According to local authorities, remains discovered inside a crocodile in Australia are thought to belong to a 65-year-old fisherman who went missing over the weekend.
Although the remains have not yet been officially identified, Queensland police said in a statement on Wednesday that search and rescue efforts for the missing man—named Kevin Darmody by CNN affiliates—had been suspended.
On Saturday, wildlife officials from the Department of Environment and Science (DES) were fishing on the Kennedy River in Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, northeast Queensland, when they came across two sizable crocodiles upstream from the location where Darmody was last seen.
The two crocodiles were 4.1 meters (13.5 feet) and 2.8 meters (9.2 feet), police said in a statement. According to DES, the “vast majority” of attacks are carried out by crocodiles larger than two meters (over six feet).
Human remains were found within one of the crocodiles, though police officers believe both were involved in the incident with Darmody, the statement added.
Queensland police, the state emergency service and a Queensland government rescue helicopter had been searching for Darmody since police received reports of his disappearance on Saturday.
Detective Acting Inspector Jason Chetham had speculated onMonday that it was possible that Darmody had been dragged into the water by a large crocodile.
“It could have happened, for sure,” Chetham said, according to CNN Affiliate 9 News. “There was a noise, a loud yell, and then the sound of the water splashing.”
“It’s a national park and there are wild animals up there, wild crocodiles,” he added. “Obviously that’s one of the possibilities.”
DES notes that crocodiles can be found in the rivers, creeks, swamps, wetlands, waterholes and along beaches of Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, which is home to both estuarine or saltwater crocodiles and relatively shy freshwater crocodiles.
The park, about 340 km (around 211 miles) northwest of Cairns,is one of six main areas of estuarine crocodile conservation in Queensland.
Locals urged others to be careful of getting too close to the water.
“This happened to an extremely croc-aware person so stay away from the water’s edges,” one person posted on a local community Facebook page, according to CNN affiliate 7 News. “Don’t take anything for granted.”
Queensland is no stranger to crocodiles and the dangers they can pose. In March, Queensland authorities warned residents to avoid crocodile-infested waters after record-breaking floods.
Ace Ghanaian broadcaster, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, has entreated the media to partner relevant stakeholders to monitor the social media space, especially during the election period.
This, she said, is to ensure that social media is not used as a tool to propagate violence or disseminate misinformation in the country.
“It is true that most ideas generated in the public space are about sports, culture, fashion, gossip and commerce, etc. but we know for a fact, however, that in an election season, many more will use social media to articulate their views on politics.
“We don’t need new laws to regulate social media but the GJA working with all the relevant stakeholders can monitor the public sphere and promote key ethical considerations for reflections,” she said.
She made the remark at an event held on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in commemoration of International Press Freedom Day.
This year’s celebration was held on the theme: “Shaping a Future of Rights; Freedom of Expression, A Driver For all Human Rights for Ghana’s Development.”
While acknowledging the important role social media plays in ensuring freedom of speech, she stressed on the need to ensure that the tool is not used to undermine the peace and stability in the country.
“Increasingly, social media has assumed prominence and high patronage in Ghana; a challenge that goes beyond the GJA and which must be of paramount interest to all of us,” she said.
A communication platform such as social media is persuasive, and often works to change or influence opinions when it comes to political views because of the abundance of ideas, thoughts, and opinions circulating through the platform. It is also a tool that enhances free speech given its global accessibility.
In view of this, she entreated the media to find ways to deal with “the excesses of social media especially in approaching the election year.”
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has refrained from passing judgment on former Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, following the leaked Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mini (IMCIM) report.
Jinapor noted that it would be “undignified” on his part to judge the Professor, who is his predecessor in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey). He added that Ghanaians would be in a better position to pass any judgment on the report, as well as the work of the defunct Frimpong-Boateng-led IMCIM, which operated between 2017 and 2021.
“I think it will be most unfair to the Professor…if I’m to stand here to speak against his work, that will be so undignified and I cannot do that,” Jinapor said at a press briefing organised by the Information Ministry in Accra on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.
The release of the report, authored by Frimpong-Boateng, who was the Chairman of the defunct IMCIM, has been controversial. The report contains a list of government officials and party faithful from both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who were either involved in illegal mining or interfered in the fight against the activity during the Professor’s tenure.
NPP stalwart Gabby Asare-Otchere Darko, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and former CEO of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, are among those accused of involvement in illegal mining or interference in the fight against it. Asare-Otchere Darko has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Professor over the allegations.
While acknowledging that there may be shortcomings associated with the report, Jinapor noted that it also contains valuable information that the government can adopt in the fight against the menace.
“The report cannot be sacrosanct. It has to be interrogated. It has to be examined, and as I said, those parts that can be adopted should be, and those parts that should be jettisoned should be. What is important is that we remain focused and do the work of the good people of Ghana,” he said.
Regarding calls for persons mentioned in the report to be sanctioned, Jinapor urged persons with evidence to submit it, so that the necessary actions can be taken against anyone found culpable of the claims in the report.
“If there is evidence that anybody is involved in illegal mining, the full force of the law must be brought to the person. So the most important thing is evidence, and I believe that the security agencies are very wide awake and picking intelligence. We cannot win this fight if we begin to pick and choose,” he added.
After militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at Israel late on Tuesday, following the passing of a well-known Palestinian hunger striker in an Israeli prison, Israel launched attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Following an 87-day hunger strike, former Islamic Jihad spokesman Khader Adnan passed away on Tuesday while being held in Israeli custody.
In response, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fighter jets attacked a military post, a weapon storage facility, a training facility, and a weapon manufacturing site that belonged to Hamas, the militant organization that controls Gaza. The group also used the cement manufacturing facility to maintain its infrastructure. The IDF reported that dozens of rockets were fired from Gaza into the early hours of Wednesday.
The Israeli military said 104 rockets were launched from Gaza, including 24 that were intercepted by Israel and 48 that fell in open areas. The IDF said it hit 16 targets in Gaza, saying “we attacked everything we wanted tonight.”
Sirens sounded into the early hours of Wednesday morning in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip and rockets could be heard and seen being launched from the coastal enclave, according to CNN’s team in Jerusalem and Gaza.
“The strike was carried out in response to the rocket launches from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory earlier today, this strike significantly harms the capabilities and prevents further weapon acquisition capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said.
On Wednesday morning, Islamic Jihad announced that “a round of confrontations” had ended with Israel, according to the militant group’s spokesperson Tariq Selmi.
Israeli military spokesperson Richard Hecht said there was no official ceasefire with Hamas but “messages have been passed.”
Earlier, the Israeli military said that after an assessment of the situation, “and following the directives of the Home Front Command, it was decided to return to the normal routine fully.”
A man looks at a car damaged by a rocket from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on May 2, 2023.Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
Adnan, 45, had been on hunger strike since his arrest on February 5 and was found dead in his cell on Tuesday, according to the Israeli Prison Service.
Adnan had been detained at least 11 times since 2004 and his repeated arrests and prolonged hunger strikes had made him a symbol of Palestinian resistance to Israeli detention policies.
His death sparked anger in the West Bank, with protests, a general strike and other Palestinian detainees staging a hunger strike.
The IDF said the Israeli military would hold Hamas responsible for “all terror activities emanating from the Gaza Strip and it will face the consequences of the security.”
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said a 58-year-old Palestinian man was killed and five others injured in Gaza during the overnight hostilities.
Earlier Tuesday in the Israeli city of Sderot, three people were wounded by shrapnel, with one man suffering serious injuries, emergency services said.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been in touch with Egypt, Qatar and the UN about the strikes, according to a Hamas statement early Wednesday morning.
“Haniyeh holds the occupation responsible for the consequences of continuing this brutal aggression,” the statement read.
Adnan is at least the seventh Palestinian detainee to die on hunger strike in an Israeli prison since 1970, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society told CNN.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of carrying out a “deliberate assassination… by refusing his request to release him, neglecting him medically and keeping him in his cell despite the seriousness of his health condition.”
Israel has not yet returned Adnan’s body to his family, his lawyer Jamil Al Khatib told CNN by phone. His family has requested that there should not be an autopsy and that the body be given to the family for burial, the lawyer added.
Adnan’s widow pleaded for non-violence in the wake of his death.
“Not a drop of blood was spilled during the prisoner’s previous hunger strikes, and today we say with the rise of the martyr and his accomplishment of what he wished for, we do not want a drop of blood to be spilled,” Randa Musa said, adding that it was too late for arms to help him.
A once pellucid water bodies bustling with aquatic fauna and flora lie lifeless in an unusual murky-brown colour.
Satellite images taken by The Independent Ghana from Google Earth show a disturbing destruction done to two natural water bodies located in the Ashanti Region; namely Oda River and Ofin River.
Pocket of craters dot across the landscape, discharging polluted liquid into the rivers that meandered it way through communities.
It seems the havoc being wreaked by illegal mining activities popularly referred to as Galamsey across Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies is at its crescendo.
The Oda River, a source of water supply to the inhabitants of Obuasi Municipality and beyond, is still suffering from heavy pollution.
Illegal mining is ongoing in the river right at the pumping station of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) at Watereso in the Amansie South District of Ashanti.
The Ofin River is an easterly-flowing waterway in Ghana. It flowed through the Tano Ofin Reserve in Ghana’s Atwima Mponua District.
But now it is almost like a stagnant water after losing out on the characteristics of good water – it is opaque, has color, and definitely has an odour.
According to the Forestry Commission, ‘galamsey‘ is threatening 34 of the country’s 288 forest reserves.
This comes at a time when government’s fight against the menace has been questioned following a report put together by the former chairman of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal mining (IMCIM), Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, accusing government officials of engaging in the menace.
The report by Prof Frimpong-Baoteng raised concerns over permits given to mine in some forest reserves and buffers.
Speaking at a press conference on the state of Ghana’s Forest Reserves, the CEO of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey said the level of devastation in the affected reserves is dire.
“34 out of 288 reserves have been affected. These are areas we have significant illegal mining. The total area mapped is about 4,726.2 hectares. This is only the size of the surface, some of these impact is fully in whole. And they excavate lots of materials that will impact the forest. It’s not only the size but the impact on our water bodies and the depth of the holes created. A lot more would have to be done to be able to reclaim the land,” he stated.
Images from Davido and Chioma‘s court wedding have gone viral on social media after months of rumors, guesswork, and searching for video footage and this has got netizens talking.
Though Davido had earlier confirmed during an interview with a radio station that he was now legally married to Chioma, when and where the official event took place has since been a mystery.
Consequently, images of the pair when they finally tied the knot in court have surfaced online, and seeing the couple look so beautiful as they said I do was a beauty.
Check out the post and reactions below:
@milly_posh21: “Congratulations all the best.”
@odikus56: “In all it’s David I feel so sorry for. Dealing with the delusional baby mamas & more to come. Dude needs a vasectomy! He will & can’t ever stop cheating, but can he stop procreating with desperate women!”
@hairpalaces: “Who come go frame am put for house like dis ?? Nigerians.”
@zikoraaaaa: “Where are the people that said he married her only traditionally? Congratulations once again my Faves.”
@jennifer_chy1: “They both deserve so much love. I hope they take care of each other. David if I hear pim!”
@ogesandra: “It’s a Forever thing.” @8patrice5: “This really made me smile God please protect their union.”
@chi.victor.5095: “Congratulations to both of them…but how come there was no single news of it….no paparazzi, Nawa oo.”
@fidelisbrown_: “This Davido and Chioma marriage be like script always. This girl is a beautiful Igbo woman I don’t think she can proudly say am married. Because everything is secrecy which I think is downgrading her self-esteem. Kindly marry a man that is proud to show everything to the world as it’s done. If I were her family member she will walk away if the guy is not serious with us.”
Here is a little bit about Davido you didn’t know
David Adedeji Adeleke was born November 21, 1992 who is popular known as Davido, is an American-born Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer.Davido was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria; he made his music debut as a member of the group KB International. Davido studied business administration at Oakwood University before dropping out to make beats and record vocal references. He rose to fame after releasing “Dami Duro”, the second single from his debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo (2012), from which six additional singles—”Back When”, “Ekuro”, “Overseas”, “All of You”, “Gbon Gbon” and “Feel Alright”—were taken. In 2012, Davido won the Next Rated award at The Headies. Between 2013 and 2015, he released the hit singles “Gobe”, “One of a Kind”, “Skelewu”, “Aye”, “Tchelete (Goodlife)”, “Naughty”, “Owo Ni Koko”, “The Sound” and “The Money”.
In January 2016, Davido announced on Twitter he had signed a record deal with Sony Music and a few months later, he founded the record label Davido Music Worldwide, to which acts Dremo, Yonda and Peruzzi are currently signed. In July 2016, Davido signed a record deal with Sony’s RCA Records and in October the same year, he released the five-track Extended Play (EP) Son of Mercy, which was supported by the singles “Gbagbe Oshi”, “How Long” and “Coolest Kid in Africa”. In April 2017, Davido re-negotiated his contract with Sony due to creative control issues and later that year, he released five singles including “If” and “Fall” “If” generated worldwide social-media activity while “Fall” became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. Davido released his second studio album A Good Time in November 2019; it was supported by the previously released singles “If”, “Fall”, “Assurance”, “Blow My Mind” and “Risky”.
In 2019, New African magazine listed Davido as one of the 100 most-influential Africans. His third studio album, A Better Time was released on November 13, 2020, and in February 2021, he appeared on Time magazine’s Time 100 Next List. Davido released Timeless, his fourth studio album, on March 31, 2023. He is a cultural ambassador for Nigeria and a prominent voice of human rights in Africa. He is also one of the most-followed African artists on Instagram and Twitter.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has begun engaging key stakeholders of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to inform them about his intention to run for the presidency, DGN Online can report.
He has informed the Majority Caucus in Parliament of his decision to contest the governing party’s presidential primaries when nominations are opened later part of May.
