TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Modi visits site of deadly train crash in India

    Modi visits site of deadly train crash in India

    On Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to open a brand-new high-speed train, the Vande Bharat Express, as part of his administration’s significant investment in modernising the nation’s extensive infrastructure, including its railway system.

    But instead, Obama made a trip to the scene of one of the greatest rail mishaps in American history to express his sympathies.

    In a three-way collision involving two passenger trains and a goods train on Friday in eastern Odisha state, authorities reported that more than 280 people were killed and over 1,100 were injured.

    The deadly crash in the city of Balasore has reverberated across 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. While the government has recently poured millions into upgrading the system, years of neglect has left tracks to deteriorate.

    The cause of Friday’s crash remains unclear, but senior state railway officials told CNN that it is suspected to have been caused by a traffic signaling failure.

    The officials said the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express entered a track where a train carrying goods was stopped and slammed into it, pushing several coaches into the opposite track. Another train – the Howrah Express traveling from Yesvantpur to Howrah – hit the carriages at high speed and derailed.

    A train station superintendent in Odisha state explained on Saturday that a signaling failure can occur either due to a technical malfunction or human error, as traffic signals are often handled by personnel in every station.

    A “high-level inquiry” has been ordered into the collision to understand what caused the crash, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways, told reporters on Saturday.

    “We can’t bring back those we have lost but the government is with them (families) in their grief. This incident is very serious for the government … Whoever is found guilty will be punished severely,” Modi said, adding that the government would “leave no stone unturned.”

    As the sun rose on Saturday, rescuers scrambled over the tangle of wreckage and overturned train carriages in a desperate search for survivors. Passengers joined first responders in an effort to free those trapped. Officials said the death toll was suspected to rise further, as many passengers were thought to be pinned under train cars.

    Local authorities said that evening that search efforts had stopped but would resume Sunday.

    “It’s still ongoing. We need to lift the wreckage and see what’s underneath… A crane has arrived, we will pull the coaches up one by one but we don’t have much hope of finding survivors,” Odisha’s fire services chief, Sudhanshu Sarangi, told local news channel NDTV.

    “We’ve never seen so many dead bodies before. It’s sad but we’re trying.”

    The government in the state, which has a population of about 44 million, declared a day of mourning on Saturday.

    Video footage and photographs from the crash site near Bahanaga Bazar rail station showed scenes of chaos and despair. Dozens of dead bodies could be seen lying beside mangled train cars, while police officers and survivors stood nearby. Passengers’ personal belongings were strewn inside carriages, their windows crushed, spilling glass and metal debris onto the floors. Train carriages were ripped apart.

    One of the passengers sitting in the second to last coach, Anshuman Purohit, told CNN that he felt a “massive shake” before the train screeched to a halt. When he opened the door, he could see the rest of the train off the tracks in a ditch.

    “As we walked, all we could here was a huge wail of human cries. Bloodied people, running to our coach for help and water,” he said, adding that he could only see a fraction of the destruction.

    “This was only a part of the overall accident. We couldn’t see the front. The coaches were on top of each other. Coaches on top of the wagon… People thrown out of the trains many feet away.”

    Rohit Raj, a 19-year-old survivor, told CNN: “I was sleeping when all of a sudden, I heard a loud crash. There was smoke everywhere, we couldn’t see. Everyone was screaming, everyone was in shock.”

    “People were trying to run and escape from the train. The coach in front of me was badly mangled. People were badly trapped. I saw people piled on top of each other. My coach derailed, but thankfully I managed to escape.”

    Another survivor who did not share his name told local television he had fallen asleep and was jolted awake when the train derailed, causing about 15 people to fall on top of him.

    “I was at the bottom of the pile. My hand is injured, it’s hurting a lot, and also the back of my neck,” he said. “When I came out of the train, I saw someone had lost their hand, someone had lost their limb, someone’s face was disfigured.”

    Speaking to reporters Saturday, Narendra Singh Bundela, inspector general of operations at the National Disaster Response Force (NDRP), said teams have rescued passengers found alive at the site, but many bodies remain trapped under the derailed carriages.

    “The coaches are very heavy and it’s been a difficult task to remove them and identify bodies,” Bundela said, adding 17 coaches were derailed and severely damaged.

    “This is a serious incident and the government has ordered an inquiry,” he said. “This century for India, as far as I know, it is one of the (most) serious accidents.”

    India’s extensive rail network, one of the largest in the world, was built more than 160 years ago under British colonial rule. Today, the network runs about 11,000 trains every day over 67,000 miles of tracks. It suffers from aging infrastructure and poor maintenance – factors often cited in accidents.

    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.

    The death toll from Friday’s crash has already surpassed that of another infamous incident in 2016, when more than 140 people were killed in a derailment in northern Uttar Pradesh state. The same year, Modi announced huge investments in India’s railway system aimed at improving safety and connectivity.

    In 2021, more than 16,000 people were killed in nearly 18,000 railway accidents across the country. According to the National Crime Records, most railway accidents – 67.7% – were due to falls from trains and collisions between trains and people on the track.

    The latest crash comes as India carries out a major overhaul of its infrastructure, with the country investing millions to modernize transport links.

    In February, Modi inaugurated the first section of a 1,386-kilometer (861-mile) expressway linking the capital New Delhi to the financial hub of Mumbai. Construction is also underway for the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, which aims to decongest India’s railway network. Later this year, the country will open Chenab Bridge – the world’s tallest railway bridge – in the country’s Jammu and Kashmir region.

    Modi arrived at the scene in Balasore on Saturday, to survey the site, meet with emergency teams and visit injured passengers in the hospital.

    More than 115 ambulances and several fire service units are involved in the rescue effort. The Indian army, teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, and the state’s fire services have been dispatched to the site.

    Hundreds of people had gathered outside local hospitals to donate blood, in a massive show of solidarity and support. About 500 units of blood were collected overnight with 900 units currently in stock.

    Manish, a volunteer, attempted to donate blood at Soro Block Hospital, but couldn’t enter as it was already packed with people offering to help.

    “There are literally dead bodies all around,” he said. “Injured passengers are being treated outside of the hospital because of lack of beds.”

    Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared his “heartfelt condolences,” joining a chorus of other world leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

  • Man City and United Fans caught in a fist fight at Wembley

    Man City and United Fans caught in a fist fight at Wembley

    A disturbing video capturing an altercation between Manchester United and City fans at Wembley Stadium during the FA Cup final has emerged.

    The two Manchester teams locked horns in what was the first FA Cup final in history on Saturday, June 3.

    However, the match was riddled with unpleasant scenes, with a section of fans from both teams filmed fighting in the stands.

    According to talkSPORT, fans with opposing red and blue shirts appeared to throw punches on the concourse at the stadium in London.

    Whereas stakes were high ahead of the match, it still remains unclear what sparked the ugly confrontation between the fans.

    Man City stun Man United

    Meanwhile, it was City who emerged as the eventual winner of the tie to keep their treble dreams alive.

    Sky Sports reports that Ilkay Gundogan was City’s match hero, with the German star bagging a brace to earn his side a much-needed win.

    Gundogan needed just 12 seconds to score the opener, with his goal now the fastest-ever in the history of the competition.

    Bruno Fernandes went on to restore parity for the Red Devils from the penalty spot, only for Gundogan to strike again in the second half for City’s winner.

    The Citizens will now be shifting their attention to the upcoming Champions League final, where they will be facing Italian giants Inter Milan.

    The tie represents a realistic opportunity for City to win their first European trophy in history.

  • GNAPS ‘cries’ over teacher licensing law

    GNAPS ‘cries’ over teacher licensing law

    The Ashanti Regional wing of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has bemoaned the inclusion of teachers in private schools in the enforcement of the teacher licensing law.

    According to the association, the enforcement of the teacher licensing law to cover private school teachers will lead to the closure of schools. 

    They, therefore, want the National Teaching Council (NTC) to exclude the private schools. 

    Speaking on the sidelines of a conference held in Kumasi, the Acting President of the association, Philip Boakye Yiadom, noted most Private School teachers are Senior High School (SHS) graduates who may not have the resources required to undertake the course to enable them acquire a Teacher’s licence which would be in contravention of the Teacher Licensing law. 

    “If I can’t support my teachers who do not have the financial standing to apply for the license, it implies that I would have to allow them to leave my school just to avoid being prosecuted by NTC,” he said. 

    He explained that: “Some of these SHS students accept the teaching job in these schools just to gather money for studies at the tertiary level and can resign or leave the school at any time without telling the proprietors even if they have the license.” 

    Mr Boakye stressed that enforcing the law to cover private schools will cripple the private school sector.

    “The enforcement of the Act will kill the private schools because if a proprietor can’t get a teacher who is licensed to teach, it will mean that the proprietor will have to close down his school for the fear of prosecution.” 

    He however stressed that the law can be applicable to teachers in public schools since they are permanent workers and earn higher salaries their counterparts in private schools. 

    The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Teaching Council (NTC), James Obeng noted the enforcement of the Teacher licensing law is taking off and so people who flout the law will be penalised. 

    “Now we are moving into the licensing enforcement state and we have already started so anybody who does not have the authorisation (license) to teach. 

    The NTC will deal with that person because the law is clear,” Mr Obeng revealed. 

    He therefore urged teachers in both public and private schools to acquire a teaching license in order to avoid prosecution.

  • China accuses US of ‘provocation’ after near collision of warships

    China accuses US of ‘provocation’ after near collision of warships

    Just hours after warships from the two nations came dangerously close to colliding, China’s defence minister accused the United States and its allies of attempting to destabilise the Indo-Pacific on Sunday.

    Li Shangfu delivered a fiery address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore, accusing the US of “provoking bloc confrontation for self-interest” and asserting that Washington and its allies were making up norms to exert domination over the region.

    A “devastating disaster for the world” would result from any “severe confrontation” between the US and China, he further cautioned.

    Li’s warning came a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the same forum a war over Taiwan would be “devastating” and affect the global economy “in ways we cannot imagine.”

    And it came just hours after the US accused a Chinese warship of cutting in front of an American vessel that was taking part in a joint exercise with the Canadian navy in the Taiwan Strait, forcing the American vessel to slow down to avoid a collision.

    Questioned after his speech on the incident, Li said the US naval presence in the strait was an example of Washington creating chaos in the region.

    “They are not here for innocent passage, they are here for provocation,” Li said of US warships.

    Li said if the US and other foreign powers did not want confrontation, they should not send their military assets near China.

    “Mind your own business,” Li said, adding, “Why did all these incidents happen in areas near China, not in areas near other countries?”

    Hours earlier, the US Indo-Pacific Command said, a Chinese destroyer had cut across the bow of the USS Chung-Hoon during a joint exercise between American and Canadian navy vessels in the Taiwan Strait.

    According to the US, the Chinese ship came within 150 yards of the USS Chung-Hoon – less than the length of the Arleigh Burke-class ship itself.

    “Chung-Hoon maintained course and slowed to 10 knots to avoid a collision,” the US statement said.

    The Chinese ship acted in an “unsafe manner” and “violated the maritime ‘rules of the road’ of safe passage in international waters,” it said.

    The incident was captured on video by a crew from Canada’s Global News, which was aboard the frigate HMCS Montreal traveling with the Chung-Hoon.

    Montreal’s commander, Capt. Paul Mountford, called the action of the Chinese ship “not professional,” while a senior US defense official said, “Actions speak louder than words, and the dangerous behavior we’ve seen from the PLA around the strait, in the South and East China Seas, and beyond really says it all.”

    In a statement later Sunday, a spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said Chinese forces “handled the situation based on laws and regulations.”

    “Relevant countries are deliberately stirring up trouble and risks in the Taiwan Strait, maliciously undermining regional peace and stability and sending wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” PLA Senior Colonel Shi Yi said.

    The incident is the second time in two weeks that Chinese military personnel have engaged in aggressive maneuvers in the vicinity of US military personnel near China’s border. A Chinese fighter jet conducted an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” during an intercept of a US spy plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week, the US military said in a statement released on Tuesday.

    Austin on Sunday called on Beijing to “do the right things to rein in conduct” of its forces after the recent incidents.

    Saturday’s incident between the US and Chinese destroyers was “extremely dangerous,” he said, adding, “I think accidents can happen that could cause things to spiral out of control.”

    Later Taiwan said it was Beijing, not Washington, that was the provocateur in the strait, with Taipei’s Defense Ministry calling on “the Chinese Communist Party to respect the freedom of navigation and avoid overly provocative behavior, so as to jointly preserve regional peace, stability and safety.”

    Shortly after Austin spoke on Saturday, People’s Liberation Army Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that the US defense chief’s comments on Taiwan were “completely wrong.”

    China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and its increasingly frequent military exercises near to and around the island have raised concerns about how far it will go to realize that claim. China’s leader Xi Jinping has pointedly not ruled out the use of force.

    Jing accused Washington of trying to “consolidate hegemony and provoke confrontation,” adding that US actions were damaging regional peace and stability.

    The comments from the Chinese and US defense chiefs come at a tense time for relations between the two countries, as China recently rejected an offer from Austin to meet at the summit in Singapore, citing US sanctions on Chinese officials and companies.

    Austin noted in his speech on Saturday that he and Li greeted each other with a smile at a banquet Friday night, but called on Beijing to do more, saying “a cordial handshake over dinner is no substitute” for actual talks.

    US and Chinese defense chiefs are not expected to meet this year – a mark of the depth of the fracture in relations between the two countries.

    Austin on Thursday said it was “unfortunate” China declined a US offer to meet at the conference and warned the ongoing lack of communication could result in “an incident that could very, very quickly spiral out of control.”

    In his Saturday morning speech, Austin criticized China for for its “alarming number of risky intercepts of US and allied aircraft” in international airspace, adding that the US would support allies and partners against “coercion and bullying.”

  • LGBTQ Indians abroad hopeful for Indian Supreme Court decision

    LGBTQ Indians abroad hopeful for Indian Supreme Court decision

    In the year 2000, Rayman Mathoda was travelling down Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles when she realised she had erred. She had to be true to herself and reconcile with the ex-girlfriend she had previously split up with. She was unable to return to India to begin what she thought would be a fictitious heterosexual marriage.

    The couple’s families in India were notified by email when they got back together. She remembers that it went bad. Mathoda was terrified by the relatives’ hostility against the pair and did not feel secure travelling to India because of it.

    “It made me decide to stay back in the US,” she said. “Until that moment, we both wanted to move back to Delhi and live and build a life in India.”

    Mathoda is among many LGBTQ Indians who move or stay abroad where they can embrace their identity, find love, and live with more rights and little stigma. Now, many look to their motherland with high hopes after the Indian Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case on legalizing same-sex marriage. The court reserved judgment but a ruling could come in the weeks ahead.

    More than a dozen petitioners are asking the court for the same rights granted to heterosexual couples, such as eligibility to adopt, open joint bank accounts, and cover their spouse as part of their insurance.

    LGBTQ Indians throughout the world hope that the five-judge panel will rule in favor of same-sex marriages to build on the historic 2018 Supreme Court decision to decriminalize consensual gay sex, which was a relic of the country’s colonial past.

    The opposition to same-sex marriage comes from religious groups and the Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which says it recognizes many forms of relationships but views legal marriage as an arrangement between a man and a woman.

    It is unclear how long the court will take to announce a decision, but if legalized, it would make India the second country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.

