces to remove President Alpha Condé from power in September 2021.

    Mr Bah, who is 65 years old, has been well-liked in Guinean politics since the 1990s. He was a minister in a government that worked together to make peace in 2007.

    He had to live in France for four years because he was accused of being involved in an attack on President Condé’s home in 2011. He came back to his home country in 2016 after the president forgave him.

    In 10 months, Guinea will have elections to bring back democratic rule. This is when the 24-month period set by the junta and Ecowas ends.

  • All of us would have been dead by now if Mahama was president during the COVID era – KT Hammond

    All of us would have been dead by now if Mahama was president during the COVID era – KT Hammond

    Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, KT Hammond, has launched a scathing attack on former President John Dramani Mahama, suggesting that Ghana would have faced dire consequences if Mahama were in power during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Hammond’s comments were made in praise of President Nana Akufo-Addo‘s handling of the COVID-19 crisis during a recent interview. 

    Speaking in Parliament on February 27, 2024, after President Akufo-Addo delivered the 2024 State of the Nation Address, Mr Hammond noted that but for President Akufo-Addo’s leadership and decisive actions during the COVID-19 era, all Ghanaians would have been dead by now. 

    “All of us would have been dead by now if Mahama was president during the COVID era,” Hammond asserted, taking a swipe at Mahama while commending Akufo-Addo for his efforts.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges globally, affecting countries’ healthcare systems, economies, and social structures. 

    In Ghana, efforts to combat the virus included measures such as lockdowns, testing and contact tracing, vaccination campaigns and exercises, and public health awareness initiatives.

    Ghana recorded 171,653 Coronavirus Cases since the epidemic began and reported 1,456 Coronavirus deaths at the end of the pandemic, according to data from the World Health Organisations (WHO). 

    KT Hammond believes that the situation could have been worse if the pandemic hit the country during Mr Mahama’s administration.

  • Police confiscate 72 firearms from residence of French movie star Alain Delon

    Police confiscate 72 firearms from residence of French movie star Alain Delon

    The French police confiscated 72 firearms and more than 3,000 bullets from the residence of renowned actor Alain Delon.

    The actor had a shooting range at their home in Douchy-Montcorbon, which is about 135km (84 miles) south of Paris.

    The prosecutors said that Mr. Delon did not have permission to have a gun.

    The actor, who was 88 years old, was a famous star in the old days of French movies. He was well known for playing tough characters in movies like The Samurai and Borsalino.

    On Tuesday, a court official went to Mr. Delon’s home and saw a weapon, so they asked a judge for permission to search the place.

    The celebrity has been sick in recent years after having a stroke in 2019 and another serious illness, not mentioned in French media.

    The news about his family breaking up is also being talked about a lot in France.

    His three children have told the media about their complaints and problems with each other by saying mean things, blaming each other, taking legal action, and secretly recording conversations.

    The most recent legal arguments were about Mr. Delon’s medical care. Last month, a court-authorized doctor checked his health, but his findings were immediately disputed by the children.

    Last year, his children complained about his former assistant, Hiromi Rollin.

    They say the Japanese film production assistant bullied their father. Her lawyer said that the things people accused her of are not true.

    Mr Delon was last seen in public when he received a special award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

    In September 2019, he went to the funeral of his friend and fellow famous actor Jean-Paul Belmondo in Paris.

  • Digitalisation is the new lie NPP wants to win power with – Suhuyini 

    Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, has cautioned Ghanaians to be careful of the New Patriotic Party’s digitalisation agenda.

    Speaking to The Independent Ghana, after President Akufo-Addo delivered the 2024 State of the Nation Address, Mr Suhuyini asserted that digitalisation is the “new lie” being propagated by the current administration to win power in the upcoming elections. 

    He argued that the NPP’s commitment to digitalisation will wane once they assume power, citing past instances where political promises were left unfulfilled or abandoned after elections. 

    He pointed to a history of electoral pledges that have fallen short of expectations, including the President’s pledge to tackle corruption head-on, and also his promise to address the country’s high unemployment rate, emphasising that there is reason to doubt the sincerity of the NPP’s digitalization agenda.

    “President Akufo-Addo used unemployment and the need to create jobs for the youth and his determination to fight corruption to get into power but the two have defeated him. And, thus, his inability to speak about them.

    “He could not talk about poverty. Not once did he make reference to poverty or hardship in his State of the Nation Address. He made reference to the economy only three times [but] he used digitalisation fifteen times. That’s the new lie, that’s the new deceptive point,” he stated. 

    President Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, delivered the 2024 State of the Nation Address.

    The event which took place in Parliament saw in attendance dignitaries like former President John Dramani Mahama, former Speaker of Parliament Aaron Mike Oquaye, and Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, wife of late former President Jerry John Rawlings, etc.

    The State of the Nation Address is an annual address, mandated by Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, that allows the President to provide an overview of the nation’s current state at the start of each parliamentary session.

    During the address, President Akufo-Addo provided a comprehensive briefing on the current state of affairs in the country, as he ends his second and final term of office.

    Key among the issues the President touched on was the government’s digitization drive, which he largely attributed the success of his government to and gave credit to the Vice President.

    “This is a digitalisation government, and the man who is leading this, my indefatigable vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Digitalisation, the NPP’s excellent presidential candidate for the 2024 elections is coming up with what will allow everybody to check on every project being undertaken by the government without having to listen to the president address, this is the performance tracker,” President Akufo-Addo noted, among other things.

    Reacting to the address, Mr Suhuyini noted that: “That’s the new selling point for them and I hope that Ghanaians are more discerning to understand that just as they used corruption and provision of jobs to win and are now running away from it. They promised to fix the economy and are now running away from it. Ghanaians will be well informed to understand that the new lie that is introduced into the campaign is digitalization.”

  • NATO partners oppose Macron’s proposal to send soldiers to Ukraine

    NATO partners oppose Macron’s proposal to send soldiers to Ukraine

    Despite the French President Macron, suggesting considering all options to send soldiers to Ukraine, some Nato countries such as the US, Germany, and the UK have stated they will not deploy troops to Ukraine.

    According to Mr Macron, Western countries are struggling to reach a decision about dispatching their military forces to Ukraine.

    The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, warned of a potential conflict if Nato troops were to enter the area.
    The Russian army has advanced into Ukraine recently, and the capital city, Kyiv, is asking for more weapons quickly.

    Mr Macron said at a news conference on Monday night that we should consider whether we need security that would require deploying some elements.

    “I have already explained to you what France’s position is, which is a strategic ambiguity that I support. “

    The French leader spoke in Paris at a meeting to help Ukraine, with leaders from Europe, the US, and Canada also there.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin started a big war in Ukraine three years ago. It doesn’t seem like the war will end anytime soon. It’s the biggest war in Europe since World War Two.

    Mr Macron’s words made other countries in Europe and Nato say something back.

    The President of the United States, Joe Biden,thinks that the best way for Ukraine to win is by giving them military aid. This means giving their troops the weapons and ammunition they need to protect themselves.

    President Biden said that the US will not send soldiers to Ukraine to fight.

    The German leader, Olaf Scholz, said that Europe and Nato have agreed not to send troops to Ukraine. This decision has not changed.

    The UK Prime Minister’s spokesperson said the country is not planning to send a lot of soldiers to Ukraine, just a few to help train their forces.

    The Italian Prime Minister’s office said that Italy does not support sending troops from European or Nato countries to Ukraine.

    Mr Peskov, speaking for the Kremlin, said that Mr Macron’s suggestion is very important, but it does not benefit Nato members.

    “He said we would have to talk about how likely a conflict is to happen. “

    Before, the leader of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg said they were not thinking about sending soldiers to Ukraine, but they would still help Ukraine even though it’s not in Nato.

    Several Nato countries, like Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic,agree with that stance.

    Russia has a lot of weapons and a bigger military than Ukraine. Ukraine’s army relies on modern weapons from Western allies, especially the US.


    Reallly intense gathering.

    On Tuesday, Mr Biden asked leaders in Congress to agree to a $95bn US aid package. This money includes $60bn for Ukraine. They had a meeting in the Oval Office.

    The package is having a hard time in the US House of Representatives. Republican leader Mike Johnson stood firm in the meeting,saying that they need to make more changes to the border before anything else.

    Mr Johnson said the problem on the border between Mexico and the US is really important to him. Mr Biden has offered to include changes in the plan, but the Republicans are not agreeing.

    Chuck Schumer, who is the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, said that the meeting in the Oval Office was the most intense one he has ever been in.

    The US gives the most military aid to Ukraine. They have promised to give$45billion as of January15th,according to the Kiel Institute.

    Germany is in second place,giving €17. 7bn of military help. The UK is next,giving €9. 1bn of military aid.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talked on video during the meeting in Paris on Monday. He said that working together to protect against Russian aggression will make our countries safer for many years.

  • Mali bus crash kills 31 in terrifying plunge off bridge

    Mali bus crash kills 31 in terrifying plunge off bridge

    A bus carrying passengers from Mali to Burkina Faso plunged off a bridge over the Bagoe river on Tuesday, killing 31 people and injuring at least 10 others, some of them critically.

    The tragic incident occurred around 5:00 PM local time, when the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle and crashed off the bridge, according to local authorities.

    The bus was a large transport vehicle that ferried people from one place to another. The transport ministry said the driver likely failed to steer the bus safely.

    The victims of the crash included people from Mali and other West African nations, according to reports.

    Road accidents are common in Mali, where the infrastructure and the vehicles are often poorly maintained, and the public transportation system is overcrowded and unregulated.

    This is the second major bus crash in Mali this month. On March 8, a bus collided with a truck on the way to Bamako, the capital city, leaving 15 people dead, and 46 others wounded, as reported by the AFP news agency.

  • Joe Biden projected to win Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary

    Joe Biden projected to win Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary

    Joe Biden is expected to easily win the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan, even though some people voted against him because of his position on the war in Gaza.

    In the past few weeks, activists have been telling Democrats to vote “uncommitted”, and a lot of people did.

    Many people were surprised because Mr. Biden won 80% of the votes according to the latest CBS News projection, which was more than expected.

    He thanked everyone from Michigan who spoke up today.

    The US helps Israel by giving them a lot of money for their military. Earlier this month, the US said no to a UN decision asking for a quick stop to fighting in Gaza. Instead, the US suggested its own plan for a short break in fighting.

    Many people, including some in President Biden’s party, are upset with the US’s stance on Israel’s military campaign and want the president to take a tougher stance.

    He talked about the good things his government has done in the state and criticized his opponent, Donald Trump, but didn’t talk about the votes against him.

    They say Mr. Trump is likely to win the Republican primary in the state on Tuesday. He said it was a great day for him. “We will win by a lot,” he said at a party for the campaign.

    The recent primary contests show that the two main candidates are likely to compete in the November election, just like they did in 2020.

    Michigan is an important state in choosing the president, and it has picked the winning president in the last two elections. Biden received less support from Arab-Americans because of his support for Israel during its military campaign in Gaza, even though there are a lot of Arab-Americans in the country.

    Members of Listen to Michigan celebrated the large number of votes for the “uncommitted” option as a win. People were crying at the organization’s party as the numbers were being updated from time to time.

    Congressman Andy Levin, who supports the “uncommitted” vote, told the audience: “I don’t feel happy to be here tonight. ” This time is necessary because many people are dying.

    On Tuesday, many people in Michigan chose to vote as “uncommitted” for the first time. Approximately 19,000 people voted in the 2020 primary election, and more than 21,601 voted in 2016. In 2008, 238,000 people voted after Barack Obama’s campaign told them to vote, since he wasn’t on the ballot because of problems in the party.

    But people in Michigan have been working for months to tell Mr. Biden that they won’t vote unless he stops the fighting in Gaza.

    At Salina Intermediate School in Dearborn, the BBC talked to Hala, who is 32 years old. She said she voted “uncommitted”. The school is near a big Ford factory.

    She said she didn’t want to vote for Genocide Joe because of allegations against the Israeli military in Gaza, which Israel denies.

    Hala, who didn’t want to share her last name for privacy reasons, said she voted for Mr. Biden last time, but she’s not sure if she will do it again in the next election. “Perhaps he could stop the fighting now, but I don’t think he will,” she said.

    Earlier this week, Mr. Biden said he wants the fighting in Gaza to stop by Monday. There are reports of progress in talks between Israel and Hamas.

    On election day, other Democrats told the media that they still support Mr. Biden, including Kim Murdough, who works at a church in Flint.

    “I chose the Democratic party when I voted. ” “I don’t have a problem with anything the administration has done,” she said.

    She also said that she is not worried about Mr. Biden’s age, which is 81, and it does not affect her decision. “I would prefer to have someone in charge who forgets things sometimes, rather than a criminal,” she said, talking about Mr. Trump, who is dealing with criminal charges from the government.

    Margaret Won also voted for Mr. BidenShe is mostly pleased with the work the president has done, but she said he has been stopped from achieving some of his goals by Republicans in Congress.

    She wants the presidential candidates to be younger and would consider voting for Nikki Haley if she beats Mr Trump to the Republican nomination.

    Ms Haley has not won any primary contests against Mr. This trend continued on Tuesday.

    In Michigan, anyone can vote in the primary elections. Democrats, Republicans, and independents can all vote, but they need to ask for a specific party’s ballot when voting.

    The Republican delegates in the state will be finally given to a candidate at a convention this weekend. These delegates are important for a candidate to win their party’s nomination.

    In the current fight between Israel and Hamas, 39 state and local leaders, like congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, supported the “uncommitted” movement.

    Ms Tlaib’s sister was in charge of the Listen to Michigan campaign. The goal was to get 10,000 “uncommitted” votes, but they got a lot more than that.