Dr. Bawumia reportedly made his intention known in a private engagement of a heavily attended Majority Caucus of Parliament meeting held in the evening of Tuesday, May 2, 2023.
He has gone ahead to carve message which reads “Unity and perseverance. Together we can succeed. It is possible”.
Already, over 100 Members of Parliament (MPs) have declared their support for Dr. Bawumia who had been heavily tipped to win the NPP presidential primaries for the 2024 general election. According to him, he is ready to work with all MPs to win majority seats in Parliament and top it up with the presidency. Accompanied by his spokesperson, Dr Gideon Boako, with Nana Akomea, former Communications Director of the party also at the meeting, the Vice President delivered his message after which he took questions from the MPs who appeared satisfied.
The MPs believe the second gentleman of the land is the one who can help the governing party achieve its objective of “breaking the 8”.
On Tuesday 4 April 2023, Dr. Bawumia gave the strongest indication yet that he will be contesting the flagbearership race in his bid to lead the NPP for 2024 general elections.
In a post he made on Facebook page, Vice President drew a link between what seems to be his presidential ambition with a Biblical verse, Matthew 19:26. Dr Bawumia posted a picture which had the Ghana flag at the left and the NPP’s flag at the right with the inscription “It Is Possible” at the top of the two flags.
This attracted several comments and shares on the social media platform with most people asking him to officially declare his intention.
NPP has set November 4, 2023, as the date for its presidential primaries to select a flagbearer for the general election in 2024.
However, if more than five candidates file to run in the primaries, the party will hold a Special Congress on August 26 to cut the number to five for the main primaries.
But about 10 people have so far declared their intention to contest the NPP presidential primaries including former Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen, MP for Assin Central Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, former Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, former Minister for Energy Boakye Agyarko, former Minster for Railway Development Joe Ghartey, former General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong and former MP for Mampong, Francis Addai Nimoh.
The nomination period for the presidential primaries will begin on May 26 and end on June 24, 2023.
The party has also announced that parliamentary primaries will be held in February 2024.
Nominations will be accepted between December 20, 2023, and January 4, 2024.
This means NPP will choose its Presidential Candidate before its parliamentary candidates.
Former Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has claimed that the government will need to raise about $10.5 billion by the end of the year to save the economy from collapsing.
Giving a breakdown, he explained that the government plans to receive $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and bilateral or multilateral donors each.
However, he noted that the government is currently unable to determine where exactly it would raise the remaining $4.5 billion to ensure full recovery.
“The expectation is that 3 billion (dollars) will come from the IMF. Another 3 billion (dollars) from bilateral and multilateral donors. The other 4.6bn (4.5bn) sic. Government has no clue where that will come from. We are in distress, major economic distress. We have gone beyond an economic crisis,” he told JoyNews.
With respect to receiving support from the IMF, the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, asserted that Ghana would only be able to access the money in July of this year.
He did not provide reasons for this assertion, however, he said “I do not foresee an IMF closing until July 2023.”
Government has failed to meet the deadlines it has provided to receive assistance from the Fund. Government had predicted March but failed to see to it.
The Fund is currently unable to release the funds to Ghana due to the country’s inability to receive financial assurance from creditors who are to provide assurances they will restructure its debt as a condition of signing off on the loan.
According to the IMF, until this is done, it would not be able to provide the credit facility.
In view of this, economic experts are projecting that Ghana would receive assistance from the IMF by May this year.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has said a memorandum of understanding with official creditors and an agreement in principle on Eurobond restructuring are expected by July, with a 2030 Eurobond partially guaranteed by the World Bank included in the restructuring.
Ghana began formal engagements with the IMF in July 2022 and reached a staff agreement in December of that year.
In response to rumours about her alleged failed marriage, Ghanaian media personality Oheneyere Gifty Anti has expressed sadness at the magnitude of attacks she has received.
Earlier, when social media was buzzing with news of Gifty Anti and her husband, Nana Ansah Kwao II’s purported separation, the popular media personality took to Facebook to react.
In the comment section of one of her defender’s posts on Facebook, Gifty Anti dispelled the claims, while insinuating that she is still experiencing a beautiful marriage.
Subsequently, in an interview on Joy Prime monitored by GhanaWeb, she has thrown more light on the subject.
Halfway through the conversation ahead of the unveiling of her book ‘When Strong Women Cry’, the host asked, “Are you separated? Did you throw your husband out of the house?”
Gifty Anti, laughing out loud, answered, “Should I call him for you? We have decided to talk at the appropriate time. It’s not the first time this had happened and obviously, I am the target. The people talking about me do not know me. They don’t know anything about me. So, what should I do? Go round telling everybody about it? I stay focused because these things can derail me. I am hurt, and disappointed”.
Gifty Anti, however, stated that in as much as she has been persecuted several times for being a feminist, she often reminds herself that these struggles come with the journey.
“It is difficult to really speak your truth these days, especially with all the attacks going on and because you are a strong woman and a feminist. This journey we are on, if you are not careful, you will be fighting and saving the world whiles you will be in a mess.
“In my book, there is a story of a woman who is saving the world but meanwhile there is pain. This woman became diagnosed with depression because she was out there saving people,” she added.
Gifty Anti is a Ghanaian media personality, women’s rights activist, and television host. She gained popularity as the host of the TV show “The Standpoint,” which focuses on women’s issues in Ghana.
In 2015, Gifty Anti made headlines when she got married to Nana Ansah Kwao IV, the Chief of Edumasa, a town in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The marriage was widely publicized because of the couple’s significant age difference; Gifty Anti was 45 years old at the time, while her husband was 40 years old.
Their wedding ceremony was a traditional ceremony known as “Kente weaving,” which is a Ghanaian cultural practice. The couple has since been very private about their personal life, and there have been no public reports of any issues in their marriage.
Gifty Anti and her husband have been vocal advocates for women’s rights in Ghana, and they continue to use their platform to promote gender equality and empowerment.
However, Gifty Anti was undeterred and saw her marriage as an opportunity to challenge gender stereotypes and inspire other women to pursue their dreams, regardless of societal expectations. She continued her advocacy work after her marriage, and her husband also became an advocate for women’s rights.
Gifty Anti and Nana Ansah Kwao IV have been married since 2015 and have a daughter together. Their marriage has continued to inspire and empower women in Ghana and beyond.
Ghanaians however must note that it is important to be cautious about believing rumors and gossip without concrete evidence, as they can be harmful and damaging to individuals and their families. It is always best to wait for verified information from credible sources before drawing any conclusions about someone’s personal life.
According to officials, eight children have perished when a 14-year-old teenager allegedly started shooting in his elementary school in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
According to the ministry, the 14-year-old student was allegedly targeting his own school and has since been taken into custody.
The department said in a statement on Facebook that it was informed at 8.40 a.m. local time (2.40 a.m. ET) that a school shooting had occurred at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in Vračar, an upscale area of the Serbian capital.
“All available police patrols were dispatched to the scene, where they immediately went onto the school grounds and apprehended a minor, a seventh-grader who is suspected to have fired several shots from his father’s gun at students and the school security guard.
“The wounded are being administered medical care, while the police work to establish the facts and circumstances that led to this incident,” the ministry statement said.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Tanjug is no longer a government-owned news agency.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has accused an independent candidate in the Kumawu constituency, Kwaku Duah of being a “greedy individual” who lied to the electorates and has stabbed the NPP in the back.
According to Wontumi, Kwaku Duah had initially claimed that he was contesting the 2020 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate because of the lack of development in the constituency, which he blamed on the then-sitting Member of Parliament, Philip Basoah. However, after Basoah’s death, Duah’s decision to still run as an independent candidate, could at best be described as an act of betrayal.
He added that after Basoah’s death, Kwaku Duah had no reason to continue contesting as an independent candidate.
“After the death of Basoah, there is so much development in the community …these are the things that the 2020 independent candidate, Kwaku Duah…he claimed that he was an NPP member who was alleging that because of Basoah, there is no development so that is why he was contesting as an independent candidate to convince people.
“But now that Basoah is dead. Initially, he said it is because of Basoah that he contested, but after his death, he shouldn’t have contested as an independent candidate, but after his death and you still insist that you want to contest as an independent candidate, then it means that what you told Kumawu is all lies. You are a greedy person, who lied because NPP opened nominations, you couldn’t come forward to beg for forgiveness, but still, he is moving around that he is an NPP member,” he said.
Chairman Wontumi, added that he has declared that Kwaku Duah is no longer a member of the NPP.
“As the regional chairman, I am declaring that he is not an NPP member, all NPP members report to me, and I am the servant to all the NPP members. Kwaku Duah is no more an NPP member, he is like Judas Iscariot,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kwaku Duah has vowed not to step down no matter the juicy offer from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to him, his decision to contest the seat is to save the future of the youth in the constituency who supported him from day one when they challenged him to contest in 2020.
Asked on Kumasi-based Angel FM if the leadership of the NPP had approached him to step down, Kwaku Duah sharply replied, “It won’t work, they have been calling but that is not going to work”.
Affirming his stance, Kwaku Duah stressed that the NPP is going to get a shock of their lives as there is going to be a replica of what happened in the Fomena constituency where the independent candidate was declared the winner.
“I want to make it clear that, what is happening in Kumawu is a replica of what happened in Fomena in 2020”, he said.
In the latest onslaught on the vast criminal network, European police conducted raids early on Wednesday in many different European nations as part of an investigation into the Calabrian Mafia.
A significant European operation went undertaken this morning across numerous nations. It relates to a case that the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office began in conjunction with the Limburg Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Judicial Police, Eurojust, Europol, and numerous nations, most notably Italy, according to a statement from the office.
In a four-pronged investigation into allegations of “mafia-type association,” Italian officials detained 108 persons in Italy, according to a statement released by the Carabinieri on Wednesday.
The arrests were carried out by the Carabinieri Ros and the Provincial Command of Reggio Calabria in Italy in conjunction with raids carried out in Germany, Belgium, France, Portugal, Romania and Spain, the Carabinieri statement said.
In a joint release Wednesday, public prosecutors from German cities said, “forces from Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland” have been involved in the “large-scale operation,” which took place across Europe on Wednesday.
In Belgium, more than 20 raids were carried out as part of the operation, the statement from the federal prosecutor said.
The ‘Ndrangheta, which is based in the southern Italian region of Calabria, is considered to be the most powerful mafia group in the country.
Italian authorities targeted the Calabrian clan in a historic trial in January 2021, when more than 320 suspected mobsters and their associates faced an array of charges, including extortion, drug trafficking and theft, Reuters reported. An Italian judge later found 70 defendants guilty, in what became one of Italy’s largest-ever mafia trials, according to Reuters.
In February, Italian police also arrested a mobster associated with the ‘Ndrangheta, who had been on the run in Saint-Etienne, France, where he was working under the alias Paolo Dimitrio as a pizzaiolo – or pizza chef – at the Caffe Rossini Italian restaurant.
Edgardo Greco, 63, was convicted in absentia in 1991 for the double homicide of brothers Stefano and Giuseppe Bartolomeo, who he is alleged to have killed with iron bars before dissolving their bodies in acid, according to court documents. He had evaded Italian law enforcement officials since his conviction.
Just weeks before Greco’s arrest, authorities in Palermo stunned many around the world when they apprehended Matteo Messina Denaro, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra superboss who had been on the run for 30 years.
Messina Denaro had been a fugitive since 1993 and was considered by Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, to be one of the most wanted men in Europe.
A 25-year-old lady identified as Martha Wiafe is alleged to have died in her boyfriend’s room under bizarre circumstances in Atwima Agogo in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The family of the deceased has caused the arrest of the said boyfriend who is currently at the Abuakwa police station to help with investigations.
Father of the deceased Elder Isaac Wiafe who is in shock wonders what could have led to the demise of her daughter.
So far there is no indication the family was aware of the type of relationship that existed between the lady and her boyfriend.
Mr. Wiafe is expecting the police to unravel what caused his daughter’s death but is suspecting foul play.
“I heard my daughter has passed on somewhere. When I was called I was told she died somewhere, so I asked them to verify if it was true or not, and they came with the sad news”.
“I asked my kids to go and report to the police, so the police will take action. I was told she died at a place called Agogo Kofase, the gentleman she died in his room is with the Abuakwa police assisting with the investigation. The investigation will confirm how she died”, he revealed to Kumasi-based Silver TV
Meanwhile, the mother of Martha who cannot bear the pain is calling on President Akufo-Addo to intervene and ensure that the perpetrator is brought to book.
“I want the young man killed too, I can’t bear this, and my daughter is to bury me, why should she die now? This is unacceptable” she wailed.
A relative of the deceased reveal the young lady in question died Sunday but it was kept away from relations until Tuesday.
25-year-old woman dies in boyfriend’s room; family suspects foul play
A 25-year-old woman identified as Martha Wiafe is alleged to have died in her boyfriend’s room under mysterious circumstances in Atwima Agogo in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
A well-known Nigerian music video director, ThankGod Omori Jesam, also known as TG Omori, has advised women not to date “broke” men.
According to him, ladies should not allow themselves to be bullied into getting into relationships with broke men.
Omori added that the choice of choosing a partner is a personal decision, and as such, ladies should make that choice based on their plans.
He made this known via a tweet on Sunday.
“Your choice of partner is a personal decision don’t let them bully you into dating a broke person in the name of gold-digging. Look your life well and plan your aesthetics,” his tweet read.
Omori was reacting to the “gold-digging” slurs against materialistic women on social media by Internet trolls.
Meanwhile, Dating broke men is a personal choice and can have both advantages and disadvantages. While some people may prioritize financial stability in a partner, others may value qualities such as kindness, intelligence, and humor over money. Here are some things to consider when dating a broke man: Advantages: He may be more down-to-earth and appreciate simple pleasures. He may be more creative in finding affordable date ideas. He may be motivated to work hard and improve his financial situation. Disadvantages: Financial stress can be a major source of tension in a relationship. He may not be able to provide the lifestyle or experiences you desire. He may feel inadequate or emasculated if he can’t provide for you financially. If you do decide to date a broke man, it’s important to have open and honest communication about your expectations and financial situation. This can help avoid misunderstandings and resentment down the line. It’s also important to keep in mind that financial stability can change over time, so the situation may not be permanent. Ultimately, the decision to date a broke man should be based on compatibility, shared values, and mutual respect rather than just financial status.
