The princess is the niece of King Charles III and the 11th in line to the British throne. She is the child of Prince Andrew, the monarch’s younger brother, and Sarah Ferguson, his former spouse.
Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, the couple’s second child, was born on May 30th, Princess Eugenie revealed on Monday.
“Jack and I wanted to share the news that we had our little boy, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank on 30th May 2023 at 8.49 weighing 7.1lbs,” she wrote in the Instagram post.
“He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald,” it continues.
The couple have another boy, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, born in February 2021.
“Augie is loving being a big brother already,” said Eugenie in Monday’s post.
The princess married Brooksbank at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in October 2018, a few months after Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex tied the knot there.
Eugenie was born on March 23, 1990. The princess’ parents announced their separation when she was two and divorced in 1996, sharing joint custody of Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice.
Ernest Anim, the Member of Parliament-elect for the Kumawu Constituency in the Ashanti Region could not vote for himself in the by-election that took place last month.
That inability according to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Organizer was because at the time of the election, Anim was not a registered voter in Kumawu.
Henry Nana Boakye revealed this on JoyNews programme PM Express on June 5, 2023; whiles responding to a statement alleging collusion between the NPP and the Electoral Commission with respect to the candidature of an NPP aspirant for the June 27 Assin North by-election.
The NDC insists that the fact that the said aspirant is not a registered voter in Assin-North means he cannot contest in the by-election. The NPP strongly disagrees with that position.
“In Kumawu, we presented a candidate who was in a similar situation, Ernest Anim was not a voter there, but he came from Bodomase, but he came and he won and he even increased our votes,” Nana B affirmed.
The host then asked: “The Kumawu candidate who won the by-election for you, he did not vote for himself?”
To which Nana B responded: “That is it, he did not vote. He won the elections, that is not the only time, we have this scenario a couple of times,” he stressed adding that even though the party could lose the vote of its candidate, it will win the Assin North seat with a 1,500 vote margin.
The NDC alleges that the EC and NPP are scheming to transfer a particular candidate into the Assin North register to allow them vote.
The accused parties have rejected the collusion allegation with the EC explaining in a statement that an aspirant necessarily does not need to be a registered voter to be eligible to contest as a Member of Parliament.
Why is my phone charging slowly? You must have experienced the frustration of a slow charger. And at one point, you must have got concerned and wondered why your phone takes forever to charge. There are many reasons why the problem is so common. This simplified guide will help you understand the potential causes and the approaches you can take to resolve it.
If you are fed up with your phone charging for abnormally prolonged periods, you are not alone. That being a common issue, there are at least seven reasons that might be causing a slow charging problem. Each problem comes with a suggestion of how you can resolve it.
There can be several reasons why your phone’s battery takes too long to get to 100%. Some of them include:
1. Faulty charging head or cable
Your phone’s charging head and cable are essential to maintaining optimal battery performance. However, using accessories can result in slower charging times, reducing your phone’s battery lifespan.
A common reason for a slow charge is a poor connection between the head and cable. This could be due to dirt or lint stuck in the port, making it difficult for the cable to connect properly. Another problem is using third-party cables or heads not certified by the phone manufacturer.
To resolve this problem:
See that you are using the manufacturer’s high-quality charging head and cable.
Clean your phone’s charging port using compressed air or a toothbrush to remove dirt and lint.
Try a different head or cable if your phone’s battery is still not filling up at its optimum speed.
2. Faulty charging port
A faulty port can cause significant slowdowns in your phone’s juicing up time. When the port is faulty, the phone may struggle to hold a charge, leading to sluggish charging speed and unexpected shutdowns.
You can fix the problem by cleaning the port with a small, pointed object like a toothpick, as long as it is not too sharp, wet, or made of metal. You may also use compressed air to blast any debris stuck in the opening.
An alternative solution is to replace the port entirely. The option will need some technical knowledge and could be relatively expensive, depending on the make and model of your phone. Replacing the port is a reliable way to eliminate the problem.
3. Insufficient power supply
Insufficient power supply happens when the charging port is not receiving enough electricity from the power source. This issue often leads to slow charging, which can be quite frustrating.
In dealing with this problem, see that you’re using the original charger with the device. This charger handles the phone’s power needs and supplies the appropriate voltage. If the original charger isn’t available, a charger with the same specifications is recommended.
Another solution is to find a high-power charger. Such chargers have a higher amperage and will provide more current to the charging port. You can also try switching to a different power source, such as a wall socket, as the power output of laptops or other devices may be insufficient.
4. Multiple background apps
Why does my phone take so long to charge? If you have several background apps running while charging, your device can cause the charging process to slow down. Background apps continuously use your phone’s power, making your device work harder than it should while trying to charge.
Close all running background apps or switch your phone to airplane mode while charging to address the challenge. That will prevent your device from utilizing extra power, making charging more efficient and faster.
5. Defective or dying battery
When a phone battery starts to fail, it often results in slow charging times. As a battery degrades, it loses its ability to hold a charge, which requires more energy to fill it back up.
One solution to the problem is replacing your ageing battery with a fresh one better equipped to handle your device’s energy needs. Another option is a fast-charging adapter, which can speed up the process and help get you back to using your phone in no time.
If the above approaches refuse to work, you must buy a new phone. If your phone has a non-removable battery, that is another reason to replace your phone since it’s easier than the alternative.
6. Using and charging the phone at the same time
When you use your phone while it is plugged in, it tends to slow down the charging process. This is because the energy from the power source is distributed between the phone’s activities and charging. As a result, the battery takes longer to get charged.
Avoid using your phone while it is plugged in. This way, you allow the battery to get fully charged at a faster rate. It is also advisable to put your phone in airplane mode. This helps reduce power consumption.
7. A system update
It’s a common occurrence for a phone to take longer to charge after a system update. The problem is that these updates are often accompanied by background tasks and features that consume significant battery power.
You may solve this problem by optimizing the settings on your device. You can reduce the brightness level of your screen, switch off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use, and turn off automatic updates and location services.
An alternative is to close all unnecessary apps and use your device in power-saving mode during charging.
Former environment minister, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has been slapped with a defamation suit by a member of President Akufo-Addo’s security team, Edmund Kwadwo Koda, alias Captain Koda.
Captain Koda, via a writ dated June 5, 2023; alleged that the former minister had made defamatory statements about him in a recently leaked report on illegal small-scale mining (i.e. galamsey).
Point 7 of his suit read: “The Defendant alleged that the said report, which contains defamatory words against the plaintiff, was presented to the Presidency sometime in March 2021, and sane was received by the Chief of Staff.”
Captain Koda is seeking among other reliefs, damages to the tune of five million Ghana cedis as well as an apology and retraction of the portions of the report deemed injurious to him.
The suit quoted portions of the said report before proceeding to state how injurious the claims against him were.
The suit read: “In their natural and ordinary meaning, the words complained of meant and were understood to mean that:
a. Plaintiff is a saboteur of the President’s initiatives and policies especially the President’s fight directed at illegal mining,
b. Plaintiff is disloyal to the President and only pretends to have his interests at heart,
c. Plaintiff is against the current government’s fight to combat illegal mining,
d. Plaintiff is an obstruction to the fight against illegal mining,
e. That Plaintiff acts with impunity without recourse to law and authority,
f. That Plaintiff obstructs the discharge of justice in general and particularly in the fight against illegal mining,
g. That Plaintiff is unpatriotic and a traitor.
Reliefs sought:
The Plaintiff claims against the Defendant the following reliefs:
a) Five Million Ghana Cedis (GHS 5,000,000.00) being damages for defamation contained in the report authored by the Defendant dated 19th March, 2023 and more particularized in paragraphs 6 and 9 of this statement of claim.
b) An apology and retraction of the statements complained of particularly as stated in paragraph paragraphs 6 and 9 of the Statement of Claim with the same prominence as the impugned report and its subsequent publications.
c) An order directed at Defendant to cause to be removed from the said report and on all electronic platforms and archives records of the impugned publication against Plaintiff.
d) Perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant whether by himself, his servants, agents or assigns from repeating and/or writing similar or other malicious statements against the Plaintiff in any
e) Cost inclusive of legal fees.
What did Frimpong-Boateng report say about Capt. Koda?
“….About two years ago the attention of the IMCIM’s task force was drawn to a site that had been degraded and the tailings from there were directed in the Birim River near Anyinam.
“The task force impounded two excavators and deposited them at the police station in Anyinam. Frantic telephone calls were received from Capt. Koda of the Presidential security detail, who asked for the excavators to be released.
“He informed the task force that the owner of the concession, Hon. George Kwame Aboagye, the MP for Asene Akroso Manso is his brother.”
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine from any illegal attack.
He has been engaging traditional leaders, authorities of AngloGold Ashanti and small-scale miners in the Obuasi Municipality after some miners allegedly invaded an underground mine of Anglogold.
The minister is seeking to resolve the hostilities between the community and the mine.
Last week, some unauthorized miners allegedly invaded a remote area of Anglogold Ashanti’s underground mine.
The illegal miners however, claimed they were trapped, leading to protests in the Obuasi town.
Samuel Abu Jinapor has had a meeting with stakeholders to help improve relations between the Obuasi community and mine operators.
According to him, the government is willing to strictly enforce the mining laws to protect the mining concession.
He says persons invading the mine without authorisation will be arrested and prosecuted.
“We are very determined to protect this mine. I should say it forcefully that it is governments policy to protect AngloGold Ashanti’s concession and therefore the mining laws will be enforced strictly. Persons are not allowed to attack AngloGold Ashanti but if they do, they will be arrested and prosecuted”, he said.
Abu Jinapor with traditional leaders
The minister noted the government’s willingness to liaise with AngloGold Ashanti and the Obuasi community to offer responsible mining job opportunities as a means of employment for the youth.
He however says the lack of employment cannot be a justification for illegally attacking the concession of AngloGold Ashanti.
“Government recognises that we have to find alternative means of employment and livelihoods for the youth of Obuasi. We are engaging AngloGold and stakeholders to do just that. Including responsible community mining. But lack of employment cannot be a justification for attacking the concession of AngloGold Ashanti”, he noted.
Ghana’s rap prodigy King Paluta has shuffled another version of his “Yahitte” song, which features award-winning music sensation Kuami Eugene and popular radio presenter Andy Dosty.
The “Yahitte” song has undoubtedly become one of the biggest songs in Ghana now and continues to make waves while racking up impressive streaming platforms.
The current remix version of the song, which was released on Friday, has become the most streamed song on YouTube and ranks number one currently.
King Paluta’s new version of the remix showcases his amazing vocal prowess and takes his hard-hitting lyrics to a different level, making the song more prolific.