    Samraa Luqman, who is working with the Abandon Biden campaign, wants to remove someone from their position because a lot of people have died and they haven’t called for a ceasefire.

    A different lady told the BBC that she changed her political party to Republican because of the conflict in the Middle East. She didn’t want to say her name.

    Senator Gary Peters, from Michigan, said at a meeting organized by the Biden campaign that the president knows what voters are worried about when it comes to Gaza.

    However, the White House has been hesitant to change its support, giving billions of dollars in military help to Israel and blocking a UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire three times.

    The US wants the fighting to stop and supports Israel’s right to find and stop the Hamas gunmen who killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel. At least 30,000 people, mostly women and children, have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry led by Hamas.

  • 30-year-old alleged Red Army Faction member apprehended

    30-year-old alleged Red Army Faction member apprehended

    Suspected member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) Daniela Klette has been caught by German police after hiding for more than 30 years.

    The 65-year-old person was found on Monday evening in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg, which is known for being left-wing.

    Ms Klette is known for being in the far-left armed group that caused fear in Germany for many years.

    She is charged with trying to kill someone and committing several serious robberies.

    Newspaper headlines about “RAF Rentner” or “Red Army Faction pensioners” make the robberies from 1999 to 2016 seem like a funny TV show about an old grandma running away. The RAF, also called the Baader-Meinhof Gang, was violent before it was disbanded.

    Between 1971 and 1993, 34 people died. The group went after important people in politics and business, and they’ve attacked an attorney general and the chairman of Deutsche Bank.

    More than 200 people got hurt.

    Officials say that Ms Klette was part of the RAF’s third generation, which was active in the 1980s and 1990s.

    It’s said that it killed the head of Deutsche Bank with a bomb on the side of the road, and also shot and killed a politician from the centre-left party in his home. He was given the job of selling off businesses in the East Germany that used to be communist.

    In 1991, the group attacked the US embassy in the city of Bonn with guns. No one got hurt, but they found Ms Klette’s DNA at the site later.

    Two years later, the group attacked and damaged a new prison that was recently built.

    The Red Army Faction started from the radical student movement in the 1960s. It wanted to weaken the economy of West Germany, and the group had connections to fighters in the Middle East.

    Even now, some people on the far left still admire the RAF. The gang’s logos appear on clothes sometimes, which causes upset arguments in Germany about whether people think left-wing violence is exciting rather than serious.


    The RAF ended in 1998 and some members, like Daniela Klette, went into hiding. Since then, she and two other ex-RAF members are said to have made money by robbing supermarkets and cash transport vehicles. It is believed that they made millions of euros altogether.

    The police put up posters with old, blurry photos of three young people, with the message that they could live near you. They’re trying to find these people.

    New pictures from the police show that Ms Klette’s two partners are older men with grey hair. But it seems like she managed to not be seen or have her picture taken. The police only have a drawing of what she might look like at 65 years old.

    On 14 February, a lawyer from the government asked people to share information on TV about a crime. Many people called in with clues.

    For a long time, no one could find Daniela Klette, and she was able to stay hidden.

  • Italian Jehovah Witnesses kidnapped by extremists in Mali released

    Italian Jehovah Witnesses kidnapped by extremists in Mali released

    In May 2022, a group of individuals in Mali kidnapped an elderly Italian couple and their son. However, the Italian government claims that they have been released.

    All three were in good spirits and were slated to head back to Rome in the near future.
    The family were Jehovah’s Witnesses and they were planning to start a church when they were taken from their home near the town of Koutiala.

    Their helper from Togo was taken with them.

    Italy’s government helped Rocco Langone, Maria Donata Caivano, and their son, Giovanni Langone to get released from custody in Mali. They did this by using their connections with community leaders and Mali’s intelligence agencies.

    The statement didn’t say anything else about how they were released.

    The family lived in an area where there were a lot of terrorists, and the kidnappings were done by a group connected to al-Qaeda.

    The couple are said to be in their 60s and their son is in his 40s.

    Mali has had a big problem with violence for more than ten years. Sometimes,groups of fighters capture people from other countries and ask for money or the release of their friends in exchange for letting them go.

    The military took control by force in 2021because they said the government wasn’t doing enough to stop the rebellion.

    The country kicked out French troops and UN peacekeepers and asked Russia’s Wagner group for help in fighting the jihadists, but the fighting is not stopping.

  • John Mahama selects running mate

    John Mahama selects running mate

    The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is abuzz with anticipation as the Council of Elders prepares to gather on Thursday, March 7, 2024, to deliberate on the running mate nominee presented by Presidential Candidate John Dramani Mahama. The announcement, made by Fifi Kwetey, the General Secretary of the NDC, signals a pivotal moment in the party’s internal decision-making process.

    According to sources within the NDC, Mahama’s submission aligns with Section 45 of the party’s Constitution, which mandates the presentation of a nominee to the Council of Elders for consideration. This procedural step underscores the party’s commitment to democratic principles and internal consultation.

    Speculation has been rife within NDC circles regarding the potential selection of a female running mate—a departure from past norms. Even before Mahama’s formal nomination, there had been a groundswell of calls urging him to consider appointing a woman as his running mate, echoing sentiments from previous elections.

    Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Mahama’s running mate in the preceding elections, remains a prominent figure in discussions surrounding the upcoming decision. However, with the Council of Elders set to convene followed by a subsequent meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC), the final decision on the running mate for the December elections remains uncertain.

    The forthcoming gatherings of the Council of Elders and NEC are poised to shape the trajectory of the NDC’s electoral strategy, with Mahama’s running mate selection carrying significant implications for the party’s prospects in the upcoming polls. As party members and supporters await further developments, all eyes are on the deliberations set to unfold within the inner circles of the NDC leadership.

     See statement below

  • France warned to be on lookout for Russian meddling

    France warned to be on lookout for Russian meddling

    French public are being asked to contact authorities if they see any evidence of Russian tricks before the Paris Olympics this year.

    A message from the French intelligence service DGSI has asked the police to not ignore any signs of possible activities by Russian agents, even if they seem not very strong. French intelligence service said Russian supporters could use important topics to make disagreements in French society worse.

    Other European countries have also experienced similar fake news campaigns.

    According to the note, Russian intelligence is using different methods to get other people to help them interfere with things.

    Many of these ‘proxies’ are people from Russian-speaking communities in Eastern Europe. Some are just visiting France for a short time, while others have been living there for a long time, either legally or illegally.

    In France last October, someone sprayed Stars of David on walls. This was similar to other ways people were causing trouble in French society. It happened right after gunmen from the group Hamas attacked Israel and killed over 1,200 people.

    The note says that the Russian campaign is trying to make disagreements and problems within French society bigger by talking about different topics like pension reform and saying bad things about the Olympic Games.

    The DGSI says that with the current world situation and as France gets ready to host the Olympic Games, the police need to be very alert and respond quickly if they see any Russian activity.

    The French government thinks that people from Moldova who speak Russian were behind the Stars of David operation, and they believe the Russian state security agency was in charge of it.

    According to Le Monde newspaper, quoting another report from DGSI, the graffiti was part of a campaign across Europe to create disagreements and make governments less strong. This campaign was started by the FSB’s Fifth Division, which handles international operations.

    The memo says that other lies spread by people from Moldova have happened in Poland, Spain, Latvia, and Germany.

    The French government is talking more about Russia and trying to make people in France and other European countries more aware of the danger.

    President Macron talked about sending soldiers to Ukraine for the first time at a meeting in Paris on Monday. He did not say no to the idea. The next day, his German colleague Olaf Scholz and Nato General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg disagreed with this idea.

    Officials from Elysée said that there is a growing threat of “Russian aggression” in the internet and spreading fake news using aggressive and simple tactics.

    The officials mentioned a fake report that President Macron canceled a visit to Ukraine because of a planned assassination. The report was spread on pro-Russian social media, pretending to be from the international channel France 24.

    The French government has a new campaign called “Russian Disinformation” and it wants the public to be aware and report any false information they see. They believe that reporting false information is important in fighting against it.

  • Dozens killed while praying in Burkina Faso mosque attack

    Dozens killed while praying in Burkina Faso mosque attack

    Officials in Burkina Faso reports that a mosque was attacked on the same day as a church, resulting in multiple casualties.

    The gunmen came to the mosque in Natiaboani town during early-morning prayers on Sunday.

    A resident of the area informed AFP that all the victims were Muslim and the majority of them were males.”
    Insurgents control over one third of Burkina Faso right now.

    According to reports, the attackers were Islamist fighters who also attacked soldiers and a local self-defence group on the same day.

    The news in the local media says that there were many armed attackers on motorcycles.

    Al-Qaeda’s group in the Sahel region said it took over an army base in Natiaboani, but there is no proof from other sources. It did not say that there was an attack on a mosque.

    Unconfirmed information on social media says that the number of people who died in the mosque attack might be more than what the officials have said.

    Natiaboani is in a dangerous part of Burkina Faso where many armed groups are active.

    On the same day, at least 15 people praying at a church were killed in an attack in Essakane during Sunday mass. A person from the church said that they think Islamist militants are responsible for the attack.

    No connection has been proven between the two attacks, but a newspaper in Burkina Faso called L’Observateur Paalga is asking if they were planned together.

    Attacks on religious leaders happen often in Burkina Faso.

    A priest was taken by force from the town of Djibo five years ago and has not been found. In 2021, the leader of the mosque in Djibo was taken by armed people and later found dead.

    Humanitarian workers say that Burkina Faso is one of the most overlooked crises in the world.

    For many years, there has been a lot of fear and uncertainty, causing over two million people to leave their homes. The UN says that one in four young children are not growing well because they don’t have enough food to eat.

    The army took control two years ago,saying they would defeat the rebels, but there is still fighting.

  • Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov receives a jail term

    Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov receives a jail term

    The Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov has finally been fined and then sent to prison.

    Oleg Orlov is one of many government critics in Russia who have been fined and then sent to prison. Last year, well-known sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky was convicted of publicly supporting terrorism for comments he made about the attack on the Crimean bridge in 2022. In this situation, the prosecutor asked for a longer sentence. Earlier this month, a judge decided to send Mr Kagarlitsky to jail for five years.

    In October 2023, the court found the Oleg Orlov guilty. However, the punishment at that time had been much less severe.

    Oleg Orlov was required to pay a 150,000 rouble fine but he avoided imprisonment. This is approximately £1,290 or $1,630.The lawyers said the penalty was not sufficient. The court said the decision was wrong, so there will be a new trial.

    In Russia, the government was starting to become less okay with people speaking out against them.

    Oleg Orlov didn’t pay much attention to the second court hearing because he was protesting being made to go back. Instead, he sat in court reading a book called The Trial by Franz Kafka. The book talks about how life can be unfair and ridiculous.

    Last year, when I talked to him before his first trial, he said he didn’t do anything wrong.

    “He told me that the article I’m being accused of is about trying to make the Russian armed forces look bad, and not supporting the interests of Russia and its people, and trying to disrupt peace and security. ”

    To start, the Russian Constitution promises people can say what they want. I wrote a report about what I think about the events. Charging me for that breaks the rules of the constitution.

    Also, what is happening in Ukraine – let’s be clear and call it a war – is not good for Russia and its people.

    “Trying to keep peace in the world. That’s not working at all. ” It makes me think of what George Orwell wrote in “War is Peace” and “Freedom is Slavery. ” “He said the idea that the war in Ukraine is good for peace around the world is just not true. ”

    This week, Oleg Orlov said that Russia is getting worse and worse.

    He showed examples of bad things happening to people who speak out against the government, like when Alexei Navalny died in prison and when other government critics were punished by the courts. He described what was happening in his country as “the loss of freedom. ”

    “We know why we’re being held, put on trial, arrested, punished and killed. ” We are getting in trouble for speaking out against the people in charge. “This is totally not allowed in Russia today,” he said.

    He told the judge and prosecutor that they should realize that the system of punishment they are involved in could eventually harm them too, just like it has in the past.

    Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, the Russian government has created many strict laws to punish people who speak out against them or oppose the war in Ukraine.

    Russia has made it a crime to say bad things about the army and to spread false information about the use of the Russian armed forces.

    The “Law on Fakes” has been used to put Kremlin critics like Ilya Yashin in prison.

    Last year, Vladimir Kara-Murza, who opposes the government and is against war, was found guilty of betraying his country and given a 25-year prison sentence.

    The Russian opposition is having a tough time.

    Alexei Navalny, who was a strong critic of the Russian government, has died. Other important people who spoke out against the government are in jail or have left the country.

    At the moment, it looks like Vladimir Putin’s main opponents and possible challengers have been taken out of the political arena.

  • Police officer barred from Sydney Mardi Gras following death of gay couple

    Police officer barred from Sydney Mardi Gras following death of gay couple

    The decision to exclude police from Sydney’s well-known Mardi Gras parade this weekend has sparked controversy among Australians.

    The organizers said they made the call to give the LGBTQ+ community a place to be sad because a police officer was charged with killing a gay couple last week.

    The march used to be a place where police were violent towards gay activists, but now it is seen as an event that brings people together.

    NSW Police said they were not happy with the result.

    People are wondering if the police should be in the parade because a police officer is accused of killing someone he used to date and their partner. It happened last Monday.

    The people in charge of the parade said they decided not to include the police this year. They said it was a difficult decision, but they wanted to make sure the parade was a safe place for people to protest, celebrate, and remember those who have passed away.

    The Mardi Gras parade in Sydney has a long history involving LGBTQ+ activism and police violence. The first march in 1978 led to many people being beaten and arrested by the police.

    Now thought of as a brave and important act, what happened that day helped start the movement for LGBTQ+ rights in Australia. It also led to changes in laws and how police treat people who are gay.

    How Sydney’s first Mardi Gras led to change because of violence.

    NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she is meeting with the parade board on Tuesday to discuss how the decision could harm police, especially gay and lesbian officers. This decision has caused a lot of arguments online.

    On Monday, she said it would be very unfair to not let police come to the event this weekend. She said that Mr. Lamarre-Condon’s supposed crime was about love, not hate against gay people.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that although the relationship between Sydney’s LGBTQ+ community and police has improved since 1978, he knows that people are sad about a big tragedy.

    Alex Greenwich, who is one of the few openly gay members of parliament in the state, has asked the board to change its mind about the decision. He said to Nine News that the police should work on gaining community trust. He believes that working together, rather than excluding the police from Mardi Gras, is a good start.

    Pride in Protest, an activist group, has been trying to get the police out of the event for a long time. They are happy with the decision and think it is a win for the LGBTQ+ community.

    “The police and the community have a very bad relationship right now. People don’t trust or have confidence in the police,” said Charlie Murphy, who speaks for the group Australian Associated Press.

  • Two human remains found during search for Sydney couple who went missing

    Two human remains found during search for Sydney couple who went missing

    Australian police found two bodies while looking for Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, a missing couple from Sydney.

    Karen Webb, the police chief of New South Wales, stated that she is convinced they have discovered Luke and Jesse.

    Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, a police officer who used to go out with TV presenter Mr Baird, was recently accused of murder.

    The bodies were found in a country side area in the town of Bungonia.

    The police said that Mr. Lamarre-Condon didn’t want to help at first,but then he told them where the two bodies were on Tuesday morning.

    Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said the bodies were found close to the property’s entrance and someone tried to hide them under rocks and debris.

    Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said that the police think two “surf bags” were used to carry the dead couple in a white van from Mr. Baird’s house in Paddington, where they were probably murdered.

    Investigators discovered a bullet from Mr. Lamarre-Condon’s work gun at the scene last week. They also found a lot of blood and furniture that had been turned over.

    Mr Lamarre-Condon went to court on Friday but was not allowed to leave until his next court date. He has not said anything about the reasons why he was charged. He started working as a police officer in 2019 and used to be a famous blogger.

    Police started paying attention to the Bungonia property, which is about two hours south of Sydney. They learned that Mr. Lamarre-Condon had gone there in a white van, which is believed to have the bodies of the pair along with an acquaintance last Wednesday.

    Mr Lamarre-Condon cut the lock on a gate, left the woman there, and drove away in a van. He came back 30 minutes later, according to the police.

    The crime, which has shocked Australia, is thought to be the first suspected murder by a New South Wales police officer in many years. This has led to an investigation into when officers can use their guns outside of work hours.

    The Mardi Gras parade organizers in Sydney have decided not to invite the NSW police to this year’s march. This decision has caused a lot of strong opinions on the internet and the police are also upset. They say the murders were not related to hating gay people but were a crime done out of strong emotions.

    Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade has a long history that involves LGBTQ+ activism and police violence. In1978, the first march led to many people being beaten and arrested by the police.

    In the last few years, it has become a event that brings people together, with police officers participating every year since 1998.

    Many people have shared their kind words for Mr. Baird, a former TV host and reporter, and Mr. Davies, who was a flight attendant for Qantas.

    Commissioner Webb said that Jesse and Luke were very involved in the community and he can see from their online photos that they had a good life.

  • South Korean woman passes away amid ongoing doctors’ strike

    South Korean woman passes away amid ongoing doctors’ strike

    South Korea’s government is investigating the death of an elderly woman who was unable to be admitted to any hospitals due to a doctors’ strike.

    The individual passed away in the ambulance after their heart ceased functioning.

    Almost 70% of young doctors have been on strike for the last week. They are protesting against the idea of training more doctors.

    This has caused a lot of stress for emergency rooms, and the government says that doctors have put public health in danger.

    On Friday,paramedics in Daejon tried to take a woman to seven hospitals, but they couldn’t because the hospitals didn’t have enough people to help or enough beds.

    She called for help, but it took 67 minutes for her to get to the hospital. When she arrived, the doctors said she had already passed away.

    Government people said they will look into the case, which has been talked about a lot in South Korean news.

    This is thought to be the first death related to doctor strikes. Interns and residents are protesting because they are worried about having too many doctors and note nough jobs.

    Emergency rooms are really busy because there aren’t enough staff to help. Operations have been delayed and patients had to go to different hospitals, as said by local news.

    Over 9,000 doctors have decided not to go to work, and about 10,000 have quit at many hospitals in the country.

    Interns and new doctors are usually the ones who work in the emergency room. Their absence has been noticed a lot because hospitals have had to change the way they work to make up for it,according to officials. Last week, the country’s healthcare system was in a very serious crisis.

    The protests have gotten worse and turned into a serious disagreement, with officials saying they will take legal action.

    On Tuesday, the government said they would take away doctors’ licenses if they didn’t come back to work by the end of the month.

    President Yoon Suk-yeol said no to the doctors‘ request to stop his plan to increase the number of graduates by 60%. He believes the country needs more doctors because the population is getting older and there aren’t enough doctors to help.

    South Korea has very few doctors compared to other countries in the OECD. There are only 2. 5 doctors for every 1,000 people. There aren’t enough doctors in important areas like having babies and taking care of children.

    Over the years,different governments have tried to increase the number of students in medical schools, but they have faced strong opposition from groups of doctors.

    Health experts say that doctors are putting their own financial interests before their patients’ well-being.

    South Korea has a healthcare system that is mostly run by private companies. This means that the people who work in the medical field are not eager to have more competition and risk making less money.

    “The South Korean people should not have to deal with difficulties just to satisfy the demands of the doctors,” said Prof. Jeong Hyoung-sun, a health administration professor at Yonsei University.

  • Trump files appeal in fraud case as daily interest of $112,000 rises

    Trump files appeal in fraud case as daily interest of $112,000 rises

    Donald Trump is requesting a different judge to reconsider a decision that mandates him to pay $454 million in fines and interest for a fraud case in New York.

    This month’s decision resulted in a $355 million award, but the amount will continue to grow with interest, increasing by a minimum of $112,000 each day.
    The New York Attorney General Letitia James said she will take some of Mr. Trump’s things if he doesn’t pay.

    He was caught for lying about how much his property was worth to get a better deal on his loan.

    Judge Arthur Engoron stopped the ex-president from doing any business in the state of New York for three years.

    The Republican candidate for president is going to court again on Monday. This might cause more legal problems for him before the election in November,when he will probably run against President Joe Biden.

    Mr Trump always said he would appeal the decision because he thinks it’s a political attack against him.

    His lawyer, Alina Habba, said they want the higher court to cancel the big fine and make people trust the legal system in New York again.

    In their legal document, the lawyers asked a higher court to decide if the lower court made mistakes in the law or facts and if it acted in a way it shouldn’t have.

    The ex-president’s lawyers say he shouldn’t have been sued for breaking a law that is usually used to punish companies that cheat their customers.

    Mr Trump’s lawyers have disagreed with Judge Engoron’s decisions at least 10 times before, and they also challenged a gag order.

    The process to appeal could take a year or more.

    Mr Trump might not have to pay right away if he gives money, assets, or a bond for the amount he owes. We don’t know which path he will choose.

    Mr Trump’s two grown-up sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, have to each pay $4million and are not allowed to do business in New York for the next two years. They say they did nothing wrong and supported their dad’s appeal on Monday.

    The ex-president had to pay $83millionbecause he lost a case where a woman accused him of sexually abusing her. This made it even harder for him as he was already running out of money.

    In May 2023, he tried to sue the New York Times but he lost. He was told to pay for the reporters’ legal costs. On Monday, reporter Susanne Craig tweeted that Mr. Trump paid $392,600 as required.

    Mr. Trump is worth around$2. 6billionIt’s not clear how much money he has right now, but last year he said he has $400million in easily accessible money.

    The trial in October was about deciding what punishments Mr. Trump would get because the judge had already said he did business fraud.

    He has to deal with another case in New York City next month. In the court case, they say Mr. Trump lied about his business records to hide money he paid to a movie star before the 2016 election.

    On Monday, the prosecutor in Manhattan asked a judge to order Mr. Trump not to speak publicly about the case.

    The prosecutor’s office said they needed the measure to keep jurors, witnesses, and court staff safe from Mr. Trump’s history of saying public and upsetting things.

    Steven Cheung, who works for Trump’s campaign, said that the request is against the law and violates Mr. Trump’s rights

    He said again what the ex-president said, that the charges against him are unfair and are trying to stop him from beingelectedagain.

  • Macron claims European security depends on Russia’s defeat in Ukraine

    Macron claims European security depends on Russia’s defeat in Ukraine

    French President Emmanuel Macron said it is important for Europe’s safety to stop Russia in Ukraine and Ukraine is asking for more weapons to do so.

    During his speech in Paris, he announced that a coalition of European leaders had pledged to provide Ukraine with weaponry capable of reaching both short and long distances.

    According to him, the decision to send troops to Ukraine is causing disagreement among people, and weighing all options is important.
    Russian soldiers have recently gained more territory in Ukraine, which is struggling to find enough weapons.

    Kyiv needs weapons and supplies from the US and other Western countries to keep fighting Russia, which has a much bigger army and lots of ammunition.

    The House of Representatives has to agree on giving$95billion in aid, with $61billion of it going to Ukraine. But it’s going to be difficult for them to agree on it.

    Over the weekend, Ukraine’s defense minister said that half of the aid from Western countries to Kyiv was late, which has caused the loss of lives and territory.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin started a big attack on Ukraine three years ago. The war, which is the largest in Europe since World War Two,does not seem like it will end soon.

    On Monday, European leaders, like Germany’s Chancellor and the UK’s Foreign Secretary,met to help Ukraine.

    Representatives from the US and Canada were also there.

    President Macron said that it is important for Europe to defeat Russia for safety and stability.

    He called Russia the “main attacker” and said, “We are not fighting with the Russian people. ” We don’t want them to win.

    Mr Macron said a group of countries will give Ukraine long-range missiles and bombs to make big attacks. He didn’t say when those weapons will arrive.

    He didn’t say no to sending soldiers from Western countries to Ukraine, but he admitted there are disagreements among the allies.

    “He said that today, there was no agreement to officially send troops to the ground in any way. ” “But everything should be included in the dynamic. ” We will work hard to make sure Russia doesn’t win this war.

    “He said we shouldn’t rule out the possibility that security might require deployment of some elements. ” “I have clearly told you what France’s position is, which is strategic ambiguity and I still support it. “

    The Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, said that his country does not plan to send its troops to fight in Ukraine.

    He was responding to comments made by the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, who said that some countries are willing to send their soldiers to Ukraine, some countries are not willing to send soldiers, and some countries are still thinking about it.

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that working together to defend against Russian aggression makes our nations safer for many years. He said this during a meeting on Monday.

    Russia said many times that if Western troops go to Ukraine, it will start a fight between Russia and Nato.

  • Israel Gaza: Biden anticipates truce by next week

    Israel Gaza: Biden anticipates truce by next week

    The President of the United States, Joe Biden, wants the fighting in Israel and Gaza to stop by next Monday.

    His remarks came as reports surfaced about potential advancements in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas representatives in Qatar.

    My national security advisor informs me that we are nearly at our goal. Biden added.

    Israel started a big air and ground attack in Gaza after Hamas fighters killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel on 7 October.

    The bad people took 253 people as captives, but some of them have been let go.

    The Gaza Strip’s Health Ministry,controlled by Hamas, says that 29,782 people have died in the area, with 90 deaths on Sunday.

    President Biden, who is a close friend of Israel, was talking to reporters in New York City about the chance of stopping the fighting.

    “We’re near,” he said on Monday. “We still have more to do. “I hope that by next Monday there will be a ceasefire.

    A person from the US State Department said that there has been some progress in talks to free the Israeli hostages. But it’s still not clear if Hamas will agree to the new deal.

    Matthew Miller, the spokesperson, said that we have made progress in the talks between Egypt, Israel, the United States, and Qatar.

    Last week, many people were up set with the US for saying no to a UN request to stop fighting in Gaza right away. Instead, it suggested a short-term agreement to stop fighting, and also cautioned Israel not to attack the city of Rafah in the south of Gaza.

    Israel is getting ready to send its soldiers to Rafah to fight with Hamas fighters. On Sunday, the prime minister’s office announced that the military has made plans to help people leave the city.

    Many countries are telling Israel not to attack Rafah, where 1. 5million Palestinians are living after fleeing fighting in the north.

    In another news, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammed Shtayyeh, and his government in the West Bank have stepped down.

    President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to his decision, which could make it possible for a government of experts to be formed.

    The US wants Mr Abbas to make changes in the PA so that it can control Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas is over. Mr Abbas is feeling stressed about this.

    Last week, Mr. Netanyahu shared a plan for the land that did not include any involvement from the PA.

  • Gazan man loses 103 relatives in Israel-Hamas war

    Gazan man loses 103 relatives in Israel-Hamas war

    Ahmad al-Ghuferi managed to survive the bomb that killed his family.

    103 of his family members died in an attack on their home in Gaza City. He was 50 miles (80km) away in the town of Jericho in the West Bank.

    Ahmad was working on a construction site in Tel Aviv when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. Because of the war and Israel’s military blockade, he couldn’t go back home to his wife and three young daughters.

    Every day, he talked to them at the same time when the phones worked. On the evening of December 8th, he was on the phone with his wife, Shireen, when the attack happened.

    “She knew she was going to die,” he said. “She asked me to forgive her for anything wrong she may have done to me in the past. ” I told her she didn’t have to say that. “And that was the final time we spoke to each other. ”

    That night, a big bomb exploded at his uncle’s house and it killed his wife and three young daughters – Tala, Lana, and Najla.