TG Omori, also known as Boy Director (born ThankGod Omori Jesam) is a Nigerian music video director and cinematographer.TG Omori has directed music videos for recording artists across various genres of new generation, includes Olamide, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tekno, Kiss Daniel, Fireboy DML, Falz Timaya, Naira Marley, Asake and many others.
Early life
ThankGod Omori Jesam, hails from Cross-River State in Nigeria. Omori grew up in Agungi, Lagos State, Nigeria from a middle-class background. He started directing at 15 while overseeing stage plays in his school and church. Omori was advised by his dad to be a waiter at a restaurant since nothing was going well for him at that time. Omori started making videos at the early age of 16, but took it up professionally at 20 after graduating from PEFTI Film Institute, making him the youngest professional filmmaker in Nigeria at the time. He always said that the camera is just a tool, not the main creator.
Career
In 2019, TG Omori was responsible for around half of the videos on the summer 2019 charts Count down on MTV, Soundcity, and Trace.He directed videos for numerous musicians, including a controversial song by Naira Marley “Am I a Yahoo boy”, “Totori” by Olamide & Wizkid, and “Soapy” by Naira Marley which won viewers Choice at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. In 2019, he won video director of the year at City People Entertainment Awards and directed two videos in top 10 most viewed Nigerian music videos of 2019.
In 2021, a video for the North African remix featuring ElGrande Toto was released on 4 November 2021. It was shot in Lagos and was directed by TG Omori, it surpassed 34 million views after a month of release on YouTube.
Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John M. Allotey, has stated that thirty-four (34) of the country’s forest reserves are under threat to illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Majority of these reserves under threat, he said were in the Ashanti region.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the Information Ministry on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, he noted that out of the 16 regions of the country, seven have been experiencing some form of illegal mining.
“Out of this, thirty-four reserves have been affected. These are areas where you have significant illegal mining. The total area that has been mapped is about 4, 722 hectares of forest lands have been impacted. But then this is only the surface. Some of these impact results in very deep holes and they excavate a lot of materials that will also impact on the forest,” he said.
According to him, the total forest cover gazetted to serve as reserves and habitats of wildlife is gradually shrinking as a result of illegal mining activities.
In his submission, John Allotey explained that forest areas such as Tano Nimiri, Bonsa River, and Apamprama Forest Reserves, in the Western North, Western and the Ashanti Regions, have been heavily impacted by the menace.
He further added that as a Commission they try their best to flash out illegal miners in some of the forest reserves, but there are some areas being mined with rented armed guards who end up fighting them back.
“We have three forest reserves that have been classified as a the most difficult areas, these places are having active illegal mining happening and they have rented security and they are in the Bekwai forest district,” he added.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, indicated that the government remains resolute in fighting the illegal mining menace in the country.
Below is a list of some forest regions impacted by galamsey activities;
Nkawie Forest Region (Jimira, Tano Offin South, Offin Shelterbelt, Asenanyo)
Bekwai Forest Region (Oda River, Denyau, Bomsontwe Range, Apamprama, Subin Shelterbelt, Supuma)
Mankranso Forest Region (Desiri)
Asankregua Forest Region (Tonton, Fure River, Totua)
The scheme, according to him, will afford Ghanaians the opportunity to purchase locally manufactured and assembled vehicles under the Ghana Automotive Development Policy.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Rana Motors KIA vehicle assembly plant in Accra on May 2, President Akufo-Addo was optimistic that the scheme will improve demand for vehicles and gain traction for components and kits produced domestically.
“Government will continue to engage in discussions that will lead to the expansion of the market for domestically assembled vehicles at the regional and continental level to drive demand and create the necessary traction for assemblers to transition into complete knockdown assembly which will be supported by components and kits produced domestically to feed into the supply chain”
President Akufo-Addo said government has thus far shown committed through the implementation of the zero-rating of Value Added Tax (VAT) on the sale of domestically assembled vehicles.
“This means that there is no VAT on the sale of domestically assembled vehicles even to the end-user as part of efforts to make domestically assembled vehicles affordable”
He further lauded the efforts of Rana Motors Limited who is believes has significantly contributed towards Ghana’s private sector and government’s industrialization agenda even in the wake of the current economic challenges.
President Akufo-Addo however said the state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to produce some 30,000 vehicles annually with the opportunity to further increase.
The Rana Motors KIA vehicle assembly plant is located at Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality of Greater Accra.
The plant is a landmark achievement that marks the roll out of the first generation of KIA vehicles assembled under the Ghana Automotive Development Policy of the government.
Meanwhile, the vehicle assembly plant currently employs about 50 workers and offers indirect employment to about 300 persons.
Asset-Based Vehicle Financing Scheme is a financing program that enables individuals or businesses to purchase vehicles through a loan that is secured against the vehicle itself. The scheme is designed to make vehicle ownership more affordable and accessible for those who may not have the financial means to purchase a vehicle outright.
Under this scheme, the lender provides financing to the borrower to purchase a vehicle, and the vehicle itself is used as collateral for the loan. This means that if the borrower defaults on the loan, the lender can repossess the vehicle to recover their investment.
The Asset-Based Vehicle Financing Scheme can be used to purchase a variety of vehicles, including cars, vans, trucks, and buses. The financing terms typically range from one to five years, depending on the type of vehicle and the borrower’s creditworthiness.
The benefits of this scheme include lower interest rates, flexible repayment terms, and the ability to own a vehicle without having to pay the full cost upfront. This makes it an attractive financing option for individuals and businesses who need vehicles for personal or commercial use.
However, it is important to note that taking out a loan to purchase a vehicle also comes with risks. Borrowers should ensure that they can afford the monthly payments and that the vehicle they are purchasing is a sound investment. It is also important to choose a reputable lender and carefully review the terms and conditions of the financing agreement before signing on the dotted line.
The main advantage of ABVFS is that it allows individuals and businesses to purchase vehicles without having to provide any other form of collateral. This makes it easier for people who may not have other assets to secure a loan. In addition, the interest rates on ABVFS loans are generally lower than those on unsecured loans, since the lender has some security in the form of the vehicle.
Another advantage of ABVFS is that it allows individuals and businesses to purchase vehicles that may be too expensive to buy outright. Instead of having to save up for years to purchase a vehicle, individuals and businesses can finance the purchase and pay for the vehicle over time.
According to reports, a fresh volley of Russian missiles launched into the Caspian Sea after experiencing “technical malfunctioning.”
Three rockets were fired towards Ukraine from a Tu-95MS, one of Vladimir Putin’s Soviet nuclear bombers.
According to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, which cited a military source in Moscow, the purported error might have caused them to strike Russian residential buildings.
’It was very lucky that they fell right away,’ said the Russian general staff source.
Russia’s Tu-95MS strategic bomber landing during exercises held by the country’s strategic nuclear forces (Picture: Reuters)
‘They could have flown a little further and fallen on residential buildings, killing a lot of people.
’If we don’t figure out the reasons for the fall of the missiles, then such a tragedy is a matter of time.’
Russia has been regularly firing cruise missiles at Ukraine from over the Caspian Sea, killing civilians in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv and Odesa.
There has already been much speculation about the malfunction, which caused further embarrassment to Putin’s army.
The source claimed the cause of the failure may be Western sanctions, forcing makers to use inferior components.
Other causes could be ‘negligence in the assembly’ or theft of components to flock on the black market.
This incident comes after two bombs unleashed from a Russian Su-34 mistakenly slammed into Belgorod city, close to the Ukrainian border.
Iurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Ukraine, said recently that Russia is firing its missiles from the Caspian Sea because of their unreliability.
The ‘freelance descent of aviation munitions’ in Belgorod last week was not the first.
An explosion in such a large city was impossible to hide, so Russia had to admit the mistake, he stressed.
‘Why are they allowed to launch from the Caspian Sea?’ Mr Ihnat added. ‘Because a rocket fired from a war plane does not always start and fly to its target.
‘It just falls. It’s easier when it falls into the Caspian Sea than somewhere in Russia, on the head of Russians.’
According to her, women organizers of the NPP are also citizens who have the right to work and earn a living.
“I deliberately contributed by engaging 550 women organizers and I tell you, I will not apologize for it. They are also Ghanaians and they need jobs”, she boldly stated on the GTV Breakfast Show when Thelma Tackie asked if she played a role in the politicization of the school feeding program
However, Madam Djaba maintained that the current workforce of school feeding caterers is around 30,000 and it includes sympathizers of other political parties.
School feeding caterers embarked on a nationwide strike on April 26, 2023, over the government’s failure to pay arrears owed them and increase the amount per child.
She called on all actors involved in the School feeding programme to be committed in working efficiently to achieve the objectives of the programme.
Meanwhile, The Greater Accra regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Divine Otoo Agorhom has apologized and assured caterers of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) of government’s resolve to soon settle its indebtedness to them.
He hinted that the government was working in consultation with relevant stakeholders and partners to release the arrears owed them to enable them to pay their creditors.
At a conference and inauguration of the Tema West Women Wing of the NPP on Sunday, Mr. Agorhom who acknowledged the turbulent economic trajectory owing to some external factors, appealed to the caterers to continue cooking for the school children whilst the government takes urgent steps to address their legitimate concerns.
According to him, the issue of delay in the payment to the caterers was attributable to the time-consuming processes involved in data collation on the work of the caterers before payment but assured that the process was being expedited as managers of the programme shared in their plight.
“At the last engagement with the ones who are in charge, there’s a formula, there’s a way of putting the data together to determine who’s done what and who’s deserving of how much and that processes take a lot of time but I think we’ve over delayed it and the attention now is to speed up the process and get the women paid so that they will be able to also pay their creditors”, Mr. Agorhom stated.
As the role of women in society and the governance process cannot be underestimated, Mr. Agorhom lamented that the delayed payment to the women was not deliberate as the government was making a conscious effort to navigate its way through the myriad of economic challenges it had been saddled with.
Strategising to break the 8 in next year’s general elections, Greater Accra Regional First Vice Chair of the NPP, Joana Frances Ada encouraged the women to eschew any form of internal wrangling and character assassination among themselves and rather unite with a common front to help retain the NPP in power in 2024.
She said the frenzy, energy, and resources devoted to health walks and fun games should henceforth be channeled into propagating the good works of the ruling NPP government in the face of global and national economic crises to enable the people decipher any misinformation against the NPP.
Ms. Ada advised the women to be in touch with the people right from now ahead of the elections and not wait until the eleventh hour as they may receive the disapproval and resentment of the people at that point.
Tema West constituency women organiser, Mary Ennoo pledged her readiness and strategy to lead a campaign to rally the support of the people to vote for the NPP but hesitated to disclose their strategies for a reason to keep their opponents in the dark.
Russia has sent a new symbolic message to the West by parading a nuclear missile through Moscow that is capable of striking any location in Europe.
As part of Thursday’s practice for the nation’s annual Victory Day celebrations next month, the RS-24 Yars intercontinental missile drove through the streets of the capital with convoys of armored vehicles and marching troops in tow.
Putin will use what is often a day of commemoration for the nation’s World War II dead to stir up enthusiasm for his hampered invasion of Ukraine for the second year in a row.
But he has been forced to scale back the show of force amid security threats and embarrassing reports of equipment and personnel shortages.
Russia’s Yars ICBM was driven through the streets of Moscow (Picture: Reuters)
Several regions near the Ukrainian border have cancelled their parades, citing fears of disruption or attacks by defenders.
But the Atlantic Council think tank says generals ordered two of the cancellations as they didn’t have enough tanks to put together an impressive convoy.
The official explanations have also been marred by inconsistencies.
One Russian air commander claims to have uncovered a plot by Ukrainian forces to harass parades in Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk – while simultaneously insisting that Russia’s air defences were impenetrable.
Yuri Knutov also suggested the drones could affect Moscow’s parade – but the Kremiln has repeatedly insisted the event in the capital will go ahead.
British intelligence chiefs say the day will also lay bare a ‘sensitive communications challenge’ for the Russian government.
Putin is said to be desperate to avoid any focus on the number of Russian soldiers dying in Ukraine – a closely guarded secret the Kremlin has refused to comment on for months.
In an update earlier this month, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘Putin couches the ‘special military operation’ in the spirit of the Soviet experience in World War Two.
‘The message risks sitting increasingly uneasily with the many Russians who have immediate insights into the mismanaged and failing campaign in Ukraine.
‘Honouring the fallen of previous generations could easily blur into exposing the scope of the recent losses, which the Kremlin attempts to cover up.’
A Russian freight train that was allegedly transporting oil and building supplies to the battle lines in Ukraine was derailed by an explosive device.
Several carriages are seen on fire and running off the tracks in the Bryansk region of Russia, less than 40 miles from the border, in video footage that was apparently taken shortly after the attack at around 10.20am local time today.
Later footage depicts the fire being put out and the carriages being nearly completely destroyed.
Military supplies have already been sent to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine using this method.
Local governor Alexander Bogomaz said there had been no injuries.
Russian authorities claim the border region, between Belarus to the west and Ukraine to the south, has witnessed repeated attacks since February of last year.
The explosion also comes as Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Leningrad Oblast, claimed on Telegram that a separate act of sabotage had destroyed key power lines outside of St Petersburg.
Mr Drozdenko added in his statement that the FSB, Russia’s federal security service, were investigating the incident.
He did not say which group authorities believe to have been responsible.
More than 14 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine is preparing to stage a significant counteroffensive against Putin’s forces with the aid of munitions, armoured vehicles and tanks supplied by Western allies.
Intelligence chief Major-General Kyrylo Budanov recently hinted Ukraine had been directly behind many of the acts of sabotage on Russian soil.
