The National Labour Commission (NLC) has taken action by issuing a summons to the staff members of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in response to an ongoing industrial action. The NLC’s intervention aims to facilitate discussions and find a resolution to the labor dispute that has affected operations at the national broadcaster.
This is in response to a threat of industrial action by the members.
The summons comes after the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) filed a notice with the NLC regarding the planned strike by GBC workers.
In light of the situation, the NLChas directed both the GBC workers and the FWSC to appear before the Commission on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, for a hearing to address the issues in dispute.
Over the past few weeks, a standoff has unfolded between GBC workers and the FWSC following the discontinuation of allowances to certain GBC employees by the FWSC through the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
In a statement released by the NLC, it was noted, “We have received a complaint, dated 5th June 2023, filed by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), notifying the National Labour Commission of a threat of strike by the staff of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). According to the notice, ‘the workers have threatened to embark on a series of industrial actions unless the FWSC restores the payment of allowances to some staff of GBC that it had withheld’.”
The NLC invoked its authority under Section 139 of the Labour Act (2003), Act 651, and consequently summoned the involved parties to appear before the Commission today for the resolution of the disputed matters.
In light of this intervention, the Commission says GBC staff are advised to refrain from taking any intended actions and to adhere to the scheduled hearing.
The parties involved are requested to take note of these instructions accordingly.
Nadejda Chernishova breathes a sigh of relief as she walks off a rubber dinghy, seconds after being rescued from her flooded home in Kherson.
“I’m not afraid now, but it was scary in my home,” the 65-year-old retiree stated. “You don’t know where the water is going, and it was coming from all sides.”
Her residence in one of the lower lying neighbourhoods of Kherson was inundated after the Nova Kakhovka dam, 58 kilometers (36 miles) up the Dnipro river in Russian-occupied Ukraine, was damaged earlier on Tuesday.
“[The water] went up in an instant,” she added. “In the morning there was nothing.”
Chernishova left most of her small world behind, bringing only what she was able to muster: two suitcases and her most prized possession.
“This is my cat Sonechka, a beauty,” she said, lifting the lid of a small her pet carrier and revealing a frightened animal. “She is scared, she is a domestic cat who has never been outside.”
Chernishova is one of hundreds being evacuated by Ukrainian authorities in Kherson, where the water has spread across several blocks and into the center of the city, cutting off some areas entirely.
“Civilians are being evacuated from the Karobel district. More than 1,200 people have already been evacuated from this area [on Tuesday],” the head of Kherson region military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin told CNN at the scene.
Prokudin, who has been overseeing rescue efforts in towns and cities downstream from Nova Kakhovka, said the operation has become more difficult with time as flood waters continue to rise.
“If in the morning we could do it with cars, then with trucks, now we see that big cars can no longer pass,” he explained. “The water has risen so much that we are now using boats. About eight boats of various types are currently working to evacuate people from the area.”
CNN witnessed the speed at which the waters kept rising, with the water penetrating one block into the city in less than an hour. The flow of water visibly increasing to the naked eye.
In a frontline city like Kherson — where the shelling is constant — the rising water brings an added danger.
“This is both a water element and a mine hazard, because mines float here and this area is constantly under fire,” Prokudin said. Artillery salvos could be heard intermittently, but search and rescue operations carried on, with soldiers and first responders unfazed by the constant thuds.
“We will work around the clock, rescuers will not rest. We’ll change shifts and will pull people out if necessary,” he added.
The large presence of soldiers and first responders contrasts with the very few number of Kherson residents out on the streets. Many fled when Russia first invaded and officials say most still haven’t returned. Those who remain in the city know to take shelter in the afternoon, when Russian artillery fire often picks up.
“It is always very dangerous here. This checkpoint is usually under shelling,” Produkin said. “You see a crowd of people and I think the hit will happen soon.”
Kyiv and Moscow have traded accusations over the destruction of the dam but neither side has provided concrete proof that the other is culpable. But while responsibility for the incident remains as murky as the debris-filled waters now flowing down the Dnipro, its impact is much clearer.
Before the dam collapsed, a potential Ukrainian offensive across the Dnipro to the Russian-held side of the river was unlikely due to difficulty of crossing the river. That seems almost impossible now. Both sides have been severely impacted by the collapse — even more so on the Russian side — leaving the terrain in very difficult condition.
And as she packs her belongings into a car, Chernishova is perfectly clear on who she blames – even if Russia denies it.
The Russians “flooded us,” she said. “Everything is drowning.”
Ghana’s Apex Court has granted an appeal by Ghana Telecommunications Company, setting aside a previous ruling that awarded $16 million in damages to Ogyeedom Obranu Kwasi Atta IV, Chief of Gomoa Afransie. The ruling stems from a land dispute case that dates back to 2017 and marks a significant victory for Ghana Telecom in its ongoing legal battle.
The judgement, reported by graphic.com.gh, stated that in 2020, the Court of Appeal in Cape Coast upheld the High Court’s ruling on the case.
However, in a brief ruling held on June 6, 2023, delivered by the acting Chief Justice, Victor Jones Dotse, unanimously overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision, along with all accompanying orders.
The detailed reasons for this verdict are expected to be revealed later today, June 7, 2023.
The case involving a long-standing land dispute between Ghana Telecomm and the Chief of Gomoa Afransie, Ogyeedom Obranu Kwasi Atta IV, over a parcel of land at Gomoa Afransie took an unexpected turn as the Supreme Court recently ruled in favour of Ghana Telecom, formerly known as P&T.
According to the report, the bone of contention arose when Ogyeedom Obranu Kwasi Atta IV, acting on behalf of the Twidan Family of Afransie, filed a lawsuit against the company and the Lands Commission in 2015.
The lawsuit sought a declaration of title, recovery of possession, and special damages amounting to $4 per square meter of the land, alleging trespasses and unlawful occupation.
In 2017, the Swedru High Court ruled against Ghana Telecom, awarding the Chief and the Twidan Family damages exceeding $16 million.
The Court of Appeal in Cape Coast sustained the High Court’s judgment in 2020 and even doubled the number of costs initially imposed on Ghana Telecom. Ghana Telecom’s evidence demonstrated that the land had been compulsorily acquired in 1969, with payments made to the late predecessor of the Chief.
On the other hand, the Chief called upon two expert witnesses who claimed that the signatures on the documents were not authentic, suggesting that the compensation had been wrongly attributed.
Adding to the controversy, in March 2021, the Chief filed a petition with the General Legal Council, accusing his former lawyer of accepting a $100,000 bribe to influence the Supreme Court judgment. The lawyer vehemently denied the allegations.
After setting aside the previous judgments, the Supreme Court awarded costs totalling GH¢100,000 to Ghana Telecom, although the company’s lawyer had requested GH¢500,000. Acting Chief Justice Dotse presided over the case, with Justices Kotey, Owusu, Mensa-Bonsu, and Kulendi serving as panel members. Mr Ace Ankomah led Ghana Telecom’s legal team, while Mr Alexander Abban represented the Chief and his legal team.
This legal rollercoaster has captured the attention of many, and the Supreme Court’s decision has brought significant implications for all parties involved.
Captain Dennis Mahama Adam (Rtd) who is the father of the late Major Maxwell Mahama has been honoured by traditional authorities in Bole.
He has been nominated as Chief of Gbampe, a community in the Bole Traditional Area of Gonja.
Profile of the new Gbampewura of Bole Traditional Area
Captain Dennis Mahama Adam (Rtd) was born in Bole on 1st September 1954.
He attended the Bole L/A Primary School (now KURABASO school) from 1960 to 1966.
He continued from Damongo Middle Day Form One to Form two. He wrote the Common Entrance Exam in Form two and moved to Bole Middle Boarding School.
When the results were released he gained admission to the then Government Secondary School, Tamale (now Tamasco) in September 1968 and successfully completed both the O and A levels in 1973 and 1975 respectively.
In October 1975, he gained entry into the Ghana Military Academy as part of the Regular Infantry Officers Course Intake 18. Upon the successful completion of the course, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant on 24th March 1977.
The reviewing Officer of their graduation parade was then Prince of Wales, now King Charles of the UK.
Captain Dennis Mahama Adam (Rtd) was initially posted to the Second Battalion of Infantry in Takoradi.
During his brief but illustrious service in the Ghana Armed Forces, he served in various units including the erstwhile Border Guards ending at the Third Battalion of Infantry, Sunyani.
He rose through to substantive Captain, the rank at which he was “Honourably Released “ in July 1985.
Captain Dennis Mahama Adam (Rtd) also served in UN peacekeeping operations in 1982.
Upon his leaving the service, he settled back home in Bole.
It was a few months later that he got his first born, late Major Maxwell Mahama.
In 1986, he got employed with the African Timber and Plywood, Samreboi as a Security Officer. Four years later, he got employment in Cocoa Processing Company as a Principal security officer. A year later, he moved to the Volta River Authority as a Principal Security Officer in Akosombo.
He rose to acting Head of security in 1999 until 2006 when he was made substantive Head of Security of the newly created Ghana Grid company, Tema.
He retired from the company in 2014 upon attaining the retirement age.
While in VRA and GRIDCO, he attended several career security courses, including the International Security Management course in UK.
Captain Dennis Mahama Adam (Rtd) is currently the proprietor and Managing Director of a private security company based in Tema.
Pope Francis will have surgery on his belly and remain in a Rome hospital for many days, the Vatican said on Wednesday in the latest health concern for the 86-year-old pope.
The pope was obliged to cancel many business engagements in late May when he was incapacitated by a fever, and he was hospitalized in March for bronchitis but responded well to medication.
Leaving hospital on that occasion, Francis remarked that he’s “still alive.”
Technically called a laparotomy, Wednesday’s procedure involves general anesthesia and is intended to repair a hernia that the Vatican said is causing “recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms.
According to medical sources, the intervention is likely related to the surgery Francis experienced in 2021 to remove half of his colon.
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, added the pope is expected to make a “full functional recovery.”
In addition to his colon surgery two years ago, Francis had part of one lung removed after a severe bout of pneumonia as a young man. More recently, in 2019, he underwent ocular surgery at Rome’s Clinic of Pius XI to treat a cataract. He has also struggled with chronic sciatica pain.
Over the past year, he experienced knee troubles that have largely confined him to the use of a cane or a wheelchair.
Should Francis be incapacitated for any length of time, the Vatican could find itself facing something of a constitutional crisis. There is no “vice pope” in the Catholic system, meaning someone who can exercise the pope’s authority in his absence.
The Vatican’s secretary of state, currently Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, can oversee routine day-to-day management, but he has no authority, for example, to appoint bishops or to create or suppress dioceses around the world.
In an interview with Spanish daily ABC in December, Francis said he had already prepared a letter of resignation in the case of permanent medical incapacity shortly after his election in 2013.
Controversial singer Habeeb Olalomi Oyegbile, popularly known as Portable Zazu, has celebrated the arrival of a baby boy with his latest partner, Nollywood actress Akinyanju Omobolarinde, who is commonly referred to as Ashabi.
The actress posted the happy information on her Instagram page on Tuesday, June 6, and included a citation for the Zazu crooner.
She also posted adorable images of their infant son, Anuoluwapo Fitilamihan, as well as an image of herself flaunting her growing baby bulge.
Many people have expressed worries for the singer as they struggle to understand how the musician could have his fifth child with his fourth baby mama.
Others have suggested that Portable perform a DNA test to establish the paternity of the kids because they think he might not be the father of some of them.
Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has dragged a member of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Peter Appiahene, to the Supreme Court over his alleged affiliation with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The legislator contends that under Ghana’s constitution, a person is not qualified to be an EC member if that person is a “known sympathiser, a member or openly affiliates or identified with a registered political party in Ghana”.
President Akufo-Addo in March this year swore in three new members of the electoral management body including Dr Appiahene.
Three civil society organisations comprising the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), the Star-Ghana Foundation and the Civic Forum Initiative (CFI) held a news conference urging Dr Appiahene to resign.
The CSOs maintained this appointment is unconstitutional.
The South Dayi MP is asking the Apex Court to revoke the appointment.
“An order revoking the appointment of the Ist Defendant by the President of the Republic of Ghana as a member of the 2nd Defendant Commission.
“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Is Defendant from acting as or holding himself out as a member of the 2nd Defendant Commission pending the determination of the suit.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st Defendant from acting as or holding himself out as a member of the 2nd Defendant Commission.”
Kwasi Amankwaa, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate in the just-ended Kumawu Constituency by-election was a registered voter in a different constituency.
The Electoral Commission (EC) made the disclosure in a June 6 statement in response to repeated claims by the NDC’s National Communications director, Sammy Gyamfi, that the elections body was colluding with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to import a parliamentary aspirant into the Assin North register.
“For the information of the general public, the NDC Candidate for the recent By-Election Mr. Kwasi Amankwaa is not a registered voter in the Kumawu Constituency.
“He is a registered voter in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, yet he contested in the Kumawu By-Election because he hails from there. Why didn’t the NDC raise this issue ahead of the Kumawu Constituency By-Election?” the EC statement read.
On the repeated claims by Gyamfi, the EC stressed: “The fact still remains that the allegation by Sammy Gyamfi to the effect that the EC is working with the NPP to sneak an unregistered voter into the Assin North register is FALSE. It is untrue and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to prove this.”
Read the EC’s full statement
RE: ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED NPP PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRANT IN THE ASSIN NORTH BY-ELECTION
The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to another misleading statement by the National Communication Officer of the NDC.
The Commission in its previous response to the National Communication Officer, stated that per Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution, a person qualifies to contest as a candidate for a Parliamentary Election so long as he is a registered voter, at least 21 years of age, hails from or, is a resident, or has resided in the constituency for a total of five (5) years in the last ten (10) years preceding the election he/she seeks to contest. This is the position of the 1992 Constitution which is the fundamental law of Ghana.