Despite not changing the chorus of the song, Andy Dosty makes a staggering intro to the song with his dominant voice, while Kuami Eugene reminds music lovers why he was called Ghana’s Rockstar.
Kuami Eugene’s delivery on “Yahitte” was eagerly anticipated by music lovers, and he certainly didn’t disappoint on the song, making some remarkable backing vocals and churning out some astounding motivational lyrics.
The song is accompanied by some entrancing visuals with some beautiful cinematography that has been well synchronised to create perfect imagery.
The song’s original version and remix, which featured Strongman, Amerado, and Qwame Stika, have topped charts and amassed millions of organic streams.
The Police in Ahafo Region have begun investigation to unravel the mysterious death of Alex Gyabaah, the Chairman of the Pentecost Polling Station of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality of the region.
Residents woke up in the early hours of Saturday June 3, 2023, and found the lifeless body of Gyabaah, a carpenter hanging with a rope tied around his neck at his carpentry shop and the Police have since deposited the body at the Duayaw-Nkwanta St John of God Catholic Hospital for preservation and autopsy.
A reliable Police source in an interview said Police investigations were on-going and appealed to the residents to remain calm.
Some friends and relations said they were shocked and saddened about the death of Gyabaah, and suspected foul play, and appealed to the Police to be expeditious in their investigations.
“He was a lovely person, and we still don’t know why somebody like Gyabaah should hang himself.
“I think there is something suspicious because we were just with him on Thursday during the observance of the one-week funeral rite of the late Nana Boakye Tromo II, the paramount chief of Duayaw-Nkwanta,” a close friend and leading member of the NPP in the area stated.
Meanwhile, the mysterious death of Gyabaah has since spread like wildfire in the town, as hundreds of mourners joined the Duayaw-Nkwanta Traditional Council to observe the one-week funeral rites of the late paramount chief who died somewhere in 2022.
Dr Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North constituency together with some of the NPP constituency executives had since visited and sympathized with the bereaved family.
The MP said she was also shocked about the death of Gyabaah, and urged the bereaved family and friends to take solace in God, assuring that the Party in the constituency was strongly behind them in their moment of grief and appealed to the Police to be swift with their investigations.
Endurance Grand, a member of the dance crew Dance With a Purpose Academy, shared in an interview with Deloris Frimpong Manso that despite her talent in football, she had to abandon her dreams of becoming a professional footballer due to the unwanted advances made by certain coaches and individuals in positions of authority.
Endurance, born in Ghana and raised in Nigeria, said she played for some teams in both West African countries but had to eventually call it quits. This, she said, while giving insights into her choice of dressing.
“I’ve always been conformable in guys’ stuff. It’s not because I used to play football but this is how I love dressing,” she noted. “I just love wearing masculine stuff.”
“I used to play football in Nigeria and Ghana, I was a professional but not on the national team level. I played Anlo Ladies in the Volta Region and a league team in Nigeria.”
“I stopped playing because it wasn’t working for me. It didn’t work; not because I’m not a great footballer; I think you might have the talent to do something but then it’s not your purpose. I faced a lot of challenges from coaches, from higher authorities that wanted to make advances; they wanted to get into my pants to get me to the top and that wasn’t me,” Endurance claimed in the interview.
Meanwhile, Endurance has emphatically stated that she is “into men” as she responded to concerns about her sexuality considering how she is fond of dressing like a man.
“They have that stereotype. I’m straight, I’m straight as an uncooked spaghetti. There are guys that like women who dress like men,” she said, adding that she is a tomboy.
“I don’t dress like this all the time. Sometimes, the work I do makes me go out of my comfort zone to dress feminine,” said Endurance who is “currently single and not ready to mingle”.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has dismissed reports of a surge in HIV cases at the Ho Technical University and Ho, urging public to disregard
advised the public to disregard a reported upsurge in HIV cases at the Ho Technical University (HTU) and the Volta Regional capital, Ho.
According to the Service, data available on HIV testing in the Ho Municipality and the Volta Region does indicate an increase in HIV infection in the region or HTU.
“A review of the HIV testing data in all the health facilities in the Ho Municipality and the rest of the Volta Region does not suggest an increase in recorded HIV cases within any facility or the region as a whole.
For the avoidance of doubt, the region states emphatically that there has not been a surge of HIV cases in the Ho Technical University or any other tertiary institution in the Volta Region”, stated a communique signed by the Acting Volta Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Senanu Kwesi Djokoto.
The service, therefore, debunked a claim that suggests an HIV outbreak at the Ho Technical University as a result of activities of some students allegedly engaged in prostitution.
“The attention of the Volta Regional Health Directorate has been drawn to an online publication by an unverified and unknown news portal ‘ajnewonline.com‘ with the headline “Hookup Trend Leads to HIV Outbreak at Ho Technical University: Over 400 students suspected positive.
“The publication has subsequently been quoted by various social media actors without any form of due diligence”.
The communique further stated that strategies are being implemented by the service with the support of partners to reduce new HIV infections by 85% and eliminate mother-to-child transmission.
People in the region are encouraged to avoid stigmatization, avail themselves and participate in “the disease awareness campaigns and tailor-made services that meet their specific needs so as to consolidate the gains made in HIV prevention, testing, and treatment”.
The service reminded the public of HIV services in all private and public health facilities, and assured that client’s right to privacy and confidentiality remains a priority.
“In conclusion, let us take note that HIV is still real, and all must endeavor to live positively through sexual abstinence or by both uninfected partners being faithful to each other, and by the consistent use of condoms”, the communique concluded.
Management of the Ho Technical University has also issued a disclaimer on the alleged increase in HIV, and threatened legal action against anyone who would continue to share such false publication.
“Management of the University SHALL institute legal action against any person(s) sharing the said false publication”, a communique signed by the HTU Registrar, D. Christopher Amehoe said.
Incredible Zigi, one of Ghana’s most popular dance artists, has expressed that dancers were initially stigmatized as mischievous individuals.
“We are trying to change the narrative about dancers in Ghana because initially they said we’re rascals but now we’ve branded it nicely,” he told Amansan Krakye, the host.
However, he is proud that the dancers nowadays are trying to change the narrative by keeping a solid brand.
“We are both trying to push a great agenda and dance is currently evolving in Ghana and I’m so proud to be a part of the people who are trying to change it,” he said on Property FM in Cape Coast.
Touching on his supposed rivalry with DancegodLloyd, Incredible Zigi called for a change in mentality among Ghanaians.
He has asked Ghanaians to move away from pitching one person against the other.
“In Ghana, everybody wants to be first and by so doing, they try to kill your career by constantly pitching one person against another, but it’s about time we changed our mentality,” he ended sighted by MyNewsGh.com.
Louisa Satekle, the wife of the renowned dancehall artiste Stonebwoy, has revealed that one of the factors influencing her decision to embark on a marital journey with him was her belief that the musician would support her in achieving her goals and aspirations.
She explained that during her courtship with Stonebwoy, she noticed that they were both goal-oriented and would be of help to each other in pursuing their goals and dreams, concluding that she doesn’t think she rushed into her marriage with Stonebwoy.
“I am someone who is ambitious and goal-oriented and is the same as Stone, so I noticed that he is going to be a great helper for me to pursue and achieve my personal goals. So that puts it all together, so I don’t think I got married early. I think I am still pursuing my goals and dreams, so the job is getting done”, she said in an interview with Berla Mundi on The Day Show.
The dentist, during the engagement, recounted some waysStonebwoy helped her when they were getting to know each other, which gave her a sign that the Dancehall artiste was the right person for her.
She said: “When I was in school, and I was studying for exams and things like that, he works a lot at night and is always in the studio and stuff, and when I am staying up to study, he stays up with me and keeps calling… He will actually quiz you about what you’ve learnt to make sure that you aren’t dozing off. Those kinds of little things were all green flags that helped to make that decision”.
She advised that one major thing one has to look out for in choosing the right partner is to probe whether both the man and the woman are willing to help each other pursue their dreams.
The Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Agbodza says although the NDC caucus in parliament is not completely against the appointment of Chief Justice nominee Gertrude Torkonoo, they are yet to come to a decision on her approval or otherwise.
Speaking on Newsnight on Joy FM, Mr Agbodza explained that their decision will be made known after a thorough study of the full Supreme Court judgement on Gyakye Quayson’s dual citizenship case.
“We are not fundamentally opposed to Justice Torkonoo’s appointment. We have very serious concerns about her position on some things. We robustly stated our position on certain parts of her actions and in actions in cases she ruled on. That is not to say we have anything personal against her.”
“We have served notice that we will consume the judgement (on the Gyakye Quayson case) and the minority leader will address the media, as to our position,” Mr Agbodza added.
This comes after the Supreme Court released the official document detailing why it declared as unconstitutional the election of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament for Assin North in the Central Region.
This is after a seven-member panel of the apex court ordered Parliament to expunge the name of Mr Quayson from its records.
Presiding Judge, Justice Jones Dotse on Wednesday, May 17, ruled that the Electoral Commission (EC) acted unconstitutionally in allowing him to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections without proof of him renouncing his Canadian Citizenship.
The NDC MPs had initially hinted that they will not approve the justice until the Supreme Court released the full judgment on the case.
Following the release of the report, the Chairman of the Appointment Committee told JoyNews on Monday that the Minority had reached out to him stating their support for the Chief Justice nominee’s appointment.
Mr Joseph Osei Owusu had claimed that he had been asked to go ahead and amend the committee report on the appointment to approval by consensus instead of a majority decision.
However, Mr Agbodza denied making any such statement to Mr Osei Owusu, adding that NDC MPs have not yet received a copy of the report.
“At no point did the NDC state their position in support or against the candidature of Justice Torkonoo. As far as the NDC is concerned, we have not seen a report of the appointment committee on the chief justice nominee, so how can we change a report we have not sighted?” he quizzed.
He added that the Majority leader will address a conference on Tuesday, June 6, after the caucus is briefed on the judgement.
The Ada Traditional Council (ATC) has appealed to the government to clamp down on the activities of illegal salt miners to protect the Ada Songor Salt Project.
The Council said the situation had far-reaching implications for the health of the Songor Lagoon, the viability of the project and the socio-economic development of the area.
Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, Paramount Chief of Ada Traditional Area made the appeal during a call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, Accra, on Monday.
He was at the head of a delegation of Chiefs and Queen Mothers to apprise the President on matters relating to the general development of the Ada Traditional Area.
Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, who is also the President of the ATC told President Akufo-Addo that since the government granted the license for commercial investment in the salt project, the area had seen progress in the development and commercial production of the mineral in the Songor concession.
He said since the inception of activities in 2021 by Electrochem Ghana Limited, the investor in the project, Songor had seen “a massive facelift and revamping to the admiration of all well-meaning people of Ada and Ghana as a whole.”
Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III thanked the President for the “bold” decision that led to the granting of the concession amid the controversies that surrounded the Songor Lagoon, saying, “There is hope for Ghana’s salt industry.”
“Salt production has increased tremendously both in quantity and quality as Electrochem is revamping the national asset to produce 1,000,000 metric tons of first-rate salt per annum to serve both the local and export market.
“We are very hopeful that the efforts made so far will lead to further improvements in the salt industry in Ada and contribute to the national economy,” he said.
Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, however, noted that while the Ada Songor salt industry was seeing positive development, there was a need for State intervention to boost the project.
He said the activities of illegal salt miners were a serious hindrance to the progress of the work on the project and a threat to the investors’ operation in the concession.
Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III described the situation as unacceptable to the people of Ada and appealed to the President to use his office to support the traditional area to curb the menace of illegal salt mining.
“The harm this illegal salt mining activity poses to the Songor Lagoon is far-reaching. Creating the enabling environment for the operations is critical if the current progress is to be sustained.
“We, therefore, call on the Minerals Commission and related agencies to take the necessary steps to evacuate illegal operators. We do not think this should be left to the company or the traditional leaders alone.
“Your excellency, help us have the state security agencies act swiftly to curb and bring to order those in the Ada traditional area who have taken the law into their own hands and have total disregard for the law,” he said.
Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III assured the President of the commitment of the chiefs and people of the Ada traditional area to ensure that the Songor salt project was successful.
“We are not going to turn back the clock of progress. We will offer our unflinching support to all efforts by your administration and the investor, to ensure that the investment is sustained,” he said.
On his part, President Akufo-Addowas happy that the chiefs and people of Ada had realized the enormous benefits to be had from the Songor Lagoon salt project.
He pointed out that the benefits of the project, which transcended the Ada area, had the potential to make a major contribution to the economic fortunes of the country.
The President cited Nigeria’s export of salt from Brazil to meet its one-million-ton market demand and said the development of the Songor project was in the interest of Ghana.
He urged the chiefs to lend the needed support to the investors in the project.
On the request for state security for the project, President Akufo-Addo assured the traditional council that he would take the matter up with the security agencies to ensure that “miscreants, people who do not have the welfare of the community at heart, but only their individual pockets are brought to book and disciplined.”
He said that illegal salt mining, like all other forms of illegal mining, must be curbed to protect the environment.
The President accepted a request by the chiefs to visit the project site and to participate in the annual Asafotufiami festival of the area that comes off on August 3, 2023.
The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party has denied claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the governing party is conniving with the Electoral Commission to insert the name of one of its aspirants into the Assin North voters register ahead of the by-election.
Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, on JoyNews’ PM Express said the allegation was false since neither the party nor the aspirants have filed for his name in the voters register to be moved.
On Sunday, the NDC in a statement made the assertion that an NPP aspirant Charles Opoku is not a registered voter in the Assin North Constituency, adding that the “illegal” move will help the aspirant contest in the NPP parliamentary primaries to select a candidate for the Assin North by-election.
This, they stated, is against the requirement that a candidate in an election must be a registered voter of the said constituency.
However, citing portions of the 1992 constitution, Nana B said his comrades in the opposition were wrong.
“When I read the press statement I was surprised it was coming from a big opposition part because according to the 1992 constitution, you do not have to be a registered voter in the constituency you want to contest before you become eligible to contest. You have to be a registered voter and the man in question is a registered voter.
“He hails from that constituency, in fact, both candidates are from Assin Breku and they are far and above 21 years, they are all Ghanaians, they don’t hold dual citizenship with emphasis on dual citizenship,” he said on Monday.
Considering these, Nana B believed the NDC statement “lacked deep thinking”.
Similarly, the Electoral Commission has denied the allegation, explaining that a person does not need to be a registered voter in a particular constituency to enable him or her to contest elections in that constituency.
NPP delegates of Assin North will on Wednesday, June 7, head to the polls to decide between two candidates who would be the NPP representative in the upcoming by-election slated for June 27.
Former Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Samuel Koku Anyidoho has alleged that the party’s former General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah vetoed the approval of Gyakye Quayson as a parliamentary candidate after the party had initially disqualified him.
According to Anyidoho, Gyakye Quayson prior to the 2020 election had been disqualified from contesting in the Assin North NDC primaries in 2012 and 2016. He was subsequently disqualified in 2020 but was approved unilaterally by Asiedu Nketiah due to the personal relationship between the two and in Anyidoho’s view, the parochial interest of the former scribe turned National Chairman.
“In 2020 Gyakye Quayson was disqualified again and Asiedu Nketiah using his own will approved him. You know why? Because Gyakye Quayson lived in Canada for about 41 years, Aseidu Nketiah’s family also lived or lives in Canada. I live the rest of the equation for you to answer.
“…Because of greed and individual selfish interest, he wants to collapse the NDC for his personal relationship with Gyakye Quayson. It is about his own benefit. Everything is about what he can get whenever he travels to Canada,” Koku alleged in an interview on Hello FM.
He was compelled by the host to retract his allegations but went ahead to say that “after he [Gyakye Quayson] was disqualified in the Central Region, Asiedu Nketiah still used the backdoor and allowed Gyakye Quayson to contest. When that happened, the people in the Constituency wrote to the headquarters raising concerns about his eligibility. He dismissed the petition and the long and short of it is where we are now.”
The Supreme Court of Ghana recently issued a ruling that declared 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 District Court, Tamale on Monday granted bail to 21 suspects arrested over an attack on the Police Station at Daboya in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
The court, presided by Mr Justice Amadu Issifu, upon listening to arguments from the defence counsel, granted the suspects bail of GHc6, 000 each with one surety to be justified.
The case was adjourned to June 23, 2023.
The suspects were charged on four counts of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit rioting with weapon, rioting with weapon, conspiracy to commit crime to wit causing unlawful damage and causing unlawful damage.
On Friday, June 02, Police arrested about 118 persons for attacking the Police Station at Daboya.
The attack on the Police Station was triggered by the recent conflict at Lukula in the district.
The conflict at Lukula was believed to have stemmed from a land dispute between Gonjas and the Mamprusis at Lukula. The suspects were taken to Tamale for screening, where 87 of them were released, and the rest put before the court.
The key suspect in the alleged murder of a mother and her son in Ashanti Bekwai has been apprehended.
It should be noted that a 24-year-old mother and her son were allegedly murdered in Poano, Ashanti Region’s Bekwai Municipality.
The mother and son were discovered decomposing in their room in February this year.
The woman Aggies had gone missing, and the family had searched for her all to no avail.
Her mother, also known as Auntie Maggie, had searched her friends for her daughter, but nobody knew where she was.
Her room door was also locked, so her mother assumed she had gone somewhere.
Later, Aggie’s junior sister is said to have smelled an awful smell from her room, but her mother claims it could have been a dead animal or rain that had entered her mattress because her room had leaked.
However, the odour worsened until the door was forced open in the presence of some committee members.
When the door was forced open, Aggie and her son were discovered decomposing.
The main suspect has been arrested, according to the most recent update.
The family of the deceased has requested that the police investigate the matter and ensure that their relatives receive justice.
Dr. Sajid Chaudhry, a Senior Lecturer in Economics, Finance, and Entrepreneurship at Aston Business School, Aston University-United Kingdom, has proposed the introduction of a targeted and nuanced tax on banks.
He believes the move should be part of measures geared toward reforming the domestic banking industry and promoting financial stability while generating consistent revenue for the state
A bank tax, which is an additional duty imposed on financial institutions, particularly banks, gained traction after the 2008 financial crisis and is aimed at reducing risk-taking activities of the institutions – serving as a source of revenue for the state while boosting competition.
Domestic banks, particularly the top-10 by asset size, have come under scrutiny for their super-normal profits – with the industry average return on equity being almost double the 10-year average return on the stock market composite index of 38.5 percent as well as the seven-year government bond, prior to the shocks of 2022.
Furthermore, these institutions have recorded high net margins on account of the high spread between deposit and lending rates, with a historically high bent toward government securities.
During a recent economic policy forum hosted by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Dr. Chaudry – using prior data leading up to 2022, suggested that the tax would have the additional benefit of encouraging banks to reduce their reliance on short-term funding while ensuring they adhere to their primary purpose; which is lending, particularly to the real economy.
He stated: “A bank tax will provide Ghana with a sustained source of revenue with attempts to move the country’s economy beyond dependence on aid, and will further help reduce the budget deficit.
“Ghanaian banks are too profitable (in terms of what is socially optimal) and they earn much higher profits compared to other industries, with most of the profits coming from investments in Treasury securities,” he added.
Particulars
Dr. Chaudhry’s tax proposal includes two key components. Firstly, he proposed two options for taxing big banks with a balance sheet size of at least GH¢7billion. The first option is a tax of two percent on their total liabilities after deducting equity and insured deposits. The second option is a tax of 10 percent on their profits before taxes, whichever amount is higher. This tax would be applicable over the long-term.
This revenue line, he said, aims to promote more stable and long-term funding practices within the banking sector.
The senior lecturer explained: “A tax on total liabilities net of equity and insured deposits will act as a catalyst for banks to reduce reliance on short-term funding sources, and help reduce bank risk in the long-term”.
Additionally, for the short-term, Dr. Chaudhry proposed a 10 percent tax, at the current rate, on investments in Treasury securities. This tax would be half the current 91-day Treasury bills’ rate and serve to curb the overreliance on Treasury securities as a primary source of bank profits. The economist projected that this tax on Treasury securities would yield approximately GH¢5.34billion in the short-term.
Dr. Chaudhry emphasised the potential benefits of the bank tax, stating: “The tax on liabilities will particularly be helpful when banks are bigger, riskier and earning even more profit in the future.”
Some analysts have however raised concerns about the taxes that these institutions are subjected to, particularly in the light of recent developments. Already, banks pay the general corporate income tax (CIT) rate of 25 percent. This is in addition to the Financial Sector Recovery Levy of 5 percent on their pre-tax profit as well as 5 percent of the same profit as Growth and Sustainability Levy, which has succeeded the National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy.
Dr. Atuahene thinks otherwise
Responding to the proposal, a banking consultant, Dr. Richmond Atuahene, said it would not be the most ideal line of action now or anytime in the foreseeable future.
“The banks were already paying three main types of taxes, but with the DDEP losses they will not be able to pay all three taxes. The proposal to pay additional taxes is not feasible at all,” he said.
Dr. Atuahene cautioned against the possible downside of excessive taxation on the economy: “It feels quite unfair to push these taxes which seem punitive. The banks continue to operate in a volatile environment. When there is an upside, we want to tax everything off them. Now that they need to recapitalise, will the tax authorities do that for them? We need to be careful about the signals we are sending to businesses”.