He said: ‘Much of this is no accident. Something is constantly on fire [in Russia]. Signalling equipment on railways, it lights up several times a day, on various highways constantly for two to three hours, sometimes five to six hours, traffic gets suspended.
‘Clearly it doesn’t just happen like this… I would put it this way: money works wonders.’
As his accuser took the witness stand again, former President Donald Trump‘s motion to declare a mistrial in his civil rape case was rejected.
On Monday morning, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan denied the motion to throw out the lawsuit filed by columnist E Jean Carroll. Trump’s attorney Tacopina said that Kaplan had rendered “pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings” against his client.
Tacopina requested Kaplan to alternatively “correct the record for each and every instance in which the Court has mischaracterized the facts of this case to the Jury” in a letter that was submitted earlier in the day. Tacopina pleaded with the judge to “give the Defendant’s counsel more freedom to cross-examine Plaintiff and her witnesses.”
In addition, Tacopina wrote that his questions to Carroll that the judge labeled ‘argumentative’ were actually ‘well-established and accepted’ ways to conduct cross-examination.
Ex-President Donald Trump has not appeared in the rape trial (Picture: Shutterstock)
Carroll returned to the stand just after Kaplan denied the motion for a mistrial. It is her third day testifying and second day facing cross-examination. She told Tacopina that she was born in 1943 and is ‘a member of the silent generation’.
‘Women like me were taught and trained to keep our chins up and to not complain,’ said Carroll.
Tacopina asked Carroll why she decided to sue Trump and not former CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves, whom she alleges sexually assaulting her in an elevator. Carroll unveiled accusations against Trump and Moonves in her 2019 book. Carroll responded that Trump, whom she claims raped her in a department store dressing room, called her a ‘scam’ while Moonvoes did not.
‘He didn’t call me names,’ Carroll said on Moonves. ‘He didn’t grind my face into the mud like Donald Trump did.’
Carroll in her sexual assault and defamation suit is seeking unspecified damages and for Trump to retract his comments.
Trump has not yet appeared in court for the trial and is not required to.
Former Gender Minister under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Otiko Afisa Djaba has disclosed the relationship between her and the Akufo-Addo-led governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
In 2018, she was removed as Minister of Gender, Children and Special Protection and reassigned as Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy.
However, she willingly declined the new position and resigned even before her tenure began, explaining that she wanted to take a break from politics.
This many interpreted as a frosty relationship between her and President Akufo-Addo.
Speaking on GTV’s breakfast show on May 2, 2023, Otiko Djaba said “Akyea, embue3” to wit “Crooked but not broken”.
“I have nothing to be peeved about, I have so much joy about my party and I’m very proud of them. Akyia, emmu y3! But we must be serious and understand that it is a privilege to be in this position, you will never get it again. Out of the 30 million Ghanaians, you have been given the single privilege to take Ghana to the next level.” she said.
The Fromer Women’s Organiser of the NPP also expressed her disappointment with the current government’s lack of urgency in addressing issues affecting Ghanaians. In her view, the government needs to do better in its decision-making and take responsibility for the state of the economy.
“I am very angry with my government. That issues like this, in terms of the caterers, prompt action is not being taken,” she said.
“When 1 million people give their votes to you, you must do the right thing by them. This is not about politics, this is about the development of the people, with the people. Giving them the necessary information. Where you cannot meet them, talk to them. They are human beings; they will understand because the NPP is a listening government. These are serious times and we need serious decisions to be taken.
“Food prices are like that all over the world, it’s not only Ghana but why are you a leader? You are a leader to solve the problems,” she added.
Sit up! – Otiko Djaba descends on government#INDNews Iyanya | BREAKING NEWS | Mudryk | Kusi Boateng | Chad Boswick pic.twitter.com/fs4PmQ4HKB
A major fire at an oil store in Russian-controlled Crimea was started by a drone strike, prompting a harsh response from a top Ukrainian official.
Pictures taken yesterday morning after a drone struck a fuel storage facility in Sevastopol showed enormous plumes of smoke rising from the location.
While they have been known to use euphemisms to celebrate explosions at Russian military sites in Crimea, Ukrainian officials rarely take credit for them.
More than 10 tanks of oil products with a capacity of about 40,000 tonnes intended for use by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet were destroyed, according to Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence.
Mr Yusov did not say that Ukraine was responsible for the explosion, but instead described the blast as ‘God’s punishment’ for Russian strikes in Ukraine on Friday.
He said: ‘This punishment will be long-lasting.
‘In the near future, it is better for all residents of temporarily occupied Crimea not to be near military facilities and facilities that provide for the aggressor’s army.’
Ukrainian official Andriy Yusov said the drone attack was ‘God’s punishment’ (Picture: Reuters)
In a daily update on Facebook, the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said units had hit ‘two depots of fuel and lubricants, two air defence systems, one artillery unit and another important enemy target,’ but gave no more details.
Russia had launched a wave of airstrikes in cities across Ukraine on Friday, killing at least 23 people in the city of Uman.
Kyiv and Donetsk also came under attack by Russian missiles, leaving family homes devastated.
Mr Yusov’s comments suggest the oil depot drone strike was in response to those attacks.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would do all it could to ensure that those responsible for the attack on Uman are held accountable as soon as possible.
Donetsk came under attack on Friday, leaving family homes devastated (Picture: Reuters)
He said in an evening video address: ‘You are all terrorists and murderers and you must all be punished.’
Moscow has accused Kyiv of sending waves of aerial and seaborne drones to attack the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
According to the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, no one was injured in the strike and Russian firefighters managed to ‘prevent a catastrophe’ by putting the fire out.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, wrote on Telegram: ‘According to preliminary information, the fire was caused by a drone hit.
‘The enemy… wanted to take Sevastopol by surprise, as usual, by staging a sneak attack in the morning,’
President Zelensky labelled Russian forces ‘terrorists and murderers’ in a video address after the drone attack in response to the bombing of Uman (Credits: REUTERS)
He also said it ‘became clear that only one drone was able to reach the oil reservoir,’ after experts examined the site.
Another drone was downed and its wreckage was found on the shore near the terminal, Mr Razvozhaev added.
Ukraine’s forces lack longer-range missiles that can reach targets in places such as Sevastopol, but has been developing drones as an alternative method of attack.
The strike came as Ukraine prepares for a long-promised counter offensive to push Russian forces back from territory they seized since invading in February last year.
Ukraine says control of all its legal territory, including Crimea, is a key condition for any peace deal.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said on Telegram that air defence and electronic warfare forces on Saturday shot down two drones over the region.
A massive car crash involving 72 vehicles in Farmersville, Illinois, Monday morning left at least six people dead and 37 people injured, police said.
The survivors, whose ages ranged from 2 to 80 years old, were taken to local hospitals with various injuries, some of whom are said to be in critical condition.
The Illinois State Police issued a statement explaining that the collisions occurred simultaneously on northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 55 at Milepost 76, within a two-mile stretch from roughly Milepost 76 to Milepost 78. The statement also revealed that all six fatalities occurred in the northbound lanes, with one decedent identified as 88-year-old Shirley Harper of Franklin, WI. The Montgomery County Corner’s Office is working to identify the other five individuals and notify their families.
Several of the vehicles involved were tractor-trailers, and at least two of them caught fire. The lanes remained closed through the afternoon and into Tuesday morning. “Once the interstate is clear of all vehicles, the Illinois Department of Transportation will have to inspect the roadway before it is re-opened,” the police said.
State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick attributed the cause of the crash to a windstorm that generated clouds of dust, leading to zero visibility. “The cause of the crashes is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway, leading to zero visibility,” Starrick said.
The director of emergency services in Montgomery County, Kevin Schott, described the accident as a “very difficult scene” and said it was “very hard to train for.” He explained that emergency workers had to search every vehicle, whether involved in the accident or just pulled over, to check for injuries. He also stated that those involved were visibly and understandably upset.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker described the scene as “horrific” and expressed his concern for the safety of motorists navigating the dangerous conditions. “I am closely monitoring the horrific situation at the Macoupin and Sangamon County line on I-55. My team is in constant communication with the Illinois State Police, Department of Transportation, and Emergency Management Agency to ensure the safety of motorists as they navigate dangerous conditions,” Pritzker wrote in a statement.
The incident highlights the need for drivers to exercise caution in adverse weather conditions, including strong winds and poor visibility. The Illinois State Police have urged motorists to stay off the roads during such conditions to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Meanwhile, Drivers are speaking out following fatal crashes due to a dangerous dust storm in central Illinois late Monday morning, which led to the deaths of at least six people.
“You couldn’t even see,” Evan Anderson, 25, told The Associated Press. “People tried to slow down and other people didn’t, and I just got plowed into. There were just so many cars and semi trucks with so much momentum behind them.”
Anderson said a semi turned before striking his vehicle, which spared him from even more damage.
“The only thing you could hear after we got hit was crash after crash after crash behind us,” Tom Thomas, 43, recalled.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker described the scene as “horrific.”
The Interstate 55 incident, which occurred at around 11 a.m., involved 40 to 60 cars and multiple tractor-trailers, two of which state police said caught fire.
All of those who were killed were in northbound lanes, although more than 30 people on both sides of the interstate were sent to hospitals with injuries.
Those injured had minor to life-threatening injuries, with patients ranging in age from 2 to 80 years old.
Shirley Harper, an 88-year-old from Franklin, Wisconsin, was named as one of the people who perished, according to WISN 12.
Authorities set up staging areas away from the crash site.
Former Women’s Organiser of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) is charging the Akufo-Addo-led government to solve the problems confronting Ghanaians as they have been elected in office to do.
In her view, the government needs to do better in its decision-making and take responsibility for the state of the economy.
“I want to see my government, which I believe in, sit up. It is not about breaking the 8, It’s about solving the problems of the people of Ghana that is why you are elected,” she said.
Djaba’s remarks come in response to complaints from caterers in the Ashanti Region who have expressed frustration with the delay in payment of their arrears and the paltry sum of 97 pesewas granted to children.
She believes that the government must act promptly to address these concerns, as Ghanaians entrusted their future to the NPP when they voted them into power in the 2020 elections.
During an interview on GTV’s breakfast show, Djaba highlighted the need for the government to communicate better with the public and take a more proactive approach to problem-solving.
She urged the government to engage with Ghanaians and listen to their concerns, as they are the ones who ultimately suffer the consequences of poor policy decisions.
“I want to see my government, which I believe in, sit up. It is not about breaking the 8, It’s about solving the problems of the people of Ghana that is why you are elected,” she said.
“I have nothing to be peeved about, I have so much joy about my party and I’m very proud of them. Akyia, emmu y3! But we must be serious and understand that it is a privilege to be in this position, you will never get it again. Out of the 30 million Ghanaians, you have been given the single privilege to take Ghana to the next level.”
The Sudanese civil war erupted again last month, this time originating inside Khartoum, the country’s capital.
The war is thought to have displaced at least 75,000 people.
I count over 65 relatives, aunts, uncles, a great uncle, and my 80-year-old father among them as a British-Sudanese who was spending Ramadan there.
According to their texts, my family’s escapes from Sudan have been difficult, risky, and expensive. My father shared food and water with his cousin and extended family, slept outside, went without a bathroom for six days, and had to ration it.
Having spoken to them, their despair at having to leave is palpable. They look so, so tired. I wish I could reach out and carry them all to a safe bed.
And more than that, I wish the UK government would step up, like they did in Ukraine, and support those caught up in this war.
Despite my family’s plight, they have struggled to get the help they need from British authorities.
Evacuation flights to the UK were announced too late for my father to get to the airfield safely.
They even initially refused boarding to those who didn’t have British passports, despite some being NHS doctors with resident and work permits and others the parents of British citizens.
For me, the subsequent u-turn proves the government could have allowed them to board immediately, but only acted after bad headlines.
I was born and raised in England and now work as a doctor all over the world. I shouldn’t have to battle for my family fleeing war to be allowed a legal – and safe – route to safety in the UK.
The government’s approach seems in marked contrast to last year, when, just a week after Russia’s invasion, the government announced the new Ukraine Family Visa scheme, offering a legal route to enter the UK for family members of British nationals or people with settled status in the country.
Simply having a relative with indefinite leave to remain, a resident permit or even being a UK-based refugee, would qualify any Ukrainian to apply for a no-fee online visa, supported by a free-of-charge telephone helpline.
I feel qualified to ask Suella Braverman exactly what, in her government’s eyes, is the difference between a Sudanese person fleeing war and a Ukrainian person fleeing war? (Picture: Javid Abdelmoneim)
Having worked in Ukraine from March to July 2022. I agree that those fleeing that war needed all the help they could in reaching safety.
After 17 days of war in Sudan, those of us hoping for a similar scheme have been left disappointed.
Instead, Home Secretary Suella Braverman went on a media round to confirm not only that no legal means would be made available but that any Sudanese arriving by small boat would be detained and could be removed to Rwanda.
She said that ‘the situation is very different to Ukraine’.
Take it from someone who has worked in conflict zones, war is war no matter where in the world it takes place.
Choosing to leave your home is never the easy option. I see the strain of that decision haunting my cousins’ faces this week, much as I have seen it in my patients’ faces in Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, Tigray and indeed Ukraine when I worked in those wars.
So given my experience, I feel qualified to ask Suella Braverman exactly what, in her government’s eyes, is the difference between a Sudanese person fleeing war and a Ukrainian person fleeing war?
Watching Braverman roll out tired cliches about helping those caught up in conflict was infuriating.
I was born and raised in England and now work as a doctor all over the world. I shouldn’t have to battle for my family fleeing war to be allowed a legal – and safe – route to safety in the UK (Picture: Javid Abdelmoneim)
Arguably, the UK has more of a connection to Sudan, as the former colonial power in Sudan, which achieved independence only when my dad was 14 years old in 1956.
That is not ancient history, rather living memory. Dad studied, married my mother and raised his family in Cambridge. His is just one of thousands of stories of Sudanese with strong links to the UK.