The National Communication Officer of the NDC in his response makes the claim that the EC only relied on the 1992 Constitution to make the case that a person need not be a registered voter in the Constituency he/she intends to stand for election. He asserts that the EC should have also relied on the CI 127 and in particular the Nomination Form contained in CI 127 before arriving at the conclusion that a person need not be a registered voter in the same Constituency he/she intends to contest.
To buttress his point, he states that the phrase ‘of the same Constituency’, on the Parliamentary Nomination Form, implies that a candidate for parliamentary election must be a registered voter in the same Constituency he/she intends to contest and that the phrase ‘of the same Constituency’ on the Nomination Form should override the Constitution. This argument is flawed.
For the benefit of the public, the Nomination Form states as follows:
“We the undersigned registered voters in ………………… Constituency do hereby nominate…………. ‘of the same Constituency’ to stand for election as a Member of Parliament, and we hereby certify that to the best of our knowledge he/she is qualified to be elected as such.”
Clearly, as stated above, the Nomination Form only requires those nominating a candidate for a parliamentary election in a Constituency to be registered voters in the same Constituency, and not the candidate who is being nominated to contest. The candidate is only required to hail from or reside in the Constituency to qualify to contest in that Constituency. If one should interpret what is stated on the Parliamentary Nomination Form to imply that the candidate must also be a registered voter in the same Constituency, that would be absurd, unreasonable, illogical, and unconstitutional to borrow some of the words of Sammy Gyamfi.
Was Sammy Gyamfi not aware of this phrase, ‘of the same Constituency’ on the Nomination Form before allowing their candidate for the Kumawu By-Election who is NOT a registered voter in Kumawu to contest for the recent By- Election?
For the information of the general public, the NDC Candidate for the recent By-Election Mr. Kwasi Amankwaa is not a registered voter in the Kumawu Constituency. He is a registered voter in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, yet he contested in the Kumawu By-Election because he hails from there. Why didn’t the NDC raise this issue ahead of the Kumawu Constituency By-Election?
The fact still remains that the allegation by Sammy Gyamfi to the effect that the EC is working with the NPP to sneak an unregistered voter into the Assin North register is FALSE. It is untrue and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to prove this.
Over the years Sammy Gyamfi and his party have put out false claims aimed at maligning the integrity of the EC. This was evident in their petition to the Supreme Court after the 2020 Elections alleging that they had won the Elections. It is well known that they could not provide evidence in Court to support their allegations. This current allegation is no different. It is baseless and unfounded and a figment of the imagination of the National Communication Officer. We call on all well meaning Ghanaians to ignore it.
Ghana’s democracy has come of age and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to exercise maturity, decorum and truth in his discussions on the EC. We urge him to go out and campaign and leave the EC alone.
As a Commission we remain committed to conducting transparent, peaceful and credible elections. We will devote our time to fulfilling our constitutional mandate, having provided the public with the truth on this matter.
A stray dog reportedly went wild at Awutu Breku, the capital of Awutu Senya District in the Central Region, terrorising residents of the community.
According to a news report by UTV, the dog entered the homes of residents, biting eight people out of which two have died.
The report indicated that one of the victims died right away after being bitten by the dog, on Tuesday, June 7, 2023, night. The other victim died after barking and jumping around like a dog.
The residents told the UTV reporter that the dog was a spirit because it did not belong to any of them and it vanished after the incident.
The residents also stated that they are not surprised by what happened because any time a dog is brought into the community it goes mad and starts attacking people.
They said that because of this their chiefs have barred them from keeping dogs as pets.
33-year-old Bright Kwame Amankwah has been jailed for stealing a lady’s handbag containing a bunch of keys and other items.
A Circuit Court at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Dormaa Central Municipality of Bono Region convicted and sentenced Bright, an unemployed to six years in prison in hard labour (IHL) for stealing.
Amankwah stole ladies hand bag containing a bunch of keys, apple iPhone 7 plus, Techno spark 4 mobile phone, two Itel keypads mobile phones, GHS16,000.00 cash, a wrist watch, perfume, brassier and handkerchief belonging to one Sarah Fosuaa and he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Police Inspector (P/Insp.) Emmanuel Asare, the prosecutor told the Court presided by Mr Osei Kofi Amoako that the complainant, a mobile money vendor resided at ABB, a suburb in Dormaa-Ahenkro whilst the convict lived at AT, also an area in Dormaa-Ahenkro.
He said at about 2030 hours on Thursday, May 04 this year, the complainant with her hand bag hanged on her shoulder in the company of her friend Rahael was going towards the Dormaa-Ahenkro town from church.
P/Insp Asare said on reaching a section of the road the convict pulled off the complainant’s bag containing the item and listed above from behind and bolted away.
Prosecutor said an alarm was raised and helpers appeared from nowhere to chase and apprehended him, but convict sustained an injury on his head because he struggled with the chasers before they could arrest him, P/Insp Asare added.
P/Inspt. Asare said under the circumstance, a Good Samaritan called the Dormaa-Ahenkro Police Night Patrol Team who came to the scene to rescue convict, rushed him to the hospital where he was treated and discharged to the Police.
Prosecutor said during investigation convict admitted the offence, charged and brought before the Court.
A Circuit Court at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Dormaa Central Municipality of Bono Region sentenced Elvis Yeboah, car washer, to 18 months in prison for unlawful entry and stealing.
Yeboah stole car battery, stabilizer, one woofer and speakers valued at GHS1 ,040.00 and pleaded guilty to the two charges.
Police Inspector (P/Insp.) Emmanuel Asare, the prosecutor told the Court presided by Mr Osei Kofi Amoako that the complainant, one Hayford Asante, a tricycle rider residing at KDS, a suburb of Dormaa-Ahenkro whilst convict too is a resident of Dormaa-Ahenkro.
He said about 1500 hours on Sunday, May 14 this year, the complainant returned home from church and found convict inside his room, saying the former questioned the latter about what he was doing there, and he (convict) replied he was looking for his friend.
P/Insp Asare said in the course of the questioning, complainant saw that convict had packed the above-mentioned items into a bag belonging to him (complainant).
After a struggle between the two, complainant over-powered convict, arrested and brought him and the item as exhibits to the Police Station Dormaa-Ahenkro.
The prosecutor said convict was re-arrested and detained for investigation, adding that during interrogation convict admitted having entered the room but denied having stolen the items.
P/Insp Asare said after investigations, convict was charged with the offences and brought before Court.
Kaywa, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Highly Spiritual Music, has recently announced the introduction of new signees to his record label. These talented individuals have joined the Highly Spiritual Music family under Kaywa’s guidance and are expected to bring their unique musical talents to the forefront.
The award-winning music producer a few days ago has seen some of his artists exit from the label for reasons best known to them.
Highlife singers, Mr. Drew and Krymi who came into the limelight when they were signed to Highly Spiritual Music departed from the label a few months ago and just recently, Kaywa shared that the ‘Friday Night’ hitmaker, Lasmid has left his record label.
Kaywa, on June 5, 2023, took to his Instagram page and revealed his new signees on the Highly Spiritual Music record label. In the post shared, he was standing in the middle of four gentlemen who were all wearing all-white outfits.
Under the post, he wrote: “Embracing the magic of their unique talent as they define the boundaries of music and take us on an extraordinary journey. Welcome the brilliant sounds of the new era”.
Some fans of the renowned music producer shared in this joy and congratulated him on such developments.
“I just Don’t know what to Talk oo. Herh. Something you have done before d33. Doing it again no hard oo. Dada. Build more stars for us. I salute”, a comment from a fan.
Another fan also shared: “Beautiful as it looks. If dem all dey this comment section n see the love n support from fans. I beg y’all should stay. At least 5 years”.
It seems that there fire on the mountain between Nollywood actor Yul Edochie and his second wife, Judy Austin, as they have been involved in another public altercation, which has been documented on social media.
Gistlover previously reported that a video of the lovebirds arguing was released on Yul Edochie’s Facebook page.
Judy Austin, who found the video insulting and has access to Yul Edochie’s social media accounts, posted a video of them arguing over it.
The actress chastised her husband for posting the footage without her permission, which Yul refused.
Yul Edochie had threatened to reveal her secrets to the public if she carries out her threat to post the video, which she did.
“You have no right to post anything on my social media page without telling me. There are so many things people don’t know about you and I’ll bring them out.
“I am going to do something drastic that you wouldn’t like. You can’t be giving me a headache and you think you will rest. You will see the things I will bring out”.
Judy Austin captioning the video wrote, “Since Yul Edochie decided to embarrass me by posting a video I made with my phone on the internet without my consent. I will shock him. It is now game on”.
Highlife musician Frank Mensah Pozo has expressed his opinion that the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) is primarily designed for artists based in the country’s capital, rather than being inclusive of the entire nation.
According to him, the scheme established two decades ago, has only targeted Accra-based musicians leaving those outside the capital in darkness.
He claimed that, no matter how talented a musician is, unless he resides in Accra, organizers of the scheme always fail to acknowledge them.
“The VGMA is an Accra-based awards scheme. You won’t be awarded if you don’t live in Accra. How are you going to be awarded if you don’t stay there? Frank Mensah Pozo asked Ike Se Unpredictable on Angel Drive, monitored by MyNewsGH.com.
When asked to substantiate his claim, Frank Mensah Pozo challenged the Presenter to Google to see if any artiste who stayed behind the borders of Accra has received an award at the VGMA.
“It was only Lord Kenya who stayed in Kumasi and still got awarded by the VGMA”, he revealed.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has reaffirmed the Government’s dedication to implementing specific measures to address Ghana’s economic challenges, recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach to economic recovery may not be suitable.
He said in that pursuit, the Government would ensure that the deployment of resilient and dynamic measures offered benefits to investors and the citizenry.
“The world has realised that no one size fits all customised answer exists for the route to economic recovery thereby prompting countries to implement incipient systems and policies to resolve imminent difficulties,” the Vice President said at the third edition of the Ghana Investment and Opportunities Summit in the United Kingdom (UK).
The theme for the event is: “Post COVID Economic Recovery: Opportunities for the Investor”.
The Summit is aimed at exploring new areas of cooperation between Ghana AND the United Kingdom.
Dr Bawumia noted that the introduction of monetary and fiscal interventions such as the “Gold for Oil” programme-a novelty for Ghana – were designed to address the balance of payment crisis.
“This intervention has been one of the most important macro-economic policies to deal with the rising price of fuel and its implication,” he said.
Dr Bawumia observed that for the first time in recent decades, countries were witnessing the emergence of high inflation and financial stress at almost the same time, noting that: “The world continues to face difficult moments caused by several factors, including climate change, disruption of the supply chain in manufacturing goods as a result of the pandemic among others.”
Mr Yofi Grant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), observed that despite the existing trade agreements and partnerships, the relationship between Ghana and the UK was yet to be optimised in a sustainable way.
He commended the Ghanaian community in the UK for being great ambassadors for the country and urged them to lead the way in forging mutually beneficial relationships in the diaspora.
He said the country had undertaken some structural reforms to remain competitive with efforts “to reset Ghana back to its resilience and robustness”.
Mr Grant noted that the introduction of reforms in Public Financial Management, State Owned Enterprises, taxes and revenue were some measures towards enhancing revenue mobilisation, promotion of judicious use of public funds and creation of a conducive environment for businesses.
Michael Oquaye Jnr., CEO of Ghana Freezones Authority, said the country was well positioned to host data processing centres and call centres due to its geographical advantage and high number of tertiary graduates with high proficiency in English as an international language.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK and the Republic of Ireland, urged the participants to consider Ghana as a good place for investment.
He urged potential investors to deploy the requisite technology and modern digital approaches with the help of Ghanaian partners for a win-win outcome.
“To our compatriot in the diaspora, I urge you to use your varied networks to garner and horn the appropriate skill set for our national development,” he said.
Koku Anyidoho, the former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has claimed that less than 48 hours after the death of former President John Evans Atta-Mills, president John Mahama asked him to vacate the presidency citing his inability to work with him.
Speaking in an interview with Atinka TV on June 1, 2023, Koku Anyidoho detailed a phone call he received a day after the passing of President Mills.
According to him, someone called him to inquire about his well-being but he didn’t trust the call due to his discerning spirit.
“Prof died on 24 July 2012, on the 26 of July in the morning around 6 am…so let’s say less than 48 hours I got a call from one of these people, the person asks Koku how are you? then I replied I’m fine but I didn’t trust the call…because God has given me some discerning spirit so when the call came in and I saw it, I knew it wasn’t genuine.”
Koku Anyidoho added that immediately after the first caller, another called in, informing him that a decision had been made during a meeting held on July 25, 2012, to dismiss him as the Director of Communications from the presidency.
He asserted that he was told by the caller that the newly appointed president had stated that he could not work with him “for obvious reasons.”
“So, five minutes after the call another person called, and he was like yesterday we were in a meeting, which is the 25th July and a decision has been taken that I must leave the presidency and that the new president (John Mahama) says that he can’t work with you for obvious reasons, so get ready and pack out of the presidency.
“Go and look for three or four state institutions so that you will be considered either CEO or deputy CEO because as for the presidency you are out, so he was like by the end of the day people will call you and tell you, so, I don’t want you to be shocked that is why I am telling you in advance, I said thank you,” he added.
He added that a few days later he visited a prominent individual within the party, who bluntly suggested that he should look for another job because his appointment has been terminated by the new president.
“…a couple of days later I drove to the home of one of the big men, by 7 am I was there, so the moment I sat down, then he was like, Koku you have to go and look for another job, are you going to go back to the bank …so I replied him that the bank that I left for more than ten years now, how I’m I going back to the bank.