    Mathoda stayed in the US, because she could not see a life in India with her now-wife Avantika Shahi in the face of family opposition. The lack of legal rights for their union further sealed her decision not to return to India. She also worried about how the negative view of the LGBTQ community in India at the time could affect her in other areas of her life, such as her career.

    “It was blatantly obvious to me at that moment that it was not possible for me to have a high-level job or success in India,” she told CNN.

    Her parents have yet to accept her wife and four children, Mathoda said, and she laments being ostracized from her communities and family events.

    “They told me, ‘You are not gay,’” she told CNN, adding that her family thought she was being influenced by external factors like Western culture. “They regretted allowing me to come to America. They thought they had made a huge mistake in letting all of that happen because they lost me, and I fell under these influences.”

    This resistance against homosexuality as a part of Western culture has long existed in India. However, experts argue that it’s not homosexuality, but homophobia that was imported from the West. The arrival of British colonialism with its Victorian morals violently suppressed homosexuality in India, according to Rohit Dasgupta, a scholar of queer culture at the University of Glasgow.

    Britain’s anti-sodomy laws subsequently became Section 377 in India, he added. “When it came to India in the guise of Section 377 for the first time, it put into statute that homosexuality is criminal.”

    There is historical precedence in Indian culture that suggests homosexuality was accommodated, if not celebrated, Dasgupta said. Sculptures and monuments at historical sites such as Khajuraho and Konark are “examples of acceptance and accommodation within those ancient Indian cultures, which was completely wiped away through this subsequent bringing of Victorian morals.”

    Nevertheless, the view persists that non-heterosexual relationships are not part of Indian culture. This was made clear to Aditya Gupta when he came out to his parents. Gupta used an alias and asked that his real name not be published because he fears for his physical safety during his visits to India.

    “I come from a very conservative family. They’re Hindu nationalists and associate with organizations that identify with that ideology,” he said.

    “They put me through religious conversion therapy. They told me they will take me to a doctor to get a hormone test. It was a violation of my individuality,” Gupta added.

    So eight years ago, when homosexuality was still criminal in India, he requested his employer to transfer him to the United States.

    “It was a self-imposed exile,” he said. “The decision was that I’m not going to come back.”

    Gupta went on to find a partner and fall in love, but he hasn’t told his friends and family about it to this day. In the US, the couple bought a house together and they share finances. “We share life milestones together that you celebrate in a marriage,” he told CNN.

    In India, his cash isn’t eligible to be shared with his partner, who is an Indian-born US citizen. But that’s just one obstacle to having the same rights as married heterosexual couples in the country. The couple now wants to start a family, and they want the child to be Indian too. But the country’s law places limitations on surrogacy, on adopting a child as a same-sex couple, and even on an unmarried male adopting a female child if Gupta were to apply as individual because his marriage in the US would not be recognized in the Indian government’s eyes.

    “We are married in the US, but we are not married in the country that we were born in. It’s a big deal for us,” he tells CNN. “When we go back to India, we have to pretend that we are bachelors. It takes a huge toll on your mental health. You’re constantly living a lie.”

    While there are still many in India who oppose same-sex marriage, public attitudes have shown a shift over time to support LGBTQ rights.

    There are Pride parades held in small and big cities all across India. LGBTQ India Resource lists nearly 30 parades on its website.

    In her book “Bollywood’s India: Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Contemporary India,” author Rachel Dwyer, a scholar of Indian cinema and cultures, argues that Bollywood films over the last two decades have told stories that are a reliable guide to understanding the nation’s changing ideas.

    And certainly, while films of the ’90s and early 2000s used LGBTQ characters as a comic factor or a tragic character, Bollywood has explored queer stories more seriously in recent years through films like “Badhaai Do,” which dives into lavender marriages and “Maja Ma,” which shows the suppression of queer desires — all set in small-town India instead of big, urban cities, as Dasgupta points out.

    Dasgupta himself is a gay man who lives with his partner in the United Kingdom. He has gone on to become a Labour and Cooperative party councillor in the London Borough of Newham, where he has earned a reputation as a leader for social justice and equality. He told CNN he has talked with his partner about the possibility of moving to India, and while many factors stand in the way, a big logistical factor for the relocation would be acquiring a visa for his partner, applying for which wouldn’t work under the current legal framework for same-sex couples. He wonders if a Supreme Court ruling in the favor of same-sex marriage would make that move easier.

    The Indian Supreme Court goes back in session in July after its summer break. A ruling in favor will also encourage Mathoda to apply for overseas citizen status in India for her four children, and give them the rights that children of heterosexual Indian parents are given.

    For Gupta, the ruling may help him live out his dream of having a big wedding in India.

    “We had always wanted to do a big fat Indian wedding. But over the years, with what we went through, it made us feel like ‘let’s get married, but we don’t have to tell.’ We yearn for a party, with our parents and siblings giving us their love and blessings,” he said, adding that he would invite them and tell them: “The law recognizes it. It’s on you now.”

  • Inusah Fuseini calls for the impeachment of Akufo-Addo for breaching the Constitution

    Inusah Fuseini calls for the impeachment of Akufo-Addo for breaching the Constitution


    Former Member of Parliament and lawyer, Inusah Fuseini, has passionately called for the impeachment of President Nana Akufo-Addo, pointing out alleged constitutional violations as his basis for the action.

    Fuseini’s comments came in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling, which declared the President’s decision to compel former Auditor General Daniel Domelovo to go on leave as unconstitutional.

    According to the former Tamale Central MP, President Akufo-Addo’s actions constituted a fundamental violation of the Constitution and a breach of his presidential oath.

    He insisted that presidents should face prosecution when their actions defy the Constitution or their sworn duties.

    “He must suffer the penalty for that. Until we begin to hold our presidents accountable, and not give excuses for their acts of impunity, then we are not going to make progress. That’s why I don’t think that this decision [Supreme Court’s ruling] must be prospective,” he noted while speaking on Newsfile on Saturday.

    He further stressed that the Supreme Court’s ruling should not be limited to future cases but should also be applied retroactively.

    Fuseini argued that the President acted deliberately and recklessly when he forced Domelovo to take leave, despite being aware of the potential unconstitutionality of his decision.

    The former MP who was speaking as a guest on JoynewsFile believed that impeaching the President was necessary to deter future leaders from acting with impunity.

    However, fellow panelist and former Deputy Attorney-General Joseph Dindiok Kpemka disagreed with Fuseini’s assertions. Kpemka contended that President Akufo-Addo did not act willfully but rather exercised his executive power granted by the constitution when he wrote the letter requesting Domelovo’s resignation.

    Kpemka highlighted the importance of following precedents in governance, stating that at the time of writing the letter, the President believed he was acting in accordance with the constitution, despite later legal invalidation.

    “Can you prove that the President was deliberate and willful when writing the letter, knowing that it was unconstitutional?” Kpemka challenged Fuseini’s position. He also argued that he did not consider the President’s actions as grounds for impeachment, as they were undertaken in the best interest of the country.

  • Wendy Shay accuses some Ghanaian musicians for stealing her melodies

    Wendy Shay accuses some Ghanaian musicians for stealing her melodies

    Ghanaian musician Wendy Shay recently voiced her dissatisfaction on social media regarding the behavior of certain fellow artists.

    In a post on her various social media pages, the Rufftown Records signed musician described some of her colleagues as thieves.

    According to her, most of her colleagues have been stealing the melodies of the songs she sends to them for a feature.

    She disclosed that this act of stealing her melodies was happening to her for the second time for which reason she felt it was time to come out and speak.

    In her own words, the “Survivor” hitmaker wrote: “You send a song to a GH Artiste for a feature
    Next thing you go hear your melodies in their new song ! 2nd time this is happening to me ..thieves! Ghana Artiste wake up!”

    Check out her post

  • India train crash cause and responsible parties identified – Rail minister

    India train crash cause and responsible parties identified – Rail minister

    India’s railways minister announced on Sunday that the culprits behind a train accident that claimed hundreds of lives have been found.

    The three-way collision involving two passenger trains and a goods train on Friday in eastern Odisha state was “due to a change in electronic interlocking,” according to Ashwini Vaishnaw. She added that an investigation would reveal “who was responsible for that error.”

    “Let the inquiry report be published. But the cause and those in charge of it have been found, he told the Indian news organisation ANI.

    However, he declined to give further details, saying it was “not appropriate to say anything at this time.”

    “Let the entire thing be investigated by the proper investigating authorities,” he added.

    The news came as hopes began to fade that any more survivors of one of India’s worst ever rail disaster will be found, with authorities on Sunday switching their focus from searching for people to clearing the wreckage.

    “All 21 coaches which capsized due to derailment of the trains at Bahanaga Bazar Station have been grounded. Now the site is being cleared,” the state’s Railway Department said in a statement issued Sunday by the Press Information Bureau.

    Vaishnaw said the aim was to have a “complete, normal-like situation by Wednesday morning,” adding, “we have mobilized lots of resources.”

    More than 1,000 workers, seven excavating machines, two accident relief trains and four railway and road cranes have been deployed in the recovery efforts at the crash site in the city of Balasore.

    On Sunday, the death toll from the disaster was revised down slightly to 275 – down from 288 – due to what Odisha state’s Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said was a mistake in counting some bodies twice.

    The number of injured remains at over a thousand people, and over 100 patients need critical care, according to India’s Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who arrived in the state on Sunday morning.

    Expert doctors, specialized equipment, and medication have been flown in from the Indian capital, Mandaviya added.

    However, hopes of finding any further survivors are receding. “We will pull the coaches up one by one but we don’t have much hope of finding survivors,” Sudhanshu Sarangi, Director General of Fire Services for Odisha, told Indian news agency ANI on Saturday.

    Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced 500,000 rupees ($6,067) in compensation for the next of kin of those who died and 100,000 rupees ($1,213) for people who sustained serious injuries.

    Patnaik said “all possible steps have been taken to save the lives of injured passengers in different hospitals,” according to a statement issued by Odisha’s Information and Public Relations Department.

    The state authorities said a special train service will run on Sunday to transport survivors and dead bodies out of Odisha.

    The train will run to Chennai in southern Tamil Nadu state and stop at all major stations, with a parcel carriage attached to carry bodies of the deceased.

    Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, who visited the site, hailed local authorities and rescuers for their work in a Saturday tweet.

    “I commend each and every person belonging to the teams of railways, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force), local authorities, police, fire service, volunteers and others who are working tirelessly on the ground and strengthening the rescue ops. Proud of their dedication,” he said.

    Condolences have poured in over the past two days from world leaders around the globe, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

    French President Emmanuel Macron, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also sent their condolences.

    United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and injury,” according to his spokesman.

    A message released by the Vatican said Pope Francis was “deeply saddened to learn of the immense loss of life.”

    Modi has thanked world leaders for their messages, saying he was “deeply moved”.

    “Their kind words will give strength to the bereaved families. Gratitude for their support,” Modi tweeted on Saturday.

    India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar shared a similar message soon after, tweeting, “Deeply grateful to global partners for their messages of sympathy on the railway accident in Odisha. Their solidarity at this time of grief is a source of strength.”

    The train crash, one of the worst in India’s history, has raised questions over the safety of the country’s massive and outdated rail network, as the government invests in its modernization.

    India’s extensive rail network, one of the largest in the world, was 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 in the world’s most populous nation.

    A senior state railway official previously told CNN they suspected the crash was due to a traffic signaling failure.

    The official said the Coromandel Express, which was traveling from Shalimar to Chennai, hit a freight train, derailing several coaches into the opposite track. The Howrah Express, which was traveling in the opposite direction from Yesvantpur, slammed into the overturned carriages at high speed.

    A signaling failure can occur either due to a technical malfunction or human error, as traffic signals are often handled by personnel in every station, a station superintendent in Odisha told CNN.

    Decaying infrastructure is often cited as a cause for traffic delays and numerous train accidents in India. Though government statistics show that accidents and derailments have been on the decline 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 the National Crime Records, most railway accidents – 67.7% – were due to falls from trains and collisions between trains and people on the track. Train-on-train collisions are less common.

    Upgrading India’s transportation infrastructure is a key priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his push to create a $5 trillion economy by 2025. For 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 its GDP.

    A significant portion of that spending is targeted at introducing more high-speed trains to its notoriously slow railways. India’s new budget includes a $29 billion allocation for railway development, according to Albright Stonebridge Group, a business-strategy firm.

  • The Ghana Women Awards will honor over 20 women today

    The Ghana Women Awards will honor over 20 women today


    The highly anticipated Ghana Women Awards is back and will take place on Sunday, June 4th at the Accra International Conference Center.

    The scheme would be rewarding over 20 outstanding women from different fields and scopes of life and work for their impact on society and transformation of lives.

    Still celebrating womanhood, a key element for national development as its overarching objective, the 2023 edition is hinged on SDG goal five which aims to achieve gender equality by ending all forms of discrimination, violence, and any harmful practices against women and girls. It also calls for the full participation of women and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making.

    This year, the campaign started off in February with 30-minute diaries that profiled some of the nominees for 13 weeks on TV.

    The objective was to throw more light on these outstanding women as they shared their achievements, struggles, and inspirational stories to empower the girl child.

    This Sunday, all these strong, confident, daring, and beautiful Ghanaian women are going to be celebrated and rewarded for their hard work, commitment, selflessness, and dedication to the course of society and Ghana at large.

    The show starts at 3PM.

  • Ghana’s galamsey fight is more difficult than it’s fight against corruption – MP

    Ghana’s galamsey fight is more difficult than it’s fight against corruption – MP

    The Member of Parliament for Tempane, Joseph Dindiok Kpemka believes that the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is a tougher battle than the fight against corruption.

    Speaking on Newsfile, on Saturday, he explained that there is a mass movement of young men, who have lost interest in making an honest living, moving to areas, mostly affected by galamsey, to join in the menace.

    “Go to the rural areas, at this time of the year the majority of the young men are not at home…they are not prepared to go to school, they want to cut corners, do galamsey and make money,” Mr Kpemka said.

    He added that “a young man came home recently with a landcruiser V8 with three guards, what is his work? Galamsey. They all come back home to acquire assets and put up houses.”

    Mr Kpemka noted that despite the increase in this phenomenon, none of these people have been arrested or penalised to dissuade others from also engaging in illegal mining.

    “The fight against galamsey is more difficult than the fight against corruption. We are nowhere near winning the battle against galamsey. I will say we have just started the battle,” the MP said.

    This comes after some illegal miners invaded an underground pit of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine.

    The miners, who were initially reported to have been trapped, entered the underground shaft in search of gold deposits however the entry point the miners used was closed.

    But in a May 30 statement, the company clarified that unauthorized individuals who enter the mine are able to exit on foot through the existing ramp and main access points, and no one has been confined underground.

    The DCE for Obausi East told JoyNews that some of the miners feared they would be arrested and as a result held back on using the designated exist.

    “When they go through their own access and coming back they realised its block, they exaggerate things and make it seem like people are dying so they get public sympathy,” Faustina Amissah said.

    However, former MP Inusah Fuseini believes that illegal mining activities in the country result from the actions of corrupt leaders.

    Also speaking on Newsfile, he stressed that, corrupt actions of leaders have led to illegal activity, adding that both corruption and illegal mining require equal attention in eradicating them.