    It also killed Ahmad’s mother, four of his brothers, and their families, as well as many of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. Over 100 people have died. It has been over two months, and some of their bodies are still stuck under the collapsed buildings.

    He celebrated his youngest daughter’s birthday last week. Najla would have been two years old. Ahmad is still having a hard time dealing with the loss.

    He can’t hold his kids or be at their quick funerals. But he still talks about them like they are here, and he doesn’t show any emotion on his face even though he’s crying.

    “He said his daughters are like little birds to him. ” I feel like I’m in a dream. I feel like I’m dreaming. I can’t believe what has happened to us.

    He deleted the girls’ photos from his phone and computer screens, so he doesn’t see them unexpectedly.

    He has to figure out what happened by asking some family and neighbors who are still alive.

    They said a missile hit the front of his family’s house first.

    “He said they quickly left and went to my uncle’s house close by. ” “Fifteen minutes later, a military airplane crashed into that house. ”

    A family was killed in a four-story building near Sahaba Medical Centre in Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

    It’s a pile of broken concrete with bits of colorful things in it, like a green cup and torn clothes.

    The smashed up silver car with a twisted windshield is sitting under some concrete rocks.

    Ahmad’s family member, Hamid al-Ghuferi, said to the BBC that people who ran up the hill when the strikes started lived, but those who stayed in the house died.

    “It was a belt of fire,” he said. “There were bombs hitting the four houses beside ours. ” They were attacking a house every 10 minutes.

    “He said 110 people from our family were there – including our kids and other relatives. ” “Almost all of them were killed, only a few survived. ”

    Survivors said the oldest person who died was a 98-year-old grandma, and the youngest was a baby boy who was only nine days old.

    Another family member, a cousin named Ahmad, talked about two large explosions from a bombing.

    He said they didn’t tell us ahead of time. “If some people hadn’t left this area, I think hundreds would have died. ” The place looks very different now. There was a place to park cars, a place to store water, and four houses; three small houses and one big house. The explosion destroyed an entire neighborhood full of homes.

    Hamid told that the people who lived through the accident had worked late into the night to get the bodies out from the fallen buildings.

    Airplanes were flying in the sky, and small helicopters were shooting at us while we tried to get them down, said Ahmad.

    “We were sitting in the house and then we were trapped under the debris,” Umm Ahmad al-Ghuferi said to the BBC. I was tossed back and forth. I don’t understand how they managed to rescue me. We saw someone die right in front of us.

    It has been two and a half months, and they are still trying to reach some of the bodies that are buried under the collapsed buildings. The family saved money to rent a small machine to remove the rubble.

    “We found four bodies today,” Ahmad said to the BBC. “This includes my brother’s wife and my nephew Mohammed, who was found in pieces. ” They were trapped under the fallen building for 75 days.

    Their temporary graves are on a piece of empty land close by, and they are marked with sticks and plastic sheets.

    Ahmad hasn’t been able to visit them in Jericho.

    “Why can’t I be with my mom, wife, kids, and brothers. ” he wondered “They were all regular people. ”

    We talked to the Israeli army about the family’s claim that they were attacked with air strikes. The army said it didn’t know about the attack and that they did their best to avoid hurting civilians in their fight against Hamas.

    Israeli soldiers and Hamas gunmen fought very hard in the area of Shejaiyya, not far from the al-Ghuferi house, around the time when Ahmad’s family was killed.

    On December 9th, the army said that they found some terrorists with missiles getting close to the soldiers in Shejaiyya. They called in a helicopter to attack them.

    It also said that military planes had been attacking places where terrorists are.

  • International Cocoa Organisation warns Ghana over Cocoa Sector challenges

    International Cocoa Organisation warns Ghana over Cocoa Sector challenges

    The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has issued a stark warning to Ghana, urging immediate action to address significant “structural issues” within its cocoa sector. 

    The organisation’s alert comes amidst a deepening supply crisis, with a notable 35 percent year-on-year drop in graded and sealed cocoa purchases recorded in January 2024.

    According to the ICCO, Ghana’s cocoa industry faces a multitude of challenges, including aged trees, diseases, inadequate farm gate prices, and climatic difficulties. 

    Of particular concern is the looming enforcement of the European Union’s deforestation regulation, which could further restrict cocoa production if farms fail to comply.

    “There is a general view that the ongoing supply tightness originated from structural issues,” stated the ICCO in its January cocoa market report. “With the leading producer taking strategic steps, major players must reconsider the structural challenges faced by the cocoa sector.”

    Reports from COCOBOD, Ghana’s cocoa sector regulator, indicate a significant shortfall in cocoa output for the 2023/24 season, with a projected 40 percent deficit from the targeted 820,000 metric tonnes. Factors contributing to this decline include adverse weather conditions, smuggling, illegal gold mining, and the widespread prevalence of swollen shoot disease.

    Efforts to address these production challenges are underway, including farm rehabilitation programmes and collaborative initiatives with security agencies to combat smuggling. However, the decline in cocoa production has propelled global cocoa prices to historic highs, with traders grappling with heightened demand and pricing fluctuations.

    The ripple effect of the cocoa industry’s downturn is evident, with major players like the state-owned Produce Buying Company Limited (PBC) and the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) facing financial difficulties. PBC’s creditors, owed a total of GH¢495.4million, have been authorised by the court to sell off the company’s assets to recover their loans. Similarly, the CPC is struggling with stalled expected inflows, leaving the company on the brink.

    Policy analyst Bright Simons has called for urgent reforms within the CPC, citing its low share of processed cocoa exports and a low plant utilisation rate as evidence of operational inefficiencies. Despite recent efforts to enhance efficiency, Simons deems them inadequate and underscores the need for comprehensive reforms to salvage the company from its accumulated losses and financial woes.

  • American airman dies after setting himself ablaze outside Israeli embassy in Washington

    American airman dies after setting himself ablaze outside Israeli embassy in Washington

    A member of the US Air Force passed away after setting himself ablaze in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC.

    According to the police, the man is identified as Aaron Bushnell and he is 25 years of age. He’s from San Antonio, Texas.

    The Secret Service officers put out the fire and then took the man to the hospital on Sunday afternoon.

    Before he lit himself on fire, he said he didn’t want to be part of genocide anymore.

    The man went onto a live video on Twitch and said he was in the Air Force.

    The Washington Metropolitan Police Department said that they are not sure if the video is real.

    A person from the embassy said that no one who works there got hurt in the event.

    The event occurred at 1:00pm local time (6:00pm GMT) on Sunday.

    A squad that handles bombs was called to the area because there was worry about a strange vehicle that might have been linked to the person.

    This was later said to be safe because no dangerous materials were found.

    DC police said that they are working with the US Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to look into what happened.

    Mr Bushnell was very sick and had to go to the hospital.

    This has happened before, when someone set themselves on fire outside an Israeli embassy in the US.

    In December, someone protested by lighting themselves on fire in front of the Israeli consulate in Georgia.

  • GAWU attributes inflation surge to lean season, lack of rainfall

    GAWU attributes inflation surge to lean season, lack of rainfall

    General Secretary of the Ghana Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), Edward Karewah, has cautioned that the recent surge in food prices across the country is likely to persist until the arrival of the harvest season in June 2024.

    Speaking to Joy Business in an interview, Karewah emphasized that the ongoing inflation in food prices, which saw a consecutive six-month increase to 27.1% in January 2024, is directly linked to the lean season of production. He explained that until crops such as maize and rice are harvested, the availability of fresh produce will remain limited.

    “The price of food will not get better anytime soon,” Karewah stated. “We are entering into or are already in the lean season of production, and no part of the country is experiencing a harvest of foodstuff, particularly the major staples.”

    He pointed out that the lack of rainfall in various regions has hindered farming activities, leading to a reliance on last year’s crops. Karewah noted that while farms are preparing for the upcoming planting season, the current supply of food remains largely unchanged.

    “During this season, all the foodstuff we are eating is from last year. So don’t expect food prices to come down now,” he cautioned. “We expect that by the middle to the end of March [2024], food prices will go up and stay high like that until we begin to harvest around June/July in the Southern parts of the country.”

    Meanwhile, recent inflation figures revealed that several divisions recorded rates higher than the national average. These include Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco, and Narcotics (38.5%), Personal Care, Social Protection, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (32.0%), and Restaurants and Accommodation Services (29.2%).

    Other divisions with above-average inflation rates include Furnishings, Household Equipment, and Routine Household Maintenance (27.7%), Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (27.1%), Health (26.6%), and Recreation, Sports, and Culture (24.9%).

    As Ghanaians grapple with the impact of rising food prices, Karewah’s warning underscores the urgent need for measures to address the challenges faced by the agricultural sector and ensure food security for the nation.

  • Cruise ship banned from docking due to concerns over cholera outbreak within

    Cruise ship banned from docking due to concerns over cholera outbreak within

    The cruise ship en route to Mauritius cannot make a stop due to concerns about potential cholera cases among passengers.

    More than 3,000 people are stuck on a ship near East Africa. They are waiting for test results. If the results are negative, they can leave. If the results are positive, they have to stay in quarantine for more days.

    Esther Verdaas, a tourist from the Netherlands, said that we cannot get off the ship until February 27th.

    ‘But that might take more time. ‘ Someone on the boat might have cholera. If tests confirm this, they may have to stay another ten days.

    She said to BN DeStem that she and her family were on a trip to celebrate a sixtieth birthday, but it has become a very bad experience and they feel like they are just drifting on the sea with no direction.

    One British tourist got stuck in a bad situation on land. He was supposed to get on the ship this weekend, but had to cancel his trip. Now he might have to spend a lot of money to fly back to the UK.

    The 59-year-old man said his partner is too afraid to go on the ship because they are worried it might be contaminated.

    The captain said over the loudspeaker that there was an outbreak of cholera in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He also said that someone on the boat might have the stomach illness. Verdaas said this.

    They were told to be cleaner and more careful about germs. She also noticed that they were cleaning more, including spraying and vacuuming everywhere.

    Officials in Mauritius said they made the decision to prevent any problems with people’s health.

    We have taken samples from the people on the boat to test them, and we should know the results tomorrow.

    The boat was supposed to end its journey in Port Louis, Mauritius and pick up new people. It had 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members on it.

    It got to Mauritius one day before it was supposed to because it missed its stop at Reunion Island. But it’s not allowed to go into the port.

    Ms Verdaas said that the people on the plane were feeling anxious and unsure about when they could go home and if they would lose money on hotels they had already paid for but couldn’t stay in anymore.

    She said the amount of food at meals got smaller in case the ship couldn’t get more food for a while.
    The cruise company answered.

    A person who speaks for Norwegian Cruise Line said: “On February 13, 2024, during the South Africa trip of the Norwegian Dawn ship, a few guests felt a little sick with stomach problems. ”

    When the ship came back to Port Louis, Mauritius, the people in charge of the ship met with the local government to make sure everyone on board was safe and to discuss what steps were being taken to keep everyone healthy.

    The Mauritius government has delayed when the current cruise ship can let people off and when the next cruise can start because the local authorities need more testing before they can allow people to come into the country. The new date for both the current and next cruise is February 27th.

    “Plus, we’ve added more team members to help the guests getting on the Norwegian Dawn ship in February. ” On February 25, 2024, they will take a trip from Port Louis, Mauritius. They will also get a free place to stay in a hotel until they can get on the boat. Also, we are helping guests who are currently on the ship with their changed travel plans.

    ‘We care about the safety and well-being of our guests, crew, and the places we go to the most. ‘ We make sure to keep things clean and healthy, and we ask our guests to do the same. If you feel sick, tell the medical team right away.

    Furthermore, we have improved our cleaning procedures on the ship to make sure everyone stays safe. We will keep doing whatever is needed to protect our guests, crew, and the places we go to.

    The ship stopped in South Africa before, and some passengers got a little sick in their stomach, the company Norwegian Cruise Line said.

    The Mauritius Ports Authority said in a statement that they decided not to let the cruise ship come to the dock because they want to keep everyone healthy and safe.

    The authorities care a lot about keeping passengers and the whole country safe and healthy.

    It didn’t tell us what kind of risk to our health there is.

  • CEO of Ryanair issued warning regarding ticket prices over jet scarcity

    CEO of Ryanair issued warning regarding ticket prices over jet scarcity

    Bad news for those looking to take a plane for their vacation, as air ticket prices are expected to increase in the coming months.

    Michael O’Leary, the boss of Ryanair, said that travel could get more expensive because there aren’t enough planes.

    He says that Ryanair’s ticket prices could be about 10% more costly this summer than last year.

    However, not only Ryanair, but all airlines in Europe will have a hard time meeting demand during the busy summer season because there are not enough planes available.

    Boeing has postponed giving out its new airplanes because an emergency door fell off one of its 737 Max planes at 16,000 feet.

    The planes have been causing a lot of arguments, and Mr. O’Leary says that Ryanair will only get 45 of the 57 new planes it ordered from Boeing by the end of March.

    Ryanair thought they would take 205 million people on their planes by March 2025, which is more than the 183. 5 million they took in the last year.

    Mr O’Leary said that if they have fewer airplanes, they might have to lower the number of passengers from 205 million to 200 million.

    “We don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that it’s just a little less than 200 million. ”

    This likely means that our business won’t grow much this year in Europe, so the cost of travel in Europe might go up in the summer of 2024.

    “In summer 2024, the prices for travel will be higher than they were in summer 2023. ”

    In the summer of 2023, our plane ticket prices went up by 17%.

    We don’t expect the ticket prices to go up by a lot this year.

    “We are planning our budgets with a 5-10% fare increase, which seems fair to me. ”

    It might be more than that, it might be less than that, we are not sure. If more seats were available, I believe ticket prices would go down.