“So, he mentioned the name of the president, saying that he has said he cannot work with me so I have to leave and go and look for something else to do,…when I left that man’s house and I didn’t commit suicide, it means that it is not in my DNA to commit suicide, I was shocked because I thought I was so close to Prof so if anybody will deny me, not him and all this happened before the burial of prof.”
The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George has revealed that the SIM card of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has been deactivated despite having gone through the necessary registration processes.
The MP who was speaking on the floor of parliament on Tuesday, June 6, added that the numbers of some judges, lawyers, doctors and Members of Parliament, including him, had been blocked.
He also reiterated the need for the Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful to address the house on the process and measures being taken to avert the deactivations made so far.
“We are talking over 8 million SIM cards that have been disconnected including even the Speaker of Parliament. Not the deputy but the Speaker of Parliament himself. His official SIM card has been disconnected even though it was registered in the name of the Parliament of Ghana.
“We have judges, we have lawyers, we have doctors, MPs whose SIM cards were disconnected. Even me, my SIM card was disconnected. Our SIM cards were disconnected,” he said.
The MP subsequently defended persons whose SIM cards have been blocked, adding that it was never their fault to have their SIMS unregistered but rather, the NIA should be blamed for refusing to issue Ghana cards since December 2022.
“Mr. Speaker, it is important that this house takes into consideration that the National Identification Authority (NIA) has failed to issue any Ghanaian citizen a Ghana card in any District NIA office since December 2022. So, it is not the fault of the stubborn academy that we have not been able to register our SIM cards. It is not the fault of any Ghanaian that they have been able to register their SIMs,” he added.
Millions of Ghanaians had their SIM cards disconnected on May 31 after several extensions to have every citizen reregister their SIMs.
The Electoral Commission has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of attempting to impugn its reputation with the 2020 election petition.
The EC in a statement dated June 6, 2023 cited the 2020 election petition filed by John Dramani Mahama as one of the proofs of its allegation against the NDC’s maligning.
“Over the years Sammy Gyamfi and his party have put out false claims aimed at maligning the integrity of the EC.
“This was evident in their petition to the Supreme Court after the 2020 Elections alleging that they had won the Elections. It is well known that they could not provide evidence in Court to support their allegations.
“This current allegation is no different. It is baseless and unfounded and a figment of the imagination of the National Communication Officer. We call on all well meaning Ghanaians to ignore it,” the EC statement read in part.
The statement titled “RE: ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED NPP PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRANT IN THE ASSIN NORTH BY-ELECTION,” was to respond to a recent allegation that the EC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were colluding to give an NPP aspirant an advantage in upcoming by-election in Assin North.
The elections management body asked Ghanaians to ignore the ‘baseless and unfounded’ allegations of Sammy Gyamfi adding that Sammy Gyamfi should provide concrete evidence of his claims or “leave the EC alone.”
Read the EC’s full statement
RE: ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED NPP PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRANT IN THE ASSIN NORTH BY-ELECTION
The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to another misleading statement by the National Communication Officer of the NDC.
The Commission in its previous response to the National Communication Officer, stated that per Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution, a person qualifies to contest as a candidate for a Parliamentary Election so long as he is a registered voter, at least 21 years of age, hails from or, is a resident, or has resided in the constituency for a total of five (5) years in the last ten (10) years preceding the election he/she seeks to contest. This is the position of the 1992 Constitution which is the fundamental law of Ghana.
The National Communication Officer of the NDC in his response makes the claim that the EC only relied on the 1992 Constitution to make the case that a person need not be a registered voter in the Constituency he/she intends to stand for election. He asserts that the EC should have also relied on the CI 127 and in particular the Nomination Form contained in CI 127 before arriving at the conclusion that a person need not be a registered voter in the same Constituency he/she intends to contest.
To buttress his point, he states that the phrase ‘of the same Constituency’, on the Parliamentary Nomination Form, implies that a candidate for parliamentary election must be a registered voter in the same Constituency he/she intends to contest and that the phrase ‘of the same Constituency’ on the Nomination Form should override the Constitution. This argument is flawed.
For the benefit of the public, the Nomination Form states as follows:
“We the undersigned registered voters in ………………… Constituency do hereby nominate…………. ‘of the same Constituency’ to stand for election as a Member of Parliament, and we hereby certify that to the best of our knowledge he/she is qualified to be elected as such.”
Clearly, as stated above, the Nomination Form only requires those nominating a candidate for a parliamentary election in a Constituency to be registered voters in the same Constituency, and not the candidate who is being nominated to contest. The candidate is only required to hail from or reside in the Constituency to qualify to contest in that Constituency. If one should interpret what is stated on the Parliamentary Nomination Form to imply that the candidate must also be a registered voter in the same Constituency, that would be absurd, unreasonable, illogical, and unconstitutional to borrow some of the words of Sammy Gyamfi.
Was Sammy Gyamfi not aware of this phrase, ‘of the same Constituency’ on the Nomination Form before allowing their candidate for the Kumawu By-Election who is NOT a registered voter in Kumawu to contest for the recent By- Election?
For the information of the general public, the NDC Candidate for the recent By-Election Mr. Kwasi Amankwaa is not a registered voter in the Kumawu Constituency. He is a registered voter in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, yet he contested in the Kumawu By-Election because he hails from there. Why didn’t the NDC raise this issue ahead of the Kumawu Constituency By-Election?
The fact still remains that the allegation by Sammy Gyamfi to the effect that the EC is working with the NPP to sneak an unregistered voter into the Assin North register is FALSE. It is untrue and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to prove this.
Over the years Sammy Gyamfi and his party have put out false claims aimed at maligning the integrity of the EC. This was evident in their petition to the Supreme Court after the 2020 Elections alleging that they had won the Elections. It is well known that they could not provide evidence in Court to support their allegations. This current allegation is no different. It is baseless and unfounded and a figment of the imagination of the National Communication Officer. We call on all well meaning Ghanaians to ignore it.
Ghana’s democracy has come of age and we call on Sammy Gyamfi to exercise maturity, decorum and truth in his discussions on the EC. We urge him to go out and campaign and leave the EC alone.
As a Commission we remain committed to conducting transparent, peaceful and credible elections. We will devote our time to fulfilling our constitutional mandate, having provided the public with the truth on this matter.
Ghanaian gospel artiste, Dr Sonnie Badu, has penned a heartfelt letter to the elders of Nogokpo, expressing his thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding Archbishop Charles Agyinasare’s remarks about the community.
In his letter, Badu seeks to foster peace, love, and understanding between all parties involved.
Addressing the elders of Nogokpo, Badu begins his letter with a greeting of peace, acknowledging their willingness to receive his message.
He clarifies that he is not a member of Perez Dome and has not been prompted by Bishop Agyinasare himself to write this letter.
“I am not a member of Perez Dome, and I haven’t spoken to Bishop in many years, and he has not employed me to do this. However, I think this is going a bit too far. Badu writes.
He also shared that Bishop Agyinasare explained the context of his sermon in detail, demonstrating wisdom and highlighting his connection to the Volta region through his wife and children, who bear Ewe names.
This, in his view, underscores the bishop’s love and respect for the Volta region.
“Bishop came back and explained in detail (with wisdom) how the event transpired, and he went on to explain that his wife is from Volta and his kids bear Ewe names. This shows how much he loves and values the Volta region,” he stated.
Expressing his personal perspective, Badu acknowledges that the description provided by the bishop in his sermon might not have been surprising to those familiar with Nogokpo.
He recalls how he first heard about the town through a media personality who mentioned certain activities taking place there, which are commonly associated with the reverence for the Volta gods.
“The first time I ever heard of your town was when a media personality took to social media to let us know she took some people there for certain doings. However, that wasn’t a surprise as we know not to joke with Volta gods,” Badu added.
Furthermore, Badu emphasizes that every town has its own share of spiritual beliefs and practices, including witchcraft.
He points out that when the spiritual realm becomes agitated, it can cause disturbances, such as the bursting of tires, which he interprets as a more spiritual occurrence rather than a mere physical incident.
“Sirs, again, what Bishop was explaining is not strange because every town has witchcraft, and sometimes when the principalities are agitated, they can cause mischief… In this case, like the bursting of the tires, it was more spiritual than physical, which we understood,” he convinced.
However, Sonnie Badu was keen to shift the focus towards the positive aspects of Nogokpo as he mentioned the charitable work Bishop Agyinasare has done in the Volta region, which has not received much publicity.
In light of this, he proposed that now is an opportune moment to shed light on the town and highlight the good things happening there.
He expresses his desire to visit Nogokpo one day and even suggests collaborating with the bishop to build a school for the people of Nogokpo as a gesture of love and goodwill.
“And, Dear Bishop, I think I have an idea. Let’s build a school for the people of Nogokpo. To add to what they already have, we know how the story will be told for years to come. The people were upset, and so he built a school to show love. Love you very much, Bishop. Agin Asare,” he disclosed.
Concluding his letter, Badu reiterates his love and admiration for Bishop Agyinasare, describing him as
Scroll to read full post below:
Dear Elders of #Nogokpo,
I greet you in peace. Thank for receiving this message, as I will get straight the point. I am not a member of Perez dome and I haven’t spoken to Bishop in many years and he has not employed me to do this. However, i think this is going a bit too far ..
Bishop came back and explained into details (with wisdom), how the event transpired; and he went on to explain that his wife is from Volta and his kids bares Ewe names. This shows how much he loves and values the Volta region.
Sirs, in all honesty, I don’t think what Bishop described in his sermon was strange to any of us. The first time – I ever heard of your town, was when A media personality took to social media to let us know she took some people there for certain doings. However, that wasn’t a surprise as we know not to joke with Volta gods ????
Sirs, again, what Bishop was explaining is not strange, because every town has witchcraft and sometimes when the principalities are agitated – they can cause mischief..
In this case, like the bursting of the tires .. It’s was more spiritual than physical which we understood..
With that being said, Sirs, I believe Bishop has done a lot of charitable work in the Volta region (and there has not been any press release on his philanthropy).
In conclusion, I think this is a perfect time for use to know more about your town and all the good things going on there… I come in love and one day I will like to visit nogokpo for a concert ????️..
And Dear Bishop,pops I think I have an idea. Let’s build a school for the people of Nogokpo.to add to what they already have , We know how the story will be told for years to come ….. The people were upset and so he built a school to show love ????… Love you very much BISHOP… Agin Asare
We love Bishop Agin Asare .. He is a father worth emulating.. And we love the people of Nogokpo, you all are incredible..
LET PEACE, LOVE, and RESPECT reign.. I believe even the gods of #Nogokpo will agree with me … ????????????
Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has cautioned his opposite number, Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson, to tread cautiously.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu had cause to chastize Ato Forson on the floor of the House on June 6, 2023 when MPs returned to work when the Minority Leader made a submisssion on election violence in the wake of upcoming Assin North by-election.
“As a country, we are yet to overcome the blot in our democratic governance arising from the unprecedented violence meted out to innocent civilians by the party packs in uniform at Awayso West Wuogon.
“That is why we wish and say that the chairperson of the EC must demonstrate her neutrality as an unbiased umpire, and the IGP must prove that he is indeed responsible for the domestic security of the country,” Ato Forson said in his welcome address.
The comments did not sit well with the Majority Leader who pointed out that the reference to Ayawaso West Wuogon was at best needless because more violence was unleashed in Chereponi by-election which inured to the benefit of the then ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said Ato Forson’s reference was also needless because the most recent by-election in Kumawu was peaceful.
“One hopes that the Assin North by-election will follow that (Kumawu) trajectory. But for my colleague to say that we should not let what Awayawso West Wuogon happen again in the next by-election to me I think is not a statement that ought to have been made.
“If you are talking about the most violent by-election that we have had in this country, it was at Chereponi when seven people were shot at point blank by an operative from the castle,” he noted.
On the point about electoral violence during by-elections, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu fired a caution: “don’t go there. You are a newly baptised minority leader, you have not been confirmed yet as minority leader.”
The Supreme Court of Ghana recently issued a ruling that declared James Gyakye Quayson’s election as a Member of Parliament in 2020 as unconstitutional, null, and void.
According to the Supreme Court, Gyakye Quayson held Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination as the NDC’s parliamentary candidate in 2020.
The court’s ruling led the Clerk of Parliament to declare the Assin North seat vacant.
Subsequently, the Electoral Commission has scheduled a by-election in Assin North for June 27, 2023, following the declaration by the Clerk.
Meanwhile, the NDC has stated its intention to re-present Gyakye Quayson as its candidate for the upcoming election, despite a criminal process brought against him in relation to his 2020 election contest.
The list, containing the details of two men, was shared on Twitter on June 6, 2023.
The two men are Desmond Obukowo and Nosa Justice Iyoha.
According to the EOCO, the two are wanted for their alleged offence of defrauding by false pretense and their involvement in money laundering.
The anti-graft outfit added that any person with information on the said persons should contact their Head Office located adjacent to Old Parliament House Barnes Road, Accra, or the nearest police station.
It may be recalled that EOCO, last month, released a list of persons on its wanted list.
It contained details of three men, namely: Ezekiel Mensah Otoo, Nicholas Gyekye, and Derrick Obeng, a.k.a Chilling.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered the most distant organic molecules ever discovered in the cosmos. Webb has never before discovered complex molecules in the far reaches of the cosmos.
The intricate molecules were discovered in the SPT0418-47 galaxy, which is more than 12 billion light-years away.
The research clarifies how chemical interactions within the very first galaxies in the cosmos lead to star formation.
The molecules, also known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are present in smoke, soot, smog, automobile exhaust, and forest fires on Earth.