For me, denying Sudanese people the same support we extended to Ukrainians, is just another element of the grim reality of racism in the UK.
That reality is evident in the Windrush scandal, in the events at Yorkshire Cricket Club, in NHS maternal health outcomes and in reports like Lady Casey’s into the Met Police.
Whatever the reason behind this breathtaking double standard, the outcome for Sudanese people is in no doubt.
As I write, my cousins are languishing at border crossings, with no prospect of finding safety at my side.
I believe more Sudanese will drown at sea trying to flee war.
It doesn’t have to be this way – it is on all of us in the UK, no matter our background, to challenge the reality of racism wherever we meet it.
For the sake of my family and so many others, I need the UK to do more to help Sudanese people, just as we helped Ukrainians.
No matter what Suella Braverman says, these are comparable situations.
Bullets don’t differentiate between nations, and nor should we.
Having spoken to them, their despair at having to leave is palpable. They look so, so tired. I wish I could reach out and carry them all to a safe bed.
And more than that, I wish the UK government would step up, like they did in Ukraine, and support those caught up in this war.
Despite my family’s plight, they have struggled to get the help they need from British authorities.
Evacuation flights to the UK were announced too late for my father to get to the airfield safely.
They even initially refused boarding to those who didn’t have British passports, despite some being NHS doctors with resident and work permits and others the parents of British citizens.
For me, the subsequent u-turn proves the government could have allowed them to board immediately, but only acted after bad headlines.
I was born and raised in England and now work as a doctor all over the world. I shouldn’t have to battle for my family fleeing war to be allowed a legal – and safe – route to safety in the UK.
The government’s approach seems in marked contrast to last year, when, just a week after Russia’s invasion, the government announced the new Ukraine Family Visa scheme, offering a legal route to enter the UK for family members of British nationals or people with settled status in the country.
Simply having a relative with indefinite leave to remain, a resident permit or even being a UK-based refugee, would qualify any Ukrainian to apply for a no-fee online visa, supported by a free-of-charge telephone helpline.
I feel qualified to ask Suella Braverman exactly what, in her government’s eyes, is the difference between a Sudanese person fleeing war and a Ukrainian person fleeing war? (Picture: Javid Abdelmoneim)
Having worked in Ukraine from March to July 2022. I agree that those fleeing that war needed all the help they could in reaching safety.
After 17 days of war in Sudan, those of us hoping for a similar scheme have been left disappointed.
Instead, Home Secretary Suella Braverman went on a media round to confirm not only that no legal means would be made available but that any Sudanese arriving by small boat would be detained and could be removed to Rwanda.
She said that ‘the situation is very different to Ukraine’.
Take it from someone who has worked in conflict zones, war is war no matter where in the world it takes place.
Choosing to leave your home is never the easy option. I see the strain of that decision haunting my cousins’ faces this week, much as I have seen it in my patients’ faces in Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, Tigray and indeed Ukraine when I worked in those wars.
So given my experience, I feel qualified to ask Suella Braverman exactly what, in her government’s eyes, is the difference between a Sudanese person fleeing war and a Ukrainian person fleeing war?
Watching Braverman roll out tired cliches about helping those caught up in conflict was infuriating.
I was born and raised in England and now work as a doctor all over the world. I shouldn’t have to battle for my family fleeing war to be allowed a legal – and safe – route to safety in the UK (Picture: Javid Abdelmoneim)
Arguably, the UK has more of a connection to Sudan, as the former colonial power in Sudan, which achieved independence only when my dad was 14 years old in 1956.
That is not ancient history, rather living memory. Dad studied, married my mother and raised his family in Cambridge. His is just one of thousands of stories of Sudanese with strong links to the UK.
For me, denying Sudanese people the same support we extended to Ukrainians, is just another element of the grim reality of racism in the UK.
That reality is evident in the Windrush scandal, in the events at Yorkshire Cricket Club, in NHS maternal health outcomes and in reports like Lady Casey’s into the Met Police.
Whatever the reason behind this breathtaking double standard, the outcome for Sudanese people is in no doubt.
As I write, my cousins are languishing at border crossings, with no prospect of finding safety at my side.
I believe more Sudanese will drown at sea trying to flee war.
It doesn’t have to be this way – it is on all of us in the UK, no matter our background, to challenge the reality of racism wherever we meet it.
For the sake of my family and so many others, I need the UK to do more to help Sudanese people, just as we helped Ukrainians.
No matter what Suella Braverman says, these are comparable situations.
Bullets don’t differentiate between nations, and nor should we.
Djaba’s remarks come in response to complaints from caterers in the Ashanti Region who have expressed frustration with the delay in payment of their arrears and the paltry sum of 97 pesewas granted to children. She believes that the government must act promptly to address these concerns, as Ghanaians entrusted their future to the NPP when they voted them into power in the 2020 elections.
“I am very angry with my government. That issues like this, in terms of the caterers, prompt action is not being taken,” she said.
“When 1 million people give their votes to you, you must do the right thing by them. This is not about politics, this is about the development of the people, with the people. Giving them the necessary information. Where you cannot meet them, talk to them. They are human beings; they will understand because the NPP is a listening government. These are serious times and we need serious decisions to be taken.
“Food prices are like that all over the world, it’s not only Ghana but why are you a leader? You are a leader to solve the problems,” she added.
During an interview on GTV’s breakfast show, Djaba highlighted the need for the government to communicate better with the public and take a more proactive approach to problem-solving. She urged the government to engage with Ghanaians and listen to their concerns, as they are the ones who ultimately suffer the consequences of poor policy decisions.
Djaba also emphasized that her comments were not based on personal grievances but rather a desire to see the NPP regain the trust of Ghanaians. She believes that the government’s focus on political gains has caused them to lose sight of their responsibility to the people. Djaba urged the government to prioritize the needs of Ghanaians over political interests and take decisive action to solve the challenges facing the country.
In her view, food prices are a global issue, but the government has a duty to lead by example and find solutions to the problem. Djaba stressed the importance of taking a serious approach to governance and called on all government officials to be proactive in addressing the issues facing Ghanaians. She believes that the government must focus on developing the country and winning back the trust of Ghanaians, rather than simply seeking to retain power.
Djaba also encouraged the government to view challenges as opportunities to think creatively and outside the box. She urged them to embrace criticism and use it as a tool for self-improvement. Djaba believes that by taking a proactive approach to governance, the government can regain the trust of Ghanaians and work towards building a better future for the country.
“I want to see my government, which I believe in, sit up. It is not about breaking the 8, It’s about solving the problems of the people of Ghana that is why you are elected,” she said.
“I have nothing to be peeved about, I have so much joy about my party and I’m very proud of them. Akyia, emmu y3! But we must be serious and understand that it is a privilege to be in this position, you will never get it again. Out of the 30 million Ghanaians, you have been given the single privilege to take Ghana to the next level.
She highlighted the need for the government to take a more proactive and responsive approach to governance. She believes that the government must prioritize the needs of Ghanaians and work towards building a better future for the country. Djaba’s comments are a call to action for all government officials to put the interests of Ghanaians first and work towards finding lasting solutions to the challenges facing the country.
The 70-year-old Kwesi found the daughter he had at 25 but had not seen since, and it took him his entire life to reach the point where all of his emotional barriers broke down.
It took 70-year-old Kwesi a lifetime of emotional defences to finally break down and reconnect with his long-lost daughter, Ruth. At 25, Kwesi was faced with a difficult decision after having a child out of wedlock with a woman of Black race. Due to strong moral issues surrounding such relationships at the time, Kwesi was forced to give his daughter up for adoption.
Despite the circumstances, Kwesi never gave up hope that one day he would be able to find his daughter. His belief became a reality after 45 years when he finally reunited with Ruth. The best part of the story was that while Kwesi was searching for his daughter, Ruth had also been looking for him. It didn’t take long for both of them to become overwhelmed with emotion and just sit back in wonder at having found each other.
During their first meeting, Kwesi opened up to Ruth, telling her how much she had been on his mind for a long time. He reassured her that it wasn’t her fault and that he had always wanted to find her and tell her who she was. Ruth, on the other hand, was speechless and tried hard to hold back her tears. It was clear from the striking resemblance between the two that they were indeed father and daughter.
Kwesi would later find out that Ruth had made an effort to keep her Ghanaian identity in her family by naming one of her sons by his native name, Kwabena. It was heartwarming to see how much Ruth valued her heritage and was able to keep it alive within her family.
This story highlights the importance of never giving up hope, even when faced with difficult circumstances. Kwesi’s belief that he would one day find his daughter kept him motivated and eventually led to their reunion. It also shows how important it is to embrace one’s identity and heritage. Despite being raised by a different family, Ruth still had a strong connection to her Ghanaian roots and was able to pass it down to her children.
Furthermore, this story brings to light the struggles that people of mixed-race and those who have children out of wedlock faced in the past. It’s important to acknowledge these struggles and work towards a more inclusive and accepting society where people are not judged by their race or family situation.
In conclusion, Kwesi and Ruth’s reunion after 45 years is a heartwarming reminder of the power of hope and the importance of embracing one’s identity. It’s a story that shows us that it’s never too late to reconnect with loved ones and that love knows no boundaries.
Kwesi’s story is a reminder of the power of love and the importance of family. It shows how deeply societal stigmas and cultural biases can impact people’s lives and tear families apart. But it also highlights the resilience of the human spirit and the unbreakable bond between parent and child. For Kwesi, the long-awaited reunion with his daughter brought closure and allowed him to finally let go of the pain and sadness that had haunted him for so many years.
For 70-year-old Kwesi, finding his daughter after 45 years was a dream come true
The story of Kwesi and Ruth is not only about the love between a father and his daughter. It is also about the resilience of the human spirit and the power of hope.
The Inspector-General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare, was amazed after a watching a stage play in tribute of Ghanaian actor and the Commercial Manager of GhanaWeb, Ekow Blankson.
The recent staging of “A Detective Calls” at the National Theatre was not only a showcase of talent but also a touching tribute to the late Ekow Blankson.
After the staging of the classic George Quaye adaptation of J.B Priestly’s “An Inspector Calls,” in honor of the late Ekow Blankson the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo-Dampari promised a protocol slot for any member of Ekow Blankson’s family willing to join the Ghana Police Service at the next police recruitment.
The play featured a stellar cast, including Fred Amugi, Akofa Edjeani, Jackie Ankrah, Naa Ashorkor, Fiifi Coleman, Roland Adom, Andrew Tandoh Adote, and many more. The stage set up was rich, lavish, and relevant to the status of Mr. Osei Poku, one of the play’s central characters played by Roland Adom of Charterhouse Ghana.
The attendance at all four showings was impressive, with some very important people in attendance, including the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Heads of Business, religious institutions, diasporans, and many more.
However, the promise made by the IGP was the highlight of the night during post-event conversations.
The protocol slot promised to any member of Ekow Blankson’s family at the next police recruitment is a fitting tribute to his memory. The promise also highlights the IGP’s commitment to honoring fallen Ghanaian heroes and their families. It is a noble gesture that will go a long way in providing support and recognition to the family of Ekow Blankson.
Overall, “A Detective Calls” was a touching tribute to Ekow Blankson and a celebration of talent and creativity in Ghana’s arts industry. The promise made by the IGP will ensure that his legacy lives on and that his family receives the recognition they deserve.
After a fuel storage tank was allegedly attacked by a drone, a large fire broke out in Sevastopol, a city in the Crimean peninsula that is currently under occupation.
The port city’s newly-installed governor from Moscow, Mikhail Razvozhayev, shared images and videos of the fire on his Telegram channel.
According to Mr. Razvozhayev, the fire received the highest rating for its likely difficulty in putting out.
He did not say whether the drone he cited as causing the fire was Ukrainian.
The Russian-appointed governer of the occupied peninsula confirmed the attack on Telegram (Picture: AP)
The fire was still burning but it had been contained and no one was injured, he said.
No casualties had been reported as a result of the oil reservoir fire and fuel supplies would not be hindered by the blaze, he added.
Russian forces are reportedly requesting addtional manpower to help extinguish the blaze, including aerial firefighters.
‘The four fuel tanks that were hit, they are practically burnt out already,’ Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram, adding an area of 1,000 square metres (11,000 square feet) had been engulfed in flames.
‘The situation is under the control of our firefighters and all operative services.’
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considered illegal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country is seeking to reclaim the peninsula during Russia’s current full-scale invasion.
Ukrainie has not claimed official responsibility for the attack (Picture: AP)
The incident comes a day after Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at Ukraine, killing at least 23 people.
Almost all of the victims died when two missiles hit an apartment building. Three children were among the dead.
Crimea is among the most heavily fortified of Russia’s annexed territories, and Sevastopol has been subject to regular attack attempts with drones throughout the conflict, especially in recent weeks.
Earlier this week, Mr Razvozhayev reported that the Russian military destroyed a Ukrainian sea drone that attempted to attack the harbour and another one blew up, shattering windows in several apartment buildings, but not inflicting any other damage.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s armed forces said he did not have any information to suggest Ukraine was responsible for Saturday’s fire.
After previous attacks on Crimea, Kyiv usually stopped short of openly claiming responsibility but emphasised that the country had the right to strike any target in response to Russian aggression.
A man suspected to be a serial killer has killed his wife and inflicted cutlass wounds on his father-in-law, according to a report by Accra-based UTV.
The man, said to be a wife beater, by a witness to the marriage lamented how the deceased had been serially begged to return to her matrimonial home whenever the husband’s actions caused her to leave.
“I was the linguist at their marriage and I have known all the issues that plagued their union,” the witness told reporters stressing that it was unfortunate the role that some clergymen played in begging her each time to return to the abusive husband.
Relatives and friends were gathered at the lady’s home in Nungua wailing over her loss.
Pastor Boafo of Calvary Baptist speaking at the home lamented the death and the circumstances leading to it before calling on government to ensure that justice is served.
“Things are getting worse. The nation must speak. Young people have been left to be committing crime. I beg the nation not to coverup the issues.