  • Italian border police probed for shipwreck that killed 94 migrants

    Italian border police probed for shipwreck that killed 94 migrants

    Following the death of numerous migrants off the coast of Calabria, three border police officials in Italy are under investigation on suspicion of manslaughter.

    In February, a wooden boat carrying up to 180 people broke apart against sharp rocks, killing at least 94 people, among them a newborn and numerous youngsters.

    On the beach of Steccato di Cutro, a little seaside community on Calabria’s eastern coast that serves as the tip of Italy’s boot, the boat’s wreckage washed ashore.

    But moments before, Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, or financial police, which also serves borders and customs, was dispatched to intercept the crowded boat.

    The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex, first spotted the vessel in the Ionian Sea at about 10:35pm on February 25 evening.

    Agency officials alerted the Italian authorities to it, stressing that no one appeared to have a life vest on – the Guardia di Finanza sent out two patrols to ‘intercept’ it.

    At 4am, after the force called off the search due to bad weather, the ship was torn apart, the Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper and Sky TG24 reported.

    epa10491817 A group of people is assisted by emergency services at a beach near Cutro, Crotone province, southern Italy, 26 February 2023. Italian authorities said on 26 February that at least 30 bodies were found on the beach and in the sea near Crotone, in the southern Italian region of Calabria, after a boat carrying migrants sank in rough seas near the coast. About forty people survived the accident, Italian firefighters added. Authorities fear the death toll will climb as rescuers look for survivors. EPA/GIUSEPPE PIPITA
    At least 94 people died (Picture: EPA)
    Members of Italy’s customs police, Guardia di Finanza, have been brought in for questioning (Picture: Getty Images Europe)

    The death toll grew – and fast – as bodies of people from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan crossing from Turkey washed up ashore over the next few days.

    More are months on still missing.

    According to Corriere della Sera, citing a search warrant issued by prosecutors, investigators have found ‘significant anomalies’ in a logbook for one of the motorboats dispatched.

    Some pages were not written when the border officers were conducting a search but hours later instead – by then, the shipwreck was headline news.

    The motorboat, identified as V5006, was actually at the port in Crotone, Calabria, at the time the log said it was out at sea searching for the migrants.

    Three personnel have been brought in, though it is unclear whether they were involved in the search or working in the port giving orders.

    Sky TG24 reported that three other people are being investigated, though their names had been blacked out in the warrant.

    In the course of Italy’s investigation, four men have been arrested on suspicion of being people smugglers among the 80 survivors.

    The boat departed from Cesme, a small port west of Izmir, four days before the shipwreck.

    The Guardia di Finanza and Frontext have been approached for comment.

  • Ukraine war hasn’t affected China’s attitude toward possible Taiwan attack – Report

    Ukraine war hasn’t affected China’s attitude toward possible Taiwan attack – Report

    There is no evidence that Russia’s stumbling invasion of Ukraine has altered Beijing’s perceptions of “the timescale or methodology” for any potential attack on Taiwan, according to a leading strategic think tank, which was released ahead of a regional security summit in Singapore. China continues to be the “leading long-term challenge” to the current international order.

    According to a report released on Friday by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which is holding its annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this weekend, the protracted conflict in Europe may also hasten trends towards increased military spending and efforts to develop military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.

    The war and its reverberations in the Asia-Pacific region – as well as the growing contest between the United States and China – will be overarching themes at the security summit, the sidelines of which have long provided a platform for top security officials to meet face-to-face.

    Attendees are expected to include US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

    US and Chinese defense chiefs are not expected to meet this year – a mark of the depth of the fracture in relations between the two countries.

    Austin on Thursday said it was “unfortunate” China declined a US offer to meet at the conference and warned the ongoing lack of communication could result in “an incident that could very, very quickly spiral out of control.”

    Beijing earlier this week refuted the claim it was blocking American defense officials’ efforts to communicate, instead blaming the US for creating “artificial obstacles, seriously undermining mutual trust between the two militaries.”

    Concerns from the US and across the region over China’s increasing assertiveness have grown in recent years as Beijing rapidly expanded its navy, militarized islands in the South China Sea, sought to forge security pacts in the South Pacific and ramped up rhetoric around disputed territorial claims.

    Those concerns have sharpened over the past year, as Beijing twice staged extensive military drills around the island of Taiwan and refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

    That invasion has also drawn increased attention to Taiwan as a potential security flashpoint in Asia.

    Despite broad differences with the geopolitical circumstances of Russia and Ukraine, the optics of a seemingly more powerful aggressor launching an attack driven by a vision of unification have heightenedfocus on China’s intentions toward Taiwan.

    China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self-governing democracy as its own, despite never having controlled it, and has vowed to unify the island with the mainland, by force if necessary.

    The IISS report released Friday, an annual assessment on Asia-Pacific security written by the think tank’s experts, said there is no evidence the war in Ukraine has “altered Chinese thinking on the timescale or methodology” for a possible attack on Taiwan.

    “Beijing’s view of Taiwan as an internal challenge has shaped its assessment that a Chinese use of force to regain the island would be utterly dissimilar to the Ukraine war,” the report said.

    Chinese military thinkers had, however, analyzed the implications of Western support for Ukraine and the factors that contributed to Russia’s poor military performance, according to the report.

    It added that it was “impossible to determine whether China will use force to take Taiwan at some point in the future,” and that Beijing’s decision-making would be shaped not just by “an assessment of military capability but also by a consideration of likely US and allied non-military reactions,” including potential economic impacts.

    “There is no evidence that China has a fixed timetable for invading Taiwan,” the report added.

    Meanwhile, Beijing’s rhetoric around Taiwan was one of several key triggers accounting for Japan’s growing concern over China, the report said.

    China was continuing to develop its “blue-water” capabilities to operate on the high seas far away from its ports, according to the report.

    But the efforts of the US and its most important regional allies to increase their naval funding and readiness “could facilitate a shift in the naval balance in their favor,” it said.

    The US has made concerted efforts to bolster its security alliances and footprint in the region in recent years in the face of a rising China.

    That has included strengthening trilateral cooperation with allies South Korea and Japan and revamping the Quad security grouping with Australia, Japan and India, widely seen as a counter to China’s military rise.

    Earlier this year, the US, the United Kingdom and Australia agreed to build a combined fleet of elite nuclear-powered submarines.

    However, many regional states prefer to avoid taking sides in the “growing confrontation” between the US and China, the IISS report said, adding there is “no region-wide trend towards alignment with the US,” due to economic dependencies and fear of escalation.

    Beijing has repeatedly claimed its People’s Liberation Army is a defensive force meant to safeguard world peace and development – a point China’s defense chief Li is expected to emphasize at the conference, where he will also discuss Beijing’s vision for regional security.

    It is Li’s first time attending the conference since stepping into his role as defense minister earlier this year. Li was sanctioned by the US in 2018 over China’s purchase of Russian weapons.

    Both he and Austin are scheduled to deliver addresses to the conference, which runs from Friday to Sunday.

  • NPP Presidential Primaries: Joe Ghartey picks nomination forms, pledges to fight poverty

    NPP Presidential Primaries: Joe Ghartey picks nomination forms, pledges to fight poverty

    Mr Joe Ghartey, Member of Parliament for Essikadu-Ketan constituency and presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has picked nomination forms to contest the Party’s presidential primaries.

    Mr Ernest Oti Akenteng, New Juaben North Constituency Chairman of the NPP, picked the forms on his behalf at the Party’s headquarters in Asylum Down on Thursday, June 01, 2023.

    Mr Evans Nimako, the Director of Elections of the NPP, presented the forms to Mr Akenteng, who subsequently handed it to Mr Ghartey at the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church.

    There were several constituency executives and chairpersons of the Party who joined the Delegation to pick the forms for the presidential hopeful.

    Mr Ghartey had expressed his intentions to lead the NPP into the 2024 General Election, and was determined to tackle poverty head-on upon becoming the President of the nation.

    For him, it is time for Ghanaians to “fight poverty” rather than fight against one another.

    Mr Ghartey, an astute lawyer and former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, was poised to ensure that the Party moved in a new direction, which everyone regardless of his or her economic, social, religious or ethnic background could have equal opportunity.

    Mr Ghartey, during his tenure as Minister of Justice and Attorney- General under President John Agyekum Kufuor’s Administration, introduced the ‘Justice For All’ programme, which freed many prisoners across the country.

    Mr Ghartey, also a former Minister of Railways Development and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament is seeking to energise the Party faithful and give young people the opportunity to serve the country should he emerge victorious in the primaries, and subsequently elected President of the Republic.

    Addressing some constituency executives of the Party at Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Mr Ghartey said, he was not seeking to become the Party’s pesidential candidate or President for personal gains, but rather to serve Ghanaians and bring economic prosperity for all.

    The Presidential Aspirant recounted how he had stood with the NPP through difficult times dating back to the 1990s, saying; “We have worked tirelessly for this Party.”

    The Party, he said, needed an experienced person who could unite the rank and file of the Party, saying; “It’s about time politicians stop fighting against each other”.

    “We must unify the country and we must unify the party,” he said.

    He underscored the need for politicians to fight for the future of Ghanaian children.

    Mr Ghartey is a politician some NPP constituency executives nationwide consider as the best bet to lead the Party to victory in the 2024 General Elections and build a more prosperous nation for all Ghanaians.

    Mr Adams Abdul Majid, a Senior Aide to Mr Ghartey, whilst addressing the media, said the youth of the Party were solidly behind the presidential aspirant because he was a grassroots man and a transformational leader.

  • Jordan royals wed into Saudi clan linked to MBS

    Jordan royals wed into Saudi clan linked to MBS

    In a lavish wedding ceremony Thursday attended by foreign royals and chiefs of state, Jordan’s heir to the throne wed into one of the wealthy Saudi business families.

    Nearly 140 people attended the wedding of the 28-year-old Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II and Rajwa Alseif at Zahran Palace in the Jordanian capital of Amman, including the Prince and Princess of Wales from the United Kingdom and US first lady Jill Biden.

    Alseif, a 29-year-old Saudi architect and Syracuse University alumna, will be addressed as Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Jordan until the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, at which point she will be known as Queen Rajwa.

    The bride is related to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), through her mother, who hails from the prominent Al-Sudairi family.

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is one of the so-called “Sudairi Seven,” the seven full brothers born to King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al-Sudair, according to Saudi media reports.

    The event began by 9:00 AM (ET), when Jordan’s king and queen began receiving guests at the Zahran Palace. Jordan’s armed forces played music as attendees arrived to greet and congratulate the royal family.

    The event then moved to a gazebo in the palace garden, where the couple and their fathers signed the marriage contract in an Islamic ceremony known as “Katb Al-Kitab” and exchanged rings.

    Outside the palace, jubilant crowds cheered and waved flags as they awaited the motorcade carrying the newlyweds along a six-mile route across the capital. Streets had been adorned for days with photos of the couple and the Jordanian flag.

    Both Jordan and Saudi Arabia are among Washington’s strongest Middle East allies. Jordan is custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and maintains a relationship with both Palestinians and Israelis. A global oil powerhouse, Riyadh’s ties with the US have been strained of late, namely over the kingdom’s oil policies and its relationship with Russia.

    Ties between Saudi Arabia and Jordan have recently thawed after years of tension. During a trip to Jordan last year, MBS was quoted by Saudi media as saying that he was keen to “push relations [with Jordan] to a new phase.”

  • Inusah Fuseini labels galamsey as a manifestation of corruption

    Inusah Fuseini labels galamsey as a manifestation of corruption

    A former Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Inusah Fuseini, says illegal mining activities in the country are a result of the corrupt actions of the leaders.

    According to him, both corruption and illegal mining require equal attention in eradicating them.

    “What is happening in the mining sites is simply a manifestation of corruption. What has aggravated the situation is because of the corrupt activities of officials closer to government,” he said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.

    Mr. Fuseini recounted that during his days as an active government official, he visited a community where he surprisingly saw about five Chang Fan machines on a river body.

    He said the operations of the illegal miners were known by the District Chief Executive who was seemingly doing nothing to report the perpetrators and because it was illegal and occurred under the jurisdiction of the DCE, Mr Fuseini called for him to be removed from office.

    He explained that illegal mining needs to be confronted as “a full enemy” because the activity threatens all aspects of the economy.

    Ghana’s issue of illegal mining activities seems to be on the rise despite several calls on the government to help fight against it.

    Although the government had indicated that there were no more Chang Fan machines on any of the river bodies, reports indicate that hundreds of these machines are still seen.

    Mr Fuseini lamented that towns such as Obuase and Kibi where illegal mining activities are taking place currently are suffering the consequences.

    “Anybody who visits hospitals in the mining areas will be left in no doubt that we have to do something against galamsey. When you go to Obuasi, when you go to Kibi, you’ll see deformities, babies born with deformities, I mean short limbs, abnormally big heads, and pregnancy complications,” he noted.

    He, therefore, called for a multi-stakeholder engagement in the fight against the menace.

    “But the primary responsibility lies with the government to be able to bring together all the stakeholders and to demonstrate that it is really committed,” he stressed.

  • Yvonne Jegede reacts to alleged ‘secret wedding’ with Ned Nwoke

    Yvonne Jegede reacts to alleged ‘secret wedding’ with Ned Nwoke

    Nigerian actress Yvonne Jegede has responded passionately to a viral report that falsely claimed she had a covert wedding with Ned Nwoko, the husband of her fellow colleague, Regina Daniels.

    Jegede, on her Instagram page, shared a video where a blogger made the allegation.

    According to the blogger, following her wedding to Nwoko, Yvonne deleted all of the images from her page and underwent Brazilian Butt enhancement surgery.

    A furious Jegede queried the blogger’s guts for propagating false information about her.

    She tagged the post as evil and fake, cautioning against believing everything they see on social media.

    The mother of one wrote: “When many people tell you they know ‘something’ is happening or believe something has happened, you asked them how they got to know, they tell you they read or heard it from the Internet.

    “Oftentimes, they heard it from an idiot like the person talking in this shameless and false post. How could you be this bold about falsehood? How can you lie so confidently? How can you intentionally tarnish people’s image and damage relationships all because you want to attract people to your blogs?

    “This funny post is evil and false in every intent. I won’t dissipate energy fighting you. Karma is already dealing with your destiny because if you have one, you won’t be all gas up about other people’s lives when yours is tattered.

    “How does deleting my photos on my page give off anything??? The effrontery to mention my son sef, I suppose give you one dirty slap. #DontBelieveEverythingYouSeeOnline

    “Ij Ada Igbo you can get traction without trying to make someone look bad FFS.”

    In the post’s comment section, Regina Daniels burst into laughter as she hailed her senior colleague.

    She wrote: “My queen oooo”, accompanied by several laughing emojis.

    This follows some months after Yvonne Jegede recently got a surprise visit from Regina Daniels and her billionaire hubby, Ned Nwoko.

    Jegede who was on set with Gina, confessed she was stunned to see the businessman come ‘specifically’ to see her.

    See post below

  • Anthrax kills 1 in Binduri, more infected

    Anthrax kills 1 in Binduri, more infected

    The Binduri District of the Upper East Region has witnessed a suspected case of anthrax, leading to the unfortunate death of one individual.

    This follows the consumption of the carcass of an anthrax-infected cow.

    The incident has raised alarm among local authorities and residents, highlighting the urgent need for swift action and preventive measures to contain the potential spread of the infectious disease.

    According to a press release issued by the Upper East Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service on Friday, June 2, four cattle have died of anthrax in a suburb of Binduri district.