    In addition to the Boeing problem, over 1,000 engines made by Pratt & Whitney had to be taken off Airbus planes because of a safety issue last July.

    Mr O’Leary said that airlines like Wizz Air, Lufthansa, and Air France will be parking at least 20% of their A320 planes.

    He said: “If we could get all 57 planes from Boeing before the end of June, we would make a lot of money this summer because airports really want to buy from us. “

  • Navalny was to be released in prisoner swap before his death – Ally

    Navalny was to be released in prisoner swap before his death – Ally

    Alexei Navalny was supposed to be released in exchange for another prisoner when he died, as said by his friend Maria Pevchikh.

    She said the Russian opposition leader was going to be traded for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian hitman who is in prison for life in Germany.

    Two Americans in Russia were also going to be included in the agreement, according to Ms.

    She said that talks will be finished on February 15th.

    The day after, Mr Navalny passed away in his prison cell in Siberia. He was serving a 19-year sentence for charges that many people believed were brought against him for political reasons. The 47-year-old got sick after going for a walk, according to prison officials.

    In a video on Mr. Navalny’s YouTube channel, Ms. Pevchikh, who leads his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), said they had been talking about exchanging prisoners for two years. She said that when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it was clear that Putin would do anything. She also said that Mr. Navalny needed to be released from jail no matter what and right away.

    Ms Pevchik said Mr. Navalny was going to be released because of a humanitarian swap, and American and German officials were part of the negotiations.

    She said they finally made a solid plan to exchange prisoners in December.

    Vadim Krasikov, a Russian man, was found guilty of shooting a former Chechen rebel leader in the head in Germany in 2019. He was going to be included in the agreement.

    Two people from the US who are currently being detained in Russia are also going to be traded, Ms. Pevchikh said, but she did not say who they are.

    In February, President Putin said he was talking to the US about releasing American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is in jail for spying.

    President Putin suggested that Russia would welcome a person who, for patriotic reasons, killed a criminal in a European city during the conflicts in the Caucasus. This almost certainly refers to Krasikov.

    Ms Pevchikh says that Russian President Vladimir Putin changed his decision about the deal at the very end. She said he didn’t want Navalny to be free. Since there was a tentative agreement for Krasikov’s release, Mr Putin decided to get rid of the bargaining chip and offer someone else instead.

    “Ms Pevchikh said that Putin hates Navalny very much. ” “He knows that Navalny could have beaten him. ”

    President Putin used to work for the KGB. He often says he will do something, but then does the opposite.

    He and his government have been following this policy for almost 25 years.

    Before Russia attacked Ukraine, President Putin and some Russian officials kept saying they did not plan to invade the country.

    We don’t know what happened to Navalny in prison, but the Kremlin has a history of pretending to negotiate for someone’s release without actually planning to let them go.

    Ms Pevchikh’s video got hundreds of thousands of views within an hour of being published.

    The Kremlin has not responded yet to the claims made by Ms Pevchikh. President Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has said before that the accusations of government involvement in Navalny’s death are “ridiculous”.

    At first, the authorities didn’t want to give Navalny’s body to his mother. They finally agreed to do so eight days after he died.

    On Monday, Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmish wrote on social media that his friends are searching for a place where people can gather to say goodbye to him later this week.

    The government will keep a close watch on this event, if it’s allowed to happen.

    A group that protects people’s rights said that 400 Russians were arrested all over the country for putting flowers to honor Navalny after he died.

  • Sing-a-thon sensation Afua Asantewaa accuses GWR of premature result reveal!

    Sing-a-thon sensation Afua Asantewaa accuses GWR of premature result reveal!

    Popular social media sensation, Afua Asantewaa, has accused the Guinness World Records (GWR) of breaching their contract by announcing the results of her singing marathon before she had the chance to do so herself.

    In an exclusive interview with GTV, Asantewaa expressed her frustration, stating that according to the contract signed with GWR, she was supposed to be informed of the results first before they were made public.

    “In the contract we signed, until I decide to let it out, they can’t. There are so many things I have tried in the past that I willingly embraced failure that brought me this far. So why would I hide the results from the public? No way,” she asserted.

    As of Friday, February 23, Asantewaa claimed she had not received the results of her record attempt due to issues accessing the email sent by GWR containing the results. Despite alerting GWR about her inability to access the email, she stated that they had not responded to her complaint.

    “We had screenshots of it as if I knew this would happen. I lodged a complaint with them that I cannot access their website or my account so they should look into it for me because I need official documents, whatever they’ve sent to make a statement,” Asantewaa explained.

    However, she assured her fans that she and her team were making plans to announce the results once GWR got back to them, emphasizing that she would not purposely hide the results and would embrace them regardless of the outcome.

    In December 2023, Asantewaa undertook the challenge to beat the existing sing-a-thon record, enduring a five-day singing marathon. Despite her efforts, the outcome of her record attempt has remained undisclosed by GWR.

    The situation escalated when rumors circulated that she may not have passed the record attempt. In January 2024, she disclosed that her team expedited the approval process by paying $750 for a priority review. However, even after the payment, her result was delayed, leading to further speculation.

    In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), GWR revealed that Asantewaa failed to break the longest singing marathon record and refunded the money paid for a priority review.

    Despite the setback, Asantewaa remains determined, emphasizing that the experience itself was an accomplishment.

    The ongoing saga has sparked debate and raised questions about the transparency of the record verification process and the handling of Asantewaa’s case by GWR.

  • President Akufo-Addo’s elephantine, wrongful and unconscionable US$48m operational expenses for the 13th African games – Ablakwa writes

    President Akufo-Addo’s elephantine, wrongful and unconscionable US$48m operational expenses for the 13th African games – Ablakwa writes

    1. Even before the dust settles on the scandalous US$8.5million AFCON budget brouhaha; unimpeachable, unassailable and incontrovertible intercepted documents in my possession reveal for the first time that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his appointees at the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have shockingly agreed to spend an elephantine, wrongful and unconscionable US$48million on so-called “operational expenses” for the 13th African Games to be hosted in Ghana between the period — March 5 to March 23, 2024. [Refer to intercepted documents attached] 

    2. It must be noted that this staggering US$48million is an entirely different amount from the mega US$195million (GHS2.4billion) already spent on infrastructure for the games. 

    3. At the prevailing exchange rate, US$48million is equivalent to a colossal GHS602million. 

    4. A careful reading of the intercepted February 13, 2024 letter signed by the LOC Executive Chairman, Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare confirms that this ginormous US$48million (GHS602million) will be spent in less than a three week period (18 days). This translates into a 6-day weekly expenditure on “operational expenses” of a mind boggling GHS200.6million, and an even more incredible daily “operational expenses” of GHS33.4million. 

    5. It is most instructive to note that apart from the blatant profligacy and reckless wastefulness by the leader of a bankrupt, debt-distress IMF bailout country; President Akufo-Addo’s conduct is absolutely wrong because Parliament approved GHS100million under Goods and Services and then GHS50million for Capital Expenditure for the 2024 expenditure by the Ministry of Youth and Sports on the 13th African Games. [see page 230 of 2024 Budget as attached]. It is therefore totally lawless and utterly repugnant for President Akufo-Addo to unilaterally vary by more than six times what Parliament has approved for non-CapEX — that is from GHS100million to GHS602million. 

    6. The intercepted documents confirm that despite Parliament’s approval of only GHS100million, President Akufo-Addo instructed the LOC to send out official request letters as recent as February 13, 2024 in which they defy Parliament and communicate their outlandish, unlawful and unjustifiable US$48million (GHS602million). 

    7. It is regrettable to note that instead of President Akufo-Addo and his appointees at the Sports Ministry and LOC acknowledging Ghana’s current economic crisis and slashing their ostentatious US$48million (GHS602million) “operational expenses” budget, he rather proceeded to personally chair fundraising meetings on the 6th and 7th of November, 2023 at the Jubilee House with an objective of raising the US$48million (GHS602million). [See evidence of the President’s meetings attached]. 

    8. A number of top executives who have received the Akufo-Addo-inspired US$48million (GHS602million) shocking request letter are outraged about the quantum for a broke country and the deliberate refusal to transparently present a breakdown. 

    9. Careful analysis of the entities President Akufo-Addo met during his now infamous fundraising engagements show that the President is mainly interested in public funds either by targeting SOEs such as GNPC, Ghana Gas, BOST and GOIL; or by targeting private companies such as MacDan, Zoomlion, MODEC and Kosmos all noted for executing huge government contracts. 

    10. Additionally, the President’s conduct raises fundamental ethical questions: how did the President select these companies? What promises did President Akufo-Addo make to these CEOs? How can other companies compete fairly with these “presidential companies” in any competitive bidding process, particularly considering the current single-source procurement epidemic? After these companies present their US$5million sponsorship cash to the President’s

  • Red Sea raids increase expenses, delay shipments – companies

    Red Sea raids increase expenses, delay shipments – companies

    Complaints from business organizations, indicate that, British companies are experiencing costly shipping and delays of up to four weeks due to the actions of the Houthi group in the Red Sea.

    The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) found that more than 1/3 of the businesses they asked have been impacted.

    That number went up to over 50% for exporters who took the survey.

    The extra costs could make things more expensive for everyone in the UK, the BCC said.

    William Bain, who is in charge of trade policy for the BCC, said that the shipping-freight industry has extra space to deal with the problems, which has given us more time.

    However, when talking to the media said: “The stress is increasing and there is only a limited amount of time that we can handle the expenses. ” The amount that prices are going up is not as bad as during the pandemic, but prices will still go up.

    Exporters, stores, middlemen, and makers were the most affected, according to the BCC. This left some with not enough products to sell or make things, and they also had money problems.

    The BCC said that shipping around the bottom of Africa at the Cape of Good Hope was making deliveries take three to four weeks longer. Some companies said they had to pay over 300% more for renting shipping containers.

    Rachael Waring, who runs Warings Furniture, said that the conflict has been hurting her business since before Christmas. Her company brings in furniture for pubs and restaurants.

    “We needed to plan for more money because the prices for containers have been a lot higher than we expected,” she told BBC’s Wake Up To Money.

    She is giving customers extra services to make up for being late. However, she wants to try to reduce the higher costs by bargaining for lower prices with the Chinese factories she gets her products from. She also wants to prevent raising prices for customers if possible.

    The BCC, which stands for the British Chambers of Commerce and represents over 50,000 businesses, wants the government to provide more help to companies that export goods. They are asking for the creation of a council to promote trade.

    Mr Bain said that the UK sold less stuff to other countries in 2023 and because the world doesn’t want to buy as much, the government needs to help out in the March Budget.

    He said that it would be harder for small businesses like Rachael’s compared to bigger companies. He suggested that the government could make changes to business taxes to help small businesses during tough times.

    The cost of shipping has gone up because Houthis attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. The group supported by Iran said it was attacking ships connected to Israel, the US, and the UK to help Hamas.

    The US and the UK bombed Houthi targets in Yemen.

    The Red Sea is the quickest way to travel by sea between Asia and Europe. Big shipping companies like Mediterranean Shipping Company and Maersk are sending their ships on a longer route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope and then up the west side of the continent. However, it has caused prices to increase, including for insurance, and has also led to delays.

    Earlier this month, one of the most well-known tea brands in the UK, Tetley, said that their supplies were low, and another tea company, Yorkshire Tea, is keeping a close eye on the situation.

    The BCC listened to over 1,000 businesses in their yearly survey. It happened from January 15th to February 9th.

    90 out of every 100 companies that replied were small businesses with less than 250 workers.

  • GAWU foresees continued food price hike until harvest season

    GAWU foresees continued food price hike until harvest season

    General Secretary of the Ghana Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), Edward Karewah, has cautioned that the recent surge in food prices across the country is likely to persist until the arrival of the harvest season in June 2024.

    Speaking to Joy Business in an interview, Karewah emphasized that the ongoing inflation in food prices, which saw a consecutive six-month increase to 27.1% in January 2024, is directly linked to the lean season of production. He explained that until crops such as maize and rice are harvested, the availability of fresh produce will remain limited.

    “The price of food will not get better anytime soon,” Karewah stated. “We are entering into or are already in the lean season of production, and no part of the country is experiencing a harvest of foodstuff, particularly the major staples.”

    He pointed out that the lack of rainfall in various regions has hindered farming activities, leading to a reliance on last year’s crops. Karewah noted that while farms are preparing for the upcoming planting season, the current supply of food remains largely unchanged.

    “During this season, all the foodstuff we are eating is from last year. So don’t expect food prices to come down now,” he cautioned. “We expect that by the middle to the end of March [2024], food prices will go up and stay high like that until we begin to harvest around June/July in the Southern parts of the country.”

    Meanwhile, recent inflation figures revealed that several divisions recorded rates higher than the national average. These include Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco, and Narcotics (38.5%), Personal Care, Social Protection, and Miscellaneous Goods and Services (32.0%), and Restaurants and Accommodation Services (29.2%).

    Other divisions with above-average inflation rates include Furnishings, Household Equipment, and Routine Household Maintenance (27.7%), Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (27.1%), Health (26.6%), and Recreation, Sports, and Culture (24.9%).

    As Ghanaians grapple with the impact of rising food prices, Karewah’s warning underscores the urgent need for measures to address the challenges faced by the agricultural sector and ensure food security for the nation.

  • Children in Gaza hunt for food to keep families alive

    Children in Gaza hunt for food to keep families alive

    In some places and times, just being alive is an accomplishment for a boy. It’s even harder for him to go out every day and find food for his family to eat.

    Every morning, 11-year-old Mohammed Zo’rab goes out into the southern Gaza city of Rafah to do something important.

    He brings a large plastic bowl to schools and makeshift camps where people who are like his own family are suffering. He hopes to find food for the children of strangers in these places.