“He committed the crime in front of people I know personally, this is not heresy. We beg the government to take action and deliver justice.”
According to some accounts, he killed the wife and committed suicide over her insistence on proceeding with a divorce.
Former Member of Parliament for Ketu South and National General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Kwetey is displeased with the contempt case brought against North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa by Victor Kusi Boateng.
According to the court, the evidence presented by the plaintiff, Victor Kusi Boateng is fraught with inconsistencies and doubt.
It added that the contempt application, therefore, failed to meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
NDC’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey speaking shortly after the ruling said the case was an exercise in futility.
According to the former Ketu South MP, it was an attempt to stop the truth.
“We were absolutely in no doubt at all. We knew that the truth will definitely prevail. It was clearly an exercise in futility. It was a waste of everyone’s time and attempt to stop what we knew was the truth.
“It is sad that the country has been reduced to this as people who are actually doing what is right have to be put through this,” he said.
A motion filed by Rev Kusi Boateng, Secretary to the Board of the National Cathedral sought to have the North Tongu MP, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa restrained and imprisoned for allegedly kicking court documents.
Rev Kusi Boateng, also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, in a contempt summons on Tuesday, February 7, said: “I am informed by my Counsel and verily believe same to be true that this Honourable Court has the power to commit the Respondent to prison for his conduct to protect the whole administration of justice and serve as a deterrent to other persons.”
The process follows claims that the MP kicked a writ being served on him by a court bailiff on Friday, February 3.
However, the court disagreed with the plaintiff and threw out the application.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has pledged to cut the importation of fish into the country.
According to its Deputy Minister, Moses Anim, it will adequately support local fish farmers to boost fish production.
“Let me reiterate that where we are today, with all the challenges of post-covid, the countries that will survive are those that will increase their import substitution. We need to reduce importation of fish”, he said.
He stated that Ghana cannot generate foreign income for the purposes of importing fish.
“I still stand by the word that if you want to import fish, look for your forex to do that. We cannot generate forex in this country and others will use it to go and import. It will mean we would have to increase production in aquaculture here,” he said
Speaking at a Dinner and Awards Night organised by the Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana under the auspices of the Ministry and the Fisheries Commission, Mr. Anim called on researchers and academia to partner industry players in improving the sector.
“I decided to keep some catfish, not for commercial purposes but to learn about the difficulties in the sector. I can say for a fact that experiencing the challenges firsthand has enlightened me. What do we do then? It’s up to us to work together. Academia, researchers and stakeholders need to come together and solve the bottlenecks, remove the hurdles on the way and make sure that cost of production come down,” he stated.
Chairperson of the Chamber for Aquaculture Ghana, Dr. Ruby Asmah indicated the maiden edition of the Aquaculture Awards was to acknowledge stakeholders that have survived the turbulence of the sector and industry players that have contributed to the recovery process.
“This programme is to acknowledge the efforts of people who have worked tirelessly in the sector. The aquaculture sector in Ghana has had its ups and downs and I think the most difficult period was when the disease outbreak occurred in 2018”.
Dr. Asmah said the situation compelled some farmers to go down while others gradually recovered.
“To a lot of people, that appeared to be a critical moment. Some went down and never came up again but others survived. We’re seeing some of them recovering”.
He maintained that there is the need to critically observe players in the industry to support them.
“I was looking at the production figures and I was really pleased to see how that they are going up again. There are people in the background who have worked tirelessly to see the industry progress,” she said.
Joy Business’s Emma Davies was crowned the Aquaculture Journalist of the year 2022.
The contempt case against North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, filed by Rev Victor Kusi Boateng has been dismissed by the High Court.
According to the court, the evidence presented by the plaintiff, Victor Kusi Boateng is fraught with inconsistencies and doubt.
It added that the contempt application, therefore, failed to meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
NDC’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey speaking shortly after the ruling said the case was an exercise in futility.
According to the former Ketu South MP, it was an attempt to stop the truth.
“We were absolutely in no doubt at all. We knew that the truth will definitely prevail. It was clearly an exercise in futility. It was a waste of everyone’s time and attempt to stop what we knew was the truth.
“It is sad that the country has been reduced to this as people who are actually doing what is right have to be put through this,” he said.
A motion filed by Rev Kusi Boateng, Secretary to the Board of the National Cathedral sought to have the North Tongu MP, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa restrained and imprisoned for allegedly kicking court documents.
Rev Kusi Boateng, also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, in a contempt summons on Tuesday, February 7, said: “I am informed by my Counsel and verily believe same to be true that this Honourable Court has the power to commit the Respondent to prison for his conduct to protect the whole administration of justice and serve as a deterrent to other persons.”
The process follows claims that the MP kicked a writ being served on him by a court bailiff on Friday, February 3.
However, the court disagreed with the plaintiff and threw out the application.
It appears that the former Black Stars Captain is a ‘serial benefactor’ and this can be deduced from the gravity of support he has offered others.
Although social media have witnessed a number of celebrities announcing their ‘kind gestures’ to others publicly, some prefer to keep a low profile while helping others who are dear to their hearts.
Asamoah Gyan happens to fall in the category of celebrities who give out without ever posting a single picture on social media.
Interestingly, two astute celebrities have come out to narrate how they have benefited from the footballer’s benevolence.
There could be other ‘celebrity beneficiaries’ the public isn’t privy to.
Let’s take a look at some celebrities who have disclosed how Asamoah Gyan once financially supported them
Earlier in January 2023, Stonebwoy disclosed that Asamoah Gyan took care of the cost of his knee surgery seven years ago.
The dancehall artiste’s right leg was deformed after he was involved in an accident about two decades ago. Reports suggest the same accident took away his twin brother’s life.
Having been limping for many years, the BET award winner finally went under the knife to fix his knee and has now revealed that Gyan paid for the procedure.
“Asamoah Gyan you came through for me around this same time 7 years on. You decided to take my surgery cost, I’m forever Grateful,” he wrote on Twitter.
Nacee
In a recent interview with KofiTV, gospel singer Nacee, disclosed that Asamoah Gyan once came through for him and his former group, ‘No Tribe’, at a time they needed it the most.
He recounted that Asamoah Gyan supported a ‘No Tribe’ concert with an 8,000-dollar donation after he (Nacee) called on him for support.
Nacee made these statements while explaining his reasons for paying homage to the Black Stars player in his popular ‘Boys Boys’ song.
“I mentioned Asamoah Gyan in the song because he had helped me. In 2015 we were preparing for a concert and I was struggling to get money to pay for certain things. Asamoah Gyan gave me $8000. I just want to get the opportunity to meet him once again and say thank you. He is a good person,” he emphasized.
Asamoah Gyan is a Ghanaian professional footballer born on 22 November 1985) and the former captain of the Ghana national team
Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier League club Liberty Professionals scoring ten goals in sixteen matches then spent three seasons with Serie A club Udinese via two loan at Modena netting on fifteen occasions in 53 league matches and at Udinese where he scored 11 times in 39 league matches. In 2008, Gyan joined Ligue 1 club Rennes, netting fourteen times in forty-eight league matches during two seasons. In 2010, Gyan joined Premier League club Sunderland, breaking the club’s transfer record and netting on ten occasions in thirty-four Premier League matches during two seasons
In 2011, Gyan joined Al Ain of the UAE Pro-League on loan and became the league’s top-goalscorer, scoring 24 times in 27 matches. In the following season, Gyan permanently joined Al Ain and once again became the league’s top-goalscorer while he helped Al Ain retain the UAE Pro-League title, scoring an impressive 28 goals in 32 matches. In the 2013–14 season, Gyan scored on 44 occasions in 40 matches with Al Ain.
Gyan is the all-time leading goalscorer of the Ghana national team, with 51 goals.He represented Ghana at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. With 6 goals, he is the top African goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Gyan has also represented Ghana at the 2004 Summer Olympics and in seven Africa Cup of Nations in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, helping them finish in third-place in 2008 and runner-up in 2010 and 2015. He launched his memoir, titled “Legandry,” at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.
According to the White House, 100,000 Russians have perished in the Ukraine conflict since December, including 20,000 of its fighters.
The most recent statistics coincide with an uptick in bloodshed in the nation as Kyiv gears up for a counteroffensive to drive the invaders out of territory they earlier this spring.
The eastern half of the annexation of Donbas, where the Kremlin’s men are still battling to encircle Bakhmut after months of Ukrainian resistance, has seen the most violent fighting.
He did not detail how the intelligence community derived the figures.
They would suggest, however, that Russian losses have accelerated dramatically in recent months.
In November last year, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said well over 100,000 Russians had been killed or wounded since they invaded Ukraine the previous February.
If accurate, the new numbers from the US would suggest the country has reached the same grim milestone in five months as it previously did in eight.
A massive fire erupted at an oil reservoir in Sevastopol, Crimea last week after it was hit by a drone, a Russian-appointed official there reported (Picture: AP)
Mr Kirby said almost half of the fighters lost by Russia since December were Wagner forces, many of whom are convicts released from prison specifically to enter combat.
He described the forces under Wagner command as being ‘thrown into combat and without sufficient combat or combat training, combat leadership, or any sense of organisational command and control’.
In particular, he highlighted the shocking toll for the ‘little town of Bakhmut’, which he compared to some of the bloodiest periods of fighting in the Second World War.
Mr Kirby said: ‘It’s three times the number of killed in action that the United States faced on the Guadalcanal campaign in World War Two and that was over the course of five months.’
He declined to give a figure for Ukrainians killed and wounded, though General Milley said in November that Kyiv had also suffered around 100,000 casualties.
The Kremlin claimed to have dented Ukraine’s imminent counteroffensive in missile strikes this morning, destroying ammunition supplied by the West and hitting key communication links.
Russian defence ministry spokesman Lt-Gen Igor Konashenkov said this morning: ‘As a result of an attack on a train at a railway station near the settlement of Kramatorsk in Donetsk People’s Republic up to 200 tons of Ukrainian ammunition supplies were eliminated.’
One person died in the Kherson region and 34 people – including five children – were injured in Dnipropetrovsk, it was reported.
Two women were also in intensive care, the Dnipropetrovsk RMA said, following the second incident of pre-dawn violence in three days.
Secretary General of TUC, Dr Anthony Yaw Baah speaking during the May Day celebration, cautioned President Akufo-Addo not to touch the pension funds of TUC members.
According to Dr Yaw Baah, one of the priorities of TUC is to protect the pension funds of members from the domestic debt exchange programme.
He said, “We want to once again remind government that the memorandum of understanding he signed on December 22, 2022, stated clearly that all pension funds have been exempted from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme, nothing has changed.”
“So Mr. President please, do not touch our pension funds,” the TUC Secretary General lamented.
Government of Ghana is seeking to revive the economy through a $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.
As part of its efforts to meet the conditions required for the loan, the government introduced a domestic debt exchange programme aimed at varying the terms of existing government bonds.
Government on Monday, December 5, 2022, rolled out a debt restructuring programme to restore its capacity to service its high-rising debt.
Under this programme, all domestic bondholders were charged to exchange their instruments for new ones.
Existing domestic bonds as of December 1, 2022, were exchanged for a set of four new bonds maturing in 2027, 2029, and 2037.
The annual coupons on all of these bonds were set at 0% in 2023, 5% in 2024 and 10% from 2025 until maturity.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) last year December registered its displeasure over government’s intended debt exchange programme, saying the plan when executed will have a negative impact on workers’ pensions.
After a thorough analysis of the Debt Exchange Programme and extensive discussion of its implications, the TUC has come to a firm conclusion that the initiative will negatively impact pension funds of members, and consequently the retirement income security of workers.
Secretary-General of TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, speaking to the B&FT in Accra yesterday at a press conference said: “The TUC and its affiliate National Unions have decided that the pension funds of our members will not be part of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme”.
The TUC is also worried over the lack of engagement with Labour before considering the plan, given that a substantial portion of workers’ pensions is invested in government bonds.
Dr. Baah said the TUC took special notice of the statement by the finance ministry – that the programme is voluntary – and promised its members that they will be fully protected from the programme.
Indeed, the TUC, according to Dr. Baah, has already dispatched a letter to Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta to exempt all pension funds invested in government bonds from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
The letter, dated December 12, 2022, asked the government to – within a week of receiving the letter – announce that all pension funds, including SSNIT, are excluded from the programme.
The letter, which is available to the B&FT, has the TUC concluding that: “the Union will advise itself if government fails to accede to this demand”.
“I would like to remind you that the one-week ultimatum for government to announce the exemption of pension funds from the Debt Exchange Programme will expire on December 19, 2022. We’ll hold another presser on that day to update members and the public on the General Council’s decision, and actions that will be taken in the event that government refuses to accede to our demand to exempt pension funds from the programme,” Dr. Baah disclosed.
He asked workers to get ready to participate fully in any industrial action to protect pensions funds, adding: “Workers will no longer bear the consequences of any IMF-inspired policies. Government is responsible for all the consequences of its decisions”.
The Domestic Debt Exchange Programme
The Domestic Debt operation involves an exchange for new Ghana bonds with coupons of a longer average maturity. Existing domestic bonds as of December 1, 2022 will no longer be exchanged for a set of four new bonds maturing in 2027, 2029, 2032 and 2037.
The annual coupon on all these new bonds according to the MoF, will be set at zero percent in 2023, five percent in 2024, and 10 percent in 2025 until maturity. Coupon payments will be semi-annual, with the programme not affecting individual bondholders.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu has made a new discovery regarding the National Cathedral.
The lawmaker, who has been an avid critic of the project alleging waste of public funds and corporate governance breaches against the project has revealed new details about the project after a trip to the United States.
In a Facebook post dated May 2, the MP revealed that he had applied for and received registration documents of the project from the relevant US authorities.
He observed that there were only three persons listed as board members, one of which is the Executive Secretary of the project Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah and two others, who until date were in no way connected publicly with the project.