The base of the organic molecules is carbon, considered to be one of the building blocks of life because it’s a key element in amino acids, which form proteins.
A study detailing the findings was published Monday in the journal Nature.
The light from the dusty galaxy began traveling across the cosmos when the universe was less than 1.5 billion years old, just 10% of its current age of 13.8 billion years. The galaxy was first spotted in 2013 by the National Science Foundation’s South Pole Telescope. Other observatories, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, have observed it since.
But the Webb telescope’s infrared capabilities, which can see light invisible to the human eye and peer through cosmic dust, was able to capture new details about the galaxy. And the space observatory received a helping hand from a phenomenon called gravitational lensing.
“This magnification happens when two galaxies are almost perfectly aligned from the Earth’s point of view, and light from the background galaxy is warped and magnified by the foreground galaxy into a ring-like shape, known as an Einstein ring,” said study coauthor Joaquin Vieira, professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in a statement.
Gravitational lensing was originally predicted in Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity.
“By combining Webb’s amazing capabilities with a natural ‘cosmic magnifying glass,’ we were able to see even more detail than we otherwise could,” saidlead study author Justin Spilker, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Texas A&M University, in a statement.
“That level of magnification is actually what made us interested in looking at this galaxy with Webb in the first place, because it really lets us see all the rich details of what makes up a galaxy in the early universe that we could never do otherwise,” said Spilker, who is also a member of Texas A&M’s George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy.
Astronomers spotted the signature of the organic molecules during a careful analysis of Webb’s data. The molecules are common in space.
Here on Earth, they are part of cancer-causing hydrocarbon emissions that contribute to the planet’s atmospheric pollution.
Previously, astronomers thought polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were a sign of star formation because they have observed the large molecules near bright young stars. But Webb’s data revealed the presence of these molecules may not have been an indicator of star birth in the early days of the universe.
“Thanks to the high-definition images from Webb, we found a lot of regions with smoke but no star formation, and others with new stars forming but no smoke,” Spilker said.
The unexpected finding is helping astronomers piece together answers to some of the lingering questions about the beginning of the universe.
“Discoveries like this are precisely what Webb was built to do: understand the earliest stages of the universe in new and exciting ways,” said study coauthor Kedar Phadke, a doctoral student of astronomy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in a statement. “It’s amazing that we can identify molecules billions of light-years away that we’re familiar with here on Earth, even if they show up in ways we don’t like, like smog and smoke. It’s also a powerful statement about the amazing capabilities of Webb that we’ve never had before.”
The researchers are looking forward to flexing Webb’s capabilities more in the future as they search for even more distant galaxies.
“Now that we’ve shown this is possible for the first time, we’re looking forward to trying to understand whether it’s really true that where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Spilker said. “Maybe we’ll even be able to find galaxies that are so young that complex molecules like these haven’t had time to form in the vacuum of space yet, so galaxies are all fire and no smoke. The only way to know for sure is to look at more galaxies, hopefully even further away than this one.”
In his prison cell, a former FBI agent who had been found guilty of spying on the US for Russia had been discovered dead.
According to the Bureau of Prisons, Robert Hanssen, 79, was discovered unconscious in his supermax federal prison unit on Monday about 6.55am.
According to CBS News, Kristie Breshears, director of communications for the Bureau of Prisons, said that “staff requested emergency medical services and life-saving efforts continued.”
Former FBI agent Robert Hanssen was arrested in 2001 (Picture: Reuters)
His cause of death was not immediately released.
Hanssen was serving a life sentence at a federal penitentiary in Florence, Colorado. He was among spies who inflicted the most damage ever to the US.
The Soviets approached Hanssen three years after he started working for the FBI. He began spying for the KGB, the former Soviet secret police, in 1979, as well as the successor SVR.
Hanssen’s employment with the FBI allowed him to access virtually any classified documents. He assumed the alias Ramon Garcia in sending US intelligence to spy agencies via dead drops and encrypted messages.
He stepped back from spying several years after starting, when his wife confronted him, but picked it back up in 1985. He sent information on the US’s secret nuclear war preparations as well as a tunnel used for eavesdropping beneath the Soviet embassy in Washington, DC.
In exchange for feeding US intelligence, Hanssen received more than $1.4million in foreign bank deposits, cash and diamonds. He never met face-to-face with the Russians he sent information to.
Hanssen was arrested in 2001 after making a dead drop in Virginia. He pleaded guilty to selling highly classified documents to the Soviet Union and Russia.
He was convicted of espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage and attempted espionage, and sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences. Hanssen had served 20 of those years.
No other inmates or staff were injured as Hanssen’s body was discovered and there was no threat to the public.
The relatives of a prominent political donor from Florida were among the two deaths on board the plane that crashed in Virginia.
Residents of Washington, DC and the surrounding area were stunned by the unexpected jet crash on Sunday afternoon at around 3:20 pm when they heard a tremendous boom.
Locals heard a loud boom, which NORAD later verified was a military plane being intercepted after entering a restricted airspace.
‘During this event, the NORAD aircraft also used flares – which may have been visible to the public – in an attempt to draw attention to the pilot,’ the defense organization said.
The plane, identified by NORAD as a Cessna private jet, crashed in the George Washington Forest around 3.30pm. The Cessna’s pilot was unresponsive before the crash.
The occupants were identified as Adina Azarian, 49, as well as her 2-year-old daughter, their nanny, and the pilot, a family member confirmed to the New York Times.
That family member, John Rumpel, is the father of Azarian and grandfather of her daughter.
Rumpel and his wife, Barbara Rumpel are prominent businesspeople and Republican political donors. Barbara has served on the executive committee National Rifle Association’s Women’s Leadership Forum since 2012, according to her LinkedIn page.
Records indicate the couple gave a major donation of $250,000 to a political action committee (PAC) to support the reelection of Donald Trump in 2020.
The plane was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne, a company based in Florida and owned by the Rumpels.
Azarian and her daughter were traveling home to East Hampton, New York after visiting him in North Carolina.
The plane appeared to reach its destination in Long Island before inexplicably turning around and flying in a straight line towards Washington DC.
Rumpel said he had little knowledge of the crash, but theorized it was caused by the cabin losing pressurization.
‘It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed,’ Rumpel said.
Investigators found the aircraft’s wreckage in a crater near Montebello, Virginia, the Virginia State Police said on Monday.
The founder of an animal rights organisation has declared that she will leave the KingCharles a piece of her neck when she passes away.
Ingrid Newkirk, a politician, has also declared that she will leave Elon Musk a bit of her heart and one of her legs in her will.
The 73-year-old Ms. Newkirk, who founded Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) more than 40 years ago, wants to continue her animal advocacy long after she passes away.
She has asked that, in light of the royal family’s long history of involvement with pigeon racing, the King receive a bit of her neck when she passes away.
Peta claims the necks of losing birds are often wrung after enduring cross-Channel and other races. Many perish during such races.
Ingrid Newkirk has announced what she is going to leave in her will after she dies (Picture: Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Ms Newkirk has also requested in her updated will that some of her bare skin be left to the Ministry of Defence if it is still using real bear skin for the King’s Guards’ caps when faux fur is readily available.
To billionaire and Twitter owner Elon Musk, she will leave a piece of her heart for him to clone in response to his brain implant company Neuralink’s testing on animals.
Ms Newkirk has also asked for one of her legs to be removed and broken after her death and displayed at Aintree racecourse during the Grand National, to draw attention to the injuries horses have sustained during the famous race.
Animal rights campaigners called for jump racing to be banned and more stringent safety measures in the sport after three horses died at this year’s Grand National Festival.
Other requests in Ms Newkirk’s will include for her trachea to be sent to the administrators of dog show Crufts over allegations of the promotion of breathing-impaired breeds, and an ear to the King of Spain in protest against the country’s bullfighting, in which the matador often cuts off the bull’s ears as a trophy.
Ms Newkirk said: ‘On his deathbed, they asked Bob Hope where he wanted to be buried and he replied ‘Surprise me’.
‘In my case, when I die I hope to keep on surprising those who harm animals, provoking conversation about speciesism, and campaigning against animal abuse.’
Empress Gifty, a renowned Ghanaian gospel musician, has recently shared the rationale behind her transition towards singing in the English language.
In a myjoyonline.com report, she explained that her motivation to sing in English stems from her desire to reach a wider audience.
Empress Gifty mentioned that her travels and encounters with various people have taught her the importance of being able to explain her songs when ministering to others.
“I think my traveling and the kind of people that I meet have learnt a lot because sometimes when you go outside and you want to minister, sometimes you need to explain your song,” Empress shared.
Based on her personal experiences on two occasions, she decided to incorporate some English lines into her compositions.
She expressed her intention to fuse English into her music to connect with a broader listener base.
Empress is currently promoting her latest song, titled “Awieye Pa,” written by gospel musician Ewura Abena and produced by Shadrack Yawson.
The role of language in the marketability of songs across different countries has sparked debates within the music industry.
While some argue that music is a universal language that can be appreciated worldwide regardless of the lyrics’ language, others believe that listeners connect better with music when they understand the message conveyed in the lyrics.
It was an emotional moment at the Supreme Court during a valedictory ceremony held in honour of Justice Jones Dotse few days to his retirement, as the Supreme Court teared up during the ceremony.
The Supreme Court judge has dedicated most part of his life in service to the country and especially to the Judicial service. He has worked over 40 years in the Judicial service; spending 20 of these years as a judge.
As a way of celebrating him as well as bidding him farewell as his retirement age approaches, Justices of the Supreme Court highlighted his impact in the service during the valedictory ceremony on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.
Justice Dotse, who is currently the acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, would be retiring from the court on Thursday, June 8, 2023, when he turns 70.
The Chief Justice nominee, Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, in a speech at the event, described Justice Dotse as a man who applied the principle of justice and fairness in his work.
She added that the retiring judge was particularly incensed by the looting of state confers and the abuse of public office which he fought vehemently.
“One only has to encounter his desperate quest to overcome abuse with justice in decisions such as Board of Governance Achimota School vrs Nii Aku Nortey II, Platinium Equity Limited and Land Commission… and Martin Alamisi Amidu vrs The Attorney General, Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited and Alfred Agbesi Woyome to understand the fighter for justice for the deprived in the nation in Justice Dotse,” she said.
Justice Dotse could not hold back his tears, as he was delivering his farewell speech.
“I promised my family that I was not going to cry so I’m going to soldier on,” he said to the applause of the attendees of the event.
“All the good things have been said but today is a day of showing appreciation,” he added
He thanked God for his journey in the legal system of Ghana.
He also thanked his parent for their sacrifices which have made him what he is today and his wife for journeying with him in life.
The justice thanked all his colleagues and Supreme Court judges for their support and all person who have helped him in his career.
About Justice Dotse:
Jones Victor Mawulorm was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Gambia in February 2008 and in June of that same year became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
He worked as a State Attorney with the Attorney-General’s Department from 1979 to 1981. After this stint, he went into private practice. He served as the President of the Volta Region Bar of the Ghana Bar Association. He became a high court judge in June 2002 and became a judge in the Court of Appeals in September 2003.
He also served as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Judicial Training Institute in Accra. Jones Dotse is the Chairman of the University Council of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho.
He attended the Accra Academy for his secondary education. He studied law at the University of Ghana, Legon, graduating in June 1976, and was called to the Ghanaian Bar in November 1978.
He has attended courses and seminars in several countries including the United States, Canada, Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana.
Gospel musician, Joe Mettle, has announced his annual 11th edition “Praise Reloaded” concert in Kumasi. The Kumasi event serves as a prelude to the main event, which will come off later this month on the 25th, in Accra.
Set to take place on June 11 in Kumasi at Calvary Charismatic Centre (CCC), this special event offers gospel music enthusiasts a chance to experience a powerful atmosphere of reverence, praise, worship, and spiritual rejuvenation.
The concert will feature guest performances by the talented Prospa Ochimana from Nigeria, alongside Ghana’s Efe Grace and Piesie Esther, creating an atmosphere of pure inspiration and musical excellence.
The “Praise Reloaded” concert Oseikrom edition will be a celebration of faith, music, and spiritual connection. Joe Mettle will take center stage, captivating the audience with his electrifying performances and soul-stirring melodies, aided by a carefully curated selection of his greatest hits and anointed melodies, new releases, showcasing his diverse musical style and uplifting messages.
Joe Mettle, known for his powerful vocals and inspiring compositions has garnered a massive following throughout his career. With numerous awards and chart-topping hits to his name, he has become a beacon of hope and inspiration in the gospel music scene.
With a career spanning several years, he has become a household name in the gospel music scene in Ghana and beyond. His music carries messages of faith, hope, and worship, touching the hearts of listeners and inspiring them to deepen their connection with God.
Per Prince Harry, the actions of Piers Morgan and other journalists who are accused of listening in on his mother Princess Diana’s private messages make him “physically sick.”
He also enters into politics by asserting that he thinks the British Government has reached “rock bottom” in his explosive written testimony for his High Court trial.
With his attendance in London for a trial against the Mirror newspaper group, the Duke of Sussex has made legal history by becoming the first British royal to testify in court in 130 years.
In his written submission to the court, he details a life spent in the glare of tabloids and filled with paranoia over whether he could trust his friends, family or other people he was meeting.
Harry writes: ‘Every time I was getting off a plane or jumping in a car, I was looking in the rear-view mirror so to speak.
‘I came to expect to be followed and papped by someone hiding in a bush somewhere. Everything felt as though I was under 24-hour surveillance.’
Describing the process of the tabloid press reacting to a new member of the Royal Family, he writes: ‘You start off as a blank canvas while they work out what kind of person you are and what kind of problems and temptations you might have.