    The release, further stated that the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Emmanuel Dzotse, and his team have began tracing 11 other people suspected of eating the carcass of the infected mammal.

    “On June 1, 2023, the Regional Health Directorate received notification of two (2) suspected cases of anthrax with one death in Binduri District following the consumption of a dead cattle.

    “In all, four cattle have died in the affected community. So far eleven (11) suspected cases have been identified, and contact tracing efforts are underway in the affected community,” the release stated.

    Dr Dzote further assured that samples from all suspected persons will be taken for testing and will be treated with Ciprofloxacin and Doxycycline.

    As a precaution, all districts sharing boundaries with Binduri were urged to be vigilant and intensify surveillance activities.

    The Regional Director of Health Services also stressed that his team would intensify risk communication about the disease and its prevention.

    He urged community members to refrain from eating cattle carcasses without establishing the cause of death.

    Additionally, Dr Dzotse encouraged cattle owners in all districts to seek veterinary assistance for holistic disease control.

  • Man’s body recovered days later after drowning with car

    Man’s body recovered days later after drowning with car

    Body of a yet-to-be-identified man has been retrieved from the Densu River in Nsawam in the Eastern region after crashing into the river while driving.

    The deceased is believed to have crashed and submerged into the river at night while driving on the Accra to Kumasi highway without being noticed by residents.

    The incident was noticed days later prompting joint operation by Police, Ghana National Fire Service and NADMO with support from residents to retrieve the body and the car from the river.

    The decomposing body has been deposited at the morgue pending autopsy and identification.

    In May 16,2023 a family of three similarly drowned in a river after a vehicle they were aboard Hyundai Sonata with registration number GS7776-19 to attend late mother’s funeral crashed into a river in attempt to avoid head-on collision at Enyiresi stretch of the Accra to Kumasi highway in Eastern region.

    The driver lost control of the steering wheel, somersaulted and plunged into a nearby river while attempting to give way to an on coming Sprinter bus, which was overtaking another vehicle.

  • Sam George, Nigerian gay pastor face off on Twitter

    Sam George, Nigerian gay pastor face off on Twitter

    The lawmaker for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George has descended on a Nigerian gay pastor who attacked him over his claims on the LGBTQ+ issues in the country.

    Rightify Ghana, a human rights organisation, in a long Twitter thread, wrote about the threats and dangers the proposed “Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill” before parliament will pose to the lives of members of the LGBTQ+ community.

    The group referred to the lead sponsor of the bill, Sam George as a “liar” for claiming that members of the LGBTQ+ are asking for same-sex marriage in Ghana.

    The British-Nigerian gay pastor, Reverend Jide Macaulay referred to Sam George as a failed politician and a national disgrace for allegedly peddling falsehood against the queer community.

    The founder and pastor for House of Rainbow CIC in a tweet wrote “Sam George lacks the basic intelligence in understanding human sexuality. He is a failed politician, a national disgrace, a threat to national security and he needed hatred to boost his career. His explanation makes no sense. LGBTQ people are not asking for marriage in Ghana, they are asking for protection from violence, the safety of life, the right to assemble, enjoyment of their lives and highest standard of healthcare.

    “Queer Ghanaians are peace lovers.”

    The lawmaker in a sharp rebuttal called the pastor a failed human being and asked him to pay attention to his HIV infection which he contracted through homosexuality.

    “Look at this failed human being attempting to call me out? Go deal with your HIV infection, which is a result of your homosexuality. Like they say in your home country, Nigeria, you no reach! Off you go!” Sam George tweeted.

    The LGBTQ+ Bill before Parliament is titled: “The Promotion of Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021.” It is a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

    The eight MPs who sponsored the Bill are Sam Nartey George (MP, Ningo Prampram), Emmanuel Bedzrah (MP, Ho West) Della Adjoa Sowah (MP, Kpando), John Ntim Fordjour (MP, Assin South) – the sole NPP MP sponsoring the Bill.

    The remaining sponsors are Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini (MP, Tamale North), Helen Adjoa Ntoso (MP, Krachi West), Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (MP, La Dadekotopon) and Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (MP, South Dayi).

  • Germany prepares for left-wing protests following activists’ jailing for assaulting neo-Nazis

    Germany prepares for left-wing protests following activists’ jailing for assaulting neo-Nazis

    In anticipation of protests on Saturday amid a growing backlash after a court sentenced five left-wing militants to prison for attacking neo-Nazis, German police are getting ready to mobilise in towns all around the nation.

    Earlier this week, a court in Dresden found four activists guilty of using violence against neo-Nazis and sentenced them to between two and five years in prison. One of the activists was a well-known student named Lina E.

    Supportive organisations for Lina E. have been demonstrating against the verdict and will do so again this weekend.

    The city of Leipzig – where most of the attacks took place – has already banned an anti-fascist march dubbed ‘Day-X’ because of fears for public safety. The ban has been contested by the protest’s organizers, according to German newspaper Der Spiegel.

    Leipzig police told CNN that they were preparing a large-scale operation to counter any potential unrest. “All the information available to the Leipzig police department suggests that protesters will still gather in Leipzig on Saturday despite the ban,” a Leipzig police spokesperson told CNN on Friday, adding that the police was ”preparing for potential violence.”

    The force believes Saturday could be their largest operation in two years. The spokesperson said the police are expecting that protesters from across Europe might travel to Leipzig. “We are still seeing that protests for ‘Day X’ are being called for on social media.”

    Around 800 people took to the streets in Leipzig in the immediate aftermath of the court verdict on Wednesday. Some demonstrators tried to break through police lines, throwing bottles, stones and fireworks at officers. A laser was pointed at a police helicopter.

    Five officers reported sustaining minor injuries from having objects thrown at them, according to a police statement, and three people were arrested.

    As well as in Leipzig, protests are also expected in the cities of Bremen, Hanover, Hamburg and Berlin on Saturday.

    The group’s ringleader, 28-year-old Lina E., was handed five years in prison for her role in the series of attacks in Leipzig and other German cities.

    Her three male accomplices, aged between 28 and 37, received prison sentences ranging from two years and five months to three years and three months.

    Prosecutors said that Lina E. and her three co-defendants, known as Lennart A., Jannis R. and Jonathan M., are proponents of “militant extreme-left ideology” who carried out attacks on right-wing extremists in Leipzig and nearby towns.

    The court found that the four activists spied on and attacked neo-Nazis and alleged supporters of the right-wing scene in Leipzig, Wurzen and Eisenach in the German state of Thuringia between August 2018 and the summer of 2020.

    Thirteen people were injured during the attacks, with two sustaining life-threatening injuries.

    The Dresden court confirmed to CNN that among the attacks Lina E. helped to orchestrate is a 2020 incident which saw a group of 15 to 20 assailants beat six people returning from a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Dresden in World War II – an event which regularly attracts neo-Nazis and other far-right sympathizers.

    Prosecutors said several victims sustained serious injuries after being kicked and hit with batons.

    The trial against the group THE FOUR? started in September 2021 and was marked by the highest level of security.

    The accusations leveled against the group were the most serious faced by Germany’s radical left in recent years.

    According to a report in The Guardian, during the trial, supporters of Lina E. heckled the judge and shouted “Fascist friends!”

    The judge acknowledged that right-wing extremism poses a greater threat to German society than left-wing extremism, but said that even proponents of such views have inherent rights.

    Lina E. had been in police custody since her arrest on November 5, 2020 and has become something of an icon among anarchist circles in Germany, with the “Free Lina” graffiti featuring on buildings in Leipzig, Hamburg and Berlin.

    Shortly after the verdict, Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told journalists that the case highlighted the “significant danger” posed by far-left militants, who have become less inhibited in attacking political opponents with “extreme brutality.”

    In a statement, Faeser said that “this radicalization and spiral of violence must not be allowed to continue,” adding that “there must be no room for vigilante justice in a democratic constitutional state.”

    Faeser added that federal and state police would act decisively if there is a surge in far-left violence in the coming weeks.

    The far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has come under its own scrutiny from security services for its ties to extremists, welcomed the verdict by the Dresden court.

    In a statement, the party accused Lina E. and her co-defendents of “terrorist methods” and lamented that the sentences weren’t harsher.

    Meanwhile, a politician for the youth wing of Germany’s Green Party, Timon Dzienus, wrote on Twitter that the trial had been a “completely exaggerated process” based on “questionable evidence.”

  • 2 women killed in mall knife attack in Hong Kong

    2 women killed in mall knife attack in Hong Kong

    A frantic, seemingly random attack that left two women dead in a Hong Kong mall has stunned the city, where violent crime is uncommon.

    Graphic videos that have been going viral on social media seem to show the assailant pinning one of the women to the ground and stabbing her repeatedly. They also show the woman’s friend attempting, but failing, to repel the assailant. She too was later stabbed, though it is not visible in the video.

    Police say the two victims, ages 22 and 26, died after being transported to the hospital after being injured many times in the incident at the Hollywood Plaza shopping centre in Diamond Hill on Friday afternoon.

    Police senior superintendent Elieen Chung Lai-yee said the attacker – who does not appear to have known the two women – purchased the 12-inch knife used in the attack in the same mall, shortly before the stabbing.

    “He walked around for a few minutes and then launched his attack on the first victim,” she said.

    Lai said the other woman came forward to stop him, but became a target herself.

    “We found multiple knife wounds on (the two women) and they were bleeding profusely,” she said.

    Police said they had arrested a 39-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of murder and that the suspect has a history of mental illness.

    The attack has shocked a city where violent crime of any sort is relatively rare, particularly so because of the apparently random nature of the incident.

    The city sees only a few dozen homicides each year, compared to several hundred in New York. And it recorded only 77 robberies last year – compared to more than 17,000 in New York and 24,000 in London.

    On Saturday, some members of the public left floral tributes at the mall, which is in a largely residential area in the north of the city.

    The city’s leader, Chief Executive John Lee, said in a statement on Saturday that he was saddened by the attack and had sent condolences to the families of the two women.

    Lee, a former police officer, also urged citizens to stop sharing footage of the attack online and said members of the public should “seek professional support if they experience any emotional distress.”

  • Joran van der Sloot moved to new Peruvian prison ahead his extradition to the US – Officials

    Joran van der Sloot moved to new Peruvian prison ahead his extradition to the US – Officials

    Joran van der Sloot, the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, an Alabama teen, was being transferred to a different prison in Peru early on Saturday, according to officials. This was the first stage in what is anticipated to be his eventual temporary transfer to face prosecution in the United States.

    Officials with knowledge of the situation who spoke to journalists from CNN en Espaol said that Van der Sloot was being transferred from a maximum security jail in southern Peru to a prison in the capital, Lima.

    An earlier report from CNN en Espaol cited a source as saying that van der Sloot’s temporary transfer from Peru to the United States will start Friday night.

    Van der Sloot is set to be transferred to the US to face extortion and fraud charges related to an alleged plot to extort Holloway’s family after her disappearance, Peruvian officials have said. How long the transfer process would take is not yet known, officials told CNN en Español journalists.

    Maximo Altez, van der Sloot’s attorney, received a letter from van der Sloot last week asking him not to appeal his transfer to the US. “I want to go to the US,” van der Sloot wrote, Altez told CNN en Español Tuesday.

    Van der Sloot was involved in a fight inside his prison ward during visiting hours last week and suffered a cut to his fingers and some bruising, Altez said, adding that van der Sloot was placed in the prison’s medical section.

    Van der Sloot, a Dutch national, was convicted in 2012 of murdering Stephany Flores, 21, in his Lima hotel room and sentenced to 28 years in prison.

    He faces charges in connection with an alleged plot to sell false information about the whereabouts of 18-year-old Holloway’s remains in exchange for $250,000. Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, wired $15,000 to a bank account van der Sloot held in the Netherlands and through her attorney gave him another $10,000 in person, according to a 2010 US federal indictment.

    Once he had the initial $25,000, van der Sloot said he would show John Kelly, the Holloway family attorney, where Natalee Holloway’s remains were hidden, but the information turned out to be false, the indictment states.

    Natalee Holloway was last seen alive with van der Sloot and two other men 18 years ago leaving a nightclub in Aruba.

    Police in Aruba arrested and released the three men – van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe – multiple times in 2005 and 2007 in connection with Holloway’s disappearance. Attorneys for the men maintained the men’s innocence throughout the investigation.

    In December 2007, the Aruban Public Prosecutor’s Office said none of the three would be charged and dropped the cases against them, citing insufficient evidence.

    Holloway’s body has not been found. An Alabama judge signed an order in 2012 declaring her legally dead. No one is currently charged in her death.

  • Use social media wisely – Empress Gifty advises youth

    Use social media wisely – Empress Gifty advises youth

    Ghanaian Gospel artist Empress Gifty advises youth to utilize social media responsibly, avoiding harm towards others.

    She observed that some people use social media to blackmail people and insult others, especially celebrities or popular people.

    The Gospel Musician also observed that some friends also use social media when they have issues with their own friends.

    Meanwhile, she was of the belief that social media should be used wisely because there is so much money on that platform.

    Empress Gifty made the comments while speaking with Roman Fada on Atinka Drive.

    She testified to the benefits of social media, saying personally, she has made a lot of business on social media aside from the promotion of her music.

    She said even her popular jargon ‘Noko Fine’, and ‘Noko wisdom’ went viral because of social media.

    However, she observed that some people, instead of using the platform profitably, rather hire people to insult others.

    She wishes people would use social media wisely instead of using it to ‘fool’.

    “Now people are using social media to blackmail others. If someone has an issue with you, the person can sell you a page for the person to insult you. Your own friend will use social media to attack you,” she said.

    She continued,” I have used social media to work and so the social media that you are using to bully someone, or using to insult someone, or using it to blackmail someone. You woke up in the morning and couldn’t pray but you went to a celebrity’s page to debate. You have channeled your strength to destroying someone. Have you thought of the consequences of what you write? They should learn the good things there and embrace it because there is money on social media.”

    To those who insult people, she asked them what they gain from it, advising them to channel their energy into getting something productive for themselves.

    Meanwhile, she said sometimes, she feels very sorry for this generation, questioning if it was because of the data they have or if it is something else.

  • US Defense Secretary warns of devastating Taiwan war, criticizes China at summit

    US Defense Secretary warns of devastating Taiwan war, criticizes China at summit

    US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned that a war over Taiwan would be “devastating” and have an impact on the world economy “in ways we cannot imagine.” Austin also reaffirmed US support for the island democracy.

    “Conflict is not inevitable nor imminent. Austin made his statements at the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting on Saturday, which is being attended by delegates from dozens of nations, including China. “Deterrence is strong today – and it’s our job to keep it that way,” Austin added.

    “Maintaining tranquilly and stability in the Taiwan Strait is important for the entire world. It is necessary for the safety of global supply chains and commercial shipping routes. Additionally, the freedom of navigation everywhere. There is little doubt that a confrontation in the Taiwan Strait would be catastrophic.

    In a question and answer session after his speech, Austin added: “Conflict in the Taiwan Strait would affect the global economy in ways we cannot imagine.”

    China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and its increasingly frequent military exercises near to and around the island have raised concerns about how far it will go to realize that claim. China’s leader Xi Jinping has pointedly not ruled out the use of force.

    Shortly after Austin spoke on Saturday, Chinese People’s Liberation Army Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng told China’s state broadcaster CCTV that the US defense chief’s comments on Taiwan were “completely wrong.”