Ablakwa wondered why no member of the Board of Trustees back home, some of who are eminent clergymen respected even in the United States were absent from the documentation.
He added that checks at the Washington DC address provided as offices of the project showed that they did not and had never prior operated from the said facility.
“Articles of Incorporation we have secured from the District of Columbia Government’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (corporation’s division) confirm that a nonprofit corporation has been registered known as the “National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc.” (Articles of Incorporation duly attached).
“This National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. received its Certificate of Incorporation with its effective date being May 3, 2021 and signed by Josef G. Gasimov, Superintendent of Corporations, Corporations Division. (See certificate attached).
“It is worthy of note that the name National Cathedral of Ghana and Museum Foundation, Inc. is unmistakably different from what was incorporated in Ghana some two years prior, specifically on the 18th of July, 2019 as the National Cathedral of Ghana.
“Curiously, we have also discovered that none of the prominent Ministers of the Gospel who serve as Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana feature in the articles of incorporation and list of governors as submitted to US authorities.
“The names of governors and authorized persons as contained in the Two-Year Report for Domestic & Foreign Filing Entity are: Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Eric Okyere Darko and Dr. Vernon Darko. (See Report attached).
“In US corporate terms “governor” typically refers to a member of the board of directors,” Ablakwa’s post read in part.
What Ablakwa said about the US address:
Even more shocking, we have discovered that the address provided on both the “National” Cathedral of Ghana website and to US authorities as the official address of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. is absolutely fraudulent.
The advertised address is: National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. 1090 Vermont AVE NW, Washington, DC 20005.
“A personal visit to this address in Washington, DC and thorough verification from managers of the property indicate that the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. has never been a tenant at that address.
“Indeed, none of the offices of the 12-floor apartment building has ever been occupied by the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. or any agency representing this entity. The managers of the property were furious and clear that what was going on was simply criminal.”
The actress claims that despite her repeated requests for her ex-boyfriend to stop, he persisted in forcing himself into a sexual encounter with her.
“I kept saying no, stop it, stop it but he will pin me down to do whatever it is”.
She further narrated that this said boyfriend will rather be smiling and saying “’don’t worry’, and you are kissing whilst I am crying; that means you are a rapist”.
The mother of one recounted this chilling story whilst speaking on the ‘With Chude’ TV show.
“I had to leave that relationship, I had to,” she told the host of the show. “I fought my way out of that relationship because he even locked me up in the house,” she revealed.
In an excerpt of the interview seen by pulse.com.gh, she continued that “he locked me up in the house for some days until my sister Sonia came to find me”.
According to Juliet, the ex-fiancée of Safo Kantanka Jnr, she was scared of the guy because he was thick and tall.
“I was scared because what do I do, this guy was huge, he is taller than me, and imagining someone like this pinning you down. He can raise me up and pin me against the wall. You are against the wall and you can’t do anything,” the actress recounted.
In the video below, she added that the rape happened every day. “It was every day and I am not happy, you seeing that I am not happy but every day. Every day, he wanted to do something, that is rape”.
Juliet Ibrahim did not however disclose who this ex-boyfriend of hers is. She seized the moment to advise women to speak against such forceful sexual encounters if even it is from their husbands.
“In those kinds of cases you can not even explain, who do you go and tell? Who is going to come and fight for you? At that time you are naïve but ladies you can report it now, go and report. if your husband is forcing you to do when you are not in the mood, it is rape”.
Juliet Ibrahim is a Ghanaian actress, film producer and singer of Lebanese, Ghanaian and Liberian descent. She won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2010 Ghana Movie Awards for her role in 4 Play. She has been referred to as the “Most Beautiful West African Woman” according to A-listers Magazine.
Early life
Juliet Ibrahim was born to a Lebanese father and a Ghanaian-Liberian mother. She is the oldest child and has two sisters including the actress Sonia Ibrahim, and a brother. Juliet and her siblings spent the longest part of their childhood in Lebanon and Ivory Coast due to civil wars.[citation needed] She had her primary education in Lebanon, then proceeded to Ivory Coast for her secondary education where she lived with her parents. She studied at the Ghana Institute of Languages, where she studied English, French, and Spanish. She also studied marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations at the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Ibrahim has commented that in Africa she is not regarded as a black woman because of her skin tone, but outside Africa, she is recognized as being black. She objected to the term ‘half-caste’ and said that she was ‘Black and proud of it
Career
Ibrahim made her acting debut in the 2005 film Crime to Christ starring Majid Michel. Her first Nollywood film was Yankee Boys and she has featured in more than 50 films afterward. In 2014 she produced her first film Number One Fan, where she stars as an actress being stalked on by a fan in the film. Her second movie, Shattered Romance, featuring Nigerian and Ghanaian actors, launched amidst fanfare in Accra, Ghana on December 5 2014. Her new TV series; Every Woman Has A Story, where she debuted her directorial skills is airing on Terrestrial TV and her new reality show, The Perfect Assistant, will be unveiled soon. She has also featured in Twi movies, in Yoruba language films, and also in Ladan Aure, a Hausa Language film.
A video of a recently held durbar by the Ga Mantse King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II in the Ga Mantse Palace has the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey kneelling before the King and the Paramount Chiefs of the Ga Traditional Council to beg for clemency
According to reports the minister who doubles as MP for Ayawaso Central Constituency threatened to sue and demand GHC4million in damages over allegations that he had connived with the government to sell lands at Agbogboloshie.
Mr Quartey was accused by the leader of Arise Ga-Dangme, Nii Odaawulu, of agreeing to sell the Agbogboloshie land for the construction of a hostel for Kayayei, a move which was rubbished by many indigenes.
While speaking about the ban on noisemaking ahead of the Homowo festival celebrations, Henry Quartey also addressed the accusations, expressing his sentiments and displeasure.
Following an apology from the Ga Dangme youth group, the Greater Accra Regional Minister decided to seek pardon from the Ga Mantse for his previous comments in their presence.
Speaking at a durbar in the Ga Mantse Palace in Accra to receive the Director-General for UNESCO – H.E. Audrey Azoulay, on 24th April, 2023, Henry Quartey used the platform to apologize to the Ga Mantse and Council.
“Four days ago, I came here and spoke nicely about how people disregard the ban on noise-making. I made a vocal statement, but it seems I went overboard, so I want to stand in public and apologize to Nii because I erred, and I want his forgiveness. I wouldn’t be able to pay the fines, so please forgive me,” he said.
He added, “It’s not good to do it in the room, so I would do it in public.”
The Sempe Mantse, Nii Adote Otintor II, who spoke on behalf of the Ga Traditional Council, said, “We have accepted the statements of the Regional Minister, and we have forgiven him.”
The Greater Accra Regional Minister later called out the leader of Arise Ga-Dangme to smoke the peace pipe.
The actions of Henry Quartey have been commended by numerous people.
Richard first ventured into hairstyling to get some money to fend for himself but failed because of lack of experience.
While trying to still figure out what he could do to prevail, he remembered he could cook based on the experience he had at his mother’s restaurant in Ghana.
So he started cooking and selling fried rice after receiving 600 Rand from a pastor friend – Prophet Yorke, as capital to start this new business.
He recounted how his food got slimy and wasted such that he had to throw everything out one time, after no one bought it because it seemed the customers were fed up eating the same food over and over again.
“…There was a time I went out with fried rice, they were fed up with it, nobody bought it…”
Richard Akwasi Mireku narrated that he used to carry the cooked food [fried rice] around – from one street to another, something which was rare in Johannesburg.
Mr Mireku decided to start a kenkey business in Joburg; the first of its kind.
Though he had no idea how to prepare kenkey, he watched some videos on Youtube to guide him and his business peaked after taking that bold decision.
He added Ghanaian local dishes such as waakye, banku, among others to his food business.
“I used to sell pure water in Accra, Circle, Kantamanto….I’ve sold so many things. I was making it myself but since my mother told me to travel, that was when my mind tuned to travelling,” the entrepreneur said in a interview
“I arrived in South Africa on December 9, 2013…Prophet Yorke gave me 600 Rand so I’ll cook and package them in a takeaway bowl like how they used to sell it in circle and put it in a cooler box and carry it around for about a year,” he said.
Richard Mireku said, “I’m from Tuobodom in the Brong Ahafo region, we don’t do kenkey but I went on youtube to learn how to do kenkey. So the next day, I carried the kenkey around and it was sold out and it started booming.”
As fate would have it, Richard Mireku owns Alpha Catering Services, one of the biggest restaurants in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He has employed over 20 people including Ghanaians at his restaurant and is looking forward to expanding his business in other cities in South Africa.
Ghanaian rockstar Kuami Eugene has disclosed that he met a lady who offered to buy him a Mercedes Benz on the condition that they date.
In a viral video, ‘The Rockstar’ recounted that the said lady, promised him ‘paradise’, but on the condition that he would accept an offer to date her.
“Some girl promised me to buy me a Mercedes Benz if I allowed her into my life. She is trying to offer me money, flashy things which I have a couple of them. Do you get it?” he revealed.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Kuami Eugene has been offered a car as either a gift or as a form of reward.
In 2021, the highlife singer who doubles as the brand ambassador for Adonko Next Level energy drink, was given a new 2020 Range Rover Velar by the founder of Angel Group of Companies, Dr. Kweku Oteng.
The vehicle was handed over to him as a reward for his great contributions to the success of the product on the market.
Adonko Next Level energy drink is a product by Adonko Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Angel Group of Companies.
Co-Chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Dr. Steve Manteaw has expressed frustration over the exploitation of Ghana’s natural resources by a small majority.
His frustration stems from the fact the country has been blessed with a lot of natural resources yet has nothing to show for it. Rather, the country keeps wallowing in abject poverty.
Speaking at the first ever National Youth Conference in Natural Resources and Environmental Governance, he cited the gains of other countries (especially the Arabs) and lamented over Ghana’s inability to make the most of the extractive industry given the fact that some ‘greedy’ persons have taken over the industry and are looting the country’s resource.
“The exploitation of Ghana’s resources is done by foreigners. That’s what I’m sad about. We haven’t been able to realize the full potential of our natural resources,” he said.
His comments come amidst controversies surrounding Ghana’s mining sector. There have been recent developments that suggest that Ghana’s mining industry is being exploited.
First was a documentary produced by Al Jazeera dubbed Gold Mafia which revealed that Gold worth US$ 40 million is smuggled out of the country on an annual basis. Second is a leaked report on illegal mining from the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) authored by Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng who was the chairman of the defunct Committee.
In the report, he cited a number of government officials as either being involved in illegal mining (popularly known as galamsey) or interfering in the fight against the canker. Despite the claims being denied by the Professor, he maintains his grounds on the claims, insisting in subsequent replies to the names mentioned in his report that his claims are true.
It is in view of the destruction that the Professor charged the youth to take charge of Natural Resources and Environmental Governance to ensure a sustainable environment.
“As youth activists in the sector, regardless of your academic or professional background, you can acquire specialized knowledge on the NRE sector,” he said.
The government of Uganda has decided to collaborate with business giant China in order to advance technology.
Through such partnerships, the government believes that thousands of “unemployed youths will benefit from technological skills that will in turn aid job creation.”
“Uganda is privileged to have China as a creditable development and business partner.” We commit to continue promoting and supporting the mutual collaboration between Ugandan and Chinese companies,” Opolot Okaasai, the state minister for energy in Uganda, said on April 25 in Kampala at the China-Uganda Investment Economic and Trade Promotion.
Okaasai added that Uganda admires the Asian country’s growth trajectory, which has made it a worldwide economic powerhouse.
The minister claimed that when Chinese businesses take advantage of Uganda’s mineral-rich sector and invest there, many partnerships can be realized.
“The country presents great opportunities in the oil and gas sector in several projects, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Project, Kingfisher Development Project, Tilenga Project, which is ongoing, and oil and gas exploration through the upcoming third licensing round, together with investment in the downstream segment of the oil and gas sector,” he said.
The East African nation is also seeking to develop and modernize its energy sector, which, as the minister noted, gives a number of chances for investment and collaboration between Chinese and Ugandan businesses.
According to reports, China made $131 million in direct investments in Uganda in 2022, placing it tenth among all African nations. Zhang Lizhong, the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, noted in his speech that investments between China and Uganda in the areas of transportation, energy generation and transmission, oil development, and industrial parks have progressed well.
“In 2022, the economic cooperation between China and Uganda withstood the test of uncertain factors in the post-pandemic era and showed a good momentum of steady progress. The bilateral trade volume rose by 6.6% against the trend, reaching $1.14 billion. China granted zero-tariff treatment for 98% taxable items to Uganda and will support Uganda in exporting more value-added products into the Chinese market,” the ambassador remarked.
The envoy disclosed that a new direct route between Entebbe, Uganda, and Guangzhou, China, is anticipated to launch shortly to promote trade and intercultural interchange.
The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has urged stakeholders in the transport sector to ramp up efforts in enforcing standards to help achieve its target of reducing road crashes by 50 per cent by 2030.
The Board Chairman of the NRSA, Jermaine Nkrumah, who made that call, said although there had been modest gains in reducing road crashes, injuries and deaths (CIDs) over the last 15 months, more work needed to be done to make the roads safer.
In that regard, he stressed the need for the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to strengthen enforcement regimes to ensure that drivers adhere to road traffic regulations.
He also urged operators of commercial vehicles and motorbike riders to adhere strictly to road traffic regulations to prevent road crashes.
Stakeholders meeting
Mr Nkrumah made the call at a meeting with stakeholders in the road sector in Accra on April 20.
The stakeholders meeting, which was organised by the NRSA in collaboration with CUTS International, brought together key actors in the road sector such as the MTTD of the Ghana Police Service, transport operators such as the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Metro Mass Transit (MMT), Intercity STC Coaches Limited, Motor Riders Association of Ghana, Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) and other partners.
The participants discussed the road safety situation in the country, the status of the Stay Alive road safety campaign, compliance with the road safety operation standards, new strategies for the removal of breakdown vehicles, advocacy for drivers’ blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level and other key issues within the road safety space.