‘They then start to edge you towards playing the role or roles that suit them best and which sells as many newspapers as possible, especially if you are the “spare” to the “heir”.
‘You’re then either the “playboy prince”, the “failure”, the “drop out” or, in my case, the “thicko”, the “cheat”, the “underage drinker”, the “irresponsible drug taker”, the list goes on.’
The Duke of Sussex is at the High Court in London for his trial against the newspaper group (Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP)
Piers Morgan and the Press
The written evidence describes a series of newspaper stories published by newspapers in the Mirror group that the Duke believes could not have been written without the use of unlawful methods of information-gathering.
Claiming both he and Princess Diana were affected by the alleged activity, he says: ‘[T]he thought of Piers Morgan and his band of journalists earwigging into my mother’s private and sensitive messages […] makes me feel physically sick and even more determined to hold those responsible, including Mr Morgan, accountable for their vile and entirely unjustified behaviour.’
Later, he writes: ‘Unfortunately, as a consequence of me bringing my Mirror Group claim, both myself and my wife have been subjected to a barrage of horrific personal attacks and intimidation from Piers Morgan.’
The former Daily Mirror editor dramatically left Good Morning Britain after saying he did not believe Harry’s wife Meghan, when she spoke about the toll that being a working member of the Royal Family had taken on her mental health.
The written statement also makes reference to Harry’s friendship with the late TV presenter Caroline Flack, with him saying he was ‘shocked’ and ‘livid’ when photographers turned up to take pictures of the pair together ahead of a dinner party in 2009.
Harry writes that he and his wife have been subjected to a ‘barrage of horrific personal attacks’ by Piers Morgan (Picture Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for BAFTA LA)
James Hewitt and Princess Diana
In another section, he wonders about the motives of the press in writing about a supposed plot to steal his DNA to determine whether James Hewitt, rather than King Charles, was his real father.
He says: ‘Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so I might be ousted from the Royal Family?’
The Duke says he only realised the timeline of Diana’s relationship in 2014, writing: ‘At the time of this article and others similar to it, I wasn’t actually aware that my mother hadn’t met Major Hewitt until after I was born.’
He adds: ‘At the time, when I was 18 years old and had lost my mother just six years earlier, stories such as this felt very damaging and very real to me.’
British Government
Harry also makes an extraordinary comment on the current state of British politics, writing: ‘[A]t the moment, our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government – both of which I believe are at rock bottom.’
He continues: ‘Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo.’
A spokesman for the prime minister declined to comment on a ‘live legal case’, adding: ‘I think you have heard repeatedly from the prime minister on the state of the country and his priorities, but I am not going to get drawn into commenting specifically on that.’
Prince Harry has been cross-examined at the High Court by the lawyer for Mirror Group Newspapers (Picture: PA)
Andrew Green KC, the lawyer for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), asked Harry in court about part of his statement in which he states: ‘How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness.’
Mr Green asked if the Duke meant ‘blood on their hands’ in relation to a specific article, and further asked him what he meant by it.
Harry said: ‘Some of the editors and journalists that are responsible for causing a lot of pain, upset and in some cases, speaking personally, death.’
His historic testimony was originally due to take place yesterday, but the Duke’s barrister David Sherborne explained he was unable to turn up due to a late flight back from the US.
Mr Sherborne said the Duke flew to England on Sunday night as he had spent the day celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday.
Prince Harry’s lead lawyer David Sherborne has argued that certain newspaper articles could not have been written without unlawful information-gathering (Picture: AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
The judge hearing the case, Mr Justice Fancourt, said he was ‘a little surprised’ and was visibly frustrated by the no-show, according to The Telegraph.
Mr Green said he had planned to question the Duke for a day and a half but that may not be possible due to his absence on Monday.
Harry is suing MGN for damages, claiming journalists at its titles were linked to methods including phone hacking, ‘blagging’ or gaining information by deception, and the use of private investigators for unlawful activities.
He is one of four claimants in the trial.
Mr Sherborne spent the day in court yesterday describing the extent to which his client’s personal life was allegedly invaded by journalists from MGN titles.
He said the suggestion there was only one example of unlawful information gathering was ‘plainly implausible’, and highlighted some of the 33 newspaper articles that form the Duke’s claim.
Many of the stories relate to Harry’s love life, particularly his on-off relationship with Chelsea Davy between 2004 and 2010.
Mr Sherborne argued Harry was ‘little more than a child’ when the stories about him and Chelsea were at their peak, adding: ‘It was as if they were never alone.’
However, Mr Green responded by saying the Duke’s legal team were not able to establish that MGN journalists hacked its client’s phone.
He said: ‘There is simply no evidence capable of supporting the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, still less on a habitual basis.’
Describing Harry’s case as ‘fantastical’, he argued that there is no data demonstrating his phone had been called for hacking, and that police have never suggested Harry was a victim of hacking despite investigating the Mirror group.
As worries mount that hundreds of communities could be submerged by floodwater, Ukraine has accused Russia of detonating a dam on the Dnipro River in Nova Kakhovk.
At least 24 distinct communities in Kherson, the Ukrainian province occupied by Moscow, are currently undergoing evacuations.
This morning, a dam wall fell, putting drinking water supplies and Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant in peril.
She took to Instagram and Twitter and posted a video about what happened.
She said: ‘They [Russia] blew up the dam in Nova Kakhovk.
‘Not a lot of people know how much suffering and ecological upheaval they have caused when they built it in the 1950s.
‘Today with no warning to people to anyone, they just blew it up creating another ecological disaster, another human disaster.
‘My heart is broken. How can they hate life so much?
‘And today apart from urging everyone to continue supporting us, I appeal to all the eco-warriors of the world because I feel like there hasn’t been enough support from you.
‘They [Russia] are ecological terrorists, they are terrorists in every sense of the word.
‘Right now cattle are being drowned, people are of course losing their homes.
‘There has been irreversible damage. I cannot even explain what has been happening. It is just horrible.’
Locals have been told by Russian authorities to collect personal belongings and documents, take food for 3 days and drinking water.
They’ve also been told to ‘turn off gas and water before leaving your residential buildings’.
A state of emergency has been declared in the Nova Kakhovka district with reports of Russian soldiers patrolling the streets.
Already a zoo called Kazkova Dibrova, located right on the bank of the Dnipro, was completely flooded and all 300 animals were dead.
The water level in the district is reported to have risen by more than 11 metres since the dam explosion.
Ukraine’s interior ministry has also claimed the southern region of Kherson – where people are being evacuated – is being shelled.
Intelligence chief Olexsiy Danilov accused Russia’s 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade, who were stationed nearby, of carrying out the attack.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, says it has launched a criminal investigation following the dam breach after both sides blamed one another for the explosion.
The breach has been called an ‘ecological disaster’ with the Dnipro River now contaminated with industrial substances.
Ukraine’s military has accused Russia’s forces of blowing up the dam and President Zelensky said: ‘This is just one day of Russian aggression. This is just one Russian act of terrorism.
‘This is just one Russian war crime. Now Russia is guilty of brutal ecocide.
‘Any comments are superfluous. The world must react. Russia is at war against life, against nature, against civilisation.
‘Russia must leave the Ukrainian land and must be held fully accountable for its terror.’
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, said on Twitter the dam’s rupture ‘clearly qualifies as a war crime’ because it is the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
He promised to hold Russia and its proxies accountable.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly described the act as a ‘catastrophe’ and ‘abhorrent’ act.
He said: ‘The destruction of Kakhovka dam is an abhorrent act.
‘Intentionally attacking exclusively civilian infrastructure is a war crime.
‘The UK stands ready to support Ukraine and those affected by this catastrophe.’
The foreign secretary visited Kyiv this week, where he met his counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and Zelensky.
Ukrainian forces were widely seen to be moving forward with a long-anticipated counteroffensive in patches along more than 1,000-kilometers of frontline in the east and south of Ukraine.
But this damage could hinder Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south and distract its government, while at the same time Russia depends on the dam to supply water to Crimea.
The Nova Kakhovka dam is not the first to have been targeted since the start of the conflict.
A missile attack destroyed the dam at Karachunivske reservoir near the city of Kryvyi Rih in southern Ukraine last September.
This caused widespread flooding and people were told to evacuate.
A month later, there were missile attacks on hydroelectric dams at Zaprorizhzhia, Kremenchuk, and on the Dniester river, in the west of the country.
Businessman and politician, Kojo Bonsu, has revealed that he will jump at the opportunity to be John Dramani Mahama’s vice should it be offered.
The contender in the just-ended NDC presidential primaries stated that he is not perturbed about his loss in the primaries hence, will do anything and everything possible to see Mahama win the 2024 polls.
The former Mayor of Kumasi was speaking to Daniel Oduro on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV.
In the interview, the politician said that he will be glad to work with the flagbearer of the NDC, John Mahama if he believes that he is fit to be his running mate.
“His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has the prerogative and if he believes that Kojo Bonsu can do it, why not? We are united and I’m going to give him my all to support him well.
“So, when he chooses me as his vice, bingo! And we are going to work in tandem to make everything work very well,” the politician said.
Kojo Bonsu, however, added that, if no such opportunity arises, he will move to wherever National Democratic Congress believes his expertise is needed and do his very best.
Asked if he has any position he prefers should the NDC recapture power in 2024, Kojo Bonsu said he is ready to serve in whatever capacity and thus has no preferences.
“I wouldn’t want to choose any portfolio. The party knows me, the party knows what I can do. Wherever they put me and see that I have the expertise to do it, I would love to do it,” he added.
Kojo Bonsu contested John Dramani Mahama in the just-ended NDC presidential primaries with the latter polling over 98 percent of the votes cast to emerge as the party’s flagbearer.
The politician also served as a Mayor for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly under the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama’s administration from 2013 to 2016.
As Tonto Dikeh‘s 38th birthday approaches, the Nollywood actress has taken the opportunity to reflect on some of her life lessons as her 38th birthday approaches.
The actress wrote on Instagram that she had learned not to reveal all of her secrets to her family and friends since doing so could have unintended consequences.
Tonto has also discovered the value of having several different sources of income, maintaining the secrecy of account balances, and valuing individualism.
Tonto Dikeh claims to have learned that attempting to find closure is pointless and that it is better to go forward and start fresh.
Here are some reactions her statements have sparked below:
danstate4jesus: “Good morning Tonto please can you throw more light on the 2nd to the last part, I need to know what you are trying to say, I believe alot of people as me would want you to clear the air.”
rechaelokonkwo: “Her Excellency”
fridawiththegoodhair: “Closure is the biggest scam ever, don’t why we don’t talk about it enough. Happy birthday in advance King”
hadiza_nababa: “This 100% factual,This a Book Period, till its hit one from the top to the bottom he/she will realise this things you said,Thank you for reaffirming my Decisions And Happy Birth king God Favours,Abundance”
iamdanielkemka: “wow! So much wisdom you’ve dropped here in just few sentence”
diamond1abigail: “My Queen I just learn something from ur write up I will look into tht fixed deposit that y I love you”
Over the past year, strikes have been a common occurrence on UK soil, with train drivers, Passport office employees, teachers, nurses, and more walking out due to disagreements over wages and working conditions.
Numerous strikes have also occurred in other parts of Europe. On June 6, a statewide strike in France is still going on, disrupting trains, the Paris Metro, and air traffic control at airports.
Since the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has requested that all airlines cut flights to and from various French airports, it is understandable that many people with travel plans to France are concerned about how the strike action at the airports would affect their trip.
Here’s what you need to know about the current air traffic controller strike taking place across the Channel…
How long will the French air traffic control strike last in June?
French air traffic controllers have been on strike from 6pm on June 5, with the strike expected to last until 6am on June 7.
If you are planning on travelling to France during this time, then you’ll need to double-check your flight status and expect there to be disruptions or even last-minute cancellations.
How will travel be affected?
The DGAC has advised all airlines to cancel up to 30% of flights on strike days at some airports in France, with walkouts affecting Paris’ Orly and Beauvais airports, plus Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Nice.
Flights from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport are not affected, however.
Flights that cross French airspace may also be affected by the air traffic controller strike.
If you are flying to or from one of the affected airports – or know your flight may enter French airspace -it is recommended you check your journey prior to departure, to see if any delays or cancellations have been announced.
Air France has said it will operate all long-haul flights and all flights to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, but three out of every 10 flights from Paris-Orly Airport and some other airports are likely to be cancelled.
In their statement, Air France said: ‘Delays and last-minute cancellations cannot be ruled out. The flight schedule is up to date and customers affected by cancelled flights have been notified individually by SMS, e-mail or via the Air France application.
‘For customers whose flight is cancelled, a voucher or a full refund in the event that they no longer travel. Air France regrets this strike action and is doing everything possible to limit the impact on its customers.’
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has called on President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to take action and protect flights as a result of French air traffic control strikes, with over 400 flights already cancelled today – June 6.
Speaking from Ryanair’s Dublin operation centre, Mr O’Leary said only domestic flights in France should be cancelled and that it is ‘absolutely indefensible’ that other flights across Europe are disrupted.
‘(During the strike days) Our flights are full and we’re being forced to cancel flights. There is a simple solution for this. Other [EU] member states (Greece, Italy, and Spain) have laws that protect overflights.’
Eurostar however has said that today’s strike will not affect their timetable and that trains will run as normal amid walkouts at airports.
Why are the French air traffic controllers striking?
Air traffic controllers are protesting against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, which is the main reason strikes have hit other industries across the country.
President Macron pushed through the bill raising the retirement age without a vote in the National Assembly, which has seen widespread strike action take place in the country since the start of 2023.
The June 6 national strike date was chosen as the National Assembly is set to meet on June 8 to discuss a number of motions, one of which includes keeping the retirement age fixed at 62.