    Jing accused Washington of trying to “consolidate hegemony and provoke confrontation,” adding that US actions were damaging regional peace and stability.

    Late Saturday afternoon, a US Navy spokesperson said US and Canadian warships were sailing through the Taiwan Strait while the discussions were going on in Singapore.

    The transit by the destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and frigate HIMCS Montreal was routine and occurred “through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law,” US Navy spokesperson Lt. Kristina Wiedemann said in a statement.

    “Cooperation like this represents the centerpiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region where aircraft and ships of all nations may fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows,” the statement added.

    Austin’s comments earlier came at a tense time for relations between the US and China, as China recently rejected an offer from Austin to meet at the summit in Singapore, citing US sanctions on Chinese officials and companies.

    Austin addressed the lack of communication in his speech on Saturday, saying that he is “deeply concerned” that the People’s Republic of China “has been unwilling to engage more seriously on better mechanisms for crisis management.”

    “For responsible leaders, the right time to talk is anytime. The right time to talk is every time. And the right time to talk is now,” Austin said. “Dialogue is not a reward. It is a necessity.”

    Austin noted that he and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu greeted each other with a smile at a banquet Friday night, but called on Beijing to do more.

    “A cordial handshake over dinner is no substitute for serious engagement,” he said.

    Throughout his speech, Austin listed off ways that the US is partnering with allies in the region, saying that those partnerships are bringing the region closer and making it “more stable and resilient.”

    Austin reaffirmed that the US will “continue to stand by our allies and partners as they uphold their rights,” and maintain “our vigorous, responsible presence across the Indo-Pacific.”

    Criticizing China for its “alarming number of risky intercepts of US and allied aircraft” in international airspace, Austin added that the US would support allies and partners against “coercion and bullying.”

    “We do not seek conflict or confrontation,” Austin said. “But we will not flinch in the face of bullying or coercion.”

    Austin reaffirmed US readiness in the region.

    “The way that you deter any misguided decisions is by having a combat-credible military,” he said in answer to a question, adding that the US “will be ready no matter what happens.”

    Drew Thompson, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said Austin laid out a “positive and inclusive” vision for the region, adding that it is a vision that has benefited Beijing for decades.

    The next move will be Beijing’s. Defense Minister Li addresses the Shangri-La forum on Sunday morning.

    “It will be interesting to see how General Li responds tomorrow,” Thompson said.

    “In many ways the door is open for China to engage cooperatively with the US and other countries in the region to contribute to stability,” he said.

  • Search for survivors as India train crash death toll nears 300

    Search for survivors as India train crash death toll nears 300

    Rescuers in India are frantically searching for survivors following one of the greatest rail tragedies the nation has ever seen, a collision involving three trains that left hundreds of people dead.

    Following a collision involving two passenger trains and a goods train on Friday in the city of Balasore, in the eastern Odisha state, at least 288 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries have been officially reported.

    However, rescuers anticipate a higher death toll since they believe many people are still trapped beneath tipped-over carriages.

    “We are not very hopeful of rescuing anyone alive,” Odisha’s fire services chief, Sudhanshu Sarangi, told local news channel NDTV.

    The cause of the crash remains unclear but railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters Saturday that a “high-level inquiry” has been ordered into the collision, which took place near the Bahanaga railway station.

    The incident has reverberated across India, a nation of 1.4 billion, prompting renewed calls for authorities to address safety issues that have plagued the country’s railways for decades.

    India’s trains serve 13 million passengers every day, and 8 billion a year. While the government has recently invested millions to upgrade its railways, years of neglect have caused tracks to deteriorate.

    Video footage and photographs from Friday’s crash site show scenes of chaos and despair. Dozens of dead bodies can be seen lying beside the mangled trains, while police officers and survivors stand nearby. Passengers’ personal belongings can be seen strewn inside carriages and windows have been crushed, spilling glass and metal debris onto the floors. Train carriages have been torn apart.

    One of the passengers sitting in the second to last coach, Anshuman Purohi, told CNN that he felt a “massive shake” and realized there was something “very, very wrong.”

    “I opened the door and the scale [of the disaster] revealed itself. We saw the rest of the train in front of us in a ditch. As we walked, all we could here was a huge wail of human cries. Bloodied people, running to our coach for help and water.”

    Purohi, who lives in Singapore and was visiting his family in Odisha, said that a few people he was with began calling emergency services, while he helped provide water.

    “After walking across the tracks, you could start to see the scale of the accident,” he said.

    “This was only a part of the overall accident. We couldn’t see the front. The coaches were on top of each other. Coaches on top of the wagon… People thrown out of the trains many feet away.”

    Rohit Raj, a 19-year-old survivor, told CNN: “I was sleeping when all of a sudden, I heard a loud crash. There was smoke everywhere, we couldn’t see. Everyone was screaming, everyone was in shock.”

    “People were trying to run and escape from the train. The coach in front of me was badly mangled. People were badly trapped. I saw people piled on top of each other. My coach derailed, but thankfully I managed to escape.”

    Another survivor who did not share his name told local television he had fallen asleep and was jolted awake when the train derailed, causing about 15 people to fall on top of him.

    “I was at the bottom of the pile. My hand is injured, it’s hurting a lot, and also the back of my neck,” he said. “When I came out of the train, I saw someone had lost their hand, someone had lost their limb, someone’s face was disfigured.”

    Speaking to reporters Saturday, Narendra Singh Bundela, Inspector General of Operations at the National Disaster Response Force (NDRP), said teams have rescued passengers found alive at the site, but many bodies remain trapped under the derailed carriages.

    “The coaches are very heavy and it’s been a difficult task to remove them and identify bodies,” Bundela said, adding 17 coaches were derailed and severely damaged.

    “This is a serious incident and the government has ordered an inquiry,” he said. “This century for India, as far as I know, it is one of the (most) serious accidents.”

    More than 115 ambulances and several fire service units are involved in the rescue effort. The Indian army, teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, and the state’s fire services have been dispatched to the site.

    Hundreds of people have gathered outside local hospitals to donate blood, in a massive show of solidarity and support. About 500 units of blood were collected overnight with 900 units currently in stock.

    Manish, a volunteer, attempted to donate blood at Soro Block Hospital, but couldn’t enter as it was already packed with people offering to help.

    “There are literally dead bodies all around,” he said. “Injured passengers are being treated outside of the hospital because of lack of beds.”

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences on Friday. “Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” he wrote.

    Modi was on his way to visit the site of the deadly train crash in Odisha on Saturday morning, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office on Twitter. Earlier in the day, he chaired a high-level meeting about the crash, his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said.

    A day of mourning will be observed in the Odisha on Saturday.

    India’s extensive rail network suffers from aging infrastructure and poor maintenance – factors often cited in accidents.

    In 2021, more than 16,000 people were killed in nearly 18,000 railway accidents across the country.

    According to the National Crime Records, most railway accidents – 67.7% – were due to falls from trains and collisions between trains and people on the track.

    The death toll from Friday’s crash has already surpassed that of another infamous incident in 2016, when more than 140 people were killed in a derailment in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

    The latest crash comes as India carries out a major overhaul of its infrastructure, with the country investing millions to modernize transport links.

    In February, Modi inaugurated the first section of a 1,386-kilometer (861-mile) expressway linking the capital New Delhi to the financial hub of Mumbai.

    Construction is also underway for the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, which aims to decongest India’s railway network.

    Later this year, the country will open Chenab Bridge – the world’s tallest railway bridge – in the country’s Jammu and Kashmir region.

  • Tems receives Grammy Award plaque

    Tems receives Grammy Award plaque

    Nigerian singer, Tems has received the plaque for her Grammy.

    Her manager, Muyiwa Awoniyi announced this in a post on his Instagram stories on Friday, June 2, 2023.

    She got it for her work with Drake on Future’s song “Wait for You,” which took home the prize for Best Rap Melodic Performance.

    Muyiwa posted a picture of someone displaying the award.

    Although the song was up for the Best Rap Song award, this is the first Grammy she has ever won.

    Tems is the second female Nigerian performer to win a Grammy, following Sade Adu. In 1986, Sade received a Grammy for Best New Artist.

    A while back, Tems spoke out after she was heavily criticized for her outfit to the 2023 Oscars.

    The singer trended on social media on Monday after rocking a flamboyant white dress with a long train and huge shoulder piece that wrapped around her head.

    It is evident from videos shared online that those seated behind her struggled to see the stage because her shoulder piece obstructed their view.

    This sparked a huge controversy online as some netizens dragged her to filth for her choice of outfit to the star-studded event.

    Many tagged her “rude” and “selfish” for blocking the view of others in a bid to make a fashion statement.

    Following the backlash she received on the internet, Tems took to her Instagram page to release official photos of her outfit to the event with a dramatic caption.

    “Uh Ohh!” she wrote, hinting that she is aware of the drama caused by her outfit.

  • Epstein spent his final days with sleepless nights calling deceased mother

    Epstein spent his final days with sleepless nights calling deceased mother

    Former millionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein‘s final days were previously unknown, according to new Federal Bureau of Prisons data.

    Epstein was detained in the Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) in Manhattan after being taken into custody in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking accusations.

    Epstein was discovered dead in his cell on the morning of August 10, 2019, apparently by suicide.

    The Bureau of Prisons documents, which include the suicide watch logs recorded by corrections officers and a psychological reconstruction of his death, provide insight into Epstein’s state of mind just before his death.

    Although the former billionaire financier told a jail psychologist that he had a ‘wonderful life,’ notes from the documents paint a very different picture.

    Epstein was placed on psychological observation after attempting to kill himself, which left him with bruises and scrapes on his neck.

    Several corrections officers assigned to observe Epstein noted that he appeared to have trouble sleeping, complained about not being able to use his CPAP machine, and was frequently bothered by the noise inside the facility.

    He also told officers that he was concerned about his safety from other prisoners, both in the general population unit and the special housing unit.

    Several corrections officers noted strange behaviors. On July 26 and 27, an officer overheard him calling himself ‘a coward’ and a person who does not like pain.

    Another recalled a moment he was so bothered by noise that sat in the corner of his cell covering his ears: ‘He told [redacted] the toilet in his cell would not stop flushing for an extended period of time, and he then took to sitting in the corner with his hands over his ears.’

    The psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death came to the conclusion that ‘the lack of significant interpersonal connections, a complete loss of his status in both the community and among associates, and the idea of potentially spending his life in prison were likely factors contributing to Mr Epstein’s suicide.’

    They also noted that Epstein seemed alone and abandoned in prison, which may have contributed to his mental state.

    ‘Although Mr Epstein appeared to cultivate a large social and professional network, he was estranged from his only brother,’ the document reads. ‘Indeed, his identity appeared to be based on his wealth, power, and association with other high-profile individuals.’

    On August 9, just a day before his death, records indicate that Epstein placed two mysterious phone calls that were not recorded or monitored by prison officials.

    ‘A lieutenant facilitated two telephone calls for Mr. Epstein,’ the document reads. ‘Its unknown when and to whom these calls were placed and no evidence that they took place on a monitored telephone.’

    The document simply says he was ‘provided’ a telephone to use for the calls. Inmate calls at the MCC require a prisoner’s PIN number, which Epstein did not have. So the correctional officer placed the calls for him, dialing a number with the area code 347.

    ‘Mr Epstein told [redacted] he was calling his mother who, according to public records, has been deceased since 2004,’ the record states.

    Area code 347 is used for the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. Epstein’s parents lived in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

    The documents also revealed another peculiar interaction. Before his death, Epstein wrote and sent a letter to Larry Nassar, the former physician for the US National Gymnastics team and convicted sex offender.

    Nassar is currently serving a life sentence after sexually assaulting at least 265 young women and girls associated with the team.

    The letter was found returned to sender at the MCC, weeks after Epstein’s death.

    ‘It appeared he mailed it out and it was returned back to him,’ one investigator at the Bureau of Prisons said in an email. ‘I am not sure if I should open it or should we hand it over to anyone?’

    Although the emails about the letter were released, the letter itself has not been made public.

  • Gun store owner closes due to 50% increase in child shooting deaths

    Gun store owner closes due to 50% increase in child shooting deaths

    After several school shootings that resulted in the deaths of children, the owner of a gun store has made the decision to permanently close his doors.

    The 43-year-old Jon Waldman had a successful business when he founded Georgia Ballistics in Duluth in 2021, but he closed it after two recent shootings involving children.

    The first was a shooting in March at a Christian school in Nashville, which claimed the lives of three children and three adults. The second incident included a shooting on May 3 inside an Atlanta hospital, close to Waldman’s gun shop, which resulted in the death of a woman and the injury of four other people.

    ‘I’m not against the Second Amendment,’ Waldman, referring to the right to bear arms, told NBC News on Thursday.

    ‘But just with my conscience, I can’t sell it, because I don’t know who it’s going to affect and hurt.

    ‘That’s what eats at me. If it can happen, it’s only a matter of time until it does happen.’

    Waldman’s decision comes as gunshot deaths among kids are found to have increased 50% from 2019 to 2021. The number of deaths increased from 1,732 to 2,590 in that time span, according to the Pew Research Center in April. That is the highest figure since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began counting such fatalities in 1999, the Daily Mail reported.

    The shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville ‘really affected me’, Waldman said, and the one at the Atlanta hospital close to home was the ‘final’ straw.

    ‘Dude killed a woman from the CDC who only wanted to help others,’ he said. ‘So I just can’t.’

    Waldman has already shuttered his business and plans to have all the firearms in stock cleared by June 15.

    He was also disillusioned when a customer a month-and-a-half ago walked in wanting to buy 4,000 rounds.

    ‘If you had ordered 200 to 1,000 rounds, that’s fine. Anyone who shoots regularly, you’re going through a thousand rounds in a month,’ he said.

    ‘But when you order 4,000 rounds, the kind of stuff that goes through engine blocks, refrigerators and vests that police officers wear, I just can’t sell that.’

    Waldman said he is not pushing for more restrictions on gun ownership, but rather advocating for gun safety.

    Kris Brown, president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence, said that eight children are killed or hurt each day because gun owners are largely not required by law to safely store their weapons.

    ‘We hear every day about a child, sometimes as young as 3 or 4 years old, getting their hands on their parents’ gun,’ Brown told NBC News, ‘And accidentally shooting a loved one, or themselves.’

  • NPP Council of Elders Chairman proposes consensus candidate ahead of presidential primaries

    NPP Council of Elders Chairman proposes consensus candidate ahead of presidential primaries

    Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, says the Council is engaging flagbearer aspirants in crucial talks to persuade some to withdraw from race, so the party can have a consensus candidate.

    Ten individuals, including the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and former Trades Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, have all picked nomination forms to contest for the flagbearership position.

    Chairman of the Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang believes the party’s interest will be better served if the aspirants could agree on what he calls a “consensus candidate.”

    “We’ve pressed upon them what we call negotiation in political strategy, and if the strategy demands that some people must step down, I think in the interest of the party and its unity, it will not be out of place.”

    “Even if after the electoral college, we keep talking as a fraternity, then we should be able to understand ourselves.”

    “For my personal view, I think that if we can look at the issue of getting a consensus candidate it will help us tremendously,” he said.