Reduction in crashes
For the past 15 months, the NRSA has made modest gains in reducing road CIDs in the country.
The latest statistics by the NRSA revealed that deaths from road crashes reduced from 734 in the first quarter of last year to 544 within the same period this year.
The figure represents a 25.9 per cent decline in road crash deaths within the period.
Additionally, the number of vehicles involved in crashes reduced from 3,932 in 2022 to 3,340 in 2023, representing a decline of 13.1 per cent.
In terms of injuries, the number reduced from 4,035 in 2022 to 3,697, representing a decline of 8.4 per cent.
More work
Mr Nkrumah noted that while the decline in CIDs between 2022 and 2023 was encouraging, the NRSA and its stakeholders needed to work hard to consolidate the gains made so far.
“We are happy that we have saved almost 200 lives in the first quarter of 2023 than we did in 2022.
But we must also be aware that within the same period, 544 families had to organise funerals for their dead; children became orphans, so we cannot be happy with this. Even if one person dies, we should be worried,” he said.
He stressed the need for the stakeholders to work together “until we record zero deaths”.
For his part, the Director-General of the NRSA, David Osafo Adonteng, said the authority would deepen collaboration with other stakeholders to reduce carnage on the road.
While commending other stakeholders such as the MTTD, the DVLA and the transport unions for helping to reduce crashes, he urged them to continue playing their roles well to bring sanity to the roads.
The West African Regional Director of CUTS International, Appiah Adomako, highlighted the need for the government, through the Ministry of Transport to revise the BAC level downward to conform with global best practices.
He explained that drink-driving constitutes about 10 per cent of total crashes in the country.
“Ghana’s BAC level is pegged at 0.08mg/ml. Research shows that at this level, drivers are impaired in terms of their driving ability.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that countries lower their BAC levels to 0.05mg/ml to save lives and reduce road incidents and crashes,” he said.
He further called on all road users to be disciplined and adhere to road safety regulations to stay alive and reduce road crashes.
The government‘s pay offer was approved by one union while being rejected by another today, dividing NHS workers in two.
Thousands of ambulance workers are represented by GMB, which declared this afternoon that its members have accepted the 5% salary offer.
A 51% turnout resulted in 56% of GMB members rejecting the offer and 44% supporting it.
“This new pay offer would not have happened without the strike action taken by ambulance and other GMB health workers,” said Rachel Harrison, a national officer for GMB.
‘GMB members have voted to accept the offer, which means GMB union will vote in favour of the pay offer at the NHS joint staff council meeting next week.
‘Our members recognise that progress has been made – from the government originally offering nothing, health workers will be thousands of pounds better off.’
Ambulance crews say the NHS is creaking at the seams as they strike over pay and working conditions (Picture: PA)
Harrison said the government’s pay package meets the union’s demand for a ‘huge pay uplift for the lowest paid’ staff.
‘But so much more needs to be done for workers if we are all to get the NHS we need,’ she added.
‘GMB now needs action for our ambulance members – starting by addressing their retirement and unsocial hours enhancement concerns.
‘Today is just one step in the battle to restore NHS workers’ decade of lost earnings.
‘GMB will continue this fight, so that the NHS and ambulance workers, who serve and care for the public, finally get the fair deal they deserve.’
While Unite, which has more than 100,000 members consisting mainly of ambulance crews and junior health staff, followed in the lead of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and rejected the 5% pay rise amid double-digit inflation.
With a turnout of 55%, more than half (52%) of members rejected the pay offer, while 48% voted in favour of accepting the deal.
Seven out of 10 ambulance paramedics binned the government’s single-digit wage increase, Unite said.
This means that a new wave of strikes involving 4,000 workers next week will go ahead.
Striking ambulance workers say the NHS is experiencing a crisis causing response time delays and winding queues outside A&E (Picture: Getty Images/Chris Furlong)
These include those clocking in at London’s Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service who will take job action on May 1.
While Unite members at South Central, South East Coast and West Midlands ambulance trusts as well as workers at Christie’s NHS Foundation Trust, Christie’s Pathology Partnership, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust will strike on Tuesday.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Unite was clear from the start it was very unlikely this offer would be accepted.
‘It is quite frankly a joke that NHS workers are being forced to fight for a decent pay rise after years of pay freezes and all their sacrifices during the pandemic.
‘The government should be delivering generous rewards for that instead of a parade of insults bullying and lies about our industrial action. Unite will be backing our NHS members 100%
‘Unite’s members will now return to the picket line to continue their fight. Rishi Sunak now needs to take over this mess, roll his sleeves up and sort it.
‘Isn’t that what a prime minister is supposed to do – lead for goodness sake?’
Unite chief Sharon Graham says it’s a ‘joke’ that NHS workers have to once again strike to secure a pay rise (Picture: Getty Images)
The sight of hours-long queues of ambulances outside hospitals has become a common sight in England and Wales, with A&E beds few and far between.
As have hours-long waits for ambulances to arrive to pick up patients in need.
Both, health unions say, are down to a decade of Tory government cuts which have done little to help with longstanding issues of staff shortages.
Health unions have been split over the government’s pay package of a one-off payment for 2022/23 and a 5% pay rise for 2023/24.
Unison, the UK’s largest union, accepted the pay offer, as did the Royal College of Midwives and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
While the RCN, the largest nurses union, and the Society and College of Radiographers have both rejected the package.
Nigerian musician Davidohas once again demonstrated his generosity by purchasing an iPhone 14 Pro Max for his housekeeper.
It was later discovered that the housekeeper had complained to the Nigerian celebrity that he required a new phone.
To his amazement, Davido ‘answered his prayers’ by giving him a brand-new iPhone 14. The cleaner praised OBO in a video that has gone viral online and asked for God to bless him greatly.
Additionally, he claimed to use an Android device, indicating that this is his first time using an Apple product—a luxury and expensive one at that.
Davido was in the news recently when he made a rare disclosure about Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man. He claims that despite Dangote’s enormous riches, he only purchases two cars every eight years.
The Nigerian performer revealed it in a recent interview with Forbes, where he also mentioned that the millionaire gives him financial advice. The musician, who recently performed at the Timeless Concert on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), also claimed that Dangote often counsels him to conserve his funds and refrain from overspending.
Davido said; “Uncle Aliko is a very different kind of billionaire. Uncle Aliko buys like two cars every eight years. He’s a very disciplined and very different kind of billionaire.
“Every time I see him, he just says one thing, ‘Save your money!’. There’s nothing more he tells me, every time save your money. He and my dad have been very close friends.
“And he Dangote has done well for us [Nigerians] back home. He made us a lot of industries. He just opened the biggest factory in Africa. That’s providing jobs.”
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has refuted claims by former President John Dramani Mahama that the cocoa sector in Ghana has collapsed.
The former President had reportedly claimed that the producer price and mismanagement had led to the collapse of the cocoa sector, thereby justifying farmers giving up their cocoa farms to illegal mining due to low remuneration.
However, COCOBOD has described such statements as misleading and detrimental to the cocoa sector, which forms the foundation of Ghana’s economy.
The management of COCOBOD in a statement reacting to the former President’s claim acknowledged that galamsey operations posed a significant danger to Ghana and argued that any attempts to justify or rationalize the conversion of a cocoa farm into a Galamsey site must be met with contempt.
The management of COCOBOD also stated that the Former President’s statement regarding the increase in cocoa producer prices every year during his administration is inaccurate since records available point to the opposite.
COCOBOD went on to state that the cocoa industry is not collapsing as portrayed by the former President. Ghana recorded its highest-ever cocoa production volume of 1,045,500 metric tonnes in the 2020/21 Crop Season. COCOBOD continues to invest in interventions that will ensure not just the sustenance but the growth of the industry, including the Hand Pollination Programme, the Mass Pruning Programme, and the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme.
Furthermore, COCOBOD said it was enrolling cocoa farmers across the country on the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme (CFPS) for the first time in the history of the industry to ensure a decent retirement.
COCOBOD said it remained committed to supporting farmers and ensuring the sustainability of the cocoa industry and called on the general public to support its efforts.
Read the entire statement below;
RE-AKUFO-ADDO COLLAPSED COCOA SECTOR
The attention of the Management of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has been drawn to publications on certain media platforms citing statements made by former President John Dramani Mahama, alluding to a collapse of Ghana’s cocoa sector.
The Former President made these statements while touring the Western North Region, claiming the producer price and mismanagement have collapsed the cocoa sector. Mr Mahama justified farmers giving their cocoa farms to illegal mining due to low remuneration.
Management of COCOBOD refutes the notion of a collapsing cocoa industry. Such statements are misleading and detrimental to a vital sector like cocoa, which forms the foundation of Ghana’s economy. We, therefore, wish to use the opportunity to make some clarifications and also set the records straight.
It is widely acknowledged that Galamsey operations pose a significant danger to our nation, and any attempts to justify or rationalise the conversion of a piece of land, especially a cocoa farm, into a Galamsey site, like the Former President sought to do, must be met with contempt.
This menace has the potential to negate all the investments made by the government to modernise cocoa farming and improve productivity. It is, therefore, crucial that prominent figures in our society exercise caution when making public statements that rationalize cocoa farmers trading their farms for temporary monetary benefit through illegal mining.
Management also wishes to place on record, that the Former President’s statement regarding the increase in cocoa producer prices every year during his administration is inaccurate, since the records available point to the opposite. Specifically, there was no upward adjustment of the producer price of cocoa in the 2012/2013 Crop Season. Similarly, the producer price of the preceding season was maintained for the 2015/2016 Crop Season, with no upward adjustment.
Indeed, within a three-year period of the Former President’s administration, i.e. the 2010/2011 to 2012/2013 crop season, there was a total of six (6) percent increase in the producer price. In contrast, within the last three years, there has been a 23 percent, 0 percent and a 21 percent increase in the producer price of cocoa.
It is important to note that the producer price is largely determined by international market prices as well as other industry costs, and every effort is made to arrive at a producer price that is fair to farmers even when international market conditions are unfavourable.
We further wish to put on record and also assure the general public that the cocoa industry is not collapsing as being portrayed by the Former President. Ghana recorded its highest-ever cocoa production volume of one million and forty-five thousand five hundred metric tonnes (1,045,500) in the 2020/21 Crop Season. A cocoa industry which holds the position as the second highest producer in the world cannot also be said to have collapsed.
COCOBOD continues to invest in interventions which will ensure not just the sustenance but the growth of the industry. Notably, the Hand Pollination Programme that increases pod count; the Mass Pruning Programme to enhance pests and disease control and induce flowering as well as the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme which seeks to deal with the Cocoa Swollen Shoot virus disease that has ravaged about 45% of our cocoa tree stock. This is the biggest intervention that has ever been made to reverse the major threats that face the industry.
Currently, through a facility from the African Development Bank (AfDB), a total of 38515.54 hectares of otherwise diseased and unproductive cocoa farms have been fully rehabilitated so far, and some 59151.44 hectares have also been treated. The process of restoring other diseased farms is ongoing across the country.
For the first time in the history of the industry, COCOBOD is enrolling cocoa farmers across the country onto the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme (CFPS) to ensure a decent retirement.
COCOBOD remains committed to supporting farmers and ensuring the sustainability of the cocoa industry, and we will continue to work closely with our stakeholders to achieve our goals.
We call on the general public to support our efforts.
During a training mission in Alaska, two US Army helicopters collided, leaving three soldiers dead and a fourth injured.
The 11th Airborne Division, which is stationed out of Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, had the soldiers aboard two AH-64 Apache helicopters. They belonged to the 25th Aviation Regiment’s First Attack Battalion.
The 11th Airborne Division verified the incident on Thursday night. The Apaches were returning from a training mission when they collided. About 100 miles south of Fort Wainwright, they crashed close to the town of Healy.
Two soldiers were killed immediately at the scene, the Army said. Two survived and were transported to Fairbanks for medical treatment, but one of the injured soldiers died en route to the hospital.
The helicopters were based out of Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska (Picture: AP)
The surviving injured soldier is being treated at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.
The names of the deceased soldiers are being withheld for 24 hours as the Army notifies their next-of-kin.
Major General Brian Eifler called the accident was an ‘incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division.’
‘The Fort Wainwright community is one of the tightest military communities I’ve seen in my 32 years of service,’ General Eifler said. ‘I have no doubt they will pull together during this exceptional time of need and provide comfort to our families of our fallen.’
The cause of the accident is currently under investigation by an Army Combat Readiness Center team from Fort Novosel in Alabama.
The crash comes only one month after nine US Army soldiers were killed when two HH60 helicopters crashed in Trigg County, Kentucky. The soldiers were part of the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell.
Another deadly military helicopter crash occurred in February, when two Tennessee National Guardsmen were killed when their helicopter burst into flame above Madison County, Alabama.
American television personality Steve Harvey has counseled men seeking a committed relationship to refrain from asking their partners what they bring to the table.
According to him, it’s wrong for this young generation of men to ask women what they bring to the table.
“A woman can make another you, it’s our job to take care of a woman and some children,” he said.
Speaking in an interview with Black Millionaires, Steve said it is the responsibility of men to take care of women and not the other way around.
“That is what is wrong with this generation today, the young boys today, what does she bring to the table? What the hell do you mean man? What does your ass bring to the table? You got a woman that can come to the table that can make another you, what else that she need to slide up to the table with? What about your job? What happened to men that were supposed to be responsible? Do you know it is our (Men) to take care of women, children, and our family? That is our damn job” he said.
Harvey is part of a broader conversation about gender equality and the role of women in relationships and society as a whole.
Many people argue that women should not be judged solely on their ability to contribute financially or in other material ways, but rather on their character, values, and other intangible qualities that make them valuable partners.
Overall, Harvey’s advice encourages men to shift their thinking and approach to relationships and focus on building meaningful connections with women based on mutual respect, understanding, and shared values, rather than on traditional gender roles or expectations.