The unions are therefore marching two days before to show their support and unity to parliament, demonstrating that they have not budged on their stance regarding the retirement age bill.
Former Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo, has taken a swipe at his ‘enemies’ in a cryptic song for trying to ‘pull him down’.
In a viral video, the former Auditor-General, feeling vindicated, sang along the lines of a song in his local dialect, Ewe, claiming that although he had sought peace, his enemies attempted to undermine his efforts at every turn.
“I wanted a place of peace for us to inhabit but the enemies say ‘no.’ They stood up against me. Including my own; they all stood against me. They laughed with me; their teeth white like snow. But within them is something different (domelevo).
“As for me, I am gone. As long as the Lord lives, the truth will prevail. What’s within them (stomach) is different even though they bare their white teeth with laughter. As for me, I am gone. As long as the Lord lives, the truth shall prevail,” he added.
This comes after the Supreme Court ruling which described President Akufo-Addo’s 2020 directive for Mr Domelevo to proceed on a forced leave.
After undergoing examinations, the pope has returned from the hospital in Rome.
Italian news agency Ansa and a number of other regional media sites reported that Pope Francis visited Gemelli Hospital in the nation’s capital.
According to accounts, he arrived at a hospital section dedicated to treating senior patients at 10.40 a.m. local time (8.40 a.m. GMT).
The pope returned shortly after, according to witnesses at the Perugino gate of the Vatican, one of the main gates to the city state, and greeted guards as usual.
The Vatican has not yet commented on the condition of the pope, who is 86 years old.
Pope Francis marked the 10th anniversary of his pontificate in March and has recently made headlines after denouncing anti-gay laws.
He described the criminalisation of homosexuality as an ‘injustice’ while travelling back to Rome from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, in February.
The Catholic leader said people with ‘homosexual tendencies’ are children of God and should be welcomed by the church.
In late March he spent a few days at the Gemelli Hospital – one of Europe’s largest private hospitals sometimes known as ‘The Pope’s Hospital’ – with an acute case of bronchitis.
He was given intravenous antibiotics and discharged on April 1, after which he joked ‘I’m still alive’.
He also skipped some audiences last month due to a fever.
The pope had part of his colon removed in July 2021 as part of an operation tackling a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis.
He revealed earlier this year the condition has returned.
Pope Francis is also missing part of one lung, which was removed when he was a young man living in his native Argentina.
He has suffered several ailments in his later years, including sciatica nerve pain and strained ligaments in his knee, and is often seen using a cane or wheelchair to get around.
Despite this the pope has a packed schedule, with trips to Portugal and Mongolia planned for August.
His next public appointment is expected to be his weekly general audience tomorrow in St Peter’s Square.
Kate Henshaw, the renowned Nigerian film actress, has surprised her fans and followers by sharing rare and heartwarming photographs featuring herself and her beautiful daughter, Gabrielle.
Despite her status as a social media sensation, Kate has maintained a low-key approach when it comes to her personal life, leaving many in the dark about her child.
The internet was abuzz with excitement as netizens stumbled upon the images she posted on her Instagram page, showcasing the special bond between a mother and her daughter.
Kate expressed her pride in her daughter and extended heartfelt wishes for a future filled with happiness and success.
In her caption, she wrote: “I am incredibly proud of you, my dear… May your light continue to shine brighter and brighter… #motheranddaughter #beautifulmemories.”
Ernest Yaw Anim has officially joined parliament after being elected as the Member of Parliament for Kumawu.
He took the oath of allegiance and the oath of a member of parliament to formalize his position.
Anim, who ran as the New Patriotic Party’s candidate in the Kumawu by-election, emerged as the winner on May 23. With a total of 15,264 votes, he surpassed the National Democratic Congress candidate, Kwasi Amankwaa, and two Independent Candidates, both named Kwaku Duah.
Amankwaa secured 3,723 votes, while Kwaku Duah (1) received 2,478 votes, and the other Kwaku Duah only managed to gather 62 votes.
The by-election was held following the passing of the previous incumbent MP, Philip Basoah, who died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after a brief illness.
While being at the pinnacle of the music industry in any genre can bring substantial financial success, many artists have found that diversifying their income streams through various business ventures is the key to amassing massive wealth. Here is a glimpse at the 15 richest female singers in the world and how they have built their fortunes:
1. Rihanna – $1.7 Billion
Rihanna is by far the wealthiest female singer on the planet and is a recent addition to Forbes’ list of billionaires. She has done so well that only one other woman who has a higher net worth than her is Oprah Winfrey. Her music career has lasted for over a decade, giving us hit songs like Umbrella, Disturbia, and What’s My Name. That illustrious chapter earned her over 250 million record sales worldwide and a slew of awards that includes nine Grammy Awards, seven Guinness World Records, and 12 Billboard Awards.
Outside of her music career, she has launched successful lingerie and beauty brands such as Savage X Fenty and Fenty Beauty. Her jump in net worth over the past few years can mostly be attributed to these two brands and the wild success they’ve found in commercial markets worldwide.
2. Madonna – $850 Million
Madonna has continually reinvented both herself and her artistic approach over the years, becoming one of the most successful music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist of all time with over 300 million record sales worldwide. The Queen of Pop is a natural nickname for her, with the most number-one songs on the Hot 100 in several different countries.
In addition to her solo career, she is one of the top songwriters in the music business and an established actress, landing roles in films like Evita, which won her the Golden Globe for Best Actress, and A League of Their Own. In 1992, she launched Maverick Records, becoming one of the most successful artist-run record labels in history, and has worked on several other business ventures in film, fashion brands, writing, and health clubs.
3. Céline Dion – $800 Million
Céline Dion’s music career has run the gamut of genres, and she’s notably one of the best singers of all time, as well as the best-selling French-language artist of all time. She’s had seven albums sell over 10 million records, with over 200 million record sales worldwide. Her Taking Chances World Tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, and her two Las Vegas concert residencies also rank among the highest-grossing in history.
Outside of music, she owns a perfume label, a line of bags and accessories, and several other establishments including Le Mirage Golf Club and Pure Nightclub, and founded the Nickels food chain. Her perfume line alone has netted $850 million in commercial sales.
4. Dolly Parton – $650 Million
Dolly Parton is perhaps the most successful woman in country music. She began as a songwriter before debuting as a solo act in 1967 and has since gone on to sell over 100 million records worldwide. One hundred ten charted singles and 3,000 composed songs show just how massive her impact in the music industry has been, but her net worth doesn’t just come from that.
She co-owns the Dollywood Company, which manages and controls several different entertainment venues. Dollywood Theme Park, Splash Country, The Dolly Parton Stampede, and Pirates Voyage are all under that umbrella.
5. Beyoncé – $500 Million
Beyoncé is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time with over 200 million worldwide record sales. She spent time in the group Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling girl’s groups of all time before beginning her solo career. She is also one of the most-awarded recording artists of all time, netting 28 Grammy Awards and becoming one of the most influential women in music.
Her marriage to Jay-Z formed one of the first hip hop power couples in history, with a total of over 300 million album sales between the two of them. In addition to her incredible music career, she is also known for several different endorsement deals with L’Oreal, Pepsi, and American Express. She is also at the helm of a successful fashion line and works as an ambassador for numerous different charities.
6. Gloria Estefan – $500 Million
Gloria Estefan is one of the best singers to come out of Cuba in recent history. Her influence is so massive in the industry that she is credited with breaking the mainstream barriers facing Latin artists and allowing others like Selena and Shakira to thrive. She has earned over 75 million worldwide record sales, but music hasn’t been her only interest.
As an actress, she has starred in several TV shows and made appearances in a few films. In addition to being a singer and actress, she has written children’s books, one of which made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list.
7. Victoria Beckham – $450 Million
It would be true to form that a member of the best-selling female group of all time would make this list. Victoria Beckham rose to fame as Posh Spice, a member of the Spice Girls, selling over 100 million records worldwide. After the Spice Girls split up, she released a solo album but found more success on TV and in the fashion industry. She spent time as a guest judge on American Idol, Project Runway, and America’s Next Top Model while also starring in several documentaries and reality shows.
She’s since become a fashion icon, working with several big-name brands before launching two of her own fashion labels, one of which was named the designer brand of the year in the UK in 2011.
8. Barbra Streisand – $400 Million
Barbra Streisand is a name you no doubt know, thanks to her success across multiple fields that made her one of the few performers to win an Emmy, an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Tony Award. An established music career in the 60s saw her release a total of 11 albums that topped the Billboard 200 chart and earn over 150 million worldwide record sales. By the 70s, she began starring in films, winning both an Oscar and Golden Globe in those endeavors.
9. Jennifer Lopez – $400 Million
Jennifer Lopez would become the first Hispanic female actress to earn over $1 million for a film and became the highest-paid Hispanic actress in Hollywood for a while. She broke in with the leading role in the 1997 film Selena and would go on to star in Anaconda and Out Of Sight as well.
In 1999, her debut album helped bring Latin pop to mainstream audiences, but her second album and appearance in the film The Wedding Planner made her the first woman to have a number-one album and movie in the same week. She is a true icon in the entertainment industry, a singer, actress, and dancer who can truly do it all.
10. Taylor Swift – $400 Million
Taylor Swift’s music career started early and found almost immediate success. At age 14, she moved to Nashville to become a country artist and her 2006 debut album made her the first female country artist to write a US platinum album in its entirety. Over time, her sound has changed from country to pop music, always writing songs from her personal experiences that many people find easily relatable.
Her list of accolades is ridiculously astounding. Two hundred million worldwide record sales, the only artist with five albums opening over one million sales in the US, 11 Grammy Awards, 40 American Music Awards, 92 Guinness World Records, and being named to numerous Greatest of All Time lists by major outlets. She has always done things her own way and retained artistic control in her music, which is one of the reasons her albums have done so well and are so beloved by so many people.
11. Trisha Yearwood – $400 Million
Trisha Yearwood established herself in the country music scene with singles like She’s In Love With The Boy, XXX’s And OOO’s (An American Girl), and Walkaway Joe. Her career continued to find success throughout the 90s and early 2000s before taking a hiatus from music and focusing on other career options.
She would publish three successful cookbooks and take a spot on the Food Network with her own show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen. Outside of that Food Network show, she has appeared in a recurring role on JAG and done work for several films including Stuart Little.
12. Shania Twain – $400 Million
There are several female country music artists on the list, and Shania Twain is one of the greats. When you look at only country albums, she is the highest-selling female artist with over 100 million worldwide album sales. Her biggest hits are Any Man of Mine, You’re Still The One, Man! I Feel Like A Woman, and That Don’t Impress Me Much.
Among the greatest female country artists of the 90s, she was instrumental in the pop-country movement of the time, and her influence on the genre has had a long-lasting impact that we can still see today. She’s won numerous awards in music, but outside of the music industry, she only has a few business endeavors that include two fragrances released with Coty.
13. Cher – $360 Million
Cher has had a six-decade-long career in music, rising to fame as part of the Sonny & Cher duo and launching a solo career around the same time with two Top 10 singles. By the 70s, she had become a TV personality on The Sonny And Cher Comedy Hour and then Cher. While on those shows, her fashion style made her a trendsetter thanks to her elaborate costumes.
After she divorced Sonny Bono, she had a lucrative concert residency in Las Vegas. She spent time as an actress on Broadway before finding new success in the 90s in with her album Believe, pioneering the use of Auto-Tune before going on one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.
14. Katy Perry – $330 Million
Katy Perry has been one of the biggest names in pop from the late 2010s onward.
Songs like I Kissed A Girl, Teenage Dream, and California Gurls broke her into the mainstream and rocketed up the charts.
She’s found major success and sold over 140 million albums worldwide, becoming one of the most successful artists of all time.
Outside of the music industry, she is best known for her role as a judge on American Idol, but she has also launched her own shoe line and starred in an autobiographical documentary.
15. Lady Gaga – $320 Million
It’s hard to miss Lady Gaga with her incredible outfits, but she’s become an absolute icon of music in recent years.
Hits like Bad Romance, Bloody Mary, and Poker Face are some of the catchiest songs you’ll hear.
She’s the only female artist to have four different singles reach 10 million worldwide sales and has sold around 170 million albums worldwide. She is also an accomplished actress, with roles in the television series American Horror Story and several films including House Of Gucci and Machete Kills.
Bonus: Mariah Carey – $320 Million
Mariah Carey – All I Want for Christmas Is You (Make My Wish Come True Edition)
Hey, sorry. The list is fifteen, but Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga are tied, and I couldn’t leave the Songbird Supreme out. Especially since you know a big chunk of that is all the royalties from her recording of All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Any of my current or former retail people out there are acutely aware of how much that song gets played. That single alone has earned her over $60 million in royalties, but her lucrative record deal with Universal and a few other business ventures has led to her massive net worth.
According to Guinness World Records, Zoey’s tongue measures 12.7 centimetres (5 inches), which is longer than a soda can.
People frequently make comments about how long Zoey’s tongue is, according to her owners Sadie and Drew Williams of Metairie, Louisiana, US.
When Zoey was only six weeks old, we adopted her, and in the very first photo we have of her, her tongue is sticking out, according to Sadie Williams.
“We thought surely she’d grow into it but she obviously didn’t. She still has an enormous tongue compared to her body.”
Zoey’s massive tongue is most obvious when she is panting after playing outside.
“It would be slobbering all over the place,” said Drew Williams. “So sometime last year we took her to the vet and measured her tongue.”
Measuring from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tongue, Zoey was recognized as a record breaker.
The 3-year-old dog is a fun loving creature, according to her owners.
“She will pretty much go fetch anything you throw and swim in any body of water that’s available,” said Drew Williams. “But she hates getting a bath.”
Zoey is also friendly to strangers, but petting her comes with its own risks.