    Mr Hackman Owusu Agyemang is one of the people who firmly believes that the NPP’s decision to allow as many as 17 people to contest for the flagbearership position ahead of the 2008 elections, was the reason the party lost that presidential election.

    The party elder called that single decision a “major mistake.”

    In a media interview in August 2021, he said ““[It was] in the year 2008 where we had 17 of our people in competition to be president. If at the time we had the understanding that it will not help us and the best thing to do was to have one or two compete for it, we would not have lost that election. That did not help us break that 8-year cycle that was beginning to establish itself. That was a major mistake.”

    Meanwhile, the NPP says two persons have picked forms in a bid to represent the party as its candidate in the Assin North by-election.

    The party’s Director of Elections, Evans Nimako made this known.

    “Two people have picked up their nomination forms, we have Fredrick Amoah Kyei and Charles Opoku. Nominations have come to an end, the party’s committee chaired by the national first vice chairperson Mr. Danquah Smith will sit with the committee to conduct the vetting.”

    “EC itself is tied with time because it must operate within 30 days, same as the party, so you realize from the corresponding issue by the General Secretary, it directed that as much as possible the constituency is ready.”

    “The conduct of the exercise will be very swift so on Wednesday 7th of June the party will conduct the primary to select the candidate we’ll sponsor for the by-election,” he said.

  • Angry customer lashes out at Ursula Owusu over sim block

    Angry customer lashes out at Ursula Owusu over sim block

    Following the government’s October 1, 2021 announcement regarding mandatory SIM re-registration, telecommunications companies in Ghana have deactivated approximately 9 million unregistered SIM cards.

    This directive, issued by the National Communications Authority (NCA) and Ministry of Communications, has resulted in significant consequences for subscribers who failed to comply.

    In the wake of this development, a woman believed to be in her late thirties has expressed her displeasure, specifically targeting her frustration at the Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

    The woman, a single parent, appeared on UTV on June 2, 2023, to voice her concerns after her SIM card and that of her child were deactivated.

    During the interview, she revealed that her mobile money wallet was linked to her SIM card, hence her funds had been locked up with the deactivation.

    She argued that her child had registered for the Ghana Card, which is the only required document for the re-registration exercise three years ago but had not gotten the card yet.

    She demanded the authoritie to allow her withdraw her money so that the authorities can keep the SIM for whatever purpose they need it.

    “They have blocked my Vodafone SIM card yesterday. I came here this morning around six o’clock when I came, they said ‘network,’ so I went inside. And when I went inside, they said Ursula Owusu has said that they have made an announcement that anyone who hasn’t brought his/her Ghana Card for re-registration of his/her SIM card should be blocked… but my child has registered for the Ghana Card, and it has been three years he hasn’t gotten it.

    “So, right now that they have blocked the SIM card, how is he going to use the phone? His money is on my phone, so, if that is the case, then they should withdraw my money for me because they said when they block your SIM, your money is also blocked. I beg them, because for me, I am a single parent taking care of my children, they should withdraw my money for me and go and give the SIM to Ursula Owusu to chew …Yes, they should give me my money and go and give the SIM to Ursula Owusu to chew,” she stressed.

  • Ex-VP Mike Pence avoids charges for classified documents in his home

    Ex-VP Mike Pence avoids charges for classified documents in his home

    The discovery of secret materials in the home of the former vice president Mike Pence will not result in any charges being brought against him.

    The Justice Department informed Pence, who worked for former President Donald Trump, in a letter that it had completed its investigation and would not be bringing any charges.

    In a letter to Pence’s lawyer that CNN acquired on Friday, the Justice Department stated: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department’s National Security Division have conducted an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information.”

    ‘Based on the results of that investigation, no criminal charges will be sought.’

    Former Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly set to announce his presidential campaign on June 7
    Former Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly set to announce his presidential campaign on June 7 (Picture: AP)

    The development comes days after reports that Pence plans to announce his 2024 presidential campaign next week.

    Pence’s lawyer found about a dozen classified documents in the former vice president’s home in Carmel, Indiana, in January. Pence had asked his attorney to do the search after classified records were discovered in President Joe Biden’s Delaware home and an office in Washington, DC.

    After discovering the classified documents, Pence immediately handed them over to the FBI, which began a probe into how they wound up there. Pence said he did not know the material was at his home but took responsibility for it, saying ‘mistakes were made’.

    The content of the papers is still unknown.

    An adviser to Pence told CNN that he and his team were not surprised by the Justice Department’s decision, but are pleased.

    The Justice Department continues to probe the sensitive records found in Biden’s possession, as well as boxes of classified documents that were recovered from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.

    Pence reportedly will announce his 2024 bid for the presidency on June 7, the same day he is slated to appear in a CNN presidential town hall in Iowa. He will enter a growing field of candidates vying for the Republican nomination, with Trump maintaining a lead in most polls and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis coming in a clear second.

  • Oil prices rise as US Congress approves debt deal

    Oil prices rise as US Congress approves debt deal

    Despite market uncertainty surrounding the upcoming OPEC+ meeting, where no changes in production policy are anticipated, crude oil prices saw an increase as the market factored in the lifting of the US debt ceiling.

    International benchmark Brent crude traded at $75.08 per barrel, representing a 1.07% increase from the closing price of $74.28 a barrel in the previous trading session on Friday.

    The American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded at the same time at $70.82 per barrel, up 1.02% from the previous session’s close of $70.10 per barrel.

    Both benchmarks are on track to slash their marginal weekly losses after investors throughout the week priced in the US debt ceiling decision to set the maximum amount of outstanding federal debt the US government can incur.

    Averting a first-ever catastrophic default on the nation’s debt before a June 5 deadline, the US Senate passed a bill to suspend the debt ceiling late Thursday.

    This came as the US Institute for Supply Management (ISM) released the ISM manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), which indicated a contraction in the country’s manufacturing sector in May for the seventh consecutive month, limiting crude oil prices’ upward trajectory.

    Another headwind to limit price upticks was the less-than-expected rise in US commercial crude oil inventories, which rose by around 4.5 million barrels to 459.7 million barrels, against the American Petroleum Institute’s forecast of a jump of 5.2 million barrels.

    Positive demand sentiment in the market was supported by reports that manufacturing activity in China recovered for the first time in three months in May. The Caixin China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased to 50.9 in May from 49.5 in April, owing to robust and rapid growth in output in May.

    With a rise above the neutral level of 50, the result marked the first improvement in overall manufacturing sector conditions since February.

    OPEC+ meeting in focus

    As markets await Sunday’s meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, experts say the group will most probably keep its production level unchanged.

    Rystad Energy on Thursday said the 23-member group could decide to maintain the current production policy, citing tight market conditions expected to lead to higher oil prices in the second half of the year.

    The meeting will be the group’s first ministerial meeting after some OPEC+ countries in April decided to cut output by 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) on top of their existing cuts of 2 million bpd in place since October last year.

    Without ruling out ‘further production cuts’, Jorge Leon, senior vice president of oil market research at Rystad Energy, predicted that the group might stick to current production levels, taking a ‘wait and see’ approach.

  • NABCO Coordinator forced to sell salt for survival as program collapses and arrears remain unpaid

    NABCO Coordinator forced to sell salt for survival as program collapses and arrears remain unpaid

    Former Abuakwa North Municipal Coordinator of Nation Building Corps (NABCO), Otuo Serebuor, is now battling for survival as he resorts to selling salt.

    This unfortunate turn of events comes in the wake of the program’s collapse and the nonpayment of salary arrears. The once vibrant coordinator finds himself caught in a desperate situation, grappling with the harsh realities of an uncertain future.

    His poignant story sheds light on the plight faced by many who were left disillusioned and abandoned by the crumbling NABCO program, further highlighting the pressing need for immediate attention and resolution.

    The former NABCO director also drives commercial vehicle, and farms to diversify his income source.

    He is among about 250 former NABCO coordinators now sitting home after the collapse of the program and yet to be paid their arrears by government.

    Otuo Serebuor, a former Assistant Headteacher with over 20 years experience in teaching took long leave of absence from Ghana Education Service when he was appointed NABCO Coordinator.

    He is therefore unable to return to the classroom until his leave expires in 2024 forcing him to find alternate sources of income.

    NABCO was introduced by the Akufo-Addo led administration in 2017 as part of measures to address graduate unemployment in the country.

    The initiative which temporarily employed thousands of youth was run under seven modules namely Educate Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Digitize Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, and Civic Ghana.

    The program however collapsed in 2022 despite government assurance to make the beneficiaries permanent employers.

    Thousands of beneficiaries have since not been been paid 8 months arrears of stipends.

    The affected beneficiaries in a statement issued on May 27,2023 threatened to stage demonstration at Assin North constituency ahead of parliamentary by-election slated for June 27, 2023.

  • Akwaaba UK CEO expresses worry over limited global recognition of Ghanaian music

    Akwaaba UK CEO expresses worry over limited global recognition of Ghanaian music


    Dennis Tawiah, the Chief Executive Officer of Akwaaba UK, has openly shared his concerns and apprehensions about the insufficient level of acknowledgment and acclaim that Ghanaian music receives internationally, emphasizing the need for broader recognition on a global scale.

    In a myjoyonline.com report, he discussed the reasons behind some Ghanaian artistes canceling their foreign tours.

    Tawiah highlighted that aside from struggling to attract the necessary audience numbers for shows abroad, Ghanaian music faces the challenge of resonating with listeners from other countries.

    He explained that currently, “Ghana music is left behind” due to its inability to keep up with the evolving trends in global music.

    Drawing on his experience as a prominent figure in promoting Ghanaian music in the United Kingdom, Tawiah noted that during the earlier era when Ghanaian music enjoyed popularity beyond the country’s borders, it held a strong position in filling large auditoriums.

    “Our current music that we were putting out doesn’t cut across, meaning not everybody is liking or listening to our music. You need other people liking your music to come to your event to be able to watch.

    “It doesn’t matter how much promotion you do. Where we are right now, you need Zimbabweans, Senegalese, Nigerians, Puerto Ricans, you need everybody,” Tawiah elaborated.

    He further emphasized that music from various parts of the world, created by non-Ghanaians, tends to resonate more strongly with a broader audience.

    Dennis also added that he conducted a personal survey among 10 young students, aged between 16 and 25, and discovered that only a minority of them had Ghanaian artists in their playlists.

    The concerns raised by Dennis Tawiah shed light on the challenges faced by Ghanaian musicians in garnering international appreciation for their music.

    Efforts to bridge this gap and create music that can transcend cultural boundaries may be crucial for achieving wider recognition on the global music stage.

  • Mexican police find body parts in search for missing call center workers

    Mexican police find body parts in search for missing call center workers

    During their search for seven missing contact centre employees, police have found 45 bags containing human body parts.

    After staff at two distinct contact centres went missing over the course of two days last week, the horrifying revelation was uncovered.

    Police were tipped off that they would find evidence in a hard-to-reach location in the city of Zapopan while searching for the missing workers.

    A search and rescue team from the Zapopan Civil Protection and Fire Department used a helicopter to approach the ravine, which was roughly 40 metres deep.

    Forensic experts work with several bags of human remains extracted from the bottom of a ravine by a helicopter, which were abandoned at the Mirador Escondido community in Zapopan, Jalisco state, Mexico on May 31, 2023. The Jalisco Prosecutor's Office is investigating to find out if the remains belong to the 7 call center workers who disappeared on their way to work in recent days. (Photo by ULISES RUIZ / AFP) (Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)
    One of the plastic bags is lifted out of the ravine by a helicopter (Picture: ULISES RUIZ / AFP)

    They found about 45 plastic bags in the ravine containing human body parts. Forensic scientists and medical examiners are currently working on determining exactly how many individuals were disposed of in the bags.

    ‘At the moment it cannot be specified that the remains located in this area correspond to the seven workers of a call center who disappeared last week in Zapopan,’ the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday.

    The next day, investigators did note that the bodies ‘coincided with the physical characteristics of some of the young people’ missing from the call center.

    The seven call center employees disappeared between May 20 and May 22 from Jardines Vallarta and La Estancia neighborhoods in Guadalajara.

    All the missing workers were in their 20s or 30s, authorities said. An eighth missing person was also reported missing days later who police in Jalisco believe is associated with the group.

    Among them was one American citizen – Carlos Valladolid, a 23-year-old Arizona native who worked at one of the call centers, the Daily Mail reported.

    Valladolid lived in Jalisco with his sister, Mexican citizen Itzel Valladolid, 27, who is also among the missing employees.

    While searching for the call centers for the missing employees, investigators stumbled upon an operation they believe targeted elderly Americans, Mexican newspaper El Pais reported.

    At the call centers, police seized hard drives, marijuana, a blackboard with a list of foreign names, and a red-stained mop they believe was used to clean up blood.

    Locals near the call center also told investigators they occasionally saw armed men at the building.

    The operation had ‘all the characteristics of organized crime,’ Jalisco Prosecutor Luis Joaquín Méndez said.

  • Ghana’s Basic Education teeters on the brink of collapse – Dr Apaak warns

    Ghana’s Basic Education teeters on the brink of collapse – Dr Apaak warns

    Dr. Clement Apaak, the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, has expressed deep concerns about the potential collapse of basic education in Ghana.

    Clement Apaak identified several factors contributing to this alarming situation, including the government’s failure to pay caterers under the school feeding program and its inability to adequately increase the funding allocated for providing meals to students.

    Highlighting the gravity of the issue, Dr. Apaak emphasized that the current allocation of 97 pesewas per student for meals is grossly insufficient.

    He went as far as stating that this amount is inadequate even to feed a cat, considering the high cost of basic food items such as eggs.

    Speaking in an interview on the point of view show on Citi TV ohe said; “If you want my honest opinion, Ghana’s public basic education system is at the verge of collapsing. Seriously. Yes, it is that bad. And I think that parents who are listening, have some basic schools across the country who are listening. And if not, they will confirm what I’m saying.

    ”First of all, we all know that the basic sector is the foundation and if you have to get it right, the foundation must be solid. I mean, you can compare it or in terms of analogy.

    ”As you know, currently it is just 97 pesewas. That is worse as in the current state of affairs and the economy is woefully inadequate. I’ve said before and I’ll say again, that what is of interest to us is not even sufficient to feed a pet cut. As we speak now even an egg cost more than 97 pesewas with the cost of food items, food inflation, you know, going up, you cannot expect these women to prepare what the program itself describes as a nutritious, hot meal a day to feed our walls in the various public schools across the country”, he said.

    Dr. Apaak stressed the critical importance of a solid foundation in basic education, stating that any challenges in this foundation will inevitably impact the higher levels of education, such as senior high school.

    He called for urgent action to address the deficiencies in the provision of meals to students, as this issue directly impacts their health, nutrition, and overall educational experience.

    “The collapse of basic education, if left unaddressed, could have severe long-term consequences for the country. It undermines the government’s efforts to provide quality education to all Ghanaian children and jeopardizes the future prospects of the nation’s youth.”

  • Woman angry at boyfriend after paternity test reveals he is not father of the child

    Woman angry at boyfriend after paternity test reveals he is not father of the child

    A young woman believed to be in her early twenties has been captured on video raining curses on her partner after a DNA paternity test revealed he is not the biological father of her child.

    The video, which quickly went viral, shows the woman’s furious outburst and refusal to accept the test results.

    The dramatic turn of events unfolded during a live discussion on Mama Efe’s show on Nhyira FM, where the two had sought a resolution regarding their paternity dispute.