The former banking lecturer further stated that excessive taxation of businesses operating in finance, telecommunication and extractives represents a failure to tackle the real issues. He suggested the facilitation of a conducive environment that will allow cheaper credit to be extended to the real sector, which in turn will lead to more prosperous businesses that can then be taxed moderately.
“What we should be focusing on is bringing interest rates down and providing an environment wherein long-term capital can be given to businesses. When these businesses grow, the tax base will invariably grow,” he added.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is challenging portions of the Supreme Court’s full judgement which formed the basis for the removal of James Gyakye Quayson’s name from the records of Parliament as the Member of Parliament for Assin North.
The Supreme Courton Monday released the official document detailing why it declared as unconstitutional the election of James Gyakye Quayson as MP for Assin North in the Central Region.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, Mr Abraham Amaliba described as ‘mind boggling’ the failure of the apex court to particularly address Section 21 D of the PNDC Law 284.
He explained that per that law, the court can only nullify the election of a person if he or she was not qualified at the time of an election, and not at the time of filing his or her nomination.
For this reason, he questioned why the Supreme Court determined in the case of Mr Quayson that his qualification is at the time of filing his nomination.
“So the question is why did the Supreme Court fail to address section 21 D?” he quizzed.
According to him, he expected the apex court to analyse that section of the law and deal with it “and then say that notwithstanding that, we think that the time for qualification is nomination.”
He said the court was not supposed to turn its back on section 21 D of the PNDC Law 284 unless it had a strong reason not to do so.
“In ex parte national lottery, this is what Justice Atuguba said ‘Courts are servants of the legislature and must give effect to the expert provision of the statutes unless there is a strong policy why that should not be done.”
Meanwhile, the NDC minority in parliament has served notice that it will study the full document to determine its line of action, especially regarding the expected approval or otherwise of the Chief Justice nominee, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo who was questioned on the apex court’s ruling on Gyakye Quayson when she appeared before parliament for vetting.
Ghanaian dancer, Incredible Zigi, has denied any claims suggesting that he and Dancegod Lloyd are experiencing a strained relationship.
Incredible Zigi and Dancegod Lloyd are the two popular names when it comes to dancing in Ghana but there’s a widespread assertion that they are at loggerheads.
But responding to the said rumours in an interview with Amansan Krakye, Incredible Zigi said, “There’s no bad blood between us, we’re all pushing the same agenda to change the narrative as to how people perceive dancers in Ghana.”
He added on Cape Coast-based Property FM, “I can’t say I’m the only one who is doing the most so we’re all involved in this work and so far as we make a living out of it we’re okay and there’s no bad blood.”
Touching on their purported beef, he added that fans to some extent are responsible for the unnecessary tension between artistes.
“It is the fans that try to create misunderstanding between us, but when we meet ourselves, it is all love, so it’s the fans who try to make it look like we are enemies,” he added.
After leaking an elaborately faked statement from Vladimir Putin, hackers instilled fear in the hearts of millions of Russians about a full-scale Ukrainian attack.
Putin appeared to impose martial law in the message and said that Ukrainian forces had “entered the territories of Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk.”
A video message that initially appeared as a radio broadcast and eventually made its way onto the country’s state media later went viral on social media, with numerous clips of the emergency appeal.
The announcement, sounding like an official broadcast from Putin, said: ‘Fellow citizens, brothers and sisters, at 4am today Ukrainian troops, armed to the teeth by the NATO bloc, with approval and support from Washington, have entered the territories of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
‘Our border guards and Armed Forces are fighting back the superior troops of the aggressor. My order introduced martial law in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
Russian radio hit by ‘major hack’ with Putin impersonator imposing ‘martial law’
‘Also today, I will sign a law [to declare] general mobilisation because in order to fight a dangerous and treacherous enemy we would need to unite all forces of the Russian Federation.
‘I am asking residents of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions to evacuate deeper into Russia, maintaining order and peace.’
The broadcast added: ‘Strictly follow orders by local military administration while leaving your living place, to give the Russian army the chance to defend Russian land from Ukrainian Nazis. The enemy will be destroyed, the victory will be ours.’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted the Russian media had been caught out and branded the special Putin broadcast a ‘hack’.
‘Experts have already taken control and eliminated the hack, due to which some TV networks showed ‘Putin’s emergency appeal’,’ said Peskov.
While it remains unclear who was behind the attack, Russian officials immediately blamed Ukraine.
It appeared TV channels had repeated the message after it was first broadcast on FM radio stations across at least Belgorod, Rostov and Voronezh regions.
The latest hack across a wide area of western Russia increases the feeling that Putin’s government is losing control.
Ironically, though, the ‘Putin broadcast’ promoted calls among the autocrat’s most ardest supporters to properly announce mass mobilisation and martial law.
Putin has so far resisted such moves fearing a backlash from Russians already suffering from his ill-conceived war.
Southampton resident Joe Abbess passed away last week after having trouble in the ocean near Bournemouth beach.
The ‘wonderful young man’ has received praise from his family.
In a statement, they said: “We are devastated and grieved by Joe’s passing. He was a great brother and son who will be sorely missed.
‘His family and friends will always love him and we are incredibly proud of the fabulous young man he was. He was kind and generous, loving and caring, hardworking and funny.
Joe died after getting into trouble in the water last week near Bournemouth pier (Picture: Dorset Police)
‘Joe was a talented trainee chef, with a bright future ahead of him. We were privileged to have him in our lives for 17 years and we are so sorry he will never fulfil his dreams and ambitions.
‘He was enjoying a day at the beach on Wednesday and we would like to thank his friends and all of the emergency services who helped him, when this tragedy unfolded.’
Tributes have also been paid to Sunnah Khan, 12, who was an ‘angel’ schoolgirl who died in the same incident while she was swimming with her brother.
Sunnah Khan, from Buckinghamshire, lost her life after getting into difficulty in the sea at the Dorset resort on Wednesday.
The 12-year-old was pulled from the water and airlifted to hospital in a critical condition before dying shortly after.
More than 200 friends and family members gathered at her funeral yesterday at the Central Mosque in High Wycombe.
Sunnah was remembered as a popular student and looking forward to a bright future, The Sun reported.
‘She will be missed by everyone, she was very popular and her death will leave a hole that will be impossible to fill, ‘ a family friend said.
‘She had so much more to look forward to. She was an angel.’
Others described Sunnah as ‘an absolute force of nature’, who was ‘liked by all and loved by so many’.
A group, which included a number of children, had got into difficulty in the water near Bournemouth Pier at around 4.30pm on Wednesday.
A man in his 40s who was in the water at the time was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie has left his followers confused after sharing a video of him and his second wife, Judy Austin “having an argument” in their home.
In the video shared on his Facebook page, the couple could be heard arguing over a friend who borrowed Yul’s car, had an accident while driving it and did not inform the actor about it.
The 8-minute long video shows just Judy’s face alone but Yul can be heard in the background airing his displeasure about the situation.
While their argument seemed heated, some netizens however believe the couple were acting.
Sharing the video on his official Facebook page, Yul wrote,
“I don’t understand why I cannot talk to Judy and she’ll listen to me.
I’m getting tired of this whole thing. I found this video she made and I had to post it.”
A couple of days ago, Popular aphrodisiac expert, Jaruma made a startling allegation against Judy Austin.
Taking to her Instagram page, the controversial businesswoman alleged that Judy “cooked” her husband, Yul, in a pot.
Jaruma shared a video in which she is seen stirring a black substance in a large pot. As she stirs, she claims that actor Yul Edochie’s second wife, Judy, cooked him in the pot.
A robber who attempted to conceal his face with a cardboard box was captured on CCTV snatching phones valued at thousands of pounds.
He botched his escape, however, by lifting the box to gain a better view of the loot and showing his face to the cameras.
On Saturday at around 4 am, the unusual incident took place at the Miami Irepair store.
According to NBC, the thief initially made off with 19 iPhones and $8,000 cash, totaling a value of $15,000.
Having collected the footage, the store’s owner, Jeremias Berganza, found the thief hours later drinking at a liquor store and called the police, who arrested the man.
In the footage, the thief smashes the top of a glass cabinet before he starts rifling through the phones and stashing them in his bag.
Due to the position of the CCTV camera, it was not possible to make out his face until for a moment when he lifted up the box to get a better look at the phones he was taking.
Berganza said he shared images from the theft with people working in the shopping centre where the store is and asked for people to look out for the thief.
Just a few hours later Berganza found the thief drinking at a liquor store and called the police, who arrested the man.
Authorities have not released the suspect’s name or more information about the robbery.
A Nigerian medical doctor has utilized social media as a platform to share a disturbing account of an incident that occurred in a hospital ward. According to her narrative, a woman, just one day after undergoing a C-section delivery, physically assaulted her daughter-in-law within the hospital premises. The story has garnered attention and sparked discussions online.
Sharing on the microblogging platform, Twitter, the doctor stated that the nurses on duty did not understand the language they were arguing in and did not expect the slap.
According to her, they suspected the mother-in-law was not mentally stable to act in such a manner.
She wrote;
“Someone slapped her 1 day post-cesarean section daughter-in-law in the ward last night. Nothing we don’t see here
I heard the shouting and came in to meet the patient carrying her baby and shoving the woman. Caught her before she fell and called the security. Nurses said they were arguing in a language they couldn’t understand and then she slapped her
They don’t think MIL is mentally ok. Something about abandoning the patient and going to drink the previous night. Sha told security to not let her back in and consoled my patient.”
The recent video of Nollywood actor Yul Edochie and his second wife, Judy Austin, has sparked reactions from numerous Nigerian celebrities. Their responses have created buzz and added to the ongoing discussions surrounding the couple’s relationship.
The controversial couple made headlines on Sunday when Yul shared a video of him and his second wife, Judy Austin, “having an argument” in their home.
In the video that Yul posted on his Facebook page, the couple can be heard arguing about a friend who borrowed Yul’s car, got into an accident while driving it, and failed to inform the actor about it.
Yul shared the video with the caption, “I don’t understand why I cannot talk to Judy, and she’ll listen to me. I’m getting tired of this whole thing. I found this video she made, and I had to post it.”
The video sparked a barrage of reactions from social media users, including fellow celebrities like Nkechi Blessing, talent manager Paul O, Uche Jombo, and Adaora Ukoh.
Uche Jombo, in her response, wrote, “There’s a reason it’s on Facebook. Making money from the content.”
Talent manager and actress Iyabo Ojo’s partner, Paul O, expressed his disappointment, writing,
“Why!!! Why!!! Why was this recorded? Whoever recorded this doesn’t like Yul 100%! They’re destroying the image he has built for years! I’m so sick of this! So you can’t have a conversation without recording? Madness!”