“Every now and then while we’re out taking her on a walk, people will come up to her and want to pet her,” said Drew Williams.
“We’ll warn them ahead of time ‘Hey, she’s friendly but she might slobber on you’ and every now and then she will, and they’ll have a big slobber mark on their black pants.”
Zoey beat previous record holder Bisbee, an English Setter from Tucson, Arizona, who claimed the record almost three months ago with a tongue measuring 9.49 centimeters (3.74 inches).
Another previous holder of the record, Mochi “Mo” Rickert, had a tongue that measured 18.58 centimeters (7.3 inches). The female Saint Bernard held the record for five years, and died in November 2021.
The lookalike of Kuami Eugene has been seen in a video crying over the arrest of his friend, who refers to himself as the lookalike of King Promise.
A video that was circulating on social media on June 5, 2023, saw how King Promise lookalike was arrested while shooting a video at his residence.
His arrest sparked a lot of reactions from social media users, leaving them to contemplate what led to his arrest.
A day after the incident, a video that was shared on Twitter by Code Micky showed how Kuami Eugene’s lookalike shed tears over his friend’s arrest.
In the video, he angrily voiced out that his brother will be released by hook or crook stating that the policeman who handcuffed him will be the same person to bring his brother back home.
Pouring out his emotions, he stated that he did not fathom why the police just badged into the house without bringing out any form of identification and to add up, he questioned why his friend was handcuffed when he showed no sign of misconduct during his arrest.
“My brother will come back. The police who arrested my brother will be the same person to bring him home. That police man who entered the room without showing any card and did not ask for any permission and also did not speak in a polite way. In the normal circumstance or in the long way, you don’t have to handcuff the person unless the person is misbehaving but look at what happened”, he lamented.
Also, he mentioned that they do not deserve the disgrace coming upon them after the accolades they received at Asantewaa’s birthday party when they performed their unreleased song to the crowd, stating the amount of money they invested into the song and the fact that they still owe the producer.
He said: “We spent a lot of money on that which we are not done with the payment. Abotsi produced that song. Ask Abotsi, a big star like this, and ask him how much he would charge us. My friends and I did our best to record this song which is yet to drop and we went to bless Asantewaa with our unreleased song at her program. We received such high praise and now look at the same you’ve brought upon us”.
The brains of Homo naledi, an animal that does not exist anymore, were much smaller than the brains of humans. In fact, they were only about one-third the size of our brains.
These new findings might change what we know about how people evolved. In the past, only humans with bigger brains like the Homo sapiens and Neanderthals were thought to show these types of behaviors.
The findingsare detailed in three studies that have been accepted for publication in the journal eLife, and preprints of the papers are available on BioRxiv.
Fossils belonging to Homo naledi were first discovered in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa during excavations in 2013. The cave system is part of South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing an area where scientists have found fossils of multiple ancient human ancestor species — remains that are helping to unlock the story of human evolution.
Paleoanthropologist and National Geographic Explorer in Residence Dr. Lee Berger and his team of “underground astronauts” have continued their work in the extensive, dangerous caves to better understand the extinct hominins, or ancient human ancestors.
Now, the research team has discovered the remains of Homo naledi adults and children that were laid to rest in the fetal position within cave depressions and covered with soil. The burials are older than any known Homo sapiens burials by at least 100,000 years.
During the work to identify the cave burials, the scientists also found a number of symbols engraved on the cave walls, which are estimated to be between 241,000 and 335,000 years old, but they want to continue their testing for more precise dating.
The symbols include deeply carved hashtag-like cross-hatchings and other geometric shapes. Similar symbols found in other caves were carved by early Homo sapiens 80,000 years ago and Neanderthals 60,000 years ago and were thought to have been used as a way to record and share information.
“These recent findings suggest intentional burials, the use of symbols, and meaning-making activities by Homo naledi. It seems an inevitable conclusion that in combination they indicate that this small-brained species of ancient human relatives was performing complex practices related to death,” said Berger, lead authoron two of the studies and coauthor on the third, in a statement. “That would mean not only are humans not unique in the development of symbolic practices, but may not have even invented such behaviors.”
Exploring the labyrinth-like Rising Star cave system and its chambers isn’t for the faint of heart.
The team has mapped over 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of the caves so far, which have a vertical depth of 328 feet (100 meters) and expand for more than 656 feet (200 meters) in length, said the studies’ lead geologist Dr. Tebogo Makhubela, senior lecturer of geology at the University of Johannesburg.
The cave system includes deadly steep drops and tiny passageways like Superman’s Crawl, a tunnel measuring 131 feet (40 meters) long and 9.8 inches (25 centimeters) across, requiring the researchers to belly crawl their way through, said Dr. Keneiloe Molopyane, National Geographic Explorer and lead excavator of Dragon’s Back Expedition (named for one of the cave’s features).
Berger said he had to lose 55 pounds (25 kilograms) to enter the cave’s precarious chambers in 2022.
“It was the most awful and wonderful experience in my life,” Berger said. “I almost died coming out of there, but it was obviously worth it to make some of these discoveries. But, I think an important part of that, though, is that the journey would not be nearly as difficult, I think, for Homo naledi.”
Homo naledi shared some similarities with humans, like walking upright and manipulating objects by hand, but members of the species had smaller heads, a shorter stature, and were thinner and more powerfully built, Berger said.
Homo naledi’s shoulders — which were oriented for better climbing — and teeth shared similarities with earlier hominins like Australopithecus, said Dr. John Hawks, professor of anthropology and paleoanthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The researchers have found many Homo naledi fossils throughout the caves, including the remains of very young infants and aged adults, to help them understand Naledi as a population, Hawks said. And as the team continued deeper into the caves, it became clear that Homo naledi was very familiar with and using broad parts of the cave system.
When Berger and his team announced the discovery of Homo naledi in 2015, they suggested it was possible that the species deliberately disposed of their dead in the cave.
But the idea of a small-brained hominin doing so was considered to be a very controversial hypothesis.
In 2018, the team began to find evidence that supported the idea that Homo naledi intentionally buried their dead. The scientists found ovals dug into cave surfaces resembling holes, and the remains of bodies placed inside in curled positions.
Other burial sites were dug horizontally into slopes, with bodies placed inside, showing that the remains didn’t end up there by other, nondeliberate means, Berger said.
“It’s not a body that died in a depression or hole. It was a whole body that was covered in dirt and then decayed within the grave itself, in part demonstrating that it was buried at the time as a whole flesh entity, but not by some dramatic collapse or being washed in,” Berger said. “We feel that they’ve met the litmus test of human burials or archaic human burials and the most ancient human burials, and therefore describe them as graves or burials by the nonhuman species, Homo naledi.”
And then, the team found an artifact within a burial and discovered carvings on the wall.
Within one of the graves is a tool-shaped rock, buried next to the hand of a Homo naledi adult. Within a passage above the burials, in an antechamber, is a wall covered with rock engravings.
The deeply carved geometric shapes appear on dolomite rock walls that reach 4.5 to 4.7 on Mohs Hardness Scale, which helps researchers assess the scratch resistance of minerals. Dolomite is halfway to a diamond (at the top of the scale) in terms of hardness, which means it would have taken an extreme amount of time and effort to carve into the walls, Berger said.
The team believes that Homo naledi, and not Homo sapiens, are responsible for the carvings because there is no evidence that humans have ever been inside the caves.
Homo naledi was able to see what they were doing inside the caves by using fire. There is evidence spread throughout the caves, including soot, charcoal and burnt bone, to show that they were actively setting fires, Berger said.
Both the burials and the symbols imply that Homo naledi was capable of engaging in meaningful behaviors, said Agustín Fuentes, National Geographic Explorer, on-site biocultural specialist and lead author of the third study.
The meaning of the symbols is unclear, and researchers can’t say whether they were used as a type of language or communication within the species.
“What we can say is that these are intentionally made geometric designs that had meaning for naledi,” Fuentes said. “That means they spent a lot of time and effort and risked their lives to engrave these things in these places where they’re burying bodies.”
The naledi findings suggest that larger brains can’t be the only connection with complex behavior that researchers once assumed related only to humans, Fuentes said.
“The challenge here, then, is that we now know that Homo naledi, in addition to Homo sapiens and Neanderthals and Denisovans and a few others, were engaging in the kind of behavior that we, even just a few decades ago, thought was unique to us,” he said. “That means we need to rethink the timing of fire use, of meaning-making and of the burial of the dead in hominin history.”
Chris Stringer, research leader in human origins at London’s Natural History Museum, said that although he was previously skeptical of claims of behavioral complexity in Homo naledi and its ape-size brain, “the considerable evidence presented now by Berger and colleagues for possible burials and wall engravings cannot be easily dismissed.” Stringer was not involved in the research.
“I would certainly like to see attempts at dating the evidence for the engravings and for the fire, but if these huge claims turn out to be well-founded, they have profound implications for our reconstructions of human evolution,” Stringer said.
The findings raise many questions, including whether the behaviors were already present in an ancient common ancestor that lived much earlier than Homo naledi or humans, and why we have such big brains “if human-like behavioural complexity can be achieved with a brain less than half that size,” Stringer said.
Berger and his colleagues’ work on the discovery of Homo naledi and how it potentially changes the human family tree will be shared in Netflix’s “Unknown: Cave of Bones” on July 17 and in a book coauthored by Berger and Hawks called “Cave of Bones: A True Story of Discovery, Adventure, and Human Origins,” available August 8.
The research team is continuing its work to better understand Homo naledi, including how old the species is, whether it existed closer in time to humans than previously thought, and if there is any DNA preserved in the bones found in the cave system.
As reported byMohammad Rahmani, the chief of the education department in the northern Sar-e-Pul province, over 80 elementary students, predominantly females, are said to have been poisoned over the weekend and taken to a hospital in Afghanistan‘s Sangcharak district.
According to Rahmani, who claimed to have spoken with authorities directly, the regional police department’s intelligence unit stated that they are currently looking into the situation. According to him, authorities are still unsure of the perpetrator, the reason behind it, and the kind of poison that would have been administered to the schoolchildren.
According to Rahmani, the probe was brought on by reports of 17 female students in one school on Saturday and 60 others, largely female, in another school in a nearby village.
“After reaching school in the morning, the students suddenly started feeling dizzy, headache, and nausea,” Rahmani said. The students were admitted to a local hospital, but 14 whose situation was more critical were transported to a hospital in the provincial capital, according to Rahmani.
A doctor at Sar-i-Pul hospital confirmed to CNN that some of the girls were admitted to hospital and he believes they were poisoned based on their symptoms.
The doctor spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing safety concerns.
The education of girls has become a divisive issue in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021, where the group proceeded to strip away hard won freedoms for women and exclude them from public life.
Some of its most striking restrictions have been around education, with girls barred from returning to secondary schools and universities, depriving an entire generation of academic opportunities.
Following international pressure, the Taliban kept primary schools open for girls until around the age of 12, Reuters reported.
Several poisoning attacks against schoolgirls took place during Afghanistan’s previous foreign-backed government. In 2012, more than 170 women and girls were hospitalized after drinking apparently poisoned well water at a school. Local health officials blamed the acts on extremists opposed to women’s education.
Based on a statement issued by the nation’s Civil Protection Agency on Monday, severe rains over the weekend caused thousands of homes in Haiti to flood, resulting in at least 42 fatalities and 85 injuries.
Following the United Nations assessment, the heavy rains forced many rivers in Haiti to overflow, which in turn triggered flash floods, flooding, rockslides, and landslides.
In five of Haiti’s ten departments—the West, Nippes, South-East, North-West, and the Center—more than 13,300 people have been displaced, and at least 11 more have been reported missing.
“My government, in concert with national and international institutions, is taking urgent measures in order to meet the demands of the hour,” Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry tweeted.
The death toll climbed steadily on Monday as persistent heavy rains continued to pelt down.
Emergency response teams and aid organizations have been mobilized in order to tend to those impacted by the floods.
“We’ll start providing hot meals to displaced people in the coming hours & are mobilizing ready-to-eat rations & dry food,” the World Food Programme said in a tweet.
The floods are the latest calamity to strike a country with already weak infrastructure, which has been repeatedly wracked with criminal violence, political turmoil and natural disasters in recent years.
The Caribbean nation depends heavily on humanitarian assistance.
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned on Monday that flooding could resume with more rain in coming days.
“In the event of another heavy rainfall, the waterlogged soils will be unable to prevent further flooding, rockslides and landslides, and the provisional death toll could rise even higher,” it said.
The danger is expected to continue through hurricane season, which began on June 1.
In the Dominican Republic, shocking video showing a tiny toddler hanging from an imprisoned woman’s arms through a truck’s barred door has sparked uproar.
The event, which happened on Saturday in the municipality of Santo Domingo, was captured on social media cameras, showing the toddler dangling from the back of a moving immigration control truck that local authorities used to transfer detainees.
A woman inside the car, whose arms extend beyond the door’s bars, is the only one who appears to be stopping the child from falling.
An immigration agent sitting on the back platform of the truck, next to the child, seems to be speaking as he extends a hand and rests it on the child’s shoulder.
In a statement, the country’s migration director Venancio Alcántara described the incident as “a disturbing and heartbreaking incident.”
The migration agency said Monday that the agent seen sitting in the back of the truck has been fired, noting that he had only been in his job for 20 days.
The woman, a Haitian national, was released after the agents became aware of the situation, it also said.
Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, said on Ukrainian television on Monday that an operation is “taking place in several directions,” fueling rumours that Kyiv is preparing a big offensive to retake territory controlled by Russia’s occupying forces.
It’s not only about Bakhmut, either. There are various fronts from which the onslaught is coming. We appreciate every metre. Our forces have had a successful day today, she declared.