    The man, identified as Frederick, had initially accused the woman of having multiple partners, refusing to accept a child between them. To settle the matter, the show’s management arranged for a DNA test, which would determine the child’s true biological father.

    https://twitter.com/SIKAOFFICIAL1/status/1664683197362208797/video/1

    The test results, interpreted and presented to the woman on air, showed that Frederick was not the father, however, instead of accepting the evidence, the woman vehemently denied its validity, claiming that she had never slept with anyone except Frederick. Her rejection of the results provoked the show host, who challenged her to take the case wherever she pleases.

    Following the tense exchange, the situation took an alarming turn once the couple left the radio station as a video footage captured the woman launching a verbal attack on Frederick, hurling curses and berating him in public.

    “You are a bad person, you are a fool, you are useless to me, you are not a sensible man,” the woman exclaimed.

    She added “I wanted you to beat me. I am pained about this, Frederick. I will let you beat me because you are a fool to me. Frederick, your mother, and all your family members will die… you have disgraced me, Frederick, and as a result, you will never give birth. Sex you may have, but you can never give birth in your entire life.”

  • KNUST ranked world best in quality education by Times Higher Education Impact Ranking

    KNUST ranked world best in quality education by Times Higher Education Impact Ranking

    The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has been recognised as the best university in the world for providing quality education under the Sustainable Development Goal 4.

    The university gained the recognition in the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings on Thursday.

    The 2023 Impact Rankings, in its fifth edition, encompassed a total of 1,591 universities from 112 countries/regions.

    The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings are the sole global performance tables that evaluates universities based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Employing carefully selected indicators, THE provides comprehensive comparisons across four key areas: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching.

    Demonstrating unparalleled excellence, the KNUST secured the top position globally with an outstanding score of 93.1, surpassing all other universities worldwide.

    The SDG 4 – Quality Education category evaluates universities’ contributions to early years and lifelong learning, research, and their dedication to inclusive education.

    This year, an impressive 1,304 universities from 109 countries/regions participated in the category.

    The 2023 feat is a massive improvement over the 2022 rankings which placed the University at number one (1) in Africa and 14th globally in terms of SDG-4.

    In response to the latest ranking, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, said the achievement reflects the substantial and strategic investments made by the university’s management over the years.

    She praised the past and current administrations for the investments in infrastructure, ICT, and e-learning resources, which have significantly enhanced the educational experience at KNUST.

    The school has over the last few years commenced the Support One Needy Student with One Laptop (SONSOL) programme initiated by Professor Mrs Rita Akosua Dickson to support brilliant but needy students.

    The initiative is aimed at bridging the digital divide.

    The school has provided various scholarships covering accommodation, food, clothing, and special vehicles to enhance mobility of persons with disabilities.

    These accomplishments reflect KNUST’s commitment to inclusivity.

    University Relations Officer, Dr. Daniel Norris Bekoe, commended the university’s administration for their proactive implementation of policies pertaining to gender, anti-sexual harassment, mentorship, quality assurance, teaching and learning, research, and professional evaluation of teaching and disability.  

    “These policies serve the important purpose of guaranteeing high-quality service provision and safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable members within the university community. The university is committed to consistently making strategic decisions and investments aimed at enhancing the quality of education,” he said.

    He also highlighted that the institution is assisting emerging researchers through financial support and facilitating the pursuit of impactful research initiatives with transformative implications for the university.

    Dr. Bekoe further emphasised the need for all staff and students to sustain the diligence and perseverance spirit.

    “This steadfast dedication is driven by the overarching goal of nurturing students who possess not only a profound understanding of their subjects but also exemplary character traits. By steadfastly adhering to this principle, KNUST aspires to equip its students with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel not only within Ghana but also on a global scale,” he said.

    This significant achievement stands as a testament to the collective efforts and unwavering commitment exhibited by the entire KNUST community.

    For more info. on THE rankings visit: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/rankings/impact/2023/quality-education.

  • Pregnant women should never be imprisoned – Charity

    Pregnant women should never be imprisoned – Charity

    Naomi Delap, a charity worker, has said that she lacks the vocabulary to adequately express how it feels to be imprisoned behind a heavy steel door.

    While imprisoned, Katie* became pregnant. She described the experience as leaving her “completely terrified” and concerned for the welfare of her unborn child.

    As the investigation into the death of Aisha Cleary draws to a close, she is sharing her experiences with the public.

    In 2019 in HMP Bronzefield, the infant passed away soon after birth.

    Her mother, 18, was left ‘alone’ with her calls for help unanswered as she went into labour.

    Blood-stained walls greeted prison guards in the morning who raised the alarm, but it was too late for baby Aisha.

    The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found the incident should ‘never have happened’ while others claimed Aisha’s mother was ‘badly failed’ by multiple agencies.

    For Katie, who was imprisoned for three months for non violent crime, the case brought back traumatic memories.

    She told Metro.co.uk: ‘I was seven weeks pregnant when I went in. I had no idea I would get a prison sentence, I was categorically told I wouldn’t’

    ‘So I was absolutely terrified when I got taken down to the cells from court and then to prison. I had no idea what to expect, no bag, no clothes. It was really scary as I thought “I’m going to lose this baby due to stress.’”

    Katie felt ‘completely unacknowledged’ and didn’t even know what she was entitled to as a pregnant woman in prison – such as extra mattresses and extra food packs.

    She added: ‘There was a pregnant woman on the wing with her who said “do you know Birth Companions come in on a Tuesday? One day I went along with her, and they were literally lifesavers with what they told me. I don’t think I would have survived without them.’

    Birth Companion’s overarching aim is to persuade the government to end the use of prisons for pregnant women and mothers of infants.

    The charity started working in Holloway Prison in north London in 1996, and now supports women in prisons across England.

    Naomi Delap, director of Birth Companions, said the group had been ‘worried’ a case like Aisha’s could occur if changes weren’t made.

    She told Metro.co.uk : ‘We knew the risks pregnant women and mothers and babies were experiencing every day. When we heard what happened [to Aisha] it was really shocking, but sadly not surprising because it was something we were worried was going to happen for a long time.

    ‘The nature of the prison system itself means it will fundamentally be unsafe, which is why now our campaign voice is about preventing imprisonment in the first place.’

    In many countries, pregnant women never go to prison.

    Over in countries such as Brazil, Ukraine and Mexico, courts prioritise community sentences, house arrest and probation supervision as means of punishment.

    In England this is not the case, as Katie and others have found.

    She described the treatment of Aisha and her mother was ‘disgraceful’.

    Katie said: ‘When I heard the news, I got a gut wrenching feeling in my stomach and chest. I haven’t got the words to describe what it it is like to be locked behind a solid steel door.

    ‘That poor girl being in the pain of labour giving birth on her own, it’s just the most inhumane thing to think about. The fact that she was stuck behind that door unable to get out and no-one came to her is disgraceful. She was just 18, and left all alone.’

    Katie, who struggles with PTSD from her own prison experience, hopes to use her voice to create change.

    She added: ‘Through Birth Companions, I understand I’m not a bad person and I can make a difference to other women. The more we get the news out there on what this experience is really like – by giving interviews or going by parliament – then hopefully that can have an impact on sentencing guidelines.’

    Katie’s daughter, who she gave birth to after leaving prison, doesn’t know about her mother’s journey behind bars.

    The family is waiting until she is older to break the news.

    Katie was still behind bars when she was due her first scan.

    She was told of the date and location, and diligently informed her partner – unaware this wasn’t allowed.

    Once she reached the hospital, his arrival caused a huge scene as she was ushered away before her bloods could be taken.

    Katie added: ‘I was marched out surrounded by security and prison guards. People in the waiting room area were pointing and going “that’s her, she’s the prisoner. That’s the one.” It was like i was some sort of axe murderer that had been on the news.

    ‘The first scan was meant to be one of the most magical moments of my life and it was tainted and horrendous.’

    Katie added: ‘I want to make people aware that prisoners are humans. There is a huge stigma surrounding that if you’re in prison you must have done something terrible to be there.

    ‘A lot of the women I spoke to in prison were not a threat to the public, and it felt like they just didn’t deserve to be in prison at all.’

    There are 12 women’s prisons in the UK and, currently, no publicly available figures on the number of pregnant women passing through the system each year, or on the outcomes of their pregnancies.

    Two babies are confirmed to have died in women’s prisons in the past two years: one at Bronzefield in October 2019, and one at Styal prison in June 2020.

    Birth Companions will work to make sure such a tragedy never occurs again.

    Naomi said: ‘If the government ends the use of custody for pregnant women and mothers of infants, and prioritises services that address the root causes of offending, it will break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and deliver huge benefits for women, their families and society.

    ‘It will not be enough to focus on sentencing alone. We need to end the use of remand, which has spiralled in recent years.

    Should pregnant women in the UK receive custodial sentences?

    • Yes, they should be treated the same as others0%
    • No, alternative punishments should be found 0%

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    ‘Aisha’s mother was herself held on remand, and released from custody soon after the tragic death of her baby. We also need to end the criminalisation of women whose offending is largely driven by experiences of trauma, abuse and poverty, and unmet needs associated with mental ill-health, domestic abuse and the use of substances.’

    A Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed action had been taken to improve life behind bars for pregnant women.

    He told Metro.co.uk: ‘Custody is always the last resort for women and Independent judges already consider mitigating factors, like pregnancy, when making sentencing decisions.

    ‘We have already taken decisive action to improve the support available for pregnant women in custody since 2019, including employing specialist mother and baby liaison officers in every women’s prison, conducting additional welfare observations and putting in place better screening and social services support so that pregnant prisoners get the care they require.’

    *Names have been changed to protect the privacy of Katie’s daughter.

  • Jamie Foxx reportedly experiences paralysis and blindness due to brain clot

    Jamie Foxx reportedly experiences paralysis and blindness due to brain clot

    Alarming revelations have emerged about the distressing state of actor Jamie Foxx‘s health, as a recent report asserts that he has been left paralyzed and blind as a result of a clot in his brain.

    Hollywood journalist A.J. Benza claimed after speaking to a source close to Foxx that the star is said to be “partially paralyzed and blind” in addition to a series of other complications after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

    “Jamie had a blood clot in his brain after he got the shot. He did not want the shot, but the movie he was on, he was pressured to get it,” confessed the journalist, who formally worked as a columnist for the New York Daily News, during an appearance on Dr Drew Pinsky’s online show “Ask Dr Drew.”

    “The blood clot in the brain caused him at that point to be partially paralyzed and blind,” Benza alleged, as he insisted his insider was “someone in the room” with first-hand knowledge of Foxx’s hospitalisation.

    Foxx was admitted to the hospital after suffering a “medical complication” on Thursday, April 11, although specific details on his current health status have been difficult to discover.

    The 55-year-old’s medical woes began while filming his latest movie Back in Action. 

    The movie, also starring Cameron Diaz, is said to have moved forward with production without Foxx, using a body double in his place.

    No official comment has been made yet by his family regarding the circumstances surrounding the medical emergency or his current state of health.

    Recall a few weeks ago, some reports claimed that Foxx’s health had deteriorated with his family and loved ones preparing for the worst-case scenario.

    Since news of his health difficulties broke, a ton of celebrities, friends and fans have sent their well-wishes to the actor.

  • Hilda Baci criticised for eating dog meat

    Hilda Baci criticised for eating dog meat

    Animal rights activist Jackie Idimogu has criticised chef Hilda Baci for consuming dog meat.

    Recall that Hilda Baci, who attempted a Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, recently visited her home state of Akwa Ibom with influencer, Enioluwa Adeoluwa.

    The duo were captured in a viral video sitting at a table where dog meat was served. Hilda admitted that she eats dog meat while persuading Enioluwa to try it but he declined.

    Reacting to the video, in a video message shared on her social media page, Idimogu accused Hilda of cruelty against animals.

    She faulted Hilda for eating dog meat despite members of her group and their dogs coming to support the chef during her cookathon.

    Idimogu said, “Members of My Dog & I group wore their shirts to go and support Hilda, dogs were present at the cookathon to support Hilda. I know that there were about two or three dogs because when my group members went there they made sure to take pictures and videos with every dog there.

    “Now, imagine my surprise this evening, scrolling through Instagram and then I see on a news blog that this same Hilda posted that she is eating a dog.”

    She said she was initially skeptical of supporting Hilda during her cookathon when she heard she was from Akwa Ibom but decided to give her the benefit of doubt because she thought the chef was exposed.

    She added, “Hilda in her infinite mercy and wisdom, thought that the best thing for her to do after the world celebrated Nigeria through her relentlessness. And now that the torchlight of the world is on Nigeria through you, you decide that what you want to show the world is that Nigerians are dog eaters? No, no. I’m making this video to refute the fact that Nigerians are not dog eaters.”

  • Kizz Daniels celebrates arrival of third child

    Kizz Daniels celebrates arrival of third child

    The Nigerian singer Kizz Daniel revealed he is now a father of three in an interview that stunned his fans.

    Speaking exclusively in an interview with Angela Yee, the singer, real name Oluwatobilola Daniel, disclosed that he welcomed the addition not long ago but he wanted to keep it secret.

    Kizz Daniel in 2021 announced the birth of his triplets – Jamal, Jalil, and Jelani – with a yet-to-be-named girlfriend.

    However, one of the boys, Jamal passed on four days after birth.

    Kizz Daniels welcomes third child
    Kizz Daniel with his twins (Credit: Instagram – @kissdaniel)

    The latest addition makes it three boys for Kizz Daniel, and though he is excited about the situation, he revealed that he has parted ways with the mother of his children.

    Despite pressure from the host to draw information on his separation, Kizz Daniel remained tight-lipped on the matter.

    In simple terms, he explained that “nothing happened, life happened.”

    He was, however, quick to add that his children are healthy and happy as they are receiving the best care.

  • Akuapem Poloo apologises to fans over ‘fake life’ on social media

    Akuapem Poloo apologises to fans over ‘fake life’ on social media

    Actress, Rosemond Alade Brown, popularly known as Akuapem Poloo, has officially rendered an apology to the youth, particularly her fans.

    This is due to her deceptive social media lifestyle, which she thinks has had a bad impact on some young people including those who may look up to her as a role model.

    Akuapem Poloo has been known for displaying luxury vehicles as birthday gifts every year. This year, none of these were seen in her post.

    On her 34th birthday celebration, the actress did not flaunt any cars as birthday presents, although she received other gifts such as money and clothes.

    According to her, ignorance and immaturity led to her forging her lifestyle on social media as she was young.

    However, she has changed her ways after realising that such a lifestyle could have a negative impact on the youth, especially those who look up to her as a role model.

    Therefore, she has appealed to all young people and fans to forgive her and mend their ways, just as she has done.

    The actress also revealed that the majority of social media users, particularly celebrities, lie about receiving luxurious cars as birthday presents.

    She made this known during an interview on Prime Morning with host, Roselyn Felli on Friday.

    “People even buy cars for themselves and say that someone has dashed them. It’s crazy, and now the youth are being misled. I’ve regretted it, and if I have ever misled any youth, they should just forgive me,” she pleaded.

    The actress was recently spotted in a dancing video on her page revealing some parts of her body in celebration of her birthday.

    This sparked criticism on social media based on the fact that she is now a Muslim, and the religion frowns upon such behaviours.