    Mohammed also goes to hospitals where people who are hurt come at all times, and anywhere else there might be a pot cooking on a fire.

    He said, “When I bring this food to my family, they are happy and we eat together. ”

    “Sometimes I don’t have anything with me and it makes me feel unhappy. ”

    Mohammed is the oldest of four kids and lives with his mom, dad, and brothers and sisters in a weak shelter made of plastic and tarp.

    Khaled’s dad walks around Rafah to find small jobs to make five shekels (about $1. 38; £108) to buy diapers for their two-month-old daughter, Howaida.

    Mohammed is one of many kids who have to find food for their families.

    “I am good at moving through big crowds without causing trouble. Once, there were nearly 100 people in line in front of me, but I managed to squeeze my way through,” he explains.

    At home, he gives the bowl of baked beans to his mom, Samar. She gives the food to the other kids. She looks thin and hardly eats.

    “I have bone cancer,” she says. I am 31 years old, but people often think I look 60. I am unable to walk.

    “When I walk, I feel really exhausted. ” “My whole body hurts and I need medical care and good food. ”

    Samar and her family moved to Rafah from their home in Khan Younis because the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it would be a safe place to go. That happened three months ago.

    Since then, the war has been getting closer to Rafah. Over 70 people died a little over two weeks ago when Israel attacked to free two hostages held by Hamas.

    The Zo’rab family’s house is leaking and the floor is getting wet from the rain. Sometimes, baby Howaida doesn’t have new diapers.

    Every day, a lot of people are living in a small area next to the Egyptian border, and they face a lot of problems.

    85% of people in Gaza have had to leave their homes. The help that is being sent to Gaza is not enough to meet the needs of the people there.

    The UN says we need 500 trucks of help every day. On average, it has been ninety each day.

    The situation in northern Gaza is very difficult.

    Israel believes that the United Nations is not giving out aid properly in the northern area. They also say that there are a lot of aid supplies that need to be picked up on the Gaza side of the border.

    The organization stopped sending food to northern Gaza because it’s not safe for the truck drivers. They have been attacked by criminals and people are stealing the food.

    A truck was hit by a shell from an Israeli boat, according to the UN.

    Also, the police in charge in Gaza don’t want to protect food trucks anymore because they are scared of getting shot by the IDF.


    “Return our people to us” .

    In Israel, most people still support the military’s conduct of the war.

    No one seems to agree on helping the people in Gaza more. A survey found that 68% of Jewish people don’t want to send aid to Gaza as long as Hamas is holding Israeli hostages.

    On the other hand, Arab Israelis were 85% in favor of aid.

    Zvika Mor, whose oldest son, Eitan, is being held captive in Gaza, talks about how much he and his family miss Eitan, who was the first to call him “Daddy. ” He also mentioned how Eitan’s absence has affected their family of seven other children.

    Eitan was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival. Unfortunately, Hamas killed about 360 people at the festival. Eitan did not have a weapon to protect himself or others.

    MrMor leads a small group of families of hostages who want their loved ones to be returned before talking to Hamas about anything. They don’t want the government to make a deal unless there is a ceasefire, more help for people in Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

    Israel is causing a big problem for the people in Gaza. Mor says that we want to set our people free.

    “We want our people back. Before anything else, give us our people back. ”

    He said it might seem harsh, but we have to think about the babies, women, and older people in Gaza.

    “It’s really easy. ” If you bring us our friends, we will give you food and medicine. That’s really easy.

    In Gaza, charities are giving the little food they have left to help people.

    Mahmoud Al-Quishawi from the charity Pious Projects of America was near the hot pots of beans where Mohammed got food for his family.

    “We work hard every day to help these people and let them know that we are here for them and will support them,” said Mr Al-Quishawi.

    The charity doesn’t have any more bottled gas to cook food, so volunteers are gathering wood and making fires to cook instead.

    “He says the air feels sad. ” “The situation is really bad. ”

    In northern Gaza, children are getting sick and dying because they don’t have enough food. The British charity Action Aid said a doctor in northern Gaza found that many children had died.

    DrHussam Abu Safiya, who is in charge of children’s health at Kamal Adwan Hospital, said that many children are not getting enough food and are getting sick with stomach problems.

    Action Aid found that out of every six young children who were checked at shelters and health centers for displaced people in January, one was very malnourished.

    The charity says that there has been a big drop in the amount of food people have in just three months, which is a very unusual thing all around the world.

    Another doctor at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in northern Gaza said he helped a two-month-old boy named Mahmoud Fatouh, but unfortunately, the baby died shortly after reaching the hospital.

    “This baby couldn’t get milk. “Amjad Aliwa said that his mother didn’t have enough food to breastfeed him.

    “He was very dehydrated and was hardly breathing when he arrived. ”

    In Gaza, the people are stuck because of war and hunger.

  • IES, COPEC demand transparency amidst fuel quality concerns

    IES, COPEC demand transparency amidst fuel quality concerns

    The Institute for Energy Security (IES) and the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) have raised questions about the National Petroleum Authority’s (NPA) decision to impose additional sanctions on Chinese-owned Sentuo Oil Refinery, given concerns about the quality of its products.

    In a joint release seen by GhanaWeb Business, the two organizations called on the NPA to disclose the full extent of the sanctions imposed on Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited (SORL) following the release of allegedly substandard products onto the Ghanaian market.

    “One wonders, if indeed the Sentuo refinery products on the market are not a source of worry why the additional sanctions by the NPA?” the statement from IES and COPEC queried. They urged the NPA to provide transparency by making public the complete list of sanctions imposed on SORL since the release of the controversial products.

    Moreover, the organizations emphasized the need for appropriate compensations to be made to affected stakeholders, including the Association of Oil Marketing Companies and consumers who experienced issues with their engines due to the alleged substandard fuel.

    “The NPA must be made aware of the fact that any such sanctions on the Chinese refinery must factor due and appropriate compensations to both the Association Of Oil Marketing Companies and its members affected by the bad fuel and its attendant challenges on their facilities as well as the consumers who patronised these products and are currently grappling with one issue or the other on their engines,” the release stated.

    This latest development follows earlier concerns raised by IES and COPEC regarding Sentuo Oil Refinery’s operations and the quality of its fuel products. The organizations accused the refinery of supplying substandard fuel and operating without the appropriate permits from the NPA.

    In response, the NPA refuted these claims, asserting that it has enforced industry regulations fairly and equitably, and has not shown favoritism towards Sentuo Oil Refinery. However, IES and COPEC remain steadfast in their demand for transparency and accountability regarding the enforcement of sanctions against SORL.

  • British High Commissioner pledges support for poultry and cashew sectors in Dormaa enclave

    British High Commissioner pledges support for poultry and cashew sectors in Dormaa enclave

    British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, has pledged to explore opportunities for private investment in the poultry and cashew sectors within the Dormaa enclave. 

    During a working visit to Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, the Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area and President of Bono Regional House of Chiefs, at the Abanpredease Palace in Dormaa-Ahenkro, Thompson assured that the High Commission would work with her team to implement this initiative, with the support of the government, to enhance the quality of life for residents in Dormaa and the entire Bono Region.

    Thompson highlighted the UK government’s commitment to supporting the Bono Region, particularly in education, through initiatives aimed at reintegrating out-of-school children and young adults back into training programs. 

    She emphasized the longstanding and deep-rooted relationship between Ghana and the United Kingdom, dating back to the pre-colonial era, noting that today’s relations are based on mutual respect, shared values, and a recognition of Ghana’s importance and potential on the world stage.

    “The UK’s work on development goes beyond what we think of traditionally as aid,” Thompson stated. “So here in the Bono Region, we have worked on health, assisting the Holy Family Hospital in Techiman with equipment and training.”

    Thompson commended Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II for his efforts to improve the living standards of his people, acknowledging his role in nurturing Ghana’s democracy as the country faces elections this year. She expressed optimism about the partnership between the UK and Ghana, emphasizing the shared goal of realizing Ghana’s full potential.

    The visit of the British High Commissioner underscores the importance of international cooperation and investment in promoting economic development and improving livelihoods in Ghana’s regions. 

    As discussions continue and plans are set into motion, the people of Dormaa and the Bono Region can look forward to opportunities for growth and prosperity in the poultry and cashew sectors.

  • GETFund vows to sue contractor over alleged closure of school

    The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) is embroiled in a contentious legal standoff with contractor Kontoh Sadea and Sons, as the contractor reportedly locks up the Akyem Asene Roman Catholic Basic School in the Asene-Manso-Akroso District of the Eastern Region over unpaid fees.

    According to reports, the contractor took the drastic action in response to what it claims is the government’s failure to compensate for work done after the school building was handed over eight years ago. The six-unit classroom block, which also includes offices, a computer lab, and a toilet facility, stands shuttered amid the dispute.

    In a statement issued by GETFund on Thursday, February 22, the organization refuted the contractor’s claims, asserting that all outstanding payments had been settled in accordance with the terms of the contract. The statement specified that an amount totaling GHC52,466.96, with REF no FIDELITY012, was disbursed to the subcontractor’s bank on March 7, 2023.

    “We wish to emphasize that the contended amount has been paid to the subcontractor, Kontoh Sadea and Sons, in accordance with our agreement,” the statement read.

    GETFund further underscored that upon the official handover of the school building on February 15, it became the property of the government. Consequently, any attempt by the contractor to close the school would be met with legal repercussions.

    “We shall be left with no other option than to pursue legal action if the school is closed down by the contractor or at their instructions,” the statement added.

    The closure of the Akyem Asene Roman Catholic Basic School underscores the far-reaching consequences of financial disputes within the education sector. As both parties stand firm in their positions, the fate of the school and its students hangs in the balance, pending resolution of the ongoing legal impasse.

  • Air Force man in Washington DC, sets himself on fire in front of Israeli embassy

    Air Force man in Washington DC, sets himself on fire in front of Israeli embassy

    An individual from the US Air Force suffered severe injuries after setting himself ablaze in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington.

    The Secret Service officers put out the fire and then took the man to the hospital because he had serious injuries. This all happened on Sunday afternoon.

    The US Air Force said a person who is currently serving in the military was involved in the situation, but they have not said who it is.

    The police, Secret Service, and other officials are looking into the matter.

    The man went on Twitch and told everyone that he is a member of the Air Force.

    Before he set himself on fire, he said he didn’t want to be a part of genocide anymore. He also shouted “Free Palestine” while he was burning.

    A special team that handles bombs was sent to the area because they were worried about a strange vehicle that might be related to the person.

    This was later said to be not dangerous after they didn’t find any harmful things.

    A spokeswoman for the embassy said that no embassy staff members were hurt in the incident.

    The Israeli foreign ministry said that embassy staff did not know the man.

    This has happened before when someone set themselves on fire in front of an Israeli embassy in the US.

    In December, someone protesting burned themselves in front of the Israeli consulate in Georgia.

    The police said the protester used gasoline, and they found a Palestinian flag at the place where it happened.

  • Dispute over unpaid fees prompts closure of Akyem Asene Roman Catholic Basic School

    Dispute over unpaid fees prompts closure of Akyem Asene Roman Catholic Basic School

    The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) is embroiled in a contentious legal standoff with contractor Kontoh Sadea and Sons, as the contractor reportedly locks up the Akyem Asene Roman Catholic Basic School in the Asene-Manso-Akroso District of the Eastern Region over unpaid fees.

    According to reports, the contractor took the drastic action in response to what it claims is the government’s failure to compensate for work done after the school building was handed over eight years ago. The six-unit classroom block, which also includes offices, a computer lab, and a toilet facility, stands shuttered amid the dispute.

    In a statement issued by GETFund on Thursday, February 22, the organization refuted the contractor’s claims, asserting that all outstanding payments had been settled in accordance with the terms of the contract. The statement specified that an amount totaling GHC52,466.96, with REF no FIDELITY012, was disbursed to the subcontractor’s bank on March 7, 2023.

    “We wish to emphasize that the contended amount has been paid to the subcontractor, Kontoh Sadea and Sons, in accordance with our agreement,” the statement read.

    GETFund further underscored that upon the official handover of the school building on February 15, it became the property of the government. Consequently, any attempt by the contractor to close the school would be met with legal repercussions.

    “We shall be left with no other option than to pursue legal action if the school is closed down by the contractor or at their instructions,” the statement added.

    The closure of the Akyem Asene Roman Catholic Basic School underscores the far-reaching consequences of financial disputes within the education sector. As both parties stand firm in their positions, the fate of the school and its students hangs in the balance, pending resolution of the ongoing legal impasse.

  • Parliament implements security measures ahead of President’s State of the Nation Address

    Parliament implements security measures ahead of President’s State of the Nation Address

    As anticipation builds for President Akufo-Addo’s forthcoming State of the Nation Address, the Parliament of Ghana has implemented stringent security measures to ensure the smooth conduct of proceedings during the highly anticipated event.

    In adherence to parliamentary convention, members have been reminded of the importance of punctuality, with a strict requirement to be present in the chamber by 9:00 a.m. Furthermore, it has been deemed inappropriate for members to enter or exit the chamber after the commencement of proceedings.

    In preparation for the delivery of the presidential address, the business statement for the fourth week ending Friday, March 1, 2024, has outlined specific security protocols that MPs must follow. Notably, members are required to prominently display their parliamentary identification cards to facilitate security checks and ensure seamless access to the chamber.

    To further enhance security, access to certain areas within the parliamentary complex, including the Speaker’s Lobby and the Clerks-at-the-Table Lobby, will be restricted to individuals holding special invitation cards. Members of both the majority and minority sides are instructed to utilize designated exits during and after the address, with the majority side directed towards the Division Room area and the minority side towards their designated exit.