Adaora Ukoh questioned, “It’s just a pity. What’s really going on?”
City officials in Davenport, Iowa, announced on Sunday that Brandon Colvin Sr. was found deceased on Saturday.
Following the collapse of an apartment complex on Sunday, May 28, Colvin, 42, was one of three men who were missing. Ryan Hitchcock, 51, and Daniel Prien, 60, were named as the other missing residents.
The victim’s son, Brandon Colvin Jr, graduated from Rock Island High School on Saturday, the Quad-City Times reported. He had been sleeping at the site with other family members as they helped search for his missing father.
At least three residents of the collapsed building were reported missing: Branden Colvin Sr (left), Ryan Hitchcock (center), and Daniel Prien (right) (Picture: AP)
The six-story, 84-unit apartment building was located in downtown Davenport, just two blocks from the city’s waterfront on the Mississippi River. It was built in 1907 and was on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Seven people were rescued immediately after the collapse, while another 12 were escorted out by firefighters. Two more survivors were found the next day.
Officials initially said they did not believe any more people were stranded in the building, but this changed as family members began reporting their relatives missing.
Now, officials believe Hitchcock and Prien both had a ‘high probability of being home at the time of the collapse.’
The Davenport apartment building was originally built to house the Davenport Hotel in 1907 (Picture: AP)Search and rescue crews have been slowly combing through the rubble due to the building’s poor structural integrity (Picture: AP)
The search for survivors has dragged on for over a week, as search and rescue teams have been forced to move slowly and carefully while sifting through the rubble.
‘The building is structurally unsound, is posing a risk to responders,’ Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten said. ‘This is going to be a long and lengthy process.’
The building had been inspected multiple times over the last few years after residents placed complaints about water leaks and cracks in the walls. Parts of its façade and walls were actively being repaired when it collapsed.
Kiddwaya, the popular reality TV star also known as Terseer Waya, has left fans astonished by sharing a shocking tale involving a domestic staff member at his family’s residence. The incident has sparked curiosity and captured the attention of many.
He professed his respect for the employee who had defrauded his rich father, Terry Waya of millions of Naira.
The cleaner, who happened to be from Kiddwaya’s native state of Benue, allegedly took a sizable sum of money from their Abuja home and used it to build his own home in Benue.
The cleaner’s astute investment of the stolen money impressed the reality star.
Kiddwaya discussed the event with supporters during an Instagram live session.
In his words;
“I have got this cleaner in my house in Nigeria; Abuja. He is from Benue State because I like to hire people from my home state.
So, as my dad was travelling. Obviously, we keep cash in our house. He [my dad] realized some dollars were missing. Only for us to find out that it was this guy from my own state that has been stealing for about a year little by little.
The guy stole enough money to build a house in his state. Now, two things, I’m slightly impressed that he actually invested the money into something that is going to benefit him and his family. For that reason I’m not upset.”
Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, has recently disclosed the secret behind his impressive physique, leaving fans intrigued.
The Benin-born singer said poverty and hunger were responsible for his six packs.
He said doing hard labour such as fetching water from a well and hunger helped build his good status.
He disclosed this in an interview with Spotify.
The ‘Calm Down’ crooner said, “I don’t go to the gym. I always had my body patterns, way back since Benin, fetching water, carrying buckets of water, you know, wheelbarrows.
“When I was in Ghana when I was hustling, doing hard labour. I was already getting ripped out from whatever I was doing. You know, days that I starved, my packs just came out, like [laughs].”
Fans and social media users have been stirred up after a video surfaced on various platforms capturing the arrest of someone who bears a striking resemblance to popular Ghanaian artist King Promise. The incident has generated significant buzz and speculation among the online community.
The video, which was shared on Twitter by popular blogger Sika Official, captured the moment the look-alike was apprehended at an unknown location.
The reason behind the arrest is unknown, except that two men in police uniforms were seen handcuffing him.
In the video, it captured King Promise‘s look-alike seated comfortably on a sofa, illuminated by a ring light, during a live video on TikTok, before he was cuffed.
In an attempt to defend himself, the look-alike can be heard pleading, “Oh, sir, we are live ooo. We didn’t insult anyone. We are playing. We didn’t insult anyone.”
Notably, in the background, Medikal’s look-alike can be heard voicing his concern, urging Mr Drew’s lookalike to call someone they addressed as ‘the director’.
Following this suggestion, Mr. Drew’s look-alike picked up his phone and initiated a call.
Earlier this year, a group of individuals who bear striking resemblances to popular Ghanaian musicians, such as Kuami Eugene, Mr Drew, Medikal, and King Promise, emerged on social media platforms.
These individuals quickly gained attention and recognition, garnering thousands of followers and admirers.
They began sharing content featuring themselves dressed and styled similarly to the musicians they resembled, often lip-syncing or mimicking their favourite artistes’ performances.
This newfound popularity brought them into the spotlight, leading to collaborations with brands, appearances at events, and even performances at certain venues.
Many fans found it intriguing and amusing to witness these lookalikes, often dubbing them the “Lookalikes’ but they prefered to be called the 4Kings.
On Monday morning, Pence formally declared his presidential candidature with the Federal Election Commission.
Two days prior to his scheduled appearance at a CNN Republican presidential town hall, he filed his paperwork. On Wednesday, his 64th birthday, Pence will formally begin his campaign for president earlier in the day. The inaugural rally for Pence will take place in Des Moines, Iowa.
A major challenge for Pence, who served as Trump’s vice president, will be winning back the support of Republicans who discounted him after the tumultuous end of Trump administration.
Pence served 12 years in the House and four years as governor of Indiana, before become vice president in 2017. He broke from Trump after refusing to follow his orders to reject President Joe Biden’s victory while presiding over the 2020 Electoral College vote counting.
Pence joins a growing field for the GOP nomination. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been polling second after Trump, entered the race less than two weeks ago.
The town hall hosted by CNN anchor and chief political correspondent Dana Bash is scheduled to start 9pm ET at Grand View University in Des Moines.
Renowned Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, widely recognized as Davido, has shared a heartfelt account of his pursuit of love with his wife, Chioma Rowland, revealing that she initially rejected his romantic advances.
In a chat with vlogger Tayo Aina, Davido said he first met Chioma while they were both studying at Babcock University in Osun State.
He said it was love at first sight, adding that immediately he set his eyes on her, he asked one of his aides to call her for him but Chioma declined.
He said, “I was in a Prado, and I looked behind and I saw this girl walking. Just there with her bag, it was Chioma.
“I told Lati omo, I like that girl, go and call that girl for me. He called her but she did not answer me at the time.”
The 30 Billion Gang head honcho, however, said Chioma later came to Lagos and they linked up.
The couple got married shortly after the death of their son, Ifeanyi who drowned in a swimming pool at the singer’s Banana Island mansion last year.
The immediate past Ho Central New Patriotic Party (NPP) Women’s Organizer, Dzifa Kaledzi, is nursing an eye injury following an attack over the weekend.
The Agotime Ziope District Chief Executive, Emilia Emefa Adziamah, was alleged to have pushed Dzifa Kaledzi to the floor, before hitting her in the left eye with a brochure, without any provocation.
The victim suffered a cut on the lid of the left eye while her left forearm is swollen.
The incident occurred during the final funeral rites of the late Mrs. Mabel Adom Ahaze, wife of the Ho Central NPP Chairman, Frank Ahaze.
The funeral which brought together the rank and file of the governing party was almost ruined by the unfortunate incident.
Learning of the incident, Myjoyonline.com contacted Madam Kaledzi who confirmed the attack.
She narrated that, upon reaching the funeral ground, she identified an empty seat and politely asked the DCE to make way for her to access the seat.
“When I asked to pass by her, she stretched her feet and blocked the way everybody was using, she then pushed me to the floor and smashed my face with the brochure when some folks were helping me to get on my feet”, she said.
Madam Kaledzi who is also the Deputy General of NPP Loyal Ladies, said she was surprised Madam Adziamah acted in that manner though she did nothing to provoke her.
A medical report reads “Left eye – redness, tearing and photophobia abrasive injury at the upper eyelid. Left forearm – tenderness, mild swelling and abrasive injury, limitation to movement”.
She has since reported the incident at the Ho Central Police Station. Myjoyonline.com learned some government officials have attempted to intervene to have the matter resolved amicably.
Madam Kaledzi, who is also a member of the Volta Regional Communication Team, however, insists she would haul the Agotime Ziope DCE before Court and demand damages.
When Myjoyonline.com contacted Madam Adziamah, she declined to comment on the incident with an explanation that “I am somewhere”, and hence could not speak to the issue.
The judge in Prince Harry‘s case against the Mirror organisation chastised his attorney for failing to appear in court.
This morning, when the Duke of Sussex’s solo lawsuit against the Daily Mirror publisher got underway, he was anticipated to show up in the High Court.
Harry won’t appear until Tuesday, according to his attorney David Sherborne, when a barrister for Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) is likely to interrogate him.
Mr Sherborne said Harry flew to England from the US late on Sunday night as he had spent the day celebrating his daughter Lilibet’s second birthday.
He added Harry is ‘obviously in a different category’ to other witnesses due to his travel and security arrangements, The Telegraph reports.
The judge hearing the case, Mr Justice Fancourt, appeared visibly irritated but said diplomatically that he was ‘a little surprised’ the duke wouldn’t be attending.
Mr Justice Fancourt previously said witnesses should be available the day before their evidence was due to be heard.
Andrew Green KC, representing MGN, said he was ‘deeply troubled’ that Harry wouldn’t be attending before Tuesday, which could lead to ‘wasted time’ this afternoon.
Mr Green described the move as ‘extraordinary’ and said he wanted to spend at least a day and a half cross-examining the prince.
Harry is suing MGN for damages, claiming journalists at its titles were linked to methods including phone backing, ‘blagging’ or gaining information by deception, and the use of private investigators for unlawful activities.
Zanetor Rawlings, the daughter of former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has asked the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to cleanse itself of any lingering “demons” to secure victory in the upcoming 2024 elections.
Delivering a passionate address at a church in Cape Coast on June 3 to mark the commencement of the 44th-anniversary commemoration of the June 4 Revolution, Zanetor Rawlings, who is a lawmaker, emphasized the need for the NDC, which she described as the product of the revolution, to undergo a thorough self-examination.
She stressed that the party must rid itself of any negative influences that may have crept in unnoticed over time.
“If the NDC is to rescue this country come 2024, then we must clear ourselves from any demon that entered while we were not paying attention,” Zanetor Rawlings declared, urging her party members to reflect on their actions and align themselves with the principles of the June 4 Uprising.