    Asked why she did that, she said, “They don’t expect me to cover my skin when I’m talking about skin care products, so how do people see that the skin care product is working on my skin. I’m a brand ambassador for a skin care product, so I had to show my skin.”

    However, she has stated that she has plans on giving birth again, but after marriage, because she does not want her previous mistake to repeat itself.

  • 28-year-old man arrested for Manchester woman’s fatal stabbing

    28-year-old man arrested for Manchester woman’s fatal stabbing

    After a 51-year-old woman was fatally stabbed, a 28-year-old male was detained on suspicion of murder.

    At before 12 p.m. on Friday, Greater Manchester Police received information that a woman had been stabbed on Edge Lane in Droylsden, Manchester.

    She passed away there and there.

    According to the police, the individual was detained on suspicion of murder and is still being questioned.

    Tameside’s district commander, Chief Superintendent Phil Davies, stated: “Our officers have been working around the clock to identify and arrest the responsible party.”

    ‘We have a man in custody, however this is still the early stages of the investigation after a woman’s life was tragically taken and we are in the process of piecing together the full circumstances, and are keeping an open mind.

    ‘Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the victim as well as with the community who have been deeply affected by this incident.

    ‘I understand the nature of the incident will cause concern in our communities, not just in Tameside, but across Greater Manchester.

    ‘As a result, there will be a visible increase of police officers in the area over the coming days and anyone with concerns is encouraged to speak to them.

    ‘We are determined to find answers and bring the person responsible to justice.

    ‘I appeal to anyone who saw or heard anything to come forward and if you have any information that could assist our investigation – no matter how small it may seem – please share it with the police.’

  • Assin North: NDC won’t secure victory by sympathy vote in upcoming by-election – Nana B

    Assin North: NDC won’t secure victory by sympathy vote in upcoming by-election – Nana B

    National Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has cast doubt on the possibility of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to secure the Assin North seat by sympathy votes.

    Henry Nana Boakye explained that the dynamics in the area is beyond voting for a personality who was ousted from Parliament for engaging in illegality.

    Ahead of the Assin North bye-election on June 27, the NDC is confident of winning the seat after its deposed Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson, declared his intention to contest again.

    This is a big gamble by the opposition party as its candidate is also facing criminal charges in court. If found guilty, Mr Quayson could face 10 years in prison in hard labour.

    But Nana Boakye on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Friday said the NDC is engaging in emotional blackmail by retaining Mr Quayson as its candidate.

    Unfortunately, he said the people at Assin North are very discerning and will not fall for the antics of the opposition.

    He said: “94 percent of the people at Assin North are educated and will not vote because of sympathy. They deserve better.”

    The NPP National Organiser said they have done all ground works and will bring on board a competent candidate to contest the election.

    He charged voters at Assin North to look beyond theatrics and vote massively for NPP to continue the developments in the area.

    In a rebuttal, National Organiser of the NDC, Joseph Yamin, said they have already won the bye-election.

    He said the people of Assin North appreciate the good works of Mr Quayson and will vote massively for him.

    The NDC National Organiser stated that the roads being contracted in the area are not enough to buy the votes of the people.

    Mr Yamin predicted a landslide victory for the NDC at the end of the bye-election.

  • Animal rights activists to shut down Epsom Derby

    Animal rights activists to shut down Epsom Derby

    Animal rights activists will try to’shut down’ today’s Epsom Derby as police issue a disturbance warning.

    In an effort to safeguard the animals, Animal Rising protesters plan to ‘cancel or substantially postpone’ the athletic event.

    In order to sabotage today’s race, the activist group promised to “put their bodies on the line” on Twitter.

    “We are looking to continue the conversation that we started at the Grand National about our broken relationship with animals and nature,” said Nathan McGovern of Animal Rising.

    the line’ in order to disrupt today’s race.

    Nathan McGovern from Animal Rising said: ‘We are looking to continue the conversation that we started at the Grand National about our broken relationship with animals and nature.

    ‘On the ground we are looking to cause the cancellation or severe delay of the event so that everyone in the country has this discussion.’

    A protester called Claudia Penna Rojas told Sky News she would do ‘what’s necessary’ including breaking the law.

    She said: ‘If it means breaking the law, we know that law isn’t always equal to morality and we know that people have had to break laws throughout history to create the change that we need.’

    But Surrey Police has hit back and warned it ‘will not tolerate’ risks to public safety.

    animal rising
    Police officers responded to Animal Rising activists attempting to invade the racecourse at Aintree in April (Picture: PA)

    A spokesperson for the force added: ‘The guiding principles of policing protests are the safety of protesters, the public and police officers involved, preventing criminal behaviour or disorder and de-escalating tensions.

    ‘We do not comment on officer numbers for operational reasons, but our officers are well-trained in responding to protests and will be on hand throughout the day to police the event.

    ‘Where lawful, we will seek to facilitate peaceful protests.

    ‘Any criminal activity or risk to public safety will not be tolerated, and we will take robust action in response to this.’

    The Jockey Club which owns Epsom Downs has been granted a High Court injunction against Animal Rising.

    It fears the protest will endanger participants, racegoers and horses.

    The injunction bans people from going on to the racetrack and disrupting the races.

    Nevin Truesdale, chief executive of the Jockey Club, said today’s security measures would be like none seen before at the race.

    He said: ‘Surrey Police have been and continue to be incredibly helpful and we will have a security operation in place at the Derby festival this weekend will be like no other we have seen in the past.’

    An area near the racecourse entrance has been set side for Animal Rising protesters to demonstrate peacefully.

    Disruption includes intentionally causing objects to enter the racetrack, entering the parade ring, entering and/or remaining on the horses’ route to the parade ring and to the racetrack without authorisation and intentionally endangering any person at Epsom Downs racecourse during the two-day Derby Festival.

    Those breaching the court order may be subject to contempt of court proceedings and fined or jailed.

    Demonstrators made their way onto the track at Aintree in April and disrupted the Grand National event by 10 minutes.

  • Nogokpo shrine threatens to show Agyinasare where power lies if he fails to show up after 14-day ultimatum

    Nogokpo shrine threatens to show Agyinasare where power lies if he fails to show up after 14-day ultimatum

    A chieftain in the town of Nogokpo has explained further why the people of the Volta Regional town are demanding a meeting with Archbishop Dr Charles Agyinasare, founder of Perez Chapel International over derogatory comments about the area.

    A convener of the community, Nufialaga Mawufemor Korbla Nonyigbey, told an Accra-based radio station Citi FM, hours after their June 2 press conference that Agyinasare’s purported apology after the initial uproar was not sincere.

    Speaking on the Citi Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Nufialaga cautioned that there shall be consequences if the clergyman refuses to heed their summons over the matter.

    “If you listen to what Archbishop Agyinasare said on Sunday, it wasn’t an apology. He rather came to justify it and that is where we realised that he’s taking us for granted. Or perhaps he thinks we cannot do anything. This is very disrespectful, he disrespected his wife and looked into our eyes his in-laws and insulted us.

    “No amount of grammar, English can change what he said, and we were expecting him to come out with a sincere apology not for him to come and start speaking grammar to us. We have given him the 14-day ultimatum, if he likes he should come and do the needful if he likes he should refuse. He can decide to refuse, and we shall see who are the controllers of cosmic power. If he doesn’t do the needful we shall use him as a scapegoat,” he threatened.

    He insisted that the views of the Archbishop had cast dark shadow over the community and the region at large and that its implication had extended to economic and marital lengths.

    “What he said has cast a dark shadow on Nogokpo and Volta region, especially with the youth who are struggling to seek jobs and our women who are planning to get married, what he said will affect them psychologically on any means,” he said.

    The Chiefs and people of Nogokpo, in the Ketu South Municipality held a press conference to demand that the clergyman personally meets with them for a peace talks over is widely-reported comments that Nogokpo was the “demonic headquarters of Volta Region.”

    The chiefs expressed their disappointment and called for a resolution to address the harm caused by Agyinasare’s remarks.

    During a sermon at a summit in Accra’s Perez Dome in May 2023, Agyinasare recounted an experience he and his co-pastor had in Nogokpo after attending a crusade in Aflao.

    The Nogokpo Chiefs and community members expressed deep concern over his derogatory statements and demanded an explanation for his lack of remorse during a subsequent sermon on May 28, 2023.

    The Chiefs clarified that Agyinasare’s comments imply that Nogokpo is a hub for wicked and evil individuals in the Volta Region.

    They highlighted the historical significance of Nogokpo, mentioning that Ghana’s first President, Osagyfo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, sought divine assistance from the Thunder Deity, Torgbui Zakadza, in Nogokpo during the struggle for Ghana’s independence.

  • Akufo-Addo honored with top international diplomatic award

    Akufo-Addo honored with top international diplomatic award

    In a ceremony held at the Jubilee House in Accra on May 30, 2023, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo received the highest honor in international diplomatic circles from the World Federation of Consuls, Internationale des Corps et Associations Consulaires (FICAC).

    President Akufo-Addo was presented with the FICAC Gold Star award in recognition of his remarkable contributions to peace, democracy, stability, freedoms, and his invaluable support to the Honorary Consuls in Ghana.

    The FICAC Gold Star award, described by FICAC President Nikolaos K. Margaropoulos as the most prestigious distinction by the World Consular Federation, is bestowed solely upon incumbent Heads of State and holds royal decree recognition in Belgium. 

    It also holds special status recognition from the United States ECOSOG, the Organisation of American States, and the European Union.

    By receiving this esteemed award, President Akufo-Addo joins an elite group of world leaders, including Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Council, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Presidents of Cyprus, Slovenia, the Philippines, and Turkey.

    Notably, this honor has also been bestowed upon Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, who typically declines awards from governments or organizations, but accepted the FICAC’s distinguished honor and offered private audiences in return.

    Expressing his gratitude upon receiving the award, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the distinguished gathering and thanked the attendees for choosing Accra as the esteemed venue for the inaugural Pan-African conference.

    He emphasized the importance of the work carried out by Consuls in Ghana and around the world, highlighting their crucial role in bridging gaps where formal diplomatic presence may be absent.

    The President commended the Consular Corps in Ghana for their active and productive engagement, particularly highlighting their efforts with the Women in Diplomacy committee. He conveyed his deep appreciation for the honour and pledged to continue supporting the Consular Corps in promoting positive relations between Ghana and their respective countries of accreditation.

    Established in Copenhagen in October 1982, FICAC was founded with the aim of bringing together Consular Associations or Corps from across the globe to foster knowledge-sharing, coordination, and effectiveness in enhancing the role of Consuls, the oldest institution serving international bilateral relations.

    President Akufo-Addo’s receipt of the FICAC Gold Star award serves as a testament to his outstanding commitment to peace, and democracy, and fostering strong international relationships, further solidifying Ghana’s position on the global diplomatic stage.

  • Australian soldier found guilty of war crimes

    Australian soldier found guilty of war crimes

    The most decorated war veteran in Australia resigned from his position after a civil court found that he had killed four people illegally while serving in Afghanistan.

    The historic defamation case against publications that accused Ben Roberts-Smith of war crimes was dropped on Thursday.

    It has prompted demands that the 44-year-old’s Victoria Cross medal be taken away.

    In 2021, Mr. Roberts-Smith had taken time off from his position as state manager of Seven West Media to concentrate on the legal matter supported by the firm’s executive chair Kerry Stokes.

    ‘Ben has been on leave whilst the case was running and today has offered his resignation which we have accepted,’ chief executive James Warburton said on Friday in a staff email.

    ‘We thank Ben for his commitment to Seven and wish him all the best,’ Mr Warburton added.

    Mr Roberts-Smith has been fighting the case since 2018 when Australian newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times accused him of killing six people in Afghanistan.

    He argued five of the killings reported by the newspapers had occurred legally during combat, and the sixth did not happen at all.

    queen and ben roberts-smith
    Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II greeted Australian SAS Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith in 2011 (Picture: PA)

    But the judge dismissed the case on Thursday because it was found the articles were substantially true.

    Justice Anthony Besanko found him responsible for four out of the six unlawful deaths he was accused of.

    These included a handcuffed farmer the soldier had kicked off a cliff – a fall which knocked out the man’s teeth, before he was shot dead.

    A captured Taliban fighter who was shot at least 10 times in the back, before his prosthetic leg was taken as a trophy and later used by troops as a drinking vessel.

    Two killings which were ordered or agreed to by Mr Roberts-Smith to initiate or ‘blood’ rookie soldiers.

    It was found the newspapers had not proven two other murder allegations; nor reports Mr Roberts-Smith had assaulted a woman with whom he was having an affair; nor a threat against a junior colleague.

    ben roberts-smith
    Ben Roberts-Smith seen departs the Federal Court of Australia in 2021 (Picture: Getty Images)

    Allegations he unlawfully assaulted captives and bullied peers were found to be true.

    Media lawyer Justin Quill said Mr Roberts-Smith’s lawyers would have been shocked by the extent of his loss.

    ‘Ultimately there is a judge’s finding that he committed four murders and that’s about as bad as you could possibly get,’ Mr Quill said.

    ‘I’d say even in his worst nightmares he didn’t expect yesterday to go quite as badly as that.’

    Speaking outside the Federal Court in Sydney, the news outlets that exposed Mr Roberts-Smith called the judgement a ‘vindication’ for their reporting.

    ‘It’s a day of justice for the brave men of the SAS who stood up and told the truth about who Ben Roberts-Smith is: a war criminal, a bully and a liar,’ said investigative reporter Nick McKenzie, who wrote the stories alongside Chris Masters and David Wroe.

    ‘[And] today is a day of some small justice for the Afghan victims of Ben Roberts-Smith.’

    Mr Roberts-Smith remains under police investigation for criminal prosecution for war crimes.

    He is the first person charged with war crimes from Australia’s 20-year campaign in the Middle East country.

    The Australian government refused to comment on the case.

    A Taliban spokesperson said the case was proof of ‘uncountable crimes’ by foreign forces in Afghanistan, but added they did not trust any court globally to follow them up.

    Minor Greens Party Senator David Shoebridge, said Mr Roberts-Smith should be stripped of his honours and the Australian War Memorial should remove memorabilia including portraits, medals and a uniform display.

    ‘At a minimum, we should be seeing action by the Australian War Memorial to remove the display that is now there for Ben Roberts-Smith. His uniform and his medals, which thousands of people will attend tomorrow to view and witness,’ Mr Shoebridge said.

    ‘The Australian War Memorial has an obligation to tell the whole truth about Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan,’ he added.

    The civil court context could be added to the Roberts-Smith display, the memorial confirmed.

    The whole case which lasted 110 days was rumoured to have cost up to A$25 million ($16.3 million, £13.2 million).

    More than 40 witnesses – including Afghan villagers, a government minister and a string of current and former SAS soldiers – gave evidence.

  • Car accident at Nyinahin injures 15 people

    Car accident at Nyinahin injures 15 people

    Approximately fifteen people were critically injured in a minibus collision near Akorabokrom, near Nyinahin, in the Ashanti Region.

    Eyewitnesses reported that both vehicles were traveling at high speed on a rainy night along the Kumasi-Bibiani Road when one of them lost control, leading to the collision according to a myjoyonline.com report.

    This accident is the second occurrence within a week at the same location, raising concerns about road safety and the need for enhanced measures to prevent such incidents.

    A journalist reported that people standing by assisted in transporting some of the critically wounded individuals to the Nyinahin Government Hospital.