    In a bid to maintain a safe environment, members are also reminded to ensure that their Protection Officers refrain from carrying weapons within the Chamber Block and surrounding areas on the day of the address.

    These security measures underscore Parliament’s commitment to upholding order and ensuring the safety of all attendees during this significant parliamentary event. As preparations continue for the State of the Nation Address, MPs are urged to comply fully with the established guidelines and cooperate with security personnel to ensure a successful and incident-free session.

  • Labour sceptical of State of the Nation Address impact on economic hardships

    Labour sceptical of State of the Nation Address impact on economic hardships

    As Ghana prepares for President Akufo-Addo‘s penultimate State of the Nation Address scheduled for Tuesday, February 27, organised labour has voiced disillusionment, expressing little hope for meaningful resolutions to the economic hardships faced by workers.

    In an exclusive interview with 3news labour correspondent in Accra, labour leaders highlighted a myriad of economic challenges plaguing workers, including high taxes, soaring prices of goods, and the depreciation of the cedi. 

    These factors, they asserted, have significantly eroded the purchasing power of workers’ earnings, despite a recent 23% adjustment in salaries following negotiations with the government.

    The leadership of organised labour underscored their lack of confidence in the impending State of the Nation Address to address these pressing issues effectively. They lamented that while the government has allocated substantial funds for programs such as the free Senior High School (SHS) initiative, critical areas within the education sector remain underfunded, leading to infrastructure challenges and delayed payments of essential grants and allowances.

    Specifically, unions in education, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT), called on President Akufo-Addo to identify alternative sources of funding for the free SHS program. Despite the government’s expenditure of over seven billion cedis on the initiative since its inception in 2017, concerns persist over inadequate funding and the subsequent impact on educational infrastructure and teacher welfare.

    Issues such as the non-payment of capitation grants, transfer grants, and subscriptions for schools, as well as outstanding allowances for teachers in deprived areas, have yet to be adequately addressed. The unions emphasized the need for stakeholder consultations to address these challenges comprehensively.

    As anticipation builds for President Akufo-Addo’s address, the sentiments expressed by organised labour underscore the urgency for concrete measures to alleviate economic burdens and ensure adequate funding for critical sectors such as education. The outcome of the address and subsequent government actions will undoubtedly be closely scrutinized by workers and stakeholders across Ghana.

  • Pakistani woman wearing Arabic-print dress escapes mob accusing her of blasphemy

    Pakistani woman wearing Arabic-print dress escapes mob accusing her of blasphemy

    A group of angry people in Pakistan got mad at a woman for wearing a dress with Arabic writing thinking it was from the Quran.

    The police rescued her and escorted her to safety due to the large crowd that had gathered.She later expressed her regret in the presence of others.
    The dress has the word “sweet” written in Arabic on it.

    Speaking or doing something that disrespects a religion is a serious crime in Pakistan and can result in a death penalty. Some people have been attacked and killed before they have a chance to go to court.

    The police told the media that they got a call at about 1:10PM on Sunday that a lot of people were gathered around a woman at a restaurant in Lahore, which is in the Pakistani province of Punjab.

    Assistant Superintendent Syeda Shehrbano said that about 300 people were waiting outside the restaurant when they arrived.

    Videos of the incident were shared on social media. One video showed a frightened woman sitting in the back of the restaurant, covering her face with her hand.

    In a different place, she was with police officers who were protecting her from a crowd that wanted her to take off her shirt. In some videos, you can hear people saying that those who insult their religion should be killed by cutting off their heads.

    A video on social media shows Ms Shehrbano standing at the entrance of the restaurant, trying to calm down a rowdy crowd.

    She said no one really understood what was written on the shirt. The important thing was to make sure the woman was safe by getting her out of the area.

    Ms Shehrbano says that she had to “talk and discuss” with the crowd.

    “We said we would bring the woman with us. We will consider her actions and hold her responsible for any crime she committed according to the law. “

    Later, the video showed Ms Shehrbano putting her arm around the woman, who was wearing a black robe and headscarf, and moving through the crowd. Other police officers joined hands to make a pathway as people in the crowd pushed forward.

    Ms Shehrbano said that people who support the TLP party were also in the crowd.

    The woman was taken to a police station, where a few religious scholars said that the writing on her dress was Arabic calligraphy, and not verses from the Quran.

    The police asked the experts to make a video that said what they found and that the woman didn’t do anything wrong.

    “I didn’t mean to do it, it was an accident. “”I’m sorry for what happened, and I promise it won’t happen again,” she said. She also said she is a very religious Muslim and would never disrespect her religion.

    Officials said she went to Lahore to shop and has already left the city.

    Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, who used to give advice to the prime minister about religious matters, said on Twitter that the men in the crowd should have apologized instead of the woman.

    Ms Shehrbano said that the authorities have noticed a growing number of similar incidents like the one on Sunday.

    “If I didn’t yell and persuade the crowd to help,things would have gotten worse. I’m grateful,” she said. Many people have said good things about her, and the Chief of Punjab police wants her to get an award for being brave.

    India’s British rulers created laws against blasphemy, and these laws were made even stricter in the 1980s by the military government.

    Last August,many churches and houses were set on fire in Jaranwala, a city in eastern Pakistan. This happened because two men from the city were accused of ruining the Quran.

  • Prophet Bernard gifts struggling gospel artiste Edward Akwasi Boateng with car and scholarship for his children

    Prophet Bernard gifts struggling gospel artiste Edward Akwasi Boateng with car and scholarship for his children

    Prophet Bernand El Bernard, the head pastor of Spirit Life Revival Ministry, has delivered a life-changing gift to well-known gospel artiste Edward Akwasi Boateng during a church service on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

    Captured in a video shared by blogger Zhikay Ikejunior, the heart-warming moment unfolded at the Spiritual Revival Ministry in Accra. Prophet Bernand, alongside his congregation, welcomed Boateng and surprised many by unveiling a series of valuable gifts. These included a brand-new car, an all-expense-paid scholarship for Boateng’s children up to university, and a monthly allowance to alleviate his recent financial crisis.

    The touching gesture left Boateng visibly moved and speechless, expressing profound gratitude for the unexpected support extended to him during these challenging times.

    This act of benevolence follows the circulation of a viral video on the internet, showcasing Boateng selling pen drives and CDs at a bus station in Kumasi. The footage shed light on the gospel musician’s financial struggles, triggering an outpouring of empathy and support from the public.

    Boateng’s journey through adversity traces back to the breakdown of his marriage two years ago, during which he endured maltreatment and unfair treatment due to financial strain. The artist was forced to sell nearly 17 vehicles he owned to cope with mounting challenges.

    Despite Boateng’s storied career and successful hits such as “Makoma so Ade,” “Kae asem a waka,” and “mebo wodin,” financial hardships continued to plague him, prompting widespread concern from fans and well-wishers. His recent public appearance selling merchandise served as a poignant reminder of the struggles he faced, igniting a wave of compassion and solidarity from those aware of his predicament.

    Prophet Bernand’s extraordinary act of kindness serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration, reminding us of the transformative power of compassion and generosity in times of need. As Boateng embarks on a new chapter, buoyed by the support of his community and the unwavering kindness of strangers, his story stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the profound impact of selfless acts of kindness.

  • Okudzeto Ablakwa hints at another expose on govt expenditure on All Africa Games

    Okudzeto Ablakwa hints at another expose on govt expenditure on All Africa Games

    Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has hinted at the imminent release of documents pertaining to an upcoming scandal. 

    Ablakwa’s post on February 25, 2024, has sparked anticipation as Ghanaians await the unveiling of what could potentially be a significant exposé.

    “Kindly be on the lookout for a publication of newly intercepted documents at 6 am prompt, tomorrow Monday, February 26, 2024. For God and Country. Ghana First,” Ablakwa’s post read, leaving followers and observers speculating about the nature of the revelations to come.

    Ablakwa’s recent comments during an interview on TV3’s Hot Issues program have provided some insight into the focus of his upcoming disclosure. The MP raised concerns about the allocation of funds in relation to sports infrastructure, particularly in light of Ghana’s hosting of the upcoming All Africa Games.

    Highlighting discrepancies in expenditure during the recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, Ablakwa pointed out that while the government had budgeted $8.5 million for the event, only $3 million was reportedly spent. He underscored the absence of FIFA-standard pitches in the country despite substantial financial allocations.

    “I’ll soon publish my next scandal on the upcoming All African Games,” Ablakwa emphasized during the interview, suggesting that his forthcoming revelations may shed light on further issues surrounding sports governance and expenditure.

    Ablakwa’s track record of exposing alleged mismanagement and malfeasance within various sectors has garnered attention and raised expectations for his upcoming disclosure. As Ghanaians await the release of the intercepted documents, speculation mounts regarding the potential impact on the sports landscape and broader implications for accountability and transparency in governance.

    The unveiling of Ablakwa’s latest revelations promises to ignite debate and scrutiny, underscoring the importance of transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, particularly in the context of major sporting events.

  • Former Brazil president refutes claims of coup

    Former Brazil president refutes claims of coup

    Ex-president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, says he’s been unfairly targeted by politics since leaving office a year ago.

    He said to a lot of people in São Paulo that the claims of a coup against him were not true.

    He also asked for forgiveness for many of his followers who were found guilty of attacking public buildings.

    The police are checking if Mr Bolsonaro encouraged a failed attempt to take over the government after he lost the 2022 election.

    Speaking at a rally in Brazil’s biggest city on Sunday, the 68-year-old ex-president said the accusations against him are just a way to attack him politically.

    He said we should forget about the past and let Brazil move forward.

    He also talked about the next election for president in 2026.

    Mr Bolsonaro cannot run for office for eight years because he said the last election in Brazil was not fair, even though there is no proof of this.

    A lot of people wearing yellow and green colors, like the Brazilian flag, came together to listen to Mr. I talked to some people who are here to show that they want to be free, especially to speak their minds.

    They are upset because they think Mr. Bolsonaro could go to jail for expressing his opinion.

    Many people who support him at the event said that the last election was not fair, but there is no proof of this. He told them not to bring posters that say bad things or criticize institutions like the Supreme Court.

    Alexandre França, a 53-year-old boss of a business, told the BBC that a lot of people came to the rally because “we need to say what we want for our country. ”

    “Today, everyone is scared of being controlled or silenced. ” I believe we’re here to make an appearance. He said he wants freedom for everyone in Brazil.

    Rogério Morgado, a 55-year-old soldier, was also interviewed by the BBC as a participant in the rally. He said that Brazilian politicians are scared of people protesting in the streets, it’s the only thing that they are afraid of.

    The authorities are keeping a close eye on Mr. Bolsonaro’s speech to see if he says anything that could make people start riots or damage the electoral system.

    Earlier this month, the ex-president had to give up his passport because he is being investigated for trying to change the results of the October 2022 election and convincing military leaders to join a coup.

    After he didn’t win the vote against the left-winger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, many of his supporters broke into government buildings in the capital Brasília. They stole things and damaged the buildings.

    Three people who support Mr. Bolsonaro have been taken by the police, and the leader of his political party has also been taken into custody.

    The police say they are spreading doubts about the voting system, which his supporters are using as a reason to come together.

    The police believe that this created a situation where a coup could happen. When the armed forces didn’t help, his angry supporters attacked Congress, the Supreme Court building, and the presidential palace on 8 January last year.

    Mr Bolsonaro was in the United States when the attack on Congress happened. He came back to Brazil in March 2023 and said he wasn’t scared of anything.

    He is still the most important leader for the conservative side in Brazilian politics.Ex-president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, says he’s been unfairly targeted by politics since leaving his job a year ago.

    He said to a lot of people in São Paulo that the claims of a coup against him were not true.

    He also asked for forgiveness for many of his followers who were found guilty of attacking public buildings.

    The police are checking if Mr Bolsonaro encouraged a failed attempt to take over the government after he lost the 2022 election.

    Speaking at a rally in Brazil’s biggest city on Sunday, the 68-year-old ex-president said the accusations against him are just a way to attack him politically.

    He said we should forget about the past and let Brazil move forward.

    He also talked about the next election for president in 2026.

    Mr Bolsonaro cannot run for office for eight years because he said the last election in Brazil was not fair, even though there is no proof of this.

    A lot of people wearing yellow and green colors, like the Brazilian flag, came together to listen to Mr. I talked to some people who are here to show that they want to be free, especially to speak their minds.

    They are upset because they think Mr. Bolsonaro could go to jail for expressing his opinion.

    Many people who support him at the event said that the last election was not fair, but there is no proof of this. He told them not to bring posters that say bad things or criticize institutions like the Supreme Court.

    Alexandre França, a 53-year-old boss of a business, told the BBC that a lot of people came to the rally because “we need to say what we want for our country. ”

    “Today, everyone is scared of being controlled or silenced. ” I believe we’re here to make an appearance. He said he wants freedom for everyone in Brazil.

    Rogério Morgado, a 55-year-old soldier, was also interviewed by the media as a participant in the rally. He said that Brazilian politicians are scared of people protesting in the streets, it’s the only thing that they are afraid of.

    The authorities are keeping a close eye on Mr. Bolsonaro’s speech to see if he says anything that could make people start riots or damage the electoral system.

    Earlier this month, the ex-president had to give up his passport because he is being investigated for trying to change the results of the October 2022 election and convincing military leaders to join a coup.

    After he didn’t win the vote against the left-winger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, many of his supporters broke into government buildings in the capital Brasília. They stole things and damaged the buildings.

    Three people who support Mr. Bolsonaro have been taken by the police, and the leader of his political party has also been taken into custody.

    The police say they are spreading doubts about the voting system, which his supporters are using as a reason to come together.