The June 4 Revolution, also known as the June 4th Uprising, was sparked by the arrest and trial of Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and other junior military officers by the leadership of the Supreme Military Council II (SMC II). The former president and his colleagues were charged with mutiny following a failed coup attempt on May 15, 1979.
In his defence during the trial, Jerry John Rawlings cited various reasons for the unsuccessful coup. He highlighted the denial of salaries to junior military officers, rampant corruption among Supreme Military Council officials, poor governance, economic hardships, and general frustration among the populace. Additionally, he pointed out the prevalence of indiscipline within the Ghana Army as a significant contributing factor to the uprising.
Zanetor Rawlings’ call for the NDC to rid itself of any demons echoes the spirit of the June 4 Revolution, which sought to address these issues and bring about positive change in the party.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Martin Ayisi, has expressed his concerns about the proposal to ban all mining operations including small-scale mining, as a measure to curb illegal mining otherwise known as ‘galamsey’ practices in Ghana.
In recent months, there has been a growing public concern regarding the environmental impact of illegal mining activities. As a result, there have been calls for the banning of all mining operations, including small-scale mining, to curb illegal practices. The aim is to facilitate the restoration of depleted forests, allowing them to regenerate their vegetation, and to enable water bodies to recover their previous state.
Considering these arguments, the CEO of the Commission believes that the sector is too resourceful to be banned uprightly.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen, the CEO argues that there are about 3 million Ghanaians whose source of livelihood depends on the existence of small-scale mining and banning it will have a devastating effect on these people.
“There are about 3 million Ghanaians whose source of livelihood depends on small-scale mining across about 13 regions. Let me break it down then you can explain the source of livelihood to Ghanaians. As I try to explain livelihood, I am referring to both direct and indirect employment. You go to places like Dunkwa, Tarkwa, Diaso, Prestea, Bogoso, and Wassa Akyempin, wherever there is large-scale mining, you will find small-scale mining there. They are just around the large scale,” he said.
He continued to explain the complex dynamics of employment and livelihood in the small-scale mining sector which makes it the number one reason why the sector cannot be banned uprightly.
“If you have about let’s say 40-50 people with licenses who work at the mine who are direct small-scale employees, that is he goes to the pit to operate as an excavator operator or he handles the gold catcher, etc., all these people are directly involved. Now, Aunty Mansa who gets up to come and set up a food joint at the small-scale site for workers who work in the pit to get food to eat, we count her as part of employment, but she will fall under indirect employment. So, for such a person, her livelihood depends on the mine. So, when the mine collapses, Aunty Mansa who sells food around the mine, you have deprived her of her livelihood, so she is also part of the 3 million. The person Aunty Mansa gets her cassava from is also part of the supply chain. So, it’s a whole value chain…that is what I mean by livelihood,” he added.
Given the above, Martin Ayisi believes that banning the sector as a measure to curb illegal mining will rather collapse the small-scale mining industry in Ghana.
“So, if people get up and say let’s ban small scale, I find it quite unfortunate. But I don’t blame them because they have this information. For example, the entire Tarkwa township and everything that goes on there is associated with mining. The market in the township serves as the shipping centre for many of the things small-scale miners use in their operations. So, if the mines in the community collapse, Tarkwa town goes dead. The mines there are a source of livelihood, that is how I want people to see it, not just employment.
“There are traders in the Tarkwa market who trade with the miners every time. It is because the small-scale miners are working and mining is circulating. If you take out the university and collapse the two mining companies there, that is the end of Tarkwa, it will only exist in name. Prestea town grew out of mining, the entire town is mining. So, that is the number one contribution of small-scale mining. Not less than 10% of Ghana’s population can trace their livelihood to mining,” he continued.
The CEO of the Minerals Commission, Martin Ayisi, further shared light on the other benefits of the small-scale sector to the economy of Ghana.
“The Large-scale mining companies export their gold. Apart from those polished jewellery imported from Turkey and Dubai; all other jewellery we use locally comes from a small scale. So, another contribution is that is a source of raw gold for the jewellery industry. So, when you collapse small-scale mining, you have collapsed the jewellery industry as well. Unless you import from Turkey and Dubai.
Additionally, now, the government is pursuing ‘Gold-for-Oil’. The government buys the gold from small-scale miners. Last year, the receipt was over 1 billion dollars,” he pointed out.
The small-scale mining industry, the CEO went on to say, helps the local economy grow.
“If you take out mining, we will not have Tarkwa, Bibiani, Obuasi. When the gold mine in Obuasi, went down, you saw what happened. Business activities in the region collapsed.
“Additionally, small-scale mining is a precursor to large-scale exploration. So, when two or more small-scale mining companies begin operations in a region, then you get the large-scale miners coming around to also, explore the area. Sometimes you can get the large-scale buying the area and paying off the small-scale miners or they reach other agreements,” he argued. Martin Ayisi further highlighted the obligation of small-scale mining companies to repatriate 80% of their earnings back to the country, as required by regulations which become and source of revenue for the government.
“Then also, the receipts come back into the country. As required, as a small-scale mining company, if you export, 80% of your earnings go back to the country. And not less than a third of Ghana’s gold comes from small scale. So, unless you don’t appreciate these things or downplay them. It would be wrong on the part of anybody to say let us stop small-scale mining. It will not work.
However, amid growing concerns over the pollution of water bodies and the disruption of the forest reserves by the activities of illegal miners ‘galamseyers’, the CEO urged the public to rally around the fight to restore the lost resources to their previous state and not call for the upright banning of mining entirely in Ghana.
“I accept that rage and anger, when Ghanaians look at the water bodies and mounts pressure on the commission to ensure that the water is clean, I accept that, and I wish we all work to get the water back to what it was but don’t look at that and say we should stop it,” he stated.
Nigerian singer Davido recently opened up about the story of how he crossed paths with his wife, Chioma, and shared insights into how their relationship has evolved and endured throughout the years.
During an interview with YouTuber and vlogger Tayo Aina, Davido revealed that their fateful meeting took place while they were both students at Babcock University.
At the time, Davido was pursuing a music degree, while Chioma was studying Economics.
Recalling the moment vividly, Davido said, “I had been in school for about a year when my career took off. It was during that time that I first laid eyes on my wife. I can never forget that day.”
“I was sitting in a Prado when I glanced behind me and spotted a girl walking. It was Chioma, holding her bag. I instantly knew I was drawn to her.”
Turning to his friend, Lati, Davido requested, “Lati, my friend, I really like that girl. Please go and call her for me.”
Although she didn’t respond to the call initially, fate eventually brought Chioma to Lagos where they eventually met up. Davido reminisced, “When we finally connected, I knew she was the one. I thought to myself, ‘Yes, I’ve found you.’”
Through these encounters, Davido and Chioma’s love story began, leading them to where they are today.
Many return home from the diaspora for various reasons. Some, to visit family, others to learn about their African heritage. But for 31-year-old Fablice Manirakiza, it was to significantly contribute to the infrastructural development of his home country, Burundi.
An unusual vision some may think, but Fablice who had lived most of his life in Australia saw an opportunity to leverage his skills and experiences gained abroad to make a tangible difference in Burundi’s infrastructural landscape.
The young African is changing the narrative by transforming Burundi, an East African country which for many years has been tagged as the poorest country in the world, with innovative solutions and groundbreaking initiatives in the real estate/ housing landscape.
Fablice is the face behind Burundi’s first gated community.
The prestigious gated estate, constructed under a company called ‘Come and See Burundi’ owned by Fablice, comprises meticulously designed homes and modern amenities tailored to meet the needs of its residents.
Speaking on the motivation for the incident, he said: “I wanted to prove to the world that Burundians are just amazing and Burundi is capable of doing everything.”
He recalled that the whole initiative started in 2015 when he had no plans of returning to his homeland.
“I was doing so well in Australia because me and my diaspora from Australia had been there for more than 15 years and I remember, I was going to perform because I am a musician and I requested them to pull out the Burundi flag before I perform. So as I looked at the flag raising, I felt like God told me, ‘Go and do what you are doing for this country for your country.”
And I came here after 2015 when there were demonstrations here and there so people did not believe that I was coming but I came, and started a company called ‘Come and See Burundi. As you can hear from the name, I wanted the world to come and see the beauty of Burundi because this is a hidden paradise,” he said.
Having grown up as an orphan in a warring country, Fablice faced numerous obstacles throughout his life. He lived in a refugee camp during his childhood days, however, he did not allow his circumstances to set him back. He defied all odds to realize his dream in life.
This extraordinary accomplishment in the real estate sector stands as a testament to the determination and perseverance of one individual with a vision to transform lives and uplift communities.
Not only has the project addressed the pressing need for quality housing in Burundi but it also provides employment for hundreds of Burundi nationals.
“I employ between 300 to 500 people in a day during a project,” he told renowned blogger, Wode Maya.
Aside, his remarkable achievement in the Housing sector, Fablice is a professional musician.
Fablice is a keen advocate of Africa’s development, passionate about promoting economic independence of the continent and also fostering self-reliance because he holds the belief that it’s time Africans took control of their own affairs.
“We Africans have to support each other. When Africans support each other, without any doubt, we are going to colonise the whole world,” he said, further calling on all Africans in the diaspora to return to their home country to ensure its development.
“Come home and build Africa to showcase what Africa is capable of. In history, Africa used to be the Superpower but then where did we go wrong? So let’s wake up,” he added.
An internal investigation has discovered that a YouTuber ruined a BBC football broadcast by making pornographic noises while roaming ‘freely’ through a stadium.
According to the corporation, Jarvo was in charge of the security lapse after roaming ‘unchallenged’ across Wolves’ grounds the day before.
In a studio used by Gary Lineker and guests for coverage of the home team’s FA Cup match against Liverpool in January 2023, he smuggled a phone with a pornographic clip as its ringtone.
The broadcaster subsequently carried out an investigation that it tried to keep secret on health and safety grounds, citing the future safety of BBC Sport staff at outside events.
However, after Metro.co.uk challenged the refusal at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), a heavily redacted version has been released, showing how the prankster and an accomplice ‘moved freely, and unchallenged’ around the Molineux.
While Lineker was left amused, the prank raised serious questions about what might have happened if intruders with more malevolent intentions had gained access to the stadium and led to the BBC making recommendations to tighten security at future events.
The report states: ‘A male gained unauthorized access to the football ground (on the day prior to the football match).
‘He and an accomplice moved freely, and unchallenged, around the inside of the stadium.
‘Purporting to be on an official tour, the two gained access into the BBC studio area (and were not challenged by the 3rd party build team).
‘Whilst out of sight of OB [outside broadcast] staff, one male secreted a mobile telephone inside the MotD studio set. The two then left the ground without anyone knowing there had been a security breach.’