Recent weeks have seen Ukraine’s military stepping up shaping operations – attacks on Russian targets like fuel depots and weapons dumps far behind frontlines – which typically precede a major advance by ground forces. But government officials in Kyiv have been at pains to say the start of any counteroffensive would not be announced.
Both Ukraine and Russia have engaged in intense information campaigns to sway public opinion and mislead their opponents about their battle plans.
Maliar’s comments came after the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its troops resisted a “large-scale” attack from Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region. The Russian military claimed in a statement to have killed 250 Ukrainians and destroyed armored vehicles used in the assault, but provided scant evidence.
Moscow is known to make inflated claims about Ukrainian losses. CNN has been unable to independently verify the claim.
A spokesperson for the Ukraine Armed Forces, Bohdan Senyk, told CNN that Ukraine does “not have information” on a purported “large-scale offensive” in Donetsk.
In a post on its official Telegram feed, the Russian Defense ministry said the assault took place at “five section of the front in the southern Donetsk direction.”
The ministry claimed the goal of the Ukrainian operation was “to break through” Russian defenses in what it considered to be “the most vulnerable area of the front.”
At the time of the attack, Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov “was at one of the forward command and control posts,” the statement added.
Gerasimov, who is chief of Russia’s General Staff, was put in overall command of Russian military operations in Ukraine early this year. He has come under public criticism from the head of the Russian private military company Wagner for supposedly running the war from a comfortable office.
Further south, a Russian-appointed official in Zaporizhzhia said Ukrainian troops were attempting to break through a defense line to reach the coast of the Sea of Azov.
“The goal of the [Ukraine Armed Forces] militants is to reach the Azov Sea coast and cut the land corridor,” Vladimir Rogov said, according to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.
He claimed that Ukrainian troops have increased the intensity of their shelling, and fired Storm Shadow missiles. “They are launched in large quantities, which means Ukrainian militants and terrorists have ammunition in sufficient quantity.”
Rogov said he did not think a full-scale counteroffensive had begun.
In a Monday Telegram post, Maliar said the country’s troops were “carrying out offensive actions” on the eastern front and had “advanced in several directions” around the city of Bakhmut: near the settlements of Orikhovo-Vasylivka and Paraskoviivka to the north, and near Ivanivske and Klishchiivka to the southwest.
Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, also spoke of “an offensive assault” by the Ukrainians “on the southern and northern flanks of Bakhmut” on national TV on Monday.
“These actions were successful,” Cherevatyi said. “Despite the enemy’s fierce resistance, our airborne assault and mechanised units managed to advance along the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas Canal in the direction of Klishchiivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Zaliznianske, and Bohdanivka to a distance of 300 meters to 1 km in various parts of the frontline.”
CNN cannot verify the battlefield reports.
It comes after Maliar and other officials posted a social media video urging silence over any potential news of a counteroffensive.
The video shows several soldiers in full combat gear putting a finger to their lips and saying “shhh” followed by the text: “Plans love silence. The beginning [of the counteroffensive] will not be announced.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised troops fighting around the embattled city of Bakhmut during his nightly address, saying: “I am grateful to every warrior, to all our defenders, who provided us today with the news we have all been waiting for in the Bakhmut direction. Well done, warriors!”
Days before, Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Kyiv was “ready” to launch the long-awaited military maneuvers.
“I think that, as of today, we are ready to do it. We would like to have certain things, but we can’t wait for it for months,” Zelensky said in an exclusive video interview published Saturday.
The president said he believed the counteroffensive will be successful but was not sure how long it will take.
“Everyone knows perfectly well that any counteroffensive in the world without control in the skies is very dangerous. Imagine what a military man feels, knowing he does not have a ‘roof’ and he can’t understand how neighboring countries have that,” Zelensky said about his dogged campaign for allies to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.
According to the WSJ, Zelensky acknowledged Russia’s superiority in the skies, adding that a lack of protection against Moscow’s air power means “a large number of soldiers will die” during the counteroffensive.
“If everybody knows we need the protection for our skies, then what’s the issue with [giving us] the modern jets? What is the issue?” he implored.
The Ukrainian leader has spent months courting Western allies to provide Kyiv with fighter jets and weapons to help control the skies and help limit the number of casualties to Ukrainian fighters during any potential counteroffensive.
Earlier this week, Jake Sullivan – US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser – said Washington believed the counteroffensive would help Kyiv retake “strategically significant territory.”
“Exactly how much, in what places – that will be up to developments on the ground as the Ukrainians get this counteroffensive underway,” Sullivan told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. “But we believe that the Ukrainians will meet with success in this counteroffensive.”
The destruction of a significant dam and hydroelectric power plant early on Tuesday in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine led to widespread evacuations and fears of widespread destruction, with Kiev accusing Moscow’s forces of committing an act of “ecocide.”
According to the head of Ukraine’s Kherson area military administration, residents downstream from the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in Kherson were advised to “do everything you can to save your life” as video showed a torrent of water spilling through a significant breach in the dam.
Fast-moving torrents of water were seen pouring out of the broken dam wall in two videos that were geolocated by CNN and shared on social media. Several structures near the dam’s entrance also suffered significant damage.
The critical Nova Kakhovka dam spans the Dnipro River, a major waterway running through southeastern Ukraine and there are multiple towns and cities downstream, including Kherson, a city of some 300,000 people before Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.
Multiple senior Ukrainian officials and military figures accused Russia of sabotaging the dam.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who convened an emergency meeting of his security chiefs, said its destruction “only confirms for the whole world” that Russian forces “must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.”
“This is ecocide,” added Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
“The Russians will be responsible for the possible deprivation of drinking water for people in the south of Kherson region and in Crimea, the possible destruction of some settlements and the biosphere,” he said.
European Council President Charles Michel also appeared to blame Moscow, writing on Twitter that “Russia and its proxies” will be held accountable.
“Shocked by the unprecedented attack of the Nova Kakhovka dam,” he said, adding the attack on “clearly qualifies as a war crime.”
In recent days Ukraine’s forces have increasingly taken the fight to Russia’s entrenched frontlines in the south and east ahead of a widely expected summer counter-offensive.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Zelensky, said the dam’s destruction would “create obstacles for the offensive actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
“This once again confirms that the Kremlin is not thinking strategically, but rather in terms of short-term situational advantages. But the consequences are already catastrophic,” he told CNN.
Ukraine’s military accused Russia’s forces of blowing up the dam “in panic”.
Ukrainian authorities urged residents living downstream to escape the area, with about 80 settlements in the zone of potential flooding, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
As of 10:00 a.m. local time, 742 people have been evacuated from the Kherson region, the ministry said.
“We are helping citizens in the liberated west-bank part of the Kherson region. We are worried about our people who remained in the temporarily occupied east bank part of the region,” said Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko.
Evacuations were disrupted as water began to inundate some settlements, the ministry said.
“Water is coming. The situation is complicated by the fact that some roads are being washed away. This makes it impossible to drive to some settlements. Evacuation teams are looking for other ways,” it continued.
Around 16,000 people on the west bank of Kherson region are in a “critical zone,” Oleksandr Prokudin, the Ukraine-appointed head of the Kherson region military administration, said.
He had previously urged citizens to “collect your documents and most needed belongings and wait for evacuation buses.”
“I ask you to do everything you can to save your life. Leave the dangerous areas immediately,” he added.
Units of Ukraine’s National Police and the state emergency service of the Kherson region have been put on alert to warn and evacuate civilians from potential flood zones, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
With the water level rising, authorities urged everyone in the flood zone to turn off all electrical appliances, take documents and essentials, take care of loved ones and pets, and follow the instructions of rescuers and police.
In contrast, regional Russian officials were less urgent in their statements.
The Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontiev, initially denied the dam had collapsed in an interview with Russian state media RIA Novosti, calling it “nonsense.”
He later confirmed the destruction of parts of the dam in what he called “a serious terrorist act” but said there was “no need to evacuate.”
“Overnight strikes on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant destroyed gate valves, causing water to be spilled downstream uncontrollably,” Leontiev said.
Andrey Alekseenko, another Russian-installed Kherson official, also played down the threat saying the situation along the banks of Dnipro was “under control.”
“There is no threat to people’s lives,” Alekseenko said, adding that Ministry of Emergency Situation staff are in control of water levels in the river.
“If necessary, we are ready to evacuate the residents of embankment villages, buses are prepared,” Alekseenko added.
CNN was not immediately able to verify the claims made by Ukrainian and Russian officials.
Throughout the course of the war in Ukraine both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of plotting to blow up the Soviet-era dam.
A critical piece of infrastructure, the dam holds back around 18 cubic kilometers in the Kakhovka Reservoir, about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah, according to Reuters news agency.
The 30-meter-high, 3.2-kilometer (2 miles)-long structure is one of six dams along the Dnipro and supplies water for much of southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
It also supplies water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which lies upstream and is also under Russian control.
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern command said the dam’s destruction will “certainly” affect the operation of the nuclear power plant but there was “no need to escalate the situation now and draw the most critical conclusions.”
“Because all experts are involved and will try to create better conditions to avoid the next technogenic catastrophe,” said Natalia Humeniuk, adding that “the situation is currently under control.”
And the International Atomic Energy agency said “no immediate nuclear safety risk” exists at the Zaporizhzhia plant and their experts are “closely monitoring the situation.”
Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom said that while water from the reservoir is needed for the “replenishment for turbine condensers and safety systems” of the plant, the cooling pond is “full” and as of 8:00 a.m. local time “the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the plant’s needs.”
In November, the Nova Kakhovka dam was damaged in shelling and satellite images from Maxar Technologies obtained by CNN showed water flowing out of three sluice gates at the dam.
For the second time in less than a year, a four-lane concrete bridge being built in the eastern Indian state of Bihar over the River Ganges has fallen, once again casting doubt on the quality of its construction.
On camera, the 3-kilometer-long (1.8-mile-long) bridge can be seen violently collapsing into the river on Sunday, spewing dust and debris into the air and causing waves to ripple across the revered river.
Two times since building on the Sultanganj Bridge began in 2017, the most recent of which occurred on Sunday. The first collapse occurred in April of last year. It’s unclear what caused the bridge to fall last year or whether those issues had been fixed.
Crowds of people on the river bank can be seen filming the bridge and shouting as it tumbles down. CNN has not been able to confirm reports of any injuries.
On Monday, Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar said he had ordered an inquiry into the incident.
In a statement Monday, the Canadian design and engineering firm behind the bridge, McElhanney, it was aware of the “partial collapse” of the bridge and is “deeply concerned” about the safety and well-being of those affected by the incident.
The company will “cooperate with any investigation,” the statement added.
CNN has reached out to SP Singla Constructions, who was building the bridge, but did not receive an immediate response.
According to McElhanney, the bridge was expected to include four lanes of traffic and a footpath, providing “an important new link across the Ganges.”
It was also expected to ease congestion on the state’s three existing road bridges, the firm said on its website.
The Sultanganj Bridge is not the only one to have collapsed in India in the last year. Last October, a suspension bridge gave way in the town of Morbi in Gujarat, killing 135 people.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, who is also the Presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has assured Ghanaians that their suffering under the current NPP administration will soon come to an end.
He has urged citizens to remain calm and consider voting for the NDC in the upcoming 2024 elections as a means to alleviate their hardships.
Addressing an audience at the 44th anniversary of the June 4th uprising in Hohoe, former President Mahama empathized with Ghanaians, acknowledging their struggle under the current government.
He stated that corruption, economic hardships, and insensitivity towards the people’s plight would be a thing of the past if the NDC is elected to power.
“We are responsible for organizing and letting our message of hope reach everyone across the length and breadth of our land,” stated former President Mahama.
“The dark days will last only for a moment more, and a new dawn is lurking on the horizon.
“And when that new dawn breaks, the governmental rot, the economic hardships, the insensitivity to the plight of the people, and the offensive corruption and waste of the people’s resources will be a thing of the past,” rainbowradioonline.com quoted him as saying.
Former President Mahama urged the Ghanaian people not to be misled by “hollow sloganeering” and “shallow populism” propagated by those who had made their lives difficult for years.
He further urged citizens not to be swayed into voting for the ruling NPP in the 2024 elections but rather to choose the NDC for a brighter future.
“Do not allow them to confuse you that you must vote for them in 2024,” he warned.
John Mahama previously served as President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016 before losing to Akufo-Addo in the 2016 presidential election.
He unsuccessfully ran against Akufo-Addo again in the 2020 election.
He has been re-elected as the flagbearer of the NDC and has expressed confidence that he can win in 2024 and bring about the changes he believes the country needs.
The national leadership of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG) has directed its members at the Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira District Assembly in the Central Region to lay down their tools effective today (6 May).
CLOGSAG says the strike is in protest against the conduct of the presiding member of the Assembly Nana Kwaku Abban, accusing him of victimizing and intimidating its members at the Assembly.
General Secretary of CLOGSAG Isaac Bampoe Addo alleged that Mr Abban has on several occasions usurped the powers of the District Chief Executive Kennedy Sarpong who according to reports is indisposed.
He further indicated that a petition to the office of the Chief of Staff to address the issue has been ignored.
“We sent a letter to the Chief of Staff and as we speak, we have not had any response from her office… And so, we have no option than to order our members to stay in the house”, Bampoe said as he declared the strike during a press conference.
He gave a two-week ultimatum to the government to deal with the situation or intensify the strike at the regional and national levels.
“We are looking at about 200-250 of our members and this is the first action. If no action is taken [within two weeks] the whole of [our members] in the Central Region will join and if nothing is done, we go on a nationwide strike. The presiding member has got no role in whatever is done at the Assembly. He [the presiding member] has no authority to post our people out of the place”, Bampoe stressed.