    The police believe that this created a situation where a coup could happen. When the armed forces didn’t help, his angry supporters attacked Congress, the Supreme Court building, and the presidential palace on 8 January last year.

    Mr Bolsonaro was in the United States when the attack on Congress happened. He came back to Brazil in March 2023 and said he wasn’t scared of anything.

    He is still the most important leader for the conservative side in Brazilian politics.

  • Biden certain on military aid deal for Ukraine after approval of $60 billion

    Biden certain on military aid deal for Ukraine after approval of $60 billion

    Joe Biden has assured the President of Ukraine that $60 billion in military assistance is on its way.

    The decision still needs to be approved by Congress, but Mr. Biden told Volodymyr Zelensky that he believes it will pass.

    Mr Zelensky asked for more weapons to prevent a very bad situation in Europe.

    The US says Ukraine stopped fighting in Avdiivka because they didn’t have enough support from Congress.

    Capturing Avdiivka, which is an important entrance to the Russian-seized Donetsk regional capital in the east, is the first significant advancement for Russia since they took control of nearby Bakhmut in May.

    “The soldiers in Ukraine had to leave Avdiivka because they didn’t have enough bullets. This happened because the government didn’t take action,” said the White House.

    Earlier this week, the US Senate agreed to give $95 billion in foreign aid. This includes $60 billion for Ukraine. It took a long time for this decision to be made because of political disagreements. However, it is still difficult for the bill to pass in the House of Representatives because the Republican Party members cannot agree on it.

    “Mr Biden said Ukrainian people have fought bravely and heroically. It’s absurd to walk away when they are running out of ammunition. ”

    “I think it’s wrong and goes against our country’s values,” he added. “So I will keep fighting until they have the weapons and resources to defend themselves. ”

    The president of Ukraine asked American lawmakers to give the okay for the money help.

    “I’m happy that the American president fully supports me,” he wrote on Telegram.

    Mr Zelensky went to Germany and asked for more weapons to avoid a very bad situation in Europe.

    “He said that by not giving Ukraine enough weapons, especially artillery and long-range weapons, it helps Putin in the current war. ”

    “Ukrainians have shown that we can make Russia back off,” he said. “We can reclaim our land. ”

    “Don’t ask Ukraine when the fighting will stop. ” Ask yourself, why can Putin still be in charge.

    Ukraine needs weapons from the US and other Western countries to fight against Russia, which has a much bigger military and lots of ammunition.

    UK’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that if the UK, the EU, and the US help Ukraine, it will really help in their fight against Russia.

    In an interview with the BBC, Ukrainian politician Oleksiy Goncharenko said he was disappointed by the American leaders.

    “He said that if you can’t trust your partner, because America promised to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, where is that support now. ”

    “We are dying every day. ”

    Avdiivka has been in a lot of fighting for many months and has been a town where battles have been happening since 2014. Russian-backed fighters took control of large parts of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

    The capture of Avdiivka is the most significant event on the front line in over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) since Russian soldiers took control of Bakhmut in May 2023.

    Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic, was happy that Russia gained more land.

    The city of Avdiivka in Russia’s Donbas region has now gone back to Russia, the mayor announced in a video on Telegram.

    “I want to thank the Russian military, our army, and our president for helping us continue to free the Donetsk People’s Republic. This is a big deal for all of us living in Donbas. ”

    On Saturday, the leader of the Ukrainian military, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, said they made the decision to leave early to protect their soldiers from being surrounded and to keep them safe and healthy.

    “Our soldiers did their job well in the military. They tried hard to defeat the Russian army and caused a lot of damage to the enemy’s soldiers and equipment,” he said.

  • General Legal Council dragged to court for unlawfully suspending lawyer’s license

    General Legal Council dragged to court for unlawfully suspending lawyer’s license

    Legal practitioner Kwame Fosu-Gyeabour has filed a writ at the High Court challenging the actions of the General Legal Council (GLC). Fosu-Gyeabour alleges that the GLC’s decision to bar him from practicing law is not only unlawful but also unconstitutional.

    The saga began on April 20, 2023, when Fosu-Gyeabour was convicted and sentenced by the GLC’s disciplinary committee, resulting in a twelve-month suspension from practicing law starting May 1, 2023. 

    However, before he could obtain a copy of the decision, the GLC released a public notice on May 2, 2023, detailing his sentence via various social media platforms, a move he deems as irregular and unfair.

    Despite filing an appeal and obtaining a stay of execution from the Court of Appeal, the GLC allegedly failed to communicate this to the public, continuing to portray Fosu-Gyeabour as suspended. Even after the Supreme Court dismissed the GLC’s motion to quash the stay of execution, Fosu-Gyeabour claims the GLC issued a circular on February 16, 2024, declaring his license for the year 2024 as not renewed and instructing courts not to grant him audience.

    Fosu-Gyeabour asserts that the GLC overstepped its authority by nullifying court orders and preventing him from practicing law without due process. He seeks redress through a declaration that the GLC’s actions are illegal, unfair, and unconstitutional. Additionally, he demands the setting aside of the circular issued by the GLC and a perpetual injunction to prevent further interference with his legal practice.

  • 31,000 soldiers have died since Russia’s invasion – Zelensky

    31,000 soldiers have died since Russia’s invasion – Zelensky

    Volodymyr Zelensky has said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in Russia’s big attack.

    The president of Ukraine refused to give the number of injured people because he didn’t want to help the Russian military with their plans.

    Usually, Ukrainian officials do not tell the public about how many people have been injured or killed, and other people think the numbers are even higher.

    The defence minister said that half of the Western aid for Ukraine is late, and it’s causing people to die and the country to lose land.

    Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that he was giving a new number of people who have died because Russia’s numbers are too high.

    31,000 soldiers from Ukraine have died in this war. Don’t believe what Putin and his friends are saying about the number, whether it’s 300,000 or 150,000. They are lying. However, we feel a big loss from each of these losses.

    Mr Zelensky talked about the huge number of civilians who died in the war in areas of Ukraine controlled by Russia. He said that tens of thousands of people died, but we don’t really know the exact number.

    “I don’t know how many of them died, were killed, were murdered, tortured, or deported. ”

    Ukraine usually doesn’t say how many soldiers died in battle. Some people think a lot more soldiers died than what Ukraine reports.

    In August, US officials said 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers died and up to 120,000 were hurt.

    Mr Zelensky said that 180,000 Russian soldiers have died and tens of thousands have been hurt.

    BBC Russian and Mediazona website worked together to find out the names of over 45,000 Russian soldiers who have passed away. But it thinks the total number is higher than that.

    In February, the UK’s defense ministry said that about 350,000 Russian soldiers were either killed or hurt.

    President Zelensky spoke after his defense minister, Rustam Umerov, criticized the Western countries for taking too long to give military help to Ukraine.

    “Right now, promising to do something doesn’t mean it’s been done,” he said.

    Ukraine is having trouble trying to make Russia leave its land.

    Mr Umerov said that Ukraine is at a bigger disadvantage in the war because of the lack of supplies.

    “We try our best, but if the supplies don’t come on time, it hurts us,” he said.

    In November, Germany said that the European Union’s plan to deliver a million artillery shells by March might not happen.

    In January, the EU said that only about half of the promised amount would reach Ukraine by the deadline, and the rest would not arrive until the end of 2024.

    President Zelensky said that Ukraine’s big attack last year didn’t start earlier because they didn’t have enough weapons.

    The counter-attack did not work well, adding to Kyiv’s problems after initially stopping Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

    Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that the plans for the counter-attack were given to Russia before it happened.

    Last week, it was said that Ukrainian soldiers moved out of the important town of Avdiivka in the east. This was a big victory for Moscow after many months.

    Mr Zelensky said that the reason for the recent problems is partly because the Western countries are not providing enough weapons.

    The Biden government said that the delay in Congress approving a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine played a part in the town’s downfall.

    On Saturday, leaders from Western countries went to Kyiv to support Ukraine as it marked two years since Russia invaded.

    In Italy and Canada, it was announced that they made deals with Ukraine to help keep the country safe until it can join Nato.

    Canada’s agreement included over three billion Canadian dollars (equivalent to £1. 7bn) in financial and defense support.

    Not just Ukraine, but also other countries are struggling to find the resources they need for their military activities. Western officials say Russia is having a hard time getting enough ammunition and weapons.

    “A person from the West said that Russia doesn’t have enough ammunition to meet the needs of the conflict in Ukraine. ”

    They also said that Moscow has been able to get more supplies by finding other places to get ammunition and weapons, but this is not a good long-term solution.Volodymyr Zelensky is saying that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in Russia’s big attack.

    The president of Ukraine refused to give the number of injured people because he didn’t want to help the Russian military with their plans.

    Usually, Ukrainian officials do not tell the public about how many people have been injured or killed, and other people think the numbers are even higher.

    The defence minister said that half of the Western aid for Ukraine is late, and it’s causing people to die and the country to lose land.

    Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that he was giving a new number of people who have died because Russia’s numbers are too high.

    31,000 soldiers from Ukraine have died in this war. Don’t believe what Putin and his friends are saying about the number, whether it’s 300,000 or 150,000. They are lying. However, we feel a big loss from each of these losses.

    Mr Zelensky talked about the huge number of civilians who died in the war in areas of Ukraine controlled by Russia. He said that tens of thousands of people died, but we don’t really know the exact number.

    “I don’t know how many of them died, were killed, were murdered, tortured, or deported. ”

    Ukraine usually doesn’t say how many soldiers died in battle. Some people think a lot more soldiers died than what Ukraine reports.

    In August, US officials said 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers died and up to 120,000 were hurt.

    Mr Zelensky said that 180,000 Russian soldiers have died and tens of thousands have been hurt.

    BBC Russian and Mediazona website worked together to find out the names of over 45,000 Russian soldiers who have passed away. But it thinks the total number is higher than that.

    In February, the UK’s defense ministry said that about 350,000 Russian soldiers were either killed or hurt.

    President Zelensky spoke after his defense minister, Rustam Umerov, criticized the Western countries for taking too long to give military help to Ukraine.

    “Right now, promising to do something doesn’t mean it’s been done,” he said.

    Ukraine is having trouble trying to make Russia leave its land.

    Mr Umerov said that Ukraine is at a bigger disadvantage in the war because of the lack of supplies.

    “We try our best, but if the supplies don’t come on time, it hurts us,” he said.

    In November, Germany said that the European Union’s plan to deliver a million artillery shells by March might not happen.

    In January, the EU said that only about half of the promised amount would reach Ukraine by the deadline, and the rest would not arrive until the end of 2024.

    President Zelensky said that Ukraine’s big attack last year didn’t start earlier because they didn’t have enough weapons.

    The counter-attack did not work well, adding to Kyiv’s problems after initially stopping Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

    Mr Zelensky said on Sunday that the plans for the counter-attack were given to Russia before it happened.

    Last week, it was said that Ukrainian soldiers moved out of the important town of Avdiivka in the east. This was a big victory for Moscow after many months.

    Mr Zelensky said that the reason for the recent problems is partly because the Western countries are not providing enough weapons.

    The Biden government said that the delay in Congress approving a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine played a part in the town’s downfall.

    On Saturday, leaders from Western countries went to Kyiv to support Ukraine as it marked two years since Russia invaded.

    In Italy and Canada, it was announced that they made deals with Ukraine to help keep the country safe until it can join Nato.

    Canada’s agreement included over three billion Canadian dollars (equivalent to £1. 7bn) in financial and defense support.

    Not just Ukraine, but also other countries are struggling to find the resources they need for their military activities. Western officials say Russia is having a hard time getting enough ammunition and weapons.

    “A person from the West said that Russia doesn’t have enough ammunition to meet the needs of the conflict in Ukraine. ”

    They also said that Moscow has been able to get more supplies by finding other places to get ammunition and weapons, but this is not a good long-term solution.

  • Youth group advises Dr Bawumia to pick a Ga-Dangme person as running mate 

    Youth group advises Dr Bawumia to pick a Ga-Dangme person as running mate 

    The Ga-Dangme Youth, a prominent pressure group advocating for the interests of the Ga-Dangme people, has made a resounding call for Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the 2024 presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to select a native of Ga-Dangme as his running mate for the upcoming elections.

    In a press conference held in Accra, the group emphasized the historical neglect of the Greater Accra Region in executive leadership positions, particularly within the NPP. They highlighted the fact that no indigene of the region has ever been chosen as a running mate for the party, despite its status as the administrative and commercial capital of Ghana.

    Speaking on behalf of the Ga-Dangme Youth, Nii Ayi Okropong, Chairman of the Blema Kusum Gboo Council, underscored the importance of fair representation and inclusivity in political decision-making processes. He lamented the marginalization of Ga-Dangme people in key leadership roles and urged the NPP to address this longstanding imbalance by considering a Ga-Dangme candidate as Bawumia’s running mate.

    Okropong emphasized the competence and qualifications of Ga-Dangme individuals, citing prominent figures such as former Speakers of Parliament and former Chief Justices who hail from the community. He argued that the Ga-Dangme community has made significant contributions to the development of Ghana and possesses the requisite expertise and leadership qualities to serve in high-level positions.

    The call for a Ga-Dangme running mate reflects a broader push for diversity and representation within Ghanaian politics, as marginalized communities seek greater inclusion in decision-making processes. The Ga-Dangme Youth’s advocacy underscores the importance of ensuring that all regions and ethnic groups are adequately represented in the country’s leadership structures.

    As Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia prepares to announce his running mate for the 2024 elections, all eyes will be on the NPP to see whether they heed the calls of the Ga-Dangme Youth and prioritize inclusivity and diversity in their selection process. The outcome of this decision will not only shape the dynamics of the upcoming elections but also signal the party’s commitment to fostering unity and equality within Ghana’s political landscape.