Lineker was interrupted by the embarrassing noises for almost 15 minutes during the build up to the evening game on January 17.
The host, who had been speaking with Alan Shearer, Paul Ince, and Danny Murphy, later tweeted a picture of a small mobile phone.
He said in the caption that ‘we found this taped to the back of the set’ and ‘as sabotage goes it was quite amusing’.
But the presenter later acknowledged that ‘if someone can do that, they can do something else with something that could be more dangerous’.
Safety planning at Premier League grounds has involved work involving counter-terror police to guard against possible threats.
The report found: ‘The mobile phone’s ringtone was an audio clip from a pornographic film. The telephone was dialled — and played the audio — several times during the broadcast.
‘The mobile phone was removed by club officials before the game kicked off. Although no criminal offences were committed, this incident does constitute a breach of security by the stadium.’
Key findings in the report identify Jarvo and an ‘older man’ as having entered the 32,000-capacity stadium ahead of the third round replay.
They were found to have ‘toured several parts of the ground — unchallenged by anyone (BBC contractors or club)’.
Another section reads: ‘The two men were able to move freely around the ground without anyone challenging them.
‘The production team, supported by the security management team at the venue, were able to locate the mobile phone before the football match kicked off, and it was promptly removed from the studio.’
The pair are said in the report to have ‘disappeared out of view of a (freelance) camera operator who was setting up for filming’ and to have left the phone in a part of the set ‘that was out of sight’.
A series of recommendations are then made in a section which is completely blacked out on the grounds that public disclosure might compromise security at future BBC Sport outside events.
Dan ‘Jarvo’ Jarvis, from Gravesend, Kent, said after the incident that ‘we got in because we made it look like we were meant to be there, so no one bats an eyelid’. He even helped himself to a free beer and walked into the home dressing room on the unsanctioned stadium tour.
The practical joker, known as Jarvo69 on YouTube, told The Sun that he used a £20 mobile with the loudest ringtone on the market and ‘had a cheers with the beers’ after strapping it to a wall.
The BBC initially refused to provide the document after a request under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that a release ‘may lead to the future security of BBC staff being compromised’.
After Metro.co.uk requested an internal review, the broadcaster provided a version of the report that was so heavily blacked out on health and safety and law enforcement grounds only 172 words were visible.
The document was then re-issued by the corporation with further sections unredacted after the challenge to the ICO.
In the latest response, an unnamed member of the BBC’s legal team said: ‘Upon reviewing further published information in the public domain regarding this incident, I have liaised with BBC Sport and the Safety, Security and Risk Management team, and they have agreed to unredact further information from the report.’
The BBC issued an official apology at the time, with a short statement reading: ‘We apologise to any viewers offended during the live coverage of the football this evening. We are investigating how this happened.’
A spokesperson for the BBC said today: ‘We don’t comment on anything relating to security issues.’
The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Obuasi East, Faustina Amissah, has confirmed reports that personnel of the Ghana Armed Force were deployed to Obuasi over the commotion surrounding reports of illegal miners being trapped in a mine shaft belonging to AngloGold Ashanti.
On May 31, 2023, there was heavy military presence in the community after a viral video showed the men clashing with some residents of Obuasi.
According to the Obuasi East DCE, some illegal small-scale miners started pelting stones at the military officers protecting AngloGold, The Chronicle newspaper reports.
This, she said, forced the army to call reinforcement from its 2BN in Kumasi, to help its officers protect the workers of the company because the illegal miners were on rampage.
“They were stoning the soldiers because they have now realised that after all, AGA soldiers will or shout because of their corporate image are working on certain things to have a local soldier barracks,” she is quoted to have said in an interview with The Chronicle.
The DCE also said that only 101 illegal miners were trapped and not 300 as reported in the media and that all of these people have been arrested.
She was worried about the failure to stop the galamseyers from entering the mining pits of AngloGold Ashanti.
She warned that if people are not stopped from illegally entering the mine it might, one day, collapse; adding that “If not before we realise, we have to close down the mines again,” he said.
After a period of 5 years since the tragic demise of singer Ebony Reigns, her parents have now solemnized their union through marriage.
The wedding ceremony between Nana Opoku Kwarteng and Madam Beatrice Oppong came off yesterday in Accra.
Apparently, the plush ceremony was strictly by invitation – Hence only a few fortunate people had the privilege to grace the occasion.
As seen in some of the videos from the ceremony that have made their way online, Starboy Kwarteng was smartly dressed in a tuxedo suit while Mrs Beatrice Oppong wore a very well-tailored African-inspired wedding gown.
Madam Beatrice and Starboy Kwarteng have known themselves for about 30 years, but they both went their separate years about 15 years ago and have now reunited and made things official after their superstar daughter’s shocking death.
Two individuals familiar with the encounter confirmed to CNN that Qatar’s prime minister had a covert meeting with the Taliban‘s top official earlier this month in Afghanistan.
On May 12, the Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Qatar’sPrime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met in the southern city of Kandahar.
The encounter between Akhundzada and a foreign leader is said to be their first. Reuters broke the news first.
The Biden administration was quickly briefed by Qatar in Washington and then in a phone call the day after the meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister. A brief readout by the State Department on May 13 only noted Blinken’s “appreciation for Qatar’s continued assistance on Afghanistan.”
CNN has reached out to the US State Department and the Qatari Embassy in the US for comment.
Qatar’s Al Jazeera reported a few days later that Al-Thani had visited the Afghan capital as part of “facilitating the relations between the caretaker [Taliban] government and the international community…”
American officials have met occasionally with Taliban representatives in the Qatari capital, Doha, since the US left Afghanistan in August 2021 amid the Taliban takeover of the country.
Despite American warnings to the Taliban not harbor terrorists, Al Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri took up residence in Kabul before being killed in a US drone strike last July.
Qatar serves as the US protecting power in Afghanistan, where it does not have a diplomatic presence. The diplomatic compound in Kabul – once one of the largest US Embassies in the world – has been shuttered since August 2021, and the US relocated its diplomatic mission to Doha.
There is increased speculation that Kyiv may soon begin a spring counteroffensive that could change the direction of the conflict after the Russian Defence Ministry said its troops successfully repelled a “large-scale” attack from Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk province.
Intense informational efforts have been waged by Russia and Ukraine to manipulate public opinion and mislead their adversaries about their strategies. The Russian military claimed in a statement to have killed 250 Ukrainians and destroyed armoured vehicles used in the attack, but supplied very no supporting documentation.
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.
Moscow is known to make inflated claims about Ukrainian losses. CNN has been unable to independently verify the claim.
In a post on its official Telegram feed, the 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.
Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive has been shrouded in secrecy despite clear signs that Kyiv is gearing up for a sweeping operation.
Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna 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.”
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked troops on the front lines for striving to control the skies above them.
“We should all remember that our defense, our active actions, and the independence of Ukraine are not something abstract. These are very particular people, particular actions of particular heroes, thanks to which Ukraine exists and Ukraine will exist,” Zelensky said.
He singled out fighters who would be particularly key in the counteroffensive, just days after he 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.”
Sammy Gyamfi has urged Ghanaians, especially residents of the Assin North Constituency, to ignore assertions that ousted Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, has committed a crime and is likely to be imprisoned.
According to the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is championing this assertion just because it wants to deter people from voting for Gyakye Quayson in the upcoming by-elections.
Speaking in an interview on Cape Cost-based Rich FM over the week ended, Sammy Gyamfi insisted that the former law marker has committed no crime.
“NPP members are saying that once the Supreme Court has ruled against Honourable Quayson, it implies that he would also lose the criminal case.
“This is what should let you know that the NPP is full of liars because they know the truth. I will not say that they (NPP members) are dumb. They know the truth, but they will not say it because they what to deceive the residents of Assin North.
“I’m a lawyer… where is it stated that if the Supreme Court rules on a civil matter against you, then the High Court too will do so? The Supreme Court case was a civil matter; it wasn’t a criminal matter,” he said in Twi.
He went on to cite the example of the case of Alfred Agbesi Woyome, where the Supreme Court ruled against him, but the High Court said he had done nothing wrong.
“Martin Amidu sued Alfred Agbesi Woyome at the Supreme Court, accusing him of unlawfully receiving a GH¢52 million judgment debt. While Woyome was in the Supreme Court, the NDC government at that time also sued him in the High Court.
“The Supreme Court case was a civil matter, and the High Court case was a criminal matter just like the case of Honourable Quayson. Supreme Court ruled that the money given to Woyome was illegal… but the High Court said Woyome was not a criminal,” he said.
Background:
The Electoral Commission of Ghana announced a by-election for the Assin North Constituency, on June 27, 2023, following the declaration of the seat as vacant by the Parliament of Ghana.
Parliament declared the seat vacant after a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court of Ghana ordered the House to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament.
Justice Jones Victor Dotse, Justice Nene Amegatcher, Justice Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Yonny Kulendi and Justice Barbara Ackah-Yensu declared that Quayson was not qualified at the time he contested the election 2020 in the Michael Ankomah Nimfah vrs James Gyakye Quayson case.
However, there is still one case the former MP is in court for.
The State, on February 12, 2022, charged James Gyakye Quayson with five counts; deceit of a public officer, forgery of a passport, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration.
Days after an Israeli soldier shot a 3-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the boy had passed away on Monday.
Despite efforts to save him, including helicopter transport to an Israeli hospital, Muhammad Haitham al-Tamimi passed away.
Haitham Tamimi, the child’s father, claimed that he was on his way to see his brother when he and Muhammad were shot.
“As soon as I started the car I heard gunshots and I saw the Israeli soldiers out of the military tower,” Tamimi told CNN.
“I looked at Muhammad and couldn’t believe what I saw. He was shot in the head and there was blood all over his body. I took him in my arms and then realized that I’m also shot in my right shoulder. People from the village came quickly, and they took us both with their cars. This is when Israeli ambulances and a helicopter came and took Muhammad to the Israeli hospital.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops were firing back at gunmen shooting at Neveh Tzuf when they hit two Palestinians, a 3-year-old and a man.
IDF and Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical teams treated both of the victims, and succeeded in getting the child’s heart beating again, the MDA said at the time.
The child was then transported, ventilated and in unstable condition, by IDF helicopter to Sheba-Tel Hashomer hospital in Israel.
“The IDF regrets harm to non-combatants and is committed to doing everything in its power to prevent such incidents. The incident is under review,” the IDF said early Friday. The military did not immediately have a new statement in light of the death of the child, pointing CNN to the Friday statement.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry Monday condemned the killing of Tamimi as “a heinous crime against humanity,” and demanded “an urgent international investigation into this crime and other crimes of killing Palestinian children.”
The child’s father was treated for his gunshot wound at a hospital in Ramallah and was released on Sunday.
The bullet wound, he said, was not hurting: “I feel no physical pain. the pain in my heart is way too big.”
On Sunday, the 34th anniversary of Poland‘s first post-World War II democratic election, hundreds of thousands of protestors gathered in Warsaw for a march the liberal opposition has touted as a test of its ability to overthrow nationalist government later this year.
With banners reading “Free, European Poland,” “European Union yes, PiS no,” in reference to the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, crowds that stretched for at least a mile marched.
Some people carried masks of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling party, with the word “shame” printed on them. According to the organisers, 500,000 people participated in the march. Officials from the police and city refused to estimate. Numerous more Polish cities and towns also saw large marches.
“I took part in many marches, but I’ve never seen a protest of this size with such energy, I feel this is a breakthrough like June 4, 1989 was,” said Jacek Gwozdz, 51, an IT specialist from Nowy Sacz, in Warsaw.
Opinion polls show an election due after the summer will be closely fought, with Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine giving a boost to the PiS government, which has emerged as a leading voice against the Kremlin in Europe.
The opposition has struggled to galvanize support despite widespread criticism at home and abroad of the PiS, which has been accused of eroding the rule of law, turning state media into a government mouthpiece and endorsing homophobia.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s government denies subverting any democratic norms and says its aim is to protect traditional Christian values against liberal pressures from the West and to make the economy more fair.
Donald Tusk, head of the Civic Platform grouping and a former European Union council chief, welcomed supporters saying that the voice of Poles could not be silenced.
“Democracy dies in silence but you’ve raised your voice for democracy today, silence is over, we will shout,” he said in a speech at the end of the march.
“There’s half a million people in the streets of Warsaw, it’s an absolute record,” he told the crowds filling Castle Square in the capital.
Tusk called for unity despite political differences in the opposition and promised victory in elections that will be held in October or November.
“Today, I’m vowing to win, to make those in power accountable, to mend injustice so that in the end people can be reconciled,” he said.
In June 1989, a partially free vote handed victory to a government led by the Solidarity trade union and triggered a series of events culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall that November.
On Sunday, hundreds of buses arrived in Warsaw to bring opposition supporters from across the country. Some said they were motivated by a row over legislation proposed by PiS to weed out undue Russian influence from the country.
The opposition sees the legislation as a government attempt to launch a witch hunt against political opponents.
In an unexpected turnaround, President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, said on Friday he would propose amendments to the law, which has also drawn criticism from lawyers, as well as the United States and the European Commission.
The EU’s executive said the legislation could effectively ban individuals from holding public office without proper judicial review.
“It’s beyond comprehension,” said Andrzej Majewski, 48, from Slupca in western Poland who was in Warsaw to join Sunday’s protest march
Manto Kumar was on a train called Coromandel Express with six of his friends. Suddenly, the train shook very hard like an earthquake.
All of a sudden, something hit us. The restaurant worker, who is 32 years old, spoke with CNN from a hospital in Odisha state, India. They said that some coaches flipped over to the other side.
I stood up and covered my head that was bleeding with my shirt. Next, I searched for my pals. Everyone was yelling “help us. help us”
One of Kumar’s friends lost both his legs in the crash and was rushed to hospital. He did not survive his injuries.
Their story is just one of hundreds unfolding across the country as India deals with one of the worst train crashes it has ever seen.
At least 275 people were killed and more than 1,000 others injured after the Coromandel Express slammed into a parked freight train, scattering upturned passenger cars that were then struck by a Howrah Express train traveling at high speed in the opposite direction.
Three days later, families are still trying to locate their loved ones, piles of dead bodies are waiting to be identified and hospitals are laboring to treat an overwhelming number of injured passengers.
Morgues in the city of Balasore had earlier reached full capacity, prompting officials to place some of the bodies in school corridors and a business park for families to identify.
For families that have traveled to the city, aching to locate their loved ones, the wait has been traumatic.
“I’ve been to all the hospitals and I’ve found out nothing,” Laluti Devi, who was looking for her 22-year-old son, told CNN, adding she will now travel nearly four hours south to the state’s capital Bhubaneswar, in a desperate attempt to see if he was transported to a morgue there.
Many of the dead are unclaimed, and local authorities are struggling to deal with the sheer scale of the disaster.
On Sunday, the state government released the photographs of more than 160 victims, many in horrific condition with gruesome injuries, in a bid to help families identify the bodies.
That leaves people facing the agonizing task of scrolling though picture after picture of mangled victims on the off chance they might come across their missing loved one.
A distraught father arrived at one of the identification sites after receiving a WhatsApp photo of his dead son.
“I was looking for my son since (Saturday),” he told local outlet Mojo TV, breaking down as he pointed to the photo. His 23-year-old boy, a laborer, was traveling to the city of Chennai for his job, like many others in the coach with him.
“This is my boy. This is my boy,” the father said through tears after identifying his son’s body.
Elsewhere, two women traveled to several sites, crying with anguish as they tried to locate their missing husbands.
India’s Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it was his “goal” to ensure that family members could find their missing loved ones as soon as possible.
“Our responsibility is not over yet,” he said.
At local hospitals, doctors were working around the clock to treat injured patients.
In Balasore, a 15-year-old boy was among hundreds of survivors that arrived at the Government Medical College for treatment.
“People who were alive were shouting for help, praying to god,” he said, adding the train was so full, there was barely any room to stand. “Rescue teams were doing their best to save people. A lot of people were crying,” he said.
Laxminaranyan Dhal, a 52-year-old farmer who was traveling alone, said he clung onto the railing of the train for survival.
“I escaped through the broken windows,” he said. “When I got out, I saw a lot of people lying around – many were dead, some were moaning in pain.”
His spinal chord injury has left him in excruciating pain, making it difficult for the laborer to sit or even to stand.
“I cannot farm anymore, it hurts too much. Only after treatment I can start working,” he said.
According to senior railway officials, the Coromandel Express, a high-speed train that was traveling from Kolkata to Chennai, was diverted onto a loop line and slammed into a heavy goods train idled at Bahanaga Bazar railway station.
Its carriages derailed onto the opposite track, where they were hit by an oncoming high-speed train, the Howrah Express, which was traveling from Bangalore.
Many of the travelers were migrant workers, en route to Chennai, an urban metropolis in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where jobs are more freely available.
Survivors recalled seeing crowded coaches, packed with travelers, when it began flipping and rolling from the crash.
Anushuman Purohi, who was in first class and seated toward the end of the train, said he saw many “unimaginable” injuries.
“When we opened the door, that’s when I actually heard the wail of humanity, crying out in pain, crying out for water and crying out for help,” he said.
“There were a lot of people lying on the tracks, they were injured, there was blood everywhere, there were broken bones, and it was time for us to stop thinking about ourselves and help the injured… It was chaos, it was something I can really not describe… I saw a head without a body, I saw skulls crushed, I saw bodies completely crushed by the metal, it was horrifying.”
All Sunday, workers toiled in the scorching heat to clear the wreckage, as rail cars remained rolled in a ditch and passengers’ belongings were seen strewn across the ground. Suitcases, bags, shoes and personal items lined the tracks, alongside wrought metal and charred coaches.
By late evening, the first train resumed movement at the impacted section.
Vaishnaw, the railways minister, and others waved as the train rode down the tracks.
“All the teams did a great job. But there is a lot of pain in our mind and hearts,” Vaishnaw said. “We will find out the root cause (of this incident).”
Anger is growing in India, now the world’s most populous nation, renewing calls for authorities to confront safety issues in a railway system that transports more than 13 million passengers every day.
India’s extensive rail network is one of the largest in the world and built more than 160 years ago under British colonial rule. Today, it runs about 11,000 trains every day over 67,000 miles of tracks.
For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who swept to power in 2014 on a promise of future greatness, upgrading the country’s transport system has been a key priority in his push to create a $5 trillion economy by 2025.
In the fiscal year that started in April, Modi’s government raised capital spending on airports, road and highway construction and other infrastructure projects to $122 billion, or 1.7% of India’s GDP. But years of neglect has left many tracks to deteriorate.
A report last year by India’s auditor general, an independent office, found the amount spent on track maintenance is falling. “Due to financial constraints, the progress in track renewals is constantly coming down over the last six years,” the report said.
Decaying infrastructure is often cited as a cause for traffic delays and numerous train accidents in India. And though government statistics show that accidents and derailments have declined in recent years, they are still tragically common.
More than 16,000 people were killed in nearly 18,000 railway accidents across the country in 2021, according to latest figures from the National Crime Records Bureau. Nearly 70% were due to falls from trains and collisions between trains and people on the track.
In 2005, at least 102 people died when a passenger train derailed in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh as it tried to cross tracks washed away by a flood. In 2011, scores were killed when a train jumped tracks in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
In another infamous incident in 2016, more than 140 people were killed in another derailment in Uttar Pradesh.
Railways Minister Vaishnaw said authorities have asked the Central Bureau of Investigation, India’s top investigation agency, to probe Friday’s crash.
Authorities have announced compensation of about $1,200 to families who have lost loved ones.
But as teams continue to investigate the cause, no amount of money could make up for the devastating loss of life.
As Kumar, whose friend died in the crash, recalled the horror of Friday’s accident, he reflected on how lucky he was to survive.
“I am blessed to have another chance at life,” he said.
The UPDF found something when they took back control of a base in Buulo Mareer. It’s about 120 kilometers away from Mogadishu. The government of Uganda announced this on Twitter.
During that mission, the UPDF found 54 dead soldiers. One of them was Lt Col Edward Nyororo, who was the leader.
After Ugandan troops reclaimed the base, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced that two commanders who ordered their soldiers to retreat during the May 26 militant attack would face a court martial.
“The mistake was made by two commanders, Maj. Oluka and Maj. Obbo, who ordered the soldiers to retreat. They have been apprehended and will face charges in the Court Martial,” the president said via Twitter.
Ugandan soldiers are stationed at the forward operating base as a peacekeeping force.
Al-Shabaab launched the deadly attack on the military base using Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices and suicide bombers, the African Union said last week.
Unverified images shared on jihadi media channels showed about a dozen Ugandan troops, with arms restrained behind their backs, being captured by the militants.
The militant group’s move has drawn condemnations from the US and the European Union.
“We express our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and friends and wish a full recovery to those injured. The United States commends the bravery and sacrifice of the troops participating in this important mission. We stand with our Somali and African Union partners in the fight to defeat terrorism and to advance peace and stability for the Somali people,” the US State Department said.
In an earlier statement, the European Union said the attack only reinforces its commitment “to stand with the region and to hold to account those responsible for these continuously heinous assaults against Somali citizens and those seeking to stabilize the situation in the country.